Search Results (4,702)

Global warming threatens sustainable human development, and carbon emission rights trading (CERT) has emerged as a key market-based tool for reducing emissions. Yet evidence on how CERT affects corporate green innovation—especially high-quality, substantive innovation—remains mixed and fragmented. Using unbalanced panel data on Chinese A-share listed firms from 2007 to 2016 and applying fixed-effect, DID, and PSM-DID models, this study examines the impact of China’s CERT pilot policy on quota-managed firms’ green innovation. The results show that the policy primarily stimulates substantive green innovation, reflected in green invention patents, with limited influence on strategic, low-novelty patents. Its effects are stronger for firms in central and western pilot regions, in non-high-tech industries, and at more mature stages of development, and differ between firms that anticipated regulation and those brought under quota management unexpectedly. Overall, the findings indicate that a well-designed carbon trading mechanism can reallocate resources to incentivize high-quality green innovation, offering micro-level support for Coasian market-based approaches to environmental externalities and informing the further development of China’s national carbon market. Full article

It is well documented that road construction is a pillar of well-balanced socioeconomic development worldwide. The first decades of the new millennium have witnessed unprecedented development in road construction activities in emerging economies and the Global South. At the same time, the construction industry is widely considered to be a rather conservative one, based on traditional technologies and materials. However, the development of materials science increases the possibilities and volumes of by-products from various technologies, and the selective collection of garbage necessitates innovation in the road construction sphere. The goal of this paper is to provide a broad overview of innovations in road construction. Based on a bibliometric approach, the article analyses the various trends in round construction, where the increasing pressure to reduce costs and the environmental footprint drives deep-rooted innovation through the use of new materials and the optimisation of technologies and management methods. Our results highlight the potential for significant improvements in road construction efficiency, environmental impact, and cost-effectiveness through the adoption of these technologies and methodologies, as well as a trend towards more efficient, sustainable, and technologically advanced road construction practices, with a focus on overcoming traditional inefficiencies and environmental concerns. Future research should continue to focus on addressing these challenges and developing comprehensive, adaptable solutions for the road construction industry, while leveraging the latest findings in this area. Full article

Geothermal energy is a crucial component of climate adaptation and sustainability transitions, as it provides a dependable, low-carbon source of baseload power that can accelerate sustainable energy transitions and enhance climate resilience. Yet, in East Africa—one of the world’s most promising geothermal regions, with the East African Rift—a unique climate-energy opportunity zone—the harnessing of geothermal power remains slow and uneven. This study examines the contextual conditions that facilitate the successful and sustainable development of geothermal power in the region. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 17 experienced professionals who have worked extensively on geothermal projects across East Africa, the analysis identifies how technical, institutional, managerial, and relational circumstances interact to shape outcomes. The findings indicate an interdependent configuration of success conditions, with structural, institutional, managerial, and meta-conditions jointly influencing project trajectories rather than operating in isolation. The most frequently emphasised enablers were resource confirmation and technical design, leadership and team competence, long-term stakeholder commitment, professional project management and control, and collaboration across institutions and communities. A co-occurrence analysis reinforces these insights by showing strong patterns of overlap between core domains—particularly between structural and managerial factors and between managerial and meta-conditions, highlighting the mediating role of managerial capability in translating contextual conditions into operational performance. Together, these interrelated circumstances form a system in which structural and institutional foundations create the enabling context, managerial capabilities operationalise this context under uncertainty, and meta-conditions sustain cooperation, learning, and adaptation over time. The study contributes to sustainability research by providing a context-sensitive interpretation of how project success conditions manifest in geothermal development under climate transition pressures, and it offers practical guidance for policymakers and partners working to advance SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) in Africa. Full article

There is little evidence of the implementation of the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems between universities and businesses, and there is even less research that prioritizes people and implements sustainable development with a territorial focus. In this article, we address a form of collaborative work that integrates academia with business, where the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RIA) are seen as an opportunity to promote and strengthen the management of a business in the communities where it operates, and determine a new way of working from its links with the university. The experience is developed in the provinces of Santiago Rodríguez, Valverde (Mao), and Dajabón in the Dominican Republic, with the aim of contributing, using this new approach, to economic, social, environmental, and governance development in the territory. The conceptual and methodological basis for the university–business link is Working With People, a model that integrates key elements of planning such as social learning, collaborative participation, and project management models. The main catalysts of the experience are the business values and the stakeholders who insert the principles into their programs and projects. Among these is an innovative Family Social Responsibility Program with female entrepreneurs and organic banana production. It is concluded that the implementation of the CFS-RIA Principles has a significant impact on the sustainable development of the region and that the university–business link reinforces the social responsibility of companies, providing an opportunity for the entry of new actors. Full article

