Macro Factors Research Articles

Managers’ Perception on Adaptation of Green Building Practices and Environmental Performance

The need for sustainability has gained remarkable momentum in the context of the global challenges of environmental pollution, climate change, and global warming. In this context, as the largest single share in global resource use and pollution emission, the building construction industry must play a remarkable role to overcome this negative impact. In this setting, the concept of Green Building (GB) provides an alternative sustainable solution for the environmental impacts of buildings while supporting sustainable development. Green building provides benefits not only from an environmental perspective but also from economic and social aspects. Thus, stakeholders of real estate tend to adopt green building technology to avoid the pressure of the internal and external business environment. In this background, by following the Melvilles’ Belief-Action-Outcome framework, the study argued that green building practices of an organization are the outcome of the integrated micro and macro level pressure created by stakeholders for better adaptation of the GB concept, and beliefs of decision-makers on future consequences of non-adaptation of GB concept. Thus, this study aims to investigate the impact of macro and micro factors on the action of executives of the apparel sector of Sri Lanka on the adoption of green building practices. The population of the study is defined as executives of apparel companies in Sri Lanka. A total of 300 questionnaires has been distributed to executives who were selected using convenience sampling techniques and 86 valid responses were received. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used as the analytical technique of the study. The results suggest that macro factors namely coercive and mimetic pressure were not able to make a significant influence on executives’ attitudes toward GB practices adoption. However, it is confirmed that the attitudes of executives significantly contribute to managers’ actions on adopting pollution prevention, adoption for product stewardship, and adoption for sustainable development practices. Out of these three actions, product stewardship and sustainable development significantly contribute to the environmental performance of the organization. Accordingly, the study concludes that neither future consideration nor pressure created by the business environment act as motivators of the adoption of the green building concept within the apparel industry in Sri Lanka.

Theoretical bases of development of ecological marketing in the market of agro-food products

The article systematizes the evolution of the formation of environmental marketing and systematizes the principles of its development. The systemic changes in the factors of macro- and micro-environment of agrifood market participants are highlighted, which form the preconditions for the emergence of ecological worldview in marketing and justify the preconditions for the ecological imperative of marketing, which includes inclusion in marketing tasks subjects of the market of creation of ecological value at different levels. The determining influence of the concept of a sustainable development on the formation of the concept of environmental marketing was established, as well as the need to expand interdisciplinary links in marketing and management due to the environmental factor. The interplay of environmental marketing and environmental management allows the subjects of the agri-food market to work effectively for the sake of greater adaptability of marketing to the environment. It has been shown that the implementation of the goals of environmental marketing is compatible with the implementation of the goals of corporate social responsibility. The conceptual and categorical apparatus of the concept of environmental marketing was deepened, the classifcation of the equal number of tools for environmental marketing was carried out. Approved strategy for the using of environmental marketing by the subjects of the agri-food market, in particular: the strategy of avoidance of environmental marketing principles; competition strategy; cooperation strategy; relationship strategy. The signifcance of the defnition of environmentally friendly «green» marketing and its main tasks on macro-, meso-microlevels, which made it possible to identify the scope of environmentally friendly marketing in the global system of marketing concepts, has been determined. The main method of environmental marketing is the creation of environmental value, which defnes the philosophy and technology of marketing management of socio-ecological and economic systems and is the basic concept of marketing. It is grounded that the concept of environmental marketing can be used by all participants in the market of agro-food products, the basic principles form the theoretical basis, and in practice, the application aspect. Identifed the advantages, which subjects of the agro-food market can have in using of environmental marketing, as they form new ones that reinforce signifcantly competitive advantages of the products and the goods manufacturer. Key words: ecological marketing, ecological product, sustainable development, agro-food market, ecological management.

Credit Risk and Financial Performance of Vietnamese Commercial Banks: During and After the Financial Crisis

This study examines the influence of credit risk on the financial performance of commercial banks, as measured by the bad debt ratio and the credit risk provision ratio, with and without the participation of macro factors. This study also investigates the effect of the financial crisis on these relationships. Estimates of the generalized two-step systems method (GMM) are used with financial data of 24 commercial banks in Vietnam for the period 2008-2017. The results find that the credit risk of banks has a negative impact on financial performance. Surprisingly, the bad debt ratio is found to enhance the financial performance of commercial banks, while the ratio of provision for credit losses keeps dragging down financial performance significantly during the financial crisis years.
 

