This article examines how financial technology determines bank performance in different EU countries. The answer to that question would allow banks to choose their development policy. The paper focuses  on the main and most popular bank services that are linked to financial technology. A SWOT analysis of FinTech is also presented to show the benefits and drawbacks of FinTech. FinTech-based services are very diverse and are provided by financial  firms and banks alike. This paper looks at the financial technology provided by banks: internet usage (internet banking), number of ATMs, credit transfers in a country, percentage of the population in a country holding a debit or credit card and whether that population has received or made a digital payment. Using the multi-criteria assessment methods of CRITIC and EDAS, the authors analysed and compared the countries of the European Union and the financial technology used in them. As a result of the application of these methods, the EU countries under consideration were ranked in terms of the use of financial technology. Subsequently, three banks from different countries with different levels of the use of financial technology were selected for the study. For these banks, financial ratios of profitability were calculated to characterise their performance. Correlation and pairwise regression analyses between the banks’ profitability ratios and financial technology were used to assess the relationship and influence between these ratios. The main conclusion of the study focuses on the extent to which financial technology influences the performance of banks in the selected countries. It is likely that further research will try to take into account the size of the country’s population when analysing all financial technologies. Researchers also needed to find out what influence financial technologies have on the such financial indicators as operational efficiency (costs), financial stability, and capital adequacy.

This paper analyses the impact of an integrated business management system on business operations in trade in Republic of Croatia. The integration of management systems provides various benefits to a company, so the aim of this paper is to analyse the impacts of integrated management systems on the business operations of trade companies in the Republic of Croatia. The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyse, but also to adequately theoretically argue the impact of transformational leadership, quality culture, and the degree of integration on the development of integrated management systems. Empirical research investigated integrated management systems in companies in the trade sector in the Republic of Croatia. Based on the set conceptual model and research results, we conclude that companies with a highly developed quality culture have proven management system integration. Our research didn’t confirm the significance of transformational leadership in interpreting changes in the degree of management system integration, but it highlights the positive correlation between the application of quality culture and integration; confirms the substantial impact of integrated management systems on both internal and external benefits, emphasizing its strategic imperative for sustained business success.

The nexus between foreign direct investment, natural resource endowment, and their impact on sustained economic growth, is contentious. This study investigates the resource curse hypothesis and the effects of FDI on economic growth in Kazakhstan. The study covers the period from 1990 to 2022 and employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and Toda-Yamamoto causality methods. The Bounds cointegration results reveal the existence of long-term equilibria between per capita GDP and the predictors. The findings reveal a significant impact of oil rents on economic growth, contradicting the resource curse hypothesis and suggesting a resource boon instead. In stark contrast, the impact of FDI on Kazakhstan’s economic growth is found to be insignificant, despite the presence of a causal nexus. Furthermore, economic freedom and export diversification have a positive significant impact on economic growth, while inflation exhibits a negative but significant impact. Although governance has a direct impact on GDP per capita, it is deemed insignificant, as the negative average governance index implies poor governance. Expectedly, the result establishes a causal effect between export diversification, economic freedom, governance, oil rents, and economic growth. This underscores the fundamental role played by the interplay of diversification, economic freedom, governance, and oil rents in fostering sustainable economic growth. In addition, economic freedom stimulates gross fixed capital formation, indicating that it enhances domestic investment. Notably, the findings refute the crowding-out effect of FDI on domestic investment in Kazakhstan. Consequently, to escape the resource curse and the Dutch disease syndrome, the study advocates for enhancing good governance capabilities in Kazakhstan. Thus, we recommend that good governance could reconcile the twin goals of economic diversification and deriving benefits from oil resources, ultimately transforming oil wealth into a boon in Kazakhstan.

Short-form content has the potential for virality and broad sharing, allowing businesses to reach large audiences in a short period of time. This type of content has transformed traditional marketing approaches, capturing the attention and curiosity of Generation Z, thereby leading to the rise of digital marketing. As Generation Z is the next generation of consumers and their purchasing power increases as they enter the workforce, marketers need to understand the factors influencing their attitudes and purchase intentions. This study aims to explore the relationship between the growing presence of short-form advertising content in corporate marketing strategies and consumer behavioral intentions. To achieve this, the sub-characteristics of short-form content were categorized into expertise, ease of use, and entertainment value, while information reliability was set as a mediating variable. Data was collected through a survey of 256 adults residing in Busan and Gyeongnam, and analyzed using SPSS 28.0. The findings of the study revealed that most sub-characteristics of short-form content advertisements positively influenced both recommendation and purchase intentions. Additionally, information reliability was identified as a significant mediating factor between short-form content and consumer behavioral intentions. These results provide important insights for corporate marketers and advertising professionals, as they offer valuable guidance on how to influence consumer purchase intentions effectively.

While the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, rural-based hospitals face unique challenges in providing quality patient care amidst resource constraints and geographical isolation. This study evaluates the impact of big data analytics in rural-based hospitals in relation to service delivery and shaping future policies. Evaluating the impact of big data analytics in rural-based hospitals will assist in discovering the benefits and challenges pertinent to this hospital. The study employs a positivist paradigm to quantitatively analyze collected data from rural-based hospital professionals from the Information Technology (IT) departments. Through a comprehensive evaluation of big data analytics, this study seeks to provide valuable insights into the feasibility, infrastructure, policies, development, benefits and challenges associated with incorporating big data analytics into rural-based hospitals for day-to-day operations. The findings are expected to contribute to the ongoing discourse on healthcare innovation, particularly in rural-based hospitals and inform strategies for optimizing the implementation and use of big data analytics to improve patient care, decision-making, operations and healthcare sustainability in rural-based hospitals.

The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between remuneration, job satisfaction, and employee performance. Remuneration, in this context, refer to a system synchronization that is based on performance appraisal result. In this, regard, the research employed a descriptive quantitative method, with a population comprising all University of Padjadjaran lecturers which were a total of 2,090. Furthermore, in order to gather the research sample, a probability sampling technique was employed. This technique was selected because of its reputation as the most general strategic sampling technique in quantitative research to achieve representativeness (1). The obtained result showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between the remuneration and job satisfaction of lecturers in University of Padjadjaran. Accordingly, a significant value of 0.000 < 0.05 and a t-count value of 19.330 > 1.95 was observed, meaning the H1 hypothesis in this research was accepted. It is also expedient to acknowledge that a positive and significant relationship was found between job satisfaction and the performance of the lecturers in study area. For this relationship, a significant value of 0.010 < 0.05 and a t-count value of 5.676 > 1.95 was found. These findings led to the acceptance of the H2 hypothesis proposed in this research. Similarly, the relationship between remuneration and the performance of the observed lecturers was found to be positive and significant. The observed significant value in this regard was 0.000 < 0.05 and the t-count value was 4.057 > 1.95, indicating that H3 hypothesis was also accepted. Lastly, the relationship between remuneration and employee performance mediated by job satisfaction of lecturer in University of Padjadjaran was explored, and it was found to also be positive and significant, with a significant value of 0.000 < 0.05 and a t-count value of 5.429 > 1.95. This indicated that the H4 hypothesis proposed in the research was accepted.