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Abstract
A decision not to prohibit or limit high-risk mortgage products in Ireland in 2005 reveals the extent to which three important factors – interests, institutions, ideology – impact on information processing by decision-makers, and reveals irrationality or otherwise in the process. This article summarises the events leading up to the bad decision on 100 per cent loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages in November 2005. This case reveals the nature of the interaction between government departments, regulators and banks at a critical time before the crash, and shows how a department's interests can interact with institutional factors, and the ideological context, to prompt poor rational and irrational information processing, and lead to a bad decision. In particular, the dominance of a market ideology which raised the threshold for what information was necessary before intervention would be made, combined with the low institutional standing of the department seeking intervention, produced a suboptimal outcome. Finally, the case provides evidence of irrationality (e.g. groupthink, herding) within institutional actors, rather than between them.

PurposeThis study investigates the effects of vertical direction and rotation of English loan brand names in East Asian languages (Chinese and Korean) on processing fluency, perceived product quality and purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachFour experiments were conducted in China and Korea, employing a 2 (vertical direction: downward vs upward) X 3 (rotation: 0°/marquee vs 90° clockwise vs 90° counterclockwise) between-subjects factorial design.FindingsThe findings showed that when the English loan Chinese brand name was displayed downward, the marquee format was preferred, while counterclockwise rotation was favored when displayed upward. In Korean, clockwise rotation was preferred for downward presentation, while counterclockwise rotation was favored for upward presentation. The effects on purchase intention were mediated by processing fluency and perceived product quality.Practical implicationsThis research provides practical implications for global manufacturers and retailers, offering guidance on presenting brand names in East Asian languages and optimizing product packaging designs. For Chinese consumers, the marquee format is recommended for downward-oriented brand names, while counterclockwise rotation is effective for upward orientation. For Korean consumers, clockwise rotation is favored for downward presentation and counterclockwise rotation is preferred for upward presentation. Understanding linguistic habits allows the tailoring of brand presentations, enhancing brand perception and consumer responses.Originality/valueThis study contributes to understanding the role of cultural and linguistic influences on consumer information processing and product perception in vertical presentations of brand names.

"Credit reporting is a critical part of the financial system in most developed economies but is often weak or absent in developing countries. It addresses a fundamental problem of credit markets: asymmetric information between borrowers and lenders that can lead to adverse selection and moral hazard. The heart of a credit report is the record it provides of an individual's or a firm's payment history, which enables lenders to evaluate credit risk more accurately and lower loan processing time and costs. Credit reports also strengthen borrower discipline, since nonpayment with one institution results in sanctions with others."

A study was undertaken to determine the role of agricultural co-operative societies as institutional source of finance to processing mills in Cross River State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from a random sample of 150 respondents in the study area by means of structured questionnaire. The first stage involved random selection of fifteen local government areas from eighteen local government areas in Cross River State. This was followed by random selection of one village in each of the fifteen local government areas of Cross River State. Ten respondents were randomly selected from each of the fifteen co-operative societies making a sample size of 150. The study revealed that agricultural co-operative societies in Cross River State were established between 1980 and 2008. The study also revealed that the major reasons for the formation of farmers' co-operative societies in the study area is to enable farmers to obtain loans (60%) and farm inputs (6.67%). The result of the findings indicated that 90% of the agricultural co-operative societies in the study area have membership contribution as the major source of funding. The study revealed that cooperatives funded rice processing mill(12 %), groundnut processing mill( 14.67%), oil palm processing mill(6.67%), cassava processing mill(7.33%), palm kernel processing mill(5.33 %), pineapple juice processing mill(3.33%), plantain chip processing mill(8%), soy bean milk processing mill(8.67%), alcohol (local gin ) processing mill( 5.33%), fish processing mill/animal feed processing mill(6.67%), maize processing mill(6%), sugar cane processing mill(3.33%), tea processing mill(2%), cocoa processing mill( 6.67%), and cashew nut processing mill( 4%). Based on these findings, it was recommended that agricultural co-operative societies should be well organized and properly managed in Cross River State. Managers and members of cooperatives should cooperate and collaborate with government agencies such as universities and formal financial institutions for extra training.

International audience ; Due to the advanced technology associated with Big Data, data availability and computing power, most banks or lending institutions are renewing their business models. Credit risk predictions, monitoring, model reliability and effective loan processing are key to decision-making and transparency. In this work, we build binary classifiers based on machine and deep learning models on real data in predicting loan default probability. The top 10 important features from these models are selected and then used in the modeling process to test the stability of binary classifiers by comparing their performance on separate data. We observe that the tree-based models are more stable than the models based on multilayer artificial neural networks. This opens several questions relative to the intensive use of deep learning systems in enterprises.

