Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Interrelationships Among The Rice Export Prices Of Major Exporting Countries: In Search Of The Leader And Followers, Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb, Alvaro Durand-Morat

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

By examining the econometric interrelationships of rice export prices of India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, this study examines the most influential rice-exporting countries in the international rice export market. The sampled countries are the source of more than 80% of the global rice exports. In the process, this study relies on online data portals of the United Nations and country-level sources for aromatic and non-aromatic rice export price information from India, Pakistan, and Thailand. This study employed the Prais-Winsten and Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) estimation processes with the error correction procedure. Combining the findings from …

Bootstrap Inference For Quantile Treatment Effects In Randomized Experiments With Matched Pairs, Liang Jiang, Xiaobin Liu, Peter C B Phillips, Yichong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper examines methods of inference concerning quantile treatment effects (QTEs) in randomized experiments with matched-pairs designs (MPDs). Standard multiplier bootstrap inference fails to capture the negative dependence of observations within each pair and is therefore conservative. Analytical inference involves estimating multiple functional quantities that require several tuning parameters. Instead, this paper proposes two bootstrap methods that can consistently approximate the limit distribution of the original QTE estimator and lessen the burden of tuning parameter choice. Most especially, the inverse propensity score weighted multiplier bootstrap can be implemented without knowledge of pair identities.

Life Satisfaction Changes And Adaptation In The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Singapore, Terence C. Cheng, Seonghoon Kim, Kanghyock Koh

Research Collection School Of Economics

We provide novel evidence on how COVID-19 affected overall life satisfaction using a monthly longitudinal survey of middle-aged and older Singaporeans. We study how the subjective well-being of individuals evolves over the course of 18 months including the outbreak of the pandemic, the implementation of the lockdown and the spike of cases due to the delta variant in a country where COVID-19 is controlled in a sustained manner. Using an event-study design framework, we find large declines in overall life satisfaction in the lead-up to and following the lockdown. Fifteen months after the outbreak of the pandemic, and 13 months …

Obfuscation And Rational Inattention, Aljoscha Janssen, Johannes Kasinger

Research Collection School Of Economics

We study the behavior of duopolistic firms that can obfuscate their prices before competing on price. Obfuscation affects the rational inattentive consumers' optimal information strategy, which determines the probabilistic demand. Our model advances related models by allowing consumers to update their unrestricted prior beliefs with an informative signal of any form. We show that the game may result in an obfuscation equilibrium with high prices or a transparency equilibrium with low prices and no obfuscation, providing an argument for market regulation. Obfuscation equilibria cease to exist for low information costs and if one firm seems a priori considerably more attractive.

Migration And Resource Misallocation In China, Xiaolu Li, Lin Ma, Yang Tang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We structurally estimate the firm-level frictions across prefectures in China and quantify their aggregate and distributional implications. Based on a general equilibrium model with input and output distortions and migration, we show that the firm-level frictions are less dispersed and less correlated with firm productivity in richer prefectures. Counterfactual exercises show that reducing the within-prefecture misallocation increases aggregate welfare, discourages migration toward large prefectures, and reduces spatial inequality. Moreover, internal migration alleviates micro-frictions’ impacts on aggregate welfare and worsens their effects on spatial inequality.

The Distributional Impacts Of Transportation Networks In China, Lin Ma, Yang Tang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We document that the quality of roads and railroads vary substantially over time and space in China, and neglecting these variations biases the distributional impacts of transportation networks. To account for quality differences, we construct a new panel dataset and approximate quality using the design speed of roads and railroads that varies by vintage, class, and terrain at the pixel level. We then build a dynamic spatial general equilibrium model for multiple modes, transportation routes, and forward-looking migration decisions. Our findings demonstrate that disregarding quality differences leads to a median bias of approximately 31% in estimating real wage growth rates …

Panel Data Models With Time-Varying Latent Group Structures, Yiren Wang, Peter C. B. Phillips, Liangjun Su

