Dhaka University Journal of Business Studies
The Dhaka University Journal of Business Studies (DUJBS), published by the Faculty of Business Studies, is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to high-quality theoretical and empirical research. Its scope spans diverse fields, including Accounting, Finance, MIS, Marketing, and Strategy, targeting an audience of academics, policymakers, and business leaders. The journal employs a rigorous double-blind review process. Manuscripts are initially screened by editors before undergoing evaluation by at least two reviewers. Final acceptance requires a plagiarism check (e.g., via Turnitin), with a maximum AI similarity and Text similarity index of 20%. To maintain ethical standards, editorial board members are excluded from the review process of their own submissions. DUJBS publishes three volumes annually (April, August, and December). Supported by funding from the University of Dhaka, the journal charges no article processing fees, ensuring research remains freely accessible to support the global exchange of knowledge.
Faculty of Business Studies, University of Dhaka
Articles in the Dhaka University Journal of Business Studies are Open Access articles published under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND License Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Student Readiness and Experiences in Blended Learning: Implications for Sustainable Education in Bangladesh
The global disruption of education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of blended learning worldwide. However, despite this growth, many students continue to lack the necessary knowledge and readiness for effective engagement in blended learning environments. This gap poses significant challenges to the implementation of blended learning. This study investigates the readiness and experiences of students in Bangladesh with blended learning. It develops and validates a theoretical framework to identify the key factors influencing the experience, readiness, and outcomes of blended learning. The research also explores the role of social support and learner attitudes in enhancing engagement and success. Additionally, the study advocates for the integration of the Rocketship Education model to help bridge digital divides through personalized and adaptive learning approaches. The findings have practical implications for the design of effective blended learning programs, improving graduate employability, advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and preparing students for the 21st-century workforce.
Copyright (c) 2026 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Impact of Environmental Crisis on Sustainable Tourism Development: A Study on Kuakata
Tourism has become a fashionable leisure activity throughout the world. It generates revenue for the destination countries and creates more employment avenues for the community. Tourism is a growing industry in Bangladesh. The country is blessed with thousands of tourist spots. Cox's Bazar is the longest sea beach in the world. Kuakata Sea Beach has ranked second in terms of length. The beach is situated in the southern part of Bangladesh. The virgin beach is beset with many attractive sites. The research aims to determine the impact of the environmental crisis on sustainable tourism development in Kuakata. Data were collected in two ways to reach the research goal. First, literature was reviewed to identify issues related to environmental crises and sustainable tourism development; thus, ten (10) cases were identified in this connection. Second, interviews were conducted using a closed-ended questionnaire to identify the environmental crisis affecting sustainable tourism development at Kuakata. This survey shows that Kuakata is beset with various problems (natural hazards and man-made disasters) such as coastal erosion, water pollution, floods, tide surges, excessive rain, earthquakes and deforestation, insufficient tourism infrastructure and superstructure, waste and sewage disposal, tourist inflow beyond the carrying capacity, lack of awareness about conservation and development of tourism facilities, absence of a proper monitoring system of tourism assets, absence of policy supports engaging the local community in tourism activities, lack of planning for mitigation of environmental crises, poor management by tourism authorities, etc. After that, a Prioritization Matrix (PM) has been prepared to show the significance and extent of their impacts on the Kuakata seashore. To mitigate the environmental crisis, some SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) objectives are set based on the findings of the prioritization matrix. Lastly, a short and long-term action plan has been created to take the necessary steps for sustainable tourism development in Kuakata.
Challenges of Implementing Knowledge Management at the Workplace: A Systematic Literature Review
Despite emerging as a progressive academic discipline, very few studies have so far been conducted on the challenges of implementing knowledge management (KM). Addressing this gap, the present study aims to identify the major challenges organizations typically confront while managing knowledge within the workforce. The study adopts a systematic literature review as a methodical approach to synthesize and evaluate accessible evidence relating to this research aim. A thorough search has been performed across academic databases and relevant journals, resulting in a selection of 54 pertinent research articles and review papers published from 1990 until early 2024, which are then critically reviewed to determine the key challenges. Based on the findings, it can be argued that transparentizing the KM concept; attaining leadership commitment and support; securing adequate managerial assistance; establishing robust technological base; overcoming employee resistance; and assuring effective time management are the major challenges of KM implementation. This review contributes to the literature by exploring the potential complexities involved in KM practices. It might also guide the practitioners in proactively strategizing to meet the challenges in an effective manner.
