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The concept of frugal innovation has been scholarly discussed from different perspectives. It is a concept that has in the recent years been receiving much attention. In this view, much of the scholarly attention has been given to the benefits of frugal innovation. However, sparse and little attention has been given to the possibilities and challenges of frugal innovation in attaining sustainable development in African Nations. Much of the work has explored the benefits of disruptive frugal innovation. Given this background, this chapter, therefore, seeks to contribute to disruptive frugal digital innovation by highlighting the challenges and possibilities frugal innovation brings in an attempt to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially SDG 1 that aims to end poverty in all forms as well as SDG 8 that aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation. Hence, this chapter aims to unleash some possibilities and challenges that can be brought by frugal innovation. Using literature analysis from 21 articles from Google Scholar, the chapter pre-empts key definitions and highlights the SDGs, the possibilities and challenges brought by frugal innovation in achieving economic and social sustainability in Africa. It is through these insights that the chapter seeks to inform theory, practice and policy in the context of SDGs in Africa.

This paper investigates the impact of public support on Moroccan small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) growth’ metrics in the post-COVID-19 era, focusing on subsidies, guarantee schemes and incubation services, among other firm characteristics and financing choices.

The paper employed a quantitative approach, gathering data through a survey administered to 109 SME managers and chief financial officers (CFOs) in the Casablanca-Settat region. The survey was designed to capture a comprehensive range of variables related to firm characteristics, financing sources, and growth indicators. To streamline and reduce the complexity of the dataset, principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized, allowing for the identification of key underlying factors. Following this dimensionality reduction, several ordinal probit regression models, including a stepwise approach, were applied to examine the relationship between the identified factors and the growth metrics of the SMEs. This multi-model strategy enabled the identification of the most significant determinants across various growth metrics, ensuring a robust and nuanced analysis of SME growth.

Our findings paint a complex picture: subsidies play a positive role in boosting sales and added value but don’t strongly impact job growth. Guarantee schemes help SMEs grow their workforce and sales but have a smaller effect on net income and added value. Incubation programs show limited impact overall, hinting at a need for stronger ongoing support. Financing options offer only modest growth benefits, while factors like family involvement and effective human resource practices stand out as key growth drivers. Innovation contributes gradually, underscoring the importance of a steady, long-term approach to supporting SMEs.

It is crucial to acknowledge that this analysis is conducted within the post-COVID-19 context, a period marked by significant instability, uncertainty and a lack of visibility for firms and economies worldwide. Therefore, the results cannot be generalized. Another limitation of our work is its geographic focus, which is confined to the region of Casablanca-Settat. This regional limitation may restrict the generalizability of our findings to other areas within Morocco or to different countries with varying economic environments and policy frameworks.

The findings of this study suggest actionable steps for policymakers and public actors aiming to enhance SME growth. Tailoring credit guarantee schemes to the specific needs of SMEs across various sizes and sectors can improve financial accessibility, while fostering stronger collaboration between public entities and financial institutions ensures consistent and responsive credit flows. Additionally, strengthening incubation programs with strategic financial guidance and capacity-building initiatives can empower SMEs to build sustainable financial foundations.

This research provides valuable guidance for policymakers and managers aiming to reinforce the resilience and stimulate the growth of Moroccan SMEs in a dynamic economic environment. Also, it's the first of its kind to our knowledge in the context of a developing country.

This study presents a systematic review of “employee happiness” research from 1991–2023. In this way, this study aims to critically appraise the existing literature, and synthesize themes, thereby, paving a clearer understanding of the construct, along with providing the future research agenda.

By adopting a systematic approach, this study followed scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews for article selection. A total of 57 articles were finally chosen after a careful examination from 110 selected journals.

The current study identified three major themes after evaluating the selected literature on Employee happiness: (1) work, family and personal blend, (2) organizational support, and (3) Ebullience sentiment. Amidst an ambiguous usage of several related constructs in employee happiness research, the review provided a clear definition of “employee happiness” along with proposing crucial research directions.

There is a lack of systematic reviews on employee happiness in the existing literature. Thus, by far, this effort is one of the earliest endeavors that researchers undertook toward understanding employee happiness.

