The Impact of Small and Medium Enterprises on Gross Domestic Product and Unemployment: Evidence from Jordan 2009-2018

The study aimed to investigate the impact of SMEs funding on, GDP and unemployment, as well as the amount of funding provided by the specialized institutions, and to identify the obstacles that these projects face in obtaining funding. The study population included the SMEs institutions in Jordan between the years 2009 – 2018. The study sample was limited to the Development and Employment Fund in Jordan as one of the most important SMEs funding institutions. Analytical and descriptive method was used to test the hypotheses, the simple regression model used to test the hypotheses of the study through the statistical model (SPSS). The most important finding of this study was the statistically significant impact of financing the SMEs on GDP and unemployment, the study model was able to show 95% of changes in economic development. The study recommended facilitating the provision of financing for SMEs and training the workers in these projects to improve their skills in managing their projects and conducting the appropriate financial analysis for the continuous evaluation of these projects to have positive effects on economic development. The researcher also recommends more analytical studies to reach more accurate results. Keywords: Jordan, Small and Medium Enterprises, Funding, Gross Domestic Product, Unemployment, Development, Financing JEL Classifications: F63; E24; G23 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijefi.915

The Causal Relationship between Savings and Investment in Jordan (A prospective study for the period 1980-2013)

This study aimed to discuss concerning the link between savings and investment, and highlight on most of the past studies concerning this relationship are cross-sectional in nature. The obvious difficulty with such studies is the homogeneity assumption that is usually made across the countries under investigation. In light of this, the study tried to fill this gap in some ways by attempting to investigate the causal relationship between savings and investment in Jordan using relevant econometric techniques, like Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test in a regression & Johansen co integration test. The evidence arising from the study suggests that, savings and investment are co-integrated. In other words, there is no reason to suspect either a long-run or equilibrium relationship between these two variables. This could also be interpreted to imply the existence of high capital mobility. Furthermore, a unidirectional causal relationship between savings and investment in Jordan running from savings to investment was observed, and the main findings in this study were:  Johansen co-integration test result shows evidence of co-integration implying that there is a long run relationship between GDP and savings, investment and FDI in Jordan. Savings and domestic investment have long run positive and significant impact on the Jordanian economy while FDI has negative but insignificant impact on the economy Keywords’: Investment, Savings, ,Time series macroeconomic data, FDI, GDP, Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test, Johansen co-integration tes

Consequences to the Stock Market Caused by Currency Fluctuations: Jordanian Evidence

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the fluctuations in currency exchange in the stock market, as it relates to the Jordanian market.   Theoretical framework:  The study's main goal is to identify how Jordanian SMR changes in currency exchange are influenced. Thus, the rational expectations theory has been used in this study. This theory illustrates three key aspects that influence the decision to participate in the stock market, including the availability of information, prior experience, and human reason.   Design/ methodology/approach: The study incorporates the quantitative design, in which, information was extracted from secondary sources i.e. Investing.com. The information has been compiled considering the exchange rates, stock market returns, and cotton prices, beginning in 2015 and ending in 2020. The analysis has been conducted with Granger Causality test, VAR, and ADF.   Findings: The results of this study concludes that fluctuations of exchange rates do not impact changes in cotton prices and the returns of the Jordanian stock exchange.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The study is limited to Jordan, as only Jordan’s cotton price and stock market return data have been gathered. In addition, the time period of consideration of data is confined from 2015 to 2019, limiting the study’s scope.    Originality/Value: The study uses sensitivity analysis to investigate the robustness of the impacts of fluctuations in currency exchange in the stock market, as it relates to the Jordanian market

Factors affecting middle eastern countries' intention to use financial technology

Financial technology, also known as Fintech, continues to transform the financial services sector globally. Fintech adoption has been delayed in some places, particularly in the Middle East, despite the potential positive benefits. This study investigates the mediating effect of perceived ease of use on the relationship between seamless transactions, financial risk, legal risk, security risk, perceived risk, and the intention to use financial technology in Middle Eastern countries. Data was collected from 500 respondents from five Middle Eastern countries (Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) using a structured questionnaire, and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the research model. The findings demonstrate that perceived ease of use strongly mediates the links between seamless transactions, financial risk, legal risk, security risk, perceived risk, and the intention to use financial technology. The study shed light on the significance of perceived ease of use in influencing people's intention to utilize financial technology as well as the function it serves in minimizing the effects of perceived risks. The findings of this study could be useful for financial technology companies operating in Middle Eastern countries, policymakers, and researchers interested in the adoption of financial technology

The effect of big data governance on financial technology in Jordanian commercial banks: The mediation role of organizational culture

Big data has become much more widely used in recent years, particularly in the banking sector. Banks have begun to use big data to enhance customer experience, optimize operations, and create novel products and services. This study investigates the effect of big data governance on financial technology in Jordanian commercial banks. The study focuses on the four dimensions of big data governance: strategy and planning, ethics and social responsibility, data quality and management, and infrastructure and architecture. Additionally, the study considers the mediating role of organizational culture in the relationship between big data governance and financial technology. Primary data were collected from 250 IT employees working in Jordanian commercial banks, and the data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The study findings indicate that big data governance has a significant positive effect on financial technology in Jordanian commercial banks. Additionally, it has been discovered that organizational culture partially mediates the relationship between big data governance and financial technology, emphasizing the significance of creating a culture that encourages the efficient use of data in fintech. In the context of Jordanian commercial banks, this study presents empirical evidence for the connection between big data governance and financial technology. The results indicate that big data governance measures should be applied while taking organizational culture into account as a potential mediator of the effects on financial technology. This study offers guidance on how to successfully integrate big data governance policies in commercial banks to advance financial technology for bank managers and policymakers