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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the profit efficiency of bioenergy industry and its determinants in EU28 region roadmaps for the transition towards energy efficiency which is increasingly perceived by stakeholders, researchers and the public as a pathway to bring dependency on fossil resources to a significant reduction. Many studies overlooked the importance of profit efficiency as a factor for bioenergy industry business improvement. More so, external environmental variables can play a key role in achieving profit efficiency in the industry.

This paper seeks to answer the questions on the following: (1) the profit efficiency level using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in the EU28 region during the period between 1990 and 2018; and (2) to explore the impacts of external environmental variables on the profit efficiency level using panel regression model in the EU28 region during the period between 1990 and 2018.

Results revealed that gross domestic product, size of biomass and investment are essential for the development of the bioenergy industry and positively influence on profit efficiency level. The increase in temperature change decreased the profit efficiency level during 1990–2018.

For those profit-inefficient bioenergy industries in countries such as Cyprus and Ireland, participation in innovative programs, expanding a knowledge-based economic system and implementation of support policy for bioenergy technologies, by investing in biomass sources that are suitable for their respective renewable energy development will enhance specialization, resource efficiency and improved profitability can be expected in future.

Unlike other previous studies, this study investigated the profit efficiency by applying the DEA statistical method. Moreover, the authors have applied a second regression analysis to estimate the impacts of macroeconomic and microeconomic variables on the profit efficiency level. This study has focused on the EU28 region, including both developed and developing countries, to compare the level of profit efficiency levels in the selected sample. The authors have applied data panel analysis for the period from 1990 to 2018. No previous study has applied the methods, samples and periods as those used in this study. Therefore, this study contributes significantly to the bioenergy industry specifically and the renewable energy industry in general and to the associated extant research.

This research explores the effect of bioenergy use on carbon dioxide releases in 28 European Union (EU-28) affiliated members starting from 1990 to 2018.

Applying panels' fixed effect (FE) estimator and random effect (RE) estimator, the regressed findings are highly validated as they were robust by panel least square dummy variable corrected (LSDVC) and pooled ordinary least square (Pooled OLS) estimators.

The findings claimed that carbon dioxide releases decrease with an incline in bioenergy use and trade openness. On the other hand, fossil-fuel and economic growth indicators mounting carbon dioxide releases. The result implies that carbon dioxide releases in EU-28 region members can be mitigated significantly by mounting the quantity bioenergy use in generation channel. This will mostly participate in combating environmental pollution.

The study suggests for EU28 region members to enhance the portion of bioenergy in their fuel access to decrease emitted carbon dioxide. Governors in EU28 members should mainly encourage bioenergy expansion to raise its security and availability. The politicians of the EU28 members must assert on efficacy and productivity of bioenergy production to achieve energy accessibility and decrease dependency on conventional energy.

This research applies the recently improved model, the panel data analysis approach, which considered for the first-class impacts of estimators on the dependent variable and deals with the several problems of the common Pooled OLS estimator's manner and performance. Finally, this research contributes to the previous studies on ecological sustainability by examining the presence correlation among carbon dioxide emissions, bioenergy sustainability, trade openness, fossil fuel and gross domestic product in the EU28 region. Hence, it proves our research novelty, originality and contribution to the body of knowledge.

This study aims to examine the impact of environmental sustainability, social sustainability and corporate reputation on the business performance of energy companies operating in an emerging market.

A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 400 managers in top and middle-level positions in energy companies located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were collected through an online survey. These managers had a strong understanding of the operational aspects of the companies and possessed good knowledge of the company’s performance. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to assess the hypothesized relationships.

The findings reveal significant influences of corporate reputation, environmental sustainability and social sustainability on the business performance of energy companies operating in an emerging market. Notably, corporate reputation emerges as the primary predictor, underscoring the significance of emphasizing the fundamental aspects of companies such as superior products or services, effective management practices and investment quality. A strong reputation is essential for attracting investors, customers and other stakeholders by meeting their expectations for high-quality products or services. It serves as a crucial factor in establishing trust and credibility, which are vital for sustained success in the market.

Energy companies should proactively integrate corporate reputation into their operational strategies to enhance business performance. Furthermore, they should develop and execute comprehensive environmental and social sustainability initiatives within their organizations. By doing so, they can effectively enhance both financial and non-financial performance while fostering a culture of employee engagement aimed at further enhancing productivity.

This study stands out as a unique and significant contribution to theory by using the triple bottom line framework as the underlying theory and integrating corporate reputation into the proposed framework. It represents a novel approach, particularly within the context of energy companies operating in an emerging market. This research serves as a valuable complement to prior studies primarily conducted in developed (Western) economies, expanding the knowledge base in this field.

