From Financial Practices to Sustainable Outcomes: A Resilience-Based Perspective
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review and Hypothesis Development
Hypotheses Development
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Purpose of the Paper
3.2. Data Collection and Sample
3.3. Data Analysis
3.4. Measures and Instrument Development
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Factor | Code | Measurement Items | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Discipline (FD) | FD1 | Cost and profitability targets are clearly defined | Akgün and Keskin (2014) Lulaj et al. (2024) Bani Mfarrej et al. (2025) Lulaj and Brajković (2025) Kukalaj et al. (2025) Bazyari (2025) Birou et al. (2019) Branicki et al. (2018) Duchek (2020) Jiang and Liu (2025) McShane et al. (2011) Freedman (2000) Lulaj (2025c) Avdimetaj et al. (2025) |
| FD2 | Credit and liability policies are regularly reviewed | ||
| FD3 | Cost accounting techniques are systematically applied | ||
| FD4 | High-cost debt is prioritized for repayment | ||
| FD5 | Internal financing is preferred over external debt | ||
| Financial Risk Management (FRM) | FRM1 | Long-term savings and investment strategies aim to ensure financial stability | |
| FRM2 | Financial resources are diversified as part of long-term strategy | ||
| FRM3 | Investment decisions align with strategic development objectives | ||
| FRM4 | Investment portfolios are periodically reviewed and rebalanced | ||
| FRM5 | Financial risks are systematically identified and addressed | ||
| Financial Resilience Capacity (FRC) | FRC1 | Financial resources are structured to absorb unexpected shocks | |
| FRC2 | Financial reserves support continuity during adverse conditions | ||
| FRC3 | Financial planning prioritizes long-term resilience over short-term gains | ||
| FRC4 | Financial capacity enables stable operations under uncertainty | ||
| FRC5 | Expert input is used to strengthen financial resilience | ||
| Financial Sustainability (FSS) | FSS1 | Financial performance remains stable over time | |
| FSS2 | Long-term financial obligations can be consistently met | ||
| FSS3 | Financial viability is maintained under economic uncertainty | ||
| FSS4 | Operations can be sustained without financial distress |
| Variable | Category | No. | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXP | Less than 5 years | 36 | 16.6 |
| 5–10 years | 93 | 42.9 | |
| 11–15 years | 54 | 24.9 | |
| More than 15 years | 34 | 15.7 | |
| GEN | Male | 148 | 68.2 |
| Female | 69 | 31.8 | |
| AGE | Under 30 years | 60 | 27.6 |
| 30–39 years | 75 | 34.6 | |
| 40–49 years | 57 | 26.3 | |
| 50 years and above | 25 | 11.5 | |
| EDU | Bachelor’s degree | 74 | 34.1 |
| Master’s degree or higher | 104 | 47.9 | |
| Other | 39 | 18.0 | |
| POS | Senior management/Executive | 78 | 35.9 |
| Financial manager/Controller | 88 | 40.6 | |
| Middle management | 16 | 7.4 | |
| Other professional position | 35 | 16.1 |
| Variable | Mean | SD | GEN | AGE | EDU | POS | EXP | FD | FRM | FRC | FSS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN | 1.32 | 0.47 | 1 | ||||||||
| AGE | 2.22 | 0.98 | 0.40 ** | 1 | |||||||
| EDU | 1.84 | 0.70 | −0.08 | 0.31 ** | 1 | ||||||
| POS | 2.04 | 1.04 | 0.31 ** | 0.22 ** | 0.08 | 1 | |||||
| EXP | 2.40 | 0.94 | 0.71 ** | 0.50 ** | 0.04 | 0.69 ** | 1 | ||||
| FD | 3.36 | 1.18 | 0.60 ** | 0.61 ** | 0.31 ** | 0.71 ** | 0.85 ** | 1 | |||
| FRM | 3.22 | 1.28 | 0.63 ** | 0.63 ** | 0.32 ** | 0.71 ** | 0.87 ** | 0.97 ** | 1 | ||
| FRC | 3.27 | 1.17 | 0.60 ** | 0.61 ** | 0.34 ** | 0.68 ** | 0.82 ** | 0.93 ** | 0.94 ** | 1 | |
| FSS | 3.31 | 0.84 | 0.59 ** | 0.62 ** | 0.31 ** | 0.57 ** | 0.75 ** | 0.86 ** | 0.89 ** | 0.83 ** | 1 |
