In recent years, public awareness of sports has grown, leading to a proliferation of athletic brands in the marketplace. Converse has remained popular for several decades, raising important questions about how to establish a strong brand image and high service quality in the minds of consumers, as well as how to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty to improve business performance and sustain competitive advantage. The primary objective of this study is to examine the relationships among consumers’ perceptions of spokesperson endorsement, brand image, service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. Data were collected from consumers who had previously purchased Converse products, resulting in 250 valid questionnaires (200 paper-based and 50 online). The findings are summarized as follows: (1) Most consumers express acceptance and recognition of both brand image and spokesperson endorsement, with attractiveness rated as the most influential attribute. Both internally compelling and highly charismatic spokespersons significantly enhance purchase intention; (2) The functional dimension of brand image—such as product variety, practical features, and innovative design—received the highest scores, indicating its central role in consumer satisfaction. Consumers use these cues to infer product quality and, consequently, a stronger brand image facilitates higher overall evaluation and perceived value of Converse products, increasing purchase intention; (3) Perceived service quality, defined by five key dimensions, serves as the foundation for customer satisfaction and loyalty. When customers distinctly perceive high-quality service, they are more likely to become loyal to the Converse brand; (4) Service quality can affect the emotional value within perceived value; thus, providing superior service quality is essential to elevating perceived value; and (5) Customer satisfaction partially mediates the effect on loyalty and is shaped by factors such as endorsement, brand image, and staff service, further influencing customer loyalty.

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the development of the Islamic banking and finance (IBF) industry worldwide. In addition, it will show the obstacles that prevent the IBF industry from developing. This paper is a conceptual paper in nature; it discusses the growth of the IBF industry across the world and the factors hindering its development. The findings show that the Islamic banking and finance industry has been making significant breakthroughs at the global level, with total assets exceeding $3.69 trillion in 2024. However, there are issues that need to be addressed by the industry to assure the continuity of its growth. These issues include the need for greater standardization of laws and regulations, a persistent dearth of qualified human resources, inconsistency of fatwa, undeveloped Islamic money and capital markets, and a need for more research to develop new products, particularly in the areas of fintech and sustainable finance. This paper provides a comprehensive and updated investigation into the status of the IBF industry in 47 countries, building upon previous studies that were often limited to specific regions or used smaller samples.

Women have become a key target of the global development agenda, particularly in developing countries. In Timor-Leste, several development partner agencies have helped initiate support for the government in agricultural development to ensure that women benefit from this intervention. This article focuses on women's participation in agricultural development interventions in Ermera municipality in Timor-Leste. This qualitative research uses a case study approach to have a better understanding of women farmers' everyday lives in rural areas. It uses a transformative worldview because the findings of this research will contribute to transforming the agricultural development of rural women in Timor-Leste in the future. The discrimination against women in agricultural development interventions continues to occur, which has contributed to the lower success outcomes of the interventions. The lack of women's participation in decision-making processes, limited access to agricultural resources and information, and gender-discriminatory cultural practices are acknowledged as the main contributing factors to the failures of current agricultural interventions for rural women in Timor-Leste.

Student engagement plays a vital role in the learning process. Identifying the factors that contribute to student engagement in their studies may include examining their level of motivation and self-efficacy. Hence, this study explored the predictive relationship between motivations and self-efficacy on student engagement. Using correlation predictive design, 509 students of Cavite State University-Silang Campus participated in the study. To measure different variables, the study utilized different scales that included Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), General Self-efficacy Scales (GSES), and University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI). Pearson r and multiple regressions analysis were utilized to identify the predictive relationship between motivation and self-efficacy on student engagement. The results reported a high-level of motivation which indicates that the students were highly motivated to engage in activities. Students also reported a high-level of Self-Efficacy, which indicates that they tend to trust and believe their capabilities to do a task. In terms of Student engagement, students showed a high-level and indicated the students were actively involved, motivated, and invested in their learning and educational experiences. In addition, there was a significant relationship between motivation and student engagement. The results indicated that the self-efficacy and student engagement of the students had a weak positive significant relationship. Students' motivation and self-efficacy could significantly predict student engagement. It is recommended for future researchers to look beyond motivation and self-efficacy as predictors of student engagement due to lack of predicting results or to increase the values of the predictors.

The relationship between India and Afghanistan has long been founded on cultural, economic, and security cooperation. However, following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, a new phase emerged in bilateral relations, bringing forth numerous challenges as well as opportunities. The political transformation in Afghanistan has prompted India to reassess its diplomatic approach, particularly in identifying new avenues for enhancing cooperation across various sectors. This paper analyzes the emerging diplomatic opportunities in India–Afghanistan relations in the post-Taliban era. These opportunities include India’s participation in Afghanistan’s peace and reconstruction processes, strengthening economic relations through infrastructure investment, promoting bilateral trade, and expanding security and intelligence cooperation. Moreover, India can contribute to Afghanistan’s social and educational improvement by fostering cultural and academic collaboration. In this regard, India must adopt a strategic and multilateral diplomatic approach that takes into account Afghanistan’s complex security and political conditions. Collaboration with other countries and international organizations—especially in combating terrorism, addressing humanitarian crises, and strengthening Afghan state institutions—will be essential. The paper also addresses key challenges, such as India’s non-recognition of the Taliban, regional rivalries, and security threats stemming from terrorist groups. It concludes with recommendations for addressing these challenges and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. Ultimately, India–Afghanistan relations in the new era can serve as a model for positive regional and international cooperation, provided that both sides effectively utilize their existing capacities.

