Large Investments Research Articles

Does Blockholders’ Concentration Influence Spending on Corporate Social Responsibility? – Evidence from the Indian Firms

This study investigates the relationship between blockholder concentrationand corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending in Indian firms, using stakeholderidentification and salience theory. This study aims to fill a gap in the literature byexamining how the concentration of blockholders, particularly external Blockholdersand promoters, influences CSR activities. The analysis covers 1,918 firms from 2014to 2023, using data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) database. Empirical methods, including four regression models, are employed to examine the significanceof blockholder attributes on CSR spending. The results demonstrate the significantpositive impact of blockholder concentration on CSR activities. Specifically, theinfluence of external blockholders on CSR spending is greater than that of promoters. Furthermore, the study finds that single promoters with large investments are more inclinedtowards CSR spending, while interest in CSR diminishes when multiple promotershold significant shares. This study uniquely contributes to the literature by providingan insightful analysis of blockholder concentration’s impact on CSR, highlighting the differential effects between external blockholders and promoters, and underscoringthe importance of strategic blockholder alliances in enhancing CSR efforts. Thesefindings offer valuable insights for corporate managers and policymakers in emergingeconomies such as India.

Harnessing Business Analytics For Market Competitiveness: Discovering Pathways To Growth

Business analytics is becoming an essential tool for firms looking to boost market competitiveness and spur growth in a more competitive corporate environment. This study examines how analytics are essential for guiding strategic choices and enhancing operational effectiveness. The significance of the study stems from its capacity to provide light on how companies might use data to their advantage competitively. The main goals of this study are finding the critical elements that affect the effective application of business analytics, investigate how analytics support organizational development, and address the difficulties that businesses encounter in this pursuit. The study seeks to offer a thorough framework that combines theoretical viewpoints with real-world business analytics applications. The gap between the availability of advanced analytics technologies and how well firms use them is the main issue this study attempts to address. The collection includes pertinent case studies and opinions from analytics professionals and leaders in the field. The main conclusions show that to benefit from business analytics fully, real-time data use, technology improvements, and strategic alliances are essential. However, there are still major obstacles to adoption, such as large upfront investment costs and a lack of a data-driven culture. Focusing on particular businesses and possible biases in self-reported data are two of the weaknesses of the study. The theoretical ramifications point to the necessity of more research into frameworks that incorporate analytics into corporate strategy. The results provide useful suggestions for companies looking to improve their analytical skills and gain a competitive edge. Businesses can improve their position for long-term growth in a changing market by comprehending and addressing these trends.

Contextual appraisal of large scale land investment and governance for equity and sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa

Contextual appraisal of large scale land investment and governance for equity and sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa

Approaches to developing mechanisms for medical care centralization at the interterritorial level

Background. As new high-tech methods of treatment and diagnostics are introduced into the basic compulsory health insurance program, the focus on creating separate regional healthcare systems is becoming less effective. The creation of the necessary infrastructure requires disproportionately large investments, while the needs of the population in most regions do not provide adequate loading of newly created facilities. A promising solution to these problems is the centralization of delivering certain types of medical care (MC) on the basis of interregional medical centers.Objective: development of approaches to identifying medical interventions that are appropriate to provide in specialized interregional centers.Material and methods. The criteria for selection of medical interventions including MC profiles and diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) of diseases, which potentially require centralization were developed. On the basis of statistical analysis, data on specialized MC provided in inpatient settings by “Pediatric surgery” and “Traumatology and orthopedics” profiles were analyzed to identify regions with low and high levels of hospitalizations in order to determine the need for centralization or the creation of interregional centers.Results. The analysis enabled to identify the territorial subjects of the Russian Federation (RF) where the issue of MC centralization would be relevant to increase its availability to the insured population in the territory of certain subject. Besides, the study identified regions, in which the number of hospitalizations significantly exceeded the average indicators in the RF. It is advisable to create interregional MC centers on the basis of such subjects.Conclusion. The presented analysis of individual profiles and DRGs across the territorial subjects of the RF showed the objective differences in the extent of provided MC. The proposed methodology for determining DRGs and identifying subjects of the RF that have a surplus or deficit in the provision of MC can form the basis for approaches to identifying “MC centralization points”.

