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In today’s business environment, with organizations enhancing performance, maintaining a competitive edge, and fostering innovation, the efficient transfer of knowledge plays an increasingly pivotal role. As industries recognize the importance of and strive for more and more productive knowledge transfer, understanding the factors affecting this process becomes imperative. Manufacturing is considered a strategic sector, and well-performing knowledge transfer is necessary for higher innovation and competitiveness. To increase knowledge transfer performance, companies must have the awareness, ability, and opportunity to identify the main aspects that need operational improvement. Studies based on systematic literature review and mapping impact factors have shown that knowledge transfer is hypothetically affected by a vast variety of factors, which creates challenges for companies in selecting and applying these factors. Therefore, the two research questions of this study are – RQ1: What are the relationships between the knowledge transfer-influencing factors identified in the literature analysis and the dependent variables? RQ2: What is the weight of the statistically significant factors identified in the empirical study?

Supplier selection has emerged as an important activity regarding strategic purchasing with implications for the operational efficiency of both organisations and supply chains. Given the need to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative criteria for different supply alternatives, the decision-making process became more complex.

From the perspective of a heterogeneous firm framework, we investigate the direct and spillover effects of public research and development (R&D) subsidies, firm heterogeneity, and external factors on innovation. Our analysis is based on panel data from manufacturing firms in Korea. We find three apparent roles of public R&D subsidy in enhancing firm-level innovation. First, public R&D subsidy has a direct positive impact on innovation in both the short and long run. Second, it does not have a stand-alone spillover effect on innovation. Third, public R&D subsidies have a positive spillover effect on innovation when combined with organizational slack in the short and long run and with leverage and firm size in the short run. Moreover, our analysis reveals that the impact of public subsidies, firm heterogeneity, external factors, and their interaction with innovation is primarily observed in firms with high absorptive capacity, not in those with low absorptive capacity. Based on these findings, the study recommends that when a government formulates its R&D policies, in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public R&D subsidies, it is necessary to prioritize understanding the various conditions and circumstances associated with the public R&D-productivity nexus. It is especially crucial to keep in mind that when firm heterogeneity—as a source of absorptive capacity and organizational learning—and the similarity of technology-based innovations are properly considered, public R&D subsidies can be efficient and effective policy tools for increasing direct benefits and inter-firm spillovers.

The existing literature on SME internationalization has inadequately integrated joint innovation capabilities, organizational unlearning, and the internationalization process. Previous studies have primarily examined these concepts separately, obscuring their interconnection and reciprocal impact. This study fills in a gap in the literature and responds to calls for more studies (e.g., Du, Zhu & Li, 2023; Genc, Dayan & Genc, 2019) by developing and testing a moderated mediation model to examine how joint innovation capabilities affect exploratory innovation through the mediating role of organizational unlearning. The research also examines the moderating effect of the degree of internationalization on this relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 300 logistics and general managers from SMEs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), utilizing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the measurement models' validity and reliability, and to test the hypothesized relationships. The results demonstrate that organizational unlearning is a key mechanism linking collaborative innovation capabilities with exploratory innovation. Additionally, the degree of internationalization significantly moderates this relationship, with a stronger mediation effect when internationalization is low. These findings provide practical implications for SMEs and managers, especially in overseeing innovation and unlearning processes while accounting for the degree of internationalization in their growth strategies. Managers in SMEs must recognize the complexities introduced by internationalization, such as diverse cultural norms and regulatory frameworks, which can impede the process of unlearning. To address these challenges, SMEs should consider adopting region-specific innovation strategies or investing in cross-cultural training to effectively manage the integration of diverse knowledge sources.

This study examines the impact of green economic growth and renewable energy on food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The rationale for the study comes from the background that with a fast rate of growing population, there is a high pressure on natural resources, which often leads to resource depletion, being experienced across the globe. This study utilises panel data analysis consisting of 37 SSA countries that are members of the Official Development Assistance (ODA). Data was obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Development Indicators (WDI) for the period 2005–2022. To control for endogeneity, the study applies the system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM). The result shows that renewable energy and green economic growth have a positive significant impact on food security, though this impact is asymmetric across SSA sub-regions. On the other hand, industrialisation through its emissions, contributes negatively to food security. The implication is that SSA countries should focus on policies aimed at improving green economic growth and renewable energy consumption; while policies aimed at reducing the inefficient adoption of renewable electricity and discouraging industrialisation aimed at suppressing agricultural practices should be adopted.

This article aims to show the areas in which technological changes will take place to bring about energy security, and the prerequisites and costs. It has been assumed that technological progress will contribute to the development of energy markets and increase the level of energy security. Changes in energy markets are a necessity. Energy is a source of economic competitiveness. The ability to produce cheap energy and in quantities adequate to needs is a social and economic development factor. The opportunities for change will be the need for new energy sources, instability in the energy markets, as well as technological progress. New technological solutions allow for better energy demand and supply management and preparing forecasts for increases/decreases in the energy demand. The threats are high costs of introducing new technologies and the necessity of implementing many investments at the same time, which require changes in entire systems. Investments require a long period of time and anticipation of trends.

