Safety worries will slow micro-mobility adoption

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Mass Transit ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Barriers To Entry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Micro Mobility ◽  
Electric Bicycle

Significance Its larger rival Uber is likely to follow suit. Such ride-hailing and sharing technology companies are at one end of the micro-mobility transformation of urban transport to rider- rather than driver-centric. At the other are the dockless e-scooter and electric bicycle app services, which in many places are replacing docked and dockless bicycle services. McKinsey estimates that by 2020, shared micro-mobility apps will be used for up to one in seven journeys under 8 kilometres. Impacts Commuters are the key target for e-scooters, but the trend may extend to the elderly where mass transit is unavailable. ‘Dockless’ transportation depends on its servicing network and the numbers of technicians certified in micro-mobility services will rise. Insurers will screen micro-mobility network data to assess injuries; most hospitals code patients by the type rather than cause of injury. In rural areas of developing countries, expanding mobile banking will help connect the unbanked to micro-mobility services. E-scooter start-up valuations may suffer as barriers to entry are low, US-China tariffs may raise costs and personal ownership may rise.

Service sector creates jobs and problems for China

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Women ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Unemployment Data ◽  
The Government ◽  
To Come

Subject New unemployment data methodology. Significance China’s urban unemployment rate averaged just under 5% during the first half of 2018, according to new official statistics. The government claims that a new methodology adopted to produce them gauges the level of joblessness better than the previous, largely useless, figures. However, the new data still do not reveal the whole picture: they exclude workers in rural areas (nearly half the workforce) and mask instability in the urban job market. Impacts The growing number of workers in the gig economy will stage strikes and protests in order to improve their pay and working conditions. Rural women, the elderly, disabled and poorly educated workers in particular will struggle to find secure employment. Imbalances in the employment market will remain a serious challenge for the Chinese government for many years to come.

Not all elderly are the same: fostering trust through mobile banking service experience

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lova Rajaobelina ◽  
Isabelle Brun ◽  
Ricard Line ◽  
Christina Cloutier-Bilodeau
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institution ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Mobile Service ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Service Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Banking Service ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study seeks to examine the impact of mobile service experience on trust of elderly consumers in their financial institution and assess whether age (55–64 years vs 65+ years) exerts a moderating influence.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was completed online by 390 panelists (aged 55 years or more) who use their mobile devices to conduct banking activities. A multigroup analysis was conducted to assess the moderating role of age.FindingsResults confirm the presence of links between four out of five dimensions of the mobile banking service experience (cognitive, positive affective/sensory, negative affective and social) and trust. Findings further point to age-specific variation in the impact of mobile service experience dimensions on trust, thus supporting the notion that the elderly represents a clientele with different experiential needs. More specifically, whereas the social dimension has a greater influence on trust in individuals 65 years of age and over (seniors), the positive affective/sensory dimension exerts a deeper marked impact on trust in individuals 55–64 years of age (pre-retirees).Research limitations/implicationsAlthough generations and chronological age are powerful segmentation variables, it might be interesting to consider perceived age. Redoing the study in a post-COVID context would also be an interesting avenue of research.Practical implicationsThe ageing market is important for banks. This study highlights, in an m-banking context, which dimension of experience to focus on in order to improve trust in banks for pre-retirees (emotional/sensory dimension) and seniors (social dimension).Originality/valueThis study is the first to consider mobile service experience of elderly individuals as well as the impact of each of the experience dimensions on an important relational variable, namely trust. By considering the age of individuals as a moderating variable, this study also provides an in-depth examination of age-related links and presents a number of relevant recommendations for financial institutions.

Financial Innovations and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-33
Author(s):  
Naomi Wanja Ireri ◽  
Gladys Kimutai
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Good Opportunity ◽  
Financial Innovations ◽  
Automated Teller Machine

