Type of the article: Research Article AbstractPublic-sector transformation initiatives often generate organizational tensions that influence employees’ reactions to change. Despite the growing importance of public-sector transformation programs, empirical evidence on the relationship between organizational conflict and employee resistance to change remains limited, particularly within the context of Saudi Vision 2030. This study examines the association between organizational conflict and employee resistance to change in Saudi public-sector institutions undergoing transformation. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed using data collected from 384 employees across Saudi public-sector organizations. The questionnaire was developed based on the organizational conflict and resistance-to-change literature and adapted to the Saudi public-sector context. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and simple linear regression. The findings reveal a strong positive and statistically significant relationship between organizational conflict and resistance to change (r = 0.612, p < .001). Regression analysis indicated a statistically significant positive association between organizational conflict and employee resistance to change (β = 0.612, p < .001), explaining 37.5% of the variance within the analytical model employed in this study. Significant differences in resistance levels were also observed across gender, age, years of experience, and job level. The findings suggest that organizational conflict represents an important factor associated with employee resistance during large-scale transformation initiatives. The study highlights the importance of effective conflict management, transparent communication, and employee involvement in supporting successful public-sector transformation.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThis study responds to the limited understanding of how transformational leadership is associated with lecturer performance through psychological and behavioral mechanisms in higher education. Focusing on private universities in Indonesia, it examines a sequential mediation model involving work motivation, affective commitment, and entrepreneurial orientation. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted from March to June 2025 using a non-probability purposive sample of 174 full-time lecturers. Data were collected through structured questionnaires with validated scales and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS. The results indicate that transformational leadership is positively associated with work motivation (β = 0.417, p < 0.001) and affective commitment (β = 0.200, p < 0.001). Work motivation is positively associated with affective commitment (β = 0.705, p < 0.001), while affective commitment is positively associated with entrepreneurial orientation (β = 0.462, p = 0.015). Entrepreneurial orientation is also positively associated with lecturer performance (β = 0.171, p = 0.007). However, the results do not support a direct association between work motivation and entrepreneurial orientation (p = 0.251) or between affective commitment and lecturer performance (p = 0.374). The sequential mediation results suggest that transformational leadership is indirectly associated with entrepreneurial orientation through work motivation and affective commitment, and that work motivation is indirectly associated with lecturer performance through affective commitment and entrepreneurial orientation. These findings highlight the relevance of a sequence between psychological and behavioral aspects in explaining lecturer performance while avoiding causal claims beyond the cross-sectional research design. AcknowledgmentThis publication was supported by Maranatha Christian University (Grant number:017/REK/ UKM/SE/VII/2026).
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThe performance-related associations of circular practices may differ because waste recovery, recycled-input use, and circularity-related investment involve distinct costs, investments, and organizational mechanisms. This study examines heterogeneous associations between organizational circularity components and economic performance across 25 industrial enterprises in the Ukrainian operating and European comparison subsamples during 2013–2023. Fixed-effects regressions, decomposition, lagged and subgroup models, a non-imputed subsample, a balanced common-support window, pooled interactions, wild-cluster-bootstrap inference, and Holm adjustment were applied.The aggregate circularity index shows no statistically significant short-term association with EBITDA margin (β = +0.0222; p = 0.894).The decomposed components show different coefficient profiles, but formal heterogeneity is sample-sensitive: coefficient equality is not rejected in the full-panel decomposed model (M2) (p = 0.101) but is rejected in the non-imputed model (M3) (p = 0.002). Recycled-input use is predominantly negative and nominally significant in the one-period lag-only (M4) and Ukrainian operating subsample (M6) models, although neither coefficient survives Holm adjustment and the lagged estimate is not reproduced in the combined model. Circularity-related eco-capex is positive in M3 and the European comparison subsample model (M5), where it is supported by unadjusted wild-cluster-bootstrap (p = 0.0198) and Holm-adjusted CR1 inference (p = 0.0273). The country-context interaction block is jointly significant (p = 0.042), with RI × UA as the only individually significant interaction (β = –1.566; p = 0.038).The findings indicate that aggregate measures may conceal component-specific patterns, but most associations remain sample- or specification-sensitive and should not be interpreted causally. Enterprise assessment should distinguish recovery, material-substitution, and investment-modernization channels.
Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractIntensifying urbanization has created significant social, economic, and environmental sustainability challenges. The study aims to analyze the sustainable development of urban agglomerations in Kazakhstan. Five urban agglomerations (Aktobe, Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, and Shymkent) are evaluated using our methodological framework, which involves social, economic, and environmental sub-indices and their aggregation into an integral Urban Agglomeration Sustainability Index interpreted according to our normalized scale. The analysis utilizes 21 indicators from the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, covering the period from 2016 to 2024. Findings indicate that the population of Kazakhstan’s urban agglomerations increased to 8,885.1 thousand people (27.0%) between 2016 and 2024. Ongoing urbanization is characterized by both polarization and scale effect. Kazakhstan’s urban agglomerations remain in a developing stage, exhibiting mostly quasi-sustainability (level B). In 2024, the Urban Agglomeration Sustainability Index was 18.2 (A) for Astana, 16.2 (B) for Almaty, 14.5 (B) for Karaganda, 13.0 (B) for Aktobe, and 11.1 (B) for Shymkent, out of a maximum of 27. The hierarchy of leaders (Astana and Almaty) and outsiders (Shymkent) has remained stable throughout the period. Functional specialization is evident: Astana demonstrates high social sustainability (7.4, A), Karaganda excels in economic sustainability (7.0, A), and Aktobe leads in environmental sustainability (6.0, A). These results underscore the need for comprehensive, balanced policies that foster simultaneous development across economic, social, and environmental domains, reduce interregional disparities, and establish mechanisms for sustainable growth.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractElectronic commerce growth across Middle East and North Africa economies has increased the importance of logistics capability, shipment visibility, and delivery reliability. This study corrects an earlier United Arab Emirates-only annual time-series framing by aligning the empirical design with the official survey-wave structure of the World Bank Logistics Performance Index. The analysis uses only the official Logistics Performance Index waves: 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and the 2023 editions. It examines whether logistics competence, measured by the competence and quality of logistics services sub-index of the Logistics Performance Index, is associated with tracking-and-tracing performance and delivery timeliness. Green human capital is used only as a theoretical boundary-setting lens; the empirical construct is explicitly limited to logistics competence because the Logistics Performance Index does not directly measure environmental training, green skills, or workforce sustainability capability. A separate exploratory test uses macro carbon efficiency, calculated as the negative logarithm of World Bank carbon intensity of gross domestic product. The country-wave panel covers 20 conventional Middle East and North Africa economies, with two-way fixed-effects regressions estimated on 116 complete observations from 19 economies. Logistics competence is positively associated with tracking-and-tracing performance (coefficient = 0.519; p-value < 0.01) and delivery timeliness (coefficient = 0.416; p-value < 0.01), while its within-country association with macro carbon efficiency is statistically insignificant. The findings support a conservative logistics-competence/performance association but not claims that logistics competence alone produces cleaner logistics at the macro level.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThis study examines whether logistics performance mediates the relationship between economic complexity and national innovation outcomes. The sample comprises the top-20 economies of the Global Innovation Index (2025) and Ukraine, observed over 2020–2024. The mediation model is estimated on the 2024 cross-section (n = 21) using OLS and the Baron–Kenny procedure. Cross-sectional point estimates indicate an indirect effect via the Logistics Performance Index of 7.585 GII points, 46.3% of the total effect (c = 16.366, p < 0.001), while the software–expenditure channel fails the Baron–Kenny conditions. The pooled panel corroborates the channel: the indirect effect equals 6.551 points (52.0% of the total effect), with the LPI–GII path highly significant (p < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis shows that the mediation is identified primarily by the contrast between the innovation frontier and Ukraine: excluding Ukraine, the ECI–LPI path loses significance while the LPI–GII path remains robust, consistent with saturation of the logistics channel within the frontier, where LPI varies only between 3.6 and 4.3. The bootstrap confidence interval for the indirect effect includes zero at n = 21, so the mediation findings are suggestive rather than confirmatory. Fixed-effects estimation shows that the ECI–GII relationship is predominantly structural (within-R2 = 0.056), while LPI retains within-country significance (β = 3.60, p = 0.042). An illustrative arithmetic scenario translates Ukraine’s LPI gap to the sample median into approximately 16 GII points. Findings position logistics infrastructure as a first-order margin for catching-up economies seeking to convert productive complexity into innovation capacity. AcknowledgmentsThis research contains results of the research “Fundamentals of Sustainable and Inclusive Regional Spatial Development for Post-War Reconstruction in the Context of Digital Transformation” (№ 0125U001620, 2025-2027) funded by a grant from the state budget of Ukraine.