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This article is an editorial that explores Sustainable Development Goal 8, which aims to promote economic growth, full employment, and decent work for all. It discusses the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, including increased unemployment and gender pay gaps. The editorial focuses on the implementation of SDG8 in different geographical contexts and examines issues related to decent work conditions worldwide. The research topic contains ten articles by authors from various countries, covering topics such as telework, digital skills, education, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance. The articles are organized into three themes: transformations in the modern workforce, challenges of bridging gaps between education and employment, and empowering communities through entrepreneurship and stakeholder engagement. The editorial concludes by identifying five directions for further research in the field. [Extracted from the article]

Unemployment is one of the most important problems affecting people in all countries. It affects the functioning of entire economies, industries, and enterprises; it also reduces the level and quality of people’s lives. The dynamic changes that are taking place in the labor market are forcing entrepreneurs to adopt a flexible approach to labor market resources – that is, employees – and also to choose appropriate forms of human capital management. This may lead to a reduction in unemployment in the market. Consequently, tackling unemployment is one of the important challenges facing the European Union, especially on its way to achieving sustainable development goals. High levels of unemployment could significantly hamper the achievement of the Agenda 2030 employment targets (SDG8), leading to poverty, social and economic inequality, and social instability. Therefore, the subject of this study is unemployment in EU countries; the main objective is to examine unemployment levels across EU member states. The deliberations and analysis are carried out in the context of the Agenda 2030 Goal 8 (SDG 8) for sustainable development. Taking into account the different degrees of implementation of SDG8 by individual Member States, and thus the different results in this respect, the study finds differences and similarities among the surveyed Member States in terms of types and levels of unemployment. The research is based on Eurostat data for 2022, and uses multidimensional comparative analysis methods such as cluster analysis and linear ordering. A review of selected sources on international and European law focuses on employment policy standards, including the problem of unemployment; this serves as a background for the analyses. The considerations are embedded in the concept of sustainable development, which influences the functioning of entire economies, but also in the processes of enterprise management. Based on the literature and the results of the analyses, it is concluded that levels of unemployment vary greatly in the analyzed countries. The best conditions for availability and accessibility of work are found in the Czech Republic and Malta; the worst are in Spain and Greece, where unemployment is very high.

This research provides an in-depth exploration of the Human Touch Experience (HTE) as a strategy for reducing consumer switching behavior in the financial service industry (Non-Bank). Amidst increasing competition and digitalization, maintaining customer loyalty has become a significant challenge for the industry. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative survey data from 1,207 respondents with qualitative data from 30 in-depth interviews. The findings underscore that high levels of HTE are associated with increased customer satisfaction and loyalty and a decreased intention to switch service providers. Furthermore, financial institutions that incorporate HTE practices into their operations report lower rates of customer churn and higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. The results suggest that, despite the digital revolution, a balance between efficient digital services and personalized human interaction can enhance customer relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the global economy with lockdown measures and reduced economic activity. This study investigates the relationship between employee innovative behavior, HR practices implementation, and performance at one of the biggest car distributors in Indonesia. The study determines the impact of employee's innovative ideas in daily work activities and changes in HR practices on the company's recent performance improvements. The research uses a quantitative approach by using a questionnaire of 120 employee respondents and applying the PLS-SEM (Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modeling) to analyze the data. The result shows that employee's innovative behavior and HR practices significantly influence employee performance.

This research uses the Push-Pull-Mooring Framework to explore the factors influencing smartphone users’ switching intentions, whether between levels of smartphone types within the same brand or across different brands. Using online survey data from 141 Generation Z Smartphone users in Jakarta, respondents have been divided into three segments according to the smartphone price. These are Entry-Level, Mid-Range, and High-End. This study uses the data triangulation research method by utilizing WrapPLS 7.0 and Nvivo 12 software. This study found that in every level of the smartphone, the Entry-level, Mid-range, and High-End, the most significant factor for switching intention is the Push factor. Apart from that, the quantitative analysis demonstrates that six other factors cause Smartphone users to change smartphone brands: convenience, features, durability, needs, user experience, and the price of smartphones.

