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Modelovanie nákladov nezamestnanosti mladých absolventov na slovensku: kontrafaktuálny prístup

Author(s): Lucia Svabova,Marek Ďurica,Tomáš Klieštik / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 5/2019

The article deals with the modelling of the costs of unemployment of young jobseekers in Slovakia. This modelling used real data on young unemployed who participated in the intervention Contribution to the Graduate Practice, which is one of the measures of active labour market policy in Slovakia. The main objective of this study is to quantify the costs that have to be paid from the state budget of Slovakia for the unemployment of these young graduates. The analysis was performed using the counterfactual method of Propensity Score Matching, which was followed by a measurement of employability and sustainability of jobs after completing the intervention and the associated costs of the unemployment of the scheme participants and individuals in the control group during the intervention impact period. The results of this modelling indicate that although young graduates in the intervention are not able to repay the aid to the state budget on average, their participation in the intervention spared the state budget on average from almost 20% to 70% of the money spent on each unemployed individual. These results are important for policy-makers to set optimal terms of the intervention and the amount of grants provided so as to have the greatest impact on lowering the costs of unemployment of young graduates.

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Leverage and Liquidity Management: Evidence from Nigerian Consumer Goods Firms

Author(s): Abdul-Azeez Adeniyi Alao,Joel Adeniyi Okewale,Wasiu Abiodun Sanyaolu / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

One of the demanding and challenging corporate decisions that organisations face is the preference of mixture of capital structure while taking into consideration the nexus between profitability and risks. Hence,this paper examined the effect of leverage on the liquidity of Nigerian firms based on the data of seventeen (17)Nigerian consumer goods firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange for the period of 2012 to 2017. The study adopted multiple regression method. The core finding of the study revealed that leverage has significant positive effect on liquidity management among consumer goods firms in Nigeria. Therefore, the study concluded that companies in the consumer goods industry should operate more above break-even point in order to avoid the danger of fluctuations in sales and profits so as to have substantial amount to meet the day-to-day administrative running of the business.

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The Attributes of Successful Tourism-related Entrepreneurs: a Case from South Africa

Author(s): Sibusiso D. Ntshangase,Ikechukwu Onyekwere Ezeuduji / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Previous studies have recognized entrepreneurs as a significant part of the global pursuit for sustaining economic development and social progress in the world. This study therefore explores the entrepreneurial attributes that have significant impact in differentiating between successful and struggling tourism entrepreneurs in South Africa, using Mtubatuba Local Municipality as a case. A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect data. Convenience sampling was employed in selecting 124 tourism-related entrepreneurs in different regions of Mtubatuba Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The results indicate that the entrepreneurial attributes that somewhat differentiate successful entrepreneurs from struggling entrepreneurs are: business drive and enthusiasm, being efficient and effective, and being visionary and having achievement motivation. This study also validates that socio-demographic variables in this study area, tend to be more useful in explaining the reasons for success or struggle among entrepreneurs than behavioural variables. This study recommends that Mtubatuba Local Municipality needs to organize targeted Tourism Development and Tourism Business Management education for the willing population of Mtubatuba Local Municipality, in collaboration with Tourism KwaZulu-Natal. By so doing, equal opportunity can be granted to anyone who wants to start-up and manage a new tourism business.

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Stakeholders’ Perception for Development of an Entrepreneurial and Innovative Institution

Author(s): Carmen Marilena Gasparotti,Eugen Rusu / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

The present paper aims at showing the way in which we can determine the importance given to a higher education institution, on the basis of its self-assessment, by the internal and external stakeholders, using the HEInnovate tool. The objective of the work was to identify the most relevant aspects of the entrepreneurship and innovation in a higher education institution (HEI) from Romania, by establishing the level of the perceptions of the main groups involved in the evaluation. As study methods, the semantic differential (SD)and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used. Also, to determine the groups of respondents that participate in the self-assessment, between which there are significant differences of perception, the Least Significant Difference (LSD) was used. Research revealed that the respondents perceived as equally important all pillars, giving them a favorable score (average score) ranging between 3.51 and 3.81.

