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Due to the growing complexity involved in leveraging the endless possibilities of ICT on all levels, the technical competence of faculties of higher education institutions (HEI) and effective methods for fostering e-readiness has become questionable.

This research has developed and validated an empirically supported e-readiness scale, which can be used by HEIs to assess faculty members’ preparedness toward online teaching. The measurement model and the structural model were developed as the results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 245). The previously identified components and their indicators were validated using the structural models and the final scale was developed with five dimensions (“online technological readiness, pedagogical readiness, institutional readiness, learning and delivery readiness and content readiness”).

The faculties’ e-readiness assessment tool, as a useful tool, could aid institutions in identifying problems that affect the implementation of e-learning or digitalization in the institutions and developing strategies in response.

Like any research this research also has some limitations and can be considered as future research probability like the responses for this research were collected from HEI in India; however, a cross-cultural study can be conducted to understand the parameters across the globe. Although the psychometric qualities of the e-readiness scale are acceptable, additional research in various higher educational environments, both nationally and internationally, is required to further establish the scale’s relevance, validation and generalizability.

Although many scales have been developed to assess the readiness level in the education sector, a scale, that holistically measures, the readiness level of faculties from an overall perspective was required. This scale can be used to recognize the e-readiness level of teachers in HEIs. This scale can also help the institutions assess the readiness level of their faculty members and address any improvements required in their teaching and learning pedagogy, further acknowledging training needs.

This study systematically reviews the role of decentralized finance (DeFi) in enhancing the quality, affordability, access and usage of financial services, specifically targeting underserved populations. The aim is to investigate DeFi’s potential in addressing financial exclusion and promoting global financial inclusion.

A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing 67 peer-reviewed articles. The review focused on extracting actionable insights and recommendations regarding DeFi’s impact on financial inclusion.

The study reveals that DeFi, through the utilization of blockchain technology, can significantly improve accessibility, affordability and usability of financial services. By eliminating intermediaries and reducing entry barriers, DeFi platforms democratize finance and support financial inclusion on a global scale. The research identifies specific mechanisms through which DeFi can enhance financial services for marginalized communities, including decentralized lending, digital wallets and blockchain-based remittances.

The study is constrained by the current literature and data availability on DeFi’s impact on financial inclusion. Future research should explore the scalability, sustainability and long-term effects of DeFi solutions in diverse contexts.

This research uniquely contributes to the literature by examining the intersection of DeFi and financial inclusion, providing innovative approaches to overcoming financial exclusion. The study highlights DeFi’s potential to transform financial services and empower underserved populations economically.

This study examines the relationship between the characteristics of militarily experienced directors and financial statement footnote readability. The second research question considers whether CEO busyness impacts the relationship between military-experienced directors and financial statement footnotes readability.

We use nonfinancial listed firms on the Indonesian Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2018, which amounted to 1,002 firm-year observations. We test the hypotheses and use fixed effects and Heckman's two-stage regression.

This study documents a negative relationship between military directors and financial statement footnote readability. We extend this relationship by factoring board busyness into the equation. We find that the presence of military-connected and busy CEOs negatively impacts the readability of financial statement footnotes. The results remain robust after additional analyses.

Future research should consider a more robust measure of military-experienced directors. A broader context of directors' busyness should be considered, such as including multiple directorships.

We revisit the literature on military-experienced directors by considering political connections as one of the proxies for military connections in Indonesia. The findings largely support the convergence of the political connections literature in which rent-seeking activities are prevalent and prevent sound financial reporting.

The present study aims to evaluate the effect of climate change on the flood hazard potential in the Kelantan River Basin using current and future scenarios.

The intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) was used to estimate the current 50- and 100-year return period 24-h design rainfall, and the climate change factor (CCF) was used to compute the future design rainfall. The CCF was calculated from the rainfall projections of two global climate models, CGCM1 and CCSM3, with different pre-processing steps applied to each. The IDF data were used in the rainfall-runoff-inundation model to simulate current and future flood inundation scenarios.

