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Article
Publication date: 27 February 2020

Elena G. Popkova and Bruno S. Sergi

The purpose of this article is to determine the future proportion and variants of usage of human intellect and artificial intelligence (AI) in entrepreneurship of industry 4.0…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to determine the future proportion and variants of usage of human intellect and artificial intelligence (AI) in entrepreneurship of industry 4.0 that fits social entrepreneurship the most. It could be convergence (simultaneous utilization during the same entrepreneurial processes with the emphasis on unique features by the terms of the competition) or divergence (usage during different business processes by the terms of labor division).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors determine the influence of usage of human capital and AI on the efficiency of social entrepreneurship. The authors identify the perspective directions of usage of AI in social entrepreneurship and evaluate the readiness and interest in the implementation of these directions of concerned parties. The authors also model the optimal proportions and the variant of usage of human intellect and AI in social entrepreneurship in the conditions of Industry 4.0 in the future (until 2030).

Findings

It is found that social entrepreneurship will use the opportunities of Industry 4.0 for optimization of its activities until 2030, but will refuse from full automatization, using human intellect and AI at the same time.

Originality/value

The most perspective directions of application of AI at social companies are a collection of social goods and services, marketing studies and promotion of social goods and services. Neither convergence nor divergence of human and artificial intellectual capital does not fully conform to the interests of concerned parties. The most preferable (optimal) variant of usage of human intellect and AI in social entrepreneurship in the Industry 4.0 is human intelligent decision support.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2020

Elena G. Popkova and Bruno S. Sergi

This paper aims to determine the trends and prospects of the development of social entrepreneurship in Russia and Asian countries.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the trends and prospects of the development of social entrepreneurship in Russia and Asian countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology includes trend, regression, and correlation analysis and scenario (imitation) modeling and elaborates on perspectives and recommendations for further development of social entrepreneurship in Russia and Asia.

Findings

Despite the active development of social entrepreneurship in Russia and Asian countries (its share in the structure of GDP of these countries constituted 2.6% on average in 2018), it accounts for a small contribution to domestic development of socio-economic systems. These countries of Asia in 2018 were peculiar for low level of social freedoms (70th position in the world), low level of healthcare (51st position), moderate level of ecological effectiveness (61.33 points out of 100), moderate level of education (0.767 points out of 1) and low level of development of infrastructure (39 points out of 100). In the provision of social freedoms and healthcare, social entrepreneurship is least developed and is peculiar for a tendency for a decrease. The difference between demand and offer of social entrepreneurship causes an imbalance of the market of social (non-profit, volunteer and charity) services in these countries. This imbalance is to be overcome with the recent tendency of digitization of social entrepreneurship in Russia and Asian countries.

Originality/value

Digitization occupies the last position among the factors of the development of social entrepreneurship. Tax stimulation of social entrepreneurship is preferable, so it is recommended to pay primary attention to it until 2022, for the provision of the balance of the market of social services.

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2018

Vighneswara Swamy

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the macroeconomic significance of transaction costs in microfinance intermediation and explain how the deposit mobilization and micro…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the macroeconomic significance of transaction costs in microfinance intermediation and explain how the deposit mobilization and micro lending impact the microfinance transaction costs. It presents some empirical evidence as building blocks for the theory of financial intermediation that aims at strengthening the efficiency of financial intermediation in the context of preferential credit and or the microfinance sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the panel data consisting of different groups of banks in India (such as public sector banks, private banks and foreign banks) data across a period from March 1993 to March 2009 to estimate the panel VAR model to determine the determinants of transaction cost model in financial intermediation. The study also uses the panel Granger causality analysis to test the direction of causation to know the behavior of the operating expense of the banks in their financial intermediation process.

Findings

The study reveals that there is a positive direct relationship between operating expense and priority sector lending by banks. The findings show that the transaction costs act as a barrier for the banking firms in microfinance intermediation; and, the banks are able to manage the transaction costs of microfinance intermediation with an increase in overall deposit mobilization and increased non-microfinance lending. The study recommends that there is a need to upscale the functional efficiency of microfinance intermediaries.

Originality/value

This study offers to bridge the research gap and adds novel information to the literature on microfinance intermediation. It is the first empirical paper showing the macroeconomic significance of transaction costs in microfinance intermediation.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 57 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 May 2021

Peter Nderitu Githaiga

This paper aims to investigate whether revenue diversification affects the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs).

