Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of employee engagement in Malaysia, and the moderating effects of job demands and total reward

As reported by Aon Hewitt in 2015 and 2017, there are still a lot of countries, including Malaysia, that recorded the employee engagement score below the global average value of 65%. Malaysia’s employee engagement score values were recorded at 61% and 59% for years 2015 and 2017, respectively. Low quality condition of new vehicles produced by Malaysia’s national automotive manufacturing companies is potentially caused by non-engaged employees. In academic literature, Job Demand-resource (JD-R) is the most widely used theory in employee engagement study. However, there are still a few gaps associated with the theory (i.e., inconsistence finding). In addressing the research gaps, this present study aims to examine whether job-related variables (i.e., job characteristics and job demands), personal-related variable (i.e., positive psychological capital), and environmental-organisational related variable (i.e., total reward) influence employee engagement. The relationships among the variables were explained using two selected theories, namely the JD-R theory, and Self Determination theory. This study makes several significant contributions to practitioners and theories especially on the employee engagement context. Generally, findings from the study significantly contributed knowledge to practitioners especially from Malaysia’s national automotive manufacturing companies on the major factors influencing employee engagement for them to understand, describe, and explain. In addition, for the theories, the study added to the general body of knowledge and current research work on the effects of job-related variables Akmal Latiff Ayob and Norzanah Mat Nor 34 (i.e., job characteristics and job demands), personal-related variable (i.e., positive psychological capital), and organisational-environmental related variable (i.e., total reward) on employee engagement.
Environmentally friendly social changes: profiling individuals for household food waste reductions

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the ongoing challenge of management interventions seeking social change in pursuit of greater environmental sustainability. We seek to improve the segmentation of individuals to inform the design of customised interventions in the challenging and globally important area of reducing food waste. Given the limited explanatory power associated with socio-demographic characteristics in the segmentation process, we included a behavioural component based on the Stages of change model. Data was collected through an online survey completed by a representative sample of Australian adults (N = 944) who buy food for their household. Results show a large proportion of individuals (around 70%) are already actively involved in reducing food waste. We identified four meaningful clusters of individuals namely, Self-centred, Uninvolved, Concerned, and Passionate. Those in Concerned and Passionate clusters, which comprised 29% and 26% of the participants respectively, will benefit from interventions highlighting environmental impact. We contribute to literature by highlighting the benefits of incorporating stages of change with socio-demographics to create meaningful groups where enhanced impact can be achieved from customised interventions.
NGOs in ecotourism: patrons of sustainability or neo-colonial agents? Evidence from Africa

ABSTRACT NGOs have become involved in ecotourism because of its potential to balance economic development, environmental conservation, and socio-cultural revitalisation. However, some critics have associated ecotourism with neo-colonialism and with the perpetuation of economic and political hegemonies because the concept has been advanced from the West. The present study adopts a qualitative research approach to explore the merits of two opposing views – that NGOs facilitate and advance sustainable development or that they are agents of neo-colonialism. The researchers focus on a nation which was spared the experience of colonisation – Ethiopia – to explore whether ecotourism practice can be accurately characterised as ‘neo-colonial’. Through a close examination of NGO involvement in ecotourism, the authors challenge the widely held view that NGOs use sustainable development as a pretext to promote neo-colonial ideas. The paper contributes to theory and practice by explaining the relationship between neo-colonialism and ecotourism. Implications and opportunities for future research are also discussed.
Essays on the Economics of Networks

ESSAYS ON THE ECONOMICS OF NETWORKS Yiran Chen Hanming Fang Empirical studies of social and economic networks are facilitated by the growing availability of network data. This area of research focuses on understanding two major questions: how networks affect economic outcomes and how networks are formed. This dissertation studies these questions respectively. The first chapter examines the impact of social networks on agents’ economic outcomes in the context of job referrals in the labor market. The second chapter relates to the formation of financial networks with latent traits in the context of U.S. campaign contributions. In the first chapter, “A Structural Analysis of Job Referrals and Social Networks: The Case of the Corporate Executives Market”, I develop and structurally implement a labor market search model in which workers, in addition to directly receiving job offers, also receive referrals from their social contacts. In the model, referrals are generated endogenously: an external referral occurs when a friend rejects an offer he/she receives, and an internal referral occurs when a friend leaves his/her current job. I estimate the model by Generalized Method of Moments using data on the labor market history and the social connections of executives in S&P 500 firms. Using the estimated model, I find that referrals play a substantial role in the executive labor market. More than one quarter of the job transitions and raises are driven by
The External Pressure, Internal Drive and Voluntary Carbon Disclosure in China

