This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the consumer skepticism literature and to identify future research gaps that can enhance the existing body of knowledge. Using the Scopus and Web of Science databases, a total of 244 articles were extracted for analysis. Performance analysis was employed to identify the most influential authors, countries and documents in the field. In addition, network analysis was used to examine the conceptual structure of the domain. The findings reveal four major thematic clusters representing different dimensions of consumer skepticism research. These themes indicate that the majority of studies have focused on areas such as cause-related marketing and advertising, while the dimension of green skepticism remains relatively underexplored. Although this study adopts a systematic literature review approach through bibliometric techniques, future research may employ alternative frameworks such as TCCM, ADO, or mixed-method approaches for a more comprehensive synthesis. The study offers valuable insights and practical recommendations, contributing to a deeper understanding of the conceptual and social foundations of consumer skepticism research.
This study has examined the influence of ethical leadership on employees’ innovative work behavior with self-efficacy as mediating variable. Respondents were selected using a purposive sampling method, and a total of 227 employees from the financial sector in Bangladesh participated in this study. A cross-sectional research design was employed, and the proposed model was tested using Smart-PLS 4.0. The findings indicated that ethical leadership has a significant positive effect on employees' innovative work behavior. Furthermore, self-efficacy was found to significantly mediate the relationship between ethical leadership and innovative work behavior. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how ethical leadership fosters innovative work behavior through enhanced self-efficacy within the context of Bangladesh's financial sector. The findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical contributions and practical implications. Finally, the study outlines its conclusion, limitations, and directions for future research.
Strengthening the entrepreneurial competency of fisherfolk supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to food sustainability and inclusive economic development. To advance advocacy for enhancing entrepreneurial capacity among fisherfolk, this study evaluated the level of personal entrepreneurial competencies among fisherfolk. It identified the competencies in which they excel and examined variations according to gender, business experience, educational attainment, and age. The study was conducted in San Jose and Sagnay, Camarines Sur, Philippines. A total of one hundred fisherfolk participated in this descriptive research and completed the Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PEC) Questionnaire to assess their entrepreneurial capacity. The findings indicate a moderate level of entrepreneurial competency. Risk-taking ranked highest, while goal setting recorded the lowest mean score. Self-confidence significantly declined with age, whereas gender and business experience showed no statistically significant influence on entrepreneurial competency. Educational attainment demonstrated a significant difference only in persistence. These findings support the development of a competency-based framework to strengthen fisherfolk enterprise capacity.
This study aims to develop and validate a scale designed to measure food retailers’ attitudes toward the impact of trade promotions on supplier selection. The research population comprised food retailers operating in Tekirdağ province, Türkiye. Data was collected from a sample of retailers selected using a random sampling method, employing a mixed-mode survey approach (face-to-face and online). The scale development process followed rigorous psychometric procedures, including content validity assessment, as well as Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The results revealed a stable two-dimensional structure comprising “Economic Incentives” and “Physical and Distribution Incentives.” The findings demonstrate that the scale possesses strong construct validity and high reliability. Unlike previous studies that primarily focus on mathematical optimization or general performance criteria, this study provides a validated instrument for measuring behavioral attitudes toward specific trade promotion tools. The proposed scale offers practical insights for suppliers to tailor their promotional strategies and for retailers to standardize their supplier selection processes.
As an emerging e-commerce model, live-streaming commerce has attracted widespread attention from merchants. Since many merchants do not have their own anchors, they need to hire professional anchors, who are called commissioned live-streaming commerce. Merchants can choose either agent anchors or celebrity anchors, that is, a choice between two different live-streaming channels. Choosing celebrity anchors with large fan bases can crank up higher sales for merchants, but comes with higher commission expenses and potential competition from the anchors' own brand products. Conversely, choosing agent anchors whose popularity is far less than that of celebrity anchors may still bring high profits, as these agents charge lower commissions. Inspired by this interesting phenomenon, the present study examines the challenges faced by merchants in live-streaming channel selection using commissioned live-streaming commerce. The study employs a Cournot model to investigate the issues at hand and analyze the impact of different factors on merchants' channel selection based on simulation. The results show that when the effort cost of a merchant choosing anchors is high and the merchant's brand image advantage is significant, the merchant is more inclined to choose agent anchors; otherwise, the inclination is to choose celebrity anchors. The findings provide support for the decision-making process of different parties involved in live-streaming commerce and thus, promote the sustainable development of the live-streaming commerce industry.
