Abstract:This study aims to analyze the product differentiation strategy implemented by Nhanas Donuts Pinrang in facing culinary business competition in the millennial and Gen Z era. The research method used is descriptive qualitative…
ative with data collection techniques through interviews, observation, and documentation. Informants consisted of the owner, production and service employees, as well as millennial and Gen Z consumers. The results showed that the product differentiation strategy applied includes four main aspects: flavor innovation with contemporary variants (matcha cheese, red velvet crumble, cookies and cream), attractive and "instagrammable" visual display, aesthetic and modern packaging design, as well as active digital marketing through Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Supporting factors for the success of differentiation include the owner's creativity, understanding of young consumer behavior, strategic location, and digital branding. The implications of this study indicate that product differentiation integrated with digital marketing is able to increase competitiveness and customer loyalty of local culinary Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in the digital era.
Abstract:This study aims to analyze the role of digitalization and financial inclusion of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as business sustainability strategies. Digital transformation and inclusive financial access are…
re important factors in increasing the competitiveness of MSMEs in the digital economy era. This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method on MSMEs in the food and beverage sector. Data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation, while data analysis used thematic analysis techniques. The results show that digitalization contributes to improving operational efficiency, expanding market access through digital platforms, and strengthening relationships with customers. On the other hand, financial inclusion facilitates access to formal financial services, such as financing and digital payment systems, thereby supporting more professional business management. The synergy between digitalization and financial inclusion has proven to be able to increase the innovation capacity and productivity of MSMEs, which ultimately encourages business transformation towards a higher scale. However, there are several obstacles faced, such as low digital and financial literacy and limited access to infrastructure. Therefore, support from various parties is needed through training, mentoring, and policies that support the empowerment of MSMEs in a sustainable manner
Abstract:The rapid proliferation of AI-powered marketing technologies in emerging markets poses a fundamental challenge to culturally-grounded micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs): how can algorithmic imperatives be reconciled…
ciled with indigenous value systems that define not only business practice but collective identity? Despite growing research on both AI adoption in SMEs and indigenous knowledge preservation, scholarship rarely examines how traditional values actively mediate rather than merely moderate commercial technology adoption. This study addresses that gap by investigating how MSMEs in Makassar City, Indonesia, negotiate AI marketing integration while preserving siri’ na pacce, the Bugis-Makassar philosophical framework centred on dignity (siri’) and solidarity (pacce). Employing interpretive phenomenology integrated with Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), the study conducted 23 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions with 44 MSME owners and key personnel across traditional culinary, artisan craft, ethnic fashion, and digital service sectors. Template analysis generated four overarching themes: (1) value-based technology discernment, wherein siri’ na pacce operates as an active epistemological filter for evaluating AI tools; (2) strategic selective adoption, wherein enterprises accept algorithmically aligned functions while rejecting culturally incompatible features; (3) cultural indigenization of technology, wherein AI systems are actively reoriented toward communal rather than individualistic ends; and (4) constrained agency under platform power, wherein algorithmic visibility systems penalise cultural non-conformity with market exclusion. These findings challenge technological determinism and advance decolonial computing theory by demonstrating that indigenous values simultaneously enable epistemological agency and are constrained by structural power asymmetries, a duality insufficiently theorised in prior technology adoption frameworks. The study calls for regulatory frameworks establishing indigenous data sovereignty, participatory AI co-design with local communities, and cooperative digital infrastructure as conditions for authentic, rather than performative, cultural integration.
