Consumers' intention-based influence factors of renewable energy adoption in Pakistan: a structural equation modeling approach

Linking energy crises and solar energy in China: a roadmap towards environmental sustainability

Fossil fuels are the primary energy sources of China, which are not only expensive but have adverse environmental impacts. To cope with this situation, the Chinese government wants to fulfil 25% of its energy consumption by non-fossil fuels by 2030. In this perspective, we selected the solar sources of the country and collected solar irradiation data for one year in the six big cities of China in 2022. For the analysis of data and assessing the effectiveness of photovoltaic (PV), RETScreen and MATLAB were utilized. A further step was taken by performing the life cycle assessment (LCA) to scrutinize the different features of solar energy, including fuel consumption, price, average lifetime, maintenance and operation expenses, land requirements, and greenhouse gas emissions. Results reveal that all these cities have enormous solar power potential. However, the highest solar power (0.27 kW) is generated in Nanchang city, while the lowest power (0.21 kW) is generated in Sanya city. Solar energy is durable and has a good average lifespan but can be costly, as PV panels lose efficiency due to dust and pollution. The regular cleaning of PV panels, in turn, demands substantial cost. Based on research results, significant policy suggestions have been recommended to fulfil the country's energy demand on its way to a future of sustainable development.

Evaluating the influence of green growth, institutional quality and financial inclusion on financial stability: evidence by sustainable finance theory

Financial stability is essential for economic growth because it fosters confidence and trust and promotes investment in green development. However, it is a dilemma for the world economies to create an equilibrium between financial stability and environmental sustainability. In the extent of these challenges, the present study aims at grabbing the link of financial inclusion to attain financial stability. Further, the present study investigates the association of institutional quality, renewable energy, green growth, environmental sustainability, and financial inclusion with financial stability. Two basic econometric models are applied that focused on the basic and interaction term outcomes. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) is analyzed to design an index for five proxies of financial inclusion. Additionally, the research inspected the interaction term of institutional quality and financial inclusion (FIN*INSQ) and determined the multiplied impact on financial stability in a separate model. This research employed the linear autoregressive distributed lag approach from 1990 to 2020 for long- and short-term dynamics. Theoretically, the research supports the sustainable finance and financial development theory. Hence, results showed that financial inclusion and institutional quality are positively associated with financial stability, while green growth, environmental sustainability, and renewable energy mechanisms are achieved through financial stability. Following our findings, the government should establish consistency between financial development and economic policies to maintain financial instability and ensure financial soundness. Furthermore, countries require viable financial institutions prioritizing green growth and institutional quality to achieve financial stability and long-term development.

Energizing tourism sustainably: A harmonious symphony of tourists' and locals' acceptance of renewable energy

This review paper explores the acceptance of renewable energy (RE) installations and projects, focusing on the perspectives of local residents and tourists. While previous research has extensively examined community acceptance of RE, limited attention has been given to tourists' acceptance in tourist destinations. Despite extensive research, significant gaps persist, particularly regarding tourists' acceptance of RE installations. The paper stresses the need to identify the determinants of tourists' acceptance and advocates for further investigation comparing residents' and tourists' reactions to RE projects in tourism destinations. It also emphasizes the importance of incorporating new theories and interdisciplinary approaches into future studies. By offering an overview of existing research and providing guidance for future inquiry, this review paper contributes to the body of knowledge on RE acceptance. It underscores the necessity of comprehensively examining the acceptance of both local residents and tourists to ensure sustainable development and the integration of RE projects in tourism destinations.

Can bioenergy act as an entrepreneurial opportunity for the sustainable economic development of an emerging economy? A socio-technical approach

Challenges in adopting renewable energy have become significant roadblocks to the country's sustainable progress. There is a shortage of studies examining how adopting biogas energy plants affects entrepreneurship in Pakistan's off-grid areas. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by investigating bioenergy as an entrepreneurial opportunity for the sustainable economic development of an emerging economy. Primary data comprising 305 respondents was used in Punjab Province by employing an inclusive questionnaire survey. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique validates the model and analyzes the designated hypotheses. Empirical outcomes reveal that enhanced social and entrepreneurial prosperity adopting biogas plants, sustainable economic development of entrepreneurial businesses adopting biogas plants, and adoption in entrepreneurship improve the standard of living positively and significantly associated with intention to enhance entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption. On the contrary, the production-cost reduction of adopting biogas plants in entrepreneurial businesses had no significant effect on intention to improve entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption. Meanwhile, the intention to enhance entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption positively mediates the relationship among enhanced social and entrepreneurial prosperity adopting biogas plants, sustainable economic development of entrepreneurial businesses adopting biogas plants, biogas plant adoption in entrepreneurship improves the standard of living, and economic development of entrepreneurial activities adopting biogas technology. Correspondingly, social media and word of mouth significantly moderate the relationships between the intention to enhance entrepreneurship performance through biogas energy adoption and the economic development of entrepreneurial activities adopting biogas energy. The results of this study show how crucial it is to change societal norms surrounding entrepreneurship, raise entrepreneurs' awareness of these issues, reform regulatory systems, and emphasize the benefits of entrepreneurial activities offered by biogas energy plants that grow entrepreneurs' standard of living. Finally, the study's limitations and recommendations for additional studies are highlighted.

Exploring the nexus of green finance and renewable energy consumption: unraveling synergistic effects and spatial spillovers

As China transitions towards a green and low-carbon energy system, it is crucial to have the support of green finance. In this study, we explore the effects of synergy and spatial spillovers in the development of green finance and the consumption of renewable energy. By taking a synergistic perspective, we aim to provide new insights for energy structure reform. We use a spatial simultaneous equations model in combination with a three-stage generalized spatial least squares approach, our findings are the following: firstly, there is a positive synergy between the development of green finance and the consumption of renewable energy. Secondly, there are positive spatial spillovers in the development of green finance and the consumption of renewable energy, but the regional interaction effects of green finance development on renewable energy consumption are negative. Furthermore, we observe that the impact of renewable energy consumption on green finance development has been increasing since 2013. However, the reverse relationship is not true, indicating that the renewable energy industry has stabilized and is gaining appeal in financial markets. Our study highlights that the development of green finance can promote an increase in renewable energy consumption through the facilitation of economic growth, green technology innovation, and the upgrading of the industrial structure. We emphasize the importance of regional and industrial coordination to create synergy between green finance development and renewable energy consumption.

