Wage talks aggravate South Africa’s Eskom reform woes

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Wage Increase ◽  
Macroeconomic Performance ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type

Significance The contest over wages is a proxy for unions’ broader resistance to the turnaround plan to address Eskom’s parlous financial and operational situation. The outcome will affect this broader battle. Impacts Any above-inflation wage increase will have a knock-on effect on Eskom’s debt. The talks’ outcome may influence other standoffs between government and unions representing public servants and state-owned enterprises. Recently improved macroeconomic performance, driven by rising commodity prices, will likely reinforce union demands across all these talks.

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.

Macroeconomic conditions are only an illusion, not the solution, to firm sustainability: unveiling the new dimension of stakeholder well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahid Irshad Younas ◽  
Mahvesh Khan ◽  
Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Faryan
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Macroeconomic Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Macroeconomic Conditions ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The One

Purpose The purpose of the study is to explore the misconception that in developed countries, macroeconomic performance lead to sustainable firms or improves stakeholder well-being. The results may be the opposite or even worse. Design/methodology/approach This study examined this misconception using balanced panel data from 1,122 firms from different sectors of the US economy and data on macroeconomic performance from the World Bank. Findings The results of the one-step generalised method of moments indicate that most macroeconomic performance indicators had significant and negative impacts on firm sustainability and stakeholder well-being. Practical implications From a societal perspective, the results illustrate that the fruits of macroeconomic performance of the US economy do not reach stakeholders through firms’ sustainability. Thus, linking the economy’s macroeconomic performance with firm sustainability is vital for sustainably uplifting society and for stakeholder well-being. Originality/value From a policy perspective, this study reveals that the greater focus on macroeconomic performance in the USA over the past decades has resulted in lower firm sustainability because of the malfunctioning of social, economic, environmental and governance factors. This has negatively influenced stakeholder well-being in the country.

Leadership and innovative work behaviour within Ghanaian metropolitan assemblies: mediating role of resource supply

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Baafi ◽  
Abraham Ansong ◽  
Kennedy Etse Dogbey ◽  
Nicodemus Osei Owusu
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Transactional Leadership ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovative Behaviour ◽  
Innovative Work ◽  
Innovative Work Behaviour

PurposeThis study explores the role of transformational leadership, transactional leadership and resource supply in enhancing innovative work behaviour using the mediation model.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data was gathered from 314 local government staff from the six metropolitan assemblies in Ghana. Structural equation modelling was used for the analysis.FindingsThe results suggest that transformational and transactional leadership behaviours provided an impetus for innovative behaviours. Also, resource supply was found to mediate the relationship between transformational leadership behaviours and innovative work behaviour.Practical implicationsPublic managers can improve the innovative behaviour of public servants by providing resources for innovation, setting up proper reward structures, communicating vision clearly and clarifying performance expectations.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate innovative work behaviour within the Ghanaian local government sector and the context of a developing country in Africa. The study extends the literature on innovative work behaviour by exploring the role of leadership and resource supply.

Ukraine tightens rules to boost COVID vaccine uptake

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Programme ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Macroeconomic Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Many

Significance This places two-thirds of Ukrainian regions under the most stringent COVID-19 restrictions. In its second pandemic autumn, Ukraine is performing poorly because this year's vaccination programme has been slow to pick up, until a recent acceleration prompted by tougher restrictions. Vaccine hesitancy has been compounded by a scandal involving fake certificates. Impacts The government will blame the COVID-19 surge for poor macroeconomic performance. President Zelensky's standing will be largely unaffected, as responsibility for restrictions is mostly devolved to regions. COVID-19 will not sideline the many challenges facing the government, currently reflected in an emerging cabinet reshuffle.

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.

