• Energy Research

The competition between cities involves the search for different ways and means to create, attract, sustain, and use diverse resources, knowledge, ideas, and innovations to support the economic growth of each individual city and, as a result, to strengthen the city’s position in the urban hierarchy both short-term and long-term. However, for each city, urbanisation does not only mean an increase in competitive economic power but also a number of problems such as pollution, poverty, crime and unemployment. In order to address the challenges posed by the urbanisation processes, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) issued the 1987 Report that emphasised the need for sustainable socio-economic development that would also consider ecological factors. Given this, the article examines the issue of urban competitiveness on the basis of sustainable development principles. After a systematic and comparative analysis of the concepts published in the scientific literature, this article accomplishes the following: It defines the concept of competitiveness in urban areas; it identifies the inclusion aspects of the sustainable development principles into the assessment of urban competitiveness; it presents the research into urban competitiveness assessment models; and it carries out an integrated competitiveness assessment of the Baltic capitals in the period of 2014–2019 based on the principles of sustainable development by applying the integrated competitiveness assessment model that is based on the principles of sustainable development (MDK).

The paper presents a theoretical and empirical assessment of this social phenomenon. The achieved scientific solution-result (Main Finding) is presented a theoretical model of the develop-ment of public citizenship in a sustainable environment has been created for the case of Lithuania. First of all, the paper discusses the conceptual issues of the expression of modernisation of civil society, highlighting and justifying the interaction of social changes and sustainable environment in economic, social, political, environmental and cultural aspects, presenting the case of Lithuania (The Case of Lithuania). On the other hand, following the United Nations Sustainable Development Strategy document, the field of progress and resilience of Lithuanian society in modern society is discussed, identifying and analysing various criteria that have been empirically tested. The authors noted that the democratic cube model was used to create a theoretical model of the development of public citizenship in a harmonious environment, and the HDI (human development index model) was also integrated. The model created by the authors systematically explains the analysis of the relationship between the expression of modernisation changes identified in the research and the formation of civil society; secondly, it substantiates the process of interaction between modernisation changes and public citizenship, discussing four fields of expression. Practical applicability of the model: it will help researchers to conceptually analyse and empirically study public citizenship; will help public policymakers and implementers to manage effectively, ensuring quality changes in society and managing new challenges, and it will also contribute to the conceptual formation of the country's long-term development strategy.

In order to develop broader scientific discussions, the authors analyze a contemporary social phenomenon in the field of sustainability—the modernisation of the country in order to preserve the ecosystem, emphasizing one of the most important aspects of modernisation—the context of economic environmental sustainability. Underscoring the importance of this study, the research problem was identified by answering the questions of how the modernisation of the country manifests itself in the context of economic environmental sustainability and what are the consequences for the society. This article examines the factors behind the country’s modernisation through the lens of its citizens. The purpose is to analyze the development of modernisation in Lithuania from the perspective of a sustainable economic environment and to form a complex system of indicators for the formation of an effective governance of a modern country. The paper is based on a quantitative empirical study to support the structural perspective of modernisation of the country, to justify an integrated system of indicators for the formation of a modern country following an analysis of the country’s modernisation trends in terms of the economic environment. The scientific value of the study: the presents paper investigates the main determinants of economic environmental sustainability of the country (effectiveness of digitalisation, infrastructure, environment, and interoperability of natural resources); behavior in line with environmental trends of the EU and subjective factors (interest in opportunities and benefits of renewable energy) was investigated; provides a methodological framework for the methods used (descriptive statistics, factor analysis (FA) and path analysis (PA). A representative cross-sectional survey of 1015 respondents are selected as main research tool. Lithuania (Case Study) served as an empirical basis for the research.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the academic activities of Kazakhstan’s academics and to present a comprehensive map of the academic landscape in the country. Research methodology – The study combines synthesis and comparative scientific analysis of concepts and methods in the literature. It involves secondary data analysis, statistical processing, and bibliometric analysis to gather and interpret the data. Findings – The analysis reveals a significant gap between the practical applications of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kazakhstan and the academic research on the topic. Furthermore, academic activities and practices in Kazakhstan do not align well with the official reports on the SDGs. While some SDGs have comparable publications in Kazakhstan to global averages, others present distinct challenges and problematic issues unique to the country. Research limitations – The study faces limitations due to the lack of data or difficulty accessing relevant information. Practical implications – This research is crucial for promoting SDGs as it aids in understanding global issues, identifying knowledge gaps, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to ad- dress complex issues related to sustainable development. Additionally, examining a country’s academic activities through the lens of SDGs is essential for assessing the nation’s academic awareness and engagement with these global goals. Originality/Value – The article provides a unique and valuable perspective on integrating sustainable development goals within Kazakhstan’s academic landscape, highlighting achievements and areas needing improvement

