Search Results (1,275)

Despite growing recognition that organizational culture shapes nursing practice, the linking of ethical climate to sustainable environmental health literacy (SEHL) remains poorly understood. This study examined whether moral courage statistically mediates the relationship between perceived ethical climate and self-reported environmental health literacy among Egyptian nurses, rather than observed competencies or clinical actions. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with 743 nurses recruited from government, private, and university-affiliated hospitals. Participants completed the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey, the Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale, and the Environmental Health Literacy Scale. Mediation analysis used Hayes’ PROCESS macro with 5000 bootstrap samples. Ethical climate demonstrated strong positive associations with moral courage (r = 0.81) and SEHL (r = 0.86), while moral courage and SEHL were also strongly correlated (r = 0.82). Ethical climate explained 74% of variance in SEHL and 66% of variance in moral courage. Moral courage was associated with partial statistical mediation of the ethical climate–SEHL relationship, accounting for 33.4% of the total effect (β = 0.31, 95% CI [0.26, 0.37]), while the direct effect remained substantial (66.6%). These findings suggest that supportive ethical climates may be associated with nurses’ environmental health literacy via two statistical pathways: one directly linked to environmental learning and another indirectly linked to moral courage. Healthcare organizations should prioritize ethical climate development alongside moral courage training as potentially promising approaches to advance climate-responsive nursing practice. Full article

Tourism and hospitality organisations in remote, highly seasonal Arctic and sub-Arctic destinations face persistent workforce instability, multicultural team dynamics, and well-being risks that threaten service reliability and organisational continuity. Previous research has focused mainly on destination- and community-level resilience, while giving less attention to how resilience is built within tourism organisations through everyday workforce-related practices. This study examines people-centred organisational resilience through a qualitative comparative design in two northern contexts: Iceland and Finnish Lapland. The empirical material comprised semi-structured interviews in Iceland and interviews, organisational documents, and field observations in Finnish Lapland, collected in autumn 2025. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings identify four recurring resilience mechanisms: leadership under seasonal and environmental pressure; employee experience across employment phases; living conditions and belonging; and ethical governance. Here, “mechanisms” refers not simply to broad topics but to organisational processes through which recurring practices support resilience in remote, highly seasonal tourism settings. Together, these mechanisms show that resilience in remote tourism is built not only through operational flexibility or crisis response, but through people-centred organisational practices that support continuity, coordination, safety, and trust across seasons. The study contributes a workforce-centred extension of resilience theory in tourism and offers a comparative account of how these mechanisms operate across two northern tourism settings. Full article

Artificial Intelligence systems increasingly shape environmental decision making, infrastructure planning, and resource use across public and urban domains. However, prevailing AI trust and governance mechanisms, including labels, certifications, and assurance schemes, remain primarily focused on ethical and legal accountability, with limited operational attention to environmental sustainability. This paper reconceptualises AI trust mechanisms as socio-technical governance infrastructures that can support both ethical assurance and environmental accountability. Drawing on a comparative qualitative analysis of nine AI trust initiatives, the study develops a three-dimensional analytical framework embedding Environmental Performance Indicators across three governance dimensions: trust-building effectiveness, governance readiness, and sustainable adoption. Applying a systems governance lens, the framework examines how governance instruments structure information flows, institutional practices, and lifecycle feedback relevant to environmental performance. It is analytically illustrated through two urban mobility cases, Helsinki’s Whim application and Barcelona’s smart mobility system, to examine how governance conditions enable or constrain the integration of Environmental Performance Indicators in practice. Findings show that current trust mechanisms lack measurable and publicly visible environmental criteria, indicating a gap between AI assurance and environmental governance. The study contributes a systems-oriented framework for evaluating AI trust mechanisms as governance instruments capable of supporting environmental accountability. While exploratory and based on secondary data, the results indicate that future AI trust mechanisms must incorporate measurable sustainability indicators to support eco-efficient and accountable digital transformation. Full article

