International Journal of Social Sciences and Business Research

Context- Based Micromanagement Context-Based Micromanagement as an Inclusive Strategy in Small Private Higher Education: An Inclusive Case Study of Public Relations Volunteers at Universitas PGRI Argopuro Jember.

Dr. Tubagus Achmad Darodjat — 2026-10-08

Small private higher education institutions in Indonesia face complex challenges related to student quality, motivation, inclusivity, and adaptability, particularly among students from rural, low-economic, and pesantren (Islamic boarding school) backgrounds. This study examines the implementation of context-based micromanagement as an inclusive leadership and learning strategy at Universitas PGRI Argopuro Jember (UNIPAR). Employing an in-depth qualitative case study approach, this research analyzes how lecturers and administrative units, specifically the Public Relations (Humas) Bureau, apply micromanagement tailored to students’ social, cultural, technological, and psychological contexts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, institutional documentation, and observation of volunteer outputs on official university media platforms. The findings reveal that context-based micromanagement supports student transition into urban academic culture, enhances engagement through social media–related competencies, and fosters inclusive environments, including for volunteers with mental disabilities. The study concludes that micromanagement, when applied contextually, ethically, and temporarily, can function as a developmental and inclusive leadership strategy in small private higher education institutions.
Keywords: micromanagement, inclusive leadership, higher education, public relations, mental disability

Relational Adaptation and Social Capital as Determinants of Customer Satisfaction Among Tour Operators After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chaisak Klaidaeng — 2026-10-07

Tour operators in Bangkok lost almost all of their trade during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet one outcome of crisis management held while every other collapsed. This study compared the level of customer satisfaction with the other outcomes of crisis management, analysed the relationship between relational adaptation, social capital and customer satisfaction, and compared the influence of social capital that firms build for themselves with social capital supplied by external institutions. Questionnaire data were collected from 279 licensed tour operators in Bangkok, drawn from a population of 1,124, and analysed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation and multiple regression. Customer satisfaction was the only outcome rated at the highest level (Mean = 4.37), with 79.9 per cent of firms scoring 4.00 or above, whereas on service continuity, stakeholder collaboration, risk reduction, business flexibility and supply-chain recovery not a single firm reached 4.00. Firms that made booking and refund conditions fully flexible reported significantly higher satisfaction than those that did not (4.45 against 3.79, F = 39.89, p < .001). Regression explained 28.4 per cent of the variance in satisfaction, with information sharing among stakeholders, flexible booking and refund terms, cooperation with supply-chain partners and sustained customer communication all significant. Support from government agencies and professional associations recorded the lowest mean in the instrument and was unrelated to satisfaction. The social capital firms build for themselves proved usable in the crisis; institutional social capital did not.

Customer Churn in the Age of Company Rating Sites and AI Technology: A Mixed Perspective on Trust Erosion and Retention Strategy

Alya Rizqi Fadhilah — 2026-10-08

Customer attrition remains one of the most pressing strategic concerns for firms operating in increasingly competitive, digitally mediated markets. While a substantial body of literature has examined predictive modelling techniques, win-back strategies, and the economic value of lost customers, comparatively little research has integrated contemporary consumer sentiment—particularly as expressed on public rating and discussion platforms—into this discourse. This paper synthesises established churn and customer-retention literature with a qualitative thematic analysis of anonymised consumer commentary drawn from a public online discussion forum addressing the question of what causes companies to lose customer trust. The analysis identifies six recurring themes: perceived exploitative pricing practices, unwanted or persistent marketing communication, corporate adoption of artificial intelligence at the expense of human service quality, ownership structure and leadership conduct, erosion of product or service quality, and failures of accountability and transparency. These findings are discussed in relation to existing churn-prediction and win-back frameworks, and implications for both theory and managerial practice are proposed. The paper concludes that predictive analytics alone are insufficient for retention strategy; firms must also attend to the qualitative, reputational dimensions of trust that increasingly circulate on public digital platforms.

