International Journal of Business and Management, Issue: Vol.21, No.3

Exploring Public-Private Partnerships Viability as Financing Model in Developing Nations: A Case Study of Guyana

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:16:34 +0000

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are emerging as the pivotal mechanisms for financing and managing large-scale infrastructural development projects in many developing nations. The collaboration between governments and the private sector entities has been enhancing efficiency, performance, and innovation in infrastructure development, thus driving growth and development. However, critics have been questioning the viability of PPPs as a financing model in emerging economies. The paper explores the viability of PPPs as a financing model in developing nations by assessing potential benefits and challenges using the case study of Guyana, which is a developing nation with significant economic transformation. It investigates the current economic and political landscape of Guyana. The paper examines successful case studies of PPPs in developing nations for assessing their potential applicability in Guyana. It develops a set of recommendations for effective implementation of PPPs as a financing model in Guyana. The research employed a mixed-methods approach for providing a comprehensive analysis of PPPs in Guyana. It utilized data from a survey of 260 participants across Guyana 10 administrative regions and insights from document analysis and case studies. The findings identified the challenges affecting successful implementation of PPPs, including corruption, political instability, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient education and training within Guyana. The results revealed the need for governance reform and policy consistency. The paper recommendations are strengthening governance frameworks, enhancing political stability, investing in education and infrastructure, and improving public engagement in Guyana.

An Analysis of the Impact of Restriction on Selling and Consumption of Alcohol due to COVID-19 Pandemic on Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) and Its Supply Chain – Beer Production: Windhoek, Namibia

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:16:34 +0000

The study investigated the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on alcohol sales and consumption, focusing on Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) and its supply chain from 2020 to 2021. Specifically, it analyzed changes in beer production capacity, sales performance, revenue generation, and potential implications for Namibia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This research enriches the existing literature on supply chain disruptions within the beverage industry during pandemics, emphasizing the influence of regulatory measures on production efficiency, workforce stability, and financial outcomes in emerging markets.

A mixed-method approach was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative data collection under the paradigms of positivism and interpretivism. Data were gathered through survey questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with a sample of 50 participants selected from NBL and its supply chain network.

Results revealed that COVID-19 restrictions substantially impacted NBL’s operational capabilities. Beer production capacity experienced a decline of approximately 90%, while sales volumes dropped by 80% during peak lockdown periods. As a result, company revenues fell by 60% between 2020 and 2021. Despite these significant challenges, NBL introduced strategic operational adjustments to sustain business continuity and safeguard its workforce. By aligning its response with its vision of “Creating a future, enhancing life,” the company successfully adapted its operations and supply chain practices to maintain competitiveness throughout the pandemic. The study underscores the critical role of adaptive supply chain strategies and organizational resilience in enabling manufacturing firms to withstand large-scale economic disruptions.

Corporate Governance and Performance of Commercial State Corporations in Kenya

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:16:34 +0000

This study aimed at establishing the effect of corporate governance on performance of commercial state corporations in Kenya. Corporate governance is the scheme through which firms are managed, measured, and made accountable. Corporate governance plays a key part in accomplishment of a firm because it outlines modalities of achieving social and financial objectives. The main objective of the study was to determine the influence of corporate governance on performance of commercial state corporations in Kenya. Hypothesis was formulated to address this objective. The study adopted a cross sectional descriptive survey design, using a sample of 47 commercial state corporations. Commercial state corporations are income generating entities, managed by management board and governed by best practices of governance. The study revealed that corporate governance accounted for 55.3 percent (R² = 0.553) of variation in non-financial performance and 39 percent (R² = 0.39) of variation in financial performance amongst commercial state corporations in Kenya. The study found that corporate governance positively influences the performance of commercial state corporations in Kenya. More specific for every one-unit increase in corporate governance non-financial performance increases by 0.717 units (β = 0.717) holding other factors constant while financial performance increases by 0.801 units’ (β = 0.801) other factors held constant. This positive relationship was significant (P-value = .000<.05). The results of this study have contributed to theory and better understanding of the antecedents of corporate governance providing reference for further research. It is recommended that organizations improve corporate governance and recognize the combination of antecedents of corporate governance.

