Businesses

The escalating complexity and sophistication of cyber threats necessitate advanced solutions that not only counteract these threats but also proactively adapt to the evolving needs of diverse stakeholders involved in digital infrastructures, such as telecom operators, cloud service providers, and end-users in sectors like healthcare and finance. This research addresses a crucial gap by focusing on a systemic, AI-powered approach to stakeholder needs analysis in cybersecurity. By aligning closely with stakeholder requirements, the proposed framework aims to offer dynamic, responsive cybersecurity solutions that enhance the resilience of digital infrastructures against evolving cyber threats. This research systematically maps the landscape of stakeholder needs in cybersecurity across different sectors through qualitative methods like interviews and focus groups, supplemented by data from the CyberSecDome project’s pilot cases and open calls. Requirements for an AI-driven framework are then formulated based on these data to identify patterns and predict stakeholder needs. The analysis reveals critical challenges faced by stakeholders, including limited threat intelligence sharing, insufficient automation in incident response, and regulatory hurdles related to data protection laws and evolving cybersecurity legislation. There is a strong interest in leveraging AI for enhanced intrusion detection, real-time threat intelligence sharing, and privacy-preserving information exchange. Full article

A business model, defined as the underlying logic of a company, is not permanent over time. Instead, companies need to introduce innovations in the business model to be competitive in the market. This is even more critical for family firms which are continuously looking for a way to obtain sustainable growth, together with satisfactory performance. The objective of this research is to analyze the impact that business model innovation activities have in the short/long-term growth and performance of family firms. This study was obtained from panel data made up of 112 valid responses from family firms involved in business model innovation. A composite model approach has been used for data analysis. The significant components of BMI that lead to greater growth and performance are identified, the distinction between long-term and short-term effects of BMI on those outcomes is made, and BMI is proven as an authoritative source of competitive advantage and growth in family firms. Those aspects are valuable insights for researchers and managers with regards to which innovation propositions help sustain growth and performance over time. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming much of society in a short time. Regardless of whether we know it, we interact with AI systems when we seek information online, shop, work, and engage with social media. AI has massive potential to promote human wellbeing but also poses considerable risks, as set out in an open letter signed by leaders in the field, such as Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI”. This paper examines how AI can be used as a powerful tool to change pro-social behaviors as part of social marketing programs. We examine opportunities to build on existing efforts to use AI for pro-social behavior changes and the challenges and potential risks that AI may pose. The specific aims of the paper are to explore how AI can be used in social marketing policy, strategy development, and operational delivery. We also explore what this means for future social marketing practice. We present an overview of case studies from the social marketing field and the application of AI in the past, present, and future. We examine the following key question: can these new technologies can be used to promote social good, and if so, how? Through examples from policy, strategy development, operations, and research in social marketing, we examine how AI has been used and successfully applied to improve consumer outcomes and analyze its implications for social marketing. We conclude that AI has substantial promise but also poses some challenges and has potential negative impacts on efforts to promote pro-social behavior changes. Used well, AI may enable social marketers to more rapidly assess how to modify programs of action to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness. We suggest future research and programs within this field. Full article

There has been extensive research and examination dedicated to the advantages and disadvantages of entrepreneurship, both in general and specifically for African Americans. Significant research has been devoted to understanding the economic outcomes of African American men, and there is an area of opportunity to study how African American men, specifically, can leverage entrepreneurship to increase the probability of successful economic outcomes for themselves and their families. Entrepreneurial research has the potential to be leveraged to combat waning labor force participation rates and heightened unemployment rates among African American men. Leveraging the theories of Trust, Goal-Orientation, Logotherapy, and Social Identity Theory, a study was conducted among United States-based business owners. The sample size was forty-one African American male business owners. The results demonstrate how these African American men have leveraged entrepreneurship to build social capital and wealth, while improving their standard of living, as well as highlight the hurdles and barriers they have endured during the process of business ownership. The majority of African American owned business are owned by African American men, and this study provides insights into the phenomenology of African American male entrepreneurs. Full article

