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This study examines the relevance of information and communication technologies in the effect of gender economic inclusion on environmental sustainability.

The focus is on a panel of 42 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2005–2020. The empirical evidence is based on generalized method of moments. The environmental sustainability indicator used is CO2 emissions per capita. Three indicators of women’s economic inclusion are considered: female labour force participation, female employment and female unemployment. The chosen ICT indicators are mobile phone penetration, Internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions.

The results show that: (1) fixed broadband subscriptions represent the most relevant ICT moderator of gender economic inclusion for an effect on CO2 emissions; (2) negative net effects are apparent for the most part with fixed broadband subscriptions (3) both positive ICT thresholds (i.e., critical levels for complementary policies) and negative ICT thresholds (i.e., minimum ICT levels for negative net effects) are provided; (4) ICT synergy effects are apparent for female unemployment, but not for female employment. In general, the joint effect of ICTs or their synergies and economic inclusion should be a concern for policymakers in order to better ensure sustainable development. Moreover, the relevant ICT policy thresholds and mobile phone threshold for complementary policy are essential in promoting a green economy.

The study complements the extant literature by assessing linkages between information technology, gender economic inclusion and environmental sustainability.

This study aims to examine the effects of energy transition on pollution emissions in Africa. In addition, it explores the indirect channels through which energy consumption impacts environmental quality.

The study uses system Generalised Method of Moments approach for a panel of 51 developing African countries over the 1996–2020 period.

The results show that fossil fuel and renewable energy consumption increase pollution emissions. The environment-degrading effect of renewable energy in Africa is however counter-intuitive, though the results are robust across regional economic blocks and income groups except for upper-middle-income countries where energy consumption is environment enhancing. Moreover, the results show that the environmental impacts of non-renewable energy consumption are modulated through financial development and information and communication technology (ICT) adoption, leading to respective positive net effects of 0.04460796 and 0.07682873. This is up to respective policy thresholds of 203.265 and 137.105 of financial development and ICT adoption, respectively, when the positive net effects are nullified.

Contingent on the results, the study suggests the need for African countries to develop sound financial systems and encourage the use of green technologies, to ensure that energy transition effectively contributes to emissions reduction. Policymakers in Africa should also be aware of the critical levels of financial development and ICT, beyond which complementary policies are required for non-renewable energy consumption to maintain a negative impact on environmental degradation.

Firstly, extant studies on the nexus between energy transition and environmental degradation in Africa are very sparse. Therefore, this study fills the existing research gap by comprehensively examining the effects of energy transition on pollution emissions across 51 African economies. Additionally, besides accounting for the direct environmental effects of energy transition, the current study accounts for the indirect channels through which the environmental impacts of energy transition are modulated. Hence, this study provides critical thresholds for the policy modulating variables, which enlighten policymakers on the necessity of designing complementary policies once the modulating variables attain the established thresholds.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) enable firms to improve their processes to remain competitive and profitable in today’s market. These demands not only value economic results but also social impact and environmental care. In other words, firms must achieve sustainable performance. However, to take on these new sustainability challenges, firms must have dynamic capabilities to take advantage of highly changing technology. Thus, this study aims to examine the mediating role of dynamic capabilities in the relationship between ICT and sustainable performance.

This study was empirical, associative and explanatory, following a latent variable design. The sample of the study consisted of partners, founders, executives and promoters from 102 Colombian new technology-based firms selected through purposive non-probabilistic sampling. Variance-based structural equation modeling or partial least squares was used for the statistical data analysis.

A higher-order model was tested, corroborating that ICT was composed of two dimensions (use and acquisition), dynamic capabilities were composed of three dimensions (absorption, innovation and adaptation), while sustainable performance showed a unidimensional structure. As for the research hypotheses, all the direct effects were supported, as well as the mediating effect of dynamic capability in the relationship between ICT and sustainable performance, this being a complementary mediation.

This study highlights the importance of dynamic capabilities for firms today, especially those working with high levels of technology. Also, considering the results obtained, firms must implement better strategies in the acquisition and use of technology to improve their sustainable performance in dynamic and uncertain environments.

The emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected organizations differently, leading to adopting alternative business operation models, including digital technologies. The rapid adoption of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates how adaptive technologies intersect with human and social institutions in potentially risky or inequitable ways. However, the sustenance of the digital transformations (DTs) induced by the COVID-19 crisis is still unclear. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the sustenance of DTs accelerated by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic response in the Tanzanian context amid the crisis.

The study used a qualitative approach that included a literature review and semi-structured interviews with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) personnel from selected public institutions in Tanzania. The interviews elicited interviewees’ perspectives on the following: the digital revolution that occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak; how it affects their work; and the country’s future digital landscape. Additionally, a literature analysis established and generalized the practices used by the governments during the COVID-19 crisis.

The results show that there is enormous, colossal press toward adopting digital solutions. The use of digital technologies, such as digital payments, e-commerce, telemedicine and online education, has attracted the attention of businesses and individuals in Tanzania. Consequently, the move has enabled the country to cope with the cascading impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and progressive economic recovery to achieve its development goals. Furthermore, the findings offer policy strategies for taking the induced DTs to the next level and sustaining it.

This study reports the lessons from the DTs induced by COVID-19 and their sustenance. It also contributes toward forward-thinking reforms and policy measures that could help Tanzania and the likes harness the DTs'’ potential in the wake of the pandemic.

In this study, the deployment of an integrated Quality Function Deployment (QFD) decision framework is presented to help cities design targeted strategies to become “smart”. Arguably smart cities leverage advanced technologies to enhance their smartness to improve everyday urban life. To this end, a QFD – Analytic Hierarchy Process – Analytic Network Process (QFD-AHP-ANP) framework is proposed to deliver guidance for selecting the appropriate mix of smart technologies based on the specific smart needs of each city.

The AHP and ANP methods are incorporated into QFD to enhance its methodological robustness in formulating the decision problem. AHP accurately captures and translates the “Voice of the Experts” into prioritized “Smart City” dimensions, while establishing inter-relationships between these dimensions and “Smart City Technologies”. Meanwhile, ANP explores tradeoffs among the technologies, enabling well-informed decisions. The framework’s effectiveness is evaluated through an illustrative application in the city of Thessaloniki.

Applying the framework to this real-world context confirms its practicality and utility, demonstrating its ability to particularize local, social, political, environmental and economic trends through the resulting mix of technologies in smart urban development strategies.

The importance of this study lies in several aspects. Firstly, it introduces a novel QFD decision framework tailored for smart city strategic planning. Secondly, it contributes to the operationalization of the smart city concept by providing guidance for cities to effectively adopt smart technologies. Finally, this study represents a new field of application for QFD, expanding its scope beyond its traditional domains.

This study used an integrated model that incorporates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to empirically investigate how eco-gamification stimulates users' sustainability knowledge and, consequently, their pro-sustainable intentions through the mediating roles of sustainable knowledge and psychological and social norms. Thus, the study aims to examine users'’ experiences with the JouleBug app, which is designed to encourage users to complete at least one daily green task.

After a trial period of two weeks, a total of 360 participants completed the post-game survey during the research process.

The findings from the structural equation modeling and data analysis indicated a good fit for the model. The findings demonstrate that usefulness, ease of use and enjoyment of eco-gamification enrich users' sustainability knowledge, which, in turn, strongly influences their pro-sustainable intentions. According to the findings, the three factors of TPB have a significant impact on users' pro-sustainability intentions. Both sustainable knowledge and social cues play mediating roles in such relationships.

This study advocates that eco-gamification can be used as a platform to modify tourists’ pro-sustainability intentions in emerging tourism and technology destinations such as Egypt. Hence, this study offers significant information to tourism planners and other stakeholders on tourists’ behavioural intentions.

This study examined the effectiveness of an integrated model of TAM and TBP in predicting tourists’ intentions to use eco-gamification to improve the sustainability of tourist destinations.