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractUrbanization and energy investment are increasingly interconnected, yet previous studies provide conflicting evidence regarding their relationship across different regional contexts. The relationship is particularly relevant to international business because regional differences in urban development and energy investment may shape the conditions for infrastructure-related investment. This study examines the relationship between changes in urban ecosystem indicators and energy investment growth across eight global regions from an international business perspective. The analysis is based on urban indicators derived from the Global Human Settlement Layer and energy investment data from the International Energy Agency. Urban indicators are aggregated for the ten largest cities in each region, comprising 80 cities, while energy investment is measured at the regional level. Percentage changes between 2015 and 2025 are compared using a 2×2 classification based on cross-regional median values across 20 urban–energy matrix combinations. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity. China most frequently exhibits Above-Median Urban Change–Above-Median Investment Growth configurations in 16 combinations, while India most frequently exhibits Below-Median Urban Change–Above-Median Investment Growth configurations in 12 combinations. Africa and the United States most frequently exhibit Below-Median Urban Change–Below-Median Investment Growth, whereas Latin America most frequently exhibits Above-Median Urban Change–Below-Median Investment Growth. The European Union, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East show borderline patterns because of tied configurations. These findings indicate that changes in urban ecosystems and energy investment do not follow a uniform regional pattern. The results support a context-dependency in which institutional and regional contexts are relevant to understanding urban–investment relationships.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThis study investigates how flexible work arrangements influence innovative work behavior, focusing on work–life balance and leader–member exchange among female employees in the formal sector. Using boundary theory and the theory of planned behavior, this study involved 135 female employees from the emerging formal economic sector in Riau, Indonesia. Female employees were selected as research subjects because they generally face greater challenges balancing work and family responsibilities than male employees. Data were collected via a survey. This study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed relationships. The findings indicate that flexible work arrangements have a positive and significant effect on work–life balance (β = 0.500, p < 0.000). Work–life balance has a positive and significant effect on innovative work behavior (β = 0.325, p < 0.048). Flexible work arrangements have a positive and significant effect on innovative work behavior (β = 0.427, p < 0.000). However, leader-member exchange has no significant effect on innovative work behavior (β = –0.111, p < 0.448). This study confirms that work–life balance does not mediate the relationship between flexible work arrangements and innovative work behavior (β = 0.162, p < 0.097). These results indicate that flexible work arrangements drive innovative work behavior. This study contributes to the literature on innovation and human resource management by explaining how flexible work arrangements shape innovative work behavior in formal organizations through work–life balance. AcknowledgmentWe would like to express our gratitude to the Pelita Indonesia Business and Technology Institute for providing research funding through an Institutional Research Grant, which has enabled this research to be carried out successfully and will continue in the years to come. This research publication was funded by the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Directorate General of Research and Development, based on Decree No. 0488/C/DT.06.01/2025 dated December 11, 2025.
Type of the article: Theoretical Article AbstractNational cybersecurity opens new opportunities for digital transformation and helps counter the growing threat of cyberattacks. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology and identify the most influential predictors of national cybersecurity in global competitiveness, utilizing the data mining approach. To assess the impact of cybersecurity characteristics, modern machine learning methods were implemented in the Salford Predictive Modeler software environment, including Classification and Regression Trees, Random Forest, Stochastic Gradient Boosting, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines, Generalized Path Seeker, and classical regression. Data mining was conducted using the World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR) indicators, constructed by the Institute for Management Development, and the National Cybersecurity Index (NCSI), constructed by the e-Governance Academy, for 64 countries as of 2024. Three groups of countries were identified with different predicted levels of competitiveness, underscoring the importance of balancing the development of both external and internal components of cyber defense. The empirical results demonstrate that countries with strong cybersecurity management capabilities achieve higher competitive positions, even with limited participation in global cyber initiatives. At the same time, active global involvement without sufficient internal readiness does not create sustainable competitive advantages. The regression tree provided a transparent allocation of key subfactors, with global cybersecurity contribution and cybersecurity management playing leading roles. The significance of the study lies in shaping methodology and state policy in cybersecurity, human resource development, regulatory framework enhancement, and digital ecosystem strengthening. AcknowledgmentsThe paper is prepared within the scientific research projects “Digital transformations to ensure civil protection and post-war economic recovery in the face of environmental and social challenges” (№0124U000549) and “Drivers and barriers to human capital transformation for a circular and green economy” (No. 0126U001080).
