Journal of Business & Economic Research is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to publishing high-quality original research, theoretical contributions, and empirical studies in the fields of business, economics, and management. The journal aims to provide a credible platform for scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to disseminate knowledge, exchange ideas, and contribute to the advancement of business practices and economic understanding at local, national, and global levels. The scope of the journal covers a broad range of topics in economics, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, development economics, international economics, monetary economics, and public economics. In the field of business and management, it includes areas such as financial management, accounting, auditing, corporate governance, marketing, human resource management, operations and supply chain management, strategic management, entrepreneurship, and business innovation. In addition, the journal welcomes interdisciplinary research that explores the intersection of business and economics with technology, policy, and society. Topics of interest include digital economy, fintech, e-commerce, data-driven decision-making, sustainability and green economy, corporate social responsibility (CSR), business ethics, risk management, and public policy related to economic and business development. The journal encourages diverse methodological approaches, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research, as well as case studies and comparative analyses. All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure originality, academic rigor, and scholarly contribution. Committed to high standards of publication ethics, the Journal of Business & Economic Research seeks to foster meaningful academic dialogue and support the development of innovative, evidence-based solutions to contemporary economic and business challenges.
Supply Chain Digitalization, Institutional Governance, and Export Competitiveness: A Comparative Analysis of Vietnam and Mexico in Global Manufacturing Networks
This article examines how supply chain digitalization influences export competitiveness, industrial upgrading, and economic resilience through a comparative institutional analysis of Vietnam and Mexico. The study argues that participation in global manufacturing networks increasingly depends not only on low-cost production advantages but also on digital logistics, institutional coordination, supplier capability development, and governance quality. Vietnam and Mexico are selected because both have become major manufacturing hubs within global value chains, yet they differ in regional integration, industrial policy, labor structures, digital infrastructure, and institutional governance. Vietnam’s export growth has been strongly shaped by Asian production networks, foreign direct investment, electronics manufacturing, and state-led industrial coordination. Mexico’s competitiveness has been shaped by North American nearshoring, trade integration under USMCA, automotive production, and proximity to the United States. Drawing on World Bank, OECD, UNCTAD, IMF, WTO, corporate supply chain reports, and peer-reviewed literature, the findings indicate that digital supply chain capabilities enhance competitiveness when combined with institutional reliability, customs efficiency, workforce upgrading, and supplier ecosystem development. The article contributes to business and economics scholarship by developing a governance-centered framework linking supply chain digitalization, institutional coordination, organizational capability, and export resilience.
Supply chain digitalization; export competitiveness; global value chains; Vietnam; Mexico; institutional governance; manufacturing networks; industrial upgrading; nearshoring; economic resilience
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AI-Enabled Human Capital, Productivity Transformation, and Firm Competitiveness: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of the United States and South Korea
This article examines how artificial intelligence reshapes human capital development, organizational productivity, and firm competitiveness through a comparative institutional analysis of the United States and South Korea. The study argues that AI-driven productivity gains depend not only on technological adoption but also on complementary investments in skills, organizational redesign, governance capacity, and labor-market institutions. The United States and South Korea are selected because both represent advanced innovation economies with strong digital sectors, yet they differ in labor-market flexibility, education systems, corporate governance, industrial coordination, and workforce development regimes. Drawing on OECD, IMF, World Bank, corporate disclosures, labor productivity indicators, and contemporary management literature, the findings indicate that the United States demonstrates strong AI entrepreneurship, venture capital depth, and organizational experimentation, while South Korea exhibits stronger industrial coordination, manufacturing integration, and skills-based technology diffusion. However, both economies face constraints involving skill polarization, algorithmic governance, productivity inequality, and uneven adoption among SMEs. The article contributes to business and economics scholarship by developing a governance-centered framework linking AI capability, human capital formation, organizational adaptation, and productivity resilience. The findings suggest that AI becomes a sustainable source of competitive advantage only when firms and institutions align technological innovation with workforce upgrading, ethical governance, and inclusive productivity strategies
Artificial intelligence; human capital; productivity; firm competitiveness; organizational transformation; United States; South Korea; labor markets; strategic management; digital economy
ESG Governance, Green Industrial Transformation, and Competitive Advantage: A Comparative Analysis of the Electric Vehicle Industries in Germany and China
The global transition toward low-carbon industrial systems has accelerated the strategic importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) governance within contemporary manufacturing industries. This article examines how ESG governance influences industrial competitiveness, innovation capability, and organizational transformation through a comparative analysis of the electric vehicle (EV) industries in Germany and China. The study argues that green industrial competitiveness depends not only on technological innovation or market scale but on the interaction between institutional governance systems, industrial policy coordination, corporate strategy, and supply chain transformation. Germany and China were selected because both represent globally influential EV ecosystems operating under distinct institutional and governance models: Germany through coordinated market capitalism and advanced manufacturing specialization, and China through state-led industrial transformation and platform-integrated industrial policy. Drawing on OECD industrial indicators, International Energy Agency reports, corporate disclosures, trade statistics, sustainability reports, and peer-reviewed business scholarship, the findings indicate that China’s vertically integrated and policy-driven EV ecosystem has generated rapid scalability and cost competitiveness, while Germany’s governance-intensive model has emphasized engineering quality, ESG compliance, and long-term industrial upgrading. However, both systems face structural challenges related to supply chain dependence, regulatory uncertainty, labor transition, and geopolitical fragmentation. This article contributes to business and economics scholarship by developing a governance-centered framework linking ESG institutionalization, industrial transformation, innovation ecosystems, and long-term competitive resilience in green manufacturing sectors.
