bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Credit and Ethnicity in the Urban Atlantic World: Scottish Associational Culture in Colonial Philadelphia
Authors: Paul K. Tawny
Published: July 2015

The emergence of an associational world is often regarded as fundamental to the development of civil society, urban cultural life, and political consciousness in early America. The financial roles of voluntary associations, however, remain less well explored. This article draws on a case study of the St Andrews Society of Philadelphia to examine the credit functions of a voluntary association and to consider the relationship between ethnicity and economic practice in the urban Atlantic world. Through focus on the Society’s charitable, social and money-lending activities, it argues that associations had a crucial function in colonial communities as providers of credit in its entangled economic and social forms. In placing the Society within the context of both early American associational culture and the history of the Scottish Diaspora, the article considers why ‘Scottishness’ functioned as a basis for trust. Through its various activities, the Society manufactured and enforced a sense of Scottishness based upon the notion of good credit. Ethnicity was a flexible and fluid concept that incorporated the components of credit and individual worth based on social, occupational, and gender identities, providing a framework for interaction within Philadelphia’s particular public sphere and a wider Atlantic economy.
José Donoso and the Monstrous Masculinities of Chile’s Agrarian Reform
Authors: Fischer Carl
Published: July 2015

By including queer characters who complicate or interrupt the seemingly inexorable progression forward of patriarchal ideas about lineage in his novels El lugar sin límites (1966) and El obsceno pájaro de la noche (1970), José Donoso denounces and destabilizes the underlying heteronormativity of two modernization movements of late sixties Latin America: Chile’s “model” agrarian reform movement, designed to be led by male figures firmly invested in heterosexual reproductive praxis, and the “Boom,” Latin America’s triumphal entrée (albeit dominated by heterosexual men) into the pantheon of world literature. These novels, then, propose broader, more cosmopolitan tropes whose queer appropriations of folkloric, grotesque “monstrosity” question and possibly extend what it means to be an ideal subject of modernity, even as they stop short of advocating for the more radical critiques, further-reaching agrarian reforms, and increasingly experimental artistic aesthetics that would manifest themselves in Chile when the Unidad Popular took power in 1970.
China como patriótico desahogo: usos de la alteridad en los Viajes del chino Dagar-Li-Kao de Fernando Garrido
Authors: Prado-Fonts Carles
Published: July 2015

As the culmination of a restless career, Fernando Garrido published in 1880, under the pseudonym El Ermitaño de las Peñuelas, the novel Viajes del chino Dagar-Li-Kao por los países bárbaros de Europa, España, Francia, Inglaterra y otros. Garrido, a leading figure in the birth of Spanish socialism in the 19th century, makes use of a fictitious voyage to Spain by a Chinese writer in order to set up a formal device that enabled a ferocious critique aimed at Spanish society. While Europe was witnessing an intense racialization of representations of the Orient, the positive image of the Chinese that Garrido used is both historically singular and malleable. As a consolidated signifier with an unstable signified, “China” in Viajes del chino Dagar-Li-Kao puts otherness in the service of a “patriotic unburdening” that has Spain as its main focus of interest.
“Swimming in Olive Oil”: North Africa and the Hispanic Caribbean in the Poetry of Víctor Hernández Cruz
Authors: Moreno Marisel
Published: July 2015

This essay examines selected poems from The Mountain in the Sea by US Puerto Rican poet Víctor Hernández Cruz, who sets out to complicate Puerto Rican, Spanish, and US notions of cultural identity. It demonstrates how Hernández Cruz is tropicalizing the Maghreb through the juxtaposition of and interplay between languages (Spanish, English, and Arabic), as well as imagery linked to Morocco, Spain, Puerto Rico, and New York. It also shows how the subversiveness of the collection reaches a new dimension through its depiction of the North African presence within the geopolitical borders of the United States in our post-9/11 context.
Disrupting Nineteenth-Century Dichotomies of Gender: Reading and Imagination in Emilia Pardo Bazán’s La madre Naturaleza
Authors: Miller Gabrielle
Published: July 2015

This essay contends that Emilia Pardo Bazán’s novel La madre Naturaleza (1887) reflects the author’s fundamental preoccupation with the state of women’s education in Spain. I argue that the narrative portrayal of the novel’s central character, Gabriel Pardo de la Lage, unravels nineteenth-century gendered assumptions of what—or who—constitutes an ideal reader. Despite his extensive rational education, Gabriel Pardo possesses an overactive imagination that, when read in conjunction with contemporary social commentaries of women’s education, emasculates the artilleryman. The novel demonstrates that neither reason nor imagination is indelibly linked to gender, thus problematizing nineteenth-century discourses precluding women from male-coded rational education, or instrucción .
Espacios entre espacios en La forja : una cartografía íntima de Arturo Barea
Authors: Asenjo Enrique Serrano
Published: July 2015

