Issue #1 (Volume 8 2024)

This bibliometric study examines publication trends, influential works, authorship networks, conceptual themes, and future directions in knowledge management research within the banking sector over the past three decades. Data were collected from a total of 443 scholarly publications written in English and indexed in Scopus. The data collection period spanned from 1994 to 2023. Quantitative bibliometric analysis techniques were employed, which involved the use of temporal visualization to examine publication and citation patterns, mapping co-authorship networks, and clustering high-frequency keywords. The results suggest a consistent rise in research interest and output as time progresses. Influential publications have proposed various models and frameworks for knowledge management, risk analysis, and organizational change. The majority of prolific authors were primarily of European descent, and it is worth noting that the Journal of Knowledge Management held the position as the most influential publication venue. The core research focus encompassed various areas such as knowledge for competitive advantage, intellectual capital measurement, knowledge-performance links, customer relationship management, and knowledge management technologies. The research has evolved to encompass digital transformation, sustainability, automation, and analytics. Proposed future directions include an examination of the role of knowledge management in ensuring continuity during crises, the facilitation of risk management through knowledge systems, and the development of decision support based on knowledge. This study offers valuable insights into the development of knowledge management research in the banking sector, although it is limited to English sources in Scopus.

Acknowledgment
Expressing gratitude towards those who have contributed to the successful completion of a study has significant importance. In particular, it is crucial to extend appreciation to the individuals affiliated with the Ho Chi Minh University of Banking for their valuable support and assistance during the research endeavor.

This study examines the dynamics and effectiveness of investments in Kazakhstan’s research and development (R&D). The primary aim is to assess the efficiency of scientific research activities in Kazakhstan by analyzing the relationship between R&D investments and scientific outputs across different periods. As a methodological approach, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) calculates efficiency indicators by transforming multiple inputs into outputs. Descriptive analysis comprehensively explains trends and patterns in R&D funding, scientific publications, and patent registrations. The results reveal a substantial increase in R&D expenditure. Despite this, the share of domestic R&D expenditures from the gross domestic product (GDP) declined from 0.25% to 0.12%. The analysis also uncovered a significant surge in scientific publications, with Scopus publications increasing from 1,799 to 28,280 and Web of Science publications rising from 1,468 to 20,532 across the study period. However, a contrasting trend was observed in patent registrations, which decreased from 6,968 to 2,612, indicating potential inefficiencies in translating research into innovations. The study concludes that while Kazakhstan has demonstrated notable progress in enhancing research output, the decline in patent registrations relative to the increase in R&D investments underscores the need for strategic initiatives. These should strengthen industry-academia collaboration, enhance innovation infrastructure, and balance incentives for publications and patents, ensuring that R&D investments translate into tangible innovations and contribute effectively to the nation’s socio-economic development.

Acknowledgment
This research article has been supported bу the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the project «Development of а model for evaluating the effectiveness of research activities of universities in Kazakhstan based on non-parametric and semi-parametric data analysis» (IRN AP13268842). А.I.Р. thanks the lnstitute of Solid-State Physics, University of Latvia. ISSP UL as the Center of Excellence is supported through the Framework Program for European universities, Union Horizon 2020, H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017 TeamingPhase2, under Grant Agreement No. 739508, CAMART2 project.

Every year, the problem of the third mission of a university is popularized in scientific discourse. The social responsibility of higher education institutions in the conditions of the war between russia and Ukraine and the post-war period is to overcome the multidirectional tasks of higher education, concentrate and strengthen efforts to implement social projects, expand directions for the development of interaction between universities and territorial communities, improve the quality of research to restore the state economy and its development. Therefore, there is a need to rethink the ways of direct and indirect influence on society, the country in particular. The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of awareness and readiness for interaction between the university and the community. The study was conducted from January to June 2020 with the participation of 1,050 respondents from 25 regions of Ukraine. According to the conducted survey, the majority of respondents believe that universities should contribute to the development of the community and note the mutual benefit of university-community interaction for universities and local communities. However, the survey results also showed a low participation experience combined with the willingness to participate in activities offered by higher education institutions. Due to the full-scale war, which fundamentally changed the conditions and affected the efficiency of both universities and most communities, the choice of a community involvement model within the third mission of a university, taking into account the pre-war readiness of universities for a productive community and modern military challenges, remains relevant.

