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How Does Lending from Commercial Banks Impact Performance of Small Enterprises: A Case Study of District Hafizabad, Pakistan
Get PDFAbstract: This study examines the impact of lending from commercial banks
on performance of small enterprises. Financial data of forty business entities of
district Hafizabad have been collected from commercial banks, for the period of
2005 to 2013. “Net profit” in the first model and “sales” in the second model
are used as dependent variables. Working capital, accumulated profit, net-worth
and lending/financing amount are used as independent variables. The study
suggests: Firstly, banks’ lending positively affects the performance of small
enterprises. Secondly, financing amount illustrates positive effect on net profits of
the firms. Thirdly, the preferred amount of lending to small enterprises is less
than two million PKR
HIGH - RISE BUILDINGS STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS
Get PDFHigh-rise buildings present a challenge; they present a challenge for architects,
engineers, occupants as well as observers. They attract the viewer's eye. They are
our monuments and often become city landmarks and tourist attractions. City views
from the tops of the buildings are also extremely appealing. People either praise
them or criticize them, but they are indeed an important part of urban landscape in
every modern city. They are here, present, and can be found in every metropolis or
city that intends to become one. Sometimes they stand in awe, and sometimes they
stretch above. For all they are, or for all they are not, their builders are the culprits
responsible for these magnificent structures.
This book is the result of a serious research, and it is intended to become a textbook
for the "High-Rise Buildings" course held at the Master's Degree Program at the
Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences of
the International BURCH University in Sarajevo. However, students of other
architectural faculties or departments of architecture, students of structural
engineering, as well as architects and structural engineers in design and
construction themselves may find this book helpful. Parts of the book, or the entire
book may also be of interest for a common reader.
As the human body is composed of brain, skeleton, muscles, organs, blood and
nervous system, all of which have their own functionality and appearance, the
organism we call a high-rise building is also composed of load-bearing structure,
different materials applied, and various embedded functional systems that allow for
comfort and serviceability of these structures. Their appearance catches the
observer’s eye and causes different emotions; sometimes these emotions are
positive, sometimes not so much, but essentially everything that initiates any
emotion in a person becomes a truly memorable experienc
BOOK OF ABSTRACTS Publication Office (2016 – 2017), Sarajevo, BiH
Get PDFBOOK OF ABSTRACTS
Publication Office (2016 – 2017), Sarajevo, Bi
Bilingualism in Kuwait – a linguistic landscape approach
No full textAbstract: This paper examined the linguistic landscape of the Governorate of Farwaniya, the biggest governorate in the State of Kuwait, by means of public and private signs displayed in the city center and side streets. A corpus of 150 photos of diverse signs, both official and non-official, was collected, categorized, analyzed and discussed. The results point to an undeniable representation of the Arabic language in both public and private spheres of life as well as to a substantial presence of the English language on a wide range of signage therefore confirming the imprint the process of globalization has made on this EFL context. The findings also indicate that some other world languages, namely Bengali, Hindi, and Chinese, are represented in the linguistic landscape of Kuwait but rather poorly
Concrete studies 2018
Get PDFWe love concrete! We love it because it is concrete. We love it because it is reliable.
We love it for it is steady and durable. We love it because it is mysterious. We would
like to discover some of its mysteries and share them with you!
That is why the “Concrete Studies“! Actually, this is a continuation of “Concrete
Studies 2015-2016“ and hopefully predecessor of some other future concrete studies.
Again, we present you with the additional three studies conducted at the International
BURCH University Sarajevo and University of Bihać in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The first study is “Comparison of Fire Resistance of RC Slabs Determined according
to Different Methods“. We construct our buildings and facilities to last 50, 100 or
even 200 years. There is a high probability that fire will eventually occur during the
service life of practically every structure. Fire can happen anytime and anywhere.
This study explores fire resistance of RC slabs that are the most sensitive concrete
elements in fire situation. We compared the results of determination of fire resistance
according to four different methods. We got some conclusions, but also opened an
area for new research on fire resistance of some other concrete elements.
Concrete is principal construction material in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is very
common. However, concrete of high compression strength is almost unknown in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The study of “High-Strength Concrete (HSC) and
Possibilities for Production in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ discusses the recent history,
advantages and disadvantages, application and benefits of it, as well as the
constituent materials, mix design and proportioning and properties of high strength
concrete. Experimental part of this study proves that it is feasible to produce highstrength
concrete of slightly modified ordinary concrete mix improved by domestic
admixtures and additives at minimal cost. This study aims to encourage concrete
factories to produce it and engineers to apply it in their designs and actual
construction.
In his book “Advanced Concrete Technology“1
, Dr. Zongjin Li said: “Fresh concrete
requires considerable care, just like a baby.” With 28 days of age, we consider
concrete to be mature. However, to get concrete quality as required by design after
28 days, the curing procedure requires a whole set of steps, controls and tests.
