Financial Contexts Research Articles

Evolving AI Communities in the Era of Postmodernity: Dilemmas, Perils, and Prospects

The significance of studying artificial intelligence within our contemporary society holds immense importance as the world has embraced an era of novel innovations. The objective of this investigation is to conceptualize the advancement of an artificial intelligence-centered society within the framework of risks and challenges characteristic of postmodernity, while also exploring its potential integration across all facets of human existence. The study encompasses three key objectives: Exploring the evolution of artificial intelligence through its four distinct waves, as it progressively becomes more intricate and exerts an impact on human life. Investigating the developmental trajectories of artificial intelligence (AI) within the context of the growth of smart societies and smart technologies. Developing the conceptualization of artificial intelligence within the dynamic landscape of technological shifts and the digital economy. Upon analysis, it becomes evident that the progression of an artificial intelligence-based society within the realm of the digital economy is in a state of perpetual evolution, leading to enhancements and the emergence of novel challenges, issues, and risks. The article presents a comprehensive exploration of the development of an artificial intelligence-driven society through its successive "four waves," each characterized by increasing complexity and influence on human existence. The pathways of artificial intelligence development within the domain of smart societies and smart technologies are thoroughly examined. It becomes apparent that artificial intelligence has the capacity to fulfill various functions, including learning, comprehension, reasoning, and interaction. Its applications extend across diverse domains including: (a) data security, (b) fraud detection in financial contexts, (c) diagnosis of human ailments in machines, and (d) anticipation of potential diseases based on markers, as well as personalized marketing strategies designed to gather insights about customers. In essence, our interconnected and susceptible society confronts a multitude of risks, predicaments, and challenges. Therefore, safeguarding ourselves becomes imperative, necessitating a triumph in the contest for the ethical implications of technology. This victory in the realm of technological morality is an imperative measure to withstand the trials of progress.

The formal-informal dilemma for women micro-entrepreneurs: evidence from Brazil

PurposeThe present study aims to identify women microentrepreneurs’ motivations that may influence the legalisation of their businesses and their capacity to reconcile the demands of family and work in a developing country (i.e. Brazil).Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were used to gather data on women’s microentrepreneurial initiatives in three northern Brazil cities: Salvador da Bahia (Bahia), Fortaleza (Cear) and Belm (Par). Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse textual data from the 30 interviews. The content was standardised and subsequently analysed using NVivo and IBM’s Many Eyes data visualisation software.FindingsThe results suggest that these women opt for legalised individual entrepreneurship to access the benefits of formalising their businesses and to search for mechanisms that encourage a work–family balance. However, in the more rural city studied, women show greater resistance to, and more distrust of, the benefits of legalising their business, as opposed to women from the two more urban cities.Practical implicationsThe results contribute to a better understanding of women’s motivations to legalise their microbusiness. In Brazil, the writing and passing of a law geared towards this type of entrepreneur (e.g. individual microentrepreneurs) has had a quite positive effect on the legalisation of businesses, in particular for women. However, this law has had a more positive effect in urban areas, which suggests that further dissemination is needed of the benefits of formalising microbusinesses in rural areas.Originality/valueThis study contributes to research that seeks to understand better entrepreneurial preferences (i.e. formal vs informal) and the role played by gender and legal, financial and family contexts.

Math anxiety, but not induced stress, is associated with objective numeracy.

Many daily activities require a basic understanding of math. Numeracy, which refers to individual differences in the ability to understand numerical concepts and work with probabilities, has been linked to health-related decision-making and medical and financial outcomes. Whether affective influences impact numeracy has not been experimentally assessed, although research has shown that emotions impact judgments and decision-making. Stress is one commonly experienced affective influence that could impact numeracy. We examined whether objective and subjective numeracy were influenced by stress induced from anticipating giving a speech in a laboratory setting. We also examined the association of self-reported math anxiety, or apprehension pertaining to mathematics, with objective and subjective numeracy. Two experiments were conducted; the second was a direct replication. Undergraduate students (Experiment 1, n = 99; Experiment 2, n = 139) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a stress induction or a neutral condition. Whereas neither objective nor subjective numeracy significantly differed across conditions, math anxiety was a consistent predictor of objective and subjective numeracy. Math anxiety and baseline perceived stress did not consistently moderate any effects. These findings have implications for health care, educational, and financial contexts in which people must make decisions that involve complex numbers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

CSR INITIATIVES: THE PREDICTOR OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN ENERGY SECTOR

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the financial performance for publicly-traded firms operating in the energy sector. The energy sector has a unique role to play in global CSR efforts because of the size of the firms within that industry, the impact on the environment, and the operational risks that come with energy production. Previous research has been conducted on the relationship between CSR engagement and financial performancein various contexts, but this research has shown mixed outcomes– in some cases there is a positive relationship between CSR and performance while in other studies the research is non-existent or marginal. Thus, the research question for this study addresses a significant gap in the understanding of this topic by exploring the relationship between CSR and firm performance in a contextualized setting of the energy sector. The dependent variable was a series of three financial metrics –returnon assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and EBITDA. This study looked into convenience sampling method and the population in this study was employees who were currently employed in an energy sector company in Malaysia.

