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Mega-infrastructure development plans pave the way for policies to upgrade the infrastructure, environmental management and different aspects of locals’ well-being. These developmental dynamics can positively affect rural tourism including heritage sites destinations. The quality of life of local people can be linked to this positive developmental change through long-term and sustainable economic revitalization projects. In terms of this process, developing large-scale infrastructure and incorporating tourism sustainability can improve the quality of life-related to different dimensions that are critical to the community's well-being. Therefore, researchers have attempted to address this issue.

Data were collected between September and October 2020. The study sample size was the residents of Zhabagly village, including Zhabagaly, Abaiyl and 115 Railway settlements. Moreover, the residents were older than 18 years. A systematic random sampling technique was utilised to reach the targeted sample size and the researchers received 243 responses from the locals. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for analysis.

The findings from the structural equation modelling suggest that sustainable tourism increases due to the positive effect of mega-infrastructure development and positively impacts the locals' quality of life. Notably, no direct effect of mega-infrastructure development on quality of life reveals the pivotal role of sustainable tourism. Therefore, during the COVID-19 period, the dimensions of sustainable tourism – economic, market, socio-cultural and environmental – played a role in securing the positive impact of mega-infrastructure development on the locals’ quality of life.

This research highlighted the fact that when infrastructure projects are implemented to their full potential, they will generate sustainable tourism activities, provide eco-adventure activities, relax, treat signatories and boost the economy of all stakeholders. The study used AMOS to test the hypotheses. Qualitative research methods, including interviews with citizens, government officials and tourism managers, require further study.

The infrastructural development on a mega-scale means building an upscaling tourism ecosystem. This ecosystem is marked by the availability of drinking water, waste and energy management facilities that support the elevation of living material, community, health, safety and emotional well-being. It reflects the policy-level implications for future Belt and Road initiatives (BRIs). The tourism industry's resilience during COVID-19 has practical lessons for other industries.

Large-scale infrastructure construction must create favourable conditions for the rapid development of tourism. The availability of clean water, waste and energy management facilities contributes to the food production, social cohesion, physical and mental health and general well-being of the ecosystem. This is one of the few studies that used sustainable tourism as a mediator between the impact of large infrastructure projects and their impact on the quality of life of locals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aksu-Zhabagly, a World Heritage Site in Kazakhstan, was the site of this field study.

This study aims to develop a research agenda for the advancement of theory application in practical contexts by presenting a case study of the Engagement in Plastic-free Innovation for Change (EPIC) programme delivered by Plastic Oceans Australasia (POA).

EPIC is a behaviour change programme by POA that aims to reduce single-use plastic (SUP) consumption in workplaces. The study evaluates the programme’s impact on employee perceptions and actual behaviour through pre- and post-programme data collection in two Australian workplaces. Data was gathered via online surveys and waste audits and analysed using SPSS statistics and Excel.

The case study highlights the need for theory application in programme evaluation instruments. Theory was not used in the programme evaluation tool, and theory could not be mapped onto the tool retroactively. The data from the present study showed mixed results. Data from Workplaces 1 and 2 indicated that EPIC successfully improved three out of seven employee perceptions of SUP reduction efforts. However, individual workplace data showed that EPIC only improved one out of seven perceptions in Workplace 1 and three out of seven perceptions in Workplace 2. Surprisingly, Workplace 1 observed a decrease in plastic waste after the programme, while Workplace 2 saw an increase. Without the clear integration of theory, it is difficult to pinpoint areas for improvement. It is, however, posited that COVID-19 restrictions on people attending their workplaces and low survey response rates may have contributed to these unexpected results.

The present study highlights key improvements that can be made to evaluations of voluntary behaviour change programmes. Careful evaluation of behaviour change programmes is key to improving programme effectiveness. Practitioners will find the suggested improvements from this study helpful in developing and refining voluntary behaviour change programme evaluations.

This is one of the first studies to evaluate the impacts of a voluntary behaviour change programme aimed at reducing SUPs in the workplace. It also adds to the limited literature on voluntary behaviour change interventions overall and adds to the movement towards better application of theory in behaviour change interventions.

This article evaluates how consumer expectations evolve over time and if three antecedents (negative experiences, alternative attractiveness and level of visitation) explain possible changes in expectations.

A conceptual model is structured with six hypotheses that are tested through articulated studies. First, a study with a longitudinal approach is developed and applied to a sample of students. Data collection is carried out over three periods and a latent growth model (LGM) is applied. Further ahead, another essay is developed to reexamine the moderating role of corporate image and level of visitation on the effect of negative experiences on expectations. For this, the role-playing approach is applied.

