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Purpose: This study explores the growing significance of environmentalism and sustainability in the contemporary business landscape. Focussing on aligning industries with evolving consumer expectations, the research seeks to understand the awareness surrounding environmental conservation, sustainable development, and the adoption of an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

Need for the study: With environmental consciousness on the rise, understanding the initiatives taken by organisations and the utilisation of digital platforms for environmental advocacy becomes crucial. The study addresses the need to unwind the cultural shift towards sustainability and assess the effectiveness of green marketing practices in the digital age.

Methodology: A triangulation approach is employed, integrating secondary data from literature research with information from company reports and databases. The literature survey provides extensive insights into green marketing practices, forming the basis for an in-depth analysis. The comparative analysis and integration of findings from both sources aim to draw a comprehensive picture, identifying areas of agreement and disagreement.

Findings: The study provides robust evidence supporting the effectiveness of green marketing practices in the digital age. Convergence between academic literature and real-world corporate practices underscores the consistency in approaches adopted by companies in leveraging digital technology to advance environmental sustainability.

Practical implications: The findings suggest that theory and practice converge on various aspects of green marketing, indicating its profound impact on culture, behaviours, and strategies. This research informs businesses and policymakers about the tangible benefits and shared responsibility of incorporating green practices in corporate strategies, fostering a sustainable future.

Purpose: The study is focussed on redesigning work and green job structures for organisational sustainability. The contribution of this chapter is two-fold: HR practices can be redesigned to incorporate eco-friendly principles into job roles and explore green human resource management (HRM) as innovative approaches that organisations can adopt to promote environmental responsibility and sustainable practices within their workforce.

Need of study: The study on green HRM and job redesign is crucial for organisations to align operations with environmental sustainability. It addresses the need for practical guidelines and strategies for implementing sustainable practices. With increasing emphasis on corporate social responsibility and stakeholder demand, this study is essential for organisations to enhance their reputation, attract environmentally conscious talent, and positively impact society and the environment.

Methodology: The chapter is conceptually oriented; the data utilised in this study will primarily rely on secondary sources.

Findings: The findings demonstrated that adopting green HRM practices can help businesses improve their environmental performance and employee satisfaction. These procedures also allow the organisation to remain sustainable, guaranteeing its long-term success.

Practical implications: Humans know that redesigned work and job structures in green HRM can allow staff members to learn new sustainability-related skills and knowledge, boosting their professional growth and future employability. Redesigning work structures and implementing green HRM practices can also increase employee pride and loyalty to the company by integrating them into a mission-driven, sustainability-focussed workforce.

Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the United Nations aims to ‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’. To achieve this goal, we must rebuild the marine life-support systems that provide society with the many advantages of a healthy ocean. Therefore, countries worldwide have been using Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to restore, create, or protect habitats and ecosystems. Palau was one of the first countries to use MPAs as a tool to develop biodiversity within its exclusive economic zone. On 22 October 2015, Palau placed approximately 80% of its maritime territory in a network of locally monitored MPAs, which has now shown a population increase in stationary and migratory fish species. This movement towards a MPA was intentional and because of increased pressure from tourism and the increasing incursion of foreign fishing vessels in Palauan territorial waters. Since countries worldwide are using and looking towards MPAs, secondary protection projects are becoming more and more popular. This chapter highlights the practical implementations and results in Palau, how to theoretically apply this within the Greater North Sea in combination with Windmill Farms, and how the Marine Strategy Framework Directive stimulates these practices.

The advent of the 21st century marks a pivotal era where rapid urbanization intersects with technological advancements, giving rise to the concept of smart cities. These urban environments harness information and communication technologies to improve service efficiency and enhance the quality of life. Parallel to this development is the emergence of circular economy (CE) models, recognized globally as an essential response to environmental challenges. This chapter delves into the integration of CE principles in smart cities, emphasizing a shift from traditional linear models towards sustainable, resource-efficient urban landscapes. Exploring the evolution of smart cities and CEs, this chapter highlights synergies and potential benefits of this integration while acknowledging significant challenges. These include technological, infrastructural, financial, policy-related and social–cultural barriers. Through a comprehensive analysis of literature, case studies and best practices, effective strategies to overcome these challenges are presented. This chapter emphasizes the roles of technological innovation, policy reform, stakeholder engagement and community involvement in driving this transformation. This chapter identifies future research areas and emerging trends, underscoring the profound impact of integrating CE principles in smart cities. This integration is pivotal for shaping sustainable and resilient urban futures, thereby redefining the paradigm of urban development in the modern era.

