Factors Impacting Mobile Banking in India: Empirical Approach Extending UTAUT2 with Perceived Value and Trust

The aim of this research is to study the factors impacting usage of mobile banking (mBanking) by consumers in India. The study adopts the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) with Social Value (SV), Monetary Value (MV), Emotional Value (EV), Quality Value (QV), Trust and the moderation effect of gender. Online and offline survey methods were used to collect primary data from 457 Indian consumers using mBanking. SPSS AMOS was utilized to empirically validate the conceptual model, test research hypothesis and moderation effect. The factors effort expectancy (EE), monetary value (MV), emotional value (EV), quality value (QV) and trust (TR) were found to be significant on behavioural intent (BI), whereas performance expectancy (PE) and social value (SV) were not found to be significant. Banking organizations can formulate strategies to attract new consumers and continue to engage in retaining consumers in using these influencing factors to adopt mBanking and other related mobile financial services (MFS). The study integrates perceived value components and trust with UTAUT2 to form a comprehensive model for examining mBanking adoption.

Quantification and comparison of ecosystem services of grasslands versus another fodder crop (maize) based on mineral nitrogen content in the 60–90 cm soil layer

Grasslands provide many ecosystem services. Apart from being a source of fodder for animals, grasslands regulate water and soil quality by reducing nitrogen emissions to the environment. The aim of the study was to determine the biophysical and monetary value of ecosystem services of grassland based on the “mineral nitrogen content in the soil layer 60–90 cm” indicator depending on the method of use and the type of soil, against the cultivation of maize for green fodder. The study area encompassed three provinces, different in terms of soil use, livestock population and intensity of grassland use. The investigation indicated that the value of ecosystem services provided by grasslands varied spatially and depended on the type of use and type of soil. In mineral soils, the lowest levels of this index were recorded from sites used for pasturing, while the highest levels were found under maize crops. In organic soils (without maize crops), the smallest losses of Nmin were observed in meadows while the highest losses were in pastures. Nmin losses in organic soils were higher than in mineral soils. The losses observed were highest in Opolskie Province, followed by Podlaskie Province, with the lowest losses in Lubelskie Province.

MEASURING CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE: APPLICATION OF ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS IN DETERMINING RELATIVE WEIGHTS OF ‘LRFM’

ABSTRACT The limited availability of resources drives retailers to tailor their resources to identified profitable customers. In the present scenario, when the ROI of marketing is being questioned, the satisfaction of the profitable customers is of utmost importance as it drives their loyalty towards the retailer and the retailer’s brand. This research has considered Length of association with customers (L), apart from variables like Recency (R), Frequency (F) and Monetary-value of the purchase (M) in measuring customers’ relative-worth based on the calculation of Customer Lifetime-value (CLV). The contribution of this article lies in calculating weights of these variables – L, R, F, and M and demonstrating the calculation of CLV using weighted LRFM based on data collected from a leading apparel retailer in India. The obtained results for the customer base using the proposed approach is more reliable when compared with traditional non-weighted approaches of RFM based CLV. This methodology will provide a new and better option to retailers for measuring CLV of their customers, thus aiding their decision making about customer-friendly profitable marketing strategies and attaining optimum returns on their investments.

