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This research links the global advance of the franchise model to the geohistorical foray of shopping malls through an empirical longitudinal study in the largest emerging market in Latin America, Brazil.

We conducted an analysis of a multi-year set of qualitative interviews with the same franchised mall tenants (23 interviews in 2017 and 12 follow-up interviews in 2022) via an iterative procedure of transcript data coding and theme identification.

Shopping malls were key catalysts in the pre-pandemic growth of franchising in Brazil, yet during the pandemic, malls became liabilities. Attitudes towards malls as franchise hosts changed, flipping the mall perception from catalytic host to burdensome trap. Mall management companies, as key gatekeepers, deserve more research attention.

Our study reveals the detrimental role shopping malls, with their static rules and high cost structures, have played as franchise businesses struggled to survive during the global pandemic. While franchising represents one of the most influential retail business models today, shopping malls have been among the most important brick-and-mortar retail institutions since the 1950s. Jointly, they constitute a unique retail symbiosis with little attention in the academic literature.

Poland has a large number of spa enterprises providing spa tourism services, which is closely linked to the largely state-funded spa treatment. Both the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and the period of the following two years after the end of the pandemic involved many changes in the operation of these entities. The purpose of this study is to attempt to identify the determinants of the operation of spa enterprises during both periods, as perceived by managers.

Data for the study were collected through individual in-depth interviews (IDI) conducted with managers of six Polish spa enterprises, diverse in many respects. This research was exploratory in nature, and inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data.

The results of the study indicate that during the pandemic, as a result of the influence of state institutions, macro-level determinants played the greatest role. In the post-Covid period, on the other hand, the surveyed managers paid special attention to personnel and legal conditions. Demand factors manifested by changes in the behavior of spa visitors as well as relations with the environment were also highlighted. The determinants pointed out by the managers were more often perceived as barriers to the operation of enterprises during the analyzed period. The research results show the multidimensional impact of the pandemic on spa enterprises and their subsequent adaptation to post-pandemic realities. The research provides a comprehensive understanding of the operational challenges and development opportunities of spa enterprises.

The adopted methodology is associated with certain limitations that open up new paths for further analysis and better understanding of the discussed topic. Undoubtedly, the limitation of this research was the small sample size, which resulted from the difficulty of reaching managers of spa enterprises or their unwillingness to participate in this type of research. Perhaps it would be necessary to establish broader cooperation with this environment, e.g. through active participation in conferences associating health resort companies, which would facilitate conducting research in the future. Another limitation was the lack of possibility to record interviews, resulting in the lack of transcription and limiting it only to the researcher’s own notes. This significantly narrowed the possibilities of data analysis. In future research, the theoretical background should be expanded to include literature describing the conditions for the functioning of spa enterprises during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in other countries with a spa operation model similar to Poland. Due to the fact that the research conducted for the purposes of this study was exploratory in nature, its results can be used as source material for further research, enabling a deepening of this topic. Thanks to them, it is possible to create measurement tools that allow the use of more structured qualitative methods (e.g. structured individual in-depth interviews or focused group interviews) or quantitative methods (surveys, questionnaire interviews).

The results of this study give rise to certain practical implications. Spa enterprises must better prepare for future health crises through flexibility in work organization and sanitary protection. COVID-19 cases, which are still occurring, as well as other serious diseases, cause many negative health effects in patients, and their reduction may become an opportunity to diversify the scope of spa services toward rehabilitation but also prevention. This would allow for a fuller use of the potential of spas. However, in this case, the role of state institutions is also important, as they should include such services in the scope of spa treatment and the financing system. In the case of some spa enterprises, it is necessary to change the marketing strategy, aimed at better matching the offer to younger customers as well as developing promotional activities aimed at attracting new commercial patients. In crisis situations, problems with personnel were noticed, which should be prevented in the future through better management in this area, consisting, for example, of the implementation of motivational programs aimed at encouraging employees to return to work and improve their efficiency. It seems necessary to solve staff shortages, perhaps through education and cooperation with educational institutions as well as through the possibility of employing refugees.

The study fills a certain cognitive gap, as no previous research has been conducted among Polish spa enterprises covering the analyzed period. This research focuses on uncovering the challenges and opportunities for health resort businesses in crisis contexts.

Using an institutional lens and drawing on the arguments of the external enabler perspective, this study aims to examine the role of digital technology adoption on the performance of microenterprises, with a focus on their level of formality. It further explores these relationships in the context of an external crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study uses data from 7,510 Indian microenterprises collected by the World Bank and applies a mediated-moderation model to analyse the relationship between digital technology adoption, formality and microenterprise performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results reveal a significantly positive relationship between digital technology adoption and microenterprise performance. Importantly, we argue that this relationship between digital technology and microenterprise performance is strongly mediated by the level of a firm’s formality. Moreover, this study also finds that the relationship between digital technology adoption and microenterprise performance will be positively moderated by the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on the microenterprise, suggesting that the pandemic enhanced the benefits of digital technology adoption for microenterprises.

This study expands on the positive relationship between technology adoption and microenterprise performance by investigating the moderating role of COVID-19 impact and the mediating role of firm formality. The key contribution of this research is the mediating role of formality between digitalisation and firm performance. By testing this novel mediating relationship, we theorise that the adoption of digital technology helps microenterprises to overcome certain institutional voids in an emerging market context, serving as a viable conduit for formalisation. In turn, higher levels of formality lead to higher microenterprise performance. We also contribute to the emerging stream of literature discussing the role of an external enabler, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in entrepreneurship. In the end, the study offers novel policy implications.

