Delphi Technique in Poverty Alleviation: A Case Study

This study aims at investigating scholars thinking intended for poverty alleviation. Two-round Delphi techniques were applied to attain experts’ opinion in support of probable resolution of poverty. Government officials, Non-government executives, University academics, and social & political personalities are considered as scholars. The scholars think that limitation of job is the fundamental cause of poverty that is why the poor are bound to live in vulnerable unhygienic places where inadequate services are prevailing. They also argued that by providing home-based work and especial training that will help them to get job for income generation, the poverty problems could be reduced. As well community-based management similar to labor intensive low-cost housing factory and sanitation plant will also been lead to decrease poverty. To avoid hypothetical discover, the study analyzed poverty alleviation activities of UNDP/GOB project. The UNDP/GOB project entitled ‘Local Partnerships for Urban Poverty Alleviation’ is one of the biggest urban poverty alleviating projects in Bangladesh. There are many successful activities of this project such as community-based micro-credit, sanitation as well as drinking water has been highlighted. The study was undertaken by acquiring primary data from the field survey that employed a structure questionnaire and gathered information emphasis on poverty. Heads of poor households or a member behalf of HH, were used as respondents.

The acquisition and use of information to make investment decisions: a study of financial analysts in China

This study draws upon semi-structured interviews with 23 Chinese financial analysts (Beijing, Shanghai) to examine how they improve their information comprehension through private information search and use such information to evaluate company value. Despite working in state-owned institutions, Chinese financial analysts claim that their analytical framework is similar to their counterparty in the Western setting. However, our results indicate that Chinese analyst's analytical practice is considerably influenced by the specific characteristics of the Chinese listed company both in information acquisition and usage. Private meetings are regarded as a 'value added' information source providing price-sensitive information including product cost structure and possible assets injection from the listed company principle shareholders

Antecedents and consequences of online customer satisfaction: A holistic process perspective

This paper examines the determinants and consequences of online customer satisfaction by considering the entire online shopping experience, based on data collected from our survey of UK consumers in 2016. We found evidence that post online purchase experiences including experiences with order fulfilment, ease of return and responsiveness of customer service are the most significant contributors to online customer satisfaction. Security assurance, customisation, ease of use, product information and ease of check-out, all have significant impact but at much lower levels. The effect of website appearance on customer satisfaction is not significant. Our findings show that online customer satisfaction leads to repurchase intention, and a likelihood of making positive recommendations to others, but not willingness to pay more. We also found the effects of product information, customisation, order fulfilment and responsiveness of customer service on customer satisfaction are stronger for experience products than search products, while there is no significant difference in the effects of other determinants for search products and experience products. Several theoretical and managerial implications are provided, based on our findings

Dynamic marketing capabilities, foreign ownership modes, sub-national locations and the performance of foreign affiliates in developing economies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of dynamic marketing capabilities (DMC), foreign ownership modes and sub-national locations on the performance of foreign owned affiliates (FOAs) in developing economies. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a sample of 254 FOAs in Indian manufacturing sector (covering the period of 2000-2008 leading to 623 firm-year observations), the empirical paper adopts the panel data regression approach. Findings – The study confirms the significant importance of DMC to assist FOAs to gain better sales performance in an emerging market such as India. The findings indicate that Wholly Owned Foreign Affiliates (WOFAs) have better sales performance than International Joint Venture (IJV), and Majority-owned IJV (MAIJV) perform better than Minority-owned IJV (MIIJV) in the Indian manufacturing sector. The results confirm that effective deployment of DMC leads to better sales performance in WOFAs and to some extent in MAIJVs compared to MIIJVs. Perhaps the most interesting finding is that developing DMC in non-Metropolitan areas is associated with higher sales growth than in Metropolitan locations. Originality/value – The study contributes to the literature by examining the impact of DMC on performance of FOA by considering the organised manufacturing sector in a large and fast growing developing economy. In addition, the results for the moderating effects provide novel evidence of the conditions under which DMC of FOA interacts with different ownership modes and influence firm performance

