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Purpose: This conceptual paper aims to identify how financial inclusion relates to sustainability and the level of sustainable development.

Methodology: The paper used discourse analysis to identify how financial inclusion relates to sustainability and the level of sustainable development.

Finding: The paper argued that granting access to basic formal financial services contributes to greater sustainable development by ensuring that access to finance is guaranteed sustainably, and basic financial services are provided sustainably and based on sustainability principles to yield a lasting impact for sustainable development. The paper also argued that financial inclusion increases the level of sustainable development because financial inclusion increases the economic opportunities and social welfare of banked adults while it only provides limited benefits for the environment. This approach links financial inclusion to sustainable development by adopting sustainability principles in offering basic financial services to banked adults.

Implication: Consequently, a synergy between financial inclusion and sustainable development is needed. The synergy should be based on sustainability principles, requiring policies integrating financial inclusion into the sustainable development agenda.

Originality: This paper is the first to identify the relationship between the financial inclusion agenda, the sustainable development agenda and the sustainability agenda.

To discover the key elements of the use of the mechanism of public–private partnership for sustainable development, which are studied using the game approach.

Employed methods were as follows: trends method, regression analysis method, and game situation analysis method.

We discovered the key elements of the use of the mechanism of public–private partnership for sustainable development and determined the trends of the dependence of the sustainable development level on the mechanism of a public–private partnership at the level of countries that are leaders in this form of interaction (Denmark, Netherlands, Singapore, China, Switzerland and Finland). We reveal a positive dependence of the influence with China in 2017–2018 and with Finland in 2020–2021. The characteristics and strategies of implementing public–private partnerships are determined, and the spheres of influence of this form of interaction within the indicator of sustainable development are distinguished. We evaluate the perspectives of sustainable development under the influence of the public–private partnership mechanism. Based on the analysis results, it has been revealed that achievement of direct relation between the improved indicator of implementing the public–private partnership mechanisms and sustainable development could be realised within the orientation towards the effective strategic management of the interaction.

The scientific novelty of this research consists in the development of the theoretical and practical specifics of the use of the public–private partnership mechanism for sustainable development which determined using the game approach.

Purpose: Seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) are included in the UN’s 2030 agenda of sustainable development that aims to provide a shared blueprint for sustainability and call for urgent action by all member countries. The study aims to study the role of tourism in delivering sustainable solutions for the planet.

Research Methodology: The present chapter compiles available studies on sustainable tourism and critically analyses sustainability principles and their relevance to SDGs.

Findings: The chapter comprehensively studies the SDGs – 8, 12, and 14 and reveals a strategic roadmap to achieve the SDGs through sustainable tourism practices. The observations may provide deep insights to the government and policymakers to prioritise actions in order to achieve the goals.

Research Limitations: Future research studies may be conducted to empirically verify the results from the perspective of different countries.

Practical Implications: According to United Nations (2023), ‘The tourism sector accounts for approximately 10% of the world’s GDP, about 30% of overall service exports across sectors, and provides for 1 out of 10 jobs globally’. Sustainable tourism has particularly been embraced as an important area under the 8th SDG of sustainable economic growth; in the 12th SDG of sustainable production and consumption and in the 14th SDG pertaining to sustainable use of oceans and marine resources, thus highlighting its importance.

Value: The chapter is a novel attempt to comprehensively analyse the role of sustainable tourism and the strategic roadmap for achieving the SDGs.

The use of social media for sustainable information is important since it has the potential to influence people’s intentions and behaviour towards sustainability. As previous studies on social media and sustainable development have primarily focussed on Western viewpoints, this study presents a comprehensive Asian perspective by investigating the impact of social media on sustainable intention and behaviour amongst Malaysian and Indonesian undergraduate university students.

A campus-wide online survey was conducted with 953 students from Malaysia and Indonesia. The researchers collected data through an online questionnaire and a two-week quantitative survey of undergraduate students in Malaysia and Indonesia. Quantitative data were analysed by SmartPLS software and comparative studies were conducted.

The result of the survey indicated that Facebook and Instagram were mainly used by Malaysian students to obtain and communicate about sustainability information, whilst Instagram was mainly used by Indonesian students. The findings also discovered that social media usage and social media effectiveness and usefulness are statistically significant predictors of sustainable intention amongst the students in Malaysia and Indonesia. Sustainable intention is also a statistically significant predictor of sustainable behaviour amongst the students. Additionally, this study also found that Malaysian students appeared to have a high level of the effect of sustainable intention on sustainable behaviour and the effect of the effectiveness and usefulness of social media to sustainable intention compared to Indonesian students. On the contrary, their use of social media related to sustainable behaviour was relatively low compared to Indonesian students.

Overall, the findings can contribute to the presently scant empirical works that focus on social media’s influence on sustainability and sustainable development. Furthermore, the findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge related to sustainability communication and sustainable education, particularly in terms of the use of social media in the learning and teaching process. Future research could focus on studying postgraduate students and university students from other Asian countries. Moreover, using qualitative methods like in-depth interviews or focus group discussion and applying other theories might unveil further results.

