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The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of fuel blends containing ethanol and gasoline in spark ignition engines. The aim is to explore alternative fuels that can enhance performance while minimizing or eliminating adverse environmental impacts, particularly in the context of limited fossil fuel availability and the need for sustainable alternatives.

The authors used the Ricardo Wave software to evaluate the performance of fuel blends with varying ethanol content (represented as E0, E10, E25, E40, E55, E70, E85 and E100) in comparison to gasoline. The assessment involved different composition percentages and was conducted at various engine speeds (1,500, 3,000, 4,500 and 6,000 rpm). This methodology aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different ethanol-gasoline blends perform under different conditions.

The study found that, across all fuel blends, the highest brake power (BP) and the highest brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) were observed at 6,000 rpm. Additionally, it was noted that the presence of ethanol in gasoline fuel blends has the potential to increase both the BP and BSFC. These findings suggest that ethanol can positively impact the performance of spark-ignition engines, highlighting its potential as an alternative fuel.

This research contributes to the ongoing efforts in the automotive industry to find sustainable alternative fuels. The use of Ricardo Wave software for performance assessment and the comprehensive exploration of various ethanol-gasoline blends at different engine speeds add to the originality of the study. The emphasis on the potential of ethanol to enhance engine performance provides valuable insights for motor vehicle manufacturers and researchers working on alternative fuel solutions.

This chapter elaborates the concept of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and further validates the model for the sustainability of financial innovation using factors of e-payment system, adoption intention, trust and sustainability, and finally derives a model for the sustainability of the financial innovation using SEM. The chapter also presents Sustainability of E-payment System on Customer Perspective (SEPSCP) through segmentation approach.

The purpose of the study is to identify the perceived lack of certain core knowledge, skills and attributes in external quality auditors (EQAs) that contributes to an audit process that does not add value for client organizations. This paper describes the development of a competency requirement framework for quality management system (QMS) EQAs that would improve their capability and audit performance.

A review of relevant international literature on auditor competence and education, clients' expectations on external auditors, explicit and implicit expectations based on ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 19011:2018, and current auditor capability was conducted to obtain insights into the present situation and requirements of the environment. A survey questionnaire was then utilized in the collection of data from 19 heads of certification and technical reviewers of accredited certification bodies (CBs) in Malaysia. Univariate and bivariate analysis were used in analyzing the data from respondents.

The overall results show that the most important components of knowledge for EQAs to possess are quality management principles, system and standards; risk management; and business process and operations management. In terms of skills, the most important skills for auditors are auditing and report writing and critical/analytical thinking, followed by communication/interpersonal/people/ICT and team management. Attributes such as integrity, being ethical, professional and objective are found to be most important in EQAs to be effective and add value to the audits. Based on the results, the competency requirement framework of EQAs was developed.

This paper presents the knowledge, skills, attitudes and experience needed by EQAs identified by the CBs which is then developed into a competency requirements framework for future auditor training. The resulting framework from the study can be used by accreditation bodies, CBs and training organizations to evaluate and improve the auditors' competence and audit performance in the future.

This paper aims to develop a money laundering risk management model for multiple-purpose financial institutions (SOFOMES, Spanish acronym for “Sociedades Financieras de Objeto Múltiple”) based on the best international practices.

A study of a sample of several SOFOMES is carried out through representative surveys and focus groups to collect information to develop a causal model of risk management under a Bayesian network approach together with a Monte Carlo simulation.

The probability that SOFOMES has a high incidence to be used as a mean of money laundering is 29.3%, correspondingly with a probability of 33.1% of having medium incidence and 37.4% of low incidence.

Only nine SOFOMES were willing to provide information for this study.

In Mexico, there is a large registry in the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General’s Office of this type of practices in the SOFOMES sector, impacting tax collection and affecting the growth of the real sector. The proposed model serves to establish several preventive policies that reduce the incidence of this type of crime.

As far as the authors know, there is no other study as this one in Mexico or in the rest of the world.