Exploring the factors influencing the negotiation process in cross-border M&A

This research study provides an empirical examination of the impact of national cultural distance, organizational cultural differences, communication, and planned employee retention on the effectiveness of negotiation process in the cross-border mergers & acquisitions (M&As). We developed and tested a conceptual framework of negotiation process in order to provide a framework for analysis of the key components of the negotiation process in the cross border M&A. The findings indicate that communication positively influence antecedent and concurrent phase of negotiation process. In addition, national cultural distance and organizational cultural differences negatively influence the effectiveness of concurrent phase. We also found that national cultural distance moderates the relationship between communication and effectiveness of concurrent phase of the negotiation process, as such that the positive effect of communication is lower when national cultural distance is higher. Furthermore, we found that planned employee retention positively affect the effectiveness of concurrent phase. Finally, the effectiveness of concurrent phase positively influence the effectiveness of consequent phase i.e. M&A agreement. The contribution of this study lies in providing new insights on negotiation-associated factors for incumbent executives, in order to enable them to better plan and implement cross-border mergers and acquisition deals

Study of Cryogenic Vaporization Source-Term Due to Heat Transfer from the Solid Substrate

U.S. regulation requires LNG facilities to demonstrate a safe exclusion zone for public safety. European safety case also requires that the facility will demonstrate their risk level within a tolerable limit. Thus, cryogenic liquids (i.e., LNG) release scenarios needs to be modeled to determine consequence severity and perceived risk level. The existing models and tools are very sensitive to the inputs, also known as source-terms. Inaccurate inputs might result in an amplified or subdued consequence severity and may change the estimated risk level and/or safety exclusion zone. Accurate prediction of the source-terms is complex due to the presence of boiling regimes and requires validated models of boiling regimes. A CFD-based approach is taken to model film boiling using Rayleigh-Taylor instability and volume of fluid (VOF) methods. Film boiling simulations for LN2, LO2, and LNG are conducted with a various degree of wall superheat. The simulated results were compared with Berenson and Klimenko correlations to demonstrate that CFD model overcomes the limitations of these correlations. To extend the applicability of these simulations, a first principle model is proposed to enable a faster calculation of heat transfer to cryogenic pool boiling. Medium-scale cryogenic spill experiments have been conducted on an instrumented concrete substrate where LN2, LO2, and liquid air are used. The vaporization rate, temperature, and heat flux profiles are recorded during the experiments. It is found that the effect of the mixture on the LN2 vaporization rate is not significant and the heat conduction inside the concrete substrate is unidirectional. The proposed CFD-based film boiling models for LN2 and LO2 are validated using medium-scale experimental data and are in agreement for higher wall superheats but slightly deviates for the lower wall superheats. The deviation in experimental data can be attributed to the surface roughness and change in boiling regime from film to nucleate. The model for LNG is validated against the experimental data reported in the literature. It is found that the model can capture the vaporization rate reported from the Maplin Sands experiments and other laboratory tests on film boiling

ADVANCEMENTS IN DUAL-BAND AND WIDEBAND RF CIRCUIT DESIGN: APPLICATIONS IN 5G AND ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSING ENSURING FOOD SAFETY.

