Management of Quality, Satisfaction, and Loyalty of Rural Destinations

Tourism is a major global industry that, in its heyday, has become significantly concerned with quality and related themes, satisfaction and loyalty. This chapter aims to identify the factors that influence the quality of a rural destination and the associated visitor satisfaction and loyalty. These factors in turn have an impact on destination management, but also other stakeholders such as tourism entrepreneurs in the destination or residents. In 2020, tourism has undergone significant changes due to the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. For instance, travel abroad was regulated through government regulations, which caused an increase in demand for rural tourism. As the author's research has shown, some quality factors have undergone significant changes. Even the quality management to achieve visitor satisfaction and loyalty has proven to be very important, especially in the sense that by gaining loyalty at this specific time, it can ensure that visitor numbers are maintained even after the pandemic period when the return of and high growth in overseas travel is expected.

International Cooperation in Mitigating Global Air Transport Crises

The authors deal with the unprecedented effects of COVID-19 on the air transport sector and the reactions of selected segments to this situation. Air transport is a global industry, and this situation needs to be addressed through cooperation at an international level. The authors focus on the airport and airline sector, which, due to the nature of their business, chooses a different strategy. Despite the need for international cooperation, there are also efforts to use the crisis situation for its own expansion into vacant market segments, especially by selected low-cost air carriers. The strategic starting points of international organizations for individual sectors are given as well as examples of selected airport entities and airlines. The chapter is complemented by a common approach of airports and air carriers, which could significantly affect the cost of air transport, especially in the EU.

Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Tuna Pole-and-Line Fisheries

The fishing industry is recognized as one of the primary sources of at-sea marine litter, largely through its contributions via abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). Individual fleet’s contributions to ALDFG vary significantly across this global industry. While much information is available for some fisheries, the rate of ALDFG remains poorly known for many techniques. In this study, we used data collected by fisheries observers onboard pole-and-line fishing vessels in the Azores (Atlantic Ocean) and the Maldives (Indian Ocean) to provide an accurate and representative estimate of ALDFG for this gear. Our analysis of 993 fishing events demonstrated ALDFG contributions much lower than have been recorded for any other commercial tuna fishing gear. Overall, we found that an angler loses some monofilament line in 1.4% (±0.2) of fishing events. This informs that for every thousand tonnes of tuna harvested using this fishing technique, 0.3 kg of nylon is entering the marine environment. Globally, we estimate that all pole-and-line fisheries together contribute to 96 kg ± 42.6 kg of ALDFG per year. These results further evidence the low environmental impact of this traditional fishing practice, as well as the need for other methods to convert to less damaging gears.

Companies’ Stock Market Performance in the Time of COVID-19: Alternative Energy vs. Main Stock Market Sectors

The paper aims to detect the differences in stock market performance between companies from the alternative energy sector and main stock market sectors in the first and second years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used Global Industry Classification Standard to analyse eleven main stock market sectors and the alternative energy sector. Based on the one-factor variance analysis—ANOVA, we reveal the statistically significant differences between the analysed stock market sectors in both 2020 and 2021. The analysis implied that the performance of stock market companies during COVID-19 is sector-specific. Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test for pairwise comparison indicates that the alternative energy sector shows the most differentiation. Its average rate of return in 2020 is the highest and is significantly different for all eleven stock market sectors, while the top constituents from the conventional energy and financial sectors suffered the most. In 2021, a reverse trend in the stock prices can be observed. Companies from the conventional energy and financial sectors achieved the highest positive average weekly rates of return among all of the analysed stock market sectors, while the alternative energy sector performed significantly worse than the other sectors did. Nevertheless, throughout the entire analyses period of 2020–2021, the companies from the alternative energy sector turned out to be the biggest stock market beneficiaries. This study might imply that the COVID-19 pandemic has not hampered but has instead accelerated growing concerns about the environment and climate change.

WORLD MARKET OF PROJECT FINANCING: INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE

