Issue #2 (Volume 22 2024)

Russian aggression adversely affected the economy of Ukraine and emphasized the need to adapt the best practices of EU countries to determine steps to restore the country’s competitiveness. This study aims to determine the influence of the innovative development of countries on their competitiveness and identify prospects for Ukraine’s post-war economic recovery. The study constructed neural networks to assess the relationships between the factors of innovative development and the competitiveness of the EU countries and Ukraine. Six main factors of innovative development of countries are identified: “innovations in business (S1),” “intellectual property (S2)”, “innovations in industry (S3),” “eco-innovations (S4),” “innovation management (S5),” and “digital innovations (S5).” Groups of factors are determined by the strength of influence (strong, moderate, or weak). For Ukraine, S1 and S6 have a strong effect (33.3%), S5 shows moderate (16.7%), S2, S3, and S4 show weak effects (50%). For EU countries, S1 and S6 have a strong influence, S2 and S3 – moderate, S5 and S4 – weak. This comparative analysis concluded that EU countries consider intellectual property, green economy, and state innovation policy as key components of their competitiveness. The results discovered a weak relationship between intellectual property protection, innovation in industry, and competitiveness of Ukraine compared to EU countries. However, digital innovations significantly and positively affect Ukraine’s competitiveness.

A human resources administration must be flexible to provide the human element with capacity to respond to crises. The current study seeks to test the effect of human resources flexibility on crisis management and the impact of skill flexibility, behavioral flexibility, and human resource practices flexibility on crisis management. The research sample consists of 445 managers working at Al-Hassan Industrial Estate in Jordan. A questionnaire was developed to measure human resources flexibility and organizational crisis management. SPSS was employed to analyze the collected data and test the hypotheses; multiple and simple regression were used for testing the hypotheses.
The study results revealed that the mean of human resource flexibility is moderate in industrial organizations (2.86). Moreover, the mean of crisis management is moderate (3.36). The findings also showed that human resources flexibility has a statistical effect on crisis management at a level of 0.05. Besides, the correlation coefficient was 0.66 and R2 was 0.441. Hypotheses testing demonstrated that skill flexibility has the largest impact on crisis management; the Beta value was 0.409. Behavior flexibility has a statistical impact on crisis management. Whereas human practices flexibility does not have a statistical impact on crisis management due to the value of Sig = 0.102.

This study investigates the impact of five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (risk-taking, proactiveness, innovativeness, aggressiveness, and autonomy), an independent variable, on SMEs’ organizational performance in Bangladesh. The study surveyed 237 SMEs’ owners (out of 300, with a response rate of 79%) in Gazipur district, Bangladesh. Cronbach’s alpha (α) value of 0.70 was used to examine the reliability of the constructs in this study. Drawing from earlier research, a five-point Likert scale questionnaire was constructed to assess the links between entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs’ organizational performance. The dependent variable in this study was SMEs’ organizational performance, which was based on business growth, change in number of employees, profitability, and sales growth. The hypotheses were tested using SPSS with a 95% confidence interval. The results suggest that all five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation positively affect the organizational performance of SMEs in Bangladesh. It is evident that proactiveness (β-value = 0.330) has the greatest effect on SMEs’ organizational performance, and competitive aggressiveness has the least effect (β-value = 0.230). The independent variables explain a significant proportion of the variability observed in SMEs’ organizational performance (R2 = 57.4%). The research outcomes offer valuable implications for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and academics.

Acknowledgment
The authors acknowledge the Accounting Research Institute (ARI)-HICoE.

Fraud prevention entails developing and implementing risk management strategies, particularly regarding fraud, and establishing internal controls and transparent corporate governance practices to eliminate fraudulent activities. This study aims to examine the effect of internal auditors, internal control, and audit quality on preventing fraud at the Inspectorate of North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The sample included 61 government internal auditors of the Inspectorate of North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The data collection process was carried out by administering questionnaires using Google Forms. Additionally, this investigation assessed the constructs under scrutiny using a five-point Likert and the partial least square (PLS) approach. The results showed that internal audit has a positive and significant effect on fraud prevention (p < 0.05), internal control has a positive and significant effect on fraud prevention (p < 0.05), and audit quality has no effect on fraud prevention at the Inspectorate of North Sumatra Province, Indonesia (p > 0.05). The Inspectorate of North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, should conduct internal audits, implement an internal control system, and pay attention to the quality of audits to make them more effective as a basis for quality decision-making and fraud minimization.