Keywords: customer churn, customer retention, trust erosion, artificial intelligence, win-back strategy, e-commerce

Student Challenges with Writing in the Age of AI: A Case Study of Indonesian Communications Undergraduates

Anggit Mulianing Pambudi — 2026-10-08

This study examines academic writing difficulties experienced by nine Indonesian undergraduate students enrolled in an international programme in Thailand. Through in-depth interviews, the research identifies recurring issues in grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and the organisation of ideas. Psychological aspects such as anxiety, fear of error, and low confidence further affect the students' ability to write clearly in English. These findings are considered alongside existing literature, which reports similar patterns among Indonesian EFL learners in both domestic and international contexts. Although AI-based writing tools offer limited support and can reduce anxiety, these technologies do not resolve deeper concerns related to coherence, argumentation, and personal expression. The study proposes that academic writing instruction should take a more comprehensive and pedagogically informed approach. This includes attention to technical skills, emotional support, cultural awareness, and the considered use of AI. Such a model supports the development of both competence and confidence in English academic writing among Indonesian

Keywords: English academic writing, Indonesian students, AI in education, writing challenges, second language writing, ChatGPT, Grammarly, linguistic competence, higher education, academic integrity

Word Spacing, Audio Support, and Cultural Content in Digital Thai Reading Instruction: A Case Study of the Easy Thai Read Application, with a Thematic Analysis of Learner Discourse

Jelita Annajwa — 2026-10-08

Thai orthography poses distinct challenges for beginning readers, most notably its absence of interword spacing and its layered tonal marking system. This paper reports a two-strand qualitative study examining how a mobile application, Easy Thai Read, which digitises the widely used Manee primer series, supports beginning level reading acquisition through three design features: interword spacing, synchronised audio narration, and culturally embedded content. The study is underpinned by an integrated conceptual framework combining Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988), Dual Coding Theory (Paivio, 1986), and Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky, 1978), which together explain why segmentation support, audio-text pairing, and culturally authentic content might be expected to aid acquisition. Data were drawn from two sources: a structured case study of a single anonymised false-beginner learner's engagement with the application, and a netnographic thematic analysis of publicly available, anonymised discussion threads from Thai-learning online communities. Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase thematic analysis procedure was applied across both datasets to identify convergent themes. Five themes emerged: segmentation as the primary barrier to fluency; the limits of visual literacy without auditory grounding; consonant class and tone-rule memorisation as a discrete sub-skill; cultural and motivational engagement with authentic content; and the role of structured retrieval practice in consolidation. The findings indicate that the application's design features map closely onto challenges independently reported across a wider learner population, lending the case study findings greater credibility than a single-participant design would otherwise support. The paper concludes with a revised conceptual model and design recommendations for computer-assisted language learning (CALL) tools targeting Thai and related unspaced scripts.

Keywords: Thai language acquisition, word spacing, scriptio continua, dual coding theory, cognitive load theory, Manee series, computer-assisted language learning

Telematics-Based Motor Insurance in the United Kingdom: An Analysis of Non-Disclosure, Policy Cancellation, and Consumer Trust in "Black Box" Systems

Linggar Aura Damayanti — 2026-10-08

Usage-based insurance (UBI), commonly known as "black box" or telematics insurance, has become an increasingly prominent feature of the United Kingdom motor insurance market, particularly for novice and high-risk drivers seeking affordable premiums. While the technology promises more accurate risk pricing and safer driving outcomes, it has simultaneously generated significant consumer friction relating to policy cancellation, non-disclosure obligations, and perceived algorithmic unfairness. This paper synthesises academic literature on telematics-based insurance with a qualitative thematic analysis of anonymised, publicly available consumer discourse and UK insurance industry guidance to examine how policyholders experience, and are affected by, black box systems. Five dominant themes are identified: perceived opacity of behavioural scoring; contextual misclassification of driving events; the disproportionate long-term consequences of policy cancellation, including mandatory future disclosure; technical unreliability of telematics hardware; and divergent trust levels between "premium" and "budget" insurers. The findings suggest that while telematics insurance can reduce information asymmetry between insurers and policyholders, as documented in prior economic and actuarial research, it simultaneously introduces new forms of asymmetry rooted in algorithmic non-transparency. The paper concludes with implications for insurer practice, regulatory oversight by the Financial Conduct Authority, and directions for future research into consumer trust and fairness perceptions in algorithmic insurance pricing.