Using Risk Based Maintenance Optimization RBMO to Save Costs

Maintenance is a crucial pillar in plant integrity and availability. Saving money in maintenance should be established without affecting the asset's integrity. Based on this, the core of work is to maximize the maintenance return on investment (ROI). Maintenance ROI is the ratio between invested money in maintenance to mitigated risks due to maintenance actions. The objective is to minimize maintenance cost while maximizing assets integrity and availability. RBMO starts with ‘Maintenance Criticality Assessment’ (MCA) at unit/system level to define high (20 % of systems that represent 80% of risks), medium (20% of systems that represent 15% of risks), and low critical systems (60% of systems that represent only 5% of risks). Based on system criticality, a dedicated risk assessment is implemented to evaluate risks at tag level to define the worst maintenance action/s. High critical systems’ maintenance programs are developed using ‘Reliability-Centered Maintenance’ (RCM). Medium critical system maintenance program is developed using ‘Failure Mode, Effects and criticality analysis’ (FMECA). "Maintenance strategy for Low Critical item" guideline document is developed to define the best maintenance strategy for low critical units. All risks are evaluated using the standard ADNOC risk matrix. The risk is converted to monetary value in $ to evaluate maintenance actions using a formula. A special program was developed to facilitate MCA evaluation for each system and represent risk as monetary value using ADNOC Risk Matrix taking into consideration the redundancy and demand on a system during operation. MCAs were completed for all ADNOC Onshore Assets, see results below. Optimization starts by evaluating maintenance programs for low critical systems to save costs where low critical systems represent 50% to 60% of total systems in ADNOC Onshore. Based on this the total number of work orders has decreased by 6856, which is equivalent to saving $1M annually. In parallel, RCMs are conducted on high critical systems. Risk mitigation calculator in $ value was developed and embedded in the RCM information sheet to calculate cost benefit from implementing maintenance programs that were developed. RBMO is a systematic and traceable methodology to minimize maintenance cost and at the same time maximize system integrity and availability. This work showed the importance of reviewing the low critical systems’ maintenance program, as a first step in RBMO after implementing MCA, where low critical systems represent 50% to 60% of total assets and only 5% of total risks. ADNOC Onshore developed a dedicated guideline document "Maintenance Strategy for Low Critical Item" to facilitate decision making for proper maintenance strategy for low critical systems. Adding RCM risk mitigation calculator to RCM to calculate RCM cost benefit.

Challenges and Mitigation in Achieving Successful Project Handover

This paper will describe the common challenges faced by both Project Management Team (PMT) and Asset Owner when projects come to the tail end and due for handover. It highlights the impact of improper handover of projects to the company as a whole and provides some proposals to address the common project handover issues. This paper will cover mainly on project handovers for upstream projects especially related to offshore facilities. This paper is written based on sample of projects done at offshore Malaysia. It highlights the common handover issues such as PMT not able to handover timely to the Asset Owner although the facilities are running, and production had been achieved. The longer it takes to handover, the more monetary value leakage will be wasted as a result of no equipment preventive maintenance, warranty of equipment could expire or void, and paying higher construction insurance coverage. This can be prevented by a proper and early planning in managing handover, inclusion of segmented provisional acceptance criteria in the contract as well as having frequent engagement between PMT and Asset Owner prior to stages of handover during project execution. Understanding of each stakeholders' expectations is also one of the key success factors. This paper will conclude that there are many common handover issues when it comes to project handover. Most of the issues are the results of misunderstanding of each stakeholder's expectation, poor early handover planning and unclear scope of acceptance in the contract. In most cases the impact will lead to unrealized monetary value leakage. Early handover planning, clear scope covered in the contract, good coordination between PMT and Asset Owner, good teamwork and mindset, blending with some interpersonal skills in managing conflicts are among the key success factors. The key highlights in this paper will help PMT and Asset Owner in better managing the project handover. This will improve project delivery to meet target schedule within scope and budget. This will eventually safeguard overall company investment and avoid any risk on uncertainty of care and custody transfer at the end of a project life cycle.

Evaluation of Regulating and Provisioning Services Provided by a Park Designed to Be Resilient to Climate Change in Bangkok, Thailand

Understanding the ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces, in terms of their environmental, economic, and social benefits, is essential for a better management of area. Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park (CU 100) was established to mitigate the effects of climate change, especially flood prevention. This study focused on quantifying the ecosystem services provided by the trees in the park in terms of regulating and provisioning services. A publicly available tool, the i-Tree Eco international software, was used with data obtained from a local weather station as proxies to determine the accuracy of the analysis. Services, quantified in terms of monetary value, included avoided runoff, carbon storage, carbon sequestration, pollution removal, and timber price. The total monetary benefits, obtained from 697 trees (56 species, 49 genera, and 22 families), were estimated at USD 101,400. Of the total services, provisioning services contributed 75% to the total monetary value. Among all regulating services, the avoided runoff contributed about 60%, which was considered as the goal achieved by the park design. Azadirachta indica A. Juss (USD 518.75/tree−1/year−1), Shorea roxburghii G. Don (USD 417.17/tree−1/year−1) and Millettia leucantha Kurz (USD 414.87/tree−1/year−1) provided the greatest benefit, as indicated by a high value of provisioning services in terms of a high timber quality. These results can be used when planning the composition of trees to be planted in urban areas to increase both green spaces and maximize ecosystem services to improve the vitality of human well-being.