This research aimed to observe the influence of tenant satisfaction, green awareness, and trust through green image mediation, and moderation by greenwashing perception perceived intention to extend or renew rent and studied in one of the biggest shopping malls in Jakarta. The research collected data through surveys of 229 respondents who are tenants with a minimum of one year of rent at this shopping mall. Although many research projects have shown that tenant satisfaction and tenant trust have a positive influence on tenant intention to extend or renew rent, it had yet to examine the factors of green awareness, green image, and greenwashing perception combined with tenant satisfaction and tenant trust to decide to extend or renew rent. This study found that tenant satisfaction, green awareness, green image, and greenwashing perception influence tenant intention to extend or renew rent. Tenant satisfaction directly influenced tenant intention to extend or renew rent, followed by tenant trust, but does not apply to green awareness. Mediation of green image did not influence tenant intention to extend or renew rent, and greenwashing perception as a moderator on green image negatively affects tenant intention to extend or renew rent. This research contributed not only knowledge about how company management can improve the perception of tenant intention to extend or renew rent through the variables mentioned above but also aligned strategy to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in affordable clean energy, Industry-Innovation, and infrastructure, climate action, and partnerships for the goals by found the phenomenon of tenant satisfaction, green awareness, and tenant trust directly influenced green image. Ritel companies can apply the findings from this study to enhance tenant intention to extend or renew rent and be of further use for further academic research.

In this study the authors focus on the results of an International Labour Organization (ILO) survey conducted in 2021 for Hungary. The global survey assessed the impact of COVID-19 on trade union leaders’ perceptions of the extent to which it stimulates or hinders the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG8) declared by the UN 2030 Agenda. With regard to SDG8’s “Decent Work and Economic Growth”, the views of trade unions as institutions that defend workers’ labour interests are important and decisive, although by no means exclusive. In this research, the authors use a questionnaire survey to investigate the general awareness of Hungarian trade union leaders regarding the SDG8 targets and the impact of COVID-19 on SDG8 implementation at both the national and organisational levels. The authors discuss their findings in comparison with the results of global ILO research and reinforce the professional relevance of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this research is a static geographic comparison of the degree of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG8) implementation and to compare its dynamics for the European Union (EU) in the period of 2002–2021 with the consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic. The level of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development objectives is monitored both jointly and individually. This research uses the COPRAS, the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and the hierarchical clustering methods. The study confirmed the geographical diversity in the degree of SDG8 implementation. Nordic countries have the highest degree of implementation, while Greece, Spain, Italy, Romania and Slovakia have the lowest. Some less-developed countries (Czechia, Poland and Malta) were in the cluster where the implementation improved, and some well-developed countries (France, Luxembourg and Portugal) were in the cluster in which the situation did not improve or improved at a low degree. It was not possible to identify geographical diversity in the dynamics of changes in the degree of SDG8 implementation. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the decline in the degree of SDG8 implementation. The added value of the study consists of comparing the dynamics of the degree of implementation of SDG8 using the DTW method. The obtained conclusions may help to create policies for EU countries in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article Highlights An eco-friendly underactuated soft gripper is presented and described for application in the waste industry, to help or partially replace humans in harmful works. Its design oriented to sustainability is described and the mechanical characteristics are analyzed by Finite Element Modelling (FEM). Results and different application strategies for the waste industry are presented and discussed.

The article "The Integrated Reporting-Based Maturity Model for Attaining SDG8 at an Organisational Level" discusses how integrated reporting can help organizations articulate the deployment of different types of capital to create long-term value. By integrating financial and non-financial capitals, businesses can enhance transparency and mitigate risks associated with misreporting. The research aims to develop a maturity model to help organizations advance towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG8) by improving their integrated reporting practices. [Extracted from the article]

