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The purpose of publishing this viewpoint is to critically analyze the relationship between public health interventions and individual liberties, during recent and potential future pandemics. By exploring the interplay of the right to health, privacy, and autonomy, this viewpoint seeks to highlight the complexities and challenges faced by decision-makers in balancing collective well-being with the protection of individual rights. Through detailed discussions on lockdowns, contact tracing, and international border closures, this paper aims to foster a deeper understanding of how these measures impact fundamental human rights and proposes ways to achieve harmony in future pandemics and crises.

The viewpoint has a qualitative approach, using critical analysis and examination of legal frameworks, scholarly literature, and real-world examples to explore the interplay between public health interventions and individual liberties during pandemics. It draws upon diverse sources, including international declarations, legal instruments, and empirical studies to elucidate the complexities of balancing collective well-being with the protection of fundamental human rights. Through in-depth discussions on lockdowns, contact tracing, and international border closures, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in harmonizing public health with individual liberties.

The findings of the viewpoint highlight the relationship between public health interventions and individual liberties during pandemics. It underscores the importance of balancing collective well-being with the protection of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to health, privacy, and autonomy. The analysis reveals the shortcomings of certain measures, such as restrictive lockdowns, border closure, and unchecked contact tracing in respecting individual rights. However, it also identifies opportunities for adopting an altruistic approach that upholds both public health imperatives and individual freedoms. Ultimately, the findings emphasize the need for a nuanced understanding and inclusive approach to crisis management.

This analysis predominantly addresses the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings to other public health crises. It is limited by its focus primarily on legal frameworks and theoretical analysis, which may not fully capture the practical complexities and nuances of implementing public health measures. Furthermore, while proposing ways to achieve harmony between public health and individual liberties, practical challenges and potential trade-offs in implementation are not extensively explored. Future research could benefit from empirical studies and case analyses to better understand the real-world implications of balancing public health imperatives with individual rights.

The viewpoint underscores the importance of adopting an altruistic approach that respects both public health imperatives and individual rights during pandemics. Practical implications include the need for policymakers to prioritize transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in implementing public health measures. By fostering trust, ensuring data privacy, and promoting active participation, authorities can mitigate concerns about infringements on individual liberties while effectively managing public health threats. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the importance of considering diverse perspectives and potential trade-offs in decision-making processes to achieve a balanced and inclusive approach to crisis management.

The viewpoint’s social implications lie in building a society where public health measures are implemented with respect for individual rights, fostering trust, and promoting community engagement. By prioritizing transparency, accountability and inclusivity, authorities can mitigate social tensions and promote collective resilience during pandemics. Moreover, upholding principles of equity and fairness in crisis management can help address disparities and ensure that vulnerable populations are not disproportionately affected. Overall, the viewpoint advocates for a societal framework that values both public health and individual liberties, thereby contributing to the development of a more cohesive and resilient society in the face of future health crises.

The originality and value of this viewpoint lie in its comprehensive exploration of the interplay between public health interventions and individual liberties during pandemics. By synthesizing legal frameworks, scholarly literature, and real-world examples, it offers unique insights into the complexities and challenges faced by decision-makers in balancing collective well-being with the protection of fundamental human rights. Additionally, the viewpoint’s proposal of an altruistic approach that respects both public health imperatives and individual freedoms contributes to the discourse on ethical crisis management. Overall, it provides valuable perspectives and recommendations for achieving harmony between public health and individual liberties in future pandemics.

This study aims to consolidate existing research on digital technology in business education, focusing on adoption determinants, theoretical frameworks and implementation challenges.

A hybrid literature review was conducted. The first phase involved a keyword co-occurrence analysis of 254 Association of Business Schools-ranked journal articles from the Web of Science database to identify key research themes. To deepen the analysis, the second phase included a content analysis of the 24 most globally cited articles, each with a minimum of 65 total global citations.

The review reveals that studies primarily focus on factors influencing digital technology adoption, including institutional support, perceived usefulness and ease of use. Researchers frequently cite theoretical models such as the technology acceptance model and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. Identified challenges include concerns over technology effectiveness, resistance to change and the influence of cultural and generational differences on technology use.