| Factor | Items | FD | FRM | FRC | FSS | KMO | TVE (%) | α |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FD | FD1 | 0.909 | ||||||
| FD2 | 0.699 | |||||||
| FD3 | 0.947 | |||||||
| FD4 | 0.938 | |||||||
| FD5 | 0.968 | 0.85 | 80.6 | 0.94 | ||||
| FRM | FRM1 | 0.932 | ||||||
| FRM2 | 0.982 | |||||||
| FRM3 | 0.981 | |||||||
| FRM4 | 0.979 | |||||||
| FRM5 | 0.981 | 0.90 | 94.3 | 0.98 | ||||
| FRC | FRC1 | 0.905 | ||||||
| FRC2 | 0.748 | |||||||
| FRC3 | 0.952 | |||||||
| FRC4 | 0.827 | |||||||
| FRC5 | 0.781 | 0.84 | 71.6 | 0.89 | ||||
| FSS | FSS1 | 0.867 | ||||||
| FSS2 | 0.899 | |||||||
| FSS3 | 0.895 | |||||||
| FSS4 | 0.840 | 0.62 | 61.6 | 0.72 |
| Construct | Item | SL | CR | AVE | MaxR(H) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Discipline (FD) | FD1 | 0.88 | 0.94 | 0.77 | 0.99 |
| FD2 | 0.59 | ||||
| FD3 | 0.93 | ||||
| FD4 | 0.92 | ||||
| FD5 | 0.96 | ||||
| Financial Risk Management (FRM) | FRM1 | 0.89 | 0.98 | 0.93 | 0.99 |
| FRM2 | 0.98 | ||||
| FRM3 | 0.96 | ||||
| FRM4 | 0.97 | ||||
| FRM5 | 0.99 | ||||
| Financial Resilience Capacity (FRC) | FRC1 | 0.90 | 0.90 | 0.65 | 0.97 |
| FRC2 | 0.68 | ||||
| FRC3 | 0.98 | ||||
| FRC4 | 0.75 | ||||
| FRC5 | 0.68 | ||||
| Financial Sustainability (FSS) | FSS1 | 0.54 | 0.71 | 0.45 | 0.73 |
| FSS2 | 0.69 | ||||
| FSS3 | 0.75 | ||||
| FSS4 | 0.54 |
| Fit Index | Recommended Criterion | Model Value | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|
| χ2 (CMIN) | — | 170.44 | — |
| Degrees of Freedom (df) | — | 102 | — |
| χ2/df (CMIN/DF) | <2.00 | 1.67 | Excellent |
| RMR | <0.05 | 0.03 | Excellent |
| GFI | ≥0.90 | 0.93 | Excellent |
| AGFI | ≥0.85 | 0.86 | Excellent |
| NFI | ≥0.95 | 0.98 | Excellent |
| IFI | ≥0.95 | 0.99 | Excellent |
| TLI | ≥0.95 | 0.98 | Excellent |
| CFI | ≥0.95 | 0.99 | Excellent |
| RMSEA | ≤0.06 | 0.06 | Excellent (close fit) |
| RMSEA PCLOSE | >0.05 | 0.25 | Excellent (close fit supported) |
| PNFI | ≥0.50 | 0.58 | Excellent |
| PCFI | ≥0.50 | 0.59 | Excellent |
| Hoelter (0.05) | ≥150 | 161 | Excellent |
| Hoelter (0.01) | ≥150 | 176 | Excellent |
| Hypothesis | Path | B | SE | C.R. | p Value | β | CIlow | CIhigh | Supported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | FD → FRC | 0.366 | 0.029 | 12.529 | <0.001 (***) | 0.418 | 0.130 | 0.783 | Yes |
| H2 | FRM → FRC | 0.801 | 0.053 | 15.142 | <0.001 (***) | 0.919 | 0.631 | 0.997 | Yes |
| H3 | FRC → FSS | 0.461 | 0.058 | 7.989 | <0.001 (***) | 0.919 | 0.205 | 1.312 | Yes |
| Hypothesis | Indirect Path | Indirect β | p Value | Direct β | CIlow | CIhigh | Total β | Supported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H4 | FD → FRC → FSS | 0.384 | 0.039 (**) | 0.345 | 0.054 | 0.986 | 0.729 | Supported (Partial mediation) |
| H5 | FRM → FRC → FSS | 0.845 | 0.027 (**) | — | 0.189 | 1.058 | 0.845 | Supported (Full mediation) |
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Share and Cite
Lulaj, E.; Dragusha, B. From Financial Practices to Sustainable Outcomes: A Resilience-Based Perspective. J. Risk Financial Manag. 2026, 19, 318. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm19050318
Lulaj E, Dragusha B. From Financial Practices to Sustainable Outcomes: A Resilience-Based Perspective. Journal of Risk and Financial Management. 2026; 19(5):318. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm19050318
Chicago/Turabian StyleLulaj, Enkeleda, and Blerta Dragusha. 2026. "From Financial Practices to Sustainable Outcomes: A Resilience-Based Perspective" Journal of Risk and Financial Management 19, no. 5: 318. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm19050318
APA StyleLulaj, E., & Dragusha, B. (2026). From Financial Practices to Sustainable Outcomes: A Resilience-Based Perspective. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 19(5), 318. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm19050318

