In order to diversify a portfolio, find prices, and manage risk, derivatives products are now necessary. There is a lack of understanding of the true influence of derivatives on the behavior of the underlying assets, their volatility consequences, and their pricing as complex instruments. There is a dearth of empirical research on how these instruments impact company risk exposures and inconsistent findings. This study examines corporate derivatives’ impact on stock price exposure and systematic risk in South African non-financial firms. Using a dataset of listed firms from 2013 to 2023, we employ Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models to assess the effect of derivatives on return volatility and beta, a measure of systematic risk. Additionally, we apply the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to address potential endogeneity between firm characteristics and derivatives use. Our findings suggest that firms using derivatives experience lower overall volatility and reduced systematic risk compared to non-users. The results are robust to various control factors, including firm size, leverage, and macroeconomic conditions. This study fills a gap in the literature by focusing on an underrepresented emerging market and provides insights relevant to global risk management practices.

This article examines the legal challenges associated with the utilization of marine genetic resources (MGR) at both the national level and beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). The legal challenges addressed are as follows: 1) MGR are located across various jurisdictions, encompassing both national and international domains. The analysis starts with an overview of the international regulations that govern the utilization of genetic resources (GR) and their influence on national legislation. It emphasizes the principle of state sovereignty over natural resources while defining MGR and determining ownership; 2) It further highlights the intersection of national and international laws, particularly in transboundary contexts and within Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples (IADP) territories, analyzing how these regulations are interpreted and applied in such scenarios; 3) The legal challenges related to the use of MGR in international waters are examined. Special emphasis is placed on the recent United Nations (UN) Agreement concerning this issue. This includes an analysis of its impact and specific provisions related to the utilization of MGR, such as the quantity to be collected, the methodology employed, collection sites, among others. The article concludes by asserting that the equitable distribution of benefits from the use of GR should begin at the earliest stages of access to these resources, including project planning and sample collection, rather than being delayed until the patenting and commercialization phases. Early benefit-sharing is essential for promoting fairness and equity in the use of MGR.

This research focuses on addressing critical driving safety issues on university campuses, particularly vehicular congestion, inadequate parking, and hazards arising from the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians. These challenges are common across campuses and demand effective solutions to ensure safe and efficient mobility. To address these issues, the study developed detailed microsimulation models tailored to the Victor Levi Sasso campus of the Technological University of Panama. The primary function of these models is to evaluate the effectiveness of various safety interventions, such as speed reducers and parking reorganization, by simulating their impact on traffic flow and accident risk. The models provide calculations of traffic parameters, including speed and travel time, under different safety scenarios, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of potential improvements. The results demonstrate that the proposed measures significantly enhance safety and traffic efficiency, proving the model’s effectiveness in optimizing campus mobility. Although the model is designed to tackle specific safety concerns, it also offers broader applicability for addressing general driving safety issues on university campuses. This versatility makes it a valuable tool for campus planners and administrators seeking to create safer and more efficient traffic environments. Future research could expand the model’s application to include a wider range of safety concerns, further enhancing its utility in promoting safer campus mobility.

Hazards are the primary cause of occupational accidents, as well as occupational safety and health issues. Therefore, identifying potential hazards is critical to reducing the consequences of accidents. Risk assessment is a widely employed hazard analysis method that mitigates and monitors potential hazards in our everyday lives and occupational environments. Risk assessment and hazard analysis are observing, collecting data, and generating a written report. During this process, safety engineers manually and periodically control, identify, and assess potential hazards and risks. Utilizing a mobile application as a tool might significantly decrease the time and paperwork involved in this process. This paper explains the sequential processes involved in developing a mobile application designed for hazard analysis for safety engineers. This study comprehensively discusses creating and integrating mobile application features for hazard analysis, adhering to the Unified Modeling Language (UML) approach. The mobile application was developed by implementing a 10-step approach. Safety engineers from the region were interviewed to extract the knowledge and opinions of experts regarding the application’s effectiveness, requirements, and features. These interview results are used during the requirement gathering phase of the mobile application design and development. Data collection was facilitated by utilizing voice notes, photos, and videos, enabling users to engage in a more convenient alternative to manual note-taking with this mobile application. The mobile application will automatically generate a report once the safety engineer completes the risk assessment.

During crisis events, the government implements many policies to control the development of the crisis and stimulate the economy damaged by the crisis. The government plays a very important role during the crisis. The stock market is a reflection of a country’s economic situation. This article takes the Chinese government policies during the COVID-19 crisis as the research object and analyzes the impact of government policies on the CSI300 index. The following conclusion is drawn: not all government restrictions will cause a decline in stock market prices, among which the Wuhan lockdown policy has promoted the rise of the CSI300 index. The two stimulus policies implemented by the Chinese government are both conducive to the rise of CSI300 index. During the COVID-19 crisis, investors holding high assets, high leverage, and low profitability companies will be significantly negatively affected after the government implements restrictive policies. After the government implements stimulus policies, investors holding high asset and high leverage companies will suffer losses. Investors who hold low asset, low leverage, and high profitability companies will have profits. And this article also finds that the size of company assets is an important driving factor for abnormal returns.

This study examines the impact of digitally curated museum exhibitions on visitor behavior, with a particular focus on university students from China and Hungary (n = 308). Using PLS-SEM analysis, the research finds that visitors’ experiences during digital curation visits significantly influence their behavior, and this influence is mediated by perceived value and satisfaction. It is recommended that museums consider the following constructive considerations to facilitate their future development: expanding the application of digital curation, utilizing cutting-edge technologies, implementing data-driven curatorial optimization, enhancing social experiences, integrating education and entertainment, and promoting cultural preservation and environmental stewardship. These insights will help guide museums toward more engaging and sustainable experiences.