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly called upon to integrate sustainability across curricula and to prepare students to respond critically and responsibly to complex environmental challenges. While sustainability education is often associated with scientific, technological, or policy-oriented disciplines, the contribution of the humanities remains underexplored, particularly in digitally mediated university teaching. This paper argues that ancient texts, approached through the lens of the Environmental Humanities and supported by digital pedagogy, can offer a valuable framework for fostering sustainability literacy in higher education. Drawing on a humanities-based pedagogical model, this article explores how practices such as collaborative close reading, ecocritical discussion, narrative mapping, reflective writing, and digital storytelling can help students connect classical representations of nature, fragility, order, and human responsibility with contemporary ecological concerns. These activities encourage the development of sustainability-related competencies—including critical thinking, ethical reflection, interpretive complexity, and ecological awareness—while also supporting Inner Development Goals such as self-awareness, empathy, relational thinking, and responsible action. Based on a conceptual pedagogical model supported by exploratory qualitative evidence from a small-scale higher education course, this paper suggests that digital pedagogy can make sustainability learning in the humanities more dialogic and reflective. In doing so, this article proposes a practice-based pedagogical framework that may help Higher Education Institutions explore ways of embedding sustainability meaningfully beyond traditionally environmental fields. This article’s primary contribution is therefore pedagogical: it presents a humanities-based model for sustainability education while using exploratory qualitative evidence from one course context to illustrate how such a model may support interpretive, ethical, and sustainability-oriented learning. Full article

Despite the growing importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance in shaping brand perception and consumer trust, limited empirical evidence exists on how ESG indicators translate into measurable digital consumer engagement outcomes, particularly in ethically driven markets such as the vegan food sector. This study addresses this gap by examining how ESG performance translates into digitally observable consumer engagement and frames this relationship as a strategic performance measurement and decision-support problem. Building on the sector’s reliance on ethical positioning, trust, and online visibility, we integrate ESG indicators with digital marketing and web analytics metrics (e.g., traffic and engagement proxies) for a panel of five leading vegan food firms [Nestlé SA (Vevey, Switzerland), Kellanova (Chicago, IL, USA), Beyond Meat Inc. (El Segundo, CA, USA), Danone SA (Paris, France), and Conagra Brands Inc. (Chicago, IL, USA)], using data from the Semrush web analytics platform and the Eikon Refinitiv ESG database for the period January–December 2024. We employ a mixed-method design combining descriptive analytics with correlation analysis and simple linear regression to estimate the direction and strength of ESG–digital performance links, and we extend inference through Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) using the MentalModeler platform to simulate “what-if” scenarios that support managerial foresight under digital uncertainty. Results indicate that stronger ESG profiles are associated with more favorable digital outcomes, with specific ESG mechanisms (e.g., human-capital and environmental initiatives) aligning with deeper engagement signals. The FCM scenarios further suggest that coordinated ESG improvements can amplify digital traction and reinforce sustainable brand growth. The proposed framework contributes to strategic management by operationalizing an ESG-enabled digital performance measurement system and a lightweight Decision Support System (DSS) that can guide resource allocation, KPI monitoring, and risk-aware positioning in sustainability-oriented markets. Full article

