This study examines the impact of state highway construction contracts on state spending efficiency controlling for production structure, service demands, and situational factors. The theoretical argument is that because highway construction projects are relatively large in scale, complex, and can be monitored through objective performance measurement, state highway construction programs may save government production costs through contracts. Contracting helps highway producers achieve efficiency by optimizing production size based on workload and task complexity. The unit of analysis is 48 state governments’ highway construction contracts from 1998 to 2008. Through a two-stage analysis method including a Total Function Productivity (TFP) index and system dynamic panel data analysis, the results suggest that highway construction contracts enhance state highway spending efficiency, especially for large-scale construction projects.

Blockchain technology is poised to significantly transform the corporate world, heralding a new era of innovation and efficiency. Over the past few years, its impact has been noted by leaders, academics, and government representatives around the globe this growing interest underscores businesses’ need to evolve and reconsider traditional operational models. To remain competitive, organizations must embrace this change. Before introducing such ground-breaking technology, it is crucial to assess the motivations of primary stakeholders concerning its implementation. This study looks into what influences the use of Blockchain technology in the oil and gas sector, primarily using a quantitative survey of Iraqi oil and gas companies. A questionnaire was distributed among 250 top-level managers, senior executives, project managers, and IT managers for analyzing the data, the study employs the Structural Equation Modelling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) technique, with Smart PLS for data processing. The findings suggest that the intention to utilise blockchain technology is influenced by one’s attitude towards it. Competitive pressure (environmental factors), functional benefit, and privacy/security (technological factors) significantly affect blockchain adoption intention. Nevertheless, there was no discernible correlation between regulatory backing and the desire to use Blockchain. Additionally, cost concern and perceived risk (organizational factors) two factors contribute negatively to the perception of blockchain technology. Besides the direct relationship, the findings revealed that attitude toward blockchain technology mediate the relationship between cost concern, perceived risk, and intention to adopt Blockchain. Built upon the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) model and the Theory of Reasoned Action, this research offers a comprehensive framework for investigating the intention to adopt blockchain technology. The results enhance both theoretical understanding and practical implementation by providing valuable insights into the emerging area of blockchain adoption intentions.

This study aims to develop a framework that helps organizations to fulfill their environmental and social responsibility amid constraints in selecting which stakeholders’ interest comes first and the essential to have an evolved strategic planning that can accommodate broader systemic planning and practice that will yield authenticity in business sustainability with components of environmental worldview of its leaders and organizational learning in the framework. This research uses the method of literature review with the data from interviews and content analysis of the report from one organization that has successfully implemented social and environmentally friendly practices. Based on an in-depth review of literatures on worldview, organizational learning, and strategic planning, and with empirical study from one organization, a conceptual framework by combination of the existing concepts is produced to enable an integration of theories in a range of possible actions for organizations to achieve sustainable development. The result from this research’s framework will allow further study to be carried out in the future to verify associations between existing concepts or variables within the framework, and to produce next empirical results in supporting those theories being reviewed in this paper.

The study aims to explore the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing the efficiency of public relations practitioners in Jordanian telecommunication companies. This study belongs to the category of descriptive research and adopted a survey methodology. The study surveyed (86) individuals representing the community of public relations practitioners and customer service personnel in the Jordanian telecommunication companies Zain and Orange.The study findings revealed that less experienced public relations personnel in Zain and Orange, with less than five years of experience, exhibit greater acceptance and enthusiasm for using artificial intelligence applications compared to their more experienced counterparts. The study also indicated that most public relations practitioners in Zain and Orange perceive artificial intelligence applications to have a moderate to significant contribution to achieving public relations functions and enhancing their work, reflecting technological advancement and the need to adapt to rapid changes in the business environment. Moreover, the study also discussed the limits, including that artificial intelligence can analyze large amounts of data related to the market and the audience, which provides further research and study.

Disability inclusion is important to ensure everybody has the same opportunities in society, which is critical in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are one of the marginalized communities and most of them are living in poverty. Disabilities encounter many challenges internally and externally due to their disabilities. They are struggling to keep their jobs due to their own self-confidence and social stigma and entrepreneurship is said to be the best option for PWDs to gain economic liberation. However, many PWDs still depend on government assistance and public donations instead of starting their own business. This study investigates the mediating effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the relationship between internal and external factors of PWDs’ perceptions of entrepreneurship in Malaysia. A quantitative approach to the survey was carried out. A sample of seventy-seven PWDs was gathered using face-to-face and online surveys through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The results show that only internal factors influence PWDs’ entrepreneurial personal perception. Entrepreneurial motivation plays a crucial mediating role in the relationship between internal and external factors and entrepreneurial personal perception. The study is helpful for the relevant parties to assist PWDs in becoming financially independent through entrepreneurship by focusing more on their internal strengths. Proper training and coaching assist PWDs in being more resilient when facing adversity.

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy has a predictive effect on entrepreneurial performance. The lithium-ion battery industry is the cornerstone of the emergency of the four emerging industries of “new energy”, “new materials”, “new technology” and “high-end manufacturing”. In the past, scholars have not considered the characteristics of entrepreneurs in their research on improving Chinese lithium-ion battery new venture growth. The personal characteristics of entrepreneurs have not received widespread attention from scholars. This article will start with the characteristics of entrepreneurs themselves and explore the path that entrepreneurs’ characteristics affect Chinese lithium battery new venture growth. This article builds a structural equation model to empirically analyze the relationship among variables. The data analysis results show that entrepreneurial self-efficacy significantly promotes the growth of new startups and entrepreneurial resilience plays a mediating role between the two. It cannot be concluded that entrepreneurial passion plays a positive moderation role between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial resilience. Entrepreneurial passion also does not play a positive moderation effect between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and new venture growth. However, entrepreneurial passion plays a positive moderating role in the influence of entrepreneurial resilience on new venture growth. The findings of the study are beneficial for practitioners of Chinese lithium battery enterprises and will allow their strategies to promote sustainable new venture growth.