Senjuti Saha, Somnath Hazra and Tuhin Ghosh
The decision of livelihood based on the embankment characters is essentially multivariate. Making an effort to do the bivariate modelling may eliminate the useful socio-economic…
Abstract
Purpose
The decision of livelihood based on the embankment characters is essentially multivariate. Making an effort to do the bivariate modelling may eliminate the useful socio-economic information in the interdependent and simultaneous adaptation choices (Dorfman, 1996). Hence, the more appropriate method is multiple-choice decisions to livelihood adoption based on the embankment category. The purpose of this study is to find out whether the inhabitants of Sundarban really consider embankment as their “lifeline”, what they think about its sustainability and what the outer world thinks about the embankment.
Design/methodology/approach
To analyse this study, the multinomial logit (MNL) model has been used. This model gives a platform to study the influence of the factors on livelihood choice decisions. In this MNL model, the livelihood decisions are categorized based on their primary livelihood status at the survey. Thus, the choice of livelihood among individuals is explained in terms of the livelihood and the household characteristics.
Findings
This result can possibly explain the fact that increasing population or man power and increasing annual income and protection from embankment failure may reduce the need to choose any other form of economy apart from the indigenous one, as the society is dominated by farmers who own very small plots of land and face consequences like crop failure every year because of natural calamities. A unit increase in annual income would result in a 0.53% decrease in the probability of choosing labourer as occupation and 0.57% decrease in the probability of choosing fishing/“meen” collection as occupation.
Research limitations/implications
The district is vast enough, and it is difficult to study all the blocks. Initially, nine blocks were identified as affected blocks from various literature reviews. Those blocks are Sagar, Patharpratima, Kultali, Gosaba, Kakdwip, Canning I, Canning II, Namkhana and Basanti. Pilot surveys were done to all those nine blocks identified above. After such a long and rigorous procedure, blocks were verified from available secondary data. Villages from vulnerable and less vulnerable parts of the later mentioned blocks are picked up as purposive sample, and household surveys are done on the basis of random sampling.
Social implications
If the year of schooling is enhanced, then the tertiary sector gets benefited, but the indigenous society of Sundarban cannot depend on such a sector as the scope for development is very limited. Consequently, policies aiming at promoting adaptation to challenged livelihood need to emphasize the crucial role of providing basic needs for better production techniques; and more investment in this sector will surely enable villagers to adapt cultivation following age-old tradition.
Originality/value
The study uses the MNL model to investigate the factors guiding household choices of different occupational adaptation methods, and cultivation is found to be the automatic choice for the inhabitants of Sundarban. Cultivation is impossible without embankment. Thus, the embankment in Sundarban is considered, as “lifeline” is established. So it can be said that livelihood in this region depends on the stability of embankment. This age-old structure is susceptible to vulnerability because of its unscientific construction and improper maintenance. The main objective of this study is to find out whether the inhabitants of Sundarban really consider embankment as their “lifeline”, what they think about its sustainability and what the outer world thinks about the embankment.
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Arti Sharma, Sushanta K. Mishra, Arunava Ghosh and Tuhin Sengupta
The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the cultural and ethical dimensions revolving around the issue of female feticide; to apply the lens of institutional theory…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the cultural and ethical dimensions revolving around the issue of female feticide; to apply the lens of institutional theory with respective change management measures; and to analyze and evaluate the impact of such intervention programs such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao in the context of emerging economies such as India.
Case overview/synopsis
This case attempts to highlight the innovative and effective governance approach by the Government of Rajasthan (India) and, in particular, the State Health Assurance Agency to curb the menace of female feticide and the rising cases of abortion and sex determination in an attempt to favor a male child. The case concentrates on mainly three dimensions of Indian societal ecosystem, namely, the grave concern of preference of male child over female child leading to widespread cases of female feticide in different states in India with specific focus on the state of Rajasthan; the role of cultural dimension which primarily drives such preferential treatment in rural and urban areas in India; and the importance of using effective policy measures in monitoring various activities, introduction of incentive schemes to patients for preventing sex determination and promoting the birth of female child.
Complexity academic level
This case can be used as a teaching material in the Public Policy course – Social Welfare and Health Policy, Policy interventions, organization theory and change management at the Graduate/MBA level.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 10: Public Sector Management.
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Tuhin Sengupta and Arunava Ghosh
In May 2016, Sarita Digumarti, Chief Operating Officer of Jigsaw Academy in Bengaluru, India, faced a challenging situation. Jigsaw Academy provided online courses in data…
Abstract
Synopsis
In May 2016, Sarita Digumarti, Chief Operating Officer of Jigsaw Academy in Bengaluru, India, faced a challenging situation. Jigsaw Academy provided online courses in data analytics and Big Data at the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels for students as well as working professionals. It was perceived that plenty of students from premier institutions in India had a high level of theoretical knowledge about the process involved in number crunching and data analysis; however, the hands-on experience on actual business problems or actual data sets was a major limitation with these students. Given the rapid growth of the analytics sector and the limited number of academic institutions offering analytics courses, there was a lack of availability of the right skills in the analytics market. Jigsaw Academy seized this opportunity and started offering relevant courses. All efforts were made to enhance the number of students enrolling for the courses, which in turn resulted in improving its customer base. Realizing the demand of industries for employees skilled in the analytics sector, Jigsaw Academy wanted to grow its brand equity and to achieve this through business to business (B2B) collaborations and/or alliances. However, expansion through B2B has its own challenges. Given the competitive landscape of analytics market, Jigsaw Academy was wondering whether they should opt for B2B channel, and if yes, the question was related to the process of choosing potential B2B partners.