Callus induction, which results in fate transition in plant cells, is considered as the first and key step for plant regeneration. This process can be stimulated in different tissues by a callus‐inducing medium (CIM), which contains a high concentration of phytohormone auxin. Although a few key regulators for callus induction have been identified, the multiple aspects of the regulatory mechanism driven by high levels of auxin still need further investigation. Here, we find that high auxin induces callus through a H3K36 histone methylation‐dependent mechanism, which requires the methyltransferase SET DOMAIN GROUP 8 (SDG8). During callus induction, the increased auxin accumulates SDG8 expression through a TIR1/AFBs‐based transcriptional regulation. SDG8 then deposits H3K36me3 modifications on the loci of callus‐related genes, including a master regulator WOX5 and the cell proliferation‐related genes, such as CYCB1.1. This epigenetic regulation in turn is required for the transcriptional activation of these genes during callus formation. These findings suggest that the massive transcriptional reprogramming for cell fate transition by auxin during callus formation requires epigenetic modifications including SDG8‐mediated histone H3K36 methylation. Our results provide insight into the coordination between auxin signaling and epigenetic regulation during fundamental processes in plant development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study measures impact of geopolitical crisis concerning Russia Ukraine War with reference to Sustainable development Goal 8. The researchers have analyzed the variables such as Indian stock market performance, MCX crude oil and Indian GDP Indices to calculate the linear interdependencies among crude oil, Indian stock market performance and Gross Domestic Product using monthly data from January 2016 to May 2022 using a Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model. Time series stationarity is checked using Augmented Dickey-Fuller test. The time series used for the analysis are MCX iCOMDEX crude oil Index, Nifty 50 Index, and GDP Index. Correlation is measured using the Granger Causality Test and VAR model. The outcome demonstrates that the lagged values of the Nifty and crude oil prices indexes are very effectively used to explain the GDP Index. Granger’s Causation Matrix shows that past value of NIFTY Index causes change in GDP Index similarly past value of Nifty Index causes change in MCX Crude oil Index, whereas MCX crude oil does not cause much change in GDP Index. Further research could be done using a detailed time series for a longer period to find any impact of crude oil prices on GDP.

Sustainable mental health and wellbeing (MHW), as addressed under SDG3, is crucial for achieving sustainable development, notably for sustainable SMEs growth. MWH is specifically interlinked with SDGs 8, 9 and 11: Economic growth and prosperity, sustainable communities, innovation, and jobs. Studies show over 200 million workdays are lost due to poor MHW each year, referring to the global cost of $1 trillion/year in lost productivity and it is increasing every year. Poor workplace MWH is almost an epidemic after COVID-19. It will be a significant challenge for a long time, in particular for SMEs which are hit hardest by the pandemic, as MHW problems have been shown to be a COVID side effect among 1:5 people. Despite the multifactorial aetiology of MHW (individual, social, environmental, and organizational), interventions for workplace MHW mostly refer to 'one size fits all' and top-down solutions, primarily asking for the commitment and behaviour change of employees; that has shown to be ineffective. The main assumption underlying the present work is the need for a proactive and tailored MHW frameworks that can be blended to organizational policies. The objective which corresponds to the main purpose of the paper is to provide a 5-staged MWH model, stemming from our evidence-based studies, that may speak for the identified need. We also discuss how the Model can provide a route map on how SMEs can implement and measure SDGs relevant to their business in synergistic interaction with SDG3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CW domain binds to histone tail modifications found in different protein families involved in epigenetic regulation and chromatin remodeling. CW domains recognize the methylation state of the fourth lysine on histone 3 and could, therefore, be viewed as a reader of epigenetic information. The specificity toward different methylation states such as me1, me2, or me3 depends on the particular CW subtype. For example, the CW domain of ASHH2 methyltransferase binds preferentially to H3K4me1, and MORC3 binds to both H3K4me2 and me3 modifications, while ZCWPW1 is more specific to H3K4me3. The structural basis for these preferential bindings is not well understood, and recent research suggests that a more complete picture will emerge if dynamical and energetic assessments are included in the analysis of interactions. This study uses fold assessment by NMR in combination with mutagenesis, ITC affinity measurements, and thermal denaturation studies to investigate possible couplings between ASHH2 CW selectivity toward H3K4me1 and the stabilization of the domain and loops implicated in binding. The key elements of the binding site—the two tryptophans and the α1-helix form and maintain the binding pocket— were perturbed by mutagenesis and investigated. Results show that the α1-helix maintains the overall stability of the fold via the I915 and L919 residues and that the correct binding consolidates the loops designated as η1 and η3, as well as the C-terminal. This consolidation is incomplete for H3K4me3 binding to CW, which experiences a decrease in overall thermal stability on binding. Loop mutations not directly involved in the binding site, nonetheless, affect the equilibrium positions of the key residues.

