In this work, the possibility of cross-border activities between two regions in the framework of the investment contract is viewed as optimal allocation problems. The problems of determining the optimal proportion of funds to be invested in liquidity and technology are analyzed in two different environments. In the first case, we consider a two-region and two-technology economy in which both regions possess the same productive technology or project, but a different stream of return. While in the second case, we examine an economy where two regions (i.e., Indonesia and Malaysia) hold different Islamic productive projects with identical returns. Allocation models are formulated in terms of investors’ expected utility maximization problem under budget constraints with respect to regional and sectoral shocks. It is revealed that optimal parameters for liquidity ratio, technological investment profile, and bank repayment are analytically characterized by the return of a more productive project and the proportion of impatient and patient investors in the region. Even though both cases employ different assumptions, they provide the same expressions of optimal parameters. The model suggests that cross-border Islamic investment activities between two regions might be realized, provided both regions hold productive projects with an identical stream of return. This paper also shows that by increasing the lower return of the project approaching the higher return, a room for inter-region investment can be created. An analytical framework of an investment contract in terms of optimal allocation model is provided.

The pandemic of the coronavirus known as ‘COVID-19’ has spread rapidly across the globe, resulting in a worldwide economic recession. Although global efforts are in place to combat the virus, it continues to spread on a massive scale. This is not just a medical crisis; rather, it is a business crisis as well. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to develop a research scale that could be used to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on business. We adopted a scale variables approach that is generated from topics covered in the papers of leading academic business journals to form the basis of our analysis. We exposed the scale to qualitative and quantitative testing and concluded that it is reliable for research on the negative effects of COVID-19 on enterprises. The scale was used to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 on businesses in two countries, namely Serbia and Kuwait, to represent two different continents. The results of this research indicate that the influence of this coronavirus is equally devastating in both countries, Kuwait with its otherwise good economic conditions and Serbia with relatively poor ones. The findings of the research are beneficial for both academics in producing quality output papers, as well as their support to managers in various business industries in their fight against coronavirus to keep their businesses sustainable.

The main purpose of this paper is to study the vehicle routing problem with hard time windows where the main challenges is to include both sources of uncertainties, namely the travel and the service time that can arise due to multiple causes. We propose a new approach for the robust problem based on the implementation of an adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm and the use of efficient mechanisms to derive the best robust solution that responds to all uncertainties with reduced running times. The computational experiments are performed and improve the objective function of a set of instances with different levels of the uncertainty polytope to obtain the best robust solutions that protect from the violation of time windows for different scenarios.

The aim of the study is to examine The Mediating Role of Organizational Capabilities on the relationship between Lean Supply Chain and Operational Performance. The study population consisted of the managers in the upper and middle management of industrial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange, which (84) companies. To achieve the study objectives, a questionnaire was formulated to measure the variables of the study. Data were primarily gathered through self-reported questionnaires created by Google Forms The structural model was used to test the study hypotheses. The study results show that Organizational Capabilities mediate the relationship between Lean Supply Chain and Operational Performance.

The main goal of this research is to compare the various optimization strategies (Response Surface Methodology, Taguchi, and Teaching Learning Based Optimization) for orthogonal turning of Hard to Machine materials. The workpiece material in this work is Ti6Al4V alloys. After selecting cutting speeds in the High-Speed Machining range, orthogonal turning tests are performed on the material for a specific combination of machining parameters – Depth of Cut, Cutting Speed, and, Feed Rate. A Lathe Tool Dynamometer is used to record the cutting forces from the trials. After combining Johnson Cook Material and Damage models, a comprehensive Finite Element Model is created to model the Orthogonal Turning of Ti6Al4V alloys. Experiments conducted previously validate the developed model. Three different strategies, namely RSM, Taguchi, and TLBO, were used to optimise machining parameters for minimal Cutting Force. The approaches are compared for the best combination of machining parameters and the best Cutting Force value. Analysis of Variance is used to study the impact of machining factors on Cutting Force.

Analyzing a drug over its overlapped spectra utilizes sophisticated instruments and more toxic solvents, which has a deleterious effect on environmental safety. There is an alarming need to develop a simple, novel, and cost-effective method for determining combined substances that are non-toxic to the environment. So, the study aimed to develop four simple, fast and eco-friendly spectrophotometric techniques for quantifying clotrimazole and tinidazole in bulk and ointment dosage form. Stock solutions produced at concentrations of 7 to 13 and 17.5 to 32.5 µg/mL of clotrimazole and tinidazole in 10% v/v ethanol and scanned in the UV-visible range 200-450 nm, and used for all methods. The methods were validated according to the International Council for Harmonization guidelines and found to be within limits. Additionally, the outliers were tested by using the Grubbers test and found within limits. Finally, green evaluation studies show that the method is more environmentally friendly, as confirmed by four assessment tools.

