Search Results (1,070)

Digitalization is rapidly reshaping the global construction industry; however, its adoption in developing countries, such as Pakistan, remains limited and uneven. Hence, this study investigates and evaluates the current status of digital technology integration in Pakistan’s construction industry, with a primary focus on key tools, implementation challenges, and necessary policy interventions. Using a three-phase mixed-method approach involving a literature review, expert interviews, and a nationwide survey, this research identifies Building Information Modeling, Geographic Information Systems, and E-Procurement as essential technologies with strong potential to improve transparency, efficiency, and collaboration. However, adoption is hindered by a lack of awareness, limited technical expertise, and the absence of a cohesive national policy. This study also highlights that the private sector shows greater readiness compared to the public sector; however, systemic barriers persist across both sectors. Based on stakeholder insights, a three-part policy strategy was also proposed. This includes establishing a national regulatory framework, investing in capacity-building programs, and providing financial or institutional incentives to encourage the adoption of these measures. The findings emphasize that digitalization is not just a technical upgrade; it represents a pathway to improved governance and more efficient infrastructure delivery. With timely and coordinated policy action, the construction industry in Pakistan can align itself with global innovation trends and move toward a more sustainable and digitally empowered future. Full article

Under the global context of climate governance and sustainable development, low-carbon energy transition has become a strategic imperative. As a critical force in resource allocation, the financial system’s impact on energy transition has attracted extensive academic attention. This paper presents the first comprehensive literature review on energy transition research in the context of financial development. We develop a “Financial Functions-Energy Transition Dynamics” analytical framework to comprehensively examine the theoretical and empirical evidence regarding the relationship between financial development (covering both traditional finance and emerging finance) and energy transition. The understanding of financial development’s impact on energy transition has progressed from linear to nonlinear perspectives. Early research identified a simple linear promoting effect, whereas current studies reveal distinctly nonlinear and multidimensional effects, dynamically driven by three fundamental factors: economy, technology, and resources. Emerging finance has become a crucial driver of transition through technological innovation, risk diversification, and improved capital allocation efficiency. Notable disagreements persist in the existing literature on conceptual frameworks, measurement approaches, and empirical findings. By synthesizing cutting-edge empirical evidence, we identify three critical future research directions: (1) dynamic coupling mechanisms, (2) heterogeneity of financial instruments, and (3) stage-dependent evolutionary pathways. Our study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the complex finance-energy transition relationship and informs policy-making and interdisciplinary research. Full article

Pimelea is one of the highly toxic plants in Australia, particularly affecting cattle. It contains simplexin, a potent toxin that can cause Pimelea poisoning (St. George Disease) in livestock. A survey was conducted to assess the current impact of Pimelea on livestock production, pasture systems, and financial losses among agricultural producers. In addition, information was also sought about the environmental conditions that facilitate its growth and the effectiveness of existing management strategies. The survey responses were obtained from producers affected by Pimelea across nine different Local Government Areas, through three States, viz., Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. Pimelea was reported to significantly affect animal production, with 97% of producers surveyed acknowledging its detrimental effects. Among livestock, cattle were the most severely affected (94%), when compared to sheep (13%), goats (3%), and horses (3%). The presence of Pimelea was mostly observed in spring (65%) and winter (48%), although 29% of respondents indicated that it could be present all year-round under favorable rainfall conditions. Germination was associated with light to moderate rainfall (52%), while only 24% linked it to heavy rainfall. Pimelea simplex F. Muell. was the most frequently encountered species (71%), followed by Pimelea trichostachya Lindl. (26%). Infestations were reported to occur annually by 47% of producers, with 41% noting occurrences every 2 to 5 years. Financially, producers estimated average annual losses of AUD 67,000, with 50% reporting an average of 26 cattle deaths per year, reaching up to 105 deaths in severe years. Some producers were spending up to AUD 2100 per annum to manage Pimelea. While chemical and physical controls were commonly employed, integrating competitive pastures and alternative livestock, such as sheep and goats, was considered as a potential management strategy. This study reiterates the need for further research on sustainable pasture management practices to reduce Pimelea-related risks to livestock and agricultural production systems. Full article