Economic development, social media awareness, and technological innovation in biogas sector under climate change in the post-COVID-19 pandemic conditions

After COVID-19, financing for emerging nation reserves in renewable energy bases was deemed a crucial aspect of sustainable development. Investing in biogas energy plants can be highly beneficial for lowering the use of fossil fuels. Using a survey of shareholders, investors, biogas energy professionals, and active social media participants in Pakistan, this study evaluates the intentions of individual investors to invest in biogas energy plants. The primary purpose of this study is to increase investment intent for biogas energy projects following COVID-19. This study focuses on financing biogas energy plants in the post-COVID-19 era and evaluates the research's assumptions using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study employed the technique of purposive sampling to acquire data for this investigation. The results indicate that attitudes, perceived biogas energy benefits, perceived investment attitudes, and supervisory structure evaluations inspire one's propensity to finance biogas vitality plant efforts. The study found a link between eco-friendly responsiveness, monetary benefits, and investors' actions. The aspiration of investors to mark such reserves was set up to be unpretentious by their risk aversion. Conferring to the facts, evaluating the monitoring structure is the critical factor. The previous studies on investment behavior and other forms of pro-environmental intent and action yielded contradictory results. In addition, the regulatory environment was evaluated to see how the theory of planned behavior (TPB) affects financiers' objectives to participate in biogas power plants. The consequences of the study indicate that feelings of pride and discernment of energy expansively affect people's desire to invest in biogas plants. Biogas energy efficacy has little effect on investors' decisions to invest in biogas energy plants. This study offers policymakers practical ideas on enhancing investments in biogas energy plants.

Relating biogas technology and environmental impact assessment: a roadmap towards clean energy for environmental sustainability

Atmosphere contamination and fast weather change have compelled scientists and entrepreneurs to seek eco-friendly solutions for saving the earth. Increasing energy consumption depletes limited natural resources and harms the climate and ecology. In this regard, biogas technology contributes in two ways: satisfying energy needs and saving plants. Pakistan is a farming nation with enormous biogas-based energy generating potential. The primary objectives of this study are to identify the most significant barriers to farmers' investment in biogas technology. Non-probability sampling (purposive sampling) was utilized to establish the sample size. Ninety-seven investors and farmers were systematically sampled in biogas technology engaged in this survey. The planned questionnaire was practiced to obtain key facts via online interviews. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to evaluate designated hypotheses. The current research concludes that entire autonomous variables are substantial and interrelated with investment in biogas machinery, dropping energy disasters, and accomplishing environmental, financial, and maintenance government support objectives. The results also revealed that electronic and social media play a moderating influence. This conceptual model is considerably and positively affected by the chosen factors and their moderation. This study concludes that the primary tools for attracting farmers and investors in biogas technology are proper biogas technology awareness with relevant experts, financial and maintenance government responsibility, user efficiency and environmental concern of biogas plants, and the role of electronic and social media. The results also advised that the government should implement an incentive and maintenance policy to entice new farmers and investors in Pakistan to build biogas technology. Finally, the study's limitations and recommendations for additional studies are highlighted.

Chronic energy poverty in China: measurement and estimation with a new approach

Energy poverty has multidimensional and dynamic nature and is hard to measure quantitatively. This paper combines AF double-cut-off method, and the duration analysis approach to develop both the CUEP index and CMEP index and utilizes the Cox proportional hazard model to check the role of energy efficiency in poverty alleviation. Results are based on data in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018. The findings suggest that 75.887% of households are deprived of CUEP, and nearly 50% of the residents are suffering from CMEP in China. Additionally, nearly 33.546% of the households are deprived only in the dimension of affordability, and there is an obvious overlap between the incidence of two indexes, of which 42.372% of the households simultaneously suffer from deprivation in affordability, accessibility, and availability. Finally, the improvement in energy efficiency reduces the duration of energy poverty and increases the state transition of energy poverty. The presented concept and approach could be expanded to investigate energy poverty in other developing countries and assist policymakers to assess the benefits of energy policies.

Assessing eco-label knowledge and sustainable consumption behavior in energy sector of Pakistan: an environmental sustainability paradigm

The energy needs of Pakistan have increased many folds in recent years due to improved lifestyle, ever-increasing population, and economic development. Though the government and private sectors are considering efficient energy resources to overcome energy scarcity in the country, studies focusing on assessing consumers' sustainable consumption behavior in the form of energy-saving home appliances are limited in the country. This study aims to address this research gap and also contribute by augmenting the theoretical mechanism of the theory of planned behavior by including three unique dimensions (eco-label knowledge, attitude toward environment, and customer green trust) to comprehensively analyze sustainable consumption behavior in the Pakistani context. An analysis is performed on survey data of 631 consumers in the four largest cities of Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Islamabad. For the purpose of evaluating formulated hypotheses, the structural equation modeling approach is employed. Empirical findings suggest that eco-label knowledge positively and significantly influences attitude toward environment and consumer green trust. Similarly, attitude toward environment and consumer green trust has a positive and significant influence on purchase intention. Moreover, a significant positive relationship exists between consumer green trust and purchase intention. The research outcomes further disclose that purchase intention positively and significantly influence paying attention to environmental labels. These findings contribute to the literature on sustainable consumption behavior and provide academics and practitioners with future directions to transform social norms, raise consumers' awareness, and redesign policy frameworks through integrative and consistent efforts.

Do environmental knowledge and green trust matter for purchase intention of eco-friendly home appliances? An application of extended theory of planned behavior

This study aims to identify the determinants of consumers' intentions to buy eco-friendly appliances for their households. This research scrutinizes the linkage between environmental knowledge (EK), consumer attitude (CAT), green trust (GT), and purchase intention (PI) in an emerging economy's context. This study analyzes survey data from 331 Pakistani consumers using energy-efficient household products. SEM is employed to assess the formulated hypotheses. Empirical findings suggest that EK positively and significantly influences CAT and green trust. Similarly, CAT has a negative and insignificant influence on PI. In contrast, green trust is significantly and positively related to PIs. The research outcomes further disclose that perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) positively influence PI. The study extends the B2B sales literature and suggests future directions for academics and practitioners.

Determining the influencing factors of consumers' attitude toward renewable energy adoption in developing countries: a roadmap toward environmental sustainability and green energy technologies

The energy sector is a crucial pillar of the economic development of every nation. In developing countries, renewable energy deployment is scarce; consequently, the government and private sectors are exploring efficient energy resources. This research aims to scrutinize the linkages among value orientation, utilitarian benefits, collectivism, the reason for adoption, attitude toward renewable energy (RE), and adoption intention in the renewable energy context. The study analyzes survey data from 359 Pakistani consumers using solar panels for households. An approach called structural equation modeling is applied to evaluate hypotheses. Empirical findings suggest that value orientation positively and significantly influences the reason for the adoption of RE and attitude toward RE. Similarly, the utilitarian benefit positively and substantially affects attitude toward RE. Moreover, collectivism and reason for adoption are substantially and favorably related to attitude toward RE. The study's findings also show that customer intentions to use renewable energy are favorably and substantially influenced by RE attitudes. The research has contributed to the enhancement of future avenues for scholars and professionals are provided by the literature on renewable practice.

