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The increasing accumulation of synthetic plastic waste in oceans and landfills, along with the depletion of non-renewable fossil-based resources, has sparked environmental concerns and prompted the search for environmentally friendly alternatives. Biodegradable plastics derived from lignocellulosic materials are emerging as substitutes for synthetic plastics, offering significant potential to reduce landfill stress and minimise environmental impacts. This study highlights a sustainable and cost-effective solution by utilising agricultural residues and invasive plant materials as carbon substrates for the production of biopolymers, particularly polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), through microbiological processes. Locally sourced residual materials were preferred to reduce transportation costs and ensure accessibility. The selection of suitable residue streams was based on various criteria, including strength properties, cellulose content, low ash and lignin content, affordability, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, shelf-life, mechanical and physical properties, short maturation period, antibacterial properties and compatibility with global food security. Life cycle assessments confirm that PHB dramatically lowers CO₂ emissions compared to traditional plastics, while the growing use of lignocellulosic biomass in biopolymeric applications offers renewable and readily available resources. Governments worldwide are increasingly inclined to develop comprehensive bioeconomy policies and specialised bioplastics initiatives, driven by customer acceptability and the rising demand for environmentally friendly solutions. The implications of climate change, price volatility in fossil materials, and the imperative to reduce dependence on fossil resources further contribute to the desirability of biopolymers. The study involves fermentation, turbidity measurements, extraction and purification of PHB, and the manufacturing and testing of composite biopolymers using various physical, mechanical and chemical tests.

This study aims to investigate the perceived benefits arising from tourist activities at natural disaster sites, to analyze the influence of perceived benefits on satisfaction and behavioral intentions and to identify origin region’s moderating role.

A research model containing dark tourism motivations (DTMs), tourist perceived benefits (TPBs), tourist satisfaction (TS), protection intention (PI) and loyalty intention (LIs) was developed, and visitor origin was introduced as a moderating variable. Taking the 5·12 Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum as a case site, data were obtained by distributing questionnaires on-site, and the model was tested using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

DTMs had a significant effect on cognitive and affective benefits, and TPBs significantly affected TS, PI and LIs, with satisfaction playing a partial mediating role. The origins of tourists showed a moderating role in part of the influence relationship of perceived benefits.

This study explored the perceived benefits among dark tourists and built a research model of their influence on tourist satisfaction and behavior. This study not only provides suggestions for managers related to dark tourism development in natural disaster areas, but also offers the possibility of enhancing tourist dark tourism experiences by interpreting the psychology and behavior of dark tourists.

This research adopted a new perspective of the decision-making behavior of dark tourists. The perceived benefits arising from visiting natural disaster sites were analyzed and the relationships between TBSs and motivation, TS, PI and LIs were examined. Considering the specificity of dark tourism emotions, the research also analyzed the similarities and differences in the psychology and behavior of locals and non-locals in dark tourism. The research results enrich and deepen the theoretical study of dark tourism.

本文旨在探讨游客在自然灾难遗址地进行旅游活动时产生的感知收获, 分析感知收获对游客满意度和行为意向的影响, 并识别来源地在其中的调节效应。

构建了一个包含旅游动机、感知收获、满意度、保护意愿和忠诚意向等多个变量在内的研究模型, 并引入游客来源地作为调节变量。而后, 选取5·12汶川特大地震纪念馆作为案例地, 通过现场发放问卷的形式获取数据, 并采用PLS-SEM对模型进行了检验。

旅游动机对认知收获和情感收获均具有显著影响; 感知收获显著影响满意度、保护意愿和忠诚意向, 同时满意度在上述影响关系中呈现部分中介作用; 游客来源地在感知收获的部分影响关系中（旅游动机→感知收获、感知收获→保护意愿）呈现出一定的调节作用。

文章采用了一种新的视角来研究自然灾难遗址地游客的行为决策机制。通过实证数据分析了游客的感知收获, 并进一步考察了其与旅游动机、满意度、保护意愿和忠诚意向之间的影响关系。考虑到灾难遗址地旅游的独特情感特征, 文章还分析了不同来源地（本地—非本地）的游客在旅游过程中呈现出的心理与行为差异。本研究能在一定程度上丰富和深化黑色旅游的理论研究。

Este estudio persigue investigar los beneficios percibidos derivados de la actividad turística en lugares afectados por catástrofes naturales, para así analizar la influencia que dichos beneficios ejercen sobre la satisfacción y el comportamiento planificado, e identificar el papel moderador de la región de origen.