Stressors and support system among parents of neonates hospitalised with systemic infections: qualitative study in South India

ObjectiveTo explore stressors and support system for families with a neonate admitted with a systemic infection.DesignQualitative study using in-depth interviews (IDIs), based on principles of grounded theory.SettingA busy level III...

What Is the Impact of Ai and Social Media Analytics on Investor and Trader Behavior in the Stock Markets and Other Financial Contexts?

The topic of this research paper will be the impact that AI has in today’s world. More specifically, this paper will be focused on the impact AI has in areas like social media analytics, stock markets, the sports industry and other financial contexts.

Identifying Big Data’s Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications in Finance

One of the latest innovations in business and technology is the use of big data, as daily data are generated by billions of events. The big data issue is now considered in the accountants and finance professionals’ field as one of the most important sources for the analysis of financial products and services. This study is very innovative, with our research aiming to identify the opportunities, challenges, and implications of big data in the finance area. It is our purpose to find competitive advantages in terms of the extent to which big data brings visible benefits, also pointing out the challenges that a company may face in this field, such as cases of customers’ data security or customer satisfaction processes. The identification of this kind of dynamics allows us to draw conclusions on the advantages of big data based on these analyses and big data’s deep impact on finance. In particular, big data is now commonly used by financial institutions and banks for analytical purposes in financial market contexts. We conducted an exploratory survey of the existing literature to highlight such connections. In the last part of our study, we also propose directions for future research.

Human Rights and Technology: New Challenges for Justice and Accountability

This review surveys contemporary challenges in the field of technology and human rights. The increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in decision making in the public and private sectors—e.g., in criminal justice, employment, public service, and financial contexts—poses significant threats to human rights. AI obscures and attenuates responsibility for harms in ways that undermine traditional mechanisms for holding wrongdoers accountable. Further, technologies that scholars and practitioners once thought would democratize human rights fact finding have been weaponized by state and non-state actors. They are now used to surveil and track citizens and spread disinformation that undermines public trust in knowledge. Addressing these challenges requires efforts to ensure that the development and implementation of new technologies respects and promotes human rights. Traditional distinctions between public and private must be updated to remain relevant in the face of deeply enmeshed state and corporate action in connection with technological innovation.

Human Rights and Technology: New Challenges for Justice and Accountability

This review surveys contemporary challenges in the field of technology and human rights. The increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in decision making in the public and private sectors—e.g., in criminal justice, employment, public service, and financial contexts—poses significant threats to human rights. AI obscures and attenuates responsibility for harms in ways that undermine traditional mechanisms for holding wrongdoers accountable. Further, technologies that scholars and practitioners once thought would democratize human rights fact finding have been weaponized by state and non-state actors. They are now used to surveil and track citizens and spread disinformation that undermines public trust in knowledge. Addressing these challenges requires efforts to ensure that the development and implementation of new technologies respects and promotes human rights. Traditional distinctions between public and private must be updated to remain relevant in the face of deeply enmeshed state and corporate action in connection with technological innovation.

When more is less in financial decision-making: financial literacy magnifies framing effects.

In recent years, the financial world has become more complex and intricate. In this context, numeracy and, particularly, financial literacy, are seen as paramount in providing consumers with the knowledge and confidence required to take part in financial markets. Despite some indicative empirical findings, it is still to be ascertained how the two competences differentially contribute to the quality of decision-making in financial contexts. Furthermore, it is still unknown to what degree financial literacy and numeracy, taken as relevant mind-ware for financial decision-making, are effective in guarding against well-documented biases such as loss aversion and framing effects. This study aims to clarify these issues by employing an experimental task, conceived as an approximation to real-world decision-making involving the sale of shares. Our results suggest that numeracy and financial literacy affect decision-making differently in a pattern that, in part, runs counter to conventional economic theory. The data indicate that numeracy promotes a pattern of choices closer to economic rationality, while financial literacy can prove counterproductive and may amplify cognitive biases, namely framing effects and loss aversion. The outcomes are interpreted in light of dual-process theories, and the political implications discussed.

