Search results for: Bank performance
11818 The Determinants of Voluntary Disclosure in Croatia
Authors: Zeljana Aljinovic Barac, Marina Granic, Tina Vuko
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Study investigates the level and extent of voluntary disclosure practice in Croatia. The research was conducted on the sample of 130 medium and large companies. Findings indicate that two thirds of the companies analysed disclose below-average number of additional information. The explanatory analyses has shown that firm size, listing status and industrial sector significantly and positively affect the level and extent of voluntary disclosure in the annual report of Croatian companies. On the other hand, profitability and ownership structure were found statistically insignificant. Unlike previous studies, this paper deals with level of voluntary disclosure of medium and large companies, as well as companies whose shares are not listed on the organized capital market, which can be found as our contribution. Also, the research makes contribution by providing the insights into voluntary disclosure practices in Croatia, as a case of macro-oriented accounting system economy, i.e. bank oriented economy with an emerging capital market.Keywords: annual report, Croatian companies, disclosure index, voluntary disclosure
Procedia PDF Downloads 32811817 The Effect of Market Orientation on Business Performance of Auto Parts Industry
Authors: Vithaya Intraphimol
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between market orientation and business performance through innovations that include product innovation and process innovation. Auto parts and accessories companies in Thailand were used as sample for this investigation. Survey research with structured questionnaire was used as the key instrument in collecting the data. The structural equation modeling (SEM) was assigned test the hypotheses. The sample size in this study requires the minimum sample size of 200. The result found that competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination has an effect on product innovation. Moreover, interfunctional coordination has an effect on process innovation, and return on asset. This indicates that within- firm coordination has crucial to firms’ performances. The implication for practice, firms should support interfunctional coordination that members of different functional areas of an organization communicate and work together for the creation of value to target buyers they may have better profitability.Keywords: auto parts industry, business performance, innovations, market orientation
Procedia PDF Downloads 31011816 The Effect of Closed Circuit Television Image Patch Layout on Performance of a Simulated Train-Platform Departure Task
Authors: Aaron J. Small, Craig A. Fletcher
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This study investigates the effect of closed circuit television (CCTV) image patch layout on performance of a simulated train-platform departure task. The within-subjects experimental design measures target detection rate and response latency during a CCTV visual search task conducted as part of the procedure for safe train dispatch. Three interface designs were developed by manipulating CCTV image patch layout. Eye movements, perceived workload and system usability were measured across experimental conditions. Task performance was compared to identify significant differences between conditions. The results of this study have not been determined.Keywords: rail human factors, workload, closed circuit television, platform departure, attention, information processing, interface design
Procedia PDF Downloads 16811815 Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer Characteristics of Different Rib Shapes in a Gas Turbine Blade
Authors: Naik Nithesh, Andre Rozek
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The heat transfer and friction loss performances of a single rib-roughened rectangular cooling channel having four novel rib shapes were evaluated through numerical investigation using Ansys CFX. The investigation was conducted on a rectangular channel of aspect ratio (AR) = 4:1 with rib height to hydraulic diameter ratio (e/Dh) of 0.1 and rib pitch to height ratio (e/P) of 10 at Re = 30,000. The computations were performed by solving the RANS equation using k-ε turbulence model. Fluid flow simulation results of stationery case for different configuration are presented in terms of thermal performance parameter, Nusselt number and friction factor. These parameters indicate that a particular configuration of novel shaped ribs provides better heat transfer characteristics over the conventional 45° ribs. The numerical investigation undertaken in this study indicates an increase in overall efficiency of gas turbine due to increased thermal performance parameter, heat transfer co-efficient and less pumping pressure.Keywords: gas turbine, rib shapes, nusselt number, thermal performance parameter
Procedia PDF Downloads 51811814 Life Cycle Analysis of Using Brick Waste in Road Technology
Authors: Mezhoud Samy, Toumi Youcef, Boukendekdji Otmane
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Nowadays, industrial by-products and waste are increasing along with public needs increase. The engineering sector has turned to sustainable development by emphasizing the aspects of environmental and life cycle assessment as an important objective. Among this waste, the remains of the red bricks (DBR) may be an alternative worth checking out, given their availability and abundance at the construction sites. In this context, this work aims to valorize DBR in the concrete road (BR). The incorporation of DBR is carried out by the substitution of the granular fractions of mixtures from noble quarry materials. The experimental plan aims to determine the physico-mechanical performance and environmental performance of manufactured BRs from DBR with a cement content (6.5%) and compared with a control BR without DBR. The studied characteristics are proctor, resistance to compression, resistance to flexural tensile at 7 and 28 days, modulus of elasticity, and total shrinkage. The results of this experimental study showed that the characteristics of recycled aggregates (DBR) are lower than those of natural aggregates but remain acceptable with respect to regulations. Results demonstrate the mechanical performance of BR made from less DBR than the control BR without DBR but remains appreciable and encourage their jobs in the road sector. Recycled aggregates can constitute an interesting economic and ecological alternative but require elementary precautions before any use.Keywords: life cycle assessment, brick waste, road concrete, performance
