Journal of Economics, Management and Trade

Sustainable Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Countries: Implications for Environmental and Social Factors

2026-06-03T13:10:34+00:00

The desired for better enhancement of sustainable economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries has tremendously increased environmental challenges of these region’s economies. Thereby, causing adverse effects on social human behavior despite series of efforts by the successive governments of the regions’. Given the above, this study is out to investigate the interactions among environmental factor, social factor and sustainable economic development in sub-Saharan Africa region. The study used annual time series data spanning from 1980 to 2023 and sourced from regional SSA pooled World Bank, World Development Indicator of 2023 database edition. Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model was used as estimation technique to achieve the objectives of the study. Result of multivariate co-integration test based on Johansen and Juselius co-integration technique, confirms the existence of a long run relationship among the variables in the model. Impulse response function estimates showed that carbon dioxide emissions, Nitro-oxide and poverty rate negatively affect economic development in SSA region and pronouncedly persistent throughout the forecast horizon. Further, the results of forecast error variance decomposition (FEVD) revealed that in the long run, carbon dioxide emissions, Nitro-oxide and poverty rate exerts a greater influence on economic development sustainability over time in SSA region in the 10^th period while other variables like population growth rate, literacy and inflation rates relatively exerts low influence in the region. The study concluded that environmental pollution indicators are highly pronounced in the region. Again, poverty and inflation levels as well as overpopulation are very high, thereby needs government intervention and control. This implies that SSA region’s government and policymakers should strengthen more than ever before on environmental regulations so as to improve social aspect life of the people for better improvement of economic development sustainability. The study therefore recommends among others that successive governments in the region should take adequate measure to improve literacy level, reduce both poverty and inflation rates, as well as population growth rate towards adopting birth control measure in the region.

Cloud-Based HRIS Attributes and User Satisfaction in a Higher Education Institution

2026-06-08T13:03:43+00:00

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) have advanced from compliance tools into strategic assets that optimize organizational performance. However, while employees generally perceive these systems as useful, differences in satisfaction often arise from role-based access constraints. Hence, this study sought to measure the relationships between HRIS attributes- such as usefulness, ease of use, data security, and user satisfaction regarding a cloud-based HRIS implemented by a state higher education institution in Mindanao. Additionally, this study employed a quantitative, explanatory research design in gauging perceptions of faculty, administrators, and staff, totaling 259 responses. Moreover, regression analysis revealed that user satisfaction is significantly predicted by HRIS attributes; in fact, faculty satisfaction is driven by task accomplishment and increased productivity, Staff by audit trails and decision support, and administrators by user authentication and mobile accessibility. The study concludes that the cloud-based HRIS of the state higher education institution has evolved from a supplementary tool to an essential institutional infrastructure that ensures data integrity and operational efficiency. Nevertheless, its strategic potential is limited by a centralized interface that favors administrative roles. To maximize institutional impact, the state higher education institution must shift toward differentiated innovation, which means prioritizing streamlining of faculty-specific academic modules and maintaining a mobile-first design to keep high user engagement across all user groups.

The Impact of Viral Marketing on the Competitiveness of Iraqi Private Colleges: An Applied Study

2026-06-19T08:35:23+00:00

Background: Interest in viral marketing has increased in higher education because digital platforms enable institutions to disseminate information quickly, interact with stakeholders and support low-cost promotional activities. In Iraqi private colleges, however, the relationship between specific viral marketing dimensions and institutional competitiveness requires focused empirical examination.

Aims: This research aimed to identify the impact of viral marketing dimensions, namely e-mail, websites, social networking sites and WhatsApp, on the competitiveness of Iraqi private colleges, represented by Al-Hikma University College and Al-Bayan University.

Study Design: A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional design was adopted to examine the relationship between the study variables within the selected colleges.

