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Climate change is a bitter truth for the entire humanity, and it vehemently calls for thoughtful means for environmental protection along with sustainable economic growth. International trade blocs fundamentally represent amalgamation of countries to achieve unified goals like higher living standards, reduced trade barriers, freer labour mobility across member states, social and cultural upliftment, political allegiance to regional association, etc. Throughout the 1990s, these trade blocs have committed to reducing environmental pressures and shifting towards cleaner forms of energy. This chapter examines the relationship between rate of change in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per capita and rate of change in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in linear, quadratic and cubic polynomial forms with the other control variables like inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI), export of goods and services, population density, urban population percentage and location dummies for the 66 countries falling in seven regional trade blocs. Other than the European Union and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the remaining five trade blocs in the study – Association of South-East Nations (ASEAN), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Common Market for Eastern and South Africa (COMESA), Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – contain mostly the developing and some of the fastest growing economies of the world. The panel regression result finds an inverse relationship between rate of change in per capita CO₂ emissions and rate of change in GDP per capita (in linear and cubic polynomial forms), exports and population density, while the other coefficients of the explanatory variables are positive. The study also establishes an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) which is opposite to N-shape during 2005–2019, and that contradicts with the original EKC of inverted U-shaped. However, this shape admits the collective efforts of region-specific trade blocs towards achieving clean environment which is one of the important global goals.

The study's objective was to address the factors impacting the employability attributes of fresh graduates in the Kingdom of Bahrain while considering the various challenges. This study used a quantitative approach which employed the questionnaire tool, and data were collected by using a convenience sampling method. The study sample comprised n = 385 respondents from different industries, including manufacturing, banking and finance, hospitality, healthcare, oil and gas, and real estate sectors of Bahrain. Data gathered from questionnaire were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), where descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data. The results of the study showed for the major Hypothesis 1 that the demographic variables have no significant statistical impact on employment attributes of the new fresh graduates. Moreover, findings suggest that null hypothesis for major Hypothesis 2 has been rejected as applied academic skills and critical thinking skills have no significant impact on employability attribute of fresh graduates in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Null hypothesis for major Hypothesis 3 has been accepted as findings suggest that technology use skills (β ₁ = 0.080), system thinking skills (β ₂ = 0.210), communication skills (β ₃ = 0.402), and information skills (β ₄ = −0.100) which are an antecedent of workplace skills, have significant statistical impact on employability attribute of fresh graduates in Kingdom of Bahrain. Lastly, null hypothesis for major Hypothesis 4 has been accepted as findings suggest that interpersonal skills (β ₅ = 0.229) which are an antecedent of effective relationship have significant statistical impact on employability attribute of fresh graduates in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Although virtual worlds, such as the Metaverse, can disrupt the hospitality sector, few empirical investigations have critically evaluated the scope and scale of this disruption from an industry perspective. This study aims to rectify this knowledge gap by exploring the opportunities and challenges of the Metaverse as seen by hospitality professionals.

This is a Delphi study conducted with UK-based senior hospitality industry practitioners experienced in designing and implementing digital innovations within their organisations.

The Metaverse is most likely to be adopted by hospitality organisations willing and able to take risks, such as large and/or chain-affiliated enterprises. The Metaverse will not replace traditional hospitality services but supplement and enhance them with new layers of service. The main applications are in the context of events and experiences. The Metaverse will also provide the “try before you buy” option, revealing the opportunities to design digital twins of physical businesses. Young and technology-savvy individuals are most likely to first adopt the Metaverse. The key challenges of the adoption are attributed to the technological unpreparedness of hospitality organisations; market immaturity; inflated customer expectations; a skills gap among hospitality employees; and regulatory issues. These challenges require the engagement of various stakeholders to create an operational and monitoring framework for hospitality organisations to embrace the Metaverse.

This study highlights how the Metaverse can disrupt the hospitality industry at the level of strategic planning and business operations.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first empirical investigations of the potential of the Metaverse from the viewpoint of hospitality industry practitioners.

This paper aims to examine the antecedents of adoption intention of profit-sharing investment deposits (PSID) among Moroccan customers.

Applying an extended version of diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory and using a non-probability sampling technique with convenience approach, a quantitative survey was developed and administered to 171 Islamic banking users. Structural equation modeling was then used to evaluate the significance of relationships between the various variables under study using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 26.0 statistical packages.

Empirical findings of the structural analysis indicated a significant direct relationship between adoption intention and six out of seven variables: perceived relative advantage, perceived compatibility, perceived complexity, perceived risk, religiosity and social influence, all of which had a significant effect on Moroccan customers’ intention to invest their funds in profit-sharing based deposit instruments, whereas customer awareness exerted an insignificant positive effect.

The absence of a longitudinal study tracking the actual adoption behavior is the main limitation of this study. Furthermore, data were collected solely from Islamic banking users. Finally, despite being insightful, the empirical findings should be generalized with caution since the sample was purposely selected by the banks’ management.

This study implied that participatory banks should pay substantial attention to risk perceptions, as PSID adoption intention is typically inhibited by high perceived risks associated with these products. Moreover, this study provides great indications to Moroccan regulators and policymakers on a number of issues related to this emerging business.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first attempt to confirm the effectiveness of the Rogers’ DOI in examining the intention to adopt a financial innovation in the Moroccan context. It is also the first of its kind to address customers’ apprehensions regarding profit-sharing investment products.