Procedia PDF Downloads 9411813 How Manufacturing Firm Manages Information Security: Need Pull and Technology Push Perspective
Authors: Geuna Kim, Sanghyun Kim
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This study investigates various factors that may influence the ISM process, including the organization’s internal needs and external pressure, and examines the role of regulatory pressure in ISM development and performance. The 105 sets of data collected in a survey were tested against the research model using SEM. The results indicate that NP and TP had positive effects on the ISM process, except for perceived benefits. Regulatory pressure had a positive effect on the relationship between ISM awareness and ISM development and performance.Keywords: information security management, need pull, technology push, regulatory pressure
Procedia PDF Downloads 29711812 The Effects of Neurospora crassa-Fermented Palm Kernel Cake in the Diet on the Production Performance and Egg-Yolk Quality of Arab Laying-Hens
Authors: Yose Rizal, Nuraini, Mirnawati, Maria Endo Mahata, Rio Darman, Dendi Kurniawan
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An experiment had been conducted to determine the effects of several levels of Neurospora crassa- fermented palm kernel cake in the diet on the production performance and egg-yolk quality of Arab laying-hens, and to obtain the appropriate level of this fermented palm kernel cake for reducing the utilization of concentrated feed in the diet. Three hundred Arab laying-hens of 72 weeks old were employed in this experiment, and randomly assigned to four treatments (0, 7.25, 10.15, and 13.05% fermented palm kernel cake in diets) in a completely randomized design with five replicates. Measured variables were production performance (feed consumption, egg-mass production, feed conversion, egg weight and hen-day egg production), and egg-yolk quality (ether extract and cholesterol contents, and egg-yolk color index). Results of experiment indicated that feed consumption, egg-mass production, feed conversion, egg weight, hen-day egg production and egg-yolk color index were not influenced (P>0.05) by diets. However, the ether extract and cholesterol contents of egg-yolk were very significantly reduced (P<0.01) by diets. In conclusion, Neurospora crassa-fermented palm kernel cake could be included up to 13.05% to effectively replace 45% concentrated feed in Arab laying-hens diet without adverse effect on the production performance.Keywords: neurospora crassa-fermented palm kernel cake, Arab laying-hens, production performance, ether extract, cholesterol, egg-yolk color index
Procedia PDF Downloads 74011811 The Determinants of the Operational Performance in Airline Industry: A Case of a Turkish Airline Company
Authors: Mustafa K. Yilmaz, Ahmet Kaplan, Murat Guven, Vildan Kesici
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Aviation industry influences the social and economic growth across the countries. Further, airline companies are highly affected by social, political, and financial crises and show a high degree of cyclicity in operational performance. Hence, this paper investigates the effects of available seat kilometers (ASK), revenue per kilometer (RPK), passenger load factor (PLF) as well as socio-political crisis on the number of passengers carried (PC) by Turkish Airlines company over the period of 2010M1-2018M12. To conduct the analysis, we employ fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and canonical cointegration regression (CCR) techniques using monthly data. We use ASK, RPK, PLF as independent variables to identify the determinants of the PC, as a dependent variable. We also test the effect of the socio-political crisis. The results reveal that there is a significant and negative relationship between ASK and PC, while the relationship between RPK and PC is positive and significant. We also find that there is an insignificant relationship between PLF and PC. Further, we also find a negative effect of the crisis on the PC. These findings show although the crisis had an immediate effect on the operational performance of Turkish Airlines, the company recovered from the crisis and cope with the situation very promptly. Thus, this proves the resilience and agile management ability of the company.Keywords: airline industry, operational performance, air traffic, socio-political crisis
Procedia PDF Downloads 17611810 Entrepreneurial Predisposition and Intention of Students from the IFRN – Mossoró, Brazil
Authors: Giovane Gurgel, Cristina S. Rodrigues, Filipa D. Vieira
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IFRN – Mossoró is a Brazilian technical education institute that develops several activities to encourage entrepreneurship, such as a curricular discipline about enterprise management and the existence of a business incubator. Despite efforts, the business incubator does not produce the expected effects. Therefore, what predisposes students to start their own business? If literature review explores determinant factors like the family and personal characteristics, it can be sustained that entrepreneurship skills can be taught since primary level, until university level. This paper presents the results of research project “Empreende IFRN” to understand the entrepreneurial predisposition and intention of the students from technical level courses. Data from 365 students from technical level courses reveal an increased entrepreneurial intention of students during time (from a 2 years period to someday in the future). The entrepreneurial behaviour of parents affects students’ perception about starting their own business. Students also present a cautions behaviour, preferring bank deposit and investment fund instead starting a business.Keywords: Brazil, entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurship, secondary technical students
Procedia PDF Downloads 28311809 Singular Stochastic Control Model with Carrying Capacity of Population Management Policy for Squirrels in Durian Orchards
Authors: Sasiwimol Auepong, Raywat Tanadkithirun