Credit Risk and Financial Performance of Vietnamese Commercial Banks: During and After the Financial Crisis

This study examines the influence of credit risk on the financial performance of commercial banks, as measured by the bad debt ratio and the credit risk provision ratio, with and without the participation of macro factors. This study also investigates the effect of the financial crisis on these relationships. Estimates of the generalized two-step systems method (GMM) are used with financial data of 24 commercial banks in Vietnam for the period 2008-2017. The results find that the credit risk of banks has a negative impact on financial performance. Surprisingly, the bad debt ratio is found to enhance the financial performance of commercial banks, while the ratio of provision for credit losses keeps dragging down financial performance significantly during the financial crisis years.
 

Analisis Pengaruh Jumlah Tenaga Kerja Dan Investasi Terhadap TPAK Provinsi Riau

Problems related to social conditions and employment are problems that always exist and never end. This problem is not only influenced by micro and macro factors. these side by side affect each other on the employment variable. This study uses a quantitative method, based on the philosophy of positivism which is used to look at a particular population or sample. The sampling technique was carried out randomly. data collection using research instruments. Data analysis in this study aims to test the hypotheses that have been set previously. Testing the data using Eviews 10 software using the variables of labor force participation, number of labor force, and investment.

THE EFFECT OF INTER-INDUSTRY TRADE ON COMPETITIVENESS; AN EVALUATION IN THE CONTEXT OF TURKEY

Özet
 Ülke endüstrilerinin rekabet gücünün mikro ve makro çok sayıda faktör tarafından belirlendiği göz önüne alındığında, bir endüstrideki Endüstri İçi Ticaret’in (EİT) bu endüstrinin; arz-talep, ürün fiyat ve kalitesi, rekabet gibi birçok özelliğini belirlediği ve bu bağlamda endüstrinin rekabet gücünü etkilediği değerlendirilmektedir. 
 Amaç: Çalışmamızda, Türkiye’nin 2001-2019 yılları arasındaki dış ticaretinde EİT ile rekabet gücü arasındaki korelasyonun, HS/GTİP’nun 97 faslı bazında belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. 
 Yöntem: Araştırmamızda endüstri-içi ticaretin derecesi Grubel-Lloyd yöntemi ile ölçülmüştür. Rekabet Gücünün ölçümünde Vollrath’ın (1991), Açıklanmış Karşılaştırmalı Üstünlükler (AKÜ) yöntemi kullanılmıştır. EİT ile rekabet gücü arasındaki ilişkinin belirlenmesinde, korelasyon analizi ve panel veri analizi kullanılmıştır.
 Bulgular: EİT ile rekabet gücü arasında 27 fasılda çok yüksek pozitif ve 24 fasılda çok yüksek negatif korelasyon ilişkisi belirlenmiştir. 24 Fasılda da yüksek pozitif, 6 fasılda yüksek negatif korelasyon belirlenmiştir. Bulgular çerçevesinde EİT ve rekabet gücü arasında fasıllara göre değişen yüksek veya çok yüksek korelasyonun olduğu ifade edilebilir. Çalışmadaki Panel Veri Analizi sonuçlarının da Korelasyon Analizi sonuçları ile uyumlu olduğu gözlenmiştir.
 Özgünlük: Türkiye için özgün olan bu çalışma ve sonuçlarının ileriye taşınması ve iktisat, kalkınma, sanayileşme ve dış ticaret politikalarında yol gösterici sonuçların üretilmesinin faydalı olacağı değerlendirilmektedir.

