Harnessing Digital Transformation: A Pathway to Achieving the 2030 UNSDGs and Ensuring Sustainable Corporate Performance

This chapter explores the essential intersection of digital transformation and sustainability within the context of contemporary business enterprises. It is based on the urgent need for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) 2030, and it underscores the transformative potential of digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain in reshaping sustainable business practices. This focuses on the switch from traditional, profit-driven models to models that prioritize people, profits, and the planet. The critical conclusion is the emancipation of stakeholders who have evolved from being passive receivers of CSR activities to become active collaborators in sustainability initiatives enabled by digital advances. In addition to that, the barriers that naturally occur because of the digital divide and ethical hurdles must be collectively resolved. Ultimately, it reverts back to the narrow, yet arduous path that leads to the shared value; cooperation and innovation as a way forward to a sustainable digital future

A Scientist's Guide to Achieving Broader Impacts through K-12 STEM Collaboration.

The National Science Foundation and other funding agencies are increasingly requiring broader impacts in grant applications to encourage US scientists to contribute to science education and society. Concurrently, national science education standards are using more inquiry-based learning (IBL) to increase students' capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking applicable to real-world problems. Scientists are particularly well suited to engage in broader impacts via science inquiry outreach, because scientific research is inherently an inquiry-based process. We provide a practical guide to help scientists overcome obstacles that inhibit their engagement in K-12 IBL outreach and to attain the accrued benefits. Strategies to overcome these challenges include scaling outreach projects to the time available, building collaborations in which scientists' research overlaps with curriculum, employing backward planning to target specific learning objectives, encouraging scientists to share their passion, as well as their expertise with students, and transforming institutional incentives to support scientists engaging in educational outreach

Cognitive-enhancing properties of Morinda lucida (Rubiaceae) and Peltophorum pterocarpum (Fabaceae) in scopolamine-induced amnesic mice

Background: Cognitive disorders associated with aging have been successfully managed by African traditional medical practitioners using various plants. This study evaluated the cognitive enhancing potentials of Morinda lucida (L) Rubiaceae and Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC) ex. K Heyne in scopolamine induced amnesic animals.Materials and Methods: The anti-amnesic activity of the ethyl acetate extracts of Morinda lucida and Peltophorum pterocarpum at doses of 4 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg and 8 mg/kg were assessed in scopolamine induced amnesic mice using Morris water maze test model. Effect of the extracts on the histology of the hippocampus was also evaluated.Results: The ethyl acetate extract of Morinda lucida and Peltophorum pterocarpum ameliorated scopolamine induced memory deficit in the animals under study. There was no effect of the extract on the histology of the hippocampus. However, there was an increase in the density of cells in the hippocampus of treated group as compared to the untreated.Conclusion: Morinda lucida and Peltophorum pterocarpum showed considerable enhancement of cognition in scopolamine induced amnesic mice.Keywords: Morinda lucida, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Morris water maze, Scopolamine, Hippocampu

Sustainable environmental manufacturing practice (SEMP) and firm performance: Moderating role of environmental regulation

Theoretical evidence shows that a considerable amount of attention has been given to environmental issues in academic researches in the past years and the link between sustainable environmental practices and firm performance remains inconclusive.One of the reasons for this inconsistent relationship is due to the increasing regulatory requirements of the environmental sustainable practices which have become increasingly stringent on yearly basis.This study investigates the moderating effect of environmental regulation on the relationship between sustainable environmental manufacturing practices and firm performance. Data was collected by using a mail survey questionnaire from the manufacturing companies in Malaysia and analyzed with PLS-SEM.The result of the empirical investigation found that environmental regulation only moderates the relationship between SEMP and environmental performance.The relationships between SEMP; and financial and operational performance were not significantly moderated by stringent environmental regulation.The study recommends that environmental policy makers should revisit the blueprint about environmental regulation on environmental practices to provide supportive environmental policies that will enhance a better financial and operational performance in manufacturing industry

Driving factor of sustainable environmental manufacturing practices in Malaysia

An increased demand has been placed on the manufacturing industries to be more responsible to their environment with respect to their operational activities.This demand is due to various antecedent factors driving sustainable environmental practices in manufacturing firms. This study therefore, investigated the factors that drive the sustainable environmental practices in Malaysian manufacturing sector.Survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 103 manufacturing firms and was analyzed using PLS path modelling technique.The result of the study found that top management commitment and stakeholder pressure significantly influence sustainable environmental manufacturing practices while public concern did not show significant evidence

Driving factor of sustainable environmental manufacturing practices in Malaysia

An increased demand has been placed on the manufacturing industries to be more responsible to their environment with respect to their operational activities.This demand is due to various antecedent factors driving sustainable environmental practices in manufacturing firms. This study therefore, investigated the factors that drive the sustainable environmental practices in Malaysian manufacturing sector. Survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 103 manufacturing firms and was analyzed using PLS path modelling technique. The result of the study found that top management commitment and stakeholder pressure significantly influence sustainable environmental manufacturing practices while public concern did not show significant evidence

