This article examines the overseas corporate social responsibility (CSR) patterns of Chinese international contractors (CICs). Adopting an institutional and political economy approach, a unique dataset is constructed with country-specific contents drawn from CSR-related reports and website information of 50 top CICs. This dataset provides a foundation for systematic content analysis of CICs’ overseas CSR practices, revealing that both political legitimacy-seeking and strategic competitiveness-seeking motivations drive CICs’ CSR activities abroad, characterized by the prioritization of customer and community engagement. The findings highlight the coexistence of the exogenous pressures for the national image-building purpose and the endogenous awareness of CSR strategic importance for corporate internationalization. The hybridization of political and economic rationales is presented as the defining feature of CICs’ current overseas CSR patterns, with the balance between them being determined by stakeholder type and internal business needs influenced by corporate internationalization experience.

Poverty, and especially the widening disparity between the rich and the poor, leads to social unrest that can interrupt the harmonious development of human society. Understanding the reasons for income inequality, and supporting the development of an effective strategy to reduce this inequality, have been major goals in socioeconomic research around the world. To identify the determinants of the income gap, we calculated the Gini coefficients for Chinese provinces and performed regression analysis and contribution analysis for heterogeneity, using data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2002 to 2018. We found that urbanization, higher education, and foreign direct investment in eastern China and energy in central and western China were important factors that increased the Gini coefficient (i.e., decreased equality). Therefore, paying more attention to the fair distribution of the factors that can increase the Gini coefficient and investing more in the factors that can reduce the Gini coefficient will be the keys to narrowing the income gap. Our approach revealed factors that should be targeted for solutions both in China and in other developing countries that are facing similar difficulties, although the details will vary among countries and contexts.

Professional judgments in business valuation should be based on persuasive comparative data and conclusive empirical studies. However, these judgments are frequently made without these conditions, causing professional skepticism. An appraiser should explain in detail what was done to get the market value because valuation is the initial crucial step in the investment decision process. In socially responsible investment schemes, an appraiser has a fiduciary duty and a vital role in protecting the public from fraud and the risk of asset value destruction. Professional skepticism is essential to direct the appraiser’s judgment towards independent valuation for the public interest, assisting in evaluating the relevance and reliability of information, especially relating to social, environmental, and ethical issues. This paper studies the business valuation process from a behavioral finance perspective in the United States and Indonesia, aiming to tweak business valuation practices, identify biases, and mitigate them to ensure the market value does not shift far from fairness opinion. The case study explores experiences from the professional role-learning process. The results highlight the need for an appraisal protocol in business valuation, improvements in the discount for lack of marketability application, and these findings are pertinent to business appraisers and regulators. Recommendations include enhancing the clarity of professional judgments and the integration of recent empirical studies into practice.

The sustainable development of the global economy and society necessitates the integration of environmental and socially responsible management, known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance). Despite growing recognition of ESG’s importance, the strategic management of ESG factors in Kazakhstan’s telecommunications industry remains underexplored. This study bridges this gap by analyzing Kazakh telecom’s ESG strategies from 2019 to 2021 through a cross-sectional design and semi-structured interviews with 12 industry experts. Utilizing the National Rating Agency (NRA) methodology, the research evaluates environmental, social, and governance variables. Key findings reveal that Kazakh telecom excels in “Climate Change” and “Human Capital Management” but needs significant improvements in “Environmental Impact” and “Society.” The study offers specific recommendations such as enhancing corporate volunteering, responsible marketing, service quality, and integrating sustainable practices. The primary contributions of this research include actionable insights for improving ESG strategies in telecommunications companies and advocating for more systematic and standardized ESG assessment approaches. This study expands the understanding of how ESG principles can enhance competitiveness and sustainable development in the telecommunications industry, providing valuable guidance for industry practitioners and policymakers. It offers insights into effective ESG implementation practices and highlights critical areas requiring attention to drive sustainable development in telecommunications.

Tourism experiences are inherently multisensory, engaging visitors’ senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This study addresses the gap in literature by investigating the impact of visual and auditory landscapes on tourist emotions and behaviors within coastal tourism settings, using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model. Data collected from tourists in Sanya, China, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that both visualscape and soundscape significantly influence tourist emotions (pleasure and arousal) and subsequent loyalty. Pleasure and arousal mediate the relationships between environmental stimuli and tourist loyalty, emphasizing their roles as emotional bridges between the environment and behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of integrating local cultural and community elements into tourism to enhance socio-economic benefits and ensure sustainable development. By fostering a deep connection between tourists and the local environment, these sensory experiences support the preservation of cultural heritage and promote sustainable tourism practices, aligning with the goals of economic development and public policy. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of multisensory tourism by integrating the SOR model in coastal tourism and emphasizes the roles of visual and auditory stimuli. Practically, it provides insights for tourism managers to improve tourist experiences and loyalty through careful management of sensory elements. This has implications for infrastructure development, particularly in enhancing the quality of soft infrastructure such as cultural and social systems, which are crucial for sustainable tourism and community well-being. Future research could include additional sensory dimensions and diverse destinations for a comprehensive understanding of sensory influences on tourist behaviors and emotions. This research aligns with the broader goals of the policy and development by addressing critical aspects of infrastructure and socio-economic development within the tourism sector.

The purpose of this study is to predict the frequency of mortality from urban traffic injuries for the most vulnerable road users before, during and after the confinement caused by COVID-19 in Santiago de Cali, Colombia. Descriptive statistical methods were applied to the frequency of traffic crash frequency to identify vulnerable road users. Spatial georeferencing was carried out to analyze the distribution of road crashes in the three moments, before, during, and after confinement, subsequently, the behavior of the most vulnerable road users at those three moments was predicted within the framework of the probabilistic random walk. The statistical results showed that the most vulnerable road user was the cyclist, followed by motorcyclist, motorcycle passenger, and pedestrian. Spatial georeferencing between the years 2019 and 2020 showed a change in the behavior of the crash density, while in 2021 a trend like the distribution of 2019 was observed. The predictions of the daily crash frequencies of these road users in the three moments were very close to the reported crash frequency. The predictions were strengthened by considering a descriptive analysis of a range of values that may indicate the possibility of underreporting in cases registered in the city’s official agency. These results provide new elements for policy makers to develop and implement preventive measures, allocate emergency resources, analyze the establishment of policies, plans and strategies aimed at the prevention and control of crashes due to traffic injuries in the face of extraordinary situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic or other similar events.