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The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced much of the complexities of human life, which has affected the multifaceted socioeconomic dimensions and sectors around the world. One of the main consequences of the pandemic is the reduction in physical mobility and shifting toward a more digitally enhanced platform, where activities may be continued given the imposed physical limitations. Global supply chains were broken down into regional and even local ones and travel has been reduced significantly across leisure and nonleisure reasons, among others. While we recognize that these changes would require substantial capital and financial investments, these will not be put to waste given that emerging models, practices, and trends are the “silver linings” of the pandemic onto the tourism sector. Given that one emerging advocacy is the sustainability of tourism destinations under the backdrop of environmental awareness, care, and sustainable use, we also look at how tourism goods and services are put on sale given the adoption of new models. Finally, we envelope the pandemic experience and the induced iterations of local tourism initiatives as an opportunity to look for new and revitalized tourism innovations toward the “next normal.”

Despite the Vedic texts and Puranas mentioning the emergence of Varnas and caste classification system, the origin of caste based on occupation and how they became powerful is not yet clearly known. However, the guild system that existed in the past did have a positive impact on the origination of the castes and tribes. This chapter aims to study the powerful guild system to understand the origins of Varnas and castes in the ancient India.

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the discussion surrounding the definition of accounting proposed by Carnegie et al. (2021a, 2021b) and further elaborated by Carnegie et al. (2023) from/under an institutionalist political-economy (IPE) based foundation and to specifically extend this approach to the arena of social and environmental accounting (SEA).

By adopting an IPE approach to SEA, this study offers a critique of the use of the notion of capital to refer to nature and people in SEA frameworks and standards.

A SEA framework based on the capabilities approach is proposed based on the concepts of human capabilities and global commons for the purpose of preserving the commons and enabling the flourishing of present and future generations.

The proposed framework allows the engagement of accounting community, in particular SEA researchers, with and contribution to such well-established initiatives as the Planetary Boundaries framework and the human development reports initiative of the United Nations Development Programme.

Based on the capability approach, this study applies Carnegie et al.’s (2023) framework to SEA. This new approach more attuned to the pursuit of sustainable human development and the sustainable development goals, may contribute to turning accounting into a major positive force through its impacts on the world, expressly upon organisations, people and nature.

Many countries around the world are facing great challenges from their ageing population with shrinking workforce, this will put more pressure on their financial system and will increase the public spending on care costs provided to older people. Egypt is in the phase of establishing a new law for older people care's rights, a law that will organise how older people in need for care would benefit from access to government financial support and how will families support their older relatives financially and how the care costs will be shared between the older people, their families and the government.

The paper examines the suitability two cost-sharing methods and applying them to assess the effect on the individuals and families' income strain.

The preferred approach can be used for sharing costs as it applies a gradual funding withdrawal by the government and provide more fairness and flexibility for application in different regions. Besides, the parameters of this approach can be used by policy makers to control the levels of funding.

The paper will be the first to discuss the intergenerational fairness from a financial perspective in Egypt to avoid forcing older people into poverty or resorting to poverty trade-off.

The case study’s learning objectives, structured according to Bloom’s taxonomy, engage students in higher-order thinking for critical analysis and strategic decision-making. After completion of the case study, students will be able to analyze sustainability practices and evaluate the family’s distribution model for alignment with sustainability and potential expansion strategies; explore adaptive strategies to identify adaptive solutions to challenges such as climate change and economic fluctuations; apply theoretical frameworks to balance exclusivity and growth in the olive oil industry; and assess strategic decisions considering financial viability, environmental responsibility, community engagement and sustainability.

The case study centers on the Abi Raad olive farm, a multigenerational family-owned business deeply rooted in olive cultivation traditions in Selfaya village, within Mount Lebanon’s Aley district. Led by Richard Abi Raad, the family specializes in olive cultivation, olive oil production and handmade soap manufacturing within the agriculture sector. In 2023, the organization faces significant challenges such as rising labor costs and the exploration of sustainable labor sources for future growth. Abi Raad, the primary protagonist, grapples with critical decisions regarding maintaining traditional distribution methods versus expanding into broader markets. His choices must balance the preservation of cultural heritage with the need to uphold brand integrity and competitiveness. The case study traces the family’s historical journey in olive farming and explores their contemporary strategic dilemmas, offering insights into sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship and navigating modern challenges while honoring tradition. Through the narrative of the Abi Raad family-owned business, the case study provides profound lessons in strategic decision-making and ensuring long-term sustainability.