Hindrances to smart tourism development

智慧旅游发展的障碍研究目的：之前的大多数研究都讨论了推动智慧旅游发展的因素或其好处。然而, 以往的研究在很大程度上忽略了智慧旅游发展的障碍。因此, 为弥合上述研究空白, 本研究基于调整后的目的地竞争力概念模型, 确定了受近期疫情影响的香港智慧旅游发展的障碍。研究设计/方法/途径：本研究采用了带有开放式问题的半结构化问卷的定性访谈方法来采集数据。研究发现：本研究结果表明, 香港发展智慧旅游的障碍主要来自四个方面, 即经济、社会文化、技术以及规划和管理。研究意义：寻求热门旅游目的地的合作可以解决市场规模和技术基础设施投资回报等经济问题。智慧旅游发展应突出体验作为旅游核心产品, 支持企业转型。研究原创性/价值：理论上, 本研究基于调整后的目的地竞争力概念模型, 从不同的首要视角识别阻碍香港智慧旅游发展的宏观因素。从实际意义上来讲, 公共资金或低息贷款在内的政策支持等因素对于支持初步资金, 以及吸引企业家和青年人才来参与发展至关重要。

Human performance in manufacturing tasks: Optimization and assessment of required workload and capabilities

This paper discusses some examples where human performance and/or human error prediction was achieved by using a modified version of the Rasch model (1980), where the probability of a specified outcome is modelled as a logistic function of the difference between the person capacity and item difficulty. The model needs to be modified to take into account an outcome that may not be dichotomous and to take into account the interaction between two macro factors: (a) Task complexity: that summarises all factors contributing to physical and mental workload requirements for execution of a given operative task & (b) Human capability: that considered the skills, training and experience of the people facing the tasks, representing a synthesis of their physical and cognitive abilities to verify whether or not they are matching the task requirements. Task complexity can be evaluated as a mathematical construct considering the compound effects of Mental Workload Demands and Physical Workload Demands associated to an operator task. Similarly, operator capability can be estimated on the basis of the operators’ set of cognitive capabilities and physical conditions. The examples chosen for the application of the model were quite different: one is a set of assembly workstation in large computer manufacturing company and the other a set of workstations in the automotive sector. This paper presents and discusses the modelling hypothesis, the interim field data collection, results and possible future direction of the studies.

Factors Associated with Adolescent Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Socioeconomic Influences and Essential Interventions

Objective: A literature review was conducted to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on documented preexisting determinants of adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa such as poverty, inequitable gender norms, low access to education, and reproductive health services. Methods: The terms “sub-Saharan Africa,” “Gender Norms,” “Poverty,” and “Adolescent Pregnancy” were used to search the literature for preexisting determinants of adolescent pregnancy in academic and grey literature. “COVID-19” was added to investigate the potential consequences of the pandemic. The literature revealed similar experiences in adolescent girls during the Ebola outbreak, which lead to the analysis of government and healthcare official responses to previous epidemics. Results: The literature review revealed that the relationship between identified micro (inequitable gender norms, transactional sex, sexual and gender-based violence, early marriage, and menstruation) and macro (poverty, education, and healthcare) factors contributing to adolescent pregnancy were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Three realistic targets including, expanding and communicating available reproductive health resources, prioritizing the role of women in the economy, and ensuring return to school should be included as part of current COVID-19 mitigation programs. Additionally, these interventions should be incorporated in future public health preparedness plans to reduce the risk of adolescent pregnancy during public health emergencies.

Morphology of Journalism Culture in the Context of Local Culture

ABSTRACT The morphology of journalism culture comprises three factors, namely, micro-, meso-, and macrofactors. Politics and economics are among the many macro factors. However, this study focuses on how the morphology of journalism culture is formed by local culture. This study is important in the theory of de-Westernization because local culture could be a differentiator among journalism cultures. Such efforts will enable the diversity of journalism cultures that differ from those in the West. This research was conducted on journalists working in Yogyakarta, a region in Indonesia. This study shows that local culture, in this case, the Javanese culture, contributes to creating the journalism culture among journalists in Yogyakarta either in their journalism values or practices. This influence is evident in their politeness, language propriety, and criticism style. Several informants stated that they choose a criticism style that is not vulgar. They believe that there is no need for vulgar criticism because their style of criticism is effective because both the journalists and their subjects of criticism are from the same cultural environment.