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In this work, the problem that squirrels ruin durian, which is an economical fruit in Thailand, is considered. We seek the strategy for the durian farmers to eliminate the squirrels under the consideration that squirrels also provide ecosystem service. The population dynamics of squirrels are constructed to have carrying capacity since we consider the population in a confined area. A performance index indicating the total benefit of a given elimination strategy is provided. It comprises the cost of countermeasures, the loss of resources, and the ecosystem service provided by squirrels. The optimal performance index is numerically solved through the variational inequality using the finite difference method. The optimal strategy to control the squirrel population is also given numerically.Keywords: controlled stochastic differential equation, durian, finite difference method, performance index, singular stochastic control model, squirrel
Procedia PDF Downloads 9011808 Automated Driving Deep Neural Networks Model Accuracy and Performance Assessment in a Simulated Environment
Authors: David Tena-Gago, Jose M. Alcaraz Calero, Qi Wang
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The evolution and integration of automated vehicles have become more and more tangible in recent years. State-of-the-art technological advances in the field of camera-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer vision greatly favor the performance and reliability of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), leading to a greater knowledge of vehicular operation and resembling human behavior. However, the exclusive use of this technology still seems insufficient to control vehicular operation at 100%. To reveal the degree of accuracy of the current camera-based automated driving AI modules, this paper studies the structure and behavior of one of the main solutions in a controlled testing environment. The results obtained clearly outline the lack of reliability when using exclusively the AI model in the perception stage, thereby entailing using additional complementary sensors to improve its safety and performance.Keywords: accuracy assessment, AI-driven mobility, artificial intelligence, automated vehicles
Procedia PDF Downloads 11311807 A Case Study to Observe How Students’ Perception of the Possibility of Success Impacts Their Performance in Summative Exams
Authors: Rochelle Elva
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Faculty in Higher Education today are faced with the challenge of convincing their students of the importance of learning and mastery of skills. This is because most students often have a single motivation -to get high grades. If it appears that this goal will not be met, they lose their motivation, and their academic efforts wane. This is true even for students in the competitive fields of STEM, including Computer Science majors. As educators, we have to understand our students and leverage what motivates them to achieve our learning outcomes. This paper presents a case study that utilizes cognitive psychology’s Expectancy Value Theory and Motivation Theory to investigate the effect of sustained expectancy for success on students’ learning outcomes. In our case study, we explore how students’ motivation and persistence in their academic efforts are impacted by providing them with an unexpected possible path to success that continues to the end of the semester. The approach was tested in an undergraduate computer science course with n = 56. The results of the study indicate that when presented with the real possibility of success, despite existing low grades, both low and high-scoring students persisted in their efforts to improve their performance. Their final grades were, on average, one place higher on the +/-letter grade scale, with some students scoring as high as three places above their predicted grade.Keywords: expectancy for success and persistence, motivation and performance, computer science education, motivation and performance in computer science
Procedia PDF Downloads 8011806 Livability and Growth Performance of Noiler Chickens Fed with Different Biotic Additives
Authors: Idowu Kemi Ruth, Adeyemo Adedayo Akinade, Iyanda Adegboyega Ibukun, Idowu Olubukola Precious Akinade
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Liveability and mortality rate is a germane aspect of product performance that cannot be overlooked in poultry production, while the disease is a major threat in the poultry industry which can cause a major loss for the farmer and a reduction in the total income generated from the stock. Therefore, efforts must be made to enhance the health status of chickens to reduce mortality. The study was conducted to investigate the effect of different biotic additives (prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic ) on the performance of Noiler females at the growing phase (forty-nine days) till the point of the first egg across the biotic additive. A total of one hundred and twenty-eight female Noiler were used for the experiment. Experimental treatment consisted of prebiotic, probiotic, synbiotic and control at the inclusion rate of a gram into a kilogram of feed. Parameters measured are Feed intake, feed conversion ratio, the weight of the first egg, age of the first egg and livability. Data collected were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance. The result obtained revealed a better growth performance across the treatments than the control group with the least final weight at nineteen weeks of point of lay. Prebiotic treatment had the best age at first lay on day one hundred and thirty seven followed by other treatments on day one hundred and fifty four. However, the size of the eggs was not significantly influenced by the biotic additive. Hence, the experiment can be concluded that the inclusion of different biotic additives influenced the growth performance; likewise, the Prebiotic had a significant effect on the age of first laying in Noiler chicken, and livability was a hundred percent throughout the duration of the experiment.Keywords: prebiotic, probiotic, synbiotic, noiler
Procedia PDF Downloads 9411805 Pro Grow Business Partnerships: Unlocking the Potential of SMEs Indonesia With Resource Advantage Theory of Competition Approach
Authors: Kesi Widjajanti