Keywords: telematics insurance, usage-based insurance, black box, policy cancellation, non-disclosure, consumer trust, United Kingdom

Learning the Arabic Alphabet through Duolingo and Daily Repetitive Practice: A Netnographic and Literature Informed Review

Deisya Aurelie Tsaabitha — 2026-10-08

Mobile assisted language learning applications, and Duolingo in particular, are widely used by learners attempting to acquire the Arabic alphabet, yet the scholarly literature evaluating their suitability for this specific task remains sparse and largely disconnected from the extensive, naturally occurring discussion of this question among learners themselves. This paper combines a systematic review of literature on Arabic orthographic complexity, gamified application design, alphabet acquisition through digital tools, and the cognitive science of repetition and forgetting, with a netnographic thematic analysis of publicly available, anonymised learner discourse concerning Duolingo's Arabic course. The review and analysis are structured around an integrated theoretical framework combining the Forgetting Curve and spaced repetition theory (Ebbinghaus, 1885; Kang, 2016), Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988) as applied to script complexity, and Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) as applied to gamified motivation. Thematic analysis of the discourse corpus, triangulated against the literature, produced five themes: perceived inefficiency of the dedicated alphabet module relative to integrated, in-course letter exposure; the primacy of handwriting and production practice over passive recognition; profound scepticism regarding Duolingo's capacity to teach positional letterform variation; a bifurcation between vocabulary-level and script-level competence; and a widely shared, informally derived heuristic that isolated Arabic script acquisition is achievable within days to a few weeks given sufficiently structured practice, a claim standing in tension with Duolingo's slower, integrated pedagogical design. The findings indicate strong convergence between the scholarly literature and independent learner discourse: Duolingo's gamified, repetition based design aligns with established spaced repetition principles and is well suited to vocabulary support, but its capacity to independently teach Arabic's positional letterform system, absent handwriting practice and explicit form instruction, is not well supported by either the empirical literature or the extensive first hand testimony reviewed here. The paper concludes that Duolingo is most defensibly positioned as a supplementary, motivation sustaining tool rather than a stand-alone method for foundational Arabic script literacy, and proposes a revised instructional model integrating handwriting practice and explicit positional-form instruction alongside gamified repetition.

Keywords: Duolingo, Arabic script, alphabet acquisition, spaced repetition, cognitive load theory, netnography, mobile assisted language learning

Attrition, Adversity, and Adaptation: A Qualitative Analysis of the Structural, Professional, and Psychological Challenges Facing Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

Dwi Nur Riski Liani Liani — 2026-10-08

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is often represented in popular discourse as an accessible pathway to international mobility, cultural immersion, and flexible employment. However, a growing body of scholarship suggests that the profession is characterized by chronic attrition, precarious working conditions, and unresolved tensions around professional identity. This paper synthesizes findings from the existing empirical literature on foreign/second language teacher attrition and retention with a thematic analysis of publicly available, anonymized online discussion forum content in which current and former TEFL practitioners describe their lived experiences. Ten interrelated themes emerged from the forum data: financial precarity and wage stagnation; institutional disorganization and the absence of onboarding or managerial support; discriminatory hiring practices related to age, race, nationality, and perceived "nativeness"; credential inflation; visa- and documentation-related vulnerability; unpaid or under-compensated labor; workplace surveillance; contested professional identity; long-term career sustainability concerns; and recruitment-related fraud. These themes corroborate and extend prior peer-reviewed findings on teacher wellbeing, resilience, social capital, and turnover intention. The paper argues that TEFL attrition should be understood not merely as an individual psychological phenomenon but as the product of a globally fragmented, weakly regulated industry. Implications for teacher education, institutional policy, and future research are discussed.

Keywords: TEFL, teacher attrition, teacher retention, precarious employment, professional identity, native-speakerism

When Life Hurts, Running Heals: Understanding Compensatory Consumption in Indonesia’s Growing Running Culture