The findings guide educators and policymakers in formulating strategies for effective technology adoption, emphasizing alignment with educational goals and addressing cultural barriers.

Understanding generational and cultural impacts enables the creation of inclusive digital education strategies that cater to diverse student needs.

This study synthesizes fragmented literature, offering new insights into the integration of digital technologies in business education.

This study aims to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the growth of FinTech within the Jordanian context. Specifically, it examines the antecedent factors influencing users’ intentions to adopt and use FinTech services during this unprecedented period.

A quantitative research method approach with partial least squares-structural equation modelling was used to test the research proposed model.

The results of the structural path revealed that the drivers of behavioural intentions to use FinTech services are perceived usefulness, perceived self-efficacy, perceived vulnerability, subjective norms, perceived severity, perceived certainty and resistance to use and these factors explain 79.5% of the variance of behavioural intention.

This study identifies key factors for FinTech acceptance in Jordan, offering actionable insights for policymakers and service providers. Building user trust in service and technology (security, effectiveness and transparency) is crucial, alongside leveraging social influence (testimonials, endorsements) and boosting awareness/knowledge through campaigns and educational initiatives. This study identifies key factors for FinTech acceptance in Jordan, offering actionable insights for policymakers and service providers. Building user trust in service and technology (security, effectiveness and transparency) is crucial, alongside leveraging social influence (testimonials, endorsements) and boosting awareness/knowledge through campaigns and educational initiatives. This study’s generalizability is limited by its sample, drawn from three Jordanian regions and dominated by potential users. Comparing actual and potential user perceptions, alongside including users from diverse contexts (e.g. other developing countries), could address this. In addition, using qualitative methods alongside the quantitative approach and exploring indirect relationships (mediating/moderating) would provide richer insights into FinTech acceptance in Jordan.

While prior research has explored FinTech adoption, including studies conducted in Jordan, this study makes several key contributions. Firstly, it specifically examines FinTech trends within the post-COVID-19 era in Jordan, a period marked by accelerated digital transformation and evolving user behaviours. Secondly, it extends existing models of FinTech adoption by incorporating “perceived self-efficacy, perceived vulnerability, subjective norms, perceived privacy, perceived severity, perceived value, perceived certainty and resistance to use”, in addition to the established factors of “perceived usefulness and ease of use”. This expanded model provides a more holistic understanding of the drivers and barriers to FinTech adoption in this context. Finally, this research provides empirical evidence from the Jordanian market, offering valuable insights for financial institutions and policymakers seeking to promote FinTech adoption and financial inclusion in a developing economy undergoing rapid digital change. This focus on the post-pandemic Jordanian context, combined with the extended theoretical model, offers a novel contribution to the literature.

Small and medium-sized contractors are critical to micro and macroeconomic performance. These contractors in South Africa have long been confronted with the problem of business failure because of a plethora of factors, including poor productivity. The purpose of this study is to investigate salient issues undermining the productivity of small and medium-sized contractors in South Africa. This study proposes alternative possibilities to engender productivity improvement.

Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 15 contractors in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The research data were analysed using content and causal layered analyses.

Challenges to contractors’ productivity were associated with inadequately skilled workers, management competence and political factors. Skills development, construction business and political factors were dominant stakeholders’ perceptions. Metaphors for construction labour productivity are presented and reconstructed as alternative directions for productivity improvement.

Contractors lose a substantial amount of South African Rand to poor productivity. Alternative directions provided in this study can be leveraged to increase profitability in construction organizations, enhance the social well-being of South Africans and ultimately improve the contribution of contractors to the South African economy.

The causal layered analysis (CLA) applied in this study is novel to construction labour productivity research. The four connected layers of CLA, which make a greater depth of inquiry possible, were explored to investigate labour productivity in construction organizations.

Using data from Vietnam to reveal which factors affected the impressive growth of Vietnam's e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, the study proposed a conceptual model in which the influence of COVID-19 information overload (IO) on online purchase intention (OPI) was discovered. The authors were also interested in examining the moderator roles of self-construal (SC), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) in inducing the intention to make an online purchase.

