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This design case serves to identify barriers to implementing a micro-credential initiative and describes how the institution in the case addresses them to provide strategies and lessons learned to practitioners at other institutions of higher education who may be designing a micro-credential initiative.

This design case traces a systems approach to designing a centralized and sustainable university micro-credential initiative. Sources include historical documents from the original working group, email-documented community feedback, current initiative communications, participant report, and frequency counts of micro-credentials awarded. This data is used to recount the design process and key decisions that led to revisions, or iterations, of the initiative's design.

The institution has seen rapid growth in the awarding of micro-credentials. Lessons learned included the need for thoughtful inclusion of stakeholders, selective terminology, a well-communicated attitude of iteration, repurposing of established tools and processes, and on-going support of academic faculty.

Like any design case, this study is not generalizable.

This paper provides a unique empirical account of the design, development, and implementation of a micro-credential initiative that functioned in tandem with, rather than in conflict with, shared governance and academic traditions at a higher education institution.

In view of the rapid growth of micro vacation trend in post-pandemic era, this study aims to identify the underlying motivational factors for micro vacation by developing and validating a measurement scale, while explore the influence of micro vacation motivation on travel intention.

This research adopts mixed methods. Nine dimensions with 38 items are initially yielded through extensive literature review and in-depth interview (n = 22). Expert panel review filters the scale into eight dimensions with 35 items. Principal component analysis (n = 376) purifies the measures into a 35-item and seven-dimension scale, further confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (n = 616). Nomological validity test (n = 694) proved the positive effect of micro vacation motivation on travel intention.

The results present a measurement scale of micro vacation motivation and reveals its seven dimensions: self-presentation, spiritual satisfaction, bonding, convenience, sense of rituals, place attachment and perceived risk. All the motivational factors positively influence travel intention for a micro vacation.

Through profound comprehension of micro vacationers’ travel motivation, destination marketers and tourism providers can better design their products based on vacationers’ needs while stimulate potential market’s visiting intention by diverse marketing activities.

This study enriches the literature of micro vacation tourism and deepens the knowledge of travel motivation, filling the research gap of tourists’ motivation in micro vacation market.

鉴于疫情后时代微度假趋势的快速增长, 本研究旨在通过开发和验证测量量表来探索微度假的潜在动机因素, 同时探讨微度假动机对旅游意向的影响。

本研究采用混合方法。通过广泛的文献回顾和深度访谈（n = 22）, 初步得出九个维度 38 个题项。专家小组评审将量表筛选为八个维度, 共 35 个题项。主成分分析（n = 376）将其提纯为 35 个题项、七个维度的量表, 并通过确认性因子分析（n = 616）进一步确认。法则效度测试（n = 694）证明了微观度假动机对旅游意向的积极影响。

研究结果提出了微度假动机的测量量表, 并揭示了其七个维度：自我展示、精神满足、联系、便利、仪式感、地方依恋和感知风险。所有动机因素都会对微型度假的旅行意向产生积极影响。

本研究丰富了微度假旅游的文献, 加深了对旅游动机的认识, 填补了微度假市场中游客旅游动机的研究空白。

通过对微型度假者旅游动机的深刻理解, 旅游目的地营销者和旅游服务提供者可以更好地根据度假者的需求设计产品, 同时通过多样化的营销活动激发潜在市场的旅游意向。

Frente al rápido crecimiento de la tendencia a las microvacaciones en la era post pandemia, esta investigación pretende identificar los factores motivacionales subyacentes de las microvacaciones mediante el desarrollo y la validación de una escala de medición, así como analizar la influencia de la motivación de las microvacaciones en la intención de viajar.

Esta investigación adopta un método mixto. En primer lugar, se obtienen nueve dimensiones con 38 ítems a través de una amplia revisión bibliográfica y una entrevista en profundidad (n = 22). Un panel de expertos filtró la escala en ocho dimensiones con 35 ítems. El análisis de componentes principales (n = 376) depuró las medidas en una escala de 35 ítems y siete dimensiones, confirmada además por el análisis factorial confirmatorio (n = 616). La prueba de validez nomológica (n = 694) demostró el efecto positivo de la motivación microvacacional en la intención de viajar.

Los resultados presentan una escala de medición de la motivación para las microvacaciones y muestran sus siete dimensiones: autopresentación, satisfacción espiritual, vinculación, conveniencia, sentido de los rituales, apego al lugar y riesgo percibido. Todos los factores motivacionales influyen positivamente en la intención de viajar en microvacaciones.

Este estudio enriquece la literatura del turismo de microvacaciones y profundiza en el conocimiento de la motivación para viajar, llenando la laguna existente en la investigación de la motivación de los turistas en el mercado de las microvacaciones.

Mediante una comprensión profunda de la motivación de viaje de los microvacacionistas, los comercializadores de destinos y los proveedores turísticos pueden diseñar mejor sus productos basándose en las necesidades de los turistas, así como estimular la intención de visita del mercado potencial mediante diversas actividades de marketing.

This study explores the perceptions of Australian employers regarding the benefits and challenges of micro-credentials within higher education and enablers of their effectiveness.

