Search Results (341)

This study investigates the impact of Governance, Risk management, and Compliance (GRC) practices on operational efficiency and corporate reputation. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), Stakeholder Theory, and the signaling perspective, it conceptualizes GRC as a set of organizational capabilities that enhance operational efficiency and company reputation. It also examines the mediating role of operational efficiency in the GRC–reputation relationship, particularly within technologically advanced and regulated sectors. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 126 professionals across various Saudi technology-driven organizations, and the analyses combined descriptive statistics, hierarchical regression, and bootstrapped mediation testing using PROCESS to assess direct and indirect effects. The results indicate that operational efficiency partially mediates the effects of governance and compliance on reputation, supporting the argument that strengthened internal processes enhance external stakeholder evaluations; meanwhile, no mediation was found for risk management. Although the study offers meaningful insights, its sample size and sectoral focus limit the generalizability of conclusions, suggesting the need for broader or longitudinal research. This study contributes by advancing the conceptualization of GRC as organizational capabilities and empirically demonstrating their roles in strengthening both efficiency and reputation within technology-driven firms where digital governance and compliance capabilities are increasingly central. Full article

This study aims to develop a tailored Quality Management System (QMS) model for SMEs in the food sector, acknowledging their limited resources, the complexity of existing quality standards, and the pressing need for a contextualized, practical framework. The research adopts the Framework for Analysis, Comparison, and Testing of Standards (FACTS), comprising three main stages: a systematic review of relevant literature, expert validation through panel discussions, and preliminary field testing involving selected food SMEs. The study proposes a seven-variable QMS model designed around the PDCA cycle. The variables include leadership, philosophy-based, strategic planning, customers, quality infrastructure, quality assurance, and performance assessment. Empirical findings suggest that the model aligns well with the operational realities and strategic needs of food SMEs. It is perceived as user-friendly, adaptable, and feasible for stepwise implementation, without requiring substantial investment or intensive external support. Validation through field implementation revealed strong acceptance among SME practitioners and stakeholders. The proposed model offers a practical roadmap for food SMEs to establish an internal quality system that is both adaptive to their unique contexts and measurable in its outcomes. Full article

This study examines the impact of tax avoidance practices on investment efficiency in Egypt, with particular emphasis on the moderating role of earnings management by exploring whether these tactics reflect managerial opportunism or serve as a mechanism to ease financial constraints. We employ panel data regression to analyze a sample of 58 non-financial firms listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) over the period 2017–2024, yielding 464 firm-year observations. Data are collected from official corporate websites, EGX, and Egypt for Information Dissemination (EGID). Grounded in agency theory, signaling theory, and pecking order theory, this study reveals how conflicts of interest and information asymmetry between managers and stakeholders lead to managerial opportunism. The findings show that tax avoidance undermines the investment efficiency in the Egyptian market. Earnings manipulation further intensified this effect due to the financial statements’ opacity. A closer examination reveals that earnings management exacerbates overinvestment by masking managerial decisions. Conversely, for financially constrained firms with a tendency to underinvest, tax avoidance and earnings management may contribute to improved efficiency by generating internal liquidity and alleviating external financing constraints. These results provide valuable insights for regulators, highlighting that policy should be directed against managerial opportunism and improving transparency, instead of focusing solely on curbing tax avoidance. From an investor perspective, they should closely monitor and understand the tax-planning strategies to ensure they enhance the firm’s value. Full article

This paper examines the 14-year journey of the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS) in achieving and sustaining international accreditation for its undergraduate medical program. Beginning in 2010, MNUMS undertook a series of institutional reforms that culminated in full accreditation in 2016 and re-accreditation in 2024 by an international agency recognized by the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). Drawing on institutional self-assessment reports, evaluator feedback, and stakeholder consultations, this case study explores how the accreditation process functioned as a catalyst for educational reform and quality enhancement. The findings reveal major transformations in curriculum design, assessment systems, and institutional governance. MNUMS adopted the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), introduced outcome-based education and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), expanded its Clinical Skills Center, and implemented a compulsory undergraduate research project. Additionally, the creation of an integrated Bachelor–Master pathway and strengthened international partnerships further advanced the university’s alignment with global medical education standards. This case illustrates how international accreditation can drive systemic improvement in medical education within developing-country contexts. The MNUMS experience highlights the value of sustained institutional commitment, responsiveness to external evaluation, and the strategic use of accreditation as a framework for continuous innovation and global integration. Full article

