Search Results (828)

The growing need to improve the management of end-of-life vehicle (ELV) waste and mitigate its environmental impact is a global concern. One promising approach to enhancing the recyclability of these vehicles is leveraging synergies between the automotive and construction industries as part of a circular economy strategy. In this context, ELV waste emerges as a valuable source of secondary raw materials, enabling the development of sustainable innovations that capitalize on its physical and mechanical properties. This paper aims to develop and evaluate construction industry composites incorporating waste from ELV carpets, with a focus on maintaining or enhancing performance compared to conventional materials. To achieve this, an experimental program was designed to assess cementitious composites, specifically subfloor mortars, incorporating automotive carpet waste (ACW). The results demonstrate that, beyond the physical and mechanical properties of the developed composites, the dynamic stiffness significantly improved across all tested waste incorporation levels. This finding highlights the potential of these composites as an alternative material for impact noise insulation in flooring systems. From an academic perspective, this research advances knowledge on the application of ACW in cement-based composites for construction. In terms of managerial contributions, two key market opportunities emerge: (1) the commercial exploitation of composites produced with ELV carpet waste and (2) the development of a network of environmental service providers to ensure a stable waste supply chain for innovative and sustainable products. Both strategies contribute to reducing landfill disposal and mitigating the environmental impact of ELV waste, reinforcing the principles of the circular economy. Full article

The green renovation of existing residential buildings is a key way for the construction industry to achieve sustainable development and the dual carbon goals of China, which makes it urgent to make collaborative decisions among multiple stakeholders. However, because of divergent interests and risk perceptions among governments, energy service companies (ESCOs), and owners, the implementation of green renovation is hindered by numerous obstacles. In this study, we integrated prospect theory and evolutionary game theory by incorporating core prospect-theory parameters such as loss aversion and perceived value sensitivity, and developed a psychologically informed tripartite evolutionary game model. The objective was to provide a theoretical foundation and analytical framework for collaborative governance among stakeholders. Numerical simulations were conducted to validate the model’s effectiveness and explore how government regulation intensity, subsidy policies, market competition, and individual psychological factors influence the system’s evolutionary dynamics. The findings indicate that (1) government regulation and subsidy policies play central guiding roles in the early stages of green renovation, but the effectiveness has clear limitations; (2) ESCOs are most sensitive to policy incentives and market competition, and moderately increasing their risk costs can effectively deter opportunistic behavior associated with low-quality renovation; (3) owners’ willingness to participate is primarily influenced by expected returns and perceived renovation risks, while economic incentives alone have limited impact; and (4) the evolutionary outcomes are highly sensitive to parameters from prospect theory, The system’s evolutionary outcomes are highly sensitive to prospect theory parameters. High levels of loss aversion (λ) and loss sensitivity (β) tend to drive the system into a suboptimal equilibrium characterized by insufficient demand, while high gain sensitivity (α) serves as a key driving force for the system’s evolution toward the ideal equilibrium. This study offers theoretical support for optimizing green renovation policies for existing residential buildings in China and provides practical recommendations for improving market competition mechanisms, thereby promoting the healthy development of the green renovation market. Full article

This article investigates the macroeconomic and labor market conditions that shape the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies among large firms in Europe. Based on panel data econometrics and supervised machine learning techniques, we estimate how public health spending, access to credit, export activity, gross capital formation, inflation, openness to trade, and labor market structure influence the share of firms that adopt at least one AI technology. The research covers all 28 EU members between 2018 and 2023. We employ a set of robustness checks using a combination of fixed-effects, random-effects, and dynamic panel data specifications supported by Clustering and supervised learning techniques. We find that AI adoption is linked to higher GDP per capita, healthcare spending, inflation, and openness to trade but lower levels of credit, exports, and capital formation. Labor markets with higher proportions of salaried work, service occupations, and self-employment are linked to AI diffusion, while unemployment and vulnerable work are detractors. Cluster analysis identifies groups of EU members with similar adoption patterns that are usually underpinned by stronger economic and institutional fundamentals. The results collectively suggest that AI diffusion is shaped not only by technological preparedness and capabilities to invest but by inclusive macroeconomic conditions and equitable labor institutions. Targeted policy measures can accelerate the equitable adoption of AI technologies within the European industrial economy. Full article

