Improving Ready-Made Garment Productivity by Changing Worker Attitude

Bangladesh is the 2nd largest readymade garment exporter in the world. But in terms of productivity, its performance is below the mark. Many studies were performed to increase the productivity of our readymade garment industry by applying proper line balancing, time study, lean manufacturing system etc. Similarly this paper is an attempt to analyze the potential increase in garment productivity by applying a non-monetary process that is related with changing the behavioral aspect of the readymade garment workers. The study shows only slight change in worker attitude along with proper supervision can bring about a tremendous increase in garment productivity which can make the readymade garment products more price competitive to the foreign buyers

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MODEL: A LITERATURE REVIEW

This study intends to present a review analysis of the CG literature with a view to discover and categorize the macro and micro level determinants of CG framework. Apart from this, it targets to signify long enduring CG debate concerning shareholders VS stockholders value orientation. This study presents a comprehensive understanding of a broad assortment of macroeconomic governance issues such as measures against hostile takeover, board formation /composition, capital market actions, managerial incentives, debt covenants and leverage, market for managers & directors, capital structure and managerial ownership, legal framework etc has been also integrated. Moreover issues associated to relative corporate governance and convergence of global corporate governance model has also been discusses by putting specific emphasize on the conflict of interest occurring from the association between executives and investors and the connection involving the value of the firms and CG. It is noted that because of the limitations in existing significant hypothetical and functional inadequacies, external controlling mechanisms might not be able to solely resolve the CG challenge, even though these could be significantly successful in some specific situations, Thus, corporations have to implement balancing internal firm specific controlling mechanism to reduce the overall costs associated to agency problem. The analysis also reveals that Both stockholder and stakeholder models are competing on the ground of superiority however, in practically there has been a vibrant modification with both standards are becoming progressively equally appealing in different regions over the last two decades

Competitive Position of Bangladesh and China in the Global Clothing Export Market: An Analysis of Revealed Comparative Advantage

Purpose of the article: The Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry remains the most crucial segment of Bangladesh’s economy besides the agricultural sector in terms of foreign currency earning via export and employment generation. Several international studies predict that Bangladesh will be the next apparel sourcing hotspot after China due to the availability of reasonably priced labour force and other factors of production. This paper intends to exhibits the relative competitive position of China and Bangladesh for the ready-made garment industry in the global made-up clothing market and how its pattern has changed over the period of 2001–2017. Methodology/methods: Balassa’s RCA indices have been used to calculate for all the 34 product groups under HS 61 and HS 62 for up to four digits level of the study period of 2001 to 2017 of both countries. Descriptive statistical techniques have been applied to reveal the sustainability and predictability of the comparative advantage of both countries. Scientific aim: The findings of the study would be beneficial for the policy-makers and researchers in developing export promotion policies for generating industry competitiveness considering the valuable factors of both countries such as factors of production and geological position. Findings: The analysis has revealed that Bangladesh has achieved a significant comparative advantage over China in 26 product categories out of 34 product categories in 2017, whereas China has able to gain the RCA on only 8 product groups in the same study period. The findings also reveal that although Bangladesh has achieved significant RCA in most of the product types, its volatility remains on the higher side. Conclusion: This paper is one of the trivial pursuits to perform an organized analysis of revealed comparative advantage of Bangladesh and China on clothing (RMG) trade to major global market

Does market react to tax reduction news? An empirical study on corporate tax reduction of Bangladesh in 2017-18

Purpose – This study tries to investigate the capital market reaction to the corporate tax reduction announcement (37.5% from 40%) in Bangladesh for publicly listed Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions of 2017-18. Methodology – This study applied an event study approach to identify any significant average abnormal returns as well as cumulative average abnormal returns of all the publicly listed Banks, Insurances and Financial institutions around the announcement period. Findings – Insignificant average abnormal return (AAR) experienced in case of Banking and Insurance industry on event day, except the financial institutions which have generated a statistically significant abnormal negative return on announcement day. The combined AAR of all three sectors has also generated statistically insignificant return around event windows which suggest that investors did not consider tax reduction news as valuable information for investment decision nor considering it as an essential factor of share value. Limitation – The study did not consider any possible extraneous variable that could result in insignificant reactions. Practical Implication – The findings of this research would considerably contribute to the financial and economic policy formulation while taken into consideration the possible impact of the policy over the capital market of Bangladesh. Originality – This study makes a considerable input to the research in the area of taxes linked to the behavioural finance applying the unique variable of investor’s reactions

Dividend Policy Trend: A Comprehensive Study on the Listed Industrial Sector of Bangladesh

