<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>This paper presents a discussion on the theoretical and conceptual framework on issues relating to access to financial services. The discussion begins by providing details of various theories that underpin the demand and supply side of access to financial services. The supply dimension of access to financial services is guided by the information asymmetry theory and the transaction cost theory, while the key demand dimension theories are the delegated monitoring theory and the rational choice theory. In the later sections, a conceptual framework was developed for the empirical evaluation of access to financial services and its impact on productivity with particular reference to farmers in emerging economies. The last section provides the concluding remarks, which recommends the use of empirical analyses to access factors influencing access and the impact of the access to farmers’ productivity.</abstract>

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework of Access to Financial Services by Farmers in Emerging Economies: Implication for Empirical Analysis

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>This work justifies the “Igba-odibo” (Traditional Business School) concept as a business strategy for achieving success in business which is measured through business/opportunity utilization, customer relationship/business networking and capital acquisition for business. It gives the in-depth symbolic interpretation and application of the dependent and independent variables used. The paper extends its discussion on the significance of these business strategies as practised among Igbo entrepreneurs and on how they equip Igbo entrepreneurs to immensely contribute their quotas in the area of developing entrepreneurship in Nigeria in particular and the globe in general. Research questions were formulated to investigate the relationship between business strategy and success. Related literature was reviewed. The study population covers the household equipment line of Main Market Onitsha in Anambra State, Nigeria, which has shop capacities of over five hundred, which were used to assume the population of the study – out of the 300 questionnaires administered to the directors of the business or the Masters/Mistresses, who were the business owners during the study, 180 were returned, 73 were invalid, so the researcher was left with 107 valid questionnaires to work with. The data collected were tested using frequency tables, percentages, Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The result shows that there is a strong positive relationship between the two variables. The researcher recommends that the government should encourage and strongly support these entrepreneurs by providing loans and adequate infrastructure that aids business.</abstract>

Induction Strategy of Igbo Entrepreneurs and Micro-Business Success: A Study of Household Equipment Line, Main Market Onitsha, Nigeria

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Bancassurance has evolved as a strong distribution channel in India. Bancassurance means that the insurance company and the bank come together to offer insurance products from the counter of the banks to the bank’s customer. The present study attempts to analyse customers’ perception regarding assurance of bancassurance channel in providing insurance-related services. The study also tries to find out the impact of various demographic variables on customers’ perception regarding assurance of bancassurance channel. The study finds that customers consider bancassurance channel having high assurance in providing insurance services. It is also found in the study that there is no significant association between the demographic variables considered in the study and customers’ perception regarding assurance of bancassurance channel.</abstract>

Department of Business Administration, Research Scholar, Assam University, Silchar, Assam,

Department of Business Administration, Assistant Professor, Assam University, Silchar, Assam,

Customers’ Perception regarding Assurance of Bancassurance Channel

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
We conducted a non-representative online questionnaire survey among inhabitants of the Szeklerland region in Romania with a view to looking into their second-hand shopping habits. Based on an adapted version of an international scale, the present analysis aims to explore the motivational background of these shopping activities. The exploratory factor analysis indicated five motivational dimensions: economic/austerity, critical/environmental, originality, social interaction, nostalgic and self-expression. The three latter motivational dimensions resemble the hedonic motivational dimensions indicated by the literature. The motivational dimensions can be explained by a series of independent variables; however, the explanatory power of regression models is marginal. As a second step, we adopted a cluster analysis in order to model second-hand shoppers’ typical consumer segments. We found three clusters: austerity social interactionist, originality seekers, and nostalgic critics.
</abstract>

Second-Hand Clothing Shoppers’ Motivations. An Exploratory Study among Ethnic Hungarians from the Szeklerland Region of Romania

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Internet-based services have emerged at a fast pace, but the literature thereon has not kept pace with it. Researchers and marketers still refer to the traditional marketing frameworks to define and manage these services. This paper argues that this approach is detrimental both to the academicians and the practitioners. The paper attempts to establish that Internet-based services are significantly different from the traditional services and require contemporary marketing frameworks. Further, a new-age marketing mix, SAFE, is proposed, which is expected to help marketers manage Internet-based service more efficiently.
</abstract>

