Humanities and Social Sciences Letters

Gender perspective on the determinants of health outcomes in selected Southern African countries

Olufunmilayo Olayemi Jemiluyi, Leward Jeke — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

Recurring global health concerns such as the COVID-19 pandemic served as perfect examples of the "health is wealth" discussion and contributed to a growing understanding of the strong relationships between multiple risks to global socioeconomic success and poor health. Another development is the inclusion of gender-specific health goals in the SDGs which have highlighted the critical role of women’s health in attaining global health and ending the cycle of poverty. This study aims at examining factors influencing women's health in two Southern African countries namely South Africa and Eswatini affected by a significant burden of disease. The regression outcomes show that female economic participation, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), female education, teenage pregnancy, income and urbanization have varying effects on female health outcomes in both countries using gender specific socioeconomic factors within the framework of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). This research engages policy makers and strategists in the health sector on the need to address gender disparities in formulating health policies. Moreover, policies and strategies aimed at fostering better health outcomes by solving national priority health challenges in particular the HIV/AIDS epidemic and health-risk behaviours should be prioritized.

Relationship of consumer behaviour in social media influences between perceived quality and brand awareness respectively towards brand image

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

This study aims to investigate how consumer behaviour in Malaysia is influenced by the characteristics of social media influencers who shape consumers' perceptions of drone quality and brand awareness. The research framework on brand recognition, brand loyalty and brand image were adopted from the previous literature. The Malaysian Gen-Z population with disposable income and who use social media are the target of this study. They were users of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and email. Convenience sampling was used to deliver online surveys. A total of 230 samples were successfully collected. The findings indicate that brand awareness and perceived quality are positively and significantly impacted by social media influencers while brand image is positively and significantly impacted by perceived quality but not brand awareness. Perceived quality acts as a mediator between social media influencers and brand image. An analysis of prior research frameworks and studies was conducted to assess the relationship between drone brand image and influencers. Drone research has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this will address some knowledge gaps. A thorough comprehension of the principles of perceived quality and brand awareness is necessary in order to better comprehend the role that social media influencers can play in marketing consumer drone brands.

Determinants of students’ satisfaction: Higher education perspective

Abu Rashed Osman, Mohd Hasanur Raihan Joarder, Mohammad Ali Ashraf — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

The intention of this paper is to verify students’ satisfaction through service quality, institutional image, and intake quality from a higher education perspective. To satisfy this objective, the study collected 303 data points randomly from North South University, Brac University, and United International University, the top three non-government institutions in Bangladesh. Results exhibited that service quality, institutional image, and the intake quality of students are statistically significant predictors of student satisfaction. As a result, these factors are appropriate for explaining student satisfaction. From a practical point of view, academicians, scholars, and practitioners should emphasize service quality, intake quality of students, and institutional image as major determinants of student satisfaction. It is challenging to maintain student satisfaction in institutes of higher learning. University administrators will have a great deal of opportunity to make useful judgments for boosting student satisfaction by comprehending this point of view and this study's conceptual model. Additionally, this research would have a big impact on both policymakers and academics. This study concentrated on aspects of higher education that students highly value. To fortify this conceptual model, the study incorporated "intake quality of student" as an independent variable for determining student satisfaction, which is a fairly extraordinary effort to expose a theoretical gap.

The influence of financial technology on profitability in Jordanian commercial banks

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

The aim of this study is to identify the influence of Financial Technology (FinTech) on profitability in Jordanian commercial banks. The convenience sample was surveyed using a descriptive cross-sectional approach. Questionnaires were used to collect the data. The study population consists of commercial banks. The tool was sent to employees of all Jordanian commercial banks through email, Facebook and Twitter in order to meet the researchers' target sample size of at least 381 participants. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The results showed an impact of financial technology (financing, money transfers and lending) on banks' profitability. The results of this study demonstrate that the adoption of FinTech solutions by banks has a significant impact on their profitability and position. Financing, money transfer and lending are crucial in determining a bank's profitability and overall success. Therefore, this study contributed to the growth of a new model that connects financial technology through financing, money transfers and lending to profitability and it added many topics related to financial accounting technology for increasing profitability in Jordanian commercial banks.

