The consensus is that price stability promotes sustainable economic growth while excessive inflation harms growth. This study assesses the linkage between inflation and economic growth in South Africa to determine the optimal inflation rate threshold for the sustainable growth of the economy. Quarterly data from 1995 to 2022 was analysed through the ARDL and threshold regressions. The ARDL and threshold regressions estimate established a relationship between inflation and economic growth and computed the optimal inflation rate threshold for economic growth at 6 percent. The results also established that both the repo rate (repurchase rate) and real effective exchange rate have a negative relationship with economic growth. The Toda-Yamamoto causality test result indicated a unidirectional causality runs from inflation to economic growth. These results are crucial for the South African Reserve Bank to discharge its monetary policy functions to attain and maintain price stability. Therefore, this study offers the Bank a roadmap for targeting an inflation rate that aligns with the nation’s long-term objectives for sustainable economic growth.
This study assesses the implementation of socioformation in Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Mexico, exploring its impact on the quality of education in the knowledge society. With a sample of 150 educators, gender-balanced (44.7% female, 55.3% male), and an average age of 43.7 years, the research employed a validated socioformative rubric. Significant progress was observed in analytical and creative thinking, while areas related to living conditions and entrepreneurship education showed slower development. The findings highlight the advancements in socioformation but advocate for further research, including classroom observation and student evidence collection. Gender differences, communication, and leadership emerged as critical factors influencing socioformation implementation. Women demonstrated deeper comprehension of the educational model, willingness to adopt innovative strategies, and emphasis on socioformation axes. As educators gain experience, their adaptability to new pedagogical approaches increases. The study underscores the universal relevance of effective communication, leadership, and stakeholder involvement in successful educational model implementation. The research contributes valuable insights, emphasizing the importance of openness to new approaches and collaboration to prepare students for the challenges of the evolving knowledge society.
The practice of ethical management has gained traction due to its role in enhancing stakeholder relations, which can have severe repercussions for organisations. By prioritising ethics, companies not only uphold moral principles but also gain a competitive advantage. This is particularly true in societies that value socially responsible business and give preference to companies that go beyond the requirements of the law. Understanding the significance of ethical management practices is therefore becoming key to creating a responsible and sustainable business environment that benefits both an organisation and its stakeholders, such as employees, consumers and society. The purpose of this article is to present a comprehensive exploration of the impact of selected aspects of ethical management in Slovak companies with foreign participation on the ethicality of their relationships with stakeholders. By examining a range of factors related to ethical management, the article seeks to identify statistically significant differences among companies with different approaches to managing business ethics. Employing this analysis, the article contributes to the understanding of ethical practices in Slovak companies and provides insights for academics and practitioners of business ethics. The data used for this analysis was collected through an online questionnaire survey, resulting in a sample size of 179 monitored subjects, all of whom are Slovak companies with foreign participation. The research design included two groups of factors: “general factors of business ethics” or “ethical management approaches” and “ethicality of company-stakeholder relationships.” The statistical analysis included the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, followed by the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis H test, and post hoc analysis using the Bonferroni adjustment for previously identified significances. The results of the research presented in the article indicate a predominantly positive ethical stance towards employees, suppliers, customers and other stakeholders among Slovak companies. Statistically significant differences were found in the levels of ethicality in relation to legal form, with limited liability and joint-stock companies showing different perceptions towards supplier ethics. The research also proves that an ethical organisational climate is a major determinant of the ethicality of Slovak companies and suggests that a robust integration of ethics into strategic planning significantly improves their stakeholder relations. It can also be concluded that the scope of a code of ethics is particularly significant for community relations, whereas the frequency with which it is updated has less impact. This research holds significant value because it explores the impact of ethical management practices on stakeholder relations and ethical issues in Slovak companies with foreign participation. By focusing on the specific context of Slovak companies, the research offers unique insights into the relationship between ethical management factors and stakeholder dynamics. This research aims to bridge a gap by shedding light on the intricate dynamics between ethical management and stakeholder relations. The findings provide valuable guidance to organisational leaders, policymakers and stakeholders in fostering ethical behaviour and mitigating ethical risks within companies.
International logistics supply chain is an important guarantee to support the country to build a new development pattern, this paper aims to propose a new strategy to promote the development of international logistics supply chain through the case study of Ningbo City. On the basis of supply chain theory and international logistics theory, this paper constructs SWOT model to study the case of Ningbo City, and draws the following conclusions: The international logistics supply chain of Ningbo city has the advantages of superior geographical location, perfect logistics infrastructure and strong port resources, and the disadvantages of low logistics informatization level and logistics management mode to be optimized. At the same time, it faces the opportunities of “One Belt and One Road” initiative and the competitive threat of other logistics centers. Adopting strategies such as policy support, strengthening logistics informatization construction and optimizing logistics management mode can ensure the stable development of foreign trade, which is conducive to accelerating the construction of a new development pattern and modern economic system in which domestic and foreign cycles promote each other.
Global transformational processes associated with the geopolitical fragmentation of the world, changes in supply chains, and the emergence of threats to food, energy, logistics security, etc. have impacted the increase in the freight traffic volumes through the Ukraine-European Union (Ukraine-EU) land border section. In this context, the transport and logistics infrastructure on this section of the border was inadequate for the growing demand for international freight transport, leading to huge economic, social, and environmental damage to all participants in foreign trade. The aim of this paper is to study the efficiency of the functioning of the transport and logistics infrastructure on the Ukraine-EU border section. The taxonomy used in the paper made it possible to look into economic, security, geopolitical, logistics, transport, legal, and political factors shaping the freight traffic volumes, structure, and routes; their key trends and impact on the generation of freight traffic are described. Statistical analysis of freight traffic by border sections and with respect to border crossing points allowed the identification of bottlenecks in the functioning of the transport and logistics infrastructure and outlining ways to address them. The results of the study will be helpful both to researchers working on the issues of freight transport and to policymakers involved in transport and border infrastructure development.
The study aimed to demonstrate that Palestinian banks have the potential to increase green financing by enhancing public sector understanding instead of focusing solely on the private sector, in addition to providing insights from employees of Palestinian banks listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange regarding the key challenges and opportunities related to green financing in Palestine specifically. It posed two central questions: What are the opportunities and challenges in implementing green finance in Palestine, and what level of government and private sector support exists? The study used the descriptive analytical approach, through interviews and surveys, the study targeted 10 heads of credit departments and a non-probability sample of 350 bank employees. The findings revealed a strong commitment from the government to promote green finance. At the same time, the private sector showed reluctance to engage in external investments. Key challenges included political instability and limited financial resources, though international aid was a significant opportunity to advance green finance. The study recommended increasing public awareness and fostering stronger coordination between the government and private sector, possibly incorporating competition from neighboring countries to further develop Palestine’s green finance strategy.
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