In order to further alleviate the problems of large assessment deviations, low efficiency of trading organisation and difficulties in system optimisation in medium- and long-term market trading, the article proposes an optimisation model for continuous intra-month bidding trading in the electricity market that takes into account risk hedging. Firstly, the current situation of market players’ participation in medium and long-term trading is analysed; secondly, the impact of contract trading on reducing operational risks is analysed based on the application of hedging theory in the primary and secondary markets; finally, the continuous bidding trading mechanism is designed and its optimisation effect is verified. The proposed model helps to improve the efficiency of contract trading in the secondary market, maintain the stability of market players’ returns and accelerate the formation of a unified, open, competitive and well-governed electricity market system.

Despite the apparent agreement today on the concept of sustainability, the means to achieve it holistically are still controversial. “Just sustainability” concept has recently gained traction, casting doubt on whether sustainability can be attained under capitalism. On the social level, many recent urban studies have been concerned with the concept of social justice and the distribution of resources and wealth as a means to achieving socially equitable sustainability. In this regard, a few questions are brought up: can social sustainability be achieved under capitalism? Are Islamic built environments a viable alternative? Many contemporary studies have described Islamic built environments as sustainable and strived for defining their sustainability criteria. However, they mostly focused on the built environment’s physical environmental aspects without relating them to the socio-economic spheres. Using the concepts of power and rights as key analytical tools, the paper examines a few capitalist utopian reform approaches and compares them in terms of their ability to achieve just sustainability with Islamic built environments. Several examples from primary Islamic history books will be used to examine Islamic built environments. It is concluded that Islamic built environments have attained the just sustainability that contemporary reform approaches sought to accomplish.

The Yangjiabu Kite Festival, originating over 2000 years ago in Shandong Province, China, stands as a testament to the enduring cultural heritage and artistic traditions of kite flying. This research explores the historical origins, cultural symbolism, festival format, community engagement, and international exposure of the Yangjiabu Kite Festival, shedding light on its evolution and impact over time. Findings reveal the festival's deep roots in ancient Chinese traditions, its role as a platform for showcasing cultural diversity and craftsmanship, and its significance in promoting tourism, cultural exchange, and soft power projection for Shandong Province. Lessons learned from the Yangjiabu Kite Festival offer valuable insights for cross-cultural application, event management, cultural diplomacy, and community development. Suggestions for future research include comparative studies, longitudinal assessments, audience research, and policy analysis to further explore the dynamics and implications of cultural festivals in a global context. Overall, the research underscores the importance of cultural festivals as vehicles for cultural preservation, tourism promotion, and intercultural dialogue, fostering mutual understanding and appreciation across borders.

This study focuses on the effectiveness of systematic approaches to achieve business success, through integrated digital marketing strategies with the use of mobile applications. Focused on contemporary digital markets, the research highlights the transformative potential of these strategies about improving the quality of services and products, while promoting business sustainability. The objective of this research is to develop and evaluate a mobile application, designed to optimize customer orders within communities on the move. Through a mixed approach that includes semi-structured interviews with community members and digital marketing experts, along with quantitative surveys, assessed user perceptions and effectiveness of the app. The results indicate great acceptance and effectiveness of this digital tool, facilitating direct interactions, and improving accessibility to the service despite physical and digital limitations, reducing digital gaps and promoting economic empowerment among marginalized communities.

This paper presents a practical approach to empowering software entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia through a unique course offered by the Software Engineering department at Prince Sultan University. The course, SE495 Emergent Topics in Software Engineering: Software Entrepreneurship, combines software engineering and entrepreneurship to equip students with the necessary skills to develop innovative software solutions that solve real-world problems. The course covers a range of topics, including platform development, market research, and pitching to investors, and features guest speakers from the industry. By the end of the course, students will have gained a deep understanding of the software development process and its intersection with entrepreneurship and will be able to develop a working prototype of a software solution that solves a real-world problem. The course’s practical approach ensures that students are well-prepared to navigate the complexities of the digital and software sectors and succeed in an ever-changing business landscape.

This study aims to compare investment in human capital, equality of gender education in Kuwait before and after adopting SDG 4 and SDG 5 in 2015. It also aims to assess the effect of women’s empowerment on economic growth. To achieve this objective, published data on the State of Kuwait were collected from the World Bank DataBank between 1992 and 2022 and from the Central Bank of Kuwait. The study employed autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) to determine the impact of women’s empowerment on economic development. The analysis results revealed that the State of Kuwait provided high-quality education for both genders. The results also showed that women are more educated than men. However, this was not reflected in the role of women in the country’s politics, as their participation in parliament and government is still limited. Similarly, women’s participation in business and economic activities is still limited. Finally, the results of the ARDL test showed that women’s education and their political, business, and economic empowerment affect economic development in the short and long run.