Performance In Different Countries Research Articles

A KPI framework to standardize the measurement of a country’s progress in bringing quantum computing into application

Quantum computing (QC) is a new and disruptive technology with large economic potential especially in application and downstream value creation stages. Hence, it is important for an economy to understand the current implementation state and to know the ecosystem to support the successful industrial application of this technology. Regularly identifying potential areas of improvement and then defining appropriate actions is necessary to ensure a leading position. Therefore, the Quantum Technology and Application Consortium (QUTAC) has developed a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework consisting of 24 KPIs that represent a country’s performance in applying QC. Detailed measurement guidelines and clear data sources ensure transparency of measurement, reproducibility of KPI values and comparability over time. An aggregation method allows summarizing the results of all KPIs. Thus, it is possible to assess the performance of each stakeholder involved and to calculate a single composite indicator that represents the country’s performance. The KPI framework can be adapted to any country and enables the comparison of the performance of different countries. It is a proposal for standardizing the evaluation of QC and its ecosystem on a national level. Thus, strengths and weaknesses can be identified and measurements for improvement derived. The paper highlights the development of the framework, its main features and the application of the framework to Germany. Based on the results, we will discuss the current state of QC application in Germany and make possible suggestions for improvement.

A New Approach to Measure Absorptive Capacity and Appropriability: a Case of Study in Emerging Markets

AbstractAbsorptive capacity (AC) and appropriability (KA) are crucial elements in generating competitive advantages and improving innovation performance in different countries and organizations. Moreover, the relationship between AC and KA has not been sufficiently studied, and there is still not a clear understanding of the impact they have on in the generation of rents and value. This research proposes a methodology to analyze AC and KA at a country level using the scientific capabilities of a country as base. We identified the Colombian scientific literature SKL (1680 record) from the Patents Lens database, which have been cited at least once or more per patent (3066 records), and we identified the papers that were cited by this SKL (50,697) in order identify the flows between forward citations (FC) and backward citations (BC) at a country level. We associated BC to the AC acquisition stage, SKL to assimilation, and FC to transformation and exploitation AC phases. The patents were also associated with KA. In addition, we focused on the KA process, analyzing the organizations involved in the SKL and KA process by studying when KA was done by local organizations, by international organizations in the SKL development, or when knowledge was leaked -knowledge spillovers- KS. Finally, we identified when the SKL organization was the corresponding author to analyze whether KA changes in these situations. Our main conclusion was that KA and the last stages of AC of native scientific development rarely happen in Colombia. The primary outcome of this absorption is a KS.

Factors Influencing Enterprise ESG Performance

This paper discusses the factors which influence the environmental, social, and governance performance of enterprises by reviewing previous studies. The article is analyzed from the external and internal environment of enterprises and developed from three dimensions: social institution, policy, and executives characteristics. Social institution and policy are external environments, and executives characteristic is the internal environment. The factor of social institutions, political institutions, labor institutions, and cultural institutions are discussed. They will be detailed on corruption, unemployment rate, labor protection, social cohesion, and equal opportunities. Unemployment rate and labor protection pose a positive impact on enterprise ESG performance, while high levels of country corruption, social cohesion, and equal opportunities contribute to negative ESG performance. Spanish, French, and Japanese enterprises are listed as an example. Spanish and French firms have similar levels of social and corporate governance performance, while Japanese firms are more committed to environmental issues due to cultural institutional differences. In the factor of policy, the article focuses on the positive influence of Chinas environmental regulation on technology innovation in the paper industry. The factor of executives characteristics, international background, and diversity, specifically in female proportion, of corporate executives are helpful to enterprise ESG performance. ESG performance is influenced by the external and internal environment of the enterprise. There is a mutual promotion between external and internal environments. This paper analyzing several factors will provide a reference for developing enterprise ESG performance in different countries.

