Suchergebnisse

Do Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises Cluster Geographically in Khulna City? – A Spatial Analysis S M Towhidur Rahman* Business Administration Discipline Khulna University Bangladesh Ahsanul Kabir, PhD Urban and Rural Planning Discipline Khulna University Bangladesh *Corrosponding author's Email: towhid_ku_97@yahoo.com Author's Biography (optional) Picture 100 words maximum. Peer-review under responsibility of 3rd Asia International Multidisciplanry Conference 2019 editorial board (http://www.utm.my/asia/our-team/) © 2019 Published by Readers Insight Publisher, lat 306 Savoy Residencia, Block 3 F11/1,44000 Islamabad. Pakistan, info@readersinsight.net This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Research Highlights The study found a clustered spatial pattern of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the study area, Khulna city of Bangladesh. This pattern helps determine the potential cluster regions (PCR) for manufacturing industry which is the important first step in cluster based regional economic development strategy. The manufacturing SMEs were found to cluster along the major transportatin routes of city. The SMEs are also not evenly distributed across the city area and couple of wards (Ward 21 & Ward 30) have more geographic potentials to be developed as potential cluster regions since SMEs tend to agglomerate in these wards more in numbers. ___________________________________________________________________________ Graphical Abstract Figure: Ward wise distribution of manufacturing SMEs across Khulna city ________________________________________________________________ Research Objectives Industrialization and economic growth are often correlated as evident from literatures (Sahu, 2013). Manufacturing SMEs play a pivotal role in industrialzation process and regional growth since they constitue the major portion of the industry sector in both developed and developing countries of the world (Li & Chen, 2005; Tambunan, 2008). Development of SME cluster had beed recognized as an effective strategy for regional development since such clusters enhance the competitiveness of the industries and the region as a whole (Karaev, Lenny Koh, & Szamosi, 2007; Navickas & Malakauskaite, 2009). Bangladesh is undergoing a transformation in economic structure from agriculture to indutry and service based economy. Government of Bangladesh also prioritized the cluster based development of industries (General Economics Division, 2015). Porter (2000) noted that some locational advantages are a prerequisite for successful formation of cluster and effective implementation of cluster based economic development (CBED) strategy. Identifying potential cluster region is an important first step in CBED. But very few reseach had been found in the context of Bangladesh focusing on industry cluster identification. Researches applying of geospatial tools for cluster identification are even fewer in numbers. So this study aimed to contribute to the existing literature through identifying potential cluster regions of manufacturing SMEs in Khulna applying geo-statistical tools. Methodology The study is based on primary data (regarding type, number and location of manufacturing SMEs) collected through a city wide survey in Khulna City Corporation (KCC) area. The location data of the SMEs were then plotted on the map of KCC applying GIS mapping tools that generated location coordinates (as point feature) for each SME for further analysis. The distribution of SMEs in terms of distance from two spatial variables - major roads and river were shown applying kernel density plot. The spatial pattern were explored through computing Average nearest neoghbour ratio (ANN). ANN ratio is used to measues whether the features (SMEs) are geographically clustered, dipersed or distributed randomly. An ANN ratio less than 1 (ANNR1) exhibits dispersed pattern and ANN ratio 1 (ANNR=1) exhibits perfectly random distribution. The distribution of the SMEs was aslo shown through generating a choropleth map in terms of number of SMEs across the 31 wards of the city to find potential cluster region. The spatial analysis was done using ArcGIS 10.1 and R statistical software package. Results The survey identifyied over 800 manufacturing SMEs in the city which were categorized into five categories – light engineering, agro-processing, leather shoe making, bakery and food processing and timeber and furniture. The study found that all categories of SMEs tend to cluster along the major roads of the city. The Kernel Density plots based on proximity to roads show that all categories of SMEs are located within around 100meters from the major roads of the city while in terms of proximity to river the location of SMEs vary for different categories of SMEs. Further the study found the average nearest neighbour ratios for light engineering, agro-processing, leather shoe making, bakery and food processing and timber and furniture SMEs were 0.214, 0.372, 0.194, 0.215 and 0.176 respectively. Since ANN ratios for all the categories are less than 1, the distributions exhibit a clustered pattern and the ratios were significant at 99% confidence level with P values less than 0.01 implying that the null hypothesis "Manufacturing SMEs in all categories are randomly distributed across the city area†is rejected. The SMEs were located unevenly across 31 wards (smallest adminitrative boundary) of the city wherein ward number 21 and ward number 30 had the highest (56-96 units) number of firms. Findings The major categories of manufacturing SMEs in Khulna city tend to locate close to other similar firms and exhibit a clustered spatial pattern. All categories of manufacturing SMEs were found to cluster along the major roads due to transportation convenience and improved visibility. The SMEs were found to clsuster more in couple of the wards of the city indicating to the potential cluster regions. These wards are characterized as having low cost spaces, good connectivity to other parts of the country, proximity to central wholesale market, administrative headquarter and major financial institutions and above all more circulation of people.

