The cultivation of red chili in East Java, Indonesia, has significant economic and social impacts, necessitating proactive supply chain measures. This research aimed to identify priority risk agents, develop effective risk mitigation, and enhance supply chain resilience using the SCOR model, House of Risk, Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM), and synthesis analysis. Examining 238 respondents—including farmers, collectors, wholesalers, retailers, home-agroindustries, and experts—the findings highlight farmers’ critical role in supply chain resilience despite risks from crop failures, weather fluctuations, and pest infestations. Simultaneous planting led to market oversupply and price drops, but accurate pricing information facilitated quick market adaptation. Wholesalers influenced pricing dynamics and income levels, impacting farmers directly. To improve resilience, three main strategies were developed through ten key elements: proactive strategies (real-time SCM tracking, Weather Early Warning Systems, risk management team formation, and training), resistance strategies (partnerships, chili stock reserves, storage and drying technologies, GAP implementation, post-harvest management, agricultural insurance, and Fair Profit Sharing Agreements), and recovery and growth strategies (flexible distribution channels and customizable distribution centers). Furthermore, the study delves into the mediating and moderating effects between variables within the model. This research not only addresses a knowledge gap but also provides stakeholders with evidence to consider new strategies to enhance red chili supply resilience.
Sustainable development has attracted widespread attention worldwide, and the circular economy has become one of the essential policies of many countries. Small and medium-sized enterprises are important drivers of world economic growth and can significantly impact the environment. Therefore, SMEs are critical players in implementing a circular economy as the basis for creating a sustainable society. Although a wealth of research on SME environmental management issues can be found in the literature, more must be known about the infusion of green practices in SMEs. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the green practice infusion of Taiwanese SMEs, a context that is particularly relevant due to Taiwan’s strong focus on environmental sustainability and its circular economy industrial development policy. Through a questionnaire survey, this study examined the factors that influence green practice infusion behavior in Taiwanese SMEs and the impact of green practice infusion on circular economy performance. The findings show that the relative advantages and compatibility of the circular economy, organizational support, human resource quality, regulatory pressure, and government support significantly impact the green practice infusion of Taiwanese SMEs. The effects of complexity, customer pressure, and environmental uncertainty on SMEs’ infusion of green practices are not statistically significant. Circular economy performance is positively correlated with green practice infusion. This study can broaden the research scope of SMEs’ environmental management and contribute to a deeper understanding of SMEs’ green practice infusion and circular economy.
This study deals with the impact of Vietnam bank size, loans, credit risk, and liquidity on Vietnam banks’ net interest margin, which are crucial for economic development. High profit margins result in a lower bad debt ratio due to timely loan collection and good liquidity. This study applies a panel data model to evaluate the relationship among bank size, loans, credit risk, liquidity, and marginal profitability, which are increasingly important in commercial bank growth. Data were collected from 2010 to 2022, and test methods were applied to select a good-fit model. Realizing that the factors that have a close correlation and affect the profit margin are 33.6% and 16.07%, 75.2%, 37.51%, 64.30%, and 41.11%, and R2 is 59.04%, respectively, this suggests that financial managers need to develop appropriate strategies and policies to adjust the factors that adversely affect commercial bank profitability.
Loans are a critical transmission channel for commercial banks as well as an important revenue source. Macroeconomic factors are not within the control of commercial banks, however, select factors are observed to have a direct impact on lending behaviour in studies around the world. This study examined the relationship between macroeconomic variables and the lending behaviour of banks in South Africa for the period ranging from 2001 to 2022. Quarterly time series data was employed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL). The empirical results of the paper revealed that there is a long-run relationship between the repurchase rate (repo rate), inflation, the real effective exchange rate (REER) and lending behaviour in South Africa. The REER and inflation were both found to have a positive relationship, whilst the repo rate had a negative relationship. In addition, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the activity rate and sovereign credit rating (SCR) changes returned insignificant results. Overall, these findings show that select macroeconomic factors do influence lending behaviour in South Africa. Furthermore, the results suggest that monetary policy decisions have a direct influential effect on lending and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has implemented their policies effectively.
One significant importance of street vending in South Africa is its role in providing livelihoods and economic opportunities, especially for marginalized and vulnerable populations. However, Street vendors, particularly those selling agricultural commodities, face numerous challenges. Street vending in Moletjie Mmotong is a vital source of income and employment, offering affordable goods and services, including food, clothing, and household items. One potential solution is online selling, but there is limited knowledge about it in the informal sector. This study aims to analyze the factors affecting street vendors’ willingness to sell fruits and vegetables online in Moletjie Mmotong under Polokwane Municipality. Data was collected from 60 street vendors using a questionnaire and simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics identified and described the socio-economic characteristics of the vendors, while a binary logistic regression model analyzed the factors influencing their willingness to sell online. The study found that age, education level, gender, household size, and access to online selling information significantly influenced their willingness to sell online. The findings highlight the potential benefits of online selling for street vendors, such as increased sales and a broader customer base. The study recommends that governments provide training and workshops on online selling, develop educational programs, distribute educational materials, and create marketing strategies to support street vendors in transitioning to online platforms.
Nigeria plays important roles in the overall socio-economic development of the entire African continent, including entrepreneurial activities. There is a less focus on the immersion of women and youths in playing participatory roles in digital entrepreneurship and digital technology innovation in order to boost the economic growth of the country. The primary objective of this study is to explore women and youths’ immersion, specifically in connection with digital entrepreneurship and digital technology innovation, for the purpose of fostering the growth of the economy. The methodology employed in this study is Critical Content Analysis (CCA) of cursory literature as an integral part of the qualitative method. The literature was sourced through different databases, such as library sources, journals, and the core collection of Web of Science (WOS), and the collections of studies used for analysis were between 2018 and 2023. The results demonstrated that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play significant roles in digital entrepreneurship activities in the country. In addition, there are various entrepreneurship programmes in the country, such as the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YEDP), and there is awareness of the effectiveness and efficiency of digital entrepreneurship. In addition, the result further established that the use of digital technology is an important innovation for the success of digital entrepreneurship in the country. The study further indicated that five factors of women and youths’ immersion in entrepreneurship (perception and opportunities, business performance, digital adoption, skill acquisition, and enabling environment) can boost the growth of the economy in the country. In conclusion, the knowledge and skills of entrepreneurs are major drivers of wealth and job creations, with women and youths playing an active role in the overall entrepreneurship programmes. It is suggested that the stakeholders and actors in entrepreneurship should collaborate to foster the participation of women and youths in entrepreneurship programmes in the country.
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