This case study is suitable for students studying master’s in business.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The 21st century is marked by significant transformative shifts and pivotal global events that have exerted a profound impact on the global economy. These changes in market perceptions have served as the bedrock for shaping marketing actions and formulating strategic processes. Since the onset of this century, the landscape of marketing has experienced an unceasing evolution, compelling enterprises to engage in competitive endeavours, vying to introduce cutting-edge strategies and customer acquisition methodologies.

The fundamental objective of the conducted research was to unearth pioneering solutions within the domain of online marketing and discern the opportunities that these innovations confer within the framework of attaining organizational objectives. In pursuit of this objective, an exhaustive inquiry was undertaken through in-depth interviews conducted with three small-size enterprises. The findings underscored the critical role that innovations on the Instagram platform play in charting a course towards the accomplishment of business objectives for these companies.

Given the dynamic alterations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, which include heightened consumer consciousness and the expeditious advancement of digitalisation, this subject assumes paramount importance. Empirical findings derived from the research unequivocally substantiate that the incorporation of marketing innovations on the Instagram platform stands as a pivotal facet of companies' overarching marketing strategies. This integrative approach translates to augmented sales outcomes, heightened viewership, cultivation of brand image and an enhanced competitive stance.

Financial technologies form the heart of considerable disruptive innovation. Fintech is the emerging financial infrastructure for modern business. Big data are the feedstock for artificial intelligence (AI) that drives many fintech sectors – start-up finance, commodities and investment instrumentation, payment systems, currencies, exchange markets/trading platforms, market-failure response forensics, underwriting, syndication, risk assessment, advisory services, banking, financial intermediaries, transaction settlement, corporate disclosure, and decentralized finance. This chapter demonstrates how analyzing big data, largely processed through cloud computing, drives fintech innovations, scholarship, forensics, and public policy. Despite their apparent virtues, some fintech mechanisms can externalize various social costs: flawed designs, opacity/obscurity, social media (SM) influences, cyber(in)security, and other malfunctions. Fintech suffers regulatory lag, the delay following the introduction of novel fintechs and later assessment, development, and deployment of reliable regulatory mechanisms. Big data can improve fintech practices by balancing three key influences: (1) fintech incentives, (2) market failure forensics, and (3) developing balanced public policy resolutions to fintech challenges.

Personal data is today recognized as an asset in the digital economy, generating billion-dollar annual revenues for many companies. But how much value do users derive from their seemingly free apps (zero-price services), and what user costs are associated with this value exchange? By adopting a human-centric lens, this article scrutinizes the complex trade-offs users face trying to capture the benefits and unperceived costs that such usage entails.

Using a mixed-method research design, this study is anchored in empirical survey data from 196 participants in Linköping, Sweden. The authors investigate users’ willingness to pay for these services in relation to different types of costs.

The results indicate that users can derive significant value from the use of free services, which can be interpreted as a win-win situation between users and companies. Regarding costs, this research shows that the most significant costs for users are associated with procrastination, sleep deprivation and reduced focus, which can be challenging to identify and evaluate from the users’ perspective.

This study shows that zero-price services provide significant benefits like enhancing social connectivity and offering a wide variety of content. Significant drawbacks, such as increased procrastination and sleep disturbances, highlight the psychological effects of these platforms. These impacts include behavioral changes, emphasizing the influence of online platforms on user engagement. Furthermore, a trend toward single-purchase preferences over free services suggests changing consumer attitudes toward digital payment models. This underscores the need for further research on non-monetary aspects in zero-price markets for better understanding and regulation of the digital economy.