This study explores how excellence models can leverage digital transformation on the path to sustainable development in organisations.

A survey was used to study the different facets of digital capabilities and their impact on sustainable development success of organisations holding an external recognition from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). Partial Least Squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) combined with Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) were used to analyse data.

Internalising excellence practices is decisive in mediating effective digital capabilities to achieve sustainable development. To achieve high levels of sustainable development success, organisations must achieve high levels of excellence practices internalisation, which are much more important than the excellence model external recognition.

This study addresses essential issues with theoretical and practical value but is limited to a sample of organisations with EFQM recognition in two countries. Future studies should address different organisations and cultural environments.

The findings are relevant for organisations facing digital transformation and sustainable development challenges. They are essential for managers leveraging digital capabilities to capitalise on practices and processes and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Organisations can benefit from a multidimensional approach to digital capabilities when struggling against external challenges.

This study closes a research gap regarding the impact of digital capabilities on sustainable development success. It is the first empirical study to combine sufficiency and necessity conditions analyses to explore the mediating role of excellence practices internalisation and one of the first to address digital capabilities from a multidimensional perspective.

This study proposes and empirically tests the hypothesis that most consumers differ significantly in how accurately they express knowledge about what experts define as indicators of fashion sustainability behavior.

Sustainability discipline scholars (i.e., experts) provide the following two examples of accurate sustainability knowledge: (1) Sustainable-fashion manufacturers ensure safe working conditions for their employees; (2) fibers such as wool can be commercially recycled. In the current study, 85% of participants in separate samples of Chinese (n = 244) and Korean (n = 214) adults provide incorrect answers to the two statements, contradicting experts' beliefs. The study here develops and tests a general, asymmetric predictive, case-based theory of simple and complex antecedent conditions and outcomes for consumers with correct or incorrect knowledge of fashion sustainability behavior for fashion products.

According to the study consumers who have a high level of knowledge about sustainable fashion consistently have high purchase intentions for these products. On the contrary, consumers with insuffient knowledge of sustainable-fashion have low purchase intentions.

The analysis emphasizes the importance of government policy in encouraging important-term consumer behavior. Government policy has a direct and indirect impact on sustainable consumer behavior.

This study's practical contribution is that it amphasizes the important role of government policy in encouraging sustainable consumer behavior (Perez-Castillo and Vera-Martinez, 2021). Government policy both directly and indirectly influences sustainable consumer behavior. Understanding consumers' consumption behavior as influenced by knowledge of sustainable development allows policymakers to develop more targeted policy measures, thereby promoting the achievement of sustainable development goals. For example, incorporating sustainable issues into the school curriculum can encourage students to practice sustainable behavior when purchasing, using, or disposing of products. People may require encouragement to understand why sustainable development is necessary, how to facilitate it, what the expected effects are and how it will affect their lives.

Knowledge of sustainable development, as well as consumer behavior research, can help improve consumer environmental awareness and understanding of sustainable development, guiding them towards greener and more environmentally friendly consumption habits. Understanding consumers' reactions to knowledge of sustainable development and subsequent changes in their consumption behavior guides businesses to engage in green product design, green production and green marketing, thus improving their competitiveness and market share (Rynarzewska et al., 2023). Some countries around the world are working hard to meet their sustainable development goals. By comparing consumer consumption behavior in different countries under the influence of knowledge on sustainable development consumer can share experiences and practices, strengthen international cooperation and communication and promote the global sustainable development process collaboratively.

The current study contributes by looking into the validity of the claim that consumers who have accurate sustainable fashion knowledge are more likely to purchase brands with high sustainability characteristics.

Improving the social sustainable performance of organizations requires a shift toward ethical leaders’ behaviors and green-focused human resource management initiatives. Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm, this study aims to empirically evaluate the influence of ethical leadership and green human resource management on the social sustainable performance of maritime companies.

The study analyzes empirical data from 109 Greek maritime companies and uses partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine the hypotheses.

The findings confirm the direct, significant and positive effect of both ethical leadership and green human resource management on social sustainable performance. The complementary (partial) mediation of green human resource management in the ethical leadership – social sustainable performance is also revealed.

This study contributes to the under-researched domain of social sustainability and addresses the emerging concept of green human resource management in the maritime transportation literature. It also highlights the effect of ethical leadership and green human resource management on the improvement of social sustainable performance, which is also lacking in the literature. The study uncovers that the presence of leaders with ethical values and the implementation of green human resource management are important for organizations seeking to achieve high levels of social sustainable performance.

Sustainability is considered a core trend in the development of the fashion industry. Clarifying the driving factors of consumers’ sharing willingness regarding sustainable image from the perspective of psychology can help fashion brands implement sustainable management and deepen industrial sustainable development.

Based on commitment theory, this paper proposes a conceptual model that includes three antecedents: perception of greenwashing, environmental, social and governance (ESG) and social media content quality. These affect consumers’ sharing willingness regarding sustainable image through affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment. Furthermore, 310 participants reported their tendencies in a formal empirical study.