Linggar Aura Damayanti — 2026-10-08

The rapid growth of running culture in emerging markets has transformed the sport from a health-oriented activity into a lifestyle consumption phenomenon, yet little is known about how marketplace participation serves as a mechanism for emotional coping and identity reconstruction outside major metropolitan centers. While compensatory consumption has been widely examined in consumer behavior research, its manifestation within lifestyle sport consumption remains conceptually underexplored within non-metropolitan and developing regions. This study aims to explore how compensatory consumption is experienced and interpreted within the expanding running culture of a developing economy through the lens of Consumer Culture Theory (CCT). Adopting an interpretive qualitative design, the study employs Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 anonymized active regional runners, complemented by participant observations and digital documentary evidence. The findings reveal that running-related consumption extends far beyond functional and performance-oriented motivations, functioning instead as a culturally embedded process of emotional coping, identity reconstruction, and psychological restoration against localized professional pressures, business uncertainties, and routine burnout. Marketplace resources including high performance footwear, smart wearables tracking the quantified self, regional race participation, and community engagement serve as symbolic and experiential assets through which consumers restore self-worth, cultivate collective social belonging, and construct meaningful life narratives. The study advances Consumer Culture Theory by conceptualizing regional running cultures as market-mediated emotional coping ecosystems, thereby extending compensatory consumption beyond individual material acquisition toward experiential, collective, and identity-oriented marketplace participation in emerging secondary cities. These findings also provide strategic insights for sport marketers to develop more responsible, consumer-centered, and well-being-oriented marketing practices in regional marketplaces.

Keywords: Consumer Culture Theory; Compensatory Consumption; Running Culture; Non-

Metropolitan Regions; Sport Marketing; Consumer Well-Being

Business Viability of Lightweight Integrated Bike Tents for Warm, Humid Climates: A Thematic Analysis of Cyclist Discourse with Implications for Southeast Asian Outdoor Equipment Markets

Hasan Hiawatha Rifai — 2026-10-08

The market for lightweight, bicycle-integrated shelters has grown alongside the expansion of bicycle touring and bikepacking as a recreational and tourism activity, yet existing products remain largely designed and validated for temperate, dry-climate markets in North America, Europe, and Australasia. Southeast Asia, characterised by warm, humid climates, monsoonal rainfall, high biological contamination risk, and a rapidly growing adventure tourism sector, represents a distinct and underexamined market context. This study combines a desktop review of scholarly, patent, and industry literature on lightweight shelter design with a netnographic thematic analysis of publicly available, anonymised cyclist discourse concerning tent selection, bicycle integration, and climate performance. The study is underpinned by an integrated theoretical framework combining the Kano model of customer satisfaction (Kano et al., 1984), Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovation theory, and the Value Proposition Canvas (Osterwalder et al., 2014), used to interpret both product attributes and business viability. Thematic analysis identified six themes: price sensitivity relative to perceived durability; the weight–durability–cost trade-off as a zero-sum design constraint; pole length and bicycle-frame integration as the primary determinant of practical utility; scepticism towards dedicated "bikepacking" branding as a value-adding attribute; climate- and ventilation-related concerns; and an emergent, corpus-derived preference for antimicrobial, moisture-managing materials consistent with recent bamboo-fibre textile research. These findings are interpreted in relation to advances in multifunctional and antimicrobial textile engineering (Alvi et al., 2024; Basit et al., 2018; Dakuri & Lolla, 2023) and existing bicycle-integrated shelter patents (Coxworth, 2010; Heatherstone, 2017; Noe, 2022; Sari & Purnomo, 2017), yielding a business-oriented design and go-to-market framework for lightweight integrated bike tents tailored to Southeast Asian warm, humid conditions. The findings hold practical implications for outdoor equipment manufacturers, textile suppliers, and adventure tourism operators seeking to serve this underserved regional market.

Keywords: bicycle-integrated tents, lightweight shelter design, Southeast Asia, business viability, Kano model, antimicrobial textiles, adventure tourism,

Adaptive Reuse and the Heritage Construction Workforce: A Practitioner Informed Analysis of Sustainable Urban Regeneration

