Advancing Applied Business and Management Scholarship

INAUGURAL ISSUE

Summary

It is with a strong sense of intellectual purpose and scholarly responsibility that we present the inaugural issue of Applied Business and Management Review. The establishment of this journal is motivated by a growing recognition that contemporary business and management challenges demand forms of knowledge that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries and narrow distinctions between theory and practice. In an era marked by economic volatility, technological acceleration, institutional complexity, and persistent societal disruption, the production of management knowledge must be both analytically rigorous and practically consequential.

Applied Business and Management Review is founded on the premise that applied research does not represent a lesser or derivative form of scholarship. On the contrary, when grounded in sound theory and robust methodology, applied research constitutes a vital extension of academic inquiry into the contexts where managerial decisions, organizational processes, and public policies actively shape economic and social outcomes. The journal is therefore positioned as a peer reviewed and independent scholarly platform committed to advancing knowledge that is theoretically informed, empirically substantiated, and directly engaged with real world organizational and institutional challenges.

The contributions assembled in this inaugural issue reflect this editorial ambition. While diverse in empirical focus, methodological approach, and sectoral context, the articles share a common concern with understanding how organizations and systems respond to complexity, uncertainty, and change. Collectively, they engage with foundational themes in business and management research, including strategic decision making, innovation, resilience, governance, learning, identity, and power. In doing so, they illustrate the value of integrative and interdisciplinary perspectives for addressing contemporary management problems.

Strategic management emerges as a central concern across several contributions to this issue. Research examining creative and cultural organizations, innovation driven sustainability, and the evolution of public management paradigms highlights the expanding scope of strategy beyond traditional efficiency oriented or market centered frameworks. These studies emphasize that strategic action today must account for intangible value creation, institutional constraints, stakeholder pluralism, and ethical considerations. Strategy is thus framed not merely as a tool for competitive positioning, but as a means of aligning organizational purpose, societal expectations, and long-term resilience.

Another unifying theme concerns resilience as a multi-level and multidimensional construct. Empirical investigations into employee resilience under conditions of severe economic crisis, alongside analyses of health system resilience and public policy responses during the COVID 19 pandemic, underscore the interdependence between individual capacities, organizational structures, and governance arrangements. These contributions collectively demonstrate that resilience cannot be reduced to technical preparedness or short-term adaptability alone. Rather, it is shaped by psychological resources, institutional design, leadership practices, and the quality of social and organizational relationships.

The human and cognitive dimensions of management are also prominently represented in this issue. Articles addressing professional identity, learning processes, unlearning and relearning, and organizational power dynamics remind us that managerial outcomes are deeply influenced by how individuals interpret their roles, construct meaning, and navigate social interactions within organizations. These perspectives draw attention to the often-underexplored micro foundations of management, including identity formation, cognitive flexibility, and informal power relations, which become particularly salient in periods of organizational change and uncertainty.

In addition, this issue reflects the increasing significance of digital transformation and technological innovation in reshaping management, governance, and education. Contributions examining artificial intelligence in higher education and the trajectory of public management theory illustrate how digital technologies challenge existing institutional arrangements while creating new opportunities for participation, efficiency, and value creation. At the same time, they raise critical questions concerning ethics, accountability, inequality, and the role of human judgment in increasingly algorithmic environments. These discussions highlight the need for management scholarship that critically engages with technology rather than treating it as a neutral or purely instrumental force.

As an inaugural issue, this volume establishes the intellectual foundations and editorial orientation of Applied Business and Management Review. The journal is committed to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, methodological pluralism, and intellectual inclusivity. We actively encourage contributions from established scholars, early career researchers, doctoral candidates, and reflective practitioners whose work demonstrates analytical depth and practical relevance. Through a developmental and constructive review process, the journal seeks to support research that contributes meaningfully to both academic debates and professional practice.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the authors whose work appears in this first issue, as well as to the reviewers and editorial collaborators whose expertise and dedication made its publication possible. Their collective efforts have helped shape a volume that exemplifies the values of rigor, relevance, and scholarly integrity upon which the journal is founded.

This inaugural issue marks the beginning of an ongoing intellectual project. Applied Business and Management Review aspire to serve as a forum for critical inquiry, applied scholarship, and thoughtful engagement with the evolving realities of business, management, and public governance. It is our hope that the journal will contribute to advancing research that not only explains the world of organizations but also informs efforts to shape it in more effective, equitable, and sustainable ways.