This essay analyzes the spaces surrounding the main character of Arturo Barea’s autobiography, La forja [ The Forge ] (the first part of La forja de un rebelde [ The Forging of a Rebel ]). These spaces are the following: the access to the attic where his mother lives, the balcony of his uncle’s house, the Avapiés quarter and the Moncloa pine forest—all of them located in Madrid. They all share the fact that they are “limits,” “spaces between spaces.” In line with current studies on “liminality,” this feature is studied in connection with the first self-portrait that Barea delineates from exile: an individual between social classes, but also between childhood and adulthood, and, at the moment he writes, between two countries (United Kingdom and Spain) and two languages (English and Spanish). Therefore, he presents himself as a key subject in the attempt to understand the root causes of the Spanish Civil War.
A Bee with an Electronic Brain: Drone Flights in Cold War America
Authors: Chandler Katherine
Published: July 2015

Records of drone flights during the Cold War include photographs, engineering documents, commercial pamphlets, and newspaper articles. This series of images photographed pieces of documentation and re-created scenes to consider the anachronism of Cold War target drones in the midst of contemporary “unmanned” warfare. The five triptychs and accompanying essay ask how drone technologies, and the humans who produce and operate them, map onto visible and invisible domestic and international spaces and with what consequences? The pieces underscore the persistence of secrecy and the interplay between soldier, enemy and target, even as the images undo current notions of drone aircraft.
The Banality of Goodness: Humanitarianism between the Ethics of Showing and the Ethics of Seeing
Authors: Musarò Pierluigi
Published: July 2015

Raising questions about how vulnerable “others” are represented in our mediated culture, and whether such a spectacle of suffering has the power to move us to action, the essay investigates what kinds of aesthetic, ethical, and political challenges are connected with the mediatization of humanitarian space in the neoliberal age. Focusing on the communication techniques used to generate empathy between the spectator and the suffering subject, the paper moves from Lilie Chouliaraki’s The Ironic Spectator: Solidarity in the Age of Post-Humanitarianism and Susie Linfield’s The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence to explore the complex relationship between the visual media, the needs of victims, and public attention, and unveils the many paradoxes intrinsic to the link between contemporary politics of humanitarianism and the government of human beings.
When We Talk about Human Rights
Authors: Thomas Lorrin
Published: July 2015

This essay explores the ways scholars of human rights, from various disciplines, contend with—or overlook—problems of consistency and precision in their subjects’ invocations of rights. Through its review of Lora Wildenthal’s The Language of Human Rights in West Germany and William Armaline et al.’s Human Rights in Our Own Backyard , the essay considers the strengths of two related analytical approaches: treating human rights as a political language; and treating human rights as an ideology rooted in a local history of ideas that shapes the way those rights operate in a particular society.
Atrocity Photographs, Dignity, and Human Vulnerability
Authors: Dean Carolyn J.
Published: July 2015

This essay explores assumptions that underpin discourses on atrocity photographs, including the idea that images objectify photographed subjects or traumatize viewers. The essay analyzes the unexamined ideas that construct these assumptions, in particular the affective investment in the concept of human dignity as an image of invulnerability. Arguments about atrocity photographs pit important if recent concepts of photography’s ostensibly transformative if vexed political function to “bear witness” against an aversion to the display of violated human dignity whose sources are psychic and cultural.
Albert Hirschman and the Social Sciences: A Memorial Roundtable
Authors: Adelman Jeremy , Alacevich Michele , de Grazia Victoria , Katznelson Ira , Urbinati Nadia
Published: July 2015

Albert O. Hirschman (1915–2012) is recognized as one of the most well-rounded and interdisciplinary social scientists of the postwar era. After fleeing Germany as a young opponent of the Nazi regime, he moved across countries, languages, and disciplinary boundaries. He was a pioneer of development economics and other social sciences, to which he contributed with exemplary analyses of the processes and mechanisms of political, economic, and social change. Following Hirschman’s own interdisciplinary approach, Nadia Urbinati, Ira Katznelson, Victoria De Grazia, Jeremy Adelman, and Michele Alacevich will explore the milestones of his incredibly rich intellectual journey.
From Empires to NGOs in the West African Sahel: An Introduction
Authors: Mann Gregory
Published: July 2015