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To develop the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), it is important to unlock potential resources that can improve their performance. Business Partnerships (BP) are currently an interesting topic of strategy to use to expand markets and maximize financial and marketing performance. However, many business partnerships have not quite a role among small and medium companies in the creative industry in the Batik Craft sector in Indonesia. This study is rooted in the Resource Advantage Theory of Competition ( RAToC), which emphasizes that the advantage of company resources can be sourced from organizational and relational resources. With the basis of this theory, SMEs can optimize the allocation of relational resources and organizational goals, improve operational efficiency, and gain a strategic advantage in the market. Companies that are able to actualize organizational and relational resources better than other market players can be used for the process of increasing their superior performance. This study explores key elements from the RAToC perspective and shows how Business Partnerships have the potential to drive SMEs' growth. By aligning visions, and organizational resources, sharing knowledge and leveraging complementary relational resources, SMEs can increase their competitiveness, enter new markets, and achieve superior performance. The theoretical contribution of RAToC in small companies is due to the role of Pro-Grow Business Partnership strength as an important antecedent for improving SMEs' performance. The benefits (scenarios) of a Business Partnership to grow together are directed at optimizing resources that can create additional value for customers so that they can outperform competitors. Furthermore, managerial implications for SMEs who wish to unlock their resource potential can encourage the role of Pro-Grow Business Partnerships, which have specific characteristics, can absorb experience/knowledge capacity and utilize this knowledge for the development of "together" business ventures.Keywords: pro grow business partnership, performance, SMEs, resources advantage theory of competition, industry kreatif batik handycraft indonesia
Procedia PDF Downloads 7511804 Exploring the Critical Success Factors of Construction Stakeholders Team Effectiveness
Authors: Olusegun Akinsiku, Olukayode Oyediran, Koleola Odusami
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A construction project is usually made up of a variety of stakeholders whose interests may positively or negatively impact on the outcome of the project execution. The variability of project stakeholders is apparent in their cultural differences, professional background and ethics, and differences in ideas. The need for the effectiveness of construction teams has been investigated as this is an important aspect to meeting client’s expectations in the construction industry. This study adopts a cross-sectional descriptive survey with the purpose of identifying the critical success factors (CSFs) associated with the team effectiveness of construction projects stakeholders, their relationship and the effects on construction project performance. The instrument for data collection was a designed questionnaire which was administered to construction professionals in the construction industry in Lagos State, Nigeria using proportionate stratified sampling. The highest ranked identified CSFs include “team trust”, “esprit de corps among members” and “team cohesiveness”. Using factor analysis and considering the effects of team cohesiveness on project performance, the identified CSFs were categorized into three groups namely cognitive attributes, behavior and processes attributes and affective attributes. All the three groups were observed to have a strong correlation with project performance. The findings of this study are useful in helping construction stakeholders benchmark the team effectiveness factors that will guarantee project success.Keywords: construction, critical success factors, performance, stakeholders, team effectiveness
Procedia PDF Downloads 12911803 Identity Verification Based on Multimodal Machine Learning on Red Green Blue (RGB) Red Green Blue-Depth (RGB-D) Voice Data
Authors: LuoJiaoyang, Yu Hongyang
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In this paper, we experimented with a new approach to multimodal identification using RGB, RGB-D and voice data. The multimodal combination of RGB and voice data has been applied in tasks such as emotion recognition and has shown good results and stability, and it is also the same in identity recognition tasks. We believe that the data of different modalities can enhance the effect of the model through mutual reinforcement. We try to increase the three modalities on the basis of the dual modalities and try to improve the effectiveness of the network by increasing the number of modalities. We also implemented the single-modal identification system separately, tested the data of these different modalities under clean and noisy conditions, and compared the performance with the multimodal model. In the process of designing the multimodal model, we tried a variety of different fusion strategies and finally chose the fusion method with the best performance. The experimental results show that the performance of the multimodal system is better than that of the single modality, especially in dealing with noise, and the multimodal system can achieve an average improvement of 5%.Keywords: multimodal, three modalities, RGB-D, identity verification
Procedia PDF Downloads 7011802 Sound Performance of a Composite Acoustic Coating With Embedded Parallel Plates Under Hydrostatic Pressure
Authors: Bo Hu, Shibo Wang, Haoyang Zhang, Jie Shi
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With the development of sonar detection technology, the acoustic stealth technology of underwater vehicles is facing severe challenges. The underwater acoustic coating is developing towards the direction of low-frequency absorption capability and broad absorption frequency bandwidth. In this paper, an acoustic model of underwater acoustic coating of composite material embedded with periodical steel structure is presented. The model has multiple high absorption peaks in the frequency range of 1kHz-8kHz, where achieves high sound absorption and broad bandwidth performance. It is found that the frequencies of the absorption peaks are related to the classic half-wavelength transmission principle. The sound absorption performance of the acoustic model is investigated by the finite element method using COMSOL software. The sound absorption mechanism of the proposed model is explained by the distributions of the displacement vector field. The influence of geometric parameters of periodical steel structure, including thickness and distance, on the sound absorption ability of the proposed model are further discussed. The acoustic model proposed in this study provides an idea for the design of underwater low-frequency broadband acoustic coating, and the results shows the possibility and feasibility for practical underwater application.Keywords: acoustic coating, composite material, broad frequency bandwidth, sound absorption performance
