This study explores the influence of digital technologies, including media, on pre-service teachers’ interactions and engagement patterns. It underscores the significance of promoting digital competence to empower pre-service teachers to navigate the digital world responsibly, make informed decisions, and enhance their digital experiences. The objective is to identify key themes and categories in research studies related to pre-service teachers’ digital competence and skill preparations. Conducting a systematic literature review, we searched databases such as SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, and Taylor & Francis, including forty-three articles in the dataset. Applying qualitative content analysis, we identified four major themes: digital literacy, digital competencies, digital skills, and digital thinking. Within each theme, categories and their frequencies were examined. Preliminary findings reveal a growing prevalence of digital competence and literacy articles between 2019 and 2024. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for further research and implementations, with specific criteria used for article selection detailed in the paper. A digital literacy policy for teacher education preparedness is included.

Access to affordable and quality medicines plays a vital role for achieving Universal Health Coverage and in reducing out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE) for households especially in developing nations such as India. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), a Government of India initiative, aims to make low-cost and quality generic drugs and surgical equipment accessible to all segments of the population through its dedicated store outlets known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra (PMBJK). In this study, a pilot survey comprising 20 stores/PMBJKs and 150 citizens was undertaken in the Bengaluru Urban District, India to understand various aspects of the PMBJKs including availability of drugs, stock-outs, accessibility to stores, perception and awareness levels along with challenges faced by store owners and citizens/beneficiaries. Based on the survey results, we capture the availability of drugs for 35 medicines and consumables belonging to 12 therapeutic categories across 20 store outlets. We also provide valuable insights and interdisciplinary recommendations on several facets including adopting technology-based measures for day-to-day functioning of stores, need for in-depth supply chain analysis for ensuring availability of drugs, encouraging prescription of generic medicines, increasing awareness levels in addition to promoting grassroot-level research, surveys and feedback mechanisms. These suggestions are expected to find their utility in policy-making, strengthen the implementation of the PMBJP scheme across Bengaluru and India as well as contribute towards achieving related Sustainable Development Goals.

This study aims to empirically analyze the impact of budget allocation by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) on national research competitiveness, thereby reassessing the value of investing in research infrastructure within a knowledge-based society. In the 21st century, research and development (R&D) have emerged as a pivotal element of national competitiveness, underlining the increasing importance of investments aimed at constructing and enhancing research infrastructure. However, empirical studies examining the causal relationship between research infrastructure investment and national research competitiveness are still notably scarce. Accordingly, this research endeavors to systematically delineate the effect of research infrastructure investment, with a focus on KISTI’s budget allocation, on enhancing national R&D outcomes. To achieve this, the structural relationship between KISTI’s budget, national R&D budget, and various academic and industrial performance indicators was analyzed using multiple regression and simple regression analysis. In particular, by demonstrating the mechanism through which the budget management of research support organizations like KISTI contributes to strengthening national research competitiveness, this study aims to shed new light on the strategic value of research infrastructure investment in a knowledge-based society. Furthermore, these findings are expected to provide valuable evidence for the formulation of national R&D policies in Korea and the strategic planning of budget operations for research support organizations. Through strategic investment of limited budgets, this could enhance the efficiency of national R&D investments and contribute to strengthening the capacity for scientific and technological innovation required in a knowledge-based society.

The main objective of this study is to identify the impact of trust on the construction of corporate value in commerce and services microbusinesses. This work is based on identifying the challenges faced by SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), which are conditioned by the type of business and the regulatory and incentive variables that exist in the territory, affecting their permanence and stability in the market and their financial and commercial development. A local study is carried out in Bogotá, Colombia, through a descriptive research project, using a quantitative analysis method (SPSS) to process data obtained from local microbusinesses. As a result, it was observed that trust has a discrete impact on the creation of corporate value, which is created from the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology). This leads to the recognition that it is necessary to strengthen horizontal networks with suppliers, clients, and similar businesses, as well as vertical networks with entities and public associations, to generate lasting and strong links that increase the competitiveness of these business units in the face of exogenous risks shaped by the social, economic, and cultural characteristics of the territory, which are increasingly conditioned to the use of communication technology.

Shipbuilding industry is characterized by high price competition, as well as tight deadlines for product design and production. The dominant positions in the civil shipbuilding market are occupied by the countries of Southeast Asia, and for a number of reasons, participants from other countries are uncompetitive. Thus, in order to ensure the sustainable development of companies in the global civil shipbuilding market, it is necessary to identify and analyze the main factors that provided the competitive advantages of industry leaders. Assessment of further directions of shipbuilding development is a necessary condition for the formation of competitive advantages of new market participants. The article analyzes the main directions of development of the world civil shipbuilding in the period after World War II, as well as prospects for the future. As a result of the analysis of the latest organizational management concepts, the concept of modular production in shipbuilding is proposed, and directions for further research are determined.

Professional judgments in business valuation should be based on persuasive comparative data and conclusive empirical studies. However, these judgments are frequently made without these conditions, causing professional skepticism. An appraiser should explain in detail what was done to get the market value because valuation is the initial crucial step in the investment decision process. In socially responsible investment schemes, an appraiser has a fiduciary duty and a vital role in protecting the public from fraud and the risk of asset value destruction. Professional skepticism is essential to direct the appraiser’s judgment towards independent valuation for the public interest, assisting in evaluating the relevance and reliability of information, especially relating to social, environmental, and ethical issues. This paper studies the business valuation process from a behavioral finance perspective in the United States and Indonesia, aiming to tweak business valuation practices, identify biases, and mitigate them to ensure the market value does not shift far from fairness opinion. The case study explores experiences from the professional role-learning process. The results highlight the need for an appraisal protocol in business valuation, improvements in the discount for lack of marketability application, and these findings are pertinent to business appraisers and regulators. Recommendations include enhancing the clarity of professional judgments and the integration of recent empirical studies into practice.