International audience ; Due to the advanced technology associated with Big Data, data availability and computing power, most banks or lending institutions are renewing their business models. Credit risk predictions, monitoring, model reliability and effective loan processing are key to decision-making and transparency. In this work, we build binary classifiers based on machine and deep learning models on real data in predicting loan default probability. The top 10 important features from these models are selected and then used in the modeling process to test the stability of binary classifiers by comparing their performance on separate data. We observe that the tree-based models are more stable than the models based on multilayer artificial neural networks. This opens several questions relative to the intensive use of deep learning systems in enterprises.

Real estate markets are pivotal to financial stability given their dual role as the underlying asset of crucial financial products in financial systems, such as mortgage loans and asset-backed securities, and the primary source of household wealth alike. As such, they also play traditionally a crucial role for the transmission of monetary policy. Imbalances and sudden corrections in real estate markets have been the root cause of many financial crises over the last decades. But whereas some national, often survey-based indicators of real estate prices are provided by central banks and statistical offices, a comprehensive collection of purchase prices, rents, and proxies for the liquidity of European real estate markets is lacking. The IWH European Real Estate Index (EREI) seeks to fill this void for residential property. This technical report describes the gathering and processing of sale and rental prices for properties in 18 European countries. We provide the general scrapeing step in the section before describing country-specific details for each country in separated sub-sections.

Fish processing activities in some communities of Rivers State were investigated to determine the role of women in its development and sustainability. Fifty structured questionnaires were randomly distributed in five communities (10 per community) across three local government areas of the state. The results from the study indicated that most of the respondents are young and married women. They are actively involved in fish processing activities in combination with fishing. The women had between 6 and 10 years of experience in fish processing. In the study area, women utilized smoking as major processing methods, with mullets, sardine, and tilapia as major species processed by the women. Fish processing in these communities is done mostly by smoking using a locally made kiln which can dry a lot of fish at a time. Occupational hazards associated with fish processing include skin rashes, redness of the eye, offensive body odor, and bruises. Moreover, insufficient capital, lack of modern processing facilities, poor storage facilities, and scarcity in fish supply have been identified as major constraints facing women involvement in processing activities in these communities. There is, therefore, the need to empower the women fish processors in these areas through granting of loans and credit facilities, capacity building, introduction of improved fish processing equipment, and storage facilities. These will go a long way in enhancing fish production, improve their livelihood, and boost socioeconomic status of these women processors in the study areas.

Cheese production is a good method of creating a balance in the supply and demand of milk as it tends to absorb excess milk during the peak season- from to July to January, which would just be sold in time during the Christmas holidays. From July to December of every year, there is a relatively low demand for fresh milk because of high expenses during the holiday season which is the best time when cheese production is in full operation. One of the components of a DA-BAR funded research project titled "Commercial Production of Soft, Semi, and Hard Cheeses from Goat, Buffalo, and Cow's Milk" is the implementation of cheese processing technology transfer and adoption among dairy farmers and entrepreneurs for a more sustainable commercial production. The main objective of this study is to document the technology transfer initiatives by the project and the status of technology adoption by the beneficiaries. Key informant interview was also conducted where basic questions were asked: size of operation, volume of production, market, and problems encountered in the course of their operation. Nine selected dairy farms in the Philippines were given technical assistance through capability building (trainings) and advisory services. Three of the project beneficiaries have adopted the technologies shared by the project: a) Gouda and Havarti cheese by Farm A; b) Edam cheese by Farm C and c) white cheese or kesong puti, yoghurt and kefir by Farm E. Only one project beneficiary did not encounter any problem; the remaining eight beneficiaries identified the lack of technical expertise and the lack of dairy processing facilities and equipment as their major problems. To address the problems identified by the project by the project beneficiaries, the following recommendations are given: a) continuous provision of technical assistance and advisory services; b) conduct of monitoring and evaluation to determine if there are improvements in the operation because of the interventions; c) assistance in providing linkage with government agencies to avail of grants or loans to acquire dairy processing facilities; and d) assistance in the procurement of raw materials (rennet and starter culture) by giving referrals to suppliers offering cheaper yet good quality products. These initiatives are just one of those provided by concerned government and non-government agencies which aim to provide more efficient processing technologies resulting to lower production costs and higher yield and income and motivate local dairy farmers-entrepreneurs to venture into commercialization of cheese production.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report, part of GAO's performance and accountability series, discusses the major management challenges and program risks facing the Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA has taken steps to address several challenges that affect its ability to provide quality service. However, many weaknesses remain that must be addressed. For example, SBA needs to strengthen its oversight of its lending partners to decrease the potential for waste, fraud, and abuse. SBA must also focus its 8(a) business development program on issues that concern 8(a) small businesses, such as obtaining government contracts. Additionally, SBA should revise its disaster loan processing procedures so that claims are processed in a timely manner."

