International Journal of Social Sciences and Economic Review

Increasing Impact of Spain on the Equity Markets of Brazil, Chile and Mexico During the Neoliberal Reforms of the 1990s

Andres Rivas — 2023-10-19

Purpose: The article examines stock index price responses in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico to those in the US, Spain, and four European countries during three sub-periods surrounding the neoliberal reforms of the 1990s: 1988 to 1994, 1995 to 1998, and 1999 to 2004.

Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is empirical and uses time series analysis, in particular impulse response functions (IRFs) derived using vector autoregression (VAR) models.

Main Findings: It finds that equity markets became more interconnected as countries opened to international trade and capital flows and that there was an increasing impact of Spain on Latin American equity markets. Stronger economic linkages (more trade and foreign direct investment) between Spain and these countries, especially in Brazil, seem to explain increased equity market interconnectedness.

Research limitations/implications: The study limitations are, in general, the same that apply to the VAR methodology, and in particular, to missing control variables or to possible bias in the selection of the subsample periods used as historical benchmarks.

Originality/value: To our knowledge, no other work showed that there was an increasing impact of Spain on Latin American equity markets during the neoliberal reform period by using IRFs and VAR models.

Social Media Usage Affects Family Communication Among Chinese Adolescence

Ng Jia Ling — 2023-09-30

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to see how social media usage affected family communication among Chinese adolescents. The study's overarching goal was to determine the influence of social networks on family communication among Chinese adolescents. The study aimed to determine how frequently Chinese adolescents used social media and how this might affect their family interactions.

Design / Methodology / Approach: The data were obtained from seven Chinese respondents who comprised the sample. In-depth interviews were used as a data collection tool. The data collected were thematically analysed.

Main Findings: The findings reveal that Chinese adolescents spend more time interacting with friends and social networks online than speaking with their families. They frequently seek mentoring, advice, and emotional and social support from online friends. According to the study findings, adolescents' personalities significantly impede effective family interaction and communication.

Research limitations/implications: The findings show that social media significantly impacts family communication. Future research could also look at the attitudes and behaviours of parents and adult children on social media.

Originality/value: This research is unique in that it looks at the Chinese community's family communication patterns on social media. The findings of this study will benefit Chinese society because family communication serves as a crucible for society.

Environmental and Socio-economic Impact Assessment in Hazaribag Area of Dhaka for Tannery Relocation

Ashik Iqbal — 2023-03-30

Purpose of the study: The objective of this study is to find out the tannery relocation’s impact on the surrounding environment, social, economic, livelihood conditions, and institutional and stakeholder perception in Hazaribag.

Methodology: The methodological framework includes a field survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools, i.e., Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII).

Main Findings: After the relocation, the surrounding environment, odour, and surface water condition have improved at a very satisfactory rate. Nevertheless, many tannery workers either become unemployed or transferred to their non-expertise field, and the economic and business condition of the area has decreased. Also, there are some conflicts between the owner and workers. After the relocation, the government has not properly managed the post-relocation situation in the brownfield.

Research implications/limitations: The research findings will be helpful in planning the utilization of the brownfield. The study's limitations include reliance on respondents' perceptions and opinions and not conducting chemical analysis for water and environmental monitoring. Continuous monitoring of the change is needed to find the impact in the long run.

Novelty/Originality of this study: Many studies were conducted on the impact of the Tannery in the Hazaribag area, and the Tannery was eventually relocated. The study fills a gap in the literature by presenting the scenario after the relocation to address the impact of relocation in Hazaribag, which is a significant observation for further development of the brownfield area.

Does work stress & workplace incivility influence Employee Turnover Intentions? Mediating Role of Work-family Conflict

Shahid Mehmood — 2023-05-31

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of work stress and workplace incivility on turnover intention and work-family conflict. As well as the role of work-family conflict in mediating the relationship between work stress, workplace incivility, and turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach: The data was collected by distributing 573 questionnaires to nurses working in the healthcare sector in Punjab, Pakistan. The SPSS (23) statistical package was used to analyze the data, and the model was evaluated using partial least squares (Smart PLS 3.3).

Main Findings: The findings showed that workplace stress and incivility had a direct positive effect on turnover intention. Additionally, there was a positive relationship between work stress and workplace incivility, as well as a negative relationship between work-family conflict and workplace incivility. Work-family conflict positively mediates the relationship between work stress and turnover intention, but there is no such relationship between workplace incivility and turnover intention.

