Towards a greener future: examining carbon emission dynamics in Asia amid gross domestic product, energy consumption, and trade openness.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of gross domestic product, energy consumption, and trade openness on carbon emission in Asia. Among the 48 countries in Asia, 42 were included in the analysis, spanning a period of 20 years. Given that Asia is the predominant contributor, accounting for 53% of global emissions as of 2019, a comprehensive examination at both continental and individual country levels becomes imperative. Such an approach aligns with local, regional, and global development agendas, contributing directly and indirectly to climate change mitigation. The analytical techniques employed in this study encompassed panel regression and multiple linear regression, illuminating the specific contributions of each country to the study variables and their impact on carbon emissions. The findings suggest that gross domestic product (13 out of 42 countries), energy consumption (21 out of 42 countries), and trade openness (eight out of 42 countries) have a highly significant impact (p < 0.01) on carbon emissions in Asia. Energy consumption plays a vital role in increasing carbon emissions in Asia, driven by rising populations, urbanisation, and oil and gas production. Policymakers can take several actions such as adopting a carbon pricing system, using sustainable transportation, renewable energy development, and international cooperation within Asia to reach the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.

Sustainability practices and organizational performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis: A case of apparel and textile industry in Sri Lanka.

The apparel and textile industry is the backbone of the Sri Lankan economy, contributing significantly to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which also triggered the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka, has a profound effect on the organizational performance of apparel sector firms in Sri Lanka. In this context, the study examines the impact of multi-dimensional corporate sustainability practices on organizational performance in the said sector. The study employed the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique for analysing and testing the hypothesis of the study while using Smart PLS 4.0 software as the analysis tool. Relevant data were collected through a questionnaire from 300 apparel firms registered with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI). The study results indicated that "economic vigour," "ethical practices," and "social equity" have a significant impact on organizational performance, while "corporate governance" and "environmental performance" have an insignificant impact. Unique discoveries from this study would be useful to prosper organizational performance and formulate novel sustainable future strategies not limited to the garment industry even during harsh economic conditions.

How successful the online assessment techniques in distance learning have been, in contributing to academic achievements of management undergraduates?

The implementation of online teaching and assessments was prompted by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, all universities had to adopt the distance-learning method as the only choice to continue education delivery. This study's main objective is to understand the effectiveness of assessment techniques followed through distance learning in Sri Lankan management undergraduates during COVID-19. Furthermore, utilizing a qualitative approach and thematic analysis for data analysis, semi-structured interviews with 13 management faculty lecturers selected through the purposive sample technique were used for data collection. The survey was conducted via an online questionnaire that was distributed to Sri Lankan undergraduates, and a total of 387 samples from management undergraduates were drawn for the quantitative data analysis using a simple random sampling technique. The study's main findings revealed that five online assessments are currently being utilized to evaluate management undergraduates' academic performance under distance learning, including online examinations, online presentations, online quizzes, case studies, and report submissions. In addition, this study statistically and with some qualitative empirical evidences in the existing literature proved that online examinations, online quizzes, and report submissions have a significant impact on undergraduates' academic performance. Further, this study also recommended that universities should implement procedures for online assessment techniques in order to assess the quality assurance of assessment techniques. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-023-11715-7.

Towards work-life balance or away? The impact of work from home factors on work-life balance among software engineers during Covid-19 pandemic.

The paradigm shifts of conventional office spaces for virtual workspaces which practiced Work from Home (WFH) due to Covid-19, created a serious change in the lifestyles of employees, due to the overlap of 'work' and 'life' domains in one's life. Since software engineers have a possibility of permanently adapting into WFH, the objective of this study is to unveil factors which would have a significant impact on the work-life balance of software engineers in Sri Lanka, while WFH. Only a very limited researches have shed light on this context, thereby this study would contribute to fill the empirical gap. The study undertook a quantitative approach by collecting primary data through a questionnaire from 384 participants, based on simple random sampling, and analyzing collected data based on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), using Smart PLS 3.3.9 software. Study results revealed that 'supervisor's trust and support' and the 'individual workspace,' have a significant impact on work-life balance, while 'working conditions,' 'possibility to access the organization's networks' and 'number of children' have no such significant impact. Thereby the study infers that, sound support and trust extended by supervisors and a designated distraction-free workspace; as measures to demarcate the boundary of work and life. Distinctive findings of this study would primarily be fruitful for software engineers to dive into a balanced state of work and life not only during Covid-19 but in future too. Study findings will also contribute to software industry personnel and policymakers in Sri Lanka as well as other developing countries, to establish effective strategies in favor of software engineers who WFH. Further, considering IT industry's significant contribution towards Sri Lanka's economic growth amidst Covid-19, results of this study would be high-yielding to indirectly succor IT-services-supported economic growth amidst the pandemic-driven hardships in Sri Lanka.