Empirical Research Work Research Articles

THE LOST WAX TECHNIQUE OF DOKRA ART: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON BIKNA VILLAGE OF DISTRICT BANKURA, WEST BENGAL

Among the famous artistic works of Bankura District of West Bengal, Dokra (also known as Dhokra) is an age old traditional non-ferrous metal art of Indian Subcontinent. The term ‘ ‘Dokra’’ generally describes a group of craftsmen, nomadic in nature who spread over the different states i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Dokra is characterized by its simple and primitive figurines on folk themes, variety of beautifully decorated deities and animal structures. The evidences of Dokra non-ferrous metal crafts trace back to the Harappan Civilization almost 4600 years ago. The dancing girl of Harappan Civilization is an ideal example of Dokra non-ferrous metal casting. This paper is mainly focused on the traditional lost-wax technique (Cire perdue in French) of Dokra metal art of Bikna village of District Bankura still practiced at present. Delighted to say, Dokra art from West Bengal has gained the Geological Indication (GI) Tag in the year of 2018. The present study is qualitative in nature and based on empirical research work on Bikna village involving interviews, oral history and observations. Both primary and secondary data sources were used to accomplish the work.

The asymmetric impact of monetary policy and firm leverage on firm investment: some insights from Pakistan

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate whether negative and positive monetary policy (MP) shocks have asymmetric impacts on corporate firms’ investment decisions in Pakistan using firm-level panel data set. Moreover, the authors emphasized on symmetric effects of MP; the authors examine whether high-leverage and low-leverage firms respond differently to negative and positive unanticipated shocks in MP instruments.Design/methodology/approachIn contrast to the conventional framework of VAR, it uses an alternative methodology of Taylor rule to estimate unanticipated MP shocks. The two-step system-generalized method of movement (GMM) estimation method is applied to examine the effect of MP shocks on firm investment through leverage-based asymmetry.FindingsThe two-step system-GMM estimation results indicate that unanticipated negative changes (unfavorable shocks) in MP instruments have negative, significant effects on investment. In contrast, unanticipated positive changes (favorable shocks) have statistically insignificant impacts on firm investment. The results also reveal that firm leverage has a significant role in establishing the effect of unanticipated negative changes in MP instruments on investments. Finally, the results indicate that high-leverage firms respond more to negative changes than low-leverage firms. Yet, the results show that only low-leverage firms positively respond to unanticipated positive shocks in MP.Practical implicationsThe findings of the paper suggest that MP authorities should pay due attention to the asymmetric effects of MP shocks on firm investment while designing MP. Because firm leverage has a significant influence on the effects of MP shocks, firm managers should take into account such role of leverage while deciding capital structure of their firms.Originality/valueFirst, unlike “Keynesian asymmetry” and most of published empirical research work, the authors use both unanticipated negative and positive MP shocks simultaneously. Departing from the conventional empirical literature, the authors differentiate between unanticipated positive and negative shocks in MP using the backward-looking Taylor rule. Second, the authors contribute to the existing literature by investigating the differential effects of positive and negative unanticipated MP shocks on firms’ investment decisions. Unlike the published studies that have emphasized on the symmetric effects of MP, the authors examine whether high-leverage and low-leverage firms respond differently to negative and positive unanticipated shocks in MP instruments.

The Importance of Financial Literacy: Opening a New Field

We undertake an assessment of our two decades of research on financial literacy, building on our empirical research and theoretical work casting financial knowledge as a form of investment in human capital. We also draw on recent data to determine who is the most—and least—financially savvy in the United States, and we highlight the similarity of our results in other countries. A number of convincing studies is now available, from which we draw conclusions about the effects and consequences of financial illiteracy, and what can be done to fill these gaps. We conclude by offering our thoughts on implications for teaching, policy, and future research.

Assessing national policies on labour migration and health: data from IOM's Migration Governance Index

Abstract Much of the empirical research work on labour migration and health has been in low to middle income countries and labour sending countries, with little data from Europe. The IOM will explore current policy and practice, and evidence gaps, in Europe, and discuss their Migration Governance Index, which assess migration in relation to labour and health access https://www.migrationdataportal.org/overviews/mgi. The MGI helps governments, upon request, take stock of their migration policies and strategies to identify good practices and areas with potential for further development.