Factors that affecting firm performance mediated by digital transformation in Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises plantation and forestry industries

Digital transformation refers to the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing the way it operates and adding value to a firm's performance. This can involve adopting new technologies, reorganizing business processes, and creating a digital culture within the organization. One of the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) in Indonesia, PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero) with a focus on agriculture and main commodities, namely Palm Oil and Rubber, is carrying out a digital transformation initiative with the aim of improving firm performance. Along the way, the company faced many obstacles related to implementing digital transformation and the large investment costs incurred. This research aims to test the influence of Digital Transformation Leadership, IT Capability, Digital Mindset, Work Culture Change, Organizational Agility, Human Capital and IT Alignment with Business and test the influence of these variables on Firm Performance with Digital Transformation as a mediating variable. This research uses quantitative research methods by distributing online questionnaires via Google Form to 234 company employees who use Digital Farming, GIS and SCADA applications. Data was analyzed using the SEM-PLS analysis method with Smart-PLS Software version 3.3.9. The results of the research show that IT Capability, Work Culture Change, IT Alignment With Business have a positive effect on Digital Transformation. Apart from that, this research also shows the positive influence of Digital Transformation Leadership on Digital Transformation which is mediated by IT Capability and Digital Mindset on Digital Transformation which is mediated by Work Culture Change. Then, research also shows that Digital Transformation has a significant effect on Firm Performance. the research outcomes can serve as valuable insights for what factors influence firm performance mediated by digital transformation in the SOE plantation and forestry industry business cluster in Indonesia.

Reconciling Sustainability and Hygiene in the Healthcare Sector

In the course of climate change, doctors will not only be confronted with heat-related consequences, but also with the emergence of infectious diseases caused by previously tropical pathogens in temperate climate zones.Fortunately, the topics of sustainability and climate change are also becoming increasingly important in discussions in the healthcare sector, which accounts for 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The topic of hygienically safe sustainability in healthcare facilities is highly complex due to the large number of possible adjustments, but also offers a great deal of potential.Numerous measures can be implemented without any restrictions in terms of hygiene requirements or occupational safety.It is not always the large investments that make their contribution to reducing CO2-emissions - many smaller measures can also be implemented without high costs, but with great sustainability potential. Similar to hand hygiene compliance, behavior modification by each individual plays a decisive role in the implementation of such projects. There is great practical savings potential, for example, in the indication-based use of disposable medical gloves, the hygienically safe handling of medication or the decision between reusable and disposable medical products, just to name a few items discussed in the article.

Persuading large investors

A regulator who designs a public stress test to avert default of a distressed bank via private investment must account for large investors' private information on the bank's state. We provide conditions for crowding-in (crowding-out) so that the regulator offers an endogenous more (less) informative signal to better-informed investors. We show that crowding-in occurs as long as investors remain responsive to public news and they are sufficiently well informed: the regulator's test perfectly reveals the state as investors' become privately perfectly informed. Investors' value from more precise private signals may come from their effect on the public test's precision.