In the realms of operations management (OM) and supply chain management (SCM), the significance of the human factor (HF) is increasingly recognised as a pivotal determinant of corporate performance. This burgeoning interest aligns with the recognition that individual characteristics—spanning personality traits, attitudes, and soft skills—play a critical role in enhancing organisational outcomes. Despite growing scrutiny, the discourse is hampered by terminological ambiguity and the conflation of critical human-centric concepts within the OSCM context. Addressing this gap, our study embarks on a mission to dissect and delineate the nuanced distinctions among “soft skills”, “attitudes”, and “personality traits”. By proposing a clear and actionable taxonomy, this paper aims to facilitate the practical application and understanding of these terms within organisational settings. Leveraging the “Knowledge Development Process-Constructivist” (ProKnow-C), we conducted a systematic examination of the existing scientific literature to unearth and critically review pertinent bibliometric and content analyses. Our work not only illuminates the path for future research but also underscores the necessity of clarity and precision in the conceptualisation and application of human-factor considerations in OM and SCM. Full article

This study explores the scholarly literature on emotional intelligence (EI) and psychological capital (PsyCap) using a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to map the research landscape and propose future directions. Data was collected from the Scopus database using specific search queries related to EI and PsyCap, with inclusion and exclusion criteria established to refine the dataset. A total of 39 articles published between 2007 and 2023 were selected for analysis. Utilizing bibliometric techniques through VOSviewer, patterns of citation and collaboration within the field were quantified, capturing descriptive statistics related to citation data and performing network analysis on authors, countries, publications, citations, and keywords. Key documents, sources, authors, organizations, and countries contributing to the discourse on PsyCap and EI were identified, providing insights into the evolution and trends within this field. The analysis revealed longitudinal trends in research output and explored the intersectionality of EI and PsyCap with other individual differences and personality traits. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of knowledge growth in positive organizational psychology, informing evidence-based practices, and guiding future research endeavors. Full article

In recent years, the business environment has experienced a fast-paced change due to issues such as geopolitics or COVID-19. Accordingly, business internationalisation has been accelerated while the approaches followed for such an end have been improved to maintain companies’ competitiveness. Within this context, this paper presents a new framework for the internationalisation of Earth Observation SMEs in two target countries: Australia and Chile. Internationalisation can be an effective strategy for SMEs to grow and expand, but it requires careful research, analysis and agile adaptation to markets and cultures through an integrative and innovative methodology. Secondly, a series of preparatory actions and several internationalisation strategies have been developed, including online bilateral meetings and online trade missions. This work is an innovation driver for the internationalisation of European SMEs, helping them to make the leap into two markets of great interest and in two very attractive sectors, agriculture and maritime, with remote sensing as the nexus. Full article

Using Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2020 as a research sample, this paper examines the relationship between negative media coverage and corporate ESG performance using a two-way fixed-effects model. It is found that, first, negative media coverage can effectively promote corporate ESG performance. Second, the mediation mechanism study shows that negative media coverage positively promotes corporate ESG performance by increasing the degree of corporate financing constraints and information asymmetry and prompting corporations to change their ESG governance level. Third, the results of the heterogeneity test find that the positive relationship between negative media coverage and corporate ESG performance is more pronounced among firms without executives with overseas backgrounds, and the positive relationship between the two is more significant after the promulgation of China’s Code of Governance for Listed Companies in 2018. Fourth, further discussion revealed that negative media coverage has the strongest promotion effect on the performance of corporate environmental governance, followed by social governance performance, and lastly, corporate governance performance. The research in this paper contributes to an in-depth understanding of the impact of negative media coverage on corporate ESG performance and provides empirical evidence to facilitate policy formulation related to the role of media monitoring and to fully utilize the media’s role in corporate ESG governance. Full article

The paper examines the nexus between working capital management (WCM) and financial performance of listed non-financial firms in Ghana. An unbalanced panel data for the period 2008 to 2021 was used for the study. It is observed that the residual terms of the models were cross-sectionally independent and all the series were first-differenced stationary and cointegrated in the long term The elasticities of the predictors were explored via the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and the Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) techniques. The findings of the study indicate that WCM proxied by accounts receivable period (ACP), accounts payment period (APP), and inventory turnover period (ITP) have significant positive effect on firms’ financial performance measured by return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and return on capital employed (ROCE). This suggests that the working capital management practices of non-financial firms in Ghana improve their financial performance. Also, firm size and asset growth improve firm financial performance. On the causalities between the variables, bidirectional causalities between ACP, APP, ITP, size, and thecompanies’ ROA, ROE, and ROCE are disclosed. Finally, causality from growth to the ROA, ROE, and ROCE of the firms are unraveled. It is recommended that policy makers of non-financial firms in Ghana should not overlook WCM practices in their financial decisions, since ignoring them could seriously compromise the firms’ short- and long-term sustainability. Full article