ABSTRACT The increasingly serious environmental problems, such as rising sea levels and heavy smog, have made environmental consciousness in society more urgent. The key issue is how to motivate firms to disclose environmental information. In this paper, we use data on 200 listed enterprises in China as a sample and research the factors that affect voluntary carbon disclosure. We found that local government regulatory pressure and social pressure have different levels of influence on carbon information disclosure of state-owned enterprises and non-state-owned enterprises; local government regulatory pressure have a greater impact on state-owned enterprises’ carbon information disclosure, while social pressures have a greater impact on non-state-owned enterprises. Finally, we make some suggestions aimed at promoting disclosure of carbon information.
A Robust Fuzzy Optimization Model for Closed-Loop Supply Chain Networks Considering Sustainability

Supply chain network design (SCND) is an important strategic decision determining the structure of each entity in the supply chain, which has an important impact on the long-term development of a company. An efficient and effective supply chain network is of vital importance for improving customer satisfaction, optimizing the allocation of resources, and increasing profitability. The environmental concerns and social responsibility awareness of the whole society have spurred researchers and managers to design sustainable supply chains (SSCs) integrating the economic, environmental, and social factors. In addition, the innate uncertainty of the SCND problem requires an integrated method to cope. In this regard, this study develops a multi-echelon multi-objective robust fuzzy closed-loop supply chain network (CLSCN) design model under uncertainty including all three dimensions of sustainability. This model considers the total cost minimization, carbon caps, and social impact maximization concurrently to realize supply chain sustainability, and is able to make a balance between the conflicting multiple objectives. Meanwhile, the uncertainty of the parameters is divided into two categories and addressed with two approaches: the first category is missed working days related to social impact, which is solved by the fuzzy membership theory; the second category is the demand and remanufacturing rate, which is settled by a robust optimization method. To validate the ability and applicability of the model and solution approach, a numerical example is conducted and solved using ILOG CPLEX. The result shows that the supply chain network structure and the value of the optimization objectives will change when considering sustainability and different degrees of uncertainty. This will enable supply chain managers to reduce the environmental impact and enhance the social benefits of their supply chain activities, and design a more stable supply chain to better cope with the influence of uncertainty.
Trading off positive and negative service changes in childcare: a choice experiment using a latent class modelling approach

ABSTRACT Theoretically, the choice of childcare mode should be influenced by the quality of the childcare attributes. However, such preference relations have been difficult to identify in past studies. One reason lies in the properties of the data collected, such as insufficient variation or strong correlation in the childcare qualities. To make a formal test of parent preferences for childcare qualities, we apply a choice experiment framework, construct a hypothetical market for childcare and ask 1,324 parents to act on the market. The results indicate that parents react positively and negatively to better and poorer childcare qualities, respectively. The results also indicate that the preferences are subject to substantial heterogeneity and that costs of losses in qualities are perceived as being far greater than the corresponding benefits of improvements.
“Does your walk match your talk?” Analyzing IPSASs diffusion in developing and developed countries

The purpose of this paper is to provide a global overview of the adoption status of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs) in the different contexts of developed and developing countries on central government level, particularly delineating key reform issues and attempts to overcome these. ,Drawing on an analytical framework that combines neo-institutional theory with diffusion theory, prior research and official documents were re-analysed. ,There are substantial differences regarding whether countries acknowledge having experienced large implementation challenges and the extent to which the reform benefits have been achieved. The study sheds light on the (institutional) underpinnings of these differences. ,First, the analysis could be extended to regional and local governments, as well as social funds. Both qualitative and quantitative strategies are suggested. Second, the implementation of the conceptual framework deserves further attention. Third, further research should more thoroughly scrutinise cost-benefit analyses used for justifying the (non)implementation of IPSASs, and in particular the assumptions that are being made in such analyses. ,The paper informs policymakers and standard setters by delineating the areas and issues complicating the widespread adoption of IPSASs across countries, including pointing out directions to overcome these. ,Substantial amounts of public money are invested internationally to converge accounting standards and translate them into native languages. A close(r) monitoring is needed to ensure that these efforts obtain sufficient value for money. ,This study is original as it applies an analytical framework that combines neo-institutional theory and diffusion theory to examine public sector accounting convergence issues internationally. Such an approach explicitly puts a focus on decoupling between reform “talk” (decision) and “walk” (implementation) and helps to analyse the reasons for this decoupling.
An extended assessment of bowel habits in a general population

