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The purpose of this paper is to study the extent of green initiatives within manufacturing SMEs, as well as the mediating effect of the owners/managers intention toward green and moderating effect of green technology adoption in building environmental sustainability in the context of the Malaysian manufacturing SMEs.

Data were collected through a survey questionnaire responded by 260 Malaysian manufacturing SMEs. The relationships proposed in the developed conceptual framework were represented through three hypotheses: there is a significant relationship between green initiatives and environmental sustainability (H1); intention toward green mediates the relationship between green initiatives and environmental sustainability (H2); and green technology adoption moderates the relationship between intention toward green and environmental sustainability (H3). SEM-AMOS nested model comparisons and mediating and moderating analyses were used to test the hypotheses.

This is the first research toward the green initiatives framework for the manufacturing SMEs. Till date, no framework is available which could guide researchers and practitioners of this high impact on the environment industry. The findings revealed that energy management, water conservation and waste management are related to environmental sustainability. On mediation analysis, it confirms that owners/managers intention toward green fully mediates the association of green initiatives and environmental sustainability. Finally, the moderation analysis revealed that green technology adoption does not have an influence on manufacturing SMEs environmental sustainability.

This study is expected to help both researchers and practitioners in terms of manufacturing and other industries who are serious toward environmental sustainability implementation and are looking for an appropriate mechanism. It offers a generalized environmental sustainability implementation linking SMEs owners/managers, green practices, green technology policy, process management and supply chain management.

This study is among the very first environmental sustainability implementation research works conducted in the Malaysian manufacturing sector, particularly, in relation to the green initiatives and “four pillars” of green technology policy that manufacturing SMEs in this country need to adopt to make their environmental sustainability a solid competitive vehicle for their development. The results have broader implications for all manufacturing SMEs, particularly in developing economies where the growth of manufacturing and the development of integrated environmental sustainability are key stages in economic development.

This study investigates the nexus of top management commitment and institutional pressures towards enhancing sustainable energy consumption in African Higher Institutions of Learning.

Using a structured questionnaire survey, cross-sectional data collected from 64 higher institutions of learning registered with the Uganda National Council for Higher Education were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

The findings revealed that top management commitment and institutional pressures individually associate with sustainable energy consumption. Top management commitment does not cause variations in sustainable energy consumption. However, when top management commitment coalesces with institutional pressures, they significantly predict sustainable energy consumption.

The current study focuses on Higher Institutions of Learning in Uganda. Hence caution should be taken before generalization of findings. This study therefore sets ground for future studies to investigate sustainable energy consumption in other institutions.

This study tests the efficacy of top management commitment and institutional pressures on sustainable energy consumption using evidence from African Higher Institutions of Learning. It provides new directions for study in such a nascent area of critical national dimension as sustainability and climate change issues top the global agenda.

The detrimental impacts of the construction industry activities, namely, toxicity of cement and concrete to the health of construction workers and the general public, have been reported in previous studies. Several environmental management measures were put in place by international organisations to reduce these impacts on humans and the entire ecosystem. Sadly, such environmental management measures are not widely embraced in the construction industry of developing countries. This contributes to the poor quality of life of construction stakeholders, amongst other outcomes. Therefore, this study investigated the drivers to facilitate an environmental management system (EMS) in the Nigerian construction industry (NCI).

questionnaires retrieved from construction professionals in the micro, small, medium and large enterprises were used to conduct both descriptive and inferential statistics, namely, mean score, standard deviation, Kruskal–Wallis H test, post hoc test and factor analysis.

The analyses show that the drivers of EMS implementation in the NCI could be grouped into intellectual enhancement strategies, documentation and cultural strategies, and motivation and tracking strategies. The study concluded that training and education of relevant stakeholders, tracking compliance levels of organisations and recognising firms acting in compliance with stipulated “environmental” policy are essential. It was recommended that the collaboration of all construction stakeholders be upheld to aid EMS implementation in the NCI.

This paper investigated the drivers of EMS with the opinions of construction professionals in the mainstream of the NCI through survey using to ensure wide coverage of respondents. Investigating the view of construction professionals in the micro, small, medium and large enterprises helped determine possible significant differences. Thus, practical implications of the study were also provided in a systematic manner.

This study aims to examine the relationship between environmental commitment and environmental sustainability practices of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Uganda.

This study employed a cross-sectional and correlational design using evidence from 106 manufacturing SMEs in Uganda. Data was analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 23.

Results show that environmental commitment is a significant predictor of environmental sustainability practices and its dimensions which comprise of eco-friendly packaging, energy efficiency, waste management and water conservation of the manufacturing SMEs in Uganda.

This study offers initial evidence on the association between environmental commitment and environmental sustainability practices using evidence from a developing country’s perspective. The results also provide new insights on the relationship between environmental commitment and the dimensions of environmental sustainability practices which comprise of eco-friendly packaging, energy efficiency, waste management and water conservation.

The purpose of this paper is to establish whether all the dimensions of regulatory compliance matter for environmental sustainability practices of manufacturing small and medium entrepreneurial ventures (SMEVs) using evidence from Uganda.

This study is cross-sectional and correlational. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of 106 manufacturing SMEVs. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.