SAFE: The New-Age Service Marketing Mix for the New-Age Internet-Based Services

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The study examines the role of economy, the environment, and the source country’s tourism seasonality in driving the inflow of tourists into Kerala from the top three source countries, viz. the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and France. The methodology employed is the double-log regression technique. It was found that the income of the source countries was merely moderately and selectively related to the predicted variable, while environmental factors, viz. rainfall of the origin countries and the relative temperature, play a decisive role in shaping Kerala’s international tourism. At the same time, relative prices were relevant in explaining Kerala’s international tourism demand. We conclude that Kerala receives more foreign tourists (especially from the advanced economies in Europe and North America) not because the nominal income of the source markets rises but because Kerala’s destinations remain competitive for the tourists from the top three source markets. While climatic factors provide a background for tourism seasonality, it is argued that lower relative prices remain the primary and active force of tourist arrivals.
</abstract>

Demand for Kerala’s International Tourism by the Top Three Source Markets: A Comparative Analysis

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The finance–inequality nexus has been a major topic of discussion since the 1990s and became even more so after the financial crisis of 2007–08. This paper aims to empirically investigate whether financial development and/or financial openness increased or decreased income inequality in Hungary over the period of 1971–2019. An empirical analysis of an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model suggests the existence of long-run co-integration between the analysed variables. Financial openness contributes to reducing Hungarian income inequality in the short run but fuels greater income inequality in the long run. Whereas the effects of financial development on inequality vary according to the indicators, the domestic credit by banks has a significant negative effect on inequality in the short and long run, while the impact of the credit to the private sector from all the sectors on inequality is insignificant.
</abstract>

Revisiting the Financial Development and Income Inequality Nexus: Evidence from Hungary

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The spin-off has become a common mode of restructuring in the corporate world for the last few decades and has thus attracted the interest of researchers to investigate how this form of divestiture creates value for shareholders. While there is an agreement among researchers about the wealth creation of spin-offs around the announcement of the event, the sources of this wealth generation remain controversial. Moreover, the long-run stock performance of the spin-offs invites debates, as there are varied shreds of evidence in this regard. The present study endeavours to provide an overview of the existing literature by systematically reviewing 89 theoretical and empirical works published between 1976 and 2021 on short-term and long-term wealth effects separately to provide state-of-the-art research on the topic concerned. Based on the findings of existing literature, certain suggestions for future research have been made.
</abstract>

Corporate Spin-Offs and Shareholders’ Wealth: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Eco-labels help consumers navigate and promote environmental initiatives and curb greenwashing. The paper presents the eco-labels used in Romania by the government, companies, and consumers. The paper finds that Romania’s activities related to eco-labels, especially EU eco-labels, are lagging behind other developed countries. This is evidenced by the government’s inadequate communication, the online communication of economic players related to the topic, and consumers’ inadequate knowledge of eco-labels.
</abstract>

Towards Sustainability on a Sea of Eco-Labels. Leading or Misleading?

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This study examines the hierarchical relationships and inter dependencies of financial factors impacting companies’ health, using Total Interpretive Structural Modelling and Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement analyses. It identifies key financial factors and their influences. Findings reveal credit risk as a pivotal factor with substantial impact on other parameters. Solvency, capital adequacy, and Tier 1 capital ratios are also key determinants of financial health. The study further categorizes factors into independent, linkage, autonomous, and dependent categories. This research offers valuable insights for managers, policymakers, and investors aiding decision-making. 
</abstract>

Deciphering Financial Health and Risk: Hierarchical Relationships and Interdependencies among Key Factors

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The study explores the relationship between work–life balance and supervisor support in the Indian higher education sector. More specifically, the study explores the effects of supervisor support on the work–life balance of female employees working in academia. We used online panel data comprised of 300 employees working in various universities, which we analysed by employing structural equation modelling. Results reveal that supervisor support is positively related to employee work–life balance and ultimately their life satisfaction. The findings also stress the importance of supervisor support for female employees, as its presence is a major boost in helping women reach the desired work–life balance. With the objective to augment work–life balance of women academicians, the work would guide managers as well as decision makers involved in the academic sector to implement women-friendly policies and programmes.
</abstract>

