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To empirically study the direct and mediating relationships between blockchain technology adoption strategy (BCTAS), electronic supply chain management diffusion (eSCMD), entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and human resources information system (HRIS) in Egyptian banks. This paper aims to connect the dots and show the relationships linking these related constructs after the emergence of this breakthrough blockchain technology.

The authors have undertaken a thematic review of relevant multidisciplinary business management literature and then developed a conceptual model. This model was examined through adopting a mixed-methods approach, through which 300 quantitative questionnaires were filled by information technology (IT) staff at 12 banks in Egypt utilising a snowball sample. Besides, 20 qualitative interviews were carried out with international and Egyptian blockchain experts for exploratory and explanatory purposes. The suggested hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling.

The results revealed that EO affects positively and significantly BCTAS and HRIS. BCTAS affects positively and significantly both HRIS and eSCMD. Concerning the linkage between external/supply chain and internal/organisational information diffusion, HRIS has a positive and significant effect on eSCMD. The direct EO–eSCMD relationship is not supported. Yet, indirectly, BCTAS mediates significantly EO–eSCMD and EO–HRIS relationships. Further, HRIS mediates significantly the indirect BCTAS–eSCMD relationship.

The findings of this research shed light on the benefits and challenges of adopting BCTAS within emerging markets in general and Egyptian banking in specific, which can support an effective and efficient decision-making process undertaken by strategic and functional banking managers with EO in similar emerging economies.

Conceptually and empirically, it is the first article that investigated direct and mediating EO–BCTAS–HRIS–eSCMD relationships in a promising banking industry of an emerging market. It solved an interdisciplinary research puzzle by piecing together the relevant contemporary literature on production, operations and SC management, entrepreneurship, HR management and strategic technology adoption.

The purpose of this study is to investigate conceptually and empirically the direct and indirect relationships between university social responsibility (USR), university social innovation strategy (USIS) in terms of social awareness (SA), intention for social innovation (ISI), organisational structure for social innovation (SSI) and innovativeness in social value creation (ISVC) and gaining a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) at quality-accredited faculties of an emerging market.

A conceptual model was presented and a mixed-methods approach was exploited to fill a research gap detected in strategic corporate social innovation literature. The authors formed a data collection team that contacted all the quality-accredited public and private/international faculties, of which 109 faculties in 11 Egyptian governorates responded and their quality units filled questionnaires that were analysed by structural equation modelling. For comprehensive understanding, qualitative interviews were set to gather data from managers/leaders and teaching staff working at those faculties in quality management and community engagement practices as well as students.

Results demonstrated that USR positively and significantly influenced SCA and USIS. Further, USIS (in terms of ISI, SSI and ISVC) positively and significantly influenced SCA. However, USIS (in terms of SA) had a positive yet insignificant influence on SCA. Indirectly, USIS was found to be partially mediating USR–SCA relationship.

University leaders/staff can gain insights on how to adopt differentiation strategies, which enable their institutions to shift from being just socially responsible to becoming socially innovative by presenting solutions to social, economic, cultural, environmental and health-care problems/challenges within their communities in general and during pandemics. This can be sustained through developing innovative quality-based processes/programmes/services related to education, research and community outreach that better serve social needs to be quality-accredited and unique over their rivals.

Satisfying social needs through promoting innovative processes/services can reinforce a favourable social change.

From a cross-disciplinary perspective, the authors interwove conceptually sparse literature of strategic, operations, knowledge capacity and innovation management that studied university social innovation research area. Also, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research that examined empirically USR–USIS–SCA relationships of quality-accredited faculties in an emerging economy during Covid-19 pandemic.

This paper aims to study the impact of innovation climate (IC) on co-creating modular mass-customisation (CMMC) in terms of cost effectiveness, volume effectiveness, responsiveness, product modularity and collaborative assembly. Additionally, this research paper investigates the effect of IC and CMMC on the value to customer (VC) in a modular jewellery emerging market that includes international companies.

After conducting a comprehensive literature review, the authors suggested a conceptual framework and examined it using mixed methods approach. In addition to qualitative focus groups, questionnaires were filled – across five-point Likert scale format – through 63 depth interviews carried out with subject-matter-experts working at 14 international organisations in the Egyptian modular jewellery market. SmartPLS software was used for structural equation modelling analysis.