Metaverse changing realm of human resource learning – a viewpoint

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the potential of metaverse in human resource (HR) learning as a new paradigm postpandemic scenario. This article highlights the use of the metaverse as a training tool for today’s organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers the author’s opinion based on experience with the application of Metaverse into HR learning for the transformative learning experience.FindingsResearch and trends in metaverse hold strong potential to be implemented as a transformative learning experience across organizations. The article then presents the metaverse learning application with the TL concept.Originality/valueThis is a viewpoint article and opens threads of the plethora of future directions in the application of the metaverse as a learning and development tool through empirical research work.

The relevance of livestock husbandry in the context of food security: a bibliometric outlook of research studies from 1938 to 2020

The present study aimed to report knowledge-based outcomes on global studies of livestock farming as a tool to address food security, while considering the recurring problems caused by malnutrition and hunger among vulnerable persons, especially in developing countries. A total of 2,012 scientific peer-reviewed studies were retrieved in BibTeX design for analysis using bibliometric collections in R studio software. The results obtained from the software included among others, authors, keywords plus, citations, collaborations, affiliations, journals, countries impact and key words. Published peer-reviewed discoveries on livestock husbandry as related to food security gathered from Scopus and the Web of Science (WOS) databanks were used, with a yearly rise in knowledge-based research of 15.04% during the timespan of the investigation. The results of the investigation revealed that the United States was ranked first with an aggregate of 236 publications [including Single Country Publications (SCP) = 225 and Multiple Country Publications (MCP) = 11] and had a huge international scientific effect with the highest article citations (n = 9,138). The most frequently used authors’ keywords in the present research niche area were food security (n = 475), livestock (n = 123), agriculture (n = 100), climate change (n = 99), sustainability (n = 55), cattle (n = 40), and nutrition (n = 37), which gave a clear direction for the related research studies regarding how livestock production can be used to enhance food security. The study in consideration presented an international picture that addresses the pool of knowledge-based, peer-reviewed findings of livestock production research and its significance to food security, while providing a clue regarding further investigations in this research niche area. It is of high essence to emphasise that the current findings solely focused on prime areas of livestock production as related to food security research; thus, it is anticipated that novel empirical research work and potential scientific findings will provide novel understanding and precision to livestock husbandry as a possible instrument to tackle the challenges of food security as new discoveries emerges.

Favorite Book Prediction System Using Machine Learning Algorithms

Recent years have seen the rapid deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which allows systems to take intelligent decisions. AI breakthroughs could radically change modern libraries' operations. However, introducing AI in modern libraries is a challenging task. This research explores the potential for smart libraries to improve the caliber of user services through the use of machine learning (ML) techniques. The proposed work investigates machine learning methods such as Random Forest (RF) and boosting algorithms, including Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM), Histogram-based gradient boosting (HGB), Extreme gradient boosting (XGB), CatBoost (CB), AdaBoost (AB), and Gradient Boosting (GB) for the task of identifying and classifying Favorite books and compares their performances. Comprehensive experiments performed on the publicly available dataset (Art Garfunkel's Library) show that the proposed model can effectively handle the task of identifying and classifying Favorite books. Experimental results show that LGBM has achieved outstanding performance with an accuracy rate of 94.9367% than Random Forest and other boosting ML algorithms. This empirical research work takes advantage of AI adoption in libraries using machine learning techniques. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to develop an intelligent application for the modern library to automatically identify and classify Favorite books

A long but fruitful journey: From clinical psychoanalysis to public mental health in Chile

AbstractThe authors, both professors of psychiatry, trained as psychoanalysts according to the standards of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA), recount 30 years of conceptual and empirical research work for the construction of a model of brief and adaptive psychodynamic psychotherapy applicable at the Primary Health Care level. The many milestones of this journey are reviewed, starting with the difficulties and obstacles encountered when pursuing this task within IPA institutions. Once the authors decided to conduct the task outside the analytic institution, they created two training programs for psychodynamic therapists and a research group in psychotherapy, all of which have attained excellence. This effort gave birth to several institutions that are still in operation, such as the Chilean and Latin American chapters of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, the Chilean Congress of Psychotherapy, the PhD Program in Psychotherapy, and finally the Millennium Institute for Research and Personality (MIDAP). In its 8 years of existence, MIDAP has become a national and Latin American reference center for research in Mental Health, aimed at implementing preventive and psychotherapeutic interventions in vulnerable populations at the primary health care and community level. The article ends with a description of the main components and the final process of the construction of the Protocol of Psychotherapeutic Competences for the Treatment of Depression in Primary Health Care level.

