20 Articles
Abdul Samad Abdul-Rahim, Mohamad Fakri Zaky Jaafar, Mohd Zaim Mohd Shukri, Wan Norhidayah W. Mohamad
The benefits of affordable housing extend beyond the number of units built or households housed. The most significant difficulty in the assessment of affordable housing is to measure the cultural, social, and environmental impacts which are often considered 'intangible' and sometimes overlooked. This research involved a literature review, analysis of existing SROI studies of affordable housing, and construction of a Framework for determining the SROI for investments in affordable housing. This paper provides a proposed framework for using the Social Return on Investment (SROI) as a viable way to demonstrate the impact of government spending on housing by attaching a monetary value to the benefits housing brings to residents, housing providers, and the local economy.
Ng Wee Fern, Prof. Madya Dr. Rohaya Abd Jalil
The valuation of patents has become a critical concern for universities seeking to commercialize research outputs and enhance their contribution to national innovation systems. This challenge is particularly pronounced in the real estate sector, where technological innovations such as smart building systems, sustainable construction methods, and digital property management solutions are subject to heightened uncertainty, regulatory complexity, and market volatility. Existing patent valuation approaches—primarily cost-, market-, and income-based methods—were largely developed for industries with predictable commercialization pathways and therefore struggle to capture the unique risk profile of real estate-related patents generated within academic institutions. This study proposes a risk-adjusted patent valuation framework tailored to real estate innovations originating from Malaysian universities. Drawing on intellectual capital theory and a structured analysis of market, technological, regulatory, and commercialization capability risks, the framework embeds risk directly into valuation logic rather than treating it as a post hoc adjustment. The framework advances existing valuation practices by aligning valuation mechanisms with sector-specific realities and institutional conditions. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it extends the intellectual capital literature by theorizing risk as a structural dimension of patent valuation. Second, it offers a methodological contribution through a risk-embedded valuation framework suitable for university-generated patents. Third, it provides contextual insights from Malaysia, an underrepresented setting in patent valuation research. The framework supports more informed commercialization strategies and strengthens the strategic role of universities in real estate innovation.
Dennis Ngobi, Sixbert Sangwa, Stanley Mukasa
Purpose: This study interrogates the paradox of employer-reported “labour shortages” in labour-abundant African economies. It advances the claim that shortage signals are partly institutional outputs: they arise when screening rules narrow the effective labour pool, rather than reflecting exogenous skill scarcity. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on labour market segmentation, information economics, and critical institutionalism, we analyse 10,432 job advertisements scraped monthly (January 2024–June 2025) from leading portals in seven Anglophone African countries. A rigorously validated support-vector-machine classifier distinguishes explicit numeric age ceilings from implicit youth-coded cues to construct an Age-Coded Hiring Index (ACHI). We triangulate ACHI with employer-reported workforce-constraint indicators from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys and labour-underutilisation (LU4) from ILOSTAT, estimating fixed-effects and interaction models to test whether age-coded screening predicts shortage complaints most strongly where latent labour supply is greatest. Findings: Age-coded screening is pervasive in vacancy texts: approximately 15–20% of postings impose numeric age caps and a much larger share deploys implicit youth signals. Higher ACHI is robustly associated with stronger shortage complaints net of underutilisation and macro controls, and the relationship steepens under high labour slack, consistent with an institutional mechanism in which screening rules convert latent labour supply into perceived scarcity. Originality/value: Conceptually, the paper reframes “shortage” indicators as partially endogenous to screening rules and to employers’ definition of “suitability,” rather than treating them as market facts. Empirically, it introduces a replicable NLP-based measure of exclusionary screening from vacancy text, enabling cross-country tests of institutional scarcity dynamics in low- and middle-income contexts. Practical implications: The results imply that diagnostic and policy responses to “shortages” should not presume supply failure alone; they should also examine how recruitment criteria restrict the recognised labour pool and thereby shape shortage measurement itself.