A key challenge facing developing countries is how to promote export performance through trade liberalization (TL). Using large and highly disaggregate firm-level data with 6-digit HS categories for 1995–2019, we investigate the issue for China based on the recent literature of export margins (XM). Export growth is decomposed into extensive and intensive margins (EM and IM), and IM further into price and quantity margins (PM and QM). We develop three empirical hypotheses based on a theoretical model that includes external economies of scale (EES) and industrial agglomeration (IA) as well as TL-XM links. Then we take China's entry to World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 as a quasi-natural experiment in difference-in-difference (DID) regressions. The estimate results suggest that TL increases both EM and IM (and QM) but reduces PM after China's entry to TWO in 2001. The finding is robust to various specifications of the empirical model and measurements of the variables. The further estimations show significantly positive effects of EES, IA, and their interactive terms with TL on EM, IM, and QM. The positive effects are larger for medium-tech industries than low-tech and high-tech industries.

Research on sustainable manufacturing is currently gaining momentum and becoming a dynamically developing field that considers green innovations (GI). However, rapid dynamics cause the entire field to fragment into smaller topics with different research interests, impacts, and development dynamics over time. This study aims to create a comprehensive scientific map of GI in manufacturing by systematically processing 9376 documents retrieved from the Scopus database. The results show that this research domain gained significant momentum in 2019, with most studies published in the engineering and business subject area. Latent Dirichlet Allocation was used to identify 94 unique topics from all abstracts. We classified the topics into five territories regarding their level of systematization: uncharted (26 topics), discovering (23), expanding (15), well-recognized (19), and marginal (11). The least uncharted topics in the field of GI in manufacturing that have potential for systematization are Resource-based Performance Modeling, Sustainability-oriented Performance, and Supplier Decision Criteria and Fuzzy Logic. The most significant topics related to GI in manufacturing currently include Smart Technologies and Industry 4.0, Green Supply Chain, Carbon Emission Reduction, and Digital Transformation, with the last two having the most dynamic development. The results offer objective information for a wider scientific discussion regarding the direction of research in green manufacturing concept and point to uncharted areas that may represent future directions for the development of this concept.

The debate for oil-rich economies to plough their oil windfalls into real economic activities to spur diversification has become intense due to the deficit fiscal crisis and poor socio-economic profile of resource-abundant nations. Therefore, we use secondary data from the period between 1981 and 2020 to assess the impact of crude oil revenue on the oil and non-oil sector output performance in Nigeria. The study adopts the ARDL (i.e. autoregressive distributed lag) and the augmented Granger causality techniques to analyse the data. The ARDL regressions show that crude oil positively impacts oil sector performance, but the impact is only substantial in the short run. Crude oil revenue exerts a positive and insignificant effect on the short-run non-oil sector output, whereas, over the long run, it has a negative but significant effect. To propel growth, the study recommends using the excess crude oil earnings to develop non-oil sectors such as agriculture, services, and manufacturing.

In the era of advancing digital transformation, the impact of the digital divide on residents’ financial behavior has garnered considerable attention, yet there exists a gap in understanding its implications for financial advisors. Employing the analytical framework of “access gap-usage gap-utility gap” and utilizing a Probit model with sample selectivity, this paper systematically explores the impacts, heterogeneity, and mechanisms of the three levels of the digital divide on the demand for and engagement with financial advisors among residents in six eastern provinces of China in 2022. Key findings are as follows: (1) The impact of the access gap isn't significantly, whereas the effects of the usage gap and utility gap are significantly negative. This implies that residents’ internet usage itself does not affect the likelihood of seeking and engaging financial advisors, but lower frequency and perceived importance of internet usage decrease the likelihood of seeking and engaging financial advisors. (2) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effects of the usage gap and utility gap are more pronounced in rural households, those with debt, and householders lacking financial education. (3) Mechanism studies uncover that both the usage gap and utility gap diminish residents’ demand for and engagement with financial advisors by weakening social networks and reducing information attention. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the profound impact of digital transformation on financial markets, offering policy suggestions and practical guidance to enhance financial services.

This study examines the role of digital business incubators, focusing specifically on the Qatar Digital Incubation Center (DIC), in fostering digital entrepreneurship. The methodology used is qualitative, employing content analysis to interpret textual and visual data from sources such as online databases, documents, reports, and academic research papers. International benchmark reports are used to assess Qatar's global ranking in research, development, innovation, and digital entrepreneurship. The findings highlight Qatar's commitment to digital transformation and its efforts to create a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurship. They underscore Qatar's dedication to driving innovation through investments in telecommunications, information technology, education, and initiatives like the Qatar National Research Fund. Qatar's digital competitiveness is evident through its ICT infrastructure, extensive 5G implementation, and initiatives like the Smart Qatar Program. The DIC plays a pivotal role in supporting digital entrepreneurs by providing resources, mentorship, and a collaborative environment. By collaborating with government agencies, academic institutions, and industry partners, the DIC contributes to the growth and success of digital startups, fostering innovation, and positioning Qatar as a hub for digital entrepreneurship and technological innovation. This study provides valuable insights into the development of Qatar's digital entrepreneurship ecosystem and the significance of digital business incubators, including the DIC.

Research purpose. Through Industry 4.0, also referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, new technologies or traditional production resources have been transformed into intelligent objects enhanced by the possibility of identification, scanning, and networking. In recent years, the concept of Industry 5.0 has already started to be discussed. However, is Industry 4.0 an uninteresting or sufficiently researched topic for scientists? The main aim of the scientific article is to perform a bibliometric analysis of the Industry 4.0 issue. The aim was supported by six research questions that reflect the publication trend in the years 2012–2022, the most publishing countries, the most used keywords, the Web of Science category, and authors and publishers.