The rapid growth of e-commerce and the increasing importance of online services have prompted the need for managers to understand what consumers value most in online transactions and how to measure electronic service quality (E-SQ). This study aims to conduct a comprehensive review of relevant research publications in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and propose an agenda for future research to enhance this knowledge.

The study uses a blended approach between the PRISMA-ScR methodology and Tranfield et al.’s (2003) approach to ensure a rigorous and thorough review of the literature.

By identifying the antecedents and outcomes of E-SQ, this study develops a classification framework that highlights the main gaps in the current literature and provides guidance for future research in the region.

The findings presented in this paper contribute to the knowledge base for management professionals seeking to enhance E-SQ in practice.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to summarize the state of E-SQ in the Gulf region.

This study aims to present a retrospective of the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing (JRIM) on its 15th anniversary. The retrospective includes an analysis of JRIM's growth in publication and citation, and an exploration of the journal's major themes and methodologies employed.

This study used a bibliometric methodology consisting of analytical techniques such as performance analysis, co-authorship network analysis, and bibliographic coupling to present a retrospective of JRIM.

This study finds that JRIM has grown consistently in terms of its publications and citations with its major themes being social media, advertising and communication, technology adoption, customer behavior, multi-channel marketing, viral marketing, and relationship marketing. This study also reveals that the journal's contributing authors tend to employ empirical and quantitative methodologies.

This is the first study to present a retrospective of JRIM and one of the few that present a retrospective of interactive marketing. Besides presenting the major themes, this study also analyzes the growth that such themes have undergone with time and what are the major themes in recent times in relation to the body of knowledge on interactive marketing curated through JRIM.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that cause housing shortage for low‐income groups in Yemen and recommend some solutions to alleviate the problem.

A questionnaire survey has been used as the tool to carry out this study. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of three groups namely: economic, administrative, and legal factors. The second part consists of suggestions on housing supply, construction methods, and materials used for low‐cost housing in Yemen. The level of importance of the categories was measured and the relative importance of weightage was ranked.

The results show that the most important economic factors causing housing shortage were poor handling of available economic resources and shortage of economic resources. The most important administrative factors causing housing shortage were lack of organization and synchronization and not conducting studies on housing. The most important legal factor causing housing shortage was lack of legalization of housing.

The findings could be used to improve housing policies and strategy in Yemen in order to decrease the housing shortage, particularly for the low‐income group.

The popularity of financial technology (fintech) is rising in society due to fintech's direct benefits to users. This digital-based approach is one of the outputs of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, which transformed the path of human history and resulted in the development of digital transformation strategy innovation, more commonly referred to as digitalisation. Previous literature has predicted that integrating fintech into waqf management will facilitate fintech's growth and expand waqf outreach in Malaysia. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the impact of “Industry 4.0” on the expansion of fintech into cash waqf in Malaysia.

This study uses Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovation (DOI) model. In addition, a quantitative approach based on structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised to analyse the relationship between awareness, knowledge, relative advantage, social norms, perceived trust and fintech adoption in waqf institutions by using the tool Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 23.0 with maximum likelihood estimation.

The overall indicate that perceived trust and social norms significantly influence the adoption of fintech by Malaysian waqf. At the same time, other factors such as awareness, relative advantage and knowledge do not appear to significantly influence the adoption of fintech amongst Malaysian waqf institutions.

This study contributes significantly to the current literature concerning the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the wave of technologies. In addition, this study supports relevant theories, including DOI and other technology adoption theories. Aside from this, the study provides empirical contributions to waqf management regarding collecting and distributing waqf, improving the level of regulation of the waqf institutions and enhancing trust between donors, waqf management and beneficiaries. This study is amongst the first in the area of waqf that focus on Malaysian waqf intitutions.

This is important for policy development to support the utilisation of fintech for waqf institutions, which leads to more transparency and efficiency.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2022-0264

This study aims to utilise Six Sigma in an Irish-based red meat processor to reduce process variability and improve yields.

This is a case study within an Irish meat processor where the structured Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) methodology was utilised along with statistical analysis to highlight areas of the meat boning process to improve.

The project led to using Six Sigma to identify and measure areas of process variation. This resulted in eliminating over-trimming of meat cuts, improving process capabilities, increasing revenue and reducing meat wastage. In addition, key performance indicators and control charts, meat-cutting templates and smart cutting lasers were implemented.

The study is one of Irish meat processors' first Six Sigma applications. The wider food and meat processing industries can leverage the learnings to understand, measure and minimise variation to enhance revenue.

Organisations can use this study to understand the benefits of adopting Six Sigma, particularly in the food industry and how measuring process variation can affect quality.

This is the first practical case study on Six sigma deployment in an Irish meat processor, and the study can be used to benchmark how Six Sigma tools can aid in understanding variation, thus benefiting key performance metrics.