Determinants of Financial Capability: A Situational Analysis for Namibia

It is imperative that if the poor in society benefit from the massive developments in the financial sector, then such a sector must be genuinely inclusive. It should meet the needs of all citizens with the potential to use such financial services productively. This paper scopes financial inclusivity as a process ensuring ease of access, availability, and usage of financial services by all members of society. To reduce socio-economic inequality, the poor in developing countries, like everyone else, need access to a wide range of financial services that are convenient, flexible, and reasonably priced. Therefore, financial inclusivity is sought to be significant towards the global development agenda as a tool for increasing the poor’s access to financial services, often cited as a mechanism that can help reduce poverty and lower income inequality. For many years, microfinance has been heralded as a mechanism for enhancing financial inclusion. It provides an avenue through which the marginalized and the poor can access and benefit from the formal financial system. Moreover, financial inclusivity is substantially evident in the rural areas among the poor, who have no collateral or credit history for participating in the legal financial system. As a result, financial inclusion is receiving increased attention as an essential tool for reducing aspects of socio-economic inequality characterized by the isolation of individuals and communities from formal financial services, like affordable and accessible credit.

Strategic Planning and Sustainable Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review

The COVID-19 crisis posed an opportunity for entering new avenues and market segments for large and financially viable enterprises, whilst SMEs lacking resources for such maneuver required cost-effective and quick-fix solutions. In this literature review, we reflect on the drivers of sustainable development of SMEs compared to their larger counterparts during major disasters. We have analyzed prior studies drawing from the concept of “sustainability“ during COVID-19, published between 2020-2021, as well as relevant studies from the domains of crisis management, sustainability, enterprise sustainability, digitisation effects on sustainability, sustainable business practices. Each research was screened to check for the content relevance to the subject matter. The paper suggests that radical sustaining innovation in service delivery combined with diversification could be fostered to mitigate risks and ensure SMEs survival in times of economic downturn. The paper adds to the existing body of organizational knowledge on entrepreneurial sustainability deriving from multiple perspectives on the subject. The conceptual framework developed in this article was designed to provide pragmatic recommendations for SME owners, entrepreneurs, managers and academicians. We find that there are grounds for SMEs to concentrate on innovating in the context of products and services that are considered revenue-generating for same-industry large enterprises, considering this strategy allows SMEs to align their interests and engage in cooperation with competition.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Higher Education: A Review on the Moroccan Case

The period 1999-2009 was considered as “the decade of education” in Morocco because of the main projects of the overhaul of the education system launched during this period. This period has seen profound reforms which affected the organization, pedagogy, and financial management of Moroccan universities to improve their performances and to offer the market a skilled workforce. In March 2020, Morocco recorded the first positive cases of Covid-19. Following this situation and in interaction with the international circumstances, the country has embarked on an anticipatory strategy to limit the spread of this new virus through confinement that lasted from March 20 to July 10, 2020, influencing the normal functioning of most sectors and disrupting the strategies of all sectors of activity. The higher education sector has not escaped the effects of the pandemic. Through this article, we wonder about the impact of covid-19 on Moroccan higher education, scientific research, and currents project launched in this sector. We found that the learning process in universities was the most negatively impacted by the pandemic, at the same time, the scientific research mission saw improvements in publications and research funding during the crisis. Finally, the article highlights lessons from this pandemic for the Moroccan higher education sector, which could be illustrative for other developing countries.

Research in Autonomous Driving – A Historic Bibliometric View of the Research Development in Autonomous Driving

Autonomous driving has become an increasingly relevant issue for policymakers, the industry, service providers, infrastructure companies, and science. This study shows how bibliometrics can be used to identify the major technological aspects of an emerging research field such as autonomous driving. We examine the most influential publications and identify research fronts of scientific activities until 2017 based on a bibliometric literature analysis. Using the science mapping approach, publications in the research field of autonomous driving were retrieved from Web of Science and then structured using the bibliometric software BibTechMon by the AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology). At the time of our analysis, we identified four research fronts in the field of autonomous driving: (I) Autonomous Vehicles and Infrastructure, (II) Driver Assistance Systems, (III) Autonomous Mobile Robots, and (IV) IntraFace, i.e., automated facial image analysis. Researchers were working extensively on technologies that support the navigation and collection of data. Our analysis indicates that research was moving towards autonomous navigation and infrastructure in the urban environment. A noticeable number of publications focused on technologies for environment detection in automated vehicles. Still, research pointed at the technological challenges to make automated driving safe.

Population and Development vs Quality of Life: A Sociological Appraisal

The two variables of population and development affect each other in an indirect manner in which when population increase happens, development is reduced. The two effectively impact quality of life. It is strongly recommended to control population in order to achieve development. Sociologists are widely responsible to create the balance of population and development. As resources are limited in each country, an organized and planned population is needed towards any development. The phenomenon development being multi-lateral, needs an appropriate population size. It is worth mentioning that population naturally grows, but resources for development do not. Overall, Asia, Africa, and Latin America had very high population growth rate of 2.1% between 1955 and 1975. Fortunately, increase of literacy and education has caused population growth rates to decline in the past two decades in many parts of the developing countries. The only part of the developing world with high population growth rate is Africa in which the population will increase to over 4.2 billion by the year 2100; threatening other parts of the world. Such a situation will widely endanger quality of life.