Role of self-efficacy, knowledge sharing, mediated adaptability and external environment change as moderators of readiness for change

Rismansyah, Mohamad Adam, Perizade Badia, Yuliani Yuliani — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0600

It is vital for higher education to improve its ability to anticipate and implement long-lasting change. Private higher education institutions are currently facing challenges in governance that hinder their ability to upgrade their accreditation grade to "excellent ". The involvement of institutional management is a key factor in enabling these institutions to compete on a national and international level. Research methodology uses confirmatory factor analysis to test the hypotheses developed while structural equation modeling is employed as the equation model. The sample population comprised 16 private tertiary institutions in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The study focused on the heads of study programs resulting in a total of 195 respondents. The results indicated that self-efficacy and knowledge sharing did not have a direct impact on readiness for change whereas adaptability exhibited a direct influence. The study demonstrated that adaptability acts as a mediator between self-efficacy and knowledge sharing towards readiness for change. The final model test results confirmed adaptability as a mediating variable. Additionally, the study revealed that external environmental change did not moderate the relationship between adaptability and readiness for change. Changes of a high calibre that promote a sustained digital education transformation are necessary due to the real-world effects on Indonesia's higher education system. The ability to adapt and embrace new technology is very important factors for higher education performance to face readiness for change in private higher education, especially in management units.

The relationship of social media celebrities’ attributes and online consumer behaviour towards Malaysian purchase intention

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0600

The goal of this study is to investigate the impact that online celebrities had and still have on Malaysian customers' intents and purchasing behaviours. The use and gratification theory, the source credibility model and the source attractiveness model are the three theoretical frameworks that form the foundation of this study. These models provide the foundation for this research. 384 respondents who are older than 18 and use social media provided answers to the questionnaire which takes the form of an online survey. SPSS software (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was used for the data analysis and regression analysis was chosen as the method to use in order to establish the significance of hypotheses based on the data collected in order to determine whether or not the data collected supported the hypotheses. This study found that in order for social media celebrities to successfully influence consumers' intentions to make a purchase through the internet, they need to demonstrate that they are reliable, appealing and knowledgeable. In the context of Malaysia, these are the characteristics that are particularly important in determining whether or not a customer will make a purchase over the internet.

The role of multiple directorships in minimizing idiosyncratic risk due to the presence of large shareholders: Evidence from Indonesian companies

Ani Siska My, Cynthia Afriani Utama, Arief Wibisono Lubis — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This study aims to evaluate the role of multiple directorships in the relationship between large shareholders and idiosyncratic risk in Indonesian companies for 2017-2021. The study model included dynamic panel data for estimation and a two-step GMM system to address endogeneity issues. Multiple directorships and long-term shareholders have low-frequency data whereas idiosyncratic risk is associated with high-frequency data. The robustness test employed the Fama-Frenchhee factor model while the single factor model was used to evaluate idiosyncratic risk. Indonesia adheres to a two-tier system that separates the roles and functions of the board of directors and the board of commissioners. Furthermore, the concentrated ownership structure of Indonesian companies can cause agency problems between large and small shareholders. The study results show that large shareholders can strengthen the relationships of busy directors to reduce idiosyncratic risk. As a result, this research recommends increasing the role of multiple directorships in monitoring and predicting business conditions internally and externally to minimize interference from large shareholders which can cause expropriation due to agency problems.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the MBI-SS questionnaire for Chinese art students

Zhang Meng, Lay Yoon Fah — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The 16-item Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) was translated into simplified Chinese (MBI-SS-C) and tested for reliability and validity among Chinese art college students. A sample of 437 students from a Beijing art college was analyzed. The MBI-SS-C with 16 items shows relatively poor psychological measurement characteristics for items 2 and 7. The remaining 14 items showed good validity and reliability after being removed. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the structural validity of the 14-item MBI-SS-C. The Cronbach alpha for the MBI-SS-C was 0.854, with the three subscales having Cronbach alpha of 0.898, 0.890 and 0.902. The 14-item MBI-SS-C has a moderate correlation with general self-efficacy (GSE) and high concurrent validity. The 14-item MBI-SS-C is a reliable tool for evaluating burnout in Chinese art college students and is simple and effective.