This study examines the role of Digital Twin technologies in advancing Environmental, Social, and Governance performance within multinational corporations. Grounded in socio-technical systems theory and stakeholder theory, the research investigates how digital twins facilitate the integration of organizational capabilities with external accountability mechanisms. A multi-method research design is employed, comprising in-depth case studies, capital market event analysis, and machine learning-assisted regression to capture both qualitative and empirical insights. Case evidence from Siemens, Unilever, Tesla, and BP reveals that DT adoption is associated with measurable ESG gains, including reduced emissions, improved safety, enhanced supplier compliance, and accelerated reporting cycles. Event study findings show statistically significant abnormal returns following ESG-oriented DT announcements, while regression analysis confirms a positive association between DT adoption and ESG performance. Governance structures are explored as potential moderators of this relationship. The findings underscore DTs as strategic enablers of ESG value creation, beyond their technical utility. By enhancing transparency, auditability, and stakeholder trust, DTs contribute to both internal transformation and external legitimacy. This research advances the discourse on ESG digitalization and offers actionable implications for corporate leaders and policymakers seeking to foster sustainable, technology-driven governance in complex global value chains. However, because the quantitative component relies on cross-sectional data, the relationships identified should be interpreted as associations rather than definitive causal effects. Full article

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health threat in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) of the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), driven by a combination of social determinants including undernutrition, fragile health systems, conflict-related disruptions, human mobility and displacement, sub-optimal programmatic implementation, and insufficient domestic investment. These programmatic and governance constraints operate within a broader geopolitical context marked by conflict, sanctions, protracted crises, and large-scale displacement, which further limit countries’ ability to deliver uninterrupted TB services. In 2023, the region’s TB incidence was estimated at 116 per 100,000 population, with Pakistan alone accounting for about 73% of the regional burden. Despite a multitude of efforts, progress in reducing the TB burden in the EMR remains slow, with high case detection and treatment coverage gaps, low uptake of TB preventive treatment (TPT), underutilization of WHO-recommended rapid diagnostics, and only 25% of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) cases initiated on treatment. Vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons, migrants, refugees, prisoners, and returnees, continue to face major access barriers, and cross-border TB collaboration remains limited. This commentary reasons that the slow pace of TB burden reduction in the region is not only a biomedical or resource issue but also a reflection of structural and governance shortcomings. It proposes a ten-point strategic vision focused on building a sustainable ecosystem, enhancing primary healthcare systems, adopting people-centered and rights-based approaches, leveraging artificial intelligence, and gradually reducing dependency on external donors where feasible. However, in highly fragile settings such as Yemen or Somalia, domestic financing remains limited, and sustained external support will continue to be indispensable. The commentary calls for stronger national leadership, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and increased domestic financing to deliver integrated and resilient TB services. Ending TB in the EMR is within reach, but it requires boldly committed, coordinated, and country-led action. Full article

The main objective of this article is to conduct a literature review on the use of open innovation (OI) for green transition to identify tools and methods that can make green transition more effective, efficient, and socially acceptable. This review is accompanied by an attempt to answer the following research questions: R1. How can open innovation be used in the economy and by individual entities to achieve the goals of the green transition? R2. How can individual stakeholders be activated and motivated to participate in the process of creating open innovation for the green transition? and R3. What are the real effects of using open innovation on a macroeconomic, social, and individual scale? The results allow concluding that OI is used by enterprises, cities, regions, and entire economies. Among the methods of activating and motivating individual stakeholders to engage in the process of creating OI for green transition, the following can be selected: (1) internal resources and competencies (knowledge management, internal programs, open leadership, trust, complementarity of resources); (2) partnership characteristics (modern business models, involvement of partnership intermediaries, strengthening relationships with suppliers and customers, involvement of prosumers, cooperation with universities and research institutions); (3) external legal and regulatory conditions (protection of intellectual property rights, pro-innovation and pro-environmental education systems, creation of a legal framework for cooperation between science and business); and (4) external technical and organizational solutions (online platforms, social media, Living Labs, external sources of knowledge). The most frequently mentioned individual effects of open innovation in the energy sector include: improved efficiency, effectiveness and competitiveness in environmental management and the implementation of sustainable development, as well as the use of modern technologies. At the economic level, OI supports investment and economic growth. It can also have a positive impact on reducing energy poverty and developing renewable energy sources, including in emerging economies. This form of innovation also promotes social integration and the creation of social values. The findings of this review can be utilized by scholars to identify current and future research directions. They may also prove valuable for practitioners as both an incentive to engage in open innovation and guidance for its design and implementation. Furthermore, the results can contribute to disseminating knowledge about open innovation and its role in the green transformation. Full article