Chinese residential developers face complex challenges during the construction process. In particular, schedule management often becomes uncontrolled, leading to delays that hinder timely fund returns and economic losses, and inevitably reputational damage. Grounded in the theory of project progress management, this study uses the Yun Yue Dong Fang (YYDF) project in China as a case in point to explore and rank optimization strategies for schedule management. As a qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from seven project managers from seven participating developers. Participants included key decision makers, such as contractors and supervisors from the study sample. Interview data were coded and analyzed in NVivo for classification and theme extraction. Six key optimization themes were identified, namely optimization in construction, communication, project planning, design, procurement, and funding. The findings highlight strategies applicable to clients and construction units and emphasize the need to strengthen management and control across units and links in the delivery chain. The study also provides a reference value for the management schedule of project progress in Chinese residential development companies. The six strategies identified possess conditional cross-regional adaptability. Although construction projects commonly suffer from management fragmentation and difficulties in resource coordination, the proposed strategies can inform residential development projects in other developing countries or emerging markets after appropriate localization. Overall, this in-depth case study translates theory into practice, providing an empirically derived, ranked set of strategies for mitigating schedule delays, and offers actionable guidance for stakeholders seeking to stabilize schedules, secure cash-flow cycles, and protect corporate reputation.
The remittance industry is hindered by challenges in retaining customers, including high transfer fees, security risks, long wait times, and variable service quality. This research aims to develop a model of customer retention for remittance providers in Thailand and investigate the inter-relationships between service quality, trust, perceived value, customer satisfaction, retention, perceived risk, and customer switching intentions. A survey of 480 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who transferred money from Thailand to the Philippines was used to collect data through a purposive sampling methodology. PLS Path Modeling analysis was applied to determine the inter-relationships between variables. Service quality has a significant positive effect on trust, perceived value, and customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction and trust are key determinants of retention and switching intention. Service quality has a direct positive effect on retention and switching intention via customer satisfaction and trust. Perceived risk moderates the effect of trust on retention but does not affect satisfaction or trust on switching intentions. To build retention, providers must offer high-quality services that meet customer needs. In addition, managing the perceived risks in relation to security and being transparent are also critical; high perceived risk can reduce the impact that satisfaction and trust have on customer retention. In addition, this study highlights the importance for the remittance industry to develop high-quality, personalization and transparency into their services and utilize digital payment infrastructures to provide OFWs with secure, cost-effective, and convenient ways to transfer funds, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and trust to ultimately enhance long-term loyalty.
Voice assistant (VA) is one of the most popular artificial intelligence (AI) applications among users. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of major stakeholders, namely by affiliation, country, journal, author and article. It is hoped that in using the present study's proposed conceptual structure, a future research agenda will be provided concerning the use of VA as a field of study in its own right. Following the preferred reporting framework for systematic reviews and the PRISMA meta-analyses guideline, 505 articles in the Scopus database were selected, and a bibliometric analysis was conducted using Biblioshiny. Various methods and tools, such as keyword analysis, thematic evolution, and thematic mapping, were employed to analyse the data. This study presents findings on the most influential stakeholders, along with the results of the keyword analysis, thematic evolution, and thematic mapping. Furthermore, by synthesising the bibliometric analysis results, five key research themes, namely technical attribute, trust and privacy, experience, as well as adoption and application context, have been identified. and future research agenda within the field were put forward. This research is an example of an early bibliometric analysis focusing on the topic of VA usage. It is hoped that the findings will contribute to a better understanding of the use of VA and thus, offer valuable insights for practitioners in the VA industry.
