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This chapter delves into sustainability-related competences in innovation management for further education as part of the European lifelong learning initiative. Despite extensive research in primary and secondary education, adult education often remains overlooked. Competence-based learning is a favored approach to integrating knowledge, skills, and attitudes across various domains. Through thematic analysis and deductive coding, the study examines 72 innovation management-related further education programs conducted in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, between June and December 2022. The findings unequivocally demonstrate the inclusion of sustainability competences in innovation-related further education. Notably, Strategic Competence emerges as the most prevalent, while Normative Competence appears least frequently. This research significantly advances the convergence of further education in innovation management, responsible management education, and competence-based learning, emphasizing the importance of sustainability competences in adult learning contexts. By shedding light on this underexplored domain, the study prompts further exploration and development of sustainable educational practices for lifelong learning.

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.

Innovation in service, procedure and product design is essential for long-term success in today's fast-paced and cutthroat hospitality sector. This study aims to learn how innovation may revolutionise the hospitality sector and lead to memorable guest experiences.

The research delves into new ways of thinking about service design, emphasizing how to create engaging and individual customer experiences (CXs). In order to stand out in a crowded hospitality market and keep up with customers' ever-changing demands, businesses in the industry are experimenting with new approaches to service, like co-creation, personalisation and experience design.

The study also digs into process innovation in the hotel industry, looking at how the latest tech and automation are helping to streamline processes and boost productivity. Reservation systems, guest check-in and check-out, cleaning and supply chain management are just a few areas that get studied. The study delves into how thoughtful product design may enrich visitors' hotel stays. It explores new and interesting services like in-room entertainment, eco-friendly building techniques and creative cuisine. The study investigates how these unique items affect customers' opinions of the products' worth, satisfaction and loyalty.

Methods such as in-depth interviews with experts, guest surveys and the examination of case studies highlighting cutting-edge design in the hospitality industry are all part of the research strategy. This project seeks to provide useful insights and recommendations for hospitality firms that want to adopt innovative service, process and product design methods by analysing real-world instances and gathering empirical data.

This chapter uses data from the Scopus database to present a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of fintech research, focusing on publication trends, citation patterns, and thematic clusters within the field. The analysis reveals notable trends, including influential publications, prolific authors, and their affiliations. It identifies and explores publications categorized into 23 distinct themes, representing key areas of inquiry in fintech, such as technological advancements, financial inclusion, innovation, data analytics, sustainability, and regulatory compliance. The study also identifies research gaps, indicating areas within fintech that have received limited scholarly attention. These findings provide valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and industry practitioners. Researchers can better understand the fintech landscape, identify research gaps, and guide future inquiries. Policymakers can develop effective regulations and policies based on identified trends and challenges. Industry practitioners can leverage fintech developments to enhance their strategies and operations.

This study explores the configurations of management control systems (MCSs) while taking into account entrepreneurial cognition styles (ECSs) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The objective is to understand the impact of ECS on deployment and identify the various modes of MCS configurations employed by SMEs. The authors draw on and synthesise two theoretical perspectives relating to cognition and management control packages to understand the associations between ECS and MCS employed by SMEs in managing their business. This study was conducted using a quantitative approach that utilises a questionnaire survey to collect cross-sectional data from 150 SMEs. The authors uncovered three cognitive styles: knowing (e.g. preciseness), planning (e.g. organising), and creativity (e.g. innovativeness). Furthermore, five configurations of MCS utilised by SMEs were identified: customer focus, performance monitoring, administrative focus, strategic focus, and development focus. By combining both analyses, the authors discovered three constellations of significant association between ECS and MCS characterised by Cluster 1’s cohesive integration approach, Cluster 2’s revealing strategic approach, and Cluster 3’s multifaceted exploration. The study is significant because it uncovers the complex relationship between ECS and MCS configurations, highlighting their interdependence within the institutional context. Using a cognitive view, the authors explore how the cognitive styles of entrepreneurs facilitated imprinting institutional context into MCS configurations. These insights enable us to envisage that ECS is not mutually exclusive but forms a continuum that provides more plausible explanations that relax the direct universal relationship between MCS configurations and contextual factors.

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.

Introduction: The circular economy is observed as a good sustainability practice that has gained importance recently. The effects of this practice specific to the financial industry are examined in the context of green accounting, finance, and sustainability reporting standards and needs.

Purpose: This chapter aims to analyse the impact of the circular economy on the finance industry based on three research questions: (1) What benefits and challenges does the circular economy bring to the financial industry? (2) What should be the financial industry’s strategic roadmap and business model for transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy? (3) What are the differentiating aspects of ecosystem accounting and environmental accounting in its structure and use in the financial industry?

Methodology: The method of our work is based on a ‘strategic road map for circular economy’ implementation and a ‘sustainability business model framework’ relevant to the finance industry. Thus, we systematically present the ‘value generation process’ considering the industry trends and dynamics and regulatory challenges regarding ‘green business model’ management with a strategic approach.

Findings: To coordinate the transition to a circular economy based on systematic knowledge about the state of ecosystems and their interactions with society, it is necessary to design monitoring, accounting and reporting systems that adapt to the new business operating environment. This chapter provides recommendations from the perspective of the financial sector.

This chapter explores the vast array of fintech opportunities. The industry commanded approximately $250 billion in revenue in 2022, which is predicted to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2030. Fintech firms are involved in everything from digital currencies to payment systems, lending platforms, and embedded finance. Firms use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to create personalized financial products. One of the most important benefits to society is that fintech makes finance more inclusive to the traditionally underserved. However, fintech has its challenges. Regulations evolve, making compliance a challenge. Also, the industry is vulnerable to cyberattacks and money laundering. Companies hold large amounts of sensitive data, making them obvious targets for bad actors. As with many industries, governance, compliance, and transparency are essential for fintechs as they transform the financial services landscape.

Amid rapid global urbanization, cities confront many complex challenges, including sustainability, waste management, energy consumption and resource allocation. Two emerging paradigms – smart cities and circular economies (CEs) – have shown promise in addressing these issues. Smart cities utilize cutting-edge technologies like internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to create interconnected, efficient urban ecosystems. Meanwhile, the CE model aims for a regenerative system focused on minimizing waste and maximizing the utilization of resources. However, these paradigms have rarely been studied in conjunction, resulting in a gap in the existing literature. This bibliometric analysis aims to bridge this gap by mapping the interdisciplinary research landscape that integrates smart cities and CEs. Specifically, the study identifies key thematic intersections, influential authors, leading academic journals and potential directions for future research. Through this analysis, we provide a comprehensive overview of the existing body of work and lay the groundwork for the evolution of this interdisciplinary domain.

Financial technology (fintech) refers to using new technology to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services. This chapter provides a brief introduction to fintech. It also includes the book's purpose, distinguishing features, intended audience, and structure. A synopsis of Chapters 2 through 23 is offered. The chapter concludes that fintech is constantly evolving and is reshaping finance. Fintechs offer a new paradigm of growth.