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper considers a linear panel model with interactive fixed effects and unobserved individual and time heterogeneities that are captured by some latent group structures and an unknown structural break, respectively. To enhance realism, the model may have different numbers of groups and/or different group memberships before and after the break. With preliminary nuclear norm regularized estimation followed by row- and column-wise linear regressions, we estimate the break point based on the idea of binary segmentation and the latent group structures together with the number of groups before and after the break by sequential testing K-means algorithm simultaneously. It is …

Interim Regret Minimization, Wei He, Jiangtao Li, Kexin Wang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We consider a robust version of monopoly pricing when the seller only knows the bound on valuations and the mean of the distribution of the buyer’s value. The seller seeks to minimize interim regret, the forgone expected revenue due to not knowing the distribution of the buyer’s value. The optimal pricing policy randomizes over a range of prices; the support of the pricing policy is bounded away from zero.

Who Watched Pre/Post-Lecture Tutorial Videos? Does Flipped Learning Help Beginners In Economics?, Bei Hong

Research Collection School Of Economics

The modern-day classroom is characterized by academic diversity, with students from varied backgrounds and with different levels of prior knowledge. To cater to the diverse abilities of students, this paper explored the use of flipped learning as a teaching approach in an introductory economics course. We investigated the effectiveness of 40 pre-lecture videos covering basic concepts and 27 post-lecture tutorial videos focusing on practice in improving students' exam outcomes, especially for beginners in economics who may require more support from instructors than other students. We collected data about video engagement and students' grades in progress assessments. Surveys were conducted to …

Testing The Dimensionality Of Policy Shocks, Jia Li, Viktor Todorov, Qiushi Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper provides a nonparametric test for deciding the dimensionality of a policy shock as manifest in the abnormal change in asset returns' stochastic covariance matrix, following the release of a macroeconomic announcement. We use high-frequency data in local windows before and after the event to estimate the covariance jump matrix, and then test its rank. We find a one-factor structure in the covariance jump matrix of the yield curve resulting from the Federal Reserve's monetary policy shocks prior to the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The dimensionality of policy shocks increased afterwards due to the use of unconventional monetary policy tools.

Optimal Inference For Spot Regressions, Tim Bollerslev, Jia Li, Yuexuan Ren

Research Collection School Of Economics

Betas from return regressions are commonly used to measure systematic financial market risks. "Good" beta measurements are essential for a range of empirical inquiries in finance and macroeconomics. We introduce a novel econometric framework for the nonparametric estimation of time-varying betas with high-frequency data. The "local Gaussian" property of the generic continuous-time benchmark model enables optimal "finite-sample" inference in a well-defined sense. It also affords more reliable inference in empirically realistic settings compared to conventional large-sample approaches. Two applications pertaining to the tracking performance of leveraged ETFs and an intraday event study illustrate the practical usefulness of the new procedures.

The Economic Costs Of Political Instability: Evidence From Pakistan, Shahid Hussain, Falik Shear

Business Review

This study analyses the impact of Political Instability (PI) on economic growth. PI is referred as the frequent regime or government changes in a country. PI affects economic growth due to inconsistent and uncertain government policies regarding investment and trade, tax system, government spending and fiscal balance, debt structure, monetary policy, exchange rates and inflation. PI coupled with these factors affects internal and external investments and ultimately future economic growth rates. Employing data from Pakistan for the period of 1984-2018, a country with a long history of various episodes of political instability under various democratic and non-democratic regimes, this study …

Empowering Voices: Exploring The Career Trajectories Of Women Of Color Hr Professionals Amid Disruptive Change, Brandi R. Muñoz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated strategies to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives in organizational leadership, focusing on supporting women of color in the workplace. The specific problem addressed was the underrepresentation and barriers faced by women of color in leadership positions despite their potential contributions to organizational success. The study employed a qualitative approach, combining qualitative interviews with socioeconomic data analysis. Data collection methods included semistructured interviews with women of color and a survey to gather demographic and employment information. The sample consisted of 16 women of color human resource professionals working in various industries and organizational settings across the …

