Search Results (7,027)

With the transformation of resource-based cities and the restructuring of industrial sectors, the sustainable conservation of coal mining heritage has become a global focus. In China, coal mining heritage faces challenges such as degradation and inadequate management, highlighting the urgent need for more context-sensitive and systematic conservation approaches. This study develops an integrated, landscape-oriented analytical framework for stakeholder identification to address these challenges and to better understand stakeholder differentiation in coal mining heritage conservation. The research objectives are as follows: (1) to bring together a three-dimensional framework based on material-technical, socio-cultural, and experiential dimensions; (2) to analyse the roles and interactions of stakeholders; and (3) to explore how technical knowledge, socio-cultural memory, and daily experiences influence the protection and reuse of coal mining heritage sites. The study integrates the theoretical frameworks of landscape character assessment, historic urban landscape, and experiential landscape, using data from field observations and interviews analysed via ATLAS.ti. The findings show that the proposed framework offers a more systematic understanding of the dynamic relationships between stakeholders and heritage landscapes, thereby providing practical guidance for local governments and relevant institutions in developing inclusive and context-sensitive conservation strategies. Full article

Knowledge sharing (KS) among healthcare professionals is essential for sustaining organisational learning and facilitating the transfer of expertise between experienced and less experienced professionals, thereby supporting workforce stability and retention in healthcare organisations (HCOs). However, despite its importance, high turnover among healthcare professionals remains a significant and persistent challenge in public HCOs, indicating a potential gap in understanding the mechanisms that support workforce stability. To address this gap, this study examines the interplay between work performance (WP), satisfaction with co-workers (CW), KS and turnover intention (TI) among healthcare professionals. Data from 220 respondents were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) within the Input–Process–Output (IPO) framework. The results indicate that CW positively influences KS, while KS has a negative effect on TI, thereby reducing TI. In contrast, WP does not have a statistically significant effect on KS, nor does it indirectly influence TI through KS. Furthermore, although both WP and CW were hypothesised to be predictors of KS, only CW demonstrates a significant indirect effect on TI through KS. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory (SET) and the Knowledge-Based View (KBV), the results highlight the role of KS and interpersonal relationships in supporting sustainable human resource management (SHRM). Although sustainability-related dimensions were not directly measured, the results suggest potential implications for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, SDG 8, and SDG 9. Full article

The long-term sustainability of Australian agriculture is fundamentally constrained by the capacity, condition, availability, and governance of soil resources. Australian soils are among the oldest and most weathered globally, highly heterogeneous, and often slow or effectively irreversible to recover once degraded. Traditional approaches centred on soil health, while valuable at paddock scale, are insufficient to address national-scale challenges related to spatial variability, data continuity, economic valuation, and policy integration. This paper examines soil security as a policy-relevant framework for supporting more sustainable Australian agriculture. Building on the dimensions of soil security (capacity, condition, capital, connectivity, and codification), we synthesise recent Australian case studies to show how soil security extends beyond soil health to integrate biophysical properties, digital soil infrastructure, socio-economic value, and governance mechanisms. Drawing on recent Australian case studies, this review identifies advances in digital soil mapping, national soil assessments, economic valuation of soil capital, stakeholder connectivity, and emerging policy frameworks, while also identifying persistent gaps in regulation, data standardisation, and institutional coordination. The paper argues that soil security can help operationalise 3-N agriculture—Net-Zero, Nature-Positive, and Nutrient-Balanced systems—by translating sustainability goals into spatially explicit, place-based decisions grounded in soil realities. By explicitly accounting for soil capacity limits, condition trajectories, capital value, information flows, and codified rules, soil security can support more realistic climate mitigation strategies, targeted nature-positive interventions, and durable nutrient security outcomes. We conclude that embedding soil security more explicitly within Australian agricultural research, policy, and governance would strengthen efforts to deliver productive, resilient, and socially legitimate food and fibre systems. Without soil security, sustainability frameworks may remain difficult to operationalise consistently; with soil security, they can be translated more effectively into measurable, place-based, and durable decisions. Full article