Comprehensive Analysis on Determinants of Bank Profitability in Bangladesh
The study investigates the relationship between bank profitability and a comprehensive list of bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic variables using unique panel data from 23 Bangladeshi banks with large market shares from 2005 to 2019 employing the Pooled Ordinary Least Square (POLS) Method for regression estimation. The random Effect model has been used to check for robustness. Three variables, namely, Return on Asset (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Net Interest Margin (NIM), have been used as profitability proxies. Non-interest income, capital ratio, and GDP growth have been found to have a significant relationship with ROA. In addition to non-interest income, market share, bank size, and real exchange rates are significant explaining variables if profitability is measured as NIM. The only significant determinant of profitability measured by ROE is market share. The primary contribution of this study to the existing knowledge base is an extensive empirical analysis by covering the entire gamut of independent variables (bank-specific, industry-related, and macroeconomic) to explain the profitability of the banks in Bangladesh. It also covers an extensive and recent data set. Banking sector stakeholders may find great value from the outputs of this paper: Regulators and policymakers may find this useful in undertaking analyses in setting policy rates, banking industry stability, and impact assessment of critical policy measures before and after the enactment, etc. Investors and the bank management are to use the findings of this paper in analyzing the real drivers of profitability of the banks they’re contemplating to invest and managing on a day-to-day basis.
Significance of SME Loans on the CMSME Entrepreneurs’ Socio-economic Development and Financial Performance: Bangladesh Perspective
The SME sector contributes nearly 25% of the GDP of Bangladesh and 80% of workforce of Bangladesh is engaged to SME sectors. The study employs a mixed-method methodology to identify whether SME loans can significantly impact the socioeconomic development of entrepreneurs. Again, the study investigates which categories of loanees of Cottage, Micro, Small, Medium and Large (CMSME) entrepreneurs can absorb the advantages of SME loans. Finally, the study determines whether SME loans have impacted the financial performance of the SME loan recipients. Because there are five clusters, including cottage, micro, small, medium, and large enterprises, the study specifically encountered each of them with the same questionnaire, collected a primary data set in Likert scale from 467 CMSME enterprises throughout Bangladesh, and statistically tested the responses. As a result of the ordinal responses being configured, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were tested with Cronbach’s Alpha. Using Linear Probability Model Regression with Variance Covariance Estimator (VCE) and Ordered Logit Regression with Variance Covariance Estimator (VCE), the study found significance in the first objective. The study found that cottage, micro, and small enterprises mostly benefited, respectively, from this loan. Using the log normalized values of net income before and after the loans received by these entrepreneurs, the study employed a paired t-test and confirmed that there is a significant impact of SME loans on the financial performance of the SME loan recipients. The novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive inclusion of all CMSME clusters within a single empirical framework. The study contributes to the existing field of literature by linking the firm performance and socio-economic development.
Factors Influencing the Willingness to Adopt Internet of Things in Supply Chain Management: A Study on Bangladeshi Manufacturing Firms
This study explores the factors influencing the willingness to adopt the Internet of Things (IoT) in Bangladeshi manufacturing firms' supply chain management (SCM). Using a quantitative research approach, data is collected from 162 firm-specific SCM professionals through purposive sampling. Applying the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the four primary constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model- performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions are examined to find their influence on the willingness to adopt IoT in the SCM of Bangladeshi manufacturing firms. Findings enumerate that these four constructs explain 42% of the variance in the willingness to adopt IoT. Performance expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions are statistically significant, while effort expectancy is insignificant in influencing the willingness to adopt IoT in the SCM. These findings bring several theoretical and practical contributions and suggest scope for future research.
