Search Results (1,038)

Background: In this new era, marked by increasing environmental concerns, geopolitical crises, and global disruptions, traditional efficiency-focused supply chains have shown significant vulnerabilities. As a result, the shift toward new strategies to maintain sustainability has become more crucial. Meanwhile, to withstand disruptions, supply chains must develop robustness and resilience. More recently, attention has turned toward viability to enable sustainable supply chain operations over the long term under uncertainty. Methods: This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) to explore the links between green supply chain management (GSCM), supply chain resilience (SCRES), and supply chain viability (SCV), guided by the PRISMA framework and structured using the PICO approach as a high-level scoping tool. We reviewed 70 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2024. Result: The study identified widely adopted green practices and explored their impact on supply chain resilience and sustainable performance. Many studies address GSCM, SCRES, and SCV either separately or in pairs, but few integrate all three dimensions. GSCM fosters resilience, and when the three aspects are combined, they serve as the cornerstones of viable supply chains. However, their potential contribution to supply chain viability is still unexplored. Conclusions: These insights provide useful guidance for creating supply chains that balance long-term continuity, disruption-readiness, and environmental goals. They also suggest a future research agenda to better align these three priorities. Full article

The liturgical and juridical regulation of papal funerals is coeval with the existence of the Church. The perspective that the funeral should also promote unity among Christians appeared early on. Later, it became a stage for political encounters. The Second Vatican Council’s understanding of society also permeated papal funerals. The juridical and liturgical regulations were inherently built upon a philosophy of encounter and dialogue, as they conveyed the Church’s social teaching and its commitment to those living on the peripheries of society, regardless of their religious affiliation. This was further supported by the homily at papal funerals, which discussed issues concerning the good of all humanity, based on the teachings of the respective Pope. The funeral rites of the post-conciliar Popes have eminently demonstrated that the burial ceremony serves as a vital bridge between different religions and countries with diverse political systems. That, contrary to Huntington’s central thesis, which is based on the clash of civilizations, the starting point can be dialogue, gestures, and the promotion of peace. The study employed a qualitative methodology, processing and confronting primary and secondary sources, from which conclusions were drawn. Full article

Forest certification in developing countries faces significant challenges due to weak institutions, limited market incentives, and complex trade conditions. This study investigates the status and key constraints of the Myanmar forest certification sector through a survey of 180 stakeholders from government organizations, NGOs, INGOs, third-party certification bodies, and private plantation owners, complemented by quantitative analysis and qualitative interviews. The results indicate a moderate level of familiarity with the Myanmar forest certification standard and high awareness of the Myanmar Forest Certification Committee; however, progress remains slow due to limited transparency, poor institutional coordination, financial and technical constraints, and insufficient stakeholder involvement. Non-compliances issues identified during pilot audits were primarily related to incomplete documentation, unclear land tenure, and weaknesses in environmental assessment. Geopolitical factors continue to limit Myanmar’s participation in certified timber markets and weaken efforts to improve traceability. Experiences from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam highlight that developing credible national certification systems requires time, clear legal frameworks, and strong cooperation among stakeholders. Strengthening institutional capacity, improving transparency, and aligning national standards with international forest governance frameworks are essential for Myanmar to build trust, achieve sustainable forest management, and regain market access. Full article

In recent years, global supply chains have become increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, pandemics, and energy crises, particularly in resource-constrained regions characterized by weak infrastructure and high transaction costs. Using panel data on A-share listed firms in China’s central and western regions from 2010 to 2022, this study examines the effect of firm-level digital transformation on supply chain resilience. We construct a digital transformation index and employ an instrumental-variable approach based on the interaction between terrain ruggedness and lagged digital transformation to address endogeneity concerns. Empirical results show that the digital transformation of enterprises has significantly enhanced the resistance and recovery capabilities of the supply chain, verifying its effectiveness in resource-constrained environments. Mechanism analyses reveal that this effect operates through increased supply chain diversification—especially customer diversification—and improved supply–demand matching enabled by more accurate demand forecasting and inventory management. Heterogeneity tests indicate that the resilience-enhancing effects are more pronounced among non-state-owned firms, manufacturing enterprises, and firms in less technology-intensive industries. Overall, our findings provide empirical support for transaction cost economics, dynamic capability theory, and the resource-based view, highlighting the strategic role of digital investment in strengthening supply chain resilience in infrastructure-constrained settings and contributing to the aims of Sustainable Development Goal 9. Full article

