Loan repayment performance of clients of informal lending institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 260-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goodluck Charles ◽  
Neema Mori

Purpose The purpose of this article is to examine the effects that dynamic incentives and the borrowing histories of clients of informal lending institutions have on loan repayment performance, in particular, the extent to which multiple borrowing and progressive lending affect the repayment of loans. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a data set of 835 borrowers drawn from an informal lending institution in Tanzania. Descriptive analysis and econometric models are used to test the developed hypotheses. Findings Whereas clients with multiple loans are associated with poor loan repayment, progressive lending contributes to positive repayment outcomes. Multiple borrowers face increased debt levels and thereby an increased inability to meet their repayment obligations; in contrast, progressive lending by building up a lender–client relationship helps clients to obtain higher loans with a minimum amount of screening. Research limitations/implications This was a cross-sectional study based on a sample of individual clients drawn from a single institution. However, since the majority of clients had also taken out loans with other financial institutions, the sample is considered to be representative. Practical implications A client’s past repayment performance and multiple loan history must be assessed so that multiple borrowing can be prevented and credit absorption capacity can be gauged more accurately. The repeated nature of the interactions and the threat to cut off any future lending (if loans are not repaid) can be exploited to overcome any information deficit. Originality/value This study was conducted in a context in which the degree of information sharing was low and institutional access to clients’ credit histories was limited. It contributes knowledge on how lenders minimise the risk flowing from the ex ante information gap and moral hazards arising from the ex post information gap.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desta Markos Minamo

Abstract Introduction Contrary to the recommendation, children under the age of 6 months be exclusively breastfed, many infants are also fed with other liquids such as water, non-milk liquids, and other milks before 6 months. Because of level of education and proportion of employed women in Ethiopia has been increasing gradually. Consequently the practice of exclusive breastfeeding became very lower. The main objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and factors associated with the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among employed and unemployed mothers in Ethiopia, using dataset from EDHS 2016. METHOD Data was extracted from Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS-2016). A total of 1089 mothers with infants aged 0 to 6 months in the data set were included in the analysis. Descriptive analysis, chi-square and binary logistic regression models were used. RESULT This study has demonstrated a 64.7%, 95%CI(58.9-70.5) and 75.4%, 95%CI(72.378.2) prevalence of EBF practices among employed and unemployed mothers respectively in the 24h preceding the survey. Other factors associated with EBF practice included being unemployed mother, larger to normal birth weight; infant aged 0-3 month old, infant being male, have radio in the house, infant being wanted, delivery by non CS mode and presence of ANC follow up during pregnancy were found to be significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding practice. Conclusion the prevalence of exclusive breast feeding practice among employed mothers was significantly lower than that of unemployed mothers. Thus, Having in consideration the impact of appropriate infant and young children feeding practice on children’s nutritional status and mortality rate, policy makers still need to give more emphasis on promotion of exclusive breastfeeding through creating an enabling environment targeting the extension of postnatal maternity leave up to the first six month.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Fearne

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to explore the distribution and pricing characteristics of Airbnb listings in Malta as at May 2019; and to develop a pricing model to determine the factors which have a statistically significant impact on price per night of listings. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive analysis of location and pricing of listings was undertaken via heat mapping techniques. A cross-sectional ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was run to determine the statistically significant variables. Findings Listings tend to cluster around not only in traditional tourist towns but also in rural areas which opens up new opportunities for tourist lodging. The Southern Harbour region was found to be the most expensive with the Gozo and Comino region being the least expensive. The coefficients of the pricing regression model were in line with a priori expectations. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a cross-sectional data set and thus fails to account for seasonal changes in prices. Likewise, the use of an OLS regression without incorporating quantile regression methods or spatial autocorrelation econometric techniques is another limitation of this study. Originality/value The paper is one of the few related to sharing economy rental platforms, particularly in Malta. It is also the first study in Malta to develop a comprehensive pricing model to determine what affects a listing’s price per night and the extent to which certain factors do so.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arndt Lautenschläger ◽  
Heiko Haase ◽  
Jan Kratzer

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate contingency factors on the emergence of university spin-off firms. The institutional and organisational factors the paper explores comprise the transfer potential of the university, the strategy and characteristics of the University Technology Transfer Organisations and specific support for spin-off formation. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a unique data set, this cross-sectional study analyses the population of 54 higher education institutions in Germany. At this, 31.4 per cent of the German universities with technology transfer activities participated in this study. Findings – The research identifies a high degree of heterogeneity in the qualification of University Technology Transfer Offices (UTTO) staff and the existence of an entrepreneurship support programme as important antecedents of spin-off formation. In addition, the results reveal that pursuing different or multiple transfer strategies will not be detrimental to the establishment of spin-offs. Practical implications – It seems that there is still a lack of consensus with respect to the importance of spin-offs as an effective channel to transform research results into economic value. Furthermore, universities aiming at the promotion of spin-offs need appropriate regulations which do not jeopardise the usage of research outcomes for entrepreneurial purposes. Originality/value – This study contributes to enhance the knowledge on what promotes and inhibits the formation of university spin-off firms, as it first analyses a considerable population of UTTOs in Germany and explicitly considers underexplored and new contingency factors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiling Zhuang ◽  
Barry Babin ◽  
Qian Xiao ◽  
Mihaela Paun