Estimation of economic, environmental, and social efficiency for sustainable development in G-8 and SAARC countries: a data envelopment analysis

In the recent era, economic growth is not enough to represent sustainable development. Sustainable development has three dimensions (i.e., economic, social, and environment). This study estimated the economic, social, and environmental efficiency using data from 2000 to 2021. Input-oriented data envelopment analysis shows strong heterogeneity across developed (G-8) and developing countries (SAARC). There is a potential to increase economic and environmental efficiency in the G-8 and SAARC countries. The average economic efficiencies are 0.682 and 0.414, which implies the possibility of the same output (GDP/capita) by using 31.8% and 58.6% fewer inputs in G-8 and SAARC countries, respectively. The social efficiency score is more than 0.980 in both panels. The average environmental efficiencies are 0.712 and 0.724, which implies that selected countries can obtain the same output (CO₂ emission reduction) by using 28.8% and 27.6% fewer inputs in G-8 and SAARC countries, respectively. The top three economically efficient countries are (a) the USA, the UK, and Japan in the G-8 panel and (b) Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan in the SAARC panel. The top three environmentally efficient countries are (a) France, the UK, and Italy in the G-8 panel and (b) Afghanistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh in the SAARC panel. It is recommended to adopt suitable policies to reduce emission, minimize waste, efficient utilization of resources, increase forest cover, and incentive for clean technologies. It is suggested to promote renewable energy through the provision of micro-credit to the poor, subsidizing renewable energy technologies, implementation of stringent environmental policies, and increasing awareness. It is essential to invest in eco-friendly and innovative technologies; thus, the government should encourage green practices in production. Human development is recommended to increase the living standard and healthy life. The government should invest in the health system and conduct seminars on general health awareness. Investment in basic infrastructure (drinking water, sanitation, and clean fuel) is essential to increase the living standard. The G-8 countries should provide financial and technological help to the SAARC countries.

Assessing the impact of green finance and urbanization on the tourism industry-an empirical study in China

There is a dearth of empirical studies looking at the link between green economic development and tourism in quantifiable terms. Using panel data from China's 30 provinces from 2005 to 2018, this study investigates the impact of green finance on China's tourism industry. Using renewable energy, income per capita, carbon emissions, and urbanizations as explanatory factors is also utilized. According to estimation, the findings reveal that green finance substantially impacts the tourism business. This positive effect is more pronounced in provinces where economic and social conditions are better, thus boosting the region's tourism industry. The same holds for income per capita, renewable energy, and environmental factors. In addition, urbanization has a negligible effect on the variable being studied. A further way to boost the growth of tourism is through the use of green finance. The empirical findings can benefit China's green financial planning and environmental sustainability.

Modeling factors of biogas technology adoption: a roadmap towards environmental sustainability and green revolution

In a developing country such as Pakistan, adopting biogas technology is a complicated process. The government has taken several steps to address energy issues by increasing biogas facilities. This research seeks to identify the major barriers to the deployment of biogas plants. Respondents were selected using the snowball sampling method. As a result, 79 adopters of biogas plants participated. Utilizing a structured questionnaire, primary data were collected. Hypotheses were evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Study results demonstrate that all influencing factors are favorably associated with implementing biogas technology, minimizing energy crises, and achieving cost-cutting objectives. In addition, the findings show that properly reducing economic and governmental barriers, encourage farmers to use biogas plants productively and substantially. To build biogas facilities, the government should adopt an economic strategy, owner training, day-to-day operations, and professional technical assistance.

Understanding the determinants and impact of the adoption of technologies for sustainable farming systems in water-scarce areas of Bangladesh

Introduction

Bangladesh's quest to achieve sustainable development goals has highlighted the need to enhance resilience against the challenges that interconnected food, energy, and water (FEW) nexus systems faces to support human well-being. The government has decided to promote the adoption of competent and cutting-edge technologies that can significantly contribute to balancing energy and water resource utilization in achieving a more sustainable and climate-smart food production system. Hence, scaled-up adoption of solar-powered irrigation systems and recommended fertilizer dose (SIRFD) applications were proposed. This study, to provide practical policy implications, attempts to identify the determinants and impact of SIRFD adoption in water-scarce areas of Bangladesh.

Methods

Determinants of adoption were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression, and the adoption impact was analyzed using treatment effect models.

Results

The results revealed that land typology, soil fertility perception, soil water retention, knowledge, environmental awareness, secondary income, close acquaintance adoption, and cash availability significantly influenced adoption decisions. The treatment effect model result indicated that farmers who adopted both technologies could reduce production costs by 1.36% and obtain an 8.92% higher ROI than non-adopters.

Conclusion

The study findings suggest that policy interventions on scaling up SIRFD adoption require focusing on knowledge development village-based demonstration activities, group farming models backed by micro-finance, and avoiding launching conflicting schemes.

Sustainable impact of COVID-19 on education projects: aspects of naturalism

History records show that pandemics and threats have always given new directions to the thinking, working, and learning styles. This article attempts to thoroughly document the positive core of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and its impact on global social psychology, ecological stability, and development. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test the hypotheses and comprehend the objectives of the study. The findings of the study reveals that the path coefficients for the variables health consciousness, naturalism, financial impact and self-development, sustainability, compassion, gregariousness, sympathy, and cooperation demonstrate that the factors have a positive and significant effect on COVID-19 prevention. Moreover, the content analysis was conducted on recently published reports, blog content, newspapers, and social media. The pieces of evidence from history have been cited to justify the perspective. Furthermore, to appraise the opinions of professionals of different walks of life, an online survey was conducted, and results were discussed with expert medical professionals. Outcomes establish that the pandemics give birth to creativity, instigate innovations, prompt inventions, establish human ties, and foster altruistic elements of compassion and emotionalism.

Modeling the influencing factors of electronic word-of-mouth about CSR on social networking sites

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) information can now be disseminated via social networking sites. An organization's image and upcoming portfolios are directly affected by electronic word of mouth (eWOM). It generates from its customers, employees, and other stakeholders. We developed a critical model to enlighten the behavior to share and comment on a negative news story about CSR displayed on Wechat and QQ to figure out what was causing this behavior. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and the partial least squares regression (PLS) approach were used to conduct a self-administered survey of hotel customers in China. Social and environmental awareness, information usefulness, corporate image, and a company's motivation to comment and share on CSR news were all considered explanatory variables in our study. We asked 300 Wechat and QQ users to rate a fake environmental news story. We found that social and environmental awareness affects the effectiveness of information and the attitude toward behavior, which may describe the eWOM intent of the particular news. On the other hand, corporate reputation could discourage people from disseminating eWOM and sharing the news with their social linkage contacts. The findings of the study suggest having a better understanding of how specific CSR activities can increase customers' commitment, which leads to positive eWOM, will benefit the hotel industry.

Macroeconomic lockdown effects of COVID-19 on small business in China: empirical insights from SEM technique

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the China has exposed small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to a variety of challenges, some of which are potentially life-threatening to their sustainability. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the macroeconomic lockdown effects of COVID-19 on small business in China. A survey questionnaire with 313 participants was used to collect the data. In this study, the SEM technique was used to analyse model. The data have been gathered for the study from the managers and employees of Chinese SMEs. The findings of the study show that COVID-19 has a significant negative impact on financial performance, operational performance, profitability, access to finance, and customer satisfaction. According to the study's findings, external support aids have a greater impact on SMEs' ability to survive and thrive through innovation than on their actual performance. The findings of this study have a number of important practical consequences for small- and medium-sized business owners, governments, and policymakers.

