Pandemic fallout to drive deep recession in Belize

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Production ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Development Bank ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hurricane Season ◽  
Deep Recession

Significance Quarantine measures coupled with prolonged dry weather conditions, which have affected energy production and agriculture, have taken a substantial toll on growth already this year. Production was down across all sectors of the economy in the first quarter. Impacts Any perceived failings in the government's response to the health crisis could harm it ahead of November's elections. Foreign exchange reserves have diminished in recent years but are expected to fall sharply in 2020. InterAmerican Development Bank efforts to revitalise tourism through loans and technical assistance may benefit Belize. Moderate commodity prices will keep inflation in check through year-end, in turn supporting private consumption. A predicted stronger-than-usual hurricane season raises risks of further economic damage.

Prospects for global agriculture in the second quarter

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Agricultural Commodity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Demand ◽  
Global Agriculture

Subject Prospects for global agriculture in the second quarter. Significance In the last quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, abundant harvests in the northern hemisphere and moderate increases in global demand tended to suppress agricultural commodity prices. In the three months to June, similar conditions are likely to persist, albeit with two main downside risks: poor weather conditions, especially in the southern hemisphere, and the continued negative impact of Russia's food embargo on major exporters.

Guatemala’s economy looks set to bounce back next year

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Aggregate Demand ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Energy Prices ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bounce Back

Significance The economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will be less severe than in other parts of Latin America. It is nevertheless weighing on activity, with structural weaknesses and a heavy dependence on remittances compounding the country’s vulnerability to the crisis. Impacts US deportations of undocumented Guatemalan migrants will increase as the health crisis recedes. Inflation will remain around the Central Bank’s 4% target amid lower aggregate demand pressure and low energy prices. Political gridlock between the executive and legislative branches of government will re-emerge, hindering the approval of tax reform.

The importance of public support in the implementation of green transportation in smart cities using smart vehicle bicycle communication transport

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 997-1011
Author(s):  
Ning Li ◽  
Parthasarathy R. ◽  
Harshila H. Padwal
Keyword(s):  
Smart Cities ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Signaling Systems ◽  
Traffic Conditions ◽  
Green Transportation ◽  
Smart Vehicle

Purpose Smart mobility is a major guideline in the development of Smart Cities’ transport systems and management. The issue of transition into green, secure and sustainable transport modes, such as using bicycles, should be implemented in this case, along with the subjectivism of management. Design/methodology/approach The proposed technology reflects the Smart Bicycle vehicle model, which tracks cyclists and weather conditions and turns to electric motors in critical circumstances. Findings This reduces the physical load and battery consumption of cyclists which affects the Smart Cities’ ecology positively. Originality/value In Smart Vehicle Bicycle Communication Transport, the vehicle movement optimization technique is used for traffic scenarios to analyze traffic signaling systems that give better results in variable and dense traffic conditions.

Risk assessment of mining projects in Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Teye Amoatey ◽  
Samuel Famiyeh ◽  
Peter Andoh
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Culture ◽  
Mining Project ◽  
Mining Projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the critical risk factors affecting mining projects in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach A purposive sampling approach was used in selecting the respondents for the study. These were practitioners working on mining projects in Ghana. Findings The study identified 22 risk factors contributing to mining project failure in Ghana. The five most critical mining project risk factors based on both probability of occurrence and impact were unstable commodity prices, inflation/exchange rate, land degradation, high cost of living and government bureaucracy for obtaining licenses. Mitigation measures for addressing the identified risk factors were identified. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited to data collected from practitioners working on mining projects. Due to geographic and logistical constraints, the study did not include the perception of local communities in quantifying the risk factors. Practical implications This paper has documented the critical risk factor affecting the mining industry in Ghana. Though the identified risk types are also prevalent in other sectors of the construction industry, the key findings of this paper emphasize the need for a comprehensive risk management culture in the mining sector. From an academic research perspective, the paper contributes to a conceptual risk assessment framework. Originality/value The information gathered through this research can be utilized in identifying and understanding risks during the early stages of mining project implementation.