Procedia PDF Downloads 17411801 Seismic Performance of Various Grades of Steel Columns through Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Asal Pournaghshband, Roham Maher
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This study presents a numerical analysis of the cyclic behavior of H-shaped steel columns, focusing on different steel grades, including austenitic, ferritic, duplex stainless steel, and carbon steel. Finite Element (FE) models were developed and validated against experimental data, demonstrating a predictive accuracy of up to 6.5%. The study examined key parameters such as energy dissipation and failure modes. Results indicate that duplex stainless steel offers the highest strength, with superior energy dissipation but a tendency for brittle failure at maximum strains of 0.149. Austenitic stainless steel demonstrated balanced performance with excellent ductility and energy dissipation, showing a maximum strain of 0.122, making it highly suitable for seismic applications. Ferritic stainless steel, while stronger than carbon steel, exhibited reduced ductility and energy absorption. Carbon steel displayed the lowest performance in terms of energy dissipation and ductility, with significant strain concentrations leading to earlier failure. These findings provide critical insights into optimizing material selection for earthquake-resistant structures, balancing strength, ductility, and energy dissipation under seismic conditions.Keywords: energy dissipation, finite element analysis, H-shaped columns, seismic performance, stainless steel grades
Procedia PDF Downloads 2411800 Financial Policies in the Process of Global Crisis: Case Study Kosovo, Case Kosovo
Authors: Shpetim Rezniqi
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Financial Policies in the process of global crisis the current crisis has swept the world with special emphasis, most developed countries, those countries which have most gross -product world and you have a high level of living.Even those who are not experts can describe the consequences of the crisis to see the reality that is seen, but how far will it go this crisis is impossible to predict. Even the biggest experts have conjecture and large divergence, but agree on one thing: - The devastating effects of this crisis will be more severe than ever before and can not be predicted.Long time, the world was dominated economic theory of free market laws. With the belief that the market is the regulator of all economic problems. The market, as river water will flow to find the best and will find the necessary solution best. Therefore much less state market barriers, less state intervention and market itself is an economic self-regulation. Free market economy became the model of global economic development and progress, it transcends national barriers and became the law of the development of the entire world economy. Globalization and global market freedom were principles of development and international cooperation. All international organizations like the World Bank, states powerful economic, development and cooperation principles laid free market economy and the elimination of state intervention. The less state intervention much more freedom of action was this market- leading international principle. We live in an era of financial tragic. Financial markets and banking in particular economies are in a state of thy good, US stock markets fell about 40%, in other words, this time, was one of the darkest moments 5 since 1920. Prior to her rank can only "collapse" of the stock of Wall Street in 1929, technological collapse of 2000, the crisis of 1973 after the Yom Kippur war, while the price of oil quadrupled and famous collapse of 1937 / '38, when Europe was beginning World war II In 2000, even though it seems like the end of the world was the corner, the world economy survived almost intact. Of course, that was small recessions in the United States, Europe, or Japan. Much more difficult the situation was at crisis 30s, or 70s, however, succeeded the world. Regarding the recent financial crisis, it has all the signs to be much sharper and with more consequences. The decline in stock prices is more a byproduct of what is really happening. Financial markets began dance of death with the credit crisis, which came as a result of the large increase in real estate prices and household debt. It is these last two phenomena can be matched very well with the gains of the '20s, a period during which people spent fists as if there was no tomorrow. All is not away from the mouth of the word recession, that fact no longer a sudden and abrupt. But as much as the financial markets melt, the greater is the risk of a problematic economy for years to come. Thus, for example, the banking crisis in Japan proved to be much more severe than initially expected, partly because the assets which were based more loans had, especially the land that falling in value. The price of land in Japan is about 15 years that continues to fall. (ADRI Nurellari-Published in the newspaper "Classifieds"). At this moment, it is still difficult to çmosh to what extent the crisis has affected the economy and what would be the consequences of the crisis. What we know is that many banks will need more time to reduce the award of credit, but banks have this primary function, this means huge loss.Keywords: globalisation, finance, crisis, recomandation, bank, credits
Procedia PDF Downloads 38911799 Improve Student Performance Prediction Using Majority Vote Ensemble Model for Higher Education
Authors: Wade Ghribi, Abdelmoty M. Ahmed, Ahmed Said Badawy, Belgacem Bouallegue