Perceived threat (PT) and cyberchondria (C) played full mediation roles in the impact of IO on OPI. Moreover, PT was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between IO and C. Furthermore, interdependent self-construal (IntSC) positively moderated the positive effect of IO on PT. Finally, PU and PEOU showed significant moderated moderation effects, in which PU moderated the effects of PT and C on OPI, whereas PU itself was moderated by PEOU.

Understanding the positive effects of IO, C and PT on OPI can be useful for marketers. In addition, managers should improve the ease-of-use and usefulness of online stores/platforms to attract more consumers to online channels.

Marketers and managers should learn more about how to take advantage of IO, PT and C. For instance, to sell medical supplements, marketer should push up related-health information such as obesity, diabetics, to make consumers perceive a threat to their health and search for ways to improve their health condition. This is the time when advertisements for medical supplements bring into play. This method can be applied in many different fields. The key is that marketers should find out what is the threat that their targeted customers can perceive and then spread out a huge amount of relevant information.

The government should control infodemic and guide people to obtain official information. This helps to restrain the PT and C, which seriously harm people's health and affect their behaviors, such as making unusual or panicked purchases. This study also suggests a considerable concern that residents of Asian cultures, where IntSC is dominant, may perceive threat more than residents of Western cultures.

Limited research addresses the relationship between PEOU and PU when they act as moderators. Current research not only explains the moderation effect of PU under the influence of PEOU but also suggests that PEOU may be more important than PU in emerging markets due to customers' inexperience in online markets or channels. It also explores the factors that influenced OPI in Vietnam during the COVID-19 outbreak and contributes to the scientific literature on Vietnam, especially in terms of discovering the tendency of SC, which has not been mentioned before in research about Vietnamese.

The ever-evolving landscape of financial technology (Fintech) has revolutionised payment methods and raised questions about what drives user behaviour in adopting these innovative solutions. This study, using narrative transportation theory as an underpinning theory, aims to investigate into the dynamics of green user behaviour in adopting Fintech payments.

This study used a deductive approach, and with data obtained from 635 respondents through the purposive sampling technique, partial least squares structural equation modelling was employed to yield significant insights.

The study found a positive association between green brand positioning and product differentiation. However, it unexpectedly didn't impact user attitudes towards Fintech payments. Green brand image and perceived performance positively influenced product differentiation. Perceived product differentiation fully mediated the association between green brand positioning and user attitudes. The study introduced fear of missing out's (FOMO) moderating role, enriching eco-conscious marketing insights and user behaviour understanding.

This study reveals crucial implications for marketers, policymakers and user experience (UX) designers operating within the Fintech industry. It emphasises green brand positioning's impact on product differentiation, user attitudes and its mediating role. It advocates for sustainability integration, innovation, strategic messaging and user-centric improvements to optimise user perceptions and competitiveness in the evolving Fintech landscape. The study's cross-sectional design may limit the ability to establish causal relationships over time and overlook temporal changes in green Fintech adoption dynamics; thus, longitudinal studies are warranted to better understand the evolving nature of user attitudes and behaviours towards green Fintech payments.

This study adds novelty to the existing body of literature by introducing the dimension of innovation appeal to green brand positioning and employing narrative transportation theory in the Fintech realm. The findings also add novelty by highlighting the moderating impact of fear of missing out in predicting the association between green brand positioning and product differentiation in the realm of green Fintech and green use behaviour.

This paper aims to provide a model that expands the technology acceptance model (TAM) by identifying aspects that influence consumers’ attitude and behavioral intention toward chatbots in the beauty care industry.

This study is based on an online questionnaire responded by 211 Generation Z individuals from Morocco. Data was collected based on a convenience nonprobability sampling technique, and a partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to validate the model and test the hypotheses.

Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and subjective norms are significant influencers of the attitude toward chatbot. Perceived risk was not found to be influencing behavioral intention to use chatbot, and personality does not moderate the relationship between perceived ease of use and attitude.

This paper provides insights into the motives behind customers’ attitude and behavior toward chatbots in the beauty care industry and can be relied on as a guideline for implementations technology to boost sales and build strong relationship with customers.

This research provides new insight for retailers on the implementation of chatbots at the point of sale. Marketers and business owners should be aware of the usefulness and ease of use of technology for Generation Z and be able to interact with them on this basis in order to generate increased economic performance and better brand image.