This paper aims to assess the sustainability of the current account of Bangladesh over the period of 1982–2012 using the intertemporal solvency model of Hakkio and Rush (1991) and Husted (1992). This approach examines the relationship between exports and imports plus unilateral transfer payments. We apply Johansen cointegration test and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) to evaluate the sustainability. Cointegration between inflows and outflows of current account implies that the intertemporal budget constraint is satisfied. Results of the Johansen cointegration test imply that there is a cointegrating relationship between exports and imports plus unilateral transfer payments. This indicates that Bangladesh's current account is sustainable but result of DOLS estimation reveals that it is weakly sustainable.

Shipbreaking in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh supplies metal to meet the needs of the nation's construction sector. The shipbreaking industry has received international attention for environmental contamination and workers' insecurity. However, these issues have been framed without considering the actors that produce them and their associated motives. This paper illuminates the conflicting discourses regarding the industry between two divergent groups of actors. On the one hand, national and international NGOs collaborate to enforce a discourse focused on negative localized impacts. On the other hand, yard owners, yard workers, and local community members forge a counter discourse, focused on positive localized impacts and raising doubts about the origin of the environmental pollutants and occupational standards setting. National and international actors have so far missed the conflicting perspective of workers, yard owners, locals and NGOs. We contend that these divergent discourses involve scalar politics, with one discursive frame focused on localized impacts in order to leverage global resources, while the other situates local communities in the global world system; this confounding of scale leads to ineffective policy formulation. This shipbreaking case study provides a valuable lesson on the importance of listening to and including stakeholders at multiple scales when seeking policies to address localized impacts of a globalized industry.

Low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) are still deprived of the optimum doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines for their population, equal access and distribution, as well as mass immunization roadmaps to be implemented for achieving herd immunity and protection from the ongoing pandemic. In this short report, we are interacting with the world public health experts, as well as national and global leaders for warranting the mass vaccination drive to be more progressive against COVID-19 with equitable access of vaccines to LICs or LMICs to save the lives of the poorest country people and refugees. From several scientific databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, as well as national and international news websites, the data were collected data by utilizing appropriate keywords regarding the topic. Bangladesh might be exemplified in this brief communication as the representative of LMIC. As of October 14, 2021, 48% of the world's people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In contrast, only 2.5% of people from LICs have come in under COVID-19 vaccination for at least a single shot. Both LICs and LMICs need far more vision and ambition, including political, administrative, and diplomatic progress along with enhancing the vaccination drive for their population to be immunized through simultaneous mass vaccination progress of other countries with implementing public health safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

