Emerging Issues and Development in Economics and Trade Vol. 2

Analysis of Technology Gaps on Integrated Management of Major Pests of Jasmine (Jasminum sambac L.) of Tamil Nadu

I. Merlin Kamala — 2019-11-18

Investigations were conducted during 2015-2016, in major jasmine growing districts of Tamil Nadu, for assessing the distribution, infestation level and the relative importance of the major pests of jasmine viz., blossom midge, Contarinia maculipennis, budworm, Hendecasis duplifascialis, leaf webworm, Nausinea geometralis and two spotted mite of jasmine, Tetranychus urticae. Majority of respondents were aware of the major jasmine pests, among which 53 per cent respondents ranked budworm as the most important pest, 16 per cent as blossom midge, 9 per cent as two spotted mite and 7 per cent as leaf webworm. The incidence of major pests of jasmine viz., blossom midge, budworm, leaf web worm and two spotted mite were observed in all the surveyed districts of Tamil Nadu in varying intensity. The incidence of these pests was higher in Madurai district recording 34.27, 35.18, and 28.75 per cent of midges, budworm, leaf webworm incidence and 10.25 two spotted mites per 2 cm² leaf area, followed by Tirunelveli district recording 33.19, 31.35 and 25.36 per cent incidence of midge, budworm, leaf webworm and 9.47 two spotted mites per 2 cm² of leaf area. Regarding the temporal incidence of the major jasmine pests, jasmine growers perceived the maximum incidence from May - August for budworm/mites and September-November for midges/leaf webworm. The least incidence was from February-April. Cultural control measures like pruning of bushes and field sanitation was followed by majority of jasmine growers, thus recorded lower technology gap index (TGI) of 9 and 14 per cent. Other cultural practices like collection and destruction of fallen and discoloured buds/flowers, setting of light traps, setting of yellow sticky traps, regular weeding, regular tilling or raking of soil to destroy pupae, non-planting of alternate hosts around main cropped area, planting inter/border crops recorded maximum TGI of 82, 73, 79, 59, 85 and 87 per cent respectively indicating their unawareness. Regarding the usage of bio-control agents, only 8 per cent respondent’s attempted Chrysoperla eggs which is a common natural enemy for all major jasmine pests with a TGI of 92 per cent. Usage of entomopathogenic fungi, Metarrhizium anisopliae for midges, Beauveria bassiana for lepidopterans and mites, Hirsutella thompsonii for mites recorded higher TGI of 90, 87 and 90 per cent projecting the unawareness of the growers. Bacterial biopesticide, Bt was used by only 16 per cent respondents and Trichogramma egg cards was used by only 14 per cent respondents recording higher TGI of 84 and 86 per cent. With regard to the use of synthetic chemical insecticides/acaricides, respondents recorded medium TGI showing their awareness but the right frequency in application of chemical pesticides recorded very high TGI of 91 per cent showing the indiscriminate usage of chemicals in jasmine ecosystem. Thus, efforts should be taken to create awareness among jasmine growers for the use of eco-friendly bio-control methods against major pests of jasmine.

Access to Credit: Experiences of Petty Traders in Ghana

Charles Adusei — 2019-11-18

Access to finance is a key determinant for business start-up, development and growth for small businesses. This paper focused on the experiences of petty traders in accessing credit within Wa Central in the Upper West Region of Ghana with a sample of eighty-one respondents for both the questionnaire and the interview. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation matrix and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Result revealed that in acquiring credit from the financial institutions they demanded for security for the credit requested, though the petty traders were given sufficient time for repayment they indicated that the financial institutions failed to do effective monitoring and supervision of the usage of the credit given. The study showed evidence that high interest rate charged and poor records keeping by petty traders were the challenges of accessing loans. The Branch Manager during the interview revealed that giving credit to petty traders is a challenge but they do it as part of their social responsibility to help eradicate poverty among the small income earners and help grow and expand small businesses in the geographical area. The paper suggests that petty traders must keep proper records, the need for financial institutions to reconsider its stringent eligibility criteria for petty traders, finally policy makers must create an enabling operating environment for micro enterprises to flourish.

Emergence of Mobile Marketing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Analysis of Consumers’ Behaviour towards Mobile SMSs

Kuete Collins — 2019-11-18

Mobile Marketing refers to the marketing activities undertaken to reach the consumers directly via mobile phones, connected to a ubiquitous network, to which the consumers are frequently connected. Mobile communication is a part of mobile marketing. It is often materialized by the use of mobile Internet, SMS and MMS by companies to send advertising messages via mobile phones. Thus, companies have found a new opportunity to operate in terms of targeted communication. Studies undertaken in other context indicated that mobile marketing is more efficient than other contact modes with the permission that is given in advance by the consumer to be sought. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa in general and in Cameroon in particular, there is still a timid interest among researchers on the field of mobile marketing. The objective of this paper is to describe the reactions of Cameroonian mobile phone consumers toward mobile services.