The results indicate that controls, legitimacy and deterrence do matter for environmental sustainability practices of the manufacturing SMEVs in Uganda, unlike social norms and values.

This study fosters the understanding of environmental sustainability practices, as it provides insights on whether all the dimensions of regulatory compliance do matter for environmental sustainability practices of manufacturing SMEVs in Uganda.

Purpose – This chapter explores various approaches to historical methods as they relate to sport and physical culture research.

Design/methodology/approach – The chapter discusses various paradigmatic approaches to historical methods (reconstructionist, constructionist and deconstructionist) and takes up current debates related to archives, newspapers, photographs and oral history as they relate to the method. Drawing on these discussions, I outline various approaches to designing a sport and physical culture project using historical methods, focusing on my work on women's industrial sport in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Findings – I discuss how data evolved from the method and how I made choices about the inclusion and exclusion of materials. The chapter concludes that historical methods are tedious, complex and messy but also exciting and insightful ways to do research. I also conclude by encouraging the researcher to be reflexive and aware of one's ‘positionality’ as a researcher and embrace the historical process.

Originality/value – The chapter is original work. It is not so much a prescriptive ‘how-to’ guide for historical research, but it works to take up current debates in historical methods. It also endeavours to engage students and scholars alike as they consider their research projects and the potential value of historical methods.

The main point in this chapter is that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 targets cannot be achieved without education justice, which entails that every child, young person and adult benefit from quality education and lifelong learning. There is no justification for the injustices arising from poor-quality education and exclusion as they exist today. Accordingly, tackling the problem of social, political and economic exclusion that emerges from the education sector, and the limitations they impose on the prospects of some individuals, must be prioritised to expedite the realisation of SDG 4. That entails, among other things, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Drawing on the nexus between education justice in basic and higher education, this chapter exposes the nature of the challenges that sustain the injustices of educational exclusion and poor-quality education. These include the knock-on effects that injustices in basic education have on higher education, especially for students from marginalised schools. Interventions that seek to advance education justice towards the attainment of SDG 4 are also discussed.

The present study examines head of state gender and national collectivism to explain how some leaders have been able to manage a pandemic better than others.

We measure pandemic deaths per million using objective numbers for each country. Country collectivism is measured using the GLOBE study. Qualitative analyses of world leader speeches are used to examine how health-focused leaders’ language is. Media attention with sentiment analysis about each leader’s handling of the pandemic is also used to show how others reacted to leaders.

Countries with female leaders showed fewer pandemic deaths than those led by male leaders. The interaction between leader gender and country collectivism predicted death. Media sentiment was more favorable for women leaders than men leaders.

During times of crises, women’s more careful tendencies keep their constituents safer than their male counterparts. Country collectivism also aids male leaders in keeping constituents safe.

The present study helps unpack when women leaders thrive and outperform their male counterparts. This furthers United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: gender equality.

The study examines leader gender and national collectivism to predict pandemic deaths.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of arousal fit between music (auditory cues) and plate color (visual cues) on food evaluations.

A 2 (background music: high vs low arousal) ×2 (plate color: high vs low arousal) between-subjects experimental design was employed to test the hypotheses. Participants were recruited for a taste test in a food sensory lab located in a university in the northeastern USA. The dependent variable, food evaluation, was analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

The findings of this study indicate that when the two stimuli had congruent arousal qualities, participants rated the liking and perceived quality of a food item higher than those in the incongruent arousal conditions. More specifically, when the background music was high in arousal quality, participants gave higher evaluations for a food item served on a red (vs blue) plate. Conversely, when a low arousal music piece was played, a blue (vs red) plate resulted in higher food evaluations.

This study contributes to the growing literature on cross-modal correspondence on consumers’ product evaluations. Extending previous research on the congruity effect to the food sensory literature, this study demonstrates the joint effects of background music and plate color on taste perceptions. The results suggest that restaurant operators should be strategic in their choice of physical stimuli.

The present study measured participants taste perceptions while they were exposed to visual and auditory cues. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that empirically demonstrates the impact of multiple environmental factors on taste evaluation.

Studies showed that a proactive delivery system employing innovative artificial intelligence (AI) in urban services might perform better. This has become an important national policy for many countries. Thus, this study aims to explore the influence of AI in urban services in Malaysia.

Official documents such as Structure Plan and Government Transformation Programme Policy Document covering various levels of cities in Malaysia, articles related to urban studies mostly written by researchers regarding urban growth in Malaysia and the Urban Development Bulletin from the Federal Department of Town and Country Planning from 1957 to date were reviewed and analysed.

The findings show that the influence of AI in urban services has long existed and been carefully planned by local authorities since colonial times. The development of global digital technology influences the upgrading of AI in urban services in Malaysia. Also, the success of AI in these municipal services is influenced by the rate of information technology literacy among the urban population. These developments have led to the definition of a conceptual city.

This paper's findings and conclusion were based on reviewed literature but did not compromise the strength of this paper. Thus, as part of the implications for future research, mixed-methods research design has been suggested.

As part of the implications, this article intends to promote AI in urban services in Malaysia and other developing countries with similar urban services challenges.

This paper encourages AI applications in urban services because it enhances service delivery performance. This intends to key stakeholders to promote AI via policies across Malaysia's urban services as part of the study implications.