EAST WEST JOURNAL OF BUSINESS AND SOCIAL STUDIES

Understanding the Needs of the Youths and their Coping Strategies

Md. Anwar Hossain — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Youths are the most energetic and productive segment of the total population of any country. Generally, transitional period from childhood to adult- hood is considered as youth. But the age limit of youth varies from country to country. People in Bangladesh within the age group of 18-35 years are considered as youth as per its National Youth Policy. Among the total population of Bangladesh about one-thirds are of youth group. As individuals move into youth from adolescence their needs and demands are changed. But what is the nature of needs of the youths of Bangladesh? Do they face any barrier to meet their needs? What kind of strategies do they follow to meet their needs? These questions should be addressed with empirical evidence for the betterment of the youths. Therefore, an exploratory study has been carried out by following qualitative approach to address the abovementioned research questions and the findings have been presented in this paper with policy implications and concluding remarks at the end. The findings show that quality education, pure and fresh food, healthcare and reproductive health services, employment opportunity, housing with utility services, training for skill development and recreational facilities are their prime needs. They could fulfill their needs to some extent but still there are a lot of barriers to fulfill their needs. Accordingly, they adopt a variety of indigenous mechanisms to cope with this situation. However, the findings would be useful for the policy makers, social workers and development practitioners, and create a new avenue for further study in this field.

Fostering Influencer Driven Purchase Intention through Facebook Live: The Persuasive Role of Brand Trust

Sibat Masood, Nayeema Sultana — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Companies nowadays find it effective to collaborate with Facebook influ- encers who host informative live sessions on brands and gradually create an emotion laden relationship with their followers using the platform. How- ever, for a brand to sell in the market, it must be trusted by the consumers. This study examines the role of brand trust in inducing consumers’ pur- chase intention when the endorsement information is publicized by promi- nent Facebook influencers who also happen to have a strong emotional bond with the followers. Using the PLS-SEM method, this study drew em- pirical results from 320 online users who follow at least one Facebook in- fluencer’s live endorsements. Selectively chosen respondents stated that emotional attachment with Facebook influencers built over live streaming platforms and the perceived informative value of their live sessions reaffirm their brand trust which in turn stimulates their willingness to purchase the recommended brands. Building on the notion of trusting belief, this re- search confirmed that even over a highly engaging and interactive platform like Facebook Live, influencers’ informative endorsements and their emo- tional connection with the followers cannot activate purchase willingness if brands do not evoke trust in the viewers’ minds. This study suggests that, marketers who are willing to leverage influencers for endorsing their brands through Facebook live sessions should carefully collaborate with those in- dividuals who have expert knowledge in specific product categories and emotional involvement with their viewers as these are the drivers for estab- lishing brand trust.

The Determinants and the Magnitude of their Effectiveness on Online Learning during Covid 19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors and the extent of their effects on the effectiveness of online learning in Bangladesh during the COVID 19 pandemic. Moreover, this study intends to examine the mediating role of students’ online learning motivation by observing and comparing information and communication technology infrastructure, competencies in information and communication technology, and students-teachers interaction as predictors of students’ online learning motivation and effectiveness of online learning. Following the positivism research paradigm and cross-sectional design, the researchers adopt a quantitative approach using the survey method through a structured questionnaire covering 408 responses of undergraduate and graduate students from more than 23 public and private universities in Bangladesh. The 6-point Likert scale was used to measure the extent of effects of competencies in information and communication technology, competencies in information and communication technology, students-teachers interaction, and online learning motivation on the effectiveness of online learning using partial least squares based structural equation modeling. This study investigates three exogenous, one endogenous, and a mediating factor. This study finds significant effects of independent variables on effectiveness of online learning and a significant mediating role of online learning motivation between the independent var- iables and effectiveness of online learning apart from the direct effects of information and communication technology infrastructure on online learning motivation and competencies in information and communication technology on effectiveness of online learning. In addition, this study finds nonsignificant direct effects of competencies in information and

Factors Influencing the Consumer Behavior: A Comparative Study between Public and Private University Students in Bangladesh

Ashek Mahmud, Rokeya Parvin, Farhana Kabir — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing consumer behavior with a comparison between public and private university students in Bangladesh. Using a structured questionnaire, a survey was conducted of 200 students from two different universities. With the use of SPSS-26, the chi-square test was used to make a comparison between public and private universities. Results depict that the preference for brands and the awareness about consuming products were significant factors that influenced the consumer behavior of university students. It was evident that students of the public university were more aware of purchasing local quality products, and private university students were more interested in foreign brands. Most importantly, media advertisement was dominant and secondly, family friends were shaping perceptions of consumer interest that contributed to forming attitudes toward consumer culture. Alongside, feelings of superiority based on consumption level and the fascination with shopping malls shaped attitudes toward purchasing products in line with consumer behaviour. Balanced consumer behaviour was suggested to the educated youths for cultural development in Bangladesh.

Prospects and Challenges at Kuakata Sea Beach for Sustainable Tourism Development: A Qualitative Analysis

Jashim Uddin Sarker — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Kuakata sea beach in Bangladesh has seen increased tourist growth since the Padma Bridge opened in 2022. Little is known about the obstacles and opportunities Kuakata has in implementing sustainable tourism. The purpose of this research is to look into the various prospects and challenges of sustainable tourism at Kuakata sea beach. The qualitative methods used in this study consisted of semi-structured stakeholder interviews; thematic analysis identified five key challenges such as environmental degradation, infrastructure and facilities development, socio-cultural issues, behaviour problems, and marketing, monitoring, and evaluation. The most significant obstacle to promoting sustainable tourism in Kuakata is beach erosion. Along with these challenges, this study has identified four new prospects such as exploring new tourist sites, developing community-based tourism, introducing a new tourist route, Payra seaport- new door to possibilities of tourism.