Search Results (82)

Indonesia, as the world’s major palm oil producer, has promoted the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification to sustain its global industrial competitiveness and address growing international environmental pressures. Despite being formally introduced in 2011, smallholder participation in ISPO certification remains critically low. In response, the Indonesian government enacted a mandatory ISPO compliance policy, with a transitional phase, for smallholders. This study examines the behavioral predictors of ISPO adoption intention and readiness among two categories of oil palm smallholders in Riau Province, Indonesia: scheme smallholders, who cooperate with firms under nucleus partnership, and independent smallholders, who rely on open market channels with minimal institutional support. Data were collected from 300 smallholders and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Multi-Group Analysis (PLS-MGA), drawing on an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework that incorporates environmental awareness (EA) and collective membership participation (COL) as additional constructs. The findings show that behavioral intention is the influential predictor associated with ISPO adoption readiness across both groups (β = 0.376 for independent; β = 0.229 for scheme smallholders), while perceived behavioral control (PBC) significantly influences readiness among scheme smallholders (β = 0.344), but not among independent smallholders (β = 0.097), reflecting the structural capacity constraints faced by the independent group, particularly land legality. Environmental awareness positively shapes adoption intention among scheme smallholders (β = 0.126) but shows no significant effect among independent smallholders. Collective farmer group membership consistently enhances both adoption intention and readiness across both groups, emerging as the most universally actionable driver of ISPO compliance. These findings underscore the need for differentiated policy interventions, particularly targeted structural support for independent smallholders in terms of land legalization, certification subsidies, and field-based capacity building, to ensure equitable and effective implementation of mandatory ISPO certification. Full article

This study examines how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance influences firm financial performance within the ASEAN context by integrating internal mechanisms and external institutional dynamics. Using a quantitative approach, this study analyzes 270 financial and non-financial companies from five ASEAN countries over the period 2019–2023. Structural Equation Modeling using Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) with WarpPLS is employed to test direct, mediating, and moderating relationships, complemented by multi-group analysis to assess cross-country and sectoral differences. The results show that ESG performance has a positive and significant effect on firm financial performance, both directly and indirectly through innovation capacity. At the same time, stakeholder trust and resource efficiency do not exhibit significant mediating effects. Furthermore, institutional quality, policy effectiveness, and cultural sustainability orientation strengthen the ESG–performance relationship, whereas market competition intensity does not play a significant moderating role. The findings also reveal substantial heterogeneity across countries and sectors, indicating that ESG effectiveness is highly context-dependent. Overall, this study highlights that ESG creates value not only through internal capabilities but also through supportive institutional and cultural environments, emphasizing the importance of contextual factors in shaping sustainability outcomes in emerging markets. Full article

Introduction: Oman has transitioned from travel-related dengue cases to local outbreaks since 2018, with heterogeneous patterns across governorates and districts. Understanding how climate, population, and vector indicators jointly shape dengue risk at different administrative levels is essential for targeted control. Methods: This study compiled weekly data (2020–2024) on dengue cases, mosquito surveillance, climate, and population from national sources. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS v4, we modelled constructs for Weather, Population, Vector, and Vector-borne Disease (VBD). Measurement quality was assessed using various statistics and with 5000-sample bootstrapping. Multigroup Analysis (MGA) with permutation and Measurement Invariance of Composite Models (MICOM) tested invariance and compared structural paths across governorates (Muscat, North Al Batinah, Ad Dakhiliyah) and districts (Seeb, Sohar, Bahla). Results: Vector abundance mediated climate and population effects on dengue, with marked spatial heterogeneity. At the governorate level, the Vector → VBD path was strongest in Ad Dakhiliyah (β ≈ 0.436) and negligible in Muscat (β ≈ −0.021); indirect effects from Population and Weather to VBD were significantly higher in Ad Dakhiliyah than comparators. At the district level, Bahla showed stronger Vector → VBD and Weather → Vector relationships than Seeb and Sohar, while Seeb exhibited low explanatory power across paths. MICOM indicated partial measurement invariance, suggesting caution in cross-group comparisons. Conclusions: Dengue risk in Oman is primarily vector-driven but differs by setting. Inland/rural areas are more sensitive to climate–vector dynamics, requiring enhanced surveillance and climate-informed early warning. Urban centers may need models incorporating mobility and behavior. Findings support localized interventions and the integration of trap positivity and density into district-level prediction and control. Full article

