1,720,964 research outputs found
EVALUATION OF THE LATVIAN STOCK MARKET AS AN INVESTMENT OBJECT
Full text linkDevelopment of the securities market in Latvia compared with the countries of Western Europe, Scandinavia, and North America has started much later and has been slow; therefore, the interest of individuals and companies to actively participate in the capital market can be assessed as low. The stock market that is considered as one of the types of the securities market is an unstructured environment where every investor has to decide on how to invest. The potential investor interested in stocks as an investment object can buy shares of the companies and potentially earn money despite the fact that investments in stocks are considered as a very high-risk investment. The research aim: to evaluate the Latvian stock market as one of the investment objects. The scope of the research determines the topics covered: investment opportunities in the stocks of the regulated Latvian stock exchange. The research findings point out that the performance of the Nasdaq Riga stock exchange despite its relatively small number of the issuers of shares is effective. The author concludes that use of the investment accounts is not sufficiently promoted for private individuals, consequently, the culture of savings lags behind in Latvia. In order to educate the private investors and promote decision-making on the purchase of shares, it would be advisable for the Nasdaq Riga to provide the investors with concise information on the shares of the companies and their characteristics. The quantitative and qualitative methods of economics research, including the method of comparative analysis and synthesis, as well as statistical and graphical analysis methods are used in the research.
PRACTICE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION IN LATVIA
Full text linkThe total number of small and medium-sized enterprises signifies an essential share of the national economy; SMEs’ importance is evaluated by the value added and the new jobs created. Despite the growing research interest in the small and medium business performance measurement, there is no consistent opinion among researchers regarding small and medium business performance indicators, their measurement, and methods of assessment. The research study is based on an analysis of literature and scientific publications, the assessment of the financial indicators used by the Latvian institutions for the company’s financial analysis, and an expert survey. The general scientific research methods are used in the research study: information analysis and synthesis, logical construction, monographic, an expert survey, data grouping, and the graphical method. The aim of the research – to carry out an analysis of the performance evaluation practice for small and medium-sized enterprises in Latvia. A study of the small and medium sized business performance measurement and management is carried out and the analysis of the financial indicators used for the performance measurement of small and medium-sized enterprises is performed in the result
CONCEPT OF VIRTUAL CURRENCIES IN MODERN ECONOMIES
Full text linkIn recent years, development of blockchain technology and virtual currencies (VCs) have been followed not just by the media and industry professionals all over the world – there rarely could be found a person who has not ever heard the term ‘bitcoin’. Despite the popularity of VCs, there is a lack of comprehensible information in the Latvian language about what the virtual currency (VC) is, as well the concepts of digital and VCs are often misused as synonyms. The research is based on the analysis of special literature and scientific publications on the system of VCs. The aim of the research: to explore the concept of VCs in the modern economy. General scientific research methods are used in the research: the method of monographic or descriptive research, the comparative analysis method for studying the concept of VCs, the classification, legal regulation, and future development possibilities. The results of the research show that VCs are a type of digital currency, though, the opposite statement is not correct. Thus, all VCs are digital, but not all digital currencies are virtual. Exploration of the legal framework of VCs suggests that it is at an early stage of development. With the increasing number of VCs and along with strengthening of the legal framework of VCs, the issue of possible directions of the future development of VCs is raised. Two points of view dominate: the future currency or payment system, for example, smart contracts
DETERMINANTS, MEASUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF PERFORMANCE IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES
Full text linkSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered the backbone of economic growth, as they play a vital role in the economic development of any country, they contribute to the provision of job opportunities and act as suppliers of goods and services to large companies. Despite the role of SMEs in national economies, as well as their importance in promoting competitiveness and employment, the author believes that the SMEs performance determinants and their impact on performance measurement and management have not been sufficiently studied in Latvia. The aim of the research is to explore the SMEs performance determinants and their impact on performance measurement and management. The research is based on the analysis of scientific publications. General research methods are used in the research: information analysis and synthesis, logically – constructive, monographic, data grouping and graphical representation methods. As a result, the impact of the SMEs performance determinants on the measurement and management of SME performance are explored, and the conceptual framework for measuring and managing SME performance is developed
THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES
Full text linkThe number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comprises a significant share in total number of enterprises in national economies, the SMEs are considered to be the backbone of economic growth, and most often their significance is valued by the gross value added and a number of new jobs created. Notwithstanding the established role of SMEs in national economies and the research studies conducted by Latvian scientists, the author considers that the theoretical and practical aspects of the SME's performance have not been sufficiently studied and published in Latvia. The purpose of the current study is to explore the theoretical and practical aspects of the SME's performance. The theoretical study is based on the analysis of the research publications, and the practical aspects are analysed using statistical information. General scientific research methods – information analysis and synthesis, the logical construction, monographic, data grouping and graphical representation methods – are used in the research. In the result, the theoretical aspects of the SMEs' performance are explored and the main indicators measuring the SMEs' performance are assessed.</jats:p
OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
Full text linkTo characterise the results of company’s business activities, the term ‘performance’ is used in the foreign scientific and educational literature. Objective and subjective measures are used in the international practice to measure the business performance. In Latvia, evaluation and systematization of these measures has not been carried out, which justifies the necessity of theoretical exploration of the objective and subjective performance measures. The study is based on the analysis of specialised literature and foreign scientific publications on the performance measurement issues. The following general research methods are used in the study: monographic or descriptive research method and comparison method. Aim of the research: to carry out a theoretical study on the objective and subjective measures of business performance. In the result of the research, evaluation and systematization of the objective and subjective performance measures is carried out. Subjective assessment of the company\u27s performance includes the comparison of the company\u27s financial and/or non-financial performance indicators with the competitors\u27/the main competitor\u27s financial and/or non-financial performance indicators, or the industry’ s average values. Objective assessment of the company\u27s performance determines the necessity of using the information contained in the company\u27s financial statements
MORTGAGE LOAN MARKET IN LATVIA
Full text linkPurpose and aim of the study: to examine the mortgage loan market in Latvia. Design / Methodology / Approach: The research employed the following methods: descriptive and logical construction were used for reviewing and analysing research papers and other information sources, as well as for scientific discussion. Statistical analysis was employed to process and analyse secondary data on trends in mortgage loans in Latvia. The graphic method was applied to better represent and compare the research results. Main Findings: It was concluded that the property, housing and mortgage markets were interlinked, with developments in one market affecting developments in the other. Tax policies, government support measures and macro-prudential supervision measures form part of the regulatory framework for the mortgage market, which, together with the creditworthiness and financial literacy of borrowers, can promote or restrict the availability and development of mortgage loans.Originality: The research examined the concept of mortgage loans and factors in the mortgage credit market, as well as mortgage loan market trends in Latvia.Implications: The research provides a basis for further research on the development of the mortgage market in Latvia.
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
- …
