Businesses, Volume 5, Issue 3 (September 2025) – 10 articles

This study explores how Turkish Generation Z adapts their fashion consumption behaviours in response to economic crises, particularly focusing on involuntary anti-consumerism. Through a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling, the research captures the coping strategies and emotional experiences of young consumers in Türkiye. A thematic analysis of fifteen interviews reveals an original “8Rs” framework—Reject, Restrict/Reduce, Reuse/Reclaim, Re-find, Reconsider, Re-framing Discounts, Re-direction of Resources, and Emotional Responses—that illustrates both behavioural and psychological adjustments under financial strain. Notably, the study introduces two novel concepts: “recession rush,” a calculated urgency to purchase before price hikes, and “re-direction of resources,” the reallocation of budget from other categories toward fashion purchases. By focusing on a geographically underrepresented context and a pivotal consumer segment, this research contributes new insights to the literature on anti-consumption, economic adaptation, and youth identity expression in crisis economies. Full article

Career decisions are among the most consequential choices individuals make, profoundly shaping their long-term stability and overall life satisfaction. The literature suggests that behavioral biases, specifically overconfidence, herd mentality, social comparison, status quo bias, and optimism bias, can exert considerable influence on these decisions, thereby shaping students’ future career trajectories. This study adopts a behavioral perspective to examine how these biases influence career choices within a collectivist social context. A survey of 360 undergraduate and graduate business students was conducted. The collected data were analyzed using an integrated approach that combines Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), enabling the use of both linear and non-linear methods to analyze the relationship between cognitive biases and career choices. Our findings reveal that while all five biases have a measurable impact, status quo bias and social comparison are the dominant factors influencing students’ career decisions. These results underscore the need for interventions that foster self-awareness, independent decision-making, and critical thinking. Such insights can guide educators, career counselors, and policymakers in designing programs to mitigate the negative effects of cognitive biases on career decision-making, ultimately enhancing career satisfaction and workforce efficiency. Full article

Digital wallets (DWs) have experienced significant growth in recent years. Still, at the same time, there are substantial differences in the level of adoption of these financial technologies between EU Member States. This research investigates the key factors affecting the intention to use DWs by analyzing previous research and applying an extended Technology Acceptance Model. In total, 418 respondents from the Baltic states participated in the online survey in 2024. Using partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the analysis revealed that the factors studied, such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, facilitating conditions, and perceived trust, significantly influenced users’ intent to use DWs for financial services. Perceived trust emerged as the strongest predictor, and social influence moderated perceived ease of use and facilitated conditions that impacted users’ intent to adopt DWs. This study provides important insights into the factors that shape users’ intentions to use DWs and the interactions between these factors. In addition, the extension of the TAM strengthened the theoretical framework for the study of DW adoption. Full article

Franchising operates as a proven business model that drives substantial growth for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) worldwide. The franchise ecosystem in Saudi Arabia lacks sufficient research, despite established frameworks for success in markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. This research investigates the elements that lead to franchise success in Saudi Arabia through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data. This research evaluates franchise performance through metrics such as Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU), Return on Investment (ROI), Franchise Success Rate, Time to Break Even, and Market Growth Rate, comparing Saudi Arabia with the U.S., the U.K., and India to identify essential success determinants. The research reveals that franchise success depends on regulatory frameworks, cultural alignment, economic diversification, and supply chain efficiency. The U.S. and U.K. enjoy established legal protections, whereas Saudi Arabia faces regulatory complexities and resource limitations. The research proposes three strategic recommendations: government incentives, locally adapted business models, and carefully selected locations to boost franchise success. The analysis provides essential information to policymakers, franchisors, and entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses in Saudi Arabia. The implementation of Vision 2030 growth barrier solutions and market opportunities will enable Saudi Arabia to build up its franchising sector and enhance market performance. This research adds new knowledge to the franchising literature in emerging markets and its impact on sustainable business growth. Full article

In today’s volatile business environment, command and control leadership is increasingly inadequate for sustaining engagement, innovation and resilience. This review synthesises peer-reviewed evidence on coaching leadership style (CLS) published between 2000 and 2025. A systematic search across four databases yielded eleven high-quality empirical studies and three meta-analyses. The findings indicate that CLS enhances employee motivation, facilitates skill development, promotes psychological safety and strengthens organisational adaptability, while concurrently advancing leaders’ effectiveness and emotional intelligence. Notably, recent trials demonstrate that both virtual and face-to-face coaching modalities produce comparable performance gains. This review also identifies contextual constraints—such as time intensity and crisis-driven situations—where CLS may be less advantageous. Practical recommendations are offered for embedding coaching behaviours into daily management routines, including phased roll outs, leader as coach training and metrics for monitoring engagement and innovation. Future research should prioritise longitudinal, cross-cultural studies that examine CLS efficacy in digitally transformed, post-pandemic workplaces. Collectively, the evidence positions coaching leadership not as an optional enhancement but as a strategic requirement for organisations seeking sustained competitive advantage. Full article