Frequent occurrences of fraud take place due to poor fraud prevention and detection. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the impact of internal audit effectiveness and continued professional commitment to fraud detection with internal auditors’ quality as a moderating variable. Seventy-eight questionnaires were distributed to internal auditors and supervisors at the Inspectorate of Riau City, Indonesia, who had at least two years of experience. Structural equation modeling (SEM) 3.0 software was used for the data analysis. According to the study’s findings, the effectiveness of internal control (β = –0.932; p < 0.05) and the effectiveness of internal auditors (β = 1.149; p < 0.05) both have an impact on fraud detection. However, ongoing professional commitment (β = 0.069; p > 0.05) has no impact. Quality of internal auditors does not affect the relationship between the effectiveness of internal audits (β = –0.190; p > 0.05), the effectiveness of internal control (β = 0.114; p > 0.05), continued professional commitment (β = 0.018; p > 0.05), and fraud detection. The findings of this study can be used as guidance for management to enhance the performance of internal auditors and for considerations and assessments for fraud detection in the public sector.

The study aims to investigate the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee willingness to share knowledge with the moderating role of mindfulness. The data were collected from six leading private hospitals in Amman, Jordan, targeting 271 employees holding different medical and administrative positions regarding their experiences with workplace ostracism and the corresponding impact on knowledge sharing. Thus, the study sample being healthcare professionals is not by default but rather a conscious choice in light of the critical role they play in a high-stake environment; moreover, in some cases, knowledge hoarding has proven to have dire repercussions. The results revealed that workplace ostracism significantly and negatively affected degrees of knowledge sharing (p < 0.001). This indicates that ostracized workers would feel shut out and likely become a hindrance to the information and insight flow. The positive outcome is that employees engaging in mindfulness practices seem to cushion the blow that such negative experiences deliver. Those likely to become easily focused are likely to be less threatened by knowledge sharing – they expect that the impact of ostracism will be transient, which could protect a person from the potentially isolating effects of ostracism in the workplace.

This study aims to identify whether achieving sustainable development goals influences SMEs’ development and assess its degree. The dataset on SMEs’ development indicators and SDGs 2, 8, 9, 12, and 13 for the panel of EU-27 countries in 2011–2020 was collected using Eurostat and OECD datasets. Breusch and Pagan Lagrangian multiplier test for pooled OLS/panel data random effects and Hausman test for fixed/random effects were utilized. The results were in favor of random effect GLS regression for SDG2 models, SDG9 models, and SDG12-13 (Model 1) and fixed effect GLS regression for SDG8 models and SDG12-13 (Model 2), respectively. Based on bibliometric analyses using VOSViewer 14 and a comprehensive literature review, 19 independent variables have been selected from the “Sustainable development indicators” catalog covering five sustainable development goals; SMEs’ turnover and SMEs’ employees employed are used as the dependent variables to reflect SMEs’ development. The empirical evidence suggests a significant relationship between individual sustainable development and SMEs’ development indicators. It was found that all seven sustainable development indicators of SDG 2 (Zero hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production) have a significant relationship with the indicators of SMEs’ development. Instead, only a part (8 out of 13) of the sustainable development indicators of SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate action) have a significant relationship with two or one of the SMEs’ development indicators. Therefore, achieving sustainability goals stimulates the development of SMEs itself.

Acknowledgment
This study is supported by the British Academy’s Researchers at Risk Fellowships Program (Award Reference: RaR\100673).

Digital social entrepreneurship is increasingly receiving recognition in emerging economies to maximize societal benefit. The objective of this study is to examine the factors determining students’ intentions toward digital social entrepreneurial ventures. The targeted population was students of various programs, namely business, humanities, science, tourism, and pharmacy, of private and public universities in Bangladesh. This study is quantitative and exploratory in nature, whereas online self-administered questionnaires were prepared to collect data from 433 students in Bangladesh between January and June 2023. The model was tested and the hypotheses were confirmed at the 5% significance level using SPSS v26.0; a Cronbach’s alpha (α) value of 0.70 or higher was considered adequate for measuring reliability. The results show that students’ innovativeness, social pro-activeness, and risk-taking motive positively affect their intention toward digital social entrepreneurial intention. These results may aid in developing successful plans and regulations to support the expansion of digital social entrepreneurial intention in Bangladesh by the government, non-governmental organizations, the neighborhood, civil society, and researchers.

