International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories

Impact of Macro economic variables on Fluctuations of Gold price: An Empirical Study

2021-05-23T08:54:53+00:00

Price of the gold is changing every day due to several reasons such as economic, political factors, festival, demand and supply of the consumers happening across the world. Among this, the change in gold price is majorly influencing by macroeconomic variables in India. With this backdrop, the study focuses on influence of macroeconomic factors on the fluctuations of gold price in India. The study has chosen select macroeconomic variable on the basis of existing studies namely Wholesale Price Index (WPI), Exchange Rate (ER), Unemployment Rate (UR), Long Term Interest Rate (LTIR) and S&P BSE SENSEX. This study takes monthly observations over a period of five years from 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2019. Descriptive statistics is been used to check accuracy and reliability of the data. Correlation analysis used to find the relationship and Ordinary Lease Square (OLS) Method applied to check the cause and effect of macroeconomic variable on gold price. The study empirically found that ER, WPI, UR and S&P BSE SENSEX have positive on gold price while Gold price have negatively influenced by LTIR.

Home Country Determinants of OFDI from Emerging Economies

2020-11-27T05:26:18+00:00

Outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) of firms from emerging economies has increased significantly during the last few years. Despite this trend, comprehensive literature survey research on macroeconomic determinants and antecedents of outward FDI from emerging economies is still underrepresented. The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive understanding of home country-level factors’ impact on outward FDI from developing countries through a systematic review of past researches on OFDI’s macroeconomic determinants of the home economy. This study is based on an exploratory approach and structured assessment of researches on home country determinants of OFDI during the last two decades. The findings reveal that firms from emerging economies have many similar motives for investing overseas. The most important ones are home country market size and openness of the home country towards internationalization. However, some researchers posted contrasting results for the impact of the home country’s interest rates, human capital, and technological capability on OFDI from emerging economies. This study also points out that emerging economies suffer from a shortage of skilled personnel, thus making human capital an incompetent push factor for OFDI.

Human Capital Development in Professional Golf: Web.com Tour as Pathway to the PGA Tour

2018-05-03T18:40:51+00:00

Nobel Prize winning economist Gary Becker formally recognized the importance of human capital (education, experience, and skill development) as a contributor to worker productivity and economic advancement. Within the economics of sport literature, economists have begun to apply Becker’s human capital formation theory as a method to examine the value of developmental (or minor) league level performance on an athlete’s success at the highest (or major) league level of professional sports.

This research applies Becker’s theory to a model of a professional golfer’s human capital development as they progress from the minor league (Web.com Tour) level to the major league (PGA Tour) level. Several empirical model specifications are developed. Each model investigates the importance of human capital development for a golfer’s specific shot-making skills. Next, an econometric model is specified which specifically links shot-making skill development to a golfer’s overall tournament success (tournament scoring average).

Empirical results show that of the shot-makings skills, long-game skills (i.e., driving power and driving accuracy) can best be developed through minor league play; while short-game skills (e.g., approach shots, scrambling, and putting) are better developed at the PGA Tour level. Ultimately, this indicates that a player’s tournament success on the PGA Tour is determined by how and when players decide to improve specific shot-making skills over time.

Has Economic Science Gone Wrong? A Brief Inquiry Into the History of Macroeconomics after World War II

2018-02-13T20:17:19+00:00

This paper captures the main evolutions in economics after World War II, with a particular focus on the crisis in macroeconomics, following the collapse of traditional Keynesian theory. The typology of existing theories reveals a scientific community divided into two directions of research: one which subscribes to the virtues of capitalism, in the tradition of classical liberalism, and another which investigates the impact of economic imperfections, in the Keynesian tradition. However, this division should not be taken literally, since today, these two opposing trends have common features, such as the microeconomic foundation of macroeconomics and the rational expectations hypothesis.

Air Pollution and Human Health in Developing Countries: Evidence from Sub-Saharan African Countries

2017-11-08T11:59:34+00:00

This study aims at verifying if air pollution could explain health performance (measure by life expectancy at birth, child mortality rate and under-five years mortality rate) in sub-Saharan African countries. Its main contribution is the introduction of SO₂ concentrations and CO₂ emissions into the traditional health equations (Bloom and al., 2004; Barro and Sala-I-Martin, 2004). Results obtained from the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) system show that the magnitude of the impact of air pollution depends on the health indicator considered. Precisely, it is found that SO₂ concentrations significantly damage health indicators while CO₂emissions have an insignificant impact on health variables. Despite the marginal contribution of these countries to global environmental threat, governments should adopt measures in order to prevent and reduce the vulnerability of their population to the adverse effects of climate change.

Foreign Aid Volatility and Economic Growth: a Case Study of Pakistan

2017-06-17T07:11:55+00:00

While the debate on effectiveness of foreign aid remains inconclusive, the recent literature has focused on exploring possible sources which render aid as ineffective. Among others, the volatility in aid inflows is cited as one of the reasons for aid ineffectiveness. Historically, Pakistan has been one of the major aid recipient countries, but it is still lagging behind in terms on economic development. By analyzing the period of 1972-2015, we explored the role of aid volatility in explaining economic growth in case of Pakistan. By developing an index for macroeconomic policy environment, we also investigate the role of prevailing macroeconomic conditions in aid effectiveness. We employed Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) for estimation because of its advantage of handling endogenity of foreign aid. After controlling for traditional determinants of economic growth, our results show that both foreign aid and its volatility are negatively related to economic growth in case of Pakistan. However, we have found that a favorable policy environment results to increase foreign aid effectiveness.

