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This study aims to comprehensively examine the relationship between initial public offering (IPO) activities and macroeconomic factors in Sri Lanka.

This study uses principal component analysis (PCA) and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) techniques to examine the relationship between IPO activities and macroeconomic factors. Ten macroeconomic variables are transformed into principal components (factors) using PCA. Then, ARDL is applied to investigate the long- and short-term relationships between IPO activities and the transformed macroeconomic factors.

The empirical investigation identifies three principal factors from the ten macroeconomic variables, of which two factors have a significant long-run association with IPO activities: “return on investment (RTOI)” and “economic and market development (ECMD).” In the short run, “trade openness and banking sector development (TOBD)” and RTOI are significantly associated with IPO activities.

The study was based on 30 years of observations, which passed all diagnostic tests but may be insufficient for generalizing the findings. Future studies could use high-frequency data (monthly or quarterly) to increase the number of observations and repeat the method and analysis. Also, while the symmetrical ARDL method was used in this study, an asymmetrical ARDL method may provide more insightful results and interpretations.

The study highlights the importance of considering both long- and short-term associations when analyzing the impact of macroeconomic variables on IPO activities.

This study is the first to comprehensively examine the relationship between IPO activities and macroeconomic variables using PCA and the ARDL technique. The study provides insight into the macroeconomic factors that influence IPO activities in Sri Lanka and highlights the importance of considering long- and short-term associations.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of e-service quality and e-trust on customer e-satisfaction and, subsequently, on customer e-loyalty towards a website in the online shopping environment of Pakistan.

The research employed a quantitative approach and utilised structural equation modelling to investigate the relationship between e-service quality and e-trust on consumers’ e-satisfaction and e-loyalty. The data were collected from 250 individuals who actively use online shopping websites to purchase products in Pakistan.

The findings revealed that e-service quality and e-trust offered on e-commerce websites significantly impacted customer e-loyalty. However, it was found that both e-service quality and e-trust do not have a significant impact on customer e-satisfaction. In addition, the findings showed that customer e-satisfaction positively impacts e-loyalty.

Overall, these findings emphasise the importance of e-service quality, e-trust and customer e-satisfaction and their role in cultivating customer loyalty within the context of the online shopping environment in Pakistan.

This study contributes to the existing literature on online shopping in Pakistan by exploring the factors influencing consumer behaviour in this context. The findings add to the academic understanding of consumer behaviour and provide valuable insights for e-commerce businesses in Pakistan.

This study aims to examine the moderator effect of religiosity on the relationship between halal brand awareness and habit towards purchasing decisions of halal products.

The quantitative method is used in this study. Descriptive and statistical (multiple and moderated regression) analyses are employed to test the hypothesis according to the research model. The data is collected using a cross-sectional design from 197 respondents consisting of business owners in North Sumatera, Indonesia.

It is found that both halal brand awareness and habit have a positive and significant effect on the purchasing decision of halal products. Meanwhile, religiosity significantly acts as a moderating variable in the relationship between awareness and purchasing decisions, as well as habit and purchasing decisions.

This study revealed the important factor of religiosity as a moderating factor in purchase decisions of halal products. The government may need to collaborate with Islamic educational institutions to raise awareness of the halal concept and product awareness. It is assumed that individuals who know about the Islamic religion will have a higher degree of awareness of halal products compared to individuals with limited knowledge of Islam; thus, providers of Islamic education play a crucial role in raising the level of awareness of halal products. Schools may serve as catalysts for the dissemination of knowledge of halal products.

Developing halal product markets can be done by enhancing the religiosity level of consumers, one of them through attending formal or informal religious classes.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the sustainable financial disclosure regulation (SFDR) on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and risk scores of sustainable funds (SFs) from a multi-regional perspective.

This research involves conducting a comparative study between self-labeled SFs and conventional funds of the same mutual fund company matched using a five-step process. Using the SFDR publication as a natural study, this study uses panel data methodology on a portfolio ESG score database before SFDR implementation and three to six months post-SFDR Level 1 requirement to measure the impact.

The findings provide evidence of a clear reduction in ESG risk and an improvement in ESG performance across all samples and ESG dimensions following the SFDR regulation. In addition, the results reveal a positive spillover effect of the regulation on conventional funds following its implementation.

The study can be helpful for fund managers, investors and regulators as it provides insights into the impact of mandatory ESG disclosure regulation on the global fund investment market. The study is limited by data availability due to the restrictive matching approach used, which starts with fund pairs from the same fund management company.

The study can be helpful for fund managers, investors and regulators as it provides insights into the impact of mandatory ESG disclosure regulation on the global fund investment market.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is a lack of research papers that analyze the impact of the SFDR mandatory regulation as a driving force on the ESG scores of the fund market using the same fund management matched pair approach. This paper tests the importance of the investment area through a multi-regional approach to study potential “spillover” effects.

A biomechanical design method of lightweight full contacted insole based on structural anisotropy bespoke (SAB) is proposed, which can better redistribute the stress distribution of SAB designed personalized insole.

The reconstructed joint biomechanics are simulated using finite element analysis (FEA) to develop a lightweight full contact insole. Innovatively, the anisotropic properties of the triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure, which contribute to reducing insole weight, are considered to optimize stress distribution. Additionally, porosity and manufacturing time are included as design objectives. To validate the lightweight insole design, FEA is employed to simulate the stress distribution of the ergonomic insole, which can be fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) with TPU.

With a little 0.924% loss in porosity, the maximum stress of lightweight SAB designed insoles is extremely decreased by 19.2917%.