In the current era, the challenges faced by SMEs in Indonesia are becoming increasingly complex. Previously, the primary challenge for SMEs has been to enhance performance. However, with the emergence of information technology, SMEs are now required to compete fiercely. SMEs in Indonesia are still in the process of digital transformation to improve their business strategies, thus limiting research focused on digital transformation in SMEs. Research also considers market complexity and digital strategy as crucial factors for SMEs. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of digital transformation in influencing SME performance. The research approach is quantitative, involving 171 SMEs owners as respondents. The instrument utilized is a Likert scale questionnaire, focusing on the majority of SMEs in Indonesia, particularly those in Java, the most populous island and business center of the country. This includes SMEs operating within various sectors, such as culinary, fashion, retail, and creative industries. The results indicate that digital strategy and market complexity influence digital transformation and SMEs performance. The research findings suggest that digital transformation mediates the influence of digital strategy and market complexity on SME performance. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on the current SMEs digitalization strategy area. This study indicates that digital transformation is an essential aspect affecting current SME performance. The results suggest that SMEs require focused strategies to strengthen resources and gain competitive advantage in complex markets.

This study was undertaken to examine the effects of urbanization on the income of people in Vietnam. The research utilized data from a survey of 597 people who were impacted by urbanization in Vietnam. Research methods included: (i) The T-test difference test method, which is a method used to examine the influence of urbanization on people’s income by comparing the income differential between persons in urban regions and those in rural ones; (ii) The least squares method was used to quantify the impact of various factors on the income of people in the study area. The study concludes that people with similar education and job positions earn higher incomes if they live and work in urban areas as opposed to rural ones (the beta coefficient of the variable Place_Edu is 0.806, and the beta coefficient of the variable Place_Posit is 3.309). According to the findings of this study, individuals residing in urban areas generally have higher incomes than those living in rural areas (the beta coefficient of the Place variable is 3.140). According to research findings, urbanization has both positive and negative impacts on people’s income in Vietnam.

Competition in service industries is fierce, so operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness can be implemented by optimizing internal resources to increase competitive advantage. This study aims to investigate the role of followership in enhancing organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) with double mediating mechanisms, such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This study was conducted on food distributor service companies in Indonesia and employees as respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect data, which were using convenience sampling. Then, 131 data points were gathered and prepared for analysis using the G-Power minimum sample size. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling with the SmartPLS application. The results showed that followership significantly influenced OCB, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Furthermore, it was also observed that job satisfaction showed an effect on OCB. However, organizational commitment does not affect OCB. Furthermore, during mediation testing, only job satisfaction was found to successfully mediate and act as a connecting variable between followership and OCB. This study has contributed to the cognitive resonance theory and suggests that service companies consider leadership followership in order to enhance OCB among their employees efficiently. It also recommended that employees should first exhibit job satisfaction before engaging in extra-role behaviors for the company.

Acknowledgment
Researchers give great appreciation to Universitas Brawijaya for funding this research.

The EU and China are among the largest economies affecting the global economy and each other. The paper aims to determine the structure and trends in the trade relations between the EU and China from the perspective of trade imbalances. Net export index (–29% in 2021) and the difference between export and import growth rates (–9% in 2016-2021) were calculated as the indicators of competitiveness of the economies relative to each other. Correlation coefficients and regression models were used to estimate the effects of several factors on the net export index. The EU has a surplus in services trade with China (21% of the trade), but it does not cover a much larger bilateral merchandise trade deficit (–36%), which exists in most member states. Machinery and vehicles are the most important traded items. The net export index shows that the European Union is more competitive than China in nonfuel minerals, food, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, intellectual property, computer, travel, and sea transport services. The effect of the real exchange rates on the trade imbalances is not robust due to the large difference in regression coefficients for the real exchange rates based on consumer prices and unit labor costs. In recent years, the trade balance was not significantly affected by industrial output growth trends in the EU and China (except for the COVID-19 pandemic crisis when the relative competitiveness of China in its trade with the EU improved at least in the short run).

Risk management has become crucial for organizations in the current era. Therefore, this study assesses the impact of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) on an organization’s performance and examines how knowledge management and technology adoption mediate this impact, along with the moderating effect of supply chain resilience based on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory. Utilizing a questionnaire-based survey, data were collected from 297 respondents in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai, Vietnam, by cluster random sampling. The data were statistically analyzed using the partial least squares method. The results indicated a positive effect of ERM on financial performance, while the association with non-financial performance lacked significance. Knowledge management and technology adoption fully mediated the positive impact of ERM on non-financial performance and partially mediated its relationship with financial performance. Furthermore, supply chain resilience strengthened the positive link between ERM and financial performance. In conclusion, these findings contribute to advancing the comprehension of the mechanisms and dynamics involved in knowledge management and technology adoption as mediators and supply chain resilience as a moderator, regarding an emerging country. The study enriches the risk management literature and significantly contributes to enhancing firm effectiveness.