Consumer Perception of Conversational Commerce from the Perspective of Bangladesh
The use of Conversational Commerce tools (AI-powered chatbots, messaging apps, voice assistants, and live chats) is getting popular gradually across the world to attract more customers online. The study focuses on studying the appliances of conversational commerce and their underlying impact on consumers’ perception of accepting and adopting conversational commerce from the perspective of Bangladesh. The study used the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) 3 to determine the variables that influence consumers’ perceptions. A questionnaire was formed based on the 14 variables of TAM and distributed to gather data from 106 Bangladeshi web users using a multistage sampling method. The study analyzed the collected data based on the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) model using AMOS and SPSS V29. The paper outlines that the adoption and acceptance of conversational commerce mainly depend on consumers’ behavioral perceptions. And the behavioral intention that influences consumers buying decisions is significantly impacted by the perceived usefulness of conversational commerce. Furthermore, the perceived effectiveness of conversational commerce is affected mainly by consumers’ perceived ease of use. Moreover, the article highlights promising growth in the acceptance of C-commerce as around 85.5% of the respondents preferred to interact with brands by using messaging applications. The paper also identified customer service as the most vital point of satisfaction, yet the emerging realm of conversational commerce is replete with difficulties that manifest mainly in the form of discontentment of Bangladeshi consumers through lack of consultation and additional trouble during purchases.
Exploring the Green Initiatives of LEED-certified Readymade Garments Factories Journey on Sustainable Development in Bangladesh
This study examines the green initiatives within Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified Readymade Garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh, exploring the connection between these initiatives and sustainable development. Despite the critical role of the RMG sector in the economy of Bangladesh, there is a paucity of research on green practices. Thus, the objectives of this study were to catalog the green initiatives undertaken by these factories, identify the key drivers of such initiatives, and assess their contribution to sustainable development. This study applied case study methods, taking 10 LEED-certified RMG factories with triangulation by a focused group discussion and key informant interviews. Findings reveal that LEED-certified factories have invested in eco-friendly construction, energy conservation through solar power and natural lighting, advanced effluent treatment, sustainable transportation, innovative waste-to-energy solutions, plastic recovery, and afforestation initiatives. These strategies exemplify a strong commitment to environmental protection while delivering notable socio-economic advantages, thus fostering comprehensive sustainable development within the industry. The study highlights the critical role of green initiatives, offers actionable insights, and provides a basis for future studies for RMG and other sectors in Bangladesh.
Does the Amended Audit Report Minimize the Audit Expectation Gap? Evidence from Bangladesh
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of using the ISA 700 (Revised) amended audit report on minimizing the Audit Expectation Gap (AEG). A total of 189 respondents completed a questionnaire distributed to auditors and two audit report user groups, including credit analysts and non-professional capital market investors with beneficiary owner (B/O) accounts. The Mann-Whitney-U test, a non-parametric test, was used to compare the means of two independent samples and to determine the audit expectation gap. According to the findings of this study, the amended audit report reduces the unreasonable audit expectation gap in terms of auditors' general responsibilities, auditors' responsibilities for fraud detection, audit report meaning and usefulness, and, to a lesser extent, auditors' responsibility for going concern assessment. The explicit information in the ISA 700 (Revised) amended audit report creates another expectation gap regarding auditors' responsibility for other information, known as a reasonable standard gap. This study's theoretical contribution is that it confirms that the expansion of audit report and revision of audit standards affect the audit-related expectation gap among users. Users are aware of the revision; however, the impact varies depending on the users' desire, knowledge, and frequency of reading and using the audited financial statements. As the AEG is regarded as a driving force behind relentless reform in audit regulation; despite that an unjustified reform may result in no benefits to users. Thus, this research provides guidance to audit practitioners and audit regulators on the rationalization of reform in audit reports, such as the ISA 700 (Revised) audit report. This study is the maiden to explore the impact of using a revised audit report following the adoption by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) and also by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) on minimizing the AEG in Bangladesh. The study's geographical focus is on audit regulators and practitioners in developing countries, who can benefitted from new insights into the role of adopting continuous improvement in auditing standards and reporting practices.
Sustainability Reporting: Empirical Evidence from Listed Firms of Fuel and Power Sector of Bangladesh
The aim of this study is to observe the extent of sustainability reporting practice and to investigate the influential factors in determining the sustainability reporting in the fuel and power industry of Bangladesh. This research study develops a self-structured sustainability reporting index (SRI) based on established guidelines and previous studies. Content analysis has been used to observe the practice of sustainability reporting and board composition, ownership structure and firm characteristics have been used as the proxies of determinants of sustainability reporting. The study found that the average mean of sustainability reporting measured by the index is only 20.14% which indicates a very poor quality of sustainability reporting. Among the three components of sustainability reporting, economics sustainability disclosure has the highest index value and environmental sustainability disclosure has the lowest index value. But the positive sign is that the disclosure level of sustainability reporting is gradually increasing over the years. The multiple regression result shows that sustainability reporting practice is more prevalent inbigger firms and older firms. This study also shows that there is no significant association of sustainability reporting with board composition and ownership structures which implies that corporate governance instruments are not playing their effective role in ensuring sustainability reporting. The results recommend that the regulatory authority should develop mandatory guidelines for sustainability reporting or enforce existing global guidelines like GRI to improve the practice of sustainability reporting. The study also suggests that efficient corporate governance mechanism may play a vital role in increasing the extent of sustainability reporting in Bangladesh.
