ABSTRACT Global maritime logistics, as a vital conduit for international trade, has long been a focal point of academic research. Despite its significance, the sector faces prolonged impacts from multiple uncertainties within increasingly complex operation conditions. However, existing research predominantly addresses specific risks, lacking a systematic integration of various uncertainties and their corresponding countermeasures. This limitation impedes the formulation of comprehensive response strategies. To address this gap, this study employs a combined bibliometric analysis and systematic review of articles from the Web of Science so as to reveal key trends, knowledge structures, and collaboration networks in this topic. Building upon these findings, this study constructs a theoretical framework encompassing Economic efficiency, Strategic behaviour, Institutional compliance, and System resilience. Ultimately, this study synthesises the knowledge system within the field, proposes future research directions and managerial insights to assist practitioners in developing resilient and efficient solutions in dynamic environments.

Unique Steady States Without Contraction in Nonlinear Stochastic Models Many models in operations and economics describe systems whose future behavior depends not only on the current state but also on a function of the current distribution of states. In “Invariant Distributions in Nonlinear Markov Chains with Aggregators: Theory, Computation, and Applications,” Bar Light studies when such systems have a unique invariant distribution. The paper develops flexible monotonicity-based conditions that can be tailored to different models to establish uniqueness. It also shows that standard contraction arguments may fail in natural settings with strategic behavior, aggregate feedback, or interacting agents. The paper provides existence results and a simple computational method that finds an invariant distribution by solving easier subproblems. The framework applies to strategic queues, inventory systems, nonlinear equations, and wealth distributions in dynamic economies, helping identify and compute unique steady states in stochastic systems where aggregate conditions shape individual dynamics.

ABSTRACT This article examines the conflicting narratives surrounding the origin and evolution of the Lakurawa terrorist group, tracing its transformation from a localised, community-based defence and intelligence network into a transnational militant organisation operating across the Nigeria–Niger borderlands. A central question of this inquiry is whether Lakurawa represents a genuinely new insurgent formation or a strategic reconfiguration of entrenched militant networks within Nigeria’s borderlands. While military analyses focus on immediate security needs and the justification of urgent actions, academic perspectives examine the deeper structural, historical, and social factors shaping the group’s evolution. I argue that the divergence between military and academic interpretations of Lakurawa’s emergence does not indicate empirical inconsistency but instead reflects distinct epistemic orientations and institutional logics. Using a constructivist approach, this study relies on triangulated secondary sources, including open-source intelligence, academic literature, community narratives, and regional conflict analyses. While primary data collection was not feasible due to the precarious security conditions in the study area, the research systematically interrogates contrasting interpretations of Lakurawa’s origins, strategic behaviour, and ideology, and the responses of state and community actors. The findings illuminate how localised informal defence structures can evolve into perceived transnational threats and the implications of such transformations for peacebuilding.

The nexus of central-local environmental policy making: The impact of central environmental inspection on local community governance.

This systematic review integrates interdisciplinary literature on the impact of women's leadership on firm performance, based on 40 core articles (AJG 2024 4*/4) and 10 supplementary landmark studies. Four theoretical perspectives are identified: social roles, resource supplementation, contextual factors, and behavioral practices. The review reveals that the influence of women's leadership is not a simple positive or negative effect, but a complex process dynamically regulated by bias challenges, resource complementarity, situational conditions, and strategic behaviors. Core debates center on the shift from simple judgments to situational dependence, from stereotype constraints to strategic integration of agency and communion, and from numerical representation to qualitative capital. Key gaps are identified, including the lack of multi-level interaction theories, sample biases toward developed countries, and endogeneity issues in causal identification. Future research should focus on multi-level interactive processes and expand exploration in Global South contexts such as China.

This study reconceptualizes negotiation as a structured process of contradiction resolution by applying the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to the analysis of strategic negotiation behavior. Negotiation theory has developed both rich descriptive accounts of psychological and behavioral dynamics and prescriptive frameworks for rational decision-making, yet the systematic creative transformation of constraint sets—how negotiators redesign the problem space rather than merely optimize within it—remains undertheorized. We argue that many core negotiation dilemmas constitute physical contradictions in the TRIZ sense: situations in which a single system must simultaneously satisfy opposing requirements. The study applies TRIZ’s four separation principles—time, space, condition, and whole–part separation—to these contradictions and develops a mapping procedure linking contradiction identification to separation principles, inventive principles, and observable tactics. Ten negotiation tactics drawn from the extensively documented public record of Donald J. Trump's business and political negotiations serve as an empirical illustration in a theory-building case study design, selected as an extreme case that renders structural patterns maximally visible. We situate TRIZ within the broader landscape of creative problem-solving frameworks—including brainstorming, lateral thinking, Design Thinking, and SCAMPER—and argue for its distinctive suitability due to its contradiction-specific, algorithmic structure. The proposed framework, termed Negotiation Engineering, integrates the precision of engineering design with the behavioral complexity of negotiation, offering implications for negotiation theory, pedagogy, and AI-assisted decision support. Limitations of the single-case design and the partial applicability of TRIZ to non-formalizable negotiation dimensions are explicitly acknowledged.