Rebung Garden : Blooming Dreams, Hasni Binti Mohd Hanafi, Azman Bin Jantan

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Rebung Garden, a family business established in 2019, has grown into a thriving enterprise dedicated to cultivating and selling rose plants. The garden's expertise lies in not only growing exquisite roses but also providing comprehensive plant care solutions using organic practices. In order to address the challenge of limited rose availability during the Covid-19 pandemic, Rebung Garden started cultivating their own-root roses, ensuring a steady supply and maintaining quality and variety. However, the garden faces additional challenges such as low brand awareness and operating within limited space.

A Conceptual Framework For Acceptance Of Autonomous Vehicle In Malaysia, Jen Sim Ho, Lily Yuzrina, Booi Chen Tan

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Mobility is evolving globally. Automated vehicle technology is consistently advancing with the development of Artificial Intelligence and information communication technology. The Autonomous Vehicle is acknowledged with the benefits of reducing traffic fatalities, reduced emissions and convenience. If autonomous vehicles are widely adopted, the Sustainable Development Goals could be achieved. Various studies have been conducted to investigate the psychological factors (internal) as well as assess the efforts of institutions (external) in promoting the adoption of autonomous vehicles. Nonetheless, there is very few studies examined the impacts of internal and external factors on the acceptance of autonomous vehicles simultaneously. Therefore, this study …

Impact Of Social Media Marketing On Gen Z'S Cosmetic Brand Awareness, Zhi Wei Lim, Yeu Chin Yong, Chi Hau Tan, Man Seong Chan

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

In this era of rapid technological advancement, the number of consumers browsing online information steadily increases. Social media platforms have emerged as a vital channel for communication and sharing information, making them the greatest option for conducting cosmetic business. Due to the scarcity of existing studies discussing the factors affecting brand awareness of cosmetic products, this research paper aims to examine the impact of social media marketing on brand awareness for cosmetic products among Gen Z in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 275 responses were collected using the snowball sampling technique. The data were analyzed through the utilization of multiple …

Indirect Effect Of Customer Relations On Leadership/Top Management, Employee Relations And Process Management In Examining The Readiness Of Smes To Implement Lean Initiatives, Mohammed Inuwa

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Before deployment of lean initiative, it is of great significance to examine the readiness of manufacturing SMEs to ensure they have the prerequisite for successful implementation. Consequently, in order to determine how prepared Nigerian manufacturing SMEs are to successfully adopt lean initiatives, the study measures the indirect effects of customer relations on leadership/top management, employee relations, and process management. Data for the study was collected from manufacturing SMEs and analyzed using Smart PLS-SEM 4.1. The study's conclusions demonstrate the substantial indirect effects that customer relationships have on employee relations, leadership/top management, and process management. Additionally, a positive correlation between employee …

A Qualitative Study Of Factors That Influence Entrepreneurial Intention Among Students Of Private Higher Education Institutions In Selangor, Kyra Law Ley Sy, Norizan Jaafar

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Entrepreneurship as a field of study has different sub-dimensions due to its usefulness in society, which makes it difficult to gain a holistic understanding of its key due to practical applications. A shift in generations creates a different yet unique business environment, especially in new business ventures. Younger generations have a different view and insight about entrepreneurship in small business. Thus, this study aims to seek deeper insight into entrepreneurial behaviour and intention among younger generations. Twenty semi-structured interviews with students from a higher private university in Malaysia were performed using the qualitative method. Using Nvivo 12, the interviews' transcriptions …

Enhancing Conversions And Lead Scoring In Online Professional Education, Wen Yang Yim, Khai Wah Khaw, Shiuh Tong Lim, Xin Ying Chew

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study seeks to enhance lead conversion for online professional education providers by using supervised machine learning algorithms for lead conversion targeting and lead scoring, including Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machines, Naïve Bayes, Random Forst, Bagging, Boosting, and Stacking. A lead dataset was used to train and test the machine-learning models. The Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) is used to establish a precise lead profile. The performance of the trained lead conversion models was evaluated and compared using the 10-Folds cross-validation method based on accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. The results show that Stacking is the best model with …

