ABSTRACT Fear of overpopulation has been with us for a long time, at least since Thomas Malthus predicted in 1798 that population would grow so fast that it would outstrip food production and lead to famine. Consensus is that for the past 200 years, a rapidly rising population has consumed the earth’s resources, ruined the environment, and started wars. Contrary to the panic of overpopulation, a growing number of experts have been sounding a different kind of alarm. Studies reveal that the global population growth rate peaked in the 1960s, has been slowing since then, and may be heading towards a standstill by the end of this century. According to a new study published in 2020 by the Lancet the global population will peak at 9.7 billion around 2064, then drop off to 8.8 billion toward the end of the century. It is also projected that 23 countries could expect their populations to halve by 2100. The association between fertility and mortality declines and the demographic transition has been extensively studied and well documented, but their impact on labor force needed to continue with national economic development agenda has not been systematically investigated in the literature. Using South Korea as a case study, I propose to discuss the unavoidable demographic changes affecting the size and structure of South Korea’s population and its impact on availability and adequacy of the country’s labor/human resources. Finally, I will make public policy recommendations to enhance human capital availability, participation and productivity. Keywords Total fertility rates, dependency ratios, Immigration reforms, Corporate Social Responsibility.
ABSTRACT This paper reviews the lack of financing of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The importance of MSMEs is a major topic of discussion in global fora, including Group of Twenty Countries (G20). This paper suggests non-traditional ways to mobilize funding. An attempt is made to summarize the current lack of finances available to MSMEs and to suggest ways to increase the flow of funds using digital means and the positive role International Organizations can play in helping MSMEs raise capital. Keywords Credit Line, Crowd Funding, Equity Financing, MSME, G20.
ABSTRACT Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology in the agriculture industry, offering innovative solutions to address challenges and optimize farming practices. In this study, we examine the key AI applications that are disrupting the agriculture industry in areas such as precision agriculture, crop monitoring, disease detection, livestock management, and farm automation. This paper discusses three case studies of AI adoption in the agricultural industry. The first case explores the use of AI in chicken flocks’ health monitoring, the second case focuses on AI application to prevent citrus greening disease, and the third case examines the adoption of AI in precision agriculture. These studies show that AI can significantly improve the efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of agricultural operations, leading to higher yields, lower costs, and increased sustainability. While the integration of AI in agriculture has the potential to revolutionize farming practices, promoting sustainability and efficiency, this paper will examine some of the challenges as well. Keywords Artificial Intelligence Applications, Agriculture Industry
ABSTRACT In 1991, Tuckman and Chang published the seminal work on the financial vulnerability of nonprofit organizations and presented a model that describes financially vulnerable non-profit organizations. Subsequent studies utilizing this model indicate that the model is predictive; however, those studies did not utilize an actual financial shock. Using binary logistic regression, this study tests the predictive ability of the Tuckman-Chang model by applying it to charitable organizations that survived and did not survive the Great Recession of 2007-09. Results of the testing indicate that the Tuckman-Chang model can be used to accurately predict if a charitable organization can survive a financial shock. Keywords charitable organizations, non-profit organizations, not-for-profit, financial vulnerability, Great Recession
ABSTRACT Internalization theory in international business research is perhaps the most important theory that not only explains a firm’s international strategy decision but also provides the raison d'être of multinational corporations. Originally based on transaction cost theory, internalization theory has been proposed by important contributors in this field. The central notion of internalization theory is the public good nature of knowledge that a multinational corporation possesses. According to the theory, FDI occur to prevent market failure due to opportunism. However, evolutionary theory-based logic focuses on tacit nature of knowledge which causes transfer cost to rise. In this paper, both perspectives are reviewed and a comprehensive model which combines both transaction cost and transfer cost is presented. It is shown that the total cost will be the lowest when the characteristic of knowledge is neither public nor tacit. Finally, for practical purpose, the implication of theory is applied to different organizational functions such as marketing. Keywords Internalization Theory; Transaction Cost; Transfer Cost; Multinational Corporation
ABSTRACT A quantitative correlational design was used to determine the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout among employees in higher education. The Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) was used to assess bullying and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Educational Survey (MBI-ES) measured burnout. Participants (N = 131) were employees who worked in academic positions including administration, faculty, and support services. The results indicated that the three factors of workplace bullying were significantly correlated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and negatively correlated with personal accomplishment. Additional findings showed that employees had more frequency of top-down bullying than lateral and upwards bullying. These findings indicated that workplace bullying, and burnout could happen to anyone in academia, regardless of position or status. Keywords workplace bullying, burnout, higher education, toxicity
ABSTRACT The implication of gender diversity has recently been given more attention, and this study aims to provide an empirical review and extend the existing literature on the impact of gender diversity, particularly the presence of Kuwaiti women in corporate boardrooms, on capital structure. We used a sample of 70 non-financial Kuwaiti firms over the period 2010-2020 in order to analyse the impact of gender diversity on the capital structure. Our findings reveal that, in Kuwait, women occupy a limited number of leadership positions in corporations, and their career progression is significantly slower than that of their male counterparts. This disparity may contribute to a higher unemployment rate among women. Moreover, the results of OLS, Fixed-effects models and Random-effects (GLS) confirmed our proposed hypothesis that the proportion of female directors on its board (GD) displays a negative and statistically significant coefficient. This suggests that boards with a higher percentage of female directors tend to use less leverage. Moreover, we have used four variables to measure the gender diversity, mainly the proportion of female directors on its board, Blau Index, Shannon Index, and a dummy variable that equals one if the board has at least one female director and zero otherwise. Interestingly, the results of all variables consistently support the findings that gender-diverse board of directors is negatively associated with leverage utilization, plying that more gender-diverse boards may lead firms to use less leverage. Keywords Gender diversity, Capital Structure, Kuwait, Women in Boardrooms, Corporate Governance.
