E-Commerce Calls for Cyber-Security and Sustainability: How European Citizens Look for a Trusted Online Environment

Cosmetics and Detergents with Recycled CO2: A Cross-Country Study with a Modified by Risk Perception Values-Beliefs-Norms Model

This paper presents the examination of a values-beliefs-norms (VBN) model, modified by climate change risk perception, in France, Germany, and Spain, to investigate consumers' intentions to purchase personal and house care products that are going to contain innovative ingredients made from recycled CO₂. Electronic interviews were undertaken by a research agency on stratified (gender and age) samples in each country. Solely biospheric values indicated a statistically significant and positive causal relationship with risk perception. Risk perception provided the strongest of all impacts on awareness of consequences. Awareness of consequences affected the ascription of responsibility, and ascription of responsibility affected personal norms, which in turn generated consumption intentions. VBN was found powerful in explaining 58%, 60.2%, and 43.3% of the variance in intentions to buy CPGs with green chemical ingredients in French, German, and Spanish consumers, respectively. Moderation analysis indicated that the relationship between personal norms and consumption intentions is stronger in France and Germany than in Spain. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.

The Behavioral Intention to Adopt Circular Economy-Based Digital Technology for Agricultural Waste Valorization

Thailand generates considerable amounts of agricultural food waste. This research focuses on the manufacturing and retail agricultural food system in the northeastern region of Thailand. Our study aimed to investigate the user segments and factors that influence users' behavioral intentions to utilize mobile technology for agricultural waste valorization. This study is based on the Unified Theory of the Adoption and Utilization of Technology (UTAUT2). In order to classify these segments, we performed a cluster analysis using demographic variables: gender, age, and income. In addition, the researchers employed a method known as multigroup structural equation modeling to determine and contrast the users' behavioral intentions. The results showed two types of users: (1) older users with various income ranges, and (2) younger users with a low-income range. Explicitly, age and income were the significant variables for the demographic segmentation, but gender was not. The results also revealed that social influence, price value, and trust highly affected the behavioral intentions of older and various-income users, but did not influence younger and low-income users. However, privacy strongly affected the behavioral intentions in the younger segment, but not those in the older one. Lastly, habit or regularity influenced the behavioral intentions of users in both segments. This study highlights implications for how developers and practitioners might adapt their platform strategies using a circular agricultural platform and user behaviors.

Environmentally Responsible Purchase Intention in Pacific Alliance Countries: Geographic and Gender Evidence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The objectives of this research were: (1) to examine the influence of environmental awareness (EA), sustainable consumption (SC) and social responsibility (SR) on the environmentally responsible purchase intention (ERPI) of consumers in the member countries of the Pacific Alliance, namely, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru; and (2) to analyze whether there is a moderating effect related to the country of residence and gender of the consumer. The study was conducted under a quantitative and cross-sectional approach. The sample consisted of 1646 consumers: 24.4% from Peru (n = 402), 25.4% from Mexico (n = 418), 26.1% from Colombia (n = 401) and 24.1% from Chile (n = 397). Data analysis and hypothesis testing were performed using a multigroup Structural Equation Model (SEM). The results show a positive influence among environmental awareness (EA), sustainable consumption (SC) and social responsibility (SR) on environmentally responsible purchase intention (ERPI). Gender and country of residence were also shown to be moderating variables in these relationships. In conclusion, it can be affirmed that the participants of this study recognize the importance of acquiring environmentally friendly products. Among them, the female population is more aware of this issue. It is recommended new business models be created to provide products and services oriented to this market according to consumers’ tastes, desires and purchasing preferences; the proposals they have should be friendly to the environment and to society.

European IoT Use in Homes: Opportunity or Threat to Households?

The residential sector is characterized by new digital challenges. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a key-driver of innovation and operations management. This study aims to measure and assess IoT devices at the level of individuals, which are households, in European countries. For this scope, through the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), we analyse data from Eurostat providing a mix of indicators allowing information to be aggregated at the level of individual Europeans and disaggregated by age group. The results highlight that only four countries (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Malta) are classified as a high cluster in the examined scenarios. The 16-24 age group is the most involved in the uses of IoT devices, but the previous three northern European countries also show very high values for the 35-44 age group. IoT devices serve as a springboard for achieving a powerful propulsion toward technological innovation in the new business models, identifying opportunities and being a way to make many routine tasks more agile. Training programs and awareness campaigns are policy suggestions for the development of IoT devices favouring a cultural change on their use. However, there is an emerging need for studies that monitor environmental health impacts to prevent possible threats.