The model extends the original TAM and introduces two new constructs, subjective norms and perceived risk, in addition to including personality as a moderating factor. The data was gathered from the under-studied region of North Africa.

This study aims to understand the factors influencing the intention to use virtual voice assistants (VVAs) by proposing a theoretical framework based on a modified UTAUT2 model and the theory of privacy calculus.

An online questionnaire was administered to 232 participants to achieve the study objectives.

The results indicate that hedonic motivation is a stronger predictor of continued use intention compared to price value. Additionally, the moderating effects of perceived privacy risk are validated.

This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of VVA adoption and presents new business opportunities for companies leveraging this technology. This study contributes to a more holistic understanding of the adoption of VVAs and provides new business opportunities that companies can exploit using this technology.

Este estudio tiene como objetivo comprender los factores que influyen en la intención de usar Asistentes Virtuales de Voz (AVV) mediante la propuesta de un marco teórico basado en una modificación del modelo UTAUT2 y la teoría del cálculo de privacidad.

se administró un cuestionario en línea a 232 participantes para lograr los objetivos del estudio.

los resultados indican que la motivación hedónica es un predictor más fuerte de la intención de uso continuo en comparación con el valor del precio. Además, se validan los efectos moderadores del riesgo percibido de privacidad.

esta investigación contribuye a una comprensión integral de la adopción de AVV y presenta nuevas oportunidades comerciales para las empresas que aprovechan esta tecnología.

With an emphasis on the moderating impact of trust, this study examines determinants influencing the purchase intentions of young consumers in augmented reality (AR) shopping platforms. This research study aims to pinpoint essential elements, including the enjoyment dimensions (i.e. entertainment, visual appeal and hedonic component) and practicality dimensions [i.e. informativeness, navigation and perceived usefulness (PU)], that are imperative in influencing young consumers’ purchase intentions in AR-based shopping platforms.

The present study used a quantitative approach grounded in the stimulus-organism-response model and the extended technology acceptance model, which analysed purchase intention among the youth using AR shopping platforms. One hundred seventy-two samples were gathered through self-administered questionnaires and underwent partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis to predict the relationships between the proposed variables.

The results of the current study suggested the independent variables (e.g. entertainment, visual appeal, informativeness and navigation) had a significant impact on hedonic components and PU. Furthermore, both hedonic components and PU had a significant and positive influence on purchase intention. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that hedonic components and PU in relation to purchase intention were not moderated by trust.

The developed research framework is significant for understanding the perceptions of shopping behaviour among young consumers in the Borneo region of Malaysia. This is one of the few studies that explored the interplay between enjoyment and practicality’s dimensions on purchase intention via AR shopping platforms in the less explored region of Malaysia. Hence, this study plays a pivotal role in contributing to the existing marketing and technology management literature. Moreover, it holds practical importance for business operators and marketers as it aids in decision-making and strategic planning for the future direction of businesses in the young consumer market.

Visual sustainability has gained significant relevance for both firms and consumers. While the importance of perceived sustainability in package design is well researched, there is a research gap regarding divergent responses of consumers to perceived visual sustainability. This research aims to close this gap by providing deeper insights into the underlying mechanisms of perceived visual sustainability in package design. As a boundary condition, this work also investigates gender differences in response to a design’s visual sustainability.

To explore the mediating influences of cognitive (i.e. a product’s gentleness and power) versus emotional (i.e. moral satisfaction) attributes as well as the role of consumer gender in the perceived visual sustainability–purchase intention relationship, the authors extend previous research through three experiments.

Study 1 provides initial evidence supporting the main effect of perceived visual sustainability on purchase intention. Findings of Study 2 show that moral satisfaction serves as a significant driver of purchase intention for females, while power-related attributes are more influential for males. Study 3 provides additional evidence for the main effect, the interaction effect with consumer gender and underlying mechanisms.

These findings have important implications for marketers and designers aiming to design packages that appeal to different consumer groups based on their (gender-specific) values regarding visual sustainability.

This work extends the literature on green behavior by highlighting the importance of perceived visual sustainability as a factor that influences purchase intention and the role of cognitive versus affective mechanisms in shaping consumer responses to design sustainability.