Digitalization technology has emerged as a critical tool for promoting and sustaining rural entrepreneurship by providing greater access to information and new business opportunities. It can enhance the competitiveness of rural entrepreneurs by enabling them to leverage e-commerce platforms, social media, and other digital tools to access the global market. However, the uneven distribution of digital infrastructure and the lack of digital literacy in rural areas can create significant barriers to digital adoption and pose challenges to promoting sustainable rural entrepreneurship. Hence, this paper aims to structurally review related studies from 2 databases (Scopus and EconBiz) by utilizing Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). A total of 30 papers were eligible for evaluation. The findings were discussed based on three themes: the role, challenges and opportunities, and impact of digitalization technology on rural entrepreneurship. The adoption of digitalization technology among rural entrepreneurs has the potential to drive economic growth, create employment opportunities, and foster sustainable development in rural areas.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sustainability management accounting, environmental management system, and organizational performance for the Malaysian manufacturing industry. The data were collected from 350 manufacturing companies in Malaysia using online questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the relationship between sustainability management accounting, environmental management system, and organizational performance. The findings showed that there was a significant positive relationship between sustainability management accounting and organizational performance (β = 0.530, p < 0.001), sustainability management accounting and environmental management system (β = 0.583, p < 0.001), and environmental management system and organizational performance (β = 0.168, p < 0.05). The findings also found an indirect effect of sustainability management accounting on organizational performance (β = 0.271, p < 0.05) through environmental management system implementation. Results show that environmental management systems can be considered as partial mediators. The environmental management system as a mediator for the Malaysian manufacturing industry increased the impact of sustainability management accounting on organizational performance. This study provides a fundamental approach for practitioners and manufacturing researchers to improve organizational performance through the implementation of sustainability management accounting and environmental management systems.

Using the Relationship Investment Model, this study examines the effects of satisfaction, relationship investment dimensions, and alternative attractiveness on student commitment and, consequently, on student engagement towards higher education institutions (HEIs). This research adopts the positivism, quantitative, and deductive approaches. Data were gathered from a sample of 250 students through the street-intercept systematic sampling and were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that satisfaction and student direct investment significantly affect student commitment, which in turn influences student engagement towards HEIs. While the findings provide guidance to HEIs in designing an effective engagement program that will ensure their relevance in the competitive educational world, this research is limited by several factors, which will require refinement and replication in future research.

In the past decade, franchising has become a well-known platform for business expansion. Various strategies have been employed by franchisors in expanding their business into the global market. However, few studies have assessed the determinants that can be adopted by the franchisors in bringing value as well as opening up opportunities for global market expansion. This study aims to explore the determinants of global expansion based on Malaysian franchisors’ experience. A qualitative research approach was adopted through various case studies with ten franchisors from the food and beverage industry in Malaysia. In-depth interviews were carried out to explore this topic. Thematic analysis was performed through the “Atlas.ti” software package version 9.0, which was also used in analyzing the data. The findings indicated that there are four themes, and nine sub-themes were discovered from the grounded data. The franchisors agreed that franchise brand, business location, product, advertising, and promotion were able to influence franchisors in designing strategies for global expansion. The data were also able to provide an in-depth understanding of the determinants for global expansion that can be undertaken as a guide to prospective franchisors who want to start exploring the global market. These results are expected to assist the government as well as the agencies involved with franchising in improving related policies, strategies and programmes. Thus, it is important to understand these determinants in order to survive in a competitive global market.

Wakaf pendidikan ditubuhkan sebagai alternatif untuk mengurangkan beban pembiayaan kerajaan bagi tujuan pembangunan institusi pendidikan. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh peletakan pasaran institusi pengajian tinggi terhadap wakaf pendidikan. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif. Sampel terdiri daripada 381 orang responden Muslim yang berumur 18 tahun ke atas di sekitar kawasan penempatan Universiti Teknologi Mara Seri Iskandar, Perak. Teknik persampelan rawak sistematik digunakan bagi proses pengumpulan data kajian. Data dianalisis menggunakan dua kaedah analisis statistik iaitu deskriptif dan inferens. Statistik deskriptif terdiri daripada analisis kekerapan, peratus, min dan sisihan piawai dengan menggunakan perisian Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS). Statistik inferens pula melibatkan analisis Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) menerusi perisian Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). Dapatan analisis hubungan langsung mendapati atribut peletakan pasaran iaitu imej dan personaliti mempunyai pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap kecenderungan berwakaf kepada IPT. Justeru, peningkatan dan penurunan imej dan personaliti IPT mampu mempengaruhi peningkatan dan penurunan wakaf pengajian tinggi. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa imej dan personaliti IPT yang unggul dapat meletakkan institusi pengajian tinggi berada di tempat yang lebih baik dalam persaingan pasaran pendidikan. Implikasi kajian ini dapat membantu institusi pengajian tinggi mengenalpasti strategi peletakan pasaran yang tepat dalam mempromosikan wakaf pendidikan kepada masyarakat dan pemegang taruh.