Factors Affecting Organizational Performance in Academic Context: A Cross-Sectional Study

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:16:34 +0000

In this era of a globalized economy, academic institutions need to seriously focus on long-term planning, customer satisfaction, and process design & quality improvement strategies. This study employs these criteria to investigate their impact on the performance in selected academic institutions in Bangladesh. For this, 105 valid responses from faculty members serving in both public and private universities had been obtained. In order to meet some criteria, purposive sampling technique has been used to collect the samples of the study. Structural Equation Modeling has been applied to test the research hypotheses. The descriptive statistics show that there is room for improvement in all variables considered in the study. The measurement models of the constructs were tested through confirmatory factor analysis with the fit indices found to be meeting the threshold values. The findings of the structural model demonstrate that two research hypotheses, related to the effects of customer focus and long-term planning were supported, while the other hypothesis regarding the effect of process design & quality improvement on organizational performance was not supported. These have important implications for the higher management of the university authorities as far as their performances are concerned. Some directions for future research have also been put forward.

The Role of AI Safety Evaluations in Strengthening National Cyber Defense Systems

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:16:34 +0000

The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into national cyber defense systems has fundamentally transformed threat detection, predictive analytics, and automated incident response. While these AI-driven capabilities enhance operational efficiency and resilience, they also introduce novel vulnerabilities, including susceptibility to adversarial attacks, model drift, cascading failures, and automation bias. This paper examines the pivotal role of AI safety evaluations in mitigating such risks, ensuring the reliability, robustness, and trustworthiness of AI-enabled defense mechanisms. It explores contemporary evaluation frameworks, performance and safety metrics, and methodological approaches to testing AI systems under simulated and real-world cyber threats. Through case studies of AI-powered intrusion detection systems, autonomous Security Operation Centers (SOC), and hybrid human-AI architectures, the study demonstrates measurable improvements in threat response accuracy, operational safety, and analyst decision-making. Furthermore, it outlines risk mitigation strategies, including continuous model monitoring, scenario-based testing, and policy integration, emphasizing the importance of human-in-the-loop (HITL) interventions. The findings highlight that systematic AI safety evaluations are essential not only for technical reliability but also for strategic national security, providing a framework for policymakers, cybersecurity professionals, and AI developers to enhance cyber resilience against evolving threats.

Assessing the Understanding of Stakeholders about the Stakeholder Theory toward the Local Economic Development initiatives for Helao Nafidi Town Council in Ohangwena Region, Namibia

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:16:34 +0000

The objective of this study was to assess the stakeholders’ understanding of the stakeholder theory (ST) toward the Local Economic Development (LED) initiatives in Helao Nafidi Town Council (HNTC) of Ohangwena region (OhR), Namibia. The understanding of stakeholders on ST signifies informative and integrated information aimed at attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which combine environmental, economic, social, institutional, and political aspects by identifying their interlinkages in realizing the LED in local governments.

This study assesses stakeholders' understanding of ST towards LED initiatives in HNTC. Thus, the study used a stakeholders’ theory (ST), which provides a framework for exploring the processes of understanding stakeholders in a management sense, and the questionnaires were designed to meet the objectives of this study. The data was collected through the quantitative research method (QRM) and analyzed using Microsoft Excel (MSE), which provided relevant analysis for the data.

The assessment of stakeholders’ understanding of ST conducted in this study indicates that the ST process is influenced by both internal and external stakeholders (90%) and the relevant principles regarding intervention strategies (83%) for the LED initiative.

