This study examines the contentment and commitment of rural residents from three different perspectives. The first is environmental management, followed by municipal services and finally territorial planning. The study’s objective is to analyze the causal relationships between the expected quality and perceived quality concerning perceived value, satisfaction and citizen loyalty to provide tools for decision-making to public managers. This research proposes a structural equation model to evaluate and validate five hypotheses. For this study, household-level surveys were implemented to a population sample of 450 families in the rural area of Tenguel in Ecuador. The results suggest that the public policies exercised by territorial managers significantly influence citizens’ perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty, which impacts social welfare. This research shows that there are deficient areas that negatively impact perceived locality, which decreases the perceived value. Such as firefighting service, municipal police, veterinary services, preservation of historical and cultural assets and activities, and facilities for community use.

the study deals with the issue of mining transport technology and its use in mines in Slovakia and Hungary at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. It focuses on the analysis and comparison of the transport infrastructure used in these mines, either as original Slovak inventions or as products of foreign provenance. The research is based on the analysis of monographic and periodical press production from this period, where these technological achievements were presented and discussed. In addition, the study examines the media presentation of these products in the contemporary traditional periodical press. The findings of the study offer an important historical perspective on the development of mining transport technology and related industries in the region and contribute to the understanding of the media presentation and promotion of mining technology. This research is in line with the objectives of the “CultureMind” project, which focuses on the promotion and promotion of cultural heritage through media and education.

Using a qualitative research methodology and exploratory approach to collect data, this study assessed the effects of dependency syndrome within Africa’s international relations and its repercussions for achieving sustainable development. The collected data were analysed using document and content analysis techniques. The study revealed that dependency syndrome within Africa’s international relations has led to aid dependency, political violence, and poverty. It has promoted laziness and an inferiority complex that affects the working conditions of Africans. Further, it has promoted corruption and affected the rule of law for good governance; yet, sustainable development cannot occur without it. Moreover, dependency syndrome has inhibited innovation and led to the destruction of the local industries that are key to achieving sustainable development. The results of the study found that dependency syndrome has prevented the development of a robust transport network system that could promote African trade relations, which would lead to sustainable development. The results also posited that chronic poverty and underdevelopment in Africa are perpetuated by the dependency syndrome within Africa’s international relations. The study recommended that Africa needs to overcome dependency syndrome and reform her international relations with external world. This would require establishing a continental sovereignty that enables the continent to have one common foreign policy within its planning diplomacy endeavours.

In order to assess the effects of e-learning integration on university performance and competitiveness, this study uses Oman as a model for the Gulf. Analyzing how e-learning impacts technology integration, diversity, community engagement, infrastructure, financial strength, institutional reputation, student outcomes, research and innovation, and academic quality can reveal whether universities are effectively incorporating digital tools to enhance teaching and learning. By offering a framework for comparable institutions in the Gulf area, this study provides insights into optimizing e-learning techniques to improve university performance and competitiveness. This study uses the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with a dataset comprising 424 participants and 55 indicators, analyzed using both measurement and structural models. The results of the hypothesis testing, which indicate that e-learning has a positive effect on factors like student outcomes (B = 0.080, t = 2.859, P = 0.004) and institutional reputation (B = 0.058, t = 2.770, P = 0.005), lend credence to these beliefs. Omani universities need culturally sensitive e-learning, stronger institutional support, and training to enhance diversity (B = 0.002, t = 0.456, P = 0.647) and technology integration (B = −0.009, t = 0.864, P = 0.387). These improvements increase the visibility of Gulf institutions abroad, attracting the best students from all around the world and fostering an inclusive learning atmosphere. Financially speaking, e-learning offers reasonably priced solutions such as digital libraries and virtual laboratories, which are especially beneficial in a region where education plays a major role in socioeconomic development.

With the increasing climate change crisis, the ongoing global energy security challenges, and the prerequisites for the development of sustainable and affordable energy for all, the need for renewable energy resources has been highlighted as a global aim of mankind. However, the worldwide deployment of renewable energy calls for large-scale financial and technological contributions which many States cannot afford. This exacerbates the need for the promotion of foreign investments in this sector, and protecting them against various threats. International Investment Agreements (IIAs) offer several substantive protections that equally serve foreign investments in this sector. Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) clauses are among these. This is a flexible standard of treatment whose boundaries are not clearly defined so far. Investment tribunals have diverse views of this standard. Against this background, this article asks: What are the prominent international renewable energy investment threats, and how can FET clauses better contribute to alleviating these concerns? Employing a qualitative method, it analyses the legal aspects and properties of FET and concludes that the growing security and regulatory threats have formed a sort of modern legitimate expectations on the part of renewable energy investors who expect host states to protect them against such threats. Hence, IIAs and tribunals need to uphold a definite and broadly applicable FET approach to bring more consistency and predictability to arbitral awards. This would help deter many unfavourable practices against investments in this sector.

This study investigates the influence of perceived value and perceived risk on consumer intentions to purchase counterfeit luxury goods, drawing upon an integrated theoretical framework encompassing perceived value theory, risk perception theory, and consumer behavior models. Through a quantitative research design involving a structured survey and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the study examines the relationships among perceived value dimensions (functional, emotional, social, economic), perceived risk factors (financial, social, performance), consumer attitudes, and purchase intentions. The findings reveal that perceived value positively influences purchase intentions, with consumer attitudes acting as a critical mediating mechanism. Conversely, perceived risk negatively impacts purchase intentions, with this relationship also mediated by consumer attitudes. Furthermore, Bayesian Network analysis uncovers the indirect pathways through which perceived risk shapes purchase intentions via its influence on consumer attitudes. By integrating these theoretical frameworks and employing advanced analytical techniques, this study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the complex decision-making processes underlying counterfeit luxury goods consumption. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, luxury brand managers, and consumer protection agencies in devising targeted strategies to address consumer perceptions of value and risk, ultimately mitigating the proliferation of counterfeit luxury goods.