Cyber security threats: A never-ending challenge for e-commerce

This study explores the challenge of cyber security threats that e-commerce technology and business are facing. Technology applications for e-commerce are attracting attention from both academia and industry. It has made what was not possible before for the business community and consumers. But it did not come all alone but has brought some challenges, and cyber security challenge is one of them. Cyber security concerns have many forms, but this study focuses on social engineering, denial of services, malware, and attacks on personal data. Firms worldwide spend a lot on addressing cybersecurity issues, which grow each year. However, it seems complicated to overcome the challenge because the attackers continuously search for new vulnerabilities in humans, organizations, and technology. This paper is based on the conceptual analysis of social engineering, denial of services, malware, and attacks on personal data. We argue that implementing modern technology for e-commerce and cybersecurity issues is a never-ending game of cat and mouse. To reduce risks, reliable technology is needed, training of employees and consumer is necessary for using the technology, and a strong policy and regulation is needed at the firm and governmental level.

Global Research Trends in Consumer Behavior and Sustainability in E-Commerce: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Knowledge Structure

Consumers are conscious of increasing online purchases and demand sustainable consumption friendly actions. Although there is increasing interest in this topic, the research status, development, and structure of consumer behavior and sustainability in e-commerce research is scarce. This study aims to analyze the intellectual, conceptual, and social knowledge of consumer behavior and sustainability in e-commerce research to generate new understandings. Data from 104 articles were collected from the Scopus database, and a bibliometric analysis was conducted. Results revealed a close relationship between the topic and city logistics, big data analysis, customer engagement, circular economy, online services, and omnichannel retail, showing the different research approaches and the transversal themes related to the topic. This study contributes to the sustainability academic research by identifying trends and suggesting future research topics.

Extending the Frontiers of Electronic Commerce Knowledge through Cybersecurity

As technology becomes more sophisticated so do cyber-attacks. The resilience of electronic commerce organisations represents a critical point nowadays because it influences consumer and digital business behaviour. In this context, the cybersecurity and electronic commerce knowledge were reviewed as a unit. The main aim of this paper is to support researchers and managers in understanding the theoretical framework and to provide a knowledge-based model. To achieve this aim, the authors performed an analysis of 14,585 papers from the Web of Science Core Collection that generated two visualized networks, analyzed with the metrics mean silhouette, modularity, betweenness centrality, and citation bursts in the context of digital resilience. The mapping process results show that the human factor represents the central junction with the fear of cyber-attacks and the perception of online shopping as risky. The adoption of electronic commerce and mobile commerce are two challenging research lines in the global economic resilience. Their adoption enabled by big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and even blockchain technology can strengthen resilience even when cybersecurity education is needed.

Inclusive Growth in the Era of Automation and AI: How Can Taxation Help?

In the last decades, the world economy is facing a massive rise in automation, robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) which, according to some analysts, could lead to significant job losses or job polarization and hence widen income and wealth disparities. This scenario may impede the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8). In this context, the role of government and regulation becomes crucial in order to prevent an undesirable scenario, where technological change, namely automation and AI, comes at the cost of mass unemployment and growing inequality. This paper focuses on the role of taxation as a possible tool for sharing the gains from automation and AI. Nowadays, advances in technology may have a direct impact on tax systems, which should be re-adapted to take into account new forms of jobs and new business models. The paper discusses pros and cons of several possible solutions and then compares progresses achieved in different countries. Concerning robot tax and digital taxes there are already some concrete steps undertaken both at national and international level, while other proposals remain still nebulous. Of course, taxation per se, and any single policy in general, is not sufficient to achieve a more inclusive and equal growth. It is instead crucial to create synergies across policies and a strong link between employment creation strategies, redistributive policies, skill development and social protection systems.

