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The present study aimed to examine the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICT) diffusion, financial development and economic growth in the panel of developing countries for 2005–2019.

The study employed the principal component analysis (PCA) to extract the index of ICT diffusion. First-generation panel unit root tests such as Levine Lin Chu (LLC), Im Pesaran Shin (IPS), Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips and Perron (PP) were employed to check the stationarity of the variables. Pedroni and Kao co-integration techniques were used to examine the existence of the long-run relationship, and co-integration coefficients were estimated using FMOLS and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS). The panel Granger causality approach examined the short-run and long-run causality.

The results confirmed that ICT diffusion, financial development and trade openness accelerate growth, whereas inflation dampens economic growth. Further, the causality test showed bidirectional causality between ICT growth and financial development growth but a unidirectional causality from financial development to ICT diffusion in developing countries.

The study recommends synchronizing public and private sector investment for a synergistic effect on ICT infrastructure and adequate investment in the financial sector to increase the growth rate in developing countries. Economic policies should be adopted toward incentives and subsidies to ensure affordable ICT services for disadvantaged communities. Also, training programs focussing on enhancing digital literacy to enable all segments of the population to use digital platforms for financial services are recommended.

This study aims to analyze the complexities of the Brazilian soybean supply chain (SSC) and develop strategic interventions to improve the origin system’s performance.

This study used stakeholder interviews to identify the SSC bottlenecks and determine and assess drivers of competitiveness. A methodological framework based on the systems thinking approach for developing long-term structural changes was used. The problem was structured using behavior over time graph and causal loop modeling to propose three investment strategies to solve the logistics problem in SSC.

This study highlights the gaps in coordination between stakeholders and the public sector regarding the public policy for infrastructure investment. Three strategic interventions were developed to address the agro-industrial logistical problem, namely, investment in storage, multimodal transport systems and improvements in existing transport infrastructure. To overcome transport and storage logistics limitations, the authors suggest different forms of partnerships, including public-private partnerships.

This research is limited to evaluating an agricultural commodity (soybean) and does not include its by-products. The sample of stakeholders was limited and the boundary of analysis was Brazil. Nevertheless, the study showed how strategic interventions could be developed following a holistic analysis.

The proposed integrated approach illustrates the development of three strategic initiatives. It can be implemented by stakeholders, including the public sector, which is the basis for providing assertive long-term investments in Brazilian logistics.

The SSC analysis could promote the implementation of systemically determined interventions and strategies. It could significantly improve the performance of agricultural systems and help the formulation of public policies aimed at rural development.

The use of system dynamics to identify intervention points is an essential contribution to mitigating the SSC’s hindrances. Moreover, the combining methodologies resulted in comprehensive intervention strategies.

This study aims to examine factors that determine the adoption of additive manufacturing by small- and medium-sized industries. It provides insights with regard to benefits, challenges and business factors that influence small- and medium-sized industries when adopting this technology. The study also aims to expand the domain of additive manufacturing by including a broader range of challenges and benefits of additive manufacturing in literature.

Using data collected from 175 small- and medium-sized industries, the study has examined through Mann–Whitney test to understand the difference between owners and design engineers on additive manufacturing technology adoption in small- and medium-sized companies.

This study suggests contribution to academic discussion by providing associated factors that have significant impact on the adoption of additive manufacturing technology. Related advantages of additive manufacturing are reduction in inventory cost, lowering the wastage in production and customization of products. The study also indicates that factors such as cost of machinery, higher level of cost in integrating metal components have a negative impact on the adoption of this technology in small- and medium-sized industries.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further in the field of challenges and growth in other areas of application of additive manufacturing, for instance, medical sciences, fabric and aerospace.

The study provides important implications that are of interest for both research and practitioners, related to technology management in small- and medium-sized industries, e.g. foundry and machining industries.

This work/study fulfills an identified need of the small- and medium-sized companies in adopting new technologies and contribute to their growth by understanding the need to accept and implement technology.

This paper fulfills an identified need to study how small- and medium-scale companies accept new technologies and factors associated with implementation in the manufacturing process of the organization.

The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamic relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and its components on financial performance of banks within the selected eight countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The study utilizes the balanced panel data of 37 publicly listed banks from eight leading ASEAN economies for the period of 2017–2021. In this sense, the authors applied the Ante Pulic's typology, i.e. value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC™) to evaluate the efficiency of intangible and tangible assets. While, investigating the dynamic nature of relationship, the authors employed the generalized system method of moments because of its power to account for the problem of endogeneity and heteroscedasticity.