Given the rise of sport non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and sponsorships from cryptocurrency companies in the sport industry during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this paper aims to critically frame the partnerships between cryptocurrency and sport by exploring the reception of fan tokens amongst supporters of three English Premier League clubs: Manchester City, Everton and Crystal Palace.

Drawing upon the emerging critical scholarship on cryptocurrency and the political economy of professional football, this study uses digital ethnography in an attempt to understand the major themes emanating from the online forum discussions amongst fans in response to the issuance of fan tokens by the aforementioned three clubs, among other types of partnerships with crypto companies.

The supporters’ critical deliberations revolved around the contradictions of fan tokens (as a means for supposed “fan engagement” or for financial speculation) and the utility of cryptocurrency for the public. These reactions in turn showcase a larger tension underlying the financially unstable professional football industry: the contest between the owners and the fan bases over the exchange value (for profit) and use value (for community) of the clubs.

This paper is one of the first studies to adopt a critical framework to examine the emerging partnerships between sports and cryptocurrency companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also provides one of the first in-depth analyses of the critical receptions of sport NFTs amongst sport fans. While contributing to the literature on fan activism/protest in the context of the commercialization and commodification of sport, the paper also raises new questions on the responsible use of cryptocurrency/NFT in sport.

This research examines the relationship between market power and liquidity creation in the specific context of bank profitability in the Vietnamese banking sector.

The study applies the methodology proposed by Berger and Bouwman (2009) to demonstrate the creation of bank liquidity through a three-step procedure for investigating the relationship between market power and liquidity creation. The three steps include non-fat liquidity (NFLC), fat liquidity (FLC) and system generalized method of moments estimation for panel data.

This study finds that liquidity creation increases when a bank has high market power. Further, highly profitable banks positively impact the market power of banks with regard to liquidity creation, relative to less profitable banks. Moreover, bank size, capital, economic growth and interest rate negatively influence bank liquidity creation, while credit risk positively relates to bank liquidity creation.

Measurements used in this study are based on the works of Berger and Bouwman (2009). There are specific variations, relative to Basel III. In addition, other variables significantly impact bank liquidity creation that have not been considered in the models, and a quadratic model should have been considered to measure market power and bank liquidity creation.

This study suggests that managers should control the liquidity of their banks by supervising vulnerable characteristics that have been mentioned herein and emphasizing improvements in profitability. Further, the government may consider encouraging banks to generate more liquidity by modifying regulations concerned with market power or reinforcing policies about improving the transparent business environment.

This study characterizes an attempt to examine the influence of market power on the liquidity creation of banks in Vietnam, which represents one of the most dynamic systems in Asia, with several varied participating banks. The current study also examines the same within the specific context of the modifying impact of the profitability of banks.

Organizational success in a dynamic environment demands leadership and agility. The extant literature on employee agility needs more empirical evidence and appropriate theoretical explanations. This study aims to contribute to the literature by bringing empirical evidence to understand the intervening mechanisms through which empowering leadership influences employee agility and to suggest alternate theoretical explanations.

The mediating role of knowledge-sharing behavior and psychological safety is examined using quantitative data from a sample of 924 employees working in India's information technology industry.

Findings reveal that empowering leadership contributes to psychological safety at the workplace, promoting employees' knowledge-sharing behavior and leading to employee agility. The findings are globally relevant and theoretically consistent.

The phenomenon is explained in two ways. Firstly, by combining the structural empowerment and motivation perspectives, and secondly, by combining the conservation of resources and social exchange perspectives.

The findings imply that psychological safety and knowledge-sharing behavior can be used as leading indicators to prepare the organization for success in a dynamic and volatile environment.

This study is one of the earliest attempts to explain the mediating mechanism between empowering leadership and employee agility using serial multiple mediations. Further, this study combines different theoretical perspectives to present the findings more logically.

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationships between organizational justice, organizational silence and organizational creativity and to examine the mediating role of organizational silence in the effect of organizational justice on organizational creativity.

