Search Results (325)

Digital traceability has become an important capability in international trade, especially in high-regulation and high-risk supply chains. However, existing research has not fully explained how institutional, technological, and coordination-related conditions combine to produce successful outcomes. This study applies fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to 24 trade-corridor/product-chain cases to identify the configurational drivers of Digital Traceability Success (DTS). The findings show that Digital Trade Readiness (DTR), Market Strictness (MKT), Digital Infrastructure (DIF), and Cross-border Coordination (COO) are highly consistent necessary conditions for DTS, whereas Blockchain-enabled Traceability (BCT) is not. The sufficiency analysis identifies one dominant pathway, DTR * PRK * MKT * DIF * COO, with perfect consistency and substantial coverage. These results indicate that traceability success emerges from the alignment of institutional readiness, regulatory pressure, infrastructural capacity, product-related risk, and cross-border coordination rather than from blockchain adoption alone. The study contributes to digital trade and supply-chain governance literature by offering a configurational explanation grounded in conjunctural causation and causal asymmetry. It also clarifies blockchain’s role as a contingent enabling component rather than a universally necessary determinant. Practically, the findings suggest that policymakers and firms should prioritize interoperable infrastructure, institutional readiness, and cross-border governance mechanisms over stand-alone technological solutions. Full article

Background: Digital transformation is viewed as a lever of supply chain resilience, yet the intermediate pathways through which digital maturity relates to resilience remain underspecified, particularly in emerging-market contexts. Drawing on the Resource-Based View and the Dynamic Capabilities Framework, this study examines whether four dynamic capabilities (visibility, flexibility, risk management, and collaboration) mediate the relationship between digital maturity and supply chain resilience. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey of 250 Moroccan firms and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we estimate a multi-mediator model and decompose the total association using variance accounted for (VAF). Results: The findings indicate that digital maturity is positively associated with resilience both directly (β = 0.219, p < 0.01) and indirectly through the four mediators, with the four capabilities jointly accounting for 63.7% of the total association (R² = 0.523, SRMR = 0.027). Visibility (18.9%) and flexibility (15.9%) emerge as the strongest indirect channels. Conclusions: The study contributes by simultaneously testing four dynamic capabilities as mediators within a single specification, documenting evidence from an under-represented emerging-market context, and providing empirically grounded managerial recommendations and policy implications. Because the data are cross-sectional, all reported coefficients describe statistical associations. Full article

Digital small and medium-sized enterprises (digital SMEs) in emerging market economies operate in disruption-biased environments where interruptions can quickly deteriorate operational reliability and long-term performance. Existing studies insufficiently integrate business continuity management (BCM) into capability-based performance models in the digital SME context, especially when focusing on operational rather than strategic perspectives in emerging market economies. Moreover, empirical evidence on how multiple organisational capabilities interact under disruption remains fragmented. This study therefore aims to prioritise the most influential capability-based determinants of sustainable performance in Thai digital SMEs using expert consensuses analysed via Fuzzy TOPSIS. This study adopted the following two-stage research design. Stage 1: A three-round e-Delphi panel (n = 21) refined and prioritised the most influential determinant; the expert group included SME business owners (with more than 20 years of SME management experience) and relevant specialists. The consensuses were then analysed using Fuzzy TOPSIS to rank the determinants by relative importance. Stage 2: Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using survey data from 817 Thai digital SMEs was utilised to validate the proposed capability transmission pathways, and a strong fit was demonstrated (χ²/df = 1.672, CFI = 0.984, RMSEA = 0.029). The study findings highlight continuity-oriented routines as a practical leverage point for SME leaders and policymakers seeking resilient and sustainable performance in digital markets, and positions BCM as an actionable strategy toward achieving these goals. Full article