Environmental and Social Sustainable Reporting
Copyright (c) 2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Insights and Field-level experiences of Non-Performing Loans in Bangladesh: The Case of State-Owned Commercial Banks (SOCBs)
The banking industry of Bangladesh has been facing the most turbulent times of its history due to myriad forms of challenges. The crippling scenario has been contributed by multifarious reasons among others, corrupt loan practices and connected-party lending (i.e., lending to board members’ firm), lack of monitoring, supervision and inefficiencies of board members especially in state-owned commercial banks, monopolization of banks by certain industrialist groups, unprecedented political interferences and non-existent punitive measures for miscreants by the highest regulatory body i.e., Bangladesh Bank. All these reasons coupled with recent implication of single-digit interest rate are putting the banking industry into vulnerable state and thereby losing the trust and confidence of the mass-people. The excessive volume of NPL will possibly jeopardize the profitability of banks and erode the accumulated capital which might lead to the systematic risks of bank failures in the days to come. To this backdrop, the authors intend to shed some lights with a deeper look on the origin and effects of NPL based on a sample of 200-survey respondents and endeavored to explore industry-insights which might be of special interests to bank owners, managements bodies, regulator i.e., Bangladesh Bank (BB) and finally the shareholders.
Analyzing the Challenges of Implementing Online Classes in Developing Countries during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Perspective from Bangladesh
COVID-19 has posed a significant threat to the global education system. Rethinking alternative classes for continuing education is the central issue for coping with the new-normal system. The study aims to seek the preparedness and practicality of online education in developing countries from Bangladesh's perspective. The study examined primary data collected through a survey. In line with the descriptive analysis of the collected data, a logistic regression model has been applied to justify the hypotheses. Among sixteen variables, we have found seven variables that significantly impact the students’ opinion regarding conducting classes in online. The findings show a positive association of lack of high internet speed, frequent disconnection issues during class time, mental stress about COVID-19, lack of engaging course contents, and deteriorating family financial condition with students' unwillingness towards online class during COVID-19.The study also revealed that students who have technical expertise in online classes are more interested in this type of class format. In this changing circumstance, online class format is an alternative channel to maintain the continuity in higher studies in Bangladesh. Thus the educational institutions can arrange training programs for teachers to improve the course contents. The institutions can also support the students by providing financial assistance for purchasing devices, internet data packages, guidelines for joining in online class and consulting to relieve mental stress. The government can also play a significant role by ensuring nationwide high-speed internet service and subsidy to purchase internet data for the students.
Potentials and Constraints of Fairs and Festivals Tourism: A Study on Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a beautiful country. She is full of tourism resources that enable to attract tourists. Among these resources, natural and man-made attractions are notable. Natural scenic beauty, cultural diversity of ethnic minority people, rivers, lakes, hills, heritage and historical sites, various religious festivals, cultural festivals, fairs etc are core tourism resources. Many fairs and festivals are celebrated in every corner of the country throughout the year. These fairs and festivals create appeal for tourists. These fairs and festivals can significantly contribute to the development of tourism industry. This paper has highlighted the prospects of fairs and festivals in the country because it has the scopes of attracting domestic and foreign tourists in these occasions. However, there are some challenges for developing fairs and festivals tourism in the country as well. The researchers have focused on some constraints and provided suggestions to overcome the challenges in terms of developing fairs and festivals for tourism purposes.
