Business Administration Research Articles

Using Scrum in Solving Business Reality Cases

Objective: This teaching innovation proposal aims to dynamise and bring the teaching of the subject Business Management and Organisation, taken in the fourth semester of the bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management (GAD), closer to the business world. Theoretical Framework: It is necessary to bring the university closer to business in order to reduce the gap in the skills training demanded by companies and to achieve better employability of graduates. Method: To do this, we propose the resolution of a production case by workshops, through the formation of agile teams, using Scrum and Kanban, using the Trello application for the latter, the iterative and incremental approach of this methodology will allow the student to learn in a simple and practical way concepts that grow in complexity, as it evolves in the resolution of the same. Results and Discussion: This teaching methodology allows the student to simultaneously acquire the specific competences of the subject and the so-called soft competences demanded by the working environment. Research Implications: This type of innovation is necessary in university institutions in order to include in their curricula the competences demanded by recruiters, and can also be used in other disciplines and careers. Originality/Value: The originality of the research lies in the practice of a learning process that makes it possible to include the training required by companies in curricula.

Beyond Empathy: Unveiling the Co-Creation Process of Emotions through a Wearable Device

Emotions fluctuate during the process of social interaction. Although the co-creation of emotions through organizational behavior has been discussed theoretically in existing research, there is no method to demonstrate how emotions are co-created. Instead, previous studies have paid much attention to empathy, in which a person’s emotions are contagious. In contrast to self-report, which is a traditional method that can only assess emotions at a single point in time and adapts to empathy, biometric technology has made it possible to analyze emotional fluctuations over time. However, previous studies have focused only on understanding the emotional fluctuations of individuals separately. In the present study, we developed a system to measure the co-creation of emotions using a wearable device. The pulse rate was converted into valence as a positive–negative emotion, and the fluctuations in valence were analyzed by cross-correlation. We demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed system through triangulation by integrating biometrics with observation and self-report. The proposed system was verified to measure the co-creation of pair and group emotions using real-world data beyond laboratory settings. The present study contributes to business administration by proposing a critical concept for measuring the co-creation of emotions based on a constructionist approach.

A Simulation-based Education Platform for Security Investments Through Culture and Knowledge Convergence

Cybersecurity is one of the most critical sectors of information systems and is considered a strategic priority for many Organizations. Information security investments are a crucial aspect of cybersecurity. However, it often happens that the economic decisions, which aim to improve information security, have poor efficiency. One reason is the lack of background on economics of the Chief Information Security Officers who are often not familiar with the evaluation of the non-technical aspects of security, e.g. economics. The other reason is the cultural gap between the different persons related to business management and administration. In this paper we present an interactive - simulation software designed to familiarize the aforementioned persons with information security investments. The software is actually a game that aims to boost learning for all the stakeholders who are involved in the investment process. Α better understanding of the processes, the technical, economic and human factors, along with the cultural convergence of the stakeholders will help boost the efficiency of investments. Design Science is used as the research method. The creative method, a brainstorming technique, is combined with the five steps of Design Science, i.e. explicate the problem, define the requirements, design and develop the artefact, demonstrate the artefact, and evaluate the artefact, to develop a process framework that will be able to cope with this problem. The artefact is an interactive-simulation platform in which a person could take the decision maker role and (a) deal with events that happen and (b) investigate different aspects of information security investment complexity. The evaluation of the artefact is made with a case study in the Industry, where real world data are used to feed the simulation and real-world decision makers play the game in order to better understand the different aspects of the problem and help us trim and enhance the functioning of the platform. Finally, limitations are elaborated and future work is also discussed.

Boardcraft: Learning the Art of Strategic Decision-Making Card by Card

Boardcraft, an interactive, sequential card game, is a powerful tool for teaching Strategic Management in an undergraduate Business Administration Degree. This innovative game provides students with practical experience in strategic analysis, business strategy formulation, and strategic decision-making, addressing one of the main challenges of social science teaching: practical application. The objective of the research to be carried out is to find evidence of a change in students' attitudes towards making strategic decisions. To do this, two questionnaires will be carried out, one before and one after the game's introduction in the classroom, three months apart. The data will tell us if decision-making through a business strategy game changes their perception and attitude towards decision-making by acquiring competencies and skills that prepare them better for decision-making throughout their career and life. This game will streamline the teaching of strategic management in higher education, a subject traditionally based on lectures and case studies. Teaching strategic management is complex since the student is immersed in a context of continuous decision-making that requires the application of an appropriate methodology for proper understanding. Game-based learning (GBL) activities like Boardcraft that bring strategic management closer to real-life contexts are desirable. The application of this game will also allow researchers to analyse the effect of experiential learning, the acquisition of interpersonal and conceptual skills, the importance of aesthetics and the introduction of fun elements in game-based learning.

