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The purpose of this study was to explore how transport companies in Uganda execute strategies in a turbulent business environment.

The study adopted an exploratory qualitative methodology using the data collected through an open-ended instrument. Utilizing the qualitative data analysis software QSR NVivo9, the data were analyzed following the Gioia's methodology. Verbatim texts were used to explain the emergent themes.

The study's findings show that to successfully execute strategies, companies in Uganda communicate, coordinate and put control systems in their operations. The activities undertaken include customer care, timely settlement of complaints, comfortable seats, playing local music, partnerships with reliable fuel stations, setting up strategic offices, cost management, use of experienced drivers, sub-renting vehicles and inspections.

The study produces a pioneering result of how transport companies execute strategies in a turbulent business environment, an aspect that has not been adequately highlighted in previous studies.

The purpose of this study is to frame the dimensions of the external institutional environment, namely, cultural-cognitive, normative and regulative dimensions as the main actors in the organisational field. More precisely, Libyan commercial banks have been identified as empirical evidence, to identify constraints of the institutional environment governing the behaviour and decision-making of commercial banks, when adopting Islamic financial transactions.

A questionnaire has been designed for 14 Libyan commercial banks which is distributed to the Board of Directors, managers, directors of departments, and personnel. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the measurement model by using the first-order and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have been applied as essential steps to embody the conceptual framework and test the research hypotheses.

The results of the EFA indicated sufficient correlation among the dimensions of the external environment. The CFA supported this study’s hypotheses. The modelling showed that the cultural-cognitive, normative and regulative dimensions are institutional constraints impeding Libyan commercial banks’ adoption of Islamic financial transactions. Interestingly, the findings of the CFA align with the EFA findings in supporting the conceptual framework of the research. They portrayed that the cultural-cognitive dimension has been identified by explicit and implicit cognition.

This study systematically embodies the dimensions of the external institutional environment, namely, cultural-cognitive, normative and regulative dimensions, as the main factors in the organisational field to be conceptually rich lenses to investigate social considerations to reinforce institutional thought broadly. The results of this study were consistent with extant Islamic financial literature, reflecting symmetry and similarity across commercial banks, particularly at the first stage of adopting Islamic financial transactions.

The purpose of this study is to assess and contrast the impact of various factors, including both bank-specific and macroeconomic factors, on the financial performance of Islamic and conventional banks (I&CB) in countries with a dual banking system.

A general least square model is applied to a large data set of 103 I&CB operating in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, comprising unbalanced annual panel data spanning the period from 2015 to 2020. The financial performance index (FPI) derived from capital adequacy, asset quality, management efficiency, earnings, and liquidity (CAMEL) ratios is used as the dependent variable.

Key factors, such as overhead expenses, gross domestic product (GDP) and retained earnings, exert a substantial influence on the financial performance of both I&CB. Moreover, the findings suggest that certain parameters, including deposits, inflation and cellular banking usage, significantly impact on the financial performance of conventional banks, while bank size specifically affects the financial performance of Islamic banks.

While this study provides valuable insights, it is essential to acknowledge its limitations. The research focuses on a specific region (MENA) and may not be universally applicable to other geographical areas or banking systems. The study’s findings are based on historical data and might not fully reflect current or future market conditions. Additionally, the choice of variables and methodology may introduce bias or limitations, as with any empirical study. The theoretical implications of the research paper lie in the distinct ethical principles that constitute the foundation of Islamic finance. The ethical opposition to Riba is poised to have extensive implications, influencing market stability, commercial and economic impact and contributing to responsible banking practices within the Islamic banking sector. The study suggests that adherence to these sacred principles not only aligns with ethical considerations but also fosters social responsibility within Islamic banking institutions. This holds significance for broader societal and economic impacts, as responsible banking practices contribute to sustainable and equitable economic development.

The study underscores the significance of efficient overhead cost management for conventional banks, particularly in the context of a rapidly evolving digital banking environment. The call for adaptation and innovation in operational strategies aligns with the broader principles of efficiency and effectiveness emphasized in Islamic finance.