AIM:Bowel habits are difficult to study,and most data on defecatory behaviour in the general population have been obtained on the basis of recalled interview.The objective assessment of this physiological function and its pathological aspects continues to pose a difficult challenge.The aim of this prospective study was to objectively assess the bowel habits and related aspects in a large sample drawn from the general population. METHODS:Over a two-month period 488 subjects were prospectively recruited from the general population and asked to compile a daily diary on their bowel habits and associated signs and symptoms (the latter according to Rome Ⅱ criteria). A total of 298 (61%) participants returned a correctly compiled record,so that data for more than 8 000 patient-days were available for statistical analysis. RESULTS:The average defecatory frequency was once per day (range of 0.25-3.25) and was similar between males and females.However,higher frequencies of straining at stool (P=0.001),a feeling of incomplete emptying and/or difficult evacuation (P=0.0001),and manual manoeuvres to facilitate defecation (P=0.046) were reported by females as compared to males. CONCLUSION:This study represents one of the first attempts to objectively and prospectively assess bowel habits in a sample of the general population over a relatively long period of time.The variables we analyzed are coherent with the criteria commonly used for the clinical assessment of functional constipation,and can provide a useful adjunt for a better evaluation of constipated patients.
The Landscape Patterns of the Giant Panda Protection Area in Sichuan Province and Their Impact on Giant Pandas

As the flagship species of biodiversity conservation in China, the giant panda has significant ecological protection value and plays an important demonstrative role for conservation. Sichuan Province has the largest area of giant panda habitat, making its protected areas the most important for the conservation of this species. However, the habitats of the giant panda are shrinking due to human disturbance through land encroachment for agriculture and other forms of resource exploitation. Reducing these pressures requires assessing current land use and the causes of fragmenting giant panda habitats. This paper reports on changes in land-use patterns and socio-economic development in typical counties with giant panda habitats in Sichuan in 2003 and 2015, with a focus on giant panda protection areas and human pressures in the surrounding lands. We found that road construction, industrial infrastructure, and other forms of economic development have led to increases in human populations and fragmentation of the giant panda habitats, such that that the population of this species has been significantly reduced in some counties. Improving the protection of giant panda requires designing regional economic development activities based on scientific principles to provide benefits to both the local people and the giant pandas. For example, when making land use plans, the local government should consider the impact of the development of the communities surrounding the giant panda areas on the giant pandas’ habitat.
Costly Default And Asymmetric Real Business Cycles

We augment a simple Real Business Cycle model with financial intermediaries that may default on their liabilities and a financial friction generating social costs of default. We provide a closed-form solution for the general equilibrium of the economy under specific assumptions, allowing for analytic results and straightforward simulations. Endogenous default generates asymmetric business cycles and our model replicates both the negative skew of GDP and the positive skew of credit spreads found in US data. Stronger financial frictions cause a rise in asymmetry and amplify the welfare costs of default. A Pigouvian tax on financial intermediation mitigates most of these negative effects at the cost of a steady-state distortion.
Japanese investment location choice in the US: a home-country firm bandwagon effect

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between home-country firm concentration and investment location decision, using data from a sample of Japanese subsidiaries established in the US between 2003 and 2017. Results show that when Japanese firms consider locating operations in the US, they give priority to states where other Japanese firms are already established, over any other firm- or location-specific determinants. Furthermore, industry concentration exerts a moderating effect on the co-national bandwagon effect under study, suggesting that the social network of established Japanese firms becomes a deciding factor in the absence of other attractive economic attributes.
The Electric Gini: Income Redistribution Through Energy Prices

In theory, regulators concerned about inequality will deviate from efficient two-part tariffs, charging lower-than-efficient fixed monthly fees and higher-than-efficient per-kilowatt-hour prices. To quantify that relationship, we develop a measure of the redistributive extent of utility tariffs: the “electric Gini. ” Utilities with higher electric Ginis shift more costs from households using relatively little electricity to households using more. In practice, US utilities whose ratepayers have more unequal incomes have higher electric Ginis. But electricity demand is only loosely correlated with income, which means that electricity prices are an indirect and ineffective policy for countering income inequality. (JEL D31, L11, L94, L98)
INVESTIGATING THE DETERMINANTS OF FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN OPEC COUNTRIES: AN APPLICATION OF BAYESIAN MODEL AVERAGING APPROACH