Last data published by the Cameroonian ministry of Post and Telecommunication showed a high level of penetration rate (From 71% in 2014 to 90% in 2018) of mobile phone holders. Therefore, there has been an increase in the use of mobile phone to send more advertising SMSs or MMSs by some firms and for financial and commercial transactions. Moreover, the development of I.T. industry in Cameroon is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it facilitates the violation of individual freedom and on the other hand, it enhances the emergence of new services, able to satisfy claims and needs of mobile consumers. While the regulatory I.T. environment is truly a prerequisite for the development of digital communications infrastructure, it also requires a consumer protection framework that can adapt to technological change and business practices.

In Cameroon, two laws have been promulgated on the 21 of December 2010. But this legislation, after analyses, does not really protect consumers from intrusiveness of some mobile services such as advertising SMSs or MMSs. For this reason, mobile consumers regularly react negatively towards intrusive mobile advertising SMSs and MMs into their private life. For instance, more than 22.7% of Cameroonian mobile phone consumers deleted advertising SMSs or MMSs without reading them. In addition, in the absence of permission, consumers conditioned receiving mobile advertising by their entertaining and informative character.

Comparison between Democratic and Autocratic Countries

M. Shafiqur Rahman — 2019-11-18

Democratic and autocratic countries are determined by democracy index which is introduced by Economist Intelligence Unit and has been calculated since 2006 for 167 countries covering almost the entire population of the world. The Democracy index is based on five factors: Electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of government; political participation; and political culture. These 167 countries are divided into one of four categories: Full democracy; flawed democracy; hybrid regime; and authoritarian regime or autocracy. This chapter deals with comparative study between full democratic and autocratic countries based on different social indicators such as literacy rate, unemployment rate, per capita GDP, birth rate, death rate, fertility rate, divorce rate, murder rate etc. It is observed that per capita GDP and literacy rate of full democratic countries are significantly higher than that of autocratic countries. Unemployment rate, murder rate, fertility rate crude birth rate and divorce rate of full democratic countries are significantly lower than that of autocratic countries. No significant difference was observed for crude death rate between democratic and autocratic countries.

Reality Television and the Influence of Gender on Decision Behavior in Business Situations: A Study on Gender Influence on Decision Behavior in The Apprentice with Donald Trump

D. Anthony Miles — 2019-11-18

The Apprentice with Donald Trump has become one of the most popular reality television shows. It is based on business and management situations. Business schools around the country have used The Apprentice as a teaching tool for case studies in classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of gender and its role in termination decisions. This research is the result of a four-year study on management decisions on termination in Donald Trump’s The Apprentice. This crosstab analysis was conducted with three independent focus groups using The Apprentice. The results of this study can assist researchers to ascertain whether gender is plays an influence on management decisions in business. This focus study of business professionals and MBA students (aged 18 to 50). A sample of (N=299) participants were used for the focus groups. The participants viewed various episodes of The Apprentice and were administered a survey based on their observations and decisions. The participants viewed various episodes of The Apprentice and were administered a survey based on their observations and decisions. There were three key findings from the study. First, the findings of the study indicate there were some significant gender differences with firing individuals based on viewing the reality television show. Second, the findings indicate gender is a strong predictor variable in termination decisions. Last, in addition, between males and females, male participants’ mean and standard deviation coefficients were higher. The conclusions of the study indicate that management researchers and practitioners should, however, carefully evaluate gender and its influence on management decisions in business decisions.

Reverse Mortgages: Challenging the Trade-off between Financial and Real Assets

Margherita Mori — 2019-11-18

The aim of this paper is to question whether it still makes sense to feel attracted by the trade-off between financial and real assets, based upon the main features of reverse mortgages. Towards this ambitious goal, useful insights can be gained by exploring Italy’s recent legislation regarding these loans: on one hand, new opportunities to borrow have been made available, that are secured by home equity and that represent strategic options for financial management purposes, despite some criticism and limited adoption so far; on the other hand, homeowners are encouraged to reconsider their residential property as a way not only to satisfy their housing needs but also to achieve higher standards of living, especially after retirement. Within this framework, the trend towards increasing globalization has made traditional keys of classification obsolete; therefore, total wealth management should be focused on, rather than paying as much attention as in the past to portfolios consisting of securities alone. Conclusions sound like an invitation to devote unprecedented energies to financial counseling and education, in order to increase individual investors’ awareness and help them to make more informed decisions about their asset allocation, particularly in the later stages of their life cycle.

The Innovation as Point of Growth of SME’S (Cross Cultural CHINA and MEXICO)

Jesús Salvador Vivanco Florido — 2019-11-18

Based on the importance of the SME’s at Mundial level, and due to the high mortality rate of the SME’s in China and Mexico, in the present paper is made an articles compilation referred to Innovation strategies for SME’s develop and growth in China and Mexico, with the purpose to analyze and compare them in order to identify the problems that Mexican and Chinese SME’s have, for to detect the similarities and differences and identify the strategies managed in both countries; the analysis show some Innovation strategies used in China and not in Mexico and vice versa, information that could be useful for to complement the management approach of the SME’s in China and Mexico for to develop and make growth the SME's.