Souvenirs and Souvenir Marketing: A new Approach Towards Creating Remembrance and Mementoes for Bangladesh as a Tourism Destination
Besides tourists’ rational causes, emotional attachments with a destination are vital for creating memories. Uniquely representing a country via memorabilia such as souvenirs could be an exciting way to extend the tourist experience and create a competitive advantage. However, souvenirs’ significance in destination image and creating memory has been ignored previously by tourism scholars of Bangladesh. This study examined souvenirs as a form of memorabilia enhancing tourists’ attachment with destination and re-visit intentions. Therefore, this paper analyzes Bangladesh’s souvenir market’s current scenario with qualitative research design by applying the case study and in-depth interview method. The findings portray advancement in the marketing of souvenirs plays an essential role in creating tourists’ memories. Hence, tourism stakeholders could use souvenir marketing as a new tool to rebrand Bangladesh as a destination.
Analysis of Factors Affecting Bangladesh’s Export to China: An Empirical Analysis
The importance of bilateral trade analysis between Bangladesh and China is increasing as Bangladesh constantly searches for opportunities to reduce the enormous trade deficit with China. This study analyzes Bangladesh’s export to China using the famous ‘Trade Gravity Model.’ The study examined Bangladesh’s exports to China from 1999 to 2020 using factors: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Bangladesh, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of China, Population of Bangladesh, Population of China, Relative Distance between Bangladesh and China, Weighted Average Tariff Rate imposed by China and Relevant Trade Agreements between Bangladesh and China. The findings suggest that the exports of Bangladesh to China will rise with the increase of GDPs of Bangladesh and China, the populations of Bangladesh and China, and with the growth of number of trade agreements between Bangladesh and China. The study also shows that Bangladesh’s export to China will decrease with the increase of tariffs imposed by China on imports from Bangladesh and length of distance covered by the export order. The study’s findings provide policy implications for Bangladesh towards its successful graduation from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) status.
In Search of Paradigmatic Diversification in Academic Finance
Academic finance research is largely overshadowed by functionalist paradigm, and this limit positive contribution to knowledge. Hence, finance literature faces criticism, which highlights the justification of having a diversified philosophical stance. By investigating contemporary papers on investment benchmarks, sustainable finance and behavioural finance, we identify that modern finance researchers are rethinking about the research paradigm to bring paradigmatic diversification rather than being stagnant to positivism.
Impact of Employee Engagement on Organizational Commitment and Performance: A Review of Private Companies in Bangladesh
This study explores the relationship between employee engagement and organizational commitment and performance in the context of Bangladeshi private organizations. Data has been collected from a sample of 300 employees who have already completed two years of their tenure in the current organizations using a twostage sampling process where a simple random sampling is used to select food and beverage companies in the first stage, and a judgmental sampling is used to select respondents from those organizations in the second stage. Pearson's correlation matrix and regression analysis are performed to predict and estimate the relationships among employee engagement, organizational commitment, and organizational performance. Besides, employee engagement is measured by considering four critical dimensions: workplace involvement, engagement practice, work-life balance, and employee retention. Findings show that workplace involvement and employee retention are the most significant drivers among these four dimensions. Employee engagement has a significant impact on organizational commitment but a fewer impact on organizational performance. This study significantly contributes to the existing employee management knowledge, both academically and practically.
Environmental Reporting and Sustainable Development: A Reflection of Practices of Listed Companies in the Manufacturing Sector of Bangladesh
Environmental issues and sustainable development gathers great drive in the recent era both for developed and developing countries. The objective of this study is to explore and accumulate all the relevant concepts of environmental accounting as well as identify the scenario, significance, and challenges of its proper practices in the listed companies in manufacturing sector of Dhaka Stock exchange with accelerating the goal of sustainable development. To fulfill the objectives, the study did qualitative research using content analysis in the year 2019 and has collected data on 99 listed “A category” companies from 8 different manufacturing sectors, to reveal the specific environment, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility related disclosure, and to uncover the actual scenario of environmental reporting. The research concludes that in the manufacturing sector financially secured companies also have very pitiable voluntary disclosure (mostly qualitative) under different framework patterns. Thus the study observed the lack of a standard framework for reporting environmental disclosure and suggests an obligatory standard framework should be developed for all the companies. The research also recommends improving ethical practices, imposing environmental taxes and subsidies, and developing a proper management accounting system to assess the appropriate costs of different environmental degradation, so that the goal of sustainable development can be achieved in Bangladesh.