The estimated CCF values demonstrate a contrast, whereby each station had a CCF value greater than one for CGCM1, while some stations had a CCF value of less than one for CCSM3. Therefore, CGCM1 projected an aggravation and CCSM3 a reduction of flood hazard for future scenarios. The study reveals that topography plays an essential role in calculating the CCF.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine flood projections in the Kelantan River Basin. It is, therefore, hoped that these results could benefit local managers and authorities by enabling them to make informed decisions regarding flood risk mitigation in a climate change scenario.

As a clean and renewable energy source, wind energy will become one of the main sources of new energy supply in the future. Relying on the stable and strong wind resources at sea, wind energy has great potential to become the primary energy. As a critical part of the wind turbine, the gearbox of a wind turbine often bears a large external load. Especially at sea, due to the effects of ocean corrosion, waves and wind, the burden of the wind turbine gearbox is greater, which brings great challenges to its reliability analysis. This study aims to systematically review the reliability research in wind turbine gearboxes and guide future research directions and challenges.

This study systematically reviews some design requirements and reliability analysis methods for wind turbine gearboxes. Then, it summarizes previous studies on wind load uncertainty modeling methods, including the processing of wind measurement data and the summary of three different classifications of random wind speed prediction models. Finally, existing reliability analysis studies on two major parts of the gearbox are described and summarized.

First, the basic knowledge of wind turbine gearboxes and their reliability analysis is introduced. The requirements and reliability analysis methods of wind turbine gearboxes are explained. Then, the processing methods of wind measurement data and three different random wind speed prediction models are described in detail. Furthermore, existing reliability analysis studies on two common parts of wind turbine gearboxes, gears and bearings, are summarized and classified, including a summary of bearing failure modes. Finally, three possible future research directions for wind turbine gearbox reliability analysis are discussed, namely, reliability research under the influence of multiple factors on gears, damage indicators of bearing failure modes and quantitative evaluation criteria for the overall dynamic characteristics of offshore wind turbine gearboxes and a summary is also given.

This paper aims to systematically introduce the relevant contents of wind turbine gearboxes and their reliability analysis. The contents of wind speed data processing, predictive modeling and reliability analysis of major components are also comprehensively reviewed, including the classification and principle introduction of these contents.

This study aims to discuss literature of zakat collection, particularly to compare what Scopus and Web of Science (WoS), as the two most popular databases, provide to complete the pattern and the direction of future research of zakat collection using bibliometric analysis.

This study collected 266 manuscripts from the Scopus database and 106 manuscripts from the WoS database covering more than three decades from 1987 to the beginning of 2023.

This study identifies a wider horizon of future research of zakat collection literature. Where Scopus database mostly discusses the connection between the state, government and zakat, meanwhile the WoS database discusses smaller scope of zakat collection, which includes zakat institution and its governance along with behavioural and commitment of zakat payers.

The results imply that future research agenda may include the discussion of state-government-zakat collection policy connection and behavioural and commitment of zakat payers.

The results also imply to widening and deepening the zakat collection. Further, it also implies to administratively to zakat agencies/zakat institution.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first study (or the first) that compare Scopus and WoS database in the zakat collection literature.

This research paper investigates the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) among teachers in higher education (universities and colleges) in India and its impact on teaching activities. The study explores teachers’ perceptions, attitudes and the factors influencing the integration of AI in their teaching practices.

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted involving 500 teachers in higher education (university and college) in India. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structure equation modeling.

The study addresses teachers’ expectations and attitudes toward AI integration in teaching practices. Results suggest that AI can potentially enhance teaching practices among teachers in higher education in India. The findings contribute to understanding AI adoption in teaching, providing insights for educational institutions and policymakers. Further research is recommended to validate the results across different regions and academic settings, leading to the development of strategies and support systems for successful AI implementation in teaching practices.