This study investigates the influence of corporate governance on reducing financial statement fraud (FSF) in Jordanian service and industrial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange from 2018 to 2022. To achieve this, the study employed the Beneish M-score model to assess the likelihood of FSF and logistic regression to examine the influence of corporate governance structure on fraud mitigation. The study identified 13 independent variables, including board size, board director’s independence, board director’s compensation, non-duality of CEO and chairman positions, board diversity, audit committee size, audit committee accounting background, number of annual audit committee meetings, external audit fees, board family business, the presence of women on the board of directors, firm size, and market listing on FSF. The study included 74 companies from both sectors—33 from the industrial sector and 41 from the service sector. Primary data was collected from financial statements and other information published in annual reports between 2018 and 2022. The results of the study revealed a total of 295 cases of fraud during the examined period. Out of the 59 companies analyzed, 21.4% demonstrated a low probability of fraud, while the remaining 78.6% (232 observations) showed a high probability of fraud. The results indicate that the following corporate governance factors significantly impact the mitigation of financial statement fraud (FSF): independent board directors, board diversity, audit committee accounting backgrounds, the number of audit committee meetings, family business involvement on the board, and firm characteristics. The study provides several recommendations, highlighting the importance for companies to diversify their boards of directors by incorporating different perspectives and experiences. Full article

The logistics industry faces challenges from evolving consumer expectations, technological advances, sustainability demands, and market disruptions. Logistics collaboration is in theory perceived as one of the most promising solutions to solve these issues, but here are still a lot of challenges that needs to be better understood and addressed. While vertical collaboration among supply chain actors is well advanced, horizontal collaboration among competing service providers remains under-explored. This study developed a novel methodology based on the COM-B behaviour-change framework to better understand the main challenges, opportunities, capabilities and drivers that would motivate competing companies to exploit the potential of horizontal logistics collaboration. A survey was designed and conducted among 71 logistics service providers in Slovenia, chosen for its fragmented market and low willingness to collaborate. Statistical analysis reveals cost reduction (M = 4.21/5) and improved vehicle utilization (M = 4.29/5) as the primary motivators. On the other hand, maintaining company reputation (M = 4.64/5), fair resource sharing (M = 4.20/5), and transparency of logistics processes (M = 4.17/5) all persist as key enabling conditions. These findings underscore the pivotal role of behavioural drivers and suggest strategies that combine economic incentives with targeted trust-building measures. Future research should employ experimental designs in diverse national contexts and integrate vertical–horizontal approaches to validate causal pathways and advance theory. Full article

As sustainability becomes a strategic priority across global financial services, its implementation in emerging insurance markets remains insufficiently understood. This study explores the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles within Saudi Arabia’s insurance sector, combining content analysis of corporate disclosures with qualitative insights from industry stakeholders. The research investigates how insurers embed ESG principles into their operations, the development of sustainable insurance products, and their perceived financial and regulatory implications. The findings reveal gradual progress in ESG integration, primarily driven by governance reforms aligned with national development agendas, while social and environmental dimensions remain comparatively underdeveloped. Stakeholders identify regulatory ambiguity, data limitations, and technical capacity as persistent barriers, but also point to increasing investor and consumer interest in sustainability-aligned offerings. This study offers policy and managerial recommendations to advance ESG principle adoption, emphasizing standardized disclosures, capacity-building, and product innovation. It contributes to the limited empirical literature on ESG principles in Middle Eastern insurance markets and highlights the sector’s potential role in promoting inclusive and sustainable finance. Full article

Drylands cover approximately 41% of Earth’s land surface, supporting about 500 million people and 45% of global agriculture. Groundwater is essential in drylands and is crucial for maintaining ecosystem services and offering numerous benefits. This article, for the first time, analyses and valuates the hydrological ecosystem services (HESs) provided by groundwater in a region of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, an area with uncertain economic impact due to water scarcity. The main water sources are the Colorado River and groundwater from the Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado valley aquifers, both of which are overexploited. Valuation techniques include surrogate and simulated market methods for agricultural, industrial, urban, and domestic uses, the shadow project approach for water conservation and purification cost avoidance, and the contingent valuation method for recreation. Data from 2013 to 2015 and 2020 were used as they are the most reliable sources available. The annual value of HESs provided by groundwater was USD 883,520 million, with water conservation being a key factor. The analyzed groundwater uses reflect differences in efficiency and economic value, providing key information for decisions on governance, allocation, conservation, and revaluation of water resources. These results suggest reorienting crops, establishing differentiated rates, and promoting payment for environmental services programs. Full article