Financial Inclusions : A study on Agent Banking
The main purpose of this research is to reflect the attainment of financial involvement through agent banking. Trend analysis of number of accounts, amount of deposits, loans and amount of remittances flow have illustrated the positive growth of agent banking both in countryside and urban areas during 2015 to 20120.Both the Pooled OLS and random effect model demonstrate the significant impact of amount of deposits and remittances flow in agent banking of Bangladesh. Hausman test supports random effect model over fixed effect at showing the effect on deposit to number accounts but opposite results have been observed to show the effect on remittances to number of accounts. Breusch and pagan lagrangian multiplier test elucidated that OLS is better than random effect model. The data set is free from multicollinearity but variances are not constant which means heteroscedasticity problem exists. Ramsey RESET test proves the model has omitted variable bias due to insufficiency of relevant variables’ data over the consecutive years.
Copyright (c) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Predicting Job Skills in Demand: A Big Data Approach
The number of unemployed graduates is increasing due to a mismatch in the job skills and skill shortage. The mismatch in job skills has increased further due to technological changes like digital transformation. In Bangladesh, many companies hire skilled people from abroad because of the lack of training among graduates. Therefore, the study aims to apply big data analysis to find and predict job skills in demand. The data was mainly collected from the largest job-posting website (i.e., bdjobs.com) in Bangladesh. Natural Language Processing (NLP) was used for linguistic analysis components (for pre-processing) and tagging named identity. The finding shows business development skills, data visualization, oral communication, Microsoft Excel and working under pressure have the most demand in the categories of business knowledge skills, analytical problem skills, interpersonal communication skills, computer literacy skills, and organizational skills respectively. The study shows that big data analysis and the use of the Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model can predict job skills in demand, which can help reduce the mismatch and gaps in job skills in demand. Overall, this study will contribute to reducing the number of unemployed graduates in Bangladesh.
Antecedents of Switching Intention of Mobile Phone Subscribers via Mobile Number Portability Service
This study investigates the switching intention of mobile subscribers in the telecommunication industry of Bangladesh. Data were collected through an online survey with a structured questionnaire from the subscribers of different mobile operators in Bangladesh who have used the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service. The Binary Logistic Regression Analysis was performed to test the research hypotheses. Results show that among the nine predictors, two variables, including call rate and data cost, are positively correlated with the switching intention of cellphone users in Bangladesh and contribute approximately 41 times and 109 times, respectively. However, three predictors, including internet browsing speed, network strength, and user’s gender, do not significantly affect customers' switching intention. Finally, the limitations and managerial implications of the study, along with future research avenues, have been discussed.
Job Insecurity and Affective Commitment Dilemma in Private Higher Educational Institutions in Bangladesh: How Organizational Support Matters During COVID-19
Despite a handful of research examining the linkage between job insecurity and affective commitment, the study focuses on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the educational sector of Bangladesh, especially in the private HEIs (higher educational institutions), which is scant. Job insecurity, a pervasive organizational stressor, is a significant component in workplace counterproductive behavior, which results in a myriad of negative organizational outcomes, including low affective commitment, decreased performance, and so on. Thereby, the study intends to examine the impact of job insecurity on the affective commitment of the faculty members at private HEIs of Bangladesh during COVID-19. Drawing on the organizational identification theory, this study also seeks to evaluate the moderating role of organizational support in the job security and affective commitment linkage where the notion of social exchange theory and betrayal framework are also considered. A crosssectional study is conducted, with data collected conveniently from 204 participants, where the PLS-SEM approach is used to examine the hypothesized relationships. The results reveal a significant negative association between job insecurity and affective commitment, with A significant intervening role of organizational support. More precisely, when respondents perceive a high level of organizational support, they maintain their affective commitment despite the feelings of insecurity. These findings not only shed light on the human resource policies of Bangladeshi HEIs, but also contribute to the existing social exchange and organizational identification theories, as well as the betrayal perspective.
Competitiveness: Bangladesh’s Trade in Services
This study explores trade performance, contributions and comparative advantage of different services of Bangladesh. The services trade performances are examined by exports and imports basket of services, their contribution to the nation’s total trade, gross domestic product (GDP), and employment generation from 2010 to 2019 using descriptive and trend analysis, while the comparative advantage of those services is measured by using the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) analysis. The findings show that other business services, transportation, and computer and information are the key exporting services, whereas transportation, travel, and other business services are major importing services of Bangladesh. Compared to agriculture and industry, the service sector contributes most to Bangladesh’s GDP and employment generation. However, the total trade of Bangladesh still significantly relies on manufacturing instead of services. Findings also confirm that currently, Bangladesh has comparative advantages only in construction and manufacturing services among the eleven services analyzed. Therefore, this study urges trade policy reforms to consider the importance of services in Bangladesh’s economic development and achieve sustainable competitiveness in potential services.