Improving economic resilience has become a regional development goal of policymakers. This study aims to investigate the effects of digital transformation on urban economic resilience and its underlying mechanisms. Based on a sample of 287 prefecture-level cities in China, We find that digital transformation helps improve urban economic resilience, which is robust to different estimations, e.g., 2SLS and staggered DID. Additionally, further analysis indicates that improving the efficiency and stimulating the level of innovation that is associated with digital transformation are likely to be the main mechanisms behind this effect. Our results reveal the following several policy implications. Firstly, formulating policies to develop digital technology and to promote its application is of great significance for achieving a sustainable and resilient economic growth in an increasingly uncertain environment. Secondly, the government should focus on promoting market-oriented reform, reducing government intervention, protecting intellectual property rights, and creating an innovative environment to maximize the effect of digital technology. Thirdly, during the normal periods, accelerating the digitalization process will promote the balanced development among urbans.

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship among different sources of renewable energy, role of technology, environment protection and economic growth. This study uses panel annual data set of selected BRICS countries from 1997 to 2019. This study uses the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimator, a second-generation estimator that takes slope homogeneity and cross-sectional dependence into consideration. For robustness, the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimator has also been utilized. The findings show that the use of renewable energy will rise as income inequality declines. The results of the analysis demonstrate a one-way causal association between income inequality and REC. This finding confirms that a reduction in income inequality will have a major impact on the adoption of renewable energy sources.

This paper assessed the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the stages of human development (HD) using panel data from 87 developing, 13 transition and 34 developed countries from 1990 to 2019. Foreign direct investment positively influenced human development in developing countries. However, the effect was neutral for transition and developed countries. Regarding the effect of FDI on the stages of HD, except for low human development in developing countries, all the computed effects were positive. Failure to delineate the effects of FDI on HDI into stages of HD would result in inaccurate results leading to inappropriate policy responses. Generally, FDI can be promoted in countries within the stages of human development. Whilst similar policies may be relevant, the extent of the outcomes would differ.

The development of financial technology and the ubiquity of the Internet are causing changes in consumer behavior, increasing competition in the financial services sector, and encouraging banks to actively implement digital technologies in their activities. Various initiatives and implemented innovations have attracted the attention of researchers in this industry. Previously, the main focus of researchers has been on technological development, but is now shifting to user-centered research. As practice shows, potential users may not use innovations despite their availability. This points to the need for additional research. The study was designed based on the Technology Adoption Model (TAM), and the model empirically examines changes in traditional banking services using a sample of 93 customers. The questionnaire included three parts. In the first part, respondents were asked what motivations for using online banking and traditional bank services are the most important for customer retention in the context of emerging technology. The second part asked about attitudes towards changes in bank services. The third part was demographic questions about the participants. According to the results, perceived usefulness, perceived ease, and attitudes toward use are determinants in the use of online banking services; the main motivators are getting banking services easier and faster, more control over financial banking activity, and a better customer experience. The implications of the results are discussed and suggestions for the future are made.

Blockchain is a new technology that is seen to be transforming businesses across various industries. This technology provides transparency under all levels of business and it supports traceability across various supply chains which older technologies could not reach. This research explores various factors affecting the adoption of blockchain technology in seafood towards sustainable supplychain for exports. Based on feedback from seven companies, technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution is deployed to identify important factors for sustainable supply chain solutions. Regulatory uncertainity emerges as the major factor, which calls for reforms in regulatory compliance. Implementation costs rank second and need to be reduced for better adoption of the technology.

Our paper aims to identify the most important factors determining companies’ decision to invest in the energy transition in Algeria. Energy transition has been many governments’ main topic of interest over the last decades, climate change has led many of them to establish long-term plans for a successful energy transition; these plans aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions following the guidelines of the COP21. Through a quantitative approach, we have addressed a questionnaire to different companies operating in Algeria and have obtained a total of 117 responses. The results show that financial, technical and regulatory factors have minimal impact on companies’ decision to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Algeria. Further studies should explore other investment factors to help accurately determine those that significantly impact companies’ decisions to invest in Algeria’s renewable energy and energy efficiency. Furthermore, targetting one sector at a time and exploring the alternatives of foreign direct investment in renewable energy can result in higher efficiency.

This paper examines the causal relationship between industrialization, globalization, information communication technology (ICT) and environmental degradation in Malaysia during 1970–2019. It uses two indicators of environmental degradation (carbon emissions and ecological footprint), three dimensions of globalization (political, social, and economic) and three indicators of ICT (users of internet, mobile cellular, and fixed telephone subscriptions). It utilizes Granger causality technique in frequency domain which differentiates between permanent and temporary causality, Vector Error Correction approach as well as Variance Decompositions. The bound test shows that the variables have cointegration relationship. It reveals joint long-run and short-run causality from industrialization, globalization, and ICT to carbon emissions, albeit the causality to ecological footprint is tenuous. It indicates that industrialization, globalization, and ICT significantly predict carbon emissions at high frequency than at low frequency. A substantial percentage of the forecast error variance in environmental degradation are explained by industrialization, globalization, and ICT. The robustness of the empirical outcomes is confirmed by the alternative proxies of the variables. Our study implies that industrialization, globalization, and ICT are determinants of environmental degradation. Therefore, policies to mitigate environmental problem should prioritize these variables to attain green economy.

