Sector Of Bangladesh Research Articles

Workers’ Satisfaction with Grievance-Handling Procedure: A Study on the Selected Garment Factories in Bangladesh

Abstract Employees are the most important asset in the organization. There should always be a good relationship between employer and employee. If employees are happy in the organization, then the organization can move towards success. Satisfaction towards grievance handling procedure is important in this regard since one of the most important consequences of mishandling of grievances is labor unrest. An employee’s grievance can be over the wage and salary, working hours, condition of work premises, employment conditions, etc. Keeping the views in mind, this study was conducted to examine the level of satisfaction towards different dimensions of grievance handling procedure and its influence on overall satisfaction among workers in some selected factories in the Readymade Garments (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. Data was collected using the Grievance Handling Procedure Questionnaire. A total of 284 garment workers from different garment factories located in Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj took part in the survey. Measures of central tendency, dispersion, and association have been used as part of descriptive statistics while multiple linear regression analysis has been used to identify significant predictors of turnover intention. The results indicated that four dimensions of grievance handling procedure, i.e., a decision given, time taken for solving grievance, follow up mechanism, and attitude of supervisors significantly predict workers’ overall satisfaction. However, structural features of the grievance procedure were found statistically insignificant. Finally, it was concluded that if managers and supervisors are well trained and workers’ grievances are handled effectively, they will be encouraged, assured, and will have positive feelings towards their organization and this would increase their overall satisfaction and, thereby, productivity.

Effectiveness of Online Mode of Teaching of English Language Courses in Tertiary Level Educational Sectors in Bangladesh

The aftermath of COVID-19 has affected the lives of Bangladeshi people and impacted dramatically on the educational systems. Due to the pandemic situation, the Bangladeshi tertiary education sector had to switch to an online learning and teaching model from the traditional ones. This paper aims to identify the obstacles encountered by the university teachers in online teaching during the pandemic in Bangladesh. An exploratory qualitative research methodology has been used in this paper. The study was conducted among the teachers working in several universities of Bangladesh. Open-ended questions and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted among 13 male and 17 female educators to collect data regarding the problems faced by them. The findings revealed four different categories of impediments that the teachers faced during the online mode of teaching and learning. The study results can be helpful to the regulatory authorities and employers of higher education institutions who are planning to adopt online teaching as a regular activity in the future.

Evaluation of Management Accounting Practices of MI Cement Company Limited: A Case Study

In recent years, the Bangladesh cement industry is growing up comparing the other leading countries in Asia. By following this sequence, according to the report of Wikipedia which is mostly prepared based on "List of countries by cement production" in Hydraulic Cement Production– Asia & The Pacific, Bangladesh has occupied the third position in producing cement in the sub-continent of Asia. This happens only for the efficient and proper utilization of the management accounting practices in the cement manufacturing industry. The success of the industry mostly depends on those taken decisions which are most relevant to achieve the goal of this firm, therefore, these should be strategically different from the competitive market and they will lead to dominate the market for a longer period by getting competitive advantages rather than other leading companies.Nowadays all institutions are related to utilizing management accounting systems to assist managers in making a sound decision to achieve the goals of the organization. Thus, the necessity of management accounting has risen not only in the manufacturing industry but also service industry (Chenhall and Langfield-Smith, 1998; Abdel-Kader and Luther, 2006; Paggios and Pavlatos,2008; Ahmad, 2012). For making a rational decision, management tools and techniques are used to obtain proper & accurate information (Alleyne and Marshall, 2011). Among various rising industrial sectors in Bangladesh, the Cement industry is considered one of the greatest foreign currency earning sectors that contribute to the economic growth of Bangladesh (Md. Khalilur, Al Amin, Md. Abud, 2017). After fulfilling the demand of the local market every year, Bangladeshi leading cement company, MI Cement Limited which is one of the top cement exporters, export cement to the global countries including Europe and some other western countries. Unexpectedly, the implementation of management accounting practices in developing countries like Bangladesh remains unpleasant and studies on this field are very infrequent (Lin and Yu, 2002). Therefore, the study is designed to make an overview of the practices of management accounting especially on MI Cement Limited which has already taken up the significant position of cement manufacturing companies in Bangladesh. Keywords: Management, Managers, Tools, Performance, JIT, Differential costing, Target Costing. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-18-09 Publication date: September 30 th 2021