These pages, excerpted from Gregory Mann’s From Empires to NGOs in the West African Sahel: the Road to Nongovernmentality , offer a succinct overview of its key points. Mann asks how it is that in the years following independence from French colonial rule, in a period when state sovereignty was highly valued, international NGOs took on some of the functions of government in the West African Sahel. He sketches the rise of ambitious and aggressive African governments, the effects of drought and famine, and the emergence of Human Rights campaigns that built on older anti-colonial and labor movements.
An Interview with Gregory Mann
Authors: Harrow Kenneth , Roitman Janet , Mann Gregory
Published: July 2015

For Humanity , Janet Roitman, and Ken Harrow interviewed Gregory Mann on some of the major themes of Mann’s book From Empire to NGOs in the West African Sahel: the Road to Nongovernmentality . Key points of debate include NGO activity and foreign Human Rights engagement in West Africa, the meaning of “government” in the region, the nature of African sovereignty in the neoliberal era, and the capacity of the discipline of history to contribute to an understanding of contemporary Africa.
An evaluation of gold as an inflation hedge: Empirical evidence from South Africa
Authors: Naidoo Kavir , Peerbhai Faeezah
Published: July 2015

The plague of inflation eating into investor returns is one that is experienced universally by all investors. Gold has historically proven to provide good inflationary hedging ability, due to its appreciating prices in times of high inflation. However, the recent period of price depreciation from 2012 amidst rising inflation in South Africa, has brought its usefulness as a hedge into question. The purpose of this study is therefore to thoroughly examine the use of gold as an inflationary hedge in the South African environment. In South Africa, the problem of inflation is a particularly severe one, with inflation rates reaching double figures periodically. The necessity of a hedge against inflation is therefore imperative to South African investors, to mitigate their diminishing real returns. The study extends over the period of 2000 – 2014, to incorporate for the Monetary Policy Committee in South Africa’s introduction of the inflation targeting regime. In South Africa, there are two popular alternatives when purchasing gold – one is gold bullion, whilst the other is known as the Krugerrand. The Krugerrand is minted from 22 carat gold, and is a popular vehicle for private gold investment in South Africa – and therefore easily accessed by both private and institutional investors. We therefore utilized both gold and the krugerrand as possible hedges in order to evaluate whether there is any difference in their respective hedging ability, and in particular, which one is more appropriate. We also decomposed inflation into the different types, which are: actual, expected, and unexpected inflation. Testing was conducted on the data over both the short run and long run, by making use of OLS regressions for the short run analysis, and Johansen’s Cointegration for the long run analysis. The results of the short run statistical tests found that whilst both gold and the krugerrand were found to be statistically significant against unexpected inflation, their sign was negative – which indicate that when unexpected inflation increases, the gold price decreases, which is contrary to the way in which a hedge should perform. The long run analysis found that both gold and the krugerrand were able to hedge against both actual and unexpected inflation, but not anticipated inflation. The results overall also found that gold had the superior hedging ability from the two alternatives. This may indicate that for investors who are concerned with the long run effects of inflation on their portfolios, they can include gold as a potential hedge against its negative effects.
Cultural diversity competencies of managers in the Australian energy industry
Authors: Dalton Linda , D’Netto Brian , Bhanugopan Ramudu
Published: July 2015

Australia has one of the most culturally diverse populations in the world with 27% of the population born outside Australia. This has resulted in increasing diversity in the Australian Energy Industry. Managers within this industry need a much greater level of capability in managing cross culturally. Yet organizations have not focused adequately on developing these diversity management competencies. This study developed an original model called the Diversity Management Competency Model (DMCM) based on a comprehensive review of the literature. The model consists of four quadrants which encompass understanding self, understanding others, workplace analysis and workplace application. The model was used to investigate the extent to which managers in this industry believe they have developed diversity management competencies. The sample consisted of thirty managers from the electricity industry in Victoria (Australia). The sample was obtained through the use of an extensive network of personal contacts and the snowballing process. Every attempt was made to gain participants from across the industry (from generators through to retail distributors of electricity). The participants included functional managers; principally in operations and maintenance and in support functions like procurement, finance and human resources. Some participants were contacted through their employing organization while other participants were contacted directly. A total of thirty managers were interviewed for the research. The managers participated in individual semi structured interviews of approximately thirty minutes. Each interview was conducted on an individual basis, either face to face or via the telephone. The main research question investigated the extent to which managers in the Victorian Energy Industry believe they have developed the competencies identified in the DMCM to effectively manage diversity in the workplace. Analysis of the data indicated that the level of competencies possessed by managers in Quadrant 1 was “Moderate”. Participants were able to provide some examples of the steps they took to improve diversity awareness. They also indicated that they possessed a learning orientation and were able to revise their own strategies to manage diversity. However, the responses indicated that managers had a “Low” level of competencies for the other three quadrants which included understanding others, workplace analysis and workplace application. Participants really struggled to provide examples to support the competencies identified in the last three quadrants. The DMCM can be used to identify competency deficiencies and organizations can provided management development programs to address these deficiencies. In addition, the model can be used as a screening device in the recruitment process.
Relationship between quality certification and financial & non-financial performance of organizations
Authors: Islam Md. Mazharul , Karim M.A. , Habes Essam Mohammed
Published: July 2015

