Search results

Misconception of issues surrounding green supply chain management (GSCM), as well as a paucity of relevant information on the tangible benefits of GSCM practices in organizations was justification for this literature review. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

The study has been conducted by analyzing and critiquing secondary data obtained from numerous sources of similar subject. The research topic has been examined in detail.

The outcomes provide an overview of what GSCM practices entail, strategies successful companies have used to incorporate GSCM practices within their organizations and its impact on the industry.

The research conducted in this study is limited to one country, i.e. Canada, and as such further research should be carried out by incorporating a larger array of participants so as to obtain a more generalized conclusion.

The study contributes to an understanding of the importance of GSCM practices on not only the economic success of a business, but the positive effects on the environment. The results will help in the reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide and other green house gases, thus impacting on climate change.

Despite increasing awareness, the implementation of GSCM techniques continue to be deterred by lack of government initiatives and commitment of companies involved in the supply chain. Unless it is given precedence, the benefits of GSCM will continue to elude us. This study provides an opportunity to study a model which has met with critical success, rejuvenate it and consequently mandate its adoption in efforts to attain sustainability.

Dependence on foreign energy supplies have resulted in some islands successfully harnessing alternative and renewable energy (RE) sources in order to provide a small degree of self-sufficiency. However, the development of Trinidad and Tobago's (T&T's) RE industry has stagnated largely due to the existence of substantial energy subsidies, which present cheap fuel and electricity prices thus providing a disincentive to RE investment. The purpose of this paper is to seek to re-enforce the necessity for an indissoluble government intervention in the establishment of well-designed, coordinated and innovative public-private partnerships for a successful RE industry in T&T.

This paper is based on a review of relevant social and economic literary sources; the research topic has been meticulously investigated.

Initial outcomes indicate that the principal facilitators of RE proliferation in the Caribbean, and more so T&T, will require: gradual reduction of the energy subsidy; declining project costs via fiscal incentives and grant financing; expectation of beneficial rates of return on investment through the guarantee of optimal prices for renewable electricity or the revenue gained from the sale of carbon credits; and capacity building, institutional strengthening and implementation of appropriate legislative and regulatory instruments which provide open access to the national grid.

With the exception of T&T, Caribbean nations are heavily dependent on oil and gas imports to meet their primary energy requirements. The investigation conducted has limited documentation on cases of a similar nature within the region. The outcome of the steps identified above are based on conjecture using information gained from international situations.

The study helps clarify the crucial role of T&T's government in the successful development of the RE industry. Resources and earnings should be used to develop T&T's infant RE industry and hence reduce the carbon footprint of the nation.

Past attempts by the government to promote RE an energy efficiency in T&T have been passive and prevaricated. In addition to outlining the existing fiscal initiatives available to the population, this paper provides short-, medium- and long-term recommendations for the sustainability of RE in T&T. While subsidy reform, among others, poses a challenge it is nonetheless imperative if T&T is to move forward. With the abundance of solar, wind and waste-to-energy resources there is great potential for a successful RE industry in T&T. More than just policy will be required to drive change; greater commitment by the government to ensure the sustainability and economic viability of T&T while also attempting to alter the mindset of the citizenry to act as effective stewards of the island's resources for the well-being of future generations.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of catalyst distribution in the combustion catalytic layer on heat and mass transport characteristics of the auto-thermal methanol steam reforming microchannel reactor.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is used to study four different gradient designs. The corresponding distributions of temperature, species and chemical reaction rate are provided and compared.

The distributions of species, temperature and chemical reaction rate are significantly affected by the catalyst distribution in the combustion catalytic layer. A more uniform temperature distribution can be observed when the gradient design is used. Meanwhile, the methanol conversion rate is also improved.

This work reveals the effect of catalyst distribution in the combustion catalytic layer on heat and mass transport characteristics of the auto-thermal methanol steam reforming microchannel reactor and provides guidance for the design of reactors.

The temperature uniformity and hydrogen production performance can be improved by the gradient design in the combustion catalytic layer.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Muslim consumers on the Islamic Chamber Research & Information Center (ICRIC) Halal logo. In particular, the paper evaluates the main messages of the logo and describes the organization’s characteristics behind this logo.

This exploratory research conducts a semi-structured interview with visual aids method to identify the Malay Muslim’s perceptions toward the ICRIC Halal logo.