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThis study examines the relationships among institutional support, investment capacity, regional planning and linkage, digital transformation, and logistics infrastructure development along the Vietnamese segment of the East–West Economic Corridor, together with the moderating role of international economic integration. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from November 2025 to March 2026 through online and in-person questionnaires administered to managers and professionals from government agencies, logistics service providers, and infrastructure actors in Quang Tri province, Hue city, Da Nang city, and other relevant locations. Respondents had direct professional involvement in the planning, financing, implementation, operation, management, or assessment of logistics infrastructure. After data screening, 298 valid responses were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Institutional support (β = 0.287), digital transformation (β = 0.271), investment capacity (β = 0.242), and regional planning and linkage (β = 0.133) were positively and significantly associated with logistics infrastructure development, and the model explained 57.8% of its variance. International economic integration weakened the positive relationships between institutional support and logistics infrastructure development (β = –0.126) and between investment capacity and logistics infrastructure development (β = –0.110). In contrast, international economic integration strengthened the positive relationship between digital transformation and logistics infrastructure development (β = 0.106), while its moderating effect on the relationship between regional planning and linkage and logistics infrastructure development was not statistically significant (β = –0.051, p = 0.268). Therefore, international economic integration is not uniformly enabling, as its implications depend on institutional alignment, financing adaptability, and digital readiness.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThe ongoing economic crisis within Lebanon underscores the urgent need to identify internal mechanisms supporting organizational resilience. The primary objective of this study is to establish the empirical pathways linking transformational managerial behaviors to individual job performance and employee innovative work behavior via the intervening mechanism of psychological empowerment within small businesses in Lebanon. Methodologically, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to data collected during October and November 2025 via structured electronic questionnaires, utilizing a convenience sampling method with a sample of 400 full-time SME employees across diverse industry sectors and organizational tiers. The empirical results demonstrate that transformational leadership exerts a potent direct effect on psychological empowerment (β = 0.569, p < .001) and retains a statistically significant direct relationship with job performance (β = 0.186, p = .016), establishing a partial mediation framework where the indirect pathway through empowerment (β = 0.351, p < .001) highly enhances task execution. Similarly, innovative work behavior also operates under a partial mediation framework where transformational leadership displays a significant direct impact (β = 0.280, p < .001) alongside a robust indirect effect via empowerment (β = 0.299, p < .001). The study demonstrates that under conditions of persistent macroeconomic instability, the capacity of transformational management to optimize both baseline job performance and creative adaptations is significantly amplified by cultivating internal psychological capital, establishing that employee empowerment serves as a vital structural buffer when external institutional resources are constrained. AcknowledgmentWe express our sincere gratitude to our institutions, as well as to Beirut Arab University (BAU), for the institutional support and ethical oversight provided throughout this study.Furthermore, we extend our profound acknowledgment to our families, as well as the individuals and organizations whose unwavering encouragement made this research possible despite the cascading challenges facing Lebanon. This work is dedicated to those who remain steadfast believers that Lebanese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) deserve the support and resilience necessary to reach better days. Finally, we are deeply grateful to the 400 employees and SME managers who facilitated access to data, proving that even in times of crisis, the commitment to organizational growth and scientific inquiry remains a priority.