COVID 19 Outbreaks on the Growth of Self Servicing Technology Using Digital Payments

In comparison to any other International crisis, Covid19 was sudden and did not leave much time for individuals or Governments to prepare in terms of the impact it had on healthcare infrastructure or trade-in various sectors. The modern world is highly connected and stopping the inter-country movement of people is very difficult. Given the rapid increase of cases, Covid19 was declared as a pandemic and for lack of any other viable option, most Governments chose the way of locking down the economy. There was little information on how Covid19 spreads mortality rate or recovery rate, etc. Impetus on social distancing forced people to get wary of any contact including the exchange of cash which in turn resulted in the rapid adoption of alternate measures such as digital payments. Supply chain management was badly hit and demand for essential products and services increased significantly. Although overall volumes of digital payments went down due to adverse impact on several sectors, its usage as a replacement of cash increased significantly. This sudden increase and adoption by people who are not technology-savvy gave rise to frauds and cyber-attacks. Thus there arose a need for stringent regulations, the evolution of technology, and enhanced user education. There has been a significant push by the Government for achieving a cashless economy and digital payments surely will provide robust support for this objective. RBI has also proposed a self-regulatory body for digital payment and has taken initiatives like making NEFT available 24*7 and removing applicable charges. There are rising impetus and applications of digital payment technologies in day-to-day and business-related trade transactions.

An Analysis of Maritime Policies in Ghana.

An analysis of maritime transport policies in Ghana was conducted in this study. The objectives were to establish the existence or otherwise of maritime policy, the degree of its effectiveness and its impact on the maritime industry in particular and the nation as a whole, identify the challenges affecting the successful implementation of maritime policies in Ghana, and suggest measures for effective implementation of Ghana's maritime policies. The study was conducted in the port communities of Tema and Takoradi. It employed a descriptive research design and the instruments used were interviews and questionnaires. The study focused on maritime policies enacted since Ghana’s independence. The findings of the study indicate that although there is no single document as a maritime policy, there are forms of policies. These policies are described largely as ineffective having such impacts as loss of revenue to the state, pollution of the marine environment and a high cost of doing business through Ghana's ports. Some of the challenges impeding the successful realization of expected results from maritime policies in Ghana include inadequate training, insufficient resources and a low level educational background. Some of the measures for addressing these challenges include establishment of an intergrated maritime policy, education of merchants in maritime-related trade, provision of additional resources and training of personnel involved with functions guided by Ghana's maritime policies.

Employment Sustainability and Prospects of the Automotive Industry in Saudi Arabia

The research revolves around the automotive industry of Saudi Arabia and how the industry can be used as an opportunity towards creating more employment opportunities for the youth. A detailed discussion has been done to identify the existing problems in the concerned sector along with a brief background study. The employment opportunities and related trade conditions are also discussed. The growth prospects of the automotive industry along with the investment opportunities have been provided. In the later part of the research, recommendations for overall industry growth are mentioned. The report also contains references from reputed authors and trusted sources, which makes the report more authentic and informative. Detailed evaluation of the obtained data shows that changes in import and export rates can influence the employment market in terms of generating trade volume. Moreover, attempt to attract foreign investment through encouraging trade transactions can result in strengthening industrial growth through creating better employment opportunities.

When value- and experience-related trade promotions influence retailers’ sales: the moderating role of retail format strategy and channel structure