At present, many countries have either embraced ISO9001 or used it as the basis of their national quality certification systems. However, few studies have been conducted to examine the benefits companies’ gain from achieving and implementing ISO9001 standards (Chikuku et al. 2012; Psomas et al. 2013; Sampaio et al. 2011a,b). Analysis has brought much more confused and uneven results across the countries. Turning to the experience of Malaysia, this country has witnessed a spectacular growth at an average rate of 9.89% per annum of ISO certificates issued to companies operating within its borders (ISO Survey 2012). While many companies rush to be ISO 9001 certified whether this brings about better benefits (both the financial and the non-financial) is still an open question. In this study, the research problems were first formulated from the literature and then a questionnaire survey was conducted to test the hypotheses. A survey was administered to chief executives officers and managers across manufacturing and service organizations in Malaysia. Multivariate analysis and SPSS macro developed by Preacher and Hayes were used as statistical techniques to the financial and non-financial benefits of ISO9001 certification. The survey instrument was a two-page questionnaire comprising three sections. The first section of the questionnaire covered the company’s profile. The second section consisted of 25 items on internal benefits and third section consisted of 7 items on external benefits measured on 1–5 Likert scale to assess the benefits of ISO9001 certification. Total 201 valid responses were received. Results of the study indicate that there was no significant direct relationship between ISO9001 certification and organizational financial performance, while strong statistical evidence was found to support the direct relationship between ISO9001 certification and non-financial performance. The findings of the study discovered that financial performance is actually directly related to two non-financial measures, namely quality performance and local and international business performance, which are directly and significantly influenced by ISO9001 certification. Therefore non-financial performance measures are involved in the mediational process. The findings will assist practitioners in taking right courses of action that make the implementation of this standard more effective. For example, the study findings study suggests that companies should put emphasize on nonfinancial factors to improve their financial performance.
Use of multi-criteria decision analysis for location decision: Developing a risk reaction spectrum
Authors: Saqiful Alam Khan Muhammad , Wali Faisal Ibne , Hossain Shahid , Ibne Wali Muhammad Maruf
Published: July 2015

To propose the use of Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) as an effective means for location selection, we draw results of findings from case previously carried out on the Strawberry syrup manufacturing plant. Location Decisions are extremely crucial to how a business facility would perform, and whether it would survive, thrive or not. The location affects operations, productivity and even business strategy, and takes into account organizational behavior as well demographics and economics of the location. Location decision making traditionally makes use of either qualitative or quantitative data but not both. The MDCA system tries to make use of both qualitative, quantitative (and more) and helps rank the ten most auspicious locations for the facility. The case in question was a study carried out on the strawberry syrup manufacturing plant of Haque Brothers Industries. They need strawberry syrup to manufacture wafers. They, through this study tried to come up with three perfect locations to set up a factory. Studies were conducted to collect qualitative data as well as quantitative data from the field. Using the MCDA analysis, qualitative and quantitative data are used to form criteria in which to rank each site. The criteria include economic, demographic and physical factors. Using these criteria, the MCDA software IDS is used to come up with ten locations. The study also involved risk analysis, as it considered decisions from leaders with varying risk taking tendencies to form a spectrum. All the data, the weighted criteria is used to come up with a Risk Preference Spectrum for all alternatives. These are used to select the top 3 locations where the facility can be set up. The top three locations were found to meet the criteria in such a way that setting up facilities there would minimize costs and maximize profit via production in any of those locations. These results are then tested again by sensitivity analysis to further verify if the top three locations are indeed ideal, by changing the order of preferences and without letting weights affect the outcome. This would hence add to the credibility and validity of the results. A study of this nature to verify that MCDA can aid an organization in pinpointing locations for its plants and facilities can be monumental to the field of production, operations management and business strategy in Bangladesh. It can be used to revolutionized private as well as public sector.
External shock, monetary policy and the domestic economy: A structural VAR approach for Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman A.K.M. Atiqur
Published: July 2015