Results showed that CMMC positively and significantly affects VC. Furthermore, IC positively and significantly affects both CMMC and VC.

Recent industrial developments that can be observed in such international modular jewellery sector can be enhanced by the empirical evidence of this research regarding the importance of developing IC for more creative manufacturing approach of modular mass-customisation and better VC.

To the best of our knowledge, it is the first empirical study that investigates the relationship between CMMC, IC and VC in a unique jewellery market, which recently generated high customer involvement in the assembly/reassembly processes. Conceptually and empirically, it consolidates and adds to the literature of production and operations management (mass-customisation), organisational studies and innovation science (organisational climate for innovation) and applied social sciences.

The purpose of this research paper is to study the relationship between entrepreneurial marketing strategy (EMS), institutional environment (IE) and business performance (BP). Further, it examines the role of gender and entrepreneurial experience (EE) as moderators of EMS-BP and IE-BP relationships.

Based on the literature review, the authors proposed a conceptual model that was tested using a quantitative approach. Questionnaires were filled by 202 owners/entrepreneurs of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt. Because of the absence of a formal population-frame for the Egyptian SMEs, non-probability quota sampling technique was used that considered differences in gender and EE. SmartPLS software was used for data analysis.

The results indicated that EMS has significant positive effect on BP. IE has significant positive effect on EMS but insignificant effect on BP. Gender was found to be moderating significantly both the EMS-BP and IE-BP relationships. However, EE was found to be an insignificant moderator in the EMS-BP relationship.

The findings communicate insights to the SMEs on the importance of undertaking proactive, risk-taking and innovative activities while creating and delivering value to their customers. Also, it encapsulates further implications for policymakers to promote a better IE for entrepreneurship in Egypt.

This study contributes conceptually to the interdisciplinary research that investigated the integration between entrepreneurship and marketing as a successful functional strategy in SMEs and its effect on enhancing BP and market share. Empirically, it adds value to the available literature on contemporary strategic entrepreneurship by analysing these IE-EMS-EE-Gender-BP relationships in a promising, yet under-researched, transitional economy.

This study aims to explore the incorporation of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) in cross-linking formulation of cotton fabrics to see their impact on fabric performance like tensile strength, dry wrinkle recovery angles, elongation at break, degree of whiteness and increase in weight as well as durability.

SNPs of size around 80-100 nm were successfully prepared from native maize starch by Nano precipitation technique and confirmed instrumentally by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmittance electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transformer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and particle size analyzer. The latter were incorporated in cross-linking formulation of cotton fabrics encompassing different concentrations of citric acid and sodium hypophosphite at different curing time and temperature in 100 ml distilled water to a wet pickup of ca. 85 per cent. The fabric samples were dried for 3 min at 85°C and cured at specified temperatures for a specified time intervals in thermo fixing oven according to pad-dry-cure method.

FTIR spectra and SEM micrograph signified the chemical structure and surface morphology of cotton fabric before and after finishing in absence and presence of SNPs. Cotton fabric samples finished in presence of SNPs showed a higher tensile strength, elongation at break, comparable dry wrinkle recovery angles and degree of whiteness than that finished in their absence. On the other hand, the enhancement in the aforementioned performance reflects the positive impact of incorporation of SNPs in textile finishing especially with strength properties; which are one of the important requirements for industrial fabrics that can be used widely in heavy-duty applications.

SNPs with its booming effect with respect to biodegradability, reactivity and higher surface area can be used as a novel reinforcement permanent finish for cotton fabrics instead of more hazardous materials likes poly acrylate and monomeric compounds.

As SNPs biopolymers is one of the important reinforcement agents, so it was expected that it would minimize the great loss in strength properties during easy-care cotton finishing and improve the fabric performance.

The novelty addressed here is undertaken with a view to remediate some of the serious defects of easy-care cotton fabrics using poly carboxylic acids; especially with the great loss in strength properties by virtue of using SNPs as a permanent finish. Besides, to the authors’ knowledge, there is no published work so far concerning the use of SNPs as an innovative base for production of easy-care finished cotton textiles with high performance.

