Iceland’s Economic Growth Prospects in the Post-Covid-19 Period

Due to the global coronavirus pandemic Iceland is facing the largest economic crisis for half a century. But after the pandemic is over, the economy is expected to quickly recover and continue its further growth. In this article, the author intends to explore how well these expectations are justified and which industry sectors could contribute to Iceland’s economic growth. The analysis shows that the country’s current key export sectors (tourism, seafood production and aluminum industry) have a limited growth potential, mainly related to the ongoing development of aquaculture. The paper also considers key economic projects, linked to utilization of Iceland’s resource and innovative potential. The abundance of cheap renewable energy enables the country to develop new energy-intensive projects (silicon smelters and data centers), as well as to consider the possibility to directly transmit electricity to the UK (project IceLink). These initiatives could significantly contribute to the future economic growth, although the Icelandic energy industry is not limitless. However, the biggest economic growth is expected in innovative industry sectors. A number of projects in bioengineering, biomedicine, pharmacology, and high-tech equipment production have been started in Iceland. In the longterm perspective, their potential profits could exceed the ones of the resource sector of the country’s economy.

Introducing Gamification in the AR-Enhanced Order Picking Process: A Proposed Approach

In the last decade, the Industry 4.0 concept has introduced automation and cyber-physical systems as the core elements of future logistics, supported by an array of technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) providing the necessary support for the digital transformation of manufacturing and logistics and the smartification and digital refinement of traditional pre-Industry 4.0 processes. This paper studies the influence and the potential of gamification techniques in supporting innovative Industry 4.0-enhanced processes in the contemporary warehouse work ecosystem. Gamification in the workplace aims to motivate the employees and increase their involvement in an activity, while at the same time creating a sense of an everyday different experience rather than a set of repetitive and monotonous tasks. Since the design of such a system is a complex process, the most widespread design frameworks are studied, and the emphasis is on the principal game elements and their connection to mobilization mechanisms. Finally, an initial proposal of a gamification framework to support the AR-enhanced order picking process in contemporary logistics centers is provided with an emphasis on the mechanics of a fair and functional reward system. The proposed approach aims to showcase the potential alignment of business processes to human motivation, respecting the differences between tasks and the workers’ cognitive workload.

“Winners” and “Losers” in Hotter Worlds

The oil and gas industry remains an innovative industry, constantly improving its access to resources and attracting investors. States have sent mixed and dissembling signals about their preparedness to act swiftly in the face of a climate emergency, which has enabled Saudi Arabia to slow down climate action. The global oil and gas industry is more confident than might be expected about its future. Of the large fossil fuel producers in the world, the most potent resistance to rapid action on climate change comes from the United States. Smaller oil states such as Norway also play an important role in slowing action on climate change. China with its large cities offers the best hope for radical and swift action on addressing climate policy.

Modern Challenges faced by banking sector of Pakistan Evidence from: the First Micro Finance Bank, JS Bank and BankIslami Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to identify the problems and issues related to banking industry of Pakistan. We have focused on three banks that are specialize in their own field. We adopted the qualitative approach and developed a questionnaire to measure the responses of respondents on a likert scale. The banking history goes way back to Babylonian era. But in Pakistan the very first Pakistani bank is State bank of Pakistan. Pakistan’s banking history is quite diversified. From privatization to nationalization and then again privatization. In Pakistan banking industry is one most growing and innovative industry. Banks plays an important role in an economy. Bank are the financial institution that are regulated and monitored by State bank of Pakistan and channelize the depositor money. This report has focused on issues faced by commercial banks, microfinance institutions and Islamic banks.