Emma Dowling: The Care Crisis: What Caused It and How Can We End It?

What is care and who is paying for it? Valuing care and care work does not simply mean attributing care work more monetary value. To really achieve change, we must go so much further.As the world becomes seemingly more uncaring, the calls for people to be more compassionate and empathetic towards one another—in short, to care more—become ever-more vocal. The Care Crisis challenges the idea that people ever stopped caring, but also that the deep and multi-faceted crises of our time will be solved by simply (re)instilling the virtues of empathy. There is no easy fix.In this groundbreaking book, Emma Dowling charts the multi-faceted nature of care in the modern world, from the mantras of self-care and what they tell us about our anxieties, to the state of the social care system. She examines the relations of power that play profitability and care off in against one another in a myriad of ways, exposing the devastating impact of financialisation and austerity.The Care Crisis enquires into the ways in which the continued off-loading of the cost of care onto the shoulders of underpaid and unpaid realms of society, untangling how this off-loading combines with commodification, marketisation and financialisation to produce the mess we are living in. The Care Crisis charts the current experiments in short-term fixes to the care crisis that are taking place within Britain, with austerity as the backdrop. It maps the economy of abandonment, raising the question: to whom care is afforded? What would it mean to seriously value care?

Foundation News: How SEG Foundation donors make a real difference

Billions of dollars are raised every year to support great causes and to help millions of people through small personal gifts. Many nonprofits have been sustained primarily by the growth of small gifts, and the cash volume of online gifts in the United States reached a record level in 2020. Gifts of any size are worth much more than just the monetary value. The gift itself generates more gifts. Giving is driven by momentum, and nothing can create and grow momentum like small gifts.

The digitalization-reputation link: a multiple case-study on Italian banking groups

Purpose This paper aims to focus on the relation between digital transformation and banks’ reputation, as examined through the information disclosed by the five largest Italian banking groups’ efforts to extend and enhance their digital resources. Considering digitalization as a key strategy for managing reputation, which, in turn, can leverage financial and value performance management, the paper investigates whether and how digital activities might affect banks’ reputation. Therefore, this paper proposes the relationship between digitalization and reputation as a lever for performance management and for increasing efficiency. Design/methodology/approach The authors use content analysis to generate a digital disclosure index, categorizing activities human, structural and relational. For banks’ reputations, the proxies are a measure of corporate reputation and a reputational risk index. Methodologically the study used multiple case studies, considered as particularly suitable to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic in the case of the five banks. A collection of secondary data and semi-structured interviews are included. Findings Overall, the digitalization-reputation link shows that banks’ reputation is variously affected, not only by exposure to risk (including reputational risk) but also by strategic issues such as digitalization and the effectiveness of the corresponding communication. Consequently, banks should view digitalization as a key driver to be considered not in a stand-alone perspective, but in a combined approach. Research limitations/implications Continued research should include the Covid-19 implications. Additionally, it would be important to compare a larger number of banks, with different characteristics, also including variables indicating the corporate governance mechanisms. Practical implications The analysis contributes to fostering scholars’ and practitioners’ management of the digital transformation challenge that is a current key-factor, capable of increasing banks’ value. It considers not only the drivers directly affecting monetary value but also the institutions’ social and relational value, as well as their reputation. Originality/value This paper extends prior research on the digitalization-reputation relation by investigating digital transformation through disclosure of activities in this area within the Italian banking sector. It allows to leverage the key-factors that can contribute to increasing banks’ value, considering not only the drivers directly affecting monetary value but also the institutions’ social and relational value, as well as their reputation.