Social enterprises have substantially affected Indonesia’s economic growth and may contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs’) achievement. Social enterprises empower minority groups by giving greater accessibility to a facility for a sustainable means of livelihood to the low income and disadvantaged groups, which make up a considerable part of the population, thereby creating an inclusive workforce. However, financial issues still pose a challenge for the sustainability of social enterprises in Indonesia due to the awkward reconciliation of their social missions, a characteristic of their businesses, with the less attractive returns for their investors. Cash waqf is one of the Islamic social finance instruments accepted to invest and manage certain funds to solve different social challenges relevant to the SDGs. Hence, this study aims to achieve the following objectives: (i) to identify the current issues of social enterprises; and (ii) to propose an Integrated Cash Waqf Social Enterprise Business (ICWSE-B) model in achieving the SDG8 in Indonesia. This paper adopts a qualitative research method with primary data obtained mainly from interviews. The findings suggest that financing remains the most significant challenge for most social enterprise businesses. The study also introduced an innovative integrated business model of social enterprise and cash waqf known as the ICWSE-B model to solve many social enterprises’ financial issues. The proposed ICWSE-B model is considered most suitable for social enterprise as it supports decent work and economic growth of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Global warming severely affects flowering time and reproductive success of plants. Alternative splicing of pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) is an important mechanism underlying ambient temperature-controlled responses in plants, yet its regulation is poorly understood. An increase in temperature promotes changes in plant morphology as well as the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase in Arabidopsis thaliana via changes in splicing of key regulatory genes. Here we investigate whether a particular histone modification affects ambient temperature-induced alternative splicing and flowering time. Results We use a genome-wide approach and perform RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses and histone H3 lysine 36 tri-methylation (H3K36me3) chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) in plants exposed to different ambient temperatures. Analysis and comparison of these datasets reveal that temperature-induced differentially spliced genes are enriched in H3K36me3. Moreover, we find that reduction of H3K36me3 deposition causes alteration in temperature-induced alternative splicing. We also show that plants with mutations in H3K36me3 writers, eraser, or readers have altered high ambient temperature-induced flowering. Conclusions Our results show a key role for the histone mark H3K36me3 in splicing regulation and plant plasticity to fluctuating ambient temperature. Our findings open new perspectives for the breeding of crops that can better cope with environmental changes due to climate change.