Fiscal Implications of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in India: A Study of Noida SEZ

2017-05-20T22:43:05+00:00

This paper analyzes the fiscal implications of Noida special economic zones (NSEZ) on government budget. The analysis is based on the aggregated data collected form NSEZ and taking 2009-10 to 2015-2016 as reference period. The study reveals that government incurred a lot of expenditure and costs for successful running of the zone and option to earn revenue is foregone because payment of various taxes and duties is not applicable to SEZs. This, in turn has affected both revenue and expenditure of the government budget and it raises the questions about actual contributions of such enclaves to national fiscal health and supports the arguments of opponents regarding discontinuation of scheme. It is suggested that government should lessen these effects either by withdrawing fiscal incentives fully or partially or through exploring some constructive ways.

Fiscal Implications of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in India: A Study of Noida SEZ

2017-05-20T22:28:25+00:00

Is Labour Productivity interpretive for fluctuations in NAIRU? Panel-VAR evidence from OECD countries

2017-04-27T12:18:12+00:00

In this study, the impact of productivity on NAIRU is analysed using 19 OECD countries’ yearly data, for the period of 1997 to 2012. The main purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the reaction of NAIRU in the face of a shock in labour productivity, both in level and its lags as well as, investigating whether productivity has a positive or negative effect on fluctuations in NAIRU in growth framework. Engaging the Panel-Vector Auto-regressive models negatively supports the impact of NAIRU on variation in productivity.

Marketing in an Economic Downturn: Challenges and Opportunities

2017-04-18T12:08:35+00:00

Business environment is uncertain. It becomes even more turbulent during recession. This uncertainty directly affects the investments made by firms. Firms hesitate to invest during recession because of the belief that the returns will not be commensurate with the investment made. Nevertheless, there are firms which develop strategies and invest during recession. The paper discusses about various strategies which firms may adopt to survive and also excel during recession. The advantages and the disadvantages of following those strategies are discussed. The paper also focuses on firms which implemented strategies to overcome recession and established themselves in the minds of customers. This paper might help firms and practitioners in identifying the most effective strategies to be adopted for excellence during an economic downturn.

A Rational Perspective on the Importance of Reevaluating A Decade of Overregulation in the U.S.

2017-03-31T03:13:17+00:00

Regulations are essential tools for ensuring that markets and industries meet the needs of all stakeholders, not just shareholders. Stakeholders include employees, customers, creditors and any other entity who has a financial vested interest. A company with a balanced regulatory framework would likely agree that regulations are essential to innovation and sustainable prosperity, especially in today’s complex business environment. Innovation creates demand, jobs and economic growth. “This paper employs the definition of “innovation” described by Joseph Schumpeter (1942). Schumpeter distinguished innovation, the commercially successful application of an idea, from invention, the initial development of a new idea, and from diffusion, the widespread adoption of the innovation” (Ashford and Heaton, 1981, p. 110 as cited by Steward, 2010). Based on this definition, there are two ways, the government can impact regulation. The most prevalent involves placing compliance burden on firms, causing them to “[…] divert time and money from innovation activities to compliance efforts” (Stewart, 2010). When innovation is stifled, economic growth is diminished, creating a subsequent micro or macroeconomic impact.

CAMPUS ADAPTATIONS VARY ON SOURCE OF COLLEGE EXPENSE AMONG ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

2017-02-06T10:50:58+00:00

Abstract: -

Objective: - The study aims to empirically test the relationship between types of campus adaptations and sources of college expenses across engineering undergraduate B. Tech students pursuing a four-year study at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT’s) and National Institute of Technology (NIT’s) in India.

Method: - The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (Manova) test was run with SPSS vs. 21 to compare the student’s campus adaptations of IIT’s and NIT’s by student’s academic year level. Multistage random sampling with n = 1420 students were selected with parents income (n = 956), bank loan (n =144), government scholarship (n =85), private scholarship (n = 06), loan from private source or money lender for stipulated interest (n = 1) borrowing from relatives (n = 1), income from internship project at institute (n = 1), parents income and bank loan (n = 52) parents income and government scholarship (n =121), parents income, government scholarship and private scholarship (n=09), government scholarship and bank loan (n =16), parents income, government scholarship and bank loan (n =07), parents income and private scholarship (n = 09), parents income, private scholarship and bank loan (n =3), government scholarship, income from internship project (n =1) , parents income and income from internship project (n =2), parents income and donor donation (n =3), parents income and borrowing from relatives (n =7).

Result: -. The source of expenses delve on derived multiple sources that heavily influences students adaptability at campuses.

Conclusion: - Campus adaptations do vary across source of college expense influencing student’s experiences at IIT’s and NIT’s.

Key words: - loan, scholarship, expenses, higher education and college students

A Study on Commodity Market Behaviour, Price Discovery and its Factors

2016-12-29T14:29:16+00:00

Commodity markets have been gaining importance in recent years, giving participants an opportunity to go for forward contracting and hedging. In particular, derivative markets have attained more than eighteen times in trading volume when compared to the spot markets.

This paper provides an overview of the commodity market inIndiaand its participants, and analyses twelve commodities that are traded in MCX (Multi Commodity Exchange), in terms of price discovery of the spot and futures markets using GARCH model. It also analyses the impact of trading volume, inflation and other macroeconomic factors on spot and futures price movements.

Service Quality, Customer Attitude and Subscription Behavior: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach to Determine Mediating Relationship

2016-12-06T12:57:49+00:00

The research study aims to investigate the nature, strength and direction of association between service quality, and customer subscription behavior with attitude’s mediation role. To achieve stated objective, causal research was designed where quantitative data was collected through self-administered questionnaires and 416 observations were collected from customers surveyed using convenience sampling. Instrument was adapted. Firstly, Regression Analysis with PROCESS Add-in was conducted to quantify the associational relationships. 2^nd-order factor-based structural regression Model has been developed, and tested for the study.