This study investigates the challenges faced by small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) as they attempt to respond to decarbonization demands and expand into renewable-energy markets. Drawing on three waves of free-response surveys conducted between 2021 and 2024, and applying the KJ qualitative synthesis method, the analysis identifies multi-layered constraints across financial, technological, human resource, organizational, and institutional domains. The findings show that the central difficulty for SMEs lies in reconciling exploration—the pursuit of new technologies and business opportunities—with exploitation—the need to maintain and improve existing operations. External stakeholder pressure frequently accelerates this tension, compelling SMEs to initiate environmental actions even when internal capabilities remain insufficient. Based on the emergent patterns, the study develops an “Exploration–Exploitation Support Matrix,” providing a practical framework for policymakers to design coordinated support measures. The study contributes to the integration of eco-innovation, absorptive capacity, and ambidextrous management theories and offers actionable insights for promoting sustainable SME transitions. Full article

As sustainability becomes central to tourism, tourists are no longer passive consumers but active stakeholders who influence organizational behavior. This study investigates how green consumer behavior (GCB) shapes expectations for employee green competencies and organizational sustainability strategy (OSS). Data were collected through a structured survey of 326 domestic tourists in Albania. Green skills expectation (GSE) was modeled as a latent construct derived from two observed variables: green loyalty and brand image, and willingness to support sustainability. Statistical analyses included exploratory factor analysis (EFA), K-means clustering and structural equation modeling (SEM). GCB significantly predicted both OSS and GSE, confirming that green tourists influence how organizations structure and communicate their sustainability practices. Cluster analysis identified two consumer profiles: committed eco-tourists and green-adaptive tourists. This study advances current understanding of how tourists act as external agents of internal organizational change. It extends the theoretical discourse on green marketing and sustainable workforce development by positioning tourist expectations as a driver of human resource transformation. The findings offer meaningful implications for tourism operators, educators and policymakers seeking to align employee training and service delivery with the demands of sustainability-oriented travelers. In this way, the study bridges the gap between consumer behavior and workforce development, contributing to a more integrated approach to sustainable tourism. Full article

Higher education institutions face growing pressure to demonstrate excellence and strategic alignment in quality assurance, particularly to meet international accreditation standards. This paper presents a case study of a business faculty that undertook a leadership-driven initiative to develop a comprehensive Quality Manual aimed at continuous improvement and accreditation readiness. The project was structured as a multi-phase, collaborative effort involving broad stakeholder engagement, benchmarking of best practices, and alignment with international accreditation frameworks and the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), as well as relevant national quality assurance requirements. The resulting Quality Manual provides a unified framework for quality assurance (QA) across all key areas—governance, academic programmes, research, student support, partnerships—linking institutional strategy to daily processes. Key outcomes of the case include clarified roles and procedures, integrated feedback loops, and enhanced readiness for accreditation. The development process highlighted the critical role of educational leadership in fostering a quality culture; by engaging faculty, staff, students, and external partners, the leadership built shared ownership of QA goals. The study is guided by two research questions: (1) How can collaborative and distributed leadership support the development of a strategically aligned Quality Manual at the faculty level? (2) How does the process of designing and implementing a Quality Manual contribute to strengthening internal QA and fostering a quality culture? The study discusses challenges and lessons learned in leading such change, emphasising the importance of stakeholder collaboration, strategic alignment, and change management. The findings contribute theoretically by illustrating how faculty-level leadership operationalizes QA frameworks into concrete institutional tools, and practically by offering a structured model for developing a strategic Quality Manual in higher education. Full article

Our research aims to provide a comparative analysis of water governance components by presenting the complexity of water-covered land use by the extractive industry in terms of legal, economic, and environmental protection aspects in Poland and Malaysia, along with the corresponding regulations and their implications. This paper discusses the legal forms of land ownership and use, as well as the currently applied principles for calculating fees for using state-owned water covered land that contains mineral deposits. We also present a comparison of selected technologies for the extraction of sand and gravel aggregates under water with their environmental impact. This research highlights the need for specialized valuation frameworks tailored to the geological and regulatory landscape of Poland and Malaysia. We suggest that the market value of land located above a mineral deposit, calculated individually for each deposit-property, should serve as the basis for calculating the lease fee. This discussion should encompass not only the principles and methodology involved in estimating the magnitudes of lease rents on mining industry and its profitability, but also the identification and criteria for assessing the risks associated with ongoing or planned mining ventures and concerns about the protection of river ecosystems. Our research contributes in providing data to stakeholders on extractive industry that operates within flowing and standing inland waters. The key finding of our research is that, in our opinion, the water governance frameworks in Poland and Malaysia are inadequate for protecting public finances and for internalizing the environmental externalities inherent in the economics of mining. Full article