Moderating role of perceived benefit between sustainable environmental manufacturing practices and firm performance

The need to maintain a balance between the developmental and environmental issues in manufacturing firms is required to ensure that the cost of environmental changes does not negate the economic benefits perceived by the firms.Therefore, this study investigated the effect of sustainable environmental manufacturing practices on firm performance via the moderating effect of perceived benefits.The study used a survey questionnaire which was posted to the operation, manufacturing manager and the environmental, health and safety manager to collect 103 data from the Malaysian manufacturing firms.The data collected was analyzed with smartPLS 2. M3.The study found that sustainable environmental manufacturing practices significantly influence environmental performance, while perceived benefits moderates between sustainable environmental manufacturing practices and operational performance. The study has revealed the understanding of the scenario of sustainable manufacturing practices in a developing country as yet to be considered as a strategic factor.Therefore, it is suggested that more awareness should be created to enlighten the manufacturing practitioners not only to perceive sustainable environmental practices as ethical, but also as a strategic factor to enhance achieving better firm performance

EVALUATION OF STUDENTS’ ACCESS TO SERIAL PUBLICATIONS IN THREE SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

This study evaluates the extent to which serials publications are accessible and used for learning purposes by the students in Nigerian Universities. The descriptive survey research design was adopted with the study population made up of students from one federal government owned university, one selected state owned university and one selected private owned university in Ogun state. A self-constructed questionnaire was used for data collection in this study, was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). Findings revealed that Nigeria university students have access to different serial collections in academic libraries. Serial publications are available and students have equal access to serials publications in the library. Restriction of some serials materials to undergraduate constitutes impediments to the use of serials by students in the university libraries. Students who visit the library frequently to read Bulletins are better informed about the university issues. It was also revealed that students often visit the serial section in the Universities libraries for academic purposes. The Serial Librarian attitude affects student’s use of serial section. There is a need to create conducive environment for students and guide the student in the proper use of serial publications. Serial Librarians should be well guided to give the best to the students in the use of serial publications and there is need for various universities to subscribe to different online or electronic serials

Partial Purification and Characterization of Catalase from Banana Peels

Catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) is a well known enzyme which exists in almost all living creatures exposing to oxygen (such as plants, bacteria, and animals). It is a very necessary enzyme to protect the cell from oxidative detriment by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The aim of this study is the partial purification and characterization of Catalase enzyme from Banana peels. In this study, fresh banana peels are treated with 70 % ethanol ,further separated with chloroform ,water and ethyl acetate respectively .The supernatant of the enzymatic sample which is treated with chloroform is loaded into gel filtration column with Sephadex G-100 (1.0 x 90 cm) equilibrated with pH7 buffer media (phosphate buffer 0.1 M). Kinetic studies of the purified enzyme activity are measured and characterized .The maximal activity (26.04 units/mg) of catalase is observed with chloroform buffer extraction. The kinetics of catalase; Michalis constant Km and maximum velocity Vmax is determined using Linweaver- Burk plot, The Km value for catalase (434.7mM), Vmax (100 m mole min -1). Characterization results demonstrate that the optimal pH for activity is (7.6). And the optimal temperature for activity is 30?C .The present study indicates that Banana peels is a good source of catalase enzyme

Ornamental marine species culture in the coral triangle: seahorse demonstration project in the Spermonde Islands, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Ornamental marine species ('OMS') provide valuable income for developing nations in the Indo-Pacific Coral Triangle, from which most of the specimens are exported. OMS culture can help diversify livelihoods in the region, in support of management and conservation efforts to reduce destructive fishing and collection practices that threaten coral reef and seagrass ecosystems. Adoption of OMS culture depends on demonstrating its success as a livelihood, yet few studies of OMS culture exist in the region. We present a case study of a land-based culture project for an endangered seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri) in the Spermonde Islands, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The business model demonstrated that culturing can increase family income by seven times. A Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats (SWOT) analysis indicated good collaboration among diverse stakeholders and opportunities for culturing non-endangered species and for offshoot projects, but complicated permitting was an issue as were threats of market flooding and production declines. The OMS international market is strong, Indonesian exporters expressed great interest in cultured product, and Indonesia is the largest exporting country for H. barbouri. Yet, a comparison of Indonesia ornamental marine fish exports to fish abundance in a single local market indicated that OMS culture cannot replace fishing livelihoods. Nevertheless, seahorse and other OMS culture can play a role in management and conservation by supplementing and diversifying the fishing and collecting livelihoods in the developing nations that provide the majority of the global OMS