The Harvest

Customer Loyalty and Relationship Marketing in the Nepalese Telecommunications Sector

Bhanu Bhakta Sharma, Bhupendra Jung Shahi, Rewan Kumar Dahal — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

RM (Relationship Marketing) and CL (Customer Loyalty) have attracted a great deal of academic and professional attention over the past few decades. RM became a key trend in the marketing and management industries. Mobile communications networks have been a prominent infrastructure driving substantial economic growth in developing countries like Nepal. This study investigated CRM (Customer Relationship Marketing) and CL in the telecommunication industry in Nepal. A descriptive and causal-comparative research design has been adopted for this study as it seeks to identify the key variables of CRM and CL in the telecommunication industry in Nepal. Using survey methods, structured questionnaires with a five-point Likert scale on each dependent and independent variable were administered to obtain responses from mobile users. In this study, quantitative techniques have been used to analyze primary data collected through a survey. This study found a positive relationship between CL and its variables trust, communication, commitment, and conflict handling. Trust and commitment were the primary factors of CL in RM in the Nepalese telecom industry, with varied effects according to the measures of CL.

Impact of Credit Risk Management on Profitability of Nepalese Commercial Banks

Churamani Pandey, Bimla Kumar Joshi — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the impact of credit risk management on profitability of Nepalese commercial banks. Default rate, cost per loan assets and capital adequacy ratio are the independent variables used in this study. The dependent variables are return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). The secondary sources of data have been used from annual reports of selected commercial banks and supervision report of Nepal Rastra Bank. The regression models are estimated to test the significance and effect of credit risk management on profitability of Nepalese commercial banks. The beta coefficient of default rate and cost per assets with profitability (ROA, ROE) has been found negative and statistically significant. The negative sign indicates that there is statistically negative relationship between default rate and cost per loan assets with profitability. Likewise, the beta coefficient of capital adequacy ratio with ROA and ROE is found to be positive and statistically significant. The positive sign of beta coefficient indicates that there is statistically positive relationship between capital adequacy ratio and profitability. The study thus recommends an effective credit risk management for commercial banks of Nepal that maintains an optimum level of capital adequacy ratio, controls and monitors cost per loan assets and balances default rate to enhance financial performance.

Sociopolitical Dimensions of English in Nepal

Hriseekesh Upadhyay — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Nepal is an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) country where teaching and learning of English was disallowed under the Ranas for political reason while English took root in the rest of South Asia under the British colonial dispensation for over two centuries. English was adopted as a useful tool to enhance Nepal’s standing and to strengthen its relations with the outside world after the Ranas were removed from ower in 1951. This research paper dwells on how choosing English for use in a nation for education, business and foreign relations constitutes a political act and how Nepal’s political history guided the resistance to use English in the nation and how the changed political scenario pushed the country to adopt teaching and learning of English in a big way. Political thinking even determines how the choice of English is described at the official level to camouflage it as a purely nationalistic invention dubbing it as one of the U.N. languages which Nepal as a member must master to play its role in the world body. This research paper seeks to highlight the context of EFL in Nepal in the past fifty years, describes the modes of teaching and learning of English in the country and tries to demonstrate that English in Nepal does not fall under the nstitutionalized variety of English such as Indian or South Asian English.

A Narrative Inquiry into Communication Professionals’ Competencies in Nepal’s Development Workplaces

Prashant Gnawali — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Communication professionals in development organizations are regarded as the voice of the organization they represent. As such, it’s important that these professionals be competent at what they do. Currently, the discourse on the competencies of Nepal-based development organizations is rich and vibrant as many research endeavors and reports cover their successes and achievements every year. However, there’s little to no literature for communication professionals who ‘voice’ the very same development organizations. This narrative inquiry sheds light on how communication professionals self-assess their competencies. The outcome of this study’s exploration led to a common narrative shared by the research participants. The narrative showed Nepal’s development organization’s communication professionals holding themselves to a very high competency standard and striving to meet and exceed those standards in each responsibility they fulfilled for their organizations. This strongly implies further research is vitally necessary on Nepali communication professionals.

