World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development (4 papers in press)

Special Issue on: KTECH 2025 OA Entrepreneurial Futures in the Digital Age Research at the Intersection of Technology, Education, and Economy

• Open Access

  Validating a comprehensive financial literacy questionnaire for Kuwaiti Youth: a factor analysis study ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Taiba Alhumaidhi, Faisal AlReshaid, Kenda Alzayed 
  Abstract: This study aims to validate a questionnaire designed to measure financial literacy among youth in Kuwait. The instrument was developed using items sourced from various existing tools and tailored to the Kuwaiti context, with a focus on youth aged 1825. The questionnaire was initially divided into seven domains, covering different aspects of financial literacy, including budgeting, savings, investments, debt management, financial planning, risk awareness and digital financial tools. A sample of 1064 participants completed the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (PCA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed to evaluate the structure, reliability and validity of the instrument. The results of the CFA confirmed that financial literacy can be grouped into four distinct domains: Consuming Behaviour (CB), Information Literacy (IL), Financial Practices (FP) and Investment Behaviour (IB). These four domains emerged as the most reliable and validated constructs for measuring financial literacy among youth in Kuwait. The study successfully developed and validated a comprehensive tool for assessing financial literacy among Kuwaiti Youth. The confirmed domains provide a robust framework for future research and policy development aimed at enhancing financial literacy education and interventions in Kuwait.
  Keywords: financial literacy; Kuwaiti Youth; questionnaire validation; factor analysis; financial behaviour.
  DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2025.10072750
   
  

• Open Access

  The truth about bricolage, dispositional optimism, and psychological wellbeing in entrepreneurship: evidence from a systematic review ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Farah Al Saeed, Abdulrahman Alaskar, Samuel Ebie 
  Abstract: While entrepreneurship offers personal fulfilment, autonomy and financial growth, it also poses significant psychological wellbeing challenges. Despite growing interest in this area, existing literature lacks an integrated analysis of how entrepreneurial bricolage and dispositional optimism jointly influence entrepreneurs psychological wellbeing. This study employed Paul and Criados (2020) systematic literature review protocol, drawing on articles from Journal Storage (JSTOR) and Scopus to develop an integrated research model. A review of 11 relevant studies revealed that entrepreneurial bricolage enables entrepreneurs to optimise limited resources, fostering job satisfaction and positive affect. Dispositional optimism enhances coping abilities, contributing to positive affect, job satisfaction and life satisfaction. By bringing together these underexplored yet impactful constructs, this study proposes an exploratory integrated research model that represents an initial step toward linking the behavioural (bricolage) and cognitiveaffective (optimism) dimensions of entrepreneurial practice within a holistic framework.
  Keywords: entrepreneurial bricolage; dispositional optimism; life satisfaction; entrepreneurial psychological wellbeing; positive affect; job satisfaction; life satisfaction; fear of failure; entrepreneurial stress; exploratory integrated research models; uncertain environments; systematic review.
  DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2025.10074654
   
  

• Open Access

  The effect of product-, organisational-, individual-, and environmental-level factors on brand loyalty in the SME sector: a systematic literature review ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Othman Ayman Boodai, Sara Ayman Boodai 
  Abstract: By adopting a transparent and replicable approach, this study seeks to improve the quality of assessment and scope of extant studies on factors driving brand loyalty in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), reinforcing the empirical base for future research and providing actionable insights for practitioners aiming to execute well-rounded brand loyalty strategies. A systematic literature review of 25 articles retrieved from Scopus and ProQuest databases was conducted. Packaging and quality influence brand loyalty at the product level. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) practices, value creation, and loyalty programmes drive brand loyalty at the organisational level. At the individual level, consumer hedonic shopping and trust predict brand loyalty, while store ambience acts as a key environmental variable. The study suggests a comprehensive marketing strategy integrating multiple-level factors to effectively boost brand loyalty in SMEs.
  Keywords: product-level factors; organisational-level factors; individual-level factors; environmental-level factors; brand loyalty; small and medium enterprise sector; SME sector; customer loyalty; product quality; hedonic shopping; product packaging; value co-creation; systematic literature review.
  DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2025.10074912
   
  

• Open Access

  Higher education institutions-led entrepreneurial ecosystem building: a systematic review from university-industry knowledge exchange perspective ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Nourah Ayman Boodai, Abdulwahab Ayman Boodai 
  Abstract: This systematic literature review explores how universities contribute to Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) through Knowledge Exchange (KE) with industry. While universities provide critical resources and specialised knowledge that foster venture creation and growth, most prior studies have examined university-industry collaboration broadly rather than its interaction with EEs. To address this gap, 21 peer-reviewed English-language articles published between 2015 and 2025 were retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science and analysed using bibliometric and thematic methods. Articles unrelated to university-industry KE or outside the timeframe were excluded. The review found that universities engage in KE via consultancy, contract research, collaborative research, licensing, patents, Continuous Professional Development (CPD), research commercialisation and open innovation communities. These mechanisms promote the commercialisation of new technologies and ideas, strengthen EEs and foster spinoffs, high technology startups and impact-driven entrepreneurship, underscoring the multifaceted nature of university-industry KE.
  Keywords: higher education institutions; HEIs; entrepreneurial ecosystem building; knowledge exchange mechanisms; entrepreneurial university; university-industry knowledge exchange; contract research; continuous professional development; impact-driven entrepreneurship; collaborative research; systematic literature review.
  DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2025.10074913