Jagannath University

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThis study investigates the determinants influencing life insurance demand across 38 OECD countries over the period 2009 to 2022, with the data sourced from OECD Insurance Statistics, the World Bank, and the World Development Indicators (WDI). The purpose is to identify and analyze the determinants that shape life insurance penetration (premiums as a percentage of GDP) and density (premiums per capita), providing a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics. Using panel data, the study employs a dynamic regression model with Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) to ensure accuracy and reliability, complemented by Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) for robustness. The findings indicate that economic, demographic, and social factors significantly impact life insurance demand. GDP per capita, poverty rates, and healthcare expenditure to GDP significantly stimulate life insurance demand. Life expectancy positively correlates with insurance penetration, whereas a higher dependency ratio adversely affects it. In contrast, inflation and education expenditure to GDP are found to reduce demand. However, urbanization is found to have no significant influence. The study provides actionable insights for policymakers to design strategies that safeguard consumer interests while promoting market expansion. Furthermore, OECD countries stand out as appealing investment destinations within the stable insurance sector. These findings highlight opportunities for insurance companies to adapt offerings to evolving consumer needs, boosting competitiveness and profitability.AcknowledgmentThe authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. Anup Kumar Saha, Lecturer in Accounting at Keele University, United Kingdom, for his valuable intellectual input and constructive feedback.

Garment industry of Bangladesh is an important part of the international supply chain of apparels as well as a significant portion of the economic growth of the nation. As a reaction to the growing pressure of international customers, prudent, and stakeholders, garment companies started to revert to the principles of sustainable supply chains. This paper analyzes the degree in which environment, social and economic sustainable supply chain behaviors are in existence in the garment industry of Bangladesh and the extent by which the behaviors are associated with total sustainability performance. The quantitative research design was used based on survey data obtained among 300 respondents in the managerial level of the export-based garment manufacturing firms. The data were analysed by using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, normality analysis, correlation analysis, and multicollinearity diagnostics. The results reveal a medium adoption of practices of sustainable supply chain in terms of environmental, social, and economic aspects. The results of sustainability performance, however, are relatively poor. The outcomes of correlation demonstrate almost negligible and largely negative links among sustainable supply chain practices and sustainability performance which indicates a fragmented and compliance-based approach to implementation as opposed to integrated sustainability approaches. Reliability analysis also reveals the weakness in the measurement scales of sustainability in internal consistency.The findings are useful in the literature as they offer empirical evidence of a developing country setting and show a necessity of more comprehensive, organized, and situation-specific strategies regarding sustainability. Managers, policymakers, and international buyers that want to enhance sustainability achievements in the global garment supply chain are provided with practical implications.

A study was conducted on the physico-chemical parameters in the Buriganga River at Wise Ghat and Postogola Bridge, Dhaka, Bangladesh, on a monthly basis from October 2023 to September 2024. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the present water quality status based on six selected physico-chemical properties of water including water temperature, transparency, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), pH and dissolved oxygen (DO). Minimum average temperature was observed 19.4 °C in January while maximum average temperature was 33.6 °C in November. The Minimum and the maximum value of average transparency of the river water was determined as 21.8 cm in May and 52.6 cm in October, respectively. Minimum average TDS was 85 ppm in July and maximum average TDS was 403 ppm in May. Minimum average EC was 150 µS/cm in October and maximum average was 589.5 µS/cm in May. pH of the water found more stable round the year which ranged from 7.4 to 7.8 and annual mean pH value was 7.62. DO of the water showed a greater fluctuation, which ranged from 0.9 ppm in May to 7.25 ppm in September. Some parameters were not within the standard limit for aquatic life. A regular monitoring system could be developed to prevent further deterioration of water condition and restoration of the ecosystem of the Buriganga River. Bangladesh J. Zool. 53(3): 285-296, 2025

This article examines Toni Morrison‘s The Bluest Eye through the lens of Frantz Fanon‘s Black Skin, White Masks, highlighting how the pursuit of white beauty standards erodes the selfhood of Black individuals. Fanon explores the pressures imposed by a racist society that compels Black individuals to conform to white norms of beauty, only to leave them trapped in a futile cycle of rejection and self doubt. To exist and belong in a world that privileges whiteness, Black people often sacrifice everything in their struggle for acceptance. Despite relentless efforts to attain societal acceptance, Black individuals face an unbridgeable gap between their identity and the unattainable white ideal. This struggle often results in profound psychological distress, as they confront the impossibility of escaping their Blackness. Fanon asserts that Black individuals cannot shed their racial identity, and this conflict between their intrinsic Black identity and the oppressive expectations of a white-dominated society frequently culminates in a devastating loss of self-identity. In The Bluest Eye, Pecola Breedlove becomes the tragic embodiment of this struggle. Convinced that blue eyes would make her beautiful and worthy of love, she yearns for whiteness as the only escape from her suffering. However, as Fanon argues, black individuals cannot get rid of their racial identity, no matter how much they internalise white ideals. This tension produces profound psychological trauma. The Black subject is forced to negotiate between an imposed ideal of whiteness and their own lived reality of Blackness, a contradiction that inevitably leads to a fractured sense of self. Jagannath University Journal of Arts, v-15, i-01, 2025: p-113-122

T.S. Eliot is one of the major twentieth-century writers and Nobel laureates in English literature. As a poet of the first rank in both Britain and America, and as a critic with a sharper literary taste than many of his contemporaries, he deeply appreciated the work of the Swedish Academy. Upon receiving the Nobel Prize in 1948, he expressed his belief that it represented the pinnacle of international honors for a writer, not merely as personal recognition but as an acknowledgement of the universal value of poetry. In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize, Eliot incorporated his unique Renaissance spirit, literary criticism, philosophical profundity, and spiritual reflections that spoke to the issues of his day. By suggesting that the Nobel Prize is not only a reward but also a responsibility to uphold the values of truth, art, and cross-cultural dialogue, his comments revealed a careful balancing act between humility and responsibility. Eliot's observations demonstrate how poetry functions as a supra-national language that cuts across boundaries and creates an essential bridge of understanding between nations. As a result, his speech transcends its ceremonial function and turns into a statement of literary philosophy that is still relevant today. Accordingly, this article ventures to critically analyze Eliot’s Nobel banquet speech, setting it against the context of other Nobel speeches of his time, while also revisiting his literary significance as assessed by critics across the world. Jagannath University Journal of Arts, v-15, i-01, 2025:p123-130

The Islamization of Knowledge (IoK) is an intellectual endeavor incorporating Islamic precepts into contemporary academic fields. The study examines the reconciliation of secular knowledge systems with Islamic epistemology, resulting in philosophical and ethical issues for Muslim civilizations. The main aim is to explore the historical evolution, goals, methodology, and implementation procedures of IoK. The study employs a qualitative analysis of significant writings and historical progressions to pinpoint essential figures such as Ismail Raji al-Faruqi, Syed Muhammad Naqib al-Attas, and Abdul Hamid A. Sulayman. Their frameworks prioritize the integration of Islamic ideals with modern disciplines via both theoretical and practical methodologies. Research indicates that IoK aims to reconcile knowledge with Islamic principles by bridging the discrepancies between revelation and reason. The findings emphasize IoK's capacity to transform education and intellectual frameworks while also revealing obstacles such as opposition from secular institutions and the necessity for transdisciplinary knowledge. The study's implications suggest that enhancing IoK approaches can bolster Islamic research, promoting a balanced integration of faith and reason within contemporary academia. Jagannath University Journal of Arts, v-5, i-01, 2025: p160-175