Customer Intelligence as the Next Evolution of Sales Management Systems: A Framework for Behavioral Probability Management

Thu, 07 May 2026 02:16:34 +0000

In the fast-paced environment of sales management, both traditional Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and customer experience (CX) systems are ineffective at reading behavioral cues that indicate the onset of critical decisions and act as the foundation of reactive strategies and decreased revenue predictability. This research proposes Customer Intelligence as the next-generation managerial framework that goes beyond CRM to focus on behavioral probability management using the new Behavioral Sales Architecture (BSA) or multi-layered structure that includes data aggregation, pattern recognition and predictive decision-making. The study is based on the executive leadership of the author and the evolution of Customer Happiness Intelligence System (CHIS), an expandable commercial intelligence process, that incorporated qualitative executive analysis and quantitative client contact of 500 client interactions in 12 months with Sunlocate Properties, a real estate company that deals with commercial relocations. Empirical results show the notable improvements: the churn dropped by 24.7%, the revenue forecast accuracy increased by 27.0%, and the client lifetime value increased by 18.1%, which are proven with the help of Bayesian probabilistic modeling and triangulation based on themes. Such results place Customer Intelligence as a strategy layers to resilient business processes, as part of the scholarly discussion of the subject of commercial analytics, and provides practical implications on scalable and customer-centered innovation across industries. Incorporating BSA into the patent pending architecture of CHIS and into its future software MVP, this paper propagates the applied practice and cutting-edge theoretical development in favor of the paradigm based on probability in the era of data-driven trade.

Employment-Innovation Nexus: A Theoretical Framework

Sat, 09 May 2026 00:06:40 +0000

This paper develops a theoretical model to explore how absorptive capacity influences the relation between innovation and employment. In particular, the aim of the model is to express all the possible forces underlying the transmission channels from the innovation process to the labor market and the importance of absorptive capacity in the employment-innovation relationship. Stated differently, absorptive capacity is a prerequisite for the effectiveness of innovation regarding employment outcomes. The empirical evidence within an international context supports and validates the predictions of our theoretical framework. Policy recommendations are provided for striking a balance between innovation processes and job creation.

Impact of Supply Chain Digitalization on Corporate Governance Quality: A Policy Experiment Based on Supply Chain Innovation and Application Pilot

Tue, 19 May 2026 11:44:04 +0000

Under the accelerated development of the digital economy, examining the impact of supply chain digitalization (SCD) on corporate governance quality (CGQ) is of critical importance for identifying pathways to optimize governance structures amid technological change. The existing literature primarily focuses on the effects of corporate digital investment on governance quality, while insufficient attention has been paid to the role of collaborative digitalization across upstream and downstream supply chain segments. Using panel data for Chinese A-share listed corporates from 2010 to 2024, this paper investigates the impact of SCD on CGQ and its underlying mechanisms. The results indicate that SCD significantly enhances CGQ, with more pronounced effects observed in regions with higher levels of digital infrastructure, in high-technology industries, and among state-owned corporates. Mechanism analysis further reveals that improvements in information transparency, reductions in principle-agent costs, and enhancements in internal control quality constitute the primary channels through which SCD strengthens corporate governance. From the perspective of supply chain management, this study provides novel empirical evidence and managerial implications for emerging economies seeking to leverage digital technologies to improve CGQ.

The Impact of Brand Value on the Export Resilience of Enterprises

Thu, 14 May 2026 02:19:49 +0000

Faced with a complex and volatile international environment, enterprises are confronted with intricate challenges in their survival and development. How enterprises can restore economic vitality after suffering severe economic shocks, i.e., how to improve their export resilience, has become a hot issue in current research. The "15th Five-Year Plan" period proposes to strengthen brand leadership, which provides a favorable market environment for the brand building of Chinese enterprises. Taking Chinese brand listed companies that have continuously engaged in export trade from 2008 to 2023 as the research sample, this paper uses a two-way fixed effects model to examine the impact of brand value on enterprises' export resilience, and tests the mediating effects of financing constraints and brand premium, as well as the moderating effect of female directors. The results show that brand value significantly and positively promotes enterprises' export resilience. This study scientifically verifies the positive role of enterprises' brand value in their export resilience, and also provides sufficient theoretical basis for the government and enterprises to vigorously promote the construction of brand value, helping Chinese enterprises improve their risk resistance capacity in the international market and realize the high-quality development of foreign trade.

