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This study aims to identify the convergence of financial sector development and the effect of macroeconomic variables on each financial sector development indicator in Asia. The sample used consists of 24 countries in Asia during the period 2010-2018. Identification of convergence using ?-convergence absolute and conditional. Indicators are used to represent the development of the financial sector namely private credit, liquid liabilities, stock market capitalization, and stock market turnover. Empirical evidence was based on the Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimation technique. The results showed that there was convergence in Asia and that macroeconomic variables had a significant effect on the development of the financial sector.

Islamic work ethics of Muslim employees is substantial, as many previous studies show its role in the sound performance of the employees. This study aims to propose the measurement model of Islamic work ethics for Muslim employees in the banking industry. This study identifies eight dimensions of Islamic work ethics upon intensive literature review: religiousness, collectivity, equality, effort, quality, work obligation, competition, and advantage. Based on these dimensions and through certain systematic stages, this study develops a measurement consisting of 47 items. The contribution of this study is to provide a more suitable measurement that can be used by following empirical research to assess the profile of Islamic work ethics for Muslim employees, both for Islamic banking and conventional banking.

Kenya is rapidly urbanizing at an annual rate of about 4.3%. One of the consequences of urbanization has been the problem of food insecurity in peri-urban areas. Increased migration to urban from rural areas has enhanced food insecurity in these areas. The peri-urban area of Kangundo-Tala in Machakos County is one of the fastest-growing peri-urban areas due to its proximity to the capital city of Nairobi. This study investigated the impact of home gardening in enhancing food security in the rapidly urbanizing middle-income Kangundo–Tala peri-urban areas of Machakos County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were: to identify the causes of households’ food insecurity in the study area; to examine the factors influencing the adoption of home gardening and; to establish the role of home gardening as a measure of households’ food security. To measure food security, three consumption behaviors were analyzed: consumption changes, food expenditure reduction and income expansion. A qualitative approach was adopted where a total of 120 newly settled households were interviewed. The three main causes of food insecurity were identified (i) small land sizes, (ii) low and erratic rainfall and, (iii) the socialization of peri-urban dwellers. About 68% of the households were practicing at least one form of home gardening. The need for safe and nutritious food, seasonal unavailability, and inaccessibility of food encouraged the establishment of home gardens. From the gardens, households were able to diversify their diets, access safe food and have food readily available. With enhanced stability in food availability, accessibility, and utilization, the study concluded that home gardens played a major role in enhancing food. However, the production was at a very small scale. Up-scaling of home gardening by the Ministry of Agriculture through training was recommended.    

This study examines the effect of credit access on both agricultural and off-farm activities based on a household survey of 371 rural farmer respondents in Ethiopia.it was analyzed using a logistic regression model and statistical description. Findings demonstrated that the demographic factors; gender, age, level of education, and family size have a positive and significant effect on credit access. Agricultural credit access is impacted by each of the demographic variables as independent variables. On the other hand, the result indicated that the relationship between credit access and non-farm economic activities has a negative relationship. Credit access has a significant effect on agricultural intensification and specialization rather than diversification. Therefore, a comprehensive policy and strategy needs for credit access in both the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. The Ethiopian government should follow the integration policy between both sectors and participate in livelihood diversification strategies and achieve sustainable development goals by 2030 at large.

This paper examines how employee empowerment impacted the South African public sector. A qualitative research approach was utilised based on the narratives and stories of seven employees operating in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa from the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affair Tourism (DEDEAT) and East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) gathered through the use of in-depth interviews. It was found that the concept of empowerment has not been fully institutionalised in the Public sector. The research suggests strategies that managers can adopt to assist instutionalise Employee empowerment in the Public sector. This study extends and advances the literature on employee empowerment and more particularly psychological empowerment. The study found employee empowerment to be a vital tool to improve service delivery in the Public sector. However, it was found that more personalised approaches like delegation and mentorship can be institutionalised for psychological empowerment purposes. In general, the findings indicated that Employee empowerment has a positive influence on organisational performance and service delivery.