Implementing effective dispute resolution strategies such as negotiation has proved to be quite effective whenever there is a divergence of interest between two conflicting groups. This study aims to see if gender-based stereotypes or specific personality traits can positively or negatively influence negotiation skills in an attempt to improve the negotiation process, whereby individuals could be trained to adopt specific behaviors to obtain more favorable negotiation results. Using the expectancy violation theory (EVT) to analyze how individuals respond to unanticipated violations of social norms and expectations whilst negotiating, a quantitative study was carried out among legal officers working in private, public, and parastatal organizations in Mauritius. The sample size, 270, was calculated based on a population size of 899 as per records of the Mauritius Bar Council. The results demonstrate most legal officers were equipped with good negotiation skills, with no significant difference between males and females (U = 1138.50, p > 0.05), while a high level of neuroticism was indicative of poor negotiation skills (τb = −0.167, p > 0.05). These findings demonstrate that participants agreed that their negotiation skills were influenced in gender-dominated meetings which align with the principles of the EVT, the violation of certain expected negotiation behavior based on gender impact negotiation outcomes. Since negotiation skills were significantly associated with negotiation outcomes (χ2(4) = 37.963, p < 0.05), this provides pointers to businesses on how to improve and optimize negotiation outcomes by choosing a negotiator with the most apt personality traits. Full article

To enhance the competitiveness of the traditional handicraft industry, providers should offer service experiences using their products (i.e., servitization) instead of merely selling them. Effective management for servitization in the traditional handicraft industry must consider the differences in customers’ prior knowledge. Nevertheless, previous studies have overlooked how this knowledge about traditional handicrafts impacts service experiences. This study explores which factors of consumer behavior (during services) and service outcomes (post-services) are affected by customers’ prior knowledge about a traditional handicraft. An organic food restaurant booth was provided at an annual summer festival about pottery as an experiment, and data were collected on customers’ meal experiences with a pottery plate through a questionnaire. The findings suggest that customers’ prior knowledge about a traditional handicraft promotes their search for information from service resources (i.e., organic foods) which are integrated with the traditional handicraft and their creativity during services, thereby changing their understanding of service resources and increasing satisfaction with service experience. This study contributes to services marketing by identifying the factors of during and post-services that are affected by customers’ prior knowledge about a traditional handicraft in the context of servitization. Full article

The need to update an enterprise quality management system (QMS) seems to be more urgent each time. Without adequate updating, the system may not be capable of responding to market changes, generating delivery delays and increasing customer costs and losses instead of allowing industries to improve product quality and services, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction. Thus, the present research deals with a case study of a Mexican metal mechanics industry certified to ISO 9001:2015 with the need to update its operating QMS. Due to reasons for growth, the industry has added new activities to the processes and modified others, working in the integration area to improve efficiency and efficacy. Therefore, an analysis of strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats (SWOT) was performed. The status of the processes was evaluated, creating a document with new activities and updating those that showed non-compliance. The results of this investigation have the purpose of contributing to the importance of QMS empirical evidence in emerging countries and increasing quality studies in Mexican industries. Full article

Objective: In recent years, management accounting in higher education institutions has undergone significant changes due to the various New Public Management (NPM) reforms. One of the management accounting tools that has been advised to HEIs is Activity-Based Costing (ABC). With this evolving field of research, this article aims to analyze research in international scientific journals focusing on ABC in HEIs. To this end, this article provides an overview of how research in this area has evolved. We present an overview of the past, present, and future of research in the field of the ABC model applied in HEIs. Methodology: Through a systematic literature review, the Web of Science and Scopus databases were used as a source of articles. Our analysis is based on a total of 139 articles. We used a systematic literature review combining different bibliometric techniques. These allowed us to develop a mapping of the literature on the application of the ABC model in HEIs, which helps us better understand the research related to the topic and its evolution. Results: It is concluded that the existing literature on this topic has developed along three lines of research: implementation of ABC as a cost-control method, TDABC as a time-based cost-control method, and the application of the ABC Method in health services. Originality: Based on the results found, this article identifies avenues of research that can be explored, namely the study of the application of ABC in the education sector, and provides a research agenda for future studies. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a paradigm shift in supply chain and logistics operations to respond to myriad disruptions. However, this paradigm shift has changed the supply chain to be more resilient, agile, flexible, and adaptable to upcoming disruptions. Hence, a comprehensive guide to understanding, implementing, and harnessing the power of digitization in the face of disruption, leading to a more resilient and adaptive global community, is greatly appreciated. Thus, this study aims to identify the strategies used in the complex and dynamic nature of the contemporary supply chain landscape for these disruptions. Among several strategies adopted and proposed, this systematic review examines overall efficiency and operational resilience, particularly supplier diversification, investment in digital supply chain technology, and adopting flexible manufacturing models. Following a rigorous four-step identification, screening, qualification, and inclusion process, this review focuses on real-time visibility, robust risk management, and data-driven decision making to determine whether future disruptions under digitization are conducive. Therefore, this systematic review, along with these enhanced resilience strategies, will provide a comprehensive resource for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers seeking to navigate and improve logistics and supply chain operations in the face of future disruptions. Full article