Purpose As manufacturers and retailers aim to increase return on marketing investments, value- vs experience-related trade promotions gain attention. These two trade promotions become complicated in the presence of different retail format strategies (generalist vs specialist) and channel structures (direct to retailer vs distributors). Building on trade promotion literature, this study aims to show the main effect of value-related and experience-related trade promotions on retailers’ sales and the moderating role of different retail strategies and channel structures. Design/methodology/approach The authors use unique panel data from 8 personal care brands with 1,920 observations to test the hypotheses. The authors investigate how consumer goods manufacturer sells products using different channels structures and retail strategies. Estimated panel regressions provide the empirical evidence and robustness analyzes provide extra confidence to the findings. Findings Results reveal higher retail sales when the manufacturer invests in value-related trade promotions rather than experience-related trade promotions. The results also demonstrate how the manufacturer successfully invests in trade promotion by adequately accounting for channel structure and retail strategy. While temporary price reduction’s positive effect on retail sales is enhanced in generalist retailers (e.g. supermarket stores), shelf display’s positive impact is enhanced in specialist retailers (drug stores). Research limitations/implications The authors used unique panel data accounting for 15 months, limiting the findings. The results supported the investment allocation decisions in each period. However, future research may evaluate the effectiveness over a longer period and thoroughly address each investment’s seasonal effects. Practical implications The authors unveil how retailers achieve higher sales with value-related trade promotions when compared to experience-related trade promotions. The authors also shed light on the way manufacturers design their relationships with generalist and specialist retailers by working in direct and indirect channels. Trade promotions yield better results when the direct channel structure couples with a retailer’s generalist strategy. Originality/value The empirical findings help manufacturers achieve success in trade promotions by developing an equitable evaluation to contrast value- and experience-related promotions accounting for generalist and specialist retail strategies and direct and indirect channels.

Wine after the pandemic? All the doubts in a glass

COVID-19 has triggered an unprecedented global crisis, the increasing recessions in many countries and related trade uncertainties are affecting the whole wine sector, from production to distribution, sales, and consumption. While the full recovery is still uncertain, and even worse scenarios are possible if it takes longer to bring back trust and financial stability on wine markets, the crisis risks to jeopardies recent developments and sustainability in wine territories. Developing from a mixed-method participatory research process that integrates recent economic prospective with diverse experience data, we offer a critical reflection made by researchers and stakeholders supporting several socio-economic narratives and policy implications in the light of the current crisis. Distinguishing between short and long-term implications, we offer a reflection on the policy needs to alleviate the ongoing suffering of the sector. The speed and scope of the pandemic crisis underscore the need for the wine sector to become more resilient by increasing the ability to cooperate and coordinate among supply chain actors and between policy levels. The latter offers a reflection on the balance between short-term interventions and the complementarity of post-2020 CAP measures to stabilize market and future incomes. We conclude that once the crisis abates, it will be necessary to reaffirm credible commitment and trust at all levels, not only with regard to the vineyard and the cellars but also on distribution, especially in the face of a changing demand that in the future will become more pressing for issues related to safety and sustainability.

Trade stories, film policy and radical uncertainty: Remarks on Scandinavian cinema and COVID-19 inspired by ‘Digging the digital?’

A selection of Corona-related trade stories from the field of ‘creative documentary’ is examined and connected to a discussion about government film policy – long-term support structures as well as ad hoc measures to counter the effects of COVID-19 – all in an effort to gauge the pandemic’s ramifications for Scandinavian cinema and the film industry’s navigation of conditions of radical uncertainty.

Considering the Impacts of Metal Depletion on the European Electricity System

The transformation of the European electricity system could generate unintended environment-related trade-offs, e.g., between greenhouse gas emissions and metal depletion. The question thus emerges, how to shape policy packages considering climate change, but without neglecting other environmental and resource-related impacts. In this context, this study analyzes the impacts of different settings of potential policy targets using a multi-criteria analysis in the frame of a coupled energy system and life cycle assessment model. The focus is on the interrelationship between climate change and metal depletion in the future European decarbonized electricity system in 2050, also taking into account total system expenditures of transforming the energy system. The study shows, firstly, that highly ambitious climate policy targets will not allow for any specific resource policy targets. Secondly, smoothing the trade-off is only possible to the extent of one of the policy targets, whereas, thirdly, the potential of recycling as a techno-economic option is limited.