Petroleum Engineering Research Shifts Focus From Oil and Gas to New Horizons

Undergraduate education in petroleum engineering (PE) has survived the latest downturn in the industry, and enrollment has started to show an uptick in numbers. However, a different trend is evident in graduate training and academic research: the number of researchers being trained in oil and gas topics is drastically dropping. The story can be summarized in Fig. 1. Funding trends in PE departments have been shifting away from oil and gas research. These shifts require large investments in skill-building, expertise, and laboratory infrastructure, which makes it much harder to reverse the trend. Consequently, the shift may permanently alter the identity of PE departments, something that will not impact only graduate education but could alter the overall identity of these departments and the workforce they train. The data shared in Fig. 1c shows that more than 50% of the 2023 research awards, which will fund graduate students earning degrees between 2025 and 2026, are going to be invested in geothermal, carbon management, hydrogen, emissions, and other topics that do not support improving oil and gas resource extraction. While 73% of the 2023 MSc and PhD graduates still studied oil and gas topics around reservoir, production, fracturing, and drilling, as shown in Fig. 1a, this number is expected to drop to under 50% for 2026 graduates. Fig. 1b reveals the accelerated trend of this transition, where only 65% of the publications generated from these departments in 2023 covered oil and gas topics. Under 60% of the 2024 and 2025 graduates who published in 2023 are building expertise in oil and gas research and development. The team collected data to study the trends over the past 10 years. It included over $137 million in external research funding and over 1,900 thesis/dissertations, in addition to over 1,100 publications in 2023. More details about these numbers can be found in SPE 220735. The trends in graduate training and research funding over the past 10 years are shown in Fig. 2, where the axis for graduate training is shifted by 3 years to account for the lag between the date funding was received and the graduation date for the students it supported. When looking at numbers rather than percentages (Fig. 3), oil and gas research funding to four of the major PE departments in the US dropped from $30 million in 2014 to under $10 million in 2023 as shown in Fig. 3a. Funding in these departments now hovers at around $20 million, where the gap was filled by transitioning to the study of sustainable geoenergy topics relating to carbon and hydrogen storage and the extraction of geothermal energy, as shown in Fig. 3b.

SRNAdeep: a novel tool for bacterial sRNA prediction based on DistilBERT encoding mode and deep learning algorithms

BackgroundBacterial small regulatory RNA (sRNA) plays a crucial role in cell metabolism and could be used as a new potential drug target in the treatment of pathogen-induced disease. However, experimental methods for identifying sRNAs still require a large investment of human and material resources.MethodsIn this study, we propose a novel sRNA prediction model called sRNAdeep based on the DistilBERT feature extraction and TextCNN methods. The sRNA and non-sRNA sequences of bacteria were considered as sentences and then fed into a composite model consisting of deep learning models to evaluate classification performance.ResultsBy filtering sRNAs from BSRD database, we obtained a validation dataset comprised of 2438 positive and 4730 negative samples. The benchmark experiments showed that sRNAdeep displayed better performance in the various indexes compared to previous sRNA prediction tools. By applying our tool to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) genome, we have identified 21 sRNAs within the intergenic and intron regions. A set of 272 targeted genes regulated by these sRNAs were also captured in MTB. The coding proteins of two genes (lysX and icd1) are implicated in drug response, with significant active sites related to drug resistance mechanisms of MTB.ConclusionIn conclusion, our newly developed sRNAdeep can help researchers identify bacterial sRNAs more precisely and can be freely available from https://github.com/pyajagod/sRNAdeep.git.

Spread Option Pricing Under Finite Liquidity Framework

This work explores a finite liquidity model to price spread options and assess the liquidity impact. We employ Kirk approximation for computing the spread option price and its delta. The latter is needed since the liquidity impact is caused by the delta hedging of a large investor. Our main contribution is a novel methodology to price spread options in this paradigm. Kirk approximation in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulations yields the spread option prices. Moreover, the antithetic and control variates variance reduction techniques improve the performance of our method. Numerical experiments reveal that the finite liquidity causes a liquidity value adjustment in option prices ranging from 0.53% to 2.81%. The effect of correlation on prices is also explored, and as expected the option price increases due to the diversification effect, but the liquidity impact decreases slightly.