Abstract:This study examines the Ar Rahman Human Being (ARHB) Model as an integrative framework of resource-based business resilience by incorporating akhlakul karimah as moral capital functioning as an internal governance mechanism.…
ism. The study addresses the limitation of the resource-based view (RBV), which tends to emphasize resource capacity without adequately considering the normative dimension guiding its utilization. A contingency model is proposed that positions internal moral quality as a conditioning factor for the effectiveness of strategic resources in enhancing business resilience. Using an explanatory quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 250 micro and small enterprise (MSE) owners in Makassar City. Structural Equation Modeling based on Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was employed to analyze the direct effects of expertise, education and training, physical capacity, and capital on business resilience, as well as the moderating role of akhlakul karimah in these relationships. The results indicate that expertise, education and training, physical capacity, and capital positively influence business resilience. Furthermore, akhlakul karimah strengthens the relationship between strategic resources and business resilience, suggesting that the effectiveness of transforming technical capacities into business resilience is contingent upon the entrepreneur’s internal moral quality. These findings extend resource-based business resilience discourse by integrating moral capital as an internal governance mechanism.
Abstract:This study aims to describe the following variables: (1) digital technology adoption, (2) business resilience, (3) women’s empowerment, and (4) financial literacy, and to analyze the effect of digital technology adoption…
on on business resilience mediated by women’s empowerment and moderated by financial literacy. The research employed a quantitative explanatory design with structural model analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected through an online questionnaire (Google Form). The population consisted of 1,556 women entrepreneurs who own Micro and Small Industry (MSI) units in the food subsector, with 359 respondents selected using proportionate allocation sampling and located in Tasikmalaya, Sukabumi, Bogor, and Bandung. The findings indicate that the level of digital technology adoption among women entrepreneurs is in the very high category, while business resilience, women’s empowerment, and financial literacy are in the high category with potential for further improvement. Digital technology adoption has a positive effect on business resilience and women’s empowerment, implying that higher levels of technology adoption are associated with stronger business resilience and greater women’s empowerment. Women’s empowerment also positively affects business resilience and mediates the relationship between digital technology adoption and business resilience. In addition, higher financial literacy strengthens the effect of digital technology adoption on business resilience, thus functioning as an enhancing moderator in this relationship. The results imply that strengthening business resilience among women entrepreneurs can be achieved by enhancing digital technology–based resources and strategies, integrated with women’s empowerment as a mediating mechanism and financial literacy as a moderating capability for the strategic use of digital technology. Practically, the findings underscore the importance of advanced training programs and an integrated digital ecosystem to reinforce digital technology adoption, women’s empowerment, and financial literacy, while simultaneously building a collaborative ecosystem and continuous interventions focused on sustainable business resilience.
Abstract:This research is motivated by the importance of building and maintaining customer loyalty at the Botani Bina Rahmah Sharia Rural Financing Bank (BPRS), a financial institution that plays a strategic role in strengthening…
the sharia-based economy and promoting financial inclusion at the micro level. The phenomenon of increasing account openings without a corresponding increase in customer retention indicates challenges in managing long-term relationships with customers. Trust and commitment are believed to be important factors in creating loyalty, but the effectiveness of both is often influenced by the level of customer satisfaction. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze satisfaction as a mediating variable in the relationship between trust and commitment and customer loyalty. This study aims to analyze: (1) the effect of trust on customer loyalty, (2) the effect of commitment on customer loyalty, (3) the effect of trust on loyalty through customer satisfaction as a mediating variable, and (4) the effect of commitment on loyalty through customer satisfaction as a mediating variable. The research approach used is quantitative with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected by distributing Likert-scale questionnaires to 100 active customer respondents of BPRS Botani Bina Rahmah. Data analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM–PLS) with the help of SmartPLS software to test the validity and reliability of constructs and the relationships between variables in the structural model. The results of the study indicate that trust has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty, while commitment does not have a significant direct effect on loyalty. Customer satisfaction is proven to act as a significant mediating variable in the relationship between trust and loyalty, as well as between commitment and loyalty. These findings confirm that BPRS customer loyalty is more influenced by the level of trust and satisfaction built through service quality and conformity to Sharia values. Practically, BPRS management needs to strengthen contract transparency, improve service consistency, and optimize digital channels to strengthen trust, increase satisfaction, and ultimately encourage sustainable customer loyalty.