Research limitations/implications: The results provide empirical evidence that work stress, and workplace incivility, are positively related to intent to leave the organization. Furthermore, the conceptual framework of this study can be a guide for future research on turnover intention.

Originality/value: This study is unique, as it is the first study conducted on work stress and workplace incivility in a hospitality setting. The study responded to scholarly calls made to enrich the literature pertaining to work stress, workplace incivility, and its outcomes.

The Role of Collateralizable Asset, Profitability and Operating Cash Flow on Dividend Policy: A Study on ASEAN Non-Financial Companies

Arie Akbar — 2023-03-30

Purpose of the study: This study examines the role of collateralizable assets, profitability, and operating cash flow on dividend policy.

Methodology: In this study, researchers used data obtained from the OSIRIS database, which processes data from each exchange in the country studied and compiled a panel data set of ASEAN non-financial companies.

Main Findings: The results of this study found that profitability and operating cash flow significantly affect dividend policy, namely, securing assets that can be guaranteed. Individual collateral assets do not affect dividend policy. Meanwhile, using the proxy return on assets, profitability has a positive effect on dividend policy, and operating cash flow also significantly influences dividend policy, but the impact is negative.

Research limitations/implications: With this research can maintain its profitability value so that it can take future dividend policies that benefit investors or companies themselves.

Novelty/Originality of this study: This study focuses on collateralizable assets, profitability, and cash flow operations. This has been done because we are very interested in the phenomenon. After all, as we know, this collateral asset is an asset that can be pledged, and so we want to see if a dividend policy can cover this collateral. Because it must be high collateral, it must be able to signal to the company that the company has a high asset value, making it management's responsibility not to be afraid to pay dividends. policies.

Effect Of Geopolitical Risk On Bitcoin’s Price From 2016-2021: Comparative Analysis Pre-During Covid-19 Pandemic Period

Mey Frida Yosefa Bangun — 2023-03-30

Purpose of the study: The study aims to the effects of the geopolitical risks (GPR) and its components indexes on Bitcoin's price from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2021, and how covid-19 affect the GPR risk and its components on bitcoin's price.

Methodology: We performed quantitative data analysis techniques such as OLS (Ordinary Least Square) and QQ Regression. The study data covers January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2021.

Main Findings: OLS estimations show that Bitcoin's prices are positively and negatively related and statistically insignificant to the GPR and its components before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. However, the findings of the Quantile estimations state that the effects are positive and statistically significant at the higher quantiles of bitcoin's prices of both the GPR and its component, i.e., GPRA before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research limitations/implications: Our paper has limitations related to the adopted methodology. We use bitcoin as the dependent variable and only use two estimation models: the OLS model and Quantile Regression.

Novelty/Originality of this study: This research is expected to be used as a source of information and input for investors in deciding to invest in the face of another economic recession ahead. Our findings align with Bouri et al. (2017b) and Aysan et al. (2019), which illustrate that the effects of geopolitical risk and uncertainty indicators on Bitcoin's price are negative in the baseline findings. We enhance the previous findings to observe the positive impact of geopolitical risks and their components, the Bitcoin's price at the higher quantiles, then compare analysis pre-during Covid-19.

Impact Of Foreign Direct Investment On Domestic Innovations In Developing Economies: Moderating Role Of Country-Level Governance

Hannarong Shamsub — 2023-02-05

Purpose of the study: While most studies in the existing literature investigated the impact of Foreign direct investment (FDI) on innovation, this paper examines further to see whether country-level governance moderates the relationship between the two in developing economies.

Methodology: We gathered information from the World Bank Development Indicators and Worldwide Governance Indicators databases (2019). From 1995 to 2019, the panel data covers a 25-year time series of 55 developing countries. The GMM system is used to estimate this panel dataset.

Main Findings: The findings of the study show that three of the six governance variables, political stability, the rule of law, and voice and accountability, have moderating effects on the impact of FDI on innovation. The findings show that traditional policy prescriptions, such as increasing government R&D expenditure and education to encourage FDI's innovation spillovers, may be insufficient in the absence of improvements in governance quality.

Research limitations/implications: To maximise the impact of FDI on local innovation, developing-country governments should improve governance quality, particularly political stability, the rule of law, and voice and accountability. This is because the effects of FDI on innovation are amplified by those three governance indicators. The study's major limitation is that it has not yet investigated the potential mediating effects of governance variables; instead, it focuses solely on moderating effects. This leaves room for future investigation.

