University of Economics and Management

Purpose The topic of tourism destination competitiveness has resonated in academic research for decades. This paper aims to enrich the current research stream by introducing a system-based conceptualisation that links the complexity of destination competitiveness with managerial approaches required to address it. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a qualitative research design that combines thematic analysis of 20 conceptual models with principles of system dynamics modelling. It conceptualises destination competitiveness by developing an innovative model following system dynamics methodology. Findings The model enables a thorough analysis of destination competitiveness. Its interpretation through three spinal loops introduces a new lens that translates the model’s complexity into three managerial perspectives: resource-based, sustainability-based and systems-based. These perspectives reveal how destination management should evolve in response to growing competitiveness complexity. Research limitations/implications The model captures a limited set of determinants as the essentials of destination competitiveness. Its interpretation is qualitative, based on the purposive generalisation of three management perspectives, although it also encompasses relations beyond management. Future research may validate the model and transform it into a quantitative form required for simulation. Practical implications This paper provides destination managers with a conceptual tool for recognising interdependencies among competitiveness determinants and adopting more adaptive and collaborative management styles in a dynamic tourism environment. Originality/value This paper presents an original system-based synthesis that integrates thematic analysis with system dynamics modelling. It contributes to understanding destination competitiveness as a complex system. It translates this insight into an interpretive managerial framework, overcoming the static and fragmented nature of previous models.

Chronic wounds present a significant challenge to society and have a negative impact on the quality of life and daily activities of patients. This review aimed to identify the cost-effectiveness of the currently used care alternatives for the treatment of chronic wounds. This study serves to identify cost-effectiveness boundaries and provide a basis for determining the cost-effectiveness of the proposed care alternatives. A systematic literature search was conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Articles published on Web of Science and PubMed from June 2013 to June 2023 were included. A comparative analysis was performed using the data adjusted for inflation and transformed for the same time horizon. The median time to heal was approximately 2.5 months in the first quartile of studies ending at 1.3 months and the third quartile ending at 3.7 months. The average cost of complete chronic wound healing for all care alternatives in the study sample was $6435, with a median cost of $5814. This systematic review covers a diverse range of treatment alternatives, their health effects and costs and highlights the complex landscape of cost-effectiveness in the treatment of chronic wounds. Trial Registration: PROSPERO database under registration number: CRD42023434074.

Purpose This study aims to examine how perceived brand authenticity (PBA) shapes consumers’ evaluation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and brand attitude (BA) through corporate reputation (CR). Using a signalling-theory lens grounded in corporate communications, we position PBA as an upstream credibility cue that frames later messages. We test whether CR and perceived CSR authenticity (PCSRA) mediate the PBA–BA link and consider the boundary conditions under which CSR authenticity matters. The paper responds to calls to clarify sequencing and credibility frames in CSR communication, explaining why similar CSR messages succeed or fail across brands. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey (N = 271 Czech consumers) asked respondents to evaluate a familiar global brand (McDonald’s, IKEA and The North Face). Validated scales measured PBA, CR (RepTrak™), PCSRA and BA. We estimated a signalling-theory model using Hayes’s PROCESS (Model 6) with 5,000 bootstrap samples, testing three indirect paths (via CR, via PCSRA and serially via CR → PCSRA). Reliability, convergent and/or discriminant validity and CFA fit indices met recommended thresholds. The design isolates whether authenticity’s effects on attitudes are transmitted through reputation and/or corporate social responsibility authenticity. Findings PBA positively predicted BA. CR was the only significant mediator of the PBA–BA relationship; the PCSRA-only path and the serial path PBA → CR → PCSRA → BA were not significant. PBA and CR positively predicted PCSRA, indicating that prior authenticity and reputation shape sincerity judgements of CSR claims and/or CSR communication; PCSRA showed only a modest direct association with BA and did not significantly mediate the PBA–BA relationship. Results support hierarchical processing: early authenticity cues build reputational capital that frames CSR reception. Managerially, sequencing matters – reputation-building should precede high-profile CSR communication. Research limitations/implications Cross-sectional data limit causal inference; longitudinal and experimental replications should test temporal sequencing. The single-country sample and three well-known brands constrain generalisability. CR was measured with a global RepTrak™ scale; multidimensional reputation measures could separate CSR-related from non-CSR facets and reduce conceptual overlap with PCSRA. Omitted covariates (e.g. CSR scepticism and CSR awareness) and possible brand-level heterogeneity warrant attention. Future work should manipulate brand–cause fit and motive attributions, include behavioural outcomes (e.g. WOM and purchase) and employ multi-group or single-brand designs. Originality/value The study reverses the common causal framing by placing brand authenticity upstream of CSR authenticity and modelling corporate reputation as an active interpretive frame rather than a mere outcome. It integrates signalling theory with corporate communications to test multi-stage message processing (PBA → CR → PCSRA → BA) and shows that CR, not PCSRA, mediates authenticity’s impact on attitudes. The work clarifies when CSR authenticity matters (conditional on fit and motive attributions) and offers actionable guidance on message sequencing, helping communicators design credible CSR strategies anchored in authentic brand-reputation foundations.

