The current study explores the seasonal patterns and volatility dynamics in gold returns for emerging Asian economies - China, India, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and Sri Lanka - using monthly data between 2013 and 2022. Preliminary diagnostic tests ensured the suitability of the return series by confirming their normality, stationarity, white noise, and ARCH effects. Seasonality was examined through monthly coefficients, average returns, and seasonal indices. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests yielded nonsignificant results for monthly coefficients, while monthly averages and seasonal indices suggested an upward trend between August and February, with the highest returns in the months of September and November. These findings are consistent with calendar-based demand shifts and corroborates the autumn effect in Asian gold markets. Volatility estimation through GARCH(1,1) revealed that the Asian gold market exhibits low volatility with persistence up to 21%, implying that short-term shocks do not persist for a longer time and revert more quickly than in Western economies. Overall, the findings suggest that Asian gold markets are relatively efficient with no significant evidence of seasonality, though cultural and festival-related factors may influence end-of-year price dynamics. The study offers implications for investors, portfolio managers, and policymakers, while outlining limitations and suggesting new avenues for broader comparative research.
The article investigates recent developments in trade relations between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine, emphasising the impact of geopolitical tensions, including Russia’s military aggression. It focuses on analysing the dynamics of trade intensity and assessing export opportunities for Ukraine’s main EU trading partners. Using data from 2013 to 2023, the study applies the trade intensity index and export potential indicator to assess bilateral trade flows and uncover untapped opportunities. It highlights the transformative role of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) in fostering economic integration, despite challenges such as corruption and geopolitical instability. The findings confirmed that Ukraine’s trade intensity with the EU was higher than that of the EU with Ukraine during the analysed period. Additionally, in 2023, the export potential of EU countries to Ukraine was concentrated in high-value-added commodities, including machinery, motor vehicles, and pharmaceutical products. The analysis identified Poland and Bulgaria as countries with the highest trade intensity with Ukraine in 2022, while Germany showed the greatest untapped export potential in absolute terms.
This study examines the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence dimensions and project manager competencies in the ICT sector. Drawing on the trait meta-mood approach, emotional intelligence is observed through three self-perceived emotional dimensions: Attention to Feelings, Clarity of Feelings, and Mood Repair. The empirical analysis is based on a cross-sectional survey of 197 ICT professionals in the Republic of Serbia who perform project management roles. Project manager competencies were measured using items derived from the European e-Competence Framework, while the relationships between the constructs were tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that Clarity of Feelings and Mood Repair have positive and statistically significant effects on project manager competencies, whereas Attention to Feelings is not a significant predictor. These findings indicate that understanding and regulating emotions, rather than merely attending to them, may support competency development in ICT project environments. The study contributes to project management literature by distinguishing the effects of specific trait emotional intelligence dimensions within an industry-specific context.
In the contemporary, turbulent business environment, organisations are compelled to undergo frequent and increasingly radical changes. Models of planned organisational change represent a set of managerial activities that must be carried out in a specific sequence to ensure that planned changes are executed effectively. The literature offers a wide range of planned organisational change models, and even a cursory review suggests that they display considerable similarity and overlap, both in terms of the activities they encompass and in the sequencing of those activities. This situation points to the possibility of convergence among these models and their synthesis. The aim of this paper is to synthesise the most popular and influential models of planned organisational change and to develop an integrative model. Based on four relevant reviews of such models, ten of the most influential and widely used models were selected. The analysis of the activities they contain, as well as the sequence of those activities, enabled the synthesis and creation of an integrative model of planned organisational change. This model comprises eleven groups of activities, or phases, which appear - albeit under different labels - in all the analysed models and in a broadly similar order.
Transit networks significantly influence city evolution, with mass rapid transit systems enhancing access to jobs, housing, and infrastructure. The Indian government is promoting metro rail projects to strengthen public transport, and many cities are developing their metro rail corridors, making an understanding of their impact crucial in the Indian context. This study investigates the relationship between the mass rapid transit system (Namma Metro) and residential property values in Bengaluru, India. Additionally, it examines the association between newly operational and existing metro lines on property values across neighbourhoods in Bengaluru. The study uses an empirical quantitative approach, combining quantitative data analysis with hedonic price regression based on household surveys for the year 2023. The regression results indicate a positive relationship between residential property values, proximity to metro stations, and household income levels, suggesting that properties in closer proximity to metro stations have higher predicted values, while higher-income households are more likely to reside in these areas. The findings have significant implications for urban planning and policy decisions. They help understand how building metro stations may be associated with real estate development and value creation in the vicinity of the metro corridor and how transit-oriented development policies around metro stations can support land value capture.
