The Batuk

Net Assets Value and its Determinants of Mutual Funds in Nepal: An Analysis of Monthly Returns

Damodar Niraula — 2023-01-30

The research work has been conducted to examine the impact of age, total expense, total investment, and turnover ratio on financial performance of mutual funds in Nepal. Out of 29 mutual funds reported by Nepal Stock Exchange Ltd (as on 15 January, 2022), a total of 10 mutual funds following judgmental sampling technique have been selected as sample of the study. Samples are selected with the objective of getting 32 months data (from 12-Feb 2019 to 16-Sep 2021) resulted 320 observations. The required balanced panel data have been extracted from the monthly reports published on respective websites. Based on the regression result, it has been found that the age, total investment and turnover ratio have significant positive impact on net asset value but the magnitude of turnover ratio is negligible. However, impact of total expense on net asset value is positive but not found significant. The result can give mutual fund managers an insight on improving funds performance. On the other hand, the result can be helpful to investors in deciding their investment on mutual funds. Analysis with adding more variables will be beneficial in increasing the generalizability of the findings.

Enterprise Risk Management and Institutional Performance of Life Insurance Companies in Nepal

Nishwarth Mahat — 2023-01-30

The paper aims at determining the performance of insurance companies in Nepal from the perspectives of enterprise risk management. Risk identification, risk evaluation, risk mitigation, risk implementation and management are predictors of performance of insurance firms. A full fledge structured questionnaire survey was conducted among conveniently selected 100 respondents representing key employees from different branches of insurance firms within the Kathmandu valley. Analysis was made using correlation and step-wise regression. The major finding of the study implies that risk identification, risk assessments and risk mitigation affect positively to insurance firms’ performance whereas, risk management and implementation have negative impact on company’s performance. However, only effect of risk mitigation was found statistically significant. Thus, the insurance companies are suggested to focus on risk mitigation to enhance their performance. Finally, the study also recommends that the firms need to pursue enterprise risk management in line with international best practices to ensure productivity and competitiveness at par with global benchmark.

Predicting Entrepreneurial Intentions of Business Students: Test of Integrated Moderated Model

Prakash Kumar Gautam — 2023-01-30

The study aims to investigate the factors affecting entrepreneurial intentions of master level business students in addition to the moderating effect of selected demographic factors. Consolidation of theory of planned behavior and self-efficacy, the study used analytical research design to investigate and analyze the predictors of entrepreneurial intentions among the Master’s Degree Business Management students. Validated questionnaire was used for the survey from the 248 students. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to test sample adequacy and testing hypotheses. The study concluded with significant positive impact of educational support, subjective norms, need for achievement and risk-tolerance on entrepreneurial intentions of students with some selected moderating influences of gender, family background and family and friends support. The study refuted the gender influence in entrepreneurial intentions of management students while significant positive influence of business family background, and family and friend support. The findings of the study are applicable for universities and policy makers for the implementing entrepreneur-oriented course, assignments and evaluation models to create entrepreneurial intentions among the future business owners, managers and business developers. This study has covered the total population of a particular course offered by a university which provided evidence for the originality of the study.

Assessing Legal Provisions and Policies for Improving Decent Work Conditions in Nepal

Prakash Shrestha — 2023-01-30

The purpose of this paper is to assess the legal provisions and policies for promoting decent work conditions in Nepal. It follows an integrative review of different legal documents including laws, policies, and provisions related to decent work in the Nepalese context. The evidence shows that laws and policies enacted by the government form the legislative foundation for the labor markets and decent work conditions in Nepal. Mainly, the Constitution of Nepal, 2015; Labor Act, 2017; Trade Union Act, 1992; Child Labor Act, 2000; and Sexual Harassment at the workplace (Elimination) Act, 2015 have paved the foundation for decent work in Nepal. Furthermore, Industrial Policy, 2010; Social security Fund, 2016; Youth and Small Entrepreneurs Self-Employment Fund; Agriculture Development Strategy, 2015; National Employment Policy, 2015; Foreign Employment Policy, 2012; Sustainable Development Goals, 2017; and Decent Work Country Programme for Nepal (2018-2022) have also presented the guidelines for enhancing the supportive work environment. It is found that the role of government in the transformation of business sectors and enhancement of decent work conditions is imperative, ensuring its freedom of choice, particularly in matters relating to employment relations in countries like Nepal. The findings of this paper can offer guidance for future studies on decent work and can be a milestone for open discussion on numerous legislative norms and regulations on the issue.