The results show that unlike green perception, which has a significant negative effect, consumers have a significant positive commitment to high perceived levels of ESG and social media content quality. Besides, all three dimensions under the commitment theory play a partial mediating role between consumer perception and sharing willingness.

This study not only extends the research on the commitment theory to the field of fashion marketing and management but also enriches the research context of brand image sharing willingness, which explains the differential effects of different consumer commitments on their information sharing willingness. Moreover, several management implications applicable to the fashion industry have also been proposed based on the conclusion.

This paper examines the growth trajectory, documents, journals, worldwide distribution authors, scientific production and thematic focus in the field of sustainable HRM.

A total of 765 publications (between 1982 and 2023) were chosen from the Scopus database that were diligently examined to reach insightful results. To aid the investigation, the Biblioshiny tool was used.

Through thematic mapping, the study finds that sustainable HRM is still an emerging and contemporary concept. Moreover, the themes of sustainable HRM are underdeveloped and need conceptual clarity. Additionally, these themes have evolved internally which have made a modest contribution to the advancement of the discipline. Furthermore, topic trending, word frequency and document citations indicate that a growing body of literature on sustainable HRM focuses extensively on environmental issues, demonstrating that HRM should be given greater attention to roles related to sustainability in the workplace.

Sustainable HRM should be a top priority for businesses, with an emphasis on environmental and sustainability concerns. To be in line with global sustainability standards, HR training needs to be updated. Companies should develop HR policies that put sustainability first and spend money on analytical tools. Academic and industrial cooperation can improve the field more quickly. Best practices can be standardized by participation in forums. It is crucial to take a holistic approach that balances environmental, social and economic factors.

This study distinguishes itself by adding highlights on bibliometric insights and thematic emphasis on sustainable HRM, adding to the progress of the field's knowledge and offering insightful pathways for future research.

This project inquires whether transitioning to adopting sustainable practices involves emphasizing the significance of education and skill development that aligns with employees' knowledge. Additionally, this project explores whether soft skills can act as a means for effective communication, collaboration and ethical decision-making when addressing the intricate and socially interconnected nature of sustainability challenges. Thus, this research explores employee sustainability knowledge and soft skills to gain a more nuanced understanding to provide evidence-based recommendations to enhance organizational sustainability initiatives.

This study used a form of chain-referral sampling with two populations. A two-step cluster analysis with a log-likelihood distance measure and Schwarz’s Bayesian criterion was employed to identify communities of employees with different levels of sustainable practices and soft skills knowledge. A corresponding analysis was conducted to better understand different communities in terms of industry and managerial experience. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using a covariance-based measurement model to establish measurement validity and reliability and to impute latent variables (i.e. constructs) scores.

Aligning human resource (HR) strategies with these identified knowledge communities enables organizations to strategically enhance comprehensive training programs promoting sustainable practices and soft skills. Tailored training and workforce development programs for each community are recommended, with the proposal of active training methods like Lego Serious Play to dynamically engage employees. As organizations increasingly invest in training, this research offers valuable insights for educators and industry professionals to better cultivate and apply soft skills to develop employee sustainability practices and enhance employee development.

Although this study’s findings are not generalizable to the population, they are useful when considering critical sustainability knowledge and soft skills necessary for employees in the hospitality industry. The convenience sample of this study could have been more robust, with participants with greater tenure in the industry or a better understanding of sustainable practices and soft skill competencies. This research used a Qualtrics survey to gather subject responses. This may have caused biases in responding to the survey, such as a central tendency, immediacy, the rater’s knowledge about each criterion or boredom with the survey length.

The practical implications drawn from this study’s findings offer actionable insights for organizations seeking to enhance sustainability practices within their workforce. As one navigates the diverse landscape of employee categories, including sustainable champions, emerging learners and skillful initiators, it becomes evident that a one-size-fits-all approach to training and workforce education is not conducive to cultivating a sustainable culture. In this section, some possible practical strategies tailored to each employee category are suggested, ensuring that organizations can effectively harness the unique strengths and development needs within their workforce.

Using a social cognitive theoretical lens (Bandura, 1977), sustainable catalysts' elevated knowledge levels make them influential contributors to the organization’s sustainability goals, while their adeptness in soft skills positions them as effective communicators, collaborators and leaders in fostering a culture of sustainability. Figure 1b displays this idea. As such, sustainable catalysts were present four times in the effectiveness of the top five soft skills, meaning these sustainable catalysts should be the area of primary focus as they can assist organizations by educating other employees due to their enhanced soft skills and level of sustainability knowledge.

Rooted in social cognitive theory, this study investigated how HR practices can effectively shape sustainability-related workforce development in the workplace. The results identified distinct knowledge communities – sustainable catalysts, skillful initiators, emerging learners and sustainable champions – aligned with quadrants of sustainable practice effectiveness. Aligning HR strategies with these identified knowledge communities enables organizations to strategically enhance comprehensive training programs promoting sustainable practices and soft skills.