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This paper aims to propose a methodology for assessing an optimal portfolio of investment instruments that minimise the social costs of decarbonising economic activity while improving the environmental objectives proposed in EU legislation.

The methodology defines the net social cost of decarbonisation related to a portfolio of four instruments: installation of solar PV and wind generation, thermal insulation of households and deployment of heat pumps. The social cost is minimised by restricting it to the minimum level of the targets proposed in the Spanish National Energy and Climate Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase generation from renewable sources and reduce energy consumption. The empirical approach also includes differences between regions according to the expected effect for instruments.

The application of this methodology to the environmental objectives defined in the current Spanish National Energy and Climate Plan for 2030 concludes that it is clearly possible to reduce the social cost of decarbonisation while improving environmental performance through a reorientation of investment instruments. In this case, such a reorientation would be based on a minimisation of efforts in thermal insulation of households and a maximisation of measures aimed at the installation of heat pumps.

The paper proposes a novel methodology for a social cost assessment that improves the allocation of a portfolio of environmental instruments. This portfolio could be extended in further work to include instruments related to transport or support for industrial decarbonisation, such as the deployment of renewable hydrogen, among others.

Changes in regulation systems make professional organizations more likely to undergo rapid, profound and radical change. The issue of how micro-institutional change in professional organizations can be carried out is somewhat ignored.

We conducted a process study of a primary hospital in China to trace a pathway through which low-status professionals successfully proceed with radical change at the micro-level.

We present a model involving three strategies that, reconfiguring jurisdictional boundaries in combination, activate low-status professionals' long-standing implicit jurisdictions: expertise redefinition, value reorientation and promotion.

Our study contributes to understanding how low-status professionals reconcile needs for change with contradictions from the core attributes and ambiguities of professional work. Rather than mixed practices enhancing the role of dominant professions, a desire to separate jurisdiction space opens up the access of newly dominant experts.

Changes in the regulation system make professional organizations more likely to undergo rapid, profound and radical change. The issue of how micro-institutional change in professional organizations can be carried out is somewhat ignored.

This paper aims to explore how traditional industries revert the trend of decline in sales through rebranding by analyzing the extended case study of the fountain pen industry.

This study analyzes the marketing in case study of the fountain pen industry through two coordinates – symbolizing status and branding nostalgia. The division of analyses in these categories is supplanted by data, such as linear regression to analyze changes in product characteristics.

This study finds that the rebranding of the fountain pen in multiple fitting images – status symbol, object of nostalgia and something scarce and unique – is successful in capturing consumer demand, shaping consumer perceptions and help the mature industry locate as well as enter a niche market.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to explore the business development of traditional industry as a case study of fountain pens from the perspective of marketing and consumer behavior.

Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are witnessing an accelerated transformation by the advent of Industry-4.0 (I4.0) in the post-pandemic period. It is offering promising customer responsiveness, competitiveness, business growth and sustainability and thereby, compelling its integration to MSMEs. Therefore, it is imperative for researchers to explore Industry 4.0 challenges and their specific implementation requirements and also provide useful insights to the stakeholders.

This research paper has identified, explained and analysed various determinants of the I4.0 implementation, in MSME context. Focus group approach has been applied for taking inputs from experts for developing the House of Quality (HOQ) tool of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology from the Total Quality Management (TQM) tool-box.

Based on the responses and after applying QFD, a conceptual model suggesting relevant strategies to execute I4.0 by Indian MSMEs has been developed. The model highlights three key challenges being faced by the Indian MSMEs –Top management support, Incompatible resources and Transition cost. The model also reveals vital few designer's descriptors – Cultural reorientation, IT enabled digitization, Process automation and knowledge and skill in I4.0 implementation (Knowhow) for a structured implementation of I4.0.

The evolved HOQ framework has provided some useful insights - priority areas in the MSME challenges and the designer's descriptors for I4.0 implementation in MSME. The research has also provided the understanding of the dynamics between the I4.0 components through the 10 × 10 interrelationship matrix of the HOQ. Farsighted MSME leaders, practising consultants, sourcing managers and policy makers can use the developed framework as a reference in formulating tactics to mitigate the I4.0 implementation barriers.

The non-conventional application of HOQ in the QFD approach from the TQM tool-box is a useful value addition to the TQM practitioners. The useful insights to the MSME leaders, policy makers, sourcing managers of OEM, consultants engaged in I4.0 transformation and academic researchers are the other contribution.

The purpose of this review paper is to investigate the consequences of tourism development and economic growth within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, focusing specifically on Lao PDR post-pandemic. The adverse effect of COVID-19 on tourism and economic sectors has been pervasive across the ASEAN region, with varying degrees of impact. Some of these difficulties are set to continue, though there are positive signs of recovery and of the resilience of the tourism industry. Utilising case material from Lao PDR in Southeast Asia – an area frequently neglected in tourism studies – the paper sheds light on the post-pandemic landscape to address existing gaps in the current literature.