Indonesia has articulated ambitious green economy objectives through frameworks such as the Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI). Despite this ambition, a critical research gap exists. The weak ‘green political capabilities’ of policymakers—defined as their ability to navigate political processes, build coalitions, and translate technical knowledge into viable policy—hinder effective agenda-setting and implementation. This study addresses this deficit by identifying strategic points of entry for enhancing these capabilities to strengthen a more sustainable economic transition. Employing a mixed-methods approach guided by the UNDP Capacity Assessment Framework, this research gathered data from 170 stakeholders via workshops, focus group discussions, and surveys. The analysis identifies four principal entry points: (1) internal institutional development, (2) accreditation processes, (3) bureaucratic reform, and (4) external partnerships. Critically, ordinal regression reveals which actors most significantly influence capacity development priorities. Governmental/legislative institutions (Estimate = 1.855, p < 0.010) and the private sector (Estimate = 3.173, p < 0.020) exert a significant positive influence on advancing the green economy agenda. Conversely, competencies such as policy strengthening exhibit a significant negative correlation (Estimate = −3.467, p < 0.000), which indicates a concentration of need among institutions with substantial capacity gaps. The study’s key contribution is a framework for systematically integrating green competencies into national accreditation standards and bureaucratic reforms, providing a clear pathway to transform entry points into effective levers for enhancing the state’s green political capabilities. Full article

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology offers significant potential for stable and dispatchable renewable electricity generation through integration with thermal energy storage. However, adoption remains limited due to high capital costs, technical complexity, and market competition from photovoltaic (PV) systems. This review systematically synthesises recent literature on CSP and applies a hybrid SWOT–Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology to quantitatively evaluate key internal and external factors influencing CSP deployment. The analysis identifies major strengths such as high-capacity factors and grid stability enabled by thermal storage, as well as weaknesses including high initial investment and site requirements. Opportunities stem from technological innovation, supportive policy frameworks, and potential for local job creation, while threats include rapid cost reductions in PV systems, water scarcity, and market and regulatory uncertainties. The integrated SWOT–AHP approach provides a robust decision-making framework and strategic insights for stakeholders seeking to promote CSP technology in diverse market contexts. The findings underscore the importance of tailored policy support and targeted investment to overcome barriers and realise CSP’s full potential within the renewable energy landscape. Full article

Standardized pharmacist intervention practices and documentation among health-system specialty pharmacies could improve understanding of the pharmacists’ role and value in this setting. This study describes current health-system specialty pharmacies’ intervention practices. A survey developed by a volunteer committee subgroup was distributed to two health-system specialty pharmacy group email distribution lists. The survey evaluated the types of tasks considered to be clinical or non-clinical interventions; who could perform interventions; where and how they were documented; data elements included in documentation; and how intervention data were classified, used, reviewed, and shared with internal or external stakeholders. Twenty-four institutions responded to the survey. Tasks within medication management, adverse drug events/monitoring, and education domains were more commonly considered clinical interventions; tasks in the health maintenance and coordination of care domains were more frequently considered non-clinical interventions or not considered to be interventions. Interventions were completed by pharmacists (at 100% of sites) and were mostly documented in the electronic health record (92%). Intervention data were primarily collected to meet accreditation purposes (96%) or for quality auditing and review (88%). No respondents shared intervention data with patients. Results demonstrate areas of alignment and variance in intervention definition and documentation among health-system specialty pharmacies. Full article

This research investigates the critical role of intercultural communication and cultural intelligence in global international organisations and their link to effective stakeholder engagement and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. There is still a scarcity of empirical research focusing on global governance institutions like the United Nations (UN), which was chosen as a case study. Such organisations are one-of-a-kind communicative spaces in which people from various cultural, linguistic, and professional backgrounds work together to achieve common international goals. However, despite the UN’s prominent role in enabling global collaboration, the mechanisms by which intercultural communication occurs and adapts in such circumstances are little understood. Focusing on the social and governance dimensions of ESG, this research brings new insights into the work of the United Nations (UN)’s multicultural teams, as well as into the cross-cultural projects at the heart of this organisation and how they align with the goal of preserving local cultures in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study’s findings confirm the critical role of intercultural communication in engaging internal and external stakeholders and reinforcing sustainable ESG practices in international institutions such as the UN. Moreover, the managerial implications of the research could be of relevance to other global organisations which operate across diverse cultural contexts, where understanding and managing these differences become essential for fostering trust, collaboration, and responsibility. The paper proposes a conceptual framework verified through corroborated semistructured interviews to illustrate how intercultural communication enhances inclusivity, tailors ESG strategies to cultural contexts, and improves organisational decision-making and accountability. Full article