Uninterrupted availability of energy and power resources is essential for the productivity and smooth functioning of an enterprise. However, constrained by financial resources, smaller firms in developing economies face a plethora of challenges concerning the access to electricity. However, less attention has been paid in the extant literature to explore this phenomenon. The present study investigates the impact of access to electricity on labor productivity in Bangladesh in the presence of electricity constraints, electricity obstacles, and SME firm size. It employs the OLS regression and propensity score matching (PSM) technique for treatment effect to deal with the selection bias and endogeneity issue using the World Bank Enterprise Survey’s cross-sectional firm-level data for 3196 sample firms over the period of 2007–2013. The results provide evidence in support of SMEs’ labor productivity in response to electricity access. Lack of electricity access was partially found to affect SMEs’ labor productivity significantly negatively. Further, the results show a positive impact of firm size on firm performance. However, results from this model appear that constrained SMEs’ access to electricity has a negative relationship with firm performance. The article then suggests several policy implications on changing government regulations regarding the efficient use of renewable energy resources to enhance electricity generation for optimized SME performance and sustainable economic development in Bangladesh.

Purpose: Since 1990s, the discussion on whether mutual funds can perform better and persistently as compare to market has become an ongoing issue. Current research investigates the performance persistence of equity mutual funds’, particularly in the financial market of Bangladesh.Theoretical Framework: Different researchers have strived to examine the performance of mutual funds by using numerous performance indicators and risk adjustment techniques.Design/Methodology/Approach: The equity mutual funds data for this study are obtained from DSE (Dhaka Stock Exchange) database. The sample set includes all open-end mutual funds from 2010 to 2015. There is no mutual fund that has ceased trade or merged with other mutual funds during the study period.Originality/Value: Broad literature have been directed on the performance and persistence of mutual funds in the American markets, while some of the studies also centered on Australia, China, Hong Kong and U.K. financial markets. However, in the context of Bangladesh’s financial market, no identical research has been carried on the performance persistence of mutual funds.Findings: The results reveal that the managers of equity mutual funds have selective ability to obtain higher returns in Bangladesh. Moreover, the past performance of mutual funds has an impact on their future performance. The size of mutual funds doesn’t have any impact on their performance. The parametric and non-parametric models demonstrate that as compare to long run, equity mutual funds in Bangladesh could perform persistently in the short-run.

Access to finance plays a central pillar on the sustainable firm growth of developing and developed nations. This study depicts the linkage between access to external finance, firm quality, and firms’ performance as measured by labor productivity for sustainable small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs’) development by employing the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and propensity score matching (PSM) techniques to alleviate the selection bias and endogeneity issue on Word bank enterprise survey (WBES) cross-sectional firm-level data of 3,196 Bangladeshi SMEs for 2007–2013 period. Empirical evidence linking access to external finance and labor productivity has been positive and significant. However, our finding explores a negative but significant relationship between exports and SME labor productivity. A further look into the results also exhibits no statistical significance in the interaction effect between firm quality and access to finance on labor productivity. Moreover, the study anticipates novel empirical support that, the disintegration effect of export sales between direct and indirect exports with labor productivity for credit-accessed firms, is also found statistically insignificant. Then, several policies are drawn from the results to gain international competitiveness, and to ensure more external finance channels for enhancing SMEs’ performance and sustainable firm growth.