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a new framework that shows how different signals of movie quality along with key control variables affect consumers’ post-consumption evaluations, critics’ reviews (CR), and movie box office revenues. Design/methodology/approach – The data set consists of a sample of 332 movies released between 2000 and 2008. Regression was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings – The results suggest that the three signals of movie quality exhibit different effects on three movie performance measures. Of the three cues, the peripheral quality signal is positive related to movie box, moviegoers’ evaluations (ME), and CR. Furthermore, star performance quality is positive related to both ME and CR. Surprisingly, overall quality signal does not display any influence on movie performances. Research limitations/implications – The primary limitation is the use of cross-sectional study design and future research should apply for time-series technique to test the relationships between movie quality signals and movie performances. Practical implications – The findings suggest that consumers and critics evaluate movie qualities based on various movie quality signals. Furthermore, the characteristics of movies also have mixed impacts on movie performances. Movie studios may take these findings into account to produce better movies. Originality/value – This study proposes and empirically tests the impacts of three groups of movie signals – peripheral quality signal, star performance quality signal, and overall quality signal on motion picture performance. This study contributes to service quality literature and signal theory by categorizing different Academy Awards into three groups of quality signals and by empirically testing the proposed relationships.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-211
Author(s):  
Sidra Sarwar ◽  
Sara Khalid ◽  
Tahir Mahmood ◽  
Hadeeqa Jabeen ◽  
Shahid Imran

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are not only becoming prevalent among health care professionals in our country but are affecting their health and performance adversely. They are caused by poor ergonomics and awkward posture during work activities. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in dentists of Lahore, Pakistan. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during October 2017 to March 2018. The data was collected using convenient sampling technique from 162 Dentists including 52 males and 110 females of Children hospital Lahore, Punjab Dental hospital and Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore. Data was collected by using Mangalore Questionnaire for identification of musculoskeletal disorders. Descriptive analysis of the data was done using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Of 162 dentists, 115 (71%) suffered from musculoskeletal disorders. Shoulder was the most commonly affected region (30.9%) followed by neck (25.9%), arm (6.2%), wrist (4.3%), elbow (3.1%) and forearm (0.6%). Pain (45.7%) was found to be the most common complaint followed by muscle weakness (20.4%), paraesthesia (3.7%) and swelling (1.2%). Conclusions: It was concluded that majority of the dentists were suffering from musculoskeletal disorders with shoulder as the most affected region and pain as the most frequent complaint. Key words: Dentists, Musculoskeletal disorders, Neck pain, Upper extremity


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically investigate determinants of financial distress among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the global financial crisis and post-crisis periods.Design/methodology/approachSeveral statistical methods, including multiple binary logistic regression, were used to analyse a longitudinal cross-sectional panel data set of 3,865 Swedish SMEs operating in five industries over the 2008–2015 period.FindingsThe results suggest that financial distress is influenced by macroeconomic conditions (i.e. the global financial crisis) and, in particular, by various firm-specific characteristics (i.e. performance, financial leverage and financial distress in previous year). However, firm size and industry affiliation have no significant relationship with financial distress.Research limitationsDue to data availability, this study is limited to a sample of Swedish SMEs in five industries covering eight years. Further research could examine the generalizability of these findings by investigating other firms operating in other industries and other countries.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine determinants of financial distress among SMEs operating in Sweden using data from a large-scale longitudinal cross-sectional database.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110304
Author(s):  
Ravindra Ganesh ◽  
Aditya K. Ghosh ◽  
Mark A. Nyman ◽  
Ivana T. Croghan ◽  
Stephanie L. Grach ◽  
...  

Objective Persistent post-COVID symptoms are estimated to occur in up to 10% of patients who have had COVID-19. These lingering symptoms may persist for weeks to months after resolution of the acute illness. This study aimed to add insight into our understanding of certain post-acute conditions and clinical findings. The primary purpose was to determine the persistent post COVID impairments prevalence and characteristics by collecting post COVID illness data utilizing Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®). The resulting measures were used to assess surveyed patients physical, mental, and social health status. Methods A cross-sectional study and 6-months Mayo Clinic COVID recovered registry data were used to evaluate continuing symptoms severity among the 817 positive tested patients surveyed between March and September 2020. The resulting PROMIS® data set was used to analyze patients post 30 days health status. The e-mailed questionnaires focused on fatigue, sleep, ability to participate in social roles, physical function, and pain. Results The large sample size (n = 817) represented post hospitalized and other managed outpatients. Persistent post COVID impairments prevalence and characteristics were determined to be demographically young (44 years), white (87%), and female (61%). Dysfunction as measured by the PROMIS® scales in patients recovered from acute COVID-19 was reported as significant in the following domains: ability to participate in social roles (43.2%), pain (17.8%), and fatigue (16.2%). Conclusion Patient response on the PROMIS® scales was similar to that seen in multiple other studies which used patient reported symptoms. As a result of this experience, we recommend utilizing standardized scales such as the PROMIS® to obtain comparable data across the patients’ clinical course and define the disease trajectory. This would further allow for effective comparison of data across studies to better define the disease process, risk factors, and assess the impact of future treatments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 975.1-975
Author(s):  
H. Azzouzi ◽  
O. Lamkhanat ◽  
I. Linda