Effect Of Social Media Influencers On Generation Y Purchase Intention: Evidence From Men’S Skincare Products In Malaysia, Siew Yong Leong, Man Yee Yip, Chi Hau Tan, Man Seong Chan

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Although the demand for men’s skincare products is becoming increasingly popular in Malaysia, previous studies of social media marketing have shed little light on the effect of social media influencers on men’s skincare purchase intention. Therefore, this research investigates the effects of social media influencers’ attractiveness, trustworthiness, expertise, likability, similarity, and familiarity on purchase intention in men’s skincare products among Generation Y in Malaysia. An online questionnaire was implemented, and 279 respondents were gathered using the snowball sampling technique. After obtaining the desired responses, multiple regression analysis was adopted to examine the research model and hypotheses. The findings showed that …

Ranking Up The Social Media Factors On Purchasing Decision Of Malaysian Generation Y Customers, Yi Ling Chan, Rohaizan Ramlan

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Social media platforms offer marketing, information dissemination, direct customer contact and optimised availability of product and service information, which influences consumer behaviour, especially among Generation Y. Therefore, this study ranking up the social media factors such as electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), customer engagement, trust, brand image and advertising on the purchasing decisions of Generation Y consumers in Malaysia. 193 data were collected using Google Forms and face-to-face questionnaires. The data was then analysed using the Best-Worst method, which ranks the most important factors according to respondents' gender, income, and education level. One response was rejected because the value of …

Collaborative Learning Management System With Analytical Insights: A Preliminary Study, Daniel Lai, Lew Sook Ling, Ooi Shih Yin

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

The mode of teaching and learning had been drastically changed over the decades. Therefore, one approach might not fit into all scenarios. Collaborative learning promotes collaboration between the students in completing given tasks with common goals. In this paper, problem statements were formed: (i) the collaboration between students and their teachers in the virtual learning environment has been at the bare minimum, (ii) the learning management system implemented has not been fully utilised with the data and information collected academically. Moreover, systematic literature review (SLR) is practised to investigate insights about collaborative learning, learning management system (LMS) and analytical approaches …

Unpacking Qalb Behavioral Traits Through The Lens Of Maqasid Al-Shariah: A Pathway To Foster Inclusive Entrepreneurial Intentions In The Muslim Community, Mhd Louai Sarhan, Kamarulzaman Ab Aziz

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

In Malaysia, a worrisome trend is emerging as an increasing number of individuals find themselves trapped within the poverty bracket and the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) socioeconomic groups. To address the economic and social challenges faced by these marginalized communities and to contribute significantly to poverty reduction and overall well-being, inclusive entrepreneurship has emerged as a pivotal strategy. This study delves into the critical imperative of inclusive entrepreneurship, which often eludes existing quantitative measurements of societal well-being. These measurements frequently overlook the fundamental dimensions of social and psychological well-being inherent to inclusive entrepreneurship. Drawing from the Islamic framework of …

Spillover Effects Of Capital Controls: A Critical Review And New Agenda For The Future Directions, Biswajit Panigrahi, K.P Prabheesh

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

This study tries to undertake a critical review of the spillover effects of capital controls and their welfare implications. We provide a synthesis of the literature on both the theoretical and empirical literature on the spillover effects of capital controls. Furthermore, the role of similar economies (geographical region, and economic characteristics), direction-specific capital controls, global financial crisis (GFC), asset-specific capital controls and the compositional effect of capital flows are discussed to explore the degree and extent of spillover effects of capital controls policy. Similarly, the welfare implications of capital controls depend on the policy motive behind the imposition of capital …

Cost Of Capital And Climate Risk In The Indonesian Bonds Market, Maulana Harris Harris Muhajir