Results of the study indicate that the word “Halal” in Arabic characters is a very strong visual and emotional element of the logo because it is eye-catching and projects a strong image of credibility and trustworthiness. Using Islamic graphical design in a Halal logo can assist businesses to succeed in the marketplace. Simplicity, appropriate font type and size, suitable colors and total harmony of all elements make a Halal logo attractive and meaningful; the logo signals trust and mirrors the values of the organization.

This research used a qualitative research approach to analyze the perceptions of 25 Malay Muslim students.

Practical implications of this study provide a new window for all Halal certification bodies to realize the importance of the different elements of the Halal logo.

This research attempts to introduce a unique Halal logo that is approved by 57 Muslim countries. This unity assists religious consumers with various mathahib to purchase Halal products with confidence.

This pioneer study explores the Muslim consumers’ perceptions of a specific Halal logo in the marketplace.

The purpose of this research is to develop a comprehensive model to better understand competitive dynamics between mobile payment providers in a multi-sided market featuring customers and merchants. This is undertaken by modeling customers performing financial transactions with merchants while two mobile payment systems (MPS) providers deploy different strategies to compete for market share.

The authors developed an agent-based simulation model using the NetLogo environment. The simulation featured two competing platform providers, 1,000 customer agents and 50 merchant agents. Past research, interviews and surveys were conducted to accurately model the behavior of the agents. Each simulation run lasted for 50 time periods. A total of 1,024 experimental conditions were designed to model different competitive environments, and 50 replications were conducted for a total of 51,200 experiments.

The simulation model provides insight into MPS platform providers’ competitive strategies by simultaneously modelling socioeconomic interactions between customers, merchants and MPS.

From a methodological perspective, the paper contributes a comprehensive model that can be used to study competitive dynamics between competing platforms in a multi-sided market. From the perspective of competitive strategies, the results show that pricing alone is not sufficient to influence MPS diffusion. Interactions between pricing, customers’ risk perception, perceived security and ease of use of the platform create unexpected same-side and cross-side network effects, which affect MPS diffusion.

While pricing remains a crucial lever for MPS to compete for market share, they should focus on enhancing customers’ and merchants’ trust and reduce their risk perception. This can be done through the improvement of the user experience of their platform, development of educational materials and marketing campaigns that address concerns around security, data breaches and perceived risk.

The paper is a direct response to a recent call for action on studying competition between MPS platforms by simultaneously modelling the socio-economic behavior of heterogeneous consumers and merchants. The proposed agent-based simulation model can be used to provide insights into competitive strategies and as a building block for subsequent research in this area.

The aim of this study is to review the literature on how intellectual capital (IC) contributes to the decarbonization efforts of firms. It explores how carbon accounting can measure the components of IC in decarbonization efforts to balance profitability with environmental and social goals, particularly in promoting decent work and economic growth (Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] 8 and its targets [2, 5, 6, 8]). Moreover, it emphasises the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships for sharing knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources (SDG17-Target 17.G) to meet SDG8.

As a consolidated methodological approach, a systematic literature review (SLR) was used in this study to fill the existing research gaps in sustainability accounting. To consolidate and clarify scholarly research on IC towards decarbonization, 149 English articles published in the Scopus database and Google Scholar between 1990 and 2024 were reviewed.

The results highlight that the current research does not sufficiently cover the intersection of carbon accounting and IC in the analysis of decarbonization practices. Stakeholders and regulatory bodies are increasingly pressuring firms to implement development-focused policies in line with SDG8 and its targets, requiring the integration of IC and its measures in decarbonization processes, supported by SDG17-Target 17.G. This integration is useful for creating business models that balance profitability and social and environmental responsibilities.

The integration of social dimension to design sustainable business models for emission reduction and provide a decent work environment by focusing on SDG17-Target 17.G has rarely been investigated in terms of theory and practice. Through carbon accounting, IC can be a key source of SDG8-Targets 8.[2, 5, 6, 8] and SDG17-Target 17.G. Historically, these major issues are not easily aligned with accounting research or decarbonization processes.

Although intellectual capital (IC) and human dynamic capabilities (HDCs) play a significant role in decarbonization processes, their measurement and reporting is under-researched. Hence, this study aims to identify the link between HDCs, carbon accounting and integrated reporting (IR) in the transition processes, investigating IC and HDCs in decarbonization processes to achieve net-zero business models (n-ZBMs).

A systematic literature review with a concise bibliometric analysis is conducted on 229 articles, published from 1990 to 2023 in Scopus database and Google Scholar. Reviewing data on publications, journals, authors and citations and analysing the article content, this study identifies the main search trends, providing a new conceptual model and future research propositions.