Post-transcriptional modifications of histones play important roles in various biological processes. Here, we report that Arabidopsis plants overexpressing histone H3 lysine to methionine mutations at histone H3.1K36 (H3.1K36M) and H3.3K36 (H3.3K36M) have serious developmental defects with early-flowering and change in the modifications of endogenous histone H3, including acetylation at lysine 9 (H3K9ac), trimethylation at lysine 27 (H3K27me3), di- and tri-methylation at lysine 36 (H3K36me2 and H3K36me3). In addition, H3K36M mutation alters its subcellular localization and interacts with H3K36 methyltransferase SDG8. Our results support a model in which H3K36M stably interacts with SDG8, and inhibits the activity of SDG8 by sequestering SDG8, resulting in a dominant negative effect to affect the proper expression levels of a variety of genes and plant development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SET domain group 8 (SDG8) serves as multifunctional H3 methyltransferase to be involved in various processes in plants. To better understand its functions, an EMS mutagenesis of sdg8- 2 seeds was performed for the enhancers of sdg8- 2, and an allele of CURLY LEAF ( clf100) was identified in the study, which enhanced the phenotype of sdg8- 2, such as early flower, abortion, and more shoot branches. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that the simultaneous disruption of SDG8 and CLF can lead to synergistic or antagonistic effect on transcriptional accumulation of shoot branching regulatory genes. Among the 16 genes examined in the study, the transcriptional accumulation of LATERAL SUPPRESSOR ( LAS) and UDP- GLYCOSYLTRANSFERASE 74E2 ( UGT74E2) displayed most significant enhancement in double mutant. Furthermore, the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated that the excess expressions of LAS and UGT74E2 in double mutant were associated with the state of H3K trimethylation marks at their locus, showing the reduction of H3K27me3 level, as well as an elevated enrichment of H3K36me3 at LAS locus and H3K4me3 at UGT74E2 locus. These results indicated that CLF and SDG8 can play a combinatorial role in regulation of shoot branching via maintaining proper histone markers for appropriate gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seed maturation programme occurs only during the late phase of embryo development, and repression of the maturation genes is pivotal for seedling development. However, mechanisms that repress the expression of this programme in vegetative tissues are not well understood. A genetic screen was performed for mutants that express maturation genes in leaves. Here, it is shown that mutations affecting SDG8 (SET DOMAIN GROUP 8), a putative histone methyltransferase, cause ectopic expression of a subset of maturation genes in leaves. Further, to investigate the relationship between SDG8 and the Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins, which are known to repress many developmentally important genes including seed maturation genes, double mutants were made and formation of somatic embryos was observed on mutant seedlings with mutations in both SDG8 and EMF2 (EMBRYONIC FLOWER 2). Analysis of histone methylation status at the chromatin sites of a number of maturation loci revealed a synergistic effect of emf2 and sdg8 on the deposition of the active histone mark which is the trimethylation of Lys4 on histone 3 (H3K4me3). This is consistent with high expression of these genes and formation of somatic embryos in the emf2 sdg8 double mutants. Interestingly, a double mutant of sdg8 and vrn2 (vernalization2), a paralogue of EMF2, grew and developed normally to maturity. These observations demonstrate a functional cooperative interplay between SDG8 and an EMF2-containing PcG complex in maintaining vegetative cell identity by repressing seed genes to promote seedling development. The work also indicates the functional specificities of PcG complexes in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

COVID-19 pandemic has led to uncertainties in the financial markets around the globe. The pandemic has caused volatilities in the financial market at varying magnitudes, in the emerging versus developed economy. To examine this phenomenon, this study investigates the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stock market returns and volatility in an emerging economy, i.e., Indonesia, versus developed country, i.e., Hungary, using an event-study approach methodology utilizing GARCH (1,1) model. In this study, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) and the b (BUX) data were obtained from Investing and Bloomberg, covering two global events observed within the selected period from 27 September 2006 to 31 August 2021. The data is compared with the stock market volatility data from the global financial crisis in 2007/08. Findings reveal that the recent COVID-19 pandemic had negative stock market returns at a greater magnitude compared to the global financial crisis, in both the emerging and developed economy's equity market. Stock markets in Indonesia and Hungary have experienced volatility during the crisis. While comparing the result between COVID-19 and the global financial crisis, we found that the volatility on the stock markets is higher in the COVID-19 pandemic than during the global financial crisis. The higher stock market negative returns and volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the lockdown and limited economic activities, which impacted supply and demand shock. The virus's propagation and mutation are continually evolving, reminding us that the pandemic is far from over. Developed countries with larger fiscal space seem to find it easier to make responsive policies than countries with a tighter financial budget. Fiscal and monetary policies seem to be a quick solution to stabilize the economy and maintain investor confidence in the Indonesian and Hungarian capital markets. Furthermore, the extension of stock market volatility understanding ensures relevant information for investors, which benefits to mitigate the risk and build sustainable investments of the unprecedented events and enables the promotion of Sustainable Development Goal number 8 (SDG8) to communities, with access to financial products including the stock market, especially during economic and financial uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The financial sector is divided into two broad categories: equity and banking markets. The healthy functioning of these sectors plays an imperative role in any economy. This study aimed to examine the short- and long-term relationship between the Islamic financial sector (Islamic debt and Islamic equity market), and sustainable economic growth of the two economies with the largest Muslim populations. Quarterly data were collected from 2010 to 2019 for Indonesia and Pakistan. The study used autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) and the error correction method (ECM). The results revealed that in the long run, the Islamic banking sector imparts a significant and positive effect on achieving sustainable economic growth in both countries. However, in the short run, the Islamic stock market was found to have a positive relationship with Pakistan, while the Islamic banking sector had a positive and significant relationship with economic growth in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]