The immediate need for servitization and digital technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and predictive analysis must be addressed in manufacturing industries. This research aims to analyze the impact of manufacturing services transformation management from traditional methods to technological innovation. This research approached the panel data of Chinese multinational equipment manufacturing industries for the analytical purpose from 2011 to 2017. The unit-root test has checked the stationarity of panel data and cointegration regression checked the long-term relationship among selected variables. The research results have confirmed a long-run and positive relationship between service transformation management of manufacturing enterprises and technological innovation. The positive upward trend among these two variables is because of increasing market demand-driven, open innovation network construction and increase in capital (intellectual, human & financial capital). The negative sign of values is declared the validity of an inverted “U-Shaped” analysis, which confirms the relationship's longevity. The adaptation of technological innovation has also indicated the growing performance trend in service management enterprises. As per the rule of inverted “U-Shaped” law, at a specific point, the manufacturing enterprises’ servitization management will start declining, and it will continue as a cyclic process. This research suggests that enterprises should prepare for the declining phase of servitization and sort out the other performance growth area, which will help to balance the performance of manufacturing enterprises wholesomely.

Industry 5.0 has introduced a novel interpretation of sustainable supply chains (SSCs) that emphasizes the importance of building a transparent and trustworthy network that can be continuously monitored and controlled through stakeholder collaboration as well as the use of advanced, intelligent machinery. The ultimate goal of SSCs is to meet specific economic, social, and environmental standards. The implementation of blockchain technology can significantly improve the reliability, efficiency, and security of the information exchanged among stakeholders in SSCs. However, these stakeholders inevitably possess varying informational advantages and exhibit divergent perspectives regarding the adoption of blockchain technology. This paper thus aims to examine the impediments to the adoption of blockchain technology in the context of SSCs with the goal of promoting blockchain adoption. To achieve this objective, this study analyzes the barriers to blockchain adoption from the perspectives of various stakeholders in SSCs and constructs a barrier severity assessment model that utilizes group decision-making methods to integrate all stakeholders’ attitudes. This study employs the PEEST (political, economic, environmental, social, and technological) framework to identify 27 barriers to the adoption of blockchain technology. Subsequently, an expertise-based group decision-making approach is used to quantify the prominence of various barriers according to various types of stakeholders. The results indicate that the five most intense barriers are storage constraints, insufficient economic incentives, high integration costs, a lack of functional appeal, and ambiguity regarding data disclosure and public data management regulations. This research makes novel theoretical and practical contributions, as it takes an empirical and all-encompassing approach to identifying obstacles to the adoption of blockchain technology and provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners to reference in overcoming these obstacles.

We analyze the effects of digitalization and the knowledge acquired through vertical and institutional cooperation across the value chain on the introduction of patents and technological, namely, product and process, innovations in large, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We study the case of Spain as a digitally competitive economy displaying a relatively low innovation score, a feature reversing the trend observed in most European Union countries. Three empirical scenarios, one for each innovation output, are defined and analyzed following a random-effects probit panel model separately estimated for large firms and SMEs. The sample used in the empirical analysis comprises 1,369 manufacturing firms, out of which 508 are large and 862 SMEs. The empirical results confirmed the importance of digitalization and collaboration across the value chain for all firms, regardless of size. We also observe that the performance of internal R&D activities fosters the introduction of patents and technological innovations across all firms. The main theoretical implications of the empirical results are discussed, and different policy recommendations suggested.

The contemporary scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation are accelerating an overall industrial evolution. The integration of industrial, innovation, and service chains (three-chain) has become an important measure for countries around the world for assessing and enhancing international competitiveness. Based on regional economic theory, industrial policy theory, and synergy theory, this study constructs an evaluation index to measure three-chain integration. A model to measure the degree of synergy among the three chains of the composite system is applied using sample data from Zhenjiang, China from 2012 to 2020. The relevant results are threefold. (1) The three chains of Zhenjiang are at a low level of synergy, which exhibits a downward trend. (2) The industrial chain's degree of synergy is the lowest, and must assume more responsibility for addressing the low three-chain integration level. (3) When examining the integration of any two chains, the integration level of the industrial and innovation chains is the highest. Finally, combined with the research results, optimization paths are proposed to promote three-chain integration. This research contributes to the field by integrating industrial, innovation, and service chains into a comprehensive research framework, constructing a universally applicable evaluation index system to empirically test the level of three-chain integration, and proposing optimal paths to provide scientific methods and decision-making reference to advance three-chain research.

The digital transition is transforming society in general and industry in particular, so much so that the concept of Industry 4.0 is by now widespread and consolidated. However, there is the risk that too pronounced a focus on technology may lead to losing sight of the centrality of human resources. Among others, the European Commission has urged greater attention from research and industry on the human factor. There is a need for further theorizing concerning the role of humans in a digitalized industry. Understanding what is known in the literature on human resource management in an Industry 4.0 context is an important first step toward defining a roadmap for enhancing the human factor in a digitized industry. To achieve this goal, we conducted a systematic analysis of the literature. We used a text-mining approach implemented via the MySLR software platform, which uses latent Dirichlet allocation, to analyze 566 papers published in academic journals. In this way, we were able to identify the main trends in the literature, the most frequently analyzed topics, and the gaps and possible future developments. Our study provides a synthesis of the research in this domain, as well as a research framework based on three pillars related to the technological, human-centric, and organizational perspectives. The results provide researchers and managers with a clear and updated overview of research in the field of human resource management in the context of Industry 4.0, as well as future research directions.

Research Purpose: The paper investigates the impact of the backward integration policy on manufacturing firms’ value added in Nigeria. It complements the existing literature and extends the frontier of knowledge by evaluating the impact of backward integration policy (local raw materials as proxy) on manufacturing firms’ value added in Nigeria.