Methodology: Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire comprising 34 items. The questionnaire was distributed to 175 managers and employees in the selected colleges. The first five items addressed demographic variables, 15 items measured viral marketing and 14 items measured competitiveness. Data were analysed using SPSS version 26. Arithmetic means, standard deviations, Pearson correlation coefficients and simple linear regression were used to describe the responses and test the hypotheses.

Results: The findings indicated a statistically significant positive relationship between viral marketing and competitiveness at the level of statistical significance reported in the study. The overall correlation coefficient was 0.618, and the regression results showed that viral marketing explained 0.382 of the change in competitiveness. WhatsApp ranked first among the viral marketing dimensions, followed by social media, websites and e-mail. Among the competitiveness dimensions, technological capability ranked first.

Conclusion: The results indicate that the use of viral marketing supports the competitiveness of the selected Iraqi private colleges. Greater attention to websites and strategic competencies may strengthen the effectiveness of these institutions' marketing activities.

The Impact of Herding on Financial Markets

2026-06-01T12:38:53+00:00

Modern financial markets are increasingly shaped by behavioral biases and herding behavior, which challenge traditional assumptions of rational investor decision-making and contribute to market instability. This paper explores the influence of herding behavior on financial markets, outlining its primary drivers, underlying mechanisms, and resulting market outcomes. Using a qualitative, desk-based research design framed around thematic analysis, this study synthesizes findings from current academic studies, empirical research, and financial reports. The thematic analysis identified three main themes: the antecedents driving herding specifically uncertainty, information asymmetry, and market sentiment; the pathways through which herding is propagated namely informational herding, behavioral (emotional) herding, and the distinction between institutional and retail investor herding; and the consequences of herding behavior on markets, including increased volatility, speculative bubbles, and market crashes. Herding emerges from a multi-factor network of interdependent processes rather than any single cause, with implications that extend beyond individual behavior to systemic outcomes affecting the stability and efficiency of financial markets. The study further reveals a dynamic and circular relationship among these components, whereby herding outcomes such as heightened volatility can reignite the drivers that originally triggered collective behavior. Overall, the evidence presented lends strong support to behavioral finance as a viable theoretical framework for understanding modern financial markets, challenging key assumptions of the Efficient Market Hypothesis. The research carries considerable theoretical and practical implications for investors, policymakers, and financial regulators seeking to identify and mitigate the disruptive effects of herding in an increasingly digitally interconnected and information-saturated investment environment.

AI-Driven Brand Communication: Power, Trust and Identity in Digital Marketing Ecosystems

2026-06-23T10:00:47+00:00

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping digital brand communication by redistributing communicative power among brands, platforms, algorithms and consumers. This review critically examines how AI-mediated tools influence power, trust and identity within digital marketing ecosystems. It focuses on applications such as chatbots, recommender systems, generative content tools, sentiment analysis and algorithmic personalisation, and considers their implications for consumer-brand relationships. A structured narrative synthesis approach was used to review multidisciplinary literature and selected case-based evidence published mainly between 2018 and 2025, while retaining earlier foundational studies relevant to branding, trust and digital communication. Thirteen case studies were thematically organised into four domains: AI-powered trust formation, brand identity evolution, algorithmic power in platform-mediated branding, and AI-driven personalisation and engagement. The synthesis indicates that AI can support timely, scalable and personalised communication, improve service responsiveness and strengthen some aspects of brand relevance and consumer engagement. However, these benefits are accompanied by concerns about data privacy, algorithmic opacity, uneven service quality, loss of human agency and the possible fragmentation of brand identity. The review also shows that trust in AI-mediated brand communication depends not only on system performance but also on transparency, perceived fairness, ethical governance and the credibility of the parent brand or platform. Overall, AI should be understood as a socio-technical participant in brand ecosystems rather than as a neutral communication tool. The paper contributes by integrating power, trust and identity into a conceptual account of AI-driven brand communication and by identifying areas for future empirical research on responsible and coherent AI use in digital marketing.