Assessing the management student's entrepreneurial intentions: Role of entrepreneurship education and technology transfer

Entrepreneurship education is considered as an important way to influence the competitiveness of any country or industry. Therefore, entrepreneurship education provides opportunities to progress to a more competitive educational environment. This paper examines the impact of students' entrepreneurship education in China on their entrepreneurial intentions. Perceived entrepreneurial capacity, education in entrepreneurship, and attitudes toward entrepreneurship are all factors in the model developed to predict entrepreneurial intention. Structured equation modeling (SEM) is being used to test 98 management students from various universities in China. The findings show that there is statistically significant and positive relationship among entrepreneurship learning, entrepreneurial attitude, entrepreneurship education, and management students' entrepreneurial intention. Perceived behavioral control and perceive social rule significantly improve management students' entrepreneurial intention. Moreover, technology transfer correlates statistically with students' entrepreneurial intentions. Thus, universities are being encouraged to offer entrepreneurial training modules to increase their students' entrepreneurial intent.

Toward Understanding Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development in Developing and Developed Economies: A Review

In recent years, there has been an upsurge of studies on sustainable development. The majority of research focuses on developed countries and issues that are incompatible with developing nations. This study addresses a gap in the literature by reviewing the research on developed and developing economies, as well as their social and environmental boundaries, under the renewable energy and sustainable development (RESD) nexus. It also explores how RESD may be applied in extreme situations such as population increase, energy supply disruptions, and transportation shortfalls. The fundamental contribution of this paper is to provide detailed debate from the perspective of economic growth hypotheses and their relationship with energy usage and renewable energy solutions for sustainable growth and development.

People's attitude towards willingness-to-pay for environmental protection in Pakistan

Recent environmental research has found that people with higher incomes and in more developed countries are more willing to pay (WTP) to protect their environment than people in developing countries. Based on this assumption, the study investigated Pakistani citizens' attitudes toward environmental protection, precisely their willingness to pay higher prices and taxes to preserve the natural environment. The research was carried out in three Punjab cities (Hasan Abdal, Wah, and Taxila) and four KPK cities (Abbottabad, Havelian, Mansehra, and Haripur). The selected cities are home to knowledgeable people who work in various universities, schools, hospitals, medical colleges, and nearby industrial estates and have a sense of environmental protection and can understand the healthcare issues related to environmental damages. The survey was divided into two sections: one about the participants' socio-demographic information and the other about people's willingness to pay higher prices and taxes to protect the environment. Four hundred and sixty-two people took part in the survey, and the data were analyzed using the bootstrap regression approach. The results show that gender has a detrimental impact, although population density and education positively impact a country's willingness to pay for environmental protection (WTPEP). Women are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior than men, resulting in disparities in their perceptions of male and female respondents in the study. People who live in crowded places tend to pay for environmental protection because of population density, healthcare difficulties, and air pollution. The respondents are well-versed in the externalities of environmental pollution; they are hopeful about paying for a better healthcare environment. Other criteria, such as the respondent's income, health status, total pollution level in the country, and per capita income, enable respondents to pay for environmental preservation to achieve long-term sustainable growth. The government must embrace air quality regulations and empower its citizens by offering better healthcare services since they are enthusiastic about paying higher taxes and fees to protect the environment.

The Role of CSR in Promoting Energy-Specific Pro-Environmental Behavior among Hotel Employees

Mitigating environmental crises requires efforts to reduce carbon emission at every level and segment of an economy. In this respect, the energy sector is blamed for increasing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) throughout the globe. Specifically, it was specified that electrical energy contributes to 35% of the world’s GHG emissions. Without a doubt, the topics related to clean and green energies remained a part of academic discussion; however, a critical knowledge gap exists in most studies. That is, most of the prior literature focused only on the production side (supply side) of electrical energy, neglecting the consumption side (consumption at the level of individuals). Given that a significant amount of electricity has been consumed by the individuals in buildings (homes, offices, or others) for heating and cooling purposes, it is important to promote a target-specific (energy-specific) pro-environmental behavior (TSPEB) of individuals. However, such a debate did not receive any significant attention previously. Further, psychological factors such as employees’ environmental commitment (EEC) and green self-efficacy (GSE) were identified as critical mediators to drive different employees’ outcomes, but the mediating effect of EEC and GSE was not tested earlier to foster TSPEB in a CSR framework. The data for the current work were collected from employees of different hotels in a developing country by employing a survey strategy (n = 383). The structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data, which confirmed that hospitality employees’ CSR perceptions could improve TSPEB. The statistical results also confirmed the significant mediating effects of EEC and GSE. The finding of this study will help the hospitality sector to improve its efforts for de-carbonization by improving the energy consumption behavior of employees as an outcome of CSR.

The role of environmental regulation, industrial upgrading, and resource allocation on foreign direct investment: evidence from 276 Chinese cities

Environmental pollution is becoming more and more prevalent in China, accompanied by the excessive expansion of the country's foreign direct investment in the scale of resource-based industries. This article uses the panel data of 276 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2016 to estimate the impact of environmental regulation on foreign direct investment by employing the spatial Durbin model. The empirical results show that firstly, environmental regulation, and foreign direct investment have an obvious spatial correlation. Secondly, environmental regulation significantly inhibits foreign direct investment and has significant negative space spillover. Thirdly, non-eastern cities' environmental regulation has significantly greater inhibitory effects on foreign direct investment than eastern cities, and the key cities' environmental regulation has greater inhibitory effects than ordinary cities. Finally, from the perspective of industrial upgrading and resource configuration and environmental regulation has significantly promoted foreign direct investment and has significant negative space spillovers. Therefore, the reasonable use of environmental regulatory measures through industrial upgrading and resource configuration to attract clean, capital-intensive, and technology-intensive enterprises and to achieve the effect of "decontamination and clean" for foreign-funded enterprises is critical.

Tracking the effect of climatic and non-climatic elements on rice production in Pakistan using the ARDL approach

The present study aims to investigate the effect of climatic and non-climatic factors on rice production by employing an annual time series data from the period of 1970 to 2018. The study employed an ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) approach, and the long-term equilibrium linkages between the variables have been discovered. Additionally, the study also used a regression model to determine the robustness for the authentication of results. The Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR) methods, and the VECM (Vector Error Correction Model) technique confirmed the long-run causal relationships amid the variables. The empirical results further revealed that climatic factors including annual temperature negatively affect the rice crop production, while carbon dioxide emission positively influenced via long-run. Similarly, non-climatic factors like area under rice crop, fertilizer consumption, labor force, and water availability affect the rice production positively in the long-run analysis. Finally, the pairwise Granger causality test revealed that both climatic and non-climatic variables had a substantial impact on rice yield in Pakistan. Based on the study's findings, the government and policy makers should formulate alleviation polices to tackle with harsh effects of climate change and consistent adoption of measures to secure overall agricultural production including rice crop because it is a country stable food.

Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment: Empirical Evidence from Surabaya Health Care Sector

Background: The concept of Servant Leadership has grown as a distinct management style with numerous applications in management research since its inception. It is likely one of the most successful styles for earnest management and for having a good attitude and concern for those around social organizations' well-being and quality of life. Quality human resources are essential to high commitment and satisfaction at work. Satisfy human resources who are committed will take care of the interests of the organization. Because of the practical nature of the problem among in the organization (Klinik Utama Usada Buana), Surabaya personnel, this research is expected to be conducted as an analytic study with a cross-sectional design. Methods: Therefore, data were collected using simple random sampling and then analyzed and interpreted to test the model. Result :The findings demonstrate that servant leadership styles can help people become more committed to their jobs and feel more satisfied. This model's practical and theoretical aspects have been discussed in the relevant sections of this article.

The dynamics of public spending on sustainable green economy: role of technological innovation and industrial structure effects

In order to achieve the goal of sustainable green economic development, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the efficiency of the green economy and compare it with emission reductions. The green economy idea is a much-discussed solution to economic growth. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of government spending on the performance of the green economy of various countries under the "Belt and Road" (BRI) initiative project. The data were analyzed using the BRI economy panel data from 2008 to 2018. The generalized method of moments (GMM) was used to estimate the effect of government expenditures on education and research and development (R&D) on green economic performance index (GEE) in BRI countries. The results reveal that during the study period, BRI countries have experienced an upward transition towards green development, except for Pakistan and Bangladesh; their GEE decreased gradually from 2010 to 2018. Further, the findings of the system GMM revealed that both education and R&D have a positive impact on the green economy. Moreover, the compositional and technological effects of the overall sample were verified with the GMM process. Nevertheless, the sub-sample results revealed a heterogeneous impact on countries with a high per capita GDP. Following the results, useful policy measures for promoting sustainable green economic development have been proposed.

Effectiveness of renewable energy incentives on sustainability: evidence from dynamic panel data analysis for the EU countries and Turkey

We aim at analyzing the influence of incentive policies on renewable energy deployment in European Union countries and Turkey over the 2000-2018 period. Applying both panel fixed effect and the dynamic panel estimation methods, we compared the results of these two different techniques. Moreover, we included "net metering" that has not been analyzed before, in our policy toolkit, that includes a large number of incentives. Our data cover longer time series than the previous studies in the literature, and it provides new results of different renewable energy policies and drivers for analyzed countries. Empirical findings show that while grants, Research and Development, tax, certification, and policy support have positive and statistically significant impacts on the renewable energy capacity, direct investments, loan, and net metering instruments have no stimulating effect on the renewable energy deployment. These results indicate the deterrent impact of regulations and direct investments on capacity of electricity generated from renewable energy. Moreover, our estimation results reveal that fossil energy consumption, nuclear energy, and GDP are important drivers of renewable energy deployment while net import (energy security) and CO₂ emissions are not. Our study highlights the importance of research and development activities, tax incentives, and efficient policy design in transition to green economy in the countries analyzed. Following the detailed discussion of the results, possible policy implications are presented at the end of the study.

A novel approach for DDoS attacks detection in COVID-19 scenario for small entrepreneurs

The current COVID-19 issue has altered the way of doing business. Now that most customers prefer to do business online, many companies are shifting their business models, which attracts cyber attackers to launch several kinds of cyberattacks against commercial companies simultaneously. The most common and lethal DDoS attack disables the victim's online resources. While large businesses can afford defensive measures against DDoS assaults, the situation is different for new entrepreneurs. Their lack of security resources restricts their ability to ward off DDoS attacks. Here, we aim to highlight the problems that prospective entrepreneurs should be aware of before joining the business, followed by a filtering mechanism that efficiently identifies DDoS assaults in the COVID-19 scenario, which is the subject of our research. The suggested approach employs statistical and machine learning techniques to discriminate between DDoS attack data and regular communication. Our suggested framework is cost-effective and identifies DDoS attack traffic with a 92.8% accuracy rate.

Determinants and Impact of Solar Irrigation Facility (SIF) Adoption: A Case Study in Northern Bangladesh

Insufficient rainfall in the dry season and scarcity of surface water has resulted in firms’ reliance on groundwater for agriculture in the northern part of Bangladesh. Most irrigation systems in the country are diesel or electric, which raises the cost and demand for energy and pollutes the environment. Utilizing the abundant sunshine and disseminating solar-based irrigation systems is expected to be a fittingly rewarding experience for irrigation purposes. Therefore, this study identifies the factors influencing the adoption of solar irrigation facilities (SIFs) and the impacts of their adoption on irrigation cost, return on investment (ROI), and production costs, using survey data collected from 405 rice farmers of Dinajpur district. The study employed three treatment effect estimators, namely inverse probability weighting (IPW), regression adjustment (RA), and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA), to address the potential selection bias issue. The results revealed that farming experience, knowledge, environmental awareness, soil fertility, and irrigation machinery ownership significantly influenced adoption decisions. The treatment effect model result indicated that farmers who adopted this method could minimize irrigation costs by 1.88 to 2.22%, obtain 4.48 to 8.16% higher ROI, and reduce total production cost by 0.06 to 0.98% compared to non-adopters. Our findings suggested that policy interventions targeting scaling up SIFs should consider focusing on government and stakeholders’ greater attention on designing more appropriate schemes through experimentation and multiple iterations.

Determinants of Social Commerce Usage and Online Impulse Purchase: Implications for Business and Digital Revolution

Since their introduction in the early 2000s, the use of social networking websites has exploded. Many businesses are seeing increased revenue due to their social commerce strategy. Despite the popularity of social commerce websites, some consumers are still hesitate to use them. This study aims to evaluate the factors that influence the adoption of social commerce. A sample of 721 Chinese We Chat users took part in the research. The findings reveal that social capital mediates the positive effect of social commerce adoption and perceived ease of use (PERU) on techno-stress and online impulse purchasing. Likewise, information overloading mediates the positive effect of social commerce adoption and PERU on techno-stress and online impulse purchasing. The findings have implications for both practice and research in understanding social commerce adoption in emerging economies.

The role of innovation investment and institutional quality on green total factor productivity: evidence from 46 countries along the "Belt and Road"

Based on the panel data of 46 countries in "Belt and Road" (B&R) from 2004 to 2016, this paper studies the impact of innovation investment and institutional quality on green total factor productivity (GTFP). Firstly, the ICRG database, World Bank WDI database, Traditional Foundation database, and Wind database are matched to obtain the balanced panel data of 46 countries along the B&R from 2004 to 2016. Secondly, the Malmquist-Luenberger index, which can be included in the unexpected output, is used to calculate the GTFP of countries along B&R. Thirdly, the evaluation system of national institutional quality of B&R is constructed from three dimensions (political institutional quality, economic institutional quality, and legal institutional quality), and the overall system quality of different countries is measured by entropy method. Finally, an empirical study is made on the relationship among innovation investment, institutional quality, and green total factor productivity. The results show that innovation investment has significantly promoted the GTFP of the B&R countries. It is worth noting that there is a non-linear relationship between innovation investment and GTFP in the B&R countries. With the improvement of overall system quality, political system quality, economic system quality, and legal system quality, the promotion effect of innovation investment on GTFP is further enhanced. In addition, the heterogeneity regression results show that the impact of innovation investment on GTFP is significantly heterogeneous in different regions of the B&R countries. Specifically, innovation investment has the greatest impact on GTFP in South Asia, followed by East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East, and North Africa.

