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Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the United Nations aims to ‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’. To achieve this goal, we must rebuild the marine life-support systems that provide society with the many advantages of a healthy ocean. Therefore, countries worldwide have been using Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to restore, create, or protect habitats and ecosystems. Palau was one of the first countries to use MPAs as a tool to develop biodiversity within its exclusive economic zone. On 22 October 2015, Palau placed approximately 80% of its maritime territory in a network of locally monitored MPAs, which has now shown a population increase in stationary and migratory fish species. This movement towards a MPA was intentional and because of increased pressure from tourism and the increasing incursion of foreign fishing vessels in Palauan territorial waters. Since countries worldwide are using and looking towards MPAs, secondary protection projects are becoming more and more popular. This chapter highlights the practical implementations and results in Palau, how to theoretically apply this within the Greater North Sea in combination with Windmill Farms, and how the Marine Strategy Framework Directive stimulates these practices.

Herein, the authors report the effects of printing parameters, joining method, and annealing conditions on the structural performance of fusion-joined short-beam sections produced by additive manufacturing.

The authors first identified appropriate printing parameters for joining segmented short beams and then used those parameters to print and fusion-join segments with different configurations of stiffeners to form a longer section of a wing or small wind turbine blade structure.

It was found that the beams with three lateral and three base stiffening ribs give the highest flexural strength among the three beams investigated. Results on joined beams annealed at different conditions showed that annealing at 70 °C for 0.5 h yields higher performance than annealing at the same temperature for longer times. It is also found that in the case of the hot-plate-welded three-dimensional (3D)-printed structures, no annealing is needed for reaching a high strength-to-weight ratio, but annealing is helpful for maximizing the modulus-to-weight ratio. Both thermal buckling and edge wrapping were observed under annealing at 70°C for 0.5 h for 3D-printed beams comprising two lateral and four base stiffening plates.

Fusion-joining of additively manufactured segments is needed owing to the constraint in building volume of a typical commercial 3D-printer. However, study of the effect of process parameters is needed to quantify their effect on mechanical performance. This investigation has therefore identified key printing parameters and annealing conditions for fusion-joining short segments to form larger structures, from multiple 3D-printed sections, such as wind blade structures.

This study aims to introduce an innovative approach to predictive maintenance by integrating time-series sensor data with event logs, leveraging the synergistic potential of deep learning models. The primary goal is to enhance the accuracy of equipment failure predictions, thereby minimizing operational downtime.

The methodology uses a dual-model architecture, combining the patch time series transformer (PatchTST) model for analyzing time-series sensor data and bidirectional encoder representations from transformers for processing textual event log data. Two distinct fusion strategies, namely, early and late fusion, are explored to integrate these data sources effectively. The early fusion approach merges data at the initial stages of processing, while late fusion combines model outputs toward the end. This research conducts thorough experiments using real-world data from wind turbines to validate the approach.

The results demonstrate a significant improvement in fault prediction accuracy, with early fusion strategies outperforming traditional methods by 2.6% to 16.9%. Late fusion strategies, while more stable, underscore the benefit of integrating diverse data types for predictive maintenance. The study provides empirical evidence of the superiority of the fusion-based methodology over singular data source approaches.

This research is distinguished by its novel fusion-based approach to predictive maintenance, marking a departure from conventional single-source data analysis methods. By incorporating both time-series sensor data and textual event logs, the study unveils a comprehensive and effective strategy for fault prediction, paving the way for future advancements in the field.

This paper aims to explore the role of individual inner dimensions in fostering sustainable mindsets in accounting students and graduates. Individual inner dimensions such as compassion shape our behaviour and responses to sustainability challenges. Consideration of inner dimensions, in conjunction with sustainability knowledge and skill development, is needed for reshaping the accounting profession towards achieving sustainable futures.

The authors explore the role of individual inner dimensions in accounting and how approaches to cultivating compassion in other disciplinary educational settings could be applied to cultivate and facilitate compassion within accounting education. Approaches to cultivating compassion for human and non-human species within accounting education are presented, highlighting their relevance to accounting decisions and organisational accountability.

Cultivating compassion for human and non-human species within accounting education aligns with the broader role of accounting in social and environmental issues. Embedding compassionate approaches with a problem-solving focus within accounting pedagogies and curricula design could contribute to shaping behaviour and reorienting the mindsets of future accounting professionals.