The study aimed to examine how customer incivility (CI) spills over into workplace deviance (WD) and turnover intentions (TI) among Egyptian hotel kitchen staff through the mediating mechanism of emotional exhaustion (EE), while also assessing the moderating role of moral disengagement (MD). Specifically, the study sought to (1) investigate the impact of CI on EE; (2) examine whether EE mediates the relationships between CI and both WD and TI; and (3) test whether MD strengthens the effects of EE on WD and TI. The study’s theoretical foundations were anchored in the conservation of resources (COR) theory and social cognitive theory (SCT). We developed a moderated mediation model and tested it using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique based on data collected from 300 kitchen staff at four- and five-star hotels in Hurghada, Egypt. Findings demonstrated that CI had a positive effect on EE, and that further EE affects WD and TI. EE partially mediates the relationships between CI and these two model outcomes (WD and TI). Furthermore, MD moderates the relationships between EE and both WD and TI, such that these positive effects are amplified among employees with higher levels of MD. Multi-group analysis further indicates that the moderating effect of MD on the EE–deviance relationship is stronger for long-tenure employees. These findings extend COR theory to back-of-house hospitality populations and integrate SCT’s moral detachment framework to explain heterogeneous employee responses to emotional depletion. Theoretical contributions, practical implications for hotel management, and directions for future research are discussed. Full article

Despite the growing participation of women in higher education worldwide, they continue to face persistent challenges in their career advancement, including limited promotion opportunities, underrepresentation in leadership positions, lower research productivity, and unequal access to institutional resources. These challenges are shaped by a range of structural, institutional, and socio-cultural constraints within academia. Understanding these influencing factors is essential for promoting gender equity within universities. This study investigates the factors influencing the career advancement-related challenges experienced by women academics in Jordanian higher education institutions, focusing on career experience, family responsibilities, and organisational support. Grounded in Gendered Organisations Theory, Work-Family Conflict Theory, and Social Support Theory, the study develops and empirically tests an integrated conceptual model. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of women academics across Jordanian universities. The quantitative data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), while qualitative responses on strategies for overcoming challenges were examined using directed qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that family responsibilities represent the most influential driver of perceived challenges, highlighting the continuing tension between professional and domestic roles. Career experience is found to reduce perceived challenges, suggesting that accumulated professional capital and institutional familiarity enhance women’s ability to navigate academic environments. Organisational and social support not only directly reduce perceived challenges but also buffer the impact of family responsibilities. Multi-group analysis further reveals differences in the strength of these relationships between teaching-research academics and those occupying leadership roles. The qualitative results identify key strategies for addressing these challenges, including mentoring systems, flexible institutional policies, professional networking, and leadership development initiatives. By integrating structural modelling with qualitative insights, this study advances understanding of the complex dynamics shaping women’s academic careers and provides evidence-based recommendations for fostering more inclusive and supportive higher education environments. Full article

Super apps have emerged as complex digital service ecosystems that integrate multiple heterogeneous services within a unified platform architecture. As artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities become increasingly embedded into these platforms, understanding how AI-enabled features influence user evaluations has become an important research issue. This study develops a new research model by extending the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework to examine the determinants of users’ continuance intention toward super apps. Specifically, performance efficacy, service efficiency, and perceived security are conceptualized as stimulus factors. Satisfaction is modeled as the organism variable; and continuance intention represents the behavioral response. In addition, this study conceptualizes AI system capability as a platform-level capability that enables the integration, adaptation, and personalization of heterogeneous services. It examines both its direct effect on user satisfaction and its moderating role in the relationships between functional affordances and satisfaction. Based on survey data collected from 614 super-app users in South Korea, the research model was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that performance efficacy and perceived security significantly influence user satisfaction, whereas service efficiency does not have a significant effect. Furthermore, AI system capability not only directly enhances user satisfaction but also strengthens the relationships between functional affordances and satisfaction. A multi-group analysis comparing financial and non-financial super apps shows that these effects vary depending on the service context. These findings contribute to the literature by conceptualizing AI as a system-level capability that both enables and enhances the realization of functional affordances in complex digital ecosystems. Full article

As organizations become increasingly digital, the environmental impact of digital infrastructures is gaining growing attention within ESG agendas. However, many organizations still struggle to translate digital infrastructure data into clear, measurable, and reliable ESG reporting outcomes. This study develops and empirically tests a socio-technical model explaining how organizations achieve ESG measurement and reporting readiness through sustainable computing practices. Drawing on a quantitative cross-sectional survey of 312 respondents from government, private, and educational organizations in Saudi Arabia and the GCC region, the study employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and multi-group analysis (MGA). The findings reveal that organizational drivers are the strongest predictors of sustainable computing practices, while organizational barriers exert significant negative effects on adoption. Sustainable computing practices play a critical mediating role by enabling organizations to transform fragmented digital data into structured and credible ESG reporting systems. Sectoral differences further highlight the influence of institutional contexts on adoption pathways. The study contributes by positioning sustainable computing as a foundational organizational capability that bridges digital transformation and ESG reporting, offering both theoretical insights and practical implications for enhancing ESG measurement and reporting readiness. Full article