This research aimed to study the approach of the community toward the decision to grow rice and economic crops, including appropriate resource allocation for use on a farm under a large plot agricultural system. The study areas were in Phan district, Chiang Rai province, Thailand, and the data were collected from a sampling of 400 field agriculturalists. The method used was to develop a mathematical model for growing crops with multi-objectives and in multi-periods, together with an agriculturist representative and experts in multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM). This was to prioritize the importance of alternative crops and find the appropriate allocation of the resources to achieve the targeted goal. The results showed that agriculturists prioritized most toward the criteria for growing Japanese rice with a weight of 0.179 Kg., followed by transplanted rice, transplanted glutinous rice, garlic, sown paddy rice, and sown glutinous paddy rice, respectively. The study’s results also showed that the price fluctuation of the crop products resulted in more use of land and labor in order to increase the production to compensate for the low price, and this also resulted in the higher opportunity cost of growing transplanted rice. Therefore, growing transplanted rice during in season planting was considered the most effective way, while during the off season, either garlic or Japanese rice could be grown. A collective pattern for planning for using resources together in large plot agricultural areas, together with a clear marketing target would bring about effective use of the resources and reduce the risk in revenue from the fluctuation in prices and uncertainty of yields from drought. Moreover, technology development to solve the problem of the lack of labor would be deemed an important approach toward the enhancement of the competitiveness of agriculturists in the future as well.

This study aims to analyze individual and organizational factors from the perspective of gender amongst millennial employees in creative industries. The populations in this study are employees in the creative industries with sample limited to employee from millennial generation category. Based on these considerations, the sample taken in this study were 202 respondents. The research proves that exogenous variables (ethical behavior of leaders and internal communication) have positive and significant effects for endogenous variables (psychological capital, work attachment, meaning of work) on employees (millennial generation) of the creative industry sector. The results also showed that psychological capital was only determined by the ethical behavior of the leadership, whereas psychological capital was the most dominant variable in determining work engagement. Meanwhile, internal communication provides the most dominant influence on the meaning of work. This research is able to contribute by generating novelty research in the form of literature studies using gender roles. From the gender point of view, millennial employees who are female have the highest value for internal communication, work engagement and meaning of work. Meanwhile, the highest value of psychological capital is dominated by male respondents. Ethical behavior of leaders viewed from a gender perspective has the same value between male and female respondents.

In this paper, the focus is on mechanical systems that, like a ship or a submarine, perform risky missions and that must remain operating for the whole mission time. Missions take place far from the operational base and so, in case of failures, although repairs are possible, spares parts cannot be resupplied. Hence, given space constraints, the problem is to define the optimal set of spare parts that should be taken aboard, to maximize the probability to complete the mission. To solve this problem, we propose a constructive algorithm that generates the Pareto Optimal Frontier of all the non-dominated solutions, in terms of the system’s reliability and of required space. At first, the algorithm is formulated in a generic way; next, it is contextualized to the common case of Weibull distributed failure times. In this condition, the underlying equations of the model cannot be solved in closed form and an approximated procedure is proposed and validated through extensive numerical simulation.

This study examined the causal relationships between inflation, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), domestic savings, and investment in Zimbabwe using Toda-Yamamoto causality tests and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach with secondary data spanning from 1990-2022. The Granger causality analysis revealed a bidirectional causal effect between inflation and GDP, indicating that inflation significantly impacts the country's economic growth. Additionally, the analysis showed a unidirectional causal relationship from inflation to domestic savings, suggesting that high and persistent inflation can erode the value of existing savings and discourage individuals from saving. Furthermore, the study found a distinct causal flow from savings to investment, without feedback in the opposite direction, highlighting the crucial role of a robust savings culture in providing the necessary foundation for sustained investment and economic growth. The ARDL approach provided further insights into the dynamic relationships between these variables. In the short run, lagged GDP and current and lagged savings positively influenced GDP, while the second lag of savings had a negative impact, supporting the Carroll-Weil hypothesis that savings typically follow, rather than precede, economic growth in the short run. The analysis also found a positive short-run and long-run relationship between investment and GDP, supporting the view that investment is an important factor of economic growth. The study recommends that the policy makers can leverage the synergies between savings, investment, and inflation management to foster sustained economic growth and development in line with the government development policies. Developing policies to attract savings and reduce the cost of savings, as well as promoting long-term savings over transactional savings, can increase the country's overall savings base.