International Journal of Business and Economic Development

The Human Development Index (commonly abbreviated HDI) is a measure of development based on factors such as life expectancy, education, literacy, and gross domestic product per capita and is published every year. To compute a HDI, component indices for life expectancy, literacy, school enrollment, and income are combined together into a single index that to date has been used to compare the level of human well-being among countries or to monitor one country’s progress over time. This paper extends HDI to the county level, using data from the state of Indiana, USA. The findings provide insights about the human development dimensions in the various counties to assess the development attributes of income, health, and education, as well as to provide a multidimensional benchmark to be used in practice

The socio-economic divide that characterise the South African society two decades into the new dispensation have not been adequately averted or addressed and, this state of affair has been so glaring within the mining industry. This can arguably be attributed to the infamous migrant labour system, degrading single-hostel system, division of labour along racial lines and discriminatory compensation system. The involvement and role of labour unions has also come under some intense scrutiny as a vehicle of influencing policy direction on mining operations and their social responsibility on communities surrounding their area of operations. In the efforts of redeeming their chequered history, mining companies have embraced some aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the one hand, and on the other, the state (through the Department of Mineral Resources), in consultations with all other stakeholders made a commitment through Mining Charter, to alleviate the injustices of the past. This paper provides an assessment of the progress thus far made in pursuit of responsible business practices. Firstly; the notion of CSR as a discourse and its understanding within the mining industry will be explored, Secondly; a brief overview of the historical and policy context of the South African socio-economic background. Thirdly; reflections on the mining charter as a framework for responsible business within the mining industry. Lastly; an analysis of the progress achieved and conclud

The aim of this research is to assess the level of involvement of NBK & KFH banks in marketing activities. an attempt will also be made to analyze the recent developments in the marketing activities of the banks. Critical marketing factors in the industry will be identified and the level of preparations of the Kuwaiti banks to meet the challenges ahead will be evaluated and provide protection against risks. The crisis revealed that there is no alternative to the banking system in the implementation of the policies and observance of the fact that banking system represents a lifeline the economy. Islamic banking and finance activities are expected to grow even more rapidly in the foreseeable future providing sophisticated products and financial services. Based on our research, we think that it is very important to Islamic banks in Kuwait to pursue diversification by giving more focus to profit-loss- sharing financing instruments like Moradabad and Mishawaka. This will support the ethical and social expected role of Islamic finance industry.

The aim of this paper is to assess whether the allegations of unethical practices within the short term insurance industry exist and determine whether or not they are the major hindrance of growth of the sector and provide recommendations for the sector. The researcher used primary and secondary sources. The secondary data sources comprised of journal articles, books, newspaper articles, financial reports and internet. The research instrument used was in the form of a closed questionnaire with a five point Likert scale. The sample size consisted of 23 insurers and 50 individuals. The data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0. From the research findings, it can be concluded that even though there are unethical practices in the industry, they are not the major hindrance of growth of the short-term insurance industry.

This paper presented a theoretical examination of the framework of financial reporting in Nigeria vis-à-vis the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). A critical review of extant literature exposes the issues, benefits and challenges in the transition from Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to IFRS. In view of the discussions, the paper recommended that corporate entities in Nigeria should adapt to the International Financial Reporting Standards rather than complete adoption of the standards and to ensure its sustainability, a country- wide intensive capacity building programme is a arsine qua none.