Human capital spillovers and plant productivity in ASEAN: Evidence from the plant panel data

Muhammad Arditya Rindimajangga — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This paper examines whether local human capital spillovers can affect plant productivity in three Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries using panel data from the World Bank enterprise survey between 2009 and 2015. According to the literature, spillovers in the form of human capital are critical for economic growth. The spillovers exist if plants can produce more in the region with the abundant number of skilled workers given their inputs. This study uses the augmented Cobb-Douglas production function to evaluate the influence of the non-production worker proportion outside the plant which serves as a proxy for skilled workers. The findings indicate that plant production is impacted by spillovers of human capital. This study finds that a 1 percentage point increase in the proportion of nonproduction workers within a region will enhance the productivity of plants in all regions by roughly 7.1–8.9 percent. Moreover, productivity rises are found to be higher for low-tech plants. According to the economic significance of these spillover effects, the value-added per plant will rise by US$ 330,000 or US$ 866.75 million for the manufacturing sector as a whole. According to the findings, policymakers should encourage plants to provide workers with additional training and raise the level of human capital through education.

Stalking in nurses and other health care professionals: Prevalence, consequences, and coping strategies

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The aim of this study was to analyze physical and psychological symptoms, anxiety and depression, and coping strategies in a group of Italian Health Care Professional who were victims of stalking. Nurses, who are primarily involved in the physical care of patients, were compared with other types of Health Care Professionals. For research purposes, we queried a database used in previous research between 2014 and 2019. This database was created in collaboration with six hospitals in the Italian territory. 1,971 health professionals between the ages of 18 and 60 who completed an anonymous questionnaire, including 265 self-identified stalking victims (116 nurses), provided the data. The results suggest that Nurses and Health Care Professionals are equally at risk of stalking, with experiences not differing significantly by role. The data collected to date suggests that Nurses are no more likely to be victims than Health Care Professional with other roles. Overall, it appears that all victims suffer from the stalking experience and have negative feelings that affect their ability to deal with the stalker. Health care organizations can assist health care professionals by offering informational courses about the phenomenon. At the same time, strategies could be offered to address potential misconduct that, if not prevented, may lead to an escalation in the number and severity of behaviors.

Accessing the influence of perceived brand authenticity and value co-creation on brand loyalty of China’s insurgent brands: The mediating role of psychological ownership

Hongru Ma, Shankar Chelliah — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This study is motivated by the need to thoroughly investigate the impact of perceived brand authenticity and value co-creation on brand loyalty within the context of China's insurgent brands. In particular, the study uses the psychological ownership theory to examine the mediating role of psychological ownership. The dynamic nature of the Chinese market underscores the significance of understanding how these factors influence consumer behavior and brand loyalty in this specific context. SmartPLS 3.0 software was used to conduct a thorough analysis of a substantial dataset consisting of 368 completed survey responses which were collected through a robust technique that included online survey questionnaires and purposive sampling. The findings demonstrate positive associations between perceived brand authenticity, value co-creation, psychological ownership and brand loyalty with psychological ownership serving as a mediating mechanism. This study underscores their role in propelling brand loyalty, thereby contributing to the growth and success of China’s insurgent brands emphasizing the importance of marketing strategies that prioritize authenticity, value co-creation and psychological ownership. Additionally, this research extends the application of psychological ownership theory to the distinctive landscape of China’s insurgent brands addressing a void in empirical research. The insights derived from this study provide valuable guidance for insurgent brands looking to foster brand loyalty in this specific context laying the groundwork for strategic marketing approaches in the dynamic Chinese market.