Community Detection in Investor Networks

We investigate the technical problem of community and clique detection in investor network. We introduce a pruning technique for investor clique enumeration based on specific economic and financial contexts. It can be incorporated into the central clique solver to reduce the computing time and improve the clique-based community detection method. Furthermore, we present several use cases in the study on investor behavior.

Situational analysis of breast health care systems: Why context matters.

Implementation of evidence-based, resource-appropriate guidelines for breast cancer control should be preceded by a baseline assessment or situational analysis to assess breast health infrastructure, workforce capacity, patient pathways, existing practices, accessibility, and costs. To support the assessment of breast health care systems within the broader context in which they exist, the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) developed, tested, and refined a set of situational analysis tools with which to guide the assessment of breast health care capacity, identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of the health system, and support stakeholders in prioritizing actionable items to advance breast cancer care using evidence-based strategies tailored to their setting. The tools address 6 domains of breast health care delivery: 1) breast cancer early detection practices; 2) breast cancer awareness programs; 3) the availability of breast cancer surgery; 4) the availability of pathology; 5) the availability of radiotherapy, and 6) the availability of systemic therapy services. The current study also describes the more comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) integrated missions for PACT (imPACT) review. As of 2020, 5 formal BHGI situational analyses have been performed in India, Brazil, Panama, Tanzania, and Uganda. As of August 2019, a total of 100 imPACT reviews have been conducted in 91 countries. These assessments can contribute to more informed policymaking. Situational analyses are a prerequisite for the development of resource-appropriate strategies with which to advance breast cancer control in any setting and should assess services across the entire breast health care continuum as well as the broader structural, sociocultural, personal, and financial contexts within which they operate.

Universities as financing vehicles of (sub)urbanisation: the development of university towns in Shanghai

This study examines the dynamics of university towns by focusing on the role of universities in China’s (sub)urbanisation. Based on statistical data, the spatial expansion of universities is recognised as an integral component of the capital accumulation strategy at the interface of higher education and urbanisation. An empirical study of Shanghai further details the land-tuition-leverage strategy, the financialisation of universities, and the final government bailouts. In these processes, universities functioned as a financing vehicle for (sub)urban development. Moreover, the financialisation of universities was motivated by opportunity-driven strategies, intertwined with central-local tensions, and it was implemented within the state system and through multiple state agencies. The paper thus suggests the importance of looking at diverse financial contexts, inter-scalar interactions, and concrete mechanisms for understanding the variegated forms of the financialisation of the state and (semi-)public institutions.

Dmitry Shostakovich by Fairclough Pauline (review)

SEER, 98, 2, APRIL 2020 366 istinnaia pravda. The word dolzhen can also be problematic. I sometimes felt (e.g., on p. 213) that it would have been better to translate it as ‘should’ or ‘ought to’, rather than ‘must’. For those who will not have the time to read the whole text, I should mention that the Subject Index is particularly well done. Some readers will find it comforting and reassuring that the author concludes Part 3 with the assertion that ‘[o]ne cannot transcend Westernism, since Westernism itself means the continuity of self-transcendence’ (p. 173). University of Glasgow Martin Dewhirst Fairclough, Pauline. Dmitry Shostakovich. Critical Lives. Reaktion Books, London, 2019. 191 pp. Illustrations. Notes. Select bibliography. £11.99 (paperback). This is a sensible and insightful book. Much of Shostakovich’s reception has been distracted by political agendas wielded both for and against the man and his works, and interpretation of the music has often been a fraught affair played for high stakes. Pauline Fairclough deals with these ‘Shostakovich Wars’ (p. 9) calmly and judiciously, without attempting to resolve ‘his divided existence’ (p. 177) in favour of either his public or private side. She also, to the relief to the general reader doggedly interested in the composer and his music, deals with them quickly, passing over the musicological intricacies of, for example, the Volkov case in order to open up spaces in which the music can be heard for what it was, is, and might be worth. There is much to be gained from this slim volume, and hardly any theoretical weight to slow down the general reader (the occasional mention of ostranenie (p. 152) and other culturally appropriate terms). Aside from the programme notes on individual works, which consist of the sorts of explications that the general reader might desire (the string quartets are treated to some wonderful interpretative prose), the book also includes genuinely new archival material, in the form of a complete letter written by the composer in 1949 about a potential trip to New York (pp. 96–97). Shostakovich’s film music is given space alongside his concert music, all the better for the book’s portrait of the composer as a Soviet artist. There is ample attention devoted to Shostakovich’s personal life, and especially his important friendship with Sollertinskii, not as a vulgar interpretative cipher, but simply as another register in which our understanding of the composer needs to dwell. There is also a fair amount of discussion, mostly at the ends of the book, but also scattered throughout, of what we might make of the composer’s music in our currently political, financial and cultural contexts; one question concerns the music’s understandable popularity and whether that itself poses an obstacle REVIEWS 367 to our fuller understanding. Fairclough’s own desire is ‘to challenge the idea, still commonly held, that Shostakovich’s music is depressing, and that he himself was a broken man at the end of his life’ (p. 11). In this respect, Dmitry Shostakovich is a success, for by the end the general reader emerges with a clear picture about the composer’s status within Soviet society in the 1960s and early 1970s: for example, his marriage in 1962, his slow rise within the Communist Party, the studied ambiguity — ‘so oblique as to be invisible’ (p. 136) — of his public position under Brezhnev, the profoundly brave decision to set certain texts, the diagnosis of lung cancer in 1972 (p. 156), and so on. In the final couple of chapters, some of the works are interpreted in terms of a return home full circle (p. 168), a kind of symbolic closure that perhaps seduces biographers more than listeners. There are some interesting and tantalizing references over the course of the booktowritersandcomposerswithoutwhomShostakovichwouldhavebecome a wholly different artist. Of the musicians, one encounters time and again the interventions that Mahler made in his life (e.g. pp. 30, 54, 170). With additional space, it would have been useful to dwell on this epic figure, considering the ways in which Shostakovich’s heteroglossia (including allusions both to specific music and to generic gestures and archetypes) is found ‘not just in an opera’s message...