Data analysis proves partial mediation. Service quality had 92% positive direct influence on Customer subscription behavior but reduced to 39% because of mediating effect of attitude. This study offers new empirical support for the proposition that attitude towards service provider play mediating role between perceived service quality and subscription behavior. As such, findings from this study aspires managers to develop attitudinal strategies in order to increase customer retention and acquisition in telecommunication services.

The findings can be generalized by expanding the industrial dynamics in sampling frame. The research study significantly contributes to existing body of service management literature because of its inherent empirical nature. The findings can be applied in variety of subscription-base industries including magazines, websites, online social communities, newspapers, cable T.V, event management, and financial services.

The Impact of Government Support on Entrepreneurship

2016-11-17T22:43:20+00:00

In this study, we examine the impact of state and local governments’ support of small businesses in each U.S. state on the entrepreneurial activity in that state. We also examine the impact of governments’ support on firm performance, owner optimism, and firm and owner characteristics. Our results show that neither the support of state governments nor the support of local governments has a significant impact on the entrepreneurial activity in that state. However, we find that both the support of state governments and the support of local governments have a significant impact on firm performance and owner’s outlook for the future. In the states where there is above-average state or local government support as perceived by the owners, small firms are more successful and at the same time owners are more optimistic for the future. We also find that the perceived support of state and local governments affects the composition of the small firms and their owners in a state.

The Relationship between Foreign Direct Investment and Industrialization in Developing Countries: Panel Data Analysis

2016-06-07T01:02:08+00:00

Abstract. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of foreign direct investment on industrialization in 19 developing countries, which have upper-middle income level in the 2000-2013 period. Panel Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Fixed Effects (FE) and Random Effects (RE) Models was applied in order to determine the relationship between foreign direct investment and industrialization. Although there are a lot of studies that examined the effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth, there are few studies that examined the effect of on industrialization in the empirical literature. Also there are no studies that analyzed this effect in terms of upper-middle income developing countries according to country classification of international organizations such as World Bank country classification. In this respect this study has importance on both to contribute to literature in this field and to make proper economic policy suggestion according to the results of analysis.

According to the results of FE model, which is the most appropriate model in terms of data set, the export and gross capital formation variables are statistically significant and have positive effect on industrialization. The import and gross domestic product per capita variables are statistically significant and have negative effect on industrialization and the foreign direct investment and the value added of the agricultural sector variables are statistically insignificant. The export and gross capital formation variables have an important effect on industrialization in developing countries. Empirical results are largely consistent with studies on this field.

Work Demand Pattern Analysis for MGNREGA: With Special Reference to 18 Indian States.

2016-05-31T19:58:52+00:00

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) is world’s largest public employment program (World Bank – 2015). According to an India Today (February, 2016) report, around 182 million people (15% of India’s population) are provided with work under MGNREGA. Present study is an attempt to understand the work demand pattern of 18 Indian states under the guaranteed employment program called MGNREGA. Month wise data (secondary in nature) of work demand for years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 for all the select 18 states have been considered for the analysis. The result revealed that 11 states had no significant differences between three years’ work demand pattern, while 7 states had significant differences between three years’ work demand pattern. The research outcome could help government and its agencies to change their implementation pattern for MGNREGA in states facing work demand inconsistencies.

THE EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE MOVEMENTS ON STOCK MARKET CAPITALISATION IN GHANA

2016-05-30T18:43:44+00:00

The study examined the relationship between exchange rate movements and stock market capitalisation in Ghana using Johansen cointegration technique and vector error correction model with quarterly time series data covering the period of 1990 to 2013. The study found a negative and significant relationship between exchange rate and stock market capitalisation both in the long-run and in the short run suggesting that a depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar is inimical to the performance of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) Market. In order to increase stock market capitalisation, the study first recommends that the Central Bank of Ghana, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture should adopt policies that will boost the real side of the economy such as increasing agricultural productivity to ensure increase in foreign exchange earnings in the country and hence preventing the cedi from depreciating.

Economic Growth and Foreign Direct Investment: Empirical Evidence from India during Post-Economic Reforms Era

2016-05-25T16:21:02+00:00

Abstract: The present study empirically investigates the causality between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth in India over the period 1992-2014, the post economic reforms era. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been taken as proxy of economic growth in our study. The study takes into consideration the recent advances in econometric techniques. The study shows the high degree of correlation between GDP and FDI. The variables are tested for stationarity, applying Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test. The Co-integration test indicates that GDP and FDI are co-integrated time series showing long run equilibrium between the two variables under consideration in India during the study period. To determine the cause and effect relationship between economic growth (GDP) and FDI, Granger Causality test and Vector autoregression (VAR) model have been used. The results suggest that there is bidirectional causality between GDP and FDI. To check the long-run stability the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) has also been used and the value of the error correction term (ECT) confirms the expected convergence process in the long-run for FDI and economic growth (GDP). The Variance Decomposition also authenticates the cause and effect relationship between GDP and FDI in India.

Analysis of Export Ferronickel Commodity In Southeast Sulawesi to People Republic of China

2016-05-15T03:30:47+00:00

This study purposed to analyze the factors that affect the ferronickel exports commodity to China. Data used in this study is data from 1995 to 2013. Sources of data obtained from the Department of Trade and Industry, and Bureau of Statistics. The method of data analysis used in this study is the multiple linear regression method. The results showed that simultaneous variables nickel prices, exchange rates, China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of importing countries affect the value of exports. In partial, price variables and GDP of the importing country has a positive influence on the value of exports. While the exchange rate variable does not affect the value of commodity exports of ferronickel in the Southeast. The coefficient of determination (R square) equal to 0.850 means that the independent variable is pricing capability, GDP importers of commodities and exchange rate together in explaining the dependent variable is export values of ferronickel by 85 percent. While the 15 percent explained by other variables not included in the model.