Work–Life Balance, Supervisor Support, and Life Satisfaction in the Higher Education Sector

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>After the economic crisis and the BASEL agreement, the bankruptcy prediction research has evolved substantially due to its importance in corporate finance. This paper summarizes the short history of bankruptcy prediction from the beginning until quite recently. First, it presents a short summary of bankruptcy prediction evolution pointing to the most used models. Then, it provides a summary of the most cited papers that discuss the evolution of bankruptcy prediction and of those papers that have contributed to bankruptcy prediction. Finally, it summarizes some critiques about bankruptcy prediction that the literature has formulated over time and provides some suggestions for future research on bankruptcy prediction.</abstract>

fejerkiralygergely@sapientia.siculorum.ro

Bankruptcy Prediction: A Survey on Evolution, Critiques, and Solutions

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The telecommunication industry is one of the service industries that is most affected by the problem of subscribers’ churn. Although several techniques have been used to predict customer churn in developed countries, many of those studies used secondary data which are not readily available in Nigeria for researchers. This study investigates how Markov chains help in modelling and predicting the customer churn and retention rate in the Nigerian mobile telecommunication industry. The data generated through the survey were input in the Windows-based Quantitative System for Business (WinQSB) for analysis. The results reveal that in the study area MTN has the highest retention rate (86.11%), followed by GLO (70.51%), Airtel (67%), and Etisalat (67.5%). This result has implications for telecom firms’ strategies for competitive advantage in particular and survival in general.</abstract>

Department of Business Administration, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), PMB 2240. Abeokuta, Ogun State. Nigeria

Department of Business Administration, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. Nigeria.

Department of Actuarial Science and Insurance, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. Nigeria.

Predicting Customer Churn and Retention Rates in Nigeria’s Mobile Telecommunication Industry Using Markov Chain Modelling

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an essential role in the sustainable development of countries. They help in employment generation, industrial production increase, and export, social enrichment as well as political stability. This study investigates the survival strategies and sustainability of SMEs using selected small businesses in the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area, Lagos State. It examines the type of growth strategies that SMEs adopt, ascertains what influences their survival strategies as well as the challenges that hinder their growth. Fifty (50) SMEs were randomly sampled. Their owners and managers were interviewed using questionnaires. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient statistics. Our findings reveal that there is a statistically significant relationship between survival strategies and SMEs’ sustainability. The major implication of the findings is that maintaining small but committed and motivated employees is critical in guaranteeing the survival of the SMEs in a volatile economy. The study recommends that there be a need for orientation and educational programmes to change the mindset of business owners to enable them to graduate from sole atomistic proprietor devoid of modern scientific business practice and effective succession to corporate status with an apparatus of modern business management practices and corporate vision. Finally, the study further suggests some imperatives for policy makers concerned with promoting small businesses’ growth and sustainability in the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State.</abstract>

Department of Business Administration, College of Management Sciences, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State

Survival Strategies and Sustainability of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Corruption has a major impact on growth in low-income economies, while ease of doing business has a major impact on growth in developed countries. The study empirically examines the effect of corruption on ease of doing business. The study analyses unbalanced panel data of corruption rank, corruption score, control of corruption, and inflation, together with other economic and financial institutional factors and ease of doing business score for the period of 2004–2017. Results indicate that: corruption rank, inflation, and import have negative and significant effect on ease of doing business; corruption score, control of corruption, lending rate spread, and education (skill level) have positive and significant effect on ease of doing business; gross capital formation and population have insignificant negative effect on ease of doing business; export and gross domestic product have insignificant positive effect on ease of doing business. The random effect model is a consistent and most efficient model, indicating common mean value for ease of doing business for the dataset. The study recommends improved corruption scores, control of corruption, and ranks to encourage ease of doing business through monetary policy and infrastructural facilities.</abstract>

Corruption and Ease of Doing Business: Evidence from ECOWAS

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Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Economics and Business

The Journal of Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania

 As a broad-based professional and international journal, the Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Economics and Business welcomes submissions of applied and theoretical research papers in all fields of...

 As a broad-based professional and international journal, the Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Economics and Business welcomes submissions of applied and...