ZAŠTO NAM (NE) TREBAJU SOCIOLOZI? / WHY DO WE (NOT) NEED SOCIOLOGISTS?

This article discusses the status of sociology as a scientific discipline in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of its applicability and competitiveness of sociologists in the labor market. This question has been particularly elaborated by American sociologists, but also by other sociologists in their empirical research and theoretical works. Theoretical reviews of Bosnian authors regarding the place and role of sociology in our society have also been presented. For the purposes of this article, the educational programs in the field of sociology in all public universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been analyzed and it was found that the study of sociology can be studied at only six out of nine public universities, and the knowledge and competencies acquired during studies enable graduates sociology to be engage in theoretical sociology (scientific work), applied sociology (project management and public policy analysis) or teaching (in high schools or colleges). By analyzing the vacancies published on the Mojposao.ba portal, in the categories of "socioal services/non-profit organizations", "education" and "public service", we conclude that the knowledge and competencies acquired through education in sociology are mostly required in vacancies published by NGOs and international organizations and least in the education sector. The concluding remarks provide recommendations in order to provoke a discussion on the modalities of improving the status of sociology as a scientific discipline, and the educational profile of sociologists in the context of his position in the labor market in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Effect of Perceived Control of Information and Privacy Risk on Customers' Purchasing Intention in Social Commerce Platforms: The Moderating Role of Personal Interest

The necessity of high-level control on information is always on the increase by the users of the social network platforms to safeguard their privacy. Yet, scarce empirical research work and studies have investigated the impact of perceived privacy risk and perceived control of information on the purchasing intention of the customers in social commerce domains. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of perceived control of information and perceived privacy risk on the purchasing intention of the customers among the social commerce platforms. The personal interest’s moderating role toward the purchasing intention perceived privacy risk, and perceived control of information is also explored. Data was collected from 421 Palestinian consumers using social commerce platforms, who voluntarily participate in the current study. The findings of a PLS-SEM data analysis gleaned from Palestinian customers indicate a positive and significant relationship between perceived control of information and the purchasing intention of the customers. Besides, the findings indicate a negative and significant relationship between perceived control of information and perceived privacy risk, affecting the purchasing intention of the customers. Moreover, the results demonstrate a negative and significant relationship between perceived privacy risk and purchasing intention. Lastly, the findings indicated that the personal interest’s moderating effect is insignificant.

Quantifying Behavioral Biasness in Investment Decisions with Special Reference to Uttar Pradesh

Behavioral biases haven't gotten the attention they merit, especially in the Indian context. Despite the abundance of information on behavioural finance, only a few academic research has sought to examine behavioural biases across different demographic groups. This research tries to address this lacuna in the literature. The present research work aims to investigate and quantify the behavioural biases that influence individual investors' investment decisions. The primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire from five prominent cities in the most populated state of India, i.e., Uttar Pradesh. The data was collected from 487 individual investors with the help of their financial advisors and brokers. The empirical research work revealed that eight listed biases affect investment decisions by nearly 82%. The outcome as a formal bias assessment instrument was supported by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) encompassing eight behavioural biases measured via 47 statements. The present research contribution, provides a formal assessment tool and further helps the researchers to uncover behavioral biases and develop de-biasing strategies. Academicians, financial advisers, practitioners, and economic psychologists are invited to utilize the instrument in order to further confirm its efficacy.

Effect of E-Learning on the Academic Achievement of Students

E-learning has become one of the most debated concepts in today's global education industry. While some speak in favour of e-learning, others criticize e-learning and state that it cannot cultivate better results compared to traditional learning. In today’s COVID situation, e-learning has become necessary for universities around the world, this research has once again focused on this topic to identify whether e-learning can positively influence the performance of students or not. While identifying the same, three factors are selected that are technical competency, e-learning standards, and e-learning infrastructure. After collecting data and information from existing empirical research works, it was found that e-learning can cultivate positive results in terms of student’s performance in different universities and classes. However, it was found that for that positive performance, technical competency must be high and the standard of materials shared through e-learning must be effective enough. In terms of infrastructure, contradictory results are found as one research work stated that it is not vital for improved performance, while the other stated that it is important for better academic performance. Overall, this research identified that e-learning can increase academic performance with the right tools and techniques implemented with it.