Attitude Toward Plastic Money Usage: A Leap of Faith Toward Green Banking and Sustainable Development

With the advancement of technology, banking sector in Bangladesh has witnessed a dramatic shift in financial sector especially in the form of transactions. Cashless transactions, through Plastic money are growing rapidly from its inception in 1997. The purpose of this particular study is to unearth the moderating influence of the perceptions about the plastic money (Perceived advantages, Perceived disadvantages, Psychological factors) on the perceived future growth of plastic money market of Bangladesh. This study used 159 replies, with a response rate of 78 percent, which was collected through a self-administered survey using Mall intercept technique, judgmental technique and snowball technique. The results, derived from Step-wise multiple linear regression analysis by the usage of AMOS 2O showed that perceived advantages, perceived disadvantages and psychological factors-all three significantly modify customers’ attitude toward growth. Moreover, the study attempts to link how the growth of plastic money market leads to green banking practices, which in turn will accelerate sustainable development. Plastic money marketers (Banks and Financial institutions) will have a great implication from this study regarding how to utilize the growth potential and become a sustainable development agent. Keywords: Plastic Money, Green Banking, Sustainable Development, Growth DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-18-06 Publication date: September 30 th 2021

The Relationship between Bank Specific Characteristics and the Extent of Disclosure: Evidence from the Banking Sector in Bangladesh

The fundamental motive of this study is to inspect the extent of disclosure of the banking companies in Bangladesh. To calculate the disclosure score of each sample bank, the un-weighted disclosure index has been used. To reveal the findings of this study, researchers have considered five conventional private commercial banks. A period of five years ranging from 2013 to 2017 has been selected for the study. Data have been collected from secondary sources and different statistical techniques like descriptive statistics as well as regression analysis with the respective models have been employed. The study reveals that the average disclosures scores of the sample banks are at a satisfactory level and the significant variation doesn’t exist in the disclosure scores among the sample banks. Multiple regression analysis has been conducted to know whether the significant relationship is available between the extent of disclosure and the specific characteristics of banks and the evidence confirm that the significant relationship is existing between the extent of disclosure and earnings per share, return on assets as well as net profit but not between the disclosure scores and capital adequacy ratio, debt-equity ratio, current ratio, loan deposit ratio, market capitalization ratio as well as total assets.

COVID-19 Impact on Poultry Production and Distribution Networks in Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected numerous economic sectors across the world, including livestock production. This study investigates how the pandemic has impacted the poultry production and distribution network (PDN), analyses stakeholders' changing circumstances, and provides recommendations for rapid and long-term resilience. This is based on a literature review, social media monitoring, and key informant interviews (n = 36) from across the poultry sector in Bangladesh. These included key informants from breeder farms and hatcheries, pharmaceutical suppliers, feed companies, dealers, farmers, middlemen, and vendors. We show that the poultry sector was damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, partly as a result of the lockdown and also by rumors that poultry and their products could transmit the disease. This research shows that hardly any stakeholder escaped hardship. Disrupted production and transportation, declining consumer demand and volatile markets brought huge financial difficulties, even leading to the permanent closure of many farms. We show that the extent of the damage experienced during the first months of COVID-19 was a consequence of how interconnected stakeholders and businesses are across the poultry sector. For example, a shift in consumer demand in live bird markets has ripple effects that impact the price of goods and puts pressure on traders, middlemen, farmers, and input suppliers alike. We show how this interconnectedness across all levels of the poultry industry in Bangladesh makes it fragile and that this fragility is not a consequence of COVID-19 but has been revealed by it. This warrants long-term consideration beyond the immediate concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Renewable Energy Sector in Bangladesh: The Current Scenario, Challenges and the Role of IoT in Building a Smart Distribution Grid

