The current study aims to determine the post COVID-19 adoption rates, the variation of the adoption by regions, and the effects of communication technologies on higher education with focus on students’ engagement and faculty satisfaction. The present research uses the convergent parallel design which is a form of mixed-methods research design. First, the study searched for 18 relevant articles using key search terms including “post-COVID-19 education”, “e-learning tools”, “communication technologies” and “higher education”. The qualitative analysis, however, shows that the technological strategies have to be in line with the preparedness of the people, the need to address challenges such as the lack of face-to-face contact and how technologies such as augmented reality and simulation-based learning can be used. Quantitative analysis shows that teleconferencing tools (β = 0.45, p < 0.001) and cloud computing (β = 0.38, p < 0.003) have positive impact on engagement and satisfaction. The one-way ANOVA results show that there is a difference in the adoption rates across the regions while the MCAs score for communication challenges is 60%. From the descriptive statistics it can be seen that there is a very high adoption rate of cloud computing (Mean = 89.7%, Standard Deviation = 3.1%) and teleconferencing tools (Mean = 84.9%, Standard Deviation = 4.5%). The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) shows the domino effect of teleconferencing on engagement (β = 0.60, p < 0.001), satisfaction (β = 0.75, p < 0.002) and collaboration efficiency (β = 0.55, p < 0.001). Thus, the current study establishes the fact that there is a need to provide equal opportunities and technology which is adaptable to improve the students’ engagement and satisfaction in various learning institutions.

When COVID-19 hit all the Asian countries, Indonesia issued various laws and regulations. This study investigates these laws that do not improve the country’s ability to increase its adaptive structuration and foresight-oriented investment. It analyzes all the new laws, which should be based on the requirements of both concepts. It considers that all the laws are intended to defend the Government of Indonesia’s economic performance (GoI). It means that all the established regulations were built on the premise that they only focused on national economic preservation, especially economic growth. In other words, this study stated that the absence of regulations containing adaptive restructuration and foresight-oriented investment would decrease the state’s agility. This absence potentially impacts Indonesia to zcategorize the future as the state’s political failure. It shows evidence that Indonesia could not enforce and empower its structural potential. This study indicates that Indonesia made no foresight-oriented investment to cover the disbursed costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Future policies should be improved by including growth opportunities to enhance Indonesia’s agility. This agility could finally be achieved when all the laws issued by the GoI do not contain the praxis.

For this, the primary aim of this study was to analyze of the impact of cultural accessibility and ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructure on economic growth in Kazakhstan, employing regression models to asses a single country data from 2008 to 2022. The research focuses on two sets of variables: cultural development variables (e.g., number of theaters, museums, and others) and ICT infrastructure variables (e.g., number of fixed Internet subscribers, total costs of ICT, and others). Principal component analysis (PCA) as employed to reduce the dimensionality of the data and identify the most significant predictors for the regression models. The findings indicate that in the cultural development model (Model 1), the number of recreational parks and students are significant positive predictors of GDP per capita. In the ICT infrastructure model (Model 2), ICT costs are found to have a significant positive impact on GDP per capita. Conversely, traditional connectivity indicators, such as the number of fixed telephone lines, show a low dependence on economic growth, suggesting diminishing returns on investment in these outdated forms of ICT. These results suggest that investments in cultural and ICT infrastructure are crucial for economic development. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the need for quality improvements in education and strategic modernization of communication technologies.

The sustainable development of the global economy and society necessitates the integration of environmental and socially responsible management, known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance). Despite growing recognition of ESG’s importance, the strategic management of ESG factors in Kazakhstan’s telecommunications industry remains underexplored. This study bridges this gap by analyzing Kazakh telecom’s ESG strategies from 2019 to 2021 through a cross-sectional design and semi-structured interviews with 12 industry experts. Utilizing the National Rating Agency (NRA) methodology, the research evaluates environmental, social, and governance variables. Key findings reveal that Kazakh telecom excels in “Climate Change” and “Human Capital Management” but needs significant improvements in “Environmental Impact” and “Society.” The study offers specific recommendations such as enhancing corporate volunteering, responsible marketing, service quality, and integrating sustainable practices. The primary contributions of this research include actionable insights for improving ESG strategies in telecommunications companies and advocating for more systematic and standardized ESG assessment approaches. This study expands the understanding of how ESG principles can enhance competitiveness and sustainable development in the telecommunications industry, providing valuable guidance for industry practitioners and policymakers. It offers insights into effective ESG implementation practices and highlights critical areas requiring attention to drive sustainable development in telecommunications.

Three-dimensionally cross-linked polymer nanocomposite networks coated nano sand light-weight proppants (LWPs) were successfully prepared via ball-milling the macro sand and subsequently modifying the resultant nano sand with sequential polymer nanocomposite coating. The modified nano sand proppants had good sphericity and roundness. Thermal analyses showed that the samples can withstand up to 411 ℃. Moreover, the proppant samples’ specific gravity (S.G.) was 1.02–1.10 g/cm³ with excellent water dispersibility. Therefore, cross-linked polymer nanocomposite networks coated nano sand particles can act as potential candidates as water-carrying proppants for hydraulic fracturing operations.