The purpose of this paper is to show the spatial extent and growth of tourism and its likely patterns as past forces of change are replaced by new pressures to reduce climate change and meet new definitions of success.

The approach involves a review of changes that have occurred over the Horizon period with a focus on the spatial spread and development of tourism, using and based on a literature review, past research and personal experience. Likely new developments are identified based on the expected result of influences including climate change mitigation and altered understandings of what is meant by success in tourism.

Much of the spatial change in tourism has been evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but in the future, restrictive forces external to tourism may change travel patterns with severe effects on long haul travel and a change in travel mode.

The research focus needs to produce effective measures of success as understood by all stakeholders in tourist destinations. Alternative destinations will need to replace those long haul destinations no longer available and research needs to refocus on managing rather than solely attracting visitors.

Long haul destinations will lose market share, destinations will change goals to satisfaction for stakeholders and travel modes will change to lower emission generators.

Destination choice will be reduced, transport modes may be limited and tourism closer to home will become the norm.

A general overview of this type has not been presented before.

揭示旅游业的空间范围和增长及其可能改变的模式, 因为以往的变化驱动力被减少气候变化的新压力并满足成功的新定义所取代。

由于缓解气候变化等影响和对旅游业成功含义的理解的改变而可能出现的一些新发展。本文基于文献综述、过去的研究和个人经验, 对综述期间发生的变化进行梳理, 重点关注旅游的空间扩散和发展。

过去, 旅游的很多空间变化是渐进式的, 而不是革命性的。但在未来, 旅游外部的限制性力量可能会改变旅行模式, 对长途旅行和旅行方式的变化产生严重影响。

研究重点需要产生为旅游目的地所有利益相关者所理解的, 有效的对于成功的衡量标准。替代性目的地将取代那些不可用的长途目的地。研究需要重新关注旅游业管理, 而不仅仅是吸引游客。

长途目的地将失去市场份额, 目的地将改变目标以满足利益相关者, 旅行模式将转变为低排放模式。

目的地的选择性将会减少, 交通方式可能会受到限制, 离家更近的旅游将成为常态。

这种类型的一般性概述以前没有研究过。

Mostrar la extensión espacial y el crecimiento del turismo y su probable patrón alterado a medida que las fuerzas de cambio del pasado son sustituidas por nuevas presiones para reducir el cambio climático y satisfacer nuevas definiciones de éxito.

Una revisión de los cambios que se han producido durante el periodo Horizonte, centrándose en la extensión espacial y el desarrollo del turismo, basándose en la revisión bibliográfica, la investigación previa y la experiencia personal, y los posibles nuevos desarrollos como resultado de antecedentes, incluyendo la mitigación del cambio climático y la alteración de la comprensión de lo que se entiende por éxito en el turismo.

Gran parte del cambio espacial en el turismo ha sido evolutivo más que revolucionario, pero, en el futuro, fuerzas restrictivas externas al turismo pueden cambiar los patrones de viaje con graves efectos en los viajes de larga distancia y un cambio en el modo de viajar.

El enfoque de la investigación necesita producir medidas efectivas de éxito tal y como las entienden todas las partes interesadas en los destinos turísticos. Los destinos alternativos tendrán que sustituir a los destinos de larga distancia que ya no estén disponibles y la investigación debe volver a centrarse en la gestión en lugar de únicamente en atraer visitantes.

Los destinos de larga distancia perderán cuota de mercado, los destinos cambiarán sus objetivos por la satisfacción de las partes interesadas y los modos de viaje cambiarán a generadores de menos emisiones.

Se reducirá la oferta de destinos, los modos de transporte pueden verse limitados y el turismo más cercano se convertirá en la norma.

No se había presentado antes una revisión general con este enfoque.

Although the phenomenon of the corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) has derived the interest of several scholars, in recent years, the comparative studies between Islamic banks (IBs) regarding CSRD quantity versus quality have not been the subject matter of studies till now. In this perspective, this chapter aims to investigate the importance given by IBs to the quality and quantity disclosure of CSR. Moreover, it seeks to explore the impact of CSRD quality and quantity on the IBs' financial performance (FP). To meet these objectives, we used a sample of 59 IBs from 2011 to 2016 in the Arab world and non-Arab world. Then, by adopting the content analysis approach, the authors constructed two CSRD indexes (quality and quantity). The empirical results indicated that IBs give more importance to the qualitative disclosure than the quantitative. Our findings will be very helpful for the policymakers and the managers of IBs because maintaining a good CSRD policy increases the capacity of IBs to deal with possible reputational events, thus protecting their profits and financial results. As far as the comparison between the Arabian and non-Arabian IBs, based on financial reports and Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) governance standard N°7 is concerned, our study is among the first studies that provides two new CSRD indexes (quantity and quality).

The purpose of the study is to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry during the rise of worldwide pandemic crises using Twitter analysis. The study is based on 57,794 English-language tweets mined from Twitter from 1 April 2020 to 15 October 2020. Based on thematic and sentiment analysis, the study found that overall sentiments expressed on Twitter were negative. This chapter contributes to existing knowledge about the COVID-19 crisis and broadens the respondents’ understanding of the potential impacts of the crisis on the most vulnerable tourism and hospitality industry. This research emphasises the sustainable revival of the hospitality industry.