War Reparations, Structural Change, and Intergenerational Mobility

Abstract From 1944 to 1952, largely agrarian Finland had to export, on average, 4% of its yearly GDP in industrial products to the Soviet Union as war reparations. To meet the reparation demands, the Finnish state needed to provide extensive but temporary support to Soviet-assigned industries with insufficient production capacity. This paper documents the long-term impacts of this extensive and temporary industrial policy on industrial and local development and on individual outcomes. Using newly digitized datasets, I show in a difference-in-differences setup that the short-term nonmarket production persistently and significantly increased the employment and production of the manufacturing industries exposed to the policy. These industries plausibly benefited from large initial investments and exposure to export markets associated with the war reparations. The episode further led to local development and structural change, as the more exposed regions became persistently more industrialized. I substantiate these within-Finland results with triple-difference setups employing comparable Norwegian data. I further use Finnish administrative data to study the long-term individual impacts of the episode. Tracking individuals over 30 years, I show that the initial state investments and the persistent change in the local industrial structure increased long-term incomes, led to more educational attainment, and promoted the upward mobility of children and young adults living in the more exposed regions prior to the war reparations period. The observed effects are driven by the more advanced heavy industry, which received the majority of state assistance.

Research on the Constructive Narrative Mode of Film based on the Embodied Imagination Theory

Psychoanalytic theory can be used to analyze the narrative mode of the film to explain psychological problems from the perspective of dreams. Based on the theory of embodied imagination, this study uses the text analysis method to analyze the film constructive narrative mode embodied in the film Deep Sea through the case study. The film constructs the sand play narrative space and uses nonlinear narrative techniques to reflect the three major characteristics of the film’s constructive narrative mode based on the theory of embodied imagination: the integration of authenticity and illusion in image construction, the penetration of emotional emergence and the process of image experience, and the realization of healing effects both on and off-screen. In the research process, the advantages and disadvantages of film works are analyzed. The advantages of free narrative logic and immersive movie-watching experience are accompanied by the disadvantages of increasing the threshold of movie-watching and large investment risks. This study provides a reference for the construction of the theoretical system of film constructive narrative mode.

Analysis of medical doctor supply in Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia in the last two decades

Abstract Introduction The shortage of medical doctors in Europe has become a priority issue, especially in the Eastern European region, where many countries are making large investments to ensure adequate supply. Training future medical professionals is a lengthy and costly process that significantly impacts healthcare accessibility and quality. As part of the project of the Laboratory for Strengthening Capacity and Performance of Health System and Workforce for Health Equity, we aimed to assess the changes in the medical doctor supply in several Balkan countries over the last two decades. Methods Data on the total number of graduated medical doctors (MD) and their rate per 100,000 population from 2000 to 2021 was retrieved from the Eurostat database. This open-access database contains the reported number of students who have graduated from medical schools for each year and selected countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia). The standard methods of descriptive statistics were used to perform the analysis. Results During the observed period, the number of MDs graduating annually and their rates per 100,000 population have increased in all countries. Romania leads with the highest rate of MD graduates at 26.18 per 100,000 people, followed by Bulgaria (22.74), Serbia (19.15), and Croatia (16.56). From 2000 to 2021, Bulgaria experienced the highest increase in the number of medical doctor graduates, with a rise of 169.1% in absolute numbers and 200.9% in rate. In contrast, Serbia had the lowest increase, with only a 135.5% rise in the total number of medical doctor graduates and a rate increase of 152.3%. Conclusions In the last 20 years, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia have seen an increase in the number of MD graduates and their rate per 100,000 population. Policymakers should consider the investments and education trends of medical professionals in relation to their employment and migrations to predict the future supply of doctors in this region. Key messages • Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia have seen an increase in the number of MD graduates and their rate per 100,000 population in the last twenty years. • Considering the trends in the number of newly graduated doctors, policymakers should address additional factors to ensure an adequate supply of medical doctors.

HOW TO MEASURE THE WELL-BEING OF A NATION: A NEW PROPOSAL BASED ON A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH

Measuring the well-being of a nation means identifying all the tools that enable its individuals to live well without worsening the lives of their neighbours or those to come in the future. For many years, the focus has been solely on the economic dimension, creating critical problems in the social and environmental spheres that will take years and large investments to remedy. This article gives an overview of the measurements used over the years in the international arena by recognised and respected bodies. The application of these indicators to the realities of countries has made it possible to identify models to be followed in order to enable the growth of the well-being of societies as a whole.