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Financing Local Subordination Hospitals in the Context of Decentralizing the Medical Services

Author(s): Silvia Bunea,Ecaterina Necşulescu / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Health is a large resource consuming domain and in which the results are materialized in the long term. On the other hand, there are a variety of health systems in the world, but none are perfect and cannot be considered a model. In the recent decades, health systems have generally been marked by the sharp increase in costs, which has not been accompanied to the same extent by the improvement of health outcomes. The problem of insufficient resources and the understanding that health is, in fact, an investment,in the sense that better health of the population determines a better productivity and lower social support expenses from the state, have brought health to a central place in the sphere of politics. This was followed by the transfer of the set of tasks and competences exercised by the Ministry of Health to the local public administration authorities. In this paper we have presented some of the problems faced by the public health units of local subordination.

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Postawy wobec pieniędzy a źródła utrzymania adolescentów – doniesienia wstępne

Author(s): Sylwia Gołąb,Beata Będzik / Language(s): English Issue: 8/2020

Money plays an important economic role in the modern world – they are a mediumof exchange, a measure of value, they shape the volume and structure of consumption.On the other hand, they also have psychological significance – they give a sense of security,and affect the self-esteem and motivation of people. The purpose of the study is to assess theattitudes of adolescents towards money in the context of their livelihoods. The analyses area part of empirical research and concern one of the many aspects of the discussed topic. Thestudy was conducted among 96 students of the Economics Faculty of the West PomeranianUniversity of Technology in Szczecin, representing people who maintain themselves fromvarious sources. To verify the assumptions, a shortened scale of Attitudes Towards Money byGąsiorowska was used together with a short questionnaire prepared by the authors regardingsources of income. The obtained research results indicate that there are relationships betweensome dimensions of attitudes towards money and the source of income.Money plays an important economic role in the modern world – they are a medium of exchange, a measure of value, they shape the volume and structure of consumption. On the other hand, they also have psychological significance – they give a sense of security, and affect the self-esteem and motivation of people. The purpose of the study is to assess the attitudes of adolescents towards money in the context of their livelihoods. The analyses are a part of empirical research and concern one of the many aspects of the discussed topic. The study was conducted among 96 students of the Economics Faculty of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, representing people who maintain themselves from various sources. To verify the assumptions, a shortened scale of Attitudes Towards Money by Gąsiorowska was used together with a short questionnaire prepared by the authors regarding sources of income. The obtained research results indicate that there are relationships between some dimensions of attitudes towards money and the source of income.

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Changes in household income distribution after the introduction of social policy programmes in Poland

Author(s): Paweł Ulman / Language(s): English Issue: 63/2020

The aim of the paper is to analyse changes in the distribution of income of Polish households during the implementation and functioning of social policy programmes in Poland. Attention is paid to social groups that experienced a difficult economic situation, in particular marriages with dependent children. The added value of the research lies in the in-depth comparative analysis of the distribution of income and its distance in cross-section and time, based on individual data from the Household Budget Survey for two periods – before the implementation of the programmes and during their full operation. In order to compare the income distributions, statistical analysis methods were applied to the empirical income distributions. In addition to the commonly known and basic numerical characteristics of the distributions, a distribution distance measure and an income gap ratio were used. All calculations were based on individual data from the Household Budget Survey carried out in 2015 and 2018. As a result of the calculations, it was shown that in the analysed period there were significant changes in the distribution of income among the Polish population in terms of average income and income inequality. The former increased substantially, while the latter decreased, including between social groups. The results show that the social policy programmes implemented in Poland after 2015 contributed significantly to raising the level of income of most members of society and reducing economic inequalities.

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Investigating the Influence of SCs and PCs on Existence of Human Capital of Rural Entrepreneurial Activities and Small Businesses: Managerial Implications

Author(s): Albert Tchey Agbenyegah / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2020

Human capital represents one of the primary essentials to successful entrepreneurial activities. As such, there is the need to determine the impact of challenges on the existence of human capital towards rural entrepreneurial activities. This study seeks to empirically investigate the influence of specific and personal challenges on the existence of human capital of entrepreneurial activities. A quantitative approach was adopted aided by a 7 Likert-scale questionnaire to solicit primary data. A total of 300 owner-managers were selected through the snowball and convenience methods. Different analytical tools such as the descriptive statistics, the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Kaiser-Meyer Olkin (KMO) and the Bartlett Test of Sphericity (BTS) were applied Besides, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient was utilised to test the relationship between the specific challenges (SCs) and personal challenges (PCs) on EHC. Empirically, this study found that SCs and PCs greatly influenced the EHC in terms of entrepreneurial activities. Based on PCs and SCs, it became clear that PCs significantly influenced the EHC in contrast to SCs. The study recommends that more training should be offer to owner-managers through the establishment of local entrepreneurial hubs. Besides, there is the need to provide tailored-made role models to help rural owner-managers of small businesses.

