This study delves into the evolving landscape of smart city development in Kazakhstan, a domain gaining increasing relevance in the context of urban modernization and digital transformation. The research is anchored in the quest to understand how specific technological factors influence the formation of smart cities within the region. To this end, the study adopts a Spatial Autoregressive Model (SAR) as its core analytical tool, leveraging data on server density, cloud service usage, and electronic invoicing practices across various Kazakhstani cities. The crux of the research revolves around assessing the impact of these selected technological variables on the smart city development process. The SAR model’s application facilitates a nuanced understanding of the spatial dynamics at play, offering insights into how these factors vary in influence across different urban areas. A key finding of this investigation is the significant positive correlation between the adoption of electronic invoicing and smart city development, a result that stands in contrast to the relatively insignificant impact of server density and cloud service usage. The conclusion drawn from these findings underscores the pivotal role of digital administrative processes, particularly electronic invoicing, in driving the smart city agenda in Kazakhstan. This insight not only contributes to the academic discourse on smart cities but also holds practical implications for policymakers and urban planners. It suggests a strategic shift towards prioritizing digital administrative innovations over mere infrastructural or technological upgrades. The study’s outcomes are poised to guide future smart city initiatives in Kazakhstan and offer a reference point for similar emerging economies embarking on their smart city journeys.

Technological innovation allows nations to produce sophisticated products more efficiently and at higher quality to increase exports. Countries that aim to produce and export sophisticated products can improve their economic complexity and lead to the country’s economic development. Hence, the study investigates the impact of technological innovation on economic complexity in South Africa. Technological innovation, exports, and manufactured products were used as variables to examine South Africa’s economic complexity index. The study employed the ARDL method to determine the relationship among the variables. The ARDL F-bounds test reflected the long-run cointegration among the selected variables. The study produced long-run positive estimates of technological innovation, exports, and manufactured products on economic complexity, however, manufactured products and exports were insignificant. Granger causality indicated unidirectional causality on economic complexity to manufactured products, exports to technological innovation, and a bi-directional causal effect from exports to economic complexity and technological innovation to economic complexity. The study recommends that South Africa focus on innovation, create more diversified and sophisticated products and processes, and promote more manufacturing firms, particularly Agri-processed products.

This study aims to determine the level of satisfaction of business actors with halal certification services by the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH), the only Indonesian government-owned agency for halal certification. This study uses a mixed method (quantitative-qualitative), with data collected using questionnaires involving 2367 respondents. The overall quality of certification services was evaluated using key dimensions from the perspective of the Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL), such as (1) certification requirements, (2) information and procedures, (3) completion time, (4) costs/tariffs, (5) service products, (6) competencies of executors, (7) executor behavior, (8) complaint handling, and (9) suggestions and inputs. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and the analysis of the weighted average of each dimension of satisfaction with the quality of public services. This study revealed that the overall satisfaction level of business actors was 84.86 (0–100). Among the nine indicators measured, eight fall within the “good” category (above 80.19); one indicator, i.e., the processing time of halal certification, was rated unsatisfactory (76.45); and none was classified as “very good.” The service gap between business actors’ expectations and BPJPH’s service delivery indicates the need to improve halal certification services. These include improvement in completion time, the executive’s behavior, costs, infrastructure, and information and procedures to streamline the certification process. The application of the SERVQUAL model in assessing halal certification standards in this study highlights the specific dimensions of service quality and the performance gaps, suggesting the need for continuous improvement to meet customer expectations effectively. This study examines halal certification services from BPJPH based on inputs from a large sample of Indonesian companies.

Smart cities incorporate fundamental aspects such as sustainability and citizens’ well-being. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the feasibility and effectiveness of the implementation of an evaluation model of the transformation processes towards smart cities as a strategy to improve the state of the transformation processes in Lima, Peru. The research is descriptive and basic. A questionnaire was administered to 80 municipal officials in Lima, focusing on the variable “smart cities evaluation model”, covering three key dimensions: open data, smart public transport and energy efficiency, with a total of 15 questions and the variable “state of the transformation processes”, analysed through the dimensions of educational level of the population and municipal budget, with 10 questions. The results revealed that 48% expressed a gap in terms of the availability and quality of accessible information. 53% argued that stronger energy conservation and sustainability strategies need to be implemented. In addition, 53% felt that the education level needs to focus on improving local education systems. In conclusion, transformation processes drive economic, social and environmental development, improving the quality of life and promoting equality among citizens. This study contributes to a broader understanding of how to address these challenges in order to build more sustainable and liveable cities in the future.

This study investigated the students’ perceptions of a self-paced fitness program that is integrated with SitFit, a fitness tracker that measures body inclination during sit-up exercises, and their acceptance of digital innovation in physical education. The data was gathered from a survey of 1001 Thai undergraduates. Results revealed that attitudes toward using the technology and the perceived ease of use were important predictors of behavioral intention to use the sit-up fitness tracker. consistent with previous TAM studies. Subsequently, SitFit was developed based on exercise principles and expert advice to enable users to exercise more effectively while reducing injury risk.

The current era of Industry 4.0, driven by advanced technologies, holds immense potential for revolutionising various industries and fostering substantial economic growth. However, comprehending intricate processes of policy change poses difficulties, impeding necessary adaptations. Public apprehensions are growing about the inertia and efficacy of policy changes, given the influential role of policy environments in shaping development amidst resource constraints. To address these concerns, the study introduces the Kaleidoscope Model of policy change, serving as a roadmap for policymakers to enact effective changes. The study investigates the mediating impact of cultural change within the framework of the Kaleidoscope Model. The study delves into cultural influences by incorporating the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) Theory. The methodology involves questionnaires survey, analysing using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that only the Policy Adoption and Policy Implementation components significantly affect the assessment of the effectiveness of the Construction 4.0 policy. Intriguingly, the final model demonstrates no discernible connection between the Kaleidoscope Model and the cultural influences. This study makes a noteworthy contribution to the realm of political science by furnishing a comprehensive framework and directives for the successful implementation of the Construction 4.0 policy.