As plant-based diets catalyze a global shift toward sustainable consumption, Chinese plant-based food firms are experiencing rapid growth and seeking to expand their international footprint. This study investigates the mechanisms underlying the internationalization performance of these firms by integrating the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework with a configurational perspective. We operationalize nine antecedents across three dimensions: the technological dimension (technological maturity, supply chain resilience, and digital transformation), the organizational dimension (food safety certification intensity, strategic partnership intensity, and talent acquisition intensity), and the environmental dimension (market adaptability, compliance and risk management, and product line breadth). Utilizing fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on a sample of N = 29 publicly listed Chinese plant-based firms, this research identifies three distinct equifinal pathways to superior internationalization performance. The first is the Collaboration-Compliance configuration (Organization–Environment-driven), which is primarily characterized by the synergy between strategic partnerships and regulatory risk management. The second is the Supply Chain-Compliance-Product Diversification configuration (Technology-Environment-driven), where international success is predicated on the interplay among supply chain resilience, institutional compliance, and product variety. The third is the Full-Factor Synergy configuration (Technology-Organization-Environment jointly driven), which emphasizes a holistic coupling of technological innovation, organizational coordination, and external institutional adaptation. By uncovering these complex causal mechanisms, this study moves beyond traditional linear analysis to reveal how diverse capability configurations can lead to equivalent internationalization outcomes. The findings provide actionable strategic guidance for firms navigating the global plant-based market and offer theoretical insights for policy frameworks supporting sustainable dietary transitions. Full article

Point-of-sale (POS) consumer credit represents the most rapidly expanding retail-lending channel within the emerging Eurasian markets, necessitating a stringent operational framework for the underwriting model: the decision must be rendered within a mere few hundred milliseconds during the in-store checkout process, while the inputs are constrained to what the application XML is capable of conveying. This research endeavors to develop, internally validate, and operationally delineate a hybrid, explainable artificial intelligence framework aimed at POS credit scoring within the production portfolio of Kazakhstan’s largest second-tier bank. The architectural framework is delineated along two orthogonal dimensions—client tenure and decision-making channel—resulting in the formulation of three distinct production models: two transparent Weight of Evidence–Logistic Regression scorecards tailored for the real-time channel, and one isotonically-calibrated stacked ensemble (comprising LightGBM, CatBoost, and a three-layer neural network) designated for the batch channel. The selection of hyperparameters was conducted utilising Bayesian optimization within the context of stratified five-fold cross-validation. The digital scorecards achieve an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.847 and 0.835, whereas the offline ensemble enhances performance to an AUROC of 0.918, accompanied by a Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistic of 0.682 and a Gini coefficient of 0.836. The population stability indices persist below the threshold of 0.07, while isotonic recalibration effectively reduces the Brier score by 18%. Furthermore, an extensive examination of fairness demonstrates variations in approval rates within a margin of ±1.2 percentage points—and equalised-odds gaps below 1.5 percentage points in the true-positive rate and 0.7 percentage points in the false-positive rate—across multiple demographic factors such as gender, age, and distinctions between urban and rural classifications, thus establishing an artificial intelligence framework that is both regulatorily compliant and interpretable, aligning with the directives set forth by the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market. Full article

This study examines how entrepreneurial ecosystem constraints shape MSME resilience in the Jakarta–Bogor–Depok Indonesia corridor using a qualitative multiple-case design. Drawing on 20 MSME case reports across food and beverage, retail, services, and small-scale manufacturing, the study addresses two questions: (1) which ecosystem domains are the most binding constraints, and (2) how MSMEs convert ecosystem resources into resilience outcomes. The analysis shows that market pressure is the most universal constraint (20/20 cases), followed by digital-managerial support infrastructure gaps (18/20), supply chain volatility (13/20), and finance, human capital, and institutional constraints (each 12/20 cases). Cross-case evidence identifies four recurrent mechanisms: market pressure is managed through digital channel orchestration and customer engagement; capital constraints are managed through internal cash discipline and partnership-based financing; input volatility is managed through supplier diversification, local sourcing, and inventory control; and skill gaps are managed through internal training and process standardization. Building on these mechanisms, the study develops a threefold resilience typology: Adaptive Leaders, Operational Survivors, and Vulnerable Traditionalists. The main theoretical contribution is to show that MSME resilience is configurational and depends on inter-domain alignment rather than on isolated ecosystem components or entrepreneur-level grit alone. The practical contribution is a typology-based policy logic that prioritizes integrated intervention bundles, which are finance, digital capability, operations, supply chain, and managerial upgrading, over fragmented support programs. Full article

