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This research takes Taijiang National Park (TNP) tourists as the study population while gathering the survey data via an online questionnaire. For the data analyses, it uses the importance–performance analysis (IPA) and the Kano two-dimensional quality model to evaluate the tourist satisfaction of TNP. Specifically, it considers the importance of service quality, classifies its service quality attributes, and suggests the priority for service improvement, rendering the TNP valuable reference points to realign service strategies. The study shows that the service quality attributes related to service personnel are the priority item to be improved, which could eventually enhance tourist satisfaction. In addition, brand differentiation could be achieved by improving the attractive quality items identified in this study to enhance tourist loyalty.

Introduction: In the modern period, environmental degradation has had negative effects on people’s health as well as the regular business environment. As a result, embracing a ‘Go Green’ philosophy has gained widespread acceptance among individuals and corporations worldwide. Going green is referred to as promoting eco-friendly ways and banks are essential in protecting the environment to improve our quality of life.

Purpose: This study will focus on the correlation between green banking practices (GBP), employee green behaviour (EGB), and banks’ sustainability performance and how this relationship will give a competitive edge in terms of sustainability to the banks adopting these GBP.

Methodology: EGB between GBP and bank sustainability occurrence is clarified by this study. The current study is descriptive and finds the relationship through previous literature reviews.

Findings: Employees are expected to be crucial in this transformation as the modern banking system adopts green banking initiatives and updates traditional banking processes. Employees help banks perform more sustainably by encouraging environmentally friendly banking practices.

Practical Implications: By understanding the mechanism, between GBP and bank sustainability, banks can adopt more effective strategies to enhance their sustainability performance while promoting environmentally friendly practices.

This chapter presents the outcome of an empirical study titled ‘Knowledge Sharing and Transfer (KST) that Really Works: An exploration of KST in Sub-Saharan South African Public Sector Institutions’. Enablers of KST were explored through the lens of lived experiences of managers working at Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), a rail transport public sector operator in South Africa. Qualitative data were collected from 15 managers and analysed using Thematic and Trans Positional Cognition Approach (TPCA) qualitative analytical tools. Four themes, essential originating antecedent factors, complementary people enabling factors, organisational enabling factors and effective KST implementing factors emerged. Rahman’s KST model was adopted as a theoretical framework and used to better understand the study findings. The current study affirms two elements within the theoretical framework, namely, complementary people enabling factors and organisational enabling factors, while the remaining two, essential originating antecedent factors and effective KST implementing factors, were not affirmed. This study contributes a new KST framework that helps business managers understand KST from the South African public sector practitioners’ perspectives, which represents this study’s contribution to the business performance measurement body of knowledge and practice.

Factor investment is booming in global asset management, especially environmental, social, and governance (ESG), dividend yield, and volatility factors. In this chapter, we use data from the US securities market from 2003 to 2019 to predict dividends and volatility factors through machine learning and historical data–based methods. After that, we utilize particle swarm optimization to construct the Markowitz portfolio with limits on the number of assets and weight restrictions. The empirical results show that that the prediction ability using XGBoost is superior to the historical factor investment method. Moreover, the investment performance of our portfolio with ESG, high-yield, and low-volatility factors outperforms baseline methods, especially the S&P 500 ETF.

The construction workforce plays a crucial role in the successful delivery of any construction project and, eventually, the performance of any construction organisation. Effectively managing these workforces becomes crucial. However, past studies have shown that workforce management within the construction industry has been on the back foot, with workers being seen as resources required to deliver construction projects. This situation begs the need for a construction workforce management model that can be tailored to an organisation’s situation and adopted to manage workers and improve organisational performance effectively. To this end, this chapter reviewed existing workforce management theories, models, and practices to develop a suitable approach towards managing the construction workforce. Ultimately, a strategic workforce management with a classical view using a soft workforce management approach that embraces employees’ empowerment and development through trust was proposed. Five major practices that best suit the soft workforce management approach were identified as key constructs in the proposed construction workforce management model.

This book aimed to conceptualise a construction workforce management model suitable for effectively managing workers in construction organisations. To this end, this chapter presents the conceptualised model, which consists of seven workforce management practices with their respective measurement variables. Drawing from existing theories, models, and practices, the chapter concludes that a construction organisation that will attain its strategic objectives in the current fourth industrial revolution era must be willing to promote effective recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, performance management and appraisal, employee involvement and empowerment, training and development, as well as improving workers emotional intelligence and handling external environment pressure. These practices can promote proactiveness, participation, and improved skills and can lead to effective commitment, better quality, and flexibility within the organisation.

This chapter examines the impact of macroeconomic factors on the financial performance of Chinese companies. Using multiple regression analysis, the study finds that gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, inflation rate, interest rate, exchange rate, and government expenditure are significant predictors of the financial performance of Chinese companies. The results show that GDP growth rate, leverage, size, liquidity, profitability, and growth in sales all have significant positive impacts on financial performance, while growth in assets has a negative impact. The study provides insights into the impact of macroeconomic factors on the financial performance of Chinese companies. Policymakers and investors should take these findings into account when making decisions about economic policies and investments, and companies operating in China should be aware of the potential impact of these factors on their financial performance and look for ways to manage them effectively. The chapter also includes a model specification test and a robustness test to validate the accuracy of the results. The findings have important guiding significance for policy makers and investors in making economic policies and investment decisions. However, the study has limitations such as the use of horizontal panel data and the limited data sources used.

This study aims at investigating the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) on corporate financial performance (CFP) in firms headquartered in developed versus emerging countries. Drawing upon stakeholder and legitimacy perspectives, the authors argue that the CSR/CSI–CFP relationship differs depending on the home-countries’ level of economic development as this reflects their different sensitivity to sustainability. Indeed, as emerging economies are normally characterized by weaker regulations, they are likely to place lower pressures on companies for superior CSR practices. Therefore, the authors expect the effect of CSR on CFP to be more positive for firms headquartered in advanced than in emerging countries. At the same time, the authors propose a more negative relationship between CSI and CFP for firms headquartered in developed countries due to the higher overall sustainability expectations required to gain legitimacy. The empirical analyses, run on a sample of 1,971 publicly listed firms between 2010 and 2020 from developed and emerging economies, support the expectations, thus confirming that country-specific contextual factors do play a role in shaping both the positive and the negative impact of CSR and CSI on CFP, and that the reactions of stakeholders to responsible and irresponsible behavior are stronger when their sensitivity to sustainability is higher.

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the impact of corporate governance (CG), non-performing loans (NPLs), and bank size (BS) on the financial performance (FP) of banking institutions in Kosovo.

Need for the study: Despite the growth and development of the banking sector in Kosovo, there’s a dearth of comprehensive research examining the key factors influencing their FP. This study aimed to bridge this gap, with a focus on CG, NPLs, and BS.

Methodology: The research employed a multiple regression model to analyse a sample of banking institutions in Kosovo over the period 2006–2021. The key variables included various CG factors, the level of NPLs, and BS, with FP measured through return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE).

Findings: The study found a significant positive relationship between CG factors and bank performance (BP), particularly board size and board independence. Conversely, a significant negative relationship was observed between the level of NPLs and BP. Furthermore, the study revealed a non-linear relationship between BS and FP, with economies of scale contributing to improved performance up to a certain threshold, after which further increases in size led to inefficiencies and lower performance.

Practical implications: The findings of this study carry important implications for policymakers, banking practitioners, and academics. It underlines the importance of sound CG, effective risk management, and maintaining an optimal BS to enhance the FP of banks in Kosovo. It is suggested that these factors should be considered in the formulation of future banking regulations and strategies.