Technological advancements have disrupted the creative industry with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in the field of visual art. A legal issue stemming from this development is that Artificial Intelligence companies utilize illustrators’ data shared on the internet to train the technology without consent. Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence companies are quick to release their innovations to the public without proper legal consideration. This article aims to analyze the legal protection of digital illustrators’ data and copyrights that are used to train image-generating Artificial Intelligence. The research employs a normative legal method, utilizing statutory and comparative approach. The findings indicate that the current law in Indonesia is still inadequate in addressing the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence companies that scrape illustrators’ data to train their products. There is also a lack of compensation in the form of royalties for digital illustrators, which can have a significant impact on their economic well-being. The article suggests that legal protection should be pursued for digital illustrators whose data is used without consent to train Artificial Intelligence, and a system of royalties should be established. This would require Artificial Intelligence companies that train their machines to create visual artworks to first obtain a license from the illustrators, and every time their data is used to generate a work of art, a royalty must be paid to the illustrators to preserve their copyright.

In the wake of digital transformation in retail, it is increasingly debated whether innovative marketing approaches can achieve sustainable consumer engagement through digital platforms in the same manner as traditional online commerce did. Based on these facts, the aim of this paper is to measure, compare, and evaluate the impact of digital marketing integration on physical retail performance and its potential impact in the field of omnichannel business models. The authors construct a propensity score matching framework using the parametric survival model estimation for describing the relationship between the Customer Retention Index and digital adoption factors. With allowance for the time-dependent effects of platform usage, models with fixed and random effects were built. In our study, we identified determinants related to consumer preferences, purchase frequency, retention duration, and sales conversion. Evidence suggests that digital platform adoption is likely to affect long-term survival of physical stores, but it is questionable whether rapid diffusion of subsequent technological innovation movements (e.g. towards AI-driven personalization) will equally benefit from integrated marketing tools. The paper finishes with managerial implications and policy recommendations for retail enterprises. Digital platforms as well as innovative marketing mechanisms change the rules of competition and the requirements of adaptation, resilience, and sustainability of retail markets. Future studies can empirically test the proposed linkages to reveal industry-, region-, and firm-specific interactions between processes of digital transformation and physical retail evolution.

The reservation system in India has undergone significant transformations since its inception, evolving through various socio-political landscapes. This paper delves into the historical context, tracing the origins of the reservation policy from the pre-independence era to its present form. It examines the constitutional provisions, legislative measures, and judicial interpretations that have shaped the system. The contemporary discourse surrounding reservations is analysed, highlighting the debates on its efficacy, equity, and impact on social justice. The paper also explores the challenges and criticisms faced by the reservation policy, including issues of meritocracy, reverse discrimination, and the need for economically based reservations. Through a comprehensive review of literature and empirical data, this study aims to dispense a nuanced understanding of the reservation system's role in addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusive growth in India.

The study focuses on investigating the transformation in the culture of reception and aesthetic conception of nude painting in Vietnam from the traditional to the modern period. By taking an interdisciplinary approach between art history, cultural studies, and aesthetics, the work explores the process of change in society's attitude towards the human form in art, associated with changes in morality, thought, and social context. In the traditional period, the representation of the human body is strongly governed by Confucian ethics, ritual symbols, and community norms of modesty. On the contrary, Vietnamese modern art, especially since the beginning of the twentieth century, has shown the harmony and collision between Western artistic influences, creative individualism and national cultural identity. Through figurative analysis, discourse and aesthetic comparison, the study shows that nude painting is not only a pure artistic phenomenon but also a cultural discourse that reflects the transformation in values, gender perceptions and openness of Vietnamese society.

Artificial intelligence systems have enabled the formulation of multiple strategic frameworks with considerable operational, financial, and organizational benefits. Advances on data-driven modeling are challenging traditional conceptions of management and decision-making, and in the process, opening up windows of opportunity for strengthening the analytical capabilities associated with strategic planning. As little is known about where AI-based decision support is gaining momentum beyond predictive analytics and optimization models, the purpose of this study is to map in what domains of management it is perceived to gain traction. Drawing on data from Analytic Hierarchy Process and regression–correlation analysis in organizational case studies, we identify a long tail of decision areas and planning processes in which a total of 47 unique managerial applications operate, including contexts such as investment evaluation, resource allocation, and performance monitoring. Our findings reveal a strong, positive correlation coefficient (r = 0.82) between regression-based forecasting and AHP-derived prioritization. However, managers do not passively comply. Rather, their preferences and judgments are integrated into the architecture of decision-making. The article concludes by identifying methodological implications, reflecting on the application of AI-driven planning in the field of management, and proposing suggestions for future organizational adoption. The empirical insights enrich understandings of the workings of artificial intelligence in experiences of strategy and governance.