What is important for achieving 2 °C? UNFCCC and IPCC expert perceptions on obstacles and response options for climate change mitigation

Global mitigation efforts remain insufficient to limit the global temperature increase to well below 2 °C. While a growing academic literature analyzes this problem, perceptions of which obstacles inhibit goal attainment and which responses might be most effective seem to differ widely. This makes prioritization and agreement on the way forward difficult. To inform prioritization in global climate policy and research agendas, we present quantitative data on how 917 experts from the IPCC and the UNFCCC perceive the importance of different obstacles and response options for achieving 2 °C. On average, respondents consider opposition from special interest groups the most important obstacle and technological R&D the most important response. Our survey also finds that the majority of experts perceives a wide range of issues as important, supporting an agenda that is inclusive in terms of coverage. Average importance ratings differ between experts from the Global North and South, suggesting that balanced representation in global fora and regionally differentiated agendas are important. In particular, opposition from special interest groups is a top priority among experts from North America, Europe and Oceania. Investigating the drivers of individual importance ratings, we find little difference between experts from the IPCC and the UNFCCC, while expert’s perceptions correlate with their academic training and their national scientific, regulatory, and financial contexts.

High-Cost Cancer Treatment Across Borders in Conflict Zones: Experience of Iraqi Patients in Lebanon.

PURPOSEConflict-induced cross-border travel for medical treatment is commonly observed in the Middle East. There has been little research conducted on the financial impact this has on patients with cancer or on how cancer centers can adapt their services to meet the needs of this population. This study examines the experience of Iraqi patients seeking care in Lebanon, aiming to understand the social and financial contexts of conflict-related cross-border travel for cancer diagnosis and treatment.PATIENTS AND METHODSAfter institutional review board approval, 60 Iraqi patients and caregivers seeking cancer care at a major tertiary referral center in Lebanon were interviewed.RESULTSFifty-four respondents (90%) reported high levels of financial distress. Patients relied on the sale of possessions (48%), the sale of homes (30%), and vast networks to raise funds for treatment. Thematic analysis revealed several key drivers for undergoing cross-border treatment, including the conflict-driven exodus of Iraqi oncology specialists; the destruction of hospitals or road blockages; referrals by Iraqi physicians to Lebanese hospitals; the geographic proximity of Lebanon; and the lack of diagnostic equipment, radiotherapy machines, and reliable provision of chemotherapy in Iraqi hospitals.CONCLUSIONAs a phenomenon distinct from medical tourism, conflict-related deficiencies in health care at home force patients with limited financial resources to undergo cancer treatment in neighboring countries. We highlight the importance of shared decision making and consider the unique socioeconomic status of this population of patients when planning treatment.