Building world-class ports requires not only scale expansion but also sustainable structural capability. However, the concept of port “hardcore strength” remains insufficiently clarified and operationalized in existing sustainability and port evaluation research. In this study, port hardcore strength is understood as an integrated capability framework covering infrastructure efficiency and logistics capability, connectivity and regional integration, maritime services and industrial clustering, strategic leadership and innovation capability, and sustainable governance and green port development. This study proposes a sustainability-oriented evaluation framework for assessing the “hardcore strength” of world-class ports through a multi-dimensional indicator system. Methodologically, the study integrates the EWM and CRITIC, and introduces Bland–Altman analysis to examine whether the EWM and CRITIC weight vectors exhibit an obvious systematic bias prior to game-theoretic integration. Using 18 representative global ports from 2019 to 2023 as a case study, the results show that the overall ranking structure remains broadly stable, with Singapore Port and Shanghai Port consistently ranking first and second, respectively, while some middle-ranked ports exhibit moderate positional changes. The findings suggest that differences in world-class port development are rooted not only in operational scale, but also in the coordination of multiple capability dimensions. The study enriches the understanding of world-class port evaluation from a sustainability-oriented perspective. Full article

High-technology supply chains are increasingly concentrated in advanced economies, limiting the industrial upgrading potential of emerging regions. At the same time, growing sustainability pressures require the integration of circular economy principles into production systems. However, existing research rarely integrates supply chain localization, circular value creation, and regional capability within a unified framework. This study addresses the following research question: how can circular supply chain design be structurally integrated into high-technology localization strategies to support sustainable industrial development in emerging economies? To answer this question, the study develops an integrative conceptual framework through the synthesis of localization theory, circular supply chain design, and capability accumulation literature. The framework is structured around three interdependent structural dimensions (SDs): (1) core technological supply chain processes, (2) circular value creation mechanisms, and (3) regional capability accumulation pathways. The framework embeds circular mechanisms—such as modularity, repairability, remanufacturing, and lifecycle management—within the supply chain architecture, enabling the transition from linear acquisition models to lifecycle-oriented systems. It provides an analytical basis for understanding circular localization and offers practical insights for policymakers and firms seeking to develop sustainable high-technology supply chains in emerging economies. This contribution advances the integration of circular economy and localization strategies and supports sustainable industrial transformation. Full article

Tourism has become a structural driver of land-system transformation, influencing urban restructuring, rural land consumption, coastal development, and housing dynamics. Although tourism sustainability has received growing scholarly attention, less systematic evidence exists on how land governance and spatial planning frameworks mediate tourism-related land-use change. This study presents a systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2025 examining the relationship between spatial planning, land-use regulation, and tourism development. Following PRISMA guidelines, a structured search strategy and multi-stage screening process were applied using predefined inclusion and quality criteria, resulting in a final dataset of 58 studies. The findings indicate that tourism-driven land transformation is shaped by interconnected governance layers, including statutory planning instruments, institutional coordination mechanisms, and land administration infrastructures. However, these dimensions are rarely analyzed within an integrated framework. By synthesizing tourism planning and land administration scholarship through a land governance perspective, this review clarifies how regulatory tools and administrative systems interact in shaping spatial outcomes across scales. The study offers a structured basis for future comparative research and for more coherent policy responses to tourism-related land governance challenge. Full article

Climate change and rapid urbanization are intensifying urban pluvial flooding and threatening sustainable urban development. This study proposes a three-stage, four-dimensional framework (TSFD-UPFR) to assess urban pluvial flood resilience across resistance, response, and recovery phases that integrate natural, infrastructural, social, and economic dimensions. Using a representative urban catchment affected by a typical extreme rainfall event, we couple hydrological–hydrodynamic simulations with multi-source remote sensing and socio-economic indicators at a 100 m grid resolution to enable spatially explicit assessment. The results indicate moderate overall resilience with pronounced spatial heterogeneity. Resistance is primarily constrained by drainage capacity and impervious surfaces, response is shaped by road connectivity and public service accessibility, and recovery is determined by essential facility restoration and economic support. Low-resilience clusters are concentrated in dense built-up areas and transport hubs, revealing structural weaknesses in adaptive capacity. By linking flood processes with socio-economic recovery dynamics, the framework captures cross-stage interactions within urban systems. The findings support climate-adaptive planning, targeted infrastructure investment, and resilience-oriented governance, contributing to sustainable and equitable urban transformation in megacities facing intensifying extreme rainfall. Full article