Research methodology
The authors have collected the data from primary sources as well as secondary sources. Primary sources include field visits and audio-recorded interviews conducted with key departmental heads in the organization. Secondary sources include data retrieved from the company website and the relevant information available about the industry with the assistance of the internet. Except the founder’s name, all other names are disguised to protect the individual’s privacy as per instructions from the founders of Jigsaw Academy.
Relevant courses and levels
This case can be used at the graduate or MBA level in courses such as entrepreneurship, sales and distribution management, strategic alliances and mergers.
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Rifat Fariha, Md. Mukarrom Hossain and Ratan Ghosh
This study is designed and directed to analyze the effect of board characteristics and audit committee attributes on the firm performance of publicly listed commercial banks of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is designed and directed to analyze the effect of board characteristics and audit committee attributes on the firm performance of publicly listed commercial banks of Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach
Thirty publicly listed commercial banks of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) have been taken as sample for this study. Data have been collected from annual reports between 2011 and 2017 of the assessed banks. Pooled OLS model has been used for running regression model of this study.
Findings
Board independence has a negative and significant relationship with ROA and Tobin's Q. However, Board Independence has a positive and significant relationship with Stock Return. On the other hand, Board Diversity has a negative and significant relationship with ROA and ROE, which implies inefficiency of diversified board members in the context of Bangladesh. Family duality has a positive and significant relationship with ROA and a negative and significant relationship with Stock return. Board Meeting has a positive and significant relationship with ROA. Audit Committee Size has a negative and significant relationship with Tobins' Q. Independence of audit committee chairman has a negative and significant relationship with Tobin's Q and Stock Returns. Presence of non-executive directors and number of audit meetings have no significant relationship with any of the predicted variables.
Research limitations/implications
Among all variables of the board characteristics, role of independent directors and participation of female directors have conflicting results in this study. This has raised a question about the fair appointment independent directors and their objective view on the board. Female directors' role is not convincing in the context of Bangladesh as most of the commercial banks are family-owned. Policymakers can tighten and supervise the appointment of independent directors to ensure good governance in the banking sector. Moreover, role of audit committee and independence of audit committee chairman have generated conflicting results in terms of market-based performance measure.
Originality/value
Banking sector of Bangladesh experiences huge corruption in the form of excessive NPLs and poor management quality which results in low profit for the firm. This study has explored the problems of management quality and flaws of audit committee which is hampering overall growth of banking industry. Improvement of independent directors' appointment and audit committee formation and reporting will certainly help banking industry of Bangladesh to improve overall performance.
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Thanh Thanh Thi Hoang and Huu Cuong Nguyen
This paper aims to measure the COVID-19-related disclosure extent of listed firms in Vietnam and its associated factors.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to measure the COVID-19-related disclosure extent of listed firms in Vietnam and its associated factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors apply a previously developed reporting framework to evaluate the disclosures of 100 listed firms with the largest market capitalization on the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh stock exchanges as of 31 December 2021. The disclosures were from integrated reports, annual reports, corporate governance reports and financial statements. The authors then used a regression model to examine the factors that influenced the disclosures, such as corporate governance, ownership concentration and firm profiles.
Findings
The research results reveal that the extent of COVID-19-related disclosure in Vietnam is relatively low. It also finds that the audit committee, firm size, age and industry are positively associated with the extent of COVID-19-related disclosure.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine COVID-19-related disclosures of listed companies in Vietnam and their determinants. It contributes significantly to the empirical evidence in this field. The findings of this study can help corporate managers and policymakers to improve information disclosure practices during future financial crises.
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Md. Asadul Hoque, Md. Anwarul Kabir Bhuiya, Md. Saiduzzaman, Md. Ashadul Islam and Mubarak A. Khan
This paper aim to comparatively study of mechanical properties of gamma radiation treated raw and polyethylene glycol modified bleached jute reinforced polyester composite. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aim to comparatively study of mechanical properties of gamma radiation treated raw and polyethylene glycol modified bleached jute reinforced polyester composite. The natural fiber-reinforced composite has been a wide area of research, and it is the preferred choice due to its superior physical and mechanical properties like low density, stiffness and light weight. Among several natural fibers, jute is one that has good potential as reinforcement in polymer composite. Jute fibers biodegradability, low cost and moderate mechanical properties make it as a preferable reinforcement material in the development of polymer matrix composites.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present work, raw jute fabrics-reinforced polyester composite (as RJPC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified bleached jute fabrics-reinforced polyester composite (as MBJPC) were fabricated by the heat-press molding technique at 120°C for 5 min at a pressure of 5 tons. Prior to the composite formulation, low lignin content bleached jute fabrics were chemically modified with PEG for the better compatibility of the fabrics with the polyester matrix and enhancing elongation properties. All the composites irradiated with different gamma radiation dose in the range of 2 to 14 kGy.
Findings
The irradiated composites showed highest improved of mechanical properties at the 10 kGy γ-radiation dose. However, the hard and sunlight-sensitive high lignin content γ-RJPC showed higher mechanical properties except elongation properties compared to that of low lignin content γ-MBJPC.
Originality/value
After the γ-ray irradiation, both the γ-RJPC and γ-MBJPC developed high degree of cross-linking among the polyester molecules and thereto fabrics with the consequence of significant changed of surface morphology as observed by atomic force microscopy.