Regarding the association between information and communication technology (ICT) and economic growth and energy consumption, particularly in developing economies, there is a great deal of controversy and a lack of empirical study. This study applies Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (QARDL) approach to empirically probe into the effect of ICT on energy consumption and economic growth in China. Two corresponding models for energy consumption and economic growth are formulated and the data of all of the variables spanning over 1995-2021 period is taken from different secondary sources. The findings of the study reveal significant and positive impact of ICT on economic growth at all quantiles in the short and long run. Similarly ICT has significant and positive impact on energy consumption also at all quantiles. The Quantile Granger Causality test provides evidence for bidirectional causality between ICT and economic growth and ICT and energy consumption. Wald test proved the presence of and symmetric and linear association between ICT and economic growth and ICT and energy consumption at quantiles in the long and short run both. In the light of these findings, the study recommends the Chinese government and investors to have more investment in energy efficient ICT products that consume less energy and help increase in economic growth in China.

This study aims to explore how flexible inventory management affects financial performance from the perspective of quick adjustments of inventory deviations, in which firm growth and firm size are moderators. Using the empirical data collected from 1953 listed manufacturing enterprises in China from 2005 to 2021, this research employs the moderation model combined with the three-way interaction analysis to test hypotheses. The results reveal that the relationship between inventory flexibility and financial performance is positive, while firm growth weakens this relationship. Furthermore, firm size reduces the negative moderating effect of firm growth on the relationship between inventory flexibility and financial performance. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the role of quick adjustments in flexible inventory management. From a developing country perspective, this study identifies the important relationships between inventory flexibility, firm growth, firm size and financial performance. The findings will be of interest to both emerging and other developing countries.

The present study aims to establish a link between digital and humanitarian supply chain management. This study has focused on using artificial intelligence-big data analytical capabilities and information alignment to develop and maintain supply chain collaboration to achieve supply chain agility in a dynamic environment like a disaster. The targeted population is humanitarian organizations in Pakistan. Simple random sampling method, data was collected from 242 respondents using an online questionnaire. The Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modelling technique has been used for analysis. Resource Based Theory and Contingency Theory in this study have provided foundations to develop and test the relationships among information alignment, supply chain agility, artificial intelligence – big data analytical capabilities, and supply chain collaboration in disaster management. Findings showed the use of artificial intelligence – big data analytical capabilities are beneficial for information alignment and supply chain agility.

The objective of this paper is to use a meso-level empirical analysis to confirm the usefulness of the concepts of the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU) and the Non-Accelerating Infection Rate of Unemployment (NARRU). The atypically negative values are consistent with the findings in an economy in transition and during a global financial and economic recession. A higher value of NARRU than NAIRU signals that the intensity of the government's counter-pandemic measures is inadequate to match the depth of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the labour market. The lower value of the positive gap between unemployment for the NAIRU concept versus that of NARRU implies that the impact of counter-pandemic measures on the labour market was smaller than that required by the pandemic burden on society. The government of the Czech Republic should have implemented a stricter lockdown or ensured a sufficient supply of respirator masks. Localised negative Phillips curve (PC) slopes at the meso level confirm the suitability of applying the NAIRU and NARRU concepts during the period of COVID-19. Ad hoc analysis and regression estimation of PC shifts on a rolling basis and a Break model in the last period analysed (April 2021 to March 2022) found that the PC in the first phase (April to August 2021) and in the fourth phase (February to March 2022) typically had a negative slope in both concepts. In the second phase (September and October 2021) and third phase (November 2021 to January 2022), the analysis located a PC with an atypically positive slope, which is related to fluctuations associated with the pandemic and measures against it.

This paper focuses on the distribution of the working poor by income level across countries and examines how indicators such as the level of unemployment, the labour force, and the number of self-employed, impact that distribution. In addition, it also examines the impact of official development assistance and the massive influx of refugees as a result of the Syrian conflict. Four income levels of the working poor are analysed using the panel data technique. The sample includes the 5 main host countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey) for the period from 1991 to 2021. Our results confirm that unemployment is not a significant predictor for developing countries, so we recommend indicators of job quality. Moreover, our results confirm a low impact of refugees on the labour market in host countries. Furthermore, the effect of self-employment on the income level of the working poor is positive but limited.

