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Low interest rates around the world due to adaptive monetary policy regulations for some time a source of concern for the banking sector and depositors of the bank. In this environment, interest rates have raised concerns about nominal deposit interest rates which cannot be lowered below zero without destroying bank customers. Bank loans are becoming less vulnerable to lower interest rates on deposits approaching zero, indicating that the financial channel is weakened when interest rates are close to zero. Demographic pressures associated with longer life expectancy, China's gradual integration into global financial markets and changes in supply and asset requirements are attributed as reasons for low interest rates. Volatility of CPI inflation, interest rates on bank deposits attracting income tax and discontented depositors due to lower rates are cited as reasons for the suffering of bank depositors. This chapter thus discusses the impact of negative rate on economic growth and bank customers besides discussing the future trends of negative interest rates.

There has been substantial interest in US cesarean rates, which increased from 5% of deliveries in the 1970s to nearly one-third of births by the mid-2000s. Explanations typically emphasize individual risk factors (e.g., advanced maternal age, increased BMI, and greater desire for control over delivery) of women giving birth, or address institutional factors, such as the medicalization of childbirth and the culture of liability leading physicians to practice defensive medicine. We focus here on another non-medical explanation – childbirth education (CBE). CBE is an important, underexplored mechanism that can shape women’s expectations about labor and birth and potentially lead them to expect, or desire, a cesarean delivery as a normalized outcome. We analyze data from three waves (2002, 2006, 2013) of the Listening to Mothers national survey on US women’s childbearing experiences (n = 3,985). Using logistic regression analysis, we examined both mode of delivery (vaginal versus cesarean), and attitudes about future request for elective cesarean among both primiparous and multiparous women. Despite previous research suggesting that CBE increased the likelihood of vaginal delivery, we find that CBE attendance was not associated with likelihood of vaginal delivery among either primiparous or multiparous women. However, both primiparous and multiparous women who attended CBE classes were significantly more likely to say they would request a future, elective cesarean. Furthermore, these effects were in the opposite direction of effects for natural birth attitudes. Our findings suggest that contemporary CBE classes may be a form of “anticipatory socialization”, potentially priming women’s acceptance of medicalized childbirth.

The purpose of this study is to determine the enablers of the quality of work life (QWL) of employees working in the Garment industries.

The study was carried out in a fivefold step. In the first step, the enablers of QWL were identified through an exhaustive literature survey, in the second step identified vital few components through Pareto analysis. Then the third step was followed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to further, to identify the precise components and validate the same using confirmatory factor analysis in fourth step. The final step included interpretive structural modeling and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification analysis to model the validated components and determine the interrelationships and linkages.

Predominant QWL enablers of employees working in the garment industries are training and development, satisfaction in job, compensation and rewards, relation and co-operation, grievance handling, work environment, job nature, job security and facilities.

In this study, the interpretive structural model is designed based on the opinion of the experts who are working in the garment industry considering the responses from employees in garment sectors. The framework can be extended further to the other sectors.

In future, the researchers in QWL may develop a model to quantify the level of employees’ QWL who are working in different sectors. Enablers of QWL are essential, and based on this further statistical analysis can be carried out. This study will provide limelight to the researchers in choosing the valid and reliable set of enablers for the empirical studies. Organizations can get benefit by implementing the outcome of this research for the enhancement of the QWL of employees.

The study was carried out in 133 garment industries where 851 workers constituted the final valid responses that were considered for analysis. The outcomes from the study help administrators, policy and decision-takers in taking decisions to enhance QWL.

This paper aims to evaluate the validity of bilinear hardening model to represent the stress flow of high-pressure torsion (HPT)-strengthened lightweight material, AA2024.

Finite-element HPT simulation was performed by applying a simultaneous prescribed displacement on the axial and rotational axis that is equivalent to 4 GPa pressure and 30° torsion. The material behaviour incorporates plasticity attributes with a bilinear constitutive equation that consists of elastic and tangent modulus.

As a result, the von Mises stress generated from the simulation is in good agreement with the experiment, indicating that the assumptions of plasticity properties applied for the FEM simulation model are acceptable. The model verification confirms the anticipated plasticity parameters’ effect on the generated von Mises stress. The disc centre also evidenced an insignificant stress increment due to the limited shear straining.

A reliable hardening model would assist in understanding the stress flow associated with mechanical properties enhancement.

The bilinear hardening model exhibits a satisfactory stress estimation. It simplifies the ideal strain variable hardening procedures and lessens the total computation time that is valuable in solving severe plastic deformation problems.

An integration of well-defined input parameters, concerning the hardening behaviour and the plasticity properties, contributes to the establishment of a validated HPT simulation model, particularly for AA2024. This study also proved that perfectly plastic behaviour is inappropriate to represent hardening in the HPT-strengthened materials due to the remarkable stress deviation from the experimental data.