Causality Analysis of International Trade Costs over International Trade of Turkey in Frequency Domain

2016-04-29T16:30:00+00:00

This paper tests the causality relation of international trade costs (international commodity prices, exchange rate and Baltic Dry Index) with international trade of Turkey as a developing country. We perform Granger causality tests in the frequency domain between variables. The main findings demonstrate that transportation cost, commodity prices and nominal exchange rates are Granger causality for international trade of Turkey in the long and short runs. However, unlike other variables real effective exchange rate does not cause to trade of Turkey except long term effect over import.

Financial Performance of Chinese Airlines: Does State Ownership Matter?

2016-04-16T21:56:08+00:00

This study investigates whether state ownership significantly affects the performance of publicly traded Chinese airlines over the 1994–2011 period. The sample consists of six listed Chinese airlines, five on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and one on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Panel regression test results display persistently a U-shaped relationship between state ownership and firm performance for the airline industry. Furthermore, the evidenced convex relationship holds true for both market and operating performance measures. Thus, Chinese airlines with mixed ownership perform worse than their privately or state-controlled peers. We attribute the poor performance experienced by mixed-controlled Chinese airlines to the grabbing hand exerted by their government shareholders and the excessive agency costs associated with severe conflicts of interest between their managers and dispersed shareholders. The findings affirm and highlight the importance of control and ownership unambiguity. Given the Chinese government’s ongoing intention to privatize SOEs and the demonstrated U-shaped relationship, the optimal course of action for Chinese policy makers and Chinese airline executives to follow in order to further improve the performance of the industry is to expedite the privatization process for all state-owned airlines to break away from their state owners and to become fully privatized.

Pilot Study of Macromarketing Factors Influencing Fisheries and Aquaculture Market in Bulgaria

2016-04-11T17:59:51+00:00

The development of "Fisheries and aquaculture" sector is a priority for the European Union and Bulgaria as a full EU member and supports the achievement of the 'Europe 2020' strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The operation of businesses in today's dynamic and turbulent markets requires a comprehensive systematic approach to their management and in particular to marketing of these organizations. In this paper are presented results from a pilot study of macromarketing environment factors of fish and fish products in international markets, which should be taken into account when making investment decisions, production and sale of products from catch and aquaculture in Bulgaria.

A glance into Corporate Social Responsibility

2016-03-30T10:48:03+00:00

In recent years considerable attention is devoted to the strategic implications of corporate social responsibility. corporate social responsibility activities have been posited to include incorporating social characteristics or features into products and manufacturing processes (aerosol products with no fluorocarbons, environmentally-friendly technologies), adopting progressive human resource management practices, achieving higher levels of environmental performance through recycling and pollution abatement (reducing emissions), and advancing the goals of community organizations.

special economic zones in india:a study on assesment of exports, investment and employment generation

2016-03-16T17:25:56+00:00

Abstract

Special economic zones are defined as a clearly demarcated industrial area where domestic and foreign manufacturing firms produce mainly for export. The SEZ are the enclaves operating under liberalised trade regime and enjoyed bunch of fiscal and non fiscal incentives. Similar to other developing nations over the world for achievement of various fundamental objective such as substitution of import, infrastructure development, vast industrialisation, export, employment and investment promotion, Government of India establish first export processing zone (EPZs) in 1965. But these zones have reported failure in achievement of underlying objectives due to presence of various loopholes in EPZs policy. Therefore, with a view to overcoming the shortcomings experienced on account of these loopholes, in 2000, Government of India announces special economic zones (SEZs) policy. The whole idea behind the setting up of SEZs was to promote the exports, generation of employment & investment and hence accelerate the economic growth of a country. This policy intended to make SEZs as engine of growth through their positive contribution in core activities of an economy. This present article gives a bird eye view of historical framework of SEZs policy, SEZs objectives, Act, rules and regulations, incentives available to units and SEZs developer, administration of SEZs. In addition to this, present paper also highlights the current status of SEZs in India and their role in Indian economy. Finally the paper ended with conclusion that for being a role model like China, suitable changes in policy should be required.

Marketing exchange model, a dynamic instrument for public policy improvement: a case of study from Anhui Province China.

2016-03-14T17:58:34+00:00

The direct benefits of public policy interventions at provinces are a clear manifestation of government’s determination to improve the public welfare in China. Hefei city provides an outstanding evidence of this phenomenon. Being largest city and capital of Anhui province in China, it exhibits outcome the dynamic role of marketing exchange process in the form of policy interventions. As a case study, the work presented here has subjectively analyzed the city government activities with respect to marketing exchange and marketing strategies. In this context, several characteristics and diverse criteria were studied to depict a model that best reflects an instrument used for public policy modification. Our findings revealed a two pronged approach comprising of strong feedback mechanism referred to as internal process and government’s receptive role to process the information which is regarded as external process. The second aspect i.e. marketing process dynamics whose key role is to evaluate and assess the outcomes of first approach and enable policy makers and decision makers to time address the public welfare issue through policy interventions. Based on our findings, it is assumed that continuity of this model will further enhance the effectiveness of public policies in bringing public welfare as top priority.