The rapid expansion of the platform economy has made data-driven marketing a key mechanism through which e-commerce platforms create value, coordinate market participation, and shape downstream welfare outcomes. This study examines how competing e-commerce platforms choose between reselling and agency modes when only one platform can endogenously implement data-driven marketing. We develop a game-theoretic model consisting of one manufacturer, one data-capable platform, one traditional platform, and a consumer market. Four channel structures are considered: reselling–reselling, agency–reselling, reselling–agency, and agency–agency. The analysis combines Stackelberg game modeling within each channel structure with Nash equilibrium analysis across platform channel choices. The results show that channel equilibrium is jointly determined by the agency fee ratio and data-driven marketing efficiency. The data-capable platform is generally more inclined to adopt the agency mode, whereas the traditional platform’s preferred response varies across parameter regions. Under a low-commission environment, the two platforms may fall into a prisoner’s-dilemma structure in which joint reselling is Pareto superior but not stable in equilibrium. The results further show that manufacturer profit decreases with the agency fee ratio but increases with data-driven marketing efficiency, while consumer surplus rises with stronger data-driven marketing and is generally higher when the data-capable platform adopts agency. By linking platform competition, channel strategy, and stakeholder outcomes under data-driven marketing, this study contributes to research on value creation and sustainable governance in the platform economy, and it offers managerial implications for data monetization, channel coordination, and welfare-enhancing digital retail design. Full article

Resource dependence pressure helps explain why some manufacturing firms remain tied to resource-based business paths even when green transformation is needed. Existing resource curse studies have mainly examined countries, regions, and resource-based cities, while less is known about how resource dependence works inside firms. We examine whether resource dependence pressure is associated with green innovation performance among Chinese manufacturing firms. Resource dependence pressure is defined as firm-level pressure arising from resource-linked customers and markets, resource-oriented suppliers and production chains, local policy/project opportunities, and inherited operating routines. Drawing on resource dependence theory, organizational inertia theory, and the digital dynamic capability perspective, we propose that organizational inertia mediates the relationship between resource dependence pressure and green innovation performance, while digital capability weakens the association between resource dependence pressure and organizational inertia. Survey data from 504 Chinese manufacturing firms are analyzed using PLS-SEM, with multi-group analysis comparing firms in resource-based cities and non-resource-based cities. The results show that resource dependence pressure is negatively associated with green innovation performance and positively associated with organizational inertia. Organizational inertia mediates this relationship. Digital capability weakens the resource dependence pressure-organizational inertia relationship, and this moderating pattern is stronger among firms in resource-based cities. The study extends resource curse research to the firm level and shows how digital capability is linked to weaker resource-induced organizational lock-in. Full article

As a non-rivalrous, replicable, and non-consumable production factor, data offers conditions for resource-efficient value creation, and the conversion from scattered data resources into measurable data assets sits at the center of firm competitiveness and sustainable allocation of digital factors. How artificial intelligence supports this conversion, and how executive cognition shapes its strength, are taken up within a framework drawing on the resource-based view, dynamic capability, and upper-echelons theory. Using 24,251 firm-year observations from Chinese A-share listed firms over 2012–2022, panel fixed-effects estimation yields a positive association between AI and data asset formation, stable across instrumental-variable estimation, propensity score matching, Heckman correction, and alternative measures of both variables. AI deepens data mining capability through stronger research and development investment and widens data-carrying capacity through expanded digital infrastructure, with the two channels opening up the relationship. Cognitive flexibility improves the fit between AI and shifting business scenarios, while cognitive complexity supports balanced allocation of technological resources across competing constraints; both characteristics strengthen the main association. The pattern is more pronounced among state-owned enterprises and firms in eastern and central regions, with industry differences less clear-cut. The findings inform differentiated policy design for sustainable digital development in emerging-market settings. Full article

