This study investigates the awareness of environmentally friendly (green) dentistry practices among dental students and faculty at Ajman University in the United Arab Emirates. The primary objective is to assess their understanding and application of eco-friendly dental practices, including waste management, energy conservation, and sustainable material usage. Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, an online survey was administered to 231 randomly selected participants. The results show that although awareness of green dentistry has increased, its practical implementation remains limited. Specialists displayed the highest levels of knowledge and practice, while general practitioners demonstrated the least. Male participants showed greater experience and expertise compared to females, and the age group of 30–39 exhibited the highest levels of knowledge and practice, although age was not found to significantly affect awareness or usage. The findings highlight the need for enhanced education and encouragement of green dentistry to protect the environment and promote sustainable dental practices.
This study investigates how corruption impacts sustainability in African countries. Using public databases, the research draws on the African Development Bank’s corruption indicators and the World Bank’s financial inclusion metrics. The findings reveal that as financial inclusion increases, particularly through the use of digital financial services, perceptions of corruption decrease. However, economic growth paradoxically correlates with an increased perception of corruption due to rising consumption demands. The study concludes that promoting financial literacy, along with robust governance, is essential for combating corruption and fostering sustainable development.
Purpose—In the business sector, reliable and timely data are crucial for business management to formulate a company’s strategy and enhance supply chain efficiency. The main goal of this study is to examine how strong brand strength affects shareholder value with a new Supplier Relationship Management System (SRMS) and to find the specific system qualities that are linked to SRMS adoption. This leads to higher brand strength and stronger shareholder value. Design/Methodology/Approach—This study employed a cross-sectional design with an explanatory survey as a deductive technique to form hypotheses. The primary method of data collection used a drop-off questionnaire that was self-administered to the UAE-based healthcare suppliers. Of the 787 questionnaires sent to the healthcare suppliers, 602 were usable, yielding a response rate of 76.5%. To analyze the data gathered, the study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques. Findings—The study’s data proved that SRMS adoption and brand strength positively affected and improved healthcare suppliers’ shareholder value. Additionally, it demonstrates that user satisfaction is the most significant predictor of SRMS adoption, while the results show that the mediating role of brand strength is the most significant predictor of shareholder value. The results demonstrated that internally derived constructs were better explained by the ANN technique than by the PLS-SEM approach. Originality/Value—This study demonstrates its practical value by offering decision-makers in the healthcare supplier industry a reference on what to avoid and what elements to take into account when creating plans and implementing strategies and policies.
This study investigates the influence of Environmental, Social, and Governance Disclosures (ESGD) on the profitability of firms, using a sample of 385 publicly listed companies on the Thai Stock Exchange. Data from 2018 to 2022 is sourced from the Bloomberg database, focusing on ESGD scores as indicators of companies’ ESG commitments. The study utilizes a structural equation model to examine the relationships between independent variables; ESGD, Earnings Per Share (EPS), Debt to Assets ratio (DA), Return on Investment Capital (ROIC), Total Assets (TA), and dependent variables Tobin’s Q (TBQ) and Return on Assets (ROA). The analysis reveals a positive relationship between ESGD and TBQ, but not with ROA. Further exploration is conducted to determine if different ESGD levels (high, medium, low) yield consistent effects on TBQ. The findings indicate discrepancies: high and medium ESGD levels are associated with a negative impact on TBQ when EPS increased, whereas low ESGD levels correlate with an increase in TBQ with rising EPS. This nuanced approach challenges the conventional uniform treatment of ESGD in previous research and provides a deeper understanding of how varying commitments to ESG practices affect a firm’s market valuation and profitability. These insights are crucial for firm management, highlighting the importance of ESGD in relation to other financial variables and their effects on market value. This study offers a new perspective on ESGD’s impact, emphasizing the need for differentiated strategies based on ESG commitment levels.
Economic growth is a pressing issue facing the global community transitioning to sustainable development. Sustainable development is impossible without rapid economic growth limited by imperfect technologies and social structure. Most often, the limit of economic growth is related not so much to the amount of natural resources as to the possibilities of the environment. The atmosphere, water reservoirs, and the earth are already at the limit of their capabilities. This forces us to look for ways to develop production in combination with the economic and environmental spheres. Advanced companies are the first environmentally oriented enterprises, because reducing the amount of primary raw and other materials and energy, switching to secondary raw materials, and processing them reduces the cost of production, and, most often, brings additional profit. This study evaluates socioeconomic approaches to the development of the environmental management system. The creation of an environmentally friendly enterprise’s field of activity is not only a solution to many economic and environmental issues but also one of the ways to transition to a normally functioning market system, given the financial capabilities of enterprises and the understanding of the necessity of state sustainable development by the company management and the population.
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