中華人民共和国商務部

Cold waves are significant health hazards in northern Bangladesh, yet validated forecasting tools to support early warning remain limited. This study develops and validates machine learning models for predicting daily minimum temperatures and cold wave events in Mymensingh district. Daily minimum temperature data (1985–2022) were analyzed (38 years). ARIMA and ETS, as well as machine learning models (SVR, RF, LSTM), and hybrid models were tested by means of 5-fold Time Series Cross-Validation. The most effective LSTM model (32 units, 1 layer) was chosen to be used in 2027 forecasting with prediction intervals. LSTM performed better than any other model, and the test RMSE of 1.395 °C, MAE of 1.053 °C, and MASE of 0.906 were obtained. Statistical models were not very good (RMSE > 6.7 °C). Hybrid models were not statistically significant compared to standalone LSTM. To detect cold waves (threshold = less than 10 °C), LSTM showed a high level of discriminative power (ROC-AUC = 0.975) but low recall (0.215), detecting only 14 out of 65 actual cold days. The 2027 projection showed no cold waves, and all the temperatures were above threshold. Findings are specific to the Mymensingh station; generalization to other regions requires further validation. LSTM is effective for temperature prediction, but it’s very low recall (0.215) severely limits any direct application for operational early warning. These findings support operational guidelines that integrate model outputs with careful interpretation during winter months. Future work should incorporate multiple stations and health outcome data to enhance predictive power for vulnerability reduction.

This is a common scenario in Bangladesh that consumers often encounter: violations of consumer rights, such as the availability of unsafe & counterfeit products, including essential items like edible oil, spices, baby foods, and fake cosmetics; the selling of date-expired products, even medicine; the mixing of different non-food-grade colors to make the foods more lucrative and attract customers; etc. Most surprisingly, some dishonest traders want to make more profit illegally, and they are directly involved in some gruesome activities that put the lives of consumers at high risk. Additionally, the majority of consumers are unaware of this consumer rights violation, and the illegal traders capitalize on this lack of awareness. The most vulnerable groups are low-income households, women, children, and older adults who have insufficient knowledge about their rights as consumers. This analysis will focus on the protection of consumer rights in Bangladesh, including the institutional framework, legal issues, and their effectiveness, compared with India and Pakistan. Moreover, the principal aim of this study will be to identify best practices that Bangladesh can adopt from comparable countries to implement and strengthen consumer rights protection in the country. The research will be conducted by analyzing the consumer rights protection acts of these countries, the activities of the relevant authorities, and government reports. The outcome of this study will be beneficial for the government of Bangladesh as well as the Directorate of National Consumers’ Rights Protection (hereinafter referred to as the DNCRP), the sole government organization authorized for the protection of consumer rights in the country.

China has become a key player in the global supply chain with its large pool of qualified labour at relatively low-cost and advanced infrastructure. This chapter presents some emerging trends in supply chain management practice in China. In the recent decades, the main focus of supply chain management (SCM) is no longer confined to the manufacturer’s improvement of internal processes. To a large extent, today’s supply chain managers primarily act on exchange of information and exploitation of collaborations with (potential) business partners in a complex global network. Especially supplier management plays a critical role in the continuous improvement of processes along the global supply chain.

This chapter provides an analysis of Chinese culture through the lens of theoretical frameworks for cultural research, including Hofstede’s VSM model for cultural dimensions and E.T. Halls’ theories on cultural facets in the context of intercultural communications. In addition, the chapter examines the vast cultural diversity within China. China’s land area is more than 2.2 times as large as that of the EU, and the country is home to 55 ethnic minorities, resulting in an enormous cultural diversity within the country. The management should respect cultural differences among the companies’ employees. Marketing strategies should be fine-tuned for different parts of the country. A case study from Western China shows how a candidate is selected to fit best to the local cultural environment.

Foreign companies that want to explore the Chinese market need to adapt to the speed and flexibility prevailing in the country. Newcomers in the Chinese market can get information and support from a wide range of sources. The European Union supports SMEs going to China with a service centre in Beijing and a dedicated Intellectual Property (IP) Helpdesk. The international industry has formed chambers of commerce and industry associations to share information and voice its interests within China. Most Chinese cities have established sister relationships with cities abroad, many of these connections also supporting economic cooperations and serving the industry. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and its subordinated organisations for trade promotion have hard targets to attract foreign investment and provide dedicated support. The foreign invested industry in China has developed considerable influence on policymaking in China, China has developed a system to solicitate public opinions, and government departments are willing to learn from international best practices. Fact-based advocacy efforts provide tangible benefits for foreign invested company, as shown in two case studies: waiving the request of animal tests for imported cosmetics and lifting restriction on international cargo relay. Because of a language barrier and geographical and cultural distance, for companies outside China, it seems difficult to obtain reliable information and establish contact to Chinese decision-makers, and the Western concept of ‘lobbying’ seems to be unknown in China. However, in more than four decades of China’s opening-up policy, a vast network of relationships has developed. Many organisations are willing to provide information about business in China, and Chinese authorities are ready to adopt reasonable and fact-based recommendations by the international business community.