Health-Economic Determinants of COVID-19 Pandemic and Countries’ Efficiency

This study examines the relationship between vaccination and inflation in battling the COVID-19 pandemic across nations. Data from 85 countries worldwide were collected from the Trading Economics (New York City, USA) website during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, a new theoretical model was proposed based on the economic and healthcare literature; then, a binary variable, inflation/vaccination% was developed according to the proposed theoretical model. The relationship between inflation/vaccination% and macroeconomic factors was examined using logistic regression. After that, the countries were ranked by minimising the inflation/vaccination% rate that measures a country’s efficiency in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby permitting governments to compare the performance of different countries. The findings show that a country with a higher gross domestic product growth rate and competitiveness index during the COVID-19 pandemic has a lower inflation/vaccination% ratio. The results of this study provide strong evidence that countries should mitigate a pandemic’s economic impact by managing vaccination programmes to control global inflation.

Gender-Inclusive Development through Fintech: Studying Gender-Based Digital Financial Inclusion in a Cross-Country Setting

Financial inclusion (FI) for vulnerable populations, such as women, is critical for achieving gender equality, women’s empowerment, and thereby, inclusive growth. Sustainable development goal 5 considers gender equality as a fundamental right and views the empowerment of women as a necessary step. Access to finance is a significant means to empower a person. In this regard, the use of digital financial services is of particular significance for women as it allows them easier access to financial products for business and household needs. For implementing policies to reduce financial exclusion of women, it is necessary to first measure the extent of FI in society. While there are several attempts to measure FI for the general population, there is limited literature on the gender-based measurement of FI. This paper fills this important research gap by developing a gender-based FI index (GFII) focusing particularly on digital services and evaluating the performance of countries across the globe (by considering 109 countries based on data availability) in terms of a gender-based FI measure developed by us. This index is developed using two separate indices, a digital financial service usage index (DFI) and a conventional financial service usage index (CFI). We calculate it for different countries for 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021 using the Global Findex databaseIt helps us to investigate the performance of different countries over the years in ensuring the financial inclusion of women and how digital services are penetrating over the years. One contribution of the paper is to relate the Gender Development Index (GDI) and Gender Inequality Index (GII) of countries, two well-known measures of inclusive and sustainable development, with GFII and DFI for female (DFIF). This exercise shows that while there is a positive correlation between these two sets of indicators, there are a number of countries that are high (or low) in gender development (or inequality) that need to improve their digital FI. Interestingly, using the Global Findex database and the Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) and instrumental variable panel data model, we show that health, education, labour force participation rate, and political empowerment of women significantly impact the digital financial inclusion of women. The paper brings out relevant policy suggestions for improving women’s digital financial access and thereby enhancing gender empowerment for faster and more inclusive growth.

Comparative Analysis of the Western Balkans Banking Sector in the Two Global Crises

"Western Balkan Countries have comparable economic determinants due to their geographical position, small size economy and issues experienced during economic crises. The world’s precarious situation during the Covid-19 Pandemic was the initial motivation for this research. Due to the consequences that economic crises would have on the whole economies of these bank-structured countries, it is important to analyze their banking performance during times of economic instability. The primary objective of this study is to compare the banking performance of Western Balkan Countries during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis. This study will provide as a reflection for policymakers to evaluate whether these countries learned from the GFC and were more prepared in their latest crises. The approach used in the research is a comparison of the performance of different countries, and the time period analyzed is divided into three distinct time pillars. The first one in Global financial Crisis (2008-2009), the second one is Post Crisis and Recovery (2010-2018) and the last one is Crisis Covid 19 Pandemic (2020-2021). Indicators selected for this research revealed a substantial negative tendency during periods of crises, with modest differences across countries that are positively correlated with their economic development, as shown by the results."

International retailer performance: Disentangling the interplay between rule of law and culture

Understanding the complexity of institutional factors in host countries and adapting strategies accordingly is crucial for international retailers, given the high failure rate of global operations. This paper investigates the impact of formal institutions (i.e., legal environments) and informal institutions (i.e., cultural values) on the performance of international retailers. We analyzed the data on 144 international retailers and 565 subsidiaries owned by these retailers, using three measures of retailer performance: sales per square meter, return on equity, and Tobin's Q. Our findings show that retailer performance is influenced by the interactions of the host country's rule of law and three cultural dimensions. Specifically, strong rule of law enhances the performance of international retailers in host countries, especially with high power distance or high uncertainty avoidance. In highly collectivistic countries, retailers can also build strong relationships to govern transactions. Results provide key insights that explain international retailers’ performance in different countries and deliver guidelines for retailer strategies.