This study shows that users appreciate the accessibility and potential of zero-price services but are wary of privacy concerns. It underscores the need for companies to balance profit objectives with user experiences and privacy requirements. Offering a range of ad-free premium services to meet diverse customer needs can be effective. Users’ high valuation of privacy and transparency suggests businesses should focus on human-centric, privacy-respecting strategies. Increased transparency in data usage and giving users greater data control could enhance the user experience and foster sustainable customer relationships.

The study calls for policymakers to focus on non-monetary risks of zero-price services, such as behavioral changes and digital well-being impacts. They should consider implementing regulations to protect users, especially children, from manipulative designs such as “dark patterns”. Policymakers must balance user protection with innovation, leading to a sustainable zero-price economy. For zero-price service users, awareness of non-monetary costs, like procrastination and sleep deprivation, is vital. Understanding that “free” services have hidden costs is important, especially for younger generations. Managing privacy settings and selective service choices can protect privacy and well-being.

This research shifts the focus from simply valuing personal data based on market prices to assessing the worth of free services themselves. By listing various hidden costs, it underscores the need for increased user awareness and greater corporate transparency. Uniquely, it finds that users prefer making one-time purchases over using zero-price services, extending prior assumptions in the field. Additionally, it also characterizes the zero-price economy ecosystem, highlighting differences between market types and provides a deeper understanding of the zero-price market and its related concepts.

Trade-offs that involve secular values of money and sacred human values are often seen as taboo. This paper aims to examine how consumers avoid making taboo trade-offs with anthropomorphized products, by choosing options that ensure the well-being of the humanized products, even at a financial cost to themselves.

The authors conducted five experiments, across different marketplace contexts (i.e. repairing, buying and selling), to test the broad generalizability of the extent to which consumers are willing to incur a financial cost due to concern for the well-being of anthropomorphized products.

The results reveal that consumers are willing to accept financially inferior options to protect the humanness endowed upon anthropomorphized products. The effect is mediated by consumers’ concern for the treatment of the anthropomorphized product. The effect is moderated by consumers’ trait empathy level, such that those low in empathy are willing to sacrifice human value for the sake of greater financial gain.

Future research could examine, in the context of anthropomorphized products, if there are types of human values that are less inviolable, leading consumers to be more willing to trade them off for monetary gains.

The findings have direct implications for second-hand markets. For potential buyers of anthropomorphized products, they should signal concern for the product; for sellers, anthropomorphizing their products can reduce haggling behavior. From a sustainability perspective, consumers may be more motivated to repair or recycle their products if it is framed as “infusing new life” into their products.

This work highlights a novel effect of anthropomorphism: when marketplace decisions are involved, anthropomorphizing a product can introduce a tension between secular monetary values and sacred human values. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first to show that consumers are willing to incur a monetary loss to protect the humanness of anthropomorphized product, driven by their concern for the proper treatment of such humanized products.

This paper aims to propose a multilevel framework of fashion consumer ethics that unpacks how ethical consumers publicly express their identity through sustainable fashion (SF). The author explores SF’s cognitive, relational and contextual dynamics, highlighting how attitude–behavior (A-B) gaps might impede consumers’ ethical identity and social image alignment.

The framework theoretically reconstructs fashion consumer ethics by integrating social intuitionism, social representation theory and the public sphere. This theorizing process sheds light on fragmented attempts found in previous research to understand how ethical consumers express their self-identity and socially represent their image through SF, avoiding A-B gaps.

The theoretical propositions suggest how ethical consumers’ self-concept is expressed at the cognitive level, leading to ethical commitment toward self-associated fashion brands; social image is manifested at the relational level, giving rise to consumers’ ethical engagement in SF; and ethical consumers’ self-verify their identity-image alignment in the public sphere, thus addressing A-B issues.

The sociopsychological approach suggests a novel understanding of ethical consumers’ individual and social representation through SF consumption. The framework interprets SF as an “aesthetic of existence,” co-constructed collectively and symbolically expressed publicly. As a result, the proposed model combines different theories to introduce new causal mechanisms and constructs of ethical consumers’ cognition, sociological relations and public spheres.