The purpose of this study is to investigate the most significant determinants of financial development in OPEC countries during 2014-2016. To this end, this paper considered 34 explanatory variables including several economic and policy variables determining four different aspects of financial development as the degree of depth, efficiency, stability and quality of financial services. In order to obtain more reliable results and overcome the uncertainty problem in this study, we applied Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) technique. The results indicated that better institutional indicators such as rule of law, government effectiveness, and corruption avoidance are associated with greater financial depth, efficiency, and stability. More importantly, the results revealed that the development in the oil sector could support financial development, and in particular contribute to greater depth and efficiency of the stock market. There are some important implications in this research for policymakers to promote financial development in OPEC countries.
Understanding the Sources of Earnings Losses After Job Displacement: A Machine-Learning Approach

We document the sources behind earnings losses after job displacement adapting the generalized random forest due to Athey et al. (2019). Using administrative data from Austria over three decades, we show that displaced workers face large and persistent earnings losses. We identify substantial heterogeneity in losses across workers. A quarter of workers face cumulative 11-year losses higher than 2 times their pre-displacement annual income, while another quarter experiences losses less than 1.1 times their income. The most vulnerable are older high-income workers employed at well-paying firms in the manufacturing sector. Our methodology allows us to consider many competing theories of earnings losses prominently discussed in the literature. The two most important factors are the displacement firm's wage premia and the availability of well paying jobs in the local labor market. Our overall findings provide evidence that earnings losses can be understood by mean reversion in firm rents and losses in match quality, rather than by a destruction of firm-specific human capital.
Psychiatric morbidity in dermatological outpatients: an issue to be recognized

Objective The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression in the patients suffering from skin disorders. Patients and methods Two hundred consecutive patients attending out-patient Department of Dermatology, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, were studied. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Urdu version was administered to each patient after taking informed consent, as this scale was designed specifically for use in non-psychiatric hospital departments. A personal information sheet was also completed for the total sample of 200 patients. Results Among them 36.5% were males and 63.5% were females, with a majority in the age range of 16-30 years. 20% cases of depression and 28% cases of anxiety were found in the total sample, using cut off point as 11 or more on HAD Scale. High scores were associated with conditions like acne, psoriasis, eczema, all tending to be extensive, chronic and disfiguring and easily visible. The association between sex, marital status, employment status and caseness is discussed. Conclusion There is a high rate of psychological problems in dermatological out-patients suffering from chronic and disfiguring skin conditions.
Community decision-making and privatised spaces: A case study of suburban shopping malls in the Wellington Region

Shopping malls are a widely disparaged urban form, particularly when these have been built in favour of traditional public spaces. Critiques have ranged from their aesthetic to the impact they have on civic life and broader democracy. However, despite being in private ownership, they have been found to play crucial community functions. This is particularly true in suburban communities which often lack alternative forms of community infrastructure. Concurrently, across the globe, a number of malls are in decline and some communities are losing the only form of community space available to them. Moreover, they are often unable to contribute to decision-making regarding these spaces due to their private ownership. This thesis examines the role that suburban shopping malls, in Aotearoa New Zealand can, and do play as community spaces. It assesses decision-making mechanisms, questioning how communities can participate in the development of what they conceive of as their community spaces. Two cases of declining malls in the Wellington Region– the Johnsonville Shopping Centre and the Wainuiomata Mall were selected and 12 semi-structured interviews and three focus groups were conducted. This research found that these malls played an important role as spaces where communities were built and members socially engaged in often ad-hoc, but significant ways. However, due to the private nature of these spaces, community members often felt powerless and unable to participate in decisions relating to this space. This thesis demonstrates the ways in which the legal binary of public and private fails to encapsulate the nature of modern spaces, which in reality, typically exist as a socially constructed hybrid of both. It challenges the existing framework of property rights based on this binary, and subsequent wider community exclusion from decision-making. In response, this thesis offers policy recommendations around community decision-making in order to stimulate vital suburban community space into the future.