How organizational culture and HRM practices affect organizational performance in Greece and Scandinavia

Purpose: The intense competition among firms and their need to respond effectively to the constant changing operational conditions, as well as employees' requirements has escalated the necessity to identify the factors that affect organisational performance. The aim of this paper is to examine the interrelations between organizational culture-related dimensions (proactivity, obligation towards others, responsibility seeking, participation) and human resource management practices- related dimensions (job design, supervisory practices, reward system) and their impact on organizational performance in different countries, such as Greece and Scandinavia. Design/Methodology/Approach: A new research model that examines the relationships between the variables of Organisational Culture, Human Resource Management Practices and their impact on Organizational Performance. Findings: Based on the appropriate research model we develop and test hypotheses that show the relationship between Organizational Culture, Human Resource Management practices and their impact on Organizational Performance in different countries such as Greece and Scandinavia. Moreover, it presents some practical implications for the companies which may assist them to increase their organizational performance. Research Limitations: A potential limitation of this study is that it is not focused only on one business sector. Originality/Value: There has not been much research comparing these specific countries, which makes it worthwhile to explore the similarities or differences that may exist. Most importantly, these differences are examined under the light of different environmental forces, such as organisational culture, human resource management practices which are analyzed in depth. Give us comprehensive insights on their impact on organisational performance in different areas. Also, this research presents some practical implications for companies. Managers who are aware of the HRM practices which are more effective can contribute to enhance organizational performance. Some preliminary results show that proper job design, empowering supervision, reward allocation drive employees' satisfaction, that raises work efficiency which in turn increases organizational performance. Though strict supervision reduces employees' satisfaction and productivity.

Unveiling the distinctive traits of a nation’s research performance: The case of Italy and Norway

Abstract In this study, we analyze the research performance of Italian and Norwegian professors using constituent components of the Fractional Scientific Strength (FSS) indicator. The main focus is on differences across fields in publication output and citation impact. The overall performance (FSS) of the two countries, which differ considerably in research size and profile, is remarkedly similar. However, an in-depth analysis shows that there are large underlying performance differences. An average Italian professor publishes more papers than a Norwegian, while the citation impact of the research output is higher for the Norwegians. In addition, at field level, the pattern varies along both dimensions, and we analyze in which fields each country has its relative strengths. Overall, this study contributes to further insights into how the research performance of different countries may be analyzed and compared to inform research policy.

Past, present, and future perspectives of biodegradable films for soil: A 30-year systematic review

Based on the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, the academic works published in the past 30years on biodegradable films for soil were analyzed. In order to ensure the rigor of this experiment, this paper is based on the mathematical double matrix model VOS Viewer software and CiteSpace software. This work shows that publications of biodegradable films for soil are increasing year by year; polymer science is the hottest subject in the field of biodegradable films for soil; China and the United States are the countries with the most significant number of publications in this field, has an important position; Washington State University is the most published institution. This study further identifies and reveals the essential characteristics, research strength, knowledge structure, main research fields, and research hotspots in the late stage of the field of biodegradable films for soil and introduces the Activity Index (AI) and the Attractive Index (AAI), thereby assessing trends and performance in different countries. The paper also further illustrates the importance of biodegradable films by presenting field trials using biodegradable films on different plants. The research in the field of biodegradable films for soil is divided into four categories: "The research field of degradation," "The effect of biodegradable film on soil," "Performance and mechanism of the biodegradable film," and "Effects of biodegradable film on crop growth and development.". The study can be seen as a microcosm of the development of biodegradable films for soils, which will help researchers quickly identify their general patterns. Readers can better understand the changes and development trends in this field in the past 30years and provide references for future research.