From HR Role To Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

2016-03-08T23:44:15+00:00

The objective of this research is to analyze the influence of HR role (strategic partner, administrative expert, employee champion, and agent of change) on high performance work systems and its influence on behavior (organizational commitment and job satisfaction). Survey method is applied in this research. This research used questionnaires and interviews. The populations were employees of public organization in Bantul region, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The samples consisted of 125 respondents in which only 77 of them returned the questionnaires (response rate of 62%). This research used Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis technique. The results show that (1) there is no influence of employees as strategic partners on high performance work systems (HPWS), (2) there is an influence of employees as administrative experts on high performance work system (HPWS), (3) there is an influence of employees as employee champions on high performance work systems (HPWS), (4) there is no influence of employees as agent of change on high performance work systems (HPWS), (5) there is an influence of high performance work systems (HPWS) on organizational commitment, and (6) there is an influence of high performance work systems (HPWS) on job satisfaction

Macro Determinants of CAR in Indian Banking Sector

2016-03-05T14:20:17+00:00

Banks as a channel of monetary policy transmission play a very important role in facilitating the process of credit creation in an economy. It is crucial for financial stability that banks stay financially healthy. Capital Adequacy Ratio is an important indicator of banks financial health. By nature the banking-operations and performance are subject to business cycles and fluctuations in economic activity. The global financial crisis saw the failure of financial sector giants like Lehman Brothers and banks in the U.S.A and other countries. The spread of global financial crisis worldwide attracted the interest of academicians and policy makers in banking sector and its soundness. Thus, after the financial crisis of 2008 the research on banking sector particularly Capital Adequacy Ratio has gained lot of attention worldwide. This paper attempts to investigate and evaluate the impact of Macroeconomic Indicators on Capital Adequacy Ratio for Indian banks. The primary purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of external determinants on Capital Adequacy Ratio of Indian banks. We have used dynamic panel data analysis on 65 banks from 2007-2013. Our estimation based on Generalized Method of Moments reveals that Real GDP Growth, Inflation rate, Interest rate and Real effective exchange rate have strong impact on Capital Adequacy Ratio of Indian Banks.

Higher education and economic growth: the importance of innovation

2016-02-27T19:45:21+00:00

This paper examines the relation between innovation, higher education and economic growth during the 1996-2014 period in the case of developed and developing countries. The cointegration relationship between series was examined by using panel cointegration test developed by Pedroni (1999, 2004) and Kao (1999). As a result of the empirical analysis, cointegration relationship between the series was determined. The results also provide also evidence of a positive effect of innovation in tertiary education on economic growth.

Relative Price Variability and Inflation in Turkey: Results from Kalman Filter Estimation

2016-02-18T18:08:38+00:00

This study re-examines the relationship between inflation rate and relative price variability in Turkey for the period of February 2005-November 2015, by relaxing the assumptions of linearity and stability. The linearity assumption between the two variables is relaxed by estimating quadratic regression equation. The assumption of stability is removed by utilizing the Kalman filter approach. The Kalman filter estimates of the regression coefficients are found to satisfy the U-shaped relationship between inflation and relative price variability. Time variation on the regression coefficients and the U-shaped curve is significant. The annualized inflation rate which minimizes relative price variability varies from 4.26% to 4.93%.

Efficiency and Total Factor Productivity of Public Hospitals in Haryana (India): A Data Envelopment Analysis

2016-02-08T13:12:11+00:00

The present study endeavors to analyze the efficiency and total factor productivity of public hospitals in the state of Haryana, one of the leading states of India, using Data Envelopment Analysis. The input variables identified for the study are doctors and support staff (including nurses, lab technicians and pharmacists) for measuring efficiency and total factor productivity. Similarly, inpatients and outpatients have been taken as outputs. Twenty hospitals have been chosen for the study. The study is based on primary and secondary data collected from officials and record maintained by public hospitals. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to evaluate efficiency, allocative efficiency and total factor productivity (TFP) change making use of DEAP software.90% hospitals have been observed to be technically inefficient having a mean TE score of 32%. Overall average TE score is 0.39 which implies that the public hospitals in Haryana may reduce the consumption of inputs by 61% without reducing the outputs. 90% hospitals have been observed to be scale inefficient having a mean SE score of 39%. Overall average scale efficiency has been observed 0.44. 60% hospitals make efficient use of input related to doctors whereas 35% hospitals have been efficient in using support staff efficiently. 60% hospitals were found working efficiently regarding inpatients. 85% hospitals were found working efficiently regarding outpatients. 15% hospitals were found to be allocatively efficient. The score of TFPCH (1.094) indicates that out of 9.4% growth, 5.9% is by TECHCH (1.059) and 3.3% by EFFCH (1.033). It is suggested by the study that on an average, scale inefficiency has been due to the increasing returns to scale. The estimate of total elasticity also suggests the operation of increasing returns to scale in public hospitals of Haryana State.

IS INTERNATIONAL TRADE A SOLE DETERMINANT IN PAKISTAN’S ECONOMIC GROWTH? AN EMPIRICAL APPROACH

2016-01-31T16:34:46+00:00

The international trade is being considered as the engine of growth in development studies. This study is an attempt to explore the influence of international trade on economic growth aligned with globalization and trade openness in Pakistan. We use autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model with Granger causality tests within error correction model (ECM) framework. In addition, the existence of long run and short run causal relationships between international trade and economic growth is being analysed. Granger causality tests are used with vector auto regression (VAR) with two diverse approaches for the testing of cointegration i.e. Johansen-Juselius and ARDL. The results of error correction model (ECM) and Granger causality tests suggest some causal relationships among GDP, exports, imports, gross investment, official development assistance (ODA), remittances and trade. A relatively new approach is employed to consider the effects of intertwined factors of international trade i.e. gross investment is considered as endogenous catalyst while ODA and remittances are considered as exogenous catalysts for the international trade. The empirical findings of this study confirm that Pakistan’s economic growth has significantly been influenced by international trade and investment. It also proposes that the prime focus on investment and globalization can pace-up the process of growth within a short period of time. Also, the international trade linkages expand the trade globalization which could be used as benchmarking the growth through international trade. The least developed countries (LDCs) can take lessons to pick the track of economic growth by focusing their trade related theories around international trade and globalization.

