Purpose: Today’s challenges underscore the importance of energy across all segments of life. This scientific paper investigates the multifaceted relationship between energy efficiency, energy import reliance, population heating access, renewable energy integration, electricity production capacities, internet utilization, structural EU funds, and education/training within the framework of economic development. Methodology: Using data from selected European countries and employing self-organizing neural networks (SOM) and linear regression, this research explores how these interconnected factors influence the journey toward a sustainable and prosperous economic future. Results: The analysis revealed a strong connection between energy efficiency and numerous socioeconomic factors of modern times, with most of these connections being non-linear in nature. Conclusion: As countries work toward sustainable development goals, prioritizing energy efficiency can contribute to improved quality of life, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.

Introduction: Many detrimental effects on employees’ health and wellbeing might result from inadequate illumination in the workplace. Headaches and trouble focusing can result from eye strain brought on by inadequate illumination. The purpose of this study was to simulate and optimize workplace illumination in the ceramic industry. Materials and methods: A common Luxmeter ST-1300 was used to measure the illumination in seven workplaces at a height of 100 cm above the floor. DIALux evo version 7.1 software was used to simulate the illumination of workplaces. To optimize the illumination conditions, a numerical experiment design consisting of 16 scenarios was used for each of the workplaces. Four factors were considered for each scenario: luminaire height, number of luminaires, luminous flux, and light loss factor. The Design-Expert program version 13.0.5.0 was applied for developing the scenarios. Finally, by developing quadratic models for each workplace, the optimization process was implemented. Results: Every workplace had illumination levels that were measured to be between 250 and 300 lux. Instead of using compact fluorescent luminaires, LED technology was recommended to maximize the illumination conditions for the workers. Following optimization, 376 lux of illumination were visible at each workstation in every workspace. For the majority of the workspaces, the simulated illumination was expected to have a desirability degree greater than 0.9. The uniformity and illumination of the workplace were significantly impacted by the two factors of luminaire height and luminaire count. Conclusion: The primary outcomes of this optimization were the environmental, political, and socioeconomic ones, including reduced consumption power, high light flux, and environmental compatibility. Nonetheless, the optimization technique applied in this work can be applied to the design of similar situations, such as residential infrastructure.

This study aims to investigate the alignment of emerging skills and competencies with Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs in the accounting and auditing professions. The research focuses on enhancing the intellectual capital within these sectors, as dictated by the demands of the modern knowledge economy. Employing the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) framework of emerging skills for professional services, a comprehensive content analysis is conducted. This involves reviewing 1009 learning outcomes across 248 CPD courses offered by the global professional accounting body. The analysis reveals that while the existing courses cover all WEF-identified skills, there is an unaddressed requirement for a specialized focus on specific competencies. The study also notes gaps in clearly articulated learning outcomes, highlighting the need for more explicit statements to facilitate effective skills development and knowledge transfer. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on intellectual capital management strategies, providing actionable recommendations for professional organizations. It fills a critical gap in understanding how CPD offerings can be optimized to better prepare accounting and auditing professionals for the evolving knowledge economy.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of tourist resources, conditions and opportunities of sacral tourism in Kazakhstan using panel data (time series and cross-sectional) regression analysis for a sample of 14 regions of Kazakhstan observed over the period from 2004 to 2022. The article presents an overview of modern methods of assessment of the tourist and recreational potential of sacral tourism, as used by national and foreign scientific works. The main focus is on the method of estimating the size and effectiveness of the tourist potential, which reflects the realization and volume of tourist resources and their potential. The overall results show a significant positive effect in that the strongest impact on the increase in the number of tourist residents is the proposed infrastructure and the readiness of regions to receive tourists qualitatively. This study is expected to be of value to firm managers, investors, researchers, and regulators in decision- making at different levels of government.

The policy to accelerate the design of the Detailed Spatial Plan regulation document (RDTR) is a strategic step to enhance ease of doing business and promote sustainable development in Indonesia. Targeting 2036 RDTR sites nationwide, the initiative relies on various policy interventions and technical approaches. However, as of 8 January 2024, only 399 RDTRs (19.59%) were enacted after four years of implementation. This underperformance suggests the need to examine factors influencing the process, including issues at each stage of the RDTR design business process. While often overlooked due to its perceived irrelevance to the core substance of planning, analyzing the process is crucial to addressing operational and procedural challenges. This research identifies critical issues arising from the preparation to the enactment stage of RDTR regulations and proposes necessary policy changes. Using an explanatory approach, the study employs methods such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), post-review analysis, stakeholder analysis, business process evaluation, and scenario planning. Results show several impediments, including challenges related to commitment, technical and substantive issues, managerial coordination, policy frameworks, ICT support, and data availability. These findings serve as inputs for the development of business process improvement scenarios and reengineering schemes based on Business Process Management principles.