Tannery Industry and Its Sustainability in Bangladesh
Understanding corporate sustainability is an important area of research for social and environmental researchers. Many businesses now face the challenge of sustainability with the increase of rapid awareness by the relevant stakeholders and growing concerns over the social and environmental issues. The notion of sustainability within the context of tannery industry is perceived to be more serious in terms of social and environmental perspectives. Tannery industry of Bangladesh is such a significant sector that deserves more attention from the researchers to explore the sustainability issues, however there is no such research in the context of Bangladesh to explore this issue. In this paper, we have attempted to measure the sustainability of the tannery industry by utilizing a Sustainability Information Disclosure Index (SIDI) and then we have tried to understand the disclosure quality of the tannery industry of Bangladesh. Our result shows that overall sustainability disclosure scenario of the companies in tannery industry is very disappointing (average SIDI only 25.04% during the year 2009 to 2018). Reporting on economic, environmental and social impacts are three important aspects of sustainability reporting. In this study, economic, environmental and social issues related disclosures have been found only 34.68%, 8.83% and 31.6% respectively. No disclosure has been found about ETP (Effluent Treatment Plants), water and solid waste disposal, greenhouse gas emission, pollution control equipment and policy ensuring efficiency in the use of energy and environment-friendly technologies which are very crucial for tannery industry.
Copyright (c) 2023 Mohammad Saif Uddin Bhuiyah, Yousuf Kamal (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Contributions of Green Human Resousce Managent Practices to Employee Work Performance
The goal of this paper is to investigate the influences of green Human Resousce Managent practices on employee work performance. In order to improve the utilization of resources, performance-oriented components are indispensable. In this sense, the study focuses on five components of green HRM practices i.e., green job design, green HR planning, green recruitment and selection, green training and development, and green compensation that have contributory effect on employee work performance. A total of 384 respondents were selected and data has been collected through structured questionnaire from the samples who are the permanent employees of two largest telecommunication service companies in Bangladesh. For data input SPSS version-20 and for analysis structural equation modeling software Smart-PLS (version- 3) have been utilized. Results show that all five components of green HRM activities have significant positive impact on employee work performance. Thus, this research contributes to broadening the profound insights of green HRM practices to explore the ecological execution of companies by employee performance.
Challenges and Opportunities of Cultural Tourism Development: Bangladesh Perspective
Many tourists have changed their tastes and they now avoid mass visited attractions and destinations. They now like to travel to natural attractions and destinations. Human beings are one of the natural attractions. Tourists basically want to know the unknown people and their customs and traditions, explore different cultures of different areas or nations, and experience those firsthand. They want to experience other people’s lives and behaviour, and enjoy their ways of interaction with others. Thus both tourists and local people come to know each other’s cultures. Cultural tourism has occupied an important position among many tourists and in the tourism system of many destination countries. Many destination countries are successfully presenting their cultures to attract cultural tourists to their destinations to observe their cultures. Bangladesh, geographically and historically, takes the pride of its rich, unique and lively culture. Development of cultural tourism in Bangladesh will add a new dimension to our existing tourism system. This will ultimately help attract more visitors in Bangladesh and spread a better image of the country’s tourism in the global tourist market. As such, to develop tourism, particularly cultural tourism, Bangladesh should pay due emphasis to present the cultural factors in its tourism activities and attract more tourists in the country.