Adil Kari Salam Harahap, Nevy Diana Hanafi, Sri Fajar Ayu
In the process of exporting sheep to Malaysia, there are several stages that sheep must go through, starting from the pen to the destination (Malaysia). Sheep always interact and receive treatment from humans during the export process. This has the potential to cause suffering for sheep. Sheep are often only used as objects. These sheep deserve attention in terms of animal welfare. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the application of animal welfare principles carried out by each party involved in sheep exports to Malaysia through Teluk Nibung Port, Tanjungbalai City, North Sumatra Province from 2019-2022. The analysis used in this study is a descriptive analysis using the CIPP model evaluation approach (context, input, process, product). Exporters are suspected of several times not paying attention to the application of animal welfare. One example is a sheep that cannot stand and even the sheep's legs protrude from the wall of the transport vehicle during transportation. The application of animal welfare in the sheep export process was implemented effectively with a score of 26.4 or 62.92%.
Ekwunife Gabriel Okafor, Mbamalu Euphemia Ifunanya, Nwokoye, Ifeoma Emmanuella
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an essential part of modern e-commerce, primarily through algorithm-driven personalisation that customises product suggestions and content for individual consumers. Although AI applications are spreading rapidly, there is limited empirical evidence on how AI-driven personalisation influences online purchase intentions in emerging markets, particularly regarding the psychological processes underlying this relationship. This study investigates the impact of AI-driven personalisation and consumer attitudes towards AI on online purchase intentions, with consumer awareness acting as a mediating variable. Rooted in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the study uses a quantitative, cross-sectional research design. Data were gathered from online shoppers in major cities across South-East Nigeria through a structured questionnaire. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the study's constructs. The results show that consumer attitude towards AI has a significant positive direct effect on online purchase intention. Conversely, AI-driven personalisation does not significantly influence purchase intention. Instead, its impact works indirectly via consumer awareness. Further analysis reveals that consumer awareness significantly mediates the relationship between consumer attitude towards AI and online purchase intention, emphasising awareness as a vital cognitive pathway through which positive perceptions of AI are converted into behavioural intention. The study concludes that AI personalisation alone is not enough to encourage online purchasing in emerging markets unless consumers clearly understand how AI systems operate and the value they offer. By empirically positioning consumer awareness as a key mediating factor, the study expands TAM and TPB in AI-enabled consumption contexts. It offers practical insights for e-commerce platforms seeking to deploy AI responsibly and effectively in emerging digital economies.
Rossina Chimkwita
Private savings constitute a critical source of domestic finance for investment and economic growth, particularly in low-income economies where access to external capital is limited. Despite its importance, household-level saving behavior in Malawi remains insufficiently understood, especially regarding the distinct determinants of formal and informal savings. This study examines the socio-economic and demographic drivers of private savings using nationally representative data from the 2017 Malawi Financial Literacy and Consumer Protection Survey. A Probit regression framework is employed to distinguish between formal savings held in financial institutions and informal savings accumulated through community-based mechanisms. The results reveal a pronounced reliance on informal savings, with 34% of households participating in informal arrangements compared to only 9% in formal financial institutions. Employment status, educational attainment, and receipt of remittances emerge as the most robust determinants of saving behavior. Employment significantly increases the probability of saving through both channels, while secondary or higher education strongly promotes formal savings participation. Remittances positively affect both saving mechanisms. Income quintiles and age show limited influence once other factors are controlled for, although gender differences are evident in informal savings participation. The findings underscore the segmented nature of Malawi’s savings landscape and highlight the importance of employment generation, education, financial literacy, and digital financial integration in strengthening domestic resource mobilization.
