International Journal of Business and Systems Research (12 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• A value-added analysis of China’s economy  
  by Nika Qiao, Yueyun Chen 
  Abstract: Using an econometric model based on the value-added approach for measuring gross domestic product (GDP), this study examines how productivity, economic structure, labour rate, and urbanisation rate affected China’s GDP per capita from 1978 to 2023. The regression results indicate that labour rate and industrial productivity contributed the most to China’s economic development. Economic structure and urbanisation also significantly impacted China’s economic growth. Furthermore, we explore how these variables will impact China’s economic growth and GDP per capita in the future. Finally, we discuss relevant strategies and policies for maintaining sustainable and stable economic growth in China.
  Keywords: China; economic growth; value-added GDP; productivity; economic structure; labour rate; urbanisation.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10075858
   
  
• M-commerce and role in impulse purchase intention of consumers in emerging economy: a perspective of SOR theory  
  by P. Divakar , Sharon Sophia 
  Abstract: The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of characteristics of mobile shopping platforms (m-commerce) on consumer emotions (pleasure) and the relationship between pleasure and impulse buying intention during mobile shopping. The characteristics of m-commerce were categorised into four dimensions, including: visual attractiveness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, and perceived usefulness. With the consumer pleasure as a mediating variable, these dimensions of m-commerce were integrated in a framework developed based on stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory to examine the effectiveness of pleasure and impulse buying intention. Using a convenience sampling method, 360 responses were collected; after screening, 320 were deemed valid for data analysis. To test the relationship between variables, the study proposed five hypotheses. Using Smart-PLS software, the hypotheses were tested using the measurement and structural models. The study’s findings confirmed that m-commerce characteristics positively influence consumer impulse-buying intention. The study also established that consumer pleasure has a significant positive relationship with impulse purchase intention of Indian consumers, further confirming a full mediation effect. This research provides valuable insights for marketers and academics to investigate other characteristics of m-commerce and its impact on consumers’ impulse buying behaviour.
  Keywords: impulse buying; m-commerce; mobile shopping; stimulus-organism-response; SOR; Smart-PLS.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10075870
   
  
• Assessing the impact of integrating lean and sustainability on performance using clustering approach  
  by Kihyun Caleb Park  
  Abstract: As global market competition grows and the emphasis on environmental and social responsibilities increases, the integration of lean principles and sustainability within the supply chain has become increasingly important in today’s business environment. Firms are beginning to recognise the need to align their supply chain goals with principles that promote operational efficiency, profitability, and sustainability outcomes. Historically, research on lean and sustainability has been conducted separately, but more recently, there have been several qualitative studies examining the effects of integrating them. This study seeks to examine empirically how integrating lean principles with sustainability practices influences organisational performance and competitiveness. Using a two-phase clustering technique along with multivariate and univariate tests, this study analyses survey data collected from 100 Korean firms. The results of the statistical analysis indicate that firms that adopt and implement both lean and sustainability practices achieve higher levels of operational, financial, and sustainable performance compared to those that implement them separately.
  Keywords: lean; sustainability; firm performance; clustering.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10076303
   
  
• Why do more and more people in an emerging country buy herbal medicine instead of synthetic ones? The extension of the theory of planned behaviour  
  by Keni Keni, Nicholas Wilson, Rajendran Muthuveloo, Ida Puspitowati, Shirly Gunawan 
  Abstract: This research aims to incorporate psychological risk and perceived value into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict the intention of people in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest emerging economies, to purchase herbal medicine. It examines how attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control affect purchase intention. A quantitative survey approach was employed, distributing questionnaires to Indonesian consumers with knowledge of herbal medicine. A total of 154 usable data points were analysed using partial least squares (PLS) to evaluate validity, reliability, and the interrelationships between the variables. The findings indicate that psychological risk has a significant negative impact on purchase intention, whereas attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and perceived value have a significant positive influence on it. Integrating psychological risk and perceived value into the TPB framework offers a thorough understanding of consumer behaviour toward herbal medicine in Indonesia.
  Keywords: attitude; psychological risk; perceived value; subjective norms; perceived behavioural control; purchase intention toward herbal medicines; consumers in an emerging country.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10077338
   
