Due to the incapacity of families in Sub-Saharan African nations to satisfy basic necessities for home maintenance, this study is required to enable policy shifts in the area of consumption tax. The study looks at the impact of consumption taxes on the purchasing power of families in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on Nigeria and Kenya. The datasets used for this inquiry range from 1994 to 2022. Among the factors are purchasing power parity (PPP), value added tax (VAT), and exchange rate. We obtained the statistics from the World Bank, the Central Banks of Nigeria and Kenya, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The study used the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model established by Pesaran et al. (2001). The findings reveal that the inclusion of VAT on the prices of products and services significantly harms households throughout Nigeria compared to those in Kenya. VAT has a significant negative impact on consumer purchasing power in Nigeria but has an immaterial negative impact on household spending capacity in Kenya. The influence of the currency rate is positive and beneficial in Nigeria, whereas it is negative but intangible in Kenya. Due to economic disparity, the report suggests policy reforms in favour of families. It is also suggested that the government develop additional work possibilities, diversify the economy, and give subsidies for basic housing necessities.

This study aims to examine the impact of an innovative self-directed professional development (SDPD) model on fostering teachers’ professional development and improving their ability to manage this development independently. A quantitative research method was adopted, involving 60 participants from Almaty State Humanitarian and Pedagogical College No. 2, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to assess the SDPD model’s effectiveness, specifically in promoting teacher engagement, adoption of new pedagogical techniques, and improvement in reflective practices. The study findings reveal that teachers, particularly in developing regions, often face challenges in accessing formal professional development programs. The implementation of the SDPD model addresses these barriers by providing teachers with the tools and strategies required for self-improvement, regardless of geographic or economic constraints. The study participants in the pilot phase showed increased engagement with new pedagogical methods, improved reflective practices, and greater adaptability to emerging educational technologies. The algorithmic aspect of the model streamlined the professional development process, while the activity-based approach ensured that learning remained practical and relevant to teachers’ everyday needs. By offering a clear framework for continuous improvement, the model addresses the gaps in formal training access and cultivates a culture of lifelong learning. These findings suggest that the SDPD model can contribute to elevating teaching standards globally, particularly in regions with limited professional development resources.

Disability inclusion is important to ensure everybody has the same opportunities in society, which is critical in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are one of the marginalized communities and most of them are living in poverty. Disabilities encounter many challenges internally and externally due to their disabilities. They are struggling to keep their jobs due to their own self-confidence and social stigma and entrepreneurship is said to be the best option for PWDs to gain economic liberation. However, many PWDs still depend on government assistance and public donations instead of starting their own business. This study investigates the mediating effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the relationship between internal and external factors of PWDs’ perceptions of entrepreneurship in Malaysia. A quantitative approach to the survey was carried out. A sample of seventy-seven PWDs was gathered using face-to-face and online surveys through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The results show that only internal factors influence PWDs’ entrepreneurial personal perception. Entrepreneurial motivation plays a crucial mediating role in the relationship between internal and external factors and entrepreneurial personal perception. The study is helpful for the relevant parties to assist PWDs in becoming financially independent through entrepreneurship by focusing more on their internal strengths. Proper training and coaching assist PWDs in being more resilient when facing adversity.

The coronavirus pandemic has reinforced the need for sustainable, smart tourism and local travel, with rural destinations gaining in their popularity and leading to increased potential of smart rural tourism. However, these processes need adjustments to the current trends, incorporating new transformative business concepts and marketing approaches. In this paper we provide real life examples of new marketing approaches, together with new business models within the context of the use of new digital technologies. Via hermeneutic research approach, consisting of the secondary analysis of the addressed subject of smart rural tourism in adversity of the COVID-19 and 6 semi-structured interviews, the importance of technology is underscored in transforming rural tourism to smart rural tourist destinations. The respondents in the interview section were chosen based on their direct involvement in the presented examples and geographical location, i.e. France, Slovenia and Spain, where presented research examples were developed, concretely within European programmes, i.e. Interreg, Horizon and Rural Development Programme (RDP). Interviews were taking place between 2022 and 2023 in person, email or via Zoom. This two-phased study demonstrates that technology is important in transforming rural tourism to smart tourist destinations and that it ushers new approaches that seem particularly useful in applying to rural areas, creating a rural digital innovation ecosystem, which acts as s heuristic rural tourist model that fosters new types of tourism, i.e. smart rural tourism.

This study investigates the role of Chat-GPT with augmented reality applications in enhancing tourism experiences in Thailand, focusing on behavioral intentions and innovation adoption to reduce stress in the tourism industry. The research addresses two key objectives: identifying factors driving consumers’ behavioral intentions to adopt AR apps and evaluating the robustness of a modified innovation framework for analyzing these intentions. A conceptual model integrating innovativeness, attitudes, perceived enjoyment, and revisit intentions was developed and tested using Structural Equation Modeling with data from 430 Thai tourists who have one to three years of mobile application experience. The findings highlight that service and technology innovation significantly influence perceived enjoyment and attitude, which in turn mediate the impact on behavioral intention to adopt augmented reality applications. At a significance level of p < 0.001, perceived enjoyment and attitude were identified as critical determinants of BI, underscoring the importance of intrinsic user experiences. Tourists are more likely to adopt augmented reality technologies based on personal perceptions and enjoyment rather than external recommendations. This research provides actionable insights for stakeholders in the tourism technology ecosystem, including technology providers, marketers, and policymakers. By emphasizing the interplay of social, emotional, and hedonic factors in shaping user attitudes, the study introduces a robust framework for advancing augmented reality applications in tourism. The findings underscore the importance of user-centric design to drive technology adoption and offer strategic guidance for developers and entrepreneurs aiming to enhance tourism experiences through innovative augmented reality solutions.