This study examines how Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is framed in Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean English-language mainstream media during four high-salience geopolitical events (2023–2025). Methodologically, it employs a qualitative comparative framing and discourse analysis of 28 systematically selected news articles from leading outlets in each media system, coded using Entman’s four framing functions (problem definition, causal attribution, moral evaluation, and treatment recommendation) and supplemented by representational logics and explicitly stated platform-governance indicators. Drawing on framing theory, representation, platform governance, and critical geopolitics, the analysis finds that ASEAN is portrayed not as an autonomous actor but as a flexible signifier within nationally inflected narratives. Chinese media emphasize regional cooperation and developmental connectivity, Japanese outlets foreground liberal-normative order and security alignment, and South Korean coverage prioritizes technocratic and pragmatic partnership. The study argues that ASEAN’s mediated visibility is shaped by recurring editorial framing patterns and, where explicitly invoked, by infrastructural and platform-related cues, revealing ongoing narrative contestation over regional power and legitimacy in East Asia. Full article

The Japanese scholar and art critic Okakura Tenshin traveled to colonial India from January to September 1902 and made three visits to the Buddhist holy site of Bodh Gaya. There, he attempted to purchase a piece of land from the landowner, the Mahant, to build a vihāra (resthouse) for Japanese Buddhist devotees. His purchase request was rejected by the British colonial authority for his foreigner status, despite no legal prohibition against land sales to foreigners under Bodh Gaya’s land management laws at the time. The year after his journey to India, Okakura Tenshin published The Ideals of the East, wherein the renowned declaration that “Asia is one” subsequently evolved to be the intellectual cornerstone of twentieth-century Asianism (or Pan-Asianism). How did Okakura’s Indian journey and his experience of the failed attempt to purchase land in Bodh Gaya catalyze his conception of “Asia is One”? This essay first traces the Buddhist revival movements in late nineteenth-century India and Japan, elucidating how Buddhism helped forge a sense of transnational solidarity between the two nations, which Okakura also embraced. It then examines Okakura’s trip to India and his plan to purchase land at Bodh Gaya, uncovering the underlying geopolitical struggle between the British Empire and the New Asian Power Japan. In this context, the analysis will show that Okakura’s frustrating experience of failed land purchase underscored for him the necessity for the solidarity between Japan and India and the need for a unitary idea of Asia to articulate that solidarity. Finally, a comparative textual analysis between The Ideals of the East (1903) and Okakura’s “History of Japanese Art” lectures given at the Tokyo Fine Arts School before his trip to India explicates how Buddhism, which was being revived by a collective of various groups in and outside its place of origin India, served as a cohesive discursive agent in Okakura’s construction of the narrative of an Asian unity. This Buddhist framework helped Okakura to reconstruct the interlinked cultural histories of India, China, and Japan into a unified notion of Asia within which he crystallized a unique and favored cultural identity for Japan. Full article

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors have become central to international trade, transforming how firms, industries, and governments engage in global markets. This study conducts a systematic literature review to synthesize current knowledge on the ESG–trade nexus. Using content analysis, three key thematic clusters were identified: (i) ESG in supply chains and logistics, (ii) ESG in export performance and international competitiveness, and (iii) ESG and trade within geopolitics, energy, and resource security. The synthesis reveals that ESG has evolved from a voluntary corporate initiative into a structural determinant of global competitiveness, resilience, and legitimacy. Building on these findings, the study proposes an integrative ESG–Trade framework, which conceptualizes ESG as a multidimensional governance ecosystem comprising (i) institutional and regulatory, (ii) technological and operational, and (iii) geopolitical and strategic dimensions. This framework explains how sustainability regulations, digital transformation, and global political economy dynamics co-evolve to shape trade flows and industrial upgrading. The study highlights the need for greater regulatory coherence and strategic ESG integration while offering a foundation for future interdisciplinary and empirical research on sustainable trade governance. Full article

