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This study aims to explore the impact of cryptocurrency on intelligence activities by law enforcement agencies, focusing on the changing landscape due to its exploitation by terrorist organizations. Investigating the dual nature of cryptocurrency as a global payment system and a potential threat to national security, the purpose is to understand how law enforcement adapts its strategies in response to this evolving challenge.

The research uses a comprehensive approach by analyzing the integration of research and collection stages within the intelligence circle, particularly emphasizing blockchain analysis. By examining the actions of law enforcement authorities in the case study of Hamas’ crypto fundraising campaign, the study highlights how open-source information, accessible through blockchain, allows for strategic collaboration between law enforcement authorities and specialist companies in the field of intelligence analysis. This methodology enables law enforcement to enhance their intelligence gathering capabilities to trace illicit activity by terrorist organizations, leading to a successful seizure of crypto funds.

The findings reveal a symbiotic relationship between terrorist organizations and the crypto space, with the latter becoming an attractive means for financing activities. Law enforcement, in response, has evolved its intelligence practices, combining collection and research to trace and crack down on illicit crypto transactions.

The study sheds light on the dynamic challenges faced by law enforcement in maintaining an effective intelligence response to the ever-evolving methods used by terrorist organizations in using cryptocurrencies.

Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular channel for project fundraising for entrepreneurial ventures. Such efforts require fundraisers to develop and manage a crowdfunding campaign over a period of time and several stages. Thus, the authors aim to identify the stages fundraisers go through in their crowdfunding campaign process and how their engagement evolves throughout this process.

Following a multiple case study research design analysing six successful campaigns, the current study suggests a taxonomy of stages the fundraisers go through in their crowdfunding campaign management process while identifying the types of engagement displayed and their relative intensity at each of these stages.

The study proposes a five-stage process framework (pre-launch, launch, mid-campaign, conclusion and post-campaign), accompanied by a series of propositions outlining the relative intensity of different types of engagement throughout this process. The authors show that engagement levels appear with high intensity at pre-launch, and to a lesser degree also at the post-launch stage while showing low intensity at the stages in between them. More specifically, cognitive and behavioural engagement are most prominent at the pre- and post-launch stages. Emotional engagement is highest during the launch, mid-launch and conclusion stages. And social engagement maintains moderate levels of intensity throughout the process.

This study focuses on the campaign process using engagement theory, thus identifying the differing engagement patterns throughout the dynamic crowdfunding campaign management process, not just in one part.

This study aims to identify the critical factors contributing to India-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) capacity building and value creation for beneficiaries.

A total interpretive structural modeling technique has been used to develop a hierarchical model of critical factors and understand their direct and indirect interrelationships. The driving force and dependence force of these factors were determined by using cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification analysis.

This study identifies 12 critical factors influencing NGO capacity building in India’s intellectual disability sector across four dimensions. Internal organizational capabilities include infrastructure, staff qualifications, fundraising, vocational activities and technical resources. Second, coordination and stakeholder engagement highlight government and agency collaboration, dedicated board members and stakeholder involvement. Third, adaptability and responsiveness emphasize adjusting to external trends and seizing opportunities. Finally, impact and value creation emphasis on improving value for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

The findings of this study have practical implications for Indian NGOs working for PWDs. The study provides NGOs with a structural model for improving organizational capacity by identifying and categorizing critical factors into the strategic model.

There is a scarcity of literature on capacity building for disability-focused NGOs in India. This study seeks to identify critical factors and develop a hierarchical model of those factors to assist policymakers in India in building the capacity of NGOs.

Venture capital (VC) is an essential element in healthy entrepreneurial environments; therefore, many countries in developing entrepreneurial economies support the industry via direct or indirect government interventions. The purpose of this study is to examine through the example of the Hungarian market, whether direct or hybrid state involvement has contributed more to the growth of the invested enterprises. The findings are relevant in the design of government VC schemes and in the contracts mitigating the moral hazards inherent in government funding.

The basis of empirical research is a unique hand-collected database covering Hungarian government-backed VC (GVC) investments. Based on the financial data of investee firms, the authors investigate whether firms financed by hybrid VC involving market participants are able to outperform firms that receive pure public financing using panel regression.

Based on Hungarian evidence, hybrid VC-backed firms generated lower growth and employment than their purely government-backed peers. Both schemes showed meagre innovation activity. The conclusion is that because of the conflict of private and economic policy objectives in hybrid financing, the exposure of hybrid risk capital to moral hazard is higher than that of pure public financing. Private interests in hybrid funds can only improve investment efficiency if they are structured along the lines of market-based independent financial intermediation and the contracts imitate the ones existing amongst limited and general partners in private schemes.

The research covers the data of Hungarian government-backed firms by tracking the full range of 86 investments made in the purely government scheme and 340 firms that received funding in the hybrid scheme. The research focuses on two government initiatives, and the results are influenced by the specific regulation of the programs; therefore, the results cannot be generalized for all government agendas; they are indicative in the designs of the agendas.