The financial decision is rotated around the dividend decision. The objective is to identify the dividend pattern and the management’ views of dividend policy for revealing the present scenario of dividend practices in the capital market of Bangladesh. The parametric test, non-parametric test and percentile are used for inferring the result. In the manufacturing sector, the miscellaneous sector provides the highest payout. The DPS, EPS, MPS of the large size firm is better than small and medium size firms. The payout of the older firms is more than the newly listed firms. The highest payouts are in medium leveraged firm, low risk’s firm, medium PE ratio’s firm. The survey results reveal that the both shareholders and companies prefer the cash dividend most because of majority shareholders’ expectation. The most of the companies pay cash dividend with stable payout. The majority companies follow increasing trend in dividend payment but there is no satisfactory research to justify the investors’ preference. The capital market related stakeholders should follow these findings

Dividendų praktikos listinguojamose įmonėse: Bangladešo gamybos sektoriaus tyrimas

The dividend model of the listed manufacturing firms and the organizational policies related to dividend decisions are analyzed to reveal the contemporary state of the payout pattern in the capital market of Bangladesh. This study exhibits the settings of dividend disbursement in association with the diverse aspects of the firm such as industry segment of the firm, the age of the firms, size, leverage, risk, and earnings.Siekiant atskleisti dabartinį Bangladešo kapitalo rinkos dividendų išmokėjimo modelio scenarijų, analizuojami listinguojamų gamybos įmonių dividendų modeliai ir dividendų valdymo politikos. Tyrimas atskleidė, kad dividendų išmokėjimo modelis susijęs su skirtingomis įmonės charakteristikomis, tokiomis kaip įmonės pramonės segmentas, įmonės amžius, dydis, svertas, rizika ir pajamos

Evaluation of anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the methanol extract of Holigarna caustica (Dennst.) Oken leaves

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Holigarna caustica (Dennst.) is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of painful conditions such as eye irritation, inflammation, arthritis, skin diseases, cuts and wounds.Aim of the study: The present study was undertaken to investigate the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the methanol extract of H. caustica leaves and to elucidate its possible mechanism(s) of action.Materials and methods: Fresh leaves of H. caustica were collected, dried, and extracted with methanol (MEHC). MEHC was subjected to activity testing, using chemical-induced (acetic acid and formalin test) and heat-induced (hot plate and tail immersion test) pain models. To determine the possible mechanism behind the anti-nociceptive activity of MEHC, the opioid antagonist naltrexone was used to evaluate the involvement of opioid receptors in the case of formalin, hot plate and tail immersion tests, while the involvement of the cGMP and ATP-sensitive K+ channel pathways were assessed using methylene blue and glibenclamide respectively, in the acetic acid-induced writhing test. In parallel, the carrageenan-induced paw oedema model was used to determine the anti-inflammatory potential of the extract. Exploratory and motor behaviours were evaluated by the open-field test. Various bioactive compounds potentially responsible for the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities were ascertained using GC-MS analysis.Results: MEHC showed strong, significant and dose-dependent anti-nociceptive activity in all chemical-induced and heat-induced pain models at all experimental doses. The association of opioid receptors with the observed anti-nociceptive effects was confirmed by using naltrexone. The cGMP and ATP-sensitive K+ channel pathway was also shown to be involved in the anti-nociceptive activity of MEHC. In addition, MEHC exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of inflammatory oedema induced by carrageenan. MEHC was not connected with changes in either the locomotor activity or motor responses of mice. In a GC-MS analysis, 40 compounds were identified, among which twelve are documented bioactive compounds with potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.Conclusions: Our current study revealed that MEHC possesses strong central and peripheral anti-nociceptive as well as anti-inflammatory activity. It may also be concluded that both opioid receptors as well as the cGMP and ATP-sensitive K+ channel pathway are involved in the anti-nociceptive mechanism of MEHC. This study rationalizes the ethnomedicinal use of H. caustica leaves in various painful conditions.</p

Investigation of the biological activities and characterization of bioactive constituents of ophiorrhiza rugosa var. prostrata (D.Don) & Mondal leaves through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico approaches.