Advancement in electricity is the key ingredient that can actively take part in alleviating poverty and drastically improve the socio-economic status of the people of Bangladesh. The incorporation of renewable energy sources would help the country meet the energy requirement as well as contribute positively towards building a sustainable planet. The paper has extensively discussed the potential aspects of renewable energy resources in Bangladesh and how the Internet of Things can facilitate the implementation of intermittent sources. The regulatory and socio-economic aspects of the renewable energy industry have been explored and sustainable solutions will be discussed to fast-track the process of integrating various renewable energy sources in the power grid to meet the energy demand. The paper discusses the challenges associated with the RE integration in Bangladesh’s power mix and tries to mitigate it through the IoT. Besides that, an RE map for Bangladesh along with prospective power network has also been discussed in this work.

TQM Implementation and Its Effectiveness in Private Commercial Banks in Bangladesh

Total Quality Management (TQM) has a key role to make an effective, wellbeing finance and financial market. The main objective of the study is to investigate the TQM model implementation and its effectiveness in private commercial banks in Bangladesh. The study also finds out impact of TQM on organizational development, employee management and their job satisfaction and service improvement for customer from the private commercial banks. The study is imperial in nature. Data has been collected from the secondary source with an unstructured interview process. Then a model has been developed for justifying TQM implementation in the private commercial banking sector in Bangladesh. The study finds out that the banks which have used the TQM model are sustainable and profitable rather than those who are not using it. Finally, the study recommends some key suggestions for private commercial banks to implement the TQM model.

Challenges of Teaching English Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing Skills at Qawmi Madrasas under BEFAQ in Bangladesh

One of the recent aims and objectives of Qawmi madrasa education is to make the madrasa students adequately proficient in English to participate in the competitive sectors of Bangladesh for better career options. Though they consider English as an international language of communication and higher education, they pay very little attention to this language teaching and learning. Using a mixed-methods approach, the present study tried to explore how the 4 macro-skills of the English language are taught in Qawmi madrasas under the BEFAQ board and what challenges the teachers and the students encounter in teaching-learning situations. Analyzing the questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations, it was found that only reading and writing skills are focused in the syllabus, textbooks, classroom, and testing; whereas listening and speaking skills are either informally practiced very little or avoided from all arenas. Consequently, language learners cannot achieve communicative competence in English. Finally, the researcher attempts to put forward some recommendations regarding the English syllabus, textbook contents, teaching method, and testing system to the Qawmi madrasa board and authority, madrasa teachers, and Bangladesh government for facing the challenges and making the students proficient in all basic skills of English language.

A study on digital transformation in the healthcare sector of Bangladesh: Current scenario and the future roadmap

Abstract Purpose: This study investigates the essential characteristics of digitalization and transformation in the healthcare sector in Bangladesh. It also examines the correlation between digital technology and developing factors in the current healthcare system and recommendations to overcome the crises still dwelling within the healthcare framework. Research methodology: To gain a more vital understanding of the underlying insights of Digital Transformations of the healthcare sector of Bangladesh, the authors decided to conduct explorative research in qualitative format. Results: As a developing country with increased economic solvency, Bangladesh is enduring a metamorphosis in medicine & healthcare. Despite inequity in digital-initiated “equality,” developing healthcare systems worldwide are getting in touch with digital technology. Limitations: There are shortcomings in theoretical research as the previous practice of pedagogues and learners is challenged by new-age communication and the healthcare system based on digital technology. Contribution: This study looks at the impressions of current Digital Transformation in pre-existing structures by the people of Bangladesh, and the study proposes a new national health server-centric approach for future solicitation.