N. T. Emaeyak
This study investigated the costs, profitability, marketing margin and constraints associated with smoked fish marketing in Akwa Ibom State. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting forty (40) respondents. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and budgeting approach (gross margin and marketing margin) were used to analyze the data. Weighted mean was used to rank the constraints faced by the smoked fish marketers in the study area. Results showed that 32.50% of the smoked fish marketers were of the age range 30 – 39years, and 100% of the marketers were females. The major constraints faced by these marketers were: high product price, homogeneity of product, poor/inadequate access roads to the central collecting market. From the analysis, the average total cost was N50,029.40/ marketer/week; average total revenue was N54,770.00/marketer/week. The marketing margin was 47%. This indicates that smoked fish marketing is profitable in the study area because of the weekly gain. If calculated perineum, it will exceed the annual percentage revenue, estimated as 23%. In order to enhance its productivity, there is therefore need to regulate the activities of the fish trade union, form smoked fish traders cooperative associations and also construct or upgrade market infrastructures and rural feeder roads in the study area. This will add to an increase in the profitability of smoked fish marketing in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State.
Emaeyak, Nyaknoabasi T.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of land tenure system on technical efficiency of arable crop farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A total of one hundred and thirteen (113) Arable Crop Farmers in Uyo Zone were selected for the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected from the respondents using a questionnaire. Descriptive Statistics and the Stochastic Frontier Production Function was used to analyze the collected data. The result revealed that female farmers dominated the study area with a visible mean household size of 5 people per home. 59.3% of the respondents were married, 58.4% had a form of tertiary education while 70.8% of the respondents were visited atleast once by extension agents. The study also revealed that age, farm size, farming experience, level of education, credit, labour and land were part of the determinants of technical efficiency. It noted tenure security as a major influence to technical efficiency. Finding on the constraint to arable crop farmers indicated that out of 15 constraints analysed, thirteen were severe. From the result, the highest rated constraints to arable crop farmers was high cost of acquiring land, followed by land fragmentation/intensified s. Absence of mechanization, untimely farm inputs and insufficient capital were the next rated constraints. The table also showed the least rated constraint to arable crop production as communal instability, followed by Herders and Farmers clash. The study recommended the formulation of appropriate land policies geared towards land tenure security.
Amel Trabelsi Elloumi, Charnez Elloumi
In open emerging economies heavily dependent on imports, the fight against inflation often confronts a major structural obstacle: a high "Sacrifice Ratio." This concept is characterized by an exorbitant cost in terms of lost output and unemployment for every percentage point of disinflation. Standard restrictive monetary policies appear insufficient to counter imported inflation (Exchange Rate Pass-through) when local production is rigid or absent. Addressing this deadlock, this article proposes a novel theoretical cross-analysis between macroeconomic price dynamics and contemporary entrepreneurship theories, specifically regarding spin-offs. By synthesizing recent literature on business dynamism (Akcigit, 2021) and price transmission (Amiti et al., 2019), we argue that spin-offs act as a catalyst for technical progress and productivity. By transforming the production function through innovation and skills transfer, they reduce long-run unit costs and immunize the economy against exchange rate volatility. The article theoretically posits that an active spin-off policy in key sectors constitutes a "positive structural supply shock" capable of mechanically lowering the sacrifice ratio.
Ikechukwu A. Acha, Itoro M. Ikoh, Sylvanus Udoh
This study reassesses the role of external reserves in shaping Nigeria’s monetary policy independence within the framework of the policy trilemma, which highlights the inherent trade-offs among exchange rate stability, capital flow openness, and monetary autonomy. Using annual data from 1981 to 2023 and employing an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach, the study explores how external reserves interact with exchange rate policies and capital mobility to influence Nigeria’s monetary autonomy. The study incorporates interaction effects to capture the conditional relationships between reserves and the other two legs of the trilemma. The model also incorporates key macroeconomic variables, including oil prices, inflation, financial development, and economic growth, to control for broader structural dynamics. Findings from the long-run analysis reveal that while external reserves are theoretically expected to enhance monetary policy independence, their effect is statistically insignificant, suggesting ineffective utilization. Exchange rate stability and capital mobility also show no significant long-run impact, indicating policy inconsistency and the limited effectiveness of Nigeria’s managed float regime and partial capital controls. Notably, oil price volatility emerges as the most significant determinant, with rising prices reducing the degree of monetary policy autonomy. Short-run dynamics reveal that reserves initially constrain policy independence but show a positive effect with lags, underscoring delayed policy transmission. Interaction terms between reserves and the trilemma components are also insignificant, suggesting that reserves have not functioned as a buffer against external constraints. Error correction estimates confirm that deviations from equilibrium are corrected rapidly, yet short-run dynamics reveal delayed and asymmetric policy effects. The findings underscore the need for a more coherent macroeconomic framework, improved reserve management, reduced oil dependency, and strengthened financial markets to enhance monetary policy independence in Nigeria.
