Paulo de Andrade Jacinto, Eduardo Pontual Ribeiro and Tulio Cravo
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate skilled labor demand determinants in Brazil, considering alternatives explanations: changes in relative wages, non-homothetic technology…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate skilled labor demand determinants in Brazil, considering alternatives explanations: changes in relative wages, non-homothetic technology output growth and skill-biased technical change.
Design/methodology/approach
This study relies on a rich and unique matched employer-employee data set for manufacturing sector, from 1996 to 2003. The analysis considers a translog functional form labor demand system estimated using seemingly unrelated regression and instrumental variables to control for possible measurement errors and wages and output endogeneity.
Findings
The demand function estimates suggest that: labor demand underlying technology is non-homothetic, research and development investment is biased toward skilled workers, the non-homothetic technology is not skill biased so output changes contributed positively for skilled labor increase, relative wages played a significant role and international trade has little explanatory power explaining labor demand shifts.
Originality/value
This is the first paper that considers alternative explanations for the increase in the demand of skilled workers for manufacturing in Brazil simultaneously: changes in relative wages, output changes with non-homothetic technology, skill-biased technical change and, to a lesser extent, international trade. The study challenges current empirical evidence that considers trade and trade liberalization as the main factor explaining labor demand shifts.
Details
Keywords
Sayeda Zeenat Maryam, Ashfaq Ahmad, Nauman Aslam and Sadia Farooq
The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of attitude and adoption intention of Islamic banking among the potential customers in Pakistan. The conceptual framework…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of attitude and adoption intention of Islamic banking among the potential customers in Pakistan. The conceptual framework is investigating the influence of salient beliefs (consisting of personal factors and external factors) and theory of planned behavior (TPB) construct, i.e. attitude and social influence on Islamic banking adoption intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
To realize the objective of the research, 500 questionnaires were distributed among the potential customers of Islamic banking in Pakistan. A purposive sampling technique was used; 375 questionnaires were returned, whereas only 300 were used for analysis. To test the model, structural equation modeling was conducted by using an algorithm and bootstrapping techniques, and the most important factor is identified through the importance performance map analysis model.
Findings
The findings of the research revealed that the attitude has immense importance. It is a strong determinant of Islamic banking adoption intention among potential customers. Second, it is fully mediating the relation of cost benefits, reputation and support for business and the adoption intentions of Islamic banking. However, attitude is partially mediating the relation of religious obligations, social influence and the criterion variable.
Research limitations/implications
This research is articulating literature by incorporating external and personal factors along with TPB’s constructs, i.e. attitude and social influence and tested the attitude as an intervening variable to explain the relation with adoption intention of Islamic banking. The unfolding results spring up a broad spectrum to policymakers and practitioners of Islamic banking by suggesting the push and pull strategies.
Originality/value
Numerous studies conducted to find the influencing factors of adoption intention of Islamic banking, but this research is identifying the determinant of attitude along with adoption intentions. This research is contributing to the existing research by taking reputation (brand image), cost benefits and government support along with religiosity, which is an important factor but is ignored in previous research. Theoretically, this research is contributing to the TPB by giving a scenario of salient beliefs along with attitude and social influence because beliefs play an important role in building the adoption intention of the subject.