Performance Appraisal System of Bangladesh Civil Service: an Analysis of its Efficacy

Performance appraisal plays a crucial role in maintaining a high quality and competitive workforce, but has been ignored so far from the civil service reform agenda in Bangladesh. At present, an Annual Confidential Report (ACR) that was introduced in the Pakistan period and retained with minor modification is used to measure performance. The prevailing gross inefficiency of the Bangladesh Civil Service gives the impression that this appraisal system is poorly functioning. This paper articulates the difficulties in designing a good appraisal system in the public sector and provides a theoretical framework arguing that the ‘goodness’ of a PA system should be seen in its capacity to meet its predetermined objectives instead of counting on the so called infallible psychometric properties. A certain degree of validity, reliability and perceived fairness are essential for an appraisal system to be efficacious. The paper then analyzes historical development of the current ACR of Bangladesh Civil Service and its components to measure its validity, reliability and perceived fairness. The paper found that though the current ACR holds some degree of fairness, it significantly lacks in validity as well as reliability, and therefore is deficient in meeting its stated objectives

Groundwater Level Declination in Bangladesh: System dynamics approach to solve irrigation water demand during Boro season

Groundwater has been declining in Bangladesh since introduction of deep tube wells (DTWs) and shallow tube wells (STWs) in late 1970s. Seasonal variation of groundwater has been shifted upto 4 meters during last 34 years. During Boro seasons groundwater table dropped drastically than other seasons. This study hypothesized that groundwater extraction is much higher than the natural recharge plus percolated irrigated water. Farmer´s perception is that if they dig deeper the supply would not be a problem, which led uncontrolled use of shallow tube wells (STWs) to extract water from lowered zones. This study selected an area that is 20 km away from Dhaka city having intensive Boro production. Analyzing the interview data (to know about the practices by farmers at present and before) and Bangladesh Water Development Board groundwater table data, we tried to simulate the problematic scenario with the help of simulation software called iThink. To address the problem 3 different policies have been investigated to achieve sustainable solution of the problem. The chosen policies were - (1) Harnessing only groundwater; (2) Alternative cropping; and (3) Depending more to surface water. The simulation results show that alternative cropping and going for surface water could solve the problem as well as able to restore the groundwater to its previous condition. But moving to surface water is a passive solution independent to farmers´ decision. Understanding the problem of groundwater declination by farmers was not so apparent. Farmers never thought of possibility of restoring groundwater table. The study suggested that alternative crop cultivation by replacing Boro rice would be the best sustainable solution not only to halt groundwater declination but also to restore the groundwater table.Master's Thesis in System DynamicsGEO-SD350MASV-SYSD

Communication as an Obstacle for Education: An Analysis on Participation of Hijras in Mainstream Education System of Bangladesh

Hijra is a term given to the intersex hermaphrodite and transgender people who are part of the Hijra community in Bangladesh In 2013 Bangladesh government gave the official recognition of Hijras as a third gender community But the society still thing Hijras are aliens they are not supposed to live in society and have a life Though Hijras have official recognition of their sexual identity they are far away to get social recognitio n Educatio n is a basic need for every single person in the world and education is the best medium of communication to construct the social identity of a person According to Bangladesh education policy education is for all Hijras are also included in the term all Though they have all the r ight of being a citizen of the people republic of Bangladesh we never seen a Hijra in school college or any other educational institution Using a qualitative analysis this study will focus on why Hijras are not participating in the mainstream education system of Bangladesh though they have official recognition as a third gender community This paper will also focus on the role of society in making this decimation in the education system This research paper utilizes the co-cultural theory by Mark Orbe and Muted group theory by Ardener This study use these theories to understand how social influence is responsible for a minority community to stay out of the mainstream education system The theories used also helped with explaining the reason how sexual Identity became the main obstacle in the path of educatio

Essays in industrial organisation

This thesis is a collection of three related chapters in the field of theoretical Industrial Organisation. The overarching issue connecting all three is the impact of social interactions among consumers on firms’ strategies to provide quality or effort. In the first chapter, Product Quality and Social Influence, I study how opposing forces in consumer’s influence have an effect on the bi-dimensional quality choices of a monopolist. The opposing forces are captured by assuming a co-existence of conformists and anti-conformists in the market, while the multiple dimensions of quality are defined according to whether they induce marginal or fixed costs of production. In the second chapter, Optimal Design of Ratings History, social interactions are studied through the lens of consumer ratings. First, in a dynamic framework, I investigate how product ratings with variable history have an impact on the quality choices of a firm. Second, to maximise the steady-state welfare, I study whether a platform can intervene when there are changes in the management of a business. As the title suggests, these interventions are captured by manipulating the length of history of consumer reviews. In the third chapter, Impact of Consumer Ratings on Quality Choice, I extend the initial analysis in the second chapter to a duopolistic framework. I study the impact of the average rating and the number of reviews posted on the quality choices of a firm. The ratings of both firms are considered in the analysis

Determinants of Profitability- A Case from the State-owned Commercial Banks of Bangladesh

