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The surface finish is an essential step in printed circuit boards design because it provides a solderable surface for electronic components. The purpose of this study to investigate the effects of different surface finishes during the soldering and ageing process.

The solder joints of Sn-4.0Ag-0.5Cu/Cu and Sn-4.0Ag-0.5Cu/electroless nickel/immersion silver (ENImAg) were investigated in terms of intermetallic (IMC) thickness, morphology and shear strength. The microstructure and compositions of solder joints are observed, and analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX) and optical microscope (OM).

Compounds of Cu₆Sn₅ and (Cu, Ni)₆Sn₅ IMC were formed in SAC405/Cu and SAC405/ENImAg, respectively, as-reflowed. When the sample was exposed to ageing, new layers of Cu₃Sn and (Ni, Cu)₃Sn₅ were observed at the interface. Analogous growth in the thickness of the IMC layer and increased grains size commensurate with ageing time. The results equally revealed an increase in shear strength of SAC405/ENImAg because of the thin layer of IMC and surface finish used compared to SAC405/Cu. Hence, a ductile fracture was observed at the bulk solder. Overall, the ENImAg surface finish showed excellent performance of solder joints than that of bare Cu.

The novel surface finish (ENImAg) has been developed and optimized. This alternative lead-free surface finish solved the challenges in electroless nickel/immersion gold and reduced cost without affecting the performance.

Emerging literature on fintech has shown that consumers have been slow to adopt fintech-based products and services. However, limited literature is available regarding the factors associated with consumers' adoption of these products and services. This study aims to investigate the factors that are associated with consumer adoption of fintech-based products and services.

Data on the usage and perception of smartphone financial apps by US residents ages 18–70 was collected in the fall of 2020. Based on the Extended Post-Acceptance Model (EPAM) framework, Structural Equation Modeling and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were applied to inspect how financial capability, perceived security and perceived usefulness affect fintech adoption.

Fintech proficiency, investment risk tolerance and perceived safety are positively associated with the frequency of fintech application use upon adoption. Consumers are more likely to feel safer if they are more financially capable and technologically proficient. Consumers with higher risk tolerance tend to believe fintech apps are safe to use. Consumers with higher fintech proficiency are more likely to recognize the usefulness of fintech services.

The study introduces a revised EPAM framework with antecedent factors, fintech proficiency and risk tolerance to investigate the factors associated with consumer adoption of fintech-based products and services. The key findings of this study validate the EPAM in the American context. Additionally, this research is among the first to have confirmed the direct relationship between perceived security and fintech adoption. The results have practical implications for existing fintech companies, banks and financial institutions, policymakers and financial advisory practices considering adopting fintech-based services for their clients.

At the age of 92, Mahathir Mohamad served his country as the Prime Minister for the second time. But unlike his first stint as the head of the government, which lasted 22 years, this time, his tenure was less than two years. His resignation, which was linked to some internal issues within the Pakatan Harapan (PH) allied parties, came at a time when many countries in the world were in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. Mahathir was aware of the power struggle that was adversely affecting the government's response to combat the virus transmission and reduce the rising number of COVID-19 infection cases. With his long experience in governance and as a former medical officer, Mahathir offered some advice and recommendations to the existing government on ways to address the public health crisis. Since the coronavirus outbreak, the domestic political and economic developments also drew his direct criticism and critical commentaries.

This study aims to evaluate the users’ behavioral intention toward the acceptance and adoption of digital payment FinTech services in India. The study also compares the differences in Gen Y and Gen Z’s intention to adopt digital payment FinTech services.

The present study adopted both the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) as its theoretical base and also added financial literacy and customer satisfaction. The data was analyzed by applying structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 4.

The outcomes of the study imply that customer satisfaction, effort expectancy and performance expectancy had a significant effect on behavioral intention. Moreover, effort expectancy, performance expectancy and perceived enjoyment had a significant influence on customer satisfaction, and effort expectancy and performance expectancy is significantly influenced by perceived enjoyment, while self-efficacy significantly influenced perceived enjoyment. Also, financial literacy does not moderate the relationship between effort expectancy, performance expectancy, facilitating condition and behavioral intention. Furthermore, the association of effort expectancy → customer satisfaction; perceived enjoyment → customer satisfaction; and perceived enjoyment → effort expectancy is moderated by age factor.

This study contributes by developing a more cohesive and unified model for assessing users’ behavioral intention toward acceptance and adoption of FinTech services by adopting constructs from the UTUAT and TAM and incorporating financial literacy and customer satisfaction to expand and enhance the theoretical prospect of the existing literature.

