Current Issue : July - September Volume : 2012 Issue Number : 3 Articles : 6 Articles
The wide use of the global system for mobile communication (GSM) and its influence on various\r\naspects of the society is yet to be empirically investigated. This paper examined the relationship\r\nbetween GSM usage and socio-economic characteristics (sex, marital status, age, education, income,\r\noccupation and employment) of the GSM-owners. The study sample consisted of 2,500 households in\r\nthe study area. Systematic sampling technique was used to select every tenth building on the identified\r\nstreets. In a multi-family dwelling, random sampling was used to select one household. The data\r\ncollected were analysed using multiple linear regression. The study reveals that the higher the socioeconomic\r\nstatus of GSM-owners, the higher the use of GSM phone (F5\r\n2,494 = 214,503, p =0.05). Education\r\n(2 = 22.5%) and occupation (2 = 27.7%) were the most significant explanatory variables in the use of\r\nGSM phone. The paper recommended that transport planners in Lagos need to develop alternative\r\nintra-city transport systems. This can be achieved through a shift to the development of other land\r\ntransport systems by policy makers....
The article discusses about influence of accession to world trade organization (WTO) on Iran''s carpet\r\nindustry compatibility. Results of applying Pearson and regression tests show that by joining the world\r\ntrade organization, carpet industry compatibility will be increased, domestic corporate resources will be\r\nimproved, more international market segments will be captured and the industry''s creativity strength\r\nwill be promoted. Then the compatibility dimensions levels were calculated which compatibility and its\r\ndimensions apart from ââ?¬Å?creativity and innovation strengthââ?¬Â had placed in the suitable situations. Then\r\nthe dimensions weighs were been indicated by Friedman technique in direct order: industry''s creativity\r\nand innovation strength; situation in the international market place; and domestic corporate resources.\r\nThe most important strategies for improving current situation are: raising advertisement and marketing\r\nresearches, production in terms of global customer needs, making exporters accustom to modern\r\ninternational marketing methods and e-commerce to maintain market segments....
In the last decade, many experts in nutrition and wellness have anticipated the key role of \r\ninnovative foods in helping consumers to have a healthy lifestyle. This study analyzes a series of \r\ncomplex key drivers that influence the food business, taking into account experiences of agri-food \r\nproducers from Italy and Romania. There have been identified a series of operational flows that \r\nslow down the development of this industry, mitigating the synergy among research and \r\ndevelopment (R&D), sales and marketing functions. One of the findings of this research is that the \r\nidentified communication barriers among food technologists/engineers and marketing experts \r\ncould evolve into business unethical approaches (e.g. deceptive packaging, creation of \"false needsââ?¬Â, \r\netc.) that could mislead consumers, hinder their knowledge and freedom of choice, thus driving \r\nhealth risks. A smooth integration of traditional values in the food design is essential to assure the\r\nproper balance between scientific research, cultural background and values in order to enhance \r\nconsumersââ?¬â?¢ health. This paper concludes that food companies should integrate local/traditional \r\nrecipes into their new products to assure superior communication and consumer understanding of \r\nthe newly discovered bio-active ingredients and to drive consumersââ?¬â?¢ acceptance, positive attitudes \r\nand receptivity towards the new aliments....
In the 2011 Malaysian budget announcement, it was stated that the recent economic crisis, saw a number of businessmen and individuals with financial problems being declared bankrupt. Personal and corporate insolvency can have a debilitating effect on the economy and society as a whole. The recent public ââ?¬Ë?bail outsââ?¬â?¢ of big American companies have set in motion a rethinking of insolvency laws. This paper examines the calls for reform of the insolvency laws in Malaysia. It looks at the objectives of insolvency laws in general, identifies the most common causes for insolvency in Malaysia and goes on to study the possible areas for reform....
The main aim of this paper is to analyse, compare and summarize the strong and weak points of the\r\nmost widely cited performance measurement systems on the basis of literature review. Specifically,\r\nthe literature review was conducted with the goal to searching papers and case studies that are\r\ndirectly or indirectly concerned with performance measurement systems or models. Based on\r\ndifferent background, characteristics and premises, comprehensive view on strengths and\r\nweaknesses of each system in the aspect of performance measurement is provided. The performed\r\nanalysis presents that every conceptual performance measurement system has a clear theoretical\r\nbackground, but seldom provides detailed guidance on how a company should design its unique\r\nmodel. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further research focused on fulfillment of the company\r\nspecific measurement needs, particularly at the operational level....
The simultaneous achievement of financial and social objectives assigned to microfinance institutions\r\nis a challenge. Showing good financial performance (good profitability) and having a high depth of\r\noutreach (serving the poor) may be contradictory. Therefore, these \"banks for the poor\" are facing a\r\ntrade-off that can lead to mission drift. To verify the existence of this fact, we have analyzed the\r\nrelationship between financial performance and depth of outreach from a sample of 64 microfinance\r\ninstitutions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, from 2008 to 2010. Our results showed\r\nthat the relationship is neutral, but we were able to confirm the presence of a trade-off that stems from\r\nthe desire of microfinance institutions to reduce their portfolio at risk. However, we did not find that a\r\nhigher portfolio at risk is associated with poorer clients, and hence a not justified mission drift. We can\r\ntherefore conclude that microfinance institutions can well and truly achieve their double objective\r\n(social and financial) and thus fulfill their ââ?¬Å?ultimate promiseââ?¬Â....
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