The effect of cultural orientations (performance and sociality) on country innovation: a trajectories analysis perspective

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the effects of cultural orientations (performance and sociality) on the trajectories of innovation inputs and their results in different countries worldwide between 2011 and 2021.Design/methodology/approachAs a technique for data analysis, one of the spatial Bayesian models and Gray forecasting methods is used. This technique is adequate to achieve the objectives of the investigation because it allows analyzing how the variables move in time ranges and allow the generation of forecasts. This model also allows knowing if there are spills, which investing in a country can positively affect countries with geographical proximity. The databases used were the Global Innovation Index with data from 131 nations and the Globe Project with data from 157 countries between 2011 and 2021. The variables analyzed are institutions, human capital, research infrastructure, market sophistication and business sophistication. On the other hand, regarding moderations of cultural orientations, The Globe Project developed two factors: performance orientation (high degree of masculinity, avoidance of ambiguity, power distance and future orientation) and humane orientation (high-level of femininity, institutional and societal collectivism).FindingsThe results reveal that all inputs grow at different rates over time. In the case of institutions, it is the most difficult to generate changes over time. However, human capital, market sophistication and business sophistication are the ones that have grown the most over time, regardless of the country’s cultural orientation.Research limitations/implicationsAmong the main limitations is the set of data used because it only considers one approach to culture, especially the one considered by Hofstede. However, other approaches could help evaluate the results of this research. Considering the results obtained, the study attempts to provide a different view of the effects of cultural variables on companies’ innovation performance in different countries in the world. In the same way, evaluating these effects allows firms to consider variables associated with the country that will affect the strategies and performance of the firm.Practical implicationsThe results achieved make it possible to strengthen the analysis of the countries’ strategies when it comes to innovation, especially in the permanent evaluation of the results that allow to encourage changes in the execution of innovative activities to maintain their performance over time.Social implicationsThe contributions allow us to understand the dynamics of innovation in the knowledge and creative outputs of countries over time.Originality/valueThe trajectory analysis used in the data analysis is perhaps one of the most robust techniques that makes a time series analysis. This allows identifying trajectories for the independent variables of the study and their influence on the innovation of the country.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Economic Growth of Countries: What Role Has Income Inequality in It?

This paper argues that income inequality explains the variation in the economic performance of different countries over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the conclusions reported by some studies, this study shows that health casualties caused by COVID-19 has had a higher adverse economic impact on countries with lower income inequality. Notwithstanding, the decline in the economic growth as well as the number of casualties caused by COVID-19 are, overall, proportionate to the level of income inequality of the country. Furthermore, the results show that countries with more dependence on the service sector and countries that implemented more restrictive measures (lockdowns) experienced a higher decline in GDP growth over the first year of the pandemic period. The paper concludes with some important policy implications that support the role of strong institutions in making economies resilient over a period of pandemic.

Evaluation models for the impact of pricing factor on environmental performance in different countries

The need to increase the price of non-green, carbon-emitting goods, as well as the application of new environmental taxes and fees to help solving the global climate crisis, has been actively discussed. However, price is not only a strong impetus for market development, but it can also restrain growth. The price level and population purchasing power belong to the key indexes that define the market capacities in different countries. This paper aims to investigate the impact of income inequality, including price levels and purchasing power, on environmental performance in different countries. The research method is based on RapidMiner’s machine learning programs, applying three modeling algorithms: correlation, clustering, and decision trees with a static index database of more than 150 countries around the world. The results obtained partially confirm the conclusions made by other researchers studying the Environmental Kuznets concept (EKC) effects. In particular, it was found that an important factor influencing the efficiency of the environment in the country’s ecosystem is the level of population’s income. The analysis also shows that environmental performance is strongly dependent on domestic price levels. This may support the hypothesis that the cost of green goods reflects a high benchmark for natural resource costs. However, further research is needed, including such directions as sources of financing for the implementation of circular projects, as well as the associated economic and environmental effects.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION AS DRIVERS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND COMPETITIVENESS OF THE BIOECONOMY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN BIOEAST COUNTRIES