Video game streaming (VGS) is emerging as an extremely popular, highly interactive, inordinately subscribed and very dynamic form of digital media. Incorporated environmental elements, gratifications and user pre-existing attitudes in VGS, this paper presents the development of an extended model of uses and gratification theory (EUGT) for predicting users' behavior in novel technological context.

The proposed model was empirically tested in VGS context due to its popularity, interactivity and relevance. Data collected from 308 VGS users and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the hypotheses. Multi-model comparison technique was used to assess the explanatory power of EUGT.

The findings confirmed three significant types elements in determining VGS viewers' engagement, including gratifications (e.g. involvement), environmental cues (e.g. medium appeal) and user predispositions (e.g. pre-existing attitudes). The results revealed that emerging technologies provide potential opportunities for new motives and gratifications, and highlighted the significant of pre-existing attitudes as a mediator in the gratification-uses link.

This study is one of its kind in tackling the criticism on UGT of considering media users too rational or active. The study achieved this objective by considering environmental impacts on user behavior which is largely ignored in recent UGT studies. Also, by incorporating users pre-existing attitudes into UGT framework, this study conceptualized and empirically verified the higher explanatory power of EUGT through a novel multi-modal approach in VGS. Compared to other rival models, EUGS provides a more robust explanation of users' behavior. The findings contribute to the literature of UGT, VGS and users' engagement.

This paper aims to analyze brand loyalty and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) antecedents in restaurants: (1) utilitarian and hedonic benefits, (2) brand satisfaction and (3) brand love. It also provides valuable knowledge through the comparison between positive and negative restaurant experiences.

A survey was carried out of restaurant satisfied and dissatisfied consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group analysis (MGA) were performed to examine the cause-and-effect relationship in both groups.

The results show the relevance of benefits, brand satisfaction and brand love as causes for brand loyalty and e-WOM. Also, these relationships are significantly stronger for dissatisfied consumers than for satisfied ones.

The outcome of the research provides new insights to develop a conceptual stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model of consumers’ restaurant behavior by drawing comparisons across satisfied and dissatisfied ones.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical properties of a full-size range (S-XXL) of a commonly used brand of medical grade GCS, aimed to provide consistent leg pressures across all sizes, assisting patients recovering from Achilles tendon rupture surgery.

This experimental study analyzed the fabric properties of a full-size range of GCS and evaluated their applied pressures on the Ankle and Calf levels of 14 patients recovering from Achilles tendon rupture surgery. ANOVA was run across multiple dependent variables, Density, Thickness, Weight, Air Permeability, Force, Elongation and Stiffness of stocking fabrics.

Results revealed significant effects for several factors. Sock Size had a significant main effect on Density, Thickness and Force. Level had a significant main effect on Weight, but no interaction effects were significant. Air Permeability was significantly influenced by its main effect and by its interaction with Sock Size. No significant main effects or interactions were found for Elongation. Both Sock Size and Level had significant main effects on Stiffness. The Pressure results showed that the Level variable had a significant effect on Pressure, explaining 40.4% of the variance in Pressure.

Because of the chosen research approach, samples and participants, the research results may lack some generalizability.

The results highlight the inconsistent fabric properties across a size range of medical grade GCS, with the larger sizes having smaller differences between pressures on the Calf relative to Ankle than the smaller sizes.

This paper fulfils an identified need to study the size range of GCS and the material properties in relation to body pressures. Understanding these differences could help GCS manufacturers improve their sock sizing design process, resulting in more consistent pressure properties across sock sizes, and better therapeutic and recovery patient experience.

This research focuses on analyzing the impact of digital transformation (DT) on the green innovation performance of Spanish wineries, as well as the mediating effect of green knowledge sharing (GKS) on this main relationship, as well as the moderating role of top management environmental awareness (TMEA) on the GKS-green innovation performance linkage. In addition, age, size and protected designation of origin (PDO) membership are used to increase the precision of the cause–effect relationships examined.

The study proposes a conceptual model based on previous studies, which is tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling, with data collected from 196 Spanish wineries between September 2022 and January 2023.

The results of the research reveal the existence of a positive and significant relationship between the development of DT and green innovation performance of Spanish wineries, as well as the partial mediation of GKS in this link and a positive moderation of TMEA in the GKS-green innovation performance bond.

Winery executives should prioritize aligning DT with TMEA to drive green innovation performance. Additionally, it is recommended that they actively promote GKS within their wineries to enhance sustainability performance and strengthen their competitive positioning in an eco-conscious market.