Regional sustainable development requires integrated assessments that capture ecosystem function, risk exposure, and recovery capacity. Conventional two-dimensional frameworks based on ecosystem services (ESs) and landscape ecological risk (ERI) often overlook the self-regulation potential of ecosystems following disturbance. This study proposes that incorporating RES as a third zoning dimension enables functional differentiation between areas that share similar ES–ERI profiles but differ substantially in recovery capacity, thereby revealing management priorities that a conventional two-dimensional framework cannot detect. This study develops a three-dimensional zoning framework integrating ES, ERI, and ecological resilience (RES) in the main urban area of Ganzhou City, a representative hilly city in southern China. Land-use dynamics from 1990 to 2020 and under four 2050 scenarios were simulated using a coupled PLUS-InVEST approach. Differentiated ecological zones were delineated, and the optimal-parameter geographic detector (OPGD) was applied to examine driving factor interactions. Results indicate that cultivated land and forestland dominated the study area throughout the period. ES supply remained favorable with stage-wise fluctuations, while ERI showed progressive convergence of high-risk patches toward the central basin. RES exhibited a sharp decline in higher-resilience areas during 1990–2000 (91.0%), followed by partial recovery during 2010–2020 (47.3%). The three-dimensional zoning delineated 35.9% of the area as Ecological control zones that may require priority intervention. Driver analysis revealed that DEM, precipitation, and river proximity, along with their interactions, strongly influenced regional ecological patterns. The proposed framework extends conventional ES-ERI assessments and provides spatial guidance for differentiated ecological management in hilly regions. Full article

In social science degree programs, where Statistics is not a core subject, students often experience anxiety and negative attitudes that influence their engagement and may hinder academic performance. This study examines the role of positive emotions in the teaching of Probability Calculus and Inferential Statistics in Business Administration and Management studies, analyzing their relationship with students’ engagement in Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The research is framed as an exploratory single-campus case study conducted with a modestly sized sample of undergraduate students from a single Faculty. Moving beyond traditional approaches that view emotions merely as outcomes of learning, our model assumes that positive emotions, both prior to and following the PBL experience, shape students’ perceptions of its usefulness, their collaborative behaviors, and their communication with instructors. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Cluster Analysis, the findings show that positive emotions are a key driver of students’ predisposition toward and engagement with PBL, indicating that cultivating a supportive emotional climate enhances participation and deepens the understanding of statistical concepts. These results suggest that fostering emotional engagement is essential not only for improving motivation and academic outcomes in Statistics but also for developing transversal and sustainability-related competencies such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and evidence-based decision-making. The study contributes to current discussions on sustainable and inclusive teaching practices by highlighting the importance of integrating socio-emotional dimensions into active learning methodologies in higher education. Full article