A Review of Science and Conservation Management for the Cumberland Sound Beluga Population

For many centuries, belugas, or white whales (Delphinapterus leucas), have been a major source of subsistence and cultural identity for the Inuit living along the shores of Cumberland Sound, southeastern Baffin Island. During the late 1800s and first half of the twentieth century, the whales were also heavily exploited commercially for their oil and skins. By the late 1960s and early 1970s it had become clear that the beluga population was greatly reduced from its historical abundance, and efforts began to limit the harvest and monitor the population. The purposes of this paper are to (i) provide a synthesis of developments in Cumberland Sound beluga science and harvest management since 1980 and (ii) describe and discuss efforts to improve the conservation status of the beluga population. Despite large investments in research since the transition to co-management under the Nunavut Agreement, much uncertainty and disagreement remains. Best scientific estimates of current beluga numbers are in the range of 1000 – 1500, with no clear evidence of an increasing or decreasing trend. Officially reported annual landings of harvested whales for the Baffin Island community of Pangnirtung in recent years have ranged between 15 (1993) and 52 (2006), with an average of around 40 whales. Ongoing known or potential threats identified by hunters and scientists include overharvest, ecosystem (including climate-driven) change, interactions with commercial fisheries, predation by killer whales, and stress due to vessel noise. Addressing these issues will require continued research and improved relations between Inuit and the government. Fresh approaches are needed. Newly available analytical and procedural tools may help to overcome longstanding issues that are deeply embedded in cultural and philosophical differences.

Maritime Supply Chain Optimisation: A Case Study of Blockchain Integration in Port Logistics Management

This research examines the potential for maritime supply chain optimisation through the integration of blockchain technology in port logistics management. In the era of global digitalisation, the maritime sector faces challenges to improve operational efficiency and transparency. This study uses a case study approach to evaluate the implementation of blockchain in one of Indonesia's major ports. The research methodology involved qualitative and quantitative analyses, including interviews with key stakeholders, direct observation of logistics processes, and analysis of historical port operational data. The blockchain system was implemented over a six-month period, and its performance was compared with conventional logistics management systems. Key challenges identified include the need for a large initial investment, resistance to change from some stakeholders, and the need for industry-wide standardisation of blockchain protocols. This research demonstrates the great potential of blockchain technology in optimising maritime supply chains. Recommendations for further implementation and future research are discussed, with an emphasis on the importance of industry collaboration and regulatory support to accelerate the adoption of this technology in the maritime sector.

Forecasting firm growth resumption post-stagnation

Our study forecasts the likelihood of firms resuming growth after periods of stagnation or declining sales. We employ machine learning methods, including Random Forest, LightGBM, and CatBoost, alongside logistic regression models. To address class imbalance, we incorporate oversampling techniques such as SMOTE, ADASYN, and SMOTEENN. We focus on two key indicators—Precision (predictive accuracy) and Recall (completeness of prediction)—to meet the needs of different investor groups. The performance of our models is evaluated using metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, F-score, and RocAUC, with Venkatraman's test applied for model comparison. Our key findings reveal that CatBoost achieves a predictive accuracy of 65–67 %, significantly outperforming random firm selection, which yields only 13–17 % accuracy. The combination of the CatBoost method with the SMOTEENN technique notably enhances Recall values, reaching 58–63 %, a critical metric for large investors and policymakers. Our study offers a methodological approach to better understand and forecast the trajectories of firms engaged in open innovation.