There is a limited number of empirical studies investigating the impact of VC in developing markets, especially in the Central and Eastern Europe region. This firm-level research on the impact of public VC can help improve the effectiveness of development policies. By analysing the entirety of investments of a VC program that is near to its completion, the authors provide new insight into the efficiency and prospects of GVC schemes in the region.

This paper aims to unveil the darker side of cryptocurrencies by delving into its role as an obstacle to investments in Middle East and African (MEAs) countries, unravelling the challenges involved. Indeed, despite the rise of blockchain-related technologies, specifically cryptocurrencies, having undeniably unlocked new avenues for business and society, crypto for venture funding purposes may exhibit a “dark side” due to their use for unethical purposes, for example, money laundering or terrorism financing, largely diffused in certain areas of MEA countries.

Through an explorative research design, using a mix of techniques based on both qualitative and interpretive methods, we conducted in-depth interviews among 33 European managers of companies engaged in MEA markets or aspiring to invest in such foreign markets, to analyse their thoughts, perceptions and possible strategies concerning the management of the “dark side” of cryptocurrencies in MEAs.

Our investigation unearthed seven pivotal issues, which manifest as significant barriers related to the ambivalent use of crypto for funding projects, encompassing seven important consequential elements: (1) lack of knowledge about the technology’s potentialities; (2) perceptions of crypto technology’s ambivalence; (3) reputation and image consequences; (4) uncertainty about the destination of the invested funds; (5) decreased attractiveness of MEAs; (6) competition and market; and (7) lack of control and regulation. We grouped these into technology-related, business-related and legal- and policy-related barriers. Such findings underline the probable decrease in attractiveness of MEAs in terms of investments, together with the triggering factors and potential strategic solutions to mitigate such circumstances.

Future studies could explore a broader sample of managers since we only considered the perception of European managers operating in companies that invest (or are intending to invest) in MEAs. Moreover, future research may extend the analysis to MEA-native companies or those engaging in reciprocal exchanges with Western countries.

Practically, our findings suggest several elements in which to intervene to mitigate managers’ negative perception of the unethical use of cryptocurrencies in MEAs and to support CEOs’ and CFOs’ strategies, together with requirements to ensure the unaltered attractiveness of investments in an otherwise thriving region of the world, without overlooking the protection and safeguarding of investments and the health of the market and competition. Furthermore, a call for future research in this domain, along with at least minimal regulatory mechanisms, clearly emerges.

Our findings underline the social challenges associated with the perception and acceptance of cryptocurrencies in these contexts, influencing cultural and social dynamics. Moreover, the identification of these barriers could underscore the significance of awareness of and education on blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies within society, including implications for policymakers.

Despite prior investigations into the negative effects of cryptocurrencies as a form of venture funding, no studies to date have examined managers’ perceptions by focusing on possible barriers to investment in MEA countries due to the unethical usage of crypto. Importantly, this paper unravels the unexplored complexities of crypto’s impact on ethical investments in MEAs, showcasing an original perspective.

The purpose of this study was to leverage agency theory to examine the impact of board attributes on cash flow management in Ghana’s financial institutions.

Data for the study was collected from the annual published financial statements of selected financial institutions, which were obtained from their respective websites. The sampling technique used was purposive, resulting in the selection of 15 financial institutions in Ghana, of which 10 were listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange and 5 were non-listed. The study covered a period of 10 years, ranging from 2011 to 2020. The two-step generalized method of moments estimation was used to determine the relationship between the board attributes and cash flow management.

The study found that board size had a positive and significant influence on net cash flow from operating, investing and financing activities. The study also discovered that the proportion of nonexecutive directors had a positive and significant influence on net cash flow from operating, investing and financing activities. In addition, it was revealed that the proportion of female directors on the board exhibited a positive and significant influence on net cash flow from operating activities but a negative and significant influence on net cash flow from investing and financing activities.

The study recommends increasing female representation on corporate boards to 25%, as women bring valuable skills, knowledge and experience that positively impact the financial institutions’ cash flows.

This study focused on the impact of board attributes on cash flow management within Ghana. It explored how corporate governance affects strategic decisions related to cash flow management, contributing original insights to this field of research.

Managerial “awareness” of supply chain management (SCM) principles is a key antecedent of SCM adoption. However, supply chain awareness (SCA) provides fertile ground for further development. The authors combine extant research with the attention-based view of the firm to further develop SCA and theorize about its effect in an understudied context.

The authors combine SCA with supply chain orientation, of which awareness is central. The authors combine qualitative and archival data for a 10-year period to test SCA in nonprofits. SCA was measured unobtrusively to avoid respondent bias; then, the authors explore how SCA relates to revenue generation from services provided.

SCA correlates positively with revenue generation. Drawing on a contingency perspective, the authors test two moderators relevant to nonprofits. The positive effect of SCA on revenue is stronger for nonprofits collocated in cities with corporate headquarters but weaker for those with larger boards.

The study further advances the notion of awareness for studying SCM phenomena and provides evidence of its relevance in the unexamined context of human services nonprofit organizations (NPOs). This work has implications for how attention to SCM principles shapes organizational outcomes, the factors that moderate these relationships and the importance of unobtrusively measuring awareness in SCM research. The authors used WayBack Machine to harvest websites. However, the quality and depth of text obtained prior to 2008 were lower than those of later years. Additionally, archival data for NPOs are limited.