New Media in Film Distribution in Bangladesh: Bane or Boon?

The research explores the little-understood phenomena of new media based film distribution system in Bangladesh, finds the consequences of new media in film distribution, and makes a recommendation for developing an effective film distribution system. This research employs a qualitative approach where in-depth interviews of people involved in traditional and online film distribution systems are taken to collect data. The study finds that new media based film distribution is an emerging sector in Bangladesh, and it will strengthen the overall distribution system by reducing the distribution costs and increasing revenue. Keywords: new media, internet, online, film distribution, video on demand

Is the lack of exploration by Petrobangla hurting Bangladesh? An analysis

Abstract A prolonged gas crisis has led to stagnation in Bangladesh’s manufacturing sector, which in turn has lowered the country’s GDP. Although 1000–1500 MW of installed power capacity remains idle, the government has not been able to use this redundant capacity to its advantage. To the dismay of many experts, new gas connections to meet industrial needs have been suspended for the last 8 years. This commentary explores the current exploration status of the natural gas sector in Bangladesh and concludes that the performance of various state-run companies will not be sufficient to meet the energy demands of Bangladesh’s economy.

Investigation on Seroprevalence of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Infection in Commercial Layer Farms in Rajshahi District Using Rapid Serum Plate Agglutination Test

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection is very common in birds that cause respiratory infections in chickens, turkeys, and other avian species. It has brought about a considerable amount of financial losses to the poultry sector in Bangladesh. We conducted a study on the Seroprevalence of MG infection in two different geographical areas of Bangladesh under Rajshahi district, namely Paba and Bagmaraupazila. 800 sera samples were collected and tested with Rapid Serum Plate Agglutination Test (RSA) to identify the MG antibodies using commercial Mycoplasma gallisepticum antigen. The gross Seroprevalence of MG infection was 59.25% in the study area. The maximum rate (68.80%) of infection was found in the winter season, followed by the summer season (49.36%). The result further revealed that the condition was higher (69.01%) in larger-sized flocks than in small (53.63%). We noticed that younger birds having 10-20 weeks of age are more prone to be affected with avian mycoplamosis with an infection rate of 72% compared to their adult counterpart of 71+ weeks with 52% morbidity. Our study revealed that Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection is prevalent in Paba and Bagmaraupazila in Rajshahi. The farms should take strict bio-security measures to mitigate this infection in the mentioned areas. Proper medications for the affected birds and timely prophylactic measures for the healthy ones could be practical and preventive strategies against avian mycoplasmosis. Amid limitations, we conducted our experiments, and thus further research is warranted to substantially assess and validates our observations.

↵​Present Scenario, Difficulties and Qualitative Development Policy Analysis of Urea Fertilizer Industrial Sector in Bangladesh: A Review

Developing countries consist of nearly 80% of the total world population where urea fertilizer is extensively used. Fertilizer is applied mainly in the regions where environmental conditions are suitable for plant growth and irrigation is available. It plays a crucial role in the economy and food production of a developing country like Bangladesh, where around half of the total agricultural production is solely dependent on urea fertilizer. Bangladesh government has seven urea fertilizer industries with a capacity of 3.37 million metric tons per year. Their production is currently not up to the mark due to facing some difficulties that are very common for any developing country. This article studied the current scenario of Bangladesh fertilizer sector, production parameters and major challenges with recommendations accordingly. The study revealed that the natural gas crisis is one of the significant problems. Frequent cutting off supply restricted the average yearly stream days of individual industry to 152 days only. Around 3.56% of urea consumption increased per unit of arable lands in 10 years due to the reduction of soil fertility. At present, Bangladesh needs to be self-reliant in the fertilizer sector to retain food autarky and economic growth. Some valuable recommendations to attain this goal have been discussed further that can help Bangladesh as well as most of the developing countries.