The work presents a comprehensive analysis and costing of sugar beet cultivation in 2020–2022, for individual farms of the Lublin region. About 120 farms were analyzed. Based on this analysis, the criteria for a model farm were determined and adopted for the calculation of sugar beet production costs. ARIMA process modeling was performed, based on which forecasts were determined for several selected parameters. Customs tariffs introduced by the USA have a drastic impact on the economy. The effects of the COVID19 pandemic may also have a significant impact on the current market situation. Forecasting in the current geopolitical situation is very difficult because of the lack of stationarity of parameters. The financial result obtained by growers is mainly influenced by indirect costs absorbing 61.31% of total costs in 2020. In 2021 and 2022, indirect costs were 61.16% and 59.61% of production income, respectively. Among this group of costs, the largest share is accounted for by the costs of sowing services, sugar beet harvesting, and soil liming amounting from 14.27% to 15.92%. During the analyzed period, sugar beet cultivation remained profitable, with a production profitability index of 1.31 in 2020 and 2021, and 1.10 in 2022. The unit cost of production increased every year. In 2020, it was 14.27% and in 2021, it increased to 15.19%. The unit cost of production in 2022 was the highest, at 23.41%. Sugar beet cultivation is one of the profitable activities in agricultural production, but it is characterized by high production costs, which increased during the years analyzed (2020 to 2022), topping out at 90.87% of total revenue. The information and data presented in this study will be used in the development of a farmer-oriented application and will support the creation of an expert system for sugar beet growers. Cost forecasting will enable farmers to plan their production more effectively. Full article

This study assesses the quality of financial reporting in ten Central and Eastern European countries using a methodology based on natural language processing (NLP) techniques. 570 annual reports of companies listed on the main index on the stock exchanges of 10 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, over the period 2019–2023, were evaluated to determine the degree of convergence of the following four measurable qualitative characteristics: relevance, exact representation, comparability and understandability. The main objective is to identify consistency in the quality of accounting information based on the application of an international financial reporting framework. The applied methodology eliminates subjective variability by implementing a standardized scoring system, aligned with the criteria developed by NiCE, using libraries such as spaCy and NLTK for term extraction, respective sentiment analysis and word frequency evaluation. The results reveal significant heterogeneity in all characteristics examined, with statistical tests confirming substantial differences between countries. The investigation of relevance revealed partial convergence, with three dimensions achieving complete uniformity, while the exact representation showed the highest variability. The assessment of comparability showed a significant difference between countries’ extreme values, and in terms of comprehensibility a formalistic approach was evident, with technical dimensions outweighing user-oriented aspects. The overall quality index varied significantly across countries, with a notable average deterioration in 2023, indicating structural vulnerabilities in financial reporting systems. These findings support initial hypotheses on the lack of homogeneity in the quality of financial reporting in the selected region, despite the implementation of international standards. Full article

In this paper a new state model is introduced, an adaptative state model in a binary temporal representation (ASMBRT) as well as its application in constructing an algorithmic trading system. The presented model uses the binary temporal representation, which allows for a precise analysis of exchange rates without losing any informative value of the data. The basis of the model is the trajectory analysis for the ensuing changes in price quotations and dependencies between the duration of each change. The main advantage of the model is to eliminate the threshold analysis, used in existing state models. This solution allows for a more accurate identification of investor behavior patterns, which translates into a reduction of investment risk. In order to verify obtained results in practice, the paper presents a concept of creating an algorithmic trading system and an analysis of its financial effectiveness for the exchange rate most popular among investors, namely EUR/USD. Full article

Evaluating the renewable energy potential, such as that of solar photovoltaics (PV), is important for developing renewable energy policies. This study investigated rooftop solar PV potential in Thailand based on open-source geographic information system (GIS) building footprints, solar PV power output, and the most recent land use data (2022). GIS-based overlay analysis, buffering, fishnet modeling, and spatial join operations were applied to assess rooftop availability across various building types, taking into account PV module installation parameters and optimal panel orientation. Economic feasibility and sensitivity analyses were conducted using standard economic metrics, including net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback period, and benefit–cost ratio (BCR). The findings showed a total rooftop solar PV power generation potential of 50.32 TWh/year, equivalent to 25.5% of Thailand’s total electricity demand in 2022. The Central region contributed the highest potential (19.59 TWh/year, 38.94%), followed by the Northeastern (10.49 TWh/year, 20.84%), Eastern (8.16 TWh/year, 16.22%), Northern (8.09 TWh/year, 16.09%), and Southern regions (3.99 TWh/year, 7.92%). Both commercial and industrial sectors reflect the financial viability of rooftop PV installations and significantly contribute to the overall energy output. These results demonstrate the importance of incorporating rooftop solar PV in renewable energy policy development in regions with similar data infrastructure, particularly the availability of detailed and standardized land use data for building type classification. Full article

