The rapid rise of technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain is transforming supply chain management by boosting efficiency, transparency, and resilience. This paper examines how these technologies optimize supply chains, focusing on predictive analytics, real-time monitoring, and secure data exchange. AI excels in automation and decision-making, IoT enables real-time data gathering, and blockchain ensures trust and transparency. Case studies from Amazon, Maersk, Walmart, and Pfizer illustrate improvements in efficiency, risk reduction, and cost savings. Additionally, challenges like high costs, data privacy, and lack of standardization are discussed, along with future trends in edge computing, quantum computing, and digital twins. The study highlights AI, IoT, and blockchain as essential to building smarter, adaptable supply chains capable of thriving in today's global economy.

Despite the growth of Islamic banking and finance, in recent times due attention were given to the issue of Islamic microfinance. It is so because, as per various estimates over two billion people across globe are still living in a miserable poverty which is a global challenge and India not being an exception. Since the Poverty remains, a continuous challenge throughout the human history so as the efforts to overcome poverty. Among various efforts a conventional micro finance a “new model” received global recognition and a hope. But even if successful stories in bringing development and eradicating poverty by small credit tool to poor and by gaining growing attentions by world bank , still millennium development goal remains unachieved. The critics’ remains not only restricted to, in reaching all forms of poor rather high unbearable interest rates and avoidance by Muslims due to interest are on debate. As an alternative, Islamic finance has its operations both in Islamic and Non-Islamic countries along Islamic Micro finance. It is so because Islamic microfinance programs are complement to Islamic banking, both in ideological and in practical terms. Although IMF is still in infancy stage even though growing rapidly. Various experiments either on individual level or group level are mostly practicing Islamic micro credit products. But Islamic micro crediting has not been yet formally reached to people for India. Therefore this study aims to investigate the prospects based on determinants. The target population has been taken a potential benifacries of interest free micro finance. The paper adopts a Quantifiable approach as a Questionnaire distributed in paper format based on stratified sampling with 602 as final responses. The findings shows that in general the community is cognizant of the various terms used in Interest free microfinance but in respects of products/services existing by Islamic microfinance institutes, it indicates the level of awareness is very low.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how economic policy uncertainty (EPU) influences the inventory levels of 6,150 companies in ten emerging economies, specifically Chile, Brazil, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia and Singapore.Design/methodology/approach: The data used in this study is of quarterly frequency from 2004Q1 to 2020Q4 collected from the COMPUSTAT global database. To estimate the coefficients, this study has employed a two-step GMM model.Findings: We have discovered new evidence indicating a curvilinear relationship, specifically an inverted U-shaped pattern, between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and corporate inventory holdings. These findings remain resilient when subjected to various rigorous tests. Furthermore, we observe that firms with lower financial constraints are capable of increasing their inventory holdings to a significant extent in the presence of high economic policy uncertainty (EPU) than firms facing higher financial constraints.Originality/value: Our research adds to the expanding body of literature that explores the impact of economic policy uncertainty on firm-level decision-making. We provide fresh evidence regarding the correlation between economic policy uncertainty and inventory holding, specifically focusing on emerging economies worldwide. Furthermore, we make a valuable contribution to the existing literature by examining whether the association between economic policy uncertainty and inventory holdings is influenced by the extent of financial constraints.

Purpose: This study aims to identify the key factors affecting sustainable house adoption by Muslim civil servants in Ethiopia. These findings provide insights into how the income level, environmental awareness, sustainable land policy, security, and infrastructure of Muslim civil servants potentially influence housing adoption. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a quantitative approach. We used a technique called partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the data. The main exogenous variables in this study were income level, environmental awareness, government land policy, affordability, security and infrastructure. These were derived from existing theoretical frameworks of sustainable housing adoption. The researchers collected 370 structured questionnaires using a five-point Likert scale from a sample of civil servants to gather information on sustainable housing adoption in Ethiopia. Findings: The results revealed that civil servants’ income levels, environmental awareness, government sustainable land policy, security, and infrastructure positively influenced sustainable housing adoption among Muslim civil servants in Ethiopia. Conversely, this study shows that affordability has a positive but insignificant effect on sustainable housing adoption by Muslim civil servants in Ethiopia. Practical implications: The Federal Housing Corporation (FHC) and the Ministry of Urban Development and Infrastructure (MUDI) in Ethiopia collaborate with financial institutions to establish a Sharia-based formal housing finance system for Muslim civil servants. They also created a comprehensive framework for understanding the influencing factors, aiding the establishment of a formal sustainable housing finance system focusing on affordable and environmentally sustainable options, and promoting collaboration among various housing agencies for sustainable development. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to theoretically identify the drivers of sustainable housing adoption among Muslim civil servants in Ethiopia.

Background Health spending is crucial for improving population health, especially in low-income countries like Ethiopia. This study examines the relationship between public health expenditure and health outcomes—life expectancy and infant mortality—from 1980/81 to 2023/24, based on Grossman’s health capital theory. Methods Using annual time-series data from 1980 to 2024, this study employs the Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag bounds testing approach to analyze both short- and long-term relationships between public health expenditure and health outcomes (life expectancy and infant mortality rate). The empirical model incorporates GDP per capita, population growth rate, insurance/financial services, and health service variables such as DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus) and measles immunization rates. The robustness of the models were verified through Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Canonical Co-integration Regression (CCR) techniques. Results The findings reveal a significant long-term positive relationship between public health expenditure and life expectancy. GDP per capita and insurance/financial services also positively and significantly influence life expectancy. In contrast, while health spending appears to reduce infant mortality, the relationship is not statistically significant in the long run. DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus) immunization coverage significantly reduces infant mortality and increases life expectancy, while measles immunization shows an unexpected positive association with mortality—likely due to targeted interventions in high-risk regions. Population growth negatively affects life expectancy and positively influences infant mortality, reflecting systemic healthcare strain. Conclusions Public health expenditure in Ethiopia plays a vital role in improving life expectancy but has a statistically insignificant effect on reducing infant mortality. The study underscores the need for strategic allocation of health budgets, integration of immunization programs with broader public health initiatives, and expansion of insurance coverage. Policymakers should also address broader social determinants, such as population pressure and income inequality, to maximize health outcomes. Future research should explore regional disparities to better tailor interventions.