Dr. Deepa Soni, Sourabh Pandya
The link between happiness and income has been widely studied, yet countries show different patterns as they grow. Higher income often improves people’s lives, but many findings also show that happiness does not rise at the same pace in richer nations. These varied results are often highlighted in debates like the Easterlin Paradox, which suggests that while happiness rises with income in the short run, it tends to stop increasing significantly, as countries move to higher income levels. This study examines the complex relationship between the income and happiness across 15 countries using data from the World Value Survey (1990-2022) and World Happiness Report (2012-2024). The research covers the time span of a 34-year period (1990-2024). The study applies linear regression models to analyse interlinkages between income and happiness for selected countries. The findings validate the Easterlin Paradox, demonstrating that the income significantly influences happiness in developing economies, while its effect shows diminishing nature in economically developed nations. The study reveals that high-income countries experience happiness saturation, where additional income growth contributes to minimal well-being gains, while middle and lower-income countries continue experiencing positive happiness trends which are tied to economic growth. These findings have significant implications for policymaking which further suggests that development strategies should evolve from income-centric approaches in emerging economies to major well-being frameworks in advanced nations, ensuring institutional quality, social trust, and economic security alongside income growth.
Ng Wee Fern, Rohaya Abdul Jalil
Patent valuation plays a central role in determining the commercial potential of university-generated innovations. However, conventional valuation approaches often insufficiently account for risk and uncertainty, particularly in sectors characterized by long development cycles, regulatory complexity, and capital intensity. These limitations are especially evident in real estate-related innovations originating from universities, where multiple layers of uncertainty significantly influence value realization. This paper examines how risk and uncertainty can be systematically integrated into patent valuation practices for university-generated real estate innovations. Drawing on valuation theory and risk analysis literature, the study identifies key risk dimensions and analyzes how they affect the assumptions underlying cost-based, market-based, and income-based valuation approaches. Rather than proposing a new valuation model, the paper advances a structured risk-integration logic that enhances the robustness and transparency of existing valuation practices. The paper contributes to the literature in three ways. First, it deepens understanding of the role of uncertainty in patent valuation decision-making. Second, it provides methodological guidance for adapting valuation approaches to high-risk innovation contexts. Third, it offers practical insights for universities, investors, and policymakers seeking to improve commercialization outcomes in real estate innovation. The study supports more realistic valuation practices and strengthens the alignment between innovation risk and intellectual property management.
Gianmario Strappati
Internationalization can be considered the fundamental framework for the development and circulation of artistic products within the modern era. Political-economic systems, and their specific applications regarding the dissemination of creative works, have become central to the structure of the contemporary network. This interconnected system is characterized by its standardized, efficient, and homogeneous nature, supported by multisectoral variables and bidirectional channels of relevance. Within the arts, economic flows act as a centrifugal force that fuels the relationship between author and audience, while simultaneously serving as the analytical compass within the target market. By employing a hybrid research methodology, integrating qualitative insights with empirical data, this study establishes a nexus of inclusivity, scientific rigor, and flexibility within the field of economic and managerial applications of creativity. The primary objective is to elucidate the ultimate goals and operational mechanisms of these networks and interconnections, positioned at the intersection of globalized, economic, and creative perspectives. The findings indicate that internationalization represents a critical opportunity for the diffusion of artistic works; it facilitates the valuation of creative specificity while expanding toward new audiences and circulation pathways. Ultimately, systematic totality and specificity merge into an inclusive process of procedural reconciliation, laying the foundation for the unity of contemporary artistic praxis and its defining principles.