A qualitative approach that included 11 semi-structured interviews with employers affiliated with an Australian university was used. A deductive thematic approach was employed to analyse the data.

Micro-credentials were generally seen to be beneficial for an array of people, including employees, employers, customers and communities – stakeholders in all environmental layers of micro-credentials’ ecological system. Findings also indicated that both challenges of micro-credentials and enablers of their effectiveness depended heavily on attributes of learners, employers and higher education providers. The conclusion is that, based on the evidence of this study, micro-credentials within higher education are worth trialling.

Although research interest in micro-credentials is growing, few empirical studies have investigated micro-credentials’ benefits, challenges and enablers of effectiveness, especially from the perspective of employers. The study carries practical and policy implications for those involved with micro-credential research and development.

Although climate change-related risks affect all stakeholders along the supply chain, the potential impact on small and micro-sized suppliers is incredibly excessive. The corresponding toll of these climate risk threats on the mental health and well-being of owners of small and micro-sized suppliers can adversely affect their participation in sustainability efforts, ultimately impacting the firm's performance. This often-overlooked dynamic forms the core of our research. We probe into two pivotal aspects: how industry dynamism and climate risk affect the mental health and well-being of owners of small and micro-sized suppliers and how, in turn, dictate involvement and, consequently, supply chain sustainability performance. This is further nuanced by the moderating role of the abusive behavior of buyers.

Our study is built on resource dependency theory and the supporting empirical evidence is fortified by a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. This study comprises three phases. In the first phase, our experiment examines the effect of industry dynamism and climate risk exposure on sustainable supply chain management performance. Hypotheses H1a and H1b are tested in the first phase. The second phase involves using a survey and structural equation modeling to test the comprehensiveness of the model. Here, the relationship between industry dynamism, climate risk exposure, mental health and well-being of owners of small and micro-sized supplier firms, supplier involvement and sustainable supply chain management (H2–H7) is tested in the second phase. In the third phase, we adopt a qualitative approach to verify and provide descriptive explanations of phase two findings.

Our findings underscore the significance of small and micro-sized suppliers in sustainability, offering invaluable insights for both theoretical understanding and practical implementation. Our study highlights that buyers must allocate sufficient resources to support small and micro-sized supplier firms and collaborate closely to address climate change and its impacts.

The key takeaway from this study is that buyer firms should consider SDG 3, which focuses on the good health and well-being of their employees and the mental health and well-being of owners of small and micro-sized suppliers in their upstream supply chain. This approach enhances sustainability performance in supply chains.

This is one of the first studies that shows that industry dynamism and climate risk exposure can negatively impact small and micro-sized suppliers in the presence of a contextual element, i.e. abusive behavior of buyers, and ultimately, it negatively impacts sustainable supply chain performance dimensions.

This study aims to examine the impact of coworking spaces (CWS) on the wellbeing and entrepreneurial satisfaction of remotely working micro-entrepreneurs, highlighting the role of these spaces beyond conventional work locations. It specifically investigates how CWS foster a supportive ecosystem for micro-entrepreneurs, supporting their professional journey.

Employing a mixed-methodological approach, this study uses nearest-neighbor matching and multiple regressions based on quantitative surveys from a representative sample of micro-entrepreneurs, including those working from CWS, and a qualitative focus group with frequent CWS users. This comprehensive approach allows for a nuanced exploration of the impacts of CWS on micro-entrepreneurs' wellbeing and satisfaction.

The study finds that micro-entrepreneurs experience significant benefits from utilizing CWS, most notably in terms of wellbeing and work–life balance. These spaces provide valuable support through community building, networking opportunities and structured work environments. The benefits of CWS are particularly pronounced for women and micro-entrepreneurs with young children, aiding in boundary management and mitigating the challenges of social isolation.

We provide clear implications for remotely working micro-entrepreneurs, especially women with young children at home, on why to use CWS as their primary locations. The findings also offer insights for policymakers and CWS providers, underlining the importance of designing CWS environments that meet micro-entrepreneurs' diverse needs.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a detailed examination of the utilization of CWS among micro-entrepreneurs and the impact of CWS on their wellbeing and entrepreneurial satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to perform a thorough analysis of the literature on the parameters of sustainability of the micro-enterprises. It seeks to provide an organizing framework to identify research gaps and future directions. Using data from Web of Science and Scopus, the study offers insights into key trends, authorship and thematic shifts, informing future research design and positioning.

Researchers used a systematic review methodology, gathering data from Web of Science and Scopus databases. R Studio software facilitated bibliometric analysis. This study scrutinized research papers to construct an organizing framework and identify thematic trends in sustainability parameters for micro-enterprises.

The review presents a comprehensive overview of sustainability parameters in micro-enterprises, revealing significant research trends, key authors, countries and journals. It identifies gaps and suggests future research directions, aiding in the design and positioning of forthcoming studies in this domain.

Limitations may include the scope of databases accessed and potential biases in the selected literature. Future studies could explore additional databases or incorporate qualitative analyses for deeper insights into sustainability parameters in micro-enterprises.