With the rapid growth of the medicinal cannabis sector, there is a growing concern regarding its environmental impact and sustainability. In recent years, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on medicinal cannabis cultivation and processing have been conducted since 2021. However, there is a lack of comprehensive LCA studies that include all stages of medicinal cannabis cultivation and processing. In this systematic review, various LCA studies conducted from 2021 to 2025 using the ISO 14040/44 methodology are reviewed and discussed in terms of their goal and scope, life cycle inventory (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), and result interpretation. Various environmental impact indicators are considered in this review, such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy demand, water usage, eutrophication, acidification, and resource depletion. All of these impact indicators point to a significant environmental impact of indoor cultivation in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, which vary from 2.3 × 10³ to 5.2 × 10³ kg CO₂ eq kg⁻¹ of dried cannabis product. Nevertheless, it is important to note that this is significantly influenced by regional electricity sources. Low-carbon-based electricity sources, especially hydro-based sources, can reduce emissions to a significant level. Cultivation outdoors presents significantly lower emissions of (60–110 kg CO₂ eq kg⁻¹), but fertilizers and substrates used in cultivation contribute significantly to emissions. Also, outdoor plants use 22.7 L plant⁻¹ d⁻¹ water at peak growth, while indoor plants use 9–11 L plant⁻¹ d⁻¹ water. Improvements in the life cycle of cannabis cultivation can be achieved through renewable energy use, water and fertilizers, substrate use and reuse, and inventories for post-harvesting activities like drying and extraction. Botanical parameters including genotype, planting density, and harvesting frequency are identified as significant but under-characterized determinants of LCA outcomes. Ethical and legal barriers are shown to be structural drivers of the LCA data gap. A SWOT analysis contextualizes the opportunities and constraints of the sector. Future research should focus on cradle-to-grave LCA and incorporate socio-economic factors for sustainability in the medicinal cannabis sector. Full article

Urban tourism is frequently promoted as a driver of regeneration, competitiveness, and local economic growth. However, its expansion increasingly generates overtourism, environmental degradation, social inequality, gentrification pressures, and cultural commodification in densely populated cities. Although existing tourism research has examined these challenges from managerial, planning, and sustainability perspectives, less attention has been paid to their ethical foundations. This conceptual paper addresses that gap by developing an integrated ethical framework for sustainable urban tourism through a structured, theory-driven synthesis of literature in environmental ethics, social justice theory, virtue ethics, and urban tourism studies. The paper makes three main contributions: it reframes urban tourism growth as a moral and normative issue rather than merely an economic one; it organizes the key ethical dilemmas of urban tourism as interconnected outcomes of growth-oriented development; and it links ethical principles to stakeholder responsibilities and desired governance outcomes. The proposed framework positions tourists, businesses, and policymakers as moral agents and identifies ecological integrity, social equity, and cultural protection as core criteria for evaluating tourism development. As a conceptual study, however, the framework remains theoretical and requires future empirical application and testing across different urban contexts. Full article

This article examines The Mark of Cassandra by Chingiz Aitmatov through the emerging framework of Blue Humanities. While most prior studies have approached Aitmatov’s ecological concerns from a land-based ecocritical perspective, this article shifts the focus to his engagement with oceanic themes and marine environments. By combining literary interpretation with ecological philosophy, the study suggests that The Mark of Cassandra goes beyond the limits of traditional environmental fiction. It presents the ocean not only as a setting but as a source of knowledge and ethical reflection. In this way, Aitmatov’s work seems to anticipate current global discussions on climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental justice. The novel encourages readers to reconsider the human-centered worldview and adopt a more ecocentric approach. Through its marine symbolism and critical stance on human exploitation of nature, the text offers valuable insights into ecological ethics that cross both national and species boundaries. Overall, this article argues that The Mark of Cassandra is an important literary contribution that challenges the usual borders of ecocriticism and calls for a more integrated and holistic understanding of environmental issues. Full article

Due to acute resource constraints and environmental turbulence, many small and medium-sized construction enterprises (SMEs) prioritize short-term survival over corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Grounded in social exchange theory (SET), this study investigates how CSR implementation drives financial performance (FP) via the mediating role of non-financial performance (NP), aiming to deconstruct the “psychological black box” of this transformation. Drawing on a sequential mixed-methods design involving PLS-SEM analysis of 380 responses and 10 semi-structured interviews, the results confirm that CSR practices, particularly ethical practices and community engagement, can be effectively translated into improved NP, which acts as a vital strategic conduit for enhancing FP. However, skills development and training showed limited immediate impact due to a systemic “digital mismatch” and significant time-lag effects. Theoretically, this research refines SET by identifying a hierarchical transition where socio-emotional assets serve as compensatory resources in volatile and resource-constrained environments. Practically, the findings offer a strategic roadmap for SMEs to mitigate technological and systemic barriers, providing novel pathways for fostering CSR to achieve sustainable growth. Full article