The transition toward a digital and knowledge-based economy has fundamentally transformed the drivers of labor productivity, raising important questions about its sustainability, inclusiveness, and long-term resilience. In this context, understanding the role of future-oriented competencies becomes essential for both economic performance and sustainable development. The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between selected indicators of digitalization and human capital and labor productivity, with particular reference to future-oriented competencies in the context of ongoing labor market transformation. The study relies on secondary analysis of data and reports published by international organizations and research institutions, particularly the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the OECD. The research combines content analysis, comparative analysis, and selected statistical methods, including correlation and regression techniques, supported by data triangulation. The results suggest that future-oriented competencies, especially digital, cognitive, and social skills, are strongly associated with higher levels of labor productivity. At the same time, productivity growth increasingly depends on the effective integration of technological advancement with human capabilities, which is critical for building resilient and inclusive economies. The study emphasizes the need to invest in competency development, encourage innovation-driven organizational cultures, and implement flexible work arrangements that support sustainable productivity, digital inclusion, and employee well-being. The development of future-oriented competencies may also help reduce structural inequalities and improve the adaptability of labor markets. In addition, the study contributes to the existing literature by linking labor productivity with future competencies within the broader context of digital transformation and sustainable development. Full article

With the rapid growth of the digital economy, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has injected new momentum into persistent green innovation. Using data on Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2023, this article aims to investigate whether senior executives’ adoption of AI technology influences companies’ persistent green innovation and to identify the specific mechanisms underlying this relationship. To improve measurement accuracy, this paper employs the BERT model to conduct an in-depth analysis of corporate annual report texts to construct an executive AI adoption metric. The findings reveal that executive AI adoption significantly promotes corporate persistent green innovation, and this effect is primarily achieved through enhanced data factor allocation capabilities. Moreover, strategic agility positively moderates the relationship between executive AI adoption and corporate persistent green innovation. Specifically, the higher the level of strategic agility, the stronger the mediating role of data factor allocation in the relationship between executive AI adoption and corporate persistent green innovation. In particular, executive AI adoption plays a more significant role in fostering persistent green innovation among firms with higher total factor productivity and those facing intense market competition. Full article

Increasing external uncertainty, supply disruptions, and market volatility have made resilience enhancement increasingly important for sustainable agricultural supply chains. While existing studies mainly examine agricultural supply chain resilience from macro or operational perspectives, limited attention has been paid to how firms’ strategic AI investment reshapes organizational resilience under external shocks. Using panel data on Chinese agricultural-related listed firms from 2010 to 2024, this study examines whether and how strategic AI investment enhances supply chain resilience. Empirical results show that strategic AI investment significantly improves both dimensions of supply chain resilience, namely resistance capacity and recovery capacity. Mechanism analyses indicate that this effect mainly operates through supply diversification, technological innovation, and information transparency. Further analyses reveal heterogeneous effects across supply chain positions, ownership structures, and regional digital development environments. In addition, compatibility analyses show that strategic AI investment not only strengthens supply chain resilience but also improves operational efficiency, R&D investment intensity, and financial stability. Overall, this study highlights strategic AI investment as an important organizational capability for strengthening agricultural supply chain resilience under increasing external uncertainty. Full article