Findings inform about the fit between nonprofit resources, type of board and fit with how to fund operations. This research provides an alternative way for policy makers to assess NPO capacity by focusing on the fundamental SCM concepts.

The authors contribute to the dialogue about NPOs developing financial independence through revenue generation from services sold to end customers.

NPOs are seldom studied in SCM. This is an attempt to study NPOs by combining qualitative and quantitative data.

The research paper’s purpose is to contribute to the literature by analysing the essential resources and processes required for successful commercialisation, the contemporary challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence initiatives in Türkiye, and the diverse models and methods employed by these initiatives.

Within the scope of the research, interviews were conducted with 10 entrepreneurs who established artificial intelligence-oriented enterprises in technoparks in Istanbul and Antalya. All 10 interviews were analysed using the MAXQDA20 software tool. Structured qualitative content analysis was used for the data analysis procedure.

Based on the research, external factors have a significant impact on the future growth opportunities of the market. Expanding the client base, gaining international recognition, and securing financing are crucial for success. However, the findings reveal challenges in the relatively young local ecosystem. One major criticism is the lack of support in marketing and sales activities for refined products. To address this, providing financial incentives and knowledge transfer to those in need is vital.

Since the research was conducted only with entrepreneurs who established and successfully commercialised artificial intelligence-oriented enterprises, it is recommended that future studies be performed with a widespread sample group, considering this limited situation. Furthermore, to overcome survivorship bias, it is recommended that posterior studies include failed commercialisation attempts in AI ventures.

It can be argued that there is no deliberate approach or model for commercialization. Entrepreneurs often draw from their own prior experiences or observe industry trends. Given the limited financial resources available in the domestic market and the challenge of attracting foreign investors to Turkish brands, entrepreneurs tend to rely on internal approaches for commercialisation.

This research delves into the commercialisation prospects and obstacles encountered by AI start-ups in Türkiye. It comprises qualitative insights into business models, commercialisation approaches, opportunities, and challenges. The data were obtained from interviews with entrepreneurs operating in the industry.

This paper aims to comprehensively investigate the multifaceted realm of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), delving into their unique characteristics, analyzing their far-reaching influence, and uncovering broader implications within the ever-evolving financial landscape. By addressing the research gap concerning the impact of team diversity on ICO success, we contribute nuanced insights to the existing discourse. Through meticulous data collection and econometric modeling, our purpose is to unravel the intricate dynamics at play, offering valuable perspectives on the transformative role of ICOs and the potential significance of team diversity in shaping their outcomes.

To explore the impact of team diversity on the success of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), we compiled a comprehensive database comprising 3,082 profiles and 309 projects from LinkedIn, ICOBench, and Coindesk. This dataset facilitated the creation of diverse variables for our econometric model, enabling a nuanced analysis of interactions and dynamics in the context of our research question. Through this methodical approach, we aim to contribute valuable insights into the role of team diversity in shaping the outcomes of ICO campaigns.

Our analysis of 3,082 profiles and 309 projects sheds light on the intricate dynamics of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Team diversity emerges as a pivotal factor, significantly impacting the success of ICO campaigns. The econometric model, enriched with variables derived from our extensive dataset, reveals nuanced interactions. Teams characterized by diverse profiles exhibit a tangible influence on campaign outcomes, underscoring the importance of inclusivity in shaping the transformative potential of ICOs. These findings contribute valuable insights into the evolving landscape of financial innovation, emphasizing the role of diverse teams in navigating the complexities of decentralized, inclusive investment paradigms.

This study contributes to the evolving discourse on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) by pioneering an exploration into the uncharted territory of team diversity and its impact on campaign success. While previous research has delved into ICO performance and success variables, our focus on team diversity as a critical determinant presents a novel perspective. By methodically assembling a substantial dataset and applying an intricate econometric model, we offer a unique lens through which to understand the nuanced interplay of diverse teams in shaping the outcomes of ICOs. This fills a significant research gap and provides valuable insights into the multifaceted dynamics of contemporary financial innovation.

This study aims to endeavor to shed light on the underlying causal mechanisms behind the failure of startups by examining the failure process in such organizations. To achieve this goal, the study conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the definition of failure and its various dimensions, resulting in the compilation of a comprehensive list of causes of startup failure. Subsequently, the failure process was analyzed using a behavioral strategy approach that encompasses rationality, plasticity and shaping, as well as the growth approach of startups based on dialectic, teleology and evolution theories.

The proposed research methodology was a case study using process tracing, with the sample being a failed platform in the ride-hailing technology sector. The causal mechanism was further explicated through the combined application of the behavioral strategy approach and interpretive structural modeling analysis.

The findings of the study suggest that the failure of startups is a result of interlinked causes and effects, and growth in these organizations is driven by dialectic, teleology and evolution theories.

The outcomes of the research can assist startups in formulating an effective strategy to deliver the right value proposition to the market, thereby reducing the chances of failure.