Economies around the world are interdependent with one another in the present era of globalization. While some global shocks may affect the countries of the world together, domestic policies of a country sometimes can hardly work independent of external factors. Keeping these in view, a large body of literature has developed to address the impact of external shock on domestic economy as well as examining effectiveness of domestic policy in the context of an open economy. While effectiveness of monetary policy has been well studied in the context of both developed world as well as in the developing countries, only a few studies have been conducted in this field in Bangladesh and all these studies are made in a closed economy framework. Moreover, there is no study to formally examine the impact of external shock in Bangladesh. On this backdrop, the present paper makes an attempt to simultaneously assess the impact of external shock and that of monetary policy on the economy of Bangladesh. It builds up a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model of Bangladesh in an open economy set up. Contemporaneous restrictions are set based on the spirit of the existing literature and the specific condition of Bangladesh economy. The SVAR model is estimated with quarterly data ranging from the year 1989 to 2013. Impulse response function and the variance decomposition analysis are used in exploring the importance of monetary policy and external shocks in explaining variation in domestic price level and output. Estimated Impulse response functions show that innovation in reserve money has a positive impact on price and output, although impact on price level is less significant. On the other hand external shocks seem to have more prominent impact on the domestic economy. Innovation in OECD GDP also has significant positive impact on domestic output of Bangladesh. Shocks in foreign price have an immediate positive impact on domestic prices. Variance decomposition exercise shows that external shocks weight more in explaining variation in domestic price and output compared to the monetary policy. Furthermore, effectiveness of monetary policy in the open economy model of Bangladesh economy seems to be lower compared to that in a closed economy version of the economy, implying that exposure to the rest of the world dilutes the effectiveness of domestic policy of Bangladesh. The findings have important implications. First, as monetary expansion has positive impact on price level, monetary tightening would be the right policy in controlling inflation. However, this may not always bring high success if the external factors are not favorable as the study finds importance of external factor affecting both price level and GDP. On the other hand, as innovation in OECD GDP has positive impact on GDP of Bangladesh, global recovery may have a positive stimulus to GDP growth of the country.
Fdi technology spillovers in China: Implications for developing countries
Authors: Tian Xiaowen , Lo Vai Io , Song Moxi
Published: July 2015

Since the 1980s, multinational corporations (MNCs) have increasingly invested in production and service facilities in developing countries. In the meantime, developing countries adopted preferential policies to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in the hope that FDI can bring in advanced technology. However, FDI is a double-edged sword, generating positive as well as negative technology spillovers. Extant studies focus on the simple issue of whether the presence of FDI affects domestic firms, and have limited policy implications for developing countries. This paper is intended to fill this research gap. Differing from extant studies, the paper tries to identify the individual channels through which positive and negative FDI technology spillovers take place in different entry modes, and draws practical implications for developing countries in making policies on MNC entry modes and investment priorities. The paper distinguishes between different forms of FDI presence, including tangible assets and intangible assets, exported products and domestically sold products, new products and traditional products, employment of skilled workers and employment of unskilled workers, and takes them as different channels by which FDI technology spillovers take place. Meanwhile, the paper distinguishes between wholly foreign owned enterprise and joint venture, and takes the two entry modes as different organizational settings in which FDI technology spillovers occur. The paper then examines how FDI technology spillovers take place through each of these channels under each of the entry modes, and tests hypotheses against firm-level data from China. The study finds that positive FDI technology spillovers take place through tangible rather than intangible assets, domestically sold rather than exported products, traditional rather than new products, and employment of unskilled rather than skilled workers in joint ventures. In contrast, negative FDI technology spillovers take place through exported products and employment of skilled workers in wholly foreign owned enterprises. The findings suggest that developing countries should encourage MNCs to enter their markets in the form of joint ventures rather than wholly foreign owned enterprises. Moreover, they should encourage MNCs to invest in tangible assets, production of domestically-consumed products and traditional products, and employment and training of unskilled local workers in joint ventures. Furthermore, they should help domestic firms overcome the adverse effect of market stealing and skill stealing generated by wholly foreign owned enterprises.
The role of a national regulator in developing solutions to governance challenges in the not-for-profit sector
Authors: Chelliah John , Boersma Martijn , Klettner Alice
Published: July 2015