As is widely known, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected tourism and related activities globally. Due to the restrictive measures implemented for gatherings and movements in order to limit the spread of the virus, conferences and conference tourism received a strong shock since the majority of them were canceled or postponed. At the end of the first quarter year, many countries, like Greece, started organizing digital and hybrid conferences. Therefore, there was a reset in the conference industry as the time when travel was limited allowed the organizers, as well as others involved, to work remotely. The present study aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on conference tourism and, more specifically, how hotels and their conference facilities were affected. In addition, the pursuit of potential opportunities through the ‘New technologies’ adopted, as well as the shaping of the industry in the post-COVID-19 era, are studied. This is achieved through a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with 27 executives of hotels that offer conference facilities in Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Rhodes in order to examine whether this specific sector has adapted to the new reality. The analysis of data in this form of research revealed that the pandemic had benefited conferences to some extent, but only under certain circumstances. Full article

Quantum computing is emerging as a groundbreaking force, promising to redefine the boundaries of technology and business. This paper provides an in-depth examination of the quantum realm, beginning with its fundamental principles and extending to its implications for today’s industries. We discuss how quantum algorithms threaten existing cryptographic measures while also uncovering vast opportunities in sectors like finance, healthcare, and logistics. The narrative then shifts to the evolution of new business models, exemplified by Quantum-as-a-Service (QaaS) and enhanced AI capabilities. Alongside the myriad opportunities, we address the challenges and ethical concerns surrounding the swift rise of quantum technologies. By emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts among businesses, policymakers, and technologists, the article advocates for a balanced and responsible approach to quantum adoption. Through this analytical lens, the article paints a comprehensive picture of the impending quantum era, presenting both its transformative potential and the complexities it brings to our interconnected world. Full article

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of entrepreneurship leadership on youth’s entrepreneurial intentions in Gauteng province, South Africa. To test this relationship and attempt to answer the research question, “To what extent does entrepreneurship leadership influence youth entrepreneurial intentions post-COVID-19?” a conceptual model supported by the theory of Planned Behaviour was adopted. Data were collected from 825 youths in Gauteng province, South Africa, through a self-administered questionnaire. The Likert scale was applied to the questionnaire. Entrepreneurship leadership was observed to directly relate to attitude towards entrepreneurship and perceived environmental support and entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial action. Furthermore, the results provide evidence that the three antecedents of entrepreneurial intention: attitude towards entrepreneurship, perceived entrepreneurial abilities and perceived COVID-19 environment influence entrepreneurial intention. Participation in entrepreneurship leadership was observed to positively influence youth intentions to become entrepreneurs. Furthermore, policymakers are encouraged to ensure the implementation of regulations that are conducive to business operations and stimulate youth participation in entrepreneurial activities. The obtained results suggest that attitude towards entrepreneurship and perceived environmental support are observed to completely and partially mediate (respectively) the relationship between three independent variables (entrepreneurship leadership, perceived post-COVID-19 environment and entrepreneurship education) and entrepreneurship intention. Leadership in entrepreneurship is crucial as it creates direction for the business in the post-COVID-19 era. This study attempts to address the gap in the literature concerning the effects of entrepreneurial factors on entrepreneurial intentions through the use of Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour. Full article

Digital transformation plays a significant role in modernizing and improving the efficiency of ports around the world. However, digitalization also brings a set of challenges that ports must face. They have to respond to several unique challenges because of the complexity of their operations and the varying demands of stakeholders. This study seeks to identify and summarize the challenges of digital transformation processes in ports. For this purpose, the World Ports Sustainability Program database was used. The findings revealed 74 digitalization initiatives carried out by ports, which makes it possible to recognize 7 dimensions and 32 sub-dimensions of challenges to the digital transformation process. Among the identified dimensions are port infrastructure, the interconnection between various systems, the port organization model, regulation, security and privacy, market evolution, and the establishment of partnerships to implement these projects. The results of this study are relevant to mitigate the risks of the digitalization process in ports and respond to market needs that demand greater transparency and visibility of their operations. Full article