The biomechanical design of the lightweight full contact insole based on SAB can effectively redistribute stress, avoid stress concentration and improve the mechanical properties of the ergonomic individual insole.

This study aims to assess the efficiency of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) countries in achieving sustainable development by analyzing their ability to convert resources and technological innovations into sustainable outcomes.

Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), the study evaluates the economic, environmental and social efficiency of BRICS countries over the period 2010–2018. It ranks these countries based on their sustainable development performance and compares them to the period 2000–2007.

The study reveals varied efficiency levels among BRICS countries. Russia and South Africa lead in certain sustainable development aspects. South Africa excels in environmental sustainability, whereas Brazil is efficient in resource utilization for sustainable growth. China and India, despite economic growth, face challenges such as pollution and lower quality of life.

The study’s findings are constrained by the DEA methodology and the selection of variables. It highlights the need for more nuanced research incorporating recent global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical shifts.

Insights from this study can inform targeted and effective sustainability strategies in BRICS nations, focusing on areas such as industrial quality improvement, employment conditions and environmental policies.

The study underscores the importance of balancing economic growth with social and environmental considerations, highlighting the need for policies addressing inequality, poverty and environmental degradation.

This research provides a unique comparative analysis of BRICS countries’ sustainable development efficiency, challenging conventional perceptions and offering a new perspective on their progress.

This study was conducted to review the overview of green growth and examine the role of financial inclusion as well as economic integration and other variables on green growth in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to construct financial inclusion variables and panel data regression analysis to examine the effect of financial inclusion and economic integration on green growth in 10 ASEAN countries from 2010 to 2021.

The results showed that financial inclusion had played a role in supporting green growth in ASEAN. The rapid development of green finance and green bonds promoted the implementation of better green growth. The variables of export diversification and trade openness had a significant effect on green growth. Therefore, there is a need for appropriate policies to prevent negative effects on the environment and the behavior of ASEAN countries.

The findings of this study suggest that policymakers in ASEAN countries not only focus on gaining economic benefits from financial inclusion and economic integration activities but also pay attention to environmental impacts. Moreover, the ASEAN region is actively developing strategic steps in providing easy access to capital and finance as well as expanding international trade activities through ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). Therefore, it is hoped that apart from being able to establish sustainable policies, this region will also encourage and optimize previous policies to make them more environmentally friendly.

This study used a green growth approach with the Index by the Global Green Growth Institute. This index considered aspects of green economic opportunities and social inclusion that have not been applied in previous studies. In addition, this study contributed to review the activities of economic integration and financial inclusion and the sustainability of green growth in ASEAN countries. Until now, there has been no research focused on ASEAN; even though ASEAN has long carried out economic integration and encouraged financial inclusion policies, this region is vulnerable to environmental degradation issues.

The purpose of this paper is to seek to establish an effective governance framework for waqf (Islamic endowment) in the Republic of Guinea that would assist in enhancing socio-economic activities and eradicating poverty in the country.

It examines key governing features within the said country’s waqf legal framework and undertakes a comparison with other countries’ legal frameworks. This paper also examines waqf-related legal references of Guinea and other countries and analyses relevant online sources such as journal articles, research papers, webpages as well as informal discussions with persons informed on the subject matter within and outside the Republic of Guinea.

This paper identifies a number of prevailing issues affecting the development of the institution of waqf in the Republic of Guinea and, thereafter, proposes key reformatory measures. These include the passing of general codified legislation that comprehensively governs waqf affairs in the country and the setting up of a dedicated supervisory entity and competent managerial bodies to ensure the smooth and effective operation of the institution in the country.

This research proposes an innovative and befitting governance framework for waqf operations in the Republic of Guinea. These recommendations, if correctly adopted, would ensure the viability and efficacy of the institution of waqf in the Republic of Guinea and would lead to socio-economic development, as has been the case in other nations. Moreover, other countries with underdeveloped waqf governance systems could also model their waqf operations based on these recommendations, as they are most likely already encountering or going to encounter identical issues in this particular field.

The purpose of this paper is to review cases of artificial reefs built through additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and analyse their ecological goals, fabrication process, materials, structural design features and implementation location to determine predominant parameters, environmental impacts, advantages, and limitations.

The review analysed 16 cases of artificial reefs from both temperate and tropical regions. These were categorised based on the AM process used, the mortar material used (crucial for biological applications), the structural design features and the location of implementation. These parameters are assessed to determine how effectively the designs meet the stipulated ecological goals, how AM technologies demonstrate their potential in comparison to conventional methods and the preference locations of these implementations.

The overview revealed that the dominant artificial reef implementation occurs in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas, both accounting for 24%. The remaining cases were in the Australian Sea (20%), the South Asia Sea (12%), the Persian Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, both with 8%, and the Indian Sea with 4% of all the cases studied. It was concluded that fused filament fabrication, binder jetting and material extrusion represent the main AM processes used to build artificial reefs. Cementitious materials, ceramics, polymers and geopolymer formulations were used, incorporating aggregates from mineral residues, biological wastes and pozzolan materials, to reduce environmental impacts, promote the circular economy and be more beneficial for marine ecosystems. The evaluation ranking assessed how well their design and materials align with their ecological goals, demonstrating that five cases were ranked with high effectiveness, ten projects with moderate effectiveness and one case with low effectiveness.

AM represents an innovative method for marine restoration and management. It offers a rapid prototyping technique for design validation and enables the creation of highly complex shapes for habitat diversification while incorporating a diverse range of materials to benefit environmental and marine species’ habitats.