Enabling Safe and Sustainable Medical Deliveries by Connected Autonomous Freight Vehicles Operating within Dangerous Goods Regulations

Health service providers in developed nations are responsible for 5% of their national carbon emissions, much of which originate from transport and supply chains. Connected autonomous freight vehicles (CAV-Fs) offer the potential to reduce this impact and enable lower cost operations, with trials being explored across the world. Transportation and carriage regulations, particularly in relation to the movement of dangerous goods (DG) such as medicines and diagnostic specimens, have not been developed for and applied to this new transport mode, particularly where loads are unaccompanied. Through an audit of current legislation and practice, this paper evaluates current DGs regulations applied to the transportation of medical products and medicines by autonomous road vehicles. Where existing regulations are not appropriate for CAV-Fs, recommendations and adaptations have been proposed to support safe and practical application. Remote monitoring and tracking of vehicles are critical for ensuring load security, quick and effective incident response, and management of documents and communications between parties. Loading/unloading procedures are significantly more important than in crewed vehicles, with load segregation and recording of all activity being of key importance. Other recommendations relate to training provision, vehicle specifications, and product health monitoring.

The Global Economy During COVID-19: A Study on Increasing Disparity

COVID-19 has become an ongoing issue in the present business world. The topic raises confusion and debate over many resolved issues. Not only the developing but also developed countries faced the heat-shock of this micro-infectious agent. But the power to regain and cope with the uncertainty has not been the same everywhere. To some extent, the developed nations have been able to tackle the bad days with their enriched resources, manpower and efficient system whereas this has become a total collapse for the developing and underdeveloped nations. Inefficiency and lack of social security have made life unbearable for the general people in these areas. What is the condition of the vaccination program? Whereas it is costly for the developed nations, it has simply become a dream for the developing nations. No one knows when the world will get a hundred per cent population with vaccination. In this paper we will cover these issues also we will take a look at the ravages of the pandemic in both worlds, as well as identifying the amalgamation of reasons behind the terrible second-wave in India and other developing nations.

The Effects of Taxation on Economic Development: the Moderating Role of Tax Compliance Among SMEs

The amount of revenue collected often determines a country's economic growth and development. Taxes continue to be one of the most important constituents in managing nationwide income in emerging and developed nations. In this sense, tax evasion might have serious effects, especially because the global cost of non-compliance by taxpayers is quite significant. Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) are the backbone of economies around the world, driving economic progress and growth, as well as innovation and wealth creation. The high incidence of tax non-compliance among SMEs, on the other hand, stymies the progress that SMEs are meant to bring to many nations. Thus, the study aim at assessing the effects of taxation on economic development with its moderating role of tax compliance. The descriptive research design with quantitative approach was employed. The population of the study consist is 10,000 SMEs operating in Kumasi currently with a sample size of 400 SMEs. The instrument for data collection in this study was questionnaire. The data that was collected was analysed using SPSS. The findings demonstrated that in formulating strategies to enhance voluntary compliance, it is crucial for the relevant authorities to be aware of, understand and appreciate taxation taxpayers’ compliance behaviour and the need to provide tax education services. The results indicated that tax compliance enhanced the effectiveness of taxation to impact on economic development. The moderating role of tax compliance in the relationship between taxation and economic development was low but positive.

Importance of ICT Advancement and Culture of Adaptation in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry for Developing Countries

The influence of ICT on tourism and hospitality is related to the facilitation of contact with stakeholders, acting as an effective distribution channel, and providing an effective forum for marketing, among other things. Tourism and hospitality are heavily reliant on information and communication technology in developing countries as well as in the developed nations. ICT has had a major effect on this market. The primary goal of this research is to identify the difference in ICT advancement and adaptation between developed and developing countries, as well as to determine how developing countries can benefit from it and make recommendations. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach. Using various types of literature such as research papers, articles, and books, this study highlights and scrutinizes the significance of ICT and how these actions contribute to the tourism and hospitality sector to raise awareness among academicians, researchers, tourism businesses, and government officials about the effectiveness of ICT applications in tourism and hospitality.

The Gap between Korean Esports and Educational Gaming

While some research suggests South Korea has fallen behind other developed nations with regard to publishing and using serious games in the classroom, Korean interest in video games remains extremely high. Due to a number of cultural, social, and technological factors, esports was primed to become a significant force in Korean culture and received significant support from the Ministry of Culture. The Korean Ministry of Education, meanwhile, is resistant to adopting educational games as a part of its accepted pedagogy. This resistance has created a significant gap between the interest in video games as a learning tool and that of video games as an industry and career path in Korea. While a number of factors play a role in the languishing serious games market, based on evidence analyzed through educational gaming literature it is unlikely educational gaming will be able to significantly advance without the support of the primary governing body controlling educational policy.