The results of the study demonstrate that banks in ASEAN countries shed a varied degree of a spotlight on VAIC™ and its components to create value. The findings revealed that structural capital efficiency is significantly associated with earning per share (EPS), return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE), compared to human capital efficiency (HCE) and capital employed efficiency of ASEAN banks. These results endorse the importance of resource- and knowledge-based views of organizations to leverage the financial performance of banks. However, contrary to theoretical expectations, this study found no positive relationship between HCE with ROA and ROE. Whereas, the relationship of VAIC™ is positive and significant with EPS and ROE but it remains statistically very marginal.

There are some inherent limitations in this study that could be opportunities for future research. The current study uses the VAIC™ typology, but future researchers can use the modified value-added intellectual coefficient (MVAIC) or triangulation approach to enhance the validity and reliability of the study. Additionally, future research can investigate the similarities and differences among countries in terms of their cultural backgrounds and regulatory frameworks regarding the disclosure of intangibles. Furthermore, future research can increase the length and sample size of the study to enhance its generalizability.

The robust empirical findings extend the academic debate on IC by unveiling the dynamic nature of relationship between IC and financial performance in context of ASEAN banking sector. The findings provide plausible recommendations for policy makers (managers, regulators and stakeholders) to understand how to increase the IC efficiently, especially human capital as a source to evaluate the firms’ ability in determining value-added and financial performance. Further, findings of this study also suggest that how can policy makers get the benefit by investing more on structural capital as a valuable strategic source to guarantee the optimal performance returns.

Prior studies on IC have been country- and firm-specific, utilizing cross-sectional research designs. However, this research contributes to the limited literature by investigating the dynamic nature of the relationship between IC and financial performance of banks in the context of ASEAN countries using micro-panel data.

In this study, the authors examine artificial knowledge as a fundamental stream of knowledge management for sustainable and resilient business models in supply chain management (SCM). The study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of artificial knowledge and digitalization as key enablers of the improvement of SCM accountability and sustainable performance towards the UN 2030 Agenda.

Using the SCOPUS database and Google Scholar, the authors analyzed 135 English-language publications from 1990 to 2022 to chart the pattern of knowledge production and dissemination in the literature. The data were collected, reviewed and peer-reviewed before conducting bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review to support future research agenda.

The results highlight that artificial knowledge and digitalization are linked to the UN 2030 Agenda. The analysis further identifies the main issues in achieving sustainable and resilient SCM business models. Based on the results, the authors develop a conceptual framework for artificial knowledge and digitalization in SCM to increase accountability and sustainable performance, especially in times of sudden crises when business resilience is imperative.

The study results add to the extant literature by examining artificial knowledge and digitalization from the resilience theory perspective. The authors suggest that different strategic perspectives significantly promote resilience for SCM digitization and sustainable development. Notably, fostering diverse peer exchange relationships can help stimulate peer knowledge and act as a palliative mechanism that builds digital knowledge to strengthen and drive future possibilities.

This research offers valuable guidance to supply chain practitioners, managers and policymakers in re-thinking, re-formulating and re-shaping organizational processes to meet the UN 2030 Agenda, mainly by introducing artificial knowledge in digital transformation training and education programs. In doing so, firms should focus not simply on digital transformation but also on cultural transformation to enhance SCM accountability and sustainable performance in resilient business models.

This study is, to the authors' best knowledge, among the first to conceptualize artificial knowledge and digitalization issues in SCM. It further integrates resilience theory with institutional theory, legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory as the theoretical foundations of artificial knowledge in SCM, based on firms' responsibility to fulfill the sustainable development goals under the UN's 2030 Agenda.

The pervasive impact of the COVID-19 virus on the food services sector in India has created conditions for fundamentally altering the structure of the industry. This paper offers a nuanced evaluation of the transfiguration of the market, explaining descriptive views supported by numerous secondary data sources.

This is a self-driven study grounded in secondary data. Qualitative and quantitative assessments are assimilated from credible market research reports of multiple agencies in the Indian context, as well as news developments during the pandemic period.

Digitally pivoted platforms such as cloud kitchens and delivery aggregators will eclipse all other formats due to the potential long-term prevalence of the COVID-19 virus. These formats would rise to a dominant position in the Indian food services sector in the coming decade.

This study is entirely driven by secondary data due to the inherent difficulties of collecting sizeable and good quality primary data as a result of the lengthy and stringent lockdowns imposed across India. Future studies should consider collecting consumer responses to get a better picture of changing dining habits in the post-pandemic scenario.

The dynamic and evolving food services in India, catalyzed by the Internet and digital technologies will help academicians study the long-term implications of this change, and how it would impact society at large. The paper provides a rich body of contemporary data and analysis in the food services sphere.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term persistence would dramatically alter food service consumption across India. This will not only change how the industry is structured, but will reshape how food is consumed into the future.

The study is a holistic examination of the relationship between the coronavirus pandemic and the food services industry in India. The macro perspectives aided by news coverage and industry research would help generate potential research questions on its own merits.