This article presents empirical evidence of the governance challenges faced by not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. Drawing on interviews and survey data, the paper explores perceptions of NFP leaders concerning governance challenges, drawing implications for theory and practice. The research shows that NFPs face internal and external contingencies that determine effectiveness of governance systems. The study finds that considerable variation in the roles of boards exists. This has theoretical consequences, as the usefulness of stewardship, agency, resource-dependence and stakeholder theory varies according to the directives of NFP boards, and provides empirical evidence in favour of taking a contingency approach towards theories concerning NFP boards. The study further shows that director recruitment is challenging, particularly for NFPs with membership-based board models, as the constitution often determines a pool from which must be sourced. This often leads to directors not being recruited based on skills, which in turn increases the importance of skills development. While many respondents state they provide training, interviewees indicate that lack of time and resources pose practical obstacles. We contend that this lack of resources represents a contingency that can negatively impact board functioning. The findings furthermore suggest that funding dynamics can negatively impact accountability and governance. Specifically the fact that government is the largest donor in the sample, while the recipients of services are the most important stakeholders. While donor and stakeholder representation on boards may help to mitigate donor dependency and asymmetric accountability, the study finds that NFPs are often unable to recruit directors with appropriate skills. As it is also challenging to facilitate training due to the lack of resources, the result is a conflicting dynamic between the demand for skills and stakeholder representation on governance bodies. Respondents decribed the Australian charities regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC), as a potential advisory and ‘go-to’ body that can help establish basic regulation and increase public confidence in the sector. The study suggests a role for the ACNC in assisting NFPs to reflect on contingencies and establish optimal governance configurations.
Pattern of capital inflows in BRICS: Aspects to ponder for policy implementation
Authors: Sunny Dolly , Unnikrishnan Anupama
Published: July 2015

Surge in capital inflows can stimulate economic growth in developing countries and also lead to macroeconomic fluctuations of varied nature. This makes the analysis of determinants of capital inflows in developing countries interesting. The behavior of capital inflows in the long and short run has been under study. Such analysis could help to avoid undesirable consequences of surge in capital inflows. Traditional literatures on determinants of capital inflows are bifurcated into push and pull factors. The present research focuses on pull factors determining the inflows of capital. This research tries to identify main determinants of capital inflows in BRICS using Vector Autoregression (VAR) technique. Johansen cointegration and Augmented Dickey fuller test are used for data analysis. The Vector Error Correction model (VECM) which is a restricted VAR is used for the analysis since Johansen cointegration test suggested cointegration among the variables in the long run for BRICS. The lag length of the model is determined by performing Schwarz Information Criterion. Impulse response function is used to gauge the effects of shocks on capital inflows with World Bank’s annual data (1992-2012). The variables used in the study include capital inflows (sum of FDI and portfolio equity), inflation, exchange rate, Gross Capital Formation and Gross Domestic Product. All the variables are constant at 2005 U.S. dollars. All the diagnostic testing done for BRICS countries made it relevant to estimate the equations using OLS estimate. In Brazil, capital inflows are influenced by lagged and current values of GDP, GCF and Exchange rate. The Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) estimates of Russian economy indicates cointegration of capital inflows with GDP and Inflation in the long run. Capital inflows in Indian economy is determined by inflation and exchange rate. In China higher GCF plays an important role in attracting capital inflows. In South Africa only inflation is causative factor which determines capital inflows. The Gross Domestic Product is observed to be the vital factor determining the capital inflows to BRICS. The study forecasts improvement of investment climate for attracting capital inflows into BRICS. Economic stability of BRICS is found to be one of the major factors influencing capital inflows in BRICS. The study forecast that in economies of Russia, India and South Africa emergency measures should be taken to curb inflation. Inflation, GDP, GCF and exchange rate are critical factors in attracting capital inflows, which helps in formulating appropriate policies for improving the performance of domestic economy.
Information systems (is) in the supply chain management (scm): A case of liquefied petroleum gas (lpg) of bangladesh
Authors: Hossain Akram , Hasan Mehedi , Ahmed Niaz
Published: July 2015