Chomunorwa Rusakaniko, Taruona Douglas
The collapse of formal agriculture in Zvishavane Rural District has essentially reconfigured rural livelihood systems, pushing households to venture into informal and often precarious economic activities. The paper is fundamentally anchored in the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF). It sought to examine how agrarian decline, largely driven by land reform disruptions, macroeconomic instability, climate variability, and institutional weakening, has fast-tracked rural informalisation. This study employed the critical realism philosophy to explain the deep-seated structures and mechanisms driving the shift from formal agriculture to informal livelihoods. The abductive/retroductive approach complemented the philosophy whereby the authors moved between data and existing theory (SLF) to establish the most credible explanation for why informalisation in Zvishavane represents systemic livelihood displacement rather than a developmental transition. The study analysed livelihood pathways, asset dynamics, and the sustainability of informal activities using the mixed methods design combining household surveys (n≈197), key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings reveal a marked shift from agriculture-based livelihoods towards artisanal and small-scale mining, informal trade, and natural-resource extraction. While these activities alleviate short-term income and food insecurity, they are predominantly coping-driven, characterised by asset erosion, ecological degradation, weak accumulation, and regulatory exclusion. Conceptually, the paper advances the SLF by theorising informalisation as a structurally induced process of livelihood displacement, sustained through asset erosion and predatory governance rather than adaptive diversification. The paper thus contributes to debates on rural transformation by demonstrating that informalisation in Zvishavane Rural reflects systemic livelihood displacement rather than a developmental transition. Policy responses must therefore move beyond livelihood promotion to address structural drivers of agrarian collapse, integrate informal livelihoods into rural development frameworks, and strengthen gender-responsive, climate-resilient agricultural and institutional systems.
Nasrah binti Naharu, Norfazillah binti Matmali, Norzanah Abd Rahman, Nur Aliyah Jazuli*
Housing affordability has evolved from a localised economic issue into a complex global crisis, threatening social stability and public health in both developed and emerging economies. Despite the growing volume of literature, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews mapping the intellectual structure of this field, particularly in how global trends apprise local policy contexts like Malaysia. This study employs a bibliometric analysis to evaluate 297 documents retrieved from the Scopus database between 1996 and 2025, utilizing VOSviewer and Biblioshiny for performance analysis and science mapping. The results identify a significant surge in academic interest following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, with Housing Studies and Urban Studies emerging as dominant publication venues. Science mapping reveals three distinct thematic clusters which include governance and markets, focusing on the financialization of housing, social dimensions, linking affordability to poverty, homelessness, and health; and contemporary challenges, addressing urbanization, gentrification, and the impact of COVID-19. The findings suggest that the discourse has shifted from simple supply-side economics to a multidimensional understanding of housing as a social determinant of health. These insights provide critical implications for policymakers in emerging markets, emphasising the need to integrate public health and market regulation into national housing strategies.
Amelia Gonzales, Amelia T. Navejas, Ann Cicely Samar, Bryan Ray S. Solano, Jayvee U. Delos Santos, Jimmy T. Masagca, Ralph Lauren Alomia, Raymond J. Sucgang, Therese Jean A. Sarabia
Science-faith forums are increasingly recognized as informal institutions that influence environmental governance, especially in biodiversity-rich areas where social cohesion is strong. This study examines Mass for Creation and Biome 9: A Biodiversity Forum held near Nabaoy River in Malay, Aklan, as a case of faith-based environmental engagement with economic implications for biodiversity governance. Using a qualitative institutional economics approach and the World Café methodology, this study analyzes how the integration of religious celebrations and scientific dialogue influences environmental values, social capital formation, and nonmarket valuation of ecosystem services. Outputs from four World Café groups were synthesized to assess the outcomes of the forums. Results indicate strengthened norms of stewardship, enhanced multi-sectoral collaboration, and increased recognition of the long-term value of ecosystem services. These findings suggest that science-faith forums can complement formal environmental policies by lowering transaction costs and strengthening collective action for biodiversity conservation.