Tunisia's risk of default will rise

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Social Unrest ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Significance The social unrest is partly the result of rising unemployment and poverty, worsened by the COVID-19 crisis. Political gridlock has also prevented the country from undertaking difficult reforms. Impacts Unemployment is likely to stay high, and until the informal economy can resume it will remain a cause of unrest. The release of multiple vaccines should lift some pressure from the health crisis before the end of 2021. The presidency and parliament need to solve the current gridlock in order to implement reforms in due course.

Battling COVID-19 with human resource management bundling

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arosha S. Adikaram ◽  
N.P.G.S.I. Naotunna ◽  
H.P.R. Priyankara
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices

PurposeThis paper aims to present an empirically driven crisis management framework of complementary human resource management (HRM) bundles that can be utilized in simultaneously managing the health crisis, financial crisis and disruptions to business operations through lockdown and other government restrictions propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe framework is developed employing qualitative methodology, drawing from the successful HRM practices adopted by 26 Sri Lankan companies in battling the many crises of COVID-19 and using the soft HRM approach as the theoretical basis.FindingsThe findings report a framework that consists of three key HRM bundles (health and safety bundle, cost-saving bundle and employee motivation and engagement bundle) entailing an array of inter-related, internally consistent, complementary and mutually reinforcing HRM practices and HRM activities. These HRM bundles and the HRM practices as well as the HRM activities therein, indicate how a softer approach to managing employees can be used during a crisis.Practical implicationsThe framework will inform the HRPs of the HRM bundles, HRM practices and HRM activities that can be used to manage the multiple crises created by COVID-19 and other similar pandemics.Originality/valueThe study contributes to and expands the knowledge of HRM in crisis management generally and HRM in a global pandemic more specifically.

Volatility transmission across international markets amid COVID 19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hechem Ajmi ◽  
Nadia Arfaoui ◽  
Karima Saci
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
International Markets ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Volatility Transmission ◽  
Oil Markets ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Death Cases

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the volatility transmission across stocks, gold and crude oil markets before and during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Design/methodology/approach A multivariate vector autoregression (VAR)-Baba, Engle, Kraft and Kroner generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model (BEKK-GARCH) is used to assess volatility transmission across the examined markets. The sample is divided as follows. The first period ranging from 02/01/2019 to 10/03/2020 defines the pre-COVID-19 crisis. The second period is from 11/03/2020 to 05/10/2020, representing the COVID-19 crisis period. Then, a robustness test is used using exponential GARCH models after including an exogenous variable capturing the growth of COVID-19 confirmed death cases worldwide with the aim to test the accuracy of the VAR-BEKK-GARCH estimated results. Findings Results indicate that the interconnectedness among the examined market has been intensified during the COVID-19 crisis, proving the lack of hedging opportunities. It is also found that stocks and Gold markets lead the crude oil market especially during the COVID-19 crisis, which explains the freefall of the crude oil price during the health crisis. Similarly, results show that Gold is most likely to act as a diversifier rather than a hedging tool during the current health crisis. Originality/value Although the recent studies in the field focused on analyzing the relationships between different markets during the first quarter of 2020, this study considers a larger data set with the aim to assess the volatility transmission across the examined international markets Amid the COVID-19 crisis, while it shows the most significant impact on various financial markets compared to other diseases.

