درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of micro credits received from Imam Khomeini Relief Committee on the empowerment of the female heads of rural household in the central part of Zanjan City. Design/methodology/approach- This is a descriptive-analytical study based on observation, interview and questionnaire. The statistical population of the present study consisted of female heads of rural households covered by Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in 38 villages of central Zanjan County. To achieve the objectives of the study, all female headed households in 38 villages of central Zanjan (n = 110) were selected using whole population count method. The data collection was conducted using library analysis and field surveys, and the main research instruments were interview and questionnaire. The questionnaire mainly consists of closed-ended questions and answers are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Finding- Micro-credit had the greatest impact on social empowerment of female-headed households and there was a positive relationship between the allocated credit and economic empowerment of female-headed households although the coefficient indicated a weak correlation between the two variables. In addition, these micro-credits contribute to the economic empowerment of female heads of rural households by improving the employment opportunities and income. Practical implications- In light of the financial weakness of rural women, it is suggested that educational classes be organized to improve rural women's empowerment and their access to credit and financial resources through the establishment of cooperatives. Originality/value- The present study explored the capabilities of rural women in different dimensions influenced by micro-credits. The results of this study can help rural development planners and policymakers enhance women empowerment in rural communities.

 The foreign exchange market (FX market) accounts for 40% of the total volume of the world€™s e-commerce by its own. Based on statistics, sometimes up to 90 per cent of the traders lose their total capital in this market just within six months to one year and leave this market. The probability of loss in the FX market can be estimated by probability theory. The present paper intends to demonstrate the loss in the FX market within the frameworks of some developed theoretical models using the data on the exchange rates for the currency pairs (EUR/ JPY, USD/ EUR) for the time interval of February-October in 2013.   According to the results of simulation of the loss in the FX market, a number of factors including the leverage level, the volatility of the exchange rate for the currency pair, inflation rate, spread, the number of the transactions and the number of sudden stop transactions are directly related to the percentage of the loser traders so that any decrease in the above-mentioned factors is accompanied by a decrease in the percentage of the losers in the FX market. Furthermore, based on experimental results, the loss probability in this market is as much as 60% for the lower leverage levels. This value amounts to 99% for the higher leverage levels.         JEL Classification: CO2, C60, C88, F31