Association Between Occupation Type and Obesity Prevalence: An Analysis of the 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Purpose : Although occupational factors such as working hours, type of workers, and being a shift worker have been associated with the prevalence of obesity, the relationships between occupation type and obesity prevalence, especially in South Korea, have not been clarified. We therefore investigated the association between obesity markers such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and types of occupation using data from the 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: We evaluated the height, weight, WC, -and demographic variables (age, sex, socioeconomic status, alcohol, and smoking) from data of 3,645 respondents. The occupational groups were classified into nine categories (managers, professionals and related workers, clerks, service workers, sales workers, skilled agriculture, forestry and fishery workers, craft and related trade workers, equipment, machine operating and assembling workers, and elementary workers) using the Korean version of the Standard Classification of Occupations. We performed an analysis of covariance test to assess the relationship between obesity markers (BMI; and WC) and types of occupation. Results: There was a significant difference in obesity markers among men according to occupation categories after controlling for socio-demographic covariates. The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in managers (25.8 +/- 0.4 kg/m 2 , 89.7 +/- 1.1 cm), and lower in craft and related trade workers (24.3 +/ - 0.2 kg/m 2 , 85.1 +/- 0.6 cm) , respectively . (p = 0.011) . Conclusion: The obesity markers were highest in the manager group and lowest in the craft and related trades workers group among men of all the occupation groups.

Metal-smithy, Bead-making, Gemstones, Jeweller’s Weight, Trade-permits, Tax-stamps: Indus Script’s Semasiography Partly Decoded

This paper claims to have partly decoded the Indus script. It not only explains how the brief formulaic inscriptions found on seals and tablets helped in taxation and trade control, by recording taxed commodity-types, licensed commercial activities, tax-rates, mode of tax-payment, license-issuing entities etc., but also decisively identifies several semasiograms signifying metal-smithy, lapidary-works, related metrology and taxation. It shows how the sign resembling a “blowpipe inside a crucible”, repeatedly occurs in inscribed seals/tablets discovered from workshops of metal-workers, goldsmiths and bead-makers, and directly occurs on certain inscribed gold and copper implements. Crucibles and blowpipes being ancient smelting tools, their ideograms ( , , ) denoted gold-smithy in Egyptian hieroglyphs too. Moreover, certain Indo-Aryan and Dravidian words for metal-smith directly translates to “blowpipe-blower”. Thus archaeological, script-internal and linguistic evidence confirm that sign signified precious metals and metal-smithy in different contexts. Similarly, fish-like signs ( , , etc.), which repeatedly occur in inscriptions discovered from bead-makers’ and jewelers’ workshops across Indus settlements, arguably signified meanings associated with gemstones, bead-making and related metrological standards. Interestingly, in Proto-Dravidian, “mīn” means fish, shining, bright, and gemstone. Moreover, Indus valley’s eye-patterned gemstone beads were famous as “fish-eye beads” in Mesopotamia. The gemstone related fish-signs sometimes co-occur with , possibly because, the bead-makers and goldsmiths, who physically shared same workshops, were part of related trade license and taxation mechanisms. This paper also claims that the frequent terminal signs symbolized different volumetric ( ) and weight-based ( ) metrological units used in revenue collection and thus metonymically signified certain tax categories. Specifically, the terminal arrow-like sign , which mostly co-occurs with gemstone and gold-smithy related semasiograms, arguably symbolized a goldsmith’s balance, and metonymically signified tax-payments and trade-permits associated with precious commodities. Since ancient assay balances generally used arrow-like pointers for precise weight measurement (a comparable balance is discovered from Harappa), Indic words for assay balance (eṣaṇī, nārācī) are often etymologically rooted to arrow-words. This study claims that sign (allograph ), symbolized the abrus precatorious seeds, the traditional Indian jeweller’s weight, and metonymically signified goldsmith’s weight system and treasury. Many other related conjectures of this study significantly advance our understanding of Indus script.