Social Entrepreneurship as Transformative Service for Societal Well-Being

Purpose: Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Union state whose population is 96% Muslim, is aiming to penetrate the global halal market. Since 2016, its government has been committed to establishing a halal economy, purportedly comprising halal product exports and inbound halal tourism services. Given that a conducive halal ecosystem is a critical condition for creating and sustaining a viable halal economy, the current condition of the halal industry in the country must be diagnosed. For this purpose, we developed a diagnostic framework based on the halal principles and the Viable System Model (VSM) to identify the existing players and stakeholders in the halal industry ecosystem in Uzbekistan and their respective roles and functions, as well as the information flows amongst them.Design/methodology/approach: The study utilised the qualitative methodology with the data gathered mainly from in-depth interviews with industry experts and consumers in Uzbekistan.Findings: The findings revealed that the country has considerable potential to develop its halal tourism market due to its beautiful landscape, rich history and cultural heritage, which is supported by a full-fledged development policy. Uzbekistan's industrial sector exhibits substantial readiness to serve the Muslim market; however, the country lacks a specific policy for the development of the halal manufacturing export industry.Originality/value: Our findings generate emergent themes that are relevant to the operations and future viability of halal industry of a Muslim country in a transitioning economy. These emerging themes further strengthened existing conceptualisation of the Viable System Model in terms of the elements of the environment and the function of policymaking in contributing toward a system's viability. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are also provided.

Objective: Conducting a bibliometric analysis in digital entrepreneurship, dataset is from 2014 ~ 2023. Theoretical Framework: Bibliometric analysis, an analysis method within scient metrics, employs mathematical and statistical techniques to examine and assess journal articles, thereby identifying patterns and structures in particular research areas. Method: The bibliometric analysis method was conducted in this research, and the main dataset was from SCOPUS. It examined the trends, keywords, and collaborations of published articles. Results and Discussion: VOSViewer was applied to analyse 352 published articles. The results presented a significant increase in research output in field of digital entrepreneurship. Research Implications: This section presents the findings of the bibliometric analysis. It includes a detailed examination of research trends, noting a significant increase in the number of publications on digital entrepreneurship from 2019 onwards. The analysis identifies key themes and trends within the literature, such as the impact of digital technologies on business and entrepreneurship, the emergence of digital startups, and the role of digitalization in transforming SMEs. The results also highlight the contributions of various institutions to the field, indicating a broad international engagement with digital entrepreneurship research. Originality/Value: The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the study, emphasizing the growing academic interest and engagement in digital entrepreneurship. It underscores the importance of digital technologies in driving innovation and economic growth, and the need for further research to explore new opportunities and address the challenges in this evolving field.

Purpose: Open innovation (OI) significantly impacts the internationalization of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by connecting them with external resources and accelerating their innovation processes. This study aims to systematically evaluate and synthesize existing knowledge on the role of OI in the internationalization of SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: Through a systematic literature review method, this study critically evaluates 35 articles published between 2003 and 2023, synthesizing existing research from theoretical, contextual, characteristic and methodological perspectives. Findings: This study identifies theoretical, methodological, characteristics and contextual research gaps and further proposes a research agenda for expanding knowledge in the field. Additionally, it provides an overview of the antecedents of OI adoption, SMEs internationalization outcomes and the influencing mechanisms of OI on SMEs internationalization found in the literature, thereby establishing a foundational knowledge base for future scholars and practitioners in this field. Originality/value: This review contributes to the existing literature by consolidating current knowledge on the topic and advancing the understanding of the intersection between OI and the internationalization of SMEs.

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand the push and pull factors that influence Thai immigrant entrepreneurs (TIEs) to conduct a business in Malaysia. As a neighbouring country, Malaysia is one of the favourite migration destinations for TIEs, with an influx of them involved in restaurant businesses across the country. This phenomenon offers this study with an unconventional background for immigrant entrepreneurship as it occurs within the context of developing, non-Western countries. Methodology: Outlined by previous studies on push and pull factors of immigration and immigrant entrepreneurship, this research employed a qualitative approach focusing on the experiences of six TIEs operating Thai/Siamese restaurants in Bandar Baru Bangi, a town located approximately 30 km south of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Data were collected mainly through face-to-face interviews among owners of restaurants in their premises, which ensures richness in the data. Findings: The findings indicated several categories of business-based emigration factors for TIEs to Malaysia, spanning from economic, political, and social factors. Contributions: Overall, the present research extends the knowledge of immigrant entrepreneurship especially within the non-Western context. Practice-wise, this study provides implications for policymakers in relation to business activities conducted by migrants in neighbouring countries, which are useful for both Malaysia and Thailand as the host and the origin country respectively. Keywords: Thai immigrant entrepreneurs, Thailand, Malaysia, restaurant business, push and pull factors. Cite as: Yanai, L., Che Senik, Z., Muhamad, N. S., Abd Hamid, H., & Jamaludin, N. A. (2020). Push and pull factors influencing Thai immigrant entrepreneurs conducting business in Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 5(2), 19-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol5iss2pp19-47