The urgency of research into innovation and digital marketing is driven by growing competition within the tourism industry, which demands greater destination visibility (DV) and tourist engagement (TE). At the same time, Areia Branca Beach, a prominent destination in Timor-Leste, has not been managed optimally to support sustainable tourism. Furthermore, the utilisation of governance innovation and digital marketing—particularly the integration of content marketing (CM), immersive technology (IT), and digital data analytics (DDA)—remains limited and has yet to be substantiated by robust empirical evidence at the scale of a developing destination. This study aims to investigate the role of DDA in the causality between CM and IT in influencing DV and TE. A quantitative approach was employed, using moderated regression analysis (MRA) to test the empirical relationships between the variables. Primary data were collected through face-to-face field surveys of tourists who had visited Areia Branca Beach, located northeast of Dili, Timor-Leste, on at least two occasions. The study adopted simple random sampling (SRS) with a finite population correction (FPC). A total of 364 tourists were selected to assess their perceptions using a structured questionnaire. The study reveals four main findings. First, CM significantly affects DDA and DV. Second, IT influences DDA, but not TE. Third, DDA significantly affects both DV and TE. Fourth, DDA moderates the effect of CM on DV and the effect of IT on TE. The findings underscore that the collaborative governance concept, through governance and marketing innovations, is not yet optimal for shaping sustainable tourism. Finally, future academic and practical policy implications require more in-depth exploration to emphasise the enhancement of resource management capacity genuinely needed in the subjects studied, beyond governance and digital marketing innovations within the sustainable tourism framework. Full article

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are central to sustainable development in transition economies, yet their financial fragility often limits resilience and the capacity to invest in innovation and responsible practices. Despite growing interest in SME, financial health and its role in sustainability, empirical evidence from small transition economies like Montenegro remains scarce, particularly on how liquidity and profitability dynamics underpin conditions for SDG-aligned growth. This study addresses this gap by analyzing how core financial indicators—cash position, capital structure, and working capital efficiency—affect liquidity and profitability among 345 Montenegrin SMEs across manufacturing, services, and trade. Using OLS and robust regression models, results reveal that a higher cash-to-revenue ratio and moderate leverage significantly enhance both short-term solvency and profitability, while working capital efficiency shows nuanced effects and sector-specific patterns emerge in capital-intensive industries. These findings highlight financial management as a foundation for SME resilience, creating financial preconditions for innovation and digital investments in aligned with SDGs (goals 8, 9, 12). Policy recommendations focus on improving finance access and financial literacy to foster innovation-driven, sustainable SME models aligned with the 2030 Agenda. Full article

This review systematically examines the latest research progress and diverse applications of direct evaporative cooling and indirect evaporative cooling across five core sectors: industrial and energy engineering, the built environment, agriculture and food preservation, transportation and aerospace, and emerging interdisciplinary fields. While existing research often focuses on single application silos, this paper distills two common foundational challenges: climate adaptability and water resource management. Quantitative analysis demonstrates significant performance gains. Hybrid systems in data centers increase annual energy-saving potential by 14% to 41%, while precision root-zone cooling in greenhouses boosts crop yields by 13.22%. Additionally, passive cooling blankets reduce post-harvest losses by up to 45%, and integrated desalination cycles achieve 18.64% lower energy consumption compared to conventional systems. Innovative strategies to overcome humidity bottlenecks include vacuum-assisted membranes, advanced porous materials, and hybrid radiative-evaporative systems. The paper also analyzes sustainable water management through rainwater harvesting, seawater utilization, and atmospheric water capture. Collectively, these advancements provide a comprehensive framework to guide the future development and commercialization of sustainable cooling technologies. Full article