The main aim of the article is to examine how cooperation with research institutions influences technological maturity of enterprises. It is accompanied with the additional aim, which is to assess the role of innovation policy interventions in this process, as captured by the concept of behavioral additionality, which is one of the externalities of public support for R&D. The focus of this article is put on one of the specific types of behavioral additionality—cooperation additionality—which takes place in the situation where public support influences the collaboration behavior of a firm receiving R&D support. The study was conducted with the use of firm-level data collected in a survey on the sample of 464 enterprises operating within national smart specializations in Poland. The results of the research suggest that public funding fosters the cooperation between scientific institutions and enterprises, thus confirms the cooperation additionality.

El artículo revisa el rápido ascenso de China en la economía mundial durante las últimas dos décadas y las implicaciones de ello sobre la gobernabilidad económica mundial y, en particular, en las crecientes tensiones de China con los Estados Unidos. Se examinan hitos relevantes como el ingreso de China a la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC), la crisis subprime y la pandemia de covid-19. Se documenta el tránsito de la guerra comercial entre ambas potencias a un conflicto por el dominio de las principales tecnologías del siglo XXI. El artículo culmina con una reflexión sobre eventuales impactos de este conflicto en el escenario económico global.

Internet and mobile usages require digital tools that became familiar to all of us but whose industries create significant amount of CO2 emissions. The growing importance of communication channels usually enhances the institutional quality but it also generates a gradual increase in activities producing CO2 that, in turn, negatively affect the institutional quality – This embedded relationship led us to study conjointly these aspects in our empirical study. In this context, this article examines the influences of Internet usage, Mobile usage, and CO2 emissions on the institutional quality for a global sample of 87 economies. Through a two-step system GMM estimator, we show that Internet and mobile usage have a significant positive impact on the institutional quality while the CO2 emissions has a significant negative influence. The results are robust across six different institutional indicators and three subsamples including Low and Lower-Middle Income, Upper-Middle Income, and High-Income Economies. Our empirical research explores and discusses the complex influence of Internet and mobile usages on institutional quality through their environmental impacts suggesting that the latter jeopardizes the initial positive impact of Internet/mobile usage on institutional quality.

Recent advancements in green and innovative technologies have resulted in a number of innovations in manufacturing operations to accelerate sustainable development (SD). Despite several benefits of green innovation adoption (GIA), the adoption rate of these initiatives is still abysmal in manufacturing organisations. To fill this gap, we have developed and validated the GIA model grounded on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), which compels organisations to implement these novel technologies. Data was collected through a survey of 516 respondents from Pakistani manufacturing industries and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) and the artificial neural network (ANN) approach. The deliverables of SEM and ANN approaches demonstrated that all green integrated constructs of the research model, such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, social influence, facilitating conditions, and innovation cost, predict green behavioural intention (GBI). Besides, GBI was found to have a strong direct and mediating effect among integrated constructs towards GIA. In addition, the moderation of organisational size highlighted the differentiation among small, medium and large size enterprises. Additionally, ANN specifies the robustness and relative importance of all integrated constructs, whereas green facilitating conditions have the highest relative importance value for GIA. The proposed integrated model offers novel insights for decision-makers and suggests various implications for adopting and implementing innovative green technologies to achieve SD objectives.

Global competition encourages all industries to attain cutting-edge performance by continuously developing their goods and processes; knowledge is the most effective and powerful weapon for long-term sustainability and growth. Effective blockchain adoption (BCA) and better supply chain visibility (SCV) via organizational and production knowledge management (KM) have emerged as the most powerful instruments for improving sustainable organizational performance (SOP). Therefore, drawing on the resource-based view and technology acceptance model, this study seeks to underline the empirical relationships among KM, BCA, SCV, and SOP in a developing country context of Chinese manufacturing, as research in this sector is still nascent encompassing these constructs. Data were collected from 289 respondents (senior, middle, and junior) level staff members from manufacturing industries and analyzed by a novel approach; partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The empirical analyses indicated that KM significantly impacts BCA. BCA also positively affects SCV. Besides BCA, the KM also positively impacts SOP. The mediation effect analysis revealed the significant serial mediating impact of BCA and SCV on the relationship of KM to SOP. This study enriches the inadequate literature and throws light on BCA from an organizational resource perspective. The study deepens our understanding and delivers valued insights to the managers and policymakers of manufacturing industries concerning the role of KM, BCA, and SCV in achieving SOP.

Purpose – Due to the growing percentage share of urban dwellers, the physical distribution of products faces altering conditions. This research explores the effects that urbanization has on the performance of a fast-moving consumer goods distribution network. A focus is set on changes in distribution cost, the cost-minimal network design, and greenhouse gas emissions. Design/methodology/approach – The analyses are based on a quantitative distribution network model of an existing manufacturer of consumer goods. Findings – The results indicate that the foreseen population shift will affect the network's economic and environmental performance. Effects are, among others, due to differences in the efficiency of supplying urban and nonurban regions. The combined effects of urbanization and the development of the population size will even more affect the network's performance. Originality/value – Research dealing with distribution logistics and urbanization primarily focuses on city logistics. In this paper, the object of analysis is the entire distribution system.