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death in Bangladesh, disproportionately affecting low socio-economic status (SES) populations. This review, guided by the WHO Social Determinants of Health framework and Rockefeller-Lancet Planetary Health Report, examined how social, economic, and ecological factors link SES to TB burden. The first literature search identified 28 articles focused on SES-TB relationships in Bangladesh. A second search through snowballing and conceptual mapping yielded 55 more papers of diverse source types and disciplines. Low-SES groups face elevated TB risk due to smoking, biomass fuel use, malnutrition, limited education, stigma, financial barriers, and hazardous housing or workplaces. These factors delay care-seeking, worsen outcomes, and fuel transmission, especially among women. High-SES groups more often face comorbidities like diabetes, which increase TB risk. Broader contextual drivers include urbanisation, weak labour protections, cultural norms, and poor governance. Recommendations include housing and labour reform, gender parity in education, and integrating private providers into TB programmes. These align with the WHO End TB Strategy, UN SDGs and Planetary Health Quadruple Aims, which expand the traditional Triple Aim for health system design by integrating environmental sustainability alongside improved patient outcomes, population health, and cost efficiency. Future research should explore trust in frontline workers, reasons for consulting informal carers, links between makeshift housing and TB, and integrating ecological determinants into existing frameworks. Full article

This quantitative study examines the determinants of financial reporting quality in Indonesian local governments, focusing on good governance, regional financial accounting systems, internal control systems, organizational commitment, and information technology utilization, with HR competencies as a moderator. Data were collected via surveys from 170 Local Government Work Units (SKPDs) across South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the findings indicate that good governance, regional financial accounting systems, internal control systems, organizational commitment, and information technology utilization all positively influence financial reporting quality. Crucially, human resource competencies were found to significantly moderate the relationship between the internal control system and organizational commitment with financial reporting quality. However, this moderating effect was not significant for the relationships involving good governance, regional financial accounting systems, and information technology utilization. These results highlight the essential role of human resource development and systemic enhancements in fostering greater financial accountability and transparency within the public sector. Therefore, policy recommendations should focus not only on enhancing individual competencies but also on synergistically strengthening systems and governance frameworks to achieve transparent and reliable public financial reporting. Full article

The integration of renewable energy into power grids is imperative for reducing carbon emissions and mitigating reliance on depleting fossil fuels. In this paper, we develop symmetric and asymmetric evolutionary game-theoretic models to analyze how user–grid cooperation in peak shaving can be enhanced by incorporating whole-process democracy (deliberative governance) into decision-making. Our framework captures excess returns, cooperation-driven profits, energy pricing, participation costs, and benefit-sharing coefficients to identify equilibrium conditions under varied subsidy, cost, and market scenarios. Furthermore, this study integrates the theory, path, and mechanism of deliberative procedures under the perspective of whole-process democracy, exploring how inclusive and participatory decision-making processes can enhance cooperation in renewable energy systems. We simulate seven scenarios that systematically adjust subsidy rates, cost–benefit structures, dynamic pricing, and renewable-versus-conventional competitiveness, revealing that robust cooperation emerges only under well-aligned incentives, equitable profit sharing, and targeted financial policies. These scenarios systematically vary these key parameters to assess the robustness of cooperative equilibria under diverse economic and policy conditions. Our findings indicate that policy efficacy hinges on deliberative stakeholder engagement, fair profit allocation, and adaptive subsidy mechanisms. These results furnish actionable guidelines for regulators and grid operators to foster sustainable, low-carbon energy systems and inform future research on demand response and multi-source integration. Full article

The rapid proliferation of electronic waste, driven by the short lifecycle of smartphones and planned obsolescence strategies, presents escalating global environmental challenges. To address these issues from a systems perspective, this study develops an agent-based modeling (ABM) framework that simulates consumer decisions and stakeholder interactions within the smartphone reuse and recycling ecosystem. The model incorporates key behavioral drivers—privacy concerns, moral norms, and financial incentives—to examine how social and economic factors shape consumer behavior. Four primary agent types—consumers, manufacturers, recyclers, and second-hand retailers—are modeled to capture complex feedback and market dynamics. Calibrated using empirical data from Jiangsu Province, China, the simulation reveals a dominant consumer tendency to store obsolete smartphones rather than engage in reuse or formal recycling. However, the introduction of government subsidies significantly shifts behavior, doubling participation in second-hand markets and markedly improving recycling rates. These results highlight the value of integrating behavioral insights into environmental modeling to inform circular economy strategies. By offering a flexible and behaviorally grounded simulation tool, this study supports the design of more effective policies for promoting responsible smartphone disposal and lifecycle extension. Full article