Analysis Of Financial Statement of Chinese Real Estate Enterprises-Take One Certain Company as An Example

Real estate enterprises play an important role in the economic development of China, which are directly influence the economy. Different from other enterprises, real estate enterprises have the features of high leverage, large capital demand, slow repayment and long investment period. In recent years, the central government has implemented a series of policies, real estate enterprises facing severe financial risks. It’s important for enterprises to identify and prevent the financial risks. As a representative of China's highly leveraged and large-scale real estate enterprises, the company continuously violates the "three lines and four levels" policy when it is implemented. This article analyses the financial risks of this company by collecting the company’s financial statement data from the past five years, using ratio analysis and Z-value model. By researching the data, this article finds that the company has weak debt paying ability, operational ability, and profitability in recent years, also facing high financial risks.

Protection of the rights of foreign investors during the state of war in Ukraine

The article is devoted to the study of the protection of the rights of foreign investors during the state of war in Ukraine. The author focuses on the fact that this topic is currently relevant due to the fact that the reconstruction of Ukraine will become necessary. The war caused the outflow of foreign investments from our country. In addition, corruption, pressure from the authorities, and unfair justice are the reasons why foreign investors leave Ukraine. Every investor aspires to work in a state where law and justice reign, so Ukraine, which aspires to membership in the European Union, should create just such a state. Therefore, its primary task is to create a favorable business climate for foreign investors to carry out their activities. Current Ukrainian legislation guarantees compensation and indemnification of losses to a foreign investor, guarantees are also provided in case of termination of investment activity; state guarantees for the protection of foreign investments are defined. In accordance with the Law of Ukraine «On State Support of Investment Projects with Significant Investments in Ukraine», the state provides support to large investment projects. In connection with the introduction of the state of war in Ukraine in 2024, the Law of Ukraine on the insurance of investments against war risks entered into force. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established a credit agency that provides investment insurance. Although the war made Ukraine unattractive to foreign investors, the authorities are taking all possible measures to improve the country’s investment climate. The author draws attention to the need to study and transpose the experience of successful countries in this regard. For example, Australia offers quite good conditions to foreign investors - consistent economic growth, highly qualified labor force, strategic location, efficient administration and judicial system, and good infrastructure. Mexico is also attractive to foreign investors, the «Invest in Mexico» business center has been created to assist investors. The war is an accelerant for positive changes in the state, and after its end, the reconstruction of Ukraine is an important task, therefore the efforts of all branches of government should be directed at overcoming all obstacles to the effective work of foreign investors in our state.

The properties of cement stabilized dredged sludge solidifying in seawater and its application in the protection of subsea pipelines

Hundreds of millions of tons of dredged sludge are generated by waterway dredging worldwide every year. Traditional disposal of dredged sludge, such as in-situ stockpiling and offshore dumping, cannot avoid the waste of land resource and the pollution to marine environment. Sludge stabilization/solidification treatment currently used can achieve the reuse of drudged sludge but requires large investment and time. Therefore, how to turn waste into treasure in an effective, environmentally friendly and cheap way is a notable problem. In this study, the variation of strength of solidified sludge cured in air with water-cement ratio, water content and curing time by unconfined compression test was investigated, and the inner mechanism of strength influenced by water-cement ratio and water content was revealed by XRD test, which offered an optimal working condition. Also, solidified sludge with the maximum strength in the optimal working condition was immersed into seawater at different times, which showed the 7d strength after mixing completion for 8 h immersed into seawater could reach 20.60 MPa (1.37 times of the strength in air), and the prediction formulas considering all the parameters mentioned above were established. At last, a field test of solidified dredged sludge for protection of submarine pipelines was carried out in Bohai Bay, China, which demonstrated the feasibility of mixing dredged sludge with cement on board and solidifying in seawater environment. Compared to the traditional subsea pipeline protection solutions, the cost of using solidified sludge to protect subsea pipelines is 25 % and 39 % less than the cost of using sandbags and concrete mats, respectively. This study provides a more economic and environmentally friendly idea for dredged sludge treatment and subsea pipeline protection than the conventional methods, which provides a new source of green ocean building materials, reduces the pollution of the marine environment by the discharge of dredged sludge, turns waste into treasure and has wide applications in ocean engineering.