Background. The domestic economy remains systemically underfunded due to lack of domestic financial resources and low investment attractiveness for foreign investors. The deepening of this problem is also caused by the situation with COVID-19, which has led to a decrease in global cash flows in the world. Obtaining cross-border investment flows in various sectors of the economy is associated with project financing, the development of co-financing and the use of PPPs. There is a question of research of modern tendencies of development of project financing which change according to present challenges, for the purpose of implementation of experience of foreign countries in the Ukrainian practice of development of investment activity. Analysis of recent research and publications has shown that in the context of abrupt changes, challenges and crises, leading to reduction oflong-term investments, the issue of using large-scale project financing to guarantee future profits (project financing) to develop priority sectors of the economy and individual regions of the country remains relevant. The aim of the work is to study the global industry trends in the development of project financing, taking into account the new socio-economic realities and justification of the feasibility of using world experience in Ukrainian practice. Materials and methods. The research methodology is based on a system of general scientific and special methods, in particular: abstract-logical, analysis, synthesis, comparison, grouping, generalization, graphical method, statistical methods for assessing the dynamics and structure. Legislative documents, scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists, statistical information became the information base of this research. Results. The modern tendencies of the global market of project financing, dynamics of its volumes and branch structure are investigated. The directions of project financing by the main sources are analyzed: bank loans and bond loans. The expediency of using international experience in the implementation of large-scale investment projects in various sectors of the economy of Ukraine using schemes and methods of project financing is substantiated. Conclusion. The introduction of experience in the implementation of investment projects using project financing schemes in Ukraine should contribute to the formation of demand for long-term investments, including foreign ones. This practice of project implementation allows to modernize the economy, increase the potential of regional development and integrate into global value chains.

APPLICATION OF BIM-TECHNOLOGIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHETECTURAL, STRUCTURAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL-TECHNOLOGICAL SULUTIINS OF AN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING

Recently, more and more attention has been paid to the potential benefits of BIM in construction. Effective communication between stakeholders at all stages of the building life cycle has become a major challenge in the global industry. The implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been recognized as a productive approach to solving this problem. A literature review identified key issues related to the use and implementation of BIM. This article presents the design of an industrial building (architectural, structural, organizational and technical solutions) using four software systems, shows the practical experience of optimizing the construction of a workshop based on the data of the information model of the building.

Development of Rare Earth Elements Separation Processes from Coal Fly Ash

Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium (REY) constitute an important family of metals, with a wide range of applications and a massive impact on global industry. Studies have verified that the REY exist at significant concentrations in coal fly (CFA) and bottom ash (CBA). In the present contribution, the feasibility of CFA and CBA from the thermal power plant of PPC Meliti, Florina as a possible REY source is examined. Results are presented on the chemical and mineralogical analysis of the samples along with characterization of the initial material. Size separation results are also presented, as the first step in a subsequent beneficiation process for potential REY recovery.

Doping as a barrier in universal acceptance of esports

PurposeEsports has been emerging as a multi-billion dollar industry by attracting players, viewers, advertisers and investors across the globe. Even though there are plenty of professional titles present, only a few have been considered mainstream due to lack of formal governance mechanisms, presence of corruption and cheating mechanisms. “Doping” is one such practice where the players try to gain unfair advantage over their competitors, causing major hindrance in esports development. This qualitative study would draw insights from their perceptions about different doping mechanisms and possible recommendations to curb them.Design/methodology/approachThis study has analyzed the semi-structured interviews of selected esports professionals to draw insights from their perceptions about different doping mechanisms and possible recommendations to curb them. This qualitative study would explore the content of their interviews for extracting relevant themes and subthemes.FindingsThe findings of this study have made significant contributions to deeply lacking literature about the esports industry and barriers it faces in order to be considered as a legitimate sport. The study has extracted contemporary and new emerging themes about the rising trends in the industry and their impact on society and the way we see sports as a whole. Moreover, this study dwells upon the rampant drug abuse persisting in this industry and how it offers itself as a barrier to the legitimization of esports as a viable global industry.Originality/valueThis study provides an on-ground reality reports on esports and various malpractices rampant in the industry by conducting interviews with various industry professionals and analyzing them through a thematic analysis method using an inductive approach.

Rentiers of the low-carbon economy? Renewable energy's extractive fiscal geographies

Progressive movements today call for transformative state-led investment in renewable energy and other climate infrastructures—in the United States, a vision that confronts inherited legacies of austerity. I argue that a significant obstacle is the neoliberal toolkit through which the US federal government subsidizes renewables, an indirect, highly opaque system of tax credits and incentives. For forty years, tax subsidies have ‘paid’ private financial players to invest in renewables, via allowing them to claim legal tax shelters against their other income. In this political economic analysis, I question, first, how US renewable energy acquired this peculiar form of public finance ‘through the tax code’, unique in the global industry. Second, I explore how the model has shaped US renewables financing, development, and ownership. I center two decisive moments: the California ‘wind rush’ in the 1980s, and the ongoing renewables boom of the last fifteen years. This history articulates financial experiments and tax sheltering scandals of the Reagan Administration with exploitation returned today in more organized (and lucrative) form, as ‘tax equity’ finance. Via tax equity, a handful of major US banks dominate financing for renewables and other politically embattled public goods. They exert a troubling ability to extract rents for their capital, gatekeep what projects get built and by whom, and stall US renewables development altogether. Today, the practice is increasingly strained by these and other problems—growing public costs, private capacity ceilings, and amplification of sectoral crises. Under Biden, it faces probable reform, but may need more comprehensive reimagination.