Given the growing significance of the metaverse in research, it is crucial to understand its scope, relevance in the tourism industry, and the human-computer interaction it involves. The emerging field of metaverse tourism has a noticeable research gap, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the concept. This article addresses this gap by conducting a hybrid systematic review, including a variable-oriented literature review, to assess the extent and scope of metaverse tourism. A scrutiny on Scopus identified a reduced number of relevant documents. The analysis exposes theoretical and empirical gaps, along with promising opportunities in the metaverse and tourism intersection. These insights contribute to shaping a contemporary research agenda, emphasizing metaverse tourism. While this study offers an overview of current research in metaverse tourism, it is essential to recognize that this field is still in its early stages, marked by the convergence of technology and transformations in tourism. This exploration underscores the challenges and opportunities arising from the evolving narrative of metaverse tourism.

Fintech as a three-dimensional phenomenon reflects the rapidly changing technological, financial and business environment. The bibliometric analysis of scientific articles allowed us to identify the main themes and create a map of the field of fintech influences. Systematization of scientific articles revealed the influence of economic development and socio-demographic inequality on fintech development. Government regulatory policies can accelerate the digitisation of financial services and financial inclusion and help the fintech sector face geopolitical challenges. Fintech’s impact was divided into three areas: financial stability and sustainable development, the business ecosystem and human behaviour. The research we summarised allowed us to identify the mechanisms through which fintech influences various fields. A complex approach to the influence of fintech enables us to understand the phenomenon and make better decisions.

Scholars widely agree that modular technologies can significantly improve environmental sustainability compared to traditional building methods. There has been considerable debate about the viability of replacing traditional cast-in-place structures with modular construction projects. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of using modular technology for construction projects in island areas. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the potential problems and suitable solutions associated with modular building project implementation. This study is accomplished through the use of qualitative and quantitative methods. It systematically examines desk research based on the wide academic literature and real case studies, collating secondary data from government files, news articles, professional blogs, and interviews. This research identifies several important barriers to the use of modular construction projects. Among the issues are the complexity of stakeholder engagement, limited practical skills and construction methodologies, and a scarcity of manufacturing capacity specialised for modular components. Fortunately, these unresolved challenges can be mitigated through fiscal incentives and governmental regulations, induction training programmes, efficient management strategies, and adaptive governance approaches. As a result, the findings support the feasibility of starting and advancing modular building initiatives in island areas. Project developers will likely be more willing to embrace and commit resources to initiate modular building projects. Additional studies can be undertaken to acquire the most recent first-hand data for detailed validation.

Objective: To promote the development of China’s crop seed industry with high quality, guarantee food security and sustainable agricultural development, scientific design of the evaluation index system for high-quality development of the seed industry and conduct of metric analysis are the keys to promoting the revitalization of the seed industry and the construction of a strong agricultural country. Methods: This paper focused on the high-quality development of China’s crop seed industry as the main research object by combining previous research findings of studies based on the connotation of high-quality development of the crop seed industry and constructed the evaluation index system of high-quality development of China’s crop seed industry which covers five dimensions, namely, innovation-driven development, green and sustained development, coordinated and comprehensive development, opening-up and strengthened development, and share-and-promote development, The Entropy method, Dagum’s Gini coefficient, Kernel’s density estimation, and panel regression methods were used to comprehensively analyze the spatial and temporal evolution, regional differences, and driving factors of the level of high-quality development of the crop seed industry in 30 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) of China from 2011 to 2020. Conclusions: After systematic analysis, it was concluded that (1) the overall level of high-quality development in China’s crop seed industry has stabilized, and progress has been made. (2) The overall inter-regional differences among the four major regions showed a gradual upward trend, with the inter-regional differences serving as the primary source of the differences and the contribution rate of various inter-regional differences demonstrating an upward trend. (3) Innovation capacity, the cultural and educational level of rural residents, the development of rural infrastructure, national financial support, and market-oriented approach are important factors driving the high-quality development of the crop seed industry in Chinese provinces (districts and municipalities).

Within the Saudi Arabian banking sector, the quality of work life emerges as a crucial determinant shaping employee performance. This research delves into the nuanced impacts of diverse job quality facets on employee efficacy within this domain. Employing a stratified random sampling methodology, 500 institutions were selected, yielding a 49.6% response rate, or 248 completed surveys, with the active engagement of senior management. Utilizing a quantitative paradigm, the study harnessed descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) to elucidate the interplay between job quality dimensions and performance outcomes. The analysis revealed that elements like compensation structures, work-life equilibrium, and growth opportunities substantially influenced employee productivity. In contrast, most job quality facets garnered positive evaluations, and aspects related to wage and compensation exhibited room for enhancement. The research accentuates the imperative of elevating job quality benchmarks within the banking sector to augment employee contentment and performance metrics. This study’s insights advocate for stakeholders and policymakers to champion job quality as a pivotal driver for optimizing organizational effectiveness.

As autonomous vehicles (AVs) revolutionize the global transportation landscape, their implications for emerging economies like Malaysia remain a subject of significant interest. This study delves into the multifaceted world of AV technology, focusing on Malaysia’s unique transportation challenges and opportunities. Through interviews with key stakeholders and experts, the research uncovers valuable insights into AV technology’s awareness, regulatory landscape, integration hurdles, potential benefits, and inclusivity impact in the Malaysian context. The study finds that while AVs hold the promise of improved road safety, reduced traffic congestion, and enhanced environmental sustainability, addressing challenges related to regulation, infrastructure, and public acceptance is imperative for successful integration. Additionally, AV technology has the potential to significantly enhance inclusivity in transportation, benefiting individuals with disabilities. The study underscores the need for holistic policy and infrastructure development to leverage the benefits of AV technology and pave the way for a sustainable and inclusive transportation future in Malaysia.

Rural tourism plays a crucial role in rural development in Indonesia by providing employment opportunities, livelihood, infrastructure, cultural preservation, and environmental preservation. However, it is prone to external shocks such as natural disasters, public health events, and volatility in the national and global economy. This study measures the resilience of rural tourism to external shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 24 rural tourism destinations in Indonesia covering four years from 2019 to 2022. A synthetic composite index of the Adjusted Mazziotta-Pareto index (AMPI) is used to measure rural tourism resilience followed by clustering analysis to determine the typology of the resilience. The AMPI measure is also compared with the conventional Mazziotta-Pareto index (MPI) method. The resilience index is composed of capacity and performance components related to resilience. The results show that in the first year of COVID-19, most tourism villages in Indonesia were severely affected by the pandemic, yet they were able to recover afterward, as indicated by positive differences in the AMPI index before and after COVID-19. Thus, rural tourism villages in Indonesia have a strong capacity and performance to recover from pandemic shock. Lessons learned from this analysis can be applied to policies related to rural tourism resilience in developing countries.

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.