E-Government of Occupational Safety and Health

Electronic government (e-gov) has not been implemented as extensively in many developing countries as in developed countries, especially in certain fields, such as occupational safety and health (OSH). This chapter considers e-gov that is effected through the websites of leading OSH bodies in a developing country, Trinidad and Tobago, and two developed nations, the USA and UK. Using a content analysis and comparison exercise, OSH e-gov shortcomings and opportunities in T&T are noted. Improvement recommendations include development of a strategy and strategy execution plan to boost stakeholder recognition of the value of the OSH agency and OSH e-gov in T&T; partnership-building to make resources available for OSH e-gov enhancement; enhanced accessibility and utility via a wider range of media formats to users; better stakeholder responsiveness via engagement with social media and better online support; and increased data collection and analysis in order to drive continual improvement.

An evaluation of the role of engineering and infrastructure in national development

The clamour for engineering and infrastructure in national development in all spheres of development is more in the developed nations but the responsibility is no less for the developing economies/nations. A lot of effort has been made in sustaining engineering and infrastructural development in Nigeria; still there are more deficiencies in the formalization. Therefore this paper contributes to effort of formalizing the role it play in the national development. The sources of data were mainly on secondary source which rely on much of literature review and the analysis was analytical. The finding reveals the role of engineering and infrastructure in national development and its sustainability. It also state that institution should be established to set a clear plans and rule for service provision, regulate and monitor service quality, coordinate engineering and infrastructural project efficiently and equitably in maintenance of the existing infrastructure. The paper concludes that the government is encouraged to show more commitment to engineering and infrastructure development than ever. It also states that good quality engineering and infrastructure is necessary to avoid bottlenecks and services disruption and to support a range of importance activities in the economy. It was recommended that government should ensure that the standard and policies relating to infrastructural development are addressed and handled holistically. And that effective evaluation of contracts, consulting and construction services of the required professionals should be put in place for proper implementation.

Dynamics and Trends in Vaccine Procurement and Distribution in Zimbabwe

The subject of COVID-19 vaccines has generated debate across the globe as it has created a fecund ground for a plethora of dynamics such as vaccine diplomacy, misinformation, and struggle for dominance among global powers to mention but a few. Thus, the vaccine subject has taken-center stage in global discourses, resulting in developing and developed nations experiencing challenges in respect to purchase, transparency, and accountability in the administration of vaccines. The subject of vaccines in Zimbabwe has provoked public skepticism indicative of the existing trust deficit between government and the citizens. This emanates from strong evidence of abuse of public resources and hence questions of transparency and accountability especially in relation to disaster situations. To this end, this paper seeks to bring to light the trends and dynamics in vaccine procurement and distribution in Zimbabwe. The study examines the correlation between vaccine diplomacy (donation-trap diplomacy) and vaccine purchases. A chronological analysis of the approved vaccines, rejection of Johnson and Johnson and sudden acceptance, natural resource implications of the donations from ALROSA, poor public resource management, vaccine shortages, vaccine misinformation and vaccine cheating. Possible ways of enhancing vaccine intake through quality information are also discussed and Zimbabwe`s performance against other African nations is examined. The research ends by proposing a series of questions which should be embraced to fully comprehend the trends and dynamics of vaccine procurement and distribution.

Multidimensional Assessment and Alleviation of Global Energy Poverty Aligned With UN SDG 7

There are increasing concerns that energy poverty across nations is weakening the global efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A systematic assessment of energy poverty is, therefore, essential to track the spatiotemporal pattern of SDG 7 and monitor the global efforts in alleviating energy poverty. This article develops the first Multidimensional Energy Poverty Assessment Index (MEAI), incorporating energy availability, affordability, and efficiency applicable to quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of energy poverty development at global, regional, and national scales. Our analyses indicate that the overall MEAI and indices in all dimensions decreased from 2001 to 2016 at a global level with energy affordability experiencing the highest decline. The MEAI at the national level declines within the same period, showing significant regional heterogeneity in terms of the sub-index. Energy efficiency in developed and less-developed regions is characterized by high carbon emissions and low energy modernization, respectively. The energy availability indices are lower in developed nations and in nations with abundant energy resources. Overall, our results highlight a sudden increase in MEAI for Central America in 2014 and a gradual decline in MEAI for East Asia during 2014–2016. A call for regional actions is critically needed to solve energy poverty from different facets.

International luxury marketing

Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings: The authors outline pivotal changes in luxury marketing including the growing prominence of emerging nations and technology adoption. A systematic review of luxury marketing literature reveals that most research is still centered around developed nations. The field has a relatively low impact and no dominant authors. The research content does not converge with luxury industry trends. This provides an exciting contribution opportunity for academic researchers. Originality: The briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format