本研究采用结合技术接受模型（TAM）和计划行为理论（TPB）的综合模型, 旨在探究生态游戏化如何提升用户对可持续性的认知, 从而影响他们支持环保行为的意愿。通过研究可持续性知识以及心理和社会规范在其中的中介作用来实现这一目标。因此, 本研究调查了用户使用JouleBug应用程序的体验, 该应用程序旨在鼓励用户每天完成至少一个环保任务。

在为期两周的试验期后, 共有360名参与者在研究过程中完成了后测问卷调查。

通过结构方程模型和数据分析, 研究结果表明模型拟合良好。研究发现, 生态游戏化的实用性、易用性和乐趣能够丰富用户的可持续性知识, 从而强烈影响他们支持可持续性的意愿。研究结果还显示, 计划行为理论（TPB）的三个因素对用户的支持可持续性意愿有显著影响。可持续性知识和社会提示在这些关系中发挥着中介作用。

本研究主张, 生态游戏化可以作为一个平台, 用于引导游客在埃及等新兴旅游和科技目的地中支持可持续性的意愿。因此, 该研究为旅游规划者和其他利益相关者提供了有关游客行为意向的重要信息。

本研究考察了TAM和TPB综合模型在预测游客使用生态游戏化改善旅游目的地可持续性意愿方面的有效性。

Este estudio utilizó un modelo integrado que combina el Modelo de Aceptación Tecnológica (TAM) y la Teoría del Comportamiento Planificado (TPB) para investigar cómo la eco-gamificación aumenta el conocimiento de los usuarios sobre la sostenibilidad y, en consecuencia, sus intenciones para actuar favorablemente en el medio ambiente. Esto se logró analizando cómo el conocimiento sostenible y las normas psicológicas y sociales actuaban como mediadores. Para ello, la investigación examina las experiencias de los usuarios con la aplicación JouleBug, diseñada para fomentar que los usuarios realicen al menos una tarea verde diaria.

Tras un período de prueba de dos semanas, un total de 360 participantes completaron la encuesta posterior al juego durante el proceso de investigación.

Los resultados del modelo de ecuaciones estructurales y análisis de datos indicaron un buen ajuste del modelo. Los resultaros evidencian que la utilidad, facilidad de uso y disfrute de la eco-gamificación enriquecen el conocimiento de sostenibilidad de los usuarios y, a su vez, influye significativamente en sus intenciones pro-sostenibilidad. Conforme a los resultados, los tres factores de la TPB tienen un impacto significativo en las intenciones pro-sostenibilidad de los usuarios. Tanto el conocimiento sostenible como las señales sociales desempeñan roles mediadores en estas relaciones.

Este estudio aboga por el uso de la eco-gamificación como una plataforma para modificar las intenciones pro-sostenibilidad de los turistas en destinos emergentes de turismo y tecnología, como Egipto. Por tanto, esta investigación proporciona información significativa para los planificadores de turismo y otros interesados en las intenciones conductuales de los turistas.

Este estudio examinó la eficacia de un modelo integrado de TAM y TPB para predecir las intenciones de los turistas de utilizar la eco-gamificación para mejorar la sostenibilidad de los destinos turísticos.

Sustainable management requires companies to build up new knowledge to acquire the competencies needed for action. This chapter aims to deliver knowledge about sustainability and knowledge for sustainability. Firstly, we systematically analyse the sustainability literature in the social sciences through a bibliographic analysis and topic modelling using VOSviewer and Mallet software. We outline research directions, themes and critical contributions for each research cluster identified. Additionally, we categorise over 30 definitions of sustainability identified by Meuer, Koelbel, and Hoffmann (2020). Secondly, we enumerate knowledge types needed for effective sustainability transitions of organisations. We trace typologies of sustainable business models and their distinct evaluations of sustainability. In this chapter, we argue that integrating the triad of social, ecological and economic goals is central for sustainability attempts as well as long-term thinking. Therefore, our research offers a comprehensive overview of sustainability in the social sciences supporting researchers and practitioners to navigate this miscellaneous and scattered field. Accordingly, our study is precious to young scholars researching sustainability who want to use the term in an informed and meaningful way.