Evaluation of macro factors affecting stock price index: Bayesian averaging approach

Evaluation of macro factors affecting stock price index: Bayesian averaging approach

Determinants of Country-Level Employee Overqualification: A Configurational Approach

We build on the configurational approach to identify patterns of macro contextual factors leading to high country-level employee overqualification. We differentiate between subjective and objective employee overqualification and establish that each is caused by different configurations of macro factors. We also identify country-level overqualification archetypes and link specific countries with respective archetypes. We find that a country’s non-vocational education system is a necessary condition for high objective overqualification, while objective overqualification itself is not a necessary condition for perceived overqualification. We discuss theoretical implications and offer policy implications.

Practice of Sustainability Leadership: A Multi-Stakeholder Inclusive Framework

Sustainability leadership aims at balancing short-term economic goals with long-term sustainable development goals by considering the interests of all stakeholders instead of just shareholders and focusing on a triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. The existing research on sustainability leadership has mainly focused on the role of individual competencies without considering other meso and macro level factors that can impact the enactment of sustainable leadership. The studies that have considered these micro, meso, and macro levels have conceptualized these levels as stratified and discrete, assuming a hierarchical relationship between them. Such a conceptualization constitutes an impediment to the dynamic communication and engagement that is necessary to the achievement of sustainability goals. Drawing on stakeholder theory, this study investigates the key factors impacting the practice of sustainability leadership in a contextually relevant manner. More specially, we propose a multi-level, multi-stakeholder framework for sustainability leadership that is data driven and supported by evidence. This framework is meant to portray a holistic model that is dynamic and reciprocal in the manner in which micro, meso and macro factors impact each other. Qualitative research methods and purposive sampling were used for four stages of data collection, from 39 individuals with diverse profiles across the sustainable-engineering sector. The data collected were analyzed thematically, and the findings formed the basis of the dynamic inclusive business model for sustainability proposed in this paper, which challenges the traditional hierarchical business models. The data-driven, multi-level, multi-stakeholder framework proposed in this work extends the literature by providing insights on the key factors that impact the practice of sustainability leadership in the context of SMEs, operating in an emerging market. This framework demonstrates that the effective practice of sustainability leadership by SMEs is influenced by the interplay of factors at micro, meso and macro levels, as represented by individuals, organizations/firms, and governments.

A Study and Design of Two Lane with Paved Shoulder in Green Filed Corridor, By Using Civil 3D

Geometric design is important component, which have a majority of effect while designing a new alignment of the road as per present trends, which is skeleton of any alignment of road. It is combination of cross-sectional elements, horizontal alignments, sight distance considerations and vertical alignment details, attributes of intersection. It also considers other macro factors like design speed, terrain or topography, traffic plying and expected, design hourly volume and estimated capacity, along with environmental factors. While aligning a new road, it should be short, easy, safe and economic and it is expected to be comfort and safe for the movement. Rural road is a road network with a low volume traffic and low design speed which provides market access to farms, employment and connects different communities. Rural roads are classified into Another District Road (ODR) and Village Road (VR). These roads are able to reach the group of villages in rural area of the country and to provide connectivity. It is owned by local authorities. AutoCAD Civil 3D is a software application used by civil engineers and professionals to plan and design the projects for building constructions, road engineering projects, water include construction of dams, ports, canals, embankments etc. AutoCAD civil 3D associate design and production drafting, greatly reducing the time it takes to implement design changes and evaluate multiple situations. A change made in one place immediately updates an entire project, helping your complete projects faster, smarter and more accurately. Civil 3D provides to create 3D models of the project and helps to adopt for both small- and large-scale projects. It helps to imagine the things in 3D visualization, reduces the time and budget. It also inherits many benefits of using civil 3D. Total station is a combination of Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM), an electronic digital theodolite, and a computer in one unit used to measure horizontal angles, vertical angles and sloping distances of the objects. It takes a part by providing all the three co-ordinates of the observed points that is northing, easting, and elevation. These points are further transferred into AutoCAD civil 3D. The term is used in Carriageway, Shoulder, Earthen Shoulder, Typical Cross Section, Utility Corridor, Horizontal and Vertical Alignment, Sight Distance, Design Speed, Topography, Intersection, Traffic Survey etc. The object of the project was to demonstrate how roadway geometric design can be Design in Green Filed Corridor a very short time with much ease and precision. Also, to understand the Green Field Design and its aspects. the road design procedure using AutoCAD Civil 3D has been presented. Manual geometric design of the same road was also performed, the results of which was compared favourably with that of AutoCAD Civil 3D. Also, In this study is to examine in detail the availability of road/highways transport infrastructure and working of the roads/highways at national level. To identify and analyze the problems associated with the roads/highways in India with respect to design per say.

