Managing Workforce Diversity in Organization: A Case Study on Aetna Health Care Service

The impact of globalization is nothing new to the business firms. In the last few decades globalization has changed the business strategies of the companies. The current case study has tried to evaluate the Aetna’s diversity approaches named ‘The Aetna Way’ policy along with its complexity of implementation in people management issues. The report is categorized as follows. The first part of the report has discussed about the background of investigation. The following part has analyzed some closely related literatures related to the context. This past basically narrate the theme of recruitment and retention policy along with talent management process and its significance for the company. The third part of the case has assessed the Aetna’s recruitment and retention policies and then tried to compare the Aetna’s policies with close competitors’ and top performing companies’. This part also evaluates Aetna talent management process and policies and also compare with the competitors. After that in fourth part, the study points some recommendations with justification. The study has recommended the Aetna, to change the traditional recruitment policy and give more concentration on employee retention rate. Technology driven talent management practices should be the time worthy policy of the Aetna. Focusing more on LAMP and MCC frameworks would enhance the effectiveness and efficiency in recruitment, retention, and talent management policies for the Aetna

Corporate social responsibility evaluation by different levels of management of Islamic banks and traditional banks: evidence from banking sector of Bangladesh

The research aims to evaluate different levels of management understanding and performance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of traditional banks and Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Moreover, the paper points out the philosophy of both banks’ policy makers. The study is exclusively analytical in nature where 14 banks were selected on the basis of availability of branches in the research area. The research was based on primary data sources through a structured questionnaire. The research findings revealed that there is a gap between policy makers’ assurance of CSR contribution and its real implementation. The analysis found that Islamic banks are better than traditional banks with regard to the implementation of CSR policies. The result also showed that there are still some controversies on CSR performance of Islamic and traditional banks in general. The study also observed that Islamic, as well as traditional banks’ different levels of management conceive that CSR activities are performed by banks for their own interest rather than for social welfare. Therefore, it must be emphasized that good CSR policy is inevitable for all types of banks in Bangladesh. For the betterment of the society, as well as the banks, all levels of management should harmonize their CSR philosophy. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, management performance, traditional bank, Islamic bank, Bangladesh. JEL Classification: G21, M10, M1

Vulnerability Assessment of Urban and Peri-Urban Areas in Dhaka: Exploring Ecosystem Service Loss

Rapid unplanned development, a primary cause of urban change, endangers ecosystems greatly. Quantifying ecosystem services helps portray the declining ecological functions caused by the urban land cover change. Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, exerts little effort toward sustainability; affecting both the inner city and the outer periphery (peri-urban area) called extend Dhaka (5 km buffer from the city\u27s border). This study examines Dhaka\u27s urban growth impact on ecosystem service values (ESV) from 2004-2020 and projects these impacts to 2050, considering three scenarios: business as usual (BAU), conservation, and development. We employed Landsat images, different image classification techniques, the CA-Markov model for future simulation, and the global value coefficient for ESV. The research shows water bodies and tree covering change forecasting up to 2050. Due to fast urban growth in the expanding Dhaka city during 2004-2020, the total ESV declined (a decrease ESV of 211.92 million US dollars). If this pattern continues, the ESV will further drop $ 156 million by 2050. Consequently, ESV loss will be severe in outlying extended Dhaka city, and among the three forecasted scenarios, the development will lose most of its ESV. This study also suggests that for every one percent increase in total GDP, approximately 2 million dollars of ecosystem service loss results. In addition, significant changes in ecological functions, such as waste treatment, raw materials, habitat/ refugia, and water supply, caused the ESV to decline most. This concludes that appropriate planning and regulations to safeguard natural ecosystems will avoid future deterioration

