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This paper explores how expatriates deal with host country informal business practices that differ from their home country institutional frameworks. We note that expatriate business people working in emerging markets of Africa often contend with corrupt business practices rooted in local informal institutions and the lack of strong formal institutions regulating business practices. We also observe that while local people take informal institutions such as magendo, as a way of life and adjust to them, expatriates being ‘outsiders’ respond in different ways. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological design that involved in-depth interview of a small sample of expatriates operating in Uganda. For data analysis, NVivo 11 was used to search for and retrieve chunks of labelled data. The key findings indicate that expatriates from countries with strong formal institutions experience the most frustrations and often reject informal business practices. On the other hand, expatriates from countries with weak institutions are more pragmatic and easily adapt to existing practices in the new environments. Multinationals however, often reject informal business practices due to their market power and strict codes of conduct.The study recommends that small-medium category expatriates targeting Africa need to align with influential local people so as to navigate business informalities that characterise informal business environments.

This research examined the impact of Basel III capital regulation (BCR) on credit risk (CR) using a sample of 25 commercial banks in Lebanon over the period 2012–2017. BCR is measured using the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) and the common equity tier one ratio (CET1 ratio), CR is measured using net provision for credit losses /total assets. To analyze the data, we constructed a hybrid model based on 3 statistical approaches. First, we modelled the dual impact of BCR and CR using probabilistic inference in the framework of Bayesian Belief Network formalism (BBN). Second, to highlight more about the correlation between BCR and CR, we used Spearman correlation test as a nonparametric approach. Third to study the simultaneous effect of CAR and CET1 ratio on CR we applied multivariate regression analysis. By analyzing the probabilistic inference for the first approach we concluded that there is an effect of BCR on CR especially for the high level of CET1 ratio, but when we investigated more if this effect is significant using the Spearman correlation test and the multivariate regression analysis, we concluded that there is no effect statistically significant of Basel III capital regulation (BCR) on credit risk (CR).

The contemporary economy has changed dramatically and moved from the industrial age to the information age, pushing businesses to embark into a predominantly intangible economy. Thus, and in addition to solid and liquid value, there is a gaseous value which is the intangible capital. This exploratory study of 14 Lebanese companies analyzed with the “Tropes” software focuses on the constituent elements of intangible capital, its place within these companies and its contribution to the creation of value. This work concludes a first proposal for the classification of the components of intangible capital.

The telecommunication industry is different from other industries in the basis of innovation rate. This industry continuously provides end users with new technological generations and disruptive technologies. Due to the complexity of the nature of the product served, telecommunication industry is an important case to study in order to explain the real reasons for the challenges facing telecom companies. Researching in this area will explain why some companies survive while others fail. The wide range served technology innovations is most likely to result in rapid mutation of consumers’ spending habits thus directly influencing the mobile phone companies. The aim of this is to test the reliability of innovations and its impact on companies’ profitability. For that purpose, a survey with 200 end users and 20 employees from two telecom providers (“Alfa, and “Touch”) was conducted to investigate various disruptive and conventional means and their impact on the financial performance of telecom industry. The results show that most of the revenue of telecom industry comes from usage of data while the industry is lacking for competition, and quality services while charging high tariffs for customers. Currently customers are migrating to data, therefore performing a pressure on the industry to improve its services. To conclude, network operators need to decide what to they want to sacrifice and how far they want to go to reach targeted results.

<p><em>This paper employs a quarterly time series to determine the timing of structural breaks for interest rates in USA over the last 60 years. <strong>The Chow test</strong> is used for investigating the non-stationary, where the date of the potential break is assumed to be known. Moreover, we empirically examined the deviation from an assumed interest rate as given in a standard Taylor rule and consequences on financial sectors. The empirical analysis is strengthened by analysing the rule from a historical perspective and look at the effect of setting the interest rate by the central bank on financial imbalances. The empirical evidence indicates that deviation in monetary policy has a potential causal factor in the build up of financial imbalances and the subsequent crisis where macro prudential intervention could have beneficial effect. Thus, our findings tend to support the view, which states that the probable existence of central banks has been one source of global financial crisis since the past decade.</em></p>

This paper employs a quarterly time series to determine the timing of structural breaks for interest rates in USA over the last 60 years. The Chow test is used for investigating the non-stationary, where the date of the potential break is assumed to be known. Moreover, we empirically examined the deviation from an assumed interest rate as given in a standard Taylor rule and consequences on financial sectors. The empirical analysis is strengthened by analysing the rule from a historical perspective and look at the effect of setting the interest rate by the central bank on financial imbalances. The empirical evidence indicates that deviation in monetary policy has a potential causal factor in the build up of financial imbalances and the subsequent crisis where macro prudential intervention could have beneficial effect. Thus, our findings tend to support the view, which states that the probable existence of central banks has been one source of global financial crisis since the past decade.