In the context of developing FinTech innovation, a commercial bank’s use of FinTech innovation can improve its risk management capability, thereby reducing its risk-taking. This paper explores the impact and mechanism of a bank’s FinTech innovation on its risk-taking using panel data of 65 commercial banks between 2008 and 2020. We innovatively construct a bank-level index based on web crawler technology and obtain the annual numbers of news items about a bank’s FinTech innovation from each bank in Baidu News. The empirical results show that improvement in the bank’s FinTech innovation significantly reduces its risk-taking. To overcome endogenous problems, including measurement errors and omitted variables, we use the instrumental variables (IV) and difference-in-differences (DID) methods to test the hypothesis and obtain consistent estimated results. The mechanism analysis shows that banks rely on FinTech innovation to reduce their risk-taking by improving their operating income and capital adequacy ratio, optimizing their operating performance, and improving their risk control capabilities. Further, a heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect of a bank’s FinTech innovation in reducing its risk-taking is more pronounced in larger, state-owned, joint-stock, and highly-competitive commercial banks. Our research results still hold after a series of robustness tests, including changing the construction methods of the bank’s FinTech innovation index, replacing the bank’s risk-taking indicators, tail-shrinking treatment, and changing samples. Our findings provide micro evidence for the application of FinTech innovation in commercial banks to reduce their risk-taking.

This study employs the Pool Mean Group framework to investigate the impact of corporate finance and industrial performance on pollution in Africa between 1990 and 2020. The study, which focuses on 36 African nations found that corporate financing insignificantly enhances environmental quality in the short run, while it significantly worsens the environment in the long run. Also, the result shows that industrial performance exerts a negative but insignificant impact on pollution in both the short- and long-run periods. Lastly, the interaction term between corporate finance and industrial performance has a negative and significant impact on pollution in both periods. With this striking result, the study recommends that efforts should be made to promote the growth of environmentally sound production plants in the continent through the removal of credit facilitation bottlenecks.

En todos los países avanzados el empleo en el sector industrial ha perdido peso, aunque en bastantes casos ha mantenido la participación en el producto interno bruto (PIB) o ha disminuido poco como consecuencia, sobre todo, de las mejoras en la productividad por trabajador. Al mismo tiempo, los servicios no han dejado de crecer y su participación en las economías más desarrolladas se sitúa en torno a 75%, e incluso por encima, tanto por su empleo como por su contribución al PIB a precios corrientes. Ambos procesos han sido objeto de una amplia bibliografía desarrollada a partir de los conceptos de “desindustrialización” y de “terciarización” y sus posibles explicaciones. Aunque con algún retraso, estas dos tendencias de largo alcance también han tenido, o están teniendo, lugar en algunos países calificados como de desarrollo medio o en vías de desarrollo, lo que dio entrada a estudios sobre la “desindustrialización prematura”.Alrededor de todos estos temas han surgido diversas aproximaciones explicativas, las cuales no han obviado calificar como preocupantes las dos grandes tendencias observadas. Se ha planteado incluso la idea de una contraposición industria-servicios, donde estos últimos aparecen como “el culpable de la trama” -expresión de las obras teatrales tradicionales-. El objetivo de este artículo es mostrar que dicha visión es muy simplificadora y claramente errónea. No parece adecuado hablar de un enfrentamiento entre la industria manufacturera y los servicios. Lo que se observa en casi todas las economías es un proceso de creciente integración entre ambos grandes sectores, cuyos principales factores se analizan en el artículo. Todo indica que estos cambios continuarán reforzándose en los próximos años.

Este artículo revisa la experiencia económica de Corea del Sur: la define como un caso exitoso de convergencia económica. Destaca el papel de liderazgo de la intervención pública para promover una industrialización exportadora, con fases iniciales de protección y, luego, con otras de promoción de exportación de manufacturas. En cada una de éstas la educación se adecuó a las exigencias de la estrategia económica. El resultado muestra logros relevantes en productividad, innovación y liderazgo tecnológico, así como una distribución del ingreso considerablemente mejor que la de los índices latinoamericanos. Se pretende detectar los principales ejes de esta estrategia, al discutir la posibilidad de separarlos del carácter autoritario del régimen que los promovió.

Purpose – This study empirically assessed the influence of foreign direct investment on the manufacturing sector growth in the Middle East and North African region using panel data of 18 countries covering the period of 1975–2017. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed Levin et al. (2002) test (LLC) and Im et al. (2003) panel unit root test. Furthermore, Kao’s cointegration test was applied to examine the long-run relationship between the variables. Both the Dynamic OLS and Fully modified OLS were used in estimating the short-run relationship. Findings – The results of the DOLS and FMOLS indicate that both inward and outward FDI influence the manufacturing sector growth positively. This shows that much of the manufacturing sector growth in the MENA region is driven by both inward and outward FDI. Our findings made a strong new proposition that aside from the negative influence proposed by Stevens and Lipsey (1992), outward FDI could also have a positive influence on the manufacturing sector of a country through effective utilization of domestic raw materials that are produced locally for production of goods in a foreign country. Practical implications – MENA countries should concentrate more on making policies that will encourage the effective utilization of domestic resources for outward foreign direct investment in other countries of the world as it has the capacity to boost the manufacturing sector growth. Also, policies that will attract more inflows of FDI in the region should be encouraged. Both inward and outward FDI should be considered as an integral part of MENA economic policy in order to spur the manufacturing sector growth. Originality/value – Previous empirical studies on the relationship between FDI and manufacturing sector growth have focused much on the influence of inward FDI. Thus, very little attention has been paid to the contribution that the outward FDI makes to the growth of the manufacturing sector of the host country. Our empirical study focused on the influence of both inward and outward FDI on the manufacturing sector growth with specific emphasis on the MENA region that remains the center of attraction of inward FDI and a source of inward FDI to most nonoil producing developing and developed countries given the oil-rich nature of the region.