This review aims to examine the role of gamification in fostering collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy–the essential 21st-century skills. The review used a structured methodology, while a comprehensive search was conducted across Scopus, ERIC, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate to analyze studies published between January 2010 and August 2025. The findings reveal that when strategically designed, gamification effectively promotes the development of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy skills by embedding game elements into learning activities. Specifically, the findings from the analysis show that collaborative features of gamification tools (e.g., rewards, leaderboards, points) strengthen teamwork, narrative-driven challenges foster critical thinking, and integrated approaches with problem-based learning enhance problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, gamified digital environments significantly enhance students’ digital literacy skills. This review concludes that gamification is a powerful and promising pedagogical tool for developing 21st-century skills, but its effectiveness is contingent upon intentional design.

This study examines the relationship between the real effective exchange rate (REER) and economic growth in Tunisia from 1980 to 2011, using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). The analysis incorporates key macroeconomic variables, including initial GDP per capita, investment, public expenditure, trade openness, and human capital, to assess their impact on economic performance. The results indicate that real exchange rate depreciation has a negative but statistically insignificant effect on growth. While depreciation may enhance external competitiveness and stimulate exports, its impact remains contingent on import costs and inflationary pressures. Conversely, trade openness and human capital have positive and statistically significant effects, reinforcing the argument that economic liberalization and investment in human capital are crucial drivers of growth. Public expenditure, however, shows a negative and significant relationship with growth, suggesting potential inefficiencies in fiscal policy. These findings highlight the importance of exchange rate management, investment policies, and trade liberalization in fostering economic development. Policymakers should prioritize structural reforms, technology transfer, and private investment to enhance long-term growth prospects. The study’s insights are particularly relevant for other developing economies seeking to optimize exchange rate policies and economic strategies to achieve sustainable growth.

Abstract This study applies an asset portfolio investment framework to examine the impact of rural credit participation on the adoption of new agricultural technologies. Using field survey data from two family farm demonstration areas in China (Wuhan, Hubei Province, and Langxi, Anhui Province), the study employs the propensity score matching (PSM) method. The results show a significant positive relationship between rural credit and new technology adoption. Formal rural credit promotes the adoption of high-capital, low-risk technologies. In contrast, informal credit supports the adoption of low-capital, high-risk technologies. The effects of rural credit are stronger for large-scale family farms, which are better positioned to use financial resources for technological upgrades. Small-scale family farms benefit less in comparison. These findings highlight the role of financial mechanisms in agricultural modernization and emphasize the need for targeted rural financial policies to improve credit access and promote innovative technologies in family farming systems. JEL: Q16; O33

Abstract China strives to achieve low-carbon agricultural development, and its agricultural trade deficit has become a reality. Therefore, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of agricultural products import trade on agricultural carbon productivity and its mechanism. The following conclusions are drawn: firstly, agricultural products import trade positively impacts agricultural carbon productivity. Secondly, there is a single threshold effect based on economic development level in the impact relationship between the above two. Thirdly, agricultural products import trade increases agricultural carbon productivity by reducing agricultural production factor inputs, adjusting the agricultural structure, and upgrading the agricultural production technology level.

Beer tourism has become a crucial element of gastrotourism, presenting substantial opportunities for sustainable tourism development. This sector not only bolsters local economies by spending on local businesses but also promotes environmental sustainability by focusing on local brewing traditions and reducing the import of goods. The study aims to explain how different groups (based on gender, age, education, and place of residence) perceive, understand, and engage in beer tourism and thus help to adapt beer tourism offers to these groups' specific interests and improve the sustainability of related activities. The evaluation was carried out based on a questionnaire survey. Based on the variables, we tested through the Chi-square and Fisher-Freeman-Halton tests. Based on the contingency table, Monte Carlo simulation was used for the Fisher-Freeman-Halton test. The questionnaire survey results showed that most Slovak tourists prefer excursions to breweries rather than beer festivals (42.98% of men and 45.45% of women). Visitors get the most information about beer tourism activities through social networks. However, the number of respondents can be