Impact of corporate culture on product innovation capacity: Evidence of Vietnam commercial bank

Ha Nguyen Thi Viet, Ha Nguyen Van — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the bank’s corporate culture on its product innovation in Vietnam. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to improve the bank's ability to innovate. Research hypotheses were put forth based on an analysis of the literature addressing the relationship between corporate culture and innovative potential. The data was obtained from the survey conducted in 2021 with 268 participants from 18 banks in Vietnam. SPSS software was used to verify the research hypotheses. According to the empirical findings of the regression model, creative culture and leadership are the two essential elements through which corporate culture influences Vietnamese commercial banks' creative product offerings. The study’s results are expected to help bank managers use direct efforts and resources in the most effective and efficient way to encourage the bank’s product innovation. Banks in Vietnam need to focus on building a culture that fosters innovation. The leaders of a bank need to be proactive in encouraging changes and taking risks to remain relevant in the market. Moreover, fostering and raising awareness of business culture among bank staff is of utmost importance. The bank needs to have a reasonable customer policy and clearly define the bank's vision and core values and create a culture of good behavior in the bank culture. The bank's product innovation capacity would be improved by promoting these values in the workplace.

The role of human resources management in the development of total quality management in the public and private sectors in Jordan

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of human resources management (HRM) in the development of total quality management (TQM) in Jordan's public and private sectors. This study used a quantitative research technique to assess the study sample's characteristics and investigate the link between HRM practices and TQM in Jordan's public and private sectors. There were 235 Jordanians in the research sample who were used by the public and private sectors in the HRM department. . A simple random sampling method was applied to ensure that every participant had a similar chance of being included in the research. A questionnaire with elements relating to HRM practices and total quality management was used to collect data. The results indicate that human resources planning, training, and performance evaluation play significant roles in the development of TQM in both the public and private sectors in Jordan. However, organizational bonuses demonstrate a weak relationship with TQM. As a result, institutional policymakers may greatly benefit from HRM and TQM by achieving strategic objectives and enhancing overall performance. This entails creating standards for quality, identifying risks, streamlining processes and guaranteeing customer satisfaction. The study recommendations can be made based on the mutual relationship between HRM and TQM to improve integration and make the most of this relationship such as by developing integrated training programs and integrating individual goals with quality goals.

Remittances and economic growth: Evidence from South Africa using ARDL in the presence of structural breaks

Mduduzi Biyase, Thomas Udimal, Mathias Manguzvane — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between remittances and economic growth in South Africa, using data running from 1970 to 2019. We utilize the ARDL bounds testing approach to explore the relationship between remittances and economic growth, incorporating control variables and addressing structural breaks. Our findings suggest that the structural change in economic growth occurred in 2008 during the global financial crisis, while the break point for remittances emerged in 1997. After taking into consideration the presence of structural breaks, our study found the estimated coefficient for remittances to be statistically significant at the 1% level of significance. The coefficient is negative, indicating that remittances have a negative impact on economic growth. This result is robust to alternative estimators, including the fully modified least squares technique and the impulse response function. Despite employing different estimation methods, the consistent finding of a negative relationship between remittance inflows and economic growth underscores the reliability of our conclusion. Being a recipient of remittances, it is appropriate for a study of this nature to guide policy makers in formulating appropriate policies to benefit from the full impact of remittances, diversify the economy, and reduce reliance on remittance inflows.

The moderating effect of the role of accrual basis application controls on the association between government rules application controls on the quality of financial reporting

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This study aims to investigate the combined impact of governance regulations and controls on the accuracy of financial reporting. The study also sought to determine how the application controls for the accrual basis affected the link between governance rules and financial reporting quality. A questionnaire research methodology was used to evaluate the study's postulated model. Only 242 of the 348 completed surveys were returned and could be used. The partial least squares method was applied to structural equation modelling. The statistical results confirmed the influence of application constraints on governance norms on the calibre of financial reporting. The influence of governance rule application controls on the calibre of financial reporting was also shown to be mitigated by application controls on an accrual basis. This study, like others has limitations on the variables, years, nation and sample. As a result, several restrictions and recommendations for further research investigations are given at the end of this study. Additionally, the market might use the study's conclusions to help management strengthen their financial reporting inadequacies. This is a rare and unique empirical study that examines the relationship between financial reporting quality and governance rules application controls (GRAC) and takes into account both the influence of GRAC on financial reporting quality and the moderating effect of accrual basis application controls (ABAC).