The digital age or the 4.0 industry makes its presence felt in all areas of the economy, making serious contributions to its development. The automotive industry is in a phase of change, acting on all its sub-industries such as the automotive tyre industry. We are witnessing a process in which large companies no longer sell a simple car or basic tyres, but resort to new technologies and digitalization to sell complex services tailored to the needs of consumers. Terms such as connectivity, mobility, autonomy became the main pillars in the development of such solutions integrated in the current market. Based on a SWOT analysis and a focus group organized with specialists from the field, this article aims to highlight the tyre industry market, which are the latest trends in the technologies used for development of the tyre industry, which are the factors that contribute to its growth and which are the threats, the opportunities for the big competitors in the market: Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli.

This study relates foreign direct investment (FDI) to economic growth, institutional quality and manufacturing value added, using panel data techniques that allow for parameter heterogeneity and non-stationarity. The results confirm that economic growth, institutional quality, and natural resources, each play a positive role in attracting FDI. Besides, institutional quality is itself affected by these variables: economic growth enhances institutional quality, FDI is detrimental to certain aspects. The evidence also reveals the existence of ‘institutional’ resource curse. Furthermore, FDI has contributed to the ‘premature’ deindustrialization of the region, except in a few cases where it is non-resource seeking. While confirming established results, the study also identifies detrimental institutional and deindustrializing effects of FDI which have hitherto been overlooked. A policy implication is that countries should be selective on the type of FDI they try to attract by weighing its positive growth effect against its deindustrializing and adverse institutional effects.

Advocacy for pro-environmental behaviour in the business arena is on the increase. Yet, many businesses have continued to indulge in “business-as-usual” practices, which are preoccupied with profit maximization objectives at the expense of all other social benefits. Such anti-environment practice has little or no regard for flora and fauna wellbeing. Hence, the main objective of this study is to review, explore and synthesize current views in the field in view of clarifying relevant concepts in green entrepreneurship context. Also, to identify behavioural and performance standards required of green entrepreneurship growth and development. To achieve the study objectives, we adopted integrative review of literature methodology. Concerning the findings, the paper identified new trends in green entrepreneurship and identified the need to clarify some relevant concepts, such as: industry life cycle, entrepreneurship knowledge sharing, institutional framework, entrepreneurship financing, green entrepreneurship decision-making process among others. We also identified the need to properly delineate the process leading to the practice of green entrepreneurship as a departure from the old entrepreneurship philosophy. Therefore, we recommend that further studies should endeavour to focus on identifying the step-by-step processes involved in the green entrepreneurship practice for the possibility of wider accessibility and ease of understanding of prospective green entrepreneurs in the interest of green entrepreneurship growth and development. Finally, we identified the dearth of literature with change management scholars’ view and contributions to the emancipation of green entrepreneurship from the cocoon of traditional entrepreneurship management practice hence, we threw it open for future research undertaking.

Due to successive technological advancements, developments and innovations, the global industrial landscape has drastically transformed over the last years. The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) aims at transforming traditional industries into intelligent ones by incorporating innovative technologies. Industry 4.0 enables physical assets to be integrated into intertwined digital and physical processes thus creating smart factories and intelligent manufacturing environments. Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly growing technology that has drastically contributed to the Industry 4.0 realization. IoT pursues to pervade our everyday environment and its objects, linking the physical to the digital world and allowing people and “things” to be connected anytime, anywhere, with anything and anyone ideally using any network and service. IoT is regarded as a dynamic and global network of interconnected “things” uniquely addressable, based on standard and interoperable communication protocols and with self-configuring capabilities. Despite still being at an early development, adoption and implementation stage, Industry 4.0 and IoT can provide a multitude of contemporary solutions, applications and services. Hence, they can improve life quality and yield significant personal, professional and economic opportunities and benefits in the near future. This study scrutinizes IoT in the Industry 4.0 context. More specifically, it presents related studies, describes the IoT concept and explores some of the numerous IoT application domains. Moreover, it presents and analyzes the concept of Industry 4.0 and the benefits it offers as well as the relevant key technologies (e.g. industrial internet of things (IIoT), cyber-physical systems (CPSs), cloud computing, big data and advanced data analytics). Furthermore, it describes the concept of intelligent manufacturing and highlights the main IoT and Industry 4.0 challenges and open research issues. Finally, the need for innovation in the industrial domain and the impact and benefits that IoT and Industry 4.0 provide to everyday life and industries is described.

Aim/purpose – Increasing importance of quantified self along with the number of available wearable devices create base for excitement among those perceiving technology as a catalyst for change. Despite multiple theories, in vain is to search for a model that would be suitable to visualise the adoption of wearables. The objective of this study is to recognise factors influencing the adoption of smart wearable devices and measure the strength of relationships between identified variables and dependent factor.

La incorporación de las TIC en las empresas, es considerada como un elemento que aumenta su competitividad a través de una mayor productividad, eficiencia y rentabilidad de la inversión. Pero su efecto depende de las características propias de la tecnología, de las condiciones del entorno, así como de las capacidades internas de las firmas. En el presente trabajo el objetivo es identificar cuáles son los factores internos de las Mipymes que inciden en la incorporación de las TIC dentro de sus actividades de producción, a partir de las etapas de propuestas por la ONU y Cepal, por medio de un modelo Probit, realizado con los datos de una encuesta aplicada a 1,006 empresas del estado de Aguascalientes. Los resultados muestran que las diferencias en la incorporación de las TIC se deben fundamentalmente a los conocimientos y capacidades de los trabajadores y directivos de las Mipymes y al equipamiento especializado, que se refleja en mayor flexibilidad para la incorporación de cambios en la organización.

