Lately, smartphones have had a significant impact on how individuals act, mainly when they shop. In Malaysia, Shopee is the online shopping website that has garnered the most traffic from e-commerce sites. Shopee Express recognizes the importance of customer happiness and brand loyalty in measuring consumer purchasing behavior for long-term performance. Some prior studies have had mixed results on the factors that influence online shopping apps’ brand loyalty with the interactive effect of other variables. To contribute to resolving these varied views, this study proposes that customer satisfaction mediates the antecedent factors that influence students’ loyalty to the Shopee app. As a cross-sectional online survey, we obtained data from 298 university students using the Shopee application. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data, whereby the results confirmed a significant effect of the accuracy of delivery on brand loyalty and customer satisfaction, the price of delivery and customer satisfaction, and information quality on brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, easy payment also significantly affected brand loyalty and customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction mediates delivery accuracy and brand loyalty, the price of delivery, information quality, and the brand loyalty link of students to the Shopee application. This study’s novelty is uncovering the intervening role of customer satisfaction in the antecedent factors of brand loyalty of the Shopee app. This study further contributes by providing helpful information to the stream of online logistic firms like Shopee to meet client needs and by providing valuable insights for scholars.

This study focuses on human resource management (HRM) practices that encourage employee engagement. It aims to explore the relationship between HRM practices and employee engagement and also investigates the moderating role of employee gender between both variables. The study applied a cross-sectional research design alongside correlational and regression analysis to evaluate the responses of 410 employees working in unicorn startups based in Gurgaon, New Delhi, and Mumbai through the structured survey questionnaires. Regarding the respondents’ gender, the majority are male (70%), and female constitutes 30%. However, the study results demonstrated that no matter an employee’s age or gender, effective HRM practices have a strong positive correlation with employee engagement (β = 0.93; p < 0.001). The results of the regression model show that HRM practices have explained 87% of the variance in employee engagement, which indicates that most of the employee engagement level depends on the best HRM practices of the organization. The gender differences do not significantly moderate this relationship. The F value in ANOVA analysis showed the overall significance of the model. The findings illustrated that by improving skills and promoting employee engagement, individuals experience heightened satisfaction levels and assume greater responsibility for their assigned duties. AcknowledgmentThis study is supported via funding from Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University project number (PSAU/2023/R/1445).

Universities offer internship programs to help students apply academic knowledge, gain skills, and support future careers. These programs should be updated to meet evolving labor market demands. In EFL, emphasis has been on pre-service teacher education, with internships for EFL learners. Studies on internships for EFL students in non-educational courses, such as literature and translation, are few. Given the importance of English in globalization and soft skills aligned with SDG 4, addressing this gap is vital. The current study surveyed 82 EFL interns who completed 8-week training at 24 organizations, as well as their representatives. It evaluates internship programs for EFL students in non-educational tracks by examining the perceptions of interns and representatives of training institutions to improve curricula and better meet labor market needs. Quantitative data (intern responses) were analyzed descriptively and with t-tests in SPSS, while qualitative data (institution responses) were analyzed thematically using MAXQDA. The study found that the trainees and institutions were satisfied with the internship plan and its management. Nevertheless, they reported a mismatch between the skills targeted by the academic program and the skills needed in the labor market. These findings imply that EFL programs should be updated in line with the perspectives of all stakeholders to ensure that students are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the 21st-century workplace, while also responding to the knowledge-based economy and to global calls for inclusive, high-quality education under SDG 4.