The purpose of the current study is to examine the mediating role of intercultural communicative competence on the relationship between teaching of English language and learning at Chinese higher vocational colleges. The convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from 668 teachers, teaching English language subjects in different public and private Chinese higher vocational colleges. Smart partial least squares-structural equation modeling on SmartPLS software version 4 was used to test the hypotheses. The result revealed the direct effect of English language teaching (ELT) is not significant on English language learning (ELL). However, the intercultural communicative competences (ICC) have been tested and proved to be a potential mediator between English language teaching and learning. Because the indirect effect of ELT on ELL is positive and significant through mediator ICC. Therefore, based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the inclusion of intercultural communication ability is a crucial component in the vocational education of college students. Policymakers should be cautious about promoting and expanding the availability of cultural teaching and learning across demographic conditions (e.g., linguistic and ethnic diversity, age, and gender) and various levels of language proficiency. In accordance with the effects of teacher education and professional development programs, the implementation of ICC content necessitates a harmonization of pedagogical approaches and assessment practices across designated levels in order to effectively achieve educational objectives. To promote ICC in English language education, there must be clear guidelines and communication to school leaders, educators, and administrators regarding the necessity and goals of cultural integration.

This paper discusses the use of workforce ecosystems to manage human intellectual capital. The need for work ecosystems has emerged in the digital age because of the rapid growth in the number of engaged partners and freelancers in the digitalization of enterprises. It is shown that this growth is directly related to the use of agile management systems in design and development: agile, DevOps, microservice architecture, turquoise practices, etc. The information systems needed to manage workforce ecosystems should have competency-based metrics to link business needs, recruitment and training, and finding new partners. At the same time, training should be prioritized over recruitment and the search for new partners in the context of staff shortages. When automating workforce ecosystems, a platform approach should be used to integrate both corporate HR, time and business process management systems, and similar systems from partners.

Road construction and maintenance are key interventions that support economic potential in the country. However, the deplorable state of some roads in Nigeria, and in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states draws research concerns. This paper seeks to examine the impact of the Niger Delta Development Commission Intervention on road construction and economic activities in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, Nigeria. Using the Sustainable Development Framework, a survey research design was employed, gathering data from 400 respondents across both states. The chi-square statistical technique was used to test the hypothesis that the Niger Delta Development Commission Intervention has no significant impact on road construction in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. The result of the data analysis showed the calculated value X² = 1592 > 16.92. By this result, the null hypothesis was rejected (16.92) at 0.05 level of significance and 9 Degrees of Freedom, and the alternate was accepted. The study concludes that NDDC road projects have positively influenced economic activities and livelihoods in the states. However, it highlights the need for further improvements, particularly on the Calabar-Itu federal highway.

The article presents an answer to the current challenge about needs to form methodological approaches to the digital transformation of existing industrial enterprises (EIE). The paper develops a hypothesis that it is advisable to carry out the digital transformation of EIE based on considering it as a complex technical system using model-based system engineering (MBSE). The practical methodology based on MBSE for EIE digital representation creation are presented. It is demonstrated how different system models of EIE is created from a set of entities of the MBSE approach: requirements—unctions—components and corresponding matrices of interconnections. Also the principles and composition of tasks for system architectures creation of EIE digital representation are developed. The practical application of proposed methodology is illustrated by the example of an existing gas distribution station.

In recent years, China’s economy has undergone rapid development. Increased disposable income and the rapid expansion of Internet-based financial services have positioned China as the largest market for luxury goods. Gen Z, the youngest demographic within emerging markets, is expected to play a pivotal role as the primary driver of the luxury market. However, while China’s luxury market continues to exhibit a high growth rate, this growth has gradually decelerated in comparison to the previous two years according to researchers. This presents a significant challenge for the luxury industry, as maintaining and enhancing the global growth trend has become a pressing concern where consumer behavior is concerned. The second key issue addressed in this study revolves around the concepts of compulsive buying and brand addiction, which can lead individuals, particularly Gen Z, to develop an addiction to luxury consumption. This study is based on an integrated model of conspicuous consumption, social comparison, and impression management theory. The key variables are materialism, brand consciousness, status-seeking, peer pressure, and collectivism to predict the luxury consumption model with debt attitude introduced as a moderating variable to study consumer behaviour in this age group. A non-probability sampling method and 480 people were selected as research samples. Quantitative analysis was used in this study, and SPSS and Smart PLS were used as data analysis tools. Structural equation model (SEM) using partial least squares method was used to determine the relationship of the variables and the moderating effect of debt attitude. The results showed that brand consciousness, status seeking, debt attitude and materialism had the strongest relationship with luxury consumption. Debt attitude as a moderating factor has a significant impact on the hypothesized relationship of the model. This paper provides empirical evidence for research on Gen Z’s luxury consumption, which has practical implications to marketers, luxury companies, local luxury brands and credit institutions.

In Industry 4.0, the business model innovation plays a crucial role in enabling organizations to stay competitive and capitalize on the opportunities presented by digital transformation. Industry 4.0 is driven by digitalization and characterized by integrating various emerging technologies. These technologies can potentially change traditional business models and create new value propositions for customers. This paper aims to analyze and review the research papers through a bibliometric approach scientifically. The data were extracted from reputable Clarivate Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection sources from 2010 to 2023 (June). However, the publication started in 2018 for the research fields. The results show that scientific publications on research domains have increased significantly from 2020. VOSviewer, R Language, and Microsoft Excel were utilized for analysis. Bibliometric and Scientometric approaches conducted to determine and explore the publication patterns with significant keywords, topical trends, and content clustering better discussions of the publication period. The visualization of the data set related to research trends of Industry 4.0 in relation to Business Model Innovation resulted in several co-occurrence clusters namely: 1) Business Model Innovation; 2) Industry 4.0; 3) Digital transformation; and 4) Technology implementation and analysis. The study results would identify worldwide research trends related to the research domains and recommendations for future research areas.