As urbanisation increases, questions arise about the desirability of further urban growth, as it was not accompanied by corresponding economic growth, and social and environmental problems began to grow in the largest cities in the world. The objective of the article is to substantiate the limits of urbanization growth in Kazakhstan based on the study of theoretical views on this process, analysis of the dependence of social and economic parameters of 134 countries on the urbanisation level and calculation of the urbanisation level that contributes most to economic growth and social well-being. To achieve the goal, the following tasks have been set and solved: theoretical views on the process of urbanization have been generalized; a hypothesis has been put forward about the emergence of an “urbanization trap” in which the growth of large cities is not accompanied by economic growth and improvement of social well-being; an analysis of the dependence of socio-economic indicators on the level of urbanization has been carried out on the example of 134 countries of the world; the level of urbanization that maximizes economic growth and social well-being is calculated; the necessity of the development of small towns in Kazakhstan is substantiated. To solve the problems, the methods of logical analysis, analogies and generalizations, economic statistics, index, graphical, Pearson correlation analysis, Spearman and Kendall rank regression based on models in SPSS were used. As a result, the following conclusions are made: the hypothesis of a possible deterioration of socio-economic indicators in large cities is confirmed; the best positive result is demonstrated by the level of urbanization of 50%–59%. The recommendations are justified: in Kazakhstan, it is necessary to adhere to the level of urbanization no higher than 59%; the growth of urbanization should be ensured through the development of small towns; it is necessary to improve the methods of managing the process of urbanization and develop individual city plans.

The objective of this study is to examine the extent of awareness, intention, and behavior among university students in relation to green marketing. It is recognized that the present cohort of students, as well as future generations, will have a substantial impact on shaping the course of the world. The respondents for this study consisted of university students, and the collected data was subsequently analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) 25 in order to test the stated hypothesis. University students exhibit a comprehensive understanding of green marketing and a conscious inclination toward embracing favorable intentions and behaviors in relation to this domain. The results of this study suggest that there exists a statistically significant and positive correlation between individuals’ level of green awareness and their intention to participate in environmentally friendly consumer practices. Furthermore, it has been observed that the intention of consumers to engage in green practices has a noteworthy influence on their subsequent behavior in terms of adopting environmentally friendly behaviors. The findings obtained from studies on green marketing are of utmost importance in offering valuable guidance and orientation toward a future characterized by heightened environmental awareness and sustainability. The novelty of this study is to provide a lucid comprehension of students’ perceptions about green marketing. Several factors can potentially impact the intention and behavior of environmentally conscious consumers, including personal values, social norms, and economic factors. Additional research is necessary in order to obtain a more thorough comprehension of the complexity of these variables, and how they interact to impact consumer behavior.

Bangladesh’s coastal regions are rich in saline water resources. The majority of these resources are still not being used to their full potential. In the southern Bangladeshi region of Patuakhali, research was conducted to investigate the effects of mulching and drip irrigation on tomato yield, quality, and blossom-end rot (BER) at different soil salinity thresholds. There were four distinct treatments applied: T₁= drip irrigation with polythene mulch, T₂ = drip irrigation with straw mulch, T₃ = drip irrigation without mulch, and T₄ = standard procedure. While soil salinity was much greater in treatment T₃ (1.19–8.42 dS/m) fallowed by T₄ (1.23–8.63 dS/m), T1 treatments had the lowest level of salinity and the highest moisture retention during every development stage of the crops, ranging from 1.28–4.29 dS/m. Treatment T₃ exhibited the highest soil salinity levels (ranging from 1.19 to 8.42 dS/m), followed by T₄ with a range of 1.23 to 8.63 dS/m. In contrast, T₁ treatments consistently maintained the lowest salinity levels (ranging from 1.28 to 4.29 dS/m) and the highest moisture retention throughout all stages of crop development. In terms of yield, drip irrigation with no mulch treatment (T₃) provided the lowest output (13.37 t/ha), whereas polyethylene mulching treatment (T₁) produced the maximum yield (46.04 t/ha). According to the study, conserving moisture in tomato fields and reducing soil salinity may both be achieved with drip irrigation combined with polythene mulch. The research suggests that employing drip irrigation in conjunction with polythene mulch could effectively preserve moisture in tomato fields and concurrently decrease soil salinity.

 This study explores the primary drivers influencing sustainable project management (SPM) practices in the construction industry. This research study seeks to determine whether firms are primarily motivated by external pressures or internal values when embracing SPM practices. In doing so, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse on SPM drivers by considering coercive pressures (CP), ethical responsibility (ER), and green transformational leadership (GTL) as critical enablers facilitating a firm’s adoption of SPM practices. Based on data from 196 project management practitioners in Pakistan, structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. Results highlight that CP influences the management of sustainability practices in construction projects, signifying firms’ concern for securing legitimacy from various institutional actors. As an ‘intrinsic value’, ER emerges as a significant motivator for ecological stewardship, driven by a genuine commitment to promoting sustainable development. This study also unveils the significant moderating effect of GTL on the association among CP, ER, and SPM. Lastly, the results of IMPA reveal that ER slightly performs better than CP as it helps firms internalize the essence of sustainability. This research study expands our understanding of SPM drivers in construction projects by exploring the differential impact of external pressures and the firm’s intrinsic values. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners, aiding them in promoting SPM to attain sustainable development goals.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) goes beyond its function as a business to maximize profits for the shareholders to work for societal purposes. Meanwhile, the green credit policy in China is still in its infancy, and the impact of green loans on the efficiency of commercial banks is significantly different. In this context, this paper details the company’s performance in crucial aspects such as low-carbon operations, eco-friendly financial innovation, a sustainable economic system, data security and the development of organizational capabilities to provide a sustainable development paradigm for supply chain finance technology peers. Based on ESG portfolio, we found that adding ESG holdings to a company affects its compliance with delivery or environmental rules, and anode and cathode of ESG combined Dual Carbon (DC) are presented in terms of emission levels. Our further research indicates the implementation of Green Credit Guideline has a positive impact on ESG performance of both green and polluting firms in comparison with others. The result was fully supported by different methods and models including PSM-DID (Propensity Score Matching-Differences-in-Differences), QDID (Quantiles Differences-in-Differences), and Kernel approaches, which can provide more implications and references for policy makers. Investors, politicians, and other essential stakeholders perceive ESG as a strategy to protect enterprises from future risks.