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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of exponential viscosity-temperature relation, exponential thermal conductivity-temperature relation and the combined effects of variable viscosity and variable thermal conductivity on steady free convection flow of viscous incompressible fluid in a vertical channel.

The governing equations are solved analytically using regular perturbation method. The analytical solutions are valid for small variations of buoyancy parameter and the solutions are found up to first order for variable viscosity. Since the analytical solutions have a restriction on the values of perturbation parameter and also on the higher order solutions, the authors resort to numerical method which is Runge-Kutta fourth order method.

The skin friction coefficient and the Nusselt number at both the plates are derived, discussed and their numerical values for various values of physical parameters are presented in tables. It is found that an increase in the variable viscosity enhances the flow and heat transfer, whereas an increase in the variable thermal conductivity suppresses the flow and heat transfer for variable viscosity, variable thermal conductivity and their combined effect.

This research is relatively original as, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, not much work is done on the considered problem with variable properties.

This study explores the socio-demographic and psychological factors influencing pro-environmental behavior among Generation Z individuals. Aimed at deciphering the impact of socio-demographic characteristics on psychological drivers and identifying significant psychological factors affecting pro-environmental behavior, the research utilizes an inductive approach with a sample of 225 Generation Z members from Splitsko-Dalmatia County, Croatia. Data were collected via an online questionnaire focusing on attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to the environment. Findings reveal that gender, education level, and residential area significantly influence psychological drivers such as guilt, moral obligations, and self-identity, with women, individuals with higher education levels, and those residing in suburban areas exhibiting higher levels of these drivers. This study contributes to the understanding of pro-environmental behavior in Generation Z by highlighting the importance of socio-demographic variables and psychological factors, thus offering insights for promoting sustainable behaviors among this demographic.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the validity of the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) method as an indicator of intellectual capital.

The paper describes VAIC through its calculation formulae and aims to establish what exactly it is that the method measures. It also looks in detail at how intellectual capital is understood in the method, and discusses its conceptual confusions. Furthermore, the paper tests the hypothesis according to which VAIC correlates with a company's stock market value, and reflects the contradictory results of earlier studies.

The analyses show, first, that VAIC indicates the efficiency of the company's labour and capital investments, and has nothing to do with intellectual capital. Furthermore, the calculation method uses overlapping variables and has other serious validity problems. Second, the results do not lend support to the hypothesis that VAIC correlates with a company's stock market value. The main reasons behind the lack of consistency in earlier VAIC results lie in the confusion of capitalized and cash flow entities in the calculation of structural capital and in the misuse of intellectual capital concepts.

The analyses show that VAIC is an invalid measure of intellectual capital.

The result is important since the method has been widely used in micro and macro level analyses, but this is the first time it has been put to rigorous scientific analysis.

As recycling is associated with various environmental benefits, it is important that it is encouraged in Malaysia. Taking the disappointingly low recycling rate in Malaysia as its backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to examine recycling intentions and behaviors among micro-entrepreneurs in Kelantan, Malaysia, drawing on the theory of planned behavior.

The study adopted a cross-sectional design and stratified random sampling method to select 200 informal micro-entrepreneurs from Kota Bharu, Kelantan; then, quantitative data were collected through structured interviews. For data analysis, this study adopted variance-based structural equation modeling, i.e. PLS–SEM.

The findings indicated that environmental awareness had a significant positive effect on micro-entrepreneurs’ attitudes toward the environment. They also confirmed a positive and significant effect of attitude and perceived behavioral control on intention toward recycling and the effect of intention toward recycling on recycling behavior among the study sample.

Policies and programs focused on environmental awareness could nurture a positive attitude toward the environment, which, together with the capacities and resources available, could significantly influence the adoption of recycling behavior among informal entrepreneurs.

It is recommended that both public and private environmental protection and socio-economic development organizations combine their efforts to formulate and enforce policies and programs to promote recycling behavior among Malaysian entrepreneurs, which could spread the recycling spirit among all Malaysians.

This study aims to examine the effect of entrepreneurial and market orientations on consumer engagement and the performance of manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under the premise of the resource-based view (RBV) theory.

This study adopts a cross-sectional design, and quantitative data were collected from 360 manufacturing SMEs in Peninsular Malaysia. SMEs were selected using a stratified multi-stage sampling method from a total of 37,861 manufacturing SMEs. The respondents were selected from Selangor, Johor, Penang, Perak, Kelantan and Terengganu, as these states make up the majority (79 per cent) of the manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia.

Entrepreneurial and market orientations have statistically significant positive effects on consumer engagement. Consumer engagement in turn positively affects the performance of manufacturing SMEs in Peninsular Malaysia. Findings also revealed a partial mediation of consumer engagement between entrepreneurial and market orientations on performance.