This study investigates the determinants of borrower repayment intentions in Marketplace Lending (MPL) platforms, focusing on the interplay between behavioural factors and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) awareness in the Hungarian context. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was employed to analyze survey responses from 477 participants familiar with MPL platforms. The study integrates constructs from behavioural finance (Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Borrowing, Theory of Planned Behaviour) and ESG-related factors (Socially Responsible Investment Theory, Reciprocity Theory) to assess their influence on repayment intentions. Perceived Usefulness (PU) emerged as the strongest predictor of Repayment Intention (RI) (β = 0.554, p < 0.001), highlighting the importance of platform functionality. Socially Responsible Investment Theory (SRIT) also had a significant positive impact (β = 0.194, p < 0.01), suggesting that ethical lending practices enhance borrower accountability through reciprocity mechanisms. Conversely, Continuance Intention to Borrow (CIB) and Credit Risk Theory (CRT) showed no significant effects. This study contributes to the literature by bridging behavioural finance, credit risk theory, and ESG principles in FinTech lending, offering a novel framework for sustainable lending practices. Full article

Background/Objectives: Genetic identification of human skeletal remains plays a pivotal role in forensic investigations when other traditional or primary methods are not appropriate. Decomposition, storage and environmental conditions often leave the skeletal structure as the only basis for identification. This review synthesizes current methodologies and technological advances in damaged DNA extraction and analysis, emphasizing the forensic relevance of skeletal remains for genetic identification. Methods: A comprehensive literature analysis highlights the basis of genetic identification; sampling that considers intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing the DNA yield and its quality; pre-treatment methods; extraction protocols that are suitable for its sensitivity; genetic marker panels that allow for human identification; and statistical evaluation and analysis of the results. The last chapter demonstrates the real-world impact of genetic identification on historical cases, underscoring its broader significance in legal, humanitarian, and socio-historical contexts, supporting a critical evaluation of best practices, methodological robustness, and ethical considerations within the field. Results: Teeth, femur and the petrous portion of temporal bone are the main samples used for genetic analysis. STR profiling and mitochondrial DNA are the gold standard markers for skeletal human identification. Minimally destructive protocols that enhance a high DNA yield are chosen, with silica-based methods being highlighted in the extraction protocols. Next-Generation Sequencing techniques have also improved analytical outcomes, by enabling high-throughput data generation, increased coverage depth, nucleotide-level sequence data, and high-level multiplexing of genetic targets. Conclusions: This review provides a comprehensive framework for researchers and practitioners seeking to optimize genetic identification workflows in forensic sciences and bioarcheology. These methodological advances have significantly increased identification success rates, especially in cases involving degraded or limited skeletal remains. Reviews such as this one help us to identify methodological gaps, ethical concerns, and future research directions, thereby establishing best practices when working with highly degraded skeletal material, supporting more reliable, standardized, and legally defensible applications of genetic identification in forensic, archeological, and humanitarian contexts. Full article

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan transmitted via environmentally resistant oocysts present in food and water, as well as through the consumption of meat containing infective bradyzoites. This study evaluated the inactivation of T. gondii oocysts and bradyzoites (ME-49 strain) by Pulsed Electric Field technology (PEF). Treatment efficacy was determined by mouse bioassay combining brain qPCR and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA), with complementary qPCR in Hs27 cells. The infectious dose (ID₅₀) of T. gondii was estimated at 34.6 oocysts. PEF-treated oocysts (15 kV/cm; 50 kJ/kg; 225 µs) showed a significant reduction in infectivity compared with untreated controls; accordingly, the dose required to establish infection increased to 85.3 oocysts after PEF treatment. Brain qPCR and IFA were highly correlated, whereas heart tissue was less sensitive. Bradyzoites recovered from PEF-treated meat (3.3 kV/cm; 27 kJ/kg; 1600 µs) showed a 50% infectivity reduction compared with untreated samples. In vitro assays confirmed an in vivo reduction in infectivity, indicating that cell cultures can serve as an ethical and efficient tool for preliminary viability assessment. This is the first evidence of T. gondii inactivation by PEF, highlighting its potential as a non-thermal strategy. Further studies are needed to optimize treatment parameters. Full article

