The present study aims at analyzing the various factors influencing consumer attitudes towards the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Saudi Arabia. The study evaluates consumer attitudes, their impact on shaping behaviours, and whether consumer intention mediates the relationship between consumer attitude and purchase behaviour towards EVs. This research employs a mixed-method approach, including literature review, surveys, and data analysis. It investigates EV adoption dimensions encompassing individual, social, economic, and environmental factors. Data collected from 397 current and potential EV owners in Saudi Arabia provide insights into their attitudes and behaviours. Survey findings indicate that in Saudi Arabia, safety rating, social influence, economic value, operating cost, and product variety significantly shape consumer attitudes and influence EV adoption. However, factors like range anxiety, charging infrastructure, environmental concern, and performance expectancy are less significant in affecting consumer attitudes toward EVs and their adoption. Investigating multiple dimensions and employing a mixed-method approach, the study enhances the existing knowledge of consumer attitudes toward EVs in the unique context of Saudi Arabia’s sustainable mobility transition. Policymakers and industry stakeholders can utilize these findings to expedite the shift to sustainable transportation in the Kingdom. This research also guides future investigations in this burgeoning field.
The WRKY gene family plays a very diverse role in plant growth and development. These genes contained an evolutionarily conserved WRKY DNA binding domain, which shows functional diversity and extensive expansion of the gene family. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide comparative analysis to investigate the evolutionary aspects of the WRKY gene family across various plant species and revealed significant expansion and diversification ranging from aquatic green algae to terrestrial plants. Phylogeny reconstruction of WRKY genes was performed using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) method; the genes were grouped into seven different clades and further classified into algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, dicotyledons, and monocotyledons subgroups. Furthermore, duplication analysis showed that the increase in the number of WRKY genes in higher plant species was primarily due to tandem and segmental duplication under purifying selection. In addition, the selection pressures of different subfamilies of the WRKY gene were investigated using different strategies (classical and Bayesian maximum likelihood methods (Data monkey/PAML)). The average dN/dS for each group are less than one, indicating purifying selection. Our comparative genomic analysis provides the basis for future functional analysis, understanding the role of gene duplication in gene family expansion, and selection pressure analysis.
Given its insular geographic location, Taiwan inherently benefits from a natural advantage in developing its shipping industry, positioning it as a critical sector for the nation’s economic advancement. The shipping industry operates within a highly competitive maritime market, wherein ocean freight forwarders provide services on a global scale, thus classifying them within the international transportation and logistics industry. The global competition from logistics peers renders the services highly substitutable. This study breaks new ground by integrating the SERVQUAL scale with advanced methodologies such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to assess and enhance service quality in the shipping industry. By segmenting the five dimensions of SERVQUAL, the study delineates 19 specific evaluation indicators. The expert questionnaires developed and analyzed through AHP and DEMATEL reveal a previously unidentified link between specific service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction. The findings from this analysis offer crucial insights into the critical success factors (CSFs) of service quality and their causal interrelationships, thereby establishing a model for service standards. By leveraging the identified CSFs and understanding the causal relationships among these key factors, ocean freight forwarders can enhance and optimize their value propositions and resources. This proactive approach is expected to significantly improve service quality, fortify core competitiveness, and elevate customer support and satisfaction levels, ultimately leading to an increased market share and ensuring sustainable business operations.
This study aimed to examine the impact of working conditions and sociopsychological factors on job satisfaction among office workers. Using data from the 2017–2018 Working Conditions Survey, exploring how workplace conditions and sociopsychological elements could impact job satisfaction. This study examined data from 9801 workers to explore the effects of working conditions and psychosocial environments on job enthusiasm, which subsequently impacts job satisfaction. Analyzing 1416 office workers, it found that fewer working hours, better work-life balance, improved work conditions, and lower depression levels enhance job enthusiasm, significantly affecting job satisfaction. The work environment had the most substantial impact, encompassing relationships with colleagues, task completion time, and confidence. Work-life imbalance and depression were also significant, with work-life balance being crucial for modern society, especially the younger generation. Poor working conditions and unstable psychosocial environments negatively affect job enthusiasm and satisfaction, with findings supporting previous research on job stress and turnover intentions in various industries. This study highlights the need for organizational policies that support these aspects to improve overall employee well-being and productivity.
The bubble milk tea industry in Malaysia which was thought to have slowed down in the recent years since its first appearance in 2010 has made a comeback. At the point of conducting this research, there are almost 100 brands of bubble milk tea in Malaysia and it is not surprising that some of these shops are selling more than a thousand cups a day. However, there has been limited research conducted on factors influencing brand equity on bubble milk tea brands in Johor Bahru. This study is to investigate whether brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand awareness and brand association influence brand equity on bubble milk tea brands in Johor Bahru through distribution of online questionnaires. This study novelty is at the examining the factors influencing brand equity in the context of bubble milk tea in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Data derived from responses of 400 respondents through sampling were analysed using SPSS v29. Hypotheses testing performed through simple linear regression revealed that brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand awareness and brand association have significant effect on brand equity of bubble milk tea brands in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It was also demonstrated that perceived quality has the most significance influence on brand equity. Organizations in the bubble milk tea industries are able to benefit from these findings by prioritizing their marketing strategies to gain competitive edge over their competitors. With findings that perceived quality having the most significance influence, marketers with limited resources can narrow down their options and focus on this specific dimension to increase their brand value.
This study employs a transfer matrix, dynamic degree, stability index, and the PLUS model to analyze the spatiotemporal changes in forest land and their driving factors in Yibin City from 2000 to 2022. The results reveal the following: (1) The land use in Yibin City is predominantly characterized by cultivated land and forest land (accounting for over 95% of the total area). The area of cultivated land initially increased and then decreased, while forest land continued to decline and construction land expanded significantly. The rate of forest land loss has slowed (with the dynamic degree decreasing from −0.62% to −0.04%), and ecosystem stability has improved (the F-value increased from 2.27 to 2.9). The conversion of cultivated land to forest land is the primary driver of forest recovery, whereas the conversion of forest land to cultivated land is the main cause of reduction; (2) cultivated land is concentrated in the central and northeastern regions, while forest land is distributed in the western and southern mountainous areas. Construction land is predominantly located in urban areas and along transportation routes. Areas of forest land reduction are mainly found in the central and southern regions with rapid economic development, while areas of forest land increase are concentrated in high-altitude zones or key ecological protection areas. Stable forest land is distributed in the western and southern ecological conservation zones; (3) changes in forest land are primarily influenced by annual precipitation, elevation, and distance to rivers. Road accessibility and GDP have significant impacts, while slope, annual average temperature, and population density exert moderate influences. Distance to railways, aspect, and soil type have relatively minor effects. The findings of this study provide a scientific basis for the sustainable management of forest resources and ecological conservation in Yibin City.
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