Se elaboró un modelo de investigación que contiene las variables de motivación por el turismo oscuro, beneficio percibido, satisfacción, protección e intenciones de lealtad, así como la variable moderadora origen. Tomando como área de investigación el Museo Conmemorativo del Terremoto de Wenchuan 5.12, los datos fueron obtenidos distribuyendo cuestionarios in situ. La técnica de análisis de datos aplicada fue el Modelado de Ecuaciones Estructurales de Mínimos Cuadrados Parciales (PLS-SEM)

La motivación por el turismo oscuro tuvo un efecto significativo en los beneficios cognitivos y afectivos, y los beneficios percibidos afectaron significativamente a la satisfacción, protección e intenciones de lealtad, siendo la satisfacción lo que desempeña un papel mediador parcial. El origen de los turistas mostró un papel moderador en cuanto a la relación de influencia de los beneficios percibidos.

Esta investigación adoptó una nueva perspectiva en el comportamiento de toma de decisiones en los turistas de turismo oscuro, analizó los beneficios percibidos del turismo de oscuro en los lugares donde se produjeron las catástrofes naturales, y examinó la relación entre los beneficios percibidos y la motivación, la satisfacción, la protección y la intención de lealtad. Teniendo en cuenta la especificidad de las emociones del turismo oscuro, la investigación también analizó las similitudes y diferencias entre la psicología y el comportamiento de los turistas locales y no locales en lo respectivo al turismo oscuro. Los resultados de la investigación enriquecen y ofrecen un acercamiento más profundo a los estudios teóricos del turismo oscuro.

The purpose of this research was to investigate at the influence of technology acceptance model (TAM) characteristics including perceived ease of use, perceived compatibility, and perceived security on the perceived utility and actual use of mobile banking among Yemeni academics. It also investigated the function of perceived utility as a moderator in the link between TAM variables and mobile banking adoption. The sample size was 251 respondents who worked at universities in Yemen and were chosen using stratified random selection. According to the findings, perceived compatibility and perceived security had a substantial positive influence on perceived usefulness and real mobile banking use; however perceived simplicity of use had no effect on mobile banking usage. According to the results, perceived usefulness slightly mediated the association between perceived ease of use and security and mobile banking use, whereas it completely mediated the relationship between perceived compatibility and mobile banking usage. Overall, the research proved the significance of TAM elements in academics’ use of mobile banking in Yemen, offering a credible empirical framework for studying mobile banking usage in this setting.

This study aims to examine the influence of procedural capabilities for public procurement participation on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) sales performance in Tanzania. Also, the study establishes the interaction effect of internet marketing capabilities on the relationship between procedural capabilities and sales performance.

The authors conducted confirmatory factor analysis and PROCESS macro for simple interaction analysis to analyse cross-sectional data that were obtained through questionnaire from surveyed SMEs’ managers. The included SMEs are those that are involved in supplying goods, services and works to public entities in Dodoma, Tanzania.

The findings reveal that procedural capabilities for participation in public procurement enhance SMEs to improve sales performance. Also, there is a significant and positive relationship between internet marketing capabilities and sales performance. Lastly, internet marketing capabilities strengthen the relationship between procedural capabilities and sales performance.

This study is a wake-up call to SMEs to better comprehend public procurement procedures and e-business practices to use the available public procurement opportunities. It is argued that SMEs should invest in technology to market their businesses through social media and online platforms. According to the study, SMEs may benefit from improving their sales performance by fully utilising their internet marketing capabilities and participating in public procurement opportunities.

This study adds to the two main streams of literature that emphasise harnessing public procurement opportunities for SMEs (through public procurement participation) and leveraging internet marketing capabilities for SMEs to improve their sales performance.

Purpose: In this technologically advanced era, it is crucial to understand how consumers adopt innovations so that producers and marketers can cater to these needs effectively. While existing technology adoption models have good explanatory power, a hybrid model must account for newer contexts.

Need for the Study: Most technology adoption papers in extant literature deal with the phenomenon’s functional, environmental and cognitive aspects. However, a mindset-oriented approach is largely absent from current studies. Mindsets are core beliefs people have about the malleability of human traits and characteristics that ultimately shape consumer behaviour. Investigating the adoption of such technologies through a deeper psychological lens will advance the field substantially.

Methodology: This conceptual paper utilised a literature review and theoretical integration to present a novel technology adoption model. The literature review of secondary data helped identify extant gaps, while academic integration of major concepts helped fill said gaps.

Findings: Based on the existing gaps in the literature, this study conceptualised a novel technology adoption model based on the foundation of Mindset Theory. Overall, relevant constructs, variables and scales have been presented along with future research propositions.

Practical Implications: From a global perspective, the findings of this chapter will enable marketers and practitioners to understand consumer adoption of new-age technologies. Producers of such technologies will also be able to cater to consumers more efficiently as a result of this study.

Undoubtedly, coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has released unprecedented disruptions and health crisis on people and activities everywhere. The impacts extend to public–private partnership (PPP) arrangements in the construction industry. Concomitantly, PPP pacts are contributing to combat the pandemic. However, literature on the PPP concept in the COVID-19 era remain under-researched. This study aims to review the current literature on PPPs in the COVID-19 pandemic and present the key themes, research gaps and future research directions.