Determinants of Non-Performing Assets in the Indian Banking Sector

2016-01-28T08:39:00+00:00

NPAs in the Indian banking sector are continuously increasing and presently this is the biggest problem faced by the banks. The article studies the factors determining NPAs in the banking sector of Indian Economy. Taking the data of all the banks from 2005 to 2014, using GLM model the paper shows how macro economic factors and bank specific factors are leading to staggering levels of NPAs in the Indian banking sector.

A Formal Look at the Negative Interbank Rate

2016-01-23T14:37:30+00:00

This paper develops a simple theoretical model regarding the policy means of negative interbank rate against recession. It is found out that the adoption of such a rate does not differ much from a scheme of full-reserve banking. And, to the extent that recession forms an equilibrium phenomenon, this policymaking is necessarily destabilizing towards some full-employment state of affairs, but the transition is not found to be smooth depending on how the elasticities of loan demand and deposit supply react.

Re-Examining Foreign Direct Investment - Growth Nexus

2016-01-21T03:37:41+00:00

Abstract. The nexus between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth has been the main focus of extensive academic research over the past few decades. This paper contributes to the literature by investigating the effects of FDI on growth to identify the mechanism via which FDI affect growth, and to explain the reasons that account for ambiguity of empirical findings. This assessment was conducted through a review of available documentation. The study reveals that FDI promotes the recipient country’s economic growth via various mechanisms: raises capital formation of the host country, increases growth by the transfer of new technologies and knowhow (new production processes and techniques, managerial skills, and varieties of capital goods) and increases competition in the host country. However, the majority of empirical investigations reveal that recipient countries need to pass a certain level of absorptive capacity (degree of financial development, human capital development, technology gap, institutional quality, trade openness and infrastructure development) known as development threshold, to be able to exploit FDI more efficiently. Thus, FDI positive impact on growth is contingent on local conditions and absorptive capacities of the host country. The study recommends that the host country should create the enabling environment to take advantage of the benefits of FDI and put in measures to attenuate the adverse effect of FDI on economic growth.

Keywords: Capital, Foreign Direct Investment, Economic Growth, Mechanisms, Recipient Country, Sustainable Development.

The integration System Innovation Adaption in Business Complexity - Empirical Evidence from Romanian

2016-04-17T15:02:01+00:00

This paper examines the stabilizing Business complexity using innovation and integration as an attribute for business organizations inRomania. Going with the assumption that business environment can be considered an adaptive complex system .Business complexity refers to daily business cycle efficiency of operations with effect on costs, the paper try also to identify the role of innovation attribute found in integration process, the paper apply the Water Fall Model which is an approach in modeling based on interfaces, which can help in identifying integration points respecting the basic design model standards. The paper findings contributes on draw an interest image to the influence of Business modeling combined with innovation integration to keep performance and find flexibility to maintain market segmentation , the paper also will focus on innovation environment and innovation strategic management adaptation in the business network , measuring risk as a segment using model complexity rating.

Factors Influencing Environmentally Friendly Behaviors. An Exploratory Study on Braşov Residents

2016-04-17T15:01:57+00:00

The present paper aims to investigate the factors which influence the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviors by the citizens of Braşov, as well as the means, resources and tools that local authority offers to residents in order to stimulate this behavior. In this sense, a qualitative research was conducted, using semi directive in-depth interviews, among 13 residents from the city of Braşov, Romania. The selection of the interviewed subjects was based on their involvement in environmentally friendly activities. The results outline several influence factors of the respondents’ environmentally friendly behaviors, such as: the level of environmental education, the awareness concerning environmental problems, the time required for the adoption of environmentally friendly activities, the standard of living in Romania, development of specific local infrastructure, the institutional and legislative framework on environmental protection, the comfort and willingness to conform to group norms. Thus, the involvement of individuals in environmentally friendly activities should be based on the judicious combination of all factors that influence the adoption of such behavior.

Data Mining and Customer Relationship Management for Clients Segmentation

2016-04-17T15:01:15+00:00

Starting from the idea that, nowadays, data mining techniques are applied in more and more different domains, one of the most important economic domain is Customer Relationship Management. In this respect, many studies were developed, from market research studies, to clients segmentation. We use principal components analysis to extract essential information from our dataset, and to eliminate redundancy, we use Ward's hierarchical classification method and k-means algorithm to classify clients that belong to Deloitte. Analyzing over 40 of the biggest clients, our goal is to use data mining techniques for customer segmentation, in order to both identify hidden patterns in data and describe new formed classes. In this respect, the management of the company may identify classes of customers and clients value, in order to decide future campaigns, offers or communications for a specific segment. Finally, we conclude that data mining techniques can be used for clients segmentation and provide useful results for marketing, products and management departments of the company.

Farmers’ Training Evidence Using Structural Instruments, a Starting Point to Improve Agricultural Practices with Focus on Romanian Farmers

2016-04-17T15:01:12+00:00

Reviews of the recent literature, emphasize the importance of farmers training and the topic of knowledge transfer from the final customers to the farmers is becoming more and more fashionable. Training farmers and farm managers supports not only an important step to better agricultural practices and products, but also the diversification into non-agricultural activities, encouraging the rural truism sector or developing new skills and competences among the involved actors. Having a clear evidence on how the structural instruments of the 2007-2013 rural development framework helped both demanders and suppliers of specialized training, offers more answers to the problem of professionalizing the agricultural sector, increases the interest in qualitative results and make them a competitive advantage. Our work wants to provide an overview of how executive institutions created the frame of accessing training by assigning public expenditures and resources from European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and how farmers and farm managers proved their willing and interest in achieving those results. The conclusions revealed the anticipated hypothesis, meaning that the member states with an emerging economy level started the implementation of the training measures in a hesitating manner and did not have a coherent behavior in absorbing the existing funds, while other states registered the highest values in indicators like number of participants, number of applications for advisory services, number of economic actors in trainings or public expenditures assignment, and the results where indeed in the same direction.