This study is an attempt to investigate the impact of bank-specific and economy-specific determinants on the performance of selected State-owned Commercial Banks (SCB) operating in Bangladesh in terms of their profitability. This study considers three prominent SCBs, six bank specific determinants, two economy-specific determinants collected as secondary data from 2007-2014. Different financial ratios and statistical tools (descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation & regression analysis) have been utilized for verifying the hypotheses. The results showed that SCBs’ profitability (Return on Assets) has positive relationships with capital adequacy ratio(CAR), cost of fund ratio (COF), cost to income ratio (CIR), GDP growth ratio (GDPR) and negative relationship with classified loans to total loans ratio(CLTL), bank’s size (SIZ) and inflation (INFL).  Among them, CAR and GDPR are the significant determinants of their profitability over the study period. Keywords:  Profitability, State-owned commercial Banks, Internal & External determinants

Determinants of Profitability- A Case from the State-owned Commercial Banks of Bangladesh

This study is an attempt to investigate the impact of bank-specific and economy-specific determinants on the performance of selected State-owned Commercial Banks (SCB) operating in Bangladesh in terms of their profitability. This study considers three prominent SCBs, six bank specific determinants, two economy-specific determinants collected as secondary data from 2007-2014. Different financial ratios and statistical tools (descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation & regression analysis) have utilized for verifying the hypotheses. The results showed that SCBs’ profitability (Return on Assets) has positive relationships with capital adequacy ratio(CAR), cost of fund ratio (COF), cost to income ratio (CIR), GDP growth ratio (GDPR) and negative relationship with classified loans to total loans ratio(CLTL), bank’s size (SIZ) and inflation (INFL).  Among them, CAR and GDPR are the significant determinants of their profitability over the study period. Keywords:  Profitability, State-owned commercial Banks, Internal & External determinants

Assessment of fish pond sediments for growth, yield and nutritional quality of Indian spinach (Basella alba L.)

Integrated farming system is a very effective tool for improving rural economy. Our present study was carried out in different pond dykes of Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, Bangladesh to investigate the effect of different fish pond sediments on growth, yield and subsequently analyze the nutritional quality of Indian spinach. The experiment consisted of two factors viz., pond types (P) (three different ponds growing different fish species: P1 = prawn and carp, P2 = prawn and mola, and P3=prawn, mola and carp) and each pond was cultivated with different fish species with different population densities); and pond sediments (M) (three levels: M1 = pond dyke soil, M2 =50% pond mud and 50% pond dyke soil, and M3 =100% pond mud).  Physical and chemical properties of three ponds dyke soil as well as sediments were analyzed. Parameters studied on Indian spinach were growth, yield and nutritional qualities. Pond sediments were better quality due to well decomposition and microbial activity of sediments compared to dyke soil of ponds. Organic matter of pond sediment was 2.79 (P3) and EC was 790 (µc/cm). Plant height was varied from 10 to 19% due to the ponds type and sediment effects. Mostly, the plant growth was found better under the supplement of 100% pond sediments compared to dyke soil (M1) and mixed soil (M2). The highest yield was found in P3M3 and it was varied from 20 to 25%.  Minerals like Ca (%), P (%), and S (mg/100g) were found statistically significantly higher in P2M3 compared to other treatments combinations. Nutrition like Vit A and Vit C were the highest (81.33 µg/100 g and 106.14 mg/100 g, respectively) found significantly higher in P2M3. Therefore, the pond mud (50% and 100%) can be used to increase the yield and nutrient uptake by the crop which can facilitate to reduce eutrophication and fertilizer for the better environment. &nbsp

Impact of Rohingya Refugees on Food Prices in Bangladesh: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

The Rohingya crisis is the fourth largest displacement of population in the world, with most refugees sheltering in neighbouring Bangladesh. We use this event as a natural experiment to examine the impact of the sudden influx of Rohingyas on food prices in the main host region of Bangladesh. We have pieced together a unique data set on food prices based on unpublished information at local government levels covering the pre- and post-influx period. We use a difference-in-difference approach to identify the impact of the refugee influx on the prices in the local area. Our baseline results indicate that overall food prices increased by 8 percent in the host sub-district of Ukhia, with prices of protein and vegetables increasing by 7 and 36 percent, respectively. For aid-supplied food products, such as cereals and lentils, we do find a statistically significant mitigating effect on prices. However, they were not substantial enough to reverse the increase in food prices

Influence of Drying and Post-drying Conditions on the Head Rice Yield of Aromatic Rice

The effects of various drying temperatures, low final moisture, and post-drying duration, on fissure formation and head rice yield (HRY) reduction in aromatic short-grain rice, were investigated. The results of post-drying duration showed that most fissured kernels were produced within 12-h after drying process ceased and then became to stable within 24 h for all treatments. The whole kernel percentage of Kaori aromatic rice was reduced significantly (P < 0.01) when rice was dried at 50oC and 60oC for both standard and low final moisture content (FMC). For a given post-drying duration and conditions, low FMC treatments exhibited more HRY reduction than did standard FMC. It is well known that moisture gradient has much influence in producing fissure in kernels. In addition, increased difference between immediate storage temperature and drying air temperature augmented the increase in the percentage of fissured kernels (P < 0.01)