Let's Get Back to Normal? COVID-19 and the Logic of Cure.

The COVID-19 pandemic has inversed certainties of absolutes of cure in everyday life but paradoxically this has occurred during a time when novel scientific advancements seem to herald a new frontier of cures for rare diseases, chronic conditions, disabilities and viruses that were previously incurable. In this paper, I illustrate the development of a logic of cure by first of all noting a lacuna in the medical sociological and anthropological literature, where although a lot of empirical research and theoretical work to understand cure has been undertaken, there has been no sociology or anthropology of cure. Using three case studies, I examine what they reveal about the logic of cure. Firstly, I argue that there is a development of a bioethics of cure in reactions of disability community and disabled people to care as cure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second case-study focuses on understanding limitations of vaccines and how people react against such indeterminancies of loss of absolutes of cure. Lastly, the final case study describes how while there are cures, for example, for rare genetic conditions, they are often initially curated with long-term cost-benefit analysis for the Global North. In conclusion, it is found that many of the developments within sociology and anthropology are missing from a logic of cure and that a new theory of cure has to develop.

Measuring talent management: a proposed construct

PurposeThe study aims to develop a construct to measure talent management (TM) in an organization.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a fourfold approach to develop the construct. Data were collected through close-ended questionnaires by conducting surveys from human resource professionals. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were employed to analyze the data and develop the construct.FindingsResults of the study indicate that TM practices are crucial in changing business dynamics. A final 26 items under 5 factors (identification of critical positions, talent acquisition, talent development, talent engagement, and talent retention) were found significant and integrated TM strategies in uncertain economic environments.Practical implicationsThis research focuses on the entire process of the TM cycle and develops an integrated construct of TM; thus, the study will provide an in-depth understanding of TM strategies to practitioners and researchers, facilitate researchers for the effective conduct of empirical research work on TM, whereas, for practitioners, this work will support in designing of TM strategies leading to organizational performance.Originality/valueThis is the first research study that has been done in the context of South Asia. It will help build up TM strategies to the necessity of a business environment.

LEVELS OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND VARIATIONS IN EXCLUSION AND INCLUSION PRACTICES AMONG CASTES AND TRIBES OF ANDHRA PRADESH: AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH STUDY

In rural India levels of social exclusion and inclusion vary from one social group to another social group and also from one ethnic group to another based on the ecological, geographical, social, cultural and economic factors. An individual or groups of individuals in any excluded social group or ethnic group invariably encounter the problem of exclusion in daily life. Moreover it is contextual and situational intertwined with the geographically culturally inbuilt mechanism. The forms of exclusion also differ from one ethnic group to another living in different social environments, geographical and economic conditions. This empirical research work paper presents the levels of social exclusion, mechanism, forms and variations in between the stratified caste society and egalitarian tribal society. The level of social exclusion at each excluded social group definitely correlates and corresponds with the development status of it in the caste based society of India, in specific to Rural India, Rural Andhra Pradesh. The empirical field work based observations in three multi caste villages of Manduru, Morampudi and Vedullapalle as well as in three multi tribal villages of Pasuvulabanda, Kolapari and Lammasingi, located in the newly carved Andhra Pradesh state have been presented in this research article. It is descriptive in nature and comprises Anthropological qualitative explanations with both etic and emic perspectives.

