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Introduction: The possible role of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the insurance services industry has not received much research compared to the banking industry. The FDI inflows are seen as crucial to the general economic growth of these emerging European transition countries because the insurance sector is still growing and integrating.

Purpose: This chapter explores whether the increase in FDI inflows leads to higher life and non-life insurance penetration in different groups of European transition countries and European post-transition countries.

Methodology: The study employs annual data between 1995 and 2021 using dynamic ordinary squares (DOLS) estimator and Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) panel causality methods.

Findings: The study found evidence about the link between FDI and life and non-life insurance penetration, where their gains are marginal and very weak when controlling the effect of Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDPPC) in the long run. More specifically, the effect of FDI on insurance development is greater in the European post-transition countries with higher GDPPC and FDI inflows than in the European transition countries.

These discrepancies may be attributed to the various stages at which their development policies have advanced as well as the overall execution of reforms within the insurance industry. The findings suggest affirmative action programs should be put in place to attract FDI inflows in general and insurance in particular.

This study empirically investigates whether and how boycott attitudes and subjective norms influence the impact of the perceived behavioral control of boycotts on boycott intention.

To test our hypotheses, we perform a hierarchical linear regression analysis using data from Japanese (n = 500) and South Koreans (n = 571).

Boycott attitudes strengthen the positive effect of perceived behavioral control on boycott intentions for Japanese and South Koreans. Contrary to our assumptions, while the direct impact of perceived behavioral control on boycott intention is not significant, there is a negative moderating effect of subjective norms for Japanese consumers.

We argue that when perceived behavioral control is evident in boycotts, consumers listen more to themselves than to others. Our cross-national analysis of actual boycott campaigns is the first study on boycott research to offer implications for the interaction effects among the three key antecedents of psychological motivation factors in the theory of planned behavior.

Window shading has always been an effective technique to control the access of solar radiation; however, inappropriate selection of the shading technique, location and optical properties may lead to an increase in energy consumed for cooling and artificial lighting. Venetian blinds (VBs) are a type of adjustable shading devices that can be installed to the interior, exterior or in between glass panes of a window and that can be easily implemented in both new and existing buildings. This study aims to investigate the impact of three VB parameters: slat angle, reflectivity and location on the overall energy consumption of a residential space with a south-facing facade under the hot arid desert climate of Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. For the purpose of globalizing the findings, the same investigations were applied for two other cities of similar climates: Cairo, Egypt, and Arizona, the USA.

A test room was modelled for energy simulation, with a 20% window-to-wall ratio. A VB was assigned with alternatives of being located to the indoor, outdoor or in between double glass panes. High, medium and low reflectivity values were applied at each location at slat angle alternatives of 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75° and 90°.

Results showed VB performance across slat angles, where up to 20.1% energy savings were achieved by mid-pane high reflectivity VBs in Riyadh, while the value exceeded 30% in case of being externally located. A similar performance pattern occurred in the other two cities of hot arid desert climates: Cairo and Arizona.

The study is limited to VBs at a fixed position, with no upward movement for partial or full openness conditions. The effect of blind control and operation on performance, such as the amount and duration of openness/closure of the blind and changes in slat angle across time, in addition to VB automation, shall be investigated in a future study.

The better understanding of VB energy performance achieved would enhance a more rational selection of VBs, which would benefit the construction industry as it would assist designers, real estate developer companies, as well as end-users in the decision-making process and help to realize energy-efficient solutions in residential buildings. VB production entities would also benefit by manufacturing and promoting for energy-efficient products.

In this study, a matrix of combinations of three VB parameters was developed, and the effect of these combinations on the overall energy consumption of both artificial lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems was evaluated and compared to identify the combinations of higher efficiency. The literature showed that these three parameters were hardly investigated in a combined form and hardly assessed by considering the overall energy consumed by both artificial lighting and HVAC.

Apartments have become a representative urban housing type for mass housing construction; therefore, interest in low-rise residential areas has decreased. Low-rise residential areas have proved to be a poor residential environment for all aspects of life because of the density of the old buildings. Using the Moa Towns project as a case study, this research explores the steps for revitalizing low-rise residential environments, emphasizing communities.

The study first investigated the historical changes in urban housing types in Korea. Through a review of the related literature, a systematic analysis framework was developed. The residential environments of the case study and the questionnaire survey were analyzed through the framework, with a focus on the quality of housing.

To improve the quality of housing for residents, a housing plan is needed to ensure safety and comfort. To establish an accessible residential environment infrastructure, improve the quality of housing, and encourage social relationships between neighbors, community facilities within a 15-min walk should be installed. To increase interaction between neighbors, a circular pedestrian system can be created by establishing a community street.

This study is significant in that it focuses on people in revitalizing the community; identifies factors for physical improvement, exchange activities, and facility support; and presents a conceptual framework for building a residential environment in low-rise residential areas. The results are critical to the quality of housing and community facilities for low-rise residential development.

The purpose of this study is to comprehensively explore the password manager adoption landscape, delving into crucial factors such as performance, trust, social influence, self-efficacy, risk perception, security concerns, enjoyment and facilitating conditions. It also aims to contribute meaningful insights to security product research and practice.

A survey was used to investigate the characteristics of adoption intention for password managers. In total, 156 participants from a public university located in the Midwest region of the USA voluntarily completed the survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to estimate and validate causal relationships and the proposed research model.

Through empirical validation, this study demonstrates that constructs such as social influence, web-specific self-efficacy and perceived risk directly impact trust in password managers. Facilitating conditions and perceived security controls are identified as direct influencers on performance expectancy, deviating from the pathways of the traditional framework. Moreover, the model introduces novel elements crucial for comprehending password manager adoption, including “web-specific self-efficacy” and “perceived security control.”

The paper systematically reviews existing research on password managers, shedding light on crucial factors significantly influencing adoption behavior. By introducing deviations from conventional frameworks and theories, the study emphasizes the innovative nature of its model. It also formulates strategies to catalyze wider adoption and promote effective design of password managers, increasing user engagement rates.