Acknowledgment
This contribution is prepared in the framework of the realization the Erasmus+ KA 2 CBHE project “Universities-Communities: Strengthening Cooperation” (Grant Agreement 101083077) and with the support and funding under Researchers at Risk Fellowships Programme led by the British Academy in partnership with the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society and Council for At-Risks Academics (CARA). The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

This study aims to evaluate and test the impact of knowledge, trust, unity, and self-efficacy on knowledge management of employees in Indonesian businesses in the education sector. This empirical study also examines the relationship between knowledge management among employees in Indonesian education sector businesses and conformity through knowledge self-efficacy, trust, and unity. A quantitative causality technique was employed in the study using a sample of workers from Indonesian companies involved in the education sector (at least 35 years old and engaged). The primary data consisted of 220 replies from respondents with varying educational backgrounds. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling software was used to analyze the data. The Likert scale is used to determine each answer’s value. Empirical evidence shows that knowledge self-efficacy does not affect the knowledge management of employees in these companies (T Statistics = 0.992); on the other hand, knowledge self-efficacy influences conformity, harmony, and confidence, which in turn affects the knowledge management of employees in these companies. The indirect effect demonstrates that agreement can moderate the influence of knowledge self-efficacy on the knowledge management of employees in these companies (T Statistics = 5,959); conversely, conformity mediates the strong impact of trust on the knowledge management of employees in these businesses. The empirical results show that employees need to have a high level of knowledge for diverse expertise to function well. Conversely, trust will make people more eager to share their information. Lack of confidence might impede the dissemination of knowledge.

Acknowledgment
We acknowledge the partial publication funding provided by Indonesia school of Economic (STIESIA), Surabaya, Indonesia

This study aims to examine the degree of financial literacy and practices of financial knowledge among MBA students in Nepal. Four prominent universities were selected for study: Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, Pokhara University, and Purbanchal University. The descriptive and analytical research approach was applied to analyze the data. Data were collected through questionnaires from 320 students by using convenience and stratified sampling methods. The analysis was conducted using the SPSS software system. The results highlight the complex interplay of factors influencing financial behavior and literacy among MBA students, emphasizing the importance of education, familial influence, and media exposure in shaping financial attitudes and decision-making. The study delves into several key aspects of financial behavior, influence, attitude, literacy, and knowledge sources among MBA students. Notably, respondents displayed positive financial behaviors such as reading for knowledge enhancement and prudent spending practices. Parental influence emerged as the most significant factor shaping financial decisions, followed by media and internet exposure. Respondents generally exhibited a favorable financial outlook and demonstrated understanding in various financial literacy domains, though areas for improvement, particularly in investment risk comprehension, were identified. The study shows how education, family influence, and media exposure affect MBA student’s financial think, how people handle finance, like their education and where they get information from. This is seen as reflected in financial literacy scores ranging from 1.43 to 3.86, with an average of 2.405 and a standard deviation of 0.449, suggesting below-average scores and reduced unpredictability.

In this work, the main trends in research and publication activity in digital transformation in the world and Ukraine are analyzed using meta- and bibliometric analysis. For this purpose, bibliometric data on scientific publications on the topic of digital transformations in the Google Scholar and Scopus databases were selected, which were additionally analyzed using the VOSviewer software package. Based on filtering the results obtained, an array was formed that included 366 scientific publications for 2019–2023 in Ukrainian in the Google Scholar database and 3,703 scientific publications in English for 2020–2023 in the Scopus database. Dynamic time analysis revealed a significant surge of scientific interest in the topic of digital transformations in recent years, while structural analysis revealed the multi-industry structure of existing research. The creation of bibliographic maps of keywords and publication maps allowed us to form an idea of the main thematic areas of research in the context of digital transformations and their opinion leaders. The data obtained became the basis for formulating recommendations for further areas of research in digital transformation, in particular, on the development of a unified roadmap for the digital transformation of education at different educational qualification levels and for various specialties. This will contribute to the formation of a single systemic approach to the digital transformation of Ukraine as a guarantee for the state’s sustainable development, well-being, strengthening of national security, speeding up the pace of European integration processes, as well as promoting national interests at the international level.

Quality Assurance in higher education is a lean tool to improve the quality and performance of HEIs, including lecturer research performance. This study examines the effect of implementing Quality Assurance in higher education as a lean tool on the research culture and research performance of lecturers at Indonesia’s private HEIs. The data represent respondents’ perceptions of the research variable indicators. 184 questionnaires were suitable for processing. Data were collected from 184 lecturers from approximately 25 private HEIs in Jakarta, Indonesia. A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure indicators of research variables. Statistical data analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling with the Smart-PLS ™ program. The results show that Quality Assurance as a lean tool has a significant impact on research performance (β = 0.643; p = 0.000) and research culture (β = 0.361; p = 0.000). Research culture affected research performance significantly (β = 0.281; p = 0.000), and research culture significantly mediates the effect of Quality Assurance as a lean tool on the research performance (β = 0.102; p = 0.010), and the effect is strong (Ѵ = 0.181). Research findings reveal that the successful implementation of Quality Assurance as a lean tool is determined more by organizational readiness than individual readiness; this is reflected in the existence of effective research centers. An effective research center will support the standardization of research processes through continuous improvement so that lecturers behave more actively in scientific activities and perform research more productively.