Research data were collected using a face-to-face survey method applied to employees in the automotive industry in Turkey. The research model and hypotheses were tested by structural equation modeling.

Research results indicate that organizational justice positively affects organizational silence, organizational creativity is positively affected by organizational justice and organizational silence positively affects organizational creativity. Besides, according to the results, organizational silence has a partial mediating role in the effect of organizational justice on organizational creativity.

Although the relationships between organizational justice, organizational silence and organizational creativity were examined in previous studies in the literature, the role of organizational silence in the relationship between organizational justice and organizational creativity was not investigated. Besides, although previous studies examined the mediating role of variables that are thought to have a positive effect on the organization between organizational justice and organizational creativity, they did not study the role of a variable of organizational silence, which is considered negative. For these reasons, this study is predicted to differentiate the perspective in the literature and fills a gap in the literature.

Social welfare scholarship has not paid adequate attention to the phenomenon of single-parent women in Asia, especially in terms of their economic and social vulnerabilities. This study aims to explore the strategies employed by women who are single parents to secure their families from socioeconomic issues. It also delves into the experiences and viewpoints of families regarding the social institutions they turn to for assistance during times of hardship – whether it be the state, market, or informal networks.

The data were collected through 33 semi-structured interviews, with informants selected using the purposive sampling technique in South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, from February 2023 to July 2023. This number was obtained based on informants who were included in the criteria the researchers determined, which included “being a female single parent” and “being over the age of 17,” which is the minimum age for Indonesians to marry. Others included “having dependents to support, be they children and/or the respondent’s family” and occupying the main role as “household head” – all of which defined whether someone belongs to the “vulnerable group.”

The study highlights the significance of informal support for single mothers facing economic hardship. Still, overreliance on it can lead to concerns about the sustainability of the everyday social safety net they receive. Social exclusion is also problematic due to societal assumptions about divorce and widowhood. The last highlight is how 'deskilling' among single parents has complicated the challenges women face to re-enter the workforce.

This study’s outcomes provide crucial insights into analyzing the patterns of single-parent families in Indonesia and serve as a framework for further research on the resilience of single parents in developing countries.

In this paper, the brain potential changes caused by touching fabrics for handle evaluation were recorded by event related potential (ERP) method, compared with subjective evaluation scores and physical index of KES, explore the cognitive mechanism of the transformation of tactile sensation into neural impulses triggered by subtle mechanical stimuli such as material, texture, density and morphology in fabrics. By combining subjective evaluation of fabric tactile sensation, objective physical properties of fabrics and objective neurobiological signals, explore the neurophysiological mechanism of tactile cognition and the signal characteristics and time process of tactile information processing.

The ERP technology was first proposed by a British psychologist named Grey Walter. It is an imaging technique of noninvasive brain cognition, whose potential changes are related to the human physical and mental activities. ERP is different from electroencephalography (EEG) and evoked potentials (EP) on the fact that it cannot only record stimulated physical information which is transmitted to brain, but also response to the psychological activities which related to attention, identification, comparison, memory, judgment and cognition as well as to human’s neural physiological changes which are caused by cognitive process of the feeling by stimulation.

According to potential changes in the cerebral cortex evoked by touching four types of silk fabrics, human brain received the physical stimulation in the early stage (50 ms) of fabrics handle evaluation, and the P50 component amplitude showed negative correlation with fabric smoothness sensations. Around 200 ms after tactile stimulus onset, the amplitude of P200 component show positive correlation with the softness sensation of silk fabrics. The relationship between the amplitude of P300 and the sense of smoothness and softness need further evidence to proof.

In this paper, the brain potential changes caused by touching fabrics for handle evaluation were recorded by event related potential (ERP) method, compared with subjective evaluation scores and physical index of KES, the results shown that the maximum amplitude of P50 component evoked by fabric touching is related to the fabrics’ smoothness and roughness emotion, which means in the early stage processing of tactile sensation, the rougher fabrics could arouse more attention. In addition, the amplitude of P200 component shows positive correlation with the softness sensation of silk fabrics.