ESG governance; electric vehicles; industrial transformation; competitive advantage; green economy; China; Germany; innovation ecosystems; strategic management; sustainable manufacturing
Digital Financial Inclusion, SME Resilience, and Platform-Based Competitiveness: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of India and Brazil
This article examines how digital financial inclusion influences SME resilience, market participation, and regional competitiveness through a comparative institutional analysis of India and Brazil. The study argues that digital payment infrastructures, fintech regulation, platform-based credit systems, and institutional governance capacity jointly determine whether digital finance improves enterprise productivity or reproduces structural exclusion. India and Brazil are selected because both represent large emerging economies with substantial informal sectors, rapid fintech adoption, and state-led financial inclusion strategies, yet they differ in governance architecture, payment infrastructure design, and SME policy coordination. Drawing on World Bank Global Findex evidence, IMF financial access indicators, OECD SME digitalization research, UNCTAD digital economy reports, and peer-reviewed literature, the article demonstrates that India’s public digital infrastructure model has expanded payment access and platform participation, while Brazil’s central bank-led Pix system has strengthened transactional inclusion and competitive pressure in financial services. However, both cases reveal persistent constraints related to credit access, data governance, digital skills, informality, and regional inequality. The findings indicate that digital financial inclusion improves SME resilience only when institutional governance, interoperability, consumer protection, and productive capability policies are integrated. This article contributes to business and economics scholarship by developing a governance-centered framework linking digital finance, SME transformation, market This article examines how digital financial inclusion influences SME resilience, market participation, and regional competitiveness through a comparative institutional analysis of India and Brazil. The study argues that digital payment infrastructures, fintech regulation, platform-based credit systems, and institutional governance capacity jointly determine whether digital finance improves enterprise productivity or reproduces structural exclusion. India and Brazil are selected because both represent large emerging economies with substantial informal sectors, rapid fintech adoption, and state-led financial inclusion strategies, yet they differ in governance architecture, payment infrastructure design, and SME policy coordination. Drawing on World Bank Global Findex evidence, IMF financial access indicators, OECD SME digitalization research, UNCTAD digital economy reports, and peer-reviewed literature, the article demonstrates that India’s public digital infrastructure model has expanded payment access and platform participation, while Brazil’s central bank-led Pix system has strengthened transactional inclusion and competitive pressure in financial services. However, both cases reveal persistent constraints related to credit access, data governance, digital skills, informality, and regional inequality. The findings indicate that digital financial inclusion improves SME resilience only when institutional governance, interoperability, consumer protection, and productive capability policies are integrated. This article contributes to business and economics scholarship by developing a governance-centered framework linking digital finance, SME transformation, market
digital financial inclusion; SMEs; fintech; platform economy; India; Brazil; institutional governance; economic resilience; competitiveness; digital transformation
Platform Governance, AI-Driven Organizational Transformation, and Competitive Resilience: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Amazon and Alibaba in the Digital Economy
The expansion of the digital economy has fundamentally transformed global business systems, corporate governance structures, and competitive market dynamics. This article examines how platform-based corporations strategically integrate artificial intelligence (AI), institutional governance mechanisms, and organizational transformation to strengthen competitive resilience within increasingly volatile digital markets. Using a comparative institutional analysis of Amazon and Alibaba, the study investigates how governance configurations, innovation systems, strategic adaptation, and regulatory environments shape firm-level outcomes in two distinct political-economic contexts: the liberal market economy of the United States and the state-coordinated digital capitalism model of China. Drawing upon corporate disclosures, OECD and World Bank datasets, digital market indicators, regulatory reports, and contemporary business scholarship, the article develops a multi-level analytical framework linking platform governance, AI capability development, organizational adaptation, and market competitiveness. The findings indicate that AI-enabled operational integration enhances productivity and ecosystem control; however, governance asymmetries and institutional dependencies significantly influence organizational flexibility, regulatory legitimacy, and long-term strategic resilience. Amazon demonstrates superior adaptive governance through decentralized innovation and data-driven operational scalability, whereas Alibaba exhibits stronger ecosystem coordination but greater exposure to regulatory intervention and institutional concentration risks. The comparative evidence demonstrates that sustainable competitive advantage in digital platform economies depends not solely on technological sophistication, but on the interaction between governance transparency, institutional legitimacy, strategic agility, and ecosystem-based innovation coordination. This article contributes to business and economics scholarship by advancing an institutional-strategic interpretation of AI-driven platform transformation and by identifying governance capability as a critical mediator between digital innovation and long-term economic resilience.
Digital economy; platform governance; artificial intelligence; organizational transformation; competitive resilience; institutional economics; corporate governance; strategic management; Amazon; Alibaba