In view of the importance of credit to agriculture and rural development, it is the objective of this study to provide an assessment of the capability of hog raisers" cooperatives as conduits of agricultural loans in Laguna. To attain this objective, the analytical methods namely, 1) Standard Performance Rating Approach, 2) Logistic Regression Analysis, and 3) Pearson and Spearman Correlation Analyses were employed. The primary data were generated from nine cooperatives and 31 hog raiser-members. Data from secondary sources were also obtained to further assess the capability of the subject cooperatives from Cooperative Development Authority Regional Office and hog raisers" cooperatives. The results of the analyses showed that one out of the nine cooperatives had a rating of Very Satisfactory, while three and four of them had attained Satisfactory and Fair Performance Rating, respectively. Only one cooperative had an adjectival rating of Needs Improvement. It is established that the capability of a cooperative as a conduit of credit is dependent on its member borrowers. Results of the logistic regression analysis revealed that increased profitability, farm size, and liquidity significantly and positively affected the capability of the member-borrowers in making timely payments. On the other extreme, the cooperatives financial capability indicators namely, assets, profitability, operational strength, solvency were positively correlated with capability of its member-borrowers to make timely payments. Only net institutional capital had negative association with the member-borrowers" capability in making timely payments. Thus, the cooperatives were still viable conduits of credit as long as the capability of the member borrowers was enhanced. This in effect led to higher profitability and financial sustainability among hog raisers" cooperative in Laguna. The study also revealed that the internal control is important in insuring the success or capability of cooperatives to be a conduit of agricultural loans to its farmer-members. The underperformance of the cooperatives reflects the internal control weaknesses surrounding both their financial and administrative functions resulting to their slow development that stem from 1) poor record-keeping, data processing and financial reporting 2) poor reliability of financial reports 3) absence of updated book of accounts 4) absence of financial records of individual hog raisers and other members 5) lack of qualified managers and audit committee 6) lack of accounting and accountability methods/analysis for financial and operational planning 7) weak monitoring mechanism to control the quality of receivable portfolio 8) weak capital build-up 9) presence of unfunded or poor statutory reserves 10) independence of cooperatives compliance officers & monopoly of leadership 11) absence of organizational and functional structure and 12) weak record preservation system. Thus, the study recommended that government should devise and implement a sound credit and technical assistance program that will benefit the hog raisers cooperatives. If possible, they should be given training and assistance to enhance their loan absorptive capacity as conduit of credit.

Cheese production is a good method of creating a balance in the supply and demand of milk as it trend to absorb excess milk during the peak season - from July to January, which would just be sold in time during the Christmas holidays. From July to December of every year, there is a relatively low demand for fresh milk because of high expenses during the holidays season which is the best time when cheese production is in full operation. One of the components of a DA-BAR funded research project titled "Commercial Production of Soft, Semi, and Hard Cheese from Goat, Buffalo, and Cow's Milk" is the implementation of cheese processing technology transfer and adoption among dairy farmers and entrepreneurs for a more sustainable commercial production. The main objective of this study is to document the technology transfer initiatives by the project and the status of technology adoption by the beneficiaries. Key information interview was also conducted where basic questions were asked: size of operation, volume of production, market, and problems encountered in the course of their operation. Nine selected dairy farms in the Philippines were given technical assistance through capability building (trainings) and advisory services. Three of the project beneficiaries have adopted the technologies shared by the project: a) Gouda Havarti cheese by Farm A; b) Edam cheese by Farm C and c) white cheese or kesong puti, yoghurt and Kefir by Farm E. Only one project beneficiary did not encounter any problem; the remaining eight beneficiaries identified the lack of technical expertise and the lack of dairy processing facilities and equipment as their major problems. To address the problems identified by the project beneficiaries, the following recommendations are given: a) continuous provision of technical assistance and advisory services; b) conduct of monitoring and evaluation to determine if there are improvements in the operation because of the interventions; c) assistance in providing linkage with government agencies to avail of grants or loans to acquire dairy processing facilities; and d) assistance in the procurement of raw materials (rennet and starter culture) by giving referrals to supplier offering cheaper yet good quality products. These initiatives are just one of those provided by concerned government and non-government agencies which aim to provide more efficient processing technologies resulting to lower production costs and higher yield and income and motivate local dairy farmers-entrepreneurs to venture into commercialization of cheese production.