Trade will not drive Latin America recovery this year

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
The Other ◽  
Economic Recovery ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Economic Nationalism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Skills

Significance These include a reorganisation of global value chains, an increase in intraregional trade in the other regions and a resurgence of economic nationalism. The report urges increased regional integration as the key to a sustainable and inclusive post-pandemic economic recovery. Impacts Despite higher commodity prices, LAC’s exports are unlikely to recover their pre-pandemic level before 2022. Digital skills will become increasingly more important for LAC’s growth and how its benefits are distributed. The pandemic’s impact on tourism and the hospitality industry suggests a disproportionate effect on women’s employment.

Financial integration, global liquidity and global macroeconomic linkages

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ansgar Belke ◽  
Jonas Keil
Keyword(s):  
Financial Integration ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Macroeconomic Variables ◽  
Global Liquidity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of financial integration on several macroeconomic variables from a global perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply a cointegrated vector autoregression model using quarterly data for 1980-2009. Analysing the interactions of globally aggregated measures capturing cross-border financial transactions, monetary liquidity, output, consumer and commodity prices, the authors focus on the dissection of short-run and long-run dynamics. Findings – The authors find that increasing financial integration has a positive impact driving GDP. The authors also find evidence of two-way causality between commodity prices and financial flows. The results suggest that commodity prices are driven by financial integration and the gap between the dynamics of commodity prices and financial flows is closed by global liquidity injected by central banks. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the empirical literature by analysing the overall impact of global financial integration and of global liquidity on global macroeconomic variables in a unified framework.

scholarly journals An Islamic monetary theory of value and equation of exchange: evidence from Egypt (696-1517)

Humanomics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Price Stability ◽  
Monetary Theory ◽  
Value Functions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theory Of Value ◽  
Value Of Money

Purpose The purpose of this research is to present an Islamic monetary theory of value by analyzing real prices and real money in terms of gold and silver in Egypt from 696 to 1517, a period of 821 years from the Umayyads to the Abbasids. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a quantitative empirical investigation derived from a full population of secondary data to deductively evaluate the measure and store of value functions of money, to affirm an Islamic monetary theory of value, which is also inductively researched through a qualitative interpretation of documentary and content analysis of Islamic and numismatic literature. Findings The Islamic monetary theory of value leads to an Islamic equation of exchange that reconfirms the outcome of this research, where a high value of money ensures low constant real prices over the long term. Research limitations/implications The findings are based on an empirical investigation involving a single price of wheat series as a reasonable proxy for changes in wholesale commodity prices generally, which was successfully adopted by other studies. Practical implications The significance for modern monetary policy is that monetary authorities should adopt an Islamic monetary theory of value to achieve genuine monetary and price stability. Social implications Through an Islamic equation of exchange, price stability would ensure real economic growth that protects wealth for holders of money due to a stable purchasing power, and combined with Islamic equity finance, more efficiency in allocating investible resources to increase gross domestic product and employment. Originality/value The Islamic monetary theory of value ensures that there is no transfer or confiscation of wealth through inflation, which would impart gains to the issuer due to the excessive supply of money in relation to demand.

Emotional intelligence as an antidote to the negative implications of perceived managerial supplication: a sectorial comparison

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Galit Meisler
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model

PurposeThis study investigated whether managers' nonaggressive political behavior can result in negative emotional and attitudinal outcomes such as aggressive behavior and the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in this context. The authors explored a moderated mediation model in which perceived managerial supplication elicited hostility that increased turnover intentions and the emotional abilities included in EI acted as antidotes to these outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested the moderated mediation model using two large samples, one from the public sector and the other from the private sector, providing a cross-sectorial comparison. The authors collected the data for this study in three waves.FindingsThe authors’ findings revealed that the model fit the public sector alone. Moreover, others' emotion appraisal was the only aspect of EI that moderated the hostility and turnover intentions of public servants.Practical implicationsInterventions aimed at increasing the EI level of public servants can be a powerful tool for reducing their hostility and turnover intentions. However, these interventions must focus on all four aspects of EI , particularly others' emotion appraisal.Originality/valueManagers' nonaggressive political behavior can result in negative emotional and attitudinal outcomes such as aggressive behavior. However, EI reduces these negative outcomes among public servants.

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