The determinants of bank interest rate margins: A panel approach for some Balkan countries

Studying interest rates has always been in focus of researches. Loans are the main source of funds for businesses and individuals, especially in the Balkan countries. The main problem is that high interest rate margins can indicate many factors, such as: The informal economy, problems with the cadaster system, an ineffective job of courts, the inability of Central Banks to inject liquidity, weaknesses in the quality of financial reporting of businesses, non-performing loans. It looks like all these problems are in favor of banks, by maximizing their profit. It is well known that the intermediary role of bank is to provide the best prosperity for society, preferably at the lowest possible costs. The high level of interest rate spread is an indicator of inefficiency, excessive risk taking and lack of competition. This study aims to measure the effects of the banking, market and macroeconomic structure on the net interest rate spread of the Balkan countries, such as Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, for seven years. According with this, the evaluation is made from two tips of methods: statistical and regression analysis. In the end, I can conclude that the net interest margin is influenced by maintaining high levels of capital, non-performing loans, operating expenses and bank capital ownership. Other factors that affect it are bank size, liquidity risk and portfolios performance. Macroeconomic components such as: Market Structure and Gross Domestic Product are assessed without impact. The study of factors that may cause changes in interest rate margins is an interesting and widely dealt with by foreign literature. Such an approach may be useful for specific measures of economic policy, taking into account the prospect of EU integration and other researcher that want to expand this study

Financial Statement Analysis: Case study of Kamila LLC (2016-2018)

The main source of information for financial analysis is the financial statements. Analyzing financial statements helps in making the best decisions possible by maximizing profit and minimizing costs. This paper analyzes the income statement and balance sheet for the manufacturing company Kamila in Kosovo. A wide variety of techniques can be used to assess the financial viability of an organization. In this paper are included the methodologies of horizontal analysis, vertical analysis and report analysis for three years, respectively for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. Through the above and comparative analysis over the years, we reach a conclusion by clarifying the status of assets, liabilities, capital and business profits, and answering the research questions of the paper why the business during the three years has had the same sales turnover and different profit and why the company realized higher profit in 2017 and lower profit in 2018. Finally, it is recommended that Kamila LLC will focus on increasing its own production and increasing exports to international markets

Tumori mozga i epilepsija

Brain tumors are a common cause of epilepsy. Tumor type and location are determining factors that significantly influence seizure frequency. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical data of patients diagnosed with brain tumors and epilepsy. Data for this study were obtained from patient medical records over a 6-year period (2000-2005). Patient history and findings obtained by diagnostic methods such as electroencephalography, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance were analyzed. Data were analyzed by appropriate statistical methods and the structure, prevalence, mean and standard deviation were calculated. The significance of results was tested by use of t-test and χ2-test. A total of 15 933 patient charts were analyzed. Out of 15 933 patients, 10.8% were diagnosed with epilepsy and 175 (1.09%) patients had brain tumor, 75 (42.86%) of which were significantly associated with epilepsy (P>0.05). Almost forty-three percent (42.86%) of tumors were epileptogenic, with no significant sex difference (confidence level of 95%). Fifty-seven (32.5%) brain tumor patients were aged 51-60. The mean age of all patients with brain tumors was 41.6 years. Focal sensorimotor seizures were dominant in 40 (53.3%) cases. Among epilepsy cases with known etiology, 75 (6.8%) patients had epileptogenic tumors. Types of seizures in patients with epilepsy were different from seizures provoked by brain tumors. The most common tumor site was temporal region (43.4%). There was no significant difference according to epileptogenesis. Focal sensorimotor seizures were common in patients with frontal and parietal region tumors.Tumori mozga su čest uzrok epilepsije. Vrst tumora i lokalizacija su odlučujući čimbenici koji značajno utječu na učestalost konvulzija. Cilj ove studije bio je analizirati kliničke podatke bolesnika s dijagnosticiranim tumorom mozga i epilepsijom. Podaci za studiju prikupljeni su iz medicinske dokumentacije bolesnika kroz 6-godišnje razdoblje, od 2000.do 2005. godine. Analizirani su anamnestički podaci i nalazi dobiveni dijagnostičkim metodama poput elektroencefalografije, kompjutorizirane tomografije i magnetske rezonancije. U analizi su se primijenile odgovarajuće statističke metode, te je izračunata struktura, učestalost te srednja vrijednost i standardna devijacija. Značajnost rezultata ispitana je pomoću t-testa i χ2-testa. Analiza je obuhvatila 15933 bolesničkih kartona. Od 15933 bolesnika epilepsija je bila dijagnosticirana u 10,8%; 175 (1,09%) bolesnika je imalo tumor mozga, od kojih je 75 (42,86%) bilo značajno udruženo s epilepsijom (P>0,05). Gotovo je 43% (točnije, 42,86%) tumora bilo epileptogeno, bez značajne razlike prema spolu, na razini pouzdanosti od 95%. Utvrđeno je 57 (32,5%) slučajeva tumora mozga među bolesnicima u dobi od 51 do 60 godina. Srednja dob svih bolesnika s tumorom mozga bila je 41,6 godina. Žarišni senzomotorni napadaji prevladavali su u 40 (53,3%) bolesnika. Među bolesnicima s epilepsijom poznate etiologije 75 (6,8%) ih je imalo epileptogene tumore. Vrste napadaja u bolesnika s epilepsijom razlikovale su se od napadaja izazvanih tumorom mozga. Najčešće mjesto tumora bilo je temporalno područje (43,4%) i nije bilo značajne razlike u odnosu na epileptogenezu. Žarišni senzomotorni napadaji bili su česti u bolesnika s tumorima frontalnog i parietalnog područja

The psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics in UBT patients

An important aspect of dental health is its aesthetics, and its effect on psychological life. The psychological impact of dental aesthetics questionnaire (PIDAQ) is an instrument that assess the psychological impact of dental aesthetics was used in prosthodontics patients that were treated at UBT Dental University Clinic. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of dental esthetics into the patient’s dental self-confidence, social impact, psychological impact, and aesthetic attitude. We analyzed the gender difference between women and men and noticed a difference in their attitude towards dental aesthetics and its impact in four dimensions

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Accounting: Revolutionizing Financial Management

The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ushered in a transformative era in the field of accounting. This paper explores the profound impact of AI technologies on accounting practices, focusing on their implications for financial management, data analysis, and decision-making processes within organizations. AI-powered accounting systems have revolutionized traditional bookkeeping tasks, automating routine processes such as data entry, reconciliation, and report generation. This automation not only reduces the risk of human errors but also significantly enhances efficiency, allowing accountants to redirect their efforts toward more strategic and value-added activities. Furthermore, AI-driven data analytics tools have empowered accountants to extract actionable insights from vast volumes of financial data in real time. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, accountants can identify trends, anomalies, and potential risks, facilitating proactive decision-making and resource allocation. This has proven instrumental in enhancing financial forecasting accuracy and aiding in the development of robust business strategies. Ethical considerations and data security are paramount in the accounting profession, and AI is also making its mark in these areas. AI systems can monitor financial transactions for anomalies and potential fraud, contributing to greater transparency and trust in financial reporting. While the integration of AI in accounting brings forth numerous advantages, it also raises questions about the evolving roles of accountants and the need for upskilling. This paper explores the evolving skill set required for accountants to harness the full potential of AI and navigate the ethical and regulatory challenges associated with its implementation. In conclusion, the impact of AI in accounting is profound and multifaceted, revolutionizing financial management processes and empowering accountants to play a more strategic role in organizations. As AI continues to evolve, its synergistic partnership with the accounting profession promises to reshape the landscape of financial management in unprecedented ways

Board of Directors\u27 Quality on Earnings Management: Evidence from Insurance Industry in Kosovo

The board of directors represents a group of individuals who are elected as, representatives of the stockholders to establish corporate management related policies and make decisions on major companies’ issues. This study examined the board characteristics have any impact on earnings management on the insurance industry in Kosovo. The board of directors can be characterized by quality properties. Quality dimensions of the board identified in prior studies as important contingencies of earnings management include board size, board independence, frequency of meetings, financial expertise, board rotation). Collectively, the evidence in this study signifies that board of directors’ quality are important mechanism for deterring earnings management

The Concept of In Between Spaces

Work produced for a course in Experimental Design at the University for Business and Technology. Instructor: Prof. Bekim Retkocerihttps://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/student-experimentaldesign/1005/thumbnail.jp

Influencing Factors on the Ethical Decision Making of Accountants in Kosovo

During the last decade there have been many financial scandals and bankruptcies in the world, such as the most heard, scandals of Enron, WorldCom and Parmalat. This situation made curious many researchers from all over the world. One of the main reasons for these events is the deficiency of ethics during practicing the accounting profession. From these studies it was concluded that the process of ethical decision making of accountants is influenced by three groups of factors: individual, organizational and the dimensions of the moral intensity of the ethical issue. Starting from the contribution of the accounting profession in the economic development and financial stability of a country, then from the importance of ethics during the practice of the accounting profession, this paper aims to identify the factors that affect the ethical decision making of accountants in Kosovo. So, as a dependent variable of the paper is ethical decision making while the independent variables are three groups with thirteen variables. The first group of variables consists of individual factors that include: age, gender, level of education, experience, philosophy of morality. The second group of independent variables consists of organizational factors that include: code of ethics, climate of ethics, business size, industry type and the third group of variables consists of factors of moral intensity dimensions that include: magnitude of consequences, social consensus and speed of occurrence of consequences. The methodology used in the paper has a positive approach with the deductive method, descriptive analysis and linear regression. The model applied in the paper is the Rest Model (1986). The data were collected from questionnaires for certified accountants in Kosovo. The findings show that accountants in Kosovo are sufficiently influenced by organizational factors and the characteristics of the ethical issue. Individual factors have almost no influence on the ethical decision-making process

The Covid-19 pandemic

The European continent faces an apocalyptic pandemic that poses mortal danger to millions of citizens. This paper seeks to address the role played by European public policy in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, each Member State across Europe is applying its own measures to deal with the coronavirusnamely, decentralised decision-making that could trigger political tensions among the states. The paper argues that European public policy must change rapidly and fundamentally if these tensions are to be successfully managedotherwise, such policy might simply cease to exist. Moreover, the known and notorious problem of collective action, information asymmetries, irrationality, negative externalities and the related free-riding phenomenon persistently are distorting the Member States’ combined efforts, resulting in deficient attempts to contain the spread of Covid-19. The paper also argues that the current unprecedented outbreak of this superspreading virus calls for a bigger EU-wide coordinated response. We argue that the Covid-19 pandemic is a good example of an area in which the central EU level holds a comparative advantage over lower levels of government. In addition, the paper offers several substantive insights into ways to improve the public policy response in the ‘war’ against Covid-19