The results reveal that the literature has rarely focussed on carbon accounting in terms of IC and HDCs. Additionally, firms face pressure from institutions and stakeholders regarding legitimacy and transparency, necessitating a response considering IR and requiring n-ZBMs to be developed through IC and HDCs to meet social and environmental requirements.

Not only does this study link IC with HDCs to address carbon emissions through decarbonization practices, which has never been addressed in the literature to date, but also provides novel recommendations and propositions through which firms can sustainably transition to being net-zero emission firms, thereby gaining competitive advantage and contributing to the nation’s sustainability goals.

The purpose of this research is to provide the necessarily and resourceful information regarding range sensors to select the best fit sensor for robust autonomous navigation. Autonomous navigation is an emerging segment in the field of mobile robot in which the mobile robot navigates in the environment with high level of autonomy by lacking human interactions. Sensor-based perception is a prevailing aspect in the autonomous navigation of mobile robot along with localization and path planning. Various range sensors are used to get the efficient perception of the environment, but selecting the best-fit sensor to solve the navigation problem is still a vital assignment.

Autonomous navigation relies on the sensory information of various sensors, and each sensor relies on various operational parameters/characteristic for the reliable functioning. A simple strategy shown in this proposed study to select the best-fit sensor based on various parameters such as environment, 2 D/3D navigation, accuracy, speed, environmental conditions, etc. for the reliable autonomous navigation of a mobile robot.

This paper provides a comparative analysis for the diverse range sensors used in mobile robotics with respect to various aspects such as accuracy, computational load, 2D/3D navigation, environmental conditions, etc. to opt the best-fit sensors for achieving robust navigation of autonomous mobile robot.

This paper provides a straightforward platform for the researchers to select the best range sensor for the diverse robotics application.

Through the lens of the leader–member exchange theory, this study assessed the relationship between inclusive leadership (IL) and project success by incorporating the mediating roles of psychological empowerment (PE) and psychological safety (PS).

Time-lagged data were collected from 328 employees working in project-based organisations across the information technology industry. Structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS 26 was employed for data analysis.

By using the SEM approach, the confirmatory factor analysis had verified the distinctiveness of the variables used in this study. The findings displayed that IL increased project success both directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of PE and PS.

This study addressed two research questions that have been left unanswered in the literature. The initial research question is “how IL enhances project success?”, and this study found that IL enhanced project success. The second research question is “what are the suggested mechanisms for IL to promote project success?” This study has proven that IL enhanced project success through two important mediating mechanisms, namely, PE and PS.

Conventionally, the marginalised population was considered to engage in child labour due to poverty, education or lack of other options, but indeed, a few children work voluntarily. However, a growing number of scholars, in recent years, have drawn their attention to the valuable question, “why children are engaged in child labour in the informal economy”. Even though a few studies have explored the motives of informal workers, to our knowledge not a single paper has explored the motives of child labourers working in the informal economy. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by evaluating the motives of child labourers, through three competing theorisations of the informal economy.

In this study, face-to-face structured interviews of 45 child labourers were conducted, who worked in different automobile workshops in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. Respondents were selected using the snowball sampling technique as this strategy is suitable for researching sensitive issues and is feasible for small sample sizes.

The main finding is that no single explanation is universally applicable to all child labourers. Some (27 per cent) justify their participation in the informal sector as driven by necessity (structuralist perspective), majority (40 per cent) explain their participation in the informal economy as a rational economic choice (neo-liberal perspective) and finally, more than a quarter of respondents (31 per cent) engaged in child labour due to their own free will or voluntarily to work for their family (post-structuralist perspective). This study also revealed that entrepreneurial spawning is a key determinant of child labour as the majority of children, in our study, working in automobile workshops intended to start their own workshop business in the future.

This article shows that children early engaged in work with entrepreneurial intention/spawning. Entrepreneurial education is very important in a child’s life. Entrepreneurial education will be a ticket to fulfill their dreams and learn new things with entrepreneurial attitude.

Government should develop the vocational training institutes for children who left the schools.

This study contributes to the body of literature by providing a better understanding of why children work in informal employment, an occupation generally perceived as constituting exploitative working conditions. This study also contributes to the wider literature of entrepreneurship by exploring “entrepreneurial spawning” as one of the major reasons underlying the participation of children in informal work.