Cash flow forecast for South African firms

This paper applies models in the extant literature that have been used to forecast operating cash flows to predict the cash flows of South African firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Out-of-sample performance is examined for each model and compared between them. The reported results show that some accrual terms, i.e. depreciation and changes in inventory do not enhance cash flow prediction for the average South African firm in contrast to the reported results of studies in USA and Australia. Inclusion of more explanatory variables does not necessarily improve the models, according to the out-of-sample results. The paper proposes the application of moving average model in panel data, and vector regressive model for multi-period-ahead prediction of cash flows for South Africa firms

Effects of Mining Operations on Local Area Networks in Large Scale Gold Mining Environments in the Western Region of Ghana

We investigate the impacts mining operations have on established Wired/Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) in mining environments in the Western Region of Ghana. Mining activities have certain immutable negative impacts on the topography of the land with consequent effects on LAN Networks. Notable are undulating landscape with pronounced physical obstructions, LAN infrastructural relocations and reconstruction, higher atmospheric dust concentration, severe ground vibrations due to blasting and the motion of heavy mine machineries. The mobile nature of mining operations/ practices often results in relocations of established network infrastructure such as fibre cables, repeater base stations, and mask towers (i.e. cell sites).The main reason for LAN infrastructural relocations is to ensure effective LAN/WLAN communication especially during mine expansions. However, this results into lengthy network downtimes. Employees2019; redundancies or idleness during network downtimes reduce mine productivity by about GHc2, 577, 860.64 (USD 1,288,930.32) annually. We recommend preventive maintenance schedule for all existing LAN infrastructure; basic Information Communication Technology (ICT) Training into the regular training module; technically qualified Information Technology (IT) experts be part of management and finally; IT projects be planned and integrated into the annual business plan. Netronics Wireless Broadband (NWB) communication technology solutions were also recommended to management and IT policy makers in the mining companies for consideration due to its good performance in mining environments

Pricing a Bermudan option under the constant elasticity of variance model

This dissertation investigates the computational efficiency and accuracy of three methodologies in the pricing of a Bermudan option, under the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model. The pricing methods considered are the finite difference method, least squares Monte Carlo method and recursive marginal quantization (RMQ) method. Specific emphasis will be on RMQ, as it is the most recent method. A plain vanilla European option is initially priced using the above mentioned methods, and the results obtained are compared to the Black-Scholes option pricing formula to determine their viability as pricing methods. Once the methods have been validated for the European option, a Bermudan option is then priced for these methods. Instead of using the Black-Scholes option pricing formula for comparison of the prices obtained, a high-resolution finite difference scheme is used as a proxy in the absence of an analytical solution. One of the main advantages of the recursive marginal quantization (RMQ) method is that the continuation value of the option is computed at almost no additional computational cost, this with other contributing factors leads to a computationally efficient and accurate method for pricing