Study 1 reveals that patterns of expectations change from one service meeting to another, and these mutations are influenced by negative experiences and alternative attractiveness. Three pieces of evidence are highlighted. First, negative experiences produce contradictory and simultaneous movements in consumer expectations. Negative experiences reduce desired expectations and, at the same time, increase adequate expectations. These effects change in magnitude because of the corporate image. This confirms the moderating role of the corporate image in the relationship between negative experiences and expectations. This does not happen with the level of visitation, in which the moderating function is not sustained. The findings about moderating effects are confirmed by Study 2. Second, as customers have alternative companies, the minimum level of expectation rises. Alternative attractiveness positively impacts only adequate expectations. Third, the results do not support the relationship between the level of visitation and expectations. This reveals that more frequent customers do not necessarily have higher expectations.

This paper is the first to provide empirical results about the moderating effects of corporate image and level of visitation on the relationship between negative experiences and expectations.

This paper aims to investigate the internationalization motives behind location choice among emerging country business groups (EBGs) and the way in which institutional factors affect Türkiye’s foreign direct investment (FDI).

This study develops a multi-perspective framework that integrates the ownership, location and internalization (OLI) paradigm (Dunning and Lundan, 2008) and the linkage, leverage and learning (LLL) model (Mathews, 2006) with neo-institutional theory to explain the internationalization of EBGs. It adopts a multiple-case study research method relying on 14 semi-structured interviews with top executives to explore the internationalization strategy of a set of Turkish BGs.

This study supports the combination of the OLI paradigm, the LLL model and neo-institutional theory to explain EBGs’ internationalizing behaviors. Turkish BGs have adopted both asset exploitation and asset augmentation internationalization strategies. The institutional legitimacy mechanism moderates the internationalization motives of Turkish BGs, and their host country location choice and normative pressures are more salient than their regulative and cognitive pressures.

This study is based on a sample of EBGs from Türkiye, and this restriction limits the generalizability/applicability of the findings to BGs globally.

Few studies have considered EBGs and their internationalization strategies in the international business field. This paper puts forward an integrated framework for analyzing internationalization and legitimacy in the institutional context of EBGs. This study highlights that BGs bridge institutional voids. Focusing on Turkish BGs helps to answer Granovetter’s Coasian question and contributes to the understanding of emerging countries’ economic development.

A novel facet of the construction industry's (CI) digital transformation relates to the rise of smart contracts, and the contribution of blockchain technology in this domain appears to be nascent but rapidly gaining traction. Although the benefits of digitalisation for technologically less enthusiastic CI are irrefutable, the adoption of smart contracts has been found to be low pertaining to industry professionals' behavioural factors stimulated by technological perception. The challenge undertook by this study, therefore, is to develop a knowledge framework for blockchain-enabled smart contract adoption in the CI.

From a methodological perspective, this study employed a qualitative approach that involved semi-structured interviews with ten (10) highly experienced CI practitioners involved in digital innovations for data collection. Directed content analysis was performed using NVivo 12 software, which enabled the creation of preliminary open codes. Subsequently, these open codes were grouped into similar categories to develop axial codes. Finally, the study presented final themes along with their corresponding descriptions.

Notably, research findings expanded the current body of knowledge on perceived attributes and their measurement items to determine the perception of innovation adoption in CI, where a total of nine (9) perceived attributes were associated with thirty-two (32) measurement items.

The measurement items were seen as having an extensive impact on the CI professionals' decision to adopt blockchain-enabled smart contracts. With ensuing implications, this study represents one of the first to present a knowledge framework exclusively customised for blockchain-enabled smart contracts, laying the groundwork for effective technological adoption by CI professionals.

Geography is an exciting discipline involving the interrogation of place, space, and mobility. Film is too powerful and assessable tool that engages audiences. Therefore, this article builds a rationale for utilizing film in the teaching of geography. Particularly geographic mobility, which is the study of spatial patterns of movement and viewing them with positive or negative social meaning and as embedded within structures of power.

This is not a research paper so there is no methodology to detail.

This is not a research paper so there are no findings to detail.

The article introduces three films (Selma, Hidden Figures, and The Green Book) and describes how they can be used to enrich the teaching of geographic mobility.

This study aims to analyse the trend of Mpox research in the pre and post-outbreak period. The study compared the growth pattern, major research areas, sources of publications, funding agencies, countries and institutions invested in Mpox research, and institutional and countrywide collaboration patterns in Mpox research in both periods.

This study is based on the data retrieved from the Web of Science database for two time frames: the pre-outbreak period (January 1989–April 2022) and the post-outbreak period (May 2022–December 2022). The study is limited to research articles and reviews articles from Web Science. The study used Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer visualization software to derive results.