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate whether revenue diversification affects the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs).

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a worldwide panel data set of 443 MFIs in 108 countries for the period 2013–2018 and two-step system Generalized Method of Moments estimation model.

Findings

The study finds that revenue diversification has a significant and positive effect on the financial sustainability of MFIs.

Practical implications

The findings of this study actually offer important managerial and policy lessons on MFIs’ financial sustainability. Microfinance managers and policymakers should consider revenue diversification as a strategy through which MFIs can attain financial sustainability instead of overreliance on donations and government subsidies

Originality/value

Unlike previous studies that examined revenue diversification in the context of banking firms, this study contributes to literature by examining the impact of revenue diversification of the financial sustainability of MFIs.

Details

Asian Journal of Accounting Research, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2443-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2014

Ali Ashraf, M. Kabir Hassan and William J. Hippler III

The aim of the paper is to analyze whether performance measures and their factors for microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Muslim countries are significantly different from those…

1859

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to analyze whether performance measures and their factors for microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Muslim countries are significantly different from those in their non-Muslim counterparts, central to the Islamic scholars' argument that religious and cultural norms in Muslim countries may drive the preference of Islamic microfinance over conventional microfinance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a cross-sectional dataset of 2,138 firm-years for 754 different MFIs across 83 countries, 33 Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) member Muslim countries and 50 non-member countries, we analyzed the MFI performance based on three sets of measures: outreach, loan recovery and profitability and overall financial performance measures, with respect to two sets of explanatory variables, namely, country-specific and firm-level variables.

Findings

Results show that country gross domestic product size is positively related with profitability, and the percentage of women borrowers is also significant in driving loan recovery and firm profitability in the OIC sample, but they are otherwise not significant for the rest of the world sample.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the understanding of the core argument in the motivation of Islamic MFIs, which is whether cultural and religious factors are important for MFI success in Muslim countries.

Originality/value

This study introduces a variable that measures the difference between a country's independence year and their OIC membership year as a proxy for the “country religious inclination” of a Muslim country. Results suggest that countries with delayed membership in OIC show lower inclination to popular Islamic beliefs and higher market penetration of conventional microfinance outreach. Positive relationships among a country's religious inclination and loan loss ratios and loan provisions are also consistent with the moral hazard hypothesis that few religious communities may be more prone to default.

Details

Humanomics, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0828-8666

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1982

MASSIMO RUDAN

A widely used approach for solving the two‐dimensional semiconductor‐device equations through the Finite‐Element method employs a linear approximation of the electric and…

Abstract

A widely used approach for solving the two‐dimensional semiconductor‐device equations through the Finite‐Element method employs a linear approximation of the electric and quasi‐Fermi potentials over a triangular mesh; this approach combines the flexibility of FE method with the simplicity of a piecewise linear representation of the unknowns. Owing to the strong dependence of carrier densities on the position, a careful evaluation of integrals involving these quantities is desirable; this problem arises, for example, when the very common Galerkin's or Ritz's method are used, and is differently treated in the Literature. In this paper it is demonstrated that, if a minor approximation on the intrinsic carrier density is done, an analytical evaluation of the above integrals over each triangular element can be performed, which takes into account the correct dependence of carrier densities on the electric and quasi‐Fermi potentials; the results may be used to avoid heavy mesh refinements, which make the solution procedure costly both in CPU time and in memory storage. Practical applications to some specific devices will be shown elsewhere; the procedure and the final formulas are presented here in a rather general way, thus allowing a possible application to different problems which may be solved with FE method.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2020

Aleksei V. Bogoviz

The purpose of the research is to determine the perspective directions of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital in Industry 4.0 and to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the research is to determine the perspective directions of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital in Industry 4.0 and to develop scientific and methodological recommendations for their implementation. For this, the directions of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital are described, monitoring of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital by the example of modern Russia (2019) is performed and scientific and practical recommendations for state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital are developed, with their approbation by the example of modern Russia (2019).