A supply chain is the set of values adding activities connecting the enterprise’s suppliers and its customers. Flow of Information has become a crucial function in setting objective, drawing strategy, taking right decision regarding supply chain of LP Gas throughout the whole country by linking the supplier, manufacturer, distributor, dealer/ retailer and customer to achieve optimum productivity, overall satisfaction and joyful relationship at competitive costing. As LP Gas is a necessary commodity, quick and effective information system helps a manager to understand the customer response, their demand, inventory in stock, amount to be produced, time frame and location of delivery. This study, we have focused on application of information systems in the supply chain of LPG industry. Here we used multi-method to get the best result. The study is compiled with the help of both primary and secondary data. We have collected data from 152 respondents in the relevant field. To achieve objective properly we developed a semi-structured interview schedule for collecting the information. We have analyzed our data by employing descriptive statistics and Cronbach’s alpha test. This paper illustrated the role of IS in sourcing, network designing, transportation, inventory management, forecasting, aggregate planning, setting goal, benchmarking the goal, troubleshooting from very beginning of the supplier relationship to the end customer relationship keeping smooth internal information flow throughout the process. We found that, if we apply information systems in all steps and drivers of supply chain of LPG industry then it can develop the integrated supplier relationship, strong internal supply chain management, maintain the customer relationship management and so on. This study we have also given some recommendations to the LPG industry of Bangladesh for applying information systems in the supply chain process.
Familiarity with Online retailing
Authors: Azar Sana , Khan Shamila Nabi , Shavaid Junaid
Published: July 2015

The global reach of online market allows buyers and sellers to transact without being imprisoned to geographical constraints. However, current research claims that despite of all the advantages, the customers remain unsatisfied from their online purchase experience. This paper focuses on the role of familiarity with online retailing on product uncertainty and retailer’s visibility and its effect on the online customer satisfaction. The data was primarily collected for Olx.com and Alibaba.com . The questionnaire was rotated online to customers who had shopped at the two websites. Customer shopping online were asked to rate the questionnaire on 5 point likert scale. The constructs for Familiarity with online retailing, Logistical support, Product uncertainty, Retailers visibility, Website design, Pricing, Customer service and Online customer satisfaction was included in the questionnaires. A scale of 5 was used where 1 represented strongly agree and 5 was strongly disagree. The analysis of the data includes presentation of the results that were gathered during the research, first general profile of the sample is presented and the measurement model is examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). After the establishment of the validity and reliability of the measures used, the examination of the structural model is performed. The paper supports the argument that familiarity with online retailing reduces the effect of product uncertainty and retailer’s visibility on customer satisfaction. The effects of website design, pricing, and customer service on online customer satisfaction were also incorporated in the model. Additionally, a new dimension of logistical support was also studied to effect satisfaction. The results of this study suggest that more and more people are shifting towards online purchasing. Online customer satisfaction is enhanced when the retailer is more visible to the customer and also when the retailer’s website is more users friendly and carries a lot more information that is required for the customers. The results also suggest that when logistical service is provided to the customers their satisfaction is increased. Quick and efficient delivery system, timely and customer oriented delivery system can enhance the online satisfaction of the customers. The study has implications for managers to understand the online motivations a consumer has while making a purchase.
Sustainable development: an empirical illustration for Saudi Arabia
Authors: Tan Seck
Published: July 2015

The aim of this paper is to highlight the shortcoming of the standard macroeconomic framework when environment is ignored in the implementation of traditional policy practices. Many studies have identified pollution by commenting on the damages inflicted on the environment. In response, regulatory policies have been proposed to rectify and address the economic and health impacts. However, there have been very few studies centred on valuing environmental degradation and internalizing the cost of degradation to selected macroeconomic frameworks. The empirical illustration in this paper seeks to demonstrate the ease with which environmental degradation is internalized in a simple Keynesian framework with reference to a leading Gulf State – Saudi Arabia. The analysis of environmental degradation is confined to air shed depreciation in terms of carbon dioxide emissions from greenhouse gases and data is from World Development Indicators for the years 1980 to 2012. By utilizing the Keynesian framework, two income levels can be identified that is, the standard income (Y*) and sustainable income (Y**) which takes into consideration environmental depreciation. It is observed that the Kingdom’s environmental depreciation is rising for the time period on a trend basis. One important observation is the clear divergence of Y* and Y** where Y* is overstated relative to Y**. This supports the observation that Saudi Arabia’s standard income (Y*) may not be sustainable for future economic development and the Kingdom should employ sustainable income (Y**) to measure economic progress for the formulation of sustainable development policies. There are two key policy implications for the Kingdom from this study. Firstly, the Kingdom should shift away from non-renewables to renewables and whilst the renewables are being assessed for their reliability and feasibility as sources of energy; the immediate priority should focus on enhancing non-renewables efficiency and minimizing environmental degradation. Secondly, environmental capital should be maintained by investing in environmental technologies and reviewing energy options as these could potentially expand the Kingdom’s capacity through aggregated expenditure.
Estimating the relationship between grain crop consumption in Australia and environmental sustainability
Authors: Uddin Gazi A. , Alam Khorshed , Gow Jeff
Published: July 2015