Assessing the factors impacting the bioaccessibility of mercury (Hg) in rice consumption by an in-vitro method

Mercury (Hg) in rice is drawing mounting concern since methylmercury (MeHg) was found capable of accumulating in rice. In-vitro bioaccessibility is a feasible and reliable method to assess the health effects of Hg in rice and has been utilized in a number of studies. This study was done to investigate the impact of cultivar, planting location, and cooking on the total mercury (THg) and MeHg bioaccessibility of rice, for which multiple statistical analysis methods were used to analyze the significance of their effects. The THg concentrations of rice samples taken from non-Hg contaminated areas of China were all below 15 ng/g and their MeHg concentrations were below 2 ng/g. Cooking could significantly reduce the MeHg bioaccessibility of rice because the MeHg was mainly combined with protein and the protein will be denatured during the cooking process, and then the denatured MeHg is difficult to be dissolved into the liquid phase. Indica- and japonica-type rice cultivars did not show significant differentiation in either the concentration of Hg or its bioaccessibility. However, the glutinous rice type differed significantly from the above rice types, and it showed greater bioaccessibility of THg and MeHg due to its distinct protein contents and starch properties. Planting location can affect the Hg concentration in rice and THg bioaccessibility but has a limited impact on MeHg bioaccessibility. Based on these results, two macro factors (rice cultivar, planting location) are presumed to impact Hg bioaccessibility by how they affect micro factors (i.e., Hg forms).

Effects of rice wheat intervention on intestinal microflora of rats based on metagenomics

To investigate the effects of rice on intestinal microflora in rats. Thirty 4-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, rice group and wheat group according to body weight. The control group was fed with AIN-93 diet, the rice group and the wheat group was fed with the AIN-93 diet which the carbohydrate was replaced with rice and wheat, respectively, for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, lipid related biochemical indexes were determined, and the contents of the distal colon(feces) of rats were collected for macro factor detection. From the beginning to the end of feeding, there was no difference in weight gain among the groups. After the end of the experiment, there was no difference among lipid-related indicators and blood glucose. α diversity showed that there was no difference in the diversity of intestinal microbiota between the rice and wheat groups, and the gene abundance analysis of intestinal microbiota in the wheat group showed that the gene abundance of intestinal microbiota was lower. The difference analysis of intestinal microbiota result showed that compared with the rice group, the wheat group was composed of higher proportion of verrucomicrophyla and lower proportion of Bacteroidetes. Lefse analysis showed that the surface group was enriched with Akkermansia Muciniphila, Bifidobacterium animalis, and a variety of beneficial bacteria such as Faecalibaculum rodentium and Intestinimonas butyriciproducens, while Prevotella copri was rich in the rice group. Glycoside hydrolases 8, glycoside hydrolases 16, glycoside hydrolases 99 and glycosyl transferase family 56. Rice or wheat as different carbohydrate sources have different effects on the composition of intestinal microflora and carbohydrate-related active enzymes in rats.

