New technologies always have an impact on traditional theories. Finance theories are no exception to that. In this paper, we have concentrated on the traditional investment theories in finance. The study examined five investment theories, their assumptions, and their limitation from different works of literature. The study considered Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as representative of financial technology (fintech) and tried to find out from the literature how these new technologies help to reduce the limitations of traditional theories. We have found that fintech does not have an equal impact on every conventional finance theory. Fintech outperforms all five traditional theories but on a different scale.

This study intends to explore the idea of a vocational village strategy to foster sustainable rural development. Vocational villages, offering targeted skills training and economic opportunities, present a compelling soft approach to rural development, addressing the need for sustainable livelihoods and community empowerment. Drawing upon the collaborative governance (the penta-helix model); underpinning the social capital perspective; and highlighting the economic, institutional, cultural, environmental, technological, and institutional dimensions of sustainable development, a vocational village strategy is expected to level up village capacities and facilitate modernization. The research was narratively developed through a qualitative methodology using primary and secondary data sources. Primary empirical data was employed to analyze vocational village practices in Panggungharjo Village, Yogyakarta, Indonesia as a representative example. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) framework provided secondary data to present comparative literature on vocational village development. The findings determined a four-staged vocational village model includes initiation, training, business development, and independence. The success of this model is contingent upon political, bureaucratic, and sociocultural factors (social capital), as well as the effective collaboration of government, academia, industry, and community (penta-helix). This research contributes to the urgency of vocational village practices and models as a viable strategy for achieving equitable and sustainable rural development.

Human settlement patterns in the South are clearly inequitable and dysfunctional, with tenure insecurity remaining a significant issue. Consequently, there has been a dramatic increase in housing demand driven by rising household sizes and accelerated urbanization. Local governments have a clear mandate to ensure socio-economic development and promote democracy, which necessitates ongoing consultations and renegotiations with citizens. This paper critically examines the de-densification of informal settlements as a pivotal strategy to enhance the quality of life for citizens, all while maintaining essential social networks. Governments must take decisive action against pandemics by transforming spaces into liveable settlements that improve livelihoods. A qualitative method was employed, analyzing data drawn from interviews to gain insights into individual views, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the improvement of livelihoods in informal settlements. The study utilized a simple random sampling technique, ensuring that every individual in the population selected had an equal opportunity for inclusion. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty community members in Cornubia, alongside discussions with three officials from eThekwini Municipality and KwaZulu Natal (KZN) Provincial Department of Human Settlements. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis, and the findings hold substantial benefits for the most disadvantaged citizens. Therefore, municipalities have an obligation to transform urban areas by reducing inequality, bolstered by national government policy, to achieve a resilient, safe, and accessible urban future. The evidence presented in this paper underscores that local governments, through municipalities, must prioritize de-densifying informal settlements in response to pandemics or hazards. It is vital to leverage community-driven initiatives and reinforce networks within these communities. The paper calls for the establishment of a socially centered government through the District Development Model (DDM), emphasizing socio-economic transformation as a pathway to enhance community quality of life.

The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Purple Line project is part of the Thai government’s energy- and transportation-related greenhouse gas reduction plan. The number of passengers estimated during the feasibility study period was used to calculate the greenhouse gas reduction effect of project implementation. Most of the estimated numbers exceed the actual number of passengers, resulting in errors in estimating greenhouse gas emissions. This study employed a direct demand ridership model (DDRM) to accurately predict MRT Purple Line ridership. The variables affecting the number of passengers were the population in the vicinity of stations, offices, and shopping malls, the number of bus lines that serve the area, and the length of the road. The DDRM accurately predicted the number of passengers within 10% of the observed change and, therefore, the project can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1289 tCO₂ in 2023 and 2059 tCO₂ in 2030.

Under the concept of independent maintenance proposed by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) for operational equipment, a thorough analysis of its management processes is necessary. Leadership involvement at various levels can affect maintenance outcomes, impacting sustainability. This research creates a thinking model that connects responsible leadership (RL) with sustainable performance (SP) through agile organization (AO) mediation and maintenance management implementation (MMI) in the management of leading operations equipment. The method used was a survey of 366 respondents who were BMKG employees, and explanatory analysis was analyzed based on descriptive statistical analysis using SmartPLS. The research results show that the third hypothesis proposed is acceptable, and the two mediator variables are partial mediation. The discussion of the study results shows some theoretical and practical implications for achieving the goals of SP, where organizations should encourage RL behavior that can implement current practices regarding AO and MMI. The test results show that AO and MMI have a significant role as mediators in encouraging the influence of RL on SP. This study is the first step in examining the relationship of RL to SP using AO and MMI mediation. Furthermore, this model can be developed and analyzed in other sectors or fields to increase knowledge.

The primary purpose of the current study is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on the international performance of SMEs. In addition, the study has also examined the mediating Role of social capital and global mindset in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and the international performance of SMEs. The present business situation for Sustainability depends on the company’s capability and the existing capital, which comprises expertise, skills, and company capability, which force its ability to compete and utilize the valued resources with strategy. In organizational processes, a company’s abilities and capital enhance its performance, especially in profit earning and forming a strategy. According to the resources-based theory, the group of internal abilities and resources in the firm may produce competitive benefits and result in more excellent performance. We have used PLS path modeling in the present study to analyze the theoretical model. Entrepreneurial orientation is a resource that indicates the extent of a business’ proactive state, risk-taking innovativeness, competitive belligerence, and autonomy. Regarding the effect of social capital on international performance, the findings demonstrate a significant and positive correlation between the two variables regarding the effect of a global mindset on international performance; the findings indicate a significant correlation between the two variables. In general, the findings of this current study are consistent with those of previous ones, whereby the global mindset is indicated to play a significant role in achieving international performance for SMEs. The findings also align with the theory of contingency assertion about the global mindset, whereby the positive effect of intellectual intelligence on international performance is confirmed.