Influencer marketing has been expanding at a great pace. This development has prompted increasing academic interest, as many research scholars are now drawn to the study of the formation and impact of parasocial relationships (PSRs) with social media influencers (SMIs). There has been a surge of studies in this area in recent years, giving rise to the need for a systematic review that can consolidate current knowledge and direct future research. The aim of this study is to review and synthesize the theories and dimensions that have been most frequently applied in PSR–SMI research. By applying the PRISMA framework, the study was able to identify 37 documents indexed in Scopus and these research articles were then analyzed on various dimensions. The findings showed that there has been a steady increase in publications on PSRs with SMIs since 2018, with the United States producing the largest share, and more recent contributions have also been emerging from Asia and Europe. Furthermore, 15 theories and 35 variables were identified, based on which a conceptual model has been proposed. This study contributes to the growing literature on influencer marketing by providing a structured reference for future researchers to test PSR-related variables. Moreover, marketing professionals can use the identified variables to refine their process of influencer selection, and prioritize attributes that strengthen PSRs.
The controversy over moonlighting has sparked new investigations into its practices. In this regard, the goal of this study is to assess the gap between moonlighters and non-moonlighters in India with regard to personal concerns such as mental wellbeing, work-related stress, and job satisfaction. To investigate this issue, a sample comprising 1082 employees from 10 cities in India was chosen. The effect of moonlighting on the following seven personal domains of an individual's life: mental health, physical health, sociopersonal relationships, work performance, work-life balance, stress, and job satisfaction were analyzed using a Multivariate analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The analysis revealed statistically significant results. In addition, a multiple univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to explore the distinctions between moonlighters and non-moonlighters with regard to the personal attributes of subjects in the study sample. Results indicate that the non-moonlighters showed better mental and physical health compared to the moonlighters. Furthermore, non-moonlighters also demonstrated better socio-personal relations and work performance, lower stress levels, and higher overall job satisfaction compared to moonlighters. Despite this, moonlighters appear to have a better work-life balance relative to non-moonlighters.
Ownership structure is a key element of corporate governance that helps firms to better perform organizational activities and improve firm growth. Studies have been conducted to expand our understanding of the linkage of corporate ownership structure and firm growth; however, systematization of prior findings is needed to provide a more conclusive picture regarding the nature of the impact of ownership structure on firm growth. The present study used a systematic literature review (SLR) method to review the published research work related to the objectives of this study. It conducted a SLR of 20 selected research articles published in national and international journals from 2009 to 2024. The review has identified that studies conducted on the relationship between ownership structure and firm growth had primarily classified ownership structure into different equity ownership. Prior literature mainly focused on particular ownership categories, namely state vs foreign ownership, family vs non-family ownership and ownership concentration when studying ownership structure in relation to firm growth. The study found that firm growth was estimated mainly by the following three measures: asset growth, sales growth, and employment. Understanding the direction of the effect of different ownership structure variables on firm growth is important for academicians, policy makers, and shareholders. This study has made the evidence more accessible to policy and decision makers. The integrated findings of the study have provided a comprehensive knowledge of the direction of the influence of different ownership variables on firm growth. The study also explores specific components of ownership structure that have been identified in prior research as the most important contributors to firm growth.
This study investigates the factors contributing to the success of women entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Its aim is also to enhance our understanding of the role of these factors in economic development. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, the research examines the experiences of Malaysian women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using descriptive and content analysis methodologies. The findings indicate that external factors, such as limited educational background and poor time management, serve as key motivators. Critical success factors include leadership styles and entrepreneurial skills that enhance competitiveness. The study has been able to contribute theoretically by offering insights into the unique challenges and success drivers of female entrepreneurs in Malaysia, and practically by informing policies and support mechanisms to boost women's entrepreneurial success and its sustainability. It underscores the importance of family and social support, business networks, and government interventions in fostering a supportive environment for women entrepreneurs. The study advocates for targeted interventions to address specific needs, including enhanced access to finance, training, and business networks, to ensure the sustained success of women entrepreneurs in Malaysia.