Organizational Trust Model Based on Business Students’ Opinions

2016-04-17T15:00:08+00:00

This paper is a part of a series of projects of the authors, on the organisational trust, projects which were developed in various Romanian companies. In this research stage, we present part of the results of a sociologic survey, regarding the opinions of a group of 554 students in Economics and Business Administration on the level of trust in the organisations they own or are employed by. The paper presents the status of the survey companies, comparatively, on share source categories, but also compared to a pattern taken from the scientific specialty literature, which the authors developed and applied in a previous stage of the research. The objective of this approach is to obtain a global image of the level and results of organisational trust. The authors’ hypothesis are: 1) the highly critical attitude of the survey subjects, in order to obtain clear and truthful information and 2) the existence of significant differences between the Romanian share companies and the foreign share ones regarding the level and the results of organisational trust. These hypotheses are only partially checked and the conclusions are corroborated with the results of other projects, which were previously developed by the authors on the same topic.

Customers Relationship Considerations in Hotels Belonging to an International Chain

2016-04-17T15:00:06+00:00

The best ranked hotel chains possess more than 1/3 of the world’s accommodation capacities. International hotel groups have penetrated the Romanian market and even if their presence is relatively small, the weight they possess is significant. The development of relationships with customers could be considered empathic to the hotel industry and it is significant because the hotel sector is highly competitive. The main purpose of the study is to identify the approach to their customers and the loyalty methods used by the hotels in Romania belonging to an international hotel chain. A descriptive research, applying an interview based on a questionnaire was performed. The research reveals that the communication with the clients is made mostly direct, but also by using the hotels’ own website. The hotels own databases with clients. The structure of the database allows them to personalize the offered services, what attracts an increasing degree of customer satisfaction. The strategies and the policies used to retain clients are established mutually, taking into consideration the proposals made by the international chain but also the hotels’ ideas.

Aspects Related to Urban Development of Growth Poles in the Context of Cohesion Policy and Europe 2020 Strategy Paper

2016-04-17T14:59:11+00:00

Taking into account recent literature on economic growth, we focus on analyzing the extent to which metropolitan regions (NUTS3 urban predominant regions), as growth poles, especially from Romania and from EU member states and regions with similar levels of development, contribute to economic growth, from the perspective of employment-related issues. We place our analysis in the context of Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and of the urban dimension of the EU regional policies. The variables included refer to labor market indicators, in conjunction with demographic data, from Eurostat, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the contribution of growth poles to the overall development of country, in comparison with the capital region, the national average and EU27 average. The selection of growth poles from countries with similar levels of development as Romania is based on previous research results of cluster analysis for year 2010, conducted using headline indicators of Europe 2020 strategy and GDP per head, for country level, and cohesion policy indicators, for NUTS2 regional level, looking for possible overlaps of the country and regional clustering that include Romanian regions.

Exploration into the Barriers and Obstacles Constraining Diffusion and Adoption of Renewable Energy Solutions

2016-04-17T14:58:47+00:00

By 2020, intermittent renewable small scale energy sources (e.g. wind and solar energy) are expected to represent about 17% of the EU’s total electricity consumption. However, a straight forward implementation of renewable energy options is not easy, due to various barriers and obstacles. In this paper we describe the intermediate outcomes of a European Partnership under the name of GREAT (Growing Renewable Energy Applications and Technologies), funded under the INTERREG IVB NWE Programme. GREAT aims to encourage communities and small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) to develop technological solutions for Smart Grid, Renewable Energy and Distributive Generation; research and develop policy issues for regulatory authorities and provide structured co-operation opportunities between SMEs and research institutes / technology developers. In this paper we explore what the main challenges are in relation to the diffusion and adoption process of renewable energy solutions and technologies in The Netherlands. Their target is that 14% of total electricity consumption is represented by renewable energy sources, while the share of renewables in final energy consumption was a mere 4.5% in 2013

Knowledge Based Specialists the Determinant Driven Force of the Knowledge Based Economy

2016-04-17T14:58:10+00:00

Fundamental mutation of the last decade is the shaping of a new type of economy as well as a new type of society. The main objectives of our paper are to highlight the emergence of a new social class - knowledge based specialists, and to emphasize the main features, and their impact on economic performance and functionality. From a methodological point of view, the article is based on theoretical and factual analysis of economic and social evolution from last decades. The paper is structured in the following main components: short presentation of the concept of knowledge revolution, identification and analysis of structural changes in the modern economy, highlighting and evaluation of major changes occurring in the types and content of occupations in the knowledge economy, presenting the main features of the new social class and argumentation the determinant role and impact of knowledge based specialists in the knowledge economy and society.

Public Health and Behavioral Economics. “Nudging” Behaviors Through Wearable Technology

2016-04-17T14:56:05+00:00

Public health has always been a matter of great concern for a great number of stakeholders, such as: governments, ministries, health groups, non-governmental organizations, political leaders, private partners, health professionals or various business communities. Long-term improvements in the overall health and wellbeing of the population can now be more easily achieved by encouraging people towards a healthier, more active life-style using innovative prevention and monitoring tools and technologies. Among many other given benefits, wearable technology entails the potential to deliver public health support on a previously unimaginable scale, for example by helping individuals autonomously manage their eating, sleeping and physical activity and reducing pressure on their personal health and the healthcare systems created to support them. Behavioral economics provides the means to potentially increase awareness, reduce disparities, inform people and motivate them in this regard. Focusing on the relatively predictable mind paths and mental shortcuts (heuristics) humans employ to make decisions, the emerging field of behavioral economics can provide valuable insights for policy makers when developing strategies to motivate people in leading a healthier life. The present paper describes how several behavioral economic principles in decision-making can influence health attitudes and behaviors and what are some of the most useful and appealing wearable technologies in 2015, that health practitioners and private individuals can employ and promote when considering health improvement, monitoring and feed-back. The research concludes with summarizing downsides, awareness, technical challenges, acceptance and implementation of modern wearable technologies in day-to-day life, also proposes various recommendations and future research questions to urge this promising area of research and practice.