The global landscape of sustainability challenges has become increasingly complex, characterized by varying regulatory frameworks and market maturity across different nations. The financial significance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors is influenced by industry and firm-specific attributes. Therefore, this study employs an integrated decision support framework that combines grey relational analysis (GRA) models including Deng’s GRA, absolute GRA, and a second synthetic grey relational analysis (SSGRA) with firm-level panel regressions to compare ESG and financial performance linkages across 11 Middle East and Africa (MEA) countries and industrial sectors. Furthermore, the study utilized a sensitivity analysis to check the robustness of SSGRG. Results indicate considerable variability in the relationships between ESG and financial performance across the region. The economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) showed the most robust positive relationship between ESG factors and financial performance based on SSGRG, with Kuwait (0.82), Qatar (0.81), and Saudi Arabia (0.80) predominantly influenced by the social and governance dimensions. Conversely, a weak correlation was demonstrated in Egypt (0.54), Nigeria (0.53), and Kenya (0.56). Moreover, financials, communication services, and materials sectors exhibit the greatest integration of ESG factors into financial performance, with composite SSGRG values ranging from 0.75 to 0.78. In contrast, the information technology and energy sectors demonstrate weak association, with composite SSGRG values falling below 0.60. Furthermore, a conservative maximin analysis reveals that corporate governance in Kenya and environmental performance in Oman are identified as the weakest relationship at the country level, while governance in the information technology and energy sectors, environmental management in real estate, and social performance in consumer discretionary sectors are highlighted as weak connections. This study addresses a gap in the literature by developing a novel decision-support framework, providing fresh empirical evidence from emerging markets, and offering theoretical insights into the into influence of stakeholder and institutional factors on ESG value creation. This study provides implications for investors, corporate managers, and policymakers on sustainable finance in emerging markets and presents a decision-making framework that emphasizes ESG initiatives to enhance financial performance. Full article

The rapid expansion of the digital economy is reshaping the global production and trade system, bringing new opportunities for developing economies seeking to enhance their international competitiveness, while also posing structural challenges. This study focuses on China, a typical emerging economy, and uses provincial panel data from 2015 to 2024 to empirically examine how digital transformation and technological innovation jointly affect foreign trade competitiveness. The core variables are measured as follows: The digitalization level is constructed using principal component analysis (PCA) based on three dimensions: digital infrastructure, digital industrialization, and industrial digitization; technological innovation is proxied by the logarithm of technology market transaction volume. This study employs a fixed-effects model with interaction terms to estimate the independent effects of digitalization and technological innovation and to explore their interaction within the framework of the digital economy. The empirical results show that both digital transformation and technological innovation have a significant positive impact on foreign trade competitiveness. Specifically, a 10-point increase in the digitalization index is associated with an approximately 0.10-unit increase in the trade competitiveness index, and a 1% increase in technological innovation input is associated with an increase of 0.032–0.042 units. However, their interaction coefficient is significantly negative (−0.001, p < 0.01), indicating a substitution effect: an increase in technological innovation investment weakens the marginal contribution of digitalization to export competitiveness, and vice versa. Further heterogeneity analysis shows that the direct effects of digital transformation and technological innovation are more significant in less developed regions, while the substitution effect is stronger in economically developed regions. The findings suggest that policies promoting digital transformation and technological innovation should avoid a uniform approach and instead adopt coordinated and phased strategies that are suitable for regional development conditions. By providing new empirical evidence on the interaction between digital economy development and innovation investment, this study enriches the existing literature and offers policy implications for emerging economies seeking to achieve sustainable foreign trade development under increasing global trade uncertainty. Full article

Urban socio-economic resilience to climate change has emerged as a central research theme as cities increasingly confront interconnected environmental, economic, and social risks. Despite the rapidly expanding body of literature, the conceptual boundaries, thematic evolution, and analytical priorities of this field remain fragmented across disciplines, and no prior study has systematically mapped the socio-economic dimension of urban resilience through a combined bibliometric and thematic analysis over a multi-decadal horizon. This study addresses that gap by providing a systematic review of global research on urban socio-economic resilience to climate change, integrating bibliometric and thematic analyses of peer-reviewed publications from 1990 to 2025. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, records were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and subjected to a multi-stage screening procedure that combined automated relevance scoring with mandatory manual validation of the socio-economic dimension, resulting in a final dataset of 5076 publications. The analysis examines conceptual interpretations of socio-economic resilience, dominant climate hazards affecting urban systems, methodological approaches and assessment indicators, adaptation strategies and governance responses, and emerging research gaps. The results reveal a marked acceleration of scientific output after 2015, driven by the Paris Agreement and the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C (2018). The bibliometric network analyses identify adaptation, vulnerability, flooding, and sustainability transitions as the core thematic clusters. The findings trace a paradigmatic trajectory from equilibrist recovery frameworks toward transformative, socio-economically grounded resilience models and reveal persistent gaps in the operationalization of governance, equity measurement, and geographic representation. By synthesizing three-and-a-half decades of scholarship, this review clarifies the intellectual structure of the field and proposes four specific post-2026 research pathways that emphasize longitudinal cross-city comparisons, mixed-methods assessments, sector-specific compound hazard analyses, and governance mechanism studies. Full article

