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To introduce and analyze recent amendments to the rules of three US securities exchanges to add specific continued listing standards applicable to exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Provides an introduction and summary overview of the topic, summarizes the scope of the rule changes, discusses the industry reaction to the proposed rule changes and the regulator’s response, notes the applicability of the rule changes to ETFs relying on their own fund-specific regulatory relief, and identifies compliance dates.

Each of three US securities exchanges filed separate proposals to amend their listing standards to add specific continued listing standards for ETFs. Notwithstanding various concerns expressed in comment letters from key industry participants, by March 2017 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved all three proposals in substantially the form proposed.

ETF sponsors should note that significant compliance enhancements may be required to ensure proper and continuous testing of securities in an ETF’s underlying index and/or portfolio in lieu of testing for compliance solely at the time of initial listing or at the time of an investment decision. The rule changes are scheduled to take effect by October 1, 2017.

Practical analysis from a premier financial services law firm on the issues presented by the ETF rule changes.

Bats provide many ecosystem services and have intrinsic value. They also act as host reservoirs for some viruses. Several studies have linked zoonotic diseases to bats, raising questions about the risks bats pose, especially to people living close to bat roosts. Through a series of case studies undertaken in three communities, the purpose of this paper is to explore the various ways in which framings and perceptions of bats can influence a potential spillover of bat-borne viruses to humans in Ghana. It assesses the social, cultural and economic factors that drive human-bat interactions and posits that understanding the socio-economic contexts in which human-bat interactions occur is key to the success of future communication strategies.

Primary data collection methods included participatory landscape mappings, transect walks, focus group discussions and questionnaire surveys.

Perceptions of bats vary and are influenced by personal beliefs, the perceived economic benefits derived from bats and the location of bat roosts. Activities that put people at risk include bat hunting, butchering and consumption of poorly prepared bat meat. Those who live and work close to bat roosts, and bat hunters, for example, are more at risk of bat-borne zoonotic disease spillover. Disease risk perceptions were generally low, with high levels of uncertainty, indicating the need for clearer information about personal protective practices.

The results of the study may well inform future risk communication strategies as well as help in developing effective responses to zoonotic disease risk, disease outbreaks and the conservation of bats in communities.

In this paper, we present a new hybrid binary version of bat and enhanced particle swarm optimization algorithm in order to solve feature selection problems. The proposed algorithm is called Hybrid Binary Bat Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm (HBBEPSO). In the proposed HBBEPSO algorithm, we combine the bat algorithm with its capacity for echolocation helping explore the feature space and enhanced version of the particle swarm optimization with its ability to converge to the best global solution in the search space. In order to investigate the general performance of the proposed HBBEPSO algorithm, the proposed algorithm is compared with the original optimizers and other optimizers that have been used for feature selection in the past. A set of assessment indicators are used to evaluate and compare the different optimizers over 20 standard data sets obtained from the UCI repository. Results prove the ability of the proposed HBBEPSO algorithm to search the feature space for optimal feature combinations.

Discusses the development and evaluation of a forecasting model for inventory management in an advanced technology batch production environment. Traditional forecasting and inventory management do not adequately address issues relating to a short life cycle and to non‐seasonal products with a relatively long lead time. Limited historical data (fewer than 100 observations) is also a problem in predicting short‐term dynamic or unstable time series. A Bayesian dynamic linear time series model is proposed as an alternative technique for forecasting demand in a dynamically changing environment. Provides details of the important characteristics and development process of the forecasting model. A case study is then presented to illustrate the application of the model based on data from a multinational company in Singapore. It also compares the Bayesian dynamic linear time series model with a classical forecasting model (auto‐regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model).

The purpose of this study is to address the global COVID-19 pandemic related to its sustainability, such as environmental, economic and social concerns. The short study also examined how various innovative approaches can help promote sustainable production.

The methodology examines hypothetical scenarios of the current pandemic and tries to describe the quality of evidence to facilitate careful, critical engagement by readers. Secondary data is used to identify sustainability challenges, such as environmental, social and economic viability challenges. The information in this report was gathered from numerous media outlets, research agencies, policy papers, newspapers and other sources to gain a better knowledge of the issue.

As a result, most industry executives and policymakers are looking for appropriate strategies and policies to improve their practices and meet consumer demand. The outcomes explore that the COVID-19 pandemic is a central factor in changes in people’s behavior, reflecting sustainability such as environmental, social and economic responsibility. The COVID-19 outbreak, surprisingly, had a bigger effect on sustainable consumption, accompanied by environmental sustainability, and, to a lesser extent, social and economic viability.