Interventions for the Current COVID-19 Pandemic: Frontline Workers' Intention to Use Personal Protective Equipment

BACKGROUND

Frontline workers (FLWs) are at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection during care interactions than the general population. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is regarded as an effective intervention for limiting the transmission of airborne viruses. However, research examining FLWs' intention to use PPE is limited.

OBJECTIVES

This study addresses this research gap and also contributes by expanding the conceptual mechanism of planned behavior theory by incorporating three novel dimensions (perceived benefits of PPE, risk perceptions of the epidemic, and unavailability of PPE) in order to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence FLWs' intentions to use PPE.

METHOD

Analysis is based on a sample of 763 FLWs in Pakistan using a questionnaire survey, and the structural equation modeling approach is employed to evaluate the suppositions.

RESULTS

Study results indicate that attitude, perceived benefits of PPE, and risk perceptions of the epidemic have positive influence on FLWs' intention to use PPE. In comparison, the unavailability of PPE and the cost of PPE have opposite effects. Meanwhile, environmental concern has a neutral effect.

CONCLUSIONS

The study results specify the importance of publicizing COVID-19's lethal impacts on the environment and society, ensuring cheap PPE, and simultaneously enhancing workplace safety standards.

Assessment of public intention to get vaccination against COVID-19: Evidence from a developing country

OBJECTIVES

Widespread acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine will be the next important step in fighting the novel coronavirus disease. Though the Pakistani government has successfully implemented robust policies to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic; however, studies assessing public intention to get COVID-19 vaccination (IGCV) are limited. The aim of this study is to deal with this literature gap and has also expanded the conceptual framework of planned behaviour theory. We have introduced three new considerations (risk perceptions of the pandemic, perceived benefits of the vaccine, and unavailability of vaccine) to have a better understanding of the influencing factors that encourage or discourage public IGCV.

METHODS

Results are based on a sample collected from 754 households using an inclusive questionnaire survey. Hypotheses are tested by utilizing the structural equation modelling approach.

RESULTS

The results disclose that the intention factors, that is, attitude, risk perceptions of the pandemic, and perceived benefits of the vaccine, impart positive effects on public IGCV. In contrast, the cost of the vaccine and the unavailability of the vaccine have negative effects. Notably, environmental concern has an insignificant effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Research findings emphasize the importance of publicizing the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on society and the environment, ensuring vaccination availability at an accessible price while simultaneously improving public healthcare practices.

An analysis of the asymmetric effects of natural gas consumption on economic growth in Pakistan: A non-linear autoregressive distributed lag approach

Natural gas is a vital energy resource that is used to produce the national output of Pakistan. On the other hand, since natural gas is a relatively cleaner energy resource compared to oil and coal, enhancing the level of natural gas consumption can be expected to promote economic growth while somewhat improving environmental quality in the process. Hence, it is pertinent to assess the economic growth effects associated with the consumption of such comparatively cleaner energy resources. Against this background, the main objective of this paper is to explore the asymmetric effects of natural gas consumption, controlling for financial development, on Pakistan's economic growth figure over the 1965-2019 period. The results from the Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Phillips-Perron, and Zivot-Andrews unit root tests confirm a mixed order of integration among the variables. Besides, the bounds test and the Gregory-Hansen co-integration analysis reveal evidence of long-run associations between economic growth, natural gas consumption, and financial development in the context of Pakistan. Moreover, the outcomes from the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model analysis show that in the short-run, positive changes in the natural gas consumption levels increase Pakistan's economic growth. On the other hand, in the long-run, positive and negative changes in natural gas consumption levels increase and decrease the nation's economic growth level, respectively. On the other hand, both positive and negative changes in the financial development level are found to reduce Pakistan's economic growth level in the long run only. Furthermore, the Hacker-Hatemi-J causality analysis verifies that natural gas consumption causally influences the economic growth level in Pakistan; thus, verifying the energy consumption-led growth phenomenon. In line with these key findings, several policy level suggestions are put forward for Pakistan to enhance its natural gas consumption level in order to boost its economic growth rate in the future.

Evaluating Green Technology Strategies for the Sustainable Development of Solar Power Projects: Evidence from Pakistan

Energy is the main element for a modern lifestyle that must be considered in economically reliable and sustainable development dialogues. The financial performance of solar power projects has become the main issue, especially in developing countries such as Pakistan, where it has gained the special attention of government and regulatory authorities. The present study evaluates green technology strategies for the sustainable development of solar power projects in Pakistan. We examine the moderating role of cost and riskiness of the methods between the nexus of capital budgeting techniques and the financial performance of solar power projects. The analysis is performed on data collected from 44 respondents (chief financial officers and chief executive officers) by accompanying an inclusive questionnaire survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to assess the formulated suppositions. The results reveal that green technology strategies positively impact the sustainable development of solar power projects. The profitability index is a good source of higher financial performance of the solar power projects. The results further demonstrate that the cost and riskiness of the methods significantly moderate the nexus of capital budgeting techniques and the financial performance of solar power projects. These findings provide a valuable manual for policymakers, government institutions, and regulators to select the appropriate green technology strategy to increase cleaner production and sustainable development of solar power projects.

The Impact of the Fear of COVID-19 on Purchase Behavior of Dietary Supplements: Integration of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Protection Motivation Theory

This study aimed at assessing the impacts of the fear of COVID-19 on consumer buying behavior toward dietary supplements. This investigation was a cross-sectional study in which literate adults regardless of gender over the age of 20 were recruited from three pharmacies in three different districts of Wuhan City, China. A total of 598 questionnaires were analyzed after excluding 10 with incomplete information. The current study demonstrated that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control had a positive impact on the intention of purchasing dietary supplements. Fear of COVID-19 was related to an enhanced purchase intention toward dietary supplements. Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were significant factors that mediated the association between the fear of COVID-19 and the purchase intention of dietary supplements. This study helps provide practical advice for stakeholders in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries to tailor appropriate strategies for improving product promotion or healthcare-related interventions.

