This study aims to examine the personal finance characteristics of mobile banking and mobile payment users in the United States. To achieve this goal, we used the 2018 National Financial Capability Study, which surveyed over 27,000 American adults regarding their personal financial standing and behaviors. By using ordinary least squares models, our results indicated that the use of mobile banking and mobile payment technology was associated with lower age, Non-White Ethnicity, higher income, higher debt load, debt types (auto, student, credit card, and predatory), and spending more than one’s income. These results reveal that the higher one’s income, financial liabilities, and spending are, the more they may value the convenience of mobile banking and payments.

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating across different currencies are exposed to exchange rate risk. They may utilize a variety of tools to mitigate that risk. While there are different types of exchange rate risk, this study focuses specifically on the ongoing exposure of cash flow transactions denominated in the currencies of seven different developed countries. Since other types of risk (i.e., economic and translation) are evaluated based on yearly results, they are not considered in this study. The modified value-at-risk (MVaR) model is employed to estimate the maximum one-period losses during the eighteen months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and, in addition, the maximum one-period losses during the eighteen months following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The predicted losses using MVaR are then compared with the actual ex-post results. Our objective is to analyze the extent of the cash flow transaction exposure and provide practical insights to MNEs as they decide whether or not they should hedge this risk. This study is noteworthy because it compares the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods.

As researchers, recognizing and capturing once-in-a-lifetime events in real-time is essential. The researchers felt compelled to document the impacts of the natural disasters, pandemics, and bridge closures that directly affected the geographical area in which they lived. These sequential crises touched countless lives in the region. Most critically, disseminating and recording these rapid developments has been vital so that others may learn from this time when faced with similar situations. It is the duty of researchers immersed in such extraordinary circumstances to acknowledge and examine the implications in the moment, given the singularity of living through consecutive disasters of this nature. Drawing on the propositions of the social exchange theory SET), the purpose of this study is twofold, (a) evaluating the predictive power of natural disasters (i.e., Hurricane Sally, COVID-19 pandemic) and a related event (i.e., Pensacola Bay Bridge closure) toward the average stress felt, and (b) exploring the outcomes of these disasters and the related event on employees’ work lives and local economy. The data were gathered from a sample of 305 individuals via an online survey instrument. The respondents were those impacted by the closure of a critical bridge while commuting to and from their place of employment. Multiple regression, graphical, and descriptive analyses were conducted. The bridge closure was found to be the event associated with the highest level of stress. Findings provide valuable practical implications for global business in employee stress management, especially during natural disasters and corresponding events. Further practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Women’s mobile banking adoption is linked to several advantages, including empowering women, enhancing investment in women-owned businesses, and decreasing extreme poverty.This study explores the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that affect women’s mobile banking adoption in Bangladesh using Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS; 2020) data. In this study, 12,147 ever-married women aged 15-49 are included in the analysis. The chi-square test is used to examine the effect of socioeconomic and demographic factors on women’s mobile banking adoption. Then, the enter method of a binary logistic regression model is applied to identify the factors most strongly affiliated with it. The result shows that 14.8% (urban = 15.1% and rural = 14.6%) of women have adopted mobile banking services. The regression model reveals that women’s mobile banking adoption is significantly related to their age, education and occupation, husband’s education and occupation, livestock ownership, media exposure, and region. Women’s mobile banking adoption increased gradually with the increasing educational attainment of women. The study mentions that the Chi-square test of independence depicts a significant association between socioeconomic status and women’s mobile banking adoption, but the regression model shows an insignificant relationship between them. Respective banks should design their products and services to be more customer-friendly for people of different ages, education, professions, and geographical locations, especially women, and design push-pull services in the local Bengali language so that different levels of people, especially women, can understand. A future study can be done to address all demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that affect women’s mobile banking adoption.

This paper investigated the nexus between sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) initiatives and exceptional profitability in high-performing companies. To this aim, employing a multiple comparative case study methodology, we analyzed 10 cases that excel in both return-on-sales (ROS) compared to industry medians and are actively engaged in SOI initiatives with public evidence. The findings of the study are categorized into internal and external factors affecting company performance, shedding light on managerial practices, organizational culture, and industry-specific variables. From a managerial standpoint, this paper offers valuable insights for managers seeking to balance between sustainable practices, encompassing multiple social and environmental aspects of corporate initiatives, while optimizing economic performance. The paper’s originality lies in its contribution to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the profitability of SOI and their implications for company management. This exploratory research seeks to expand the knowledge of the relationship between SOI and financial performance (FP), providing a foundation for future research in this domain.

Specialty coffee, comprising a tenth of the global coffee trade, is distinguished by its strict quality requirements and traceable origins. The diverse flavor profiles of specialty coffee raise demands on providers to serve individual taste preferences. Prior research has not sufficiently explored how to predict customer preferences for specific flavor profiles or how these preferences influence behavioral intentions such as revisiting or recommending a café. This study hypothesized that customer involvement, the extrinsic factors of coffee experience, and culinary risk-taking would predict flavor preference, which would in turn affect behavioral intentions. In an experiment involving 47 participants, individuals tasted and evaluated two espresso flavor profiles in a counterbalanced order. Results showed that taking pleasure in buying coffee, an aspect of involvement, significantly predicted preference for a distinctly acidic single-origin flavor profile over a more conventional blend. However, factors such as interest in involvement, sensory and service quality aspects of the cafe´ experience, and culinary risk-taking in coffee consumption were not significant predictors of coffee preference. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between coffee preference and the intention to revisit or recommend the establishment, though individual evaluations of each coffee were predictive of these behavioral intentions. These results refine the existing theory linking specialty coffee consumption and consumer behavior, particularly highlighting the role of acidity in flavor preferences. They also confirm the link between the sensory experience of tasting specialty coffee and subsequent behavioral intentions, applicable across diverse flavor profiles.