The impact of social media marketing activities on brand equity in the banking sector in Bangladesh: the mediating role of brand love and brand trust

PurposeThis research aims to explore the impact of social media marketing (SMM) activities on brand equity (BE) in the banking sector in Bangladesh. Moreover, brand love and brand trust are examined as a mediator of SMM activities and BE.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a total of 289 banking customers in Bangladesh through a structured questionnaire and the hypotheses were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe results validated that SMM activities have no significant influence on BE directly. Furthermore, brand love fully mediates the linkage between SMM activities and BE. Likewise, brand trust was found to have a partial mediation effect on SMM activities and BE.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was based on a specific sector in a particular geographic area. Hence, cross-cultural studies on different sectors need to be conducted to generalize the findings of the current research.Practical implicationsThe study offers useful insights for bank marketers to successfully manage SMM activities that can generate consumer interest toward a bank's brand and prevent switching behavior. Furthermore, the proliferation of authentic brand-related information over a firms' social media pages can build strong brand trust, which in turn contributes to BE for the banks.Originality/valueThe study further extended the current knowledge by showing that how SMM activities influence BE in the banking sector in Bangladesh. Also, this study empirically corroborates the mediation influence of brand love and brand trust on SMM activities and BE in the banking sector in Bangladesh, which was rarely tested in prior studies. Hence, the findings will add value to the nascent literature of BE from an SMM perspective.

Factors Influencing Employee Retention

Employee retention is a critical component of an organization's broader talent management strategy and is vital to any organization's stability, growth, and profitability. However, retaining high-performing employees is a challenging task, especially for higher educational institutions, as high turnover intentions result in increased costs associated with induction and training new staff, loss of research outputs and subsequent organizational productivity, and decreased teaching quality. Private universities are essential for meeting the demand of tertiary education and for expanding this sector in Bangladesh. Yet, these institutions are often accused of high staff turnover which affects their educational quality and moral strength. This study aims to understand and identify the factors that influence employee retention in private universities in Bangladesh. Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory guided the literature review in identifying and synthesizing the diverse factors affecting employee retention in higher education institutions. To validate the thesis, eighty-two academic staff from ten private universities in Bangladesh were surveyed using a structured questionnaire with a Likert scale. Exploratory factor analysis categorizes diverse variables into four main groups. Although the hygiene factors (extrinsic reward and recognition) were found to be the most important, the study revealed that all the remaining three factors (perceived empowerment, work-life balance, and sense of belonging) serve as motivators for academic staff to stay committed to their institution. Thus, the study sheds light on areas where administrators of private universities can focus their efforts to reduce faculty member turnover.

Barriers to Overcome in Accelerating Renewable Energy Penetration in Bangladesh

In the context of the global need for the accelerated penetration of renewable sources in the energy mix, it is important to understand how fast-growing countries such as Bangladesh can participate in the global process by sequencing or combining actions to overcome multiple national-level barriers. This study analyzed how national-level barriers interact with one another with a view to better understanding in what order they can be approached in order to overcome them. Interpretive structural modeling was applied for the identification of the interactions among the barriers. The barriers identified from a context-relevant literature survey were cross-validated through in-country expert consultation. Policy makers and the research community were consulted using unstructured as well as structured questionnaire survey methods. The cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to the classification method was used to validate the interactions identified. The results indicated that it is possible to follow a systematic approach to overcome the barriers. The findings show that the highest priority is the need to revisit the current top-down process in policy and governance in the energy sector in Bangladesh. By making room for new institutional arrangements and the strategic role of local experts, stakeholders such as manufacturers, businesses, and users can create a sociopolitical environment that makes it possible to break the current inter-linked chain of barriers. Revisiting the current fuel-specific design and allocation of subsidies and the tariff structure is necessary. Simultaneous supplementary efforts towards human capacity building, the creation of a database for both the demand and supply sides of renewable energy, and improvement in coordination across institutions could be helpful. There is a need for the development of a technology-specific research and development infrastructure to encourage local innovation and business model development. Attention needs to be paid to raising scientifically informed public awareness for the uptake of renewable energy in Bangladesh.

