Some platforms in the collaborative economy offer a combination of sectoral and information society services, which characterises them as a hybrid entity. The concurrent provision of disparate types of services necessitates the determination of the predominant activity of a given platform on a case-by-case basis. This, in turn, gives rise to legal uncertainty and inconsistent case law at the national level. This paper examines the impact of the choice of institutional alternatives in the context of multilevel governance in the EU on the legal status of collaborative economy business models such as Uber and Airbnb in the EU single market. The paper employs a mixed-methods research approach to analyse pivotal jurisprudential decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and national courts. It reaches the conclusion that the Airbnb platform, in its capacity as an information society service provider, is subject to the provisions of the Electronic Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC). Conversely, Uber, by virtue of its definition as a transport undertaking, is subject to shared jurisdiction between EU institutions and Member States in the field of transport services. This paper initiates a discussion on the suitability of the extant regulatory apparatus and underscores the necessity for the establishment of an appropriate institutional framework, either centralised at the EU level or decentralised at the level of Member States, that would provide substantive rules aimed at comprehensively regulating the legal status of hybrid business models, thus allowing for more uniform conditions for their operation in the EU single market.

Madura Island, with more than half of its population, are women encountering socio-economic problems, which eventually create high poverty and unemployment rates. However, the Madurese are also well-known for their resiliency and entrepreneurial characteristics. The effort to solve the issues by empowering the community, women in particular, has been taken seriously primarily by entrepreneurs who were born and raised in the community. Therefore, this research aims to gain insight into the current Madurese entrepreneur’s business pattern and their social concerns in order to propose a strategy to increase productivity as an effort to empower women’s communities. The methodology is qualitative research, which collects data using semi-structured interviews with representatives of the Madurese entrepreneurs in four areas of Madura Island. Their responses are then transcripted and coded for content analysis based on the designed themes. The result shows that they recognise and practise the social entrepreneurship (SE) pattern, although they do not understand the term. Subsequently, the technological application for business operations in general is still limited to the usage of digital technology (DT) for marketing and transaction activities, which helps increase business performance or productivity. Hence, the initiation of technosociopreneurship as a strategy to further develop SE activities with the hope of increasing productivity in empowering women’s communities is proposed. Further research development is advised using quantitative methods for generalisable findings.

Decentralized cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, use peer-to-peer software protocol, disintermediating the traditional intermediaries that used to be banks and other financial intermediaries, effectuating cross-border transfer. In fact, by removing the requirement for a middleman, the technology has the potential to disrupt current financial transactions that rely on a trusted authority or intermediary operator. Traditional financial regulation, primarily based on the command-and-control approach, is ill-suited to regulating decentralized cryptocurrencies. The present paper aims to investigate the policy option most suitable for regulating decentralized cryptocurrencies. The study employs content analysis method to effectuate the purpose of the study. The paper argues that the combination of both direct and indirect regulatory approaches would be a feasible option for regulating decentralized cryptocurrencies. The absence of centralized authority and the borderless nature of decentralized cryptocurrencies would make them antithetical to centralized direct regulation. Therefore, the findings of the study suggest that regulators should focus on regulating intermediaries bridging the connection between the online world (crypto ecosystem) and the physical world (the point of converting crypto into fiat money). These intermediaries can work as passive actors or surrogate regulators who are indirectly responsible for implementing policy options on behalf of the central authority.

Purpose—In the business sector, reliable and timely data are crucial for business management to formulate a company’s strategy and enhance supply chain efficiency. The main goal of this study is to examine how strong brand strength affects shareholder value with a new Supplier Relationship Management System (SRMS) and to find the specific system qualities that are linked to SRMS adoption. This leads to higher brand strength and stronger shareholder value. Design/Methodology/Approach—This study employed a cross-sectional design with an explanatory survey as a deductive technique to form hypotheses. The primary method of data collection used a drop-off questionnaire that was self-administered to the UAE-based healthcare suppliers. Of the 787 questionnaires sent to the healthcare suppliers, 602 were usable, yielding a response rate of 76.5%. To analyze the data gathered, the study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques. Findings—The study’s data proved that SRMS adoption and brand strength positively affected and improved healthcare suppliers’ shareholder value. Additionally, it demonstrates that user satisfaction is the most significant predictor of SRMS adoption, while the results show that the mediating role of brand strength is the most significant predictor of shareholder value. The results demonstrated that internally derived constructs were better explained by the ANN technique than by the PLS-SEM approach. Originality/Value—This study demonstrates its practical value by offering decision-makers in the healthcare supplier industry a reference on what to avoid and what elements to take into account when creating plans and implementing strategies and policies.

This study validates the Intercultural Competence and Inclusion in Education Scale (ICIES), a novel instrument designed to assess students’ perceptions of inclusivity and intercultural competence in multiethnic secondary schools. Using a sample of 276 high school students from Western Romania, the ICIES identified three dimensions: ethnic appreciation and support, intercultural engagement and integration, and school unity and cohesion. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the scale’s structural validity, while network analysis revealed key interconnections among its components. Findings highlight the critical role of inclusive teaching strategies and school cohesion in fostering intercultural competence. The ICIES provides educators and policymakers with actionable insights for designing interventions that promote empathy, mutual respect, and a sense of belonging in diverse school settings. These results contribute to the development of educational policies aimed at fostering inclusion and addressing the needs of increasingly multicultural classrooms.