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One aspect of the opportunities and challenges for cryptoassets concerns decentralized finance (DeFi). DeFi is a growing area of cryptoassets that couples blockchain technology, digital assets, and financial services. DeFi is a publicly available system on a decentralized blockchain network, offering financial products and applications. This chapter provides an overview of the DeFi universe that has enormous potential in various industries in the global market. It also discusses the implications of DeFi’s new wave and its applications involving initial coin offerings and stablecoins and specific challenges like the scalability trilemma in DeFi and financial markets.

Bitcoin’s introduction as the first cryptoasset in 2009 ushered in a new era, representing a seismic shift in the financial markets. Since then, this evolving asset class has generated much interest, excitement, and growth. This chapter begins by providing a brief background of cryptoassets. It then discusses their main types (cryptocurrencies, security tokens, and utility tokens), users (individual investors, major financial institutions, endowments, and hedge funds), and benefits and drawbacks. Next, it sets forth the book’s purpose, distinguishing features, intended audience, and structure. The chapter provides a synopsis of each of the remaining 21 chapters. Although no single book can encompass all changes and iterations of these technologies as they emerge in the marketplace, this book brings together a broad collection of industry expertise and academic analysis to create a book helpful to researchers, academics, and practitioners.

Technological developments have made it possible for organizations to use enterprise resource planning (ERP) services without indulging in heavy investments like IT infrastructure, trained manpower for implementation and maintenance and updating the systems regularly to maintain business competitiveness. Plug and play model offered by cloud ERP has led to a constant creation of large data sets which are structured, semi-structured and unstructured by nature. Thus, there has been a need to analyze such complex data sets and the purpose of this paper is to focus on how cloud ERP and big data predictive analytics (BDPA) will impact the performance of a firm.

A dynamic capability view (DCV) theory-based model was developed and the authors have collected data by using an online questionnaire from India. Thereafter, the authors have analyzed it by employing structural equation modeling.

SEM analysis of 231 respondents showcases that the use of DCV theory to define the relationships of cloud ERP and BDPA has been the right move. Out of the 13 hypotheses empirically tested, only 7 hypotheses were supported by the data.

The study showcases cross-sectional data from India. It would be interesting for this study to see if the country-level differences would influence these relationships between cloud ERP and financial performance, BDPA and financial performance and cloud ERP and BDPA.

This study empirically tests the relationship of cloud ERP and BDPA through a model based on DCV theory.

This paper aims to critically review the underlying assumptions and theoretical conceptualizations of duality theories in general. In particular, the paper seeks to augment McCabe et al.’s (2016) reconceptualization of consumer decision-making in tourism. Additionally, the paper offers an integrated duality theory model.

A critical discussion of the basic assumptions, recent advances and constructive criticism of duality theories found in the extant literature prefaces a detailed account of McCabe et al.’s (2016) new general tourist choice model. The author enriches and expands the conceptualization of this model and offers an advanced dual-process theoretical framework for decision-making with a broader range of variables, greater versatility, and suggestions for future research.

The findings indicate mental processes with broader external inputs (stimuli) with possible outputs (decisions/behaviors) warrant inclusion and expansion in a fulsome dual-systems model of tourist decision-making.

This research study adds to the literature of duality theories in consumer decision-making. While factors, contexts, personal preferences and other dimensions in the tourism industry are and will continue to be fluid over time, this study offers an integrated decision-making framework that provides clear linkages that mark pathways for new developments, future research and practitioner applications.

The integrated duality theory framework enables researchers and destination management organizations managers to acquire enhanced explanatory and predictive value of tourism decision-making, which can lead to offering improved products/services. The model’s emphasis on simultaneous engagement of both heuristic and analytic dual processes reflects fundamental human nature; decision-making can be “both/and” as well as “either/or” with heuristic and analytic processes.

The aim of this study is to examine the experiences of business students on case method coaching for problem-based learning and its influence on student engagement and learning performance in the context of Malaysian private higher education.

This study applied quantitative method with a self-administered questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 410 undergraduate business students from five top private universities in Malaysia using convenience sampling. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data, and five hypotheses were tested.

The findings reported that learning assessments, analytical skills, interpersonal skills and interdisciplinary learning have significantly influenced student engagement. Student engagement is positively correlated to the learning performance. Overall, the business students have positive perception on the case method coaching approach for problem-based learning as an effective learning tool in classroom. The case method coaching is able to garner students' interest in learning, improve engagement with peers and educators and enhance their learning performance.

Higher education institutions can leverage on effective planning and implementation strategies for case method coaching for problem-based learning through more effective coaching strategies, enhance education curricula, allocation of adequate resources, and qualified and trained business educators as coaches.

The present study provides new insights on coaching in business education. This study developed a new framework integrating features of case method coaching and problem-based learning to the outcomes of student engagement and learning performance within the context of business education.

