The slowdown in globalization preceded by the 2008–2009 financial crisis and accompanied by stagnation in cross-border flows of goods and investments ignited the scientific debate about globalization shutting down. This paper assesses globalization on the basis of the observed flows of investment, data, population and trade for the period of 1998–2018. To do so, we propose the Index of Globalization (IG) that allowed us to highlight the key trends in the global economic development. Our assessments show that there was a sustained decline in the trade and investment components of globalization. The information flow demonstrates a slowdown in developed economies, but its growth rate remains stably high. The IG dynamics indicates a significant decrease in times of crises. In contrast to the 2008–2009 financial crisis and the outbreak of SARS in 2003, the COVID-19 pandemic has already caused a more considerable reduction in international flows of factors of production and global GDP. The changes in society behavior adopted during the COVID-19 spread are forecast to have long-term consequences. In terms of globalization, the pandemic has positively affected the dynamics of the information flow by increasing volumes of Internet traffic and intensifying the use of communications. The research results demonstrate that in the case of a significant slowdown in the trade, investment and population flows, an increase in the information flow will not have a substantial impact on globalization processes and will be unable to break the overall trend towards a decline in the Index of Globalization.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of total JIT practices (JIT purchasing, JIT operations, and JIT selling) on operational performance (quality, delivery, and cost) of local fast-food restaurants in Jordan. The study is quantitative and covers 43 out of 142 local fast-food restaurants in Amman. Data were collected by questionnaires from 101 managers and supervisors. After confirming normality, validity, reliability, and relationships between variables, multiple regressions were conducted to test the hypothesis. Results indicate that there are strong relationships among total JIT sub-variables, very strong relationships among operational performance dimensions, and a very strong relationship between JIT and operational performance. Finally, results show that total JIT practices have a positive significant effect on the operational performance of Jordanian local fast-food restaurants.

This paper studies the effect of CEO attributes on firms’ R&D spending in Saudi firms. Mainly, it examines the influence of CEOs’ education (level and background), CEOs’ experience (work experience, tenure and functional background), CEOs’ origin and CEOs' ownership. These attributes are among the main CEO attributes that are not considered simultaneously by previous studies. Empirically, we use a sample of 63 listed Saudi companies on Tadawul stock exchange. The study uses a panel model employing data over the period from 2016 to 2019 with 252 observations and formulates five different equations using the ordinary least square regression. Findings show that companies employing CEOs with functional backgrounds in marketing and/or engineering will invest more in R&D. Similarly, R&D spending increases when the CEO is an insider and has a part in the firm capital. These results would help scholars and shareholders to understand what makes executives more willing to initiate innovation and thus, they can select and govern well the company’s CEO.

This article discusses the literature review related to supply chain integration and competitive advantage in grocery products. This paper is designed to analyze the existing literature about research topics using Systematic literature review, total final sample includes 29 articles published during 2011 to 2021. The article uses papers indexed in the Scopus database. The publishers of the articles include Tylor and Francis, Emerald, Elsevier, MDPI, SAGE and Growing Science. In supplier integration, it focuses on providing food ingredients by minimizing waste from loss of food product yields and balancing the supply of food raw materials so that there is no excess food supply. Internal integration focuses on how the creation of added value from food products can be optimally provided to create optimal benefits from food. This paper seeks to contribute to and analyze limited articles on supply chain integration and competitive advantage on Grocery Product.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating role of digital marketing strategies on innovation through Artificial Intelligence (AI) mediating impact in Small and Medium Enterprises within Saudi Arabia. Advanced analytics tools analyzed data from KSA SMEs to establish the role of AI, customer behavior, and experiences in product and process innovation. Artificial intelligence boosts product and process innovation with unconventional customer knowledge. Integrating AI combined with digital marketing to improve decisions and efficiency, to increase understanding of customer dynamics for sustaining growth and promoting collaborations. Using AI-empowered digital marketing strengthens Saudi SMEs advancement by promptly reacting to market motions. Sustainability practices attract the environmentally conscious consumer. This research provides actionable insights for SMEs who want to employ digital marketing and AI strategies and contribute to building an economic environment in Saudi Arabia.