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) are often introduced as platforms expected to deliver strategic value through workforce analytics, decision support, and alignment with organizational goals. Yet evidence consistently shows that line managers’ use remains confined to administrative functions. This paper addresses this paradox by reframing it through the lens of the attitude-behavior gap (ABG), a concept established in consumer research to describe the disconnect between favorable attitudes and actual behaviors. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 25 line managers in five UK organizations, the study identifies three themes: HRIS as an Administrative Rather than Strategic Tool, Organizational Identity and Role Expectations, and Confidence Gaps and Habitual Routines. Together, these themes illustrate how supportive attitudes toward HRIS coexist with restricted behavioral engagement, sustained by cultural scripts, situational barriers, and ingrained routines. Theoretically, the study extends the ABG beyond consumer contexts into organizational technology use, challenging the linear assumptions of dominant adoption models such as TAM and UTAUT. Practically, it highlights the need for cultural reframing of HR’s role, user-centered system design, and sustained training and integration efforts to enable more strategic engagement. By framing HRIS adoption as a context-dependent practice shaped by organizational roles and behavioral patterns, the paper offers deeper insight into why favorable attitudes toward innovation frequently fall short of producing substantive engagement. Full article

Beach nourishment has become a globally adopted “soft” engineering measure to mitigate coastal erosion and sustain beach functions. This study conducts a systematic comparative analysis of beach nourishment practices between China and the United States, focusing on extensive project data and historical records. The research examines differences in historical development trajectories, spatial distribution patterns, restoration philosophies, funding mechanisms, and key technologies. The results reveal that the U.S., with over a century of experience, exhibits large-scale, high-frequency nourishment projects supported by diversified funding and long-term maintenance strategies. In contrast, China, despite a later start (circa 1992), has achieved rapid progress in both project scale and technical innovation, though its approach remains more government-led and structurally oriented. This study also identifies converging trends in resource concentration between the two countries, as measured by a proposed “beach nourishment primacy” index. Based on these findings, the work offers strategic recommendations for the coastal management of China, including the establishment of a national nourishment database, adoption of Regional Sediment Management, and greater integration of ecological engineering principles. This comparative analysis provides valuable insights for coastal nations seeking to optimize beach nourishment strategies in the face of growing climatic and anthropogenic pressures; to further advance these efforts, future research could explore the integration of interdisciplinary approaches and intelligent technologies, aiming to deepen our understanding of coastal system complexity and support the development of dynamic adaptive management. Full article

Melatonin (MEL), also known as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, has been reported in plants as a secondary messenger involved in regulating abiotic stress responses. MEL treatment, either preharvest or postharvest, regulates several physiological and biochemical processes during fruit growth and ripening in horticultural products. These include reproductive development, tissue and quality maintenance, delayed senescence, and responses to abiotic stress. Due to its natural origin, low toxicity, and multifunctional regulatory capacity, MEL has recently attracted attention as a promising ‘green preservative’ for sustainable postharvest management. Additionally, MEL coordinates through cross-talk with other plant hormones, such as abscisic acid, ethylene, polyamines, jasmonic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, salicylic acid, and nitric oxide, to regulate postharvest ripening and senescence. Furthermore, MEL enhances antioxidant systems and improves membrane integrity, thereby alleviating chilling injury and enhancing fruit firmness and colour. Notably, recent evidence highlights the innovative regulatory mechanisms of MEL involving redox homeostasis, hormone signalling reprogramming, and transcriptional modulation of stress-responsive pathways. MEL could therefore be considered an emerging, eco-friendly tool for prolonging the shelf-life of fruit and vegetables and maintaining their quality. This review summarises the mechanisms by which MEL contributes to plant stress resistance by regulating the biosynthesis and metabolism of stress tolerance and improving fruit quality. Full article

Rapid urbanization has significantly affected urban ecological environments, necessitating accurate and scientific quality assessments. In this study, we develop an enhanced remote sensing ecological index (WRSEI) for water network cities using Linyi City, China, as a case study. Key innovations include (1) introducing a water–vegetation index to better represent aquatic ecosystems; (2) incorporating nighttime light data to quantify the intensity of human activity; and (3) employing hierarchical PCA to rationally weight ecological endowment and stress indicators. The model’s effectiveness was rigorously validated using independent land use data. The results show that (1) the WRSEI accurately captures Linyi’s “water–city symbiosis” pattern, increasing the assessed ecological quality of water bodies by 15.78% compared to the conventional RSEI; (2) hierarchical PCA provides more ecologically reasonable indicator weights; and (3) from 2000 to 2020, ecological quality exhibited a pattern of “central degradation and peripheral improvement”, driven by urban expansion. This study establishes a validated technical framework for ecological assessment in water-rich cities, offering a scientific basis for sustainable urban management. Full article