This study aims to find out how social media marketing activities influence consumer equity through brand equity in a culinary brand. The study sample is men and women, 200 respondents, within the age range of 18 to 30 years old This study uses quantitative methods and questionnaires as data collections tools. The data was then analyzed using SmartPLS with the Structural Equation Modelling approach. It is found that social media marketing activities positively influence consumer equity through brand equity in culinary brands. Customer equity is also indirectly affected by brand equity. Therefore, this research can be a basis for future research in social media marketing activities within the scope of culinary brands especially in the context of small-medium enterprises.

The aim of the paper is to analyze the sustainability of cryptocurrency in blockchain technology in African countries for securing financial business transactions. Following the subprime crisis that shook the world economy, a new perception of money has emerged. It is a fully digital currency whose transactions are made through a distributed network. This algorithm-encrypted currency, reputed to be tamper-proof, transparent and inclusive, relies on a distributed network called the Blockchain. By comparison with traditional registers in which operations are paginated and successively recorded, transactions in blockchain technology are aggregated within the chain of blocks. It is decentralized since it is replicated on several geographic sites around the world. It enables peer-to-peer transactions, automated in real-time, reliable, secure, without intermediaries and non-repudiable. To ensure maximum security during financial transactions, blockchain miners use cryptography. This distributed system is, therefore, a major technological innovation capable of securing the financial infrastructure and mitigating failures by reducing operational risks. According to our analysis based on the Merkle tree model and blockchain energy consumption, the sustainability of cryptocurrency is a major issue for developing countries. Especially in Africa, its practicality poses a number of constraints.

This study aims to determine the effect of business diversification on stock prices by mediating company performance, represented by the variable ROE and EPS in a fluctuating coal price situation. The data used are 16 companies engaged in coal mining in Indonesia and listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2012 to 2019. Using two analysis methods: path analysis to examine direct and indirect relationships between variables and different tests to see differences in the performance of companies that diversify and do not diversify. The results showed that coal commodity prices had a significant positive effect on stock prices and indirectly, through ROE and EPS, had a significant positive impact on stock prices. Business diversification directly has a significant negative impact on stock prices and indirectly through EPS positively affects stock prices. Business diversification provides a substantial difference to EPS and does not provide a significant difference to ROE.

Despite the institutionalization of operational risk management in banks and the strict supervision of bank regulators, operational risk events are still on the increase. It is becoming evident to banks that there is a need to identify the drivers of this risk and nib it at the root to reduce the probability of recurrence. Hence, this study examined the drivers of operational risks in Nigerian commercial banks and the extent to which each driver contributes to operational risk. To achieve the study’s objectives, primary data were collected from the Operational Risk Management Desks of six (6) sampled commercial banks and analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The result showed that Internal processes, IT systems and Quality of Risk Officers are determinants of operational losses in banks. The internal process was however indicated as having the most impact. The study concluded that Internal Process is the major driver of operational risk in Nigerian Commercial banks. The researcher, therefore, recommends that bank management must have defined procedures for core activities and prioritize regular review of their critical processes to reduce operational risk events and the associated costs.

This study discusses the influence of relationship conflict, turnover intention, and employee performance of Gladish Medical Center General Hospital on work burnout as a mediator. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the influence of relationship conflict on work burnout as a mediator on turnover intention and employee performance of Gladish Medical Center General Hospital Pesawaran. Researchers use census technique with 70 respondents who are employees of Gladish Medical Center General Hospital Pesawaran. The analytical test uses SmartPLS v.2.0 with SEM (Structural Equation Modelling) analysis method. The results reveal that relationship conflict has a positive and significant influence on turnover intention. Work burnout is proven to mediate the influence of relationship conflict on turnover intention. While relationship conflict has no significant influence on employee performance. Work burnout is proven to mediate the influence of relationship conflict on employee performance. Relationship conflict has a positive and significant influence on work burnout. Work burnout has a positive and significant influence on turnover intention. Work burnout has a negative and significant influence on employee performance.