The study found few publications on Mpox before the epidemic outbreak, and a steep increase is visible after it. Before and after the Mpox pandemic, the USA ranked first in the production of literature. The focus of research before the outbreak of the epidemic was on virology, which was replaced by infectious diseases during the post-epidemic period. More publications were found available in open-access journals during the post-outbreak time. Author collaboration with US authors from other countries is higher in the post-outbreak period. During the pre-outbreak time, the principal supporters of Mpox research were American funding agencies and institutes. The study reveals that the research in post-outbreak is more concentrated on diagnosis, prevention and treatment of Mpox.

This study offers a systematic literature review on Mpox’s overall research productivity. It contrasted the patterns of this field’s pre- and post-epidemic research. The conclusions of this study will act as a guide for scientists operating all across the world.

A thorough scientometric analysis of the trend of Mpox research in the pre- and post-outbreak period has not been attempted. It will help identify the nature of research on Mpox over the years, which will support future research on Mpox attempted across the globe.

By a thorough bibliometric examination of the area through time, this paper analyses the research landscape of metaverse in education. It is an effort that is focused on the metaverse research trends, academic production and conceptual focus of scientific publications.

The Web of Science (WoS) database was explored for information containing research articles and associated publications that met the requirements. For a thorough analysis of the trend, thematic focus and scientific output in the subject of metaverse in education, a bibliometric technique was used to analyse the data. The bibliometrix package of R software, specifically the biblioshiny interface of R-studio, was used to conduct the analysis.

The analysis of the metaverse in education spanning from 1995 to the beginning of 2023 reveals a dynamic and evolving landscape. Notably, the field has experienced robust annual growth, with a peak of publications in 2022. Citation analysis highlights seminal works, with Dionisio et al. (2013) leading discussions on the transition of virtual worlds into intricate digital cultures. Thematic mapping identifies dominant themes such as “system,” “augmented reality” and “information technology,” indicating a strong technological focus. Surprisingly, China emerges as a leading contributor with significant citation impact, emphasising the global nature of metaverse research. The thematic map suggests ongoing developments in performance and future aspects, emphasising the essential role of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Overall, the findings depict a vibrant and multidimensional metaverse in education, poised for continued exploration and innovation.

The study is among the pioneers that provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis in the area of metaverse in education which will guide the novice researchers to identify the unexplored areas.

The aim of this study was to determine data literacy (DL) training needs of researchers at South African public universities. The outcome of this study would assist librarians and researchers in developing a DL training programme which addressed identified needs.

A survey research method was used to gather data from researchers at these universities by convenience. Online questionnaires were distributed to public universities through library directors for further distribution to researchers.

The results indicate low levels of DL training at the respondent South African public universities with most researchers indicating that they had not received any formal training on DL. A few researchers indicated that they would welcome DL training.

This study was exploratory in nature and data was received from eight universities, which is not representative of all the 26 public universities in South Africa. Nonetheless, the low DL confirmed by the majority in the realised sample is indicative of the need to further investigate the subject.

Librarians and research support personnel should collaborate on the development of DL training courses, workshops and materials used by researchers at institutions of higher learning to enhance DLs on campus.

This study may be novel in South Africa in investigating the DL training needs of researchers at several universities and contributes to the growing body of literature on research data management

This study aims to present recent trends in touchscreen research through scientometric analysis. Devices with touchscreen are powerful tools for performing specialized operations. The touch screens of tablets, smartphones, laptops and television play an important role in teaching, learning and research.

The data was collected from Web of Science database from 2011 to 2021 and analysed using MS-Excel and VOSviewer software. After analysing 389 research papers, the authors identified the high impact journals, collaboration of countries, institutions, authors and growth trend of publications. Analysing the most used keywords, country-wise distribution of publications and research collaboration between institutions will help interpret the research trends in the selected time span.

The publications show an increase in number over the years from 2011 to 2021. Among the countries, USA has the highest number of 127 articles published, followed by England (61) and Canada (30). The results showed that the multiple authorship pattern in touchscreen publication is high when compared to single authors. The institutional analysis indicated that the organizations publishing more than five documents in the area were mostly from United Kingdom, Australia, USA and Korea. Timeline visualizations identified prominent keywords like touchscreen, performance, operant platform, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. in the subject. Interdisciplinary research is dominant in the subject, as seen from the most preferred journals and keywords.

The analysis does not include a comprehensive coverage of the research output, as only Web of Science database from 2011 to 2021 in a 10-year period is included.

The study would benefit stakeholders, including manufacturers and researchers alike, to know the future of touchscreen research.

This study is pertinent to socio-psychological fields because touchscreen technology encourages social connection among older persons and may help foster early literacy skills.

This paper will provide an understanding of the global developments in touchscreen research with recommendations for future research.