Adaptive malware detection using sequential feature selection: A dueling double deep Q-Network framework for intelligent classification

ABSTRACT Low-carbon transition depends not only on policy ambition but also on how environmental policies are implemented locally. Using matched panel data on Chinese prefecture-level cities and listed firms from 2013 to 2023, this study examines whether local governments’ implementation gaps shape firms’ strategic green behavior (SGB). We distinguish between two types of implementation gaps: the Word – Action Gap and the Action – Result Gap. The results show that the Word – Action Gap significantly increases SGB, while the Action – Result Gap has a weaker and less stable effect. Additional evidence from government – firm ties and regional heterogeneity supports the interpretation that implementation gaps function as policy signals shaping corporate behavior. The findings suggest that firms respond not only to formal environmental policies, but also to the credibility of local implementation. This study contributes to research on multi-level climate governance, symbolic compliance, and corporate environmental behavior.

BackgroundMobile learning (mLearning) is widely used in medical education. Previous research has focused on technology acceptance and intervention effectiveness, but rarely on their integration. Using realist evaluation, this study investigated the conditions under which mLearning is adopted and associated with learning-related outcomes in an authentic curricular setting.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine how learner context and engagement patterns shape mLearning use and outcomes, while secondarily contextualizing its association with examination performance.MethodsA quasi-experimental study was conducted among fifth-semester undergraduate medical students at a German medical school across 2 consecutive summer semesters (2023 and 2024). Students were offered a voluntary, app-based mLearning course in microbiology, delivered via the eSquirrel platform. The course comprised interactive tasks, incorporating elements of gamification and spaced-repetition features. Data sources included nonreactive in-app usage logs, baseline academic performance data, demographic information, and postsemester questionnaire responses. Usage profiles were derived using cluster analysis. Context-mechanism-outcome patterns were explored by relating app usage status to academic performance and survey responses.ResultsOf the 245 eligible students, 220 (89.8%) participated in the study; 110 (50%) used the app. In 2024, app users (n=64, 58%) initially appeared to outperform nonusers (n=46, 42%) in the oral microbiology examination (mean grade 2.3, SD 1.1 vs 2.8, SD 1.3; t63,0=1.90; 1-sided P=.03). After adjustment, these differences were largely explained by baseline academic performance, with only limited evidence of an independent intervention effect. Cluster analysis of app users identified 3 engagement profiles: continuous low-intensity use (n=60, 54%), increased use before the examination (n=31, 28%), and use at the beginning of the semester (n=19, 17%). Cluster 2 reported the greatest enjoyment, satisfaction, perceived learning gains, and examination performance in microbiology.ConclusionsNonreactive in-app usage data provided valuable insights into student engagement. The effectiveness of mLearning was not universal. Examination-oriented use, associated with more strategic and self-regulated study behavior, was linked to more favorable learning outcomes. Future research needs to address equity concerns, as higher-performing students tended to benefit most, as well as explore adaptive, context-sensitive approaches to support diverse learners.

Abstract Following the development of e-commerce, the manufacturer can sell products via direct or livestream modes. To meet market demand, the manufacturer will strategically adjust product prices, and consumers weigh whether to make early- or later-stage purchases based on their needs. In the current market, we assume two types of consumers including myopic and strategic consumers. Meanwhile, the tolerance level of each consumer regarding whether to delay purchase is heterogeneous. In our work, we built a two-stage game model to analyze the impact of consumers’ strategic behavior and their patience to delay purchases on manufacturer’s choice of the stage to adopt the livestream selling strategy under three scenarios including the manufacturer chooses a direct format to sell products in both stages (NN), the manufacturer chooses a direct format in the first stage and a livestream format to sell products in the second stage (NL), the manufacturer chooses a livestream format in the first stage and a direct format to sell products in the second stage (LN). Our main findings show that when strategic consumers dominate the market and consumers are more willing to postpone their purchasing, the manufacturer should adopt a penetration pricing strategy under NL scenario; otherwise, a skimming pricing strategy can be adopted. Under LN scenario, the manufacturer should directly employ a skimming pricing strategy. In addition, when the discount factor and the proportion of myopic consumers are small, and the commission rate is high, the manufacturer is more inclined toward the NL scenario; otherwise, it prefers to the LN scenario. In the extended models, we discuss the influence of different parameters, including the changed popularities of live-streamer, commission rates, and pit fees for the profit of the manufacturer. Moreover, we explore how the manufacturer selects livestream selling in both stages, and compare it with three main scenarios by using numerical studies. The result shows that the LN scenario is optimal in most cases.