Unfortunately, concrete quality control in Bosnia and Herzegovina is usually related
just to testing of concrete compression strength. The study of “Concrete Quality
1 Li, Zongjin, 2011, “Advanced Concrete Technology“, (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, USA ISBN
978-0-470-90239-4 (ebk),
8
Control according to European Standards –Case Study– Construction of the Waste
Treatment Plant in Bihać“ presents a unique example of Quality Assurance Program
for construction project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but with particular attention to
concrete works in details. Testing of fresh concrete, testing of hardened concrete, and
testing of steel reinforcement were integral parts of the QA Program during the
implementation of the project. The approach presented in this study and implemented
in the actual project could serve as a model, or at least for concrete quality control
according to European Standards for other large construction projects in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Lessons learned from this project are important and experiences are
tremendous.
We believe that engineers, architects, designers, construction and project managers,
contractors, clients and students can gain and find useful some of our experiences
based upon the critical approach and thinking, and also keeping in mind that
knowledge, same as seed, cannot be just transplanted anywhere without a detailed
analysis of each piece of the land, climate, and many other factors - and in this case
any individual project. We do hope that findings from these studies can serve as a
reference for your future endeavors.
We use this opportunity to thank our reviewers for their remarks, recommendations
and suggestions. We’d also like to thank Ms. Dijana Misaljević for English
proofreading that made this text better and Mr. Elmir Halebić for the design of the
book cover. We also appreciate any effort and support by everyone who has in any
way contributed to the process of publishing this book
Bilateral Intra-Industry Trade in Country Characteristics Context: The Case Study of Trade of Bosnia and Herzegovina with Croatia
Get PDFAbstract: The paper focuses primarily on intra-industry trade (IIT)
which is researched in the context of country-specific characteristics. A
three-decade-long academic research of IIT phenomena suggests that IIT
is likely to be more intensive and mostly of horizontal type between
countries that are at a similar stage of economic development, with the
same level of trade openness and with intensive and significantly
liberalized mutual trade. Geographical proximity of countries, especially
their common border, as well as their similarities in some non-economic
characteristics such as history, culture, language, also contribute to IIT
intensity. Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) and Croatia match most of
these criteria for intensive and increasing IIT. The aim of the research is
to check aforementioned thesis on IIT on a case study of BH in its trade
with Croatia over the period from 2003 till 2016. Research is focused
on IIT characteristics – intensity, trend and structure, both at aggregate
level (based on calculating corrected and uncorrected Grubel-Lloyd
indices) and at division level of Standard International Trade
Classification – SITC (based on calculating standard Grubel-Lloyd
index and relative unit values of export and import). The research
findings indicate a continuously rising, although lower than expected,
intensity of IIT, taking into account similarities between given countries
in comparison with other important trading partners of BH and taking
into account a high level of data aggregation. In BH trade with Croatia
inter-industry trade still prevails while high intensive IIT appears in a
very low number of product groups, coupled with the dominance of
vertical IIT. However,at the same time a growing trend and a
significant increase of IIT intensity in trade with Croatia have been
identified
Significance of Expatriates for the Competitiveness in the International Construction Market with an Example of Strabag Concern (doi: 10.14706/icesos1710)
Get PDFAbstract: In today's business environment, where global competition grows every day, being successful
only in domestic market is no longer enough. Globalization allowed free flow of capital, goods,
information, people, and set new demands for companies which want to succeed in international market.
This refers not only to the way of how companies operate their business but also on how companies
manage their human capital. With changes in the international markets and company’s human resources
politics, expatriates become a key factor of competitive advantages in the international construction
market.
Key words: international human resource management, expatriation, motivation facto
SMEs, the Backbone of the Albanian Economy (doi: 10.14706/icesos1725)
Get PDFAbstract: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a fundamental role in the economic growth of
a country. This report’s purpose is to determine and prove the great significance they have in Albanian
economy, and what measures are needed to be taken in order to stimulate the establishment of new SMEs
and assuring a long term sustainability of the existed ones in the market. In this paper is being analyzed
the impact that SMEs have in GDP, employment, innovation, and investment.
The data used in this report is gathered from INSTAT; Albanian Ministry of Economic Development,
Trade and Entrepreneurship; Eurostat; and European Commission.
According to this data, even though Albania has made improvements in the business sector, there is still
much to be done related to SME development such as: the improvement of business climate, further
simplification of legislation, implementation of favorable financial assistance schemes, and easily
providing low interest loans.
Keywords: economic growth, GDP, employment, innovation, investment, turnove
Tourism demand, oil price fluctuation, exchange rate and economic growth: Evidence from ARDL model and Rolling window Granger causality for Tunisia
Get PDFAbstract :
The paper examines the relationship between tourism demand and its macroeconomic determinants (GDP, oil price, exchange rate) with an aim to test the dynamic interdependence between them in the case of Tunisia. Using yearly data from 1971 to 2014, the output of the ARDL model and the more recent Bootstrap rolling window Granger causality tests show important results with great economic implications for researchers, regulators, investors, … The results substantiate, especially, the following causal relationships, i.e. i) tourism-demand induces substantial increase in both economic growth and oil price, ii) economic growth led tourism demand, iii) increase in oil price affects negatively the tourism demand, iv) tourism demand and exchange rate are not significantly associated.
Keywords: Tourism demand, GDP, Oil price, ARDL, Bootstrap Rolling window.
JEL classification: O40, L83, P1