This paper presents a new perspective for the use of relative performance evaluation. It argues that firms may want to evaluate their CEOs relative to their competitors for strategic reasons. It considers a competitive industry and with the help of a multiple agency model arrives at a set of hypotheses regarding the weights on firm performance and industry performance. These hypotheses do not have an analogue in a traditional single agency model framework. The empirical hypotheses relating the compensation contract parameters to the cost and market structures of the industry are tested with cash compensation data from 272 firms over a period of 18 years. Some of the empirical hypotheses find support from the data. Finally the paper also investigates whether the data supports alternate hypotheses arrived at by considering competing explanation for the use of RPE based on Holmstrom’s informativeness criterion.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the plasticity behaviour of aluminium alloys in high-pressure torsion (HPT) compressive loading stage. It is a part of the strengthen lightweight material development through severe plastic deformation.

A finite element simulation of HPT compression stage by displacement control incremental loading was proposed by taking into account an unconstraint HPT configuration. The quasi-static condition was utilised, by embedding strain hardening plasticity constitutive model and considering frictional effects, to assess the plasticity behaviour of aluminium alloys, particularly AA2024 and AA6082.

The present investigation clearly indicates that the deviation of material flow as a result of sticking condition of µ⩾0.5, was found to be negligible. An inhomogeneous material flow along the sample radial and thickness direction was evident, producing a stress concentration at the edge of the loaded surface, indicating the anticipated region of failure. The effective plastic strain in the compression stage was also found to be significant. Based on the effective strain response, plasticity behaviour of the compressed sample was predicted.

This paper demonstrates the plasticity behaviour of the analysed aluminium alloys. Since the mechanical properties produced by the deformed material are closely related to the exerted plastic deformation, understanding the phenomenon associated with the plastic strain development is essential. The outcome of this research will assist in seizing the opportunities of improving both material properties and the HPT procedures.

This paper aims to examine the impact of corporate logos on corporate image and reputation in creating competitive advantage in the context of Persia and Mexico as emerging markets. The paper provides an extensive links between corporate logo and its dimension and internal stakeholders’ attitudes towards advertisement, familiarity and recognisability as intermediaries to corporate image and reputation.

A qualitative exploratory approach was undertaken, comprising 12 face-to-face interviews and 14 skype in-depth interviews with graphic designers, design, communication and marketing consultant in Mexico and Persia based on attribution theory.

The study posits that the more favorable the name, colour, typeface and design of the company logo, the more favorable the attitude Mexican consumers have towards the corporate logo, corporate image and reputation. However, in comparison for Persia these factors have less effect on customers’ judgment and behaviour, towards the corporate logo, corporate image and reputation. The research findings suggest that the selection of colour in a corporate logo is related to its marketing objectives, cultural values, desired customer relationship levels with the organisation and organisation’s corporate communications.

Corporate logo has received little attention in marketing literature and rarely researched in the context of emerging market. This is the first research of its kind to find the effect of the compound logo in emerging markets of Persia and Mexico. Therefore, this research makes significant contribution towards the corporate visual identity literature by developing of the sphere of influence of the corporate logo and its antecedents and consequences (corporate image and corporate reputation).

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and other Health Information Technologies (HITs) pose significant challenges for clinicians, administrators and managers in the field of primary care. While there is an abundance of literature on the challenges of HIT systems in primary care, there are also practices where HITs are well-integrated and useful for care delivery. This study aims to (1) understand how exemplary primary care practices conceptualized data and HIT system use in their care delivery and (2) describe components that support and promote data and HIT system use in care delivery.

This paper is a sub-analysis of a larger qualitative data set on exemplary primary care in which data was collected using in-depth interviews, observations, field notes and primary source documents from week-long site visits at each organization. Using a combination of qualitative analysis methods including elements of thematic analysis, discourse analysis, and qualitative comparison analysis, we examined HIT-related data across six exemplary primary care organizations.

Three key components were identified that underlie engagement with data and HIT systems: data audience identification, defined data purpose and structures for participation in both data design and maintenance.

Within the context of primary care, these findings have implications for effective integration of HIT systems into primary care delivery.

This paper aims to demonstrate how hospitality management research could benefit from the propositional style of theorizing, and how this approach could expand the scope of research in the discipline.

Developing new theories could provide unique insights and broaden the scope of research in hospitality management. To illustrate the power of proposition-based theorizing, this methodology is applied to the hotel cancellation policies domain.

Using the proposition-based theorizing in the context of cancellation policies, this study provides several propositions that could have broad implications for future research.

The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, the potential benefit of the proposition-based theorizing in the revenue management context of cancellation policies is demonstrated. Second, the theoretical frameworks and insights from the product return policy literature that could enrich future studies on hotel cancellation policies are introduced. Finally, this study conjectures on these theories’ relevance to hotel cancellation policies and consequently on their potential contribution to the scholarly discourse.