MACRO FACTOR, MARKET VOLATILITY, AND STOCK-BOND CORRELATION: A DYNAMIC MIXED DATA SAMPLING FORECAST

This paper explores how macroeconomic fundamentals affect the long-run dynamics in the volatility of and correlation between the stock and bond market. We use China as a laboratory by employing the GARCH-MIDAS and DCC-MIDAS models, which possess proven ability to capture the long-run component of second-moment market performance in a rapidly-growing economy. With actual data and predictivity evaluation, the finding is that the industrial production growth rate accounts for 32.04% of variations in the total conditional volatility for Chinese stocks, and the industrial production growth volatility drives 29.63% of movements in the total conditional volatility for Chinese bonds. Our proposed model is particularly advantageous in long-run volatility forecasts. Moreover, the present study complements the literature concerning the impacts of macro factors on the time-varying correlations between China’s stock and bond markets. We find weak evidence in this regard, probably due to the absence of multi-market macro-strategy investors that prevail in more developed markets.

The role of language proximity in shaping international student mobility flows

ABSTRACT Many papers on international student mobility have analysed different macro factors influencing the decision making of international students. However, only a limited number of studies have considered the role of language distance on international educational choices. This paper aims to fill that gap by identifying the role of language proximity in international degree seeking student flows among 21 countries of the European Economic Area in the years 2005, 2010 and 2015. Our gravity models reveal a statistically significant influence of language proximity on student flows within these 21 countries. We argue that language proximity simplifies academic, cultural and socio-economic integration of international students in the destination country and as a result makes the process of their adaptation to a new environment easier and smoother. Future research should expand on the mechanisms of that influence.

Stock Market Indices Direction Prediction: Time Series, Macro Economic Factors and Distributed Lag Models

Abstract: A number of studies have been conducted to model the stock market indices using pure time series models or regression models based on macro economic variables. In this study, instead of focusing on modeling the actual levels of stock market indices I focus on predicting the direction (up/down) as investors who rely on technical analysis are more interested in the direction of stock market index than the actual prediction value. Therefore, in this study I look at best modelling approach for the direction prediction: time series (ARMA) or macro factor models or combination of both (ARDL). My study shows that macro factor models outperform for direction prediction as compared to ARMA or ARDL models. The study was performed on stock market direction prediction of stock indices of three South Asia countries: India, Pakistan and Malaysia. The macro economic factors that are considered for direction prediction are: Inflation, Unemployment and Exchange Rate monthly data from March 2016 to September 2021. Keywords: stock, equity, prediction, models, direction, ARMA, ARDL,macro

Determinants of merger and acquisition in the banking sector: an empirical study

PurposeThis study aims to determine the factors affecting the merger and acquisition (M&A) process in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) banking sector. It distinguishes between internal and external factors that may motivate M&A activities in the banking sector.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts quantitative research and a survey strategy for data collection. A model was developed using a survey e-mailed to 500 bankers to gather data on the factors affecting the banking sector’s M&A.FindingsThis study’s findings provide strong empirical evidence for factors extracted by the factor analysis (Income, Growth, Costs, Survival, Diversifications, Security and Risk and Legal), which are important in determining the consolidation process leading to successful M&A in the banking industry. This study also contributes to the business combinations and consolidation literature by explaining the important factors in measuring the bank’s performance during the M&A process.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies could be directed in many directions. First, the authors extend the study to other GCC countries and examine whether the determinants of banks’ M&A are similar across markets. Second, the authors examine additional nonfinancial bank-specific characteristics, such as management incentives and corporate governance or additional market characteristics. Third, the authors examine the motives for acquisitions of foreign banks by UAE banks and vice versa. There may be much to learn about how acquisition motives are likely to differ.Practical implicationsThe findings can help bank managers know if their banks have developed the same profile or factors similar to typical target banks. The theoretical understanding of the importance of this study in creating an environment of trust that governs the behavior of bankers for both banks will reduce the agency issue. Regarding general management, this study indicates that opportunistic behaviors could interest banks, bankers’ associations, central banks, governments, other financial authorities and policymakers. Therefore, this study paves the way for further investigation of mergers, agency theory and ethics issues. These banks’ owners, managers and regulators were also advised to consider these factors in formulating their policies and processes, given their influence on performance and their ability to manage the relationship between banks and improve the efficiency of the UAE banking sector.Originality/valueThis study provides new perspectives concerning motives leading financial institutions to M&A owing to banks’ decisions to improve their financial positions, coupled with the need to obey pressures of macro factors such as economic, legal and political systems, government and technology.