Commercial banks in Kenya have embraced alternative banking channels which represent a shift in delivery of banking and financial services since the alternative banking have become synonymous with commercial banks in Kenya. While banks have succeeded in leveraging available technology and provide alternative avenues to customers for banking services, the challenge it faces today is optimizing the usage of these channels so as to improve on their performance. The general objective of this study was to investigate the effects of financial innovations on the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the influence of internet banking, mobile banking, agency banking and ATM banking on the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The study was guided by agency theory, balanced score card and diffusion of innovation theory. This study employed a descriptive research design. The study targeted44 commercial banks in Kenya as at 2017. The 16 banks which embrace all the four financial innovations from 2013 to 2017were selected using purposive sampling method. The sample size was 80 respondents who comprised of 5 senior management employees in each of the selected banks.This study used questionnaire to collect primary data from the respondents. Content analysis technique was used to analyze qualitative data collected from open ended questions in and reported in narrative form. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the quantitative data. Multiple regression analysis was used to show the relationship between independent variables against dependent variable. The study revealed that internet banking, mobile banking, agency banking and ATM banking had a positive and significant effect on the performance of commercial banks. Thisstudy concludes that the banking industry has benefited tremendously from the development of the Internet. The Internet fundamentally changed the way in which banking networks are designed to meet the client demands and expectations. Mobile banking provides a good opportunity to commercial banks in Kenya to reach many mobile phone subscribers in Kenya who had remained unbanked and unreached due to limited access to bank branch networks in the country. The access to the large masses through mobile banking of the population gives banks the opportunity to grow by reaching the unbanked population. Agency banking has led to accessibility of financial service to many customer in remote areas and hence an increase in effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery. Customers are satisfied with the automated teller machine services because of ease of use, transaction cost and service security but not satisfy with automated teller machine dispense of cash. The study recommends that the public and businesses must be encouraged to use Internet banking in their daily activities, including deposits, payments and money transfers. Commercial banks in Kenya should ensure convenience and security of mobile banking through written guidelines on convenience and security of mobile banking. Commercial banks in Kenya should increase the number of agents in estates and in the rural areas. This can be done by reducing the requirements of becoming a bank agent. The banks should employ customized software that records relevant information on automated teller machine cards so that banks can establish whether unauthorized transaction has taken place or not.

scholarly journals Does Social Support Affect the Health of the Elderly in Rural China? A Meta-Analysis Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natuya Zhuori ◽  
Yu Cai ◽  
Yan Yan ◽  
Yu Cui ◽  
Minjuan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Meta Regression ◽  
The Impact

As the trend of aging in rural China has intensified, research on the factors affecting the health of the elderly in rural areas has become a hot issue. However, the conclusions of existing studies are inconsistent and even contradictory, making it difficult to form constructive policies with practical value. To explore the reasons for the inconsistent conclusions drawn by relevant research, in this paper we constructed a meta-regression database based on 65 pieces of relevant literature published in the past 25 years. For more valid samples to reduce publication bias, we also set the statistical significance of social support to the health of the elderly in rural areas as a dependent variable. Finally, combined with multi-dimensional social support and its implications for the health of the elderly, meta-regression analysis was carried out on the results of 171 empirical studies. The results show that (1) subjective support rather than objective support can have a significant impact on the health of the elderly in rural areas, and there is no significant difference between other dimensions of social support and objective support; (2) the health status of the elderly in rural areas in samples involving western regions is more sensitive to social support than that in samples not involving the western regions; (3) among the elderly in rural areas, social support for the older male elderly is more likely to improve their health than that for the younger female elderly; and (4) besides this, both data sources and econometric models greatly affect the heterogeneity of the effect of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas, but neither the published year nor the journal is significant. Finally, relevant policies and follow-up studies on the impact of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas are discussed.

scholarly journals Loneliness Among the Elderly in Rural Contexts: A Mixed-Method Study Protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 160940692199686
Author(s):  
Borja Rivero Jiménez ◽  
David Conde-Caballero ◽  
Lorenzo Mariano Juárez
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Population Group ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Technological Tools

Loneliness among the elderly has become a pressing issue in Western societies. In the Spanish context, the problem of the so-called “empty” Spain disproportionately affects this population group—elderly individuals living in rural areas with low population density, and therefore at higher risk of social exclusion and isolation. We introduce here a mixed-method, quantitative-qualitative research protocol, triangulated with technological tools, designed to improve both data acquisition and subsequent data analysis and interpretation. This study will take place in a rural locality in the Extremadura region (Spain), chosen according to a particular socio-demographic profile. The De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale will be used on a cohort of 80 people over 65 years old. Within this cohort, a smaller sample of 20–30 individuals will be selected for semi-structured interviews about their beliefs and experiences of loneliness. Finally, data gathered from technological tools (smartbands, Bluetooth sensors) will allow us to monitor social interactions and to map daily loneliness/interaction patterns. Data will be triangulated by analyzing and comparing the empirical material gathered through these different methods and tools. Strict adherence to ethical standards for data protection and handling will be essential through data collection and analysis. As well as providing insights into the phenomenon of loneliness in old age, the use of different methods and tools for data collection will provide the basis for an epistemological reflection on the scope and limits of each one of these methods.

