Journal of Indonesian Economy and Business

Can Employees Love Their Company Brand: The Role of Internal Branding, Brand Identification, and Brand Citizenship Behavior

2026-08-27T10:50:51+07:00

Introduction/Main Objectives: This study aims to analyze the impact of internal branding on brand identification, investigate how brand identification affects employee brand love and brand citizenship behavior, and examine how employee brand love, in turn, influences brand citizenship behavior. Background Problems: By examining how internal branding and brand identification affect employee brand love and citizenship behavior, companies can better understand how to develop a workforce that is dedicated to the brand's success and highly talented. It highlights the vital connection between brand performance and internal culture. Novelty: Internal branding, brand identification, employee brand love, and its effects on brand citizenship behavior are the main topics of this study. In this study, two distinct components have never been examined before. To understand how employees might promote long-term performance, brand love, and citizenship behavior are examined simultaneously. Every day, workers fulfill their tasks to support the overall functioning of the business. On the other hand, employees benefit the firm by being ready to love the organization's brand as part of the business portfolio. Employees who utilize and love the brand will have consumers' trust. Research Methods: This descriptive research used a survey, distributing questionnaires to employees at the company. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the partial least squares method. Finding/Results: This study shows that internal branding will lead to brand identification. Companies with superior brands and the ability to turn their employees into internal consumers need to strengthen their internal branding strategy to develop their brand identity effectively. Conclusion: This research shows that all hypotheses in the research model were supported. A social exchange theory can explain the relationship between variables.

Debt Trap as Hidden Problem: An Empirical Evidence of Indonesia’s Government External Debt

2026-08-27T10:43:41+07:00

Introduction/Main Objectives: This study aims to identify and analyze the debt trap in Indonesia's government’s external debt. Background Problems: The Indonesian government's external debt management is potentially unsustainable due to the debt trap problem, resulting in a declining ability to pay amidst increased debt accumulation. Novelty: Unlike studies that rely on basic indicators, this research adopts a more comprehensive method to identify the debt trap. Research Methods: We employ a simultaneous equation with a two-stage least square (2SLS) estimation method to detect bidirectional relationship between debt and debt service ratio on annual data from 1990 to 2022. Finding/Results: The findings reveal the presence of a debt trap in Indonesia, driven by easy access to borrowing, the need to protect foreign exchange reserves, and the legacy of crisis-era debt caused by IMF-imposed structural adjustments. Conclusion: We recommend that the government reducing dependency on new borrowing and strengthening repayment capacity by enhancing exports, reducing import reliance, channeling FDI into strategic sectors, and maintaining depreciating exchange rate stability to mitigate the risk of a debt trap.

Drivers of Loyalty and Switching Mobile Telecommunications Provider: The Roles of Service Value, Alternatives, and Search Efforts

2026-08-27T11:05:49+07:00

Introduction/Main Objectives: This study investigates factors influencing satisfaction, switching intention, and loyalty among mobile telecommunication providers in Bangladesh as a developing nation. Background Problems: Although previous research has made progress, a gap remains in understanding how users perceive alternative attracttiveness, search efforts, and service value, and how these perceptions impact satisfaction, switching intention, and loyalty. Novelty: Dearth of research specifically addresses the influence of alternative attractiveness, search effort, and service value on users' decisions to stay or switch between telecommunication service providers in the Bangladeshi context. Research Methods: Using a cross-sectional approach, data were collected from 355 eligible mobile telecommunication users in Bangladesh through purposive sampling with clear screening criteria. Data were analyzed using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Finding/Results: Findings indicate that users' perceptions of service value significantly influence satisfaction, while search effort has no significant effect. Attractiveness of alternatives unexpectedly shows a significant positive relationship with satisfaction. Furthermore, satisfaction significantly affects both switching intention and loyalty, suggesting satisfied users may still consider switching in a competitive market. Conclusion: Practitioners should focus on enhancing service value and understanding alternative perceptions. Improving satisfaction alone cannot reduce switching; firms must adopt additional retention strategies to foster long-term loyalty in Bangladesh.

Endorsement Framing in Advertising: Enhancing Consumer Evaluation through Perceived Personalness

2026-08-27T10:34:13+07:00

Introduction/Main Objectives: While prior research highlights the importance of personalness in advertising, little attention has been given to how linguistic framing alone can create this effect. Background Problems: This study addresses whether simply framing an ad message as an endorsement can increase consumer evaluation through perceived personalness. Novelty: Unlike prior research focusing on celebrity and non-celebrity endorsements, this study explores whether endorsement-like effects can emerge without an actual endorser. Research Methods: We conducted an experimental study where participants were randomly assigned to endorsement framing vs. neutral conditions and measured consumer evaluation and perceived personalness. Finding/Results: Endorsement framing significantly improved consumer evaluation, an effect mediated by perceived personalness. Conclusion: This study identifies a low-cost, scalable strategy for enhancing advertising effectiveness.