The purpose of this study is to examine crime characteristics and its causation in Mushin Lagos Nigeria. The incidence of urban crime in Nigeria has been associated with increasing urbanization, high poverty level, congestion, unemployment, deprivation, income inequality, poor physical planning and design, political democratization, disorganization and moral decadence and breakdown in infrastructure. Hence, tackling urban crimes in selected communities within Lagos state will address several issues, creating inclusiveness and safer communities.

Primary data were collected through questionnaire administration on three income groups, cutting across 14 communities in the study area. Multistage sampling techniques were adopted to select six communities (Idi Araba, Idi Oro, Fadeyi, Ilasamaja Papa Ajao and Ilupeju), 60 streets and 144 respondents for this study. Respondents selected for this study are individuals who have stayed in the communities for more than five years.

This study reports no statistically significant variation in the crime occurrence by type across the selected communities. However, residents experienced a high occurrence of crime against a person in robbery, assault and pocket-picking, especially among the low-income earners. The same trend was observed in crimes against property such as theft, burglary and store breaking in the low- and middle-income areas, whereas burglary, theft and car theft have high occurrence in the high-income areas. In addition, crimes against morality inform of gambling, prostitution and offences against public peace were high in the low- and high-income areas, whereas gambling, prostitution and bribery are common in the middle-income areas.

This study identifies appropriate policies for combating crime. Collective values promote citizen participation and encourage Do It Yourself in the communities. Stakeholders’ crime prevention mechanism will create safer communities. Social crime prevention and environmental design is an instrument for creating safer cities.

The outcome of this study addresses goal 11 of the SDGs if properly managed.

Although there are over 55,000 social enterprises operating in Egypt, the social entrepreneurship field is still failing to create the desired social change. This paper aims to explore the challenges faced by the field with a special focus on government related challenges as well as offer a set of recommendations to the Egyptian government to enhance the field.

The research was carried out in two phases; reviewing the literature around the topic through a secondary research followed by an empirical research interviewing four social enterprises, the ministry of social solidarity and experts in the field of social entrepreneurship.

The paper arrived to several challenges and they were organized into three main themes: challenges related to policy-making and other legal aspects; challenges related to institutional and operational support; and challenges related to social, educational and cultural awareness of the field and its ecosystem. The paper also came up with a set of nine recommendations directed to the Egyptian Government.

The originality and value of this research is that it offers first hand viewpoints of the challenges facing the field of social entrepreneurship in Egypt as well as offer practical recommendations to the Egyptian Government to overcome them.

Herein, this study aims to use our recently tailored and fully characterized poly acrylonitrile (AN)-starch nanoparticle graft copolymer having 60.1 graft yield percentage as a starting substrate for copper ions removal from wastewater effluent after chemical modification with hydroxyl amine via oximation reaction as a calorimetric sensor.

The calorimetric sensor batch technique was used to determine the resin's adsorption capacity, while atomic adsorption spectrometry was used to determine the residual copper ions concentration in the filtrate before and after adsorption. This was done to convert the copolymer's abundant nitrile groups into amidoxime groups, and the resulting poly (amidoxime) resin was used as a copper ion adsorbent. To validate the existence of amidoxime groups, the resin was qualitatively characterized using a rapid vanadium ion test and instrumentally using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra and scanning electron microscopy morphological analysis.

At pH 7, 400 ppm copper ions concentration and 0.25 g adsorbent at room temperature, the overall adsorption potential of poly (amidoxime) resin was found to be 115.2 mg/g. The process's adsorption, kinetics and isothermal analysis were examined using various variables such as pH, contact time, copper ion concentration and adsorbent dose. To pretend the adsorption kinetics, various kinetics models, including pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order, were applied to the experimental results. The kinetic analysis indicated that the pseudo-second-order rate equation promoted the development of the chemisorption phase better than the pseudo-first-order rate equation. In the case of isothermal investigations, a study of observed correlation coefficient (R²) values indicated that the Langmuir model outperformed the Freundlich model in terms of matching experimental data.

To the best of the author's information, there is no comprehensive study for copper ions removal from waste water effluent using the recently tailored and fully characterized poly (AN)-starch nanoparticle graft copolymer having 60.1 graft yield percentage as a starting substrate after chemical modification with hydroxyl amine via oximation reaction as a calorimetric sensor.