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In the previous chapters, we discussed the gig economy, knowledge economy, and its characteristics of each. The concept of knowledge workers is discussed in detail and their role in the knowledge economy and in creating knowledge. This chapter will explain how the knowledge economy and gig economy are connected and how the concept of knowledge workers and professional gig workers are connected. We will differentiate skilled gig workers from low-skilled workers and their role in economic development and productivity. Furthermore, we will explain their involvement in the organisation and how they can manage them and utilise their knowledge to increase productivity. The end of this chapter will discuss the platform economy concept and explain the platform economy's aspects in detail. This chapter emphasises how working globally is facilitated by digital transformation and IT infrastructure and how managing the professional workforce will create the opportunity to connect to a variety of job demands, particularly from developed countries.

This book chapter takes an institutional perspective on competing logics in global markets concerned with sustainability values and how market actors in the form of buyers and sellers attempt to solve these conflicting situations. We do this by identifying competing institutional logics in global market contexts aiming for sustainability values, together with techniques for navigating these competing institutional logics in the organizational field studied. As an empirical illustration, we use a case study of buyers and sellers in two different markets where sustainability has come into focus for their market relationships. This viewpoint allows us to better understand how global market actors deal with the competing institutional logics in their market context. We make three contributions with this research: firstly, we identify the institutional logics in global markets towards sustainability; secondly, we demonstrate how global market actors prioritize among the competing logics and their market relationships and thirdly, we outline what this means for the relationship between buyers and sellers in global markets towards sustainability.

The purpose of the paper is twofold. Firstly, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing stakeholders’ intention to invest in Shariah-compliant social impact bonds (SC SIBs) in Malaysia. Secondly, this study compares the differences in the perception of different stakeholders on the importance of the factors.

Using the extended theory of planned behaviour, the study undertakes a questionnaire survey on licensed capital market investors and individuals involved in the development of the financial market (developers). A total of 260 complete and valid responses were obtained from the survey. Multiple regression and Mann–Whitney tests were carried out to achieve the two objectives, respectively.

The results reveal that attitude (β = 0.447, p < 0.01), subjective norm (SN) (β = 0.255, p < 0.01) and moral norm (MN) (β = 0.163, p < 0.01) are significantly positive predictors of intention to invest in SC SIBs. In terms of the differences in the perceptions of the two parties, the results show that the factors have more effect towards developers than investors.

The empirical evidence from this study on the factors that influence stakeholders’ participation in SC SIBs is useful to the policymakers and interested parties in taking the next steps to develop, implement and promote SC SIBs to stakeholders in Malaysia. Fund managers can use the study’s insights to promote positive attitudes, SNs and MNs towards SC SIBs, especially targeting developers who are more influenced by these factors. More importantly, the results indicate a need for different strategies to influence the stakeholder investment behaviour of SC SIB in Malaysia to ensure that it is sustainable and viable in the long run.

Acknowledging the significance of perceived organizational support (POS) for employees’ performance, this study aims to examine the underlying mechanism of task performance in a COVID-19 pandemic-induced blended working (TPBW) environment and the role of perceived usefulness of digitalization (PUDBW) in the process.

Survey data collected from 204 managers of Indian public sector undertakings pursuing blended working for the first time were analyzed using structural equation modelling. A qualitative study on 31 such managers was also performed.

Although employees perceived an improvement in POS, PUDBW and TPBW (during the COVID pandemic) in comparison to the pre-COVID time when traditional work design was operational, yet the improvement in task performance was not directly influenced by POS. POS had a positive effect on PUDBW, which in turn positively affected TPBW. PUD acted as a mediator. A negative moderation effect of POS on the relationship between PUDBW and TPBW was found.

Findings of the study may help organizations and policymakers to focus on key enablers, such as organizational support and relevant digital initiatives, for ensuring better task performance by their employees during a blended working environment, even in difficult times as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study, for the first time, examined the proposed relationships in a new work setting of blended working and explained the underlying mediation and moderation mechanisms in their relationships.

This paper aims to improve the permeability and antifouling of polysulfone (PSF) ultrafiltration membranes, the PSF matrix was modified by incorporating sulfonated polysulfone (SPSF).

Systematic investigations were conducted on the synergistic effects of a pore-forming agent, coagulation bath temperature and SPSF doping in the casting solution on blended ultrafiltration membranes. The chemical composition of the membranes was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphology and surface roughness of the membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The hydrophilicity of the membrane surface was analyzed using a contact angle meter. The permeability and antifouling properties of the blended membranes were also investigated through filtration experiments.

The results indicated that the blended ultrafiltration membranes demonstrated an optimal overall performance when PVP-K30 content was 5.0 Wt.%, coagulation bath temperature was 30°C and SPSF content was 2.4 Wt.%. In comparison to a pure PSF ultrafiltration membrane, there was a significant increase in pure water flux (390.7 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹) by 2.2 times, while bovine serum albumin retention slightly decreased to 93.8%. In addition, the flux recovery rate improved by 2.1 times (71.4%) compared to that of the original PSF ultrafiltration membrane.