The Stock Market Situation and Economic Growth – An Attempt to Assess the Dependence

The aim of the article: The main aim of the article is to analyze the relationship between the stock market situation and the real economy, measured by the strength of the correlation between the rate of return on the stock market and the rate of GDP growth in European capital markets. The next objective is to answer the question whether the stock market index changes are ahead of, and if so, by how much, GDP changes. The author’s hypothesis stipulates that the stock exchange situation precedes the change in economic activity and serves as its forecast.
 Methodology: The empirical research work was carried out on the basis of quarterly data value of the stock index and the GDP between 2010 and the first quarter of 2021 for 20 European countries. For indices and GDP, the quarterly dynamics of the rate of return and GDP were calculated. Data on the value of the stock exchange index was taken from the website www.stooq.pl, while data on GDP was taken from Eurostat. Subsequently, the analysis concerned the correlation relationships between the variables on the basis of the Pearson correlation coefficient. The correlation between the variables was calculated without delay, as well as with a delay of one, two or three quarters of the returns on stock indices.
 Results of the research: Changes in the value of the stock exchange index is in most cases positively correlated with the change in GDP and the correlation is pronounced, but it is low and moderate. The only market for which a significant correlation was observed, was the Polish market. At the same time, it can be stated that the rates of return on the stock exchange index precede a change in GDP by one or three quarters. No changes were observed for the analyzed countries for two quarters.

Impact of Economic Factors on Life and Non- Life Insurance Development in Albania – A VECM Analysis

This paper intends to explore the economic factors which stimulate the demand for insurance products in Albania due to the fact that insurance industry has a significant effect on the economic development of a country. Albania is a developing country and insurance market has progressed moderately. Considering density insurance as a proxy of life and non-life insurance market development, the authors have examined the economic determinants of the Albanian insurance market during the period of 2009-2020 based on quarterly data. The analysis is performed using Vector Error Correction Model designing separate models for each of the insurance segments: life and non-life ones. Among several economic variables, this paper examines the effect of GDP, inflation, real interest rate and unemployment. According to the empirical results, GDP per capita has the most significant impact while unemployment is found to be insignificant in respect to life and non-life insurance density. The results are mostly in accordance with the empirical research work, and they are valuable to both academics and experts in insurance industry. The paper contributes to the existing international literature, especially to the literature related to developing countries, being the first one investigating the influence of a set of economic factors on life and non-life insurance industry in Albania. On the other hand, the results of the paper suggest that insurance companies monitor should evaluate these factors in order to increase and improve insurance service available to the public.

Mathematical modelling of root causes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in a diabetes mellitus patient

The rapid increase of diabetes patients in the world has attracted many researchers’ efforts to find the best way of managing the disease. However, lack of clear etiology in some types of the diseases such as Idiopathic Type 1 Diabetes hinders the effort. Here we present a mathematical model that demonstrates some possible causes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Sufficient and necessary conditions for hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia were newly formulated to guide the screening of the diabetes’s root causes. Apart from insulin resistance and insufficient insulin secretion, our study reveals that other factors such as abnormalities in hepatic glucose absorption, endogenous glucose production, glucagon resistance, and beta-cells responsiveness can possibly cause hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. In an attempt to quantify an influence of each parameter to plasma glucose, it was observed that sensitivity indices of parameters with respect to plasma glucose do vary with plasma glucose concentration; however, plasma glucose was frequently observed to be most sensitive to insulin-dependent glucose uptake rate. The new established conditions for hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia cast some light on the etiological studies of the diseases; they call for more empirical research work on the disease’s etiology beyond insulin resistance and inadequate insulin secretion.

Subject Matter of Sociology of Education

The sociology of education is a relatively autonomous subject, because it conducts teaching and research. It is also relatively autonomous in relation to theories and about other fields of investigation. Contemplating present state of thinking, one of the persistent problems of sociology of education is on what grounds sociologists of education can claim that they have a field of their own, distinct from that of general sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, historians, economists and other groups of specialists. In the discussion of the sociology of education, we observe the discourse of subject matter remains elusive. No thinker states anything properly in this context. But it is not that insignificant. The subject matter of the sociology of education may be explored in three paths where through the historical contribution of the thinkers, published books, journals, and articles as documents of empirical research works, and analytical discussion takes place.

Genetic Algorithm and BP Neural Network for College Physical Education Teaching Evaluation

Physical education is considered as the essential part of health plan and also reflects the higher education system. A teacher with physical education is accountable to teach physical education and/or health education to the students. This study has proposed a new approach for teaching evaluation with college physical education in universities. By combining neural network with genetic algorithm (GA), the approach that we proposed can improve the general traditional BP network, such as global convergence and training time. The model uses MATLAB software for empirical research work. According to MATLAB simulation and experiments, it was revealed that the combining neural network with GA algorithm has effective application prospects for the teaching evaluation with college physical education in universities.