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In higher education institutions, the most pressing priority is to improve student performance and retention. Large volumes of student data are used in Educational Data Mining techniques to find new hidden information from students' learning behavior, particularly to uncover the early symptom of at-risk pupils. On the other hand, data with noise, outliers, and irrelevant information may provide incorrect conclusions. By identifying features of students' data that have the potential to improve performance prediction results, comparing and identifying the most appropriate ensemble learning technique after preprocessing the data, and optimizing the hyperparameters, this paper aims to develop a reliable students' performance prediction model for Higher Education Institutions. Data was gathered from two different systems: a student information system and an e-learning system for undergraduate students in the College of Computer Science of a Saudi Arabian State University. The cases of 4413 students were used in this article. The process includes data collection, data integration, data preprocessing (such as cleaning, normalization, and transformation), feature selection, pattern extraction, and, finally, model optimization and assessment. Random Forest, Bagging, Stacking, Majority Vote, and two types of Boosting techniques, AdaBoost and XGBoost, are ensemble learning approaches, whereas Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine, and Artificial Neural Network are supervised learning techniques. Hyperparameters for ensemble learning systems will be fine-tuned to provide enhanced performance and optimal output. The findings imply that combining features of students' behavior from e-learning and students' information systems using Majority Vote produced better outcomes than the other ensemble techniques.Keywords: educational data mining, student performance prediction, e-learning, classification, ensemble learning, higher education
Procedia PDF Downloads 10711798 Critical Evaluation of the Effects of Conditionalities and Structural Adjustments on the Poor and Developing Countries
Authors: Kazi Rafikoddin
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Conditionality refers to a precondition for getting external funds from IMF or WB by giving consent for implementation of the program of economic or political reforms especially relating to open economies. These are put forth under the label of structural adjustment. It is a kind of challenge on the part of borrowing government to exercise balance between the domestic obligations and the expectations of external funding agencies. Countries have to take loans under certain criteria and regulations because better loans are often not readily available. Therefore taking loans and renewing them to pay the same with new interest rates and conditions makes the governments entangled in the circle of debt. They are forced to compete with well-established multinational companies. If their access to industrialized countries' markets is impaired through protectionism, the developed world will be condemning the indebted nations to perpetual financial crisis. On the other hand, the ability to sell their goods free in the world market is reduced through the introduction of Structural Adjustment Programmes. Although there are examples of positive effects on certain economies like India, some Third World, and poor countries have experienced the ire of these remedies. This paper tries to find out the effects of SAPs on some borrowing countries.Keywords: IMF, world bank, conditionalities, SAPs, Third World Countries
Procedia PDF Downloads 20111797 Investigating the performance of machine learning models on PM2.5 forecasts: A case study in the city of Thessaloniki
Authors: Alexandros Pournaras, Anastasia Papadopoulou, Serafim Kontos, Anastasios Karakostas
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The air quality of modern cities is an important concern, as poor air quality contributes to human health and environmental issues. Reliable air quality forecasting has, thus, gained scientific and governmental attention as an essential tool that enables authorities to take proactive measures for public safety. In this study, the potential of Machine Learning (ML) models to forecast PM2.5 at local scale is investigated in the city of Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, which has been struggling with the persistent issue of air pollution. ML models, with proven ability to address timeseries forecasting, are employed to predict the PM2.5 concentrations and the respective Air Quality Index 5-days ahead by learning from daily historical air quality and meteorological data from 2014 to 2016 and gathered from two stations with different land use characteristics in the urban fabric of Thessaloniki. The performance of the ML models on PM2.5 concentrations is evaluated with common statistical methods, such as R squared (r²) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), utilizing a portion of the stations’ measurements as test set. A multi-categorical evaluation is utilized for the assessment of their performance on respective AQIs. Several conclusions were made from the experiments conducted. Experimenting on MLs’ configuration revealed a moderate effect of various parameters and training schemas on the model’s predictions. Their performance of all these models were found to produce satisfactory results on PM2.5 concentrations. In addition, their application on untrained stations showed that these models can perform well, indicating a generalized behavior. Moreover, their performance on AQI was even better, showing that the MLs can be used as predictors for AQI, which is the direct information provided to the general public.Keywords: Air Quality, AQ Forecasting, AQI, Machine Learning, PM2.5
Procedia PDF Downloads 7711796 Diagnosis and Analysis of Automated Liver and Tumor Segmentation on CT
Authors: R. R. Ramsheeja, R. Sreeraj
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For view the internal structures of the human body such as liver, brain, kidney etc have a wide range of different modalities for medical images are provided nowadays. Computer Tomography is one of the most significant medical image modalities. In this paper use CT liver images for study the use of automatic computer aided techniques to calculate the volume of the liver tumor. Segmentation method is used for the detection of tumor from the CT scan is proposed. Gaussian filter is used for denoising the liver image and Adaptive Thresholding algorithm is used for segmentation. Multiple Region Of Interest(ROI) based method that may help to characteristic the feature different. It provides a significant impact on classification performance. Due to the characteristic of liver tumor lesion, inherent difficulties appear selective. For a better performance, a novel proposed system is introduced. Multiple ROI based feature selection and classification are performed. In order to obtain of relevant features for Support Vector Machine(SVM) classifier is important for better generalization performance. The proposed system helps to improve the better classification performance, reason in which we can see a significant reduction of features is used. The diagnosis of liver cancer from the computer tomography images is very difficult in nature. Early detection of liver tumor is very helpful to save the human life.Keywords: computed tomography (CT), multiple region of interest(ROI), feature values, segmentation, SVM classification