Does temperature matter for COVID-19 transmissibility? Evidence across Pakistani provinces

The outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a global concern that is deteriorating environmental quality and damaging human health. Though some researchers have investigated the linkage between temperature and COVID-19 transmissibility across different geographical locations and over time, yet these studies are scarce. This study aims to bridge this gap using daily temperature and COVID-19 cases (transmissibility) by employing grey incidence analysis (GIA) models (i.e., Deng's grey incidence analysis (DGIA), the absolute degree GIA (ADGIA), the second synthetic degree GIA (SSDGIA), the conservative (maximin) model) and correlation analysis. Data on temperature are accessed from the NASA database, while the data on COVID-19 cases are collected from the official website of the government of Pakistan. Empirical results reveal the existence of linkages between temperature and COVID-19 in all Pakistani provinces. These linkages vary from a relatively stronger to a relatively weaker linkage. Based on calculated weights, the strength of linkages is ranked across provinces as follows: Gilgit Baltistan (0.715301) > Baluchistan (0.675091) > Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (0.619893) > Punjab (0.619286) > Sindh (0.601736). The disparity in the strength of linkage among provinces is explained by the discrepancy in the intensity of temperature. Besides, the diagrammatic correlation analysis shows that temperature is inversely linked to COVID-19 cases (per million persons) over time, implying that low temperatures are associated with high COVID-19 transmissibility and vice versa. This study is among the first of its kind to consider the linkages between temperature and COVID-19 transmissibility for a tropical climate country (Pakistan) using the advanced GIA models. Research findings provide an up-to-date glimpse of the outbreak and emphasize the need to raise public awareness about the devastating impacts of the COVID-19. The educational syllabus should provide information on the causes, signs, and precautions of the pandemic. Additionally, individuals should practice handwashing, social distancing, personal hygiene, mask-wearing, and the use of hand sanitizers to ensure a secure and supportive atmosphere for preventing and controlling the current pandemic.

Does temperature matter for COVID-19 transmissibility? Evidence across Pakistani provinces

The outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a global concern that is deteriorating environmental quality and damaging human health. Though some researchers have investigated the linkage between temperature and COVID-19 transmissibility across different geographical locations and over time, yet these studies are scarce. This study aims to bridge this gap using daily temperature and COVID-19 cases (transmissibility) by employing grey incidence analysis (GIA) models (i.e., Deng's grey incidence analysis (DGIA), the absolute degree GIA (ADGIA), the second synthetic degree GIA (SSDGIA), the conservative (maximin) model) and correlation analysis. Data on temperature are accessed from the NASA database, while the data on COVID-19 cases are collected from the official website of the government of Pakistan. Empirical results reveal the existence of linkages between temperature and COVID-19 in all Pakistani provinces. These linkages vary from a relatively stronger to a relatively weaker linkage. Based on calculated weights, the strength of linkages is ranked across provinces as follows: Gilgit Baltistan (0.715301) > Baluchistan (0.675091) > Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (0.619893) > Punjab (0.619286) > Sindh (0.601736). The disparity in the strength of linkage among provinces is explained by the discrepancy in the intensity of temperature. Besides, the diagrammatic correlation analysis shows that temperature is inversely linked to COVID-19 cases (per million persons) over time, implying that low temperatures are associated with high COVID-19 transmissibility and vice versa. This study is among the first of its kind to consider the linkages between temperature and COVID-19 transmissibility for a tropical climate country (Pakistan) using the advanced GIA models. Research findings provide an up-to-date glimpse of the outbreak and emphasize the need to raise public awareness about the devastating impacts of the COVID-19. The educational syllabus should provide information on the causes, signs, and precautions of the pandemic. Additionally, individuals should practice handwashing, social distancing, personal hygiene, mask-wearing, and the use of hand sanitizers to ensure a secure and supportive atmosphere for preventing and controlling the current pandemic.

Do economic openness and electricity consumption matter for environmental deterioration: silver bullet or a stake?

Developing countries are enthusiastically on the road to economic progress and economic openness, which is proved to be a silver bullet for them. However, it has put their environmental quality at stake. This study examines whether economic openness and electricity consumption matter for environmental deterioration by controlling for the influence of economic progress. For this, we have used time series frequency data of Pakistan from 1971 to 2016 and employed the state-of-the-art dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) simulation model. The model has the advantage over traditional ARDL in determining the positive and negative environmental deterioration variations induced by economic openness, electricity consumption, and economic progress. The main findings are as follows: Firstly, electricity consumption in both long and short run positively and significantly influenced CO₂ emissions, while long-run influence exceeded that of short run. Secondly, economic progress validated an environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis and thus limited the environmental degradation. Thirdly, economic openness showed an insignificant influence on CO₂ emissions both in the long and short run. Based on research findings, it is suggested that economic progress and economic openness are not the direct culprits to deteriorate a developing country's environmental condition like Pakistan; rather, electricity consumption remained the key role player. Therefore, the transition from fossil-based electricity consumption to renewable energy consumption would provide a sustainable pathway towards achieving sustainable economic openness in the future.

Factors Influencing Consumer’s Adoption of Renewable Energy

The objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the consumer adoption of renewable energy in Thailand. The study adopted an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) by including three additional variables. The study applied a quantitative study methodology, with primary data collected using a survey of consumers in five major cities in Thailand. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings of the study indicated that perception of self-effectiveness, environmental concern, renewable energy awareness, and beliefs about renewable energy benefits have a significant and positive effect on consumers’ intention to adopt renewable energy. The cost of renewable was found to have a negative but non-significant influence on consumers’ adoption of renewable energy, while risk/trust perception was found to have a positive but non-significant influence on consumers’ adoption of renewable energy. The study concluded that stakeholders should take into account the aspects of perception of self-effectiveness, environmental concern, renewable energy awareness, and beliefs about renewable energy benefits when running campaigns to promote the consumer adoption of renewable energy in Thailand

Understanding the Antecedents and Consequences of Service-Sales Ambidexterity: A Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) Framework

Drawing on the motivation, opportunity and ability (MOA) framework, we investigate the influence of charismatic leadership on salespeople’s service and sales activities—termed service-sales ambidextrous (SSA) behavior, which subsequently turn into service recovery performance outcomes. The primary aim of this research is to strengthen salespeople’s service quality in parallel to their selling activities while recovering a service failure. We validate the model using a sample of 344 business-to-business salespeople using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. Study results show that charismatic leadership is positively and significantly related to service-sales ambidexterity. Likewise, service-sales ambidexterity has a positive and significant relationship with service recovery performance and adaptive selling behavior. Moreover, we found a significant relationship between adaptive selling behavior and service recovery performance. The results further specify that salesperson motivation, opportunity and ability to engage in SSA significantly moderate the relationship between charismatic leadership and service-sales ambidexterity. The results suggest the need for training programs that provide the salesperson with opportunities to understand the simultaneous implementation of selling strategies while also providing customer services.

Comparison between Historical and Real-Time Techniques for Estimating Marginal Emissions Attributed to Electricity Generation

Electricity generation is tied to various environmental and social consequences. In prior studies, the environmental emissions associated with electricity generation were calculated using average emission factors (AEFs) whose use is different from the method of marginal emission factors (MEFs) in regard to the geographical redefinition and new policies applied to the US electricity grid in 2013. Moreover, the amount of emissions being released at a generation site depends on the technology of the generating units; it is important to take into account this factor as well. Thus, this paper provides comparisons between different historical and real-time approaches of estimating MEFs (i.e., CO2, SO2, and NOx) for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) electricity region. The region under study is the same for all the scenarios, although the comparative time frames are different. The study is focused on the similarities observed in the data trends and system behaviors. We carry out different temporal comparisons whose results show the value of real-time approaches for estimating the MEFs for each location and at any time. These approaches can be extended to other regions to assist with proper investment and policy making, thereby increasing the grid efficiency, mitigating the environmental emissions, and clarifying the byproducts of energy consumption.