A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Review on E-Marketplaces, Open Innovation, and Sustainability

In recent years, the rise of e-commerce has prompted the emergence of electronic marketplaces, or e-marketplaces, which act as intermediaries in the buying and selling process, bringing together several vendors to offer a wide range of products and services to customers, generating modalities such as business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C) or consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-marketplaces. E-marketplaces offer advantages such as access to potential buyers, business and product visibility, the reduction of transaction costs, the comparison of offers and prices among competitors, and the ease of business internationalization. However, the success of e-marketplace business models depends on the sustainability of these platforms, which must involve different stakeholders in order to meet economic, environmental, and social objectives. Therefore, this study presents a bibliometric analysis and systematic review of e-marketplaces, open innovation, and sustainability for the last ten, five, and two years. The analysis includes the number, types, and subject areas of documents published each year, as well as considerations such as the most-cited publications and the leading authors, journals, countries, and institutional affiliations. The analysis also includes a study of the relevant concepts in the publications and their relationships, identifying the predominant topics related to e-marketplaces, open innovation, and sustainability. The results indicate a focus on subject areas such as social sciences, environmental sciences, energy, business, management, and accounting, which is consistent with the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. The findings show that e-marketplaces, open innovation, and sustainability are closely related to concepts such as sustainable development, e-commerce, digital marketing, China (the leading country in terms of publications in all periods), logistics, supply chain management, big data, planning, and decision making. Future works should address traffic congestion and environmental impact, new delivery practices in last-mile logistics, and the motives for users’ engagement in e-marketplaces. Likewise, future research can be oriented toward sustainability dimensions and stakeholders’ integration through open innovation and toward the limitations of SMEs in order to access and benefit from digital platforms.

Supply Chain Sustainability during COVID-19: Last Mile Food Delivery in China

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a strict 100-day lockdown period in Spring of 2020 in China. One of the consequences of the lockdown was the disruption of the food supply chain for the millions of people confined to their homes. The well-established online food delivery service (OFDS) in China were disrupted by pressure to scale up rapidly to resolve the last mile of food delivery. The importance of the OFDS during periods of crises became apparent, as did the realization that uninterrupted food distribution was only possible due to the presence and scalability of the existing delivery network. Focusing on the importance of an established OFDS as a foundation for food distribution, this paper seeks to explore factors that affect consumers’ perception and acceptance of the retail food delivery system in urban China. By applying the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), mean value calculation, univariate linear regression, and multiple linear regression have been adopted to test the hypotheses. Data obtained online from 260 participants demonstrate that the software’s characteristics concerning hedonic motivation (HM), convenience motivation (CM), perceived ease of use (PEOU), navigational design (ND), information quality (IQ), privacy and security (PS), restaurant credibility (RC), and perceived severity (Psev) have positive and significant impacts on customers’ intention to use (ITU), and thus, affects the actual use (AU) of the application in a positive way. The findings of this research contribute to the existing literature by consolidating, validating, and extending the TPB model, especially under the large-scale public health crisis circumstances. Customized practical insights are provided to emphasize developing HM, CM, Psev, and RC factors with maximal marginal effects that promote consumer acceptance; this is a prerequisite to the development of a robust OFDS. which can be repurposed during periods of crises to provide sustainable last-mile food delivery networks.

An Empirical Study of Mobile Commerce and Customers Security Perception in Saudi Arabia

Digital transformation of businesses has seen tremendous growth recently, moreover, COVID-19 has increased online shopping. However, it is important for businesses that customers’ online shopping experience is secure and joyful. In this paper, customers’ security perception regarding some leading mobile commerce applications in Saudi Arabia is explored. Our survey questions focused on three aspects, namely: Consumer rating, trustworthiness, and credit card security. The results highlight that consumers perceive that mobile commerce applications in Saudi Arabia need further improvement in security. In this work, a model to improve customers’ security perception in Saudi Arabia is presented. This model can be generalized to other geographical regions as well. The model outlines different actions for practitioners and policymakers that help in improving security infrastructure, authentication mechanisms, and trustworthiness.

Methodological Perspective for Assessing European Consumers’ Awareness of Cybersecurity and Sustainability in E-Commerce

The increasing European consumer awareness of cybersecurity and sustainability issues in e-commerce is raising key methodological concerns. In a field like this, still unexplored by scholars, it is crucial to identify reliable data as well as to choose the modalities of combining primary and secondary data. As the robustness of the outcome of a study on a complex issue is highly sensitive to the quality of the data used, this paper is a communication that aims to complement and support previously published empirical research. This communication describes the methodological path to collect, integrate, and process data from different sources to interpret European consumers’ attitudes towards cybersecurity and sustainability during e-commerce. In fact, COVID-19 has driven many users to shop online, raising concerns especially about the security of digital transactions. Scientific studies analyzing these effects are still lacking in the literature and therefore this paper aims to fill this gap. The limits of a rigid dataset such as Eurostat’s are overcome by integrating the results of European citizens’ behavior during online purchases, with a survey that involved some experts appropriately selected by the research team. The combination of primary and secondary sources of data and the application of a hybrid methodological approach using MCDA (multi-criteria decision analysis) and a Likert scale allowed new information that fills some gaps in the literature to be extracted from the data. How European citizens correlate e-commerce with cybersecurity and sustainability emerged, thus providing important insights for decision-makers.