The main goal of this research is to study and investigate the impact of data management and analysis tools on improving organizational behavior within three IT service firms in Jordan. This research focuses on choosing three data management and analysis tools: Database analysis tool, data processing tool, and big data processing tool and how these tools could positively influence enhancing employee performance and organizational behavior. It accomplishes this within the distinct framework of three Jordanian IT service firms. The research supposed that combining big data analysis, integrated data processing, and database analysis is necessary to enhance organizational behavior and employee performance, as indicated by the findings. Furthermore, the research highlights the potential for IT service firms in Jordan to benefit from emerging database analysis technologies, promote the use of integrated data processing techniques, and leverage big data analysis for their own benefit. This can enhance corporate behavior and employee performance. Data was distributed and collected from three Jordanian IT service firms, and all collected data was analyzed using AMOS. The study's findings offer valuable recommendations for enhancing the operational efficiency of IT service firms in similar business environments, emphasizing the crucial importance of comprehending and purposefully employing database-related technologies for sustained prosperity.

This study examines the extent of adoption of electronic payment methods in Jordanian banks and compares them with traditional alternatives. Focusing on banking customer behavior, we conducted a comprehensive survey among banking customers to uncover insights on trust, perceived benefits, financial literacy, ease of use, security and cost considerations. By analyzing the data collected using the questionnaire study tool, we reveal the motivations behind customers’ electronic payment preferences. By highlighting these factors, our research contributes to the understanding of the evolving payment landscape and provides actionable insights to enhance the adoption of electronic payment in Jordan’s financial system, in line with global technological trends. The results of the study revealed that all study variables had a significant impact (trust, ease of use, perceived security, and cost of service) on the use of electronic payment methods. In addition, gender, number of years of dealing with the bank, and type of electronic payment used more than once by customers in the banking sector did not have a significant impact.

Cryptocurrencies are crucial in modern commerce and finance, whether at the national, corporate, or individual level. They serve as fundamental currencies for buying and selling, enabling various business transactions. However, the rise of cybercrime has brought about concerns regarding their operations, potential breaches in encrypted currencies, and the security systems managing them. The frequency of attack tactics and the motivation of attackers seeking financial gain are well-known. Many cryptocurrencies lack the necessary algorithms, techniques, and knowledge to effectively detect and mitigate malware, making them vulnerable targets for hackers. In this study, machine learning techniques are employed to detect malicious code in digital currencies. Additionally, a comparison of these techniques is conducted to determine the most suitable algorithm and technology, Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of effective malware detection in securing cryptocurrencies. Three datasets of different sizes were used, each yielding distinct results based on dataset size. The AdaBoost model demonstrated superior performance when applied to the short dataset, while the decision tree model performed best with the medium-sized dataset. Conversely, the Naive Bayes model consistently produced the worst results, while the large-size KNN model achieved the highest performance.

Customer satisfaction is the bedrock of e-commerce. This study identifies the factors and consequences of the perceived flow of consumers with shopping websites. The research scrutinizes the association linking purchase intentions arising from customer satisfaction, website quality and perceived flow by incorporating the model of Stimulus Organism Response. The data were collected from online shoppers using purposive sampling targeted through social media. The data from 270 respondents have been analyzed using SmartPLS incorporating the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling. The assessment showed an important beneficial impact of website usability, their security, functionality, and privacy features on the perceived flow of customers. Furthermore, perceived flow has been found to affect customers’ purchase intentions as well as satisfaction, and lastly, purchase intention is induced by how satisfied customers are with their shopping experience. The findings identify how important perceived flow functions in enhancing purchase intentions and customer satisfaction online. The findings can be noteworthy for online businesses and banks to improve online shopping experience and transactions.

Agriculture products are one of the main income sources of developing countries. This study analyzes the road transport system (network) to reveal the network’s structural properties and identifies hubs that consolidate agricultural products to export to China via the China-Laos railway. Analysis of 20 provinces in the Northeast of Thailand has found that the network has 340 districts connected by 1,015 transport routes. The network is sparse, in which all districts cannot be connected to each other. The network has low connectivity efficiency but has high intra-connectivity among districts in the same province. In addition, the network has a modularity structure that can develop the communities. Hubs consolidating agricultural products of the region are Na Khu, Kuchinaria, Mueng Chiyaphum, Nam Phong, Na Wa, Mueang Mukdahan, Prasat and Rasi Salai. The findings of the study draw implications for the government, sector and exporters to design and improve their operations and services.