The Relationship Between Inflation and Unemployment in Namibia Within the Framework of the Phillips Curve

This study intended to empirically validate the applicability of the Phillips Curve in Namibia since independence, using semi-annual time series data, and taking into account the periods of the annus horribilis of the global financial crises and the Coronavirus Disease pandemic. It further sought to examine the nature of the relationship between inflation and unemployment to determine whether it is short-run or long-run and establish the causal relationship between the variables using various econometric analyses. The unit root tests indicate that the variables were stationary in their level forms, implying the absence of the long-run relationship. Hence, the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) model was performed to measure the short-run relationship between the variables. Results from the OLS analysis reveal a bidirectional nexus between inflation and unemployment, validating the presence of the Phillips Curve in the Namibian economy. These results correspond to the findings that incorporated the periods of economic shocks; thus, adjudging the critics of the Philips Curve regarding the consideration of economic shockwaves to be nonsensical in the Namibian economy. Finally, Granger causality test was conducted to establish the causal relationship between the variables, and results found inflation and unemployment to be unrelated. Based on these findings, the study recommends policymakers to adopt a policy mix, skewed to reducing unemployment predominately among the youth since the issues cannot be addressed simultaneously. Lastly, the study suggests future investigations to assess panel analyses on the phenomenon concerning developing countries, particularly those in the same region. It also recommends a significant focus on the determinants of inflation and unemployment since the variables were found to be independent of each other. This will give accurate directives to policymakers in an attempt to address the matter in terms of policy formulation and assimilation when they understand where the issue is deriving from.

Research in Autonomous Driving – A Historic Bibliometric View of the Research Development in Autonomous Driving

Autonomous driving has become an increasingly relevant issue for policymakers, the industry, service providers, infrastructure companies, and science. This study shows how bibliometrics can be used to identify the major technological aspects of an emerging research field such as autonomous driving. We examine the most influential publications and identify research fronts of scientific activities until 2017 based on a bibliometric literature analysis. Using the science mapping approach, publications in the research field of autonomous driving were retrieved from Web of Science and then structured using the bibliometric software BibTechMon by the AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology). At the time of our analysis, we identified four research fronts in the field of autonomous driving: (I) Autonomous Vehicles and Infrastructure, (II) Driver Assistance Systems, (III) Autonomous Mobile Robots, and (IV) IntraFace, i.e., automated facial image analysis. Researchers were working extensively on technologies that support the navigation and collection of data. Our analysis indicates that research was moving towards autonomous navigation and infrastructure in the urban environment. A noticeable number of publications focused on technologies for environment detection in automated vehicles. Still, research pointed at the technological challenges to make automated driving safe.

Insolvency Risk. Application of Altman Z-score to the auto parts sector in Romania

This paper intends to apply the Altman Z-score model to all the companies active in the wholesale of motor vehicle parts and accessories (NACE 4531), with extended financial statements. Using the panel data model over the time series for 2008-2016 on the companies of this sector, we conclude that 99% of the Z-score is explained by the independent variables (working capital, capital structure, turnover, earnings before interest and tax), with estimated parameters very close to the models classical values. The sample description of the paper and the corresponding results highlights the Z-score evolution by turnover clusters and principal components, with the largest companies performing the best (the only cluster with Z-score median above 3). We notice a tendency for decreasing high risk companies and increase in the medium risk companies, whereas the low risk companies are relatively stable. This improvement is mostly due to increasing capitalization rate and less external debt, despite the deteriorating working capital and operating margin. We believe that future research to evaluate Z-score sensitivity under stress test scenarios would be very useful to provide an insight of companies’ insolvency risk amid increasing interest rates and different fiscal tax on dividend.

Imperatives for Setting up a Body of Knowledge on Public Procurement Practice in Nigeria

A body of knowledge (BOK) refers to the core teachings and skills required to work in a particular field of human endeavor or industry. This study is set to ascertain if there is need to develop an acceptable body of knowledge on public procurement practice in Nigeria. It adopted a survey research design as open ended questionnaires were administered and used to elicit response on subject matter. The population consists of procurement staff in some selected MDA’s at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Outcome of the study reveals that there is no one-stop body of knowledge or a comprehensive guide on procurement practice in Nigeria. This may be a pointer to the fact that, there is need to establish one. It is one thing for Nigeria to enact the Public Procurement Act; it is yet another for practitioners as well as the general public to fully understand and imbibe the basic tenets and regulations guiding the procurement practice. It will be necessary to train and retrain practitioners and a veritable tool in this direction is the establishment of a body of knowledge on procurement practice. If this is properly articulated, will provide the procedures, skills and tools needed to practice the trade. This is bound to impact positively on process flow and make for a good procurement practice in Nigeria.

The Impact of ICT Investment and Diffusion on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Rwanda

This study evaluates the influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) investment and diffusion on Rwanda's economic growth. At the level we recommend, ICT imports greatly improve intermediate inputs to capital goods, resulting in increased economic growth. We use the most recent available data on technical innovation and investment for our empirical study, which spans the years 2005Q1 to 2020Q4. The results of regression analysis show that ICT development has little effect on Rwanda's economic growth. However, we notice a patchwork of information on ICT investment. We utilize ICT goods exports and imports as a proxy for ICT investment, based on previous research. Surprisingly, ICT goods exports have had no impact on Rwanda's economic growth. We do notice, however, that a 1% increase in ICT goods imports boosts economic growth by 3.9 percent. At this level, ICT goods import greatly boost the intermediate input to capital goods, resulting in increased economic growth. As a result, officials should ensure that ICT goods imports should be prioritized through supporting ICT investment to boost economic growth.