Do Perceived Risk, Perception of Self-Efficacy, and Openness to Technology Matter for Solar PV Adoption? An Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

Solar PV (photovoltaic) technology has gained considerable attention worldwide, as it can help reduce the adverse effects of CO2 emissions. Though the government of Pakistan is adopting solar PV technology due to its environmental friendliness nature, studies focusing on consumer’s acceptance of solar PV are limited in the country. This research aims to close this knowledge gap by looking into the various considerations that may influence consumers’ willingness to adopt (WTA) solar PV for household purposes. The study further contributes by expanding the conceptual framework of the theory of planned behavior by including three novel factors (perceived risk, perception of self-efficacy, and openness to technology). The analysis is based on questionnaire data collected from 683 households in Pakistan’s provincial capitals, including Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit, and Karachi. The proposed hypotheses are investigated using the state-of-the-art structural equation modeling approach. The empirical results reveal that social norms, perception of self-efficacy, and belief about solar PV benefits positively influence consumers’ WTA solar PV. On the contrary, the perceived risk and solar PV cost have negative effects. Notably, the openness to technology has an insignificant effect. This study can help government officials and policymakers explore cost-effective, risk-free technologies to lessen the environmental burden and make the country more sustainable. Based on research results, study limitations, as well as prospective research directions, are also addressed.

Progress in nuclear energy with carbon pricing to achieve environmental sustainability agenda: on the edge of one's seat

The Paris agreement (COP21) emphasized the need to progress toward using low-carbon energy technologies, including nuclear power, that is favorably looked for to meet the challenges to reduce an enormous increase in global temperature to below 2 °C. The cost of carbon pollution is highly induced by the energy sector that damages the global environmental sustainability plan. The alternative and nuclear energy demand is an optimized solution to decrease carbon damages, which can be better work under the imposition of carbon taxes on polluting industries. This study works in a given direction to analyze the role of alternative and nuclear energy, carbon pricing, FDI inflows, fossil fuel combustion, economic growth, and population density on the cost of carbon pollution in a panel of 90 selected countries for a period of 1995-2018. The results confirmed a "nuclear energy-augmented environmental Kuznets curve" with a turning point of 39.974% of total energy demand across countries. The result implies that alternative and nuclear energy initially increases carbon damages. Simultaneously, it decreases at the later stages of atomic energy expansion; thus, nuclear power growth is imperative for long-term sustainable development. A positive relationship is found between carbon pricing and carbon damage, while a negative relationship is between fossil fuel combustion and carbon damage across countries. The results conclude that expansion in nuclear energy would help reduce the cost of carbon pollution to achieve environmental sustainability agenda across countries.

How Do Failed Entrepreneurs Cope with Their Prior Failure When They Seek Subsequent Re-Entry into Serial Entrepreneurship? Failed Entrepreneurs' Optimism and Defensive Pessimism and Coping Humor as a Moderator

Entrepreneurial failure is prevalent, and particularly when the COVID-19 crisis exacerbates the economic recession, it becomes even more prevalent. Entrepreneurs experience an intensive emotional crisis when their ventures fail, and this deleterious impact, including stress and emotional pain, may prevent failed entrepreneurs (FEs) from restarting; hence, how they cope with failure has received increased attention in recent years. However, most of the extant literature focuses on success rather than failure, and there is very limited literature on how FEs cope with the psychological and emotional crisis caused by failure. This study focuses on FEs' use of optimism and defensive pessimism as coping strategies within the mental simulation theory with respect to their re-entry intentions. It examines the impact of career ambition and public self-awareness on optimism, of the fear of failure (FoF) and self-doubt, on defensive pessimism, and of coping humor as a moderator. We used structural equation modeling to analyze the data of 277 Korean FEs who have actual entrepreneurial failure experiences and actively prepared for their re-entry. The results show that career ambitions and public self-awareness have an impact on optimism, and FoF and self-doubt lead to defensive pessimism. Coping humor also has a moderating effect on the path from defensive pessimism to the intention to re-enter. This study advances the literature on coping mechanisms that FEs employ to manage the negative impact of failure and prepare for their subsequent re-entry. Its theoretical model, based on the mental simulation theory combined with social comparison theory, provides a possible integrative framework that includes both the pervasively held view of entrepreneurs' optimism related to overconfidence and their defensive pessimism related to their vulnerability due to their ventures' failure. Thus, this study makes theoretical contributions to the literature of entrepreneurial failure, as well as practical implications for policymakers and educators who assist FEs in successfully coping with entrepreneurial failure and re-entry.

Assessing Public Willingness to Wear Face Masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fresh Insights from the Theory of Planned Behavior

Face masks are considered an effective intervention in controlling the spread of airborne viruses, as evidenced by the 2009's H1N1 swine flu and 2003's severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreaks. However, research aiming to examine public willingness to wear (WTW) face masks in Pakistan are scarce. The current research aims to overcome this research void and contributes by expanding the theoretical mechanism of theory of planned behavior (TPB) to include three novel dimensions (risk perceptions of the pandemic, perceived benefits of face masks, and unavailability of face masks) to comprehensively analyze the factors that motivate people to, or inhibit people from, wearing face masks. The study is based on an inclusive questionnaire survey of a sample of 738 respondents in the provincial capitals of Pakistan, namely, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, Gilgit, and Quetta. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to analyze the proposed hypotheses. The results show that attitude, social norms, risk perceptions of the pandemic, and perceived benefits of face masks are the major influencing factors that positively affect public WTW face masks, whereas the cost of face masks and unavailability of face masks tend to have opposite effects. The results emphasize the need to enhance risk perceptions by publicizing the deadly effects of COVID-19 on the environment and society, ensure the availability of face masks at an affordable price, and make integrated and coherent efforts to highlight the benefits that face masks offer.

Does globalization and financial sector development affect environmental quality? A panel data investigation for the Middle East and North African countries

The broad purpose of this study is to empirically explore the impact of globalization and financial development on environmental pollution by carbon (CO₂) emissions in the six Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries using balanced panel data from 1971 to 2015. We also aimed to test the legitimacy of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for this region. The fixed-effects approach preferred by the Hausman specification test is used to estimate the empirical model, and the feasible generalized least squares (F.G.L.S.) estimator is employed to cope with any issue of heteroscedasticity and serial correlation. This study found that globalization and financial development have adverse and significant effects on environmental degradation and affirm the legitimacy of the EKC hypothesis for these countries. The finding of this study suggests that the governments of MENA countries should design and implement appropriate policies for strengthening the renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, bio-fuel, and thermal to decrease CO₂ emissions and boost sustainable economic development. The policymakers should focus on the efficiency of institutions and enhancement of energy-saving projects in this region.