Using a qualitative research methodology and explanatory approach to collect data, we assessed whether the Beijing Consensus diplomacy in Africa is a promoter or threat to Africa’s pathway to sustainable development. The collected data were analysed using document and content analysis techniques. Analysis of the data revealed that the Beijing Consensus diplomacy in Africa is a positive initiative that has created a win-win situation, promoting sustainable development. The Beijing Consensus is opposed to the Washington Consensus, which influenced a win-lose situation that has deepened poverty, making Africa unable to move towards achieving sustainable development. The study found that China’s resource-for-development approach has similarities with pre-colonial Africa’s barter trade approach, which Africans practised in the entire continent. The analysis showed that applying the Beijing Consensus diplomacy to Africa has led to economic growth and development. The results showed that China’s Belt Road Initiative has transformed Africa, changing the continent from poverty to economic productivity, as road infrastructure is associated with economic growth and development. Moreover, it was evident from the analysis that without an African continental foreign policy rooted in continental sovereignty with transparent terms and conditions, Africa’s current benefits from China’s investments would lead to poverty instead of sustainable development. A continental foreign policy would create an African Consensus, which would act on behalf of the entire continent. This African Consensus diplomacy would thus become a continental foreign policy defining Africa globally. However, as it stands, the Beijing Consensus diplomacy is a promoter of sustainable development, but this promotion would not last long without African Consensus diplomacy. The study recommends that Africa should establish a continental foreign policy with African Consensus diplomacy to enable the continent to have one standard foreign policy and goal when trading with China and any other external world.

This paper investigates the implementation of ijarah muntahiyah bittamlik (IMBT) as an infrastructure project financing scheme within the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models from a collaborative governance perspective. This paper follows a case study methodology. It focuses on two Indonesian non-toll road infrastructure projects, i.e., the preservation of the East Sumatra Highway projects, each in South Sumatra province and Riau province. The findings revealed that Indonesia’s infrastructure development priorities and its vision to become a global leader in Islamic finance characterized the system context that shaped the implementation of IMBT as an infrastructure project financing scheme within the PPP-AP model. Key drivers include leadership from the government, stakeholder interdependence, and financial incentives for the partnering business entity to adopt off-balance sheet solutions. Principled engagement, shared motivation, and the capacity for joint action characterized the collaboration dynamics, leading to detailed collaborative actions crucial for implementing IMBT as a financing scheme.

This study aims to identify gaps in Indonesia’s national social health insurance scheme (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional or JKN) in meeting the right to health for disabled persons in the country and to propose strategies to mitigate the gaps. This study employed descriptive qualitative methodologies. A questionnaire survey and structured interviews were undertaken from the period of October to December 2021, with a purposive sample of 317 disabled persons at their working age. Data collection also included on-site observations to sample of healthcare providers in six provinces and focused group discussions with key stakeholders. This study found that JKN is the primary source of hope for disabled persons. Nevertheless, approximately ten percent of disabled persons have been omitted from the scheme. Moreover, respondents of the survey expressed notably lower satisfaction level compared to the national average. Meanwhile, 25% of them also reported that JKN did not cover certain disability-specific benefits. The findings suggest that the national social health insurance scheme is not well prepared to offer disability-inclusive services. Thereby, policymakers should implement various interventions to improve the admission processes for disabled persons and to develop a system to identify disabled members based on their specific disabilities. Additionally, stipulating standards for disability-friendly minimum services for healthcare providers and incorporating the standards into the credentialing systems, providing regular training on disability-friendly services for healthcare personnel, also enhancing benefits coverage for disabled members in the Indonesian Case Base Groups (INA-CBGs) are the necessary strategies to mitigate the gaps.

Over the past twenty years, service organizations have adopted total quality management to enhance their service quality, significantly impacting business performance, customer satisfaction, and profitability. This study delves into policy development of sustainable quality management theory, benefits, and various service components, while reviewing its implementation in services industries and policy innovation. The concept of Sustainable Quality Management 4.0 (SQM 4.0) integrates sustainable management, traditional quality management, and Quality 4.0 principles to optimize resources, reduce environmental impacts, and enhance decision-making through Industry 4.0, IoT, AI, and big data analytics. The findings offer valuable framework and policy insights for managers and practitioners on quality management and service systems, providing an implementation framework for Sustainable Quality Management in the service sector. The paper outlines comprehensive elements and strategies for implementation as a SQM framework for attaining sustainable quality management in the services industry.

Education is one of the basic needs that every child should have. Information communication technology has a significant influence on special needs children’s schooling. Instead of considering learning a difficult chore, the adoption of measures such as ICT can simplify it and make inclusive education a reality. Aim: This current systematic literature review aims to determine the extent of ICT adoptions in special education scenarios. Method: This paper examined pertinent literature on ICT in special education in the period 2000 to 2023. The key articles extracted through keyword search were gathered from databases indexed in Web of Science and Scopus. The collected data were then screened using a VOS viewer for the most relevant information. From the web of Science, 31 articles were found to have connections with one another while the same process when applied to the Scopus database, helped obtain 8 articles. Results: A total of 39 articles fulfilled the search inclusion criteria of minimum two keyword occurrences. These articles were all written in English and published between 2000 and 2023. The in-depth analysis of all these articles was performed along three broad themes, viz., availability of SEN based ICTs and their impact on children with disabilities, quality of available ICT integrated curriculum for SEN and the challenges in promoting ICTs for inclusive education. Conclusions: The paper concludes that ICT integration in special education would make learning easier for children with disabilities when compared to learning using traditional methods. Implications: The paper pinpoints significant limitations in ICT use found in existing literature and the lack of it to support inclusive education. The authors make recommendations for improved ICT integrated curriculum to improve inclusivity.

This study employs a mixed-methods approach to explore the financial ramifications and perceived hurdles of adopting international accounting guidelines on asset value reduction in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Barranquilla, Colombia, over a recent multi-year timeframe. Through scrutiny of fiscal data and thorough dialogues with SME leaders and finance professionals, the investigation unveils significant industry-specific variations in the monetary impact of embracing these global standards. Manufacturing SMEs are found to shoulder a weightier burden compared to their counterparts in the service sector. The research underscores the pivotal role of perceived standard intricacy in molding the financial outcomes for SMEs, even when accounting for factors such as acquaintance with the guidelines and professional tenure. These discoveries augment our comprehension of global accounting standard adoption in emerging economies and accentuate the necessity for bespoke support mechanisms to assist SMEs in traversing the complexities of implementing these international norms. The insights gleaned from this inquiry can guide policymakers and accounting authorities in crafting sector-specific directives and resources. Such targeted assistance can aid SMEs in harmonizing with worldwide accounting practices while curtailing potential adverse effects on their fiscal performance.