In recent years, China’s economy has undergone rapid development. Increased disposable income and the rapid expansion of Internet-based financial services have positioned China as the largest market for luxury goods. Gen Z, the youngest demographic within emerging markets, is expected to play a pivotal role as the primary driver of the luxury market. However, while China’s luxury market continues to exhibit a high growth rate, this growth has gradually decelerated in comparison to the previous two years according to researchers. This presents a significant challenge for the luxury industry, as maintaining and enhancing the global growth trend has become a pressing concern where consumer behavior is concerned. The second key issue addressed in this study revolves around the concepts of compulsive buying and brand addiction, which can lead individuals, particularly Gen Z, to develop an addiction to luxury consumption. This study is based on an integrated model of conspicuous consumption, social comparison, and impression management theory. The key variables are materialism, brand consciousness, status-seeking, peer pressure, and collectivism to predict the luxury consumption model with debt attitude introduced as a moderating variable to study consumer behaviour in this age group. A non-probability sampling method and 480 people were selected as research samples. Quantitative analysis was used in this study, and SPSS and Smart PLS were used as data analysis tools. Structural equation model (SEM) using partial least squares method was used to determine the relationship of the variables and the moderating effect of debt attitude. The results showed that brand consciousness, status seeking, debt attitude and materialism had the strongest relationship with luxury consumption. Debt attitude as a moderating factor has a significant impact on the hypothesized relationship of the model. This paper provides empirical evidence for research on Gen Z’s luxury consumption, which has practical implications to marketers, luxury companies, local luxury brands and credit institutions.

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) activities and the performance of Thai listed firms. The moderating roles of board size and CEO duality on this relationship are also assessed. The ESG score provided by LSEG (formerly Refinitiv) is chosen to measure ESG activities, both as an overall ESG combined scores and as Environment, Social, and Governance pillar scores. Multiple regression analysis is used to test the impact of ESG on firm performance while the PROCESS macro is used to test the moderating effects. Results reveal that the overall ESG combined score demonstrates no statistically significant effect on firm market-based performance. However, it shows the significant effects on firm performance for both the ESG combined score and the Environmental and Social pillar scores when moderated by board size and CEO duality; Governance pillar score exhibits no significant effect. Additionally, it is found that when the CEO operates only as the managing director and small board size and average board size are evident, higher ESG disclosure scores enhance firm performance. However, when the CEO serves as both managing director and chairman of the board of directors, and where there is a large board size, higher ESG disclosure scores diminish firm performance. This study contributes to the ESG literature and encourages companies to enhance their performance by implementing ESG combined activities with good governance policies.

This study is aimed at exploring the degree of association between workforce diversity dimensions and the academic performance of four universities in Ethiopia. The diversity management attributes were diversity, climate, values, and organizational justice; identity, schemas, and communication adapted to the contexts of higher education institutions. The universities were selected purposively, and stratified and systematic sampling techniques were further used to identify respondents. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to achieve the purpose of the study. Correlation and regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Results from correlation analysis revealed that there are statistically significant positive relations between the dimensions of workforce diversity and academic performance. This implies that the organizational performance of higher education institutions can be significantly influenced by existing diversity. The freedom to express one’s own identity in the university workforce landscape was also observed to be limited in the universities studied, and this has to be improved. A democratic work environment is critical for the productivity of the staff, and an effort has to be geared towards the goal of creating such an environment. The regression analysis indicated that diversity, climate, organizational justice, identity, schema, and communication have statistically significant effects on the academic performance of higher educational institutions in Ethiopia. Finally, academic leaders are advised to apply the transformational leadership style, as it moderates the relationship between diversity management and academic performance.

This research attempts to investigate the effect of audit quality on firm value in the high corporate governance context. In addition, this study seeks to examine the role of institutional shareholders as a moderating variable on the relationship between audit quality and firm value. Dataset includes the 95 (out of 575) Thai listed companies which fully and completely implement the Corporate Governance Code (CG Code) voluntary disclosure recommended by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 2021. Multiple linear regression and Hayes’s regression-based analysis are done using market capitalization as the dependent variable. The research results illustrate that audit quality relates to firm value in a negative way, while profitability and institutional shareholders relate to firm value in a positive manner. Moreover, the interaction effect between audit quality and institutional shareholders wields a significant negative impact on the association between audit quality and firm value, which indicates that the negative effect of audit quality on firm value is stronger when more firm shares are owned by institutional shareholders. The results of this study would potentially be very useful to managers, financial advisors, and policymakers to observe the nature and vagaries of audit quality in high corporate governance environment, especially when institutional shareholders hold a significant proportion of firm shares. The study offers practical suggestions and recommendations for audit quality and institutional shareholders, which are essential for overall operating efficiency and firm value. The outcomes can help improve corporate governance practices, which in turn enhance the share price and profits.

The global increase in organic food consumption underscores the need for in-depth research to understand the determinants of consumer purchase intentions towards organic products. Hence, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing the consumer purchase intentions towards organic food through an analysis involving 274 participants. Additionally, it also explores the mediating and moderating effects of attitudes and environmental concerns on the purchasing intentions towards organic food, providing insights in how these psychological and environmental factors influence consumer behavior. Using a quantitative method, data was gathered from the South Korean cities of Jinju and Changwon. However, analysis was performed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The research findings illustrate that subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and ethical consciousness significantly influence attitudes towards purchase intentions of organic foods. Moreover, the results indicate that attitude positively influenced consumer purchase intention towards organic food. Results reveal that attitude serves as a mediator in the relationship between subjective norms and consumer purchase intentions for organic food. Similarly, Likewise, attitude mediates the connection between perceived behavioral control and consumer purchase intention towards organic food. Additionally, the results indicate that attitude mediates the relationship between ethical consciousness and consumer purchase intention towards organic food. Furthermore, environmental concerns are found to significantly moderate the association between attitude and consumer purchase intention towards organic foods. The insights garnered from this study shed light on consumer intentions to purchase organic foods, equipping stakeholders such as marketers, retailers, and producers with valuable insights for creating effective marketing strategies aiming at promotion of these products. This research serves as a pivotal resource for developing targeted approaches to enhance the market share and consumption of organic foods.

The main goal of this study is to assess the moderating role of digital leadership capabilities (DLC) in improving the overall performance of telecom companies through their organisational knowledge capabilities. The author builds a conceptual model with six hypotheses and tests them with data collected through an electronic questionnaire. The data is analysed using WarpPLS 8.0 software as an application of the structural equation modelling technique. The sample size included 528 participants. The study revealed that individual knowledge capability (IKC) does not significantly affect organisational performance (PR). Also, the results reveal that managerial knowledge capability (MKC) and organisational collaborative capability (OCC) have a positive but weak impact on the performance of telecom companies (PR). However, it was clear that individual knowledge capability (IKC) and organisational collaborative capability (OCC) do not affect organisational performance (PR) through the moderator, digital leadership capabilities (DLC). On the other hand, it was also evident that managerial knowledge capabilities (MKC) significantly negatively affect the performance of telecom companies (PR) through the moderator role of digital leadership capabilities (DLC). The author recommends that telecom companies adopt knowledge-based practices to ensure enduring high performance. He also suggests creating a knowledge management department to foster a culture of creativity and cooperation across departments, which is essential to establishing a work environment that promotes continuous learning and development. Findings may help telecom sector CEOs boost the company’s performance value. The research highlights the importance of fostering appropriate knowledge pillars and building digital leaders to shift telecom companies to a new successful stage. These findings offer tangible benefits that can be directly applied in the telecom industry, making the research highly relevant and valuable.