Dominic Osborne, Lukasz Bikowski
This paper examines how data-driven marketing restructures consumer knowledge in the digital economy. At the micro level, recommendation systems, personalization, and dynamic pricing alter how consumers perceive options, make decisions, and learn about markets. At the meso level, firms adopt algorithms as infrastructures of knowledge production, embedding predictive models into strategy and innovation. At the macro level, platforms and regulators define the rules of visibility, accountability, and access, shaping the distribution of knowledge across economies. Case illustrations of Netflix, Amazon, Alibaba, and fintech platforms show how these mechanisms operate in both developed and emerging markets, revealing tensions between efficiency and fairness, autonomy and personalization, and innovation and inequality. The paper argues that data-driven marketing should be seen not only as a set of commercial techniques but as an epistemic force that reshapes what can be known, who controls knowledge, and how markets evolve.
Abdelkader Djeflat, Younes Ferdj
In the context of economic diversification in resource-dependent economies, statistical surveys play a strategic role in transforming dispersed information into structured knowledge that supports competitive development. This study examines the contribution of statistical surveys to the knowledge economy within Algeria’s agri-food sector, using a field survey of 110 SMEs in the province of Blida. Beyond descriptive analysis, the study applies inferential statistical methods, including Chi-square tests and logistic regression modeling, to identify structural relationships between managerial human capital, territorial knowledge infrastructure, and sectoral specialization. The findings reveal a statistically significant association between education level and participation in technologically intensive agri-food activities. Logistic regression results further confirm that higher education, accumulated sectoral experience, and proximity to research laboratories significantly increase the likelihood of technological upgrading. These results demonstrate that statistical surveys function not merely as data collection instruments but as institutional mechanisms enabling rational decision-making, territorial intelligence, and competitive positioning. The study contributes to the literature on knowledge-based development by empirically linking micro-level firm characteristics to broader structural transformation processes in Algeria’s agri-food economy.
Abdul Jalil Omar, Marlina Mohamad, Nur Irdina Fatini Abdul Halim
This study examines sustainable resource management practices at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), identifies factors affecting their implementation, and proposes improvement strategies. A mixed-methods design was employed: an online questionnaire completed by 139 respondents (students and staff) and semi-structured interviews with representatives from the Sustainable Campus Office (SCO) and the Development and Maintenance Office (PPP). Triangulated analysis indicates that while UTHM has implemented multiple sustainability initiatives, effectiveness varies across domains. Senior-management support, campus community awareness, and stakeholder collaboration emerged as key enablers; policy alignment, infrastructure and financing, and performance monitoring were identified as areas requiring strengthening. Based on these findings, the study recommends reinforcing institutional policies and KPIs, adopting and scaling green technologies (e.g., energy monitoring and storage systems), and enhancing communication and incentive mechanisms to boost stakeholder engagement.
Đỗ Thị Tý, Nguyễn Công Toại
Amid the rapid pace of digital transformation in manufacturing enterprises, the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data is increasingly expected as a strategic approach to improving labor management efficiency. However, the mechanisms through which these technologies influence labor norm systems remain insufficiently clarified. This study seeks to examine how AI adoption, Big Data analytics capability, data quality, digital system integration, and human resource capability affect the effectiveness of labor norm systems, with data-driven decision-making capability serving as a mediating variable. A quantitative research design was employed, drawing on survey data collected from 350 manufacturing enterprises and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that technological and data-related factors positively contribute to strengthening data-driven decision-making capability. In turn, this capability exerts a significant impact on the effectiveness of labor norm systems. The results also confirm a partial mediating role of data-driven decision-making capability, although human resource capability does not demonstrate statistical significance in certain relationships. This study contributes to the literature by clarifying how technological investments are translated into organizational value through the development of internal capabilities. It also offers managerial implications, emphasizing the importance of synchronizing AI implementation, Big Data analytics, and decision-making competencies to enhance the performance of labor norm systems in manufacturing enterprises.