OPTIMIZING PREDICTIVE ACCURACY WITH GRADIENT BOOSTED TREES IN FINANCIAL FORECASTING

Financial forecasting is indispensable for various financial sectors' strategic decision-making, risk management, and investment planning. Traditional statistical methods, though valuable, frequently struggle to capture the intricate, non-linear patterns embedded within financial data. In response to these limitations, Gradient Boosted Trees (GBTs) have emerged as a formidable ensemble learning technique renowned for enhancing predictive accuracy. This comprehensive review paper delves into applying GBTs in financial forecasting, scrutinizing their methodological underpinnings, distinct advantages, and comparative performance against other machine learning approaches. GBTs, with their real-world applications in financial forecasting, operate by sequentially combining multiple weak learners, typically decision trees, to iteratively refine predictions by focusing on residual errors. This iterative approach enables GBTs to effectively model complex relationships and interactions in financial datasets, outperforming traditional models like ARIMA and linear regression in many scenarios. Moreover, the paper addresses critical implementation challenges associated with GBTs, such as hyperparameter tuning and computational complexity, which are pivotal for achieving optimal performance. The review identifies promising avenues for future research, including integrating GBTs with deep learning techniques and advancements in real-time forecasting capabilities. By elucidating these aspects, this paper aims to provide insights that enhance the application and efficacy of GBTs in financial forecasting contexts.

A Case-Study Approach to Teaching Population Management & Conservation

Conservation employers have long valued the in-depth, highly technical training provided by graduate and undergraduate environmental science curricula. However, employers also highly value communication and critical-thinking skills beyond research science, especially the ability to make management decisions within sociopolitical, financial, and ecological contexts. I developed and implemented a budgeted management plan assignment in lower- and upper-level courses in biology and environmental studies programs at an undergraduate liberal arts college. Students must develop specific, assessable conservation objectives to manage a population within a budget that limits available money, time, and sociopolitical will. Students must conduct extensive scientific literature reviews, then decide which of 89 actions will be most cost-effective. Instructors and students responded positively to the assignment, particularly noting difficulty, realism, and interdisciplinarity as defining features, especially in comparison to more traditional field lab reports. The resulting writing assignment involves little class time and instructor supervision, can be customized for both advanced undergraduate and secondary education curricula, and involves high critical-thinking skills in all four cognitive dimensions of learning as described by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001).

Modernization of Russian district heating systems with the help of biomass energy – A Gordian knot?

The article discusses the prospects of local wood waste resources as replacements for fossil fuel imports in the remote settlements of the Russian North from a viewpoint of a case study: the Arkhangelsk region and its outdated heating and fossil fuel delivery systems. Drawing on energy transition literature and expert interviews, the most influential factors are defined in geographic-infrastructural, institutional, financial, and behavioral contexts. In conclusion, the article determines that a key issue is that the constraints for alternative energy sources reinforce each other, while the actors working for them find themselves in an isolated position. This is especially true for the institutional and financial constraints. However, by examining the enabling factors it is possible to see how the bundle of constraints could also be undone together. Most efficient way for success would likely be helping municipalities and actors in the fields of biomass and energy production to form joint clusters and share resources.

Immersive Theatre in Austerity Britain: Les Enfants Terribles’ Riot in the Saatchi Gallery and the Liquidation of differencEngine

This article looks at the relationship of immersive theatre to the material conditions that support its production in austerity Britain. It explores a dark underside to a rapidly expanded market for immersive theatre in London that can leave theatre makers open to profound vulnerabilities. This is particularly the case among companies who have only recently embarked on professional careers in a ‘second-wave’ of experimentation in immersive practices post-2010, which has been characterised by an emergent distrust of the public sector and an active embrace of private finance and commercial enterprise. It takes two examples as cases in point. The first looks at politically-engaged work by a company with a much older heritage, but which has only recently started to engage with immersive theatre: Les Enfants Terribles’ Inside Pussy Riot (2017), which was presented in London’s Saatchi Gallery and was indirectly funded by Russian tycoons. This performance found security in private philanthropy, but elicits cognitive dissonance once the work’s progressive political commitments are read alongside highly compromised revenue streams emerging from a market governed by conflicting interests. The second, differencEngine’s commercial work The Hollow Hotel (2018), found no such security, leading the company to enter voluntary liquidation after racking up debts that ran into the hundreds of thousands. Focusing on these performances’ institutional, financial, and legal contexts, this article explores how a new generation of immersive theatre makers are especially prone to competing interests and incentives in the private sector, whatever their political or commercial orientation, inviting reflection on the responsibilities of key stakeholders in challenging a misleading rhetoric of economic resilience that has accompanied stringent cuts in the public sector.