Potencies of Justicia adhatoda L. for its possible phytotoxic activity

The phytotoxic effects of Justicia adhatoda L. were investigated on cauliflower, broccoli, tomato, foxtail millet and barnyard grass. The experiments were carried out under laboratory and in pot experiments. Six different aqueous methanol extract concentrations (control, 0.001, 0.003, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.1 g DW equivalent mL-1 extract) were tested in the laboratory and six aqueous extract concentrations (control, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 g DW mL-1 extract equivalent) were evaluated in the pot experiment. Results showed a reduction in germination and growth (shoot length, root length and biomass weight) at higher extract concentration compared to control. The leaf extracts from J. adhatoda showed that the foxtail millet and barnyard grass are germinating below 50 % both in the laboratory condition and in the pot experiment at their maximum concentration. When maximum extracts have been applied, we have found less than 0.5 cm of shoot and root of foxtail millet and barnyard grass. Maximum dry weight reduction was observed in foxtail millet and barnyard grass at the same concentration. The findings show that J. adhatoda may have phytotoxic potential and thus contains phytotoxins. Therefore, J. adhatoda can be used in sustainable crop production as a mulch or soil additive to suppress weeds

Profitability and Liquidity of Conventional Banking and Islamic Banking in Bangladesh: A Comparative Study

The aim of this study is to examine and evaluate the profitability and liquidity of a group of 5 Conventional banks in Bangladesh with a group of 5 Bangladeshi Islamic banks. The study evaluates the profitability and liquidity of two types of banking system in Bangladesh for the period of 2008 to 2012. Different financial ratios i.e. Return on Asset (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), Profit Expense Ratio (PER), Net Profit Margin (NPM), Earnings per Share (EPS), Profit per branch, Profit per employee have been used for evaluating profitability and Loan to Deposit ratio (LDR), Loan to Assets ratio (LAR) are used for evaluating liquidity of these 2 categories  banks. T-test and F-test have been used in determining the significance of the differential performance of the two groups of bank. The study found that Islamic Banks are less preferable than Conventional banks in the year 2008 and 2009 in all the profitability indicators. In 2010, Conventional banks had been more profitable than Islamic banks except ROE, PER. In 2011 and 2012, Islamic banks’ profitability performance is better than that of Conventional banks in the performance indicators except EPS, Profit per Branch and Profit per Employee. However, there is no significant difference in liquidity between the two sets of banks. LAR had been constantly higher in Islamic banks in all the years though LDR had not been higher during the same period. In 2010 and 2011, Conventional Banks’ LDR is higher than the Islamic Bank. The reasons are that conventional banks in Bangladesh have longer history and experience in doing banking business and hold dominating position in the financial sector with its large share in the overall financial assets of Bangladesh as compared to Islamic banks, which in true sense, started only a few years back with all letter and spirit. The study also found that Islamic Banks are less profitable having less liquidity position during 2008-2012. However, it had improved considerably in its profitability during 2011 and 2012. Key Words: Profitability, Liquidity, Conventional Banking, Islamic Banking

Understanding the determinants of mHealth apps adoption in Bangladesh: A SEM-Neural network approach

Due to the low adoption rate of mHealth apps, the apps designers need to understand the factors behind adoption. But understanding the determinants of mHealth apps adoption remains unclear. Comparatively less attention has been given to the factors affecting the adoption of mHealth apps among the young generation. This study aims to examine the factors influencing behavioral intention and actual usage behavior of mHealth apps among technology prone young generation. The research model has extracted variables from the widely accepted Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) alongside privacy, lifestyles, self-efficacy and trust. Required data were collected from mHealth apps users in Bangladesh. Firstly, this study confirmed that performance expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation and privacy exerted a positive influence on behavioral intention whereas facilitating conditions, self-efficacy, trust and lifestyle had an influence on both behavioral intention and actual usage behavior. Secondly, the Neural Network Model was employed to rank relatively significant predictors obtained from structural equation modeling (SEM). This study contributes to the growing literature on the use of mHealth apps in trying to elevate the quality of patients' lives. The new methodology and findings from this study will significantly contribute to the extant literature of technology adoption and mHealth apps adoption intention especially. Therefore, for practitioners concerned with fostering mHealth apps adoption, the findings stress the importance of adopting an integrated approach centered on key findings of this study

Anti-Corruption Disclosure, Corporate Social Expenditure and Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh

Corruption is a major concern globally, particularly in developing countries, such as Bangladesh, where it is the main obstacle to economic development. Corruption is also mentioned as the major impediment to accomplishing sustainable development. There is a dearth of studies on anti-corruption disclosure (ACD), political corporate social responsibility (PCSR), and cash holding in Bangladesh magnitude of this research. This study investigates different drivers and motivations of ACD practice of a less control of corruption country’s firm-level observations. This study incorporates an institutional and legitimacy theoretical lens to explain anti-corruption disclosure practice. In order to draw the best picture of corruption disclosure, the study uses all financial sector companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Therefore, the total firm-year observations are 245 from 2012–2016. The authors developed a diverse set of 97 keywords as content for ACD. The regression results show that CSR expenditures, political corporate social responsibility (PCSR), financial constraint, internationalization of reporting, and media visibility positively and significantly affect firm-level ACD. Furthermore, cash holdings show negative and significant relationships. The study provides new evidence on CSR expenditure, PCSR, cash holdings, and media visibility from a developing country’s perspective. Therefore, the results suggest that policymakers and regulatory authorities can deal with ACD as a legitimization tool for society and stakeholders

Anti-Corruption Disclosure, Corporate Social Expenditure and Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh

Corruption is a major concern globally, particularly in developing countries, such as Bangladesh, where it is the main obstacle to economic development. Corruption is also mentioned as the major impediment to accomplishing sustainable development. There is a dearth of studies on anti-corruption disclosure (ACD), political corporate social responsibility (PCSR), and cash holding in Bangladesh magnitude of this research. This study investigates different drivers and motivations of ACD practice of a less control of corruption country’s firm-level observations. This study incorporates an institutional and legitimacy theoretical lens to explain anti-corruption disclosure practice. In order to draw the best picture of corruption disclosure, the study uses all financial sector companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Therefore, the total firm-year observations are 245 from 2012–2016. The authors developed a diverse set of 97 keywords as content for ACD. The regression results show that CSR expenditures, political corporate social responsibility (PCSR), financial constraint, internationalization of reporting, and media visibility positively and significantly affect firm-level ACD. Furthermore, cash holdings show negative and significant relationships. The study provides new evidence on CSR expenditure, PCSR, cash holdings, and media visibility from a developing country’s perspective. Therefore, the results suggest that policymakers and regulatory authorities can deal with ACD as a legitimization tool for society and stakeholders

Predicting Firms’ Financial Distress: An Empirical Analysis Using the F-Score Model

Financial performance of firms is very important to bankers, shareholders, potential investors, and creditors. The inability of firms to meet their liabilities will affect all its stakeholders and will result in negative consequences in the wider economy. The objective of the study is to explore the applicability of a distress prediction model which uses the F-Score and its components to identify firms which are at high risk of going into default. The study incorporates a prediction model and vast literature to address the research questions. The sample of the study is collected from publicly listed firms of the United States. In total, 81 financially distressed firms wereextracted from the UCLA-LoPucki Bankruptcy Research Database during 2009–2017. This study found that the relationship of the F-Score and probability of firms going into financial distress is significant. This study also demonstrated that firms which are at risk of distress tend to record a negative cash flow from operations (CFO) and showed a greater decline in return on assets (ROA) in the year prior to default. This study extends the existing literature by supporting a model which has not been widely used in the area of financial distress predictions

Is Green Regulation Effective or a Failure: Comparative Analysis between Bangladesh Bank (BB) Green Guidelines and Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines

Green reporting and green regulation have been commonly used in the sustainability movement. This study evaluates Bangladesh Bank’s (BB’s) green regulation by considering the global reporting initiative (GRI) of environmental regulation along with self-determined content to justify BB’s institutional effort in the banking sector. The analytical study has considered secondary data of all listed banks on the Dhaka Stock Exchange between 2013 to 2016. A multi-theoretical framework has been adopted in which the research is comprised of institutional, stakeholder, and legitimacy theories. Considering the analytical research, we have drawn-up a green reporting score and undertaken SWOT analysis. The results of the study have identified the narrow coverage of BB’s regulation and strategic limitations. Moreover, the findings of the study show that banking companies disclosed more green information in line with BB’s regulation. Furthermore, our analysis has found the lack of transparency of green reporting in terms of absent global reporting as well as external verification. Additionally, we have documented that BB’s regulation falls into a legitimacy threat owing to political, corporate, and social responsibility. Therefore, we concluded that for BB to overcome all possible weaknesses and threats, it should consider all possible opportunities for a holistic international reporting framework while taking into account a transparent financial sector