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

This study analyzes the impact of climate risk, cost of capital, and macroeconomic variables on the Indonesian bond market, focusing on non-ESG aware and ESG-aware bonds. Using a regression analysis, we found that the cost of capital has a significant negative effect on bond yields, highlighting the importance of policymakers focusing on initiatives that can lower the cost of capital for investors. Inflation rate was also found to have a significant positive effect on non-ESG aware bonds, which is a unique feature of the Indonesian bond market. We found that ESG-aware bond yields were negatively significant, indicating that investors are …

Cognitive Abilities And Individual Earnings In Hybrid Continuous Double Auctions, Yan Peng, Jason Shachat, Lijia Wei, S. Sarah Zhang

ESI Working Papers

There is growing evidence that human cognitive abilities strongly influence individual trader financial performance. Much of this evidence has been established in experimental asset markets whose participants are exclusively human traders. However, algorithmic trading has reshaped financial markets, raising the issue of whether these assessments on the impact of cognititive abilities still hold in these settings, particularly in markets with low latency algorithmic traders. Extending previous findings in experimental asset markets, we examine how individual cognitive abilities—reaction time, trader intuition (Theory of Mind), and cognitive reflection—affect human earnings in induced demand and supply markets with and without algorithmic traders of …

Does Inflation Targeting Anchor Inflation Expectations In India? Evidences From Surveys Of Household And Professional Forecasters, Irfan Ali Kc

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

This study examines whether inflation targeting (IT) anchors household and professional forecasters expectations in India. It investigates whether food and non-food inflation affect anchoring inflation expectations differently. Primarily, the results indicate significant decreases in the level and variability of expectations. Further, it provides evidence of successful anchoring for professional forecasters' and household expectations. However, it also found food inflation assist anchoring of expectations, while the non-food inflation doesn't. The results suggest the central bank to emphasize more on non-food inflation for better anchoring prospects. Additionally, the study identifies food inflation as the primary contributor to headline inflation variability.

Reinvigorating Gva Nowcasting In The Post-Pandemic Period: A Case Study For India, Kaustubh Na, Soumya Suvra Bhadury, Saurabh Ghosh

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

We reinvigorate nowcasting models considering structural changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasizes the need to understand the heterogeneous impact of shocks on agriculture, industry, and services sectors in an emerging market economy (e.g., India). Our findings advocate a bottom-up approach that tracks sectors separately rather than a headline number. Our results suggest including digital-activity index and supply-side disruption index in the post-pandemic period could improve nowcast performance. Expectation-Maximization (E-M) algorithm is used to combine data series based on their availability. Among bridging methods, the averaging method is preferred due to its simplicity and flexibility.

Digitalization And Economies Of Oic Countries, Mohsin Ali, Urooj Anwar, Mudeer Ahmed Khattak, Muhammad Umar Islam

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

This paper studies the impact of digitalization on the Organization of Islamic countries (OIC) economies. The study is conducted to see whether digitalization is playing its role in enhancing economic growth. We employ a panel dataset consisting of twenty-one years from 2000 to 2020 for 57 OIC countries. We use the system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. The results indicate that digitalization positively impacts the economies of OIC countries. As for policy implication, this study recommends governments of OIC member countries to invest in digital infrastructure in order to foster economic growth.

The Impact Of Social Media On Customer Behavior – Evidence From Lebanon, Nada Jabbour Al Maalouf, Jean Elia, Chadia Sawaya, Fawzy Boutros

Arab Economic and Business Journal

Purpose: This study investigates the impact of social media advertising on customer behavior; specifically its impact on customer decision-making through social proof, customer perceptions of brands, and customer loyalty. No studies tackled this topic in Lebanon and this gap was the main motive behind this study.

Method: A quantitative deductive method was employed and a questionnaire was sent to Lebanese customers to achieve the objective of the study. The final sample obtained is 147.

Findings: The findings revealed a positive correlation between social media usage, customer decision-making, customer attitudes and perceptions toward brands, and customer loyalty. The study's findings …