Economic openness, physical infrastructure, marketization, public governance, and MNE location strategy: An institution-based view of state mechanism

Drawing from the institution-based view of Mike W. Peng and related scholarship in economics, international business, and public administration, this study seeks to explore: what formal institutional factors in a host country drive multinational enterprises’ location choice by way of greenfield foreign direct investment? To answer this question, this study offers a state mechanism perspective in an emerging economy context, thus underscoring that the host country’s formal institutions, such as economic openness and good governance, are key determinants. Our proposed model reasons that countries with improved economic regulations, superior physical infrastructure provisions, and transparent and effective public governance systems, combined with the marketization of public goods and services, are very attractive for multinational ventures. In so doing, institutional transformation and economic achievements pertaining to aspirant economies like China are discussed. Finally, this study concludes with several practical implications. The novelty of this study is to design a state mechanism model and hypothesize key national and subnational-level formal institutional factors that strikingly influence multinational firms’ location strategy by explaining the host country’s attractiveness for foreign direct investment.

Economic aspects of error identification in semi-structured publications in the state language

Due to the rapid growth of information on the Internet and social networks, research in the field of computational linguistics has become very relevant. The volume of information that people and machines create in natural language needs to be processed, analyzed and verified. Information retrieval systems, dialog systems, and machine translation tools are used for this. The range of automatic text processing systems is very wide, it covers various tasks. Finding errors in texts and words, identifying and correcting incorrect words is one of the most important tasks of natural language processing (NLP). The article provides an overview of semi-structured data, methods and technologies for identifying incorrect words in natural languages. The paper gives an overview of semi-structured data, methods and techniques for detecting incorrect words in natural languages. The aim of the research is to develop an effective approach for detecting and correcting errors occurring in Kazakh-language texts, especially in the context of limited resources and unstructured data. The research includes the use of machine learning techniques as well as economic analysis of the costs of developing and implementing such solutions. The proposed approach facilitates the automation of text verification, which can significantly reduce the cost of manual data processing and improve the quality of information in various spheres, including business and public administration.

An Analytical Study of Acquiring English Communication Skills for Employability being Affected by Societal Factors and Own Personality Traits of Learners of Technical Graduates in India

English Communication Skills have proved to be an integral skill in employment skills. Students graduating in a wide range of disciplines face a number of difficulties in learning the English language especially when they focus on their areas of specializations. It has become a major issue. With reference to the page no 29 of India Skills Report 2023, the employment ratio of Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Technology and Master of Business Administration was 57.44% and 60.1% respectively and the same was 55.15% and 55.09% in the respective fields in 2022 when Communication Skills were kept at the top (page no 9, India Skills Report 2022) in the list of key skills of Digital Age. English proved to be a game changer in terms of enhancing employability scope (Page 20, 21, 45, 47, 53, 54, 55; India Skills Report 2022) and a number of cities and states performed better with more focus on developing English Communication skills of university students. This study is primarily based on looking into social and affective factors affecting English language acquisition skills. It is absolutely relevant to the course developer, policy makers as well as academicians to understand what factors affect the language acquisition capacities of learners and necessary modifications can be initiated accordingly. This is an analytical study and it ascertains the significance of language affective factors from a rapid evidence assessment report submitted by EEF at University of oxford, Department of Education in July 2020 and a similar research project was conducted by Takayo Nitta at the University of Western Cape in South Africa on non-natives learning English and facing similar challenges in social, affective and cognitive areas. This is a qualitative study and secondary data is collected from the research project conducted at the University of Western Cape since learners were from a non-native country only where existing language learning culture is found to be utmost similar and problems are also identical.

Investigating the Impact of Educational Aspirations, Study Habits, Parental Involvement, and Institutional Environment on Saudi EFL Learners’ Language Proficiency

The study assesses the impact of educational aspirations, study habits, parental involvement, and institutional environment on Saudi EFL learners’ language proficiency. It also examines if the demographic profiles of Saudi EFL learners differently shaped their worldviews and responses. As the study focuses on how certain independent variables (educational aspirations, study habits, parental involvement, and institutional environment) impacted the dependent variable (language proficiency), a descriptive quantitative approach was employed to collect data from respondents using a self-designed questionnaire with partial adoption of modified items. A simple random sample method was used to select 131 respondents (10% of the population) from the undergraduate population at the College of Science & Humanities and College of Business Administration, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. The findings revealed that educational aspirations followed by institutional environment, study habits, and parental engagement affected the language proficiency of Saudi EFL learners. One way ANOVA analysis showed that year/level of study causes significant differences in the means of the study respondents. However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the means of the responses based on the professional profiles of their parents. The findings of the study hold significance for both language instructors and policymakers for effective teaching and policy making.

