Global economic competition is leading companies to improve their competitiveness by increasing production and eliminating the main obstacles to the process of making products available. This approach concerns both SMEs and SMIs as well as multinationals. Thus, the Compagnie Minière de l’Ogooué (COMILOG), a subsidiary of the French group ERAMET, which until recently had a monopoly on manganese mining in Gabon, must now face competition from Asian operators. To export its ore, COMILOG must first transport it by rail for nearly 650 km, from the Moanda site (south-east of the country) to the port of Owendo. However, port operations, which until then took place exclusively during the day, limited the company’s export capacities and the profits made, while increasing the stopover time of ships and their operating costs. To remedy this, the French company introduced nighttime docking and departures. This work addresses the challenges of the performance of port operations at the Owendo ore terminal and the security and natural risks of night manoeuvres. The general objective of the study is to assess the impact of these night services on ship traffic, on the one hand, and to identify the related socio-economic and security issues, on the other hand. Data collection was carried out using documentary research in libraries and research centres, consultation of websites, semi-directed interviews, questionnaire surveys and participatory observation. The sample of 50 people surveyed took into account management staff, supervisors and line managers, integrating the diversity of actors involved in the processing of ships calling at the port of Owendo. Finally, the surveys attest to a clear reduction in the time spent by ships at the Owendo Ore Port and an increase in their number calling. They also confirm the improvement in tonnages embarked and the improvement in turnover achieved by COMILOG. This study led to the conclusion that the introduction of night manoeuvres at the port of Owendo allowed COMILOG to increase its exports and the number of ore carriers received in stopover and then improve its turnover.

This study aims to explore the factors influencing people’s intention to use home fitness mobile apps in the post-pandemic era. By incorporating the perspective of playfulness into the decomposed theory of planned behavior, it seeks to construct a behavioral model for the public's use of AR sports games for home exercise. The research focuses on Active Arcade users residing in Taiwan, employing the snowball sampling method to conduct an online questionnaire survey. A total of 340 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed using linear structural equations. The study reveals three main findings: first, the behavioral model for Active Arcade users constructed based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior demonstrates a good fit; second, users’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control have a positive and significant impact on behavioral intention; third, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived playfulness all positively and significantly influence attitudes, with perceived playfulness having the highest impact coefficient; fourth, perceived benefits of exercise are the most crucial factor affecting subjective norms; and fifth, convenience technologies are the key factor influencing perceived behavioral control. This study provides valuable insights for theory and management practice, offering guidance on the use of home fitness apps in the post-pandemic era while addressing research limitations and suggesting future directions.

This study investigates the career expectations of individuals in Thailand’s emerging economy, emphasizing the critical factors that shape these expectations within the context of a rapidly evolving labour market in the digital era. A quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from 1230 Thai respondents through convenience sampling, utilizing a structured survey as the primary research instrument. Data analysis involved the use of percentages, means and logistic regression to provide a comprehensive understanding of the findings. The results indicate that factors such as gender, age, monthly income, professional identity, values, culture and technology usage (including devices like laptops, social media platforms, home internet access and usage hours) significantly influence career expectations. Understanding these influential factors is crucial for developing targeted strategies to enhance career satisfaction, preparedness and overall competitiveness in an increasingly globalized and digital economy. By addressing the unique needs and aspirations of the Thai workforce, particularly in this digital age, stakeholders can cultivate a more responsive and adaptive professional environment, ultimately contributing to national economic growth in the digital era.

The evolution of the internet has led to the emergence of social media (SM) platforms, offering dynamic environments for user interaction and content creation. Social media, characterized by user-generated content, has become integral to electronic communication, fostering higher engagement and interaction. This study aims to explore the utilization of SM marketing, particularly in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), focusing on Széchenyi István University’s academic social network sites (SNS) as a case study to enhance student engagement and satisfaction. The primary objective of this study is to review recent academic literature on SM marketing, especially for HEI marketing, and investigate the potential of the University’s SNS platforms as a case study in increasing student engagement. First a systematic literature review was conducted using Scopus and Science Direct databases to analyze recent research in academic SM. Then the article examined the University’s website and SNS platforms using the Facepager program to collect and analyze posts’ content. The findings from the literature review and observation indicate the growing importance of SM in higher education marketing. The university’s use of various SM strategies, such as visual storytelling, multimedia content, blogs, and user-generated content, contributes to increased student engagement of the university’s values.