BIM is a key technology for the digital transformation and sustainable development of the construction industry through enhanced productivity, transparency, and fostered innovation. Although scholars have investigated the constructs driving BIM adoption intention, a comprehensive framework has seldom been adopted, and thus some vital factors have been overlooked, such as collaboration partner pressure. Meanwhile, the targeted group is usually practitioners of a certain type of company while a construction project requires the participation of multiple types of companies. To address these research gaps, the aim of this study is to explore the factors driving various stakeholders’ intention to adopt BIM by applying the TOE framework, considering nine factors across three dimensions. A total of 512 valid responses from owners, consulting firms, design firms, construction companies, suppliers, engineering surveying firms, and universities or research institutes were collected and analyzed through the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. The SEM results indicated that six factors were positively related to the intention to employ BIM, among which management commitment (β = 0.182, p < 0.001) and perceived ease of use (β = 0.180, p < 0.001) exhibited the strongest effects. However, three factors (perceived usefulness, supporting technical facilities, and mimetic pressure) exerted no significant influence. The findings of this study may provide a valuable reference for promoting the application of BIM technology in the construction industry. Full article

Research on information and communication technologies (ICTs) in sustainable agriculture has largely been technocentric, focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, and adoption, with limited consideration of end-user perceptions in practice. This study addresses this gap by examining perceptions of mobile gardening apps as accessible ICT tools that may support sustainable behaviours. Based on over 180,000 user reviews from Google Play and the Apple App Store, Contextualized Topic Modeling (CTM) was used to identify key themes and interpret them within the Theory of Consumption Value (TCV) framework. This approach allows for the analysis of functional, emotional, and epistemic dimensions of user experiences based on large-scale, real-world data. The results indicate that functional aspects, such as reliability and usability, dominate app evaluation, but emotional engagement and knowledge acquisition also play a significant role. By combining a data-driven approach with a well-established behavioural framework, this study bridges the gap between technological and user perspectives. It simultaneously extends the application of the TCV to the field of ICT solutions supporting sustainable development and provides practical guidance for designing more effective gardening apps. Full article

This study presents a comparative analysis of five gender equality certification schemes alongside the ISO 53800 standard with the aim of distilling shared conceptual foundations and design principles that can inform progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality. The comparative analysis reveals marked heterogeneity in scope, design architecture, indicators, and transparency. Methodologically, the study draws on the relevant literature, documentary evidence, and semi-structured consultations with five experts in gender equality, diversity management, auditing, and ESG reporting. Building on the most effective and robust features across gender equality schemes, the study proposes a universal framework for gender equality certification. Under this framework, an ideal universal certification model should apply the same core requirements to both public and private organizations, while including simplified procedures tailored to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Moreover, the model should rely on a limited set of key performance indicators (KPIs), focusing on the most material dimensions and prioritizing quantitative measures. It should also strengthen employee feedback mechanisms and enhance accountability in corporate governance. The framework should also pay attention to intersectional dimensions, extend responsibility across the value chain, and address the gender-related implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Importantly, an ideal universal gender equality certification should ensure a high level of transparency through the public disclosure of certified organizations, assessment criteria, KPIs, and levels or scores achieved. Furthermore, it should be supported by a free digital self-assessment tool and robust auditing arrangements, underpinned by a sufficiently large pool of accredited certification bodies and gender-balanced audit teams. Finally, it should undergo periodic review and align with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and other related SDGs. Full article