In essence, the theoretical and practical implications of the study surpass the narrow focus on financial performance, resonating with the broader societal and economic landscape within the Islamic banking sector. The integration of ethical principles not only reinforces the unique identity of Islamic finance but also positions it as a model for responsible and sustainable banking practices in the MENA region and beyond.

CAMEL ratios are used to build an FPI to evaluate bank performance, providing a more precise and comprehensive assessment compared to traditional return ratios like return on assets or return on equity. Second, the authors conduct a thorough analysis covering factors across bank-specific, financial and macroeconomic dimensions. Thus, the study stands out by not only examining bank-specific factors but also by considering external factors such as GDP, interest rates and the development of the financial sector. The focus on the MENA region allows us to offer generalizable findings, highlighting distinctions between I&CB and considering a period with boom years (2015–2019) and a recession year (2020).

The study examines the role of ethical leadership in the innovative performance of employees. Further, the purpose of the study is to investigate the mediating effect of human capital and social capital on the relationship between ethical leadership and the innovative performance of employees.

The study collected primary data from 386 managerial-level employees of information technology (IT) companies in the northern region of India. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data and derive the direct and indirect effects.

The findings indicate a significant positive impact of ethical leadership on the innovative performance of employees. Further, it was found that ethical leadership has both direct and indirect effects on the innovative performance of employees, where the indirect effect was mediated through intellectual capital (IC). The research confirms that IC and ethical leadership are crucial resources for fostering a knowledge-driven culture and innovative performance amongst employees.

The research has made a novel attempt to explore the interplay between ethical leadership, IC and innovative performance in the Indian context. Further, the study provides actionable strategies for business leaders to optimise business processes and encourage innovative practices amongst employees in the company.

Due to increasing scandals involving non-halal foods, contamination and fraudulent practices within the halal food supply chain, this paper aims to identify pivotal factors closely tied to halal food traceability and subsequently proposes a comprehensive halal food traceability model rooted in these factors.

The approach involved conducting a content analysis to meticulously gather data from existing scholarly works. Subsequently, the authors analysed this data using a thematic approach.

The extensive literature review yielded the identification of eight pivotal factors for the adoption and implementation of effective halal food traceability systems. These factors encompass consensus on halal food standards, government support, meeting consumer demands, ensuring the authenticity of halal food integrity, leveraging technological advancements, adherence to halal standards and certification systems, fostering stakeholder collaboration and promoting research and educational initiatives. Building upon these factors, this study presents a halal food traceability factorial model that can serve as a foundation for constructing a robust and readily-adoptable traceability system within Muslim countries.

The proposed halal food traceability model offers invaluable insights to stakeholders within both private enterprises and governmental bodies. By taking into account the identified factors, these stakeholders can significantly enhance their prospects for the successful adoption and implementation of traceability systems. Additionally, the paper expounds upon practical recommendations for practitioners and highlights avenues for future research aimed at establishing a robust halal traceability system across Muslim countries.

This paper stands as a significant contribution within the limited body of research addressing the development of an effective and readily-adoptable traceability model, thereby bolstering the integrity and safety of halal food. The outcomes of this paper are expected to catalyse improvements in the adoption and implementation of halal food traceability practices across Muslim nations.

This study aims to examine the impact of economic globalization on bank profitability in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The empirical analysis is based on panel data of banks spanning 2008–2016. Relying on the KOF Globalization Index, the study uses financial globalization and trade globalization as measures of economic globalization. The authors employ the system generalized method of moments technique to establish the relationship between economic globalization and bank profitability while controlling for the effect of bank-specific and macroeconomic factors.

The results show a negative significant effect of financial and trade globalization on bank profitability, signifying the intense competition of banks in Sub-Saharan Africa accelerated by globalization. The negative effect of economic globalization holds irrespective of the indicator of bank profitability. Bank size exerts a significant effect on profitability though the impact is negative for return on equity measure. The findings further reveal a positive significant impact of GDP growth and inflation on profitability.

