As autonomous vehicles (AVs) revolutionize the global transportation landscape, their implications for emerging economies like Malaysia remain a subject of significant interest. This study delves into the multifaceted world of AV technology, focusing on Malaysia’s unique transportation challenges and opportunities. Through interviews with key stakeholders and experts, the research uncovers valuable insights into AV technology’s awareness, regulatory landscape, integration hurdles, potential benefits, and inclusivity impact in the Malaysian context. The study finds that while AVs hold the promise of improved road safety, reduced traffic congestion, and enhanced environmental sustainability, addressing challenges related to regulation, infrastructure, and public acceptance is imperative for successful integration. Additionally, AV technology has the potential to significantly enhance inclusivity in transportation, benefiting individuals with disabilities. The study underscores the need for holistic policy and infrastructure development to leverage the benefits of AV technology and pave the way for a sustainable and inclusive transportation future in Malaysia.

This paper examines the transformative potential of e-government in public administration, focusing on its capacity to enhance service delivery, transparency, accessibility, cost efficiency, and civic engagement. The study identifies key challenges, including inadequate technological infrastructure, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, resistance to change within public institutions, and a lack of public awareness about e-government services. These barriers hinder the seamless operation and adoption of digital government initiatives. Conversely, the study highlights significant opportunities such as streamlined service delivery, enhanced transparency through real-time access to government data, increased accessibility for marginalized and remote communities, substantial cost savings, and greater civic engagement via digital platforms. Addressing these challenges through targeted strategies—enhancing technological infrastructure, bolstering cybersecurity, managing organizational change, and raising public awareness—can help policymakers and public administrators implement more effective and inclusive e-government initiatives. Additionally, the integration of these digital solutions can drive sustainable development and digital inclusion, fostering social equity and economic growth. By leveraging these opportunities, governments can achieve more efficient, transparent, and accountable governance. Ultimately, the successful implementation of e-government can transform the relationship between citizens and the state, building trust and fostering a more participatory democratic process.

This study analyzes the role of innovation in the development of smart cities in Latin America. It focuses on how emerging technologies and sustainable strategies are being integrated into urban planning and urban development. In this sense, this study seeks to contribute to the smart city literature by answering the following research questions: (i) To what extent smart city innovative initiatives have been addressed in Latin America? and (ii) To what extent scholars have addressed sustainable innovation strategies in the smart city literature? To this end, this is the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of smart city research in Latin America, with a structured and systematized review of the available literature. This methodological approach allows cluster visualization and detailed analysis of inter-node relationships using the VOSViewer software. The research comprises 4 stages: (a) search criteria; (b) selection of documents; (c) software and data extraction; and (d) analysis of results and trends. Results indicate that studies on the Latin America region began to develop in 2012, with Brazil as a leader in this field and the tourism sector as the most relevant. Nevertheless, strong international collaboration was identified in co-authoring studies, underscoring a cooperative approach to solving common urban problems. The most active research area is technological innovation and sustainability, with focus on solutions for urban mobility, quality of life and smart governance. Finally, this work underlines the need to continue exploring the integration of technology in urban development, suggesting an agenda to guide future research to evaluate the sustainability and long-term impacts of smart city initiatives in Latin America. From the policy perspective, smart city initiatives need to be human-centered to boost smart solutions adoption and to guarantee long term local impacts.

Sustainability has turned into a critical focus for businesses, drawing considerable interest from the commercial sector and scholarly environments. While empirical investigations have been conducted regarding sustainability reporting within small and medium enterprises, only a limited number of companies are subjected to increased pressure to adopt sustainability reporting practices, thereby ensuring enhanced transparency and disclosure in their financial and sustainability disclosures. This research, framed by Institutional Theory, delves into how challenges in sustainability reporting obstruct organizations from properly evaluating and sharing their progress on sustainability aims. With an explanatory research framework in place, we circulated survey questionnaires to 400 participants, who were randomly drawn from a population of 28,927 registered SMEs in Metro Manila, Philippines. The application of Interpretative Structural Modelling and MICMAC Analysis revealed that the absence of regulatory frameworks, governmental assistance, and sustainability infrastructure constitutes the most critical obstacles impacting other determinants. In contrast, neither the deficiency in sustainability awareness nor the inadequacy of training and skills demonstrated a considerable impact on the other identified barriers. This study clarifies the complex interactions and interrelations among the obstacles to sustainability reporting, thus providing significant perspectives for organizations aiming to overcome these difficulties. The findings suggest that business leaders and stakeholders can formulate targeted strategies and interventions to facilitate the adoption of sustainability reporting practices within organizations. The application of the institutional theory framework highlights that pressures arise from a diverse array of institutional actors, including regulators, customers, and local communities, which collectively shape corporate behavior and reporting methodologies.