Abstract:The healthcare industry has historically been viewed as a non-cyclical, defensive, safe haven for investors. However, the post-pandemic period has revealed the industry's susceptibility to disruptions in global supply chains…
ains and geopolitical tensions. The present research examines the effects of Geopolitical risk (GPR) on the stock performance of 76 publicly listed healthcare companies in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore) during 2015-2024. According to the Caldara and Iacoviello GPR Index, this study utilizes Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) the results show that though general Geopolitical Risk and Inflation are strongly negatively impacting the stock performance, specific Geopolitical Acts (GPRA) and Threats (GPRT) are having a positive response indicating a necessity premium in which investors expect a boom in demand of medical supplies once a conflict is realized. It concludes that the healthcare industry is not a safe haven but a highly fragmented environment in which inflation poses a greater threat to companies than political instability. The study advises that investors should consider a bottom-up approach, specifically micro-resilience screening, and that corporate managers should focus on supply chain decoupling and inflation hedging to address the Resilience Gap identified in the region.
Abstract:This study examines the effects of Mindset, Togetherness, and Result Oriented on Employee Performance, with Employee Engagement as a mediating variable, in BPR Syariah PNM Mentari. The research is conducted in a micro–Islamic…
Islamic banking context that emphasizes efficiency, service quality, and regulatory compliance, and aims to clarify the contribution of these behavioral and organizational constructs to employee outcomes. A quantitative survey design was used, with data gathered via a structured questionnaire that operationalized the constructs. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test direct and indirect relationships. The results reveal that (1) Result Oriented has a positive and significant effect on Employee Performance, confirming that goal clarity and disciplined execution lead to better performance; (2) Mindset does not have a direct effect on performance, but its effect through Employee Engagement is significant, indicating that Mindset influences performance only when employees are engaged; (3) Employee Engagement mediates the effect of Result Oriented on performance, improving execution; and (4) Togetherness has no direct or indirect effect on performance, suggesting that collaboration alone does not drive performance without clear goals and engagement.
Abstract:The persistent gap between theoretical instruction and real-world practice remains a critical challenge in business education, particularly in contexts involving Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Experiential…
learning has been promoted as a pedagogical response to this challenge; however, many initiatives lack structured frameworks that integrate student learning with meaningful community engagement. This study examines the implementation of the BRIDGE model (Build, Reach, Discover, Grow, and Elevate) as a structured business mentoring approach grounded in experiential learning principles. Using a qualitative participatory action research design, the study involved 15 undergraduate business students and five MSMEs in Semarang City, Indonesia. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, reflective journals, and program documentation, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the BRIDGE model facilitates deep experiential learning by enabling students to connect theoretical concepts with contextual business realities, while simultaneously generating instrumental and symbolic benefits for MSME partners. Despite limitations related to program duration, the model demonstrates strong potential as a feasible and transferable framework for experiential business education in emerging economy contexts.
Abstract:The development of Islamic microfinance institutions requires the implementation of financing schemes that are not only compliant with Sharia principles but also capable of maintaining financing quality and sustainability.…
y. One of the most widely applied contracts is murabahah financing, particularly in supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). This study aims to analyze the implementation of murabahah financing and the risk mitigation strategies applied at BMT Alif Mandiri Makassar. This research employs a qualitative approach with a descriptive-analytical method. Data were collected through field observations, in-depth interviews with management and financing officers, and documentation studies. The findings indicate that murabahah financing at BMT Alif Mandiri Makassar is implemented regularly through several stages, including application submission, feasibility analysis, financing approval, contract realization, and post-disbursement monitoring. The financing analysis emphasizes repayment capacity, members' character, and the suitability of financed goods for productive business needs. Risk mitigation strategies are conducted through careful customer character assessment, direct business verification, proportional margin determination, the use of collateral as a financing safeguard, and continuous monitoring. This study concludes that productive murabahah financing supported by integrated risk management practices is an effective and sustainable financing instrument for the development of MSMEs within Islamic microfinance institutions