In the context of climate change, ecological boundaries, increasing environmental pressures and biodiversity loss, scientific community together with policy makers is searching for sources of change towards sustainable bioeconomy. Therefore, there is a clear scientific interest in connection of innovation and sustainable development as well as competitiveness. As RDI is proved by empirical research to be a driver of sustainability and competitiveness of bioeconomy, it is relevant to look at the innovation performance of different countries for comparison. This article aims to make a comparative overview of the bioeconomy related research and innovation performance between BIOEAST countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia). Comparison to EU-27 (from 2020) and the EU Innovation Leaders is also made. The methodology is based on methods of analysis, interpretation and relevant comparisons of selected indicators. The research results point out that BIOEAST countries show very different innovation performance results. There is a wide innovation performance gap between most BIOEAST countries and the EU Innovation Leaders in terms of citable publications and especially patenting activity. Leading BIOEAST countries are in some cases similar to the EU Innovation Leaders. The research may be interesting for both researchers and policy makers and offers opportunities for future studies on the subject.

The Impact of Job Stress on Employee’s Performance at one of Private Banks in Egypt during COVID-19 Pandemic

Job stress is a universal element that is not only encountered in every individual but also in every organization regardless of its size. Especially, bankers who are under a good deal of stress because of the nature of their work. Stress could result in a decrease in employees’ performance, productivity, quality of labor, and high turnover rate, in addition to some health problems like anxiety, depression, and headache. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perception of employees of one of the private banks in Egypt and their performance in the presence of job stress in the uncertain period of the coronavirus pandemic. The literature review defined the job stressors which are role ambiguity, underutilization of skills, and work overload. Similar studies have been also mentioned for the impact of job stress on employees’ performance in different countries. A descriptive research design was conducted using a survey questionnaire that is distributed among the employees of the bank in all departments and the collected responses were 51 respondents that were taken from a total population of 1,100 employees. The questionnaire is divided into two parts; the demographic profile and the questions related to variables under study. Descriptive statistics are used and the study revealed that the job stressors “role ambiguity and underutilization of skills” has no impact on employees’ performance in the banking field in Egypt. However, it is found that work overload has an impact on employees’ performance and even more in the covid-19 era. 

The Economic Effects of Free Trading Policies Within an Integrated Economy Between Philippines and the Asean-6 Member States

The analysis of the effects that free trade has within the context of the Philippines and its fellow co-members within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was purposed as a conduit for greater insight on trade relations between the nations of what is being considered as a fast-growing unified economy. In a more specific lens, the paper identifies how the Philippines and its fellow nations within the bloc conduct free trade while also carefully examining the number of goods that are being imported and exported. The study will use a Quantitative research design to find the changes in exports and imports as well as to point out the association between the dependent and independent variables. The study also determines the effect of trade policy. The research is a cross-country study exclusive to ASEAN-6, namely Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, and the period of the study is from the year 1993 – 2015. The researchers used Ordinary Least Squares and showed a high degree of predictability between the dependent and independent variables. The findings confirm that there exists a significant degree of negative correlation between the import and inflation, tariff and FDI. On the other hand, there is a significant positive correlation between the FDI and import of 4 ASEAN countries, namely Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, besides a negative correlation between FDI and import of Malaysia. While the tariff and inflation of the Philippines and imports come up with a negative relationship, so this brings us to the conclusion that the independent variables are affected by the policy of free trade but for the good of the economies of the countries involved. With the result of the study, it is expected that further examination of this topic will expound more as the zeitgeist affecting the ASEAN bloc continues to tentatively change. The policy-makers should build an inclusive and sustainable trading system by identifying priorities for improvement and clarifying the design of new trade rules. The policy-makers should also come up with indicators, trade facilitation performance of different countries, information on the level of trade in services restrictiveness, and also records on export restrictions.

Improving the Performance Management of Public Institutions: Is it Difficult to Measure Performance in Public Institutions?

In recent years, measuring the performance of public institutions has become a topic much studied by researchers, as questions arise about its structure and role in the economy and society, whether it is effectively put in the public service and whether it is effective or not. To improve the management system, there is a need to introduce a performance management whose main goal is the evaluation of performance at individual and organizational level along with the improvement of the efficiency of public expenditures and the orientation towards achieving the results. This paper aims to highlight the importance of performance measurement and explain the role of it in the development of the public institutions. The results were obtained after analyzing numerous qualitative and quantitative data and an extensive research was conducted to filter the information found in various research platforms, official electronic resources and numerous books related to performance management, performance evaluation system, characteristics and possible barriers that may occur while trying to measure the performance in the public sector. Moreover, since public sector performance is closely linked to the overall economic performance of different countries this research paper comes to complete the existing literature, leaving room for further research on the topic discussed.