Technological Sustainability or Sustainable Technology? A Multidimensional Vision of Sustainability in Manufacturing

The topic of sustainability is becoming one of the strongest drivers of change in the marketplace by transforming into an element of competitiveness and an integral part of business strategy. Particularly in the manufacturing sector, a key role is played by technological innovations that allow companies to minimize the impact of their business on the environment and contribute to enhancing the value of the societies in which they operate. Technological process can be a lever to generate sustainable behaviors, confirming how innovation and sustainability constitute an increasingly close pair. However, it emerges that the nature of this relationship is explored by researchers and considered by practitioners almost exclusively in terms of the degree of sustainability of technological solutions. Lacking is an in-depth exploration of how a product or process, in addition to being environmentally and socio-economically sustainable, must or can also be technologically sustainable. This research therefore aims to build a theoretical foundation for technological sustainability seen as a possible fourth dimension of sustainable development.

Review of Research on Digital Supply Chain Management Using Network Text Analysis

Studies that have examined the digital transformation’s association with supply chains have been actively conducted for over 10 years, and studies on digital supply chain management have been increasing. However, there is a lack of consensus on the definitions of or views about the digital supply chain; thus, researchers in the academic or industrial fields propound various concepts of digital supply chains, which results in confusion during the exchange of opinions or transmission of concepts in many cases. The purpose of this study is to identify the research trends from various articles on the digital supply chain that have been published so far, summarize and analyze the theories and concepts pertaining to it, and review future topics of research. Network text analysis was conducted by extracting information from unstructured text data to identify research trends. The results of the analysis showed that many studies have examined the digital supply chain in terms of sustainable management. “Sustainability” was the most influential word in the keyword network, and the digital transformation of supply chains is essential for the sustainable viability of firms in the era of Industry 4.0 and digital transformation. Many studies have focused on technology for big data analysis and the IoT as technologies to fulfill digital supply chains and maintained that COVID-19 has increased risk factors such as global supply chain disruptions, which is why global firms must monitor the supply chain in real time by securing end-to-end visibility and making corporate-level efforts to build a digital supply chain to instantly detect and deal with related risks. The common groups of keywords were related to “supply chain integration”, “resilience”, “digital technologies”, and “digital transformation”.

The Impact of Direct and Indirect COVID-19 Related Demand Shocks on Sectoral CO2 Emissions: Evidence from Major Asia Pacific Countries

COVID-19’s demand shocks have a significant impact on global CO2 emissions. However, few studies have estimated the impact of COVID-19’s direct and indirect demand shocks on sectoral CO2 emissions and linkages. This study’s goal is to estimate the impact of COVID-19’s direct and indirect demand shocks on the CO2 emissions of the Asia-Pacific countries of Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan (BCIIP). The study, based on the Asian Development Bank’s COVID-19 economic impact scenarios, estimated the impact of direct and indirect demand shocks on CO2 releases using input–output and hypothetical extraction methods. In the no COVID-19 scenario, China emitted the most CO2 (11 billion tons (Bt)), followed by India (2 Bt), Indonesia (0.5 Bt), Pakistan (0.2 Bt), and Bangladesh (0.08 Bt). For BCIIP nations, total demand shocks forced a 1–2% reduction in CO2 emissions under a worst-case scenario. Given BCIIP’s current economic recovery, a best or moderate scenario with a negative impact of less than 1% is more likely in coming years. Direct demand shocks, with a negative 85–63% share, caused most of the CO2 emissions decrease. The downstream indirect demand had only a 15–37% contribution to CO2 emissions reduction. Our study also discusses policy implications.