Growing consumer awareness of environmental and health issues has increased demand for sustainable products, yet a persistent gap remains between positive attitudes and actual purchasing behavior. This study addresses inconsistent findings in prior literature regarding the effects of psychological drivers on willingness to pay a premium for green products. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and value-based perspectives, this study examines how environmental concern, health consciousness, and consumer innovativeness influence purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium (WTP) for green cosmetics. Data were collected from 872 respondents in Indonesia and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with multi-group analysis (MGA) to capture demographic heterogeneity. The results show that all three drivers significantly influence purchase intention, which in turn affects WTP and acts as a partial mediator. Demographic differences further moderate several relationships, highlighting heterogeneity in green consumer behavior. This study contributes by integrating psychological drivers, behavioral mechanisms, and demographic heterogeneity into a unified framework to explain willingness to pay for green cosmetics. The findings offer practical insights for developing targeted strategies to promote sustainable consumption in emerging markets. Full article

Despite strong policy support for prefabricated interior decoration systems (PIDSs) in China, residential consumer uptake remains limited. Existing research has focused primarily on adoption drivers or industry-side promotion; in contrast, in this study, Innovation Resistance Theory (IRT) is employed to investigate the functional and psychological barriers to consumer acceptance in the Chinese residential market. Utilizing data from 476 Chinese consumers, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is applied to test a hierarchical mediation framework. The results demonstrate that functional obstacles, specifically risk and usage barriers, do not exhibit a direct association with resistance intention; rather, a significant indirect effect via perceived value and image is observed. Notably, the tradition barrier emerged as the most dominant predictor of resistance, reflecting a deep-seated cultural path dependency on traditional masonry methods and a perceived loss of construction rituals that disrupts system adoption. Furthermore, multi-group analysis (MGA) reveals a paradox of experience: while uninitiated users are resistant based on abstract stereotypes, those with traditional renovation experience are driven by status quo bias, and early adopters of PIDSs are resistant due to negative disconfirmation regarding usage friction and functional inflexibility. These findings suggest that, to achieve system equilibrium, the industry must transition from an industry-centric narrative to one focused on premium quality and user-centric design. Practical implications include the need to de-stigmatize prefabrication as precision manufacturing and to align policy and market interventions more closely with the concerns of individual end-consumers in order to improve residential market acceptance. Full article

This study investigates the determinants of FinTech adoption and its role in supporting financial inclusion among micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The analysis applies an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework that incorporates digital financial literacy, artificial intelligence literacy, green self-identity, and perceived green finance. Data from 632 MSMEs, comprising 377 rural and 255 urban enterprises, were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), multi-group analysis (MGA), and importance performance map analysis (IPMA). The results indicate that facilitating conditions represent the most influential determinant of FinTech adoption among rural MSMEs, while effort expectancy emerges as the dominant factor in urban enterprises. FinTech adoption also significantly strengthens both FinTech continuance intention and financial inclusion across the two groups, highlighting the role of digital financial technologies in promoting inclusive economic development. In addition, the IPMA shows that rural MSMEs place strong emphasis on facilitating conditions as the key driver of FinTech adoption, whereas urban MSMEs prioritize effort expectancy. By extending the UTAUT framework with sustainability-related constructs, this study provides new evidence on how digital financial innovation can support inclusive growth and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 8. Full article

Digital transformation has become important for SMEs that want better control, transparency, and coordinated operations. Yet, many studies treat digital tools in isolation and do not explain how AI and big data capabilities, together with process integration, drive governance outcomes. This gap limits a clear understanding of how digital transformation supports governance performance in SMEs. This study examines how digital transformation (DT) influences digital governance performance (DGP) in SMEs, with AI and big data analytical capability (AIBDAC) and process integration capability (PIC) as mediators. The research is grounded in the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, and the Technology Organization Environment framework. Data were collected from SMEs across five regions of Saudi Arabia using cluster and purposive sampling to target employees and managers involved in digital, analytical, and process integration work. A total of 396 valid responses were included in the analysis. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS SEM) was used to assess the measurement model, test the hypothesized paths, and evaluate mediation and moderation effects. The findings show that DT, AIBDAC, PIC, and top management support (TMS) have significant direct effects on DGP. AIBDAC and PIC act as key mediators, fully transmitting the effects of digital innovation capability and strategic readiness and partially mediating the effects of DT and TMS. Multi-group analysis shows that small and medium-large firms rely on different capability combinations. The study contributes by explaining how SMEs strengthen governance through capability development and offers practical guidance for improving governance through digital transformation. Full article