  
• The role of conflict on emotional intelligence and team performance in the IT sector: mediating role of team cohesion  
  by Somya Gaur, Sandhya Sinha 
  Abstract: This study investigates the roles of conflict and emotional intelligence (EI) in later team performance in the IT sector, with team cohesion as a mediating factor and task interdependence as a moderating factor. A cross-sectional design was used, and data were gathered using a structured survey of 32 adapted and modified scale items. A purposive sample of 451 daily commuters in Delhi NCR, India, participated in the study. The findings show that relationship, task, and process conflict have significant positive effects on EI, while team diversity has no significant effect. EI is a strong predictor of team cohesion and team performance, as team cohesion was also a positive predictor of performance, thus confirming mediation. Additionally, EI had a significant indirect effect on team performance through cohesion. The moderation analysis indicated that task interdependence did not moderate the EI-performance relationship in the first interaction term but did in the second.
  Keywords: emotional intelligence; conflict; team cohesion; task interdependence; team performance.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2027.10077826
   
  
• The impact of human resource management practices on employees’ innovative work behaviour  
  by Thi Ngoc Thuy Tran, Manh Hien Luc, Chien Van Nguyen 
  Abstract: In the context of a knowledge-based economy and global competition, innovation has become a vital factor for businesses, especially in dynamic economic centre like Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This study aims to assess the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on the innovative work behaviour of employees, and based on social exchange theory, the research model proposes five HRM factors: recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal, employee relations, and leadership style. A quantitative research method was used through a survey of 250 employees working in SMEs in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Data was processed using AMOS software through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM), the research results showed that all four HRM practices such as leadership style, training and development, performance evaluation, employee relations have a positive and statistically significant impact on innovative work behaviour, and leadership style, training and development have received the greatest impact on the innovative work behaviour. This result provided a scientific basis for managers to develop appropriate human resource policies to promote the organisations innovation capacity.
  Keywords: human resource management; HRM; innovative work behaviour; employees; Ho Chi Minh City; structural equation modelling; SEM.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2027.10077883
   
  
• A new approach to estimate average AUC for multiclass data and its relationship with Gini coefficient  
  by T. Prem Dhivakar, M. Punniyamoorthy  
  Abstract: This study introduces an alternative approach for computing the average area under the curve (AAUC) for multi-class classification and demonstrates the relationship between the Gini coefficient and the area under the curve (AUC). AAUC was computed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves obtained through support vector machine (SVM), neural network (NN), Naïve Bayes, and logistic regression through the trapezoidal method, hand-and-till formula, and average area formula. The results exhibited consistent AAUC values for multi-class classification using Naïve Bayes and logistic regression. Furthermore, the study confirmed that the Gini coefficient can be expressed as 2*AUC-1 by employing the AUC values from the SVM binary classification results.
  Keywords: classification; average AUC; machine learning algorithm; AUC-ROC analysis; Gini coefficient.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2027.10077955
   
  
• Beyond the norm: exploring the paradigm shift in advertising tactics towards the unconventional and provocative  
  by Tegegne Tesfaye Haile 
  Abstract: In today's digital media landscape, advertisers use provocative and emotionally charged strategies to capture attention. This study examines how provocativeness, emotional tone, cultural relevance, and visual appeal influence purchase intention, with emotional response and ad recall as mediators. Using survey data from 402 respondents, structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted with AMOS, and SPSS supported preliminary analyses. Results show that provocativeness and cultural relevance significantly enhance emotional response, while visual appeal strongly increases ad recall. Mediation tests reveal that emotional response does not significantly link provocativeness or cultural relevance to purchase intention. Similarly, emotional tone did not influence ad recall or purchasing behaviour. In contrast, ad recall significantly mediated the effect of visual appeal on purchase intention, emphasising cognitive over affective mechanisms. The study highlights recall as a critical pathway to consumer action and suggests that visually engaging ads outperform those relying solely on emotion.
  Keywords: advertising effectiveness; emotional response; ad recall; visual appeal; purchase intention.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10075593
   
