User-generated content (UGC) plays a central role in social commerce. However, existing knowledge remains theoretically fragmented across constructs, perspectives, and empirical contexts. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic review of 60 peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. It develops an integrative conceptual perspective structured around five key dimensions: trust, authenticity, perceived risk, engagement, and loyalty. The findings demonstrate that UGC influences consumer decision-making primarily through mediating psychological and social mechanisms, including trust, satisfaction, perceived value, social presence, and community identification. At the same time, perceived risk remains insufficiently theorized, and comprehensive multi-dimensional models remain scarce in the literature. The study advances social commerce theory by consolidating fragmented evidence into a coherent conceptual framework. It also explicitly foregrounds the central explanatory role of mediating mechanisms in UGC effects. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight the strategic importance of fostering authentic and trustworthy UGC. This supports sustainable consumer–brand relationships and long-term value creation within digital platform ecosystems. The review has limitations related to database coverage and language restrictions, which may have led to the omission of relevant studies.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are among the key strategies for the growth and development of companies, particularly in transition countries, where they significantly contribute to economic growth. This is especially relevant in the period following the crisis of M&A transactions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the military conflict in Ukraine. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify the key investment motives, taking into account financial strategies and risks, with reference to the institutional framework in transition countries. By applying the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method and a multidisciplinary analysis of the factors influencing M&A activities in these economies, the research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the key drivers of these processes and to provide relevant implications for company managers and policymakers. The findings point to three dominant motives for M&A in transition countries. They expand the knowledge of M&A motives in transition economies and highlight the need for further research on this topic, given the complexity of the market and its turbulent dynamics, as evident also in the sphere of innovative technologies.