Loan officer rotation and credit access: evidence from Madagascar

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-67
Author(s):  
Yaw Sarfo ◽  
Oliver Musshoff ◽  
Ron Weber
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Credit Access ◽  
Loan Officer ◽  
Microfinance Institution ◽  
Lending Decisions ◽  
Loan Officers ◽  
Loan Approval

Purpose With exclusive data from a commercial microfinance institution (MFI) in Madagascar, the purpose of this paper is to investigate if loan officer rotation (change of loan officer) has an effect on credit access (loan approval) in rural and in urban areas. The authors further analyze how the frequency of loan officer rotation affects credit access in rural and in urban areas. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply propensity score matching to compare credit access between loan applicants who experienced loan officer rotation and loan applicants who experienced no loan officer rotation in rural and in urban areas. Findings Results show that loan officer rotation has a positive and statistically significant effect on credit access. The authors observe further that loan officer rotation has a different effect on credit access in rural and in urban areas. Whilst rural loan applicants who experienced loan officer rotation are more likely to have credit access, urban loan applicants show no statistically significant effect of loan officer rotation on credit access. For the frequency effect on credit access, the authors observe that one loan officer rotation has a positive and statistically significant effect on credit access whereas results are mixed for two loan officer rotations. Research limitations/implications Even though the authors can show that loan officer rotation can improve credit access to loan applicants, especially in rural areas, the conditions in Madagascar are unique. Therefore, results need to be verified in other countries and institutional contexts. Practical implications From the perspective of MFI, the authors recommend that the management of MFI needs to provide better tools to loan officers to improve on the evaluation of agricultural loan products or standardize the assessment of agricultural loan products to improve on lending decisions. Further, if applicable, the authors recommend that MFI should consider using credit worthiness assessment procedures which rely less on loan officer’s judgment for loan evaluation, such as automated systems. From the perspective of loan applicants, the authors recommend that loan applicants should request for a change of loan officer if they experience successive loan applications rejection. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to provide empirical evidence on the effect and frequency of loan officer rotation on credit access in Sub-Sahara Africa, and Madagascar, in particular.

scholarly journals Green and Blue Space Availability and Self-Rated Health among Seniors in China: Evidence from a National Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 545
Author(s):  
Chensong Lin ◽  
Longfeng Wu
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
National Level ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Coverage Ratio ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Major River ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas

Many empirical studies have shown evidence of multiple health benefits provided by green and blue spaces. Despite the importance of these spaces, investigations are scarce in details for blue spaces rather than green. Moreover, most research has focused on developed regions. A limited number of studies on blue spaces can be found in China with a focus on the city level. Outcomes have been mixed due to varying research scales, methodologies, and definitions. This study relies on a national-level social survey to explore how the self-rated health (SRH) of senior individuals is associated with local green and blue space availability in urban and rural areas. Results indicate that the coverage ratio of overall green spaces and waterbodies around a resident’s home have marginal effects on SRH status in both urban and rural areas. In urban areas, living close to a park can is marginally beneficial for older people’s health. Regarding different types of blue spaces, the presence of a major river (within 0.3–0.5 km) or coastline (within 1 km and 1–5 km) in the vicinity of home negatively affects SRH among the elderly in urban areas. Close proximity to lakes and other types of waterbodies with a water surface larger than 6.25 ha did not significantly influence SRH. These findings not only evaluate general health impacts of green/blue space development on senior populations across the county but inform decision makers concerning the health-promoting qualities and features of different green/blue spaces to better accommodate an aging population in the era of urbanization.

scholarly journals Enteroparasitosis in patients attended by the health public service: epidemiology and spatial distribution