Procedia PDF Downloads 50911795 Effect of Marketing Strategy on the Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria
Authors: Kadiri Kayode Ibrahim, Kadiri Omowunmi
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The research study was concerned with an evaluation of the effect of marketing strategy on the performance of SMEs in Abuja. This was achieved, specifically, through the examination of the effect of disaggregated components of Marketing Strategy (Product, Price, Promotion, Placement and Process) on Sales Volume (as a proxy for performance). The study design was causal in nature, with the use of quantitative methods involving a cross-sectional survey carried out with the administration of a structured questionnaire. A multistage sample of 398 respondents was utilized to provide the primary data used in the study. Subsequently, path analysis was employed in processing the obtained data and testing formulated hypotheses. Findings from the study indicated that all modeled components of marketing strategy were positive and statistically significant determinants of performance among businesses in the zone. It was, therefore, recommended that SMEs invest in continuous product innovation and development that are in line with the needs and preferences of the target market, as well as adopt a dynamic pricing strategy that considers both cost factors and market conditions. It is, therefore, crucial that businesses in the zone adopt marker communication measures that would stimulate brand awareness and increase engagement, including the use of social media platforms and content marketing. Additionally, owner-managers should ensure that their products are readily available to their target customers through an emphasis on availability and accessibility measures. Furthermore, a commitment to consistent optimization of internal operations is crucial for improved productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction, which in turn will positively impact their overall performance.Keywords: product, price, promotion, placement
Procedia PDF Downloads 4211794 Utilizing Hybrid File Mapping for High-Performance I/O
Authors: Jaechun No
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As the technology of NAND flash memory rapidly grows, SSD is becoming an excellent alternative for storage solutions, because of its high random I/O throughput and low power consumption. These SSD potentials have drawn great attention from IT enterprises that seek for better I/O performance. However, high SSD cost per capacity makes it less desirable to construct a large-scale storage subsystem solely composed of SSD devices. An alternative is to build a hybrid storage subsystem where both HDD and SSD devices are incorporated in an economic manner, while employing the strengths of both devices. This paper presents a hybrid file system, called hybridFS, that attempts to utilize the advantages of HDD and SSD devices, to provide a single, virtual address space by integrating both devices. HybridFS not only proposes an efficient implementation for the file management in the hybrid storage subsystem but also suggests an experimental framework for making use of the excellent features of existing file systems. Several performance evaluations were conducted to verify the effectiveness and suitability of hybridFS.Keywords: hybrid file mapping, data layout, hybrid device integration, extent allocation
Procedia PDF Downloads 50611793 Communication Aesthetics of Techno-Scenery and Lighting in Bolanle Austen-Peters Queen Moremi the Musical
Authors: Badeji Adebayo John
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Technology has immense contribution in every aspect of human endeavor; it has not only made work easier but also provided exhilarating impression in the mind of the people. Theatre is not exempted from the multifaceted influence of technology on phenomenon. Therefore, theatre performances have experienced the excellence of technology in the contemporary era such that audiences have unforgettable experiences after seeing theatre performances. Some of these technological advancements that have amplified the aesthetics of performances in the theatre are techno-scenery (3D mapping) and lighting. In view of this, the objective of this study is to explore how techno-scenery and lighting technologies were used to communicate messages in the performance of Queen Moremi the Musical. In so doing, Participant-Observation Method and Content Analysis are adopted. Berlo’s model of communication is also employed to explain the communicative aesthetics of these theatre technologies in the performance. Techno-scenery and lighting are communication media modifier that facilitates audiences’ comprehension of the messages in the performance of Queen Moremi the Musical. They also create clear motion pictures of the setting which the performers cannot communicate in their acting, dances and singing, to ease the audiences’ decoding of messages that the performers are sending to the audience. Therefore, consistent incorporation of these technologies to theatre performances will facilitate easy flow of communication in-between the performers who are the sender, the message which is the performance and the audience who are the receiver.Keywords: communication, aesthetics, techno-scenery, lighting, musical
Procedia PDF Downloads 8511792 Predicting Stack Overflow Accepted Answers Using Features and Models with Varying Degrees of Complexity
Authors: Osayande Pascal Omondiagbe, Sherlock a Licorish