The increasing demand for high-performance RF circuit components and advanced electrochemical sensors has driven significant innovations in wireless communication and food safety monitoring technologies. As food safety concerns grow globally due to contamination risks from pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, and pathogens, there is an urgent need for real-time, accurate, and scalable monitoring solutions.RF circuit components—including power dividers, branch-line couplers, and RF energy harvesting systems—play a pivotal role in enabling wirelessly monitored sensors for food safety. Traditional electrochemical sensors, while highly sensitive, are often limited by wired data transmission, power constraints, and real-time applicability. The integration of RF technology into these sensors allows for wireless, remote monitoring, and IoT-enabled data transmission, significantly enhancing the efficiency, scalability, and automation of food safety monitoring systems. This thesis systematically investigates dual-band RF branch-line couplers (BLCs), wideband RF power dividers, and electrochemical sensing technologies, following a structured approach that begins with fundamental theoretical modeling and progresses toward practical applications. This research critically examines the potential enhancements RF techniques could offer to electrochemical sensing applications.The thesis begins by deriving a generalized equation for the Diagonal Crossed Dual-Band Branch-Line Coupler (DBBLC) to establish a fundamental theoretical framework. The power division characteristics of DBBLC are formulated using a systematic approach that considers even-even, odd-odd, odd-even, and even-odd mode analysis. The generalized susceptance equations derived in this study help in accurately determining the admittance transformation necessary to achieve arbitrary power division and impedance matching. By setting S11 = 0 and S41 = 0, the study obtains relations for equivalent conductance and susceptance, denoted as Geq and Beq, and expresses the power division ratio k in terms of characteristic impedances of the BLC core transmission lines. The findings demonstrate that DBBLC designs can achieve high-frequency operation with an output phase imbalance of only 1.95°, making them highly suitable for 5G FR2 applications operating at 28 GHz and 40 GHz..Following the derivation of the generalized equation, the thesis advances toward handling complex structures by incorporating perturbation techniques alongside the previously established framework. The perturbation methodology is employed to optimize the design of Mid-Section Crossed Dual-Band Branch-Line Couplers (MBLCs) by introducing impedance-matching networks that minimize reflection and maximize isolation across dual bands. The proposed MBLC is capable of supporting an exceptionally wide band ratio of up to 11 and is fabricated on Rogers RO4003C substrates, with measurement results showing a magnitude imbalance of less than 4% and a phase imbalance below 2%. This approach demonstrates the ability to fine-tune impedance characteristics and improve miniaturization efficiency, making MBLCs more practical for multi-band applications.Extending the principles of power division, the thesis then explores the design and miniaturization of a three-way power divider (3PD) to increase the number of output terminals while maintaining high performance. The proposed 3PD employs an eight-transmission-line structure, achieving up to 69.75% size reduction compared to conventional designs. The fabricated prototype demonstrates an input return loss greater than 18 dB, an output return loss exceeding 15 dB, and an insertion loss deviation of only 0.55 dB from the ideal 4.77 dB, making it highly efficient for wideband applications. The results validate the proposed methodology as an effective means of achieving high-isolation and low-loss signal distribution in RF communication networks.In the final stage, the research expands beyond RF circuit design to explore the applicability of these findings in electrochemical sensor systems. While a direct integration of RF and electrochemical sensing is not proposed, the study conducts a critical review of electrochemical sensors for food safety and traceability. Electrochemical sensors, leveraging nanomaterials and conductive polymers, provide portable, real-time detection of contaminants such as pesticides, antibiotics, and heavy metals. However, existing sensor technologies face challenges in power efficiency, wireless transmission, and scalability. By reviewing the existing literature, this research identifies areas where RF techniques could enhance electrochemical sensor performance, particularly through RF energy harvesting for power-efficient sensing, microwave-assisted detection to improve signal transduction, and wireless transmission for RF-based monitoring systems. The proposed RF DBBLC and three way power dividers can wirelessly excite multiple electrochemical sensors simultaneously through near field/far field loop antenna and are able to extract and monitor useful sensing information through a RF signal reader such as Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) connected with the DBBLC or Power dividers.By following a structured progression from generalized theoretical modeling to advanced circuit design, miniaturization, and practical applications, this thesis presents a comprehensive framework for the development of multi-functional RF circuits while also identifying potential optimization strategies for electrochemical sensors. The findings contribute to the advancement of RF circuit technologies and offer valuable insights into the future possibilities of RF-assisted sensing systems. Through a combination of theoretical derivation, analytical modeling, perturbation-based design methodologies, and experimental validation, this research lays the foundation for future innovations in wireless communication and food safety monitoring offering solutions that are real-time, scalable, and highly efficient. This progress is crucial for ensuring global food security, improving human health, and reducing the burden of foodborne diseases, ultimately leading to a safer and healthier future for all