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 34764
Author(s):  
Andressa Barros Ibiapina ◽  
Janaína Soares Leal ◽  
Pedro Ricardo Alves de Santana ◽  
Marcelo Ribeiro Mesquita ◽  
Tito Lívio da Cunha Lopes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Entamoeba Histolytica ◽  
Ascaris Lumbricoides ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intestinal Parasitosis ◽  
The City

AIMS: This research aims to determine the epidemiology and the spatial distribution of intestinal parasitosis in the city of Teresina.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out based on the data of parasitological fecal exams performed in the Laboratory Raul Bacelar between January, 2014 and July, 2017. In addition to the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis and polyparasitism, we verified the association of these diseases with gender, zone and period of the year by means of the chi-squared test, whereas the relation with age was analyzed by the Mann-Kendall tests and multiple comparisons of age classes. The spatial distribution was performed using the QGIS georeferencing software.RESULTS: The prevalence of enteroparasitosis in Teresina is 17,8% with Ascaris lumbricoides being the most common species, due to the precarious sanitary conditions of the city. The prevalence of individuals with polyparasitism is 3,13%, in which an association between the species Entamoeba coli and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar was found. There was no relation between intestinal parasitosis with gender, but we verified that individuals in rural areas are more susceptible to these diseases. The species Ascaris lumbricoides and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar occur more frequently in the first and second semester, respectively. We observed that there is an apparent tendency to increase cases of E. histolytica/dispar and reduction of cases of Giardia sp. according to aging. Mapping intestinal parasitosis showed us that there is a prevalence between one and 20% in most of Teresina's neighborhoods, and Ascariasis embodies at least 40% of cases of enteroparasitosis in these neighborhoods.CONCLUSIONS: Investments in basic sanitation and new epidemiological investigations must be carried out to control intestinal parasitosis in Teresina, emphasizing that children and the elderly should be considered priority groups in these programs.

Information processing by elderly consumers: a five-decade review

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluigi Guido ◽  
Marco Pichierri ◽  
Cristian Rizzo ◽  
Verdiana Chieffi ◽  
George Moschis
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Processing Activity ◽  
Elderly Consumers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to review scholarly research on elderly consumers’ information processing and suggest implications for services marketing. Design/methodology/approach The review encompasses a five-decade period (1970–2018) of academic research and presents relevant literature in four main areas related to information processing: sensation, attention, interpretation and memory. Findings The study illustrates how each of the aforementioned phases of the information processing activity may affect how elderly individuals buy and consume products and services, emphasizing the need for a better comprehension of the elderly to develop effectual marketing strategies. Originality/value The study provides readers with detailed state-of-the-art knowledge about older consumers’ information processing, offering a comprehensive review of academic research that companies can use to improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts that target the elderly market.

Predictors of loneliness among the left-behind children of migrant workers in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cut Maghfirah Faisal ◽  
Sherly Saragih Turnip
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Parental Presence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
Children Of Migrant Workers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare loneliness between the left-behind children of migrant workers and the non-left-behind ones, and identify the most significant predictors of loneliness among the left-behind children. Design/methodology/approach Incidental sampling was performed to select 629 participants aged 11–16 from 5 schools in the rural areas of Karawang and Lombok in Indonesia. They filled in paper-and-pencil self-report inventories. Findings Left-behind children were significantly lonelier than their counterparts were. Emotional loneliness was more affected by parental absence compared to social loneliness. Left-behind children would be more susceptible to experience loneliness if they had more access to entertainment gadgets, experienced less support and intimacy from friends, had been left by their migrant parents more than once, were female, had low self-esteem, experienced emotional difficulties and rarely communicated with their parents. Research limitations/implications Qualitative research was needed to provide more elaborative explanation about the findings. Practical implications Parents needed to consider the psychological cost and benefit of working abroad to their children. Governments could intervene by limiting the duration and frequency of work among the migrant workers. Social implications Some beneficial implications to prevent and reduce loneliness among left-behind children were provided, such as by maintaining the frequency and quality of communication with the children, motivating and guiding the children to interact with their peers and spend less time on entertainment gadgets, as well as encouraging the children to engage in several positive activities to enhance their self-esteem. Originality/value This study enriched the understanding about complex relationship between parental presence and adolescents’ mental health despite the fact that adolescents seemed to be more interested in relationships with peers.

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