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractEfficient regional public expenditure is critical for aligning decentralized economic development with renewable energy, energy security, and reconstruction priorities. This study aims to examine whether expenditure across selected regional budget programs is systematically associated with renewable energy development in Ukraine and whether these relationships remain robust across alternative temporal, distributional, and nonlinear specifications. The analysis uses a balanced panel of 25 Ukrainian regions for 2018–2021 and applies program-specific two-way fixed-effects models with CR2 standard errors, Benjamini–Hochberg adjustments, lagged and same-sample specifications, wild-cluster-bootstrap inference, presence–intensity decomposition, alternative transformations, winsorization, and formal quadratic tests. In the baseline capacity growth models, expenditure from local target funds (β = 0.9152, p = 0.0192) and electric transport measures (β = 0.1499, p = 0.0126) showed nominally positive associations, but neither survived multiplicity adjustment (q = 0.1054). Wild-cluster-bootstrap inference did not confirm these estimates, producing p-values of 0.4871 and 0.3597, respectively, while both programs were observed in only five region–year cases across two regions. No program coefficient was significant at the 5% level in the electricity production models; SME support produced the strongest negative estimate (β = −0.2152, p = 0.0580, q = 0.5995), whereas installed renewable capacity remained positively associated with production (β = 0.4108–0.4803, p = 0.0041–0.0220). Lagged, presence–intensity, transformed, winsorized, and nonlinear specifications provided no multiplicity-robust evidence, with formal U-test q-values no lower than 0.5789. AcknowledgmentThe authors acknowledge funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) [Grant No. IZURZ1_224119]. The authors bear sole responsibility for the conclusions and results of the research.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThis study aims to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility and employee loyalty, specifically examining the mediating roles of person–organization fit, organizational trust, corporate image, and employee satisfaction. A quantitative survey was conducted from December 2023 to June 2024 among 479 full-time employees at science and technology enterprises in Hanoi, Vietnam. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, employing a two-stage approach to evaluate corporate social responsibility as a higher-order construct.The results support that corporate social responsibility is positively associated with person–organization fit, organizational trust, corporate image, and employee satisfaction. In turn, employee loyalty is linked to these four factors. Additionally, the study confirms the existence of indirect effects of corporate social responsibility on employee loyalty via mediating variables. This paper integrates social exchange theory, social identity theory, stakeholder theory, responsible innovation, and the triple bottom line framework into a research model. Moreover, by integrating innovation into corporate social responsibility, this study suggests that it serves as a pillar for enhancing sustainable competitive advantage in the high-tech sector. AcknowledgmentsHa Hai Giang was funded by the Master, Ph.D. Scholarship Programme of Vingroup Innovation Foundation (VINIF), code VINIF.2023.TS.026.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThis study aims to examine the relationship between public education expenditure, student enrollment, and crime among educated individuals in Azerbaijan over the period 1998–2023. Using annual time-series data, the analysis investigates whether education-related public investment and educational participation are associated with changes in criminal activity within the educated population. The empirical findings reveal the existence of a stable long-run relationship among the variables, indicating that education expenditure, student enrollment, and crime dynamics evolve in an interconnected manner over time. The results further demonstrate that both public education expenditure (Wald = 11.356, p = 0.003) and student enrollment (Wald = 27.576, p < 0.001) possess statistically significant predictive power in explaining variations in crime among educated individuals. In particular, the stronger statistical effect observed for student enrollment suggests that broader participation in the education system may play a particularly important role in shaping long-term crime patterns. Overall, the findings indicate that education policy extends beyond its conventional function of human capital development and may contribute to broader social outcomes, including the reduction of crime-related vulnerabilities. By providing empirical evidence from Azerbaijan as a transition economy, this study contributes to the growing literature examining the wider societal implications of education policy and its role in promoting long-term social stability and sustainable development.