Cultivating compassion within accounting students enhances connections across species, encourages students to recognise the role of compassion in sustainable decision-making and promotes a sustainable mindset. Enhanced compassion in accounting graduates could provide the motivational force for action-oriented responses from the accounting profession to the unprecedented ecological crisis.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents a first step in exploring potential approaches to cultivating and facilitating compassion within accounting pedagogies and curricula design. This paper extends sustainability accounting education literature by considering individual inner dimensions in shifting mindsets of accounting students, graduates and educators towards sustainability.

The chapter provides an overview of the book and addresses the rationale for the selection of cases reflecting teaching and research in major areas of SDG14. For example, the impact of increasing global sea temperature, ocean acidification, and pollution on aquatic life and biosciences. Fisheries and aquaculture for seafood and marine ingredients and marine protected areas (MPAs) that favour the assemblage of fish, crustaceans, alga, coral, and mussels to enhance and stimulate biodiversity. New products derived from marine biotechnology are viewed to conserve and sustainably use the seas and oceans whilst promoting wealth creation and employment. Marine parks allow scientists to better study the marine environment and explore sustainable balances between tourism, work, and recreation in harmony with the Life Below Water – SDG14 mandate. Finally, the aspects of governance and roles of stakeholders and societal involvement are advocated in achieving the safe and effective use of marine resources. Throughout, the role of higher education in providing educated scientists and multidisciplinary specialists for future generations to come is highlighted.

Divers were contracted to carry out a detailed baseline survey which will form the Environmental Impact Assessment. This report presents information about the biodiversity of Cawsand Bay and the impact of installing a subsea tidal energy module. Subsequently, this addresses some of the SDG14 targets: 14.5, conserve coastal and marine areas; 14.7, increase the economic benefits from the sustainable use of marine resources to small island developing states and less developed countries; and 14.8, increase scientific knowledge, research and technology for ocean health. Contracted from November to December 2021 over a four-week period, five SCUBA divers conducted baseline transects over regular intervals of five meters at Cawsand Bay in each cardinal direction. Water and sediment samples were analysed to better understand the habitat and benthos at Cawsand Bay. Sediment samples established the biotope by identifying the benthos: sublittoral seagrass beds (SS.SMp.SSgr.Zmar). The data also revealed Zostera marina, commonly known as eelgrass (seagrass), is the most abundant species in the area, resulting in a high oxygen content within the water samples. In turn, this helps establish an environment capable of sustaining high levels of biodiversity for this time of year and is a more efficient support ecosystem.

Most of the existing time-cost-quality-environmental impact trade-off (TCQET) analysis models have focused on solving a simple project representation without taking typical activity and project characteristics into account. This study aims to present a novel approach called the “hybrid opposition learning-based Aquila Optimizer” (HOLAO) for optimizing TCQET decisions in generalized construction projects.

In this paper, a HOLAO algorithm is designed, incorporating the quasi-opposition-based learning (QOBL) and quasi-reflection-based learning (QRBL) strategies in the initial population and generation jumping phases, respectively. The crowded distance rank (CDR) mechanism is utilized to rank the optimal Pareto-front solutions to assist decision-makers (DMs) in achieving a single compromise solution.

The efficacy of the proposed methodology is evaluated by examining TCQET problems, involving 69 and 290 activities, respectively. Results indicate that the HOLAO provides competitive solutions for TCQET problems in construction projects. It is observed that the algorithm surpasses multiple objective social group optimization (MOSGO), plain Aquila Optimization (AO), QRBL and QOBL algorithms in terms of both number of function evaluations (NFE) and hypervolume (HV) indicator.

This paper introduces a novel concept called hybrid opposition-based learning (HOL), which incorporates two opposition strategies: QOBL as an explorative opposition and QRBL as an exploitative opposition. Achieving an effective balance between exploration and exploitation is crucial for the success of any algorithm. To this end, QOBL and QRBL are developed to ensure a proper equilibrium between the exploration and exploitation phases of the basic AO algorithm. The third contribution is to provide TCQET resource utilizations (construction plans) to evaluate the impact of these resources on the construction project performance.