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An Evaluation of the Impact of Microfinance on Poverty Alleviation: Evidence from Uganda

Author(s): Ben Ssembajjwe,Ronney Ncwadi / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2020

This paper aims to reveal the role of microfinance on poverty alleviation in Uganda. Using a probit regression model, a principal component analysis (PCA)and the analysis of variance technique, the impact of microfinance is evaluated using variables, such as gross income, loans, among others. The study is based on primary empirical data collected from 170 clients in 2017. The study revealed that access to microfinance loans had a positive impact on poverty reduction. The study concluded that, through the interplay of loan sizes, family employment, gross income and education, MFIs could play a significant role in poverty alleviation in Uganda. The study recommended that MFIs should provide non-financial assistance, such as facilitating business and management skills, and assist the poor, who would otherwise slide into further poverty, by including them in the financial stream in the country. risk. It further recommended that MFIs should provide low-interest loans to SMEs and that sensitization on borrowing should be introduced to increase the number of borrowers. Moreover, outreach programmes, low interest rates and the promotion of saving be encouraged. Lastly, it recommended a reduction in bureaucratic tendencies in lending methodologies.

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Nature and Characteristics of Wildlife Tourism in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Author(s): Tembi Maloney Tichaawa,Refiloe Julia Lekgau / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2020

Southern Africa is a prominent wildlife destination in the continent. The sub-continent houses a wide range of protected areas, including national parks, game reserves and Transfrontier parks. The overall purpose of the present study was to explore the nature and characteristics of wildlife tourism in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and adjacent communities. The study adopted a qualitative approach and included two case study areas in South Africa and Botswana. In total, 26interviews were purposively collected from tourism stakeholders within the two communities. Keyfindings show the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to be a low impact Park with visitor restrictions. Additionally, the nature of wildlife tourism differed in the two communities, in which one largely focused on the integration of culture and tradition in the tourism experiences while the other was limited to being a transit site. The study recognised culture and conservation values as the two prominent wildlife tourism characteristics in the host communities of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which thereby places restrictions to the scale of tourism development in the region but offering tourism diversification opportunities for the adjacent communities.

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Historical Aspects of the Statutory Regulation of Financial Inclusion for the Poor and Low-Income Earners in South Africa1

Author(s): Howard Chitimira / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2020

The article discusses the regulation of financial inclusion for the poor and low-income earners prior to, and after democracy in South Africa. Therefore, relevant practices and regulatory measures that were adopted in a bid to curb financial exclusion of the poor and low-income earners in South Africa, particularly after the attainment of democracy are examined. Furthermore, the article explores whether the poor and low-income earners are still financially excluded from accessing basic financial products and financial services in South Africa. Accordingly, various statutes such as National Credit Act 34 of 2005 as amended by the National Credit Amendment Act 7 of 2019 (NCA),the now repealed Usury Act 73 of 1968 (Usury Act), the Credit Agreements Act 75 of 1980 (CreditAct), the now repealed Financial Services Board Act 97 of 1990 (FSB Act), the South African Reserve Bank Act 90 of 1989 (SARB Act), the Banks Act 94 of 1990 (Banks Act), the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) and the Financial Sector Regulation Act 9 of 2017 (FSRA) are discussed. To this end, the gaps and flaws in the relevant practices and regulatory measures that were adopted under these and other related statutes to promote financial inclusion of the poor and low income earners in South Africa are outlined and discussed.