Empirical Study on Macroeconomic and Firm Specific Variables’ Effect on Profitability of Non-life Insurance Industry in Bangladesh
This study tries to show the causation among non-life insurance firms’ profitability measured with ROE, ROA, EPS and firm-specific variables such as underwriting risk, reinsurance dependence, solvency margin, leverage, liquidity risk, growth of premium, length of the company, tangibility of firm’s assets in addition to macroeconomic variables such as GDP growth, inflation and improvement of stock marketplace of the insurance business of Bangladesh. This study also focuses on seven insurance companies amid 2011-2020 considering the econometric models followed numerous diagnostic checks along with the Model specification bias test, test of heteroskedasticity, cross-sectional dependence check, followed by autocorrelation test and unit root test at the validity of the models decided on for this examine. The study found that out of all independent economic factors, only the stock market development is significantly and positively affecting the profitability measured with EPS (Earnings per share). The insurance-specific variables such as leverage and size are significantly positively and negatively affecting the profitability measured both with ROE and ROA of insurance companies, respectively. They are significantly positively affected by both liquidity and tangibility of assets too. In addition, Solvency margin and premium growth are found to have significant negative impact on return on assets which contradicts the authors’ expectations. Moreover, underwriting risk is found to have a significant positive impact on EPS and ROE under the GLS and Fixed-effect method respectively. The one-step system GMM approach reveals that only the one-year lagged ratio of ROE is statistically significant among the three lag values used in the GMM approach and ROE is also significantly positively affected by underwriting risk and GDP growth. In contrast, leverage and size are found to have a significant inverse relationship respectively, with ROE in this approach, showing that tangibility of assets and leverage has a significant negative and positive impact on earnings per share. The chi-square values of the three above models are jointly statistically significant in explaining the variation in the respective dependent variable. In addition, it is noteworthy that no significant impact is found on return on assets from any of the three Macroeconomic factors considered for the study. Also, no significant relationship is found between the three measures of profitability and reinsurance dependence along with the inflation in the economy. However, other than the EPS, all the variables are jointly statistically significant in explaining 79.56% and 83.42% variation in ROE and ROA respectively under the Pooled OLS method.
Copyright (c) 2023 Raad Mozib Lalon (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Identifying The Factors Affecting Adoption of Mobile Payment System by Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Bangladesh
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a priority sector in developing countries like Bangladesh. 90% of the employed people are involved in small businesses of Bangladesh, which contribute to 25% of GDP. Like the other sector, this industry may take advantage of cost savings and efficient financial management by adopting mobile payment systems. This study is designed to identify and analyze the factors influencing mobile payment systems adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises. Data has been collected from 200 SMEs through stratified sampling technique and analyzed using modified UTAUT model and PLS-SEM technique. It is found that effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, cost, and voluntariness of use have a statistically significant effect on behavioral intention in adopting a mobile payment system.
Copyright (c) 2023 Mohammad Anisur Rahman, Md. Aminul Islam (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Online Class: Stress, Anxiety, Optimism and Wellbeing
COVID-19 induced online class is a new experience for students in many countries like Bangladesh. This rapid shift from the conventional classroom learning environment has effects on many facets of life like psychological stress and wellbeing. In this emerging context, this study investigates the relationship between perceived academic stress of online classes, future anxiety, and psychological wellbeing with a mediation effect of optimism-one of the dimensions of psychological capital (PsyCap). In a cross-sectional design, this study collected data from 348 business students at the time of attending online classes due to social isolation in effect due to COVID-19. Using the structural equation modeling technique in the SmartPLS3.7 version, this study found that psychological wellbeing was negatively associated with online class stress and future anxiety, while positively related with optimism. The indirect effect of optimism showed that it mediated the negative impact of future anxiety-wellbeing relationships but not the online class stress-wellbeing relationship. Thus, optimism as a mechanism of PsyCap can be useful to lessen the general state of psychological wellbeing of the students during the pandemic. However, it will not be an active avenue to deal with negative causality between online class stress and wellbeing. Academic institutions need to explore effective mechanisms for curbing online class stress of the students that in turn will promote their wellbeing.
Effect of Information Disclosure on Corporate Performance: Evidence from Companies in Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Industry Sectors of Dhaka Stock Exchange
In this study we examined if level of corporate disclosure (mandatory, voluntary, and combined) has any impact on firms’ performance (measured in terms of ROA, ROE and stock return) in case of Bangladeshi listed firms. The data from 15 listed companies of pharmaceuticals and chemicals sectors is used covering study period of 10 years (2009-2018). The dataset is analysed using both descriptive statistics and random effect model following the models used by similar studies in other countries. Beside indices of disclosure, some other control variables like sales growth, age of firm, size of firm, leverage ratio, total asset turnover and industrial category of the firm (pharmaceuticals or chemicals) are used in three different models as proxy for returns. The results indicate that firms with higher level of mandatory or combine disclosure have higher ROE or ROA.