Milk and dairy products contains important source of nutrients for human well-being. This dairy sector continuously subjected to economic and socio-structural changes plays an important role in Benins economy. Restructuring and implementation of appropriate conditions are two fundamental targets of dairy processing development policies,which will increase the level of production, ensure high quality of products and improve livelihood of local population. The main objective of this study was to determine the factors curbing the development of small-scale dairy processor units located in urban and suburban zone in southern Benin. Data were collected through individual interviews and group discussion based on structured questionnaire, which were designed to collect information relating to: socio-structural, processing capacity, packaging and preservation, marketing, supports and major constraints faced by dairy units. It was observed that processing units using fresh milk and powder milk have a daily capacity ranging between 21-50 L and 11-20 kg respectively. The most important dairy products are Yogurt, Wagashi and Degue. None of dairy processors units performed the qualitative analysis (microbiological, chemical or nutrient content). Because of the packing and conservation default, the cheese is sold as soon as produced then they have no preservation methods applied, this could cause losing the quality of cheese. Lack of governmental regulations and difficulties to access loans are the main constraints restraining the business activities. The finding of study provided information that should be taken into account when implementing new policies to ensure an industrialization and sustainable development of this vital sub-sector.

Cassava is seen among the common crops grown in Nigeria. This nation can make a lot of foreign exchange from cassava through the export of its finished products. The National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Ilorin in April 2018 conducted a National Mechanization survey exercise in Ekiti State purposely to investigate the present level of agricultural mechanization available for cassava processing operations. The stratified sampling technique was used for conducting the survey exercise in the State. Survey results revealed for the nine (9) cassava processing operations involved showed that cassava peeling and washing operations were 100% dominated by manual processing method in all the cassava processing units visited in the State. A total of 68.96% was recorded for manual processing method for the nine (9) processing operations involved for cassava. It was also noted that a total of 20.31% was recorded for mechanical processing method for the six (6) cassava processing operations involved as grating, dewatering and milling operations contributed to this figure. Cassava became an important crop almost grown in all parts of Nigeria as the Federal Government of Nigeria showed great interest in promoting the export of cassava chips to China and also the inclusion of 10% of cassava flour with 90% of wheat flour in the making of bread. Because of the importance of this crop to the Nigerian economy, the Ekiti State government is advised to assist cassava processors in their State with loan facility they can use to procure cassava processing machines for use in their various organizations in boosting cassava processing operations in Ekiti State of Nigeria.

Microfinance institutions in Ethiopia are playing an important role in poverty reduction strategies initiated by the government of Ethiopia. These institutions have a mission of creating and facilitating credit and other financial schemes to enhance self-employment opportunities and poverty reduction. To address the main objectives of the study, four Microfinances were selected for the study purpose. The study was aimed at identifying and analyzing the potential factors that affects repayment performance of micro and small scale enterprises and individual entrepreneur borrowers using the structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Accordingly, in order to achieve this objective 319 sample borrowers were selected from the total of 2910 borrowers served by those selected MFIs. The descriptive statistics analysis and probit regression model was employed to estimate the model and analyze the results of findings. The result shows that ten variables including constant: sex, income from other sources, monitoring utilizations of other members in a group, credit timeliness, repayment time suitability, repayment trend on monthly basis and training adequacy are found significant and positively influence loan repayment performance of borrower. While loan utilization for the intended purpose, repayment trend on irregular basis and visit & follow-up on irregular basis was found negatively influence the repayment performance of borrowers. The extensive involvement and interference of third parties on the decisions of loan approval processing to lending institute were found as a contribution for high defaulting. Thus, it is recommended that the lending institutes needs to focus on monitoring loan utilization systems of borrowers and technical support needs of the target borrowers through delivering better awareness creation to organize the more viable borrowers, close supervision and follow-ups and strengthening their internal and external weaknesses though better integration with key partner stakeholders. Key words: Microfinance, loan repayment, loan utilization, integration, stakeholders