Considering the escalating international geopolitical tensions and the ensuing great power maneuvers, China’s oil supply faced unprecedented threats. To safeguard against these risks and harness domestic resources more effectively, addressing the stability of refined oil supply had become an urgent imperative. The complex network theory is integrated into oil product delivery logistics, accounting for transportation volumes, distances, and node importance. Through simulation, we evaluated each scheme’s efficacy using a case study from a province in northwest China. The results demonstrate notable improvements in network robustness across all four strategies. The key node focuses on protection measures emerged as the most effective, followed by the oil depot resource optimization strategy and the network topology optimization strategy, in descending order. By mitigating the risks stemming from international uncertainties, our strategies ensured the timely supply of refined oil products, thereby upholding the stable functioning of the national economy. Full article

The Nile River Basin—shared by eleven countries and supporting over 300 million people—exemplifies the complexity of managing shared waters amid asymmetrical power relations, historical legacies, and competing development priorities. To advance the understanding of transboundary water governance and guide future cooperative strategies in the Nile Basin, a synthesis linking historical governance regimes with current contemporary frameworks is essential, as the existing literature is largely episodic, and its scope rarely includes recent governance developments. This review traces over a century of governance evolution, from pre-colonial and colonial allocation treaties through post-independence bilateral agreements to current institutional innovations and basin-wide initiatives. Historical and contemporary arrangements are assessed against principles of equitable and reasonable utilization, revealing persistent gaps in fairness, enforceability, and adaptive capacity. The analysis concludes by exploring emerging cooperation mechanisms and opportunities to transform the Nile from a locus of geopolitical tension into a model of equity-driven, cooperative governance. Full article

This study examines the effects of geopolitical risks on the investment efficiency of Vietnamese firms from 2017 to 2024 using fixed effect models and a series of robustness tests. The research findings reveal a negative effect of geopolitical risks on corporate investment efficiency through the channel of information asymmetry. Additionally, the negative effects of geopolitical risks on Vietnamese firms’ investment efficiency are more pronounced for financially constrained firms, underinvested firms, or UPCOM-listed firms. Based on the main findings, both policymakers and corporate managers should consider the geopolitical risks and their impacts when designing new government policies and corporate strategies in order to mitigate the negative effects of these risks on Vietnamese firms. Full article

Early detection of faults in artificial satellites is crucial for the success of missions, but it is hindered by the scarcity of data on faults and the limitations of traditional monitoring methods. As an alternative, technological trends such as data mining have emerged. This study presents a literature review to provide an in-depth examination of the landscape of data mining applications for early fault detection in satellites. Following the PRISMA protocol, the available scientific corpus from seven scientific databases was reviewed, and 52 primary studies were selected from an initial set of 2726 records published between 2011 and 2024. The results indicate that this is a rapidly expanding field, with an annual growth rate of 35.72%, characterized by a significant geopolitical concentration of research and funding led by China. From a methodological point of view, unsupervised approaches (~40%) predominate, a response to the lack of labeled in-flight data. However, supervised and hybrid models demonstrate superior performance, achieving F1 scores above 97% when selected or simulated data are available. A misalignment was identified in the domain, although research clearly favors the EPS due to the availability of data. Operational statistics, however, confirm that the ADCS system is the primary cause of mission failure. It is essential to note that the limited availability of public datasets and models, with less than 15% of studies providing access, is the main obstacle to reproducibility and progress. The primary conclusion of this work is that the field is expanding, and all stakeholders must contribute to its continued growth. Key actions include establishing public benchmarks that enable transparent evaluation, exploring physics-based models that account for uncertainty to address data scarcity, and concerted efforts to bridge the transfer gap from academic satellite operations to the real world. Full article

Geopolitical risks, particularly in energy-producing regions, significantly impact national economic development. This study uses the Generalized Variance Decomposition Spectrum Representation method to analyze the relationship between international energy prices (coal, oil, and natural gas) and geopolitical risks. The findings show that geopolitical risk serves as a net transmitter of risk, with a short-term effect on energy prices that diminishes over time. Oil prices are most sensitive to geopolitical risks, while coal prices are least affected. The study also identifies distinct spillover effects between geopolitical behavioral risks and threat risks, with the former contributing more to price fluctuations. The results highlight the complex interplay between energy prices and geopolitical risks, with implications for global economic stability. Full article