The originality of the study derives from its pioneering character, as the research enters unexplored terrain by investigating the role of the GKS as a mediator in the relationship between DT and green innovation performance, as no previous research has ventured in this direction.

Despite enormous literature on Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in the context of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As), researchers have not come up with a synthesis that integrates the role and importance of HRM practices during M&As. This study aims to identify, analyse and synthesise existing literature to discover associated HRM practices that facilitate organisational change during M&As.

Bibliometric analysis is performed using 473 research articles entailing 871 authors from 62 countries (published in Scopus and WoS listed journals), followed by a thematic cluster analysis using bibliographic coupling. The analysis is performed using different means as citation analysis, cluster analysis and keyword analysis to reveal the most significant publications, authors, keywords, trends and future research questions.

The results are primarily descriptive and aim at capturing a panoramic view of what was already written on the topic so far. The bibliometric analysis is conducted using different means like citation analysis, cluster analysis and keyword analysis to reveal the most significant publications, notable authors, keywords, current research trends and future research questions. Further, the bibliographic coupling analysis led to the identification of the following six clusters: (1) coping strategies during and post-M&As; (2) changes in individual and organisational identification during and post-M&As; (3) role of cultural and transformational leadership in M&As success; (4) HRM practices to develop employee capabilities post-M&As; (5) case studies and success stories of M&As; and (6) organisational readiness for M&As.

This study has theoretical and practical implications and suggests future research directions. The authors also propose an abstruse model for HRM practices during M&A process for further investigation.

This is the first bibliometric study to explore the vast extant literature in M&A research related to the role of HRM practices in the execution of successful M&As.

Our study aimed to verify the role of the digital economy in economic growth in Egypt and the availability of the technological capabilities of the business sector for digital transformation, based on the negative impact of the epidemic on all economic sectors in the world in general and Egypt in particular.

This was verified based on the standard Error correction package modeling (VECM) study and analysis using Xlstat 2023 and EViews 10.

The results of the study conducted during the period (1996–2022) showed that there is a co-integration relationship in the short and long term between the impact of the digital economy and economic growth. We found a positive, statistically significant relationship between the variables of mobile phone subscriptions and Internet use that had a strong positive effect. At the same time, trade openness hurt economic growth in the short term. In the long run, both mobile phone subscriptions and trade openness had a significant positive effect, and the speed of adjustment toward equilibrium was very severe, estimated at 4.7 years (1/0.21).

The work is limited to the economies of Egypt, which is part of Africa. We suggest conducting further research on evidence from other emerging and developed economies.

The results are of great importance to policymakers in Egypt as an African country, as the estimation results were positive between the digital economy and economic growth in the Egyptian economy, and this is consistent with the endogenous growth model of economic growth, which assumes that knowledge is the main driver of economic growth.

The paper documents the importance of the digital economy in boosting economic growth, which impacts social life more than the traditional digital economy, especially in times of crisis.

Based on the existing literature, this paper identified various research gaps. First, no consensus has been reached on the concept of the digital economy, and its index system is inadequate. While existing literature concentrates on examining the influence of ICT on economic development in terms of the number of Internet users, fixed broadband Internet users and mobile subscribers. These measures cannot adequately capture the broader implications of the digital economy. Furthermore, research has largely investigated the significance of digitalization in economic development and reached ambiguous conclusions.

As a highly knowledge-intensive activity, digitalization is changing the construction industry landscape and is encouraging construction firms to explore the transformation. This study establishes a new theoretical model aimed at examining the impact of three types of intellectual capital (IC) on digitalization through the lens of knowledge-based view and explores how IC and digitalization influence sustainability performance from the triple bottom line principles.

A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from Chinese construction firms using convenience sampling. A total of 181 valid responses were obtained. Then, a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was executed through Smart PLS 3.0 software. The measurement model was assessed to ensure reliability and validity, and the structural model was analysed to test the proposed hypotheses.

The empirical results confirm the positive impact of IC on digitalization and digitalization on sustainability performance. Moreover, digitalization plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between IC and sustainability performance.

The results provide empirical evidence supporting the different roles of IC and digitalization in improving sustainability. The findings contribute to enhancing the understanding of digitalization practices from the perspective of IC and provide theoretical and managerial implications for sustainability issues in the context of the construction industry.