Evaluation of Historical Document Quality: An Interdisciplinary Method (Published)
Historical sources are more and more used in studies relating on extreme events, natural hazards, or environmental sciences. When dealing with these kinds of documents, it is very important to certify the reliability of the historical sources and the data they contain. The consequences of errors of interpretation, unidentified inconsistencies, misleading information on the historical sources and data can be very important for the population, the environmental or town planning, engineering, the economy, industries, insurance companies, etc. This paper aims to present and discuss an innovative method to assess the quality of historical documents: The Historical Document Quality Method (HDQM). This study has required an interdisciplinary work between historians, engineers and mathematicians. The HDQM works in three steps: 1) historical critical analysis, 2) decision tree and evaluation of four criteria, 3) assigning a final score using expert systems. It is a user-friendly, easy-learning, operational and functional method. The results obtained are very consistent as the models developed to assign a final score to historical documents have all a coefficient of determination close to 1.
Keywords: Expert System, Reliability, document quality, extreme events, historical document, methodology
The Philosophical Underpinning for Optimizing Pension Fund Financial Performance Thorough Asset Allocation and Portfolio Management Strategies (Published)
This paper discusses a literature review perspective of the philosophical underpinning for optimizing the financial performance of pension funds through asset allocation and portfolio management strategies in Zambia. A clearly defined philosophical underpinning facilitates for the generation of reliable and credible solutions to problems that is consistent with acceptable assumptions of reality, truth and knowledge. A viable pension fund industry is essential for the smooth operation of financial markets and economic efficiency. The adoption of effective investment strategies that are able to create value on member contributions guarantee meaningful benefits and decent quality of life in deccumulation phase of retirees. The development of a philosophically engraved model that can be used to optimize the financial performance of pension funds is important if such institutions are to remain relevant in economies of nations. This paper concludes that pragmatism is the most appropriate guiding philosophy for investigating the subject at hand and developing a pragmatic model for optimizing the financial performance of pension funds. This entails that each research question under investigation should be used as a basis for the ontological, epistemological, axiological and methodological philosophical positions of the researcher. The mixed method research paradigm is a better approach to comprehensively understand the subject matter and make valid recommendations. In order to develop a pragmatic model that will optimize the financial performance of pension funds, the hybrid research approach ought to be implemented through the explanatory sequential design where the quantitative approach is used to inform the qualitative paradigm.
Citation: Handema M. and Lungu J., Chabala M. and Shikaputo C. (2022) The Philosophical Underpinning for Optimizing Pension Fund Financial Performance Thorough Asset Allocation and Portfolio Management Strategies, International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Vol.10, No.2, pp.36-44
Keywords: Axiology, Epistemology, Ontology, methodology, research paradigm
Interview versus Questionnaire from the Perspective of CBE Members (Published)
Nowadays in academic institutions and educational process, the researchers when intended to translate their research question, aims and objectives into a full-scale research project, are likely to be at the stage of deficiency to organize their research. Consequently, not be able to persuade prospective supporters of its value. Its required, therefore, for improving the research quality, to pay close attention to the research design and consolidate to the appropriate methodology. The present research has been concerning with two clear objectives; firstly, enable researchers, irrespective of their discipline, to promote the most appropriate methodology for their research studies; secondly to make them familiar with the art of using different research methodologies and techniques. The present research, therefore, discussed two important methodologies, such as Interview and Questionnaire from the Perspective of CBE Members. It was considered, in this research, why it is important to have an appropriate methodology of research and how to consider and adjust the quality before quantity to meet the requirements of the different research project.
Keywords: CBE members, Interview, Questionnaire, Survey, methodology
