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.

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.

Usually, developing countries use the capacity of governments and municipalities to provide appropriate services to the population. This category will increase poverty in cities and urban areas. This article aims to empower local communities with strategies to monitor and eliminate poverty in the neighborhoods of District 9 of Tehran. In this paper, we used the four geographic models in ArcGIS 10.3 for the spatial analysis and assessment of poverty, which includes Getis-OrdGi* (G-i-star) statistics (hot and cold spots), Moran's spatial autocorrelation, Vikor model and SWOT. First, from the economic, sociocultural, and physical indicators, urban poverty was identified at the neighborhood level in District 9 of Tehran. A quantitative model (Vikor) was used to rank the indicators. Getis-OrdGi* (G-i-star) (hot and cold spots) was used to display and spatially analyze urban poverty at the locality level of District 9. In addition, using the QSPM model, internal and external strategies of urban areas were identified. Moran's spatial autocorrelation was used to correlate the indicators. After placing the target locations, the SWOT technique was used to present the strengths and weaknesses of the target locations. The results showed the highest correlation between sociocultural indicators and urban poverty is in the southern neighborhoods of District 9 of Tehran, which corresponds to South Mehrabad, Shamshiry, South Sarasiab, and part of the Imamzadeh Abdullah neighborhood. In addition, due to high population density, immigration, and low land prices, the impact of the socio-cultural index on urban poverty in the north of District 9 has increased with a confidence level of 99%. While the hot spots of the economic dimension of poverty are at the level of districts of District 9 of Tehran, the southern and southeastern districts due to unemployment, high rent, and low household income, economic poverty clusters have been formed in terms of spatial autocorrelation, Moran's Index is 0/026180 showed. However, in the spatial distribution of poverty in terms of the physical dimension at the level of neighborhoods in District 9 of Tehran, nearly 10% of the neighborhoods have the worst poverty level. Only the Shamshiry neighborhood has the lowest per capita commercial, sports, and health facilities among the neighborhoods. Regarding Moran's spatial autocorrelation pattern, Moran's index and Z-score in the Shamshiri neighborhood showed 0.007270 and 4/224861, respectively. In addition, people's and non-governmental organizations are essential and effective strategies for monitoring and eliminating poverty at the level of target neighborhoods.

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.