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) is reshaping transport systems and accelerating the sustainable digital transformation of smart mobility. EV battery-swapping, delivered through platform-based, data-driven service networks, offers a low-carbon alternative to conventional refueling and plug-in charging by shortening replenishment time and enabling centralized battery management. However, the behavioral mechanisms driving user adoption of this digitally enabled infrastructure remain insufficiently understood. This study develops a socio-technical system (STS) model in which social and technical drivers influence users’ intention to adopt EV battery-swapping services via the dual mediation of perceived trust and perceived risk. Using a three-stage mixed-methods design that combines a PRISMA-based literature review, expert interviews with user-journey mapping, and a large-scale user survey, the study identifies six social and technical antecedents of EV battery-swapping adoption. Based on 565 valid responses from EV users in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, partial least squares structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis are employed to test the proposed framework. The results show that all six antecedents significantly affect perceived trust and perceived risk, which in turn mediate their impacts on adoption intention, with notable heterogeneity across income and usage-frequency groups. The findings provide a mechanism-based extension of STS theory for digitally mediated battery-swapping infrastructure by showing how socio-technical conditions shape adoption via trust and risk, and they offer actionable implications for operators and policymakers to build secure, user-centered swapping services within intelligent transport systems. Full article

This study examines how banks navigate the dual strategic imperatives of securing market power and optimizing multidimensional operational efficiency—technical, scale, and allocative efficiency—within emerging and transitional banking systems. Focusing on business model diversification and financial stability, this study also accounts for the conditioning roles of governance quality, institutional complexity, credit risk, and digitalization. Using bank-level data from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, the analysis applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and multi-group analysis to assess direct, mediating, and moderating relationships. The results indicate that diversification and financial stability significantly strengthen market power, while their effects on efficiency are largely negative across efficiency dimensions. Governance quality partially mediates the stability–market power relationship, whereas institutional complexity weakens this linkage. Digital transformation maturity and market digitalization condition the diversification–efficiency nexus, with effects varying across efficiency types and regions. Overall, the findings reveal a strategic trade-off between competitive positioning and operational efficiency, emphasizing the importance of governance structures and digital capabilities in shaping bank performance across heterogeneous institutional contexts. Full article

This study analyzes the socio-cultural and behavioral determinants of FinTech adoption and access to credit among Ecuadorian SMEs. A probabilistic sample of 600 firms, operating in the services, commerce, information and communication technologies (ICT), and industry sectors, was surveyed to ensure representation of the country’s productive structure. The model integrates financial literacy, institutional trust, and perceived accessibility as key independent variables, with FinTech adoption as a digital behavioral factor and access to credit and credit conditions as the primary dependent outcomes. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), complemented by multi-group invariance tests and cluster analysis, the study evaluates seven hypotheses linking cognitive, perceptual, and digital mechanisms to financing behavior and firm performance. Results show that financial literacy and institutional trust significantly improve access to formal credit, with perceived accessibility acting as a partial mediator. FinTech adoption enhances credit conditions but remains limited among micro and small firms. Based on these findings, the study recommends strengthening financial education programs, simplifying credit procedures to reduce perceived barriers, and developing trust-building regulatory frameworks for digital finance. The results highlight the importance of socio-cultural and behavioral factors in shaping SME financing decisions and contribute to the understanding of financial inclusion dynamics in emerging economies. Full article

The proactive safety behavior of construction workers is crucial for accident prevention. This study examines the mechanism through which altruistic leadership influences such behavior, proposing a theoretical model grounded in social exchange theory, self-determination theory, and situational strength theory. The model positions psychological empowerment as a mediator and perceived organizational support as a moderator. Hypotheses were tested using survey data from 718 construction workers in China. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), complemented by a multi-group analysis based on the workers’ age and weekly working hours. The results show that altruistic leadership significantly enhances proactive safety behavior. Psychological empowerment partially mediates this relationship, while perceived organizational support positively moderates the link between psychological empowerment and proactive safety behavior. Furthermore, the positive effect of altruistic leadership was more substantial among older workers and those with longer weekly working hours. In contrast, the mediating role of psychological empowerment was more pronounced among younger workers. These findings reveal the dual influence of internal psychological mechanisms and external contextual factors in the relationship between altruistic leadership and proactive safety behavior. This study helps managers foster safety proactivity by promoting altruistic leadership and supportive organizational environments. Full article