The case study aims to help students/learners to analyse the role of perception and its linkage to an entrepreneur’s decision-making process in setting up a social entrepreneurship venture during the COVID-19 pandemic without any prior entrepreneurial experience; understand the definition and meaning of social enterprises based on concepts/theories of social entrepreneurship; identify if AgriVijay fits the outline of a social enterprise based on its vision, challenges faced and journey as an agriculture-based technology-oriented social venture (AgTech SE); and outline the future path of AgriVijay as an independent business (post its incubation support period) using suitable strategy and funding models related to for-profit social enterprises.

This case study details the fascinating journey of a social AgTech venture – AgriVijay – through the perspectives of the protagonist Vimal Panjwani, a budding agri-business entrepreneur. Fuelled by a desire to empower the farming communities, Panjwani with the support of his dynamic mother, Shobha Chanchlani, embarked on the challenging task of crafting a business model that sought to merge community welfare with profitable enterprise. The case study illuminates the protagonist's background, revealing Panjwani’s motivations, risk-taking tendencies and the pivotal role played by his co-partner and mother, Chanchlani. It also highlights the challenges encountered by the protagonist in setting up a technology-based social entrepreneurship venture along with its success in making a social impact across marginalised farming communities. Through all this, the case study also highlights the major dilemma of the protagonist – that of continuing to balance AgriVijay’s core mission of “empowering the farmers” with profitability and long-term growth beyond its limited incubation support period, and his own dilemma of venturing into a social enterprise as a start-up venture without any prior entrepreneurial experience. The case study through its narrative encourages the readers/learners to understand the evolving dynamics of a nascent social entrepreneurial venture in a developing economy and how such a balanced model can actually be the harbinger of social impact and change in similar economies with large rural farming and marginalised communities.

The case study is most suitable for postgraduate management, weekend executive learning or distance learning students in agri business, sustainable business, social entrepreneurship and allied management domains. It can be used for teaching and learning topics related to entrepreneurship, new venture strategy, leadership and motivation, with a specific focus on agriculture business, agricultural entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and sustainable ventures.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

This study examines the complex array of impediments and potential advantages of the internet of things (IoT) associated with the shift towards enabling circular economy practices (CEP), motivated by the pressing necessity to address climate change and promote environmental sustainability. Based on an extensive review of scholarly sources, this study scrutinizes the technological, economic and societal challenges that ought to be addressed to attain a net-zero economy. Most outstandingly, it emphasizes the environmentally sustainable merits, potential for economic growth and improvements in societal well-being that can arise from this transition. It further depicts selected case studies to demonstrate sustainable empirical evidence and avails policy recommendations. The paradigm is to assist governments and other stakeholders in effectively managing human-associated challenges to attain increased sustainable value maximally. Finally, this highlights the utmost significance of tackling these challenges and capitalizing on opportunities to facilitate a sustainable, net-zero future that guarantees worldwide prosperity and ecological welfare.

The objective of the research is to evaluate the carbon footprint of the green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) supply chain, encompassing the agricultural production to the packaging stage in Italy, as it is the sixth largest producer and the second largest in Europe. It provides an assessment in the province of Foggia and highlights the global perspective of the carbon footprint application in agro-food systems.

The carbon footprint (ISO 14067:2018) considers 1 t of packaged fresh asparagus as a functional unit in the agricultural production and packaging stage and is based on primary data collected in one of the leading companies of asparagus production in the province of Foggia, which markets about 0.21 kt of asparagus per year produced in about 31 ha. Data were integrated with face-to-face in-depth interviews and pre-filled checklists.

Findings show that the carbon footprint of 1 t of packaged fresh asparagus is equivalent to 335.31 kgCO2eq, of which 61% in the agricultural stage and 39% in the packaging one. The majority of the emissions are associated with the fertigation and the diesel consumption for the transportation of workers. Farmers should adopt green electricity so as to reduce the emissions associated with the electric pump for the extraction of water from artesian wells. Moreover, it would be desirable to replace mineral urea phosphate with organic fertilizers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, scholars have not yet investigated the environmental impacts of the green asparagus supply chain, even if it represents one of the most cultivated vegetables worldwide, with a global production that amounts to 8.5 Mt per year.