The global rise in urban-related health issues poses significant challenges to public health, particularly in cities facing socio-economic crises. In Lebanon, 70% of the population is experiencing financial hardship, and healthcare costs have surged by 172%, exacerbating the strain on medical services. Given these conditions, improving the quality and accessibility of green spaces offers a promising avenue for alleviating mental health issues in urban areas. This study investigates the psychological impact of nine urban public spaces in Beirut through a comprehensive survey methodology, involving 297 participants (locals and tourists) who rated these spaces using Likert-scale measures. The findings reveal location-specific barriers, with Saanayeh Park rated highest in quality and Martyr’s Square rated lowest. The analysis identifies facility quality as the most significant factor influencing space quality, contributing 73.6% to the overall assessment, while activity factors have a lesser impact. The study further highlights a moderate positive association (Spearman’s rho = 0.30) between public space quality and mental well-being in Beirut. This study employs a hybrid methodology combining Research for Design (RfD) and Research Through Designing (RTD). Empirical data informed spatial strategies, while iterative design served as a tool for generating context-specific knowledge. Design enhancements—such as sensory plantings, shading systems, and social nodes—aim to improve well-being through better public space quality. The proposed interventions support mental health, life satisfaction, climate resilience, and urban inclusivity. The findings offer actionable insights for cities facing public health and spatial equity challenges in crisis contexts. Full article

Background: Emotional safety is increasingly recognized as crucial for high-quality patient care, encompassing a patient’s sense of security, courteous treatment, being heard, and a peaceful environment. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of patients and providers (doctors and nurses) regarding emotional harm and safety in relation to hospitalized patients. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study in public-sector teaching hospitals in Peshawar, Pakistan. Data were collected after we obtained informed consent using individual interviews with 15 providers, namely, doctors (n = 7) and nurses (n = 8), and five focus group discussions (FGDs) with 25 hospitalized patients. Data from both the interviews and FGDs were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach to thematic analysis. Results: The key themes revealed by the providers’ perspectives were factors contributing to emotional harm, staff-related factors, coping mechanisms and solutions, and the impact of prior experiences and involvement. The main themes that emerged from the patients’ perspectives were anxiety upon admission, the impact of communication, emotional stress due to treatment delays, systemic/bureaucratic challenges, financial burden, a lack of emotional support, and post-hospitalization concerns. The consistent perspectives shared by both patients and providers included the impact of systemic factors, communication issues, the role of staff attitude/behavior, financial concerns, and the influence of prior experiences. Conclusions: This study highlights the complex interplay of systemic, staff-related, and patient-specific factors. It suggests a need to improve communication, staff support, administrative processes, financial counseling, emotional support integration, and discharge planning to minimize harm and create a patient-centered environment. Full article

The digital business environment is rapidly evolving with advancements in information technology (IT), increasing the risk of information security incidents. Grounded in the resource-based view and in contingency theory, this study adopts a different approach from prior research by conceptualizing security management activities not as mere risk control mechanisms, but as strategic innovation drivers that can enhance corporate performance (sales revenue and operating profit). The authors develop a research model with six independent variables, including internal and external security management activities, CISO role configuration (independent or dual-role with CIO), and investment levels in IT and information security. The dependent variables include sales revenue and operating profit, with ISMS or ISO certification as a moderating variable. Using information security (IS) disclosures and financial data from 545 Korean firms that have reported their security management activities to the Ministry of Science and ICT, multiple regression and moderation analyses reveal that high IT investment negatively impacts performance, but this effect is mitigated when formal security systems, like ISMS or ISO, are in place. The results suggest that integrating recognized security frameworks into management strategies can enhance both innovation and financial outcomes, encouraging a proactive approach to security management. Full article

This study investigates the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure on value creation in a balanced panel of 100 non-financial Sharia-compliant firms listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange over the period 2014–2023. The analysis employs a combination of econometric techniques, including fixed effects models with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (POLS) with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors and industry and year dummies, and two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation to address potential endogeneity and omitted variable bias. Value creation is measured using Tobin’s Q (TBQ), Return on Assets (ROA), and Return on Equity (ROE). The models also control for firm-specific variables such as firm size, leverage, asset tangibility, firm age, growth opportunities, and market capitalization. The findings reveal that ESG disclosure has a positive and statistically significant effect on firm value across all three performance measures. Furthermore, firm size significantly moderates this relationship, with larger Sharia-compliant firms experiencing greater value gains from ESG practices. These results align with agency, stakeholder, and signaling theories, emphasizing the role of ESG in enhancing transparency, reducing information asymmetry, and strengthening stakeholder trust. The study provides empirical evidence relevant to policymakers, investors, and firms striving to achieve Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 sustainability goals. Full article