How Creativity Influenced by the Network Efficiency of a Student’s Ego Network Affect Academic Performance Through Academic Coping Strategies?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the dual mediation role of creativity and academic coping in network efficiency and academic performance, using Folkman and Lazarus’s transactional model of stress. Data were obtained from 39 students taking business administration at a Korean university. Social network analysis was performed to check the ego network of students. The double mediation model was applied to analyze the path from network efficiency to academic performance. The results showed that network efficiency, in relation to the structural hole in social network parameters, was double mediated by creativity and academic coping, which had a positive effect on academic performance. However, the effect of double mediation through avoidance was insignificant. Based on the research results, the theoretical and practical implications for the dual mediation effect of creativity and academic coping were presented.

Effect of business games on learning perception and satisfaction of students on technical courses in business administration integrated into high school

The research aims to investigate the effect of business games on learning perception and the satisfaction of students in technical courses in Business Administration integrated with high school from the analytical perspective of Experiential learning. To achieve this objective, a study was conducted using three different types of business games (online computerised, board, and gamebook), with students completing the technical course integrated into high school at the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo (Ifes) in Brazil. Data were collected using a self-administered online questionnaire and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Two competing models were evaluated. In both cases, the experience of the game has an effect on learning perception and satisfaction. However, one considers that learning perception has an effect on satisfaction and another in which it is the satisfaction that has an effect on learning perception (i.e., the halo effect). The study's results demonstrated that experience in the business game has a positive effect on students' perception of learning and satisfaction and that the hypothesis of the existence of the halo effect was rejected. This suggests that business games can be adjusted to fit different levels of education, depending on how they are applied.

Artificial Intelligence in Education Management: Opportunities, Challenges, and Solutions

Education management, as an integral part of management science, encompasses core functions such as organizing, planning, coordinating, and controlling educational resources, which closely align with the management concepts used in business administration. Whether in the field of education or business, managers need to improve organizational performance through effective strategy development, resource allocation, and decision-making support. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has profoundly transformed several industries, and its impact on education is progressively gaining prominence.This paper explores the opportunities, challenges, and solutions associated with the integration of AI in the education sector. AI offers substantial benefits such as personalized learning experiences, automated educational management, and global access to shared educational resources, revolutionizing the traditional educational landscape. However, its application also presents significant challenges, including concerns over data privacy, the widening of the digital divide, and the evolving role of teachers.Through an analysis of both opportunities and challenges, this paper emphasizes the need for strategic measures to ensure the ethical and equitable use of AI in education. These measures include stronger policy frameworks for data protection, comprehensive teacher training programs for AI integration, and the promotion of global cooperation to bridge technological gaps in underdeveloped regions. Furthermore, the paper projects the potential future developments in AI-driven education, highlighting the importance of balancing technology with human interaction in the learning environment.By addressing both the benefits and risks associated with AI, this paper provides actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and technologists, aimed at creating a more inclusive, efficient, and innovative educational system. Future research should continue to examine AI's ethical implications and strive for solutions that ensure education remains accessible and fair in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Study on the Innovation Path of Business Administration and Human Resource Management in Digital Transformation

The wave of digitalization is sweeping across the world, reshaping the business environment and management mode of enterprises. Business administration and human resource management, as the core fields of enterprise operation, face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. This study focuses on the innovation paths of these two fields in the context of digital transformation, aiming to explore a new paradigm of management practice and provide theoretical guidance and practical reference for enterprises to maintain their competitiveness in the digital era.

An Analytical Overview of Futuristic Strategies in the Practice of Interdisciplinary Architecture Education

Architectural education is a universal discipline that requires an artistic, technical, and holistic perspective. It is a field of science and art that focuses on problem-solving and spatial creativity. As in all fields of science and art, the boundaries and scope of the field of architecture cannot be drawn. Its structure is so broad that it cannot be limited to a single discipline, and at the same time, it is flexible enough to make room for itself in every discipline. In this respect, even the concept of interdisciplinary is insufficient to coincide with the discipline of architecture as it describes a certain cross-section, and it becomes important what the disciplines that include architecture are and what the sentences of architecture can be in areas other than known disciplines. The headings that can be addressed separately are defined under the title "interdisciplinary," and the concept continues to exist as an unexamined area in the flexible and variable structure of architecture without being deepened enough. What is important is to define well which discipline influences to what extent and to define that all interdisciplinary subjects are areas that serve the main purpose of problem-solving and spatial creativity, to preserve the core balance of architecture without getting lost in the vast universe. The study aims to make an analytical look at architectural education, which is the environment where the concept of interdisciplinary in architectural practice is given and the boundaries are first taught. In this way, new expansions and questions are expected to arise in architectural education. From an analytical perspective, the issue of balancing architectural education and industry will be discussed using the PESTEL analysis method, which is a method used in strategic planning and especially in the field of business administration.