Despite some advances in the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there remains a paucity of intervention and research literature in treating adults with ASD. There is growing evidence supporting a relationship between the core features of ASD and emotion dysregulation. There is an overlap between ASD and borderline personality disorder (BPD) characteristics such as emotional dysregulation, sensory issues and social skills deficits. This paper aims to explore the applications of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) concepts and skills in treating ASD individuals who display challenging or offending behaviours. The similarities in characteristics between ASD and BPD and the core issue of emotion dysregulation hold promise in the utility of DBT with ASD.

This is a conceptual paper that includes a case vignette.

A DBT-informed treatment approach using the adaptations and reconceptualization, i.e. risky mind–wise mind outlined in this paper, can be considered promising in addressing issues for ASD individuals, particularly those with challenging and/or offending behaviours. DBT incorporates different elements of applied behaviour analysis, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness skills, sensory-based treatments, psychosocial interventions and emotion regulation skills, which makes it a more cohesive and integrated approach to treatment. The authors assert that DBT can be considered a more integrated, strengths-based, habilitative and trauma-informed approach which can be promising in its application to address challenging behaviours or offending in ASD individuals.

It is recommended that research be carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of adapted DBT programs in treating ASD individuals presenting with challenging and/or offending behaviours. Future research can focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the different DBT concepts and skills and the different DBT modules to determine which components of the program are particularly useful for this client group.

Treatment manuals have already been developed for clients with intellectual disability and developmental disabilities who exhibit challenging and/or offending behaviour; hence, it is recommended that modifications be made to make it more applicable and appropriate for ASD individuals. Modifications should address ASD-specific issues (e.g. black and white thinking, cognitive rigidity, sensory issues, impaired theory of mind, emotion dysregulation issues, social skills deficits and anxiety issues). The use of DBT has much wider implications regarding addressing comorbid mental health conditions and personality issues in this client group.

There are limited psychological interventions that prove to be useful for individuals with ASD with complex presentations and challenging or offending behaviours. This paper discusses the application of adapted DBT concepts and skills that appear to be promising in the treatment of this client group.

This paper aims to investigate the effect different fluxes have on the mechanical properties of lead-free solders, specifically Sn-Zn-Bi solder alloy. The solder billets were soldered in between copper substrates and flux was applied. The mechanical tests carried out on the solder alloys were tensile and shear tests. They were experimented on with different fluxes, namely, water-soluble (paste), rosin mildly activated (RMA) and insoluble (RMA) flux. From these experiments, the ultimate tensile strength, shear strength, elongation, yield stress, Young’s modulus and the stress-strain curve are derived. The results showed that solder billets that were soldered onto copper substrates with water-soluble flux yielded the highest ultimate tensile strength and shear strength values of 9.9961 MPa and 118.836 MPa, respectively. Billets soldered using RMA flux had the highest values of elongation and Young’s modulus, 0.306 mm and 50,257.295 MPa, respectively. However, on viewing the failure of all the specimens under an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM), specimens soldered using water-soluble flux possessed the least deformities, depicting their higher level of mechanical properties, entailing their strength and ductility, deeming them as the most suitable flux for microelectronic applications.

The solder billets were soldered in between copper substrates and flux was applied. The mechanical tests carried out on the solder alloys were tensile and shear tests. They were experimented on with different fluxes, namely, water-soluble (paste), RMA and insoluble flux (RMA) flux. From these experiments, the ultimate tensile strength, shear strength, elongation, yield stress, Young’s modulus and the stress-strain curve are derived.

The results showed that solder billets that were soldered onto copper substrates with water-soluble flux yielded the highest ultimate tensile strength and shear strength values of 9.9961 MPa and 118.836 MPa, respectively.

This paper demonstrated that water-soluble fluxes gave the better strength and were most suitable for microelectronics applications.

This paper examines the effect of green creativity (GC) on the business sustainability (BS) of large manufacturing firms (LMFs) in Malaysia and investigates the mediating effect of total quality management (TQM) on this relationship.

A quantitative approach was adopted, using a sample of 206 LMFs; the formulated hypotheses were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The findings revealed a significant positive effect of GC on the TQM and BS of LMFs and a significant positive effect of TQM on their BS. TQM also has a full mediating effect on the relationship between GC and BS.

One of the limitations of this study is its focus on Malaysian LMFs. It nevertheless contributes to the literature by extending knowledge concerning their TQM, GC and multi-faceted perspectives. This is largely ignored in literature and, as such, the study paves the way for additional research.

The findings of this study may be used as guidelines for CEOs, particularly on the way TQM and GC can be developed for enhanced BS, in the context of South Asian countries.

This study is the first to test the influence of GC on Malaysian LMFs’ BS and the first worldwide to investigate the mediating effect of TQM on their GC-BS relationship.