Fuels constitute one of the most strategically significant categories of goods in the global economy. In many countries, including Poland, fuel prices are determined not only by global market dynamics but also by domestic fiscal instruments such as excise taxes, value-added tax (VAT), and fuel surcharges. The primary objective of this study is therefore to assess the extent to which tax burdens and profit margins shape diesel prices in Poland, thereby providing a deeper understanding of the market’s sensitivity to fiscal interventions and the pricing strategies adopted by fuel companies. The analysis draws on weekly data for the period 2006–2025, encompassing crude oil prices, wholesale and retail diesel prices, and relevant tax components (VAT, excise tax, and fuel surcharges). Methodologically, the study employs the Bai–Perron breakpoint test alongside correlation and comparative methods. The findings indicate that changes in indirect taxation and the fuel surcharge in Poland were predominantly upward and incremental, exerting only limited immediate effects on wholesale and retail fuel prices. This pattern was particularly evident outside of periods of acute geopolitical shocks, such as the 2022 war in Ukraine, when government interventions aimed to mitigate sudden price surges. Moreover, analysis of PKN Orlen’s margin dynamics shows that the company remained consistently profitable, with the highest processing margins observed following the reduction of the VAT rate, highlighting the interplay between fiscal policy and corporate pricing behavior. An exception occurred in 2022, when political involvement led to negative retail margins despite a reduction in VAT, a policy decision intended to mitigate sharp increases in fuel prices. The evidence suggests that petrochemical companies have greater capacity to affect prices through adjustments to wholesale margins than to retail margins. The study also underscores the critical role of fiscal policy in protecting households from fuel price volatility. It also demonstrates that carefully designed adjustments to taxation and other fiscal instruments can meaningfully influence market outcomes and corporate profitability, thereby highlighting their importance in broader economic stabilization efforts. Full article

In the face of growing geopolitical instability, an important question remains whether ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) indices are sensitive to geopolitical shocks and whether they can act as protective assets. The aim of the study was to empirically compare the STOXX Global ESG Leaders index with the response of the technology sector (Nasdaq 100 and Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX)) to changes in the geopolitical risk index (GPR). Monthly data from 2019 to 2025 were used, along with a procedure including Vector Autoregression (VAR) modeling, Impulse Response Function (IRF) analyses, the Johansen test, and Granger causality tests. The results indicate a lack of significant relationships between GPR and the analyzed indices in the short and long term: no cointegration was found, IRF responses were weak and quickly faded, and Granger tests did not demonstrate the predictive power of GPR for the analyzed markets. VAR forecasts additionally confirmed the stable trend, unrelated to GPR fluctuations. The results suggest that ESG indices are not directly affected by geopolitical shocks, which indicate their relative resilience. A similar response was observed for technological indices. The results may have practical implications for investors interested in sustainable investing while looking for stable assets in periods of global uncertainty. The results may be important for institutional investors in terms of portfolio stabilization functions during periods of increased geopolitical uncertainty, and for policymakers and market regulators in the context of designing frameworks supporting the stability of ESG markets. Full article

We investigate the fundamental trade-off between entropy and the Gini index within income distributions, employing a stochastic framework to expose deficiencies in conventional inequality metrics. Anchored in the principle of maximum entropy (ME), we position entropy as a key marker of societal robustness, while the Gini index, identical to the (second-order) K-spread coefficient, captures spread but neglects dynamics in distribution tails. We recommend supplanting Lorenz profiles with simpler graphs such as the odds and probability density functions, and a core set of numerical indicators (K-spread $K_2/\mu$, standardized entropy ${\Phi }_{\mu }$, and upper and lower tail indices, $\xi , \zeta$) for deeper diagnostics. This approach fuses ME into disparity evaluation, highlighting a path to harmonize fairness with structural endurance. Drawing from percentile records in the World Income Inequality Database from 1947 to 2023, we fit flexible models (Pareto–Burr–Feller, Dagum) and extract K-moments and tail indices. The results unveil a concave frontier: moderate Gini reductions have little effect on entropy, but aggressive equalization incurs steep stability costs. Country-level analyses (Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Bulgaria) link entropy declines to political ruptures, positioning low entropy as a precursor to instability. On the other hand, analyses based on the core set of indicators for present-day geopolitical powers show that they are positioned in a high stability area. Full article