Wage policies are at the heart of the problem of economic development. While they undoubtedly led contribute to the development of productivity (a prerequisite for economic growth) to ensure fairness (prerequisite for stable and strengthen social cohesion). In Algeria, during the period of central planning of the economy the situation that prevailed was that of a low level of wages, of course, but with a high thanks to the support prices for commodities purchasing power. situation has totally changed against the reforms that were initiated from the early 1990s and who, remember again, gradually liberalized prices without wages kept pace as it has already been demonstrated, these reforms have led to wage "moderation" has disconnected the evolution of price . The Algeria experienced practically throughout the 1990s, the collapse of real wages, which fell to an annual rate of 10% during the years 1990/1993. While prices increased, workers' incomes stagnated in nominal terms and declined in real terms. The disposable income of households, meanwhile, declined in real terms by -20%. Final consumption of households course also decreased from 59.4% of national income in 1995 to 41.3% in Algeria 2004. the purchasing power of Algerian dinar in 1980 was higher than the same dinar today, it is difficult to say a priori whether an individual of that era had a higher standard of living to that of another who earns more today. The public sector is a non-profit sector, by excellence, the

As the level of economic activity depends basically upon the level of aggregate monetary demand, a government may influence the level of activity by varying its own expenditure. In conditions of high unemployment, the government may run a deficit budget since it will spend more than it takes in taxation in an effort to get more people working. This study is therefore an attempt to ascertain the extent to which budget deficit causes inflation in Nigeria. It covers a period of eleven (11) years from 1998 to 2009 and all the data used in the study were collected from secondary sources, which include: the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Office Statistics and the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The data were duly analyzed using correlation techniques. The result of our analysis revealed an adjusted R-Square value of 0.821, which means that budget deficit is responsible for about 82% of the level of inflation in the economy. It is therefore recommend for the Nigerian economy, that the Government should; consider minimizing budget deficit to an optimal level such that it can increase aggregate demand to promote investment and employment. More so, a structural approach should be adopted such as investment in tourism and expansion of agricultural production by creating more incentives for these sectors.

One of the drivers of economic globalization in recent decades has been the decline in trade barriers impeding the free flow of goods, services and capital. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in recent years has grown faster than trade and global production for various reasons such as political and economic changes in many developing countries, which is characterized by the conversion to democratic political systems and by changes to economic systems oriented towards trade liberalization. According to UNCTAD reports on investments 2000 to 2012, FDI flows have increased significantly, which suggests that changes brought benefits to the host countries. Thus, a country’s public policy decision on attracting FDI is part of a government's concerns. There are several FDI theories that explain the behavior of international FDI flows. The Mexican case for FDI attraction during the period of 2000 and 2012 is based on classical FDI theories. This research demonstrates how Mexico has applied those theories to increase the amount of FDI flows.

This study involves a comparative examination of gender differences in managerial competency of government owned organizations. The population consisted of 45 males and 35 females respondents drawn from the selected organizations through convenience sampling. Findings indicated that men predominantly occupied the managerial positions in government owned organizations under review and individual differences seemed more striking than gender differences because the structure of the organization shaped the behavior of how the managers functioned. It was also revealed that in the area of effectiveness on the use of control measures, female managers succeeded because they were able to draw upon what was unique to their experiences as women. They have learned how to manage effectively without relying on the control of resources and power to motivate others. Women who were hitherto successful have not received much recognition or credit. The male managers in this study were able to out-perform their female counterparts in all skill areas because of the organizations power structures although women approached these challenges in similar fashion like their male counterparts. In other words, if women possessed power within an organization, their effectiveness will be similar to that of men. Gender differences will play a limited role where there is a balance in the power structure. Therefore, managers should not be judged based on their gender but as individuals. In view of the a

The research report is aimed at providing opportunities to the retail business players and the government to get the best benefits from the business potential and resources available in the of Saudi Arabia. It covers the dimension to study the scope, behavior and treatment of the business and to bring the potential factors in the view of the business players and administrators of the State for the future viability of Saudi Arabias retail industry in the global scenario. It also covers the role of governance, financial policies and stock liability. Its basic objective is to make industry more effective, dynamic and to create adopting mechanism to cope with the international business challenges and to avail the business potential for the future generation. Key Words:- Retail industry, futuristic challenges, business potential, market forecast, revenue growth

