Socio–demographic Impacts on the Personal Savings Portfolio Choice - a Decision Tree Approach

Insufficiently developed financial system, poor standard of living and inappropriate education of citizens on the saving products, lead to low level of investment in the financial market of developing countries. In this paper special attention is paid to examining the socio-demographic profile of Montenegrin citizens that invest their funds in some of the offered form of savings, as well as examining main factors that restrict their investment. For this purpose, data collected through the survey of Montenegrin citizens were processed using Decision Tree method. Survey results have shown that there is a low level of savings, as well as that citizens prefer deposits and life insurance products rather than pension plans and debt securities. Also, the results indicate that the main causes of the current state of savings in Montenegro are low standard of living, citizens´ poor awareness and the financial system which causes the insufficiently attractive supply of savings.

Influence of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Economy of Tokumbo Vehicles Trade in Borno State: Implications for Counselling

The study was an opinion survey that investigated the influence of covid-19 pandemic on the economy of Tokumbo vehicles trade in Borno State, Nigeria. Population of the study comprised of all fairly used secondhand car dealers in the State. However, 150 Tokumbo car dealers constituted the sample. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were used in selecting sample. Researchers designed 18 items Structured Interview Schedule (SIS) tagged “Car Dealers Interview Schedule (CDIS)” and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were the instruments used to elicit data for the study. The CDIS was divided into two parts (A & B). Part A collected information on demographic characteristics of the respondents while Part B elicited data on sources of capital for the Tokumbo dealers, brand of Tokumbo vehicles and the influence of covid-19 pandemic on Tokumbo trade in Borno State, Nigeria. The CDIS was validated by three experts in the field of Business Administration of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State and a coefficient of 0.74 was obtained using Cronbach alpha reliability method for the internal consistency which was considered relevant and adequate for the study. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentage and bar graph were used in analyzing data collected for the study. Three objectives and three research questions piloted the study. Results of the study revealed loan and personal savings as some of the sources of capital for dealers in Tokumbo vehicles in Borno State. Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda, Mercedes Benz and Peugeot were some of the brands of Tokumbo cars in the study area while rent, loan repayment and gross reduction in sales were some of the effects of covid-19 pandemic on the trade in Tokumbo vehicles in Borno State, Nigeria. Based on the findings, implications for counselling, conclusions and recommendations were made.

Advance rent mobilisation strategies of graduate renters in Ghana: a submarket of the private rental housing market

The practice of advance rent, where landlords ask renters to pay a lump-sum rent covering 2 or more years, is gaining scholarly and political attention in Africa. Nevertheless, there is limited empirical research investigating how renters mobilize funds to meet this financial commitment. Existing literature suggests that renters, irrespective of their educational level, face difficulties in paying advance rent, hence compelling them to rely mainly on their bonding (family and friends) and bridging (employers and financial institutions) social capital to pay advance rent. Drawing on rational choice and social capital theories coupled with data from a novel (graduate) sub-market of Ghana’s rental housing market, this article finds that personal savings remain the most rational current and future source of funding options graduate renters draw upon to pay advance rent, albeit some still drawing on their social capital. The findings demonstrate that graduate renters do not use bonding social capital in their future mobilization strategies after they have drawn on the same in previous years, although they continue to rely on their bridging social capital and other strategies to mobilize funds for advance rent. The study suggests the need to rethink rational choice and social capital theories to incorporate inter-temporal dynamics among different social groups and to traverse the current binary conception of the rental housing market in Ghana to consider different sub-markets and how they respond to existing challenges in the housing sector.

Caring Again: Parent Caregivers for Their Wounded Adult Children Veterans

With military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan surviving what were previously fatal injuries, there is ongoing discussion about how to provide care for them and support their families. Parents frequently provide care for their unmarried, injured adult children, especially those returning with polytraumatic injuries, PTSD, or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Parents (n=160) of combat injured adult children who participated in a DoD-funded behavioral intervention study are described. Parents were mainly mothers, average age 60.2 years, with ages ranging from 45 to 79. The veterans had functional limitations, and only 9.2% were employed. Parents, on average, had been caregivers for 6.6 years and daily spent 7.7 hours providing care and 17.2 hours on duty, primarily focused on supervision and daily life management rather than physical care. Average caregiver burden score approached high and was related to veteran TBI diagnosis, aggressive behavior toward others, and functional limitations. Few parents (22.7%) worked full-time; 85.3% had decreased personal spending, 84.0% dipped into personal savings, and 58.9% reduced retirement saving. These findings are similar to those of aging parent caregivers of adult children with serious mental illness or developmental disabilities in amount of care provided to their adult children, their level of burden, financial and career cost to themselves, and concern about their future and their children’s future. As these parents and their adult children age, providing care and resources will present greater challenges for them, for the military and veteran care systems they rely on for support, and for society.

