An investigation on tourism consumers' choice behavior towards tour destination loyalty

This study investigates the factors that influence tourism consumers’ choice behavior towards tour destination loyalty. Loyalty behavior has generally been accredited as a most desirable area for academics and practitioners because, among other things, it is thought that the marketing promotion costs needed to attract loyal visitors are lower than those required for non-loyal visitors. A loyalty is a positive indicator of tourism consumers’ satisfaction towards the destination and its services which are mainly used for successful business operations. The positive outlook of high repeaters increases their possibility to come back to same destination in future.With theses grounds, this research investigates the theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal relationships among different factors (intrinsic cues, destination brand image, warranty facilities, price, quality, risk, sacrifice, satisfaction, and loyalty) in the formation of destination loyalty. Recently few studies have focused on the moderating effect of gender, age, and level of education in the destination loyalty process. Therefore, the current research has further investigated the effect of moderating variables on relationships of different factors in the destination loyalty process, which has not previously been given much attention. In addition, this research also presents an extensive explanation on reflective and formative constructs to discuss the higher order multidimensional constructs that influence the loyalty process.This research methodologically adopts a mixed method approach. In the first phase, the literature review identified the Information Processing Theory (IPT), Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), as relevant to the study of actual behavioral (loyalty) along with an extensive literature review. Then an initial research model was developed to test the loyalty empirically. The second phase consists of a qualitative data collection from 25 experienced visitors using semi-structured questionnaires. The field data is analyzed using a two stage (inductive and deductive) content analysis technique. The initial research model is then refined based on the findings of this phase. Altogether, twelve constructs are identified. In the ensuing quantitative phase, a survey instrument is developed to test a range of hypotheses based on the research model. First, a pilot study is conducted on the responses from 145 visitors. The instrument is then refined and administered in a national survey which resulted in 602 useable responses. A non response bias test has also been conducted to look for whether there are different opinions between respondents and non-respondents in the survey. Partial Least Squares (PLS) based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach is applied to test the 22 relationships in the research model. In addition, a multi-group analysis, and analysis of higher order constructs of PLS are also employed.The result of this research presents in total 15 relationships which are statistically significant. The overall explanatory power of the model is very much satisfactory as explained 64% of the variance on loyalty towards Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. It is found that perceived satisfaction is the main antecedent of destination loyalty. It is also found that Perceived quality and perceived sacrifice are important influential factors in determining the perceived satisfaction. Overall the findings confirm that the perceived destination loyalty (PDL) is a function of multidimensional factors including formative and reflective measures. Furthermore, the findings have confirmed that consumers’ choice decision making at the destination level is a sequential process. In addition, although the moderating effects of gender, age, and level of education in the destination loyalty process are not found to be significant, some relationships in the model are very much significant.The theoretical contribution of this research lies in the development of a parsimonious destination loyalty model that has successfully been incorporated using different constructs from the existing literature and based on three prominent behavioral theories; IPT, TRA, and TPB. First of all, this research provides a significant contribution to the existing knowledge presenting the role of intrinsic and extrinsic cues on quality, risk, sacrifice, and satisfaction in the destination loyalty behavior. Secondly, the investigation of the research contributes to current knowledge by filling the gap of moderating effects of tourism consumer demographics in the PDL process especially for third world countries like Bangladesh. Finally, using formative and reflective measures this study has added a new dimension to effective travel and tourism operational strategies. In practice perhaps, a major contribution of this research is the implication for the destination operators to endeavor to enhance a sustained loyalty at the destination level

Perceived quality, satisfaction and loyalty at the destination level of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

This study was conducted for exploring the relationship among perceived quality, satisfaction, and loyalty at the destination level of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. A conceptual model was developed and tested by a field study. Then Partial Least Square (PLS) based Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach was used to test eight hypotheses on a sample of 602 visitors. Six hypotheses were supported at different significant levels. It is expected that the results of this study will help the destination operators in tourism planning and implementing effective marketing strategies. Theoretically, this study contributes in enhancing the causal relationships among cues of quality which have not been studied yet in the literature. Limitations and future research direction are also discussed

Identifying the research, advocacy, policy and implementation needs for the prevention and management of respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infection in low- and middle-income countries