Covid - 19 has affected global value chains (GVCs) and firms’ behaviours within GVCs to a large extent. Firms need to find flexible solutions to stabilize production and rethink value chain governance and supplier relationships. Thus, GVCs recover from the initial shock, and the GVCs reconfiguration becomes essential for managers. We reviewed recent literature focusing on the GVCs, the role of governance and Covid – 19 effects on it as well as the regionalization trend. Thus, this study aims to give empirical evidence on the reconfiguration of GVCs, particularly the changes in the structure of suppliers in the global apparel industry, by using the Bloomberg Supply Chain Analysis tool in the period of 2017-2021. We analysed the structural changes in selected leading apparel multinational companies’ GVCs - Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. (Inditex), Hennes &Mauritz AB (H & M) and adidas AG. The findings provide insights on the current state of the theoretically discussed and widely expected regionalization trend in GVCs. The study concludes that two out of three cases provide evidence indicating an ongoing trend toward GVCs regionalization. The contribution of this study consists of empirical evidence of the changes in GVCs supplier structure in the apparel industry in response to pandemic global business environment. Practical implications and recommendations for businesses and policy makers are related to the revealed theories and testable models by using Bloomberg’s Supply Chain Analysis data and linking causes and effects of the GVCs regionalization processes.

Digital transformation has given enterprises new development power, so can digital transformation disclosure indirectly enhance enterprise value and then affect enterprise stocks? This study collects the posts related to digital transformation published by 34 listed companies in China's top 100 in the four financial newspapers and periodicals from 2018 to 2021 as a sample, takes the disclosure of digital transformation of three enterprises as explanatory variables, and makes an empirical analysis on the impact degree of stocks of different main enterprises from the perspective of stakeholders based on hypocrisy theory and organizational facade theory. Research shows that different types of hypocrisy strategies will have different effects on corporate stocks. Among them, digital transformation action disclosure has a significant positive impact on enterprise stocks, speech and decision disclosure have a negative impact on enterprise stocks, and speech disclosure has a more significant impact than decision disclosure. In addition, according to the heterogeneity analysis of enterprise nature and industry category, the results show that non-state-owned enterprises and energy enterprises are more sensitive to digital transformation, have a stronger willingness to actively transform, and have a more significant impact on enterprise stocks. This conclusion provides a theoretical reference for China's listed enterprises to enhance enterprise value.

To achieve a zero-carbon agenda, businesses in emerging economies need to focus on green production resources to develop a circular economy. This study identified the key role of green financing in mobilizing pro-environmental behaviours for achieving sustainable production and a circular economy. The study aimed to study the effect of green financing on the pro-environmental behaviours of educational institutes within China. A quantitative methodology was adopted, and structured questionnaires were used for the collection of data from educational sector employees. The data was collected from both administrators and teachers with a random sampling technique and was later analyzed through SEM. The results showed that green financing aids institutions in the implementation of pro-environmental behaviours and also sustainable policy development was found to mediate the association between low carbon management, carbon asset transactions, and energy saving and emission reduction technologies and green financing. This study makes valuable contributions to the literature on green financing, sustainable development, and pr-environmental behaviours. The findings can help the education sector to adopt sustainable practices. It may also contribute to helping policymakers develop policies related to pro-environmental behaviours. Furthermore, the paper explores the green financial aspect of educational institutes, making it a valuable resource for both theory and practice.

The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the trends in the expression of the month effect in the Nasdaq Baltic and Nasdaq Nordic stock markets, as well as to examine whether the seasonal stock price fluctuations occur in all industrial sectors of these markets or are specific to certain sectors only. The OMX Baltic Benchmark, OMX Baltic, and OMX Nordic 40 indexes, which reflect the situation in the Baltic and Nordic stock markets, were used in the study to assess seasonality at the market level. To assess the seasonality in separate sectors of the Baltic and Nordic markets, we used sectoral indexes calculated in these markets. The data sample covers the period from January 2, 2004 through December 31, 2019. The methodology of the research used to examine seasonality in daily returns entails estimating a regression with dummies and GARCH (1,1) to capture month effects. Although the results of OLS and GARCH (1,1) analysis were quite different, they proved the existence of the month effect in both the Baltic and Nordic stock markets. The results of the analysis of seasonal fluctuations in stock prices at sector-level evidenced that month effects appear both in Baltic market and Nordic market, which allows earning abnormal returns in particular months for those who invested in stock of certain sectors. Our research has evidenced that trends in the volatility of stock prices in separate months in the Baltic countries are not stable and are characterized by greater instability as compared to the Nordic countries.

The development of electronic retailing as a new retail marketing channel based on the Internet appears in contemporary theory and practice. In such market conditions, there is a research problem in which the level of development of the retail market and increasing concentration and competition in the market impact the development of electronic retailing. The aim to prove in this paper is to determine whether the level of concentration of the traditional retail market influences the share of electronic retailing in total retail revenue. The Danube region countries are chosen because of differences in the level of development of the retail market and electronic retailing. The sale revenues of the largest retailers based on which the level of concentration of the retail market in a particular country is determined are analyzed. The study concluded that a high share of the ten biggest retailers in the total retail revenue, as an indicator of the development of the retail market, follows the high share of e-retailing in total retail revenue to some extent. The results also confirmed a significant relation between the origin and types of retailers and the degree of concentration of electronic retail. Recommendations for future research are given in the paper.