Socioeconomic inequality in mental well-being associated with COVID-19 containment measures in a low-incidence Asian globalized city

The COVID-19 pandemic exposes and amplifies pre-existing inequalities even in places with relatively well-controlled outbreaks such as Hong Kong. This study aimed to explore whether the socioeconomically disadvantaged fare worse via various types of worry in terms of their mental health and well-being. Between September and October 2020, 1067 adults in Hong Kong were recruited via a cross-sectional population-wide telephone survey. The inter-relationship between deprivation, types of worry, mental health disorders, and subjective well-being was assessed using structural equation modelling. Results showed significant total effects of deprivation on worries about being infected (p = 0.002), economic activities and livelihood (p < 0.001), and personal savings (p < 0.001), as well as mental health disorders (p < 0.001) and subjective well-being (p < 0.001). Specifically, worry about economic activities and livelihood partly mediated the total effect of deprivation on mental health disorders (p = 0.004), whereas worry about personal savings and worry about economic activities and livelihood partially mediated the total effect of deprivation on subjective well-being (p = 0.007 and 0.002, respectively). Socioeconomic inequality, particularly in mental health and well-being, could be exacerbated via people’s economic concerns during the pandemic, which was largely induced by the COVID-19 containment measures rather than the pandemic per se given the relatively low COVID-19 incidence in Hong Kong.

Informal Lending Practices and Profitability of Rice Retailers in Borongan City

This correlational study explored the relationship between informal lender’s practices and profitability of fifty-three (53) rice retailers in city of Borongan using a researcher-made-three part questionnaire on the business profile, level of practices among informal lenders and weekly income of the respondents. Data were sourced out from rice retailers who lent sum of money from “5-6” informal lenders, and were utilized using descriptive and inferential analysis test at .05 level of significance. Findings revealed that Majority of the respondents had been in the middle years of retailing business, used an average initial capital sourced out from their personal savings and are earning an average weekly income. The respondents’ perceived that informal lenders assess clients’ financial needs and willingness to pay without requiring collateral from them and that rice-retailers reloan due to fast processing of funds and the great customer service. Using regression analysis, year in business was found to be a significant predictor of increase in the profitability of rice retailing services. While, no significant relationship was seen between the rice retailers’ weekly net income and the level of practice among informal lenders. The researcher recommends that government and non-government agencies to provide intervention that will improve the microbusiness enterprise in the market using the help of informal and formal lending institutions and that wider scope of the study should be made to include other small business sectors that are affected by informal lenders.

ARE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS’ BUSINESS PERFORMANCES INFLUENCED BY FINANCIAL RESOURCES? EMPOWERING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN MALAYSIA THROUGH FINANCIAL RESOURCES POST-COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Entrepreneurship has always been women's interest, and women have risen in the business arena. On the other hand, statistic shows that Malaysian women's participation in entrepreneurship is still minute but vital to Malaysia's economic development, as indicated by previous researchers. Additionally, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused adverse effects on women-owned businesses in Malaysia. This research aims to offer an insight into how financial capital, the amount of capital needed, and personal savings of women entrepreneurs induces business performance among women entrepreneurs in Malaysia. This study used quantitative methods to produce empirical outcomes and substantiations to answer the research questions. A total of 312 women entrepreneurs participated in this study which facilitated the findings and conclusions. The results demonstrated that financial capital, the amount of capital needed, and personal savings were statistically significant for the women entrepreneurs post Covid-19. Additionally, the findings of this research will undoubtedly give confidence to the women entrepreneurs to come out of the Covid-19 shock and operate their business more remarkably as well as continue to progress and enhance their business performance taking into account the significance of financial resources. JEL: L20; L23 <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0995/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

ANALISIS PELUANG, MODAL DAN PENDAPATAN PADA USAHA JUICE GAUL DI KOTA SERANG

The purpose of this study was to determine the opportunities, capital and income of the slang juice business in the city of Serang. This study aims to find out the opportunities that are used as a reference to get the idea of ​​opening juice slang, to get the first capital and develop a juice slang business in the city of Serang, the amount of daily and monthly income for slang juice, the number of juice slang outlets spread across the city and district. This research method uses qualitative research methods with data collection techniques using observation, interviews and documentation techniques. Then presented descriptively. The analysis used is a SWOT analysis to formulate a strategy based on logic that can maximize strengths and opportunities but simultaneously minimize weaknesses and threats. The results showed that based on the results of the SWOT strategy to develop a slang juice business, maintaining and improving product quality, maintaining selling prices, and creating product innovations, then the material capital collected came from personal savings, asset sales and bank loans. which increased significantly from 2016 to 2020

Costs and Returns Analysis of Sesame Production in Northern Cross River State, Nigeria

The study examined costs and returns in sesame production in Northern Agricultural Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria during the 2020 cropping season. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 140 respondents using purposive and random selection. A well-structured questionnaire was the main tool for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, gross margin analysis was used to determine gross returns per hectare of sesame production. Results showed that males were dominant (61.4%) in sesame production in the area and some (39.3%) were between 41-50 years. Majority of the farmers (75.5%) were married, 50.7% had no formal education while 42.9% had farming experience of 6-10 years. Also, the results found that majority (94.3%) sourced their farm capital from personal savings. The study revealed that a total of 116.7 hectares were put under sesame production in the 2020 cropping season by the respondents representing 2.5% of the total land area of the three Local Government Areas of the State. Constraints on sesame production were found to include lack of credit facility, high cost of labour, low yielding varieties, and high cost of planting seeds.

Awareness of Health Insurance among Unorganized Industrial Sample Workers in Coimbatore

Health insurance is an important method of financing the increased costs of medical care. The high cost of health services coupled with the randomness of health needs and the inadequacy of personal savings is the principal reason for the importance of insurance as a means of financing health services. The aim of the study is the awareness about health insurance among unorganized industrial workers in Coimbatore. The study states that people are aware of insurance but probably unaware of schemes and types of insurance.