Bolton and the missing link : a banker's analysis of the lending relationship with small businesses

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Inside ‘Inside View’: reflections on stimulating debate and engagement through a multimedia live theatre production on the dilemmas and issues of pre-natal screening policy and practice

Background The role of applied theatre in engaging both lay and professional publics with debate on health policy and practice is an emergent field. This paper discusses the development, production performance and discussion of ‘Inside View’.1 Objectives The objectives were to produce applied theatre from research findings of a completed study on genetic prenatal screening, exploring the dilemmas for women and health professionals of prenatal genetic screening, and to engage audiences in debate and reflection on the dilemmas of prenatal genetic screening. Methods ‘Inside View’ was developed from a multidisciplinary research study through identification of emergent themes from qualitative interviews, and development of these by the writer, theatre producer and media technologist with input from the researchers. Findings Inside View was performed in London and the Midlands to varied audiences with a panel discussion and evaluation post performance. The audiences were engaged in debate that was relevant to them professionally and personally. Knowledge translation through applied theatre is an effective tool for engaging the public but the impact subsequently is unclear. There are ethical issues of unexpected disclosure during discussion post performance and the process of transforming research findings into applied theatre requires time and trust within the multidisciplinary team as well as adequate resourcing.

Does lending behaviour of banks in emerging economies vary by ownership? Evidence from the Indian banking sector

While much has been discussed about the relationship between ownership and financial performance of banks in emerging markets, literature about cross-ownership differences in credit market behaviour of banks in emerging economies is sparse. Using a portfolio choice model and bank-level data from India for 9 years (1995–96 to 2003–04), we examine banks’ behaviour in the context of credit markets of an emerging market economy. Our results indicate that, in India, the data for the domestic banks fit well the aforementioned portfolio-choice model, especially for private banks, but the model cannot explain the behaviour of foreign banks. In general, allocation of assets between risk-free government securities and risky credit is affected by past allocation patterns, stock exchange listing (for private banks), risk averseness of banks, regulations regarding treatment of NPA, and ability of banks to recover doubtful credit. It is also evident that banks deal with changing levels of systematic risk by altering the ratio of securitized to non-securitized credit.

Communicating Cuneiform:The Evolution of a Multimedia Cuneiform Database

Our paper presents the work of the Cuneiform Digital Forensic Project (CDFP), an interdisciplinary project at The University of Birmingham, concerned with the development of a multimedia database to support scholarly research into cuneiform, wedge-shaped writing imprinted onto clay tablets and indeed the earliest real form of writing. We describe the evolutionary design process and dynamic research and developmental cycles associated with the database. Unlike traditional publications, the electronic publication of resources offers the possibility of almost continuous revisions with the integration and support of new media and interfaces. However, if on-line resources are to win the favor and confidence of their respective communities there must be a clear distinction between published and maintainable resources, and, developmental content. Published material should, ideally, be supported via standard web-browser interfaces with fully integrated tools so that users receive a reliable, homogenous and intuitive flow of information and media relevant to their needs. We discuss the inherent dynamics of the design and publication of our on-line resource, starting with the basic design and maintenance aspects of the electronic database, which includes photographic instances of cuneiform signs, and shows how the continuous review process identifies areas for further research and development, for example, the “sign processor” graphical search tool and three-dimensional content, the results of which then feedback into the maintained resource.