Abstract

In this article, the practitioners/academicians examine leaders who embrace and practice the value of integrity from the Confucian perspective in South East Asia, more so, in the Brunei context. From Confucius comes the emphasis on leadership with integrity which is linked to positive, harmonious relationships as well as to the values of benevolence and reciprocity that bring many benefits to business prosperity. The practice of Confucian teachings can bring much peace, learning, and growth for business sustainability.

Abstract

This study examines fire fighters’ firehouse communication as it contributes to safety culture. This study employed the International Communication Association Communication Audit (ICA CA) to survey 228 firefighters.  This study demonstrates that organizational communication is a key component of safety culture.  This study also serves to replicate previous research using ICA CA and examines the relationships between upper management and the rank-and-file across five different scales: receiving, sending, follow-up, interpersonal, organizational, and channels of communication.  Significant findings among five of the eight scales from the ICA CA demonstrates real and systematic differences between upper management and the rank-and-file.  This series profiles communication behaviors and suggests a set of recommendation for new communication practices which may improve organizational communication and safety culture.

Abstract

This paper attempts to evaluate the job satisfaction level of bank officers in the Indian public sector banks in the contemporary scenario characterized by financial sector reforms, deregulation, intense competition and large scale technology adoption.  It focuses on identifying the factors of job satisfaction and their influence on the overall job satisfaction level of bank officers. For the purpose of the study, data were collected from 180 bank officers using convenient sampling technique and analyzed by using statistical tools like factor analysis, correlation and multiple regression analysis. The result reveals that Reward, Recognition, Supervision, Opportunity for Promotion, Workplace environment, Social contacts among co-workers, Pay and other facilities, Job Security and Challenging nature of job influence the level of Job satisfaction of bank officers.

Abstract

In India micro credit groups are being recognized by the Government as an effective tool for achieving the distributional objectives of monetary policy. In the recent period, considerable emphasis has been placed on promotion of micro credit enterprises in view of perceived inadequacies of existing agencies in providing productive credit to those with little or no previous access to formal credit facilities. In a country like India, where almost 70% of the population is in rural areas, with little or no access to mainstream financing options, SHGs has a large role to play and a huge population to uplift. Micro credit, thus simply brings SHGs and offer best form of credit for reaching the unreached and under reached.

The SHG-Bank Linkage Programme has made considerable progress since its inception in the early 1990s, both in terms of the number of SHGs credit linked with banks as also the bank loans disbursed to SHGs. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the progress attained by banks in financing these SHGs in the recent past. After highlighting the need for SHGs, their objectives and features, performance of micro credit institutions in terms of number of SHGs financed, extent of credit provided and the status of recovery are analyzed in this paper.

Abstract

In this paper the concept of risk management and its applicability to business operations in Nigeria with a view to raising the banking firm’s performance was brought into sharp focus.  We employed three research methodology approaches: descriptive, industry and economic analysis models in the study to investigate the applicability or otherwise of risk management techniques and corporate governance principles to raise banking sector’s performance in Nigeria.  Findings showed that (1) Nigerian banks indulged in excessive risk taking and never cared to apply risk management techniques over the years thereby leading to total collapse of majority of them (2) causes of bank failures arising from poor risk management are giving loans without proper appraisal and documentations, giving loans to public (political) office holders with their positions (status) as collaterals, poor internal control system, insider abuses, poor corporate governance practice, financing illicit contracts, etc and (3) Banks carry various kinds of risks in their normal business of banking such as lending and borrowing and other financial services activities.  We therefore recommend that if full application of risk management techniques and concepts embedded in the basic principles of corporate governance and revival of culture of trust in our society and among bankers and their customers are brought to bear (applied) in the business of banking in Nigeria, the banking sector’s performance will greatly improve thereby raising the economic growth of Nigeria in the years ahead. If our recommendations in the paper are applied to the letter they will reduce, to the barest minimum, corruption and lack of application of risk management and corporate governance in the Nigerian business environment, so to speak.