This study examines the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s grant funding system in supporting research institutions and universities, focusing on the relationship between funding levels, expert evaluations, and research outputs. We analyzed 317 projects awarded grants in 2021, using parametric methods to assess publication outcomes in Scopus and Web of Science databases. Descriptive statistics for 1606 grants awarded between 2021 and 2023 provide additional insights into the broader funding landscape. The results highlight key correlations between funding, evaluation scores, and journal publication percentiles, with a notable negative correlation observed between international and national expert evaluations in specific scientific fields. A productivity analysis at the organizational level was conducted using non-parametric methods to evaluate institutional efficiency in converting funding into research output. Data were manually collected from the National Center of Science and Technology Evaluation and supplemented with publication data from Scopus and Web of Science, using unique grant numbers and principal investigators’ profiles. This comprehensive analysis contributes to the development of an analytical framework for improving research funding policies in Kazakhstan.

This research addresses environmental, ethical, and health concerns related to high meat consumption, and aims to identify key predictors that encourage a shift towards sustainable diets among young adults. A cross-sectional survey involving 340 students from ten Malaysian universities was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The findings indicate that attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and personal norms significantly predict the intention to adopt plant-based diets. These results have practical implications, suggesting that policymakers, educators, and health professionals should create supportive environments and educational programs that emphasize the benefits of plant-based diets and equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills. Theoretically, the study reinforces the TPB framework’s applicability in understanding dietary behaviors and underscores the importance of personal and social factors in shaping dietary intentions. Ultimately, promoting plant-based diets among university students necessitates a comprehensive approach and strategy addressing attitudes, social norms, perceived control, and personal values. By leveraging these insights, stakeholders can foster sustainable and healthy eating practices among young adults, contributing to broader environmental and public health objectives for sustainable development.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2023 the “International Year of Millets” in order to promote millet cultivation, consumption, and conservation. Millets play an important role in food security, livelihoods, and biodiversity. Despite its numerous benefits, millet cultivation and consumption in Uttarakhand have declined due to a variety of constraints. This paper examines the effects of regiocentrism and materialism on intention towards Uttarakhand’s regional food products (millets). It employs PLS-SEM to investigate relationships between latent variables and generate results on a sample of 460 participants. This study elucidates the intricate interplay between materialism, regiocentrism, and intention towards regional food products in the Himalayan region, enriching the theory of planned behavior (TPB) with a nuanced understanding of personal values and regional identity. It reveals materialism’s positive association with attitudes towards regional food products, suggesting materialistic individuals may view these products as status symbols, thus affecting behavioral intentions. Additionally, the research highlights regiocentrism’s dual influence—enhancing attitudes yet deterring purchase intentions—underscoring the complexity of regional pride in consumer decision-making. These findings advance TPB by integrating broader value systems and cultural context, offering significant theoretical and practical insights for promoting sustainable consumption patterns.

This paper investigates the impact of financial inclusion on financial stability in BRICS countries from 2004 to 2020. Using a panel smooth transition regression model, the results reveal a U-shaped relationship between financial inclusion and financial stability. Financial inclusion reduces financial stability up to a threshold of 44.7%. Beyond this point, financial inclusion contributes to greater financial stability, through gradual transitions. Enhanced financial inclusion supports banks in stabilizing their deposit funding by facilitating access to more stable, long-term funds and alleviating the negative impacts of fluctuations in returns. Furthermore, the study examines the role of institutional quality in shaping the financial inclusion-financial stability nexus, indicating a significant positive effect, especially in the upper regime. These findings provide valuable insights for financial regulatory authorities, highlighting the importance of promoting financial inclusion in BRICS economies and adapting regulations to mitigate potential risks to global financial stability.

The ability to take advantage of new digital solutions and technology will give companies a competitive edge, and operational optimization remains a major concern. A significant area of risk is cyber security because software-based technologies are integral to ship operations. Particular emphasis has been placed on the vulnerabilities of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), since it is an essential part of many maritime facilities and hence a target for hackers. Presently, research has shown that increased integration of new enabling technologies, like the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data, is driving the dramatic proliferation of cybercrimes. However, most of the attacks are related to ransomware attacks and/or with direct attack to the information technology (IT) and infrastructure. Nevertheless, there is a strong trend toward increased systems integration, which will produce substantial business value by making it easier to operate autonomous vessels, utilizing smart ports more, reducing the need for labour, and improving economic stability and service efficiency. Cybersecurity is becoming more and more important as a result of the quick digital transformation of the offshore and maritime sectors, which has also brought new dangers and laws. The marine sector has started to take cybersecurity seriously in light of the multiple documented instances of cyberattacks that have exposed business or personal data, caused large financial losses, and caused other problems. However, the body of existing research on emerging threats in maritime cyberspace is either inadequate or ignores important variables. Based on the most recent developments in the maritime sector, the article presents a classification of the most serious cyberthreats as well as the risks to cybersecurity in maritime operations and possible mitigation strategies from an educational research perspective.

This study is about the influence of ethical leadership in both employees wellbeing and employee performance in Egypt’s tourism industry. Besides, it examines the indirect effect of ethical leadership on performance through its influence on the well-being of employees. The research was based on a quantitative research method and the surveys were self-administered, distributed and collected from a random sample of the employees of the Tourism companies. Analysis of 515 valid responses using structural equation modeling (SEM) unveiled several key findings: Ethical leadership is the main reason why both employee well-being and performance are significantly increased, and the fact that employee well-being is also the main reason for the improvement of performance. In addition, the employee well-being plays the role of the bridge between the ethical leadership and the performance. These insights are of great help for the decision-makers in the crafting of the effective leadership strategies that will lead to the creation of the thriving and high-performed work environments in Egyptian tourism sector.