Antecedentes: El presente artículo calcula la productividad laboral al nivel más desagregado posible para 150 actividades industriales de 28 países de diferentes ámbitos geográficos y niveles de desarrollo para periodos recientes. Se plantea responder dos interrogantes centrales: ¿existe un bono estructural en el crecimiento de la productividad laboral en la industria a nivel global? y, en caso de haberlo, ¿en qué países o sectores se produce?Método: Mediante una técnica de tipo shift-share, utilizada por otros estudios empíricos similares, se descompone la evolución del indicador en efectos estructurales de reubicación del empleo y en un componente intrínseco asociado al cambio tecnológico y organizativo en el interior de cada actividad.Resultados: El principal resultado es confirmar la inexistencia de forma agregada de un bono estructural en el crecimiento de la productividad laboral en la industria a nivel global. Cuando los efectos estructurales tienen un peso significativo en la evolución del indicador, el hecho parece estar relacionado con el desarrollo de estructuras atrasadas o con patrones productivos sumamente especializados. Asimismo, la evidencia estadística muestra el mayor dinamismo internacional en términos de eficiencia de las actividades químicas y automotrices.Conclusiones: La innovación y la emergencia de nuevos sectores han desencadenado una transformación estructural cuyas posibilidades se han visto parcialmente bloqueadas, en especial en países en vías de desarrollo, tanto por la escasa difusión de las innovaciones como por la incapacidad de los sectores más dinámicos para incrementar su participación en el empleo total.

The development of a service economy and the more and more noticeable phenomenon of servicization have become inseparable elements in the evolution of the modern economy. The goal of this paper is to analyse the impact of servicization on selected economies, both in terms of GDP and employment structure, as well as on changes in foreign trade. The secondary, but still important aim is to examine the relationship between servicization and innovation processes. Based on the conducted research, it can be stated that the process of servicization occurs in both developed post-industrial economies and increasingly often in developing countries. Moreover, the analysis of the relationship between the general level of innovation in the economy and the degree of its servicization, showed that in many countries higher innovation is often associated with a stronger role of the service sector in the economy. The dynamics of structural change taking place in the “deagrarianization-deindustrialization-servicization” chain is therefore substantially influenced by technological progress.

En este trabajo se estudian diversas estructuras interindustriales nacionales aplicando medidas tradicionales input-output y análisis de redes. Su principal objetivo es avanzar en la comprensión de los procesos económicos centrándose en las estructuras interindustriales como un factor explicativo de las disparidades internacionales de desarrollo. El estudio de las relaciones intersectoriales muestra la existencia de una estructura fundamental o común y de diferencias estructurales entre grupos de países, de acuerdo con sus niveles de desarrollo, en la especialización y en la posición de determinadas ramas, teniendo un impacto en sus desiguales procesos de desarrollo. En este trabajo se muestra que ambas metodologías, input-output y redes, son complementarias y permiten alcanzar explicaciones más ricas de los procesos de desarrollo. La aplicación de la teoría de redes permite una mejor comprensión de las diferencias estructurales, que puede ser relacionada con el crecimiento económico y el desarrollo.

Background: Harmonization and standardization is becoming important among regulators and business community. XBRL has entered the global stage as a financial reporting standard. Its mission was to standardize the financial reporting, lower the reporting costs and make the reporting as transparent as possible.

The article assesses the impact of final demand for domestic products on the innovative activity of Polish enterprises. The activity is analysed in terms of their involvement in research and development (R&D) processes, which are considered crucial for an economy to be able to create a stock of knowledge. The main purpose of the analysis is to identify products that contribute to the largest increases in enterprises’ R&D expenditures. To study the effect of final demand on enterprises’ R&D activity, the input-output analysis method has been adopted. The presented analysis is part of author’s research on the intersectoral diffusion of knowledge in the Polish economy.

Science and technology can have a major role in growth and creating value added of communities. Research and development are important economic issue that cause technological changes and therefore have a significant role in development of technology and increasing production capacities. Although recently developing countries have realized the importance of R&D, their production units are unable to invest more in R&D section. It is also believed that in the early stages of development, the existing technological gap between these countries and technology leaders decrease the success possibility of R&D efforts and as a result, these communities don’t have reasonable technological basis for innovation. So in the early stages of development, in addition to R&D efforts, import of capital goods can also be effective in developing technology and increasing production capacities of developing countries. In this study, the effect of internal R&D capital stock and external capital stock on value added of the Iranian medium and large industries is investigated over the period of 1994-2007 by applying panel data approach. The results indicate that internal and external capital stock, human capital and internal R&D capital stock have a significant and positive effect on added value of the Iranian medium and large industries during the mentioned period. The research findings have also revealed that although the number of labor force has a positive impact on added value of these industries, it is not statistically significant.

According to the neoclassical approach, input prices as a measure of resources scarcity induce firms to cost-minimizing and efficient allocation of recourses. But when the prices are distorted, the effective competitive inputs are used inefficiently and have resulted in under- or over-utilization of production factors relative to their endowments or allocative inefficiency. In this paper, the shadow cost approach and system of equations are used to estimate allocative inefficiency using the Iran's manufacturing data over the period 1976-2006. The results show that there is strong allocative inefficiency and increasing cost of production of firms in Iran's Manufacturing Sector.