A case study approach was taken in this review paper, utilising secondary data such as media reports, official reports from Tourism Laos and international governing bodies like United Nations and the World Bank to form a viewpoint discussion in the Lao PDR post-pandemic condition.

This paper reveals that contrary to a long period of recovery post-pandemic, there has been a degree of continuity from the pre-pandemic period. Considerable numbers of backpackers have returned to Vang Vieng, along with Vientiane and Luang Prabang. While the pre-pandemic emphasis on mass tourism persists, there is also an increased focus on regional and domestic markets. Laos, with its strategic location and cross-border connections, aims to take advantage of this shift.

The paper highlights a detailed exploration of the Lao tourism industry post-pandemic. It goes beyond the initial expectations in literature of a complete transformation post-pandemic, highlighting the continuity in visitor sources and traditional tourist attractions. It emphasises the Lao PDR strategic position for market reorientation, providing insight into the nation’s adaptive strategies and a nuanced perspective on the evolving landscape of Lao tourism.

This paper aims to explore how employees reconceptualized their time and space to order and structure their lives in an unprecedented scenario of nonvoluntary work from home.

Set in the context of lockdowns due to the pandemic scenario, the study uses a constructivist approach to collect data through in-depth online interviews to understand how employees coped with the challenges emanating in a nonvoluntary work from home situation. The respondents were purposively selected to reflect a diverse pool in terms of gender, familial responsibilities and age/tenure.

The findings present temporal and spatial themes that provide several insights into how employees made sense of time and space as resources to navigate their challenging work-home roles.

In the present study, the authors found that when boundaries get violated, it does not necessarily manifest in the form of dissatisfaction with one or the other domain. The respondents in the current study show-cased adjustment mechanism to cope with the boundary permeability that happened. They adopted ways in which they could safe-guard their multiple identities in the situation they found themselves in, do justice to the salient roles in their lives, emerge as more empathetic humans and look forward to a brighter and more hopeful future. This opens-up a possibility of studying the theory behind human behavior in crisis-like situations and the degree of acceptance that people show when they find themselves in undesirable-unalterable situations.

A mental reorientation is required on the part of both employees and employers to navigate smoothly in this new “normal” and find more sustainable solutions to the problem if the remote working or hybrid mode of working becomes mainstay. Clear demarcations between work and nonwork time are a key element to ensure proper work schedules for remote workers. Offline meetings and get-togethers can be organized on a periodic basis to facilitate employee interaction and engagement. Participation of employees in key decisions becomes more important in such situations as it makes employees feel more connected with their work space.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is original as it is set in a completely unprecedented situation of lockdowns (during the pandemic) that affected the lives of everyone in some way or the other. The findings of the study are unique and insightful, as they help understand the sense-making mechanism adopted by people to successfully navigate through the crisis.

This paper aims to elucidate the keys transformations of human resources (HR) tasks amid the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

This paper synthesizes recent theoretical and empirical research on the topic of AI and human resource management to establish a typology of AI-based HR tasks.

HR jobs will revolve around three types of tasks in the age of AI: mechanical, thinking and feeling.

AI radically changes HR function and it becomes essential for organizations to clearly define the purpose of using AI, its role and the context of its use in tasks. Strategic value of the HR function will lie in its future reorientation toward feeling tasks. HR managers need to possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to adapt to these tasks and ensure the responsible use of AI.

In this chapter, we examine the negative impact of excessive teacher entitlement on school life. We argue that teacher entitlement goes beyond individual traits, intricately linked to sociocultural processes and power dynamics within and outside educational institutions. The focus is on theoretical foundations to understand pedagogical practices in science education, highlighting two key components contributing to excessive teacher entitlement. First, we discuss the relationship between teachers and scientific knowledge, emphasising that a narrow view of science may create a strong hierarchical dynamic in classrooms, with teachers positioned as knowledgeable authorities and neglecting students' needs. Second, the organisation of interaction between teachers and students is explored, emphasising how teachers perceive and wield authority. We recognise the limitations of common critiques of authority in science education, as they may lead to excessive indulgence or indifference. We propose a teaching framework based on cultural-historical activity theory to address or prevent excessive teacher entitlement in science classrooms. While acknowledging the phenomenon's complexity, the framework is presented as a pedagogical reorientation addressing identified underpinnings. The study concludes by suggesting that the proposed framework, grounded in science education experiences, could serve as a foundation for understanding and addressing excessive teacher entitlement across various academic fields. We suggest that the authoritative teacher style aims to balance extremes, providing an alternative to authoritarianism while avoiding carelessness. Additionally, the scientific-cultural inquiry promotes a pluralist approach to knowledge, challenging the notion of absolute truth in science education.