Muhammad Abidzar Baihaqi — 2026-10-08

Adaptive reuse, the repurposing of existing buildings for new functions, is widely promoted as a strategy for sustainable urban regeneration, yet the practice faces persistent obstacles relating to retrofit cost, gentrification risk, and a heritage construction workforce that is ageing, under trained, and poorly served by existing career pathways. This study combines a systematic review of the adaptive reuse and heritage retrofit literature with two complementary qualitative strands: informal practitioner interviews and site observations within the heritage construction sector, and a netnographic thematic analysis of publicly available, anonymised discourse drawn from architecture and urban planning online communities concerning adaptive reuse practice and career entry. The study is underpinned by an integrated theoretical framework combining Circular Economy theory (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013), Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovation theory, and Human Capital Theory (Becker, 1964), used respectively to interpret adaptive reuse as a materials and value retention strategy, to explain uneven adoption of reuse over demolition, and to frame the workforce development obstacles identified in the sector. Thematic analysis of the combined practitioner and discourse corpus produced six themes: the material and regulatory friction of retrofit relative to new build; contested and highly subjective criteria for what counts as worth preserving; gentrification and displacement as an underexamined cost of regeneration; the absence of formal, accessible training pathways into heritage construction; non-standard, non-linear career entry routes as both an opportunity and a source of market uncertainty; and adaptive reuse as a genuine, if precarious, professional niche. These findings substantiate and extend the practitioner-derived conclusions of the original fieldwork, indicating strong convergence between formal literature, direct practitioner testimony, and independent online discourse regarding both the sustainability case for adaptive reuse and the structural weaknesses of the workforce pipeline that services it. The paper concludes with a revised conceptual model and policy and industry recommendations addressing training accessibility, career pathway formalisation, and gentrification mitigation.

Keywords: adaptive reuse, heritage construction, circular economy, diffusion of innovation, human capital theory, workforce development, urban regeneration

The English Language Needs of Post-Graduate Chinese International Students at a Thai University

Alan White — 2026-10-08

This study examines the English language needs of Chinese postgraduate students at a Thai university, focusing on their perceived difficulties in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in English. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quantitative data from a 15-item Likert-scale questionnaire with qualitative insights from open-ended questions. The questionnaire was administered to 16 master's degree students, who provided ratings on their perceived language challenges in academic settings. Descriptive statistics, including mean scores and standard deviations, were used to analyze the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative responses. The results indicate that participants experience moderate to high levels of difficulty in academic writing, reading, and listening, with some hesitation in speaking English in academic contexts. The findings also suggest that students recognize the importance of improving their English language skills for academic success. The study emphasizes the need for targeted language support services to address these challenges and enhance students’ academic performance. Ethical considerations were adhered to throughout the research process, ensuring participant confidentiality and voluntary participation.

Traditional and Modern Clothing in Bali: Exploring Cultural Identity and Intercultural Communication through Balinese Attire

Deisya Aurelie Tsaabitha — 2026-10-08

Bali is well known for its rich cultural heritage, where traditional clothing continues to coexist with modern fashion influenced by globalization and tourism. Balinese attire reflects religious beliefs, cultural values, and social identity while also serving as a form of nonverbal communication in various social contexts. This study aims to explore the role of traditional and modern clothing in Bali by examining their cultural significance and contribution to intercultural communication. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed using direct observations conducted during an educational field trip at several cultural, educational, and tourism destinations in Bali, including Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, Tanah Lot, Penglipuran Village, Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK), Cerdikia Harapan School, Tanjung Benoa, Joger, Krisna, and Kuta Beach. The observations focused on traditional and modern attire, including their forms, functions, cultural meanings, and contexts of use. The findings indicate that traditional clothing remains essential in religious and cultural activities, while modern clothing supports daily life and tourism. The study concludes that clothing in Bali strengthens cultural identity while facilitating intercultural communication.

Keywords: traditional clothing, cultural identity, intercultural communication, Balinese attire, Bali, Indonesia

Toward a Framework for Halal Education Certification: A Conceptual Proposal

Umi salamah Arya Putri — 2026-10-08

Halal certification is a mature, standardized institution in food, cosmetics, and tourism, yet no comparable, auditable standard exists for "halal education" as an institutional category. This paper makes two contributions. First, it identifies and explains a specific disciplinary silo effect, the near-total non-overlap between the halal-industry certification literature and the Muslim-student-inclusion literature, that has prevented a unified halal education standard from emerging, despite both literatures independently documenting the components such a standard would require. Second, drawing on institutional theory, it proposes a seven-domain Halal Education Certification (HEC) framework, benchmarks it against existing analogous instruments (Malaysia's MS 1900:2014, JAKIM's certification manual, ISO 22000, and AAOIFI's Shariah governance standards), and outlines a validation pathway (expert Delphi panel followed by pilot institutional audit) needed before such a framework could be operationalized. The paper closes by addressing a direct counter-argument, that institutional halal certification risks functioning as an exclusionary rather than inclusive signal in pluralistic higher education, and argues this tension, rather than being resolved, should be built into the framework's governance design.

Keywords: halal certification, Islamic higher education, institutional isomorphism, Muslim student inclusion, accreditation