The originality of this research lies in its investigation of the integration of AI in college teaching practices among teachers in India. It contributes to the existing literature by exploring teachers’ perceptions, attitudes and the factors influencing the adoption of AI, providing valuable insights for educational institutions and policymakers in the Indian context.

The chapter begins with a discussion of the transformative innovations that play a key role in the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Technological advancements like cloud computing, business process automation (BPA), artificial intelligence (AI), and others will play an ever-increasing role, but their development and use must be balanced with ethical considerations. In the future, organizations will be reliant on technologies such as AI for prediction, decision-making, new strategy development, and more. Therefore, ethical and legal concerns are crucial. This chapter will thus probe into those ethical concerns surrounding AI-based algorithms, and models. These ethical issues would require adaptability as the landscape evolves with technology. The chapter emphasizes the need for SMEs to be prepared and to adapt to new digital environments on a constant basis so as to ensure the successful implementation of digital transformation. This will prove that digital transformation is a reality, and not a fantasy for SMEs. They need to focus on having a well-defined digital strategy that is future-focussed if they wish to remain competitive and relevant in the digital era. This chapter also looks at one Malaysian-based company which had grown from being a small firm to becoming a multinational company. The case study illustrates how the company’s use of technologies had helped it to expand its business and to improve efficiency. By adopting new technologies and by being adaptable, it is possible for Malaysian SMEs to prosper and succeed in the digital world.

This paper aims to investigate the motivational drivers for knowledge sharing (KS) through the application of mobile social networking (MSN) and their influence on employee productivity in the Malaysian construction industry.

The data was collected by distributing a self-administered questionnaire among employees working in the construction industry. A total of 250 questionnaires were collected and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. This study used a variety of analysis methodologies including correlation analysis, reliability and validity testing, as well as a structural model in evaluating the relationships between KS, motivational factors and influence on productivity.

The empirical results of this study reveal that utilitarian motivation is positively related to internal and external KS. Similarly, internal and external KS have a positive influence on productivity, while internal and external hedonic motivation does not show any significant relationship with productivity.

Considering the paucity of evidence regarding the determinants of KS motivational drives on employee productivity in the Malaysian construction industry, this study enriches the social cognitive theory-based literature on KS.

This study provides some insights to the players in the construction industry in implementing the most appropriate KS promotion strategies that could potentially influence employee productivity. Organisations in the construction industry that place great emphasis on utilitarian motivation including competency, reward and incentives are more likely to have a better influence on KS and, in turn, positively impact employee productivity.

This study meaningfully contributes to enhancing the understanding of the motivational drivers for sharing knowledge on MSN and its influence on productivity. The findings of this study potentially assist construction practitioners in developing a holistic blueprint for managing their KS towards improving the overall productivity of their employees.

In the past few years, researchers across the world have been attracted to corporate governance (CG) and sustainability studies in the banking space. However, inconsistencies remain, which have created a lack of alignment in existing research. To address this problem, this paper aims to re-examines the CG–bank sustainability relationship using a qualitative design, which has been underused in the field, to generate in-depth, useful and novel analysis and insights that may hide behind the numbers.

A qualitative inquiry was conducted using key informants in Ghana’s banking industry. This study made use of purposive and snowball sampling techniques, an interview guide and the thematic approach to qualitative data analysis.

Firstly, this research finds that while larger boards do not promote bank sustainability, those who are independent and have diversified expertise and experiences do. Secondly, CEO duality can boost bank sustainability only if the CEO is actively engaged and performing. Thirdly, this study finds that foreign-owned and managed banks make more profits only if they have good knowledge of the local market.

This research makes the call that upcoming researchers should replicate this research in other banking settings worldwide to validate the results.

Practical lessons for local and foreign-owned banks and their shareholders are discussed to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 8.

This research shares novel insights that offer clarity to the literature and move the CG and sustainability fields forward.