Limited secondary evidence and data could not scrutinize the study’s actual problem statements. Hence, it is recommended that the gap in research be fulfilled by conducting a primary survey among various groups of economists, environmentalists and industrialists using the cluster sampling technique by validating the questionnaire of the total sustainable production system. Proposing frameworks for improving the resilience of production and a systematic possible upgraded manufacturing system by using the Industry 4.0 technology during operational processes could advance market demand.

The COVID-19 scenario has compelled manufacturing firms to put their production systems on hold for an extended period while they seek long-term solutions to assure simple delivery and cooperation from both business and consumer standpoints. Various aspects of supply and demand are discussed in the referendum, as well as production and consumption challenges during the COVID-19 era. There is a need to restore the production system and find the right source of raw materials. This work focuses on commodity inventory management systems due to mass production, but due to pandemics, it is not in demand and vice versa. The researcher made comprehensible remarks on the use of digitization in the pandemic, which improves social distancing and social well-being and promotes the production system as well. Besides, manufacturing plants should switch to digital manufacturing to reduce the number of workplaces and hence the risk of an outbreak. Therefore, a better supply chain network is needed to supply more manufacturing units.

There is a bright side of coronavirus that the public health crisis raised worldwide has brought many opportunities for governments and society to make eternal reforms in the public health sector door. During restricted movements for fulfilling market demand, the Industry 4.0 technologies for automation, mechanization and digitalization can help significantly advance a company. This technological advancement and computer digitization for the perspective people may improve the environment, economic and social sustainability also increase social media adoption, which can be crucial for agri-businesses to evaluate customers’ behavior and consumption trends.

The paper also instructed to identify critical success factors, barriers and drivers for dealing with the pandemic situation and to develop a strategic policy framework to improve production and process flexibility through the remarkable introduction of digital manufacturing. Before it is too late to stop the spread, producers and consumers must grasp the limits to which suppliers might drive nature.

The purpose of this paper is to consider competition’s issues between European market firms, such as Euronext, and multilateral trading facilities, following Markets in Financial Instruments Directive’s enforcement. This new domestic competition is adding to the existing international competition among financial centers. While diversification of local trading services can improve the international competitiveness of a financial center, the fragmentation of order flows can harm its attractiveness.

The theoretical setting analyzes the interaction between heterogeneous who experiment network externalities, and heterogeneous local trading services providers (alternative platforms and incumbent) in an international context. The authors compare two forms of organizations of the market: a consolidated market, and a fragmented market with alternative platforms – in both cases, in competition with a foreign universe.

The results of this study point out the importance of the trade-off between diversification and externalities. With alternative platforms entry, enhanced competition decreases fees and redistributes informed investors between the foreign market and the domestic one. The increase of domestic platforms’ number then has more complex effects on externalities (of information and liquidity). When the liquidity externalities are low, the diversification of financial platforms increases the number of investors on domestic centers. When liquidity externalities are not negligible, despite the decrease of fees, this same diversification orientates more informed investors to the foreign center.

This model is the first to analyze jointly the internal and international competition of trading platforms with heterogeneous investors.

The authors provide a comprehensive study on systemic risk of the banking sectors in the ASEAN-6 countries. In particular, they investigate the systemic risk dynamics and determinants of 49 listed banks in the region over the 2000–2018 period.

The authors employ the market-based SRISK measure of Brownlees and Engle (2017) to investigate the systemic risk of the ASEAN-6's banking sectors.

The authors find that the regional systemic risk fluctuates significantly and currently at par or higher level than that of the recent global financial crisis. Systemic risk is generally associated with banks that have bigger size, more traditional business models, lower quality in their loan portfolios, less profitable and with lower market-to-book values. However, these relationships vary significantly between ASEAN countries.

The research focuses on the systemic risk of ASEAN-6 countries. Therefore, the research results may lack generalizability to other countries.

The authors’ empirical evidence advocates the use of capital surcharges on the systemically important financial institutions. Although the region has been pushing to higher financial integration in recent years, the authors encourage the regional regulators to account for the idiosyncratic characteristics of their banking sectors in designing effective macroprudential policy to contain systemic risk.

This paper provides the first study on the systemic risk of the ASEAN-6 region. The empirical evidence on the drivers of systemic risk would be of interest to the regional regulators.

Index by subjects, compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals: Facilities Volumes 8‐17; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐17; Property Management Volumes 8‐17; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐17.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐17; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐17; Property Management Volumes 8‐17; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐17.