Aims of this study clarify the intrinsic value of Galileo’s law of inertia, which holds significance in the history of science, and the process through which such law of inertia was formed, for educational purposes, and explores a possible conversion of this intrinsic value into an environmental ethical value. The research methodology is to establish a value schema and, through its application, to explore the changes in the active intrinsic value principle of Galileo’s law of inertia based on the history of science. This study derived the following results: First, Galileo professed the value he assigned and discovered as a complete experience to support heliocentrism. Second, he realized his personal religious ideal, or in other words, the ideal of life as a whole. Third, the overall process is to feel a comprehensive and integral expansion of the self. Above all, it shows that the principle of active intrinsic value based on Galileo’s experimental activities has changed and expanded throughout the history of science. One internalizes one’s faith in accordance with the activity-centered value. Only when combined with aesthetic experience does education make one ethical. As general school education does not necessarily guarantee ethics, we must lead our values education toward ecocentric ethics education, which highlights beauty. It shows that these active intrinsic values also extend to ethical values.

Localization is globally accepted as the strategy towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article, we put forth the South Indian state of Kerala as a true executor of the localization of SDGs owing to her foundational framework of decentralized governance. We attempt to understand how the course of decentralization acts as a development trajectory and how it has paved the way for the effective assimilation of localization principles post-2015 by reviewing the state documents based on the framework propounded by the United Nations. We theorize that the well-established decentralization mechanism, with delegated institutions and functions thereof, encompasses overlapping mandates with the SDGs. Further, through the tools of development plan formulation, good governance, and community participation at decentralized levels, Kerala could easily adapt to localization, concocting output through innovative measures of convergence, monitoring, and incentivization carried out through the pre-existing platforms and processes. The article proves that constant and concerted efforts undertaken by Kerala through her meticulous and action-oriented decentralized system aided the localization of SDGs and provides an answer to the remarkable feat that the state has achieved through the consecutive four times achievements in the state scores of SDG India Index.

In the realm of contemporary business, Business Intelligence (BI) offers significant potential for informed decision-making, particularly among executives. However, despite its global popularity, BI adoption in Malaysia’s service sector remains relatively low, even in the face of extensive data generation. This study explores the factors influencing BI adoption in this sector, employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as its conceptual framework. Drawing on relevant BI literature, the study identifies key TAM factors that impact BI adoption. Using SEM modelling, it analyses quantitative data collected from 45 individuals in managerial roles within Malaysia’s service sector, particularly in the Klang Valley. The findings highlight the crucial role of Perceived Usefulness in influencing the Behavioral Intention to adopt BI, serving as a mediating factor between Computer Self-efficacy and BI adoption. In contrast, Perceived Ease of Use does not have a direct impact on BI adoption and does not mediate the relationship between Computer Self-efficacy and Behavioral Intention. These insights demonstrate the complex nature of BI adoption, emphasizing the importance of Perceived Usefulness in shaping Behavioral Intentions. The outcomes of the study aim to guide executives in Malaysia’s service sector, outlining key considerations for successful BI adoption.

Nigeria’s palm oil processing industry poses significant environmental pollution risks, jeopardizing the country’s ability to meet the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Traditional processing methods generate palm oil mill effluent (POME), contaminating soil and shallow wells. This study investigated water samples from five locations (Edo, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Delta, and Imo states) with high effluent release. While some parameters met international and national standards (WHO guidelines, ASCE, NIS, and NSDWQ) others exceeded acceptable limits, detrimental to improved water quality. Results showed, pH values within acceptable ranges (6.5–8.5), high total conductivity and salinity (800–1150 µS/cm), acceptable hardness values (200–300 mg/L), nitrite concentrations (10–45 mg/L), excessive magnesium absorption (> 50 mg/L), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) indicating significant pollution (75–290 mg/L), total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeding safe limits in four locations, total solids (TS) exceeding allowable limits for drinking water (310–845 mg/L), water quality index (WQI) values ranged from “poor” to “very poor”. POME contamination by metals like magnesium, nitrite, chloride, and sodium compromised shallow well water quality. Correlation analysis confirmed robust results, indicating strong positive correlations between conductivity and TDS (r = 0.85, p < 0.01) and pH and total hardness (r = 0.65, p < 0.05). The study emphasizes the need for environmentally friendly palm oil processing methods to mitigate pollution, ensure safe drinking water, and achieve Nigeria’s SDGs. Implementation of sustainable practices is crucial to protect public health and the environment.