In 2020, during the peak period of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the scarcity of medical protective products significantly influenced consumers’ impulsive purchasing and affected the public order. It is important to identify the effect of scarcity on consumers’ impulsive purchasing during this difficult time. However, scant research has been conducted on the impact of scarcity of medical protective products on Chinese consumers’ impulsive purchasing. This paper investigates the impact of the scarcity of medical protective products on consumers’ impulsive purchasing during the pandemic in China based on the theories of scarcity, S-O-R and bandwagon effect. Simultaneously, this study identifies the different mediating mechanisms (fear of missing out and perception) and the moderation (bandwagon) in the relationship between scarcity and impulsive purchasing. Finally, 509 validity data were collected by using an online questionnaire, and SmartPLS was used for data analysis. The findings present that the fear of missing out, perception and bandwagon dominate the scarcity effect on impulsive purchasing. The findings provide more information on consumers’ impulsive purchasing in the context of scarcity of medical protective products. Marketers and the Chinese government can adopt measures to reduce their effect, which may help maintain the public order during the epidemic.

Purpose: The study aims to reflect on past research, uncover current trends and propose a future research agenda in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) for competency-based personalised learning.Design/methodology/approach: The study followed the SPAR-4-SLR protocol to retrieve 855 articles related to the field indexed in the Scopus database. Performance analysis, network analysis and science mapping were then performed using VOSviewer and the Biblioshiny app.Findings: The analysis identified nine clusters of intellectual structure (healthcare, competencies, learning systems, digital transformation, AI literacy, computer-aided education, AI ethics, e-learning and active learning) and twelve themes (including motor, basic, emerging and niche).Originality/value: Following an extensive review of the literature, this would appear to be the first study to provide a panoramic view of AI for competency-based personalised learning based on the Scopus database. The core gaps in the current literature have been identified and the corresponding future agenda will be instrumental in shaping future research directions in the field.

Guest editorial: Technology infused education, preparing graduates for a digital employment market - Author: Jason Turner, Ibiwani Alisa Hussain

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been the subject of various practitioner and academic research to better understand the underlying reasons for success and failure. In the Malaysian context, focusing on non-financial factors, three key themes emerge that are associated with SME success: connections, ethical principles, and partnerships. This study explores their individual and collective roles in SME success by capturing real-time perceptions from identified stakeholders through sentiment analysis of social media comments. Based on a curated sample of 58 comments from the Entrepreneurship and Startups in Malaysia Facebook group, the research integrated Natural Language Processing (NLP) models to detect expressions such as sarcasm and irony, along with manual thematic validation. This study revealed distinctive sentiment patterns among SMEs, with positive sentiment concentrated in themes related to employee reliability and intrinsic motivation, the integration of ethics into everyday operations and systems, and collaboration with complementary partnerships. This study demonstrated the strength of sentiment analysis of organic digital communications as a means of scaling, unobtrusively, and continuously diagnosing the health of an SME’s vital intangible ecosystem. The resulting framework proactively monitors and fosters relational pillars, enabling a shift from intuitive management to evidence-based interventions.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and setting out a problem which I would encourage you to follow up with some empirical research. I agree with the comments from my colleague around strengthening the justification for selecting dignity as your fo...