Over the last years, and under the umbrella of the “sharing economy,” various new social practices and novel business models have been established worldwide. Such practices and models are perceived both as opportunity and challenge for existing (urban) public governance regimes. It is in this sense that the sharing economy has become a contested issue and regularly provokes bold governance responses. However, local governing authorities first need to interpret, negotiate, and establish what exactly is “at issue” in order to (re-)act adequately. While such “politics of signification” are well-studied, for instance, in social movements and public media discourse, research on the concerted framing activities of public administrations as well as on the strategic work that sets the stage for public policy-making is relatively sparse – and entirely lacking for the context of the sharing economy. In this chapter, the authors look behind the scenes of the policy-making in the City of Vienna, Austria. The empirical findings unearth six distinct mechanisms –“delimiting,” “negotiating,” “detailing,” “linking,” “justifying,” and “situating” – that are strategically applied to shape the “Viennese way” of governing the sharing economy. This research develops an in-depth understanding of what the authors conceptually dub “strategic issue work”: the manifold efforts that lead to, and underlie, in this case, the policy-making of a local government when it tries to come to terms with the governance challenges of the sharing economy.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between integrity, reputation, trust on awqaf institution and intention to endow cash waqf.

Quantitative research using survey questionnaire was conducted. A total of 377 completed survey questionnaires were received and analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings show that integrity and reputation of awqaf institutions have direct impact on endowers’ trust on awqaf institution, which consequently lead to endowers’ intention to endow cash waqf.

This study provides practical information on how awqaf institutions could develop endowers’ trust on awqaf institutions, which will consequently increase the intention of endowers to endow cash waqf.

This study aims to investigate the influence of personal factors on the buying behavior of consumers with the intentions of sales promotion in the fashion industry. Precisely, it focuses on the marketing techniques and practices in sales promotion activities to influence the buying intentions of consumers in personal ways.

Based on a comprehensive literature review of personal factors, sales promotion and buying behavior, this study has applied a positivist approach to collect data in quantitative way through questionnaires-based survey. The study has analyzed the collected data using structural equation modeling through smart partial least square.

Personal factors and its sub-dimensions such as market maven, stability and open minded have demonstrated a positive relationship in the conceptual construct. In the same manner, sales promotion and its sub-dimensions like social factors and physical layout have also positive effects.

This study is only limited to the fashion industry of Pakistan and future research may be conducted in other services and manufacturing industries. Future research may assess the role of moderating variables like gender.

This study clarifies the influence of personal characteristics on consumers buying behavior in sales promotion activities in the fashion industry to achieve business objectives.

By integrating personal factors and sales promotion literature, the main contribution of this paper is the analysis of personal characteristics and promotional practices in the fashion industry of Pakistan, during Eid-ul-Fitter holidays to enhance the consumers buying behavior. Precisely, this study has assessed the effect some unique characteristics of consumers like market maven, stable, open minded and agreeable on their buying behavior in sales promotion activities. This study has apprised marketing professionals to apply the conception of personal characteristics in sales promotion activities to boost up the buying behavior of consumers in enthusiastic way.

This paper aims to analyse the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and UTAUT2 constructs used in research on information and communication technology (ICT) adoption and use among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in non-organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD) countries. It also investigates the areas of ICT adoption along the value chain in studies using these constructs.

Systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted, where 910 studies were retrieved manually in five academic databases. Forty-eight studies were finalised after four filtration levels.

Majority of the studies were published within the past six years, and 85.42% were studies in the form of journal papers. UTAUT constructs more researched compared to UTAUT2 constructs. More than half of the studies investigated ICT application in value chain boundaries, while 16 studies were organisation-wide studies.

With developments in MSMEs’ technology, the UTAUT2 model must be expanded to internal company operations including finance and infrastructure maintenance. To boost competitiveness and productivity, non-OECD authorities should focus on the cost and user-centric characteristics of MSMEs’ technology adoption.

Although SLRs on UTAUT and UTAUT2 constructs have been attempted previously, this study contributes to the body of knowledge by focusing analysis on the application of those constructs on MSMEs in non-OECD countries and also by situating ICT adoption along the value chain of enterprises.

This study proposes an objective assessment model to evaluate the performance of internal and external capabilities of firms. It facilitates firms to invest appropriate resources to cultivate the organizational capability necessary to meet the requirements of the performance indicators.

This study integrates the concepts of resource-based theory, the organizational capability concept, and conduct a performance analysis to the four perspectives of the BSC by implementing the fuzzy set theory and data employment analysis.

The findings show that the appropriate strategies help allocate available resources and capabilities during the different product life cycle, which provides practical guidelines for firms to achieve sustaining competitive advantage.

The selected factors were focused on four resources and capabilities rather than all possible factors.

An objective assessment model was created based on internal and external competitive performance efficiency in this research field. This model facilitates the ability of the top management to make decisions for resource allocation that will enhance firm's performance.