To date, gender inequality remains a globally concerning issue, especially in politics. Despite evolving trends towards gender equality, Malaysian women remain under-represented in political leadership, even though they constitute approximately half of Malaysia's population. This study aimed to examine gender inequality in Malaysian politics through the lens of whether women are more suitable for political positions. Data of 1313 respondents were used to analyse the biases by using the logit and probit models. Categorical principal component analysis and the Approximate Likelihood Ratio (LR) test were used to examine the reliability and validity of the results. The findings indicated that gender stereotypes strongly influence individuals' biases. The respondents commonly believed that men are naturally born leaders and better compared with women. This perception is shaped by several factors, including the importance of education, professional experience, job availability, and income disparities. A factor of political culture suggests that male leaders are preferred, especially in democratically governed countries. However, surprisingly, Malaysian individuals satisfied with Malaysia's current political system tended to disagree with the idea that men are inherently better political leaders than women. Factors like age, religion, and employment status also contributed to biases against female leaders. In conclusion, this research underscores the enduring gender disparities in Malaysian politics and the detrimental impact of entrenched stereotypes on women's leadership prospects. It is important to address these biases in promoting gender equality and enhancing better human development in the arena of politics.
The significance of social inclusion for achieving sustainable development goals in tourism is widely recognized. However, there is a lack of bibliometric analysis of the scientific evidence in this domain. This study used the SciMAT bibliometric analysis software to examine 145 publications from 2001 to 2023. It has identified dominant themes and their evolution over time, creating strategic diagrams and performance indicators for various periods. The results showed that the research in this field has expanded beyond the limited aspects related to social inclusion, encompassing more advanced subjects such as disability, ecotourism, and tourism development. This study provides a comprehensive review of the existing literature on social inclusion and tourism research and predicts how this field will evolve in the future. It aims to contribute to the knowledge base by identifying common themes and gaps in the research domain, developing new research themes, and suggesting areas for further investigation.
Research to date, has found that organisational justice enhances different kinds of work outcomes in an organisation. However, while most studies have investigated the effect of organisational justice on employees' outcomes via several mediational pathways, a lack of studies is evident on how organisational justice influences employee health via two different kinds of job stressors, namely challenge and hindrance stressors. Drawing from the notion that working conditions are created by upper-level management, the current study tested the influence of organisational justice via challenge and hindrance stressors. Using a cross-sectional multilevel design, 129 individuals from 25 manufacturing companies from Peninsular Malaysia were involved in the study. Results from a Hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analysis indicated that all three, the procedural, distributive and interactional sub-dimensions of organisational justice had a positive relationship with challenge stressors but were not related to hindrance stressors. Interestingly, while hindrance stressors are commonly known to have detrimental effects on employee health, the study's results indicated that these relationships were positive. The study provides evidence that good management practices, mainly via organisational justice, not only boost employees' interpretation of job stressors as positive, but also improves their health.
The increasing mortality rate of family companies worldwide makes the investigation of the problems of succession one of the priorities that has fascinated the community of researchers recently. This study contributes to the analysis of the succession issue from the successor's point of view, through the investigation of the potential successor selection process and choice of determinants. This study's originality is in its attempt to scrutinize the phenomenon in question through the entrepreneurial and sociocultural lens. Also, this study aims to present some managerial implications that can support the founders of Moroccan family-owned SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) in setting up a succession process which will enable them to select their potential successors in an effective way. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was conducted with six managers of five Moroccan family-owned SMEs. The research will contribute towards the scholarly debate about the succession issue, which is considered a significant field that deserves a deeper analysis, especially in the context of Moroccan family-owned SMEs. The results of this study also revealed that there is a heterogeneity of issues in the selection of potential successors from one family business to another and from one business family to another. Indeed, the trust between the predecessor and the potential successor, as well as between the latter and the other stakeholders, the business families' subjective norms (i.e., nepotism, primogeniture, patriarchy), the successor's involvement, the willingness, the motivation, the level of education, the knowledge and the accumulated experiences, are the main determining factors considered when selecting the potential successor of family SMEs.