The whole food system which involves agricultural production, food processing and packaging, distribution and retail as well as consumption requires inputs such as land, water, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides and energy, which are responsible for environmental degradation. The main aim of this paper is to determine the size of the ecological footprint of grains consumption in Australia for evaluating the level of environmental sustainability. The ecological footprint methodology permits the monitoring of dominant threats to sustainability. One of the benefits of ecological footprint methodology is its capacity to distinguish between resources consumed and resources available and then reveal how ecologically sustainable those consumption patterns are. The study begins with an analysis of the ecological footprint of grain crops consumption, then analyses the biocapacity. The study concludes by making a comparison between ecological footprint and biocapacity and then assessing its sustainability of grain crops consumption. The paper uses both local and global yield data in terms of global hectare and local hectare respectively with inter-temporal time-series yield factors. This paper also uses production and consumption data on various grain crops. The refined method of determining the ecological footprint has provided a new assessment tool to gain insights into the environmental impacts of grain crops consumption. This method in this study had also highlighted the contribution of the EF as an indicator of environmental sustainability. Results indicate that the ecological footprint of grain consumption in Australia only exceeds biocapacity when the energy requirements of these crops are included in the evaluation. This study also reveals that that Australia’s grain consumption is unsustainable at the national scale, and still below the world-average ecological appropriation level. The size of the revealed ecological footprint are responsible for the amount of the grain consumption, energy inputs, the size of the population, the degree of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) gas emissions, and the amount of other farm inputs. This paper highlights the environmental significance of the ecological footprint of grain crops consumption in Australia. This paper also reinforces how intensely a sustainable future depends on the reshaping of the Australian grain industry. Finally, this paper discusses some of the implications of the method presented here for future footprint calculations and environmental sustainability. If Australia wants to shift to a smarter, more sustainable agricultural future; it must strive to shift to lower impact products and services, to increase the efficiency of the production through reducing energy inputs.
The emerging role of transformational leadership
Authors: Ghasabeh Mostafa Sayyadi , Soosay Claudine , Reaiche Carmen
Published: July 2015

This paper presents a literature review of leadership over the years and the emerging role of transformational leadership. We also argue that this form of leadership is appropriate in the context of globalized markets, where there is increasing diffusion of goods, services, values and technologies globally, which results in the convergence of societies toward a uniform pattern of economic, political and cultural organization. There are various issues and consideration existing in the leadership literature as “the core of the criticism in the literature is that organisations of all sorts (corporations, government agencies, and not-for-profit organisations) tend to be over-managed (and/or over-administrated) and under-led” (Mills 2005, p.19). Mills (2005) highlights the vital importance of leadership in both political and business areas, and argues that organisations in both areas, in the absence of effective leadership, are not capable of effectively implementing changes at the organisational level. This paper adopts a conceptual approach aiming to convey the importance of transformational leadership amongst other styles. In this paper, we review the role of leadership in the business area and establish the need to investigate transformational leadership, as an ideal leadership form in enabling firms to accomplish sustainable competitiveness as they operate in global markets. Based on the various leadership theories discussed be further argued that leadership is highly essential for business organisations to achieve a sustained change and eventually higher degree of effectiveness, especially when operating in global markets. Transformational leadership, comprising characteristics of idealised influence, individualised consideration, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational motivation has been found to have implications for higher leadership effectiveness in new market environments and production locations. Various empirical studies highlighted transformational leadership as an enabler of innovation. To demonstrate the role of transformational leadership in organizational innovation, it can be argued that these leaders facilitate the generation of new knowledge and ideas through applying intellectual stimulation aspect that motivates employees to approach organizational problems in a more novel approach. Accordingly, we establish the appropriateness of transformational leadership as a managerial-based, output-based as market-based competency for firms in globalized markets. We conclude by providing suggestions and scope for empirical investigation into local organizations to evaluate the extent of transformational leadership apparent and how effective they can be in globalized markets. The findings from empirical studies could provide managerial and research implications on a Nation’s competitiveness in today’s dynamic and globalized environments.