The objective of this article was to evaluate the level of environmental awareness of university students in a peripheral region of southern Colombia. Environmental awareness was approached as a multidimensional variable consisting of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions. The study was quantitative, approached from the deductive method and descriptive type. The study population corresponded to young university students, and a non-probabilistic convenience sampling was used. For the environmental awareness variable, an instrument was developed with a Likert-type scale based on multiple research studies. The sample consisted of 527 university students. The reliability of the study was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability, while validity was analyzed with mean variance explained and confirmatory factor analysis, being in all cases satisfactory. As a result, modest levels of environmental awareness were evidenced in all dimensions, which is particularly worrying as most of the young people surveyed were between 18 and 25 years old, indicating low interest, knowledge, and availability for environmental issues among future professionals of the South Colombian region. The results were in line with certain results found in similar research reported in the literature. Nevertheless, the situation is worrisome because young students are the new generation of citizens.

Acknowledgment
This article was written within the framework of the Special Cooperation Agreement No. 230 of 2023 signed between the Universidad Surcolombiana and the Corporación Autónoma Regional del Alto Magdalena CAM in the project “Implementation of the SENDICAM Science Center as a strategy for the recognition, conservation and social appropriation of the natural heritage in the central and southern area of the department of Huila” BPIN 2021000100425.

A long, familiar stage of life ends with graduation from secondary school. The closure of this phase can also be seen as a loss or mourning: saying goodbye to high school, parting with old friends, teachers, environment, etc. After entering the university, young people will be not only new students of higher education, but also new participants in the labor market, which means that they will have to satisfy both needs at the same time. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic complicates this situation. With this in mind, the purpose of this study is to understand the mental health status and problems of first-year students currently enrolled for three undergraduate business courses in Budapest. This research paper investigates whether the pressures, isolation, uncertainty, financial worries, loss of control, and moving back in with parents caused by the pandemic have had an impact on students’ mental health. This study used the EPOCH model. The EPOCH-H questionnaire was filled in by 1,719 first-year full-time students. Based on the results, a total of 8 main groups and its subgroups of factors were affected by the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic. These students will be workers in the future carrying these effects with them. According to the results, students’ mental health needs to be strengthened in typical educational processes, and maintaining and improving students’ mental health should be the focus of all higher education institutions in the future.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become a universal call to action over the past few years and a basis for assessing the progress of sustainable development of countries and organizations. This paper aims to identify the relationship between the sustainable development activities of universities in different regions of the world, as reflected in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (THE IR), and the progress towards achieving SDGs of the countries in which these universities operate. The research methods were correlation analysis and robust regression tools, and parametric and non-parametric methods of variance analysis. The information base was the results of annual reports based on the THE IR and Sustainable Development Reports for 2017–2021. The results confirm the existence of directly proportional close correlations between the variables, while the regression analysis confirmed that a one-unit increase in the overall THE IR ranking score leads to a corresponding increase in the overall progress of countries in achieving SDGs (on average by 0.2-0.3 units) and SDGs 3, 8, 11, 16 in particular. It was also found that universities play a key role in achieving different SDGs in various regions. In Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North Africa, universities are critical for SDG 17 achieving. In OECD countries, universities contribute most to SDG 3. Examples of the best practices that can be used as a guide for university administrations that are at the beginning of developing sustainable development policies are also given.

Funding
Inna Makarenko gratefully acknowledges support from the Jean Monet module project “Transparency. Accountability. Responsibility. Governance. Europe. Trust. Sustainability” financed by the Erasmus+ program (101085395 – TARGETS – ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH).

Continuous improvement of professional training was included in the monitoring of the progress of competencies by teachers, considering the importance of fulfilling students’ graduation profile at the end of their professional training. This study aims to evaluate students’ specific competencies in the Hospitality and Gastronomy programs at a private university located on the northern coast of Peru. The methodology is quantitative, applied to a population of 408 students during semesters 2020-1, 2020-2, and 2021-1; through the application of documentary review guides, the students’ competencies were evaluated, as well as the verification of the students’ satisfaction and recommendation regarding the teachers who evaluated such competencies. The results show that Hospitality students achieved 91% compliance with the graduation profile of the specific competencies and, in the case of Gastronomy – 81.25%. On the other hand, in 2020-1, Hospitality had a higher degree of satisfaction based on the teaching of the teachers who evaluated the competencies but a lower degree of recommendation, while Gastronomy evidenced a lower degree of satisfaction and a higher degree of recommendation. Likewise, in 2020-2, Gastronomy evidenced a higher degree of satisfaction and recommendation than Hospitality, and on the contrary, in 2021-1, Hospitality evidenced a higher degree of satisfaction and recommendation than that identified in Gastronomy. It is concluded that Hospitality students stand out with respect to the fulfillment of the graduation profile in semesters 2020-1 and 2021-1, and although there was a closeness in both programs in semester 2020-2, Hospitality always showed better results than Gastronomy.