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Impact of Corporate Strategy on Investment Decision in Nigeria

Author(s): Efuntade Olubunmi Omotayo,Olaniyan Niyi Oladipo,Efuntade Alani Olusegun / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2020

This study investigated the impact of corporate strategy on investment decision in Nigeria. The objective of the study was to examine how strategic planning and implementation impact the company’s expansion through investment decision in Nigeria. This study was predicated on the Penrose Theory of Firm Growth and Keynes’s Liquidity Preference Theory. Primary data source was explored through the administration of questionnaires to respondents which was explored in presenting the facts of the situation from various investment companies in Lagos, Nigeria. The data collected from the respondents were analyzed using ex-post facto research design. Findings from the study revealed that corporate strategy has positive and significant impact on investment decision as this enhance company’s expansion depending on variable of interest. It was concluded that for organizations in Nigeria to remain competitive in business, it has to implement a thorough strategic plan on any investment decision in other to achieve their set goals. In fact, the level of strategy implemented often determines the level of investment decision because of the when the end result is positive it will definite improve their return on investment This study recommends that organizations should adopt best practices in their investment activities in order to keep abreast with the dynamics of global economic climate. Individual investors should internalize the habit of improving on their strategic pattern and investment information so that they can make better decisions and also investors should reinforce the need for a strategic framework for problem solving under complexities and the relevance of strategic considerations in investment planning. Lastly, individual investors and corporate organizations should internalize a process that would serve as a veritable tool for qualitative and thorough appraisal that is tailored towards improving project and investment performance.

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Foreign Direct Investment and Income Inequality in Transitional Economies

Author(s): Kunofiwa Tsaurai / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2020

The study investigated the impact of FDI on income inequality and using technology to avoid omitted variable bias. Fixed effects, random effects and pooled ordinary least squares were used with data spanning from 2005 to 2015. Although the subject on FDI and its absorption capacities have been going on for almost a decade now, there is no consensus yet on the list of factors that enables FDI to influence income inequality. Wu and Hsu (2012) and Mihaylova (2015) attempted to investigate to investigate FDI-inequality-absorption capacities but the findings are not clear with regards to ICT as an absorption capacity. The current study found out that the interaction between ICT and FDI had a non-significant positive influence on income inequality in transitional economies. The study urges the transitional economies to develop ICT policies that enhances FDI’s ability to reduce income inequality.

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A Quantitative Analysis of Selected Variables on their Impact to Small Business Growth in the eThekwini Region

Author(s): Tinaye Mahohoma,Albert Tchey Agbenyegah / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2020

Over the years researchers and academics have used several terminologies to elucidate small business growth. However, underlining events which each entity undergo still remains more or less the same. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the impact of selected variables on the growth of small businesses in the eThekwini Region of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. From a total population of 220 small businesses with more than ten years of active business operations within the research settings, a sample of 119 owners- managers were randomly selected to provide empirical data. Data collection was based on primary data, by using closed ended questionnaire as the main research instrument. The bivariate correlation analysis is employed to ascertain the set study objective. The final outcomes revealed that business growth might not be positively linked to educational achievement of owner-managers. The researchers recommend that entrepreneurial education should be introduced and be prioritised to every grade 12 learners across the educational settings in the research settings. Further collaboration is required between educators and trainers of potential industry-based entrepreneurs across the eThekwini Region to enable all the role players utilise the rich experiences of members. The level of collaboration could be of utmost benefits to educators in all the learning institutions throughout the region in designing entrepreneurial training programmes and education curriculum in all the schools.

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The Measurement of Economic Entities Performance from the Non- Financial Indicators’ Perspective

Author(s): Delia – Mihaela Ibanisteanu (Ionasz) / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2020

Since the financial performance was on the first rank in the past, nowadays the economic entities are increasingly aware that it only offers them the consequence of the analysis of financial indicators. There is tackled a new given value of performance, namely the global performance, taking into account the extension to social and environmental indicators. The success of an entity involves assembling economic, social and environmental performance. Most economic entities aspire to success because the performance management has become a work process not only useful but also mandatory, and it couldn’t have achieved the desired success without a proper management. In this situation the performance assessment represents the basic element.© 20XX EAI. All rights reserved.

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Job Demand-Control-Support Model: A Study of Nigerian Contract Bank Employees

Author(s): Oladimeji Jamiu Odetunde / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model, a theoretical approach applied across Europe and Asia to explain relationship between job factors, occupational health, and job outcomes, is applied to the Nigerian work context to investigate the causal relationships between precarious employment and work conditions of contract bank employees and the effects on their work outcome. Cross-sectional design and stratified random sampling were adopted to collect quantitative data from 420 contract bank employees across four banks in Lagos, Nigeria. Hypotheses were tested with SPSS/Process Macro v.3.5. Findings showed that job demand, job control and social support have significant main causal relationships with job performance of contract bank employees, with job demands negatively and job control and social support positively relating to their job performance. While social support was found to buffer the negative effect of job demands on their job performance, job control alone and in combination with social support did not show any buffer effect. Study provides partial support for the relevance and applicability of the JD-C-S model in the Nigerian banking work settings, particularly with respect to the contract employees in the industry. Limitations and implications of study for theory and practice are further discussed.