Student and Teacher Perception on English Language Use in Foreign-University-Affiliated Colleges in Nepal

Rajendra M. Singh, D.N. Joshi — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Foreign-university-affiliated colleges in Nepal offer a new dimension in education delivery with many opportunities and benefits. Students in these colleges are exposed to an international curriculum and a prospect of learning in an English language environment. On the one hand, Nepalese students can complete their higher education in Nepal and the nation could keep the tuition revenue from leaving the country. On the other hand, students from other countries could be attracted to these colleges and help boost the national GDP of Nepal. Furthermore, a better English language prospect has tremendous benefits to students in today’s connected world where Nepalese students can globally compete in terms of jobs or other professional prospects. The perception of Nepalese students and teachers on the English language use is generally positive despite many differences in terms of the factors such as urban vs. rural, private schools vs. government schools, as well as their educational background and place of origin. This paper examines the prospect of English language use in foreignuniversity- affiliated colleges in Nepal and the significance of such colleges as well as the importance of the English language to Nepal.

Determinants of Stock Market Price in Nepalese Commercial Banks

Shanker Dhodary — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to analyze determinants of stock price of Nepalese commercial banks. The study is conducted by using quantitative method followed by descriptive research to make brief and accurate study on selected variables and pooled cross-sectional data that are collected from NEPSE listed banks at one point in time. The data are collected covering the period from the F/Y 2011/12 to 2020/21. Ten commercial banks are selected as representative of target population of 26 commercial banks. The research variables are book value per share, PE ratio, firm size, dividend payment, return on equity and market price per share. Under the statistical analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression analysis are conducted. Descriptive statistics shows the book value per share and firm size of Nepalese commercial banks have been found steadily growing whereas the profitability, dividend and stock performance in market are quite volatile. The P/E ratio is found to be nil in some of the year due to no earnings per share of particular bank. Share price of Nepalese commercial banks is positively correlated to BVPS, PE, ROE and DIV whereas negative relationship with
firm size (FS). Among the independent variables, all variable except firm size (FS) are statistically significant. Regression results reveals that BVPS, PE, ROE and DIV have positive and significant impact on MPS whereas firm size (FS) has significant and negative impact on MPS.

Political Consciousness in the Select Works of Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Richard Wright

Shreedhar Gautam — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This paper introduces three writers Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Richard Wright to explore the socio political consciousness reflected in their select works. The first two writers come from African countries which have gone through the experience of colonialism and neo-colonialism that resulted in common social, political and economic problems. As a result, the literature that emerged from these countries has a unifying theme despite diverse sociological contexts. Richard Wright, with an African origin, is a prominent black writer from America. It is evident from wright’s writings that he writes with a political consciousness born out of his understanding of Marxism. These three writer of twentieth century display their creative talents to raise the consciousness of the suppressed people in their own countries and the world over. An effective presentation of the contemporary social as well as political problem has become the primary task of these writers, and the select works taken here serve as evidences.

Educational Policy and Teacher Professional Development: A Thematic Review

Siddhartha Dhungana, Laxman Gnawali — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Educational policy is a key factor to reinforce quality education in every nation. The policy always grows under the influence of global and local trends and needs. This article explores policy formation mechanisms and concentrates on the relationship between teacher professional developments with educational policy. It highlights major strategies of teacher professional development in the educational policy of Nepal. It uses thematic articles and research articles to discuss the policy issues from the global and local levels with issues like language policies and educational policy. It uses National Educational Policy 2076 and SSDP 2016-2023 for a detailed analysis of teacher professional development strategies projected and secured at the national level. It has used interpretive mode to discuss the teacher professional development strategies projected in national educational policy 2076.

Teasing out History: Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children towards Mock Heroism

Tara Prasad Adhikari — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This paper claims that Rushdie develops his protagonist Saleem as an unreliable anti-hero. In doing so, the novel borrows tools and techniques of Mock Heroism. The Restoration and Augustan authors John Dryden and Alexander Pope are chiefly responsible for the mock-heroic genre. A mock-heroic book parodies the heroic style in literature in a sarcastic fashion, mimicking the actions or manner of a hero, often comically in nonheroic circumstances. Saleem claims to be the new India’s voice, taking on significant political responsibility and “evoking” these heroic deeds. He is, however, powerless, nd his magical ability to spy on people is dependent on a disproportionately large nose. His reliance on his cucumber nose to sense the true history is really hilarious. In this sense, Saleem is undoubtedly an absurd hero because his attempt to recapture what has been already lost is an absurdist attempt. Saleem is well aware that his historical account of India will be incomplete anyway. Despite this, he does not hesitate to boast that he is the truest of the historians and his version of India is much better.