Abstract Despite the increasing interest in sustainable tourism (ST), the actual implementation of sustainability practices within the tourism sector remains sporadic. Performance evaluation has emerged as a viable solution for this problem, but no universal ST assessment model has yet been developed for this purpose. Various authors have proposed different approaches, but these still exhibit limitations, especially regarding criteria selection and weighting. This study sought to create an assessment system for ST by combining cognitive mapping and the Choquet integral (CI), providing a rational, transparent foundation for the selection and weighting of evaluation criteria. The development of the proposed assessment system involved group meetings with a panel of ST experts, as well as a final validation session with a senior representative of the Portuguese Tourism Confederation. The results of a practical application of the system developed show that its process-oriented nature facilitates the ranking of tourism regions according to their degree of sustainability ( i.e. , Lisbon and Tagus Valley is the Portuguese tourism region with the most ST, whereas Alentejo comes last compared to the other alternatives). No prior research was found that has applied cognitive mapping and the CI in this study context, and new insights into ST can be obtained through an analysis of the cause-and-effect relationships between evaluation criteria. The contributions and implications of the proposed system are also discussed.

This study focuses on the Vilnius (capital of Lithuania) agglomeration, which is facing the issue of air pollution resulting from the city’s physical expansion. The increased number of industries and vehicles caused an increase in the rate of fuel consumption and pollution in Vilnius, which has rendered air pollution control policies and air pollution management more significant. In this study, the differences in the pollutants’ means were tested using two-sided t-tests. Additionally, a 2-layer artificial neural network and a pollution data were both used as tools for predicting and warning air pollution after loop traffic has taken effect in Vilnius Old Town from July of 2020. Highly accurate data analysis methods provide reliable data for predicting air pollution. According to the validation, the multilayer perceptron network (MLPN1), with a hyperbolic tangent activation function with a 4-4-2 partition, produced valuable results and identified the main pollutants affecting and predicting air quality in the Old Town: maximum concentration of sulphur dioxide per 1 hour (SO2_1 h, normalized importance = 100%); carbon monoxide (CO) was the second pollutant with the highest indication of normalized importance, equalling 59.0%.

Abstract People are increasingly concerned about environmental issues. This concern presents new challenges for companies and impels them to incorporate environmental sustainability into their business strategies. However, smaller companies, such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have often been prevented from considering environmentally friendly investments beyond those legally required because these firms lack a holistic perspective on sustainability. They also have a limited perception of the interdependence of corporate, economic, and environmental business components. The long-term survival of SMEs could be significantly strengthened by a holistic understanding based on integrated methods that facilitate the identification and representation of determinants of environmental conduct. These methods would further help to enhance these companies’ competitive advantages. This study sought to use fuzzy cognitive mapping techniques and the system dynamics (SD) approach to carry out analyses of determinants of environmental conduct in SMEs. The results show that this dual methodology enriches the decision-making process as it enables SME managers and decision makers to anticipate and analyze the consequences of their environmental conduct decisions. The results were validated by both the department head and a board member of Portugal’s Regional Proximity and Licensing Department of the Institute for the Support of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Innovation (IAPMEI in Portuguese). Static and dynamic analyses were carried out to test and more fully develop the proposed framework.

Organizations operating in the intensive knowledge-based sector seek efficient management approaches and sustainable development practices to perform efficiently in the dynamic business environment. Knowledge management practice and organizational learning are significant factors in order to achieve sustainable organizational performance in a rapidly changing business environment. Based on the scientific literature analysis, there is still a lack of evidence related to the mediating role of the whole knowledge management cycle, including the five knowledge management processes (knowledge acquisition, creation, storage, sharing, and application) in the relationship between organizational learning and sustainable organizational performance for organizations operating in intensive knowledge-based sectors. This study aimed to examine the impact of the whole knowledge management cycle on the relationship between organizational learning and sustainable organizational performance in intensive knowledge-based sectors, specifically the audit and consulting companies in the Middle East region. Systematic scientific literature analysis, expert evaluation (structured questionnaire), and structural equation modeling (SEM) technique were used to develop and verify the research model. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire distributed among auditing experts working in a knowledge-based sector—audit and consulting companies in the Middle East region. The research results supported the hypotheses stating that organizational learning positively affects knowledge acquisition, storage, sharing, application processes, and sustainable organizational performance. However, the results verified that organizational learning has an insignificant impact on the Middle Eastern audit and consulting companies’ knowledge creation process.