Internal Audit in Public Finance Sector Units in Poland - Research Results

Jolanta Maria Ciak — 2019-11-18

The aim of this paper is general characteristics of internal audit as an instrument for supporting management and presentation of the results of research conducted in selected public finance sector entities in Poland. It is a pilot phase. The main idea behind this study is to present the experiences of the public finance sector entities in relation to internal audit implementation. The research was conducted with the use of the method of the primary literature reviewing and a research survey in the period of time from May to September 2015.

The results of the conducted research indicate that the organization and operating of internal audit in most cases conformed with the relevant law, and the measures adopted enabled auditors to act independently. The analysed entities were and still are interested in internal auditing. In most of the entities their financial, operating and information activities - also important for the entities - were audited. Although most of the analysed entities indicated significant advantages of internal auditing, some of them drew attention to major flaws, which influenced the quality of auditing.

The Relationship of the Organizational Structure and Application of Efficient Human Resource Management in a Serbian Public Services

Borislav Kolarić — 2019-11-18

The intellectual capital of an organization in modern business has become a key factor in contemporary market competition. In order to remain competitive, companies must own, build and maintain human resources that become rare, irreplaceable and difficult to copy. In recent years, the interest in the field of human resource management (HRM) is increasing. This study is an attempt to investigate the level of appropriateness of the organizational structure of public services in Serbia for the implementation of effective HRM. The basis of the research were the employees in public services in the territory of Srem, one of the regions in Serbia. Basic assumption was that there is a significant correlation between the type of organizational structure and success of HRM application in public services and this study has proven it. Research and analysis of the results obtained have indicated that present centralized organizational structure and high hierarchical management of public services do not represent a suitable basis for successful realization of HRM, and at the same time, the relevant factors that have negative impact of HRM success were identified.

The Impact of Information Technology on Total Factor Productivity

Ting-Kun Liu — 2019-11-18

This paper employs the manufacturing firm-level data of Taiwan to explore the issue of whether information technology investment brings about the Solow productivity paradox. In order to consider the improvement of product quality caused by information technology investment, a hedonic price index is used to deflate the information technology variable. Besides the general specification of Cobb-Douglas production function, this paper considers the impact of information technology on total factor productivity, capital and labor productivity through substitution by applying a non-neutral production function.

Emotions Felt toward a Brand and Customer Loyalty: Study of Mobile Phone Brands

Zohra Ghali-Zinoubi — 2019-11-18

Recently, a firm that wants to conquer and keep its customers is expected to invest in the emotional value of its brand. Thus, the fact of eliciting the emotions of customers has become a challenge to develop a close emotional and behavioral resistance to change. This research work aims to study the role of emotions felt toward a brand in the formation and preservation of the relationship between the customer and the brand. A conceptual model is developed to examine the relationships between emotional attraction, emotional sensitivity, emotions felt (affection, passion, connection), emotional attachment and customer loyalty. The method of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is employed to test the research hypotheses. A quantitative study is conducted involving 480 Tunisian customers of mobile phone brands. The findings of this study indicate that the emotional attraction as well as the level of emotional sensitivity of customer influence positively his emotions felt toward a brand of mobile phone. These emotions predict an emotional attachment and a commitment toward the brand. Such commitment is vital to develop a loyalty of customer. This study provides significant managerial insights for marketers in order to formulate an effective communication strategy of their brands based on the seduction of customer emotions.

The Influence of the Emotional Intelligence on Self Monitoring

C. Sandhya Rani — 2019-11-18

Self monitoring is an ability to consciously observe and regulate one’s own behaviour. Incorporating self monitoring in today’s research and practice is beginning to yield a better understanding of how organizational processes are substantially affected by individual issues of how they are seen by others. Especially in service industries, the effect of outcome of interactions of the employees with the clients is an inevitable part of portraying their identity. Most of the actions in the service industry having a legal importance, it is highly essential that controlled image presentation should not cause any deceptions. Hence, it is essential that the employees should know how they present themselves and be able to use self monitoring in the best way possible by them. There are two approaches to the measurement of emotional intelligence: as a mental ability or as a personality trait. Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions effectively in ourselves and others. The findings of this study confirm that emotional intelligence is related to self monitoring behaviour. This understanding can contribute to practitioners in the areas of recruitment and in assessing the training needs of healthcare professionals.

Political Instability, Investment and Economic Growth

Zouhaier Hadhek — 2019-11-18

The objective of this chapter is to identify the effect of political instability on investment and economic growth. By using a dynamic balanced panel data model applied on annual data from 11 countries from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region over the period of 2000 to 2009. The political instability’ effect on the contribution of investment to economic growth has been the subject of a second empirical study using a simultaneous equation model conducted on a sample of 33 countries over the period 2000-2015.The main outcomes drawn by these two empirical tests prove that there is no effect of political instability on investment and economic growth and a negative interaction between political instability and investment. This finding confirms the idea that the importance of political institutions lies in the preparation of good economic institutions. Thus, political institutions indirectly influence economic performance.