How are the characteristics of national educational systems related to social inequality?

Introduction. A great deal of research concerns the impact of education on the socio-economic performance in different countries, with highlighting the positive impact of education.Aim. The current research is devoted to the relationship between educational indicators and social inequality representing the socio-economic development.Methodology and research methods. By having the use of correlation analysis, the authors examined the relationship between the indicators of national educational systems, including the participation of the population in education, the structure of graduation in educational programmes, the quality of secondary education, the organisation of the educational process, the volume and structure of education funding, on the one hand, and social inequality, on the other. Social inequality was measured using the Gini index, which represents the level of income inequality in the country. The authors also investigated the educational statistics data in the OECD countries, Russia and some other countries participating in the OECD educational research.Results. The results revealed the relationship between many educational indicators and the Gini index, as well as showed several features of these relationships in Russia. In particular, the authors observed a relationship between the social inequality index and such groups of educational indicators as the level of education (the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient varies from -0,68 for the level of upper-secondary vocational education to 0,51 for the level of upper-secondary general education), participation of the population in education (the correlation coefficient with the integral indicator of participation in education, the average number of years of learning, was -0,64), the quality of education (a positive relationship with the proportion of students, who have not reached the second level of reading literacy in the Programme for International Student Assessment – PISA, reflected in the correlation coefficient equal to 0,56), the organisation of the educational process (positive correlation coefficient with class size equal to 0,61) and the indicators of education financing (negative correlation coefficients for primary and secondary education – -0.48, as well as for tertiary education – -0.57). It is important to note that the indicators related to master’s degree programmes show a greater negative correlation with social inequality than those reflecting the scale of bachelor’s degree programmes and short tertiary programmes.Scientific novelty of the research includes the detailed analysis of the determinants influencing the national educational systems in their relationship with social inequality, as well as the correlation between these parameters in Russia as compared with other countries.Practical significance of the study involves the development of the information and analytical basis for adjusting further policy in the sphere of education with taking into account socio-economic factors.

The Impact of Pandemic Perception, National Feeling, and Media Use on the Evaluation of the Performance of Different Countries in Controlling COVID-19 by Chinese Residents.

Different nations responded to the global spread of COVID-19 differently. How do people view the governance practices and effects of various countries? What factors affect their views? Starting from the three-dimensional model of cognitive-affective-media, this study examines how pandemic perception, the national feeling, which is the emotional preference of public for different countries, and media use affect the Chinese public views on the performance of other countries in controlling COVID-19. After performing regression analysis on the data of 619 Chinese public samples collected by an online survey, it reveals the following: (1) pandemic perception is negatively correlated with the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance in different countries by Chinese residents, whereas national feeling is positively correlated with the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance. (2) The use of media has different characteristics in the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance in different countries by Chinese residents. Television has a significant influence on the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance in the United States, China, and Germany by Chinese residents. (3) Collectivist cultural orientation has no significant impact on the evaluation of the anti-pandemic performance of different countries by Chinese residents, whereas virus perception only has a significant impact on the evaluation of the controlling-pandemic performance of the United States and Italy. Research has confirmed the existence of the cognitive-affective-media model in the evaluations by public on the governance of other countries, and prospects for the superimposed role of media in the cognitive-affective model.

Diet Therapy In Food Allergy And Fungal Pathology

Nowadays allergic diseases are the most common diseases and affect the economic performance of different countries of the world. These diseases often affect children, adolescents and young adults, who should actively study or work. The main factors that determine the possibility of developing sensitization to various groups of allergens are the presence of exposure and the properties of a particular allergen. Global climate changes on the planet have affected the amount of pollen of plants and fungi. The use of new technologies in the food industry has radically changed the generally accepted understanding of the composition of a particular product. It is important to identify the causative allergenic product in order to prescribe optimal diet therapy.