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Stack Overflow is a popular community question and answer portal which is used by practitioners to solve technology-related challenges during software development. Previous studies have shown that this forum is becoming a substitute for official software programming languages documentation. While tools have looked to aid developers by presenting interfaces to explore Stack Overflow, developers often face challenges searching through many possible answers to their questions, and this extends the development time. To this end, researchers have provided ways of predicting acceptable Stack Overflow answers by using various modeling techniques. However, less interest is dedicated to examining the performance and quality of typically used modeling methods, and especially in relation to models’ and features’ complexity. Such insights could be of practical significance to the many practitioners that use Stack Overflow. This study examines the performance and quality of various modeling methods that are used for predicting acceptable answers on Stack Overflow, drawn from 2014, 2015 and 2016. Our findings reveal significant differences in models’ performance and quality given the type of features and complexity of models used. Researchers examining classifiers’ performance and quality and features’ complexity may leverage these findings in selecting suitable techniques when developing prediction models.Keywords: feature selection, modeling and prediction, neural network, random forest, stack overflow
Procedia PDF Downloads 13211791 Industry 4.0 Adoption, Control Mechanism and Sustainable Performance of Healthcare Supply Chains under Disruptive Impact
Authors: Edward Nartey
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Although the boundaries of sustainable performance and growth in the field of service supply chains (SCs) have been broadened by scholars in recent years, research on the impact and promises of Industry 4.0 Destructive Technologies (IDTs) on sustainability performance under disruptive events is still scarce. To mitigate disruptions in the SC and improve efficiency by identifying areas for cost savings, organizations have resorted to investments in digitalization, automation, and control mechanisms in recent years. However, little is known about the sustainability implications for IDT adoption and controls in service SCs, especially during disruptive events. To investigate this paradox, survey data were sought from 223 public health managers across Ghana and analyzed via covariance-based structural equations modelling. The results showed that both formal and informal control have a positive and significant relationship with IDT adoption. In addition, formal control has a significant and positive relationship with environmental and economic sustainability but an insignificant relationship with social sustainability. Furthermore, informal control positively impacts economic performance but has an insignificant relationship with social and environmental sustainability. While the findings highlight the prevalence of the IDTs being initiated by Ghanaian public health institutions (PHIs), this study concludes that the installed control systems in these organizations are inadequate for promoting sustainable SC behaviors under destructive events. Thus, in crisis situations, PHIs need to redesign their control systems to facilitate IDT integration towards sustainability issues in SCs.Keywords: industry 4.0 destructive technologies, formal control, informal control, sustainable supply chain performance, public health organizations
Procedia PDF Downloads 6411790 Banking and Accounting Analysis Researches Effect on Environment
Authors: Marina Magdy Naguib Karas
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New methods of providing banking services to the customer have been introduced, such as online banking. Banks have begun to consider electronic banking (e-banking) as a way to replace some traditional branch functions by using the Internet as a new distribution channel. Some consumers have at least one account at multiple banks and access these accounts through online banking. To check their current net worth, clients need to log into each of their accounts, get detailed information, and work toward consolidation. Not only is it time-consuming, but it is also a repeatable activity with a certain frequency. To solve this problem, the concept of account aggregation was added as a solution. Account consolidation in e-banking as a form of electronic banking appears to build a stronger relationship with customers. An account linking service is generally referred to as a service that allows customers to manage their bank accounts held at different institutions via a common online banking platform that places a high priority on security and data protection. The article provides an overview of the account aggregation approach in e-banking as a new service in the area of e-banking.Keywords: compatibility, complexity, mobile banking, observation, risk banking technology, Internet banks, modernization of banks, banks, account aggregation, security, enterprise development
Procedia PDF Downloads 5011789 Investigating the Effects of Managerial Competencies on Organizational Performance through the Mediating Role of Entrepreneurship and Social Capital
Authors: Nader Chavoshi Boroujeni, Naser Chavoshi Boroujeni
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Considering the importance of managerial competencies on organizational performance as well as the role of social capital and entrepreneurship as mediator parameters affecting organizational performance, this study attempts to examine the impact carefully. In this regard, Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT) as an effective and knowledge generator company that has a great effect on improving organizational performances of many other companies such as Knowledge-Based Companies (KBCs) activing in the ISTT's site was selected as statistical population. According to coordination with the Department of Development and Technology of ISTT, all employees of ISTT and active KBCs were selected as sample. Then, to analyze the variables a standard and self-made questionnaire containing 98 questions was designed and distributed. Of the 350 questionnaires distributed, 319 questionnaires were collected that 313 cases were confirmed and analyzed. To confirm the reliability of questionnaire, the Leader professor and two other professors approved it. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to validate the questionnaire that all coefficient was between 0/7 and 0/95. So, the validity was confirmed. After descriptive study population, the normality of distribution was investigated with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Finally, the results obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed by Amos software that all hypotheses were confirmed.Keywords: managerial competencies, personnel organizational performance, entrepreneurship, social capital
Procedia PDF Downloads 269