ABSTRACT Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a significant role in driving economic growth and industry development. This study integrates the theory of institutional logic and legitimacy to examine the influence of various ownership structures on firms’ AI-related strategic behaviours. We categorised firms’ AI-related strategic behaviours into symbolic and substantive types. Our study of Chinese-listed manufacturing firms from 2015 to 2021 found that state ownership has a positive effect on substantive AI innovation but an adverse effect on symbolic AI disclosure. The study also examined the contingency effects of regional institutional and digital infrastructure development on the focal relationship. Our study enhances the AI literature by identifying different types of firms’ AI-related strategic behaviours. It also addressed how institutional factors affect firms’ AI-related strategic behaviours in China.

BackgroundDrawing on Social Cognitive Theory, the research addresses a critical gap concerning how environmental support mechanisms in developing-country incubators foster entrepreneurial mindsets and strategic behaviors. This study aims to examine how business coaching within university business incubators shapes the cognitive and behavioral orientations of student founders in Indonesia by analyzing its influence on locus of control, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial orientation.MethodA quantitative research design was employed, involving 220 student founders whose startups were incubated in university business incubators across Indonesia. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using PLS-SEM to test both direct and mediating effects among variables.Results and ConclusionThe results show that business coaching significantly enhances founders’ locus of control, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial orientation. Both locus of control and self-efficacy also exhibit strong positive effects on entrepreneurial orientation, confirming their roles as central cognitive mechanisms underpinning entrepreneurial behavior. Furthermore, mediation analysis reveals that locus of control and self-efficacy significantly mediate the relationship between business coaching and entrepreneurial orientation. These findings underscore the importance of coaching not merely as a technical intervention but as a psychological and developmental process that strengthens founders’ agency, confidence, and strategic entrepreneurial posture within university incubation environments. This study offers novel empirical evidence on the psychological mechanisms through which business coaching influences entrepreneurial orientation in university incubators within a developing-country context—a setting often overlooked in the literature.

ABSTRACT This study examines how great power rivalry shapes UN conflict management. Grounded in principal-agent theory, we construct a framework integrating great power rivalry intensity and the territorial dimension of conflicts to analyse cases in Syria, Ukraine, Israel-Palestine and South Sudan. We find that the UN’s choice of conflict management strategy, including institutional engagement, flexible mediation, norm advocacy and humanitarian aid, is determined by how the territorial dimension mitigates or amplifies great power constraints. Specifically, outcomes diverge based on whether a dispute involves a sovereignty-claim or a governance-claim. This offers new perspectives on international organisations’ strategic behaviour.

This study examines the post-merger wealth effects and strategic entrepreneurial behaviour in Indian corporations, with special reference to the merger between HDFC Bank and HDFC Ltd. Mergers and acquisitions are widely used as strategic tools to enhance financial performance, improve market competitiveness, and create shareholder value. The study analyses the impact of the HDFC merger on profitability indicators such as Earnings Per Share (EPS), Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), Return on Capital Employed (ROCE), and Net Profit Margin (NPM) to evaluate shareholder wealth effects. In addition, the study explores how the merger influences strategic entrepreneurial behaviour by improving operational efficiency, innovation capability, and strategic flexibility. Using comparative financial analysis, trend analysis, and statistical tools, the study identifies the financial and strategic outcomes of the merger. The findings highlight that the merger strengthens long-term value creation and enhances the strategic capabilities of the merged entity in the competitive Indian financial sector. Keywords:- Mergers and Acquisitions, Shareholder Wealth, Strategic Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Profitability Ratios, HDFC Bank, HDFC Ltd, Financial Performance

ABSTRACT This study examines the strategic behavior of customers who form pairs to increase their chances of winning ticket lotteries. When ticket resale is prohibited, paired customers face the risk of duplicate winnings, requiring them to purchase surplus tickets. The study evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of such pairings and analyzes the impact of a redraw system on strategic pairing incentives. The analysis focuses on two equilibria: all‐pair (where all customers pair up) and all‐single (where no customers pair up). The key findings are as follows. First, an all‐single equilibrium occurs when the number of customers is sufficiently large or tickets are scarce. Second, holding the pairing rate fixed, a redraw system improves the payoffs of all customers (mechanical effect). Third, a redraw system strengthens customers' incentives to form pairs (strategic effect), which implies that an all‐single equilibrium is more likely to arise without a redraw system than with one. Thus, the welfare implications of redraw operate through two channels: the mechanical and the strategic effects. Fourth, if the redraw system commission is sufficiently low, the all‐pair equilibrium is more likely to exist with the redraw system than without it. Event organizers seeking to prevent strategic pair formation may therefore be reluctant to introduce a redraw system, creating a potential conflict of interest between organizers and customers.