Reframing AI-Driven Recruitment as a Socio-Technical Governance System: Integrating Operational Efficiency, Candidate Experience, and Organizational Legitimacy

Sat, 23 May 2026 06:46:18 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming recruitment processes, yet existing research remains fragmented across technical, operational, and behavioral perspectives. While prior studies emphasize efficiency gains and predictive accuracy, they often overlook the socio-organizational dimensions that shape the effectiveness and acceptance of AI-driven hiring systems.

This study addresses this gap by advancing a socio-technical governance framework that integrates operational efficiency, candidate perception, and organizational legitimacy into a unified analytical model. Drawing on legitimacy theory and interdisciplinary insights from human resource management, operations management, and marketing, the paper conceptualizes AI-driven recruitment as a dynamic and adaptive system.

The proposed model introduces causal relationships between core dimensions, highlighting the mediating role of candidate perception and the moderating function of governance mechanisms. Furthermore, it extends existing approaches by incorporating feedback loops that capture the temporal evolution of AI systems within organizational and institutional environments.

The study contributes to the literature by reframing AI recruitment from a purely technical tool to a governance-driven socio-technical system. It also contributes to interdisciplinary AI governance research by linking recruitment efficiency, candidate experience, and legitimacy within the emerging European regulatory context.

While conceptual in nature, the framework provides a foundation for future empirical research and offers practical insights for organizations seeking to balance efficiency, fairness, and legitimacy in AI-enabled recruitment processes.

A Context Driven Knowledge Formalization to Enhance the Effectiveness of Sentiment Analysis in E-commerce Operations

Sat, 23 May 2026 06:50:55 +0000

E-commerce has become an unavoidable force reshaping competition and consumer behavior across industries. Businesses increasingly depend on sentiment analysis to extract consumer intelligence from vast amounts of online reviews, social media, and digital interactions. However, existing models often ignore contextual information, limiting their ability to capture nuanced meanings in consumer sentiment. To address this gap, we propose a contextual ontology-based theoretical model architecture that integrates sentiment analysis with knowledge graph construction. Contextual ontology enables the formal representation of semantic meaning as it varies by context, thus reducing ambiguity in textual data interpretation. While simple algorithms may suffice for a consumer with straightforward preferences, such as price as an overriding criterion, only a contextual ontology can capture the complex, multi-criteria behaviors of more sophisticated consumers. Our theory framework demonstrates how consumer intelligence can be enriched by combining lexicon-based sentiment classification with ontology-driven context modeling, creating more robust insights for e-commerce decision-making. The knowledge graph in our architecture captures multi-dimensional relationships and dynamically updates as interactions evolve, allowing managers to filter context-induced noise and achieve precision market segmentation. By integrating context variables with non-context variables, businesses can move from generic opinion mining to context-aware sentiment analysis that optimizes strategic resources and enhances customer lifetime value (CLV). By invoking a behavioral Sensemaking lens, our framework accounts for the complex, identity-driven nuances and multifaceted personality traits that govern sophisticated consumer behaviors. This research contributes to both theory and practice by advancing sentiment analysis methods beyond context-free approaches and by offering e-commerce managers a pragmatic tool for high-velocity consumer intelligence gathering.

The Impact of Social Media Factors on Buying Behaviour among Saudi Arabian Youth: The Role of Content Quality, Brand Management, and Social Media Usage

Sat, 23 May 2026 06:55:02 +0000

This research aimed to investigate the impact of social media on the buying behavior of Saudi Arabian youth. Employing a quantitative research approach, a questionnaire was administered to 606 participants, comprising the youth of Saudi Arabia. The study revealed a positive influence of social media on the purchasing decisions of Saudi Arabian youth. Respondents indicated that ads, promotional content, and brand interactions influenced their purchase decisions. A significant portion of the youth spends considerable time on social media, with a majority using it for more than four hours daily. The perception of online shopping among Saudi youth also had a positive impact on buying behavior. Factors such as content quality, social media usage, and brand marketing collectively influence their purchasing decisions. Recommendations for future research include considerations for better influencer selection, enhanced engagement strategies, content writer expertise, and further analysis of trust and social influence factors in the context of social media's impact on buying behavior.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 21 No. 3

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:04:53 +0000

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 21 No. 3, 2026