Introduction: The high burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in young children disproportionately occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The PROUD (Preventing RespiratOry syncytial virUs in unDerdeveloped countries) Taskforce of 24 RSV worldwide experts assessed key needs for RSV prevention in LMICs, including vaccine and newer preventive measures. Methods: A global, survey-based study was undertaken in 2021. An online questionnaire was developed following three meetings of the Taskforce panellists wherein factors related to RSV infection, its prevention and management were identified using iterative questioning. Each factor was scored, by non-panellists interested in RSV, on a scale of zero (very-low-relevance) to 100 (very-high-relevance) within two scenarios: (1) Current and (2) Future expectations for RSV management. Results: Ninety questionnaires were completed: 70 by respondents (71.4% physicians; 27.1% researchers/scientists) from 16 LMICs and 20 from nine high-income (HI) countries (90.0% physicians; 5.0% researchers/scientists), as a reference group. Within LMICs, RSV awareness was perceived to be low, and management was not prioritised. Of the 100 factors scored, those related to improved diagnosis particularly access to affordable point-of-care diagnostics, disease burden data generation, clinical and general education, prompt access to new interventions, and engagement with policymakers/payers were identified of paramount importance. There was a strong need for clinical education and local data generation in the lowest economies, whereas upper-middle income countries were more closely aligned with HI countries in terms of current RSV service provision. Conclusion: Seven key actions for improving RSV prevention and management in LMICs are proposed

Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

FINANCIAL STABILITY OF ISLAMIC AND CONVENTIONAL BANKS IN BANGLADESH: REVISITING STABILITY MEASURES AND ANALYZING STABILITY BEHAVIOR

This study intends to assess the relative financial stability of Islamic banks in Bangladesh using three different Z-Scores as financial stability measures, based on a sample of 29 listed commercial banks (23 conventional and 6 Islamic) in Bangladesh over the period 2005-2016. Apart from the existing measure of financial stability, Z-Score, the paper contributes to the literature by developing an alternative Z-Score based on bank’s loan portfolio infection ratio. We first use pair-wise comparison and find that Islamic banks are financially more stable in two stability measures i.e. Z-Score (based on Capital Adequacy Ratio) and Z-Score (based on Infection Ratio). We then perform static (random effects) and dynamic (GMM) panel data analysis. By controlling for bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic variables in the regressions, we find that Islamic banks are financially more stable in 2 panel regressions of Z-Score (based on Infection Ratio). We also find that the presence of Islamic banks increases the stability of all banks in the system including their conventional peers

Assessment of Physicochemical Properties and Comparative Pollution Status of the Dhaleshwari River in Bangladesh

The Dhaleshwari river which flows near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is currently under threat due to the recent relocation of the Hazaribagh tannery to the Savar area. This study investigated the physicochemical parameters of water quality along with the heavy metal levels in the Dhaleshwari river and performed a comparative analysis among the peripheral rivers around Dhaka City. Surface water quality parameters such as total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) obtained for the Dhaleshwari river deviated by as much as 90% from World Health Organization (WHO) standards in certain instances due to direct discharge from untreated point sources. Concentrations of toxic metals such as chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni) were above the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) standards for heavy metals in surface waters. Strong correlations among the heavy metals indicated significant linear dependences. Based on the physicochemical and toxicity-based characterization, the river system in Dhaka city can be termed as severely polluted with respect to organic and solids discharge, while ecological risk indices (ERI) indicated disastrously high risk in the Dhaleshwari and Buriganga rivers. The study outcomes emphasize the necessity of frequent investigation while controlling the point and nonpoint urban pollution sources discharging into the peripheral rivers of Dhaka city

Air pollution tolerance, anticipated performance, and metal accumulation indices of four evergreen tree species in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Trees in urban forests are able to better air quality by removing particulate matter (PM) from the atmosphere through the accumulation of particles on their leaf surfaces. When exposed to air pollutants, the physiology, morphology, and biochemistry of a plant may be affected, which will result in alterations to that plant’s function and growth. In this study, we assessed, for the first time, the tolerance or sensitivity of four evergreen trees (Ficus benghalensis, Ficus religiosa, Mangifera indica, and Polyalthia longifolia) towards air pollution by employing several indices. The trees, which are commonly grown along the roadside in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were evaluated by using the air pollution tolerance index (APTI), the anticipated performance index (API), and the metal accumulation index (MAI). The deposition of four heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni) on the leaves of four aforementioned tree species was studied employing ICP-MS, and subsequently, a predictive foliar MAI was created. APTI values of the studied plants varied from 10.31 to 12.51 implying that they were either intermediately tolerant or sensitive. A significantly strong positive correlation was obtained between APTI and relative water content (RWC) (r = 0.864; p < 0.001) and between APTI and ascorbic acid content (AAC) (r = 0.748; p < 0.01). The API revealed M. indica as a good performer, which maintained the highest score (68.75%) among the tree species irrespective of different sites. The Pb concentrations were anomalously high in the atmosphere of Dhaka, suggesting its anthropogenic origin. A significant (r = 0.722; p < 0.01) relationship was found between Cd and Pb indicating their common origin. Among the species, F. benghalensis had the highest MAI value (13.60). The MAI value was found to have a significant association with pH, AAC, and total chlorophyll content. Based on APTI, API, and MAI values, the most suitable plant species for urban forest development was identified to be M. indica followed by F. benghalensis and F. religiosa