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractDrawing on social exchange theory, the study aims to explore the influence of workplace favoritism on counterproductive work behavior (CWB), with the mediating role of organizational cynicism and organizational silence and the moderating role of self-efficacy. A modified two-stage questionnaire was used to collect data in 2025 from 487 full-time employees from the private services sector in Iraq using non-probability convenience sampling. Hierarchical multiple regression and bootstrapping analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses, using SPSS 21.0 and Mplus 6.0. This study extends the literature on workplace favoritism as a prominent predictor of CWB (β = 0.31, p < 0.01). The study also highlighted the mediating role of both organizational cynicism (β = 0.48, p < 0.001) and silence (β = 0.56, p < 0.001). Furthermore, we extend prior research by exploring the moderating role of self-efficacy, as its interaction with workplace favoritism reduced the positive impact between workplace favoritism and both organizational cynicism (β = –0.19, p < 0.05) and silence (β = –0.21, p < 0.05) and reduced their indirect impact on CWB. The study recommends that organizational management should promote awareness of the harmful effects of favoritism and highlight the dangers of negative behaviors stemming from it, specifically organizational cynicism and silence, as these are prominent intermediate indicators of CWB. In addition, this study could provide useful guidance for reducing CWB by focusing on self-efficacy as a moderating variable that decreases the impact of favoritism on cynicism and organizational silence. AcknowledgmentsWe are grateful to the University of Mosul, College of Administration and Economics, for providing facilities, which helped to improve the quality of this paper.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractContemporary organizations face mounting pressure to adapt beyond the imperatives of market competition, navigating demands that span digital disruption, sustainability transitions, and systemic institutional change. Despite the centrality of dynamic capabilities as an explanatory framework in strategic management, the literature has predominantly examined them through the lens of competitive advantage, leaving broader organizational and societal applications underexplored. This study addresses that gap by examining how the dynamic capabilities framework is theorized and applied in contexts beyond firm-level competitive advantage. A systematic literature review combined with bibliometric analysis was conducted using Scopus, covering peer-reviewed publications from 1995 to 2025. Three search strings, dynamic capabilities and technology, dynamic capabilities and ambidexterity, and dynamic capabilities and sustainability, yielded 750 articles after applying inclusion, exclusion, and quality criteria. VOSviewer was used for keyword co-occurrence mapping and cluster visualization, while qualitative thematic coding was conducted in MAXQDA to deepen interpretation. The analysis identified four structurally interconnected clusters: innovation, digital transformation, technology, and sustainability. The findings suggest that innovation is frequently treated in the literature as a key enactment mechanism of dynamic capabilities, with 691 co-occurrences and 215 overlapping coded segments. Sustainability represented the largest and most rapidly expanding domain, with 352 filtered articles, while technology functioned as an enabling layer rather than a capability in itself. These findings demonstrate that dynamic capabilities are undergoing a substantive reorientation, from performance-centric mechanisms toward integrative governance processes for navigating socio-technical complexity. Organizations should embed dynamic capabilities in innovation routines, digitally supported sensing processes, and sustainability-aligned strategic priorities.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThe performance of public hospitals in Indonesia is becoming critical amid demands for high-quality care and resource constraints. The role of accreditation and managerial innovative capabilities (MIC) in driving performance, including through quality of care, still requires empirical evidence. This study aims to examine the influence of accreditation and MIC on Indonesian public hospital performance through service quality as a mediating variable. This study uses a quantitative survey-based approach, involving 136 respondents from various Public Service Agency hospitals in Indonesia. Data were collected from September 2024 to January 2025 using a combination of Google Forms and direct surveys conducted at public hospitals. Data were analyzed using SMART-PLS. The findings show that accreditation has a positive and significant influence on hospital performance (β = 0.499, t = 6.367, p = 0.000), as well as on service quality (β = 0.724, t = 20.477, p = 0.000). Service quality has a positive effect on performance (β = 0.417, t = 5.689, p = 0.000). Testing of indirect effects revealed partial mediation, meaning that accreditation influences hospital performance through service quality (β = 0.302, t = 6.046, p = 0.000). Surprisingly, however, MIC did not have a significant effect on hospital performance (β = 0.002, t = 0.035, p = 0.486). The R-squared value of 0.726 indicates moderate-to-substantial explanatory power. Thus, these findings confirm that the impact of accreditation becomes more meaningful when standards are internalized into continuous service quality improvements, making service quality important for enhanced hospital performance. AcknowledgmentWe acknowledge the support funding for the publication of this study from Endowment Fund for Education Agency LPDP Ministry of Finance of Republic Indonesia, Center for Higher Education Funding and Assessment (PPAPT), The Indonesian Education Scholarship Beasiswa Pendidikan Indonesia (BPI) Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of Republic Indonesia, awarded to Dahlia.
Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic, the energy and inflation shock, and the Russian–Ukrainian war have challenged macroeconomic stability in European countries while exposing the limitations of traditional, single-indicator assessments. This study aims to analyze the evolution and structural drivers of macroeconomic stability across successive crisis regimes in European countries by applying a pentagon-based composite index that captures the joint interactions among growth, inflation, fiscal balance, labor-market conditions, and external positions. The empirical analysis is based on annual macroeconomic data for European countries over 2019–2024 and employs policy-consistent distance-to-target normalization combined with a non-additive pentagon-area aggregation method. The results indicate that macroeconomic stability was relatively high before the shocks, with an average index value of approximately 0.61 in 2019, reflecting broadly balanced macroeconomic conditions. In 2020, stability collapsed to an average of about 0.15, driven primarily by the near-universal contraction in GDP growth and the deterioration of fiscal balances. A partial recovery followed in 2021, when the average index increased to around 0.35, but persistent fiscal imbalances prevented a full return to pre-crisis stability. In 2022, macroeconomic stability deteriorated again, with the average index falling to roughly 0.21 as inflation moved far outside the tolerance corridor in more than 90%. The subsequent period was characterized by heterogeneous and incomplete adjustment. By 2024, overall stability improved to an average of approximately 0.41 following the normalization of inflation. However, countries with chronic fiscal and external imbalances continued to exhibit low levels of stability, underscoring the non-compensatory nature of macroeconomic stability.AcknowledgmentThis study was conducted within the framework of the MSCA4Ukraine project 06030419, funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium. Neither the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency, nor the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium, nor any individual member institution of the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium can be held responsible for them. The publication of this paper was funded by EKA University of Applied Sciences (Latvia) and Daugavpils University (Latvia).
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractEducation–job mismatch is a critical challenge in Vietnam, as rapid educational expansion and changing labor demand have intensified concerns regarding efficient human capital allocation. Despite growing attention to mismatch, there is limited evidence on how labor market structures and provincial institutional conditions jointly shape mismatch outcomes.This study investigates the determinants of education–job mismatch using data from the 2022 Vietnam Labor Force Survey (LFS) and provincial institutional indicators from the 2022 Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). Education–job mismatch is measured by comparing workers’ educational attainment with occupational skill requirements. A multinomial logit model is employed to estimate the likelihood of under- and overeducation relative to adequately matched employment, based on data from 411,173 workers.The results show that educational attainment is systematically associated with observed mismatch outcomes. Compared with workers with upper secondary education, college graduates exhibit a relative risk ratio (RRR) of 39.87 and university graduates an RRR of 10.63 for overeducation. Workers employed in foreign-invested enterprises are 3.42 times more likely to be overeducated than workers in the state sector. Provincial institutional conditions are also associated with a mismatch. The Labor Training Index is associated with a lower likelihood of overeducation (RRR = 0.89), whereas the Informal Charges Index is positively associated with overeducation (RRR = 1.19).The findings suggest that education–job mismatch in Vietnam reflects broader structural and institutional conditions in addition to individual characteristics. Strengthening workforce training systems and improving alignment between education and labor demand may contribute to more efficient human capital allocation. AcknowledgmentThis study uses secondary data obtained from the 2022 Vietnam Labor Force Survey (LFS) conducted by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) and the 2022 Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) published by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). Access to the LFS microdata is subject to the data access and usage regulations of the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, while PCI data are publicly available through the official PCI database.The study is based exclusively on anonymized secondary data and does not involve direct participation of human subjects or access to personally identifiable information. Therefore, formal ethical approval was not required.The authors received no specific funding for this research and declare no conflict of interest.Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used solely to assist with language editing, grammar checking, and improving the clarity of academic writing. All analyses, interpretations, results, and conclusions were developed and verified by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the content of this manuscript.
Type of the article: Research Article AbstractThis study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) is associated with perceived performance management efficiency of organizations in the United Kingdom. Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), the study tests a revised partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) model in which AI implementation level and AI sophistication predict perceived usefulness, AI training for HR teams predicts perceived ease of use, perceived ease of use predicts perceived usefulness, and perceived usefulness, together with AI utilization maturity, predicts performance management efficiency. Data were collected from 320 decision-makers in the United Kingdom using AI in performance management. The results support all six hypotheses: AI implementation level (beta = 0.188, p < .001), AI sophistication (beta = 0.222, p < .001), AI training for HR teams (beta = 0.256, p < .001), perceived ease of use (beta = 0.336, p < .001), perceived usefulness (beta = 0.324, p < .001), and AI utilization maturity (beta = 0.405, p < .001) were positively associated with their respective endogenous constructs. The model explained 36.0% of the variance in perceived performance management efficiency. The findings contribute to research on AI-enabled HR analytics by showing how organizational AI capabilities and TAM perceptions jointly predict perceived improvements in performance management.