Voluntary Integration of Ecolabel Concept in the Entrepreneurial Culture of Guesthouses in Bucovina - Impact Study

2016-04-17T14:55:34+00:00

Integrating the concept of sustainable development in rural tourism entrepreneurship involves a convergent analysis, qualitative and quantitative, of the socio-economic elements with potential susceptible to being ecologically valued. From this point of view, the European Ecolabel - seen as part of a much broader EU strategy, strongly sustainable oriented – is grafted on promotion of rational production, energy sustainability, social and environmental responsibility, preservation of the rustic environment and balanced tourism consumption and, from a pragmatic point of view, may represent an important milestone for guesthouses administrators in Bucovina.

Based on these considerations, this paper aims to analyze the degree of maturation of the entrepreneurial culture in rural guesthouses in Bucovina. The scientific approach consisted of highlighting the determination that guesthouses managers had in voluntary integrating the ecolabel concept and the principles of sustainable tourism in guesthouse policy, having as basis an interview type research, doubled by an analysis of the online tourist visibility of the units.

The research involved 64 accommodation units of the 226 rural guesthouses in Bucovina. The results suggest that tourism entrepreneurs are not, at least not yet, willing / ready to accept the adoption of European quality values synthesized as organic label without a concerted campaign of advocacy in this area.

Trends in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporting

2016-04-17T14:54:49+00:00

The possibility of quantifying and standardisation of qualitative data to achieve comparability of results and standardisation of reporting principles are key characteristics of reporting non-financial factors. They are supported with reporting standards of non-financial data, which are not obligatory, however, and the Directive 2014/95/EU, to come into effect in 2017.

This paper examines applicable rules of CSR reporting and evaluates realisation of the reporting process and its changes across global regions and organisations of various sizes reporting on the basis of GRI - Global Reporting Initiative in 2010-2014. In particular, degree of standardisation of CSR reports is assessed. Organisations drafting CSR reports and submitting them to GRI, as well as major global enterprise members of N100 and G250, have been surveyed.

Innovations in Selling Tourism Products and Their Impact on the Efficiency of the Activity of Travel Agencies and Sustainability

2016-04-17T14:54:09+00:00

Tourism plays an important role in any country’s economy, and innovations in selling tourism products represent a key-factor in the obtaining of the competitiveness and business sustainability of travel agencies. However, research in innovation in the activity of agencies dealing in the production and trading of tourism packages or/and their components is relatively limited. In this paper, we make a diagnosis of the achievements of travel agencies in Romania regarding innovations in selling tourism products, their type and their impact on the economic efficiency and sustainability of the activity and on the increase of the quality of services and client satisfaction. Based on ample documentary study, the paper presents the opinions of specialists and the results of previous research referring to the contents and typology of innovations related to the specific of the travel agencies, mostly small and medium sized enterprises, and in relation with the features of tourism products. In the last part of this article, we investigate with the help of direct market research the behavior of travel agencies related to the innovation activity in Romania, the types of innovations used in tourism services, as well as the impact of the various types of innovations on the efficiency of the activity of travel agencies. Research has shown that innovations in the diversification and renewal of tourism products and of the processes of organization, trading and promotion of tourism services have a very important impact on the efficiency and sustainability of the activity of travel agencies. The results show that the sector of travel agencies favors mostly incremental innovations and especially the introduction of new informatics systems, for booking, ticketing and management.

The Implementation of E-Health Solutions. A Review of International Solutions and Their Relevance for Romania

2016-04-17T14:54:01+00:00

One of the most important responsibilities for any government of a developed nation is to insure a proper level of healthcare for its population. However, while this necessity is fairly obvious, it is very hard to implement an effective, coherent and country-wide public policy which can efficiently live up to modern standards of quality healthcare and, at the same time, remain within reasonable budgetary constraints. The process through which this issue is tackled has been an ongoing concern for many governments and, lately, some of them have started using eHealth systems which include, but are not limited to, different types of personal health cards. This has also been the case for Romania which, beginning with September 2014, has started the process of issuing and of using such cards. In this paper we have conducted a literature review of healthcare card usage, focusing on the experience of countries which have already implemented them and how, going forward, that will translate to Romania.

Identifying Key Factors Affecting Purchase of IT&C Products by Young Consumers in the Multichannel Retailing Context

2016-04-17T14:53:06+00:00

In today’s retail environment, consumers may use printed catalogs in order to discover product’s features, search for information online, make purchases in bricks-and-mortar stores, and get their post-purchase services through call centers. In fact, most consumers are cross-shoppers, using online and offline channels in the same shopping process.

This article appears in the context of such an issue and aims both to present the increasingly multichannel nature of the shopping behaviour and to identify and understand the motivations and attitudes of the young people in the process of purchasing specific products, namely IT&C products. Through reviewing the literature, the article firstly clarifies the characteristics of the shopping experience in the case of a multi- and omni-channel strategy in retail, and then presents the results of an exploratory research carried out on a sample of 340 students of the Faculty of Business and Tourism, third year of study at undergraduate or master program. The research undertaken allowed the identification of some useful issues in the activity of companies that sell IT&C products, in terms of an important segment of their market, respectively youth with higher education. Therefore, the research indicates the main online & offline sources of information used in the decision making process of purchasing IT&C products, the features of the classic (bricks-and-mortar) and online stores that become determinants factors in the choice of the store, and the criteria used for choosing IT & C products. Results of the research are presented in a comparative approach between buying behavior of the undergraduate students and master students.