This study examined the students' academic performance through psychological capital, academic engagement and academic persistence. It also investigated the function of psychological capital in mediating the relationship between academic engagement, persistence and performance.

The study utilized a quantitative method and structural equation modeling using PLS-SEM version 3. A total of 900 questionnaires were issued to Chinese university students, and 814 data were analyzed.

Findings suggest that academic engagement and persistence significantly and positively impact psychological capital. Psychological capital is also mediated between academic engagement, persistence and performance. Additionally, the study made several recommendations for upcoming researchers and industry professionals.

Analyzing the pupils' academic achievement after COVID-19 reopening as it indicates their attention and engagement in the study. Although previous studies explored students' academic performance regarding the post-COVID effect, the role of psychological capital and engagement in academia in the study has been studied in a post-COVID context.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between the big five personality traits and personal financial planning (PFP) by focusing on the mediating role of mental accounting among Indian service sector employees.

The present study used a data set comprising 649 valid responses obtained through the structured questionnaire that was specifically disseminated to employees working in the Indian service sector. Further, the study used a quantitative approach, partial least squares structural equation modeling, to examine the hypothesized relationship.

The study’s outcomes reveal that mental accounting completely mediates the relationship between conscientiousness and PFP. In addition, extraversion and neuroticism traits have directly influenced the PFP, but in the presence of mental accounting, these traits have partially influenced the PFP. Furthermore, the results suggest that agreeableness directly affects PFP, whereas openness does not demonstrate any significant influence.

The existing literature within the field of PFP has primarily focused on exploring various variables associated with mental accounting, such as monetary and time costs, mental budgeting process and tax liabilities. However, it has overlooked the potential mediating effect of mental accounting. This study bridges this gap by investigating the impact of mental accounting as a mediator in the relationship between personality traits and PFP. Moreover, recently, the Indian economy has undergone major overhauls especially due to enactment of Goods and Services Tax and the profound impact of COVID-19, leading to changes in financial behavior of individuals. Therefore, this study endeavors to shed light on the emerging dynamics within the PFP domain, particularly within the context of the newly accustomed economic circumstances in India.

This study aims to achieve two key objectives. The initial objective is to construct a full latent structural equation model (SEM) for examining the cultural influences on the consumer purchasing habits of rakija, a culturally endorsed alcoholic beverage in Serbia. The second objective is to assess qualitatively the model’s suitability for analyzing alcoholic beverages that are culturally specific and nationally recognized rather than universally applicable.

Data for this study are collected online via a survey method. The sample consists of 393 (n = 393) rakija consumers.

The main finding of this study is that culture significantly influences consumer behavior and purchasing habits regarding a national drink, not only directly but also through its mediators. Moreover, the results of the multigroup analysis confirmed that the group of rakija drinkers who preferred this culturally and nationally endorsed beverage differed significantly from the group of rakija drinkers who still preferred beer.

The final SEM demonstrates broader applicability and can be used to examine the purchasing tendencies of alcoholic beverages in various nations, as long as they possess cultural significance and heritage.

This research study aims to delve into the enduring relationship between housing property prices and economic policy uncertainty across eight major Indian cities.

Using the panel non-linear autoregressive distributed lag model, this study meticulously investigates the asymmetric impact of economic policy uncertainty on apartment and house (unit) prices in India during the period from 2000 to 2022.

The findings of this study indicate that economic policy uncertainty exerts a negative influence on property prices, but noteworthy asymmetry is observed, with positive changes in effect having a more pronounced impact than negative changes. This asymmetrical effect is particularly prominent in the case of unit prices.

This research reveals that long-run price trends are also influenced by factors such as interest rates, building costs and housing loans. Through a comprehensive analysis of these factors and their interplay with property prices, this research paper contributes valuable insights to the understanding of the real estate market dynamics in Indian cities.

This paper aims to examine how visual elements used in packaging design relate to diasporic consumer identity and influence aesthetic appreciation.

Drawing on social identity theory, research on aesthetic principles and using a mixed methods approach, two studies are conducted. Study 1 involves a qualitative exploration of the nature of diasporic consumer identity and its relation with visual design in packaging. Study 2 involves quantitative testing and calibration of this relationship and its subsequent influence on aesthetic appreciation.

Diasporic consumers from the Middle East appreciate hybrid visual designs and prefer packaging that strikes an optimum balance of visual elements (colour, shapes, patterns) from the heritage aspects of their ancestral homeland and more contemporary aspects from their culture of living. Preference for balance elicits an overall positive diasporic identity feeling that mediates the relationship with aesthetic appreciation of visual design in packaging.

These findings offer new knowledge about the role of visual design in packaging in delivering symbolic value to diasporic consumers, evidencing how diasporic consumers’ dual identities shape aesthetic appreciation and preferences for hybrid visual designs.

Provides marketing practitioners and packaging designers with a concise and contextual directive for creating visual designs that appeal to a growing segment of diasporic consumers.

This research draws on social identity theory to uncover an aesthetic cultural precept – heritage, yet contemporary – that can inform the development of packaging designs targeting diasporic consumers.