Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies

Determinants of Women's Empowerment in Nigeria

Olumuyiwa L. Makinde — 2024-11-19

Empowering women entails fortifying women to make crucial choices across various issues in an economy. This study investigated the socioeconomic determinants of women's empowerment status in Nigeria. Secondary data from 17,677 respondents were sourced from the National Health Demographic Survey (NDHS) 2018 and were analyzed using descriptive statistics to describe women's socioeconomic characteristics and the women empowerment indicators, Women Empowerment Index (WEI) to determine the level of women empowerment and probit regression to identify and examine the determinants of women empowerment in Nigeria. Results showed an average age of 33 years for Nigerian women, many were Muslims, had a household size of 1-5 persons, had no formal education, belonged to the richest group of the wealth quintile, resided in the rural area, and the majority were married. Also, the majority were employed and earned in cash, but more than half were poorly empowered. Furthermore, at p<0.05, being employed, educated, an urban resident, a service provider, earning more than husband, and respondent’s age positively influence women empowerment, while household size, being a farmer, married woman, traditionalist, and residing in the Northeast, Southeast, South-south, and Southwest negatively influence women empowerment status in Nigeria. Thus, the study recommends the organization of awareness programs about the importance of women's participation in decision-making at the household level and the society at large, and that governments and NGOs should strive more for gender equality and empower women to reach their full potential

Impact of Knowledge Management Process on Employee Performance: Employee Creativity as Mediator

Faiz Mayah Alshammary — 2024-11-19

This study investigates the impact of the knowledge management process on employee performance. This study's objective is to examine the knowledge management processes under investigation, including knowledge sharing, knowledge utilization, and knowledge discovery, to find out the mediating role of employee creativity in the context of a healthcare center in the Hail health cluster. The study is conducted among full-time healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in the Hail Health Cluster in Saudi Arabia. 218 participants were surveyed with a well-structured questionnaire based on a previous study. The data was collected in July and August 2024 and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the data. The findings reveal that all proposed hypotheses are supported, indicating a significant positive relationship between knowledge management processes and employee creativity. Furthermore, employee creativity was found to mediate the relationship between knowledge management processes and employee performance, demonstrating that the enhancement of creativity through knowledge sharing, utilization, and discovery positively influences performance outcomes. These results highlight the importance of fostering effective knowledge management strategies within healthcare settings to boost both creativity and performance among employees. The implications of this study suggest that healthcare organizations, particularly in the Hail Health Cluster, should prioritize knowledge management as a core strategy to drive employee performance through increased creativity.

The Role of Behavioral Factors in Climate Change Donations

Everett Jin — 2024-11-19

Environmental non-profit organizations play a crucial role in fighting climate change. Most of them rely on donations from small donors whose donation decisions tend to be affected by personal factors. We examine the effects of behavioral factors on donations to climate change charities through a survey conducted among a group of participants with relatively homogenous demographic characteristics such as family wealth and educational background. We find that a potential donor’s donation amount is strongly affected by his or her perception of the effectiveness of environmental charities in fighting climate change. Among participants who pay more attention when filling out the survey, the persuasion tactic featuring factual information related to climate change appears to be most effective. Lastly, participants who feel good about having given to climate change charities are associated with larger donations, highlighting the effect of the psychological benefits of giving. Our study contributes to the behavioral economics literature by focusing on donors’ perspectives when examining the drivers behind charitable giving to climate change mitigation charities. Our findings suggest that climate charities should account for the effects of behavioral factors that best influence potential donors to improve fundraising success.

Strategic Flexibility and Employee Creativity: A Moderating Role of Leader’s Education

Waleed Mansi Alshammari — 2024-11-19

This study aims to explore the relationship between strategic flexibility and employee creativity in the context of Hail Health Cluster Saudi Arabia. This study has used two dimensions of strategic flexibility such as coordination flexibility and resource flexibility. Furthermore, this study also aims to investigate the role of a leader’s education as a moderator. For the data analysis, this study has collected data from 184 participants consisting of nurses, medical staff, and non-medical staff over three months July to August 2024. Further, on the data SEM-PLS technique is used to test the validity and decision-making about the hypothesis. The finding suggests that both coordination flexibility and resource flexibility significantly relate to employee creativity in healthcare clusters. Moreover, the education of the leader plays a moderating role among the variables. These findings are based on the Hail health cluster and offer valuable insights not only for the healthcare sector but for production sectors as well.

The Role of Remote Work in Enhancing Employee Productivity: Evidence from the US-Based Tech Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Eric Strandt — 2024-11-19

This study examines the impact of remote working arrangements on employee productivity within the tech industry in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing an online survey of 295 tech professionals, the research compares self-reported productivity levels before and after transitioning to remote work. Findings indicate a significant increase in high productivity levels and a decrease in low productivity levels post-transition. Key factors enhancing productivity include improved work-life balance and increased flexibility in working hours, while challenges such as maintaining work-home boundaries and internet connectivity issues were identified as impediments. The study offers actionable insights for managers to optimize remote work practices and contributes to the evolving discourse on business management in the post-pandemic era.