Due to the recent rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its expanding impact on the planet, green and sustainable AI research has increasingly gained attention. This systematic literature review searches main databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, using an organized methodological approach. Following a thorough screening process, 49 final studies published between 2016 and 2026 are selected from an initial identification of 325 original records. We identify and analyze four key categories of sustainable AI practices: (1) model-level algorithmic efficiency, (2) hardware- and system-level optimization, (3) lifecycle- and data-centric approaches, and (4) operational and policy-level sustainability. We also highlight and explain four dimensions at the intersection of AI and environmentally responsible behavior: AI for sustainable applications’ development in industries, ethical considerations and accountability in using AI, and opportunities enabled by generative AI. We then combine existing taxonomies, evaluation metrics, and challenges to identify areas for improvement and suggest future research directions. Based on our analysis, we emphasize the need for interdisciplinary cooperation to facilitate responsible AI innovation and match it with global sustainable development goals (SDGs). We also highlight the importance of developing adequate frameworks along with precisely defined and standardized metrics to assess the environmental impact of AI. This review aims to encourage more responsible and environmentally friendly AI practices by providing a structured framework for researchers, educators, and professionals engaged in sustainable AI. Full article

Social washing refers to the strategic exaggeration or misrepresentation of an organisation’s commitment to social responsibility, ethical governance, or social impact without corresponding substantive action. It typically operates through selective disclosure, symbolic initiatives, or performative communication that aligns the organisation with socially desirable values—such as equity, human rights, community development, or inclusion—while underlying practices remain unchanged, weakly evidenced, or contradictory. The concept belongs to the wider family of “washing” phenomena associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks, especially the difficult-to-measure social (“S”) pillar. By contrast, authentic accountability refers to governance and reporting practices that connect institutional commitments to verifiable social outcomes and discernible improvements in human well-being. The institutionalisation of ESG frameworks has raised expectations of corporate responsibility while also enlarging the scope for reputational manipulation. Within this setting, social washing has become relevant not only to social policy and sustainable development debates, but also to corporate governance, ESG evaluation, and cross-sector partnership practice. This entry examines how organisations construct narratives of social responsibility that do not necessarily correspond to substantive social outcomes. It also argues that such distortions matter both for welfare systems and civil-society actors and for ESG assessment, reputational signalling, and the interpretation of social performance in market settings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) is widely used in crime scene investigation (CSI), yet its practical application, evidential limits, and interpretive role are often discussed in fragmented or technique-focused terms. This systematic literature review examines how BPA is used in CSI, with emphasis on its operational functions, interpretive scope, and scientific robustness. Methods: The review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted in Scopus using predefined Boolean strings. After screening, eligibility assessment, and manual review, 18 peer-reviewed research articles published between 1996 and 2026 were included. Data were extracted systematically and analysed using thematic synthesis. Results: The findings show that BPA is applied in CSI as an integrated evidential pathway rather than as a single analytical procedure. Its uses include bloodstain detection and documentation, geometric reconstruction through trajectory and area-of-origin analysis, differentiation of mechanisms and sources to prevent misclassification, activity-level inference based on transfer and contact phenomena, and temporal reasoning related to trace formation. The review also highlights the role of validation infrastructures, including blood substitutes, animal analogues, and computational methods, which support training, experimentation, and reproducibility under ethical and practical constraints. Across the literature, reconstruction accuracy is shown to be sensitive to documentation quality, measurement assumptions, environmental conditions, and contextual limitations. Conclusions: Overall, BPA contributes to CSI by enabling structured, context-aware interpretation of blood evidence while remaining subject to measurement assumptions, contextual influences, and cognitive factors that may affect reconstruction outcomes. Its evidential value lies not only in reconstructing events, but also in supporting transparent, testable, and defensible forensic reasoning. Full article