Benchmarking e-government and digital society developments using relevant indicators provides crucial insights into what aspects to consider while building a resilient digital society in which digital public services are delivered effectively and sustainably. The purpose of this paper is to analyse selected indices and indicators over the years and provide findings and recommendations on what indicators contribute most to the development.

A mixed research approach was used to conduct the research and collect, analyse and interpret data. A qualitative analysis involving the search, decomposition and comparison approaches to identify e-government and digital society reports, indices, rankings and indicators was followed by a quantitative analysis comprising of regression and cluster analyses.

The findings revealed that changes in the mix of indicators used by e-government and digital society indices can be attributed to advances in ICT and channels through which people communicate and receive information. The authors found that digital and telecommunication infrastructures and the quality of their parameters such as broadband have the biggest influence on progress of the e-government and digital societies developments and contribute most to clustering of the EU member states into groups.

The paper provides insights into how the structures of related indices changed over the years and how different indicators contribute to benchmarking of e-government and digital society developments by means of their weights. It provides governments with recommendations on which indicators to focus most.

A promising solution to meet the challenge of sustainability and ensure the protection of the environment consists in acting considerably on the adoption and use of new information and communication technologies. The latter can act on the protection of the environment; completely change manufacturing processes into energy-efficient, eco-friendly techniques or influence institutions and governance. The article attempts to cover shortcomings in the literature by providing a couple of theoretical frameworks and grounded empirical proofs for the dissemination of green technologies and the interaction of the latter with institutional quality.

The sample is made up of 43 African countries covering the period 2000–2020 and a panel VAR modeling approach is employed.

Our results show that an attenuation of CO2 emissions amplifies the diffusion of digital technologies (mobile telephones and Internet). Efficiency in the institutional quality of African countries is mandatory for environmental preservation. Moreover, the provision of a favorable institutional framework in favor of renewable energy helps to stimulate environmental performance in African states.

This study complements the extant literature by assessing nexuses between green technology and CO2 emissions in environmental sustainability.

The aim of this study is to propose a governance model and key performance indicators on how policymakers can contribute to a more accessible, inclusive and sustainable mobility within and across smart cities to examine sustainable urban mobility grounded on the rational management of public transportation infrastructure.

This study employed desk research methodology grounded on secondary data from existing documents and previous research to develop a sustainable mobility governance model that explores key factors that influence future urban policy development. The collected secondary data was descriptively analyzed to provide initiatives and elements needed to achieve sustainable mobility services in smart cities.

Findings from this study provide evidence on how cities can benefit from the application of data from different sources to provide value-added services to promote integrated and sustainable mobility. Additionally, findings from this study discuss the role of smart mobility for sustainable services and the application for data-driven initiatives toward sustainable smart cities to enhance mobility interconnectivity, accessibility and multimodality. Findings from this study identify technical and non-technical factors that impact the sustainable mobility transition.

Practically, this study advocates for the use of smart mobility and data-driven services in smart cities to improve commuters' behavior aimed at long-term behavior change toward sustainable mobility by creating awareness on the society and supporting policymakers for informed decisions. Implications from this study provide information that supports policymakers and municipalities to implement data-driven mobility services.

This study provides implications toward behavioral change of individuals to adopt a more sustainable mode of travels, increase citizens’ quality of life, improve economic viability of business involved in providing mobility-related services and support decision-making for municipalities and policymakers during urban planning and design by incorporating the sustainability dimension into their present and future developments.

This paper explores how urban transportation can greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provides implications for cities to improve accessibility and sustainability of public transportation, while simultaneously promoting the adoption of more environmentally friendly means of mobility within and across cities. Besides, this study provides a detailed discussion focusing on the potential opportunities and challenges faced in urban environment in achieving sustainable mobility. The governance model developed in this study can also be utilized by technology startups and transportation companies to assess the factors that they need to put in place or improve for the provision of sustainable mobility services.