The Strength of Corporate Governance Metrics on Organizational Performance of Nepalese Telecom Industry

Rewan Kumar Dahal — 2023-01-30

The purpose of the study was to understand and analyze the strength of corporate governance (CG) on organizational performance (OP) of the Nepalese telecom industry from the employees' perspective. It adhered to a descriptive study approach and employed an organized questionnaire survey instrument. Two market-leading telecommunication service provider companies of Nepal, Ncell and Nepal Telecom, and their employees were considered the object of the study. It collected 387 responses through a random sampling method. The survey instrument included 18 items and was divided into three segments to collect required data that was processed with the help of SPSS and AMOS software. The study identified nine observable CG performance metrics inside two latent variables, management and leadership (ML) and management competency (MC), to evaluate CG performance and revealed that each performance metric offers a partial explanation for the synergistic effects on OP. The study's findings provided evidence to previous studies that CG performance positively and significantly affects the OP. In addition, the results of the study would deliver useful suggestions for comprehending the primary drivers of CG performance metrics in the Nepalese context.

Explorations of Personality: A Psychoanalytic Study of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler

Arjun Dev Bhatta — 2023-01-30

Personality is the combination of behavior, emotion, feeling, motivation, and thought patterns that define an individual. People differ from each other in terms of their personalities and character traits. The unique personality of an individual is based on both internal and external factors which make people act, behave, and perceive the world differently from others. This research paper attempts to expose the personalities of the characters in Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler. However, this article observes in detail the eccentric and unusual behavior of the female protagonist Hedda Gabler. Attempts have been made to investigate the various circumstances responsible for shaping her odd personality. Moreover, it analyzes Hedda’s psyche in the light of psychoanalytic theory proposed by psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Karl Jung, and Karen Horney.

Reduplication in Newar Language: An Empirical Study

Rishi Ram Paudyal — 2023-01-30

This research paper aims to explore the reduplication practices in Newar language and its linguistic relations with other languages. A field survey was conducted among Newar community in Patan. Data was collected through interviews. The collected qualitative data were analyzed using transcription, reinterviews, and re-field visits. The study found that Newar language is very rich in language reduplication. Newar people use reduplication for a number of purposes: plural marking, expressing frustration, expressing unknown and unwilling states, expressing difficult situations, emphasizing dislikes and refusals, expressing urgency, asking somebody to hold on, politely inviting somebody to come, persuading somebody to go, expressing empathy, asking somebody to remain longer and many more. The intention differs from situation to situation, person to person and as per time. The findings of this research may be helpful for those future researchers who want to study reduplication in other languages. Inclusion of impact of other languages on Newar language in terms of reduplication may enrich the findings.

Cultural Displacement in V.S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas

Surya Bahadur Prasai — 2023-01-30

This paper examines the literary text A House for Mr. Biswas in order to explore psychological, geographical, cultural and social alienation and displacement of the migrant people. It makes exploration of how the central character, Mohan Biswas makes the search for identity based on cultural root. Displacement gives birth to the feeling of rootness. Biswas is displaced again and again exclusively as well as inclusively. The people who migrate to other countries for any reason feel the nostalgia for their homeland left behind and a feeling of fear on the strange land that gives birth to the feeling of homelessness. The text explains the difficulties and psychological anguish which create the feeling of alienation and fragmentation within a person in the colonial world. The novel attempts to reveal the hardships of the postcolonial people, endure in their search for self- identity and self-esteem in Caribbean society. V.S. Naipaul presents his experience of dislocation through the central character, who struggles for survival and feels alienated, fragmented, dislocated, and rootless. So, this research paper explores Naipaul's experience of displacement and the struggle of the protagonist in the postcolonial milieu.