• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.113-122
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• 2016

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized the world and has profound impact on the social and economic development of a country. Implementation, practice and accessibility of ICT is viewed as an integral part of any countries' strategy today. These new technologies are becoming popular due to their ability to produce, distribute and provide instant access to massive information in no time. ICT has pervaded almost every aspect of human endeavor that may include health, education, economics, governance, entertainment etc. Tourism is one such vital industry that find enormous application of ICT in its strategic and operational level, to promise long term benefits and enhance economic growth. Tourism industry in western world and some developed countries of Asia have applied ICT for more than 30 years, and have gained tremendous benefits. Nepal which is also growing as one of the favourite tourist destinations lacks proper implementation of ICT in this industry. In our study we examined how the ICT can play a vital role in developing the tourism industry of Nepal. This study is an exploratory research based on primary data collected from tourist visiting Nepal, supported by information from tour operators, government agencies, NGOs and INGOS. A framework is devised on the basis of data and information collected and finally, discussions elaborate on the prospect and challenges of implementation of ICT in tourism industry of $Nep{\grave{a}}l$.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2017

Purpose - While microfinance institutions(MFIs) from Bangladesh, such as Grameen Bank, received worldwide recognition and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, however, there is a paucity of research that provided a comprehensive discussion on the characteristics of the microfinance industry. Hence, the aim of this paper is to discuss some important aspects of the microfinance sector in Bangladesh. Research design, data, and methodology - This study used secondary sources of data, such as annual reports of the Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) and the World Bank database in its descriptive analysis. Results - This study found that Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in her socio-economic and economic development in the last few decades. It is also generally perceived that microfinance has placed significant contribution on such socio-economic development. While microfinance observed unprecedented growth domestically, however, the regulatory framework is still rather weak, and a majority of the MFIs are found to be concentrated in the well-off areas (e.g., Dhaka, Chittagong etc.). Conclusions - The findings are significantly important for the parties who are interested to know the microfinance sector in Bangladesh. To some extent, the findings of this study will provide policy implications that may benefit the industry.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.9
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• pp.177-187
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• 2021

The purpose of the research to evaluate the efficiency and productivity growth rate of some Vietnamese commercial banks in the period 2008-2020. Using input and output selection theory, the author selected 2 models, estimating the efficiency for model 1 and estimating the yield change for both the models. We have built a model to estimate the efficiency and calculate as well as decompose the productivity growth of Vietnamese commercial banks during the period of active mergers and acquisitions activities in the banking system. Based on the results of the efficiency estimation, TFP shows during mergers and acquisitions, efficiency fluctuates but in an inverted U-shape (increasing from 2008-2011 but decreasing from 2013 to 2020). The estimated results of the impact assessment model show that FDI reduces the efficiency of banks. Productivity analysis shows that 6 out of 23 banks in the study period had positive TFP growth (tfpch > 1) due to technical progress and management efficiency. The findings of this study suggest that Vietnam's commercial banking system has many opportunities to improve operational efficiency in many aspects. In which, there are opportunities to increase credit, improve governance as well as improve the technology level of each bank. In addition, along with traditional products such as deposits and loans, diversification with a wide range of products and services is an important factor to enhance customer experience and demand in commercial banks.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.189-216
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• 2019

The frequent occurrence of overwhelming disasters necessitates risk communication systems capable of operating effectively in disaster contexts. Few studies have examined risk communication networks during disasters through social networking services (SNS). This study therefore investigates the patterns of risk communication by comparing Korean and international networks based on the social amplification of risk communication in the context of the Sewol ferry disaster (SFD). In addition, differences in language use and patterns between Korean and international contexts are identified through a semantic analysis using KrKwick, NodeXL, and UCINET. The SFD refers to the sinking of the ferry while carrying 476 people, mostly secondary school students. The results for interpersonal risk communication reveal that the structure of the Korean risk communication network differed from that of the international network. The Korean network was more fragmented, and its clustering was more sparsely knitted based on the impact and physical proximity of the disaster. Semantic networks imply that the physical distance from the disaster affected the content of risk communication, as well as the network pattern.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.31-41
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• 2021

Purpose: This study estimates the threshold values of institutional quality through investigating the non-linear effect of six sub-indices of Worldwide Governance Indicators on FDI inflows in 34 developing countries in Asia and Eastern Europe over the period from 2000-2017. Research Design, data and methodology: GMM EGLS is employed which does not include the lagged value of the dependent variable as an independent variable. As a proxy for the institutional quality, either one of the six sub-indices of WGI from World Bank or the composite index obtained through a principal component analysis is used in a separate model. Results: An improvement in institutional quality, when the quality stays below a certain threshold level, does not increase FDI inflows, and only when the quality is above the threshold, it can positively influence FDI inflows. The threshold values of political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, and rule of law are relatively higher than those of the other dimensions of WGI. Conclusion: Institutional quality of the developing economies of Asia and Eastern Europe has a non-linear effect on FDI inflows. The target countries need to upgrade their institutional quality above the threshold in order to attract more FDIs.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.1171-1180
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• 2021