A larger sample size may improve the generalizability of the findings. Managers may be able to apply the findings of this paper in developing strategies for their manufacturing SMEs, specifically, by focusing on entrepreneurial and market orientation to raise consumer engagement and to improve the overall performances of their SMEs.

This study focuses on manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia, an emerging country with conditions unique to other industrialized countries. This study aims to demonstrate that integrated entrepreneurial and market orientations have significant effects on SMEs’ performance. This relationship could be mediated by consumer engagement. Specifically, consumer orientation may influence the effect of entrepreneurial and market orientations on overall firm performance..

Studies of worker heat stress and strain in various countries have found that heat exposure is often likely to exceed the upper threshold limit of international standards. Heat strain data such as oral temperature, recovery heart rate, average heart rate and other work‐related information were investigated to study the impact of strenuous tasks in a hot climate. The study attempted to establish relationships between exposure to heat and heat strain data which could be used as the basis of ergonomic intervention and low‐cost solutions to the avoidance or mitigation of occupational risks.

Under the premise of resource-based view (RBV), this study aims to examine the influence of host-country characteristics (i.e. market environment, cultural factors, government policies and absorptive capacity) on improved knowledge acquired by means of intra-firm technology transfer and the latter’s subsequent effect on corporate sustainability among subsidiaries of foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) in Malaysia.

The following study adopted a cross-sectional design. Quantitative data were collected through structured interview from the representatives of selected 252 subsidiaries of foreign-based MNCs located in Peninsular Malaysia.

The findings of this study revealed that market environment, government policies and absorptive capacity significantly affect the adoption of innovative knowledge, which also has a significant positive effect on corporate sustainability. The findings also revealed a partial mediation of improved knowledge between market environment, government policies and absorptive capacity on corporate sustainability.

This study recommends that the host country should formulate and adopt trade and FDI friendly policies, as well as stricter intellectual property laws, and, at the same time, provide higher education and training to its citizens to maximize foreign investment and knowledge transfer.

Apart from highlighting the under-researched issue of organizational sustainability, this study is unique in its approach of connecting the external environment of the host country with the internal knowledge of the firm and corporate sustainability in a single framework. The empirical findings of this study support the hypothesized relationships and thereby extend the scope of the contingency theory and RBV in addition to simultaneously enriching the existing intra-firm knowledge management literature, particularly in the Malaysian context.

This study investigates the ubiquitous business model and e-commerce strategy of WeChat as a platform. The potential of WeChat as a tool for sustainable entrepreneurial development has received limited attention from researchers. The purpose of this study is to uncover the hidden issues associated with WeChat's role in e-commerce development. It also examines the opportunities and limitations of using WeChat for e-commerce. The study employs a qualitative research approach, including an extensive literature review and ethnographic study. The results demonstrate that leveraging mobile apps like WeChat can greatly enhance entrepreneurial tendencies and foster sustainable entrepreneurship, thus contributing to poverty eradication in emerging nations.

Despite efforts to reduce environmental pollution and wasteful fossil fuel use, electric vehicles (EVs) are still rare on the road. Why is it so challenging to get widespread EV adoption? One significant factor on which it heavily depends is one's awareness and understanding of EVs. However, due to an absolute lack of knowledge on the part of the populace, this factor becomes a huge impediment to the uptake of EVs. A systematic review of the electronic database Scopus for the years 2003–2022 was carried out on ‘EV awareness and adoption of EV’ while considering the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis’ (PRISMA) standards. A three-step identification process resulted in the ultimate detection of 41 papers, which were then thoroughly examined. A conceptual framework that encompasses the three key awareness aspects that influence EV adoption is developed. To encourage greater uniformity among EV researchers, this study's conclusions serve as a foundation for operationalising upcoming research efforts within a predetermined framework. The authors must therefore be optimistic that lingering technological, legislative, cultural, behavioural and business-model barriers may be overcome over time through widespread dissemination of knowledge and awareness related to EVs, making it possible for everyone to switch to greener, more economical and more efficient transportation solutions.

The objective of this chapter is to study the symmetric and asymmetric impact of macroeconomic variables on the Indian stock prices (SPs) of the Bombay Stock Exchange index. This chapter further investigates whether the asymmetric impact of macroeconomic variables on SP is due to the impact of any tail events like the global financial recession. An autoregressive distribution lag and non-autoregressive distribution lag approach is used for the full sample covering the period from January 2000 to June 2019 and later this sample is further subdivided into before and after the crisis period to study the variations in result. The findings show that macroeconomic variables and SP have a symmetric relation in the long run whereas an asymmetric relationship in the short run when the whole sample is analyzed. However when data are segregated into “before and after” crisis period this relationship turns to be asymmetric in long run too, meaning that in the long run, the negative and positive changes in a macroeconomic variable do not affect SPs similarly.