The Development of Digital Transformation and Relevant Competencies for Employees in the Context of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latvia

The current period describes the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis on businesses and the lives of citizens. It has accelerated digital transformation in all areas. The work and learning of many individuals have moved to the digital environment. In order to use digital technologies, employees need to acquire new knowledge and skills. The aim of this research study is to perform an analysis of the development of digital transformation and relevant competencies for employees and to identify the opportunities and challenges in Latvia. The research methodology applied for this research study is based on examining relevant theoretical concepts and publications of the EU regarding digital transformation. A survey method was used to find out the opinions of Latvian employers regarding the importance of digital transformation and relevant competencies for employees. The analysis of the research indicated that the majority of the respondents surveyed rated the level of implementation of digital transformation as high or medium-high, which shows that this is a good trend, and the digitalization process continues to progress. However, about a third of enterprises are only at the early stage of digitalization, while some have not yet begun it. The problem is the development of human capital competencies and digital skills. This is a specific research study that expands and provides insights into the situation in Latvia on the possibilities of implementation of digital transformation, which is closely linked with the development of human capital competencies and digital skills. This requires maintaining a holistic approach to targeted digital transformation management.

A Self-Adaptive Cuckoo Search Algorithm Using a Machine Learning Technique

Metaheuristics are intelligent problem-solvers that have been very efficient in solving huge optimization problems for more than two decades. However, the main drawback of these solvers is the need for problem-dependent and complex parameter setting in order to reach good results. This paper presents a new cuckoo search algorithm able to self-adapt its configuration, particularly its population and the abandon probability. The self-tuning process is governed by using machine learning, where cluster analysis is employed to autonomously and properly compute the number of agents needed at each step of the solving process. The goal is to efficiently explore the space of possible solutions while alleviating human effort in parameter configuration. We illustrate interesting experimental results on the well-known set covering problem, where the proposed approach is able to compete against various state-of-the-art algorithms, achieving better results in one single run versus 20 different configurations. In addition, the result obtained is compared with similar hybrid bio-inspired algorithms illustrating interesting results for this proposal.

Flexible Fuzzy Goal Programming Approach in Optimal Mix of Power Generation for Socio-Economic Sustainability: A Case Study

The demand for cost-efficient and clean power energy cannot be overemphasised, especially in a developing nation like India. COVID-19 has adversely affected many nations, power sector inclusive, and resiliency is imperative via flexible and sustainable power generation sources. Renewable energy sources are the primary focus of electricity production in the world. This study examined and assessed the optimal cost system of electricity generation for the socio-economic sustainability of India. A sustainable and flexible electricity generation model is developed using the concept of flexible fuzzy goal programming. This study is carried out with the aim of achieving the government’s intended nationally determined contribution goals of reducing emission levels, increasing the capacity of renewable sources and the must-run status of hydro and nuclear, and technical and financial parameters. The result shows an optimal cost solution and flexibility in how increased electricity demand would be achieved and sustained via shifting to renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro.

Framework of Blockchain-Supported E-Commerce Platform for Small and Medium Enterprises

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in promoting the national economy and providing employment opportunities. E-commerce platforms may facilitate transactions between these enterprises. However, transactions on the e-commerce platform are non-face-to-face, strongly virtual, and variable, resulting in SMEs often facing moral hazards and opportunistic behaviors. Blockchain is a distributed ledger consisting of an encryption algorithm, consensus mechanism, and smart contracts, having the characteristics of authenticity, security, transparency, and unforgeability. Thus, the problems faced by SMEs can be resolved by combining e-commerce platforms and blockchain technology. In this study, we first provide a conceptual framework for blockchain-supported e-commerce platforms for SMEs. Second, based on this conceptual framework, we build a total business architecture. Finally, we propose three key applications to illustrate how the platform facilitates SMEs in solving financing and trading problems. This study provides significant guidance for the operation and management of blockchain-supported e-commerce platforms for these enterprises.

Resilience, Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship within the Context of SMEs: Evidence from Latin America

The purpose of this article is to analyze resilient female leadership as a sustainable promoter of business excellence in small and medium-sized Wayuu handicraft marketing enterprises. The present study uses a quantitative methodology with a non-experimental cross-sectional field design, with an analysis and interpretation of the data provided by the surveyed subjects. A 33-item questionnaire with multiple response options is applied. The population consists of 110.012 eradicated women. A probabilistic sampling technique is applied with a margin of error of 5% and a confidence level of 95%, for a total of 383 Wayuu women entrepreneurs in the Department of La Guajira, Colombia. Our findings explain that female leadership transcends the boundaries of business management, being present in both small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study confirms the positive relationship between sustainability and resilience in the Wayuu handicrafts market, being women who turn their actions into success factors by working with women who show technical, conceptual, and human skills.