Discussion on the Comprehensive Influence of E-commerce on Business Administration

E-commerce is profoundly changing the traditional business model. Through the seamless connection between online and offline, it has greatly promoted the connectivity of the global sales market, so that enterprises can cross the regional boundaries to achieve more convenient and efficient global operation. At the same time, the multi-channel sales strategy provided by e-commerce not only enriches the choices of consumers, but also helps enterprises to reduce their operating costs and break the geographical restrictions. This paper aims to deeply analyze the impact of e-commerce on the field of business administration, and explore innovative strategies to help enterprises to achieve efficient and flexible development in the complex and changeable market environment.

University-business linkages influence on international business competence: An in-service training perspective

Firms often rely on the skills and mindsets of individual employees and managers rather than on organizational structures and capabilities to execute entrepreneurial activities. These individual-level factors, which may originate from educational and business experiences, also support the development of international business competencies when firms engage in international operations. Accordingly, this study investigates educational collaborations in university-business linkages that influence international business competence at the individual level. Survey data were collected from 489 in-service-trained business executives pursuing (Executive) Master of Business Administration degrees while concurrently holding supervisory and managerial responsibilities in firms in Ghana. Factor analysis revealed four dimensions of educational collaborations in university-business linkages. Results from hypothesis testing, conducted using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), indicate that the diversity and internationality of study content and research dimensions positively and significantly influence these executives' global mindset, entrepreneurial orientation, and international marketing skills in performing foreign business operations. Similarly, interactions with international resource persons positively and significantly influence the executives' global mindset and international marketing skills. However, while participation in international affairs shows positive effects, these are not statistically significant. We discuss these findings and highlight their implications for developing international human capital through a university-business educational collaboration framework useful for executives, business schools, academics, and global higher education development partners.

Characterization of contractual relations in digital turnover

The article is devoted to identifying the peculiarities of contractual relations in digital circulation. Digital turnover is becoming increasingly widespread, which leads to the emergence of new forms of contractual relations characterized by significant differences. The purpose of the article is to reveal the characteristics and peculiarities of contractual relations arising within the framework of digital civil turnover. The study of contractual relations in digital circulation is necessitated by the lack of sustainable legal regulation of this area which requires further improvement. The peculiarity of building relations in digital circulation is associated with its technical properties, primarily the need to gain access to digital platforms for the exercise of subjective rights by users. The author emphasizes that the exercise of subjective rights in digital circulation can be realized only through the use of complex intellectual property objects, in particular, those combining computer programs, databases, music, animation objects, photographs, etc. The author proposes to distinguish the following types of relations in the field of digital circulation: 1) regarding the creation and maintenance of digital circulation (legal regime of intellectual property rights); 2) organizational relations in the field of business administration of the digital environment (corporate, labor relations with the appropriate legal regime); 3) between the user and the administrator of the relevant digital environment (contractual regulation, with elements of the legal regime of personal data protection); 4) between users of the digital space regarding digital assets (a complex regime of legal regulation which may combine the legal regimes of. The author emphasizes that contractual relations in digital circulation are based on both civil law and rules and standards used in electronic systems. It is proved that different types of relations require a comprehensive application of different legal norms and are mediated by different agreements, such as: license agreements; agreements for the provision of digital services (cloud storage, marketplaces); sale and purchase of goods; exchange and pledge of digital assets; token agreements (regulating the use of cryptocurrencies and other tokens in digital ecosystems), etc.

Integration of ICT in the Attitudes and Knowledge of University Students

This article arises in the Ecuadorian context of Higher Education where the insertion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has a considerable impact on the knowledge and attitudes of students. The purpose of the research is to analyze the integration of ICT in attitudes and knowledge in students of the Bolivar State University in the careers of Accounting and Business Administration. The methodology used in a sample of 150 students presents a quantitative research design, exploratory type, correlational scope and cross-sectional; in addition, an exploratory factor analysis, KMO sample adequacy and Bartlett’s test were used, central trend and dispersion measures, Pearson’s correlation. The results show that, despite the direct relationship between the variables, there are no statistically significant differences between knowledge and attitude, that is, the perception and understanding of ICTs between the two cohorts of students are similar. It is concluded that students have an average level of knowledge about ICT and their attitude to the use of them is indifferent.