This paper presents a pioneering work on the impact of economic globalization on bank profitability in the Sub-Saharan African context per the researchers' knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of humble leadership on project success. In addition, we examine the mediating effect of organisational learning on the relationship between humble leadership and the success of international development projects.

This study adopted a quantitative research methodology based on questionnaire data collected from 80 international development project managers from different sectors in Senegal (West Africa). The variance-based structural equation method, following the partial least squares approach, was used to test the research hypotheses.

The results showed that humble leadership is positively related to project success. Furthermore, organizational learning mediates the relationship between humble leadership and project success.

This research has several limitations. The authors did not examine the role of organizational culture as a moderating variable. However, the authors believe that the cultural variable can have an impact on project success and team building, and future studies should consider this aspect as well. In the African context, each country has its own culture, which may affect the behaviour of the project manager. Also, the authors admit that the sample size is relatively small, which greatly reduces the generalizability of the results.

These findings have important implications. First, because a project leader’s humility enhances project success, it is critical for development projects to select leaders who demonstrate modest conduct in the workplace. The perfect selection of a humble leader depends heavily on judgements about the characteristics of a humble leader from new project manager candidates.

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study found that humble leadership is important for project success, thus extending the utility of the concept of humble leadership to the project literature.

Using data on 739 banks from 22 countries with a dual banking system from 2012 to 2019, this paper aims to examine whether capital inflows affect banks’ profitability in recipient countries.

The authors check the conjecture about the effect of capital inflows on the profitability of the host country’s banks by estimating the following regression:

Pict=α0+α1·CFct+α2·Islamici+α3·CFct×Islamici+δ·Xict+θ·Yct+εict (1)

where the dependent variable (P_ict) refers to bank profitability, measured by either ROA or ROE for bank i, country c and year t. ROA is defined as the ratio of net profit to average total assets expressed as a percentage, which determines how efficiently a bank uses its assets to generate a profit. ROE is defined as the ratio of net profit to average total equity expressed as a percentage, which is a measure of increases in shareholders’ wealth.

The authors find that capital inflows are generally positively associated with bank profitability. However, cross-border capital inflows reduce the rate of return in Islamic banks relative to their conventional counterparts. When decomposing inflows by instrument, the authors find that the enhancing role of capital inflows on bank profitability comes mainly from debt inflows and borrowers; the authors observe that the documented results emanate mostly from the inflows to the financial sector. These results remain unchanged if holding a bank’s risk constant. Overall, foreign funds in the form of debt inflows targeting the financial sector can disproportionately improve the performance of commercial banks in recipient countries.

The paper is an original research project. The analysis contributes to the existing literature in several ways: the authors study whether the impact of capital inflows on bank profitability varies with the bank business model by looking at both the Islamic and conventional bank systems. The profitability of the banking system is an important catalyst for growth and stability. The authors also decompose capital inflows to recipient countries into their equity and debt components and study the differential impact of those components on the profitability of Islamic and conventional banks.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of job embeddedness (JE) on the turnover intention (TI) of the public sector with the mediating effect of the individual factor (i.e. life satisfaction [LS]) and the moderating effect of the leadership style (i.e. ethical leadership [EL]).

This study adopted a quantitative design to collect data from 236 employees working in the public sector in Vietnam through field research using structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses.

The results show that JE negatively affects the TI of public sector employees through the mediation effect of LS. Additionally, this study indicates that EL moderates the relationship between JE and TI.

This study implies that public sector stakeholders should consider both individual and contextual factors to manage and retain employees. In addition to addressing employees' embeddedness with the organisation and community and their LS, public organisations need to focus on hiring, training and promoting ethical leaders.

This study highlights the role of embeddedness within both the organisation and the community, along with the role of EL in the LS and TI of public sector employees.