Saudi Arabia was a poor and isolated country prior to the discovery of oil within its borders. The Saudi healthcare sector has seen major progress in recent decades, with local hospitals receiving international recognition. The Public Health Department was established in 1925 following a royal decree by King Abdulaziz. The department became responsible for free healthcare for citizens. The private healthcare sector is growing quickly. In Saudi Arabia, people are increasingly relying on private health care organizations to manage their healthcare needs. This trend will persist because of the essentials that drive demand, such as increased life expectancy, population growth, and patients need for treatment. Therefore, the private sector in Saudi Arabia offers attractive incentives to investors from commercial and social perspectives. The government is the dominant force in the healthcare sector. The increasing population and health expenditures are forcing the government to enact considerable changes in the healthcare system. The private sector offers healthcare services in a number of cities and large towns. The key players in private sector healthcare in Saudi Arabia are the Almanac Healthcare Group, the Saudi German Hospital Group, and the Al-Hammadi Hospital.

Nigeria as sovereign nation got her political Independence from the British Colonial Masters on the 1st October, 1960. She practiced democratic administration amidst of electoral violence and crisis between 1960 to 1966 and the military seized and hold onto power up to 1999 though, with a deceptive intermittent democratic rule for these period. Nigerians happily, joyfully and massively came out and elected leaders of their choice at the poll in 1999 with the enthusiasm and hope that Nigerians must have learnt their lessons to practice the long awaited democracy with the maximum cooperation of all Nigerians so that our nation could join the rest of the democratic nations of the world to enjoy the fruits and dividends of democracy. However, to the utter dismay and disappointment of rational and reasonably thinking Nigerians, the entrance into democracy by the Nigeria state was rather a curse than a blessing. It is in the light of the above that this paper examines the challenges of democratic survival between 1999-2011 in Nigeria. The paper equally concludes that the major problems of Nigeria is selfishness of Nigerians on the basis of tribal, religious and ethnic bigotry. The paper recommends that Nigerians should shun placing ethnic, religion and tribal consideration above national integration because it is only on this premise that Nigeria would thrive and survive democratically

There are several reasons why governments grant tax incentives to businesses. Among other reasons are- regional investment, sectoral investment, performance enhancement, and transfer of technology. Tax incentives have reawaken investors and are extensively used and exploited by agribusinesses in Nigeria to save the agricultural sector from total collapse. Although tax incentives seem to be relevant in promoting the growth of agribusinesses for improved performance, there is growing evidence that short-run gains arising from current deduction of capital expenditure, capital gains income, accelerated depreciation, investment tax credits and tax breaks may adversely affect the financial performance of agribusiness in the long-run. This study therefore assessed agribusiness tax incentives in Nigeria and recommends that tax incentives should be directed at small and growing agribusinesses because they are often short of funds due to their inability to borrow from capital markets. Reduced tax rates or tax holidays may not produce the required results. Measures such as investment tax credits that provide upfront funding might be more effective for agribusinesses in Nigeria.

Gauteng Province is regarded as Economic hub of South Africa due to its industrialisation, Manufacturing and business. Besides it is also known as the capital City of the country and occupies 1.4 % of land space. It contributes35.6% towards GDP to the country and 10% GDP to the entire African continent.SMEs contribute 42% of employment in the formal economy and 2 million of informal businesses. While close cooperation comprise 78 % of the total registered entities providing more than 20 % annual growth rate. This paper aims to examine the cost and effects of regularising business procedures in Gauteng, South Africa. The objective of the study is to investigate the extent to which regularising business procedures impact on converting SMEs to Pty under the new companies Act. The t-test was used to test the hypothesis and the significance level was p<00. The study employed a structured questionnaires and interviews with targeted participants operating as SMEs in Gauteng provinces of South Africa. The sample size comprised of 114 businesses that were randomly selected using five point Likert-scale ranging from One to Five (1)High Extent and (5) No Extent in Gauteng. Chi-square was mainly relied on as a statistical testing. The response rate was 97%. The result indicated that there were more costs than benefits in regularising business. Intensive consultation should have been engaged and awareness be made rigorously with the stakeholders.