Disruptive times happen, and there is a chance of unpreparedness confronting the populace. However, it offers opportunities to adopt new methods or reinforce alternative processes in delivering value to customers. Remote work has always been practised globally, but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced its practice. This study examined the connection between remote work management practices (RWMPs) and the operational performance of companies in the Nigerian telecommunication industry. The study’s population comprised the workers of the four (4) prominent telecommunication firms in Nigeria. The telecommunication firms in Nigeria at the point of time of this study were GLO, MTN, AIRTEL, and 9Mobile. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 randomly selected respondents from a target population of 7,756, with 340 participants completing the survey, providing valuable primary data for this study. Descriptive statistical tools and structural equation modelling (SEM) were employed to analyze the data collected. Findings from the empirical study showed that RWMPs significantly and positively influence companies' operational performance in the Nigerian telecommunication industry. It was found that RWMPs substantially improve the operational performance of telecommunication companies in a developing economy like Nigeria. Consequently, it was recommended that the management of the companies in the Nigeria telecommunication industry provide more ICT facilities and other resources to sustain their RWMPs. To ensure that the operational performances of these firms will continue to improve at a geometrical rate management should not allow their staff to waste productive hours in their daily commute to work. The study was limited to telecommunication firms in Nigeria, therefore future studies could expand the scope to include other countries or regions, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon.
The topic of retirement has been the subject of much debate in previous literature. However, there has been limited exploration within the specific context of retirement funds modelling. Therefore, this paper aims to offer insights into the relevance of consumption in retirement modelling through a systematic literature review. The study utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) method for collecting journal articles, focusing on publications from January 2000 to January 2023. From a pool of 1,822 articles sourced from Scopus and WoS, only ten were selected for an in-depth review. This paper emphasizes the methodologies employed in the selected articles and the preditor of retirement planning. The analysis revealed that three articles incorporate consumption in their retirement modelling. However, only one article within the reviewed literature has implicitly suggest the possible effect of consumption as an indirect antecedent for retirement modelling. Considering the significance of consumption, especially its potential drastic changes post-retirement, this aspect proves essential in influencing the overall amount required for retirement planning.
Effective asset management is crucial for organizations that provide high-quality services. However, the management of immovable assets often faces challenges due to time-consuming, tedious, and error-prone paper-based practices. To address these issues, the Malaysian government has introduced MySPATA (Sistem Pengurusan Aset Tak Alih Kerajaan), an electronic-based solution aimed at improving asset management. Despite its implementation, MySPATA has not fully resolved the complications associated with locating and managing assets. This study proposes integrating three-dimensional Geographic Information Systems (3D GIS) into the asset management system to enhance productivity and accuracy. This research focuses on Taman Kobena Hall, which is managed by Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB), utilizing detailed LiDAR scanning and aerial photogrammetry to create an accurate 3D model of the building. The integration of 3D GIS into the asset management system using ArcGIS software enables efficient asset registration, detailed visualization, and comprehensive data querying. The findings demonstrate that 3D visualization significantly improves asset location tracking and reduces reliance on paper-based processes, thus promoting continuous asset updates. The study also addresses the strengths and limitations of this approach. While the initial creation and maintenance of detailed 3D models require significant time and resources, the benefits of improved accuracy, better decision-making, and enhanced visualization are substantial. This research provides robust proof of the concept of integrating 3D GIS in immovable asset management and offers valuable insights for broader applications in various industries.
Within the context of tourism-related activities, numerous factors may influence a traveller’s choice of destinations. Therefore, it is crucial to understand which factors will mostly influence destination selection. It is common knowledge that in a destination selection process, people are likely to visit sites they believe are worthwhile. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used in the study, and the data were collected from twelve experts, including six academicians of tourism and destination marketing, and six tour guides with more than ten years of experience in the sector. The research aims to determine the priority order of consumption values in determining the preferences of tourists for the destinations they have selected. The results show that "epistemic value" was the most important factor in determining a tourist’s choice of destination. Moreover, it was found that the following dimensions, namely functional value, i.e., "worth the money", emotional value, i.e., "feel secure", social value, i.e., "meet friendly and hospitable people", epistemic value, i.e., "providing novelty experiences", and conditional value, i.e., "personal safety" have also been given priority. By identifying the priorities of a tourist in the destination selection process, it is envisaged that tourism businesses operating in tourist destinations will be able to provide better value-added activities, such as in food and beverage, lodging, entertainment, and travel agencies. In providing theoretical and empirical information for those involved in the sector, a more efficient process is thus ensured. With the help of this knowledge of what is expected of tourists as consumers, it will be easier to develop comprehensive strategies and solutions.