This study offers practical insights for policymakers, practitioners and researchers by highlighting key sustainability parameters in micro-enterprises. It informs decision-making processes concerning resource allocation, policy formulation and support mechanisms for sustainable development.

Understanding sustainability parameters in micro-enterprises has significant social implications, particularly for vulnerable groups like craftsmen, women and young entrepreneurs. By addressing these parameters, interventions can enhance livelihoods and contribute to broader socio-economic development.

By providing a thorough analysis of sustainability factors in micro-enterprises and applying bibliometric analysis to shed light on research trends, this paper adds to the body of literature. Its organized framework identifies gaps and guides future research, offering value to scholars, policymakers and practitioners invested in sustainable development at the grassroots level.

Micro-finance has a significant role in the better performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This study aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the existing literature on the role of micro-finance and its approaches in MSMEs.

This work performs a bibliometric analysis using a data set of 631 articles collected from the Scopus database. The Bibliometrix R package and Vosviewer are used to conduct performance analysis and scientific mapping. Performance analysis shows the publication trend, key authors, journals and top influential articles. Science mapping through a bibliographic coupling network of documents is prepared to discover the intellectual structure of the field.

This review has identified the four major themes: access to finance and schemes, women empowerment and poverty alleviation, the performance of micro-finance institutions and recent development in micro-financial institutions. With the help of these research themes, the paper also highlights future research agendas.

This paper enriches the understanding of the role of micro-finance services in performance of entrepreneurship with the bibliometric review of top contributors.

Microbusinesses are better able to assist many disadvantaged groups in finding employment and breaking the cycle of poverty because they require less initial capital and employ a large number of poor people in developing economies. Women run and own the majority of micro-businesses in urban Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate women’s microbusiness participation decisions and the effect on poverty in the Wolaita zone southern Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional study was carried out using a mixed-methods research approach. A total of 384 women who owned micro-businesses were chosen using a systematic random sampling technique, while 36 women were purposefully chosen for qualitative data analysis. Data were gathered through survey questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The collected data were analyzed by using a propensity score matching technique as well as contextual analysis.

The study discovered that women’s participation in registered micro-businesses had a higher and more beneficial impact on their food, non-food and overall consumer spending than women’s participation in unregistered microbusinesses, which helped to reduce poverty. Besides, overall women’s participation in micro-business increased their decision-making power and enabled them to provide resources for their families food and non-food consumption, with registered micro-business participants reaping the greatest benefits.

This research focused on the effects of women’s micro-entrepreneurship on poverty in low-income communities. Rather than providing food, clothing and/or other aid to women in disadvantaged communities, the authors asserted that assisting women and their micro-businesses allows them to be self-sufficient in terms of food and clothing as a long-term solution to poverty reduction. As a result, policymakers can use our findings to gain a better understanding of how women’s micro-entrepreneurship affects poverty reduction, allowing them to develop more effective anti-poverty initiatives. This study’s findings are novel and add to the body of knowledge in Ethiopia and the sub-Saharan African region.

Self-presentation is an important aspect of influencer marketing. Drawing upon self-presentation theory and source credibility theory, this study aimed to unravel how the self-presentation strategies of a layperson, opinion leadership and micro-celebrity influence source credibility (i.e. trustworthiness, expertise, physical attractiveness and social attractiveness) and how source credibility, in turn, affects brand responses.

An online experiment among female participants (N = 229) was conducted. Participants were shown a sponsored blog in which the influencer presented herself as either a layperson, an opinion leader or a micro-celebrity.

The study demonstrated that the presentation strategy of a layperson was more persuasive than a micro-celebrity presentation because of higher levels of (1) trust and (2) social attractiveness. In addition, opinion leaders were perceived as having more expertise than laypeople and, therefore, positively enhanced brand responses.

The current findings provide relevant insights into the theoretical mechanisms (i.e. expertise, trustworthiness and social attractiveness) that explain the effects of self-presentation strategies on brand responses.

Our findings imply that credibility perceptions determine the persuasiveness of the SMI. This study showed that layperson and opinion leadership self-presentation strategies are relatively more persuasive.

This study is the first to show that influencers’ self-presentation strategies determine how people respond to the brands that influencers promote. In addition, we show that these effects are explained by the influencers’ trust, social attractiveness and expertise.

Drawing on a framework of sustainable career theory, this paper aims to understand the interplay of agentic and contextual factors for digital micro-entrepreneurs to lead sustainable careers.

Eighteen YouTube content creators in India participated in semi-structured interviews, offering coverage of digital content creators across acting, cosmetics, finance, fitness, food, law, modelling, music, teaching, travel, and video games.

The findings showed three agentic and three contextual themes associated with the career sustainability of a digital micro-entrepreneur. Additionally, four paradoxes were identified, capturing the interplay between the agentic and contextual themes.

The career of a digital micro-entrepreneur is a dichotomy of promising hope, stardom, and flexibility while concealing challenges like precarity, hate comments, and financial instability. Knowing this can help individuals make better-informed career decisions.

The study advances sustainable career theory by capturing insights from digital micro-entrepreneurs in India to understand the interplay of agentic and contextual factors that create a series of paradoxes for such individuals to navigate over time.