  
• The role of presence and immersion in the impact of augmented reality on behavioural intention  
  by Le Quynh Lam Vo, Chien Van Nguyen 
  Abstract: This study investigates the impact of presence and immersion on the effects of augmented reality (AR) on behavioural intention, utilising the stimulus-organism-response framework and social presence theory. A survey was conducted with 392 responses in the context of omnichannel retail. The results identify key factors - personalisation, aesthetics, novelty, and augmentation - that influence user experience in AR. A stronger sense of presence notably boosts purchase intent, with indirect effects via presence supporting the SOR framework's ability to capture complex consumer interactions. Additionally, AR enhances social presence by enabling users to visualise products in their environment, thereby strengthening emotional bonds. Furthermore, aesthetics, novelty, and personalisation contribute to an enriched emotional experience, aligning with social presence theory's emphasis on emotional dynamics in mediated settings. Based on these insights, the study offers strategic recommendations for managers to leverage AR technologies, emphasising the creation of immersive experiences that prioritise aesthetics, novelty, and personalisation to enhance user engagement and drive purchase intentions.
  Keywords: augmented reality; AR; behavioural intention; SOR framework; social presence theory.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10074076
   
  
• Examining the influence of health consciousness and privacy concerns on Gen-Z's adoption of wearable fitness trackers: a TAM and TRA perspective  
  by A.K. Subramani, N. Akbar Jan, Nishit Kumar Srivastava, Namrata Chatterjee 
  Abstract: The research aimed to analyse the influence of technology, health consciousness (HC), and perceived privacy protection (PPP) on Gen-Z users' intention and adoption of wearable fitness trackers (WFTs). The structured online survey posted on social media platforms ended with 407 valid responses from Gen-Z users of the WFT from three major metropolitan cities in India, namely Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. This investigation followed a quantitative and cross-sectional research design by combining the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to understand the adoption intention of WFT. The outcome of the study exposed that HC (β = 0.46), attitude towards use (ATU) (β = 0.31), perceived usefulness (PU) (β = 0.30), and PPP (β = 0.14) had substantial direct effects on intention to use (ITU) of WFT. Among the antecedents of adoption intention, ATU shows a momentous positive direct effect on ITU and partially mediates the connection between HC and ITU as well as PU and ITU.
  Keywords: health consciousness; perceived privacy protection; PPP; wearable fitness trackers; WTFs; wearable health devices; Gen-Z user.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10075325
   
  
• Vocabulary and knowledge dimensions of online consumer reviews: a replication study and refinement  
  by Makoto Nakayama, Maria Madlberger 
  Abstract: Research on online consumer reviews examines drivers of review helpfulness, yet sheds less insight into the impact of reviews' vocabulary and knowledge on helpfulness. Our study posits that the body of online community knowledge is reflected by a group of relevant terms, especially nouns, which establish three different knowledge areas. We replicate a seminal study published in 2010 by applying a comparable methodology in terms of sample selection and data analysis, complemented with expert reviews. We compare the variety (breadth) and counts (depth) of nouns in consumer and expert reviews. The results show that consumers appreciate expert terms more when their knowledge breadth is lesser but their knowledge depth is greater. In contrast, consumers appreciate consumer terms more when their knowledge breadth is greater, but their knowledge depth is lesser. The assessment of vocabulary can be a promising way to shed light on what enlightens consumers.
  Keywords: vocabulary; knowledge; online consumer reviews; review helpfulness; community knowledge; attribute terms; knowledge breadth; knowledge depth; replication; text mining.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10075990
   
  
• The role of internal marketing and employee well-being in explaining job satisfaction and retention of millennial accountants  
  by Carmen Pérez-Cabañero, MiKayla Lumpkin 
  Abstract: Millennial employees (Generation Y) are contributing to the continuous rise in employee turnover rates in the USA. The purpose of this study is to examine which factors affect millennials' job satisfaction which in turn affects retention in the context of a low-contact service industry: public accounting. A quantitative research design was employed using a survey distributed via social media platforms, yielding 1,502 valid responses from Millennials employed in the USA public accounting firms. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results confirm a direct relationship between job satisfaction and retention as well as three main antecedents of millennials' job satisfaction: work environment conditions, relationships with superiors, and compensation (pay and benefits). The study also reveals a moderating effect of employee well-being which intensifies the positive impact of employee satisfaction on retention. Managerial implications include insights from additional online interviews with millennial CPAs.
  Keywords: internal marketing; retention; turnover; satisfaction; millennials; public accounting.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2026.10075589