Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics

1-38

Authors: Chang Hong Lim, Ai Ping Teoh

This paper aims to investigate the impact of digital leadership on the institutional performance of private higher education institutions (PHEIs) in the digital era. Supported by the Resource-Based View Theory and the digital leadership dimensions based on the International Society for Technology in Education-Administrators (ISTE-A) standards, the study examined the roles of visionary leadership, digital-age learning culture, professional excellence, systemic improvement, and digital citizenship influencing the performance of PHEIs in Malaysia. An online questionnaire survey was adopted, and a non-probability sampling method utilizing purposive sampling was applied. A total of 121 usable responses were collected from leaders in Malaysia PHEIs and analyzed based on structural equation modelling via the SmartPLS 3.3. The results showed that digital-age learning culture, professional excellence, and digital citizenship positively affect the PHEIs performance. However, visionary leadership and systemic improvement do not have a significant positive relationship with performance. The findings provide information to future researchers and leaders in PHEIs on the vital roles of a digital-age learning culture, professional excellence and digital citizenship in today’s institutions. The novelty of this study contributed to the body of knowledge in digital leadership and performance in the context of PHEIs in an emerging market.

76-108

Authors: Pakyasri Visvanathan, Rajendran Muthuveloo

Government hospital nurses’ shortages in Malaysia due to early retirement or leaving the profession is apparent in the workforce nowadays. This results in the loss of experienced and skilled nurses and a financial burden to the government due to longer provision funds or pension pay-out. To better manage this workforce, it is crucial to identify and understand the individual needs that influences the nurses’ intention to retire. The four individual needs, namely, health, financial stability, individual career competency and work-life balance, are analyzed on their influence on retirement intention. The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is used to support the paper’s framework, focusing on the individual needs and its relatedness to retirement intention. The endpoint of this study further identifies and confirms the individual needs’ (health, financial stability, individual career competency and work-life balance) that influences nurses’ intention to stay or retire from their current role. The study aims to aid the academics and practitioners to understand better and address the issue of retirement intention among nurses to reduce their shortage and the financial burden of the government. Subsequently, it aids in the finding of core needs that influences decision towards retirement besides knowing the preferred retirement age of nurses by analyzing the effect of individual needs on retirement intention.

141-176

Authors: Kavigtha Mohan Kumar

The article aims to focus on sustainable logistics practices and how their transport service providers performance is while offering transport services to manufacturers. The literature on sustainability indicators integrating social, environmental and economic dimensions are seldom appeared in the literature particularly in the logistics freight transport segment. In fact, the social aspect of sustainability practices was totally neglected in the literature and hence a study of this nature is initiated. The mediating effect of buyer supplier relationship between practices and performance has been further investigated. The framework has been developed from extensive synthesis of literature related to Sustainable Logistics Practices and Logistics Transport Performance with the mediating effect of supplier support. The study highlights on the manufacturers’ perceptions on transport logistics services. The existing research gaps on sustainable logistics were critically evaluated and is addressed through the research framework. This paper used triple bottom line approach to gauge the performance of trasnport service provider, TBL approach was less explored, therefore this research helps to address the gap identified under the sustainability logistics. In particular, most of the research on logistics practices either focus on individual dimension or combination of two dimensions based on environmental and economic aspects only. The present paper is among the few studies to conceptualize sustainability logistic practices for logistic freight transport sector in developing a holistic business model which includes social dimension as well.

212-264

Authors: Ariful Islam, Mazuwin Binti Haja Maideen, Sazali Abd Wahab, Noor Inayah binti Ya’akub, Ahmad Shaharudin Abdul Latif

Recognizing the multifaceted nature of firm growth, the search for a sustainable growth paradigm for small and medium-sized enterprises is prominent in academic debate. Despite the government's many assistance programs, small and medium enterprises are struggling to survive in the long run. Interestingly, sustainability reinforced by spirituality is viewed as a new strategic imperative and long-term objective for businesses. Recently, the adoption and usage of advanced technology have also enabled new capabilities, such as the ability to focus on fast-changing business opportunities. Thus, the study attempts to conceptualize an effective growth direction founded on the business perspectives of sustainability, advanced technology, and spirituality. A systematic analysis of literature has been executed to analyze the sustainable growth configuration triggered by recent business perspectives, in which over 369 publications are read and reviewed by the authors. It has also established the reliability and validity of literature analysis. Also, a short form of qualitative investigation has been used to support the conceptualization of the study. The outcomes of the study successfully established a new growth paradigm-the SHG (Smart Holistic Growth). Here, the strategic convergence of social, economic, environmental, technological, and spiritual performance has the potential to enable SMEs to survive in the long term. Each of these growth antecedents work interdependently with each other to strengthen the firms’ strategic objectives. On this note, the outcomes of the study can enhance business differentiation and competitiveness to endure environmental uncertainties. Also, this may be useful to promote the responsible use of advanced technology, which is key to creating active and informed citizens in the public sphere. This study is a unique attempt to extend the current understanding of the sustained form of growth of SMEs considering the integration of the mentioned business perspectives.

277-293

Authors: Thi Ngoc Thuy Doan, Chia-Hua Chang

Exporting is imperative for a contemporary business as it enhances firm competitiveness and performance. Previous studies have focused on the link between exporting and innovation. Firms’ innovation is enhanced after entering the export market by absorbing the knowledge of these markets. Nevertheless, there is little evidence in developing economies. In the Southeast Asian context, this relationship has not yet been explored. Thus, this study investigates the role of exports in firm-level technological innovation (product and process innovations) in Southeast Asia. Using a sample of 4,416 manufacturing firms in 2015 and 2016 and a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression to deal with the hierarchies of the data set, the study finds empirical evidence that involvement in exporting activities can spur corporate technological innovation. The practical implication emphasizes the support of Southeast Asian governments to encourage exporting activities.