This study aims to investigate the impact of the multimarket contract on risk-adjusted profitability. Risk-adjusted profitability is measured in terms of risk-adjusted return on assets. This study employs dynamic panel data of 27 commercial banks in Vietnam using the GMM estimator to test the multimarket contact hypothesis in the Vietnamese banking sector. The results show that there is a negative impact of multimarket contact on the profitability of banks. Multimarket contact, deposit to asset ratio, non-interest income to total income, GDP growth rate, Worldwide Governance Indicator (WGI), and operating cost to assets are the major determinants of risk-adjusted profitability of commercial banks. Our main findings show that Vietnamese banks' focus to increase the multimarket contact may lead to lower profitability and there is evidence that supports theory predictions, since the average number of contacts among banks, bank size, and capitalization are positively related to risk-adjusted profitability. The study has policy implications for commercial banks in that they should not only focus on interest as a source of income and diversify their income source from non-interest income as well since it helps to improve risk-adjusted profitability for them.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.1217-1230
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• 2021

Using a multinomial logit model with the panel-data set of Vietnam manufacturing firms, this paper investigates the impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI) - small and medium enterprises (SMEs) linkages and other factors on SMEs' participation in the global value chain (GVC). We consider GVC firms are those engaging in any of the three modes including (i) using domestic inputs to export (D2E), (ii) using imported inputs to produce for the domestic market (I2P), (iii) using imported inputs to export (I2E). We discover that FDI-SME linkages statistically encourage Vietnamese SMEs to integrate into the GVC via I2P and I2E, while no statistical association between FDI-SME linkage and D2E participation is found. GVCs participation likelihood is also positively correlated with the introduction of new product introduction. The establishment of firms' production facilities in industrial zones and foreign ownership are both reported to be significantly decisive factors to SMEs' decisions on GVC participation. Besides, there is a strong association between firms' attributes, i.e. employment, capital intensity as well as financial access, and their participation in the GVC. Local governance quality (proxied by the Provincial Competitiveness Index) and the share of skilled labor at the province-level can facilitate firms' integration into GVCs, while greater market concentration may be a hurdle to such potential.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.7
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• pp.323-331
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• 2021

This paper examines the relationship between ownership structure and level cash holdings in an emerging country, namely, Saudi Arabia, by constructing a corporate governance mechanism (foreign ownership, family ownership, institutional and managerial ownership). This paper uses data from 100 listed firms at Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL) from 2011 to 2019. The firm's decision to hold cash has come to the fore in the last two or three years as a result of the recent global financial crisis, and the impact that this has had on the firms' ability to raise funds from external sources. Using the random-effect generalized least square (GLS) regression model, the findings reveal that foreign and family ownership negatively influences cash holdings, while managerial ownership has a positive association with cash holdings. Further, institutional ownership did not have a direct effect on cash holdings in Saudi Arabia. Our results suggest that ownership structure include foreign ownership, family and managerial ownership is an essential vehicle to promote the performance of cash holding of all the 100 public-listed non-financial firms in Saudi Arabia. We recommend that sound policies should be targeted toward foreign ownership, family, and managerial ownership since they are essential to improve cash holding in Saudi Arabian firms.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1-5
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• 2019

Purpose - Along with the rise of foreign investments in the Korean stock market, there has been a variety of studies on their influence. The conflicting findings on the question of information asymmetry of foreign investors among existing literatures appear to be a result of mixture of research method problems, what information is defined as being comparable, individual business levels, or the entire stock market. This paper empirically investigates what factors contribute to foreign investments in firms in the Korean stock market. Research design, data, and Methodology - Samples are constructed by manufacturing firms listed on the stock market of Korea as well as those who settle accounts in December from 2001 to 2018. Financial institutions are excluded from the sample as their accounting procedures, governance and regulations differ. This study adopted the panel regression model to assess the sample construction including yearly and cross-sectional data. Result - This paper find that firms' R&D, dividends, size give significant positive impact to foreign investment, whereas debt gives significant negative impact to foreign investment. This relationship does not change when the samples are divided before and after the 2008 global financial crisis. Conclusion - This results support the literatures that foreign investors favor firms lowering their information asymmetry.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2022

Purpose: This study established the state of the utilisation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Zimbabwean urban district councils to manage municipal knowledge. The way municipal knowledge and service delivery information are managed influences the usefulness and accessibility of the information to the various stakeholders. The effective management of this information thus determines the quality of decisions made by Zimbabwean urban councils. Research design, data and methodology: The study adopted a single case study design, employing a purely qualitative research approach. The purposive sampling technique was used to select key informants who participated in the study. Collected data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: The findings revealed that the Masvingo City Council was not fully utilising ICTs to manage service delivery knowledge. It has been at a minimum level in cases where they have been used. Conclusions: This research contributes to the Zimbabwean local government body of knowledge, providing the evidence needed to form a basis for future research, focusing on knowledge management and information technology utilisation in municipal organisations. The researchers recommended that Masvingo City Council direct more resources towards improving the existing ICT infrastructure and employee training programmes to improve the management of the organisation's knowledge.