In this study, 29 highly relevant literature were sourced from Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed search engines within the systematic literature review (SLR) methodology. With the aid of qualitative content analysis, the 29 articles were critically analysed leading to the extraction of hot research themes on PPPs in the coronavirus pandemic.

The results of the SLR produced eight themes such as major changes in PPP contracts, development of the COVID-19 vaccines, economic recession, facemasks and testing kits, governance and sustainability of PPPs. In addition, the study reveals seven research gaps that need further investigations among the scientific research community on mental health and post-pandemic recovery plans.

The articles selected for this review were limited to only peer-reviewed journal papers written in English excluding conference papers. This restriction may have taken out some relevant literature but they had insignificant impact on the overall outcome of this research.

To improve the understanding of practitioners in the construction industry on key issues on PPPs in the COVID-19 pandemic, the study provides them a checklist of relevant themes.

As a novel literature review relating PPPs to the coronavirus, it sets the foundation for further research and contributes to practical measures to control the virus.

More complexity, less freedom, distrust and a lack of information seem to pose threats to the success of partner relationships in accounting firms, as approximately 70% of business partnerships fail globally, undermining SDG 17. The low competitive intensity in this industry seems not to help the current situation. Yet, the existing strategic alliance (SA) literature have been somewhat sluggish in adequately addressing how partnership attributes (PAs) affect partnership success (PS) and how brand competition (BC) impacts this relationship. In response, this conceptual work addresses the impact of PAs on PS in accounting firms. It further explores the BC conditions under which the PAs–PS connection may be intensified.

Incorporating theories and empirics on six distinct topics, this study presents a conceptual model and ten hypotheses that are worth testing in future research.

This research finds that PAs will be favourably linked to PS, and this favourable association will be positively moderated by BC such that the PAs–PS connection will be more pronounced if BC within the accounting industry is high than low.

Further research is needed to empirically test the suppositions made. Also, they could extend the proposed framework to cover other moderators like technological turbulence, market dynamism and government regulation.

Practical lessons for governments, shareholders, chief executive officers, consultants and other industry players, particularly those who are interested in the success of accounting partnership firms, are deliberated.

This study demonstrates how PAs and BC interact to foster PS. It also provides a baseline information for upcoming researchers to investigate other external factors under which the PAs–PS connection may be improved.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming consumers' experiences and how firms identify, create, nurture and manage interactive marketing relationships. However, most marketers do not have a clear understanding of what AI is and how it may mutually benefit consumers and firms. In this paper, the authors conduct an extensive review of the marketing literature, develop an AI framework for understanding value co-creation in interactive buyer–seller marketing relationships, identify research gaps and offer a future research agenda.

The authors first conduct an extensive literature review in 16 top marketing journals on AI. Based on this review, an AI framework for understanding value co-creation in interactive buyer–seller marketing relationships was conceptualized.

The literature review led to a number of key research findings and summary areas: (1) an historical perspective, (2) definitions and boundaries of AI, (3) AI and interactive marketing, (4) relevant theories in the domain of interactive marketing and (5) synthesizing AI research based on antecedents to AI usage, interactive AI usage contexts and AI-enabled value co-creation outcomes.

This is one of the most extensive reviews of AI literature in marketing, including an evaluation of in excess or 300 conceptual and empirical research. Based on the findings, the authors offer a future research agenda, including a visual titled “What is AI in Interactive Marketing? AI design factors, AI core elements & interactive marketing AI usage contexts.”

As a strand in industrialization movement in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, prefabricated construction (PC) has gained widespread popularity due to high efficiency, energy saving, low environmental impacts, safety and other advantages of PC. Well-managed supply chain can further leverage the advantages of PC. However, there is a lack of more systematically overview of the prefabricated construction supply chain (PCSC). This paper aims to comb the current status and look into the future direction of PCSC by reviewing the existing research.

In total, 131 articles related to prefabricated construction supply chain management (PCSCM) from 2000 to 2022 have been collated to (1) conduct a bibliometric analysis by using VOSviewer, including the literature sources, keywords co-occurrence, co-authorships, authorship citation and country active in the field of PCSCM; (2) classify and summarize the status of research in PCSCM through qualitative discussion and (3) point out the future research directions.

In total, 131 articles are carried out for bibliometric analysis and in-depth qualitative discussion, the visualization maps and the main research themes in the field of PCSCM are obtained. The results show that supply chain intelligentization and informatization are hot topics. Finally, future research directions that should be paid attention to in the field of PCSCM are pointed out.

This study can help project managers understand the current status and problems of PCSC operations and provide a basis for future management decisions.

Compared with previous studies, this study adds the dimension of “article authorship” to the quantitative analysis and discusses the research themes in the field of PCSCM in a comprehensive manner. In addition, this paper deeply discusses the main research topics from both the specific contents and research methods adopted.