Environmental sustainability has been a challenging issue all over the globe, with air pollution posing a significant threat. One main factor contributing to air pollution is the growth of the shadow economies. This study investigates the effect of the shadow economy on air pollution and explores how these effects depend on the levels of governance indicators. We utilize key air pollution indicators: carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. Furthermore, we examine the role of key governance indicators: corruption control, the rule of law, and regulatory quality. The study utilizes an annual panel dataset of 107 selected developing countries worldwide, spanning from 2002 to 2020, and employs the System GMM technique, which effectively tackles the omitted variable bias, potential endogeneity, and simultaneity issues in the model. The estimation results indicate that a sizeable shadow economy significantly increases the levels of CO₂ and N₂O emissions. Moreover, the results reveal that robust governance frameworks, evidenced by enhanced corruption control, a stronger rule of law, and superior regularity quality, mitigate the adverse effects of the shadow economy on CO₂ and N₂O emissions. This highlights a significant substitutability between the shadow economy and governance indicators, indicating that improvements in governance formworks will not only reduce the size of the shadow economy but also weaken its harmful impact on air pollution. Policy initiatives should thus focus on strengthening governance mechanisms, particularly enhancing control of corruption and the rule of law to effectively reduce the environmental impact of the shadow economies in developing countries. Additionally, governments should prioritize reforms in regulations and legal frameworks to limit the expansion of the shadow economy, thereby decreasing their contribution to air pollution.

Based on complementarity theory, this study investigated the effect of strategic intelligence, leadership, planning, and thinking on business performance in large Saudi industrial companies simultaneously with strategic flexibility as a moderator. Using a quantitative approach, data from 241 managers were analyzed through PLS-SEM. Findings show that only strategic planning significantly enhances performance, while strategic intelligence, leadership, and thinking show no significant effect. Moreover, strategic flexibility does not moderate these relationships. The results challenge conventional views on the consistent efficacy of strategic capabilities in emerging markets. This research highlights the critical role of structured planning in volatile environments while questioning the universality of strategic intelligence and leadership. The study emphasizes the need for tailored strategic approaches in developing countries, providing valuable insights for managers aiming to improve performance.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how female empowerment mediates the relationship between Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiatives aimed at cracking the glass ceiling and the enhancement of female job involvement opportunities (FIO) in the tourism and hospitality sectors. By investigating this mediation role, the research aims to get a better understanding of the processes by which national reforms and empowerment efforts lead to increased FIO in tourism and hotels. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a descriptive method using a self-administered questionnaire (Appendix) instrument for a convenience sample limited to 218 female respondents. The respondents were selected from female employees working in hotels and tourism companies in Saudi Arabia. The analysis of the collected data utilized structural equation modeling and a maximum likelihood estimate considering AMOS to investigate the direct and indirect relationship between the constructs and the proposed model. Findings: The results indicated that Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 for glass ceiling cracking (V2030) highly and positively influenced FIO via empowerment of females, which mediated the link of Saudi Arabia V2030 to job involvement opportunities in the tourism companies and hotels sector. Research limitations/implications: The biggest challenge for the researchers was reaching working women in hotel and tourism companies to complete the questionnaire and, therefore, only a small number of Saudi women working in the tourism and hotel sector were able to participate. Moreover, obtaining the approval of hotel managers in Saudi Arabia to distribute and endorse the questionnaire posed some difficulties. The study used a questionnaire directed to the small number of working females in certain tourism companies and hotel sectors, which limited the generalization of the results to all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Also, it didn’t consider the deep interviews with managers and officials of the tourism authority in KSA. Besides, it didn’t cover women poisoning the leadership and higher jobs in tourism and hospitality. Practical implications: The study has important practical implications for concerned officials and their possibilities in helping Saudi women shatter the glass ceiling and change women’s roles in the tourism and hospitality industry via more empowerment and job involvement in available opportunities. Accordingly, the results may pave the way to benefit programs such as positive discrimination as an affirmative action program when adopting the policy of cracking the glass ceiling. Originality/value: This study uniquely addressed the Saudi Arabia V2030 on FIO through empowering females in the tourism and hotel sector, which opens the doors to researchers, practitioners and concerned officials for the significance of such issues to give due attention in a continuing assessment, amendments and development.

This study has a novel conceptual framework and uses SPSS version 23 and AMOS version 23 for analysis. These findings reveal that the use of AI in HR processes has, in fact, a positive significant effect on Employee Engagement and Retention, Data-Driven Decision Making, Smarter Recruitment, and Enhancing Performance Management but has no effect on Personalized Learning and Development. The novelty of this contribution lies in its focus on specific outcomes of the adoption of AI technology in managing the HRM process. This study fills the conceptual gap in the literature on HRM through the critical analysis of AI functions in the human resources process, focusing on the following critical outcome variables: employee engagement and retention, data-driven decision making, smarter recruitment, enhancing performance management, personalized learning, and development-the interrelations between HR artificial intelligence and these outcome variables.

Food consumption is a critical cause in sustainability claims post-COVID-19 for consumers' health concerns, as safe foods should be associated with signifying brand experience, awareness, and trust towards organic food products. This study examined brand awareness mediation in the brand experience link to brand trust concerning branded organic food products. The sample consisted of regular consumers of branded organic food products in the Asir area in the South of the Saudi Kingdom. The study pretested a designed questionnaire among 43 academicians for improvement. The data collection and analysis were on 174 valid questionnaires. The results showed that brand experience influenced brand awareness and trust. In addition, brand awareness impacted brand trust regarding organic food. Eventually, the relationship between brand experience and brand trust is mediated partially by brand awareness concerning. In turn, the study findings were interesting concerning consumers who prefer consuming branded organic food products, which is meaningful for consumers looking to benefit from the brand experience in raising brand awareness and fostering brand trust. Additionally, producers and marketers should take note of the significance of brand experience, brand awareness, and brand trust when planning their marketing strategies, policies, and campaigns to prepare a motivating branding environment for boosting attitudinal, behavioral, and performance of activities and events.