Abstract Climate change and the global transition to low-carbon energy represent pressing economic and environmental challenges that require effective policy interventions. Understanding how to design instruments that align private incentives with societal objectives is crucial, highlighting the importance of investigating the interaction between carbon pricing and subsidies for clean energy deployment. This study employs a game-theoretic, mechanism-design framework to develop a two-stage analytical model of strategic interaction, in which a regulator sets carbon prices and complementary subsidies while firms optimally choose abatement levels and clean energy investments; the model is solved through backward induction to derive closed-form Nash equilibrium strategies. The analysis is based on a theoretical model, which provides closed-form solutions for equilibrium strategies. Analytical results reveal how policy effectiveness depends on market structure, technology efficacy, and damage sensitivity, and identify the Nash equilibrium conditions under which carbon pricing alone is sufficient or when additional subsidies are required. The primary policy recommendation emphasizes the combination of credible carbon pricing with targeted, performance-based subsidies, ensuring efficient deployment of clean technologies, accounting for strategic behavior, informational constraints, and political feasibility, and providing actionable guidance for policymakers committed to sustainable development objectives.

An Aha moment precedes the strategic response to a visuomotor rotation.

Complex problem solving (CPS) is a prominent competence, significantly related to educational achievements. Regarding CPS, the domain-general exploration strategy VOTAT (vary-one-thing-at-a-time; Tschirgi, 1980 ) is strongly correlated with CPS success. However, the number of additional VOTAT exploration steps remained unclear. Going beyond previous studies, we combined these approaches and analyzed logfile based process data. The effectiveness (i.e., using VOTAT) and the efficiency (i.e., non-necessary, additional VOTAT-steps) of the exploration behavior were investigated across a sequence of CPS items in N = 469 high-school students. Across the item sequence, the exploration behavior became more effective and efficient. In latent class analyses, four classes were identified. Students in classes that demonstrated more effective exploration behavior reached higher intelligence and CPS performance scores than other students. Regarding the remaining classes, the relation between efficient exploration behavior with intelligence and CPS performance was less consistent. Implications for fostering students' explorations and CPS success are discussed. The results of our study emphasize the role of strategic exploration behaviors while exploring complex problem solving (CPS) tasks for successfully solving complex problems. Based on more or less effective (i.e., using VOTAT) and efficient (i.e., the number of additional, non-necessary exploration steps) strategy use, we found four different groups (i.e., latent classes) of students: (1) ineffective explorers, (2) inefficient explorers, (3) emerging explorers, and (4) proficient explorers. Students of the four classes differed in their mean intelligence and CPS scores. These results form a basis for adaptive interventions aimed at fostering beneficial exploration strategies to improve problem solving skills as an important educational goal. • We examined students while they worked on complex problem solving (CPS) items. • We focused on the effectiveness and efficiency of the exploration behavior (VOTAT). • Latent class analysis (LCA) of students' exploration behavior revealed four classes. • The classes differed in their intelligence scores and CPS performance. • The classes with effective exploration behavior showed better CPS performance.

Resilience and innovation: SME responses in global value chains under uncertainty

This research examines the influence of market orientation (MO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on the performance of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), with particular emphasis on the mediating effect of competitive advantage (CA). Anchored in the principles of the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the study argues that strategic orientations can only enhance firm outcomes once they are effectively transformed into durable competitive strengths.A quantitative causal approach was employed through a structured survey administered to MSME managers and business owners in Sumbawa Regency. Data were processed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SEM–PLS). The analysis demonstrates that EO exerts a significant direct effect on MSME performance, whereas MO contributes indirectly via CA. Both strategic orientations show positive associations with competitive advantage, which subsequently leads to improved performance outcomes. The model demonstrates strong explanatory and predictive capability, reflected in R² values of 0.591 for CA and 0.706 for performance, supported by substantial Q² values. Overall, the results suggest that MO and EO generate meaningful performance improvements only when strategically leveraged to build sustainable competitive advantage. The study enriches theoretical discourse on MSME strategic behavior and offers practical insights to strengthen innovation capacity, responsiveness, and adaptability.