Steviol glycosides (SGs) are high-intensity, zero-calorie natural sweeteners with demonstrated safety and potential health benefits, positioning them as ideal sucrose substitutes for metabolic disorder management. However, their broad application is limited by inherent drawbacks such as bitterness, low solubility, and inefficient production systems. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent advances in SG research, covering their sources, properties, and bioactivities. A particular focus is placed on innovative bioproduction strategies—including enzyme engineering, metabolic pathway optimization, and sustainable extraction techniques. Strategies to overcome these challenges through sensory-function enhancement—including formulation and structural modification—are discussed. Furthermore, it highlights emerging trends like microbial chassis-based production and next-generation sweetener design, providing actionable insights for overcoming industrial bottlenecks. By integrating multidisciplinary advances in bioengineering, sensory science, and sustainable processing, this review offers a forward-looking perspective on the development and application of SGs as functional sweeteners in the global food industry. Full article

A recent report on the future of agriculture by the European Commission emphasizes the need for sustainable development on a farm level to be characterized by measuring ecosystem services with indicators and corresponding thresholds. This case study raises the question whether or not operational methods are currently available to allow such measurements under practical field conditions. To broaden the scope of this case study to the international policy arena, the measurement of ecosystem services was linked to selected UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The case study showed that operational methods are currently available to measure and judge ecosystem services related to the following: the production of healthy food, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, and soil health. This conclusion was, however, only possible when applying innovative sensing and laboratory techniques to measure pesticide and heavy metal contents and soil microbiology. Soil health is not only important as an ecosystem service, as such, but also plays a major role in realizing the other ecosystem services. Once all ecosystem services are satisfied on a particular farm, a farmer is free to follow his own unique management practices free from top-down governmental rules and regulations that focus now on required management measures. Each farmer can pursue the goals in a way that best aligns with his own vision, context, and creativity. Full article

The global maritime and logistics sectors are undergoing rapid digital transformation driven by emerging technologies such as automation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain. Artificial Intelligence (AI), with its ability to analyze complex datasets, predict operational patterns, and optimize resource allocation, offers a transformative potential beyond the capabilities of conventional technologies. However, mixed results are shown in its implementation. This study examines the current state of AI applications to unlock higher levels of efficiency and competitiveness in logistics firms. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining surveys from logistics companies with in-depth interviews from key stakeholders in ports and logistics firms to triangulate insights and enhance the validity of the findings. Our results reveal that while technologies such as automation and digital tracking are increasingly utilized to improve operational transparency and cargo management, AI applications remain limited and largely experimental. Where implemented, AI contributes to strategic decision-making, predictive maintenance, customer service enhancement, and cargo flow optimization. Nonetheless, financial conditions, data integration challenges, and a shortage of AI-skilled professionals continue to impede its wider adoption. To overcome these challenges, this study recommends targeted investments in AI infrastructure, the establishment of collaborative frameworks between public authorities, financial institutions, and technology-driven Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and the development of human capital capable of sustaining AI-enabled transformation. By strategically leveraging AI, Oman can position its ports and logistics sector as a regional leader in efficiency, innovation, and sustainable growth. Full article

The growing global population and increasing food demand highlight the need for sustainable agricultural practices that balance productivity with environmental protection. Traditional blanket pesticide spraying leads to overuse of chemicals, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. This study aims to develop an innovative approach to precision pest management using mobile computing, computer vision, and deep learning techniques. A mobile measurement platform equipped with cameras and an onboard computer was designed to collect real-time field data and detect pest infestations. The system uses an advanced object detection algorithm based on the YOLOv4 architecture, trained on a custom dataset of rapeseed pest images. Modifications were made to enhance detection accuracy, especially for small objects. Field tests demonstrated the system’s ability to identify and count pests, such as the pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus), in rapeseed crops. The collected data, combined with GPS information, generated pest density maps, which can guide site-specific pesticide applications. The results show that the proposed method achieved a mean average precision (mAP) of 83.7% on the test dataset. Field measurements conducted during the traversal of rapeseed fields enabled the creation of density maps illustrating the distribution of pollen beetles. Based on these maps, the potential for pesticide savings was demonstrated, and the migration dynamics of pollen beetle were discussed. Full article