Issue #1 (Volume 9 2025)

This study aims to identify challenges in the training of scientific personnel in the field of social sciences and humanities at the doctoral level in Kazakhstan. It proceeds from the assumption that successful completion of a Ph.D. program is conditioned by internal and external factors that influence the educational process and may lead to challenges in Ph.D. thesis defense. The study employs an explanatory-sequential approach within a mixed-methods design, incorporating economic-statistical, regression, and content analysis. Data were gathered through questionnaires from 61 current students and graduates of Ph.D. programs in the social sciences and humanities. Findings indicate that having a job made it more challenging for respondents to study and complete their Ph.D. programs, as employment requires time and effort; however, the additional monthly income besides scholarship helped reduce financial stress, thereby supporting their academic progress. Women found studying easier than men, while married respondents experienced fewer challenges than single ones. Although 36.1% of respondents expressed high satisfaction with Ph.D. training quality, the majority reported challenges, with 65.65% noting issues in the educational process, 52.5% identifying problems in scientific supervision, 33% raising concerns about teacher qualifications, and 25% highlighting infrastructure needs. Key factors influencing Ph.D. completion rates included an unstable study environment, characterized by frequent changes in regulations, and students’ difficulties in meeting government-imposed requirements, especially publication in a Scopus database journal. The study’s practical value is developing measures to enhance Ph.D. thesis defense rates by improving admission requirements, restricting external employment, increasing supervisor accountability, and adjusting publication standards.

Acknowledgments
This research has been funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (AP19680246 “Building up highly intelligent human resources in the conditions of digitalization of the economy of Kazakhstan: problems and prospects”, 2023–2025) and supported the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs (program “Advancing data-driven solutions by strengthening partnerships between the scientific, academic and civil sectors in Central Asia”, 2023–2024).

Developing countries generally have a poor tax culture, and in this context, university social responsibility plays an important role in knowledge management with an impact on tax collection. This study aims to determine the level of perception of University Social Responsibility (USR) by internal stakeholders (teachers, administrative staff, students) participating in the Accounting and Fiscal Support Nuclei (NAF) program (Latin American training program for university students on the tax and customs system, to provide free assistance to micro-enterprises and low-income people). The methodology applied was a quantitative, cross-sectional, non-experimental study; the sample consisted of internal stakeholders of the Northern Private University, (Peru); the sampling was probabilistic; the population was 220 people and the survey was applied to 136 people. Judges validated it using Aiken’s V and Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test, obtaining a result of 0.921. These results were processed using the IBM SPSS statistics. The results show that stakeholders attribute the USR efficiency in 88.22% to program implementation; 96.3% to the priority axes, for considering a culture of inclusion; 90.40% to management levels, for having committees, implementation of plans, projects, and management indicators; 89% to the record of actions carried out, such as the storage of evidence; 72.8% to the communication of results and impact; 92.6% to the implementation of strategies. It is concluded that the USR level of internal stakeholders based on the NAF program is efficient. The main factor is the strategies implemented by the university, with the active participation of all who contribute to improving students’ competencies.

This study investigates the impact of Knowledge Management (KM) practices, enhanced by smart technologies, on organizational performance within public pharmaceutical organizations in Cairo Governorate, Egypt. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, the study targeted employees from five public pharmaceutical companies in Cairo Governorate, including Memphis Pharmaceuticals, Arab Pharmaceuticals, Cairo Pharmaceuticals, Nile Pharmaceuticals, and EIPICO. These companies were selected based on their public listing and accessible workforce data. Respondents included administrative and technical staff, ensuring a representative sample of the sector. The sample size of 372 was calculated using a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error, proportionally distributed across organizations and roles. The results of the study reveal that KM practices significantly enhance operational efficiency and foster innovation, with quantitative evidence showing that KM positively influences operational efficiency (β = 0.42, p < 0.01) and innovation (β = 0.35, p < 0.05). The analysis also indicates that strategic leadership plays a moderating role in the relationship between KM practices and organizational performance. Specifically, the moderation effect of leadership strengthens the impact of KM on operational efficiency (interaction term: β = 0.18, p < 0.05) and innovation (interaction term: β = 0.21, p < 0.05). These findings underscore the critical role of leadership in aligning KM practices with strategic goals, highlighting the potential for public pharmaceutical organizations to achieve higher efficiency and innovation. Organizations operating in highly regulated sectors can drive continuous improvement and achieve sustainable performance outcomes by integrating KM frameworks with advanced technologies and strategic leadership.

Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at the University of Bisha for supporting this work through the Fast-Track Research Support Program.

Knowledge management is a ‘know-how’ expression through which companies can access and apply their shared knowledge to achieve innovation, improve performance, and attain long-term competitive advantage. The present study investigates the association between knowledge management and organizational performance measurement with innovation capability mediating in the Jordanian Telecommunication sector. Descriptive and inferential statistics, such as regression analysis and structural equation modeling, were used to analyze 575 responses from employees working in major telecommunication companies like Zain, Orange, and Umniah. The performances of knowledge management impact on organizational performance measurement results were positive, with the R-square amounting to 0.803. The change of each predictor variable in terms of B was: Knowledge Creation, 0.179; Knowledge Storage, 0.196; Knowledge Sharing, 0.399; Knowledge Application, 0.221; and Knowledge Evaluation, 0.234. Further, Innovation capability positively mediates the impact of knowledge management on organizational performance measurement. Overall, the study’s findings emphasize that an enterprise should effectively handle its intellectual assets and enhance its innovation capabilities since it may have the potential to hold a competitive advantage and overall performance in an advanced era.

Acknowledgment
The author is grateful to Middle East University, Amman, Jordan, for the financial support to cover this article’s publishing fee.

The welfare of farmers and agricultural productivity are significantly influenced by challenges in business and financial management. This study investigates how knowledge management, knowledge sharing, and mental accounting impact farmer performance within the unique context of Sasi culture in Maluku Islands, Indonesia. Knowledge management provides farmers with the tools to acquire, utilize, and apply agricultural insights, while mental accounting shapes their financial decision-making and resource allocation. Using a mixed-method approach that combines WarpPLS and ethnomethodology, data were gathered through questionnaires distributed to 65 respondents and in-depth interviews with selected participants. The analysis revealed that knowledge management significantly impacts farmer performance with a path coefficient of 0.717 (p < 0.001), while mental accounting also has a positive effect with a coefficient of 0.164 (p = 0.050). However, knowledge sharing did not significantly affect performance (coefficient = 0.372, p = 0.382). The results suggest that Sasi culture, deeply rooted in local wisdom, helps integrate knowledge management and mental accounting to improve farmer welfare and agricultural income. Despite the ineffectiveness of formal knowledge sharing, the cultural practice of Sasi inherently promotes the sharing of knowledge within the community, enhancing the overall management of agricultural practices. This study emphasizes the role of local wisdom in creating sustainable agricultural practices and highlights the potential of Sasi culture to synergize modern knowledge management with traditional financial behaviors.

During the pandemic and russia’s war against Ukraine, higher education shifted to hybrid and distance learning, with some universities forced to adapt or relocate from occupied territories. This article analyzes the institutional, spatial, and financial aspects of Ukraine’s higher education market (1990–2023), focusing on financial data from 2020–2023 across 24 regions and Kyiv, excluding occupied territories. The calculated results based on concentration levels and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index for the number of educational institutions, students, and postgraduate students showed that the higher education market is highly competitive, with an uneven geographical distribution between regions. The analysis of the level of concentration of financial resources among higher education institutions, calculated based on state funding, showed that the distribution of financial resources among universities is relatively even (in 2023, the 20 largest higher education institutions accumulated more than 43.5% of total state funding). The share of state resources aimed at developing the scientific potential of higher education institutions decreased for the 20 largest higher education institutions from 58% in 2020 to 55% in 2022. Non-parametric correlation analysis revealed a low correlation between the amount of general funding for higher education institutions and the amount of revenues to the special fund for research, which indicates insufficient support and prioritization of the scientific sector in the country. These conclusions can be used in implementing the reform (balancing and optimization) of the existing educational network in Ukraine, which has been actively pursued in recent years.