This study investigated the changing land use patterns and their impacts on ecosystem in the Teesta River Basin of northwestern Bangladesh. Although anthropocentric land use patterns, including agricultural land use, settlements, built areas, and waterbody loss, have been increasing in the Nilphamari district, by negatively affecting local ecosystems, they have not been identified by prior research. Limitations of contemporary literature motivated me to work on this crucial ground in the Teesta River Basin in Northwestern Bangladesh. This study applied a mixed research approach to identify the study objectives. Firstly, the land use and land cover (LULC) changes which occurred between 2000 and 2020 were detected using satellite imagery and supervised classification method. In addition to the detection of LULC changes, the study explored the people’s perceptions and experiences about the ecosystem changes resulted from the LULC changes over the last 20 years, conducting stakeholders’ consultations and household surveys utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings indicated that waterbodies in Nilphamari district have significantly decreased from 378 km² in 2000 to 181 km² in 2020. In the same way, the vegetation coverage has reduced 187 km² between the years 2000 and 2020. On the contrary, agricultural lands (croplands) have increased from 595 km² to 905 km² and settlements have increased from 81 km² to 206 km² between the years 2000 and 2020. From the chi-square test, it was found a significant association between ecosystem change and biodiversity loss. It was further identified that waterbody decreases have significant impacts on aquatic ecosystems. The results of this study also indicated that due to the introduction of foreign tree species, local and native species have been significantly decreasing over the time. This study emphasizes the non-anthropocentric and inclusive land use policy implications for protecting life on land and preserving the aquatic ecosystem in Bangladesh.

This study investigates non-academic employees’ perceptions of their line managers’ leadership styles at a private university in Malaysia and how these perceptions influence their intention to remain employed. Employing a qualitative approach and the path-goal theory as a theoretical framework, data were collected through purposive sampling from 10 non-academic employees and analyzed thematically using NVivo 12 software. The findings reveal that a supportive and participative leadership style fosters an informal leadership dynamic between line managers and subordinates. Informal leadership behaviors encompass affective qualities and effective communication that enable the development of close relationships outside the workplace, facilitating increased employee engagement and motivation levels. Consequently, this approach notably improves employee retention. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of informal leadership styles contributing to enhanced human resource management at the private university while providing an inclusive perspective on employees’ perceptions and their intention to remain employed. Finally, we propose a model of employees’ perception of leadership styles as the main driver that better serves their intention to stay in organizations.

The importance of tourism to nations’ socioeconomic development cannot be overemphasised as it has proven to be a significant source of revenue for many countries globally. However, sub-Saharan nations like Nigeria have not tapped into the unlimited potential of tourism in their development drive, hence the continuous grappling with underdevelopment challenges. This study examines how tourism impacts socioeconomic growth in Nigeria, focusing on well-known tourist destinations in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopts quantitative and qualitative mixed-method research using survey questionnaires and in-depth interviews to elicit responses from visitors at the tourist centres and the tourists’ operations. Data were analysed using simple percentages of frequency distribution tables and thematic analysis. The Neo-liberal theory was adopted as a theoretical framework for the study. The findings highlight the need for better infrastructure, security measures, destination awareness, better housing, financial help, the development of a competent workforce, solid governmental policies, the conservation of cultural and natural assets, and encouragement of collaboration. Future studies may focus primarily on three areas: the evaluation of tourism’s economic impacts, the effectiveness of specific tourist development programs, and the role of tourism in community empowerment.

service-learning activities are effective in higher education programmes. During the COVID-19 period, universities have implemented this methodology and students have improved their social and practical skills. The purpose of this article is to analyse the role of higher education in the process of adapting teaching based on experiences designed for students to serve the community. This research presents the results of a specific service-learning experience of 35 students from the Teamworking programme during the academic years 2020–21 (online) and 2021–22 (face-to-face), in collaboration with the San Juan de Dios Foundation in Madrid, which provides care for people with disabilities. Students evaluated the experience through a quantitative study based on a questionnaire previously developed by Folgueiras (2013), divided into four dimensions. Students also provided some feedback, explaining that this experience changed their perception of people with disabilities, considering the personal value of contributing to social inclusion through service learning. The results show that through the Folgueiras model, students have strengthened their social skills and competences, and through an applied training project that offers the opportunity to build a real relationship through different activities, where learning was at the centre of the interaction between students and young people with disabilities. In conclusion, although the evaluation was positive in terms of the students’ professional and human development, this project requires continuous improvement in the long term, since the subjectivity of human relationships follows a dynamic course with variables that are sensitive to time and individual experience.

Under the developing trend of artificial intelligence (AI) technology gradually penetrating all aspects of society, the traditional language education industry is also greatly affected ^[1]. AI technology has had a positive impact on college English teaching, but it also presents challenges and negative impacts. On the positive side, AI technology can provide personalized learning experiences, real-time feedback, and autonomous learning opportunities, and so on. However, it may also lead to a lack of communication between students and humans, resulting in a decline in students’ interpersonal skills, and cause students’ dependence on online learning resources as well as possible risks to student data privacy and security, and other negative impacts. To address these challenges, teachers can adopt the following countermeasures: improving teachers’ skills in the use of AI technology incorporated in the classroom, offering personalized instruction to reduce students’ dependence on AI technologies, emphasizing the cultivation of students’ humanistic literacy and interpersonal communication ability. Additionally, colleges and technology providers should strengthen data security and privacy protection to ensure the safety and confidentiality of student data. By implementing comprehensive measures, we can maximize the advantages of AI technology in college English teaching while overcoming potential issues and challenges.

Using individual- and panel country-level data from 118 countries for the period 1981–2020, this study investigates the effects of national- and individual-level economic and environmental factors on subjective well-being (SWB). Two individual SWB indicators are selected: the feeling of happiness and life satisfaction. Additionally, two environmental factors are also considered: CO2 emissions by country level and personal perspective on environmental protection. The ordered probit estimation results show that CO2 emissions have a significant negative effect on SWB, and a higher perspective on environmental protection has a significant and positive effect. Compared with the average marginal effect of national income, CO2 emissions are a more important determinant of SWB when considering a personal perspective on protecting the environment. The estimation results are robust to various estimation model specifications: inclusion of additional air pollutants (CH4 and N2O), PM 2.5 and various sample groupings. This study makes a novel contribution by providing comprehensive insights into how both individual environmental attitudes and national pollution levels jointly influence subjective well-being.