The effects of changes in China’s final demand structure on its forestry sector and associated supply chains have not been thoroughly examined. This study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the quantitative relationships and underlying mechanisms between these interactive changes. Using China’s 153-sector input–output tables from the National Bureau of Statistics and applying a Leontief-based input–output model, we conducted scenario simulations through three distinct schemes, generating both quantitative and qualitative results. Our findings indicate that (1) For China’s forestry sector and its entire value chain to thrive, policymakers should boost consumer demand. This can better stimulate the development of forestry and the “agriculture-forestry-animal husbandry-fishery services” sector and related service industries; (2) Increased investment demand effectively stimulates the development of tertiary industries and secondary industries within the forestry supply chain and boosts the demand and production of intermediate products; (3) Changes in net exports have a significant impact on forestry and the forestry industry chain. To reduce dependence on foreign timber resources, China should strategically expand commercial plantation development; (4) Regarding intermediate product production, investment has a more pronounced effect on increasing total volume compared to consumption. Additionally, the Sino–US tariff disputes negatively impact the forestry industries of both countries. China needs to accelerate import substitution strategies for timber products, adjust international trade markets, and expand domestic consumption and investment to ensure the healthy and stable development of its forestry sector. Full article

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing and social media is gaining scholarly interest. While AI technologies offer significant potential for enhancing customer engagement (CE), their effectiveness depends on an industry’s level of digital and AI readiness. This is especially relevant for people-centric sectors such as tourism and hospitality, where digital maturity remains relatively low. This study aims to understand how AI supports CE and social media marketing (SMM), and to identify the key antecedents and consequences of its use. Using the PRISMA approach, we conduct a systematic review of 55 peer-reviewed empirical studies on AI-based CE and SMM. Our analysis identifies the main contributing theories and AI technologies in the field, and uncovers four central themes: (1) AI in customer service and user experience design, (2) AI-based customer relationships with brands, (3) AI-driven development of customer trust, and (4) cultural differences and varying levels of AI readiness. We also develop a conceptual framework that outlines the determinants and outcomes of AI-based CE, including relevant moderators and mediators. The study concludes with directions for future research and provides theoretical and managerial implications, particularly for the tourism and hospitality industries. Full article

This paper examines the moderating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions and investor decision-making in Jordan. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire designed for institutional investors and financial analysts, capturing perceptions of ESG, CSR, and investment behavior. A stratified random sample of 350 professionals across the financial, industrial, and service sectors was surveyed. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The findings show that environmental and social dimensions have positive effects on investor decisions, with governance dimensions having a negative effect. Notably, CSR has a negative moderating effect on the governance dimensions and investor decision, with no observed statistical moderating effect for environmental or social dimensions. This research unravels the multidimensional role of CSR in building the ESG-investor decision interface and identifies a counterintuitive negative moderating impact of CSR on governance, contributing to the existing literature on sustainability alignment in emerging markets. The results offer practical implications for companies aiming to attract sustainability-oriented investors by indicating the necessity for an integrated and genuine CSR and ESG approach. Full article

Enhancing innovation capability can effectively promote the development of traditional industries. Based on Lewin’s behavioral model theory, this study investigated the relationship between industrial support policies and innovation behavior within traditional industries. Utilizing survey data collected from 152 traditional industrial enterprises in 2024 and employing structural equation modeling, the main findings are as follows: Industrial support policies can effectively alleviate the “innovation inertia” of traditional industries, with all policies being significant at the 1% confidence level. Among them, policies related to industry–university–research cooperation platforms have the most significant impact, with a standardized coefficient of 0.941, followed by fiscal and taxation policies (standardized coefficient: 0.846) and financial policies (standardized coefficient: 0.729). Innovation motivation acts as a mediating mechanism between industrial policies and innovation behavior. Industrial support policies accelerate the conversion of reserve-oriented patent portfolios into practical applications, helping to break through patent barriers and effectively alleviate innovation inertia. Consequently, the government should prioritize improving public services, and policy formulation needs to be oriented towards enhancing innovation efficiency. While ensuring industrial security, it is advisable to moderately increase competition to guide traditional industry market players towards thriving in competitive environments. Full article