Sustainable development is inseparable from rational and responsible use of resources and promotion of green entrepreneurship. The contemporary green development agenda encompasses climate, economic, technical, social, cultural, and political dimensions. International efforts to greening the global development are conducted by the major economies, including China as the world’s largest consumer of energy and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. China is aware of its environmental problems, as well as of its part of the overall responsibility for the accomplishment of the sustainable development goals. By means of the decarbonization efforts, the latter are integrated both into the national development agenda (the concept of ecological civilization) and China’s international initiatives (the greening narrative within the Belt and Road Initiative). Over the past decade, China has made a breakthrough on the way to promoting green entrepreneurship and greening of its development (better quality of air and water, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and organic farming). On the other hand, emissions remain high, agricultural land loses productivity, and freshwater resources degrade due to climate change. In conventional industries (oil, coal mining, and electric and thermal energy), decarbonization faces an array of impediments. In this chapter, the authors summarize fundamental provisions of China’s approach to building an ecological civilization and measures to reduce emissions and achieve the carbon neutrality status within the nearest decades. The analysis of obstacles to the decarbonization of the economy and possible prospects for the development of green entrepreneurship summarizes China’s practices for possible use in other countries.

For over a decade, fintech has challenged traditional business models and processes in the financial services industry. The ongoing disruption has necessitated the digital transformation of financial institutions (FIs) to remain an integral part of the financial system. This paradigm shift is not merely a technological update. Still, it signifies a cultural and operational rebirth, compelling FIs to embrace innovation, adaptability, and a customer-centric approach in the digital era. Independent of the business model, FIs must become digitally ambidextrous, offer tailored and dynamic customer experiences, support financial inclusion, and promote an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda while leveraging data and remaining compliant. From digitalization to fintegration, the financial services industry's future is deemed to be an exciting and productive one.

Tourism, Technology and Climate Change: The tourism industry is indispensable both for its socio-cultural offerings and its profound economic implications. The economic multiplier effects inherent in the drivers of tourism can stimulate the regional economy even before these areas emerge as tourism meccas. While vast amounts of research have detailed tourism's overarching significance, there is an evident void in understanding its multifaceted impacts, particularly where technological advances, environmental performance (EP) and economic benefits converge. A thorough examination of 907 research records led to this chapter, which identifies these gaps by referencing nine observational and 11 intervention studies. Achieving a Cohen's kappa value of 0.75, the authors note a strong consensus among reviewers, adhering to Cohen's (1940) standards. The findings from the first quarter highlight several areas within the tourism industry that have been under-researched. Particularly, the integration of technology, from ATM infrastructures enhancing tourist financial experiences to digital platforms elevating traveller education and awareness, and tech-driven solutions addressing demographic and ethical considerations in tourism, remains insufficiently explored. Additionally, the authors recognise an existing gap in knowledge regarding the nexus between tourism development and its climatic repercussions, especially before tourism ventures are fully realized. This chapter aims to channel future research into these lesser-trodden areas, fostering a comprehensive grasp of tourism's evolution in the face of rapid technological advancements and its interplay with environmental shifts.

There has been considerable discussion about the poor outcomes of irresponsible management, which are often discussed as being the result of “shortcomings” of contemporary capitalism: runaway self-interest, quarterly focus, elite orientation, volume orientation, and one-pattern capitalism (Kim, 2022). In order to address such shortcomings in business education, particularly with strategy-related modules that were taught with a focus on creating “shareholder value,” the Sustainable Decisions and Organisations (SDO) module was designed by academics as the capstone module for the master of business administration (MBA) program and delivered with the aim of developing capabilities of students to be leaders and future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large. The students participating in the module are shown how a “stakeholder” approach to developing business strategy can lead to more sustainability-oriented value creation. The module addresses how companies can contribute to “sustainability” by aligning their economic/financial, societal, and ecological impacts with limited resources through strategy. This contribution discusses the implementation of this module and demonstrates how students are provided learning opportunities around how sustainability-related issues can be embedded into a business organization's strategy to enhance the organization's performance while addressing risks by working with stakeholders to create value and thus be able to contribute to relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The circular economy (CE) is a sustainable economic model that has the potential to create new opportunities, reduce environmental impact and enhance social well-being. Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the largest city in Vietnam, has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years, but at the cost of the environment and public health. The city could reduce waste, conserve resources and promote sustainable production and consumption by adopting CE principles. Employing qualitative research, including content analysis, we construct a SWOT analysis to assess HCMC's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the CE context. The city possesses several strengths, such as a vast potential for a CE and a robust economic foundation. However, it also faces multiple weaknesses, including insufficient infrastructure, inadequate citizen and business awareness and participation, ineffective policy enforcement and a deficiency of standards for recycled products. This chapter will conclude that the CE presents an opportunity for HCMC to reduce its dependence on imported raw materials, increase local value creation and create new jobs in the CE sector.