This research investigates the dynamic landscape of succession planning (SP) strategies in higher education, with a focus on synthesizing existing literature to guide improvements in presidential succession practices. The intense global competition in higher education has led to imbalances in the quantity and composition of potential successors, hindering institutions’ rapid advancement and affecting their competitiveness on the global stage. The study addresses critical challenges such as attracting, retaining, and nurturing successors in key positions beyond material incentives. Employing a literature analysis methodology, the research comprehensively examines the existing body of literature related to succession planning, offering recommendations to promote stability in leadership, foster continuous talent development, and mitigate talent crises. The study evaluates the current state of succession planning in higher education, identifying issues and their root causes. It provides a summary and analysis of ongoing research efforts related to successor quality, team formation, and cultivation models. Despite advancements through national talent cultivation policies, persistent challenges like talent scarcity, the absence of gender-inclusive succession plans, a lack of originality, and inconsistent staff flow hinder progress. The research attributes these challenges to traditional personnel systems and university administrators. Proactive measures are proposed, including creating awareness of succession planning, advocating for personnel mechanism reform, establishing a comprehensive training system, and developing a scientifically-grounded succession plan. Though the study aims to contribute to leadership development and address pressing issues faced by higher education institutions, with only a limited number utilizing mixed techniques, it restricted the comprehensive inclusion of social context knowledge and evidence regarding the motivations, beliefs, and experiences of individuals in this investigation.

Soil erosion is characterized by the wearing away or loss of the uppermost layer of soil, driven by water, wind, and human activities. This process constitutes a significant environmental issue, with adverse effects on water quality, soil health, and the overall stability of ecosystems across the globe. This study focuses on the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, India, employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to estimate and spatially analyze soil erosion and fertility risk. The various factors of the model, like rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), conservation practices (P), and cover management factor (C), have been computed to measure annual soil loss in the district. Each factor was derived using geospatial datasets, including rainfall records, soil characteristics, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), land use/land cover (LULC) data, and information on conservation practices. GIS methods are used to map the geographical variation of soil erosion, providing important information on the area's most susceptible to erosion. The outcome of the study reveals that 3371.23 km2, which constitutes 91% of the district's total area, is identified as having mild soil erosion; in contrast, 154 km2, or 4%, is classified as moderate soil erosion, while 92 km2, representing 2.5%, falls under the high soil erosion category. Additionally, 50 km2, or 1.35%, is categorized as very high soil erosion and around 30 km2 of the study area is classified as experiencing severe soil erosion. The analysis further discovers that the annual soil loss in the district varies between 0 and 151 tons per hectare per year. This study indicates that most of the district is classified under low soil erosion; only a tiny fraction of the area is categorized as experiencing high and very high soil erosion. The study provides significant insights into soil erosion for policymakers and human society to bring their attention to the need for sustainable soil conservation practices in the undulating terrain/topography and agriculturally dominated district of Anuppur.

This study investigates the role of Chat-GPT with augmented reality applications in enhancing tourism experiences in Thailand, focusing on behavioral intentions and innovation adoption to reduce stress in the tourism industry. The research addresses two key objectives: identifying factors driving consumers' behavioral intentions to adopt AR apps and evaluating the robustness of a modified innovation framework for analyzing these intentions. A conceptual model integrating innovativeness, attitudes, perceived enjoyment, and revisit intentions was developed and tested using Structural Equation Modeling with data from 430 Thai tourists who have one to three years of mobile application experience. The findings highlight that service and technology innovation significantly influence perceived enjoyment and attitude, which in turn mediate the impact on behavioral intention to adopt augmented reality applications. At a significance level of p < 0.001, perceived enjoyment and attitude were identified as critical determinants of BI, underscoring the importance of intrinsic user experiences. Tourists are more likely to adopt augmented reality technologies based on personal perceptions and enjoyment rather than external recommendations. This research provides actionable insights for stakeholders in the tourism technology ecosystem, including technology providers, marketers, and policymakers. By emphasizing the interplay of social, emotional, and hedonic factors in shaping user attitudes, the study introduces a robust framework for advancing augmented reality applications in tourism. The findings underscore the importance of user-centric design to drive technology adoption and offer strategic guidance for developers and entrepreneurs aiming to enhance tourism experiences through innovative augmented reality solutions.

This research analyses the effects of openness, telecommunications, and institutional nexus on economic growth in African countries using a panel model with data from 16 landlocked countries from 1996 to 2021 and employing the pooled mean group estimation technique that mitigates bias from country heterogeneity and discerning short-term and long-term equilibrium dynamics and two-step system-generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation for robustness check. The empirical findings indicate that openness exerts a significantly positive effect on economic growth in the models. This supports the neoclassical model, suggesting that being landlocked should not impede economic growth, but rather, growth should depend on opportunities available to each country. However, institutions and telecommunications show a mixed correlation with economic growth. These findings can guide landlocked developing countries in enhancing their exports and fostering skill acquisition to attract advanced technology. In conclusion, policymakers should improve macroeconomic policies, telecommunications infrastructure, and institutional structure to strengthen the sustainability of economic growth in African landlocked countries.

The rise of fintech in the financial sector presents a transformative shift towards digitalisation and sustainability on a global scale, leveraging technologies like AI to minimise environmental footprint. Neobanks not only challenge traditional banking models but also offer innovative solutions that align with sustainable objectives. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of neobanks on global sustainability from economic, environmental, and social points of view. A comprehensive literature review of existing literature and current sustainable practices of neobanks was conducted. Results reveal that neobanks significantly positively contribute towards environmental sustainability with reduced paper use and logistics requirements of banking services. By offering more accessible and affordable banking services they importantly contribute towards higher financial inclusion, and with innovative products towards more competitive and innovative financial markets. AI-based tools they employ are increasing financial literacy and social inclusion. This article also highlights concerns regarding electronic waste management, potential high energy consumption, required digital literacy and cybersecurity risks. In conclusion, despite the mentioned risks, neobanks importantly contribute to global sustainability in many ways and will even more in the future. These findings can help neobanks shape sustainable practices and guide policymaking, as well as spread awareness of the sustainable impact of banking services.