AbstractSmallholder farmers in developing nations face multifaceted challenges as they strive to secure fair prices for their agricultural products. With a primary focus on bolstering sustainable agricultural value chains (SAVC), this conceptual paper investigates the transformative potential of Financial Technology (FinTech) solutions. The study synthesizes insights from prior research on SAVC, hurdles faced by smallholder farmers, conventional strategies, and the untapped prospects offered by FinTech solutions in the agricultural sector. Utilizing the PRISMA strategy for comprehensive documentation retrieval, the study underscores the significance of creating a robust SAVC to empower smallholder farmers within the broader value chain landscape. It is found that Agri‐FinTech solutions represent a pivotal avenue for advancing living standards and cultivating agricultural sustainability in developing nations. The integration of FinTech solutions for agri‐credit mechanisms and product market facilitation catalyzes enabling pre‐production financing and ensures fair prices for smallholder farmers in the post‐production phase while neutralizing the value chain's exploitation potential. The study advocates for the expeditious adoption of information technology in developing countries, spotlighting the transformative role of Mobile Financial Services (MFS), which fortifies the agriculture sector, ensuring its resilience and responsiveness to the evolving demands of a globalized market. Drawing upon an evaluation of existing literature on FinTech‐enhanced agricultural initiatives in developing nations, the study outlines directions for future research and creates a path for a more nuanced understanding of the strategic enhancements necessary to fortify the SAVC, fostering a sustainable and equitable ecosystem for smallholder farmers.

OBJECTIVES: Though Bangladesh is passing through demographic, epidemiologic and nutritional transitions, national estimates on nutrition and health status of the elderly population are largely unknown. We aimed to determine the status of selected health and nutrition indicators among the elderly population in Bangladesh. METHODS: For the first time in Bangladesh, we included elderly population (≥60 years old females and males) as a separate population group in the national food security and nutrition surveillance round 2018–2019. We collected data on dietary diversity, nutritional status, behavioral risk factors of non-communicable diseases, blood pressure, and self-reported chronic diseases from 4,818 elderly people (48% female) living in 82 clusters (57 rural, 15 non-slums urban, and 10 slums) randomly selected from eight administrative division of Bangladesh. RESULTS: Majority (59% in rural, 53% in non-slum urban, and 69% in slums) of elderly people were consuming an inadequately diverse (4 or less food groups out of 10) diet. Overall, 89% of elderly people were malnourished (20%) or at risk of malnutrition (69%). The highest prevalence of malnutrition was in Mymensingh division (37%) followed by Sylhet division (27%). The prevalence of obesity was 5%, 16%, and 11%, in rural, non-slum urban, and slums, respectively. The national prevalence of smoking, smokeless tobacco consumption, physical inactivity was 18%, 52%, and 38%, respectively. There was a high burden of hypertension (49% in rural, 53% in non-slum urban, and 39% in slums). Overall, 16% of elderly people had heart diseases, 14% had chronic respiratory diseases, 3% had kidney diseases, 9% had diabetes, 8% had stroke, 0.5% had cancer and 1.4% had mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: The government of Bangladesh should design and implement health and nutrition programs among the elderly population. The regional differences in the prevalence of health and nutrition indicators should be considered while designing such programs. FUNDING SOURCES: Ministry ...

AbstractThe World Health Organization set a target of a 15% relative reduction in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity (IPA) by 2025 among adolescents and adults globally. In Bangladesh, there are no national estimates of the prevalence of IPA among adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors associated with IPA among adolescent girls and boys. Data for 4865 adolescent girls and 4907 adolescent boys, collected as a part of a National Nutrition Surveillance in 2018–19, were analysed for this study. A modified version of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to collect physical activity data. The World Health Organization recommended cut-off points were used to estimate the prevalence of IPA. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with IPA. Prevalences of IPA among adolescent girls and boys were 50.3% and 29.0%, respectively, and the prevalence was significantly higher among early adolescents (10–14 years) than late adolescents (15–19 years) among both boys and girls. The IPA prevalence was highest among adolescents living in non-slum urban areas (girls: 77.7%; boys: 64.1%). For both boys and girls, younger age, non-slum urban residence, higher paternal education and increased television viewing time were significantly associated with IPA. Additionally, residing in slums was significantly associated with IPA only among the boys. Higher maternal education was associated with IPA only among the girls. This study identified several modifiable risk factors associated with IPA among adolescent boys and girls in Bangladesh. These factors should be addressed through comprehensive public health interventions to promote physical activity among adolescent girls and boys.