Ophiorrhiza rugosa var. prostrata is one of the most frequently used ethnomedicinal plants by the indigenous communities of Bangladesh. This study was designed to investigate the antidiarrheal, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic and antibacterial activities of the ethanol extract of O. rugosa leaves (EEOR). The leaves were extracted with ethanol and subjected to in vivo antidiarrheal screening using the castor oil-induced diarrhea, enteropooling, and gastrointestinal transit models. Anti-inflammatory efficacy was evaluated using the histamine-induced paw edema test. In parallel, in vitro anthelmintic and antibacterial activities were evaluated using the aquatic worm and disc diffusion assays respectively. In all three diarrheal models, EEOR (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) showed obvious inhibition of diarrheal stool frequency, reduction of the volume and weight of the intestinal contents, and significant inhibition of intestinal motility. Also, EEOR manifested dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity. Anthelmintic action was deemed significant (P < 0.001) with respect to the onset of paralysis and helminth death. EEOR also resulted in strong zones of inhibition when tested against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. GC-MS analysis identified 30 compounds within EEOR, and of these, 13 compounds documented as bioactive showed good binding affinities to M3 muscarinic acetylcholine, 5-HT3, tubulin and GlcN-6-P synthase protein targets in molecular docking experiments. Additionally, ADME/T and PASS analyses revealed their drug-likeness, likely safety upon consumption and possible pharmacological activities. In conclusion, our findings scientifically support the ethnomedicinal use and value of this plant, which may provide a potential source for future development of medicines

Age-sex differences in the global burden of lower respiratory infections and risk factors, 1990-2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background The global burden of lower respiratory infections (LRIs) and corresponding risk factors in children older than 5 years and adults has not been studied as comprehensively as it has been in children younger than 5 years. We assessed the burden and trends of LRIs and risk factors across a groups by sex, for 204 countries and territories.Methods In this analysis of data for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we used dinician-diagnosed pneumonia or bronchiolitis as our case definition for LRIs. We included International Classification of Diseases 9th edition codes 079.6, 466-469, 470.0, 480-482.8, 483.0-483.9, 484.1-484.2, 484.6-484.7, and 487-489 and International Classification of Diseases 10th edition codes A48.1, A70, B97.4 B97.6, 109-115.8, J16 J16.9, J20-121.9, J91.0, P23.0 P23.4, and U04 U04.9. We used the Cause of Death Ensemble modelling strategy to analyse 23109 site-years of vital r *stration data, 825 site-years of sample vital registration data, 1766 site-years of verbal autopsy data, and 681 site-years of mortality surveillance data. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian metaregression tool, to analyse age sex-specific incidence and prevalence data identified via systematic reviews of the literature, population-based survey data, and daims and inpatient data. Additio y, we estimated age sex-specific LRI mortality that is attributable to the independent effects of 14 risk factors.Findings Globally, in 2019, we estimated that there were 257 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 240-275) LRI incident episodes in males and 232 million (217-248) in females. In the same year, LRIs accounted for 1.30 million (95% UI 1.18-1.42) male deaths and 1.20 million (1.07-1.33) female deaths. Age-standardised incidence and mortality rates were 1.17 times (95% UI 1.16-1.18) and 1.31 times (95% UI 1.23-1.41) greater in males than in fe es in 2019. Between 1990 and 2019, LRI incidence and mortality rates declined at different rates across age groups and an increase in LRI episodes and deaths was estimated among all adult age groups, with males aged 70 years and older having the highest increase in LRI episodes (126.0% [95% UI 121.4-131.1]) and deaths (100.0% [83.4-115.9]). During the same period, LRI episodes and deaths in children younger than 15 years were estimated to have decreased, and the greatest dedine was observed for LRI deaths in males younger than 5 years (-70.7% [-77.2 to 61.8]). The leading risk factors for LRI mortality varied across age groups and sex. More than half of global LRI deaths in children younger than 5 years were attributable to child wasting (population attributable fraction [PAF] 53.0% [95% UI 37.7-61.8] in males and 56.4% [40.7-65.1] in females), and more than a quarter of LRI deaths among those aged 5-14 years were attributable to household air pollution (PAF 26.0% [95% UI 16.6-35.5] for males and PAF 25.8% [16.3-35.4] for females). PAFs of male LRI deaths attributed to smoking were 20.4% (95% UI 15.4-25.2) in those aged 15-49 years, 305% (24.1-36. 9) in those aged 50-69 years, and 21.9% (16. 8-27. 3) in those aged 70 years and older. PAFs of female LRI deaths attributed to household air pollution were 21.1% (95% UI 14.5-27.9) in those aged 15-49 years and 18 " 2% (12.5-24.5) in those aged 50-69 years. For females aged 70 years and older, the leading risk factor, ambient particulate matter, was responsible for 11-7% (95% UI 8.2-15.8) of LRI deaths.Interpretation The patterns and progress in reducing the burden of LRIs and key risk factors for mortality varied across age groups and sexes. The progress seen in children you - than 5 years was dearly a result of targeted interventions, such as vaccination and reduction of exposure to risk factors. Similar interventions for other age groups could contribute to the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals targets, induding promoting wellbeing at all ages and reducing health inequalities. Interventions, including addressing risk factors such as child wasting, smoking, ambient particulate matter pollution, and household air pollution, would prevent deaths and reduce health disparities.Copyright 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd