It has long been acknowledged that interpersonal trust is the foundation of business partnerships. Interpersonal trust is frequently required in circumstances involving interdependence among parties, wherein each party is cognizant of the other’s vulnerabilities, the potential consequences of their actions, and the favorable anticipations of others. This study aims to examine and understand the impact of the development of interpersonal trust on the long-term sustainability of the Gayo Aceh coffee business, which has been operational since 1908. The unit of analysis in this study is the stakeholders of the Gayo Aceh coffee industry, including farmers, collectors, sellers, and distributors. This study utilizes a qualitative technique, specifically employing a case study design, for both data collection and analysis. To collect data, we utilized observations and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the research indicate that the establishment of interpersonal trust among producers, collectors, sellers, and distributors has had a discernible influence on the current sustainability of the coffee industry in Aceh Gayo.

The United States, Mexico, and Canada (USMCA) seek to promote fair wages and adequate working conditions, especially in Mexico, by strengthening labor rights and freedom of association. The objective of this research is to determine the factors that influence salary levels in the Mexican Automotive Industry (MAI), through a causality analysis in the Granger sense, to generate a panorama that allows a decision-making process in the Mexican salary policy. With data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, the Bank of Mexico and Statista, autoregressive vector models were estimated to determine causalities in the Granger sense. It was proven that minimum wage, employed personnel, production, total sales, and exports are some causes of remuneration in the sector, with the minimum wage being the most significant. The above suggests that the salary increase involves several actors, such as the government (minimum wage), the organization (production, sales and exports) and the market (employed personnel), therefore, the design of appropriate labor policies will contribute to the dignification of salaries inside the MAI.

This article analyses the case of Dubai’s smart city from a public policy perspective and demonstrates how critical it is to rely on the use of the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Effective use of this model can guarantee the building of a smart city that could potentially fulfill the vision of the political leadership in Dubai and serve as a catalyst and blueprint for other Gulf states that wish to follow Dubai’s example. This article argues that Dubai’s smart city project enjoys significant political support and has ambitious plans for sustainable growth, and that the government has invested heavily in developing the necessary institutional, legal/regulatory, and supervisory frameworks that are essential foundations for the success of any PPP project. The article also points to some important insights that the Dubai government can learn from the international experience with the delivery of smart cities through PPPs.

The consensus is that price stability promotes sustainable economic growth while excessive inflation harms growth. This study assesses the linkage between inflation and economic growth in South Africa to determine the optimal inflation rate threshold for the sustainable growth of the economy. Quarterly data from 1995 to 2022 was analysed through the ARDL and threshold regressions. The ARDL and threshold regressions estimate established a relationship between inflation and economic growth and computed the optimal inflation rate threshold for economic growth at 6 percent. The results also established that both the repo rate (repurchase rate) and real effective exchange rate have a negative relationship with economic growth. The Toda-Yamamoto causality test result indicated a unidirectional causality runs from inflation to economic growth. These results are crucial for the South African Reserve Bank to discharge its monetary policy functions to attain and maintain price stability. Therefore, this study offers the Bank a roadmap for targeting an inflation rate that aligns with the nation’s long-term objectives for sustainable economic growth.

On the morning of the 7th of October, the Hamas organization launched an attack on Israel, causing over 1200 casualties and kidnapping over 250 Israeli citizens. Israeli workers, their families, and the country’s economy were all directly impacted by the war. The effects of the war were vast and created many challenges for the HR departments in various organizations. The HR departments had to respond to these issues with promptness, determination, and thoroughness. I will discuss the functions of HR departments during times of war in this opinion piece. They include eliminating ambiguity and uncertainty; providing managers with the tools they need to handle such circumstances; maintaining resilience and high morale; overseeing volunteer programs; maintaining contact with the reserve forces; providing support to war-affected families; carrying out an effective workforce reduction without jeopardizing the company’s ability to continue operations; and managing workplace tensions.

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.