Beeyond Foods: creating a sweet honey revolution

Learning outcomes After completion of the case study, the students will be able to[1] review the industry analysis using Porter’s five forces and strength, weakness, opportunities, threats framework and understand how a firm can achieve a competitive advantage, analyze the stakeholder theory and the salience of stakeholder mapping for enterprises with large number of stakeholders, apply the Mendelow framework of stakeholder mapping in this context and integrate it with stakeholder engagement for small enterprises and examine and evaluate how new age enterprises can engage better with stakeholders to provide a higher value creation. Case overview/synopsis Ayushi Srivastava started her enterprise, Beeyond Foods, in early 2021 with the aim to provide unadulterated, raw honey to consumers. She also wanted to help the beekeeping community by providing the beekeepers with a fair price for the procurement of honey from the bee hives. Beeyond Foods was a small enterprise in India that sold two variants of honey to consumers. The first variant was sourced from the Himalayan region of India, whereas the second was sourced from the Western Ghats of India. The primary distribution channel was trade fairs, where Srivastava would assemble her stall and sell honey to potential customers. Furthermore, a part of the sales was also driven by an electronic channel, which was through the company website. Customers could place their orders, and the honey would directly be delivered to their homes. With a successful start to the business, Srivastava was interested to scale her business and reach more customers. However, she was mindful that there were multiple stakeholders involved in the business. Srivastava had to study the values and needs of each stakeholder, while simultaneously formulate a strategy to expand her reach. This case study is designed to teach the concept of stakeholder value creation for small business enterprises. Complexity academic level This case study is well suited for an entrepreneurship and strategy course at the postgraduate (Master of Business Administration) level. This case study can also be taught in a marketing course. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

Satyadarshan Technologies & Services: revolutionizing urban mobility?

Learning outcomes After reading and analyzing this case study, students will be able to describe the challenges of creating an electric vehicle (EV) start-up with the objective of zero-carbon emissions, identify opportunities and challenges for Satyadarshan Technologies & Services (STS) in enhancing the B2B customer base and sales volumes in the EV market, identify and assess government incentives to reinforce STS’s existing EV business and compose an understanding of and determine an ability to use various industrial marketing and promotion strategies for STS in the present environment. Case overview/synopsis STS was launched in 2020 to provide environmentally conscious urban commuting. Himanshu Purohit, the founder of STS, commenced an e-bicycle assembly unit and produced the first advanced electric drivetrain technology. The vision was to transform how people viewed mobility and make EVs the standard for a healthier globe. Nurturing a start-up with zero-carbon emissions was tedious due to limited infrastructure, high costs, low market acceptance and supply chain constraints. With the relentless pursuit of excellence, STS constantly pushed the boundaries and crossed the break-even ceiling in the year 2022. As a budding player in the souk, the company expected to gain a strong presence in the EV market with particular attention to the B2B customer segment. At the same time, the company aimed to ensure business sustainability by leveraging government incentives. The company needed to expand its corporate sales volume and craft a sustainable competitive advantage. Purohit recognized various challenges to the sustainability of STS that stood between the company's goals and their realization, particularly in achieving a sustainable move in the EV segment. Consequently, Purohit found himself at a critical juncture to pave the path toward the growth of the start-up. Eventually, analysis of the company's business challenges, industrial marketing and promotional strategies required strategic planning to appraise and evaluate the business model. Complexity academic level This case study is designed for new-age Master of Business Administration and executive management programs. It should be used in entrepreneurship and strategic management courses to discuss small innovative e-bike start-ups. This includes conducting a competitive analysis and self-assessing a firm's market-oriented strategies. Prima facie, undergraduate and postgraduate students are beneficiaries of this case. This case study may also be conducive to teaching how to initiate a sustainable and green vehicle business. This case study guides students entering the EV business, addressing industry-specific challenges and conducting market analysis. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

أثر استخدام تقنيات الذكاء الاصطناعي في تحسين جودة إدارة المشروعات

In recent years, artificial intelligence techniques have emerged in business administration and project management. The study aims to explore the uses of artificial intelligence in various types of projects, and analyze their impact on the quality of performance. The study presents the concepts of artificial intelligence, including machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. It also includes a detailed analysis of artificial intelligence applications in many types of projects, such as manufacturing projects, supply chain management, software development, and digital marketing...etc. The study focuses on how to use these technologies to improve the quality of project management performance. It relied on studying practical cases and analyzing data extracted from surveys and opinions of specialists working in this field.