Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024)

Long-term investment decisions are one of the most complicated financial decisions and the need for investigation of its practices has become very crucial in Bhutan. It is evident from the total sample size of 29 RSEBL (Royal Securities Exchange of Bhutan) listed companies and DHI (Druk Holding and Investments) owned companies that they mostly prefer PI (Profitability Index) in capital budgeting decision-making in Bhutan. The findings from this study also reveals that, the project risk assessment tools such as scenario analysis and real options are the dominant approaches among RSEBL listed and DHI owned companies.

This research study was conducted to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of digital banking platforms among Bank of Bhutan Limited (BoBL) customers, specifically in Thimphu Dzongkhag of Bhutan. The study has employed the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework to assess how each independent variables influence the dependent variable toward the adoption of BoBL’s digital banking platform. For this study, data from 408 valid respondents were collected for the analysis. The respondents for the study include only the users’ of BoBL’s digital banking platform residing in Thimphu Dzongkhag. The study found five factors affecting adoption: perceived security and digital trust, digital financial literacy, perceived ease of use, transaction speed and timesaving, and perceived usefulness. Three of these - perceived security and digital trust, digital financial literacy, and perceived usefulness – significantly influenced adoption, with digital financial literacy being the most important factor. Interestingly, the mobile app (mBoB) was used by 84% of respondents, while the BoBNET Retail platform had almost no users. Overall, 61% of respondents reported using BoBL’s digital platforms for daily transactions.

This research has been conducted to provide insight on how liquidity risk, credit risk, and operation risk affect the bank’s financial performance in three different banks (BOBL, BNBL, and DPNBL) in Bhutan measured by Return on Asset and Return Equity. This study is based on an exploratory and quantitative approach seeking to explain the impacts of risk components on banks’ performance. For this, liquidity risk, credit risk, and operation risk were employed as the independent variables whereas ROA and ROE were used as the dependent variable. The liquidity risk is measured by quick ratio and cash ratio, while credit risk is measured by non-performing loan and capital adequacy ratio, and the operational risk is measured by efficiency ratio and cost to income. Secondary datasets were extracted from the audit annual reports of the selected banks for 10 years (2013- 2022). The finding of the study reveals that the operational risk and credit risk has a statistically significant impact on the ROA however, the liquid risk has no significant impact on ROA. In case of ROE, the operational risk has a statistically significant impact but the liquidity risk and credit risk do not have a statistically significant impact.

This study examined the influence of financial literacy (FL) on the investment decisions (ID) of teaching faculty at Gedu College of Business Studies (GCBS) and Gedu Higher Secondary School in Bhutan (GHSS). This research sought to ascertain the level of FL and measure the influence of FL, specifically considering financial attitude (FA), financial behavior (FB), financial skills (FS), and financial experience (FE) on the ID made by the respondents. A quantitative, cross- sectional research design was employed. Out of the total population of 94 teaching faculty, only 77 completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire measured five variables: FA, FB, FS, FE, and ID. Descriptive analysis was used to measure the FL, correlation analysis was used to see the relationship, and regression analysis was used to see the influence of FL on ID. The findings indicated moderate levels of FL among the teaching faculty. There was a positive and moderate correlation between income level and ID. Additionally, the results showed that FL significantly influenced the ID of the teaching faculty. This suggested the importance of enhancing FL, especially among teachers, to enable them to make sound ID.

Improving the FL of teachers can have a ripple effect, empowering them to make wise ID and impart essential money management skills to the next generation. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers and financial institutions to develop targeted financial education initiatives.

Culture significantly shapes individuals' daily lives by influencing the consumption decision. This, in turn, affects the communication strategies of brand marketing. In order to grab consumer attention, brand marketers usually incorporate various cultural elements of their target audience. This paper focuses on understanding how Indian culture is integrated into advertising practices. However, very few works are available in the public domain addressing this subject matter. This scarcity limits the understanding of how cultural elements can be used effectively in brand communication strategies and potentially limits marketers' ability to connect with target audiences effectively. Consequently, this study reviewed only eighteen research works focussed on the use of cultural values in advertisements. Besides, most studies focus on television commercials only. Cross-cultural studies using Indian culture as one of the cultural resources have also been observed in this regard. Additionally, content analysis is a major method that is employed to understand how culture-related aspects are used in advertisements. In addition to that, there has been no standard definition for culture and values so far as shown by this study. Similarly, a model based on Indian cultural values has not yet been established either. In extant literature, this study examines various aspects of the cultural content in advertisements and identifies possible areas for further investigation, such as exploring diverse cultural elements like language, symbols, customs, and rituals. Additionally, research should focus on newer media forms, such as digital and influencer marketing, and the integration of culture to address gaps in modern marketing communication.