Normative Violence in Domestic Service: A Study of Exploitation,Status, and Grievability

Journal of Business Ethics - This paper contributes to business ethics by focusing on consumption that is characterized by normative violence. By drawing on the work of Judith Butler this study of...     

Predicting the antecedents of consumers' intention toward purchase of mutual funds: A hybrid PLS-SEM-neural network approach

The current study intends to identify the behavioural antecedents of investors' attitude and investment intention toward mutual funds using a robust SEM-ANN approach. It focuses on novel factors in the purview of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing digitalization and social media usage. The research outcome indicates that attitude (ATB), awareness (AW) and investment decision involvement (IDI) have a significant positive relation with investment intention (BI). In contrast, perceived barrier (PBR) negatively relates to investment intention. Herd behaviour (HB) and social media influence (SMI) do not influence investment intention toward mutual funds. Moreover, all the tested predictors share direct relation with the attitude toward mutual fund investment, barring perceived risk (PR), which has an inverse relationship. As per the outcome of ANN sensitivity analysis, attitude is the most crucial determinant of investment intention. It is followed by awareness (AW), perceived barriers (PBR) and investment decision involvement (IDI). Among the significant determinants of attitude, self-efficacy (SE) is the most important determinant, followed by perceived usefulness (PU), perceived emergency (PEMER), subjective norms (SN) and perceived risk (PR).     

The value of 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrums in India and implications for auction design

The sequence of events leading up to the upcoming auction of 1800 MHz spectrum in India has led to the auctions acquiring an extraordinary significance for the future of the Indian mobile industry. A key feature of the auction design proposed by the regulator TRAI is the benchmarking of the reserve price of 1800 MHz to the price of 2100 – 3G spectrum revealed in the 2010 auction. In the context of the low number of LTE devices available and the fragmentation in the 1800 MHz band, this paper proposes reducing the duration of spectrum holding to ten years (from the current level of twenty years), and calibrating the reserve price of 1800 MHz with its value with GSM deployment. An economic model is used to compute the value of startup and incremental 1800 MHz spectrum. The estimated values are shown to differ from the value of 2100 MHz spectrum at a pan-India level and also in their distribution across circles. A new set of reserve prices are computed based on the estimation. The estimated values are also shown to be close to the AGR-adjusted price revealed in the 2001 auction. A reserve price based on the 2001 auction is also provided. Concomitant features of the auction are suggested to give coherence to the auction design.     

Assessment and Prediction of Groundwater using Geospatial and ANN Modeling

In semi-arid regions, the deterioration in groundwater quality and drop in water level upshots the importance of water resource management for drinking and irrigation. Therefore geospatial techniques could be integrated with mathematical models for accurate spatiotemporal mapping of groundwater risk areas at the village level. In the present study, changes in water level, quality patterns, and future trends were analyzed using eight years (2012–2019) groundwater data for 171 villages of the Phagi tehsil, Jaipur district. Kriging interpolation method was used to draw spatial maps for the pre-monsoon season. These datasets were integrated with three different time series forecasting models (Simple Exponential Smoothing, Holt's Trend Method, ARIMA) and Artificial Neural Network models for accurate prediction of groundwater level and quality parameters. Results reveal that the ANN model can describe groundwater level and quality parameters more accurately than the time series forecasting models. The change in groundwater level was observed with more than 4.0 m rise in 81 villages during 2012–2013, whereas ANN predicted results of 2023–2024 predict no rise in water level?>?4.0 m. However, based on predicted results of 2024, the water level will drop by more than 6.0 m in 16 villages of Phagi. Assessment of water quality index reveals unfit groundwater in 74% villages for human consumption in 2024. This time series and projected groundwater level and quality at the micro-level can assist decision-makers in sustainable groundwater management.

     

The Option and Decision to Repurchase Stock

Open‐market repurchase programs provide firms with the flexibility to manage the cash and risk aspects of their operations. We examine at which stage cash and risk matter in the typical stages of a repurchase program: announcement, implementation, and withdrawal. Cash and risk considerations appear to matter only at the implementation stage, and partially negate the traditional signaling effect around program announcement.     

Is Japan's trade (still) different?

Does Japanese trade in manufactured goods differ from the rest-of-the world average and from the US? We use a simple industry-level gravity model and 1981–1998 data to answer this question. We construct a measure of normalized imports by dividing bilateral industry-level imports by the importer's aggregate absorption and the exporter's industry output. We find that Japan imports less than other countries, but also exports less than other countries. Relative to the US, Japanese export performance is half as strong today as it was in the mid-1980s. Bilaterally, Japan is more open to imports from the US than the US is to imports from Japan. This means that the US runs a trade surplus with Japan in normalized imports of manufactured goods. J. Japanese Int. Economies 17 (4) (2003) 507–519.     

Coordination of planning and scheduling decisions in global supply chains with dual supply modes

We address the problem of coordinating aggregate planning decisions and short-term scheduling decisions in supply chains with dual supply modes. We consider long lead time, less expensive sea shipments that are based on demand forecast, and responsive but costly air shipments that are based on revised forecast closer to the demand period. The planning problem determines the sea shipment order quantity and inventory level, while the scheduling model determines the schedule and quantity of air shipments. Results from our numerical experiments suggest that our model leads to consistent cost improvements over a wide range of operating scenarios.