This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of FinTech services on firms’ financial performance, with particular emphasis on the moderating role of dynamic capabilities. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective, the study explains how organizations can effectively leverage emerging digital technologies to enhance financial outcomes. The study is applied in purpose and adopts a descriptive correlational design. Data were collected using four structured questionnaires administered to 384 respondents, including senior executives, chief financial officers, and board members of companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. A convenience sampling method was employed. The conceptual model and research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling based on the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach, implemented using IBM SPSS Statistics version 29 and Smart PLS version 4. The results indicate that both artificial intelligence and FinTech have positive and statistically significant effects on firms’ financial performance. Although dynamic capabilities do not have a direct statistically significant effect on financial performance, they play a significant moderating role in the relationship between FinTech and financial performance. A disaggregated analysis of the dimensions of dynamic capabilities shows that only sensing capability has a positive and statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between FinTech and financial performance, whereas seizing and reconfiguring capabilities do not show statistically significant moderating effects. By emphasizing the conditional and indirect role of dynamic capabilities, this study contributes to the growing literature on FinTech and artificial intelligence in emerging markets. The findings suggest that performance advantages from FinTech and AI stem less from the technologies themselves and more from firms’ ability to identify and interpret technological opportunities promptly. The study provides valuable practical insights for managers of publicly listed Iranian firms and clarifies how digital investments translate into improved financial performance. Full article

Digital payment and settlement markets operate as interconnected financial systems shaped by institutional, technological, and capability-based elements. This study examines how digital transformation and digital financial inclusion interact within this system to influence Sustainable Digital Payment and Settlement Market Performance (SDPSMP), with DeFi adoption capability acting as a structural translation mechanism and AI and big data analytics functioning as adaptive enablers. Integrating the Resource-Based View and Diffusion of Innovation, the study explains why technology diffusion does not consistently produce stable market-level outcomes. Cross-sectional data were collected from 422 professionals in Saudi financial institutions engaged in payment, settlement, and FinTech functions. A dual-stage SEM–ANN approach was employed, using PLS-SEM to test direct, mediating, and moderating effects and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to capture nonlinear predictive patterns. Results show that digital transformation and digital financial inclusion enhance DeFi adoption capability and directly improve SDPSMP. DeFi capability partially mediates both relationships. Analytics capability strengthens the effects of inclusion and DeFi capability on system performance but does not moderate the transformation–performance link. ANN findings identify analytics capability and financial inclusion as dominant predictors. The study advances understanding of digital payment markets as complex adaptive systems and provides evidence on how coordinated capability development supports long-term resilience and structural stability. Full article

This study examines the effects of digital sustainability orientation on consumers’ responses, with a focus on the roles of digital green innovation and consumer environmental consciousness in shaping green brand advocacy in social media marketing. Drawing on the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capability perspective, and Signaling theory, the study proposes that sustainability-oriented digital strategies are more effective when translated into visible, credible forms of digital green innovation. Using the quantitative research design, data were collected from a sample of 300 Saudi Arabian consumers who interact with eco-friendly brands and sustainability-related content on digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. The study used purposive and convenience sampling to ensure that participants were aware of sustainability communication online. Data analysis was performed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the measurement and structural models and evaluate the hypotheses. The results show that the direct positive effect of digital sustainability orientation on digital green innovation is high, but there is no direct effect on green brand advocacy. However, digital green innovation fully mediates this relationship, making the importance of tangible innovation even greater in turning sustainability intentions into consumer support. Moreover, consumer environmental consciousness plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and green brand advocacy, suggesting that the more environmentally conscious consumers are, the more responsive they are to sustainability-driven digital strategies. The study contributes to the available literature on digital sustainability and green marketing by showing that being sustainability-oriented is not enough to encourage consumer advocacy without having credible innovation. Practically speaking, the findings show that organizations must pay attention to innovation-based sustainability initiatives and develop genuine digital communication strategies to attract environmentally conscious consumers. Ultimately, the research serves as a great reminder of the importance of integrating digital innovation, sustainability practices, and consumer engagement as key drivers of strong green brand advocacy. Full article