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An Econometric Analysis of Evaluation and Improvement of Budget Performance in Local Government

Author(s): Enkeleda Lulaj,S. Muthmainnah / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

This paper provides a summary of studies focusing on the use of budget information in performance evaluation and improvement during budget governance. The survey shows that studies have accepted that this information is used in different ways. In this case, various factors have been identified for evaluating and improving budget performance in local governments. Despite this breadth of analysis, a critical review of the literature shows that in recent years local governments need to improve budget indicators to increase performance. Furthermore, this empirical study tends to guide local governments in choosing the right methodology for improving and evaluating budget performance. The research was conducted in local governments through a questionnaire that gave very important recommendations for budget performance

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Exploring Requisite Competency Profiles for an Automated Cement Factory: A Study of Selected Robolab Cement Factories in South Africa

Author(s): Annah Manganye,Ifeanyi Mbukanma / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the requisite competencies that are required for optimal operation of the Robolab system to maximize cement product and minimize human errors. Approach: To achieve this objective, a qualitative research method was employed, which provided an ample approaches that help in addressing the research objective of this study. Data was collected from Robolab operators as well as employers of selected cement production factories in South Africa. Thematic method of data analysis was employed to analyse the qualitative data that was gathered through interview questions. Result: The findings of the study revealed that requisite competencies such as technical, behavioural, professional, innovative and creative competencies are key for optimal operation of Robolab system in a cement production factory. Implication: Competency challenges and difficulties exist in the operation of Robolab system as technological innovations in the cement manufacturing industries has grown in recent time from the conventional methods (where manual skills were majorly used) to an automated Robolab system. Recommendation: It was recommended that stakeholder within the Robolab cement production factories in South Africa should employ the Integrated Robolab Competency-Profiling Model, which advocates for competency literacy among the employers and users of Robolab system.

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Nutritional behaviour of households: an analysis of Slovak consumers

Author(s): Pavol Kita,Grzegorz Maciejewski,Marta Žambochová,Jan Strelinger,Veronika Kitova Mazalanova / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2021

The aim of the paper is to present the attitude of mothers to choosinghealthy food for their children and other members of their households.The survey was conducted in the period of January-May 2019on a sample of 1373 respondents from Slovakia. We were interestedin discovering the extent to which households in which the mother hasthe decisive word differ from other households in terms of their foodchoices. The most relevant test for achieving the goal was a nonparametric,two-sample Mann-Whitney test. We also created regressiondecision trees with the help of a CRT algorithm. Furthermore, we wereinterested in determining the differences in four areas: firstly in termsof the content of consumed food; secondly in terms of eating healthyfood; thirdly in terms of the frequency of eating special types of food;and finally the frequency of eating outside the home. The researchresults show that a mother’s nutritional behaviour, knowledge, attitudeand practice may significantly influence the behaviour of her relatives.Lifestyle changes can also provide an appropriate home-foodenvironment in order to adopt healthy behavioural models. Mothers,as consumers, should also be supported by food manufacturers inmaking healthier food choices through supplying more complete andcorrect information about their products and creating educational programmesto strengthen their knowledge of cooking. These findingscan be used by nutritional programmes to promote the purchasing ofhealthy food to Slovak consumers.

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Wyniki sportowe a dochodowość akcji spółek-sponsorów na przykładzie piłki siatkowej

Author(s): Marek Szymański,Grzegorz Wojtalik / Language(s): Polish Issue: 29/2021

The purpose of the article is to investigate the relationship between the sports performance of volleyball teams in Poland and the rates of return of the titular sponsors, whose shares are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The four most successful Polish PlusLiga volleyball teams in the 21st century were selected for this study.Methodology: The article describes the results carried out using ARCH and GARCH models.Results of the research: Two groups of results were obtained. For two companies – JSW and ASSECO – the sports results of volleyball teams and betting forecasts for their matches had a statistically significant impact on the stock performance of these companies. For two companies – PGE and Azoty – no such relationship has been found. Moreover, all of the stock returns were significantly influenced by the WIG index. On the other hand, neither of the companies were influenced by the match day.

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