International Journal of Economics and Business Research (3 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Open Access

  Mapping job resources in SMEs: a diagnostic model of job satisfaction ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Elena S. Panayiotou, Andreas Efstathiades 
  Abstract: Job satisfaction is an outcome in organisational behaviour, yet evidence remains limited on how financial and non-financial job attributes jointly shape satisfaction in small, service-oriented economies. This study identifies which job attributes are most strongly associated with job satisfaction. Data from a survey of 462 employees were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression to isolate key job-attribute dimensions and estimate their unique associations. The results showed that positive worklife balance perceptions, reflecting balance, productivity, burnout prevention, and employer support, had the strongest association with job satisfaction. Perceptions of remuneration and flexible work arrangements were also positively associated. In contrast, the worklife strain variable, reflecting overload and work pressure spilling into personal life, showed no significant unique association once other factors were considered. The study offers a parsimonious diagnostic framework for SMEs by clarifying how job attributes cluster and which domains show the strongest links to job satisfaction.
  Keywords: job satisfaction; work–life balance; flexible work arrangements; employee remuneration; SMEs.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEBR.2026.10081662
   
  

• Open Access

  Civil liability for damages arising from deepfake technology: a perspective on the UAE Civil Transactions Law ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Moustafa Elmetwaly Kandeel, Mohammed Sultan Alkaabi, Faisal Hamd Alblooshi 
  Abstract: The study addresses civil liability for damages caused by deepfake technology, whose use has increased with the significant advancement of AI technologies and tools, the spread of the internet, and the proliferation of information technology applications and social media platforms. Therefore, examining civil liability for deepfake technology has become necessary in order to protect individuals and institutions from the risks arising therefrom. Hence arises the problem of how to attribute and allocate civil liability resulting from deepfake technology. We followed the analytical approach by analysing the texts regulating civil liability in Federal Decree-Law No. (25) of 2025 concerning the Civil Transactions Law. The study concludes that the publisher of digital content may be held liable to compensate for any fault or negligence on their part that caused harm to an individual, where such liability arises from the failure to take the necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of damage.
  Keywords: artificial intelligence; algorithms; deepfake; civil liability; damages; compensation; digital content; social media; UAE Civil Transactions Law; UAE.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEBR.2026.10081706
   
  

• Open Access

  Financial literacy and debt management: demographic determinants in South Africa ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Cecile Duvenhage, Nico Keyser, Karabelo Panyane 
  Abstract: This study investigates whether financial literacy influences household debt levels in SA, where debt-to-income ratios remain persistently high. Using secondary data from Waves 15 of NIDS, the analysis employs a quantitative, post-positivist approach and multiple linear regression to examine the effect of financial literacymeasured through knowledge of interest rates, inflation, and risk diversificationon total household debt. The findings show that although financial literacy is negatively associated with debt, this relationship is not statistically significant, indicating that financial knowledge alone does not meaningfully predict indebtedness. In contrast, several demographic and financial variables significantly explain variation in debt levels: older individuals hold less debt, Asian/Indian and White households carry higher debt than African households, larger households borrow more conservatively, and income from employment, investments, and capital meaningfully shapes borrowing behaviour. The study concludes that structural and socioeconomic factors outweigh financial literacy in determining household debt outcomes.
  Keywords: financial literacy; debt management; financial education; theory of planned behaviour; TPB; behavioural economics; time preference theory; over-indebtedness; national income dynamics study; NIDS; regression analysis; South Africa.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEBR.2026.10081994