Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important concept of modern economic theory. In the last few decades, it has become an increasingly popular marketing tool used by companies. Consumers too want to see more CSR activities, especially those focused on environmental protection. The petroleum industry produces both toxic and non-toxic waste at almost all stages of production. While petroleum companies satisfy market demand, they also want to meet consumers’ moral and ethical demands. In this light, CSR has become vital for the development of industry. This paper looks at CSR in the petroleum industry, and its effect on customer satisfaction and subsequently toward the customer repurchase intention in Malaysia. The starting point of this paper is the Stakeholder Theory. It then examines CSR endeavors within the oil and gas sector and its link to customer repurchase intentions. It also looks at the established hypotheses between the activities of CSR (Economic Responsibility, Legal Responsibility, Ethical Responsibility, Philanthropic Responsibility), customer satisfaction and repurchase intention. This paper aims to learn about the customer’s sense of fulfilment with the CSR activities, and what could be the reaction base on the customer’s expectation.

Employees’ loyalty is essential for improving the organization’s performance, thus aiding sustainable economic growth. The study examines the relationship between employee loyalty, organizational performance, and economic sustainability in Malaysian organizations. The results indicate a robust positive correlation between organizational performance and employee loyalty, suggesting loyalty drives productivity, profitability, and operational efficiency. Additionally, the study highlights organizational performance as a mediator that connects loyalty to aggregate-level economic consequences, such as resilience and adaptability under volatile market conditions. The research emphasizes the role of leadership, company culture, and work environments that support cultivating loyalty. It also highlights how loyal employees can be a cornerstone of innovation and corporate social responsibility, which aligns with Malaysia’s sustainable development agenda. By addressing this, organizations are encouraged to adopt measures that can foster loyalty and ensure long-term economic sustainability, including employee engagement initiatives, talent management, and recognition systems. Research to come should investigate longitudinal dynamics, cross-cultural comparisons, and sector-specific factors to cement a better base of understanding about the impact of employee loyalty on organizational and economic outcomes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved, transforming industries and addressing societal challenges across sectors such as healthcare and education. This study provides a state-of-the-art overview of AI research up to 2023 through a bibliometric analysis of the 50 most influential papers, identified using Scopus citation metrics. The selected works, averaging 74 citations each, encompass original research, reviews, and editorials, demonstrating a diversity of impactful contributions. Over 300 contributing authors and significant international collaboration highlight AI’s global and multidisciplinary nature. Our analysis reveals that research is concentrated in core journals, as described by Bradford’s Law, with leading contributions from institutions in the United States, China, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Trends in authorship underscore the growing role of generative AI systems in advancing knowledge dissemination. The findings illustrate AI’s transformative potential in practical applications, such as enabling early disease detection and precision medicine in healthcare and fostering adaptive learning systems and accessibility in education. By examining the dynamics of collaboration, geographic productivity, and institutional influence, this study sheds light on the innovation drivers shaping the AI field. The results emphasize the need for responsible AI development to maximize societal benefits and mitigate risks. This research provides an evidence-based understanding of AI’s progress and sets the stage for future advancements. It aims to inform stakeholders and contribute to the ongoing scientific discourse, offering insights into AI’s impact at a time of unprecedented global interest and investment.

The maize commodity is of strategic significance to the South African economy as it is a stable commodity and therefore a key factor for food security. In recent times climate change has impacted on the productivity of this commodity and this has impacted trade negatively. This paper explores the intricate relationship between climatic factors and trade performance for the South African maize. Secondary annual time series data spanning 2001 to 2023, was sourced from an abstract from Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and World Bank’s Climate Change Knowledge Portal. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration technique was used as an empirical model to assess the long-term and short-term relationships between explanatory variables and the dependent variable. Results of the ARDL model show that, average annual rainfall (β = 2.184, p = 0.056), fertilizer consumption (β = 1.919, p = 0.036), gross value of production (β = 1.279 , p = 0.006) and average annual surface temperature (β = −0.650, p = 0.991) and change in temperature for previous years, (β = −0.650, p = 0.991) and the effects towards coefficient change for export volumes, (β = 0.669, p = 0.0007). In overall, as a recommendation, South African policymakers should consider these findings when developing strategies to mitigate the impacts of some of these climatic factors and implementing adaptive strategies for maize producers.

This study investigates how financial cognitive abilities influence individual investors’ intentions to engage in the stock market, particularly considering the mediating role of financial capability. It seeks to address the gaps in understanding the factors that drive investors’ participation in emerging markets like Pakistan, highlighting the importance of financial knowledge, financial planning, and financial satisfaction and financial capability. Data were collected from 377 individual investors through a self-administered questionnaire using a cross-sectional design and non-probability convenience sampling approach. Results reveal that financial knowledge affects investors’ intentions both directly and indirectly, with financial capability serving as a partial mediator. Financial planning influences intentions indirectly through complete mediation, while financial satisfaction affects intentions in both direct and indirect ways, with partial mediation. The study provides valuable insights for the researchers, individual investors, governmental officials, policymakers, and stock market regulators in context of emerging economies like Pakistan, highlighting key determinants of stock market participation.