Background:Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is one of the risk factors for the calculation of the 10 years fracture probability assessed by the FRAX tool.Objectives:The aim was to study the association of disease activity and the 10 year fracture risk probability by the FRAX tool in our RA patients and their impact on fracture prevalence.Methods:Cross-sectional study of the association FRAX and disease activity score (DAS 28 CRP) was designed. Patients with RA were included. Mean DAS was calculated for each patient adjusted on his follow-up duration. Data about patients (demographic, disease characteristics and fracture assessment) were collected. The 10 year fracture risk probability for major osteoporotic fracture was calculated with and without BMD (bone mineral density) using the FRAX tool for Morocco. Descriptive analysis and regressions were performed with SPSS.20. p<0.05 was considered significant.Results:One hundred and ninety nine RA patients were included with mean age of 55.5±12 years. Women represented 91% and 40.1% had osteoporosis. Remission was observed in 86.4% with 95.5% taking methotrexate. 17.1% had vertebral fractures. FRAX and DAS were associated (p=0.03), and both explained vertebral fracture (VF) prevalence. When adjusted on disease parameters, FRAX with and without BMD explained the vertebral prevalence (p=0.02, OR=1.09[1.01-1.19]). However, age remains the only predictor of VF when adjusted on osteoporosis factors (DAS28CRP, menopause, BMI, smoking, diabetes, gender, steroid use, HAQ) and FRAX BMD.Conclusion:Persistent disease activity was associated to high 10 year fracture risk probability calculated by the FRAX tool in RA.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Wolvaardt ◽  
R Nemuntandani ◽  
I Kamungoma-Dada

Abstract Background Access to essential medicines in South Africa has been compromised by stockouts in health facilities. This study describes the occurrence of stockouts for a selection of essential medicines. Methods This cross-sectional study used secondary data retrieved from the Stop Stock Outs Project (SSP). A descriptive analysis was conducted on data from the 2013-2015 SSP case management database of routinely reported stockouts. Chi square tests of independence was conducted on data from the SSP 2015 annual telephonic survey to investigate associations between the occurrence of stockouts, the level of health facility and the type of health professional. Results 231 facilities reported 609 stockouts. Antiretroviral medication had the most stockout reports (78%; n = 475/609), followed by anti-infectives (17.1%; n = 104/609) and tuberculosis medication (4.9%; n = 30/609). The highest number of stockout reports were received from Gauteng province and the majority (71.09%; n = 150/211) of facilities reporting stockouts were in urban areas. There were more stockouts at ambulatory, rather than inpatient care, facilities however, this was not statistically significant. Conclusions This study confirms that South Africa experiences medicine stockouts for many of the essential medicines, with antiretroviral medication being the category most affected. The stockouts vary between provinces and the urban-rural divide but are an equal threat to both ambulatory and inpatient facilities. Key messages The pattern of stockouts experienced over a three-year period suggest that stockouts are ‘normal’ despite the substantive effects of treatment interruption – especially patients with HIV and/or TB. Antiretroviral therapy is at risk as a result of stockouts.


Author(s):  
Priyanka Sharma ◽  
Anita Khokhar

Abstract Background: There has been a reported increase in cases of domestic violence during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, however systematic research data is still unavailable. This study was conducted to find out domestic violence prevalence and coping strategies among married adults during lockdown due to COVID-19 in India. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among married men and women in the month of April 2020. Data regarding socio-demographic profile, domestic violence and coping strategies employed during lockdown was collected thorough google forms. 97.9% forms were completely filled by the respondents. Descriptive analysis was done. Results: Out of 94 study participants, about 7.4% (n=7) had faced domestic violence during lockdown. Out of these 7 participants, about 85.7% (n=6) reported increased frequency of domestic violence during lockdown. About half of the victims chose to ignore it (57.1%, n=4) or used yoga/meditation (42.9%, n=3) to cope. Conclusion: With about 7.4% study participants facing domestic violence during lockdown, it is necessary to study its detailed epidemiology in pandemics so that interventions like helpline numbers, screening of patients during tele-consultation, etc. which can be delivered even during lockdown with the help of healthcare and frontline workers could be devised to address this problem.


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