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are becoming increasingly important for sustainable rural development through the smart village concept. This study aims to model ICT’s potential for public services management in European rural areas. It identifies ICT applications across rural service domains, analyzes how these technologies address specific rural challenges, and evaluates their benefits, implementation barriers, and future prospects for sustainable rural development. A qualitative content analysis method was applied using purposive sampling to analyze 79 peer-reviewed articles from EBSCO and Elsevier databases (2000–2024). A deductive approach employed predefined categories to systematically classify ICT applications across rural public service domains, with data coded according to technology scope, problems addressed, and implementation challenges. The analysis identified 15 ICT application domains (agriculture, healthcare, education, governance, energy, transport, etc.) and 42 key technology categories (Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, digital platforms, mobile applications, etc.). These technologies address four fundamental rural challenges: limited service accessibility, inefficient resource management, demographic pressures, and social exclusion. This study provides the first comprehensive systematic categorization of ICT applications in smart villages, establishing a theoretical framework connecting technology deployment with sustainable development dimensions. Findings demonstrate that successful ICT implementation requires integrated urban–rural cooperation, community-centered approaches, and balanced attention to economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The research identifies persistent challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited digital competencies, and high implementation costs, providing actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners developing ICT-enabled rural development strategies. Full article

Although research on religion has gained increasing attention, few studies have examined its connection to consumer identity and how it influences purchasing decisions. This gap is especially noticeable when it comes to decision-making around religious services. Previous studies on what influences consumers’ choice of banks have produced mixed findings on the role of religion. This study explores how multiple identities shape the decision to use non-Islamic banking services in Pakistan, where Muslim consumers can choose between Islamic (religious) and non-Islamic (non-religious) banking options. Using a qualitative approach, the research focuses on Muslims who opt for non-Islamic banking to understand the factors behind their choice. Findings reveal that role identity—especially as a son or daughter—plays a key role in bank selection, even when religion is important to the individual. However, identity conflicts arise as people navigate different aspects of their identity. Surprisingly, group identity had little influence on these banking decisions. Full article

In today’s globalized and rapidly evolving technological landscape, innovation serves as a critical driver of economic growth and competitive advantage. The concept of an innovation ecosystem has emerged to elucidate the complex interactions among various stakeholders—including public sectors, startups, academia, businesses, NGOs, and venture capitalists—who collaborate and compete to foster technological advancements and economic growth. Open innovation emphasizes leveraging external ideas alongside internal efforts to enhance innovation capabilities, fostering more dynamic and resilient systems. Additionally, learning from innovation failures plays a crucial role in shaping effective strategies for growth, as startups often translate these learnings into robust innovation frameworks. Given the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of innovation ecosystems, traditional metrics often fail to capture their dynamic and collaborative nature. The European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) provides a comprehensive framework for assessing the innovation performance of EU countries, offering insights into the overall health and performance of innovation ecosystems. This review article addresses the need to identify metrics and methods for measuring open innovation’s impact on innovation ecosystems. Building upon foundational theories and empirical findings, this study proposes a framework for evaluating the impact of open innovation on innovation ecosystems. It integrates insights from the academic literature with EIS metrics to develop robust methods for assessing open innovation’s multifaceted influence. This review article is particularly relevant as firms and policymakers strive to understand which metrics are most affected by open innovation and how these can be leveraged to enhance the performance and sustainability of innovation ecosystems. Full article

This study examines the impact of AI adoption orientation on innovation performance in multinational corporations (MNCs), emphasizing team innovativeness as an intervening mechanism and technology orientation as a moderating factor. Using data from 410 respondents collected via a snowball sampling strategy and analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the findings reveal that artificial intelligence (AI) adoption orientation positively influences team innovativeness and innovation performance. Team innovativeness partially mediates this relationship, while technology orientation moderates the link between AI adoption and team innovativeness, underscoring the role of technological preparedness in enhancing innovation. The study contributes to theoretical understanding by integrating team dynamics and technology preparedness in AI-driven innovation. It provides practical insights for managers, policymakers, and organizational leaders on fostering an innovative culture and investing in technology skills to drive MNC competitiveness. Full article

The purpose of this conceptual and explorative study is to investigate whether health-promoting self-leadership could be used as a coping strategy enabling employees to deal with negative emotions in an organizational change process, providing a conceptual framework. A total of 18 faculty members from a Nordic university college were interviewed about their experiences, perceptions, and emotional reactions. The study reveals that new IT-systems; heavier workloads; and a lack of involvement, trust, and information, in particular, were stated to be the main reasons for negative emotions, detachment from the university-status aim, and the disruption of employee work–life balance. A few faculty members practiced fragments of what, in theory, is defined as health-promoting self-leadership to successfully manage the organizational change processes. Some were unconscious of their self-leadership practices, while others had no tools to enable them to cope with changes, leading to negative emotions. I discuss the findings regarding health-promoting self-leadership practice based on self-leadership, change management, and emotion theory. Based on both the findings in this study and relevant theories regarding self-leadership and coping strategies, I propose a health-promoting self-leadership-based coping model that could provide both individual and organizational health and performance benefits. Full article