Design/methodology/approach

A method of expert evaluation is used for collection of the information and empirical data. The method of comparative analysis is used for comparing the successfulness of implementing the distinguished directions of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital (4.1) according to the official statistics to their current evaluation according to the interested parties. Also, future evaluation (forecasts) according to the interested parties (until 2045) is determined.

Findings

It is substantiated that during evaluation of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital in Industry 4.0, one cannot use only the official statistics, as these data are fragmentary and indirect. Fuller and more precise data are provided by assessment according to the interested parties. They allow determining the current and the future state of affairs and, based on it, compiling a forecast and developing a long-term strategy of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital in Industry 4.0.

Originality/value

The perspective directions of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital in Industry 4.0 are as follows: stimulation of competition in the market of intellectual capital, social risk management of the market of intellectual capital, managing international competition in the market of intellectual capital and ecological risk management of the intellectual capital market. As the experience of modern Russia shows, even at the initial stage of transition to Industry 4.0, the measures of state regulation of competition between human and artificial intellectual capital are not enough, but their deficit is moderate. In the course of development of Industry 4.0, the necessity for the measures of regulation will grow, and their deficit will increase. That's why there's a need for strategic approach to their implementation, which envisages their systemic reconsideration and supplementing. An author's algorithm is offered for this.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1998

Mitsuhiro Imaizumi, Kazumi Yasui and Toshio Nakagawa

A large number of microprocessors (μPs) have been widely used in many practical fields and the demand for improvement of their reliabilities have recently increased. Watchdog…

Abstract

A large number of microprocessors (μPs) have been widely used in many practical fields and the demand for improvement of their reliabilities have recently increased. Watchdog processors (WDPs) are small and simple coprocessors that can detect errors by monitoring the behavior of μPs. This paper formulates three reliability models of μP systems with WDPs: model 1 considers the system where a main processor (MPu) has n WDPs with self checking. Next, model 2 considers the system with upper limit number of resets. Further, model 3 discusses the system with limit processing time. The expected costs of each model are derived and the optimal policies which minimize them are discussed analytically. Finally, the numerical examples are given.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 4 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 July 2021

Stephanie Monteiro Miller

In a wide variety of settings, individuals target round-numbered thresholds, relaxing effort when they are out of reach. This paper aims to investigate whether this phenomenon…

Abstract

Purpose

In a wide variety of settings, individuals target round-numbered thresholds, relaxing effort when they are out of reach. This paper aims to investigate whether this phenomenon occurs in nonprofits as well.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper empirically examines nonprofits’ propensity to cut expenses relative to the attainability of the zero-profit threshold.

Findings

This paper finds nonprofit firms are more likely to cut expenses when faced with small expected losses than with larger losses, and this pattern varies predictably with incentives to reach the zero-profit threshold.

Research limitations/implications

This suggests managers are motivated by desire to reach the zero-profit threshold rather than to improve firms’ economic situations, as the propensity to cut expenses is lower when the threshold is out of reach.

Social implications

Additionally, the results suggest that even the lack of explicit profit motive may not quell earnings management behavior.

Originality/value

These results begin to close the gap in our understanding of expense management in nonprofit firms, showing how operating expenses can be used to manage earnings.

Details

Pacific Accounting Review, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0114-0582

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 December 2021

Simona Polonyová and Eva Pongrácz

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the current state of education in the field of social enterprise in Slovakia and its support, share the experience of social…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the current state of education in the field of social enterprise in Slovakia and its support, share the experience of social entrepreneurship education providers and formulate recommendations for the development of human resources in the context of supporting social enterprise.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is presented as a case study. It is based on the initial experience of education providers in the field of social entrepreneurship in Slovakia, as the concept of integrating social entrepreneurship into education in Slovak conditions is currently in the phase of gradual establishment.

Findings

One of the biggest barriers of the development of education is insufficient awareness and overall promotion of social enterprise in Slovakia. The general public lacks awareness on the topic of social enterprise and a general platform on social enterprise, which would provide information on the possibilities of formal and non-formal education, is missing.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this paper are based on the limited experience of social entrepreneurship education providers, as the systematic concept of integrating social entrepreneurship into education in Slovak conditions is currently in the phase of gradual establishment.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study, which provides an overview of the present situation of education in the field of social enterprise from the perspective of the experience of the addressed organizations, their opinions and perception.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

11 – 20 of 68