Novelty/origin of this study: This is one of the few studies that look at the role of governance indicators in moderating the relationship between inward FDI and innovation. The paper's primary contribution is the discovery that three governance variables, namely political stability, the rule of law, and voice and accountability, strengthen the positive relationship between inward FDI and innovation. These factors magnify the impact of FDI on innovation in developing economies.

Wellbeing determinants of household’s ability to make ends meet – A hierarchical regression model for Abu Dhabi

Masood Badri — 2022-12-02

Purpose of the study: This study investigates the factors that influence the ability of households to maintain the subsistence standard of living reported by the heads of households in Abu Dhabi.

Methodology: Drawing from 38,124 employed heads of households who participated in the Abu Dhabi Quality-of-Life (QoL) survey conducted in 2021, a hierarchical regression model was fitted, controlling for specific individual/household attributes.

Main Findings: The significant model identified several well-being determinants of a household’s ability to make ends meet. These determinants touch on various aspects of life, the most significant ones being satisfaction with household income, ability to save from previous earning cycles, and work-family balance. Two control variables – the education level of the head of the household and whether the family has a financial plan or not – were also associated with the household’s ability to make ends meet.

Research limitations/implications: It should be acknowledged that hierarchical regression helps better understand the ability of households to make ends meet; however, it does not precisely reveal the directions of associations between the dependent and independent variables. Therefore, a longitudinal study may be required to shed more light on the underlying mechanisms of relationships surrounding the ability to make ends meet.

Originality of this study: The outcomes could serve as insider intelligence for producing social programs and services to enhance the lives of households in Abu Dhabi.

The Moderating Effects of Institutional Framing on Authentic Leadership-Physical Asset Management Practices Relationships in Local Governments in Uganda

Peter Adoko Obicci — 2022-12-02

Purpose of the study: Resource scarcity forces governments to face institutional problems amidst a toxic leadership environment, making the management of physical assets progressively more challenging. This study examines the moderating effect of institutional framing on the relationship between authentic leadership and physical asset management (PAM) practices in Local Governments in Uganda.

Methodology: It is a cross-sectional study that uses a questionnaire to collect data from 261 employees of four selected LGs in Acoliland in mid-north Uganda. With the help of the statistic program for social scientists (SPSS) and Hayes’ (2018) analysis, the research established the moderating effect of institutional framing on the authentic leadership-PAM practices relationship.

Main Findings: Results indicate a positive and significant result between authentic leadership and institutional framing, as well as between institutional framing and PAM practices. It also shows that institutional framing fully mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and PAM practices.

Research limitations/implications: Given the current study is quantitative in nature, it stifles causal inferences from being drawn with regard to the results which are revealed in connection to the relationship between the studied variables. Also, the authenticity of the leaders to promote positive institutional framing may be considered as a guide in solving PAM practices problem issues.

Novelty/Originality of this study: The study is the first of its kind to examine the moderating role of institutional framing on the relationship between authentic leadership and PAM in a local government setting in a developing country.

Empirical Analysis Of The Effect Of Foreign Direct Investment On Health Status In Sub-Saharan Africa: What Role For Governance?

kossi Ayenagbo — 2022-12-02

Purpose of the study: This study aims to empirically examine how governance affects FDI's impact on the health of inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa as indicated by the region's infant and child mortality rates.

Methodology: The econometric approach is employed in this study. A dynamic panel model is used for a sample of 44 Sub-Saharan African nations encompassing 2002 to 2019 to produce empirical results. The Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) approach is utilized to accomplish the goals per the research and data established.

Main Findings: According to the study's results, foreign direct investment (FDI) considerably improves health by lowering baby and child mortality rates. The findings of this study also indicate that better governance, notably the prevention of corruption, has a positive impact on FDI.

Research limitation: The lack of data on a long series is the study's primary limitation. Future studies can concentrate on examining the role of governance in the long-term relationship between FDI and health, with a focus on the marginal impact of the two factors' interplay on health. As a result, it would be important to examine how sectoral FDI affects health outcomes in order to identify the primary pathways by which FDI can reliably affect population health.

Novelty/Originality of the study: This study is unique from other studies in that it suggests that efforts must be taken to fully capitalize on the benefits of FDI. In order to reach health goals, policymakers must use sound ways to enhance governance indicators in order to attract FDI further. Additionally, the quality of governance is a high key influencer of the characteristics that attract investors.