The method provided a simple and practical solution for improving the antifouling and permeability of PSF ultrafiltration membranes.

SPSF was anticipated to serve as an excellent modification additive for the preparation of ultrafiltration membranes with superior properties.

This paper aims to explain how small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs) create information technology (IT) business value through blended IT outsourcing (ITO). The explanatory framework it proposes enables SMEs to replicate IT capability outcomes (i.e. enhance their economic, strategic and technological competences, namely, ITO success) by endorsing an ITO strategy catalyzed by IT vendor integration.

This study uses covariance-based structural equation modeling to test the proposed research model. Data are collected from 251 knowledge-intensive business SMEs located in Science and Technology Parks in Spain.

The results demonstrate empirically that SMEs can replicate IT capability benefits (i.e. enhance their non-IT competences) through blended ITO in which IT, conceptualized as a transversal supporting activity, is outsourced to an IT vendor while the value creation process remains with the buyer. The integration (i.e. process integration and information sharing) of an IT-proficient vendor catalyzes ITO success. More specifically, the results show that, although process integration is not directly related to competence enhancement, fosters information sharing, which directly facilitates ITO success. The results also show that IT vendor proficiency accounts for ex ante trust.

Managers should think of transformational ITO as a strategy to enhance firm competences. For blended ITO strategies to succeed, managers must have a comprehensive understanding of the business they run, as it is important to create conditions that foster inter-firm information sharing. To achieve these conditions, managers should take special care in selecting boundary spanners, who are the pivotal links in competence enhancement.

While most research focuses on ongoing trust (i.e. trust develops as ITO evolves), this study focuses on initial (i.e. ex ante) trust and analyzes IT vendor proficiency (expert, experienced and reputed) to examine trust as an antecedent of ITO. This study also draws on previous conceptualizations of vendor integration to develop and analyze a two-step integration model to explain how IT vendor integration (i.e. process integration and information sharing) catalyzes enhancement of the buyer’s non-IT competences. This study focuses on SMEs, which are often neglected in ITO studies.

This study aims to explore some benefits and challenges of establishing an international accreditation for teacher education institutions (TEIs) by AsTEN Quality Assurance Agency. This specific accreditation agency is expected to improve the quality of teaching, learning and research at TEIs in ASEAN region.

The qualitative study generates data from questionnaires and online semi-structured interviews among ASEAN academics. They work as teacher educators in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

As findings show, participating academics from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam believe that it is necessary to have a specific international accreditation agency that can properly accommodate particular standards of teacher education. This accommodation is expected to increase the governance of quality teaching, learning and researching to prepare more competent and professional future teachers. Participating academics also acknowledge some potential challenges this specific accreditation agency may have, including local acceptance by national governments in ASEAN region and global acknowledgement from international accrediting agencies, mostly based in Global North countries.

The study only involves academics in five ASEAN countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines so that it may have less international acceptance.

The study also identifies aspects and mechanisms of blended online-onsite international accreditation application for TEIs, which grows its significance because of technological advancement, efficiency and prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The study provides a digital accreditation system for TEIs, particularly in ASEAN region. This originality is important in this era of Internet of Things.

This study empirically aims to examine the collaboration between social enterprises (SEs) and impact investors (IIs), which are organisations with similar interests but with distinct logics, and in high demand in emerging economies with complex problems. Despite the significant economic contributions of these organisations, there have been limited studies examining how they collaborate in different contexts, including theoretical insights explaining how they gain partner fit from resource synergy.

Mainstream businesses use the compatibility and complementarity concepts to examine buyer–supplier strategic alliances. Using similar concepts in the context of hybrid organisations, the authors interviewed six pairs of SEs and IIs with dyadic relations in Nigeria, aiming to deeply understand how they align dissimilar logics in pursuing common goals in emerging economies.

The authors’ findings revealed how compatibility criteria from the institutional logics perspective and complementarity from social exchange theory guide collaboration between SEs and IIs in an emerging economy. Using these theories provides new insights that distinguish SEs and IIs collaboration from conventional theories on the internationalisation of businesses, which remained insufficient for understanding the cross-border operations of SEs.

The study holds practical implications for organisations, regardless of their size, international investors, governments, organisations and individuals desiring to pursue sustainable business agendas in emerging economies with huge impact opportunities and the process involved.

The outcomes of this study extend knowledge of the theoretical lens examining collaborative entrepreneurship from the perspective of hybrid organisations. It also challenged existing knowledge on collaboration between SEs and IIs, often characterised by potential tensions due to the dissimilarity of institutional logics of actors.

Changes and transformations experienced today have created alternative lifestyles in cities. Many life concepts try to find solutions to environmental problems, so much so that this section focuses on smart eco-city concept, which is one of the trending city initiatives of the last century and is expected to become more popular each day. In the chapter, firstly, information about the concepts of eco-city and smart city is given and then what is meant by the concept of smart eco-city is discussed. Next, smart eco-cities have been tried to be explained with application examples. Finally, the chapter emphasizes the importance of ecological cities blended with technology for the sustainability of living spaces and offers implications for future research.