The 5G network’s commercialization has revealed challenges in providing customized and personalized deployment and services for diverse vertical industrial use cases, leading to high cost, low resource efficiency and management efficiency, and long time to market. Although the 5G core network (CN) has adopted a service-based architecture (SBA) to enhance agility and elasticity, the radio access network (RAN) keeps the traditional integrated and rigid architecture and suffers the difficulties of customizing and personalizing the functions and capabilities. Open RAN attempted to introduce cloudification, openness, and intelligence to RAN but faced limitations due to 5G RAN specifications. To address this, this paper analyzes the experience and insights from 5G SBA and conducts a systematic study on the service-based RAN, including service definition, interface protocol stacks, impact analysis on the air interface, radio capability exposure, and joint optimization with CN. Performance verification shows significant improvements of service-based user plane design in resource utilization and scalability. Full article

In today’s competitive environment of online service industries, particularly e-commerce, meeting consumer expectations is essential for service providers to ensure service quality. However, service failures are unavoidable, leading to unfavorable consequences for businesses. Understanding the mechanisms for customer recovery after negative service experiences is crucial. Using cognitive–emotional personality systems theory and benign violation theory, this study constructed a theoretical model. A total of 351 samples were collected through a situational simulation experiment for a linear regression analysis. A self-mocking response strategy positively influenced brand trust through perceived brand authenticity regarding the dimensions of credibility, integrity, and symbolism. Simultaneously, brand trust was identified as a key driver of post-recovery satisfaction. This study proposes a chain mediation model, which incorporates perceived authenticity and brand trust, to fully comprehend the mechanisms underlying consumers’ satisfaction after service recovery. Our findings provide empirical evidence for the effects of self-mockery on post-recovery satisfaction, as well as suggestions for marketers seeking efficient means to meet consumers’ emotional and cognitive demands during service recovery situations. Full article

This study presents an exhaustive analysis of LGBTQIA+ audiovisual production available on the main streaming platforms in Spain, covering both Spanish and international content. Using a sample of 1490 works from ten video-on-demand services (Apple TV+, Disney+, Filmin, FlixOlé, Max, Movistar Plus+, Netflix, Prime Video, Rakuten, and SkyShowtime), this study examines how the offered catalogues are configured and structured in response to the commercial dynamics of the LGBTQIA+ production market. Using quantitative methodology, the research addresses the industrial production models, the agents involved and the characteristics of the most widely offered narrative genres and formats, highlighting distribution patterns and visibility in the catalogues. The findings include a marked international abundance, a reflection of the global market guidelines and the hegemony of narratives aimed at transnational audiences. National productions, although less numerous, are a significant contribution to the audiovisual landscape, incorporating cultural identities with an LGBTQIA+ representation that is more aligned with local realities. The central role of independent producers is observed in production models where international agreements are outlined as a key strategy. In addition, it highlights the prevalence of genres such as drama and comedy, together with that of the film format. The visibility and representation of sexual and gender diversity indicates a positive commercial response, although with considerable challenges. Full article

This paper investigates the spillover effects and transmission networks of systemic risk within China’s national economic sectors under extreme conditions from both time and frequency domain perspectives, building upon the spillover index methodology and calculating the ∆CoVaR index for Chinese industries. The findings indicate the following: (1) Extreme-risk spillovers synchronize across industries but exhibit pronounced time-varying peaks during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the 2015 crash, and the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Long-term spillovers dominate overall connectedness, highlighting the lasting impact of fundamentals and structural linkages. (3) In terms of risk volatility, Energy, Materials, Consumer Discretionary, and Financials are most sensitive to systemic market shocks. (4) On the risk spillover effect, Consumer Discretionary, Industrials, Healthcare, and Information Technology consistently act as net transmitters of extreme risk, while Energy, Materials, Consumer Staples, Financials, Telecom Services, Utilities, and Real Estate primarily serve as net receivers. Based on these findings, the paper suggests deepening the regulatory mechanisms for systemic risk, strengthening the synergistic effect of systemic risk measurement and early warning indicators, and coordinating risk monitoring, early warning, and risk prevention and mitigation. It further emphasizes the importance of avoiding fragmented regulation by establishing a joint risk prevention mechanism across sectors and departments, strengthening the supervision of inter-industry capital flows. Finally, it highlights the need to closely monitor the formation mechanisms and transmission paths of new financial risks under the influence of the pandemic to prevent the accumulation and eruption of risks in the post-pandemic era. Authorities must conduct annual “Industry Transmission Reviews” to map emerging risk nodes and supply-chain vulnerabilities, refine policy tools, and stabilize market expectations so as to forestall the build-up and sudden release of new systemic shocks. Full article