Global Academy of Multidisciplinary Studies

Community-driven success in equity crowd funding: A study of brand engagement in Bangladesh two-sided markets

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explain how entrepreneurs can benefit from using a brand community (BC) within a two-sided market, especially when they face difficulties in getting financial support. The study focuses on how ideas from Bangladesh-based research can help us understand online financial services, mainly equity crowdfunding.

Methods: This research was carried out in Bangladesh and used netnography and qualitative methods to study an equity crowdfunding platform (ECFP). Online observations, community interactions, and qualitative data were collected from users of the platform to understand how the brand community works and supports the system.

Results: The study found that in a two-sided market, the brand community around an equity crowdfunding platform (BCB) provides much more than digital funding. Community members also offer skills, social support, personal and professional contacts, and networking opportunities. These non-financial contributions strengthen the whole platform and help both entrepreneurs and investors.

Conclusion: The findings show that a brand community embedded within an equity crowdfunding platform functions as a strategic resource that reinforces digital financing, promotes cooperative interactions, and supports ecosystem sustainability for entrepreneurs, investors, and platform managers.

Limitation: The study is limited to qualitative data from one country and one type of crowdfunding platform, which may not fully represent other regions or financial systems.

Contribution: This study shows how traditional ideas about brand communities can be adapted for modern digital financial services. It contributes to research in marketing, entrepreneurship, and digital finance, and gives managers practical insights for improving investor loyalty and business development in two-sided markets, especially in Bangladesh.

Impact of CSR activities on customer trust and loyalty in the banking sector of Bangladesh

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices in Bangladeshi banks influence customer trust and loyalty. It aims to understand whether CSR helps banks gain a competitive advantage, build stronger customer relationships, and improve long-term sustainability and profitability.

Methods: This study uses a quantitative research approach. Data will be collected through a structured survey using stratified random sampling of 300 customers from at least five major banks in Bangladesh known for their CSR activities. The survey focuses on customer awareness, perception of CSR initiatives, trust, and loyalty, supported by secondary data such as CSR reports and academic literature. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis, covering CSR dimensions such as community engagement, environmental sustainability, and financial inclusion in both urban and rural areas.

Results: The study is expected to show that strong CSR practices improve customer perceptions of a bank’s ethics, reliability, and honesty, which boosts customer trust. Higher trust is likely to lead to greater customer loyalty, including retention and positive word-of-mouth. Banks that communicate CSR activities clearly are also expected to gain more satisfaction and brand advocacy. Findings will identify which CSR activities matter most and how they strengthen long-term customer relationships and competitive advantage.

Conclusion: CSR is expected to significantly enhance customer trust and loyalty and reinforce sustainable competitive positioning for banks in Bangladesh.

Limitation: This study is limited to selected banks and relies on self-reported survey responses, which may not fully capture customer behavior across the entire banking sector.

Contribution: This study contributes to CSR, marketing, and banking strategy by providing empirical evidence on how CSR shapes trust and loyalty. It offers practical guidance for banks and policymakers and provides insights relevant to other developing countries.

Determinants and consequences of share repurchases: Evidence from U.S. public firms

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose: This study investigates the underlying motivations behind share repurchases by U.S. companies and evaluates their impact on firm performance. It specifically explores financial conditions, managerial incentives, and market-related factors that drive buyback decisions, as well as the short- and long-term consequences for shareholders.

Methodology/Approach: A quantitative, deductive approach is applied using data from publicly listed U.S. firms. Secondary data are sourced from Compustat, CRSP, ExecuComp, Bloomberg, and SEC filings. The analysis employs panel regressions, event-study methods, and multiple robustness checks conducted with statistical software such as Stata or R.

Results/Findings: The findings indicate that free cash flow availability and perceived stock undervaluation are the most influential determinants of repurchases. Buyback announcements produce positive short-term market reactions, and firms demonstrate subsequent improvements in ROE and EPS. Nevertheless, share repurchases do not consistently enhance long-term abnormal stock returns. The results also show no significant reduction in investment, R&D, or employment, implying that buybacks are typically financed through excess liquidity.

Conclusions: Share repurchases primarily function as a mechanism for capital allocation rather than a substitute for productive investment. While they generate short-term value for shareholders, their long-term effects tend to be neutral.

Limitations: The study is restricted to U.S. firms and a specific time frame, and endogeneity concerns remain despite methodological controls.

Contribution: This research advances understanding of buyback motives and outcomes, offering insights for managers, investors, and policymakers in evaluating repurchase strategies.

The effect of leadership style and job stress on the performance of Ukrida Hospital employees with job satisfaction as a mediating variable

Ronald Prawira, Adrie Frans Assa — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose: This study examines how leadership style and job stress influence employee performance at Ukrida Hospital, with job satisfaction as a mediating variable.

Methodology: A quantitative survey was conducted with 134 permanent employees (tenure >6 months). Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-PLS).

Results: Leadership style positively affects job satisfaction and performance. Job stress also shows a positive effect on both job satisfaction and employee performance. Job satisfaction further enhances performance and significantly mediates the effects of leadership style and job stress. These findings indicate that challenge-related stress can improve employee outcomes.

Conclusion: The study provides empirical evidence that effective leadership styles and well-managed work stress can enhance job satisfaction and employee performance at Ukrida Hospital. The results highlight the importance of leadership strategies and stress management practices in improving the quality of human resources.

Limitations: The research is limited to one hospital, uses a cross-sectional survey design, and focuses only on employees with more than six months of tenure. These factors may restrict generalizability and the ability to infer long-term causal relationships.

Contribution: This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the dual role of job stress when perceived as a challenge in improving satisfaction and performance, and by confirming the mediating function of job satisfaction in healthcare organizational settings. It also offers practical insights for hospital management in designing leadership and stress-management interventions to improve employee outcomes.

Simile as a means of shaping the concept of narcissism in Dr. Ravani’s IT’S NOT YOU

Kim Yuliya Sergeyevna — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose: This study examines how simile functions as a central stylistic and cognitive device in shaping the concept of narcissism in Dr. Ravani’s It’s Not You, particularly in representing narcissistic abuse, emotional trauma, and recovery.

Research Methodology: The research employs a qualitative interpretive literary–stylistic approach. The primary corpus is Dr. Ravani’s It’s Not You, analyzed through simile identification, thematic classification, and theoretical interpretation using Cognitive Metaphor Theory, Narrative Identity Theory, and psychological trauma literature.

Results: The findings reveal that similes effectively translate abstract psychological phenomena into vivid experiential images. Similes depict the invisible mechanics of manipulation, the cyclical structure of narcissistic abuse, the emotional validation of victims, the fragile vulnerability behind narcissistic grandiosity, and the complexity of post-traumatic recovery. These figurative expressions enhance reader understanding, emotional resonance, and psychoeducational accessibility.

Conclusion: Simile operates not merely as a stylistic ornament but as a powerful cognitive, therapeutic, and narrative tool. Through simile, It’s Not You successfully bridges clinical explanation and emotional experience, fostering both intellectual insight and psychological validation for survivors of narcissistic abuse.

Limitation: This study focuses on a single self-help text and relies on interpretive analysis, limiting generalization across broader literary and clinical discourse.

Contribution: This research contributes to interdisciplinary studies by integrating cognitive linguistics, literary stylistics, and trauma psychology, highlighting the crucial role of figurative language in psychoeducational and therapeutic narratives.