REVIEW ON RESEARCH TRENDS IN BIOMASS RESOURCES AND BIOFUEL POTENTIAL: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT: This review aims to analyze and synthesize the existing body of literature on biomass resources and their potential for biofuel production. By employing bibliometric methods, this study seeks to identify the key research trends, gaps, and emerging areas of interest in this field. A total of 194 documents deemed appropriate for the study on biomass resources and biofuel potential over the past four decades, i.e., 1980 and 2022 were reviewed. The analysis was done with the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.13). The analysis focused on the bibliographic coupling of countries, sources, co-authorship of authors, citation of documents, and co-occurrence of keywords, which were presented as network visualization maps. The findings revealed that research on biomass resources and biofuel potential is multidisciplinary in character and developing quickly, encompassing nations from around the world. It is evident that Africa lags in this area of research. Therefore, it is recommended that researchers on the continent focus more on this research domain to help address the gap in this research area. This will help researchers and other stakeholders in the energy sector to become familiar with the current and cutting-edge technologies that could promote effective and efficient biomass resources and biofuel potential. Keywords: biomass; biofuel; agricultural waste; network visualization maps; VOSviewer.   Tendências de pesquisa em recursos de biomassa e potencial de biocombustíveis: uma análise bibliométrica   RESUMO: Esta revisão visa analisar e sintetizar o corpo de literatura existente sobre recursos de biomassa e seu potencial para a produção de biocombustíveis. Ao empregar métodos bibliométricos, este estudo procura identificar as principais tendências de pesquisa, lacunas e áreas emergentes de interesse neste campo. Foram revisados 194 documentos considerados adequados para o estudo dos recursos de biomassa e do potencial de biocombustíveis nas últimas quatro décadas, ou seja, 1980 e 2022. A análise foi feita com o software VOSviewer (versão 1.6.13). A análise centrou-se no acoplamento bibliográfico de países, fontes, coautoria de autores, citação de documentos e coocorrência de palavras-chave, que foram apresentados como mapas de visualização em rede. Os resultados revelaram que a pesquisa sobre recursos de biomassa e potencial de biocombustíveis é de caráter multidisciplinar e está se desenvolvendo rapidamente, abrangendo nações de todo o mundo. É evidente que a África está atrasada nesta área de pesquisa. Portanto, recomenda-se que os pesquisadores do continente se concentrem mais neste domínio de pesquisa para ajudar a preencher a lacuna nesta área de pesquisa. Isso ajudará os pesquisadores e outras partes interessadas no setor de energia a se familiarizarem com as tecnologias atuais e de ponta que podem promover recursos de biomassa eficazes e eficientes e o potencial de biocombustíveis. Palavras-chaves: biomassa; biocombustível; resíduos agrícolas; mapas de visualização de rede; VOSviewer.ABSTRACT: This review aims to analyze and synthesize the existing body of literature on biomass resources and their potential for biofuel production. By employing bibliometric methods, this study seeks to identify the key research trends, gaps, and emerging areas of interest in this field. A total of 194 documents deemed appropriate for the study on biomass resources and biofuel potential over the past four decades, i.e., 1980 and 2022 were reviewed. The analysis was done with the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.13). The analysis focused on the bibliographic coupling of countries, sources, co-authorship of authors, citation of documents, and co-occurrence of keywords, which were presented as network visualization maps. The findings revealed that research on biomass resources and biofuel potential is multidisciplinary in character and developing quickly, encompassing nations from around the world. It is evident that Africa lags in this area of research. Therefore, it is recommended that researchers on the continent focus more on this research domain to help address the gap in this research area. This will help researchers and other stakeholders in the energy sector to become familiar with the current and cutting-edge technologies that could promote effective and efficient biomass resources and biofuel potential. Keywords: biomass; biofuel; agricultural waste; network visualization maps; VOSviewer.   Tendências de pesquisa em recursos de biomassa e potencial de biocombustíveis: uma análise bibliométrica   RESUMO: Esta revisão visa analisar e sintetizar o corpo de literatura existente sobre recursos de biomassa e seu potencial para a produção de biocombustíveis. Ao empregar métodos bibliométricos, este estudo procura identificar as principais tendências de pesquisa, lacunas e áreas emergentes de interesse neste campo. Foram revisados 194 documentos considerados adequados para o estudo dos recursos de biomassa e do potencial de biocombustíveis nas últimas quatro décadas, ou seja, 1980 e 2022. A análise foi feita com o software VOSviewer (versão 1.6.13). A análise centrou-se no acoplamento bibliográfico de países, fontes, coautoria de autores, citação de documentos e coocorrência de palavras-chave, que foram apresentados como mapas de visualização em rede. Os resultados revelaram que a pesquisa sobre recursos de biomassa e potencial de biocombustíveis é de caráter multidisciplinar e está se desenvolvendo rapidamente, abrangendo nações de todo o mundo. É evidente que a África está atrasada nesta área de pesquisa. Portanto, recomenda-se que os pesquisadores do continente se concentrem mais neste domínio de pesquisa para ajudar a preencher a lacuna nesta área de pesquisa. Isso ajudará os pesquisadores e outras partes interessadas no setor de energia a se familiarizarem com as tecnologias atuais e de ponta que podem promover recursos de biomassa eficazes e eficientes e o potencial de biocombustíveis. Palavras-chaves: biomassa; biocombustível; resíduos agrícolas; mapas de visualização de rede; VOSviewer

