This study examined the effects of cyberattacks on the profitability of U.S. public and private commercial banks using a sample of 120 data breaches across various institutions. The results showed that cyberattacks negatively influence bank profitability, with effects more robust in the 12 quarters following a breach, especially from non-hack breaches. Large and private banks suffer more than small and public banks, with breaches resulting in decreased deposits and loans and increased liquidity. These changes are confirmed as independent channels reducing bank profitability. The results were robust after controlling for factors like multicollinearity, non-stationarity, cross-sectional dependence, and heteroskedasticity.

While some scholars argue that companies implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) for altruistic reasons, to gain an advantage over rivals in the industry, to enhance corporate reputation, and to be seen as ethical for addressing environmental and socio-economic difficulties, other scholars view CSR as unnecessary. These scholars argue that CSR initiatives adversely affect corporate profits. The understanding of this phenomenon remains incomplete, especially with the lack of empirical understanding about why corporate bodies execute CSR in spite of their primary goal of maximizing profits. To better understand this gap in knowledge, this case study of the Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) ascertains why the company implements CSR in the mining communities they operate. This study contributes to the debates on CSR and the global call for businesses to address societal problems. Navigating the qualitative research approach and human-needs conflict theory, this study discovered that despite its voluntary application, failing to implement CSR would have prevented NGGL to have the social license to operate, and violent and nonviolent conflicts would have occurred. The study also found that CSR was implemented to address the fundamental needs of host communities adversely affected by mining. Together, these results suggest that CSR is treated as a conflict prevention and development initiative. Therefore, the study recommends that CSR be made mandatory.

The focus of this paper is to conceptualize and measure consumer-based authenticity as well as its effects on social networks (SN) and attachment. In addition, it explores the effect of consumer attachment. In order to address this focus, it suggests a framework for analyzing this relationship by using the Partial Least Squares Equation Modeling. This study utilizes applied quantitative research in the Moroccan context. The results showed that consumer-based authenticity represents a marketing tool that can influence purchase intention. The key contribution of this research is the feature of consumer authenticity that influences social network confidence. Consumers need to feel the connection with the terroir product goes beyond the digital interface as they look for a more human relationship. The virtual context may display a high risk of deficient relationships; hence, the low consumer-based authenticity.

Research into the impacts of globalization on domestic growth in Africa has been scarce and the results of the research that does exist have been mixed. This research addresses this gap in the literature by using the newly revised KOF Globalization Index to determine the impact of social, political, and financial globalization on African economies. The KOF Index was revised substantially in 2019. Our full data set includes 40 years of data, from 1980-2019. Findings indicate that the relationship between globalization and GDP is best represented by a non-linear cubic model. With that model, social globalization has become Africa’s most important predictor of GDP, particularly in the most recent ten-year period. Economic globalization was also a small, but significant, predictor. Implications for policymaking are also discussed.

As internet usage grew, social media sites proliferated, and consumers began to use them more frequently. On social media, people share their daily lives, but they also express what they want to symbolize. This sharing includes conspicuous buying or consumption, presenting both opportunities and challenges for organizations. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate how the intensity of Instagram’s usage as a social media platform affects conspicuous consumption. The data was gathered through a questionnaire administered to Instagram users (N = 230). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) determined the effect of the intensity of Instagram’s usage as a social media platform on conspicuous consumption. According to the findings, the intensity of Instagram usage influenced the dimensions of conspicuous consumption (status, social impact, and sociability). By emphasizing conspicuous consumption, companies have an opportunity to impress their customers.

This study explains how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food sector adapted during the pandemic. In-depth, semi-structured, hybrid interviews were conducted with fifteen SME owners in the food sector in Bandung, Indonesia. The study describes five business adaptation strategies using service-dominant logic (S-DL) and structural-functionalism theory: (a) relationship adaptation with suppliers and landlords, (b) employee adaptation, (c) product and sales adaptation, (d) operations adaptation, and (e) promotion adaptation. Findings show a holistic view of actor involvement in the business adaptation process linked to altruism, in which the business and all actors (i.e., suppliers, landlords, customers, employees, government, online delivery man, society, etc.) act and respond conjointly as a form of collective survival. The business ecosystem of the food sector covers both transactional relationships and emotional relationships. This study contributes to the literature and practice of SMEs in the food sector in finding effective strategies when facing a pandemic.