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The manufacture of polymer composites with a lower environmental footprint requires incorporation of sustainably sourced components. In addition, the incorporation of novel components should not compromise the material properties. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of a synthetic amine functional toluidine acetaldehyde condensate (AFTAC) as a modifier for fiber-reinforced epoxy composites. One of the fiber components was sourced from agricultural byproducts, and glass fiber was used as the fiber component for comparison.

The AFTAC condensate was synthesized via an acid-catalyzed reaction between o-toluidine and acetaldehyde. To demonstrate its efficacy as a toughening agent for diglycidyl ether bisphenol A resin composites and for the comparison of reinforcing materials of interest, composites were fabricated using a natural fiber (mat stick) and a synthetic glass fiber as the reinforcing material. A matched metal die technique was used to fabricate the composites. Composites were prepared and their mechanical and thermal properties were evaluated.

The inclusion of AFTAC led to an improvement in the mechanical strengths of these composites without any significant deterioration of the thermal stability. It was also observed that the fracture strengths for mat stick fiber-reinforced composites were lower than that of glass fiber-reinforced composites.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the use of the AFTAC modifier as well as incorporation of mat stick fibers in epoxy composites has not been demonstrated previously.

Successful digital transformation requires a change in organisational structures, processes, capabilities and competencies. Digital transformation research is more influenced by the technology adaptation model and hence focuses on people's attitudes, behaviour and abilities. Recently, employee agility has attracted attention in the context of technology adoption and Industry 4.0. The current research explores the relationship between employee agility and digital technology adoption in the context of digital transformation by adopting the systematic literature review method.

Following the attitude–ability-behaviour–outcome framework, the research explored the specific agile ability, attitude and behaviour characteristics useful for digital transformation. Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework consisting of (1) initiation, (2) screening, (3) evaluation and (4) confirming inclusion (Ambika et al., 2023), the study identified 19 papers from SCOPUS indexed journals.

The study result found that agile attitude characteristics such as collaborative mindset, computer self-efficacy, ambiguity aversiveness, etc. are influencing the digital transformation process. Agile abilities like basic computer knowledge, previous technical experience, cognitive abilities, innovation capability, digital competence training and supporting proper knowledge management practices also influence digital transformation. Finally, agile behaviour such as relationship building, knowledge-sharing behaviour, promoting values of learning, risk-taking and experimenting, rewarding innovativeness and customer-centric innovation and displaying adaptability, resilience and commitment to change, etc. are found to drive digital transformation.

Research on workforce agility and digital transformation is scarce. The current study contributes to benchmarking research by exploring specific agile attitudes, abilities and behaviour characteristics relevant to digital transformation, especially in the era of Industry 4.0.

Using coconut shell aggregates (CSA) in concrete benefits agricultural waste management and reduces the demand for mineral resources. Several studies have found that concrete containing CSA can achieve strengths that are comparable to regular concrete. The purpose of the present work is to evaluate the concrete’s durability-related properties to supplement these earlier findings.

Cylindrical specimens were prepared with a constant water–cement ratio of 0.50 and CSA content ranging from 0% to 50% (at 10% increment) by volume of the total coarse aggregates. The specimens were cured for 28 days and then tested for density, surface hardness, electrical resistivity and water sorptivity. The surface hardness was measured to describe the concrete resistance to surface wearing, while the resistivity and sorptivity were evaluated to describe the material’s resistance to fluid penetration.

The results showed that the surface hardness of concrete remained on average at 325 Leeb and did not change significantly with CSA addition. The distribution of surface hardness was also similar across all CSA groups, with the interquartile range averaging 59 Leeb. These results suggest that the cement paste and gravel stiffness had a more pronounced influence on the surface hardness than CSA. On the other hand, concrete became lighter by about 9%, had lower resistivity by 80% and had significantly higher initial sorptivity by up to 110%, when 50% of its natural gravel was replaced with CSA. Future work may be done to improve the durability of CSA when used as coarse aggregate.

The present study is the first to show the lack of correlation between CSA content and surface hardness. It would mean that the surface hardness test may not completely capture the porous nature of CSA-added concrete. The paper concludes that without additional treatment prior to mixing, CSA may be limited only to applications where concrete is not in constant contact with water or deleterious substances.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate food supply chain stakeholders’ intention to use Industry 5.0 (I5.0) drones for cleaner production in food supply chains.

The authors used a quantitative research design and collected data using an online survey administered to a sample of 264 food supply chain stakeholders in Nigeria. The partial least square structural equation model was conducted to assess the research’s hypothesised relationships.

The authors provide empirical evidence to support the contributions of I5.0 drones for cleaner production. The findings showed that food supply chain stakeholders are more concerned with the use of I5.0 drones in specific operations, such as reducing plant diseases, which invariably enhances cleaner production. However, there is less inclination to drone adoption if the aim was pollution reduction, predicting seasonal output and addressing workers’ health and safety challenges. The findings outline the need for awareness to promote the use of drones for addressing workers’ hazard challenges and knowledge transfer on the potentials of I5.0 in emerging economies.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to address I5.0 drones’ adoption using a sustainability model. The authors contribute to existing literature by extending the sustainability model to identify the contributions of drone use in promoting cleaner production through addressing specific system operations. This study addresses the gap by augmenting a sustainability model, suggesting that technology adoption for sustainability is motivated by curbing challenges categorised as drivers and mediators.

In mobile banking (m-banking), understanding the factors contributing to customer satisfaction is crucial for bank managers to design effective strategies for enhancing the uptake of mobile banking services. This study assesses the relationships between quality, technology acceptance and credibility factors and behavioural outcomes (actual use, continuance intention and loyalty) and satisfaction with m-banking. It further investigates the moderating influence of economy type, innovation level, connectivity level and sample size on all these relationships.

The study employs a meta-analysis technique and reviews 54 published studies to investigate the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction with m-banking.

The study finds a significant relationship between satisfaction with m-banking and quality, technology acceptance and credibility factors and behavioural outcomes. It concludes that the moderating effect of economy type, innovation level, connectivity level and sample size partially moderate the majority of the hypothesized relationships.

Drawing on a comprehensive literature review, this study presents a novel framework elucidating the antecedents and behavioural outcomes of satisfaction with mobile banking. It contributes to the literature by exploring the moderating effects of sample size and country context on the relationships between these factors, presenting important implications for future mobile banking research.

This study has practical implications for m-banking service providers, offering insights into the factors that drive user satisfaction with mobile banking and highlighting the need for tailored strategies in different country contexts.

This study examines the effects of factors leading to satisfaction and the subsequent outcomes within the context of m-banking. The findings offer fresh perspectives that can be valuable for managers and policymakers, enabling them to enhance customer satisfaction in the realm of m-banking.