Addressing employability challenges of business graduates in Bangladesh: Evidence from an emerging economy perspective

This study aimed to explore and address the employability challenges of business graduates in the higher education sector in Bangladesh. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed applying thematic analysis (N = 35, 77% male, mean age = 34 years). Findings revealed that skill gaps, lack of quality education system, quality teachers, industry-university collaboration, backdated course curriculum, and corruption are important challenges for graduate employability in Bangladesh. The study suggests improving communication skills, updating course curriculum, curbing institutional corruption, limiting student-teacher politics, hiring and promoting quality teachers, and industry-university collaboration as strategies to improve graduate employability. The findings may help employers, managers, graduates, academics, and policymakers in the higher education sector to identify and address graduate employability challenges in an emerging economy such as Bangladesh.

Social Status Changes of Women Garments Worker: A Study on Bangladesh Perspective

Garments industry is the prime economic sector in Bangladesh. Most of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) carried on Garments Industry. In this industry most of the worker is women. So, women garment worker are main human resources in Bangladesh. But one problem is that, they have no standard social status in our society on the other hand they have owned social status after joining the garments industry. Basically, before joining the garments industry women have lower social status or have no status in her family, relatives, and her father in laws house. Women deprived from control over resources, have no decision-making power, no invitation in social functions, poor health service etc. But this scenario changes after joining the garments industry. In that perspective researcher applied quantitative research methods to find out how to change social status of women garments worker. In the quantitative method researcher followed simple random sample survey into the garments industry where women are working. Researcher found some recommendations from the women garment’s worker. At first, they have an occupational identity which is helpful to consume social status in her family as well as in her relatives. So, it is a great change for women with help of garments industry. The change social status process is not easy because various problems hamper this changes system. Sometimes women garment worker harassed by her family members as well as her colleagues, staffs of garments, owner of the garments etc. In this situation a woman is helpless in her life and they need to support from her family members, friends, colleagues, staffs and owner. In this context, researcher finds out the women to manage this situation it is a great change in social status of women garments worker in Bangladesh. Women garments worker think that if they have regular work in garments factory as well as they get social, economic, and legal support from stakeholder (Garments Industry, Government, Media etc.) their social status changes well radically. Keywords: Social Status, Change, Women Garment Workers, Bangladesh DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-14-03 Publication date: July 31 st 2021

An Analysis of the Impact of Customer Perception on Commercial Banks Positioning: A Study on Government Commercial Banks

The banking sector becoming a very much competitive sector in Bangladesh. Day by day this competition is increasing. At present, there are 6 government commercial banks, 43 private commercial banks, 9 foreign banks, and 3 state-owned specialized banks are operating in Bangladesh. This research study is mainly conducted to find out the impact of customer perception on government commercial banks' positioning. The researcher tried to find out what customers think, what customers want from the government commercial banks, what must be changed to retain existing customers and attracting new customers, what services must be added comparatively to the private commercial banks and providing some recommendations are the main objectives of this research study. Here the researcher conducts a research survey over 100 respondents who are customers of government commercial banks for collecting primary data. The researcher also collects secondary data from different websites, books, and journals, and research papers. SPSS has been used for analyzing collected data for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, hypothesis testing, and other general analysis. From the research study, it has found that customers are not happy with employee's behavior, ATM services of government commercial banks, number of ATM booths. They want more promotional advertisements from government commercial banks, more professionalism from the employees of government commercial banks, more simplicity in account opening and loan getting procedure. The researcher has found that customers have faith and believe in government commercial banks but as most of the time they do not get quick services from the government commercial bank so negative positioning is creating in consumer minds that will not be good for government commercial banks in the long run for their positioning as well as for their profitability. Keywords: perception, positioning. Government commercial banks, private commercial banks. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/80-04 Publication date: July 31 st 2021