Critical minerals demand will boost Canadian mining

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Rare Earth ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Critical Minerals

Significance Although low commodity prices deterred investment in recent years, this is changing as the market rallies. The creation of a regional electric vehicle (EV) supply chain straddling the Canada-US border has the potential to transform the Canadian mining sector while loosening China’s grip on the minerals used in high-performance batteries. Impacts Canada is the world’s eighth-largest cobalt producer and has significant copper, graphite and rare earth deposits. Fortune Minerals, which is developing a cobalt mine in Northwest Territories, has held funding talks with the US Export/Import Bank. First Cobalt is building North America’s only cobalt refinery to give battery makers an alternative source to the DRC. Several of the country’s mines are using cutting-edge technologies to reduce their carbon emissions.

scholarly journals Pediatric and geriatric immunity network mobile computational model for COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Banu Priya ◽  
P. Rajendran ◽  
Sandeep Kumar M. ◽  
Prabhu J. ◽  
Sukumar Rajendran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Model ◽  
Recovery Rate ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospital Administrators ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Machine Leaning ◽  
History Of ◽  
Geographical Maps

Purpose The computational model proposed in this work uses the data's of COVID-19 cases in India. From the analysis, it can be observed that the proposed immunity model decides the recovery rate of COVID −19 patients; moreover, the recovery rate does not depend on the age of the patients. These analytic models can be used by public health professionals, hospital administrators and epidemiologists for strategic decision-making to enhance health requirements based on various demographic and social factors of those affected by the pandemic. Mobile-based computational model can be used to compute the travel history of the affected people by accessing the near geographical maps of the path traveled. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors developed a pediatric and geriatric person’s immunity network-based mobile computational model for COVID-19 patients. As the computational model is hard to analyze mathematically, the authors simplified the computational model as general COVID-19 infected people, the computational immunity model. The model proposed in this work used the data's of COVID-19 cases in India. Findings This study proposes a pediatric and geriatric people immunity network model for COVID- 19 patients. For the analysis part, the data's on COVID-19 cases in India was used. In this model, the authors have taken two sets of people (pediatric and geriatric), both are facing common symptoms such as fever, cough and myalgia. From the analysis, it was observed and also proved that the immunity level of patients decides the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients and the age of COVID-19 patients has no significant influence on the recovery rate of the patient. Originality/value COVID-19 has created a global health crisis that has had a deep impact on the way we perceive our world and our everyday lives. Not only the rate of contagion and patterns of transmission threatens our sense of agency, but the safety measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus also require social distancing. The novel model in this work focus on the Indian scenario and thereby may help Indian health organizations for future planning and organization. The factors model in this work such as age, immunity level, recovery rate can be used by machine leaning models for predicting other useful outcomes.

A new IR and sprinkler based embedded controller directed robotic arm for automatic cleaning of solar panel

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 905-921
Author(s):  
Manish Kumar Ghodki ◽  
Akhilesh Swarup ◽  
Yash Pal
Keyword(s):  
Pulse Width Modulation ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Solar Panel ◽  
Performance Ratio ◽  
Robotic Arm ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Ir Sensor ◽  
Embedded Controller

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to design and develop an IR and sprinkler based embedded controller operated robotic arm for automatic dust removal system to mitigate the dust effect on the solar panel surface, since dust accumulation normally affected by real weather conditions is one of the serious concern for the deterioration of photovoltaic (PV) system output. Design/methodology/approach The system is a wet cleaning device which provides a cheap silicon rubber-based wiping operation controlled by the pulse width modulation-operated motors of robotic arm. The IEEE 1149.1-compliant mixed signal-embedded platform of C8051F226DK is involved to command the complete system. Findings A prototype of 30 WP system is capable of producing an inspiring average value of 11.26 per cent in energy increase, 13.63 per cent in PV module efficiency and 85.20 per cent in performance ratio of the system after 73 days of cleaning in summer season. In addition, a total of 1,617.93 W power; 1,0516.55 Wh energy; and 350.55 KWh/KWP final yield was found during the entire cleaning period. Originality/value A novel technique of the implementation of IR sensor and sprinkler in dust mitigation is proposed in this paper. The IR sensor is used as a versatile object which can manage the robotic arm setting and control the automatic switching between cleaning and charging, as well as identify the thermal condition of solar panel for overheating.

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