Multi-membership and effectiveness of regional trade agreements in Western and Southern Africa: a comparative study of ECOWAS and SADC

Using a gravity model for 35 countries and the years 1995-2006 we estimate the impact of regional trade agreements in Africa (in particular ECOWAS and SADC) and compare this to the a benchmark of North South trade integration (Europe's preferential trade agreement). We find that - ECOWAS and SADC membership significantly increases bilateral trade flows (and by more than for example preferential trade agreements with the EU do), - SADC membership has a stronger impact compared to ECOWAS and - that the impact of multi-membership critically depends on the characteristics of the overlapping RTA We find a positive impact if an additional membership complements the integration process of the original RTA: overlapping memberships had a significant positive effect on bilateral trade within the ECOWAS bloc but it is insignificant for SADC. --Sub Sahara Africa,regional economic integration,South-South trade,North-South trade intra-regional trade,gravity model,international trade,multi-membership

THE PERCEPTIONS OF APPALACHIAN REGION DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY ADMISSIONS FACULTY ON THE HOLISTIC NATURE OF THEIR PROGRAM’S ADMISSIONS PROCESSES AND REQUIREMENTS

Researchers have extensively investigated the quantitative relationship between various admissions requirements and their predictive capability for academic success in DPT programs; however, limited investigators have examined the perceptions of these requirements by admissions faculty. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of Doctor of Physical Therapy faculty in the Appalachian region regarding their programs’ admissions processes and requirements. I investigated the Appalachian region due to its economic differences from other parts of the United States. Considering this region was more rural and impoverished, these factors could have affected students’ access to higher education. How admissions criteria were weighted varied between DPT programs and potentially lacked evidence-based research to support their implied emphasis on the admissions process. Through a poststructuralist lens, I investigated the relationship between one’s truth, admissions faculty, and its potentially powerful effect on others, such as applicants. The 10 participants revealed all programs continue to weigh the value of academic measures, such as GPA and GRE, as the highest when reviewing applicants. Additionally, there needed to be more clarity around utilizing interviews and the holistic nature of the admissions process at most programs. I found most programs in this region feared changing their admissions requirements to make them more holistic without the data to support this decision. Using the poststructuralist lens, programs would rather believe the current dominant discourse than pursue alternative discourse

Explanations for African Immigration

Africa is a continent in crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa today poses the greatest development challenge facing the world today. Many of Africa\u27s development programs have failed miserably. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have attributed this failure to inefficient internal economic policies pursued by African governments. These governments, on the other hand, blame failure on uncontrollable external factors in the world economy, such as international financial markets, worldwide recessions, declining commodity prices, protectionist trade policies against African exports, and the oil price shocks of the 1970s. While there is merit to each of these schools of thought, there is also increasing consensus that the level of human resource development and the limited supply of well-trained and experienced professionals to manage the continent\u27s social and economic development programs accounts partly for the continent\u27s appalling living conditions

Accelerating Inclusive Power Shift: An aggregated benchmarking study

Following four years of Power Shifts Labs, the Centre wants to build on all of its collective work through analysis and deeper engagement around progress made. In February 2022, it commissioned a benchmarking study where its members were invited to discuss what shifts are currently underway within their organisations, as well as their challenges and next frontier ambitions. The study's results were discussed and shared with study participants in the hope that it would feed into their future exchange and learning while allowing them to benchmark their progress over time and with each other. The Centre is presenting an aggregated version of the Power Shift benchmarking study as it believes that it will be both relevant and interesting to a much wider community outside of its member base

Analyzing and Developing Aspects of the Artist Pipeline for Clemson University Art

Major digital production facilities such as Sony Pictures Imageworks, Pixar Animation studio, Walt Disney Animation Studio, and Epic Games use a production system called a pipeline. The term “pipeline” refers to the structure and process of data flow between the various phases of production from story to final edit. This paper examines current production pipeline practices in the Digital Production Arts program at Clemson University and proposes updates and modifications to the workflow. Additionally, this thesis suggests tools that are intended to improve the pipeline with artist-friendly interfaces and customizable integration between software and remote-production capabilities