Islamic Social Finance and Environmental Sustainability: Waqf Funding Intentions in the Forestry Sector

2026-08-27T11:43:00+07:00

Introduction/Main Objectives: This study analyzes the factors influencing people's intention to waqf in the forestry sector. Background Problems: High deforestation rates in Indonesia cause severe economic and social impacts as communities lose essential natural resources. Given Indonesia's large, geographically diverse Muslim population, Islamic social finance offers potential solutions through green waqf implemented via waqf forests. Novelty: This research provides empirical evidence on reaching new waqf donors (waqif) for the forestry sector across various regions in Indonesia. Research Methods: Adopting Value-Based Theory (VBT), the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and green knowledge variables, PLS-SEM was used to test seven hypotheses. A purposive sample of 205 respondents completed an online survey. The sample spans all regions—primarily East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, West Java, Banten, Sumatra, and Borneo, alongside Jakarta and Eastern Indonesia—representing diverse ages, occupations, and waqf contribution levels. Finding/Results: Environmental awareness and environmental concern significantly influence attitudes toward waqf in the forestry sector. Additionally, green knowledge and perceived behavioral control positively and significantly impact waqf intention in the forestry sector. Conclusion: Findings offer practical insights for stakeholders promoting forestry waqf. Central authorities, including the government, can use these insights to foster creative strategies supporting green waqf for sustainable forest ecosystems and development. Ultimately, the green waqf movement can heighten public environmental awareness, particularly regarding forest ecosystem maintenance in Indonesia. Future research could utilize longitudinal or regional comparative designs.

The Role of Livestreaming in Retail Marketing: A Review of Consumer Purchasing Behavior

2026-08-27T10:40:28+07:00

Introduction/Main Objectives: This study aims to investigate the role of live streaming in traditional retailers’ marketing and explore the purchasing behavior of online consumers through bibliometric reviews of publications indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Background Problems: The emergence of a linked world has brought about the development of live-stream purchasing on various platforms, while traditional shops face difficulties in maintaining their business operations. Novelty: Although live streaming is a prominent instrument for online retail marketing, its significance in the marketing strategies of traditional retailers is relatively ambiguous. This study sheds light on its influential impacts on purchasing behavior in a developing country. Research Methods: The study adopts the TCCM framework to grasp the fundamental aspects of the research topic from pertinent research indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, applying the SPAR-4-SLR protocol. Findings/Results: Conclusively, the SOR theory is popular among the retail marketing and behavioral literature, followed by game, flow, signaling, real options, and attachment theories. There is a strong correlation between consumer behavioral intention, live-streaming commerce, social media, trust, and perceived value toward retailers. Conclusion: Above all, the study provides a strong foundation for the experimental implementation of e-commerce and social media as marketing tools to stimulate consumer intention and potential purchasing behavior. The study also provides novel insights into the retail literature by embedding behavioral aspects into traditional retailers' marketing strategies.

Work-Centrality Views and Older People’s Labor Participation: Comparison between the Silent and Baby Boomer Generations

2026-08-27T10:38:04+07:00

Introduction/Main Objectives: This paper examines the relationship between older adults’ views on work and their labor force participation. Background Problems: In Indonesia, limited pension coverage and widespread informal employment encourage many older adults to remain in the labor force. However, the roles of work centrality, generational differences, and social class in shaping their participation remain underexplored. Novelty: Unlike previous studies that focus on younger cohorts, this study compares work participation between the silent generation and baby boomers, providing insights into future patterns of older adult labor supply. Research Methods: This study uses data from the World Values Survey (2001, 2006, and 2018). A quantitative approach is employed, combining descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression. The unit of analysis is individuals aged 56–69 years. Generation and work centrality serve as the main independent variables. Finding/Results: Work centrality is significantly associated with older adults’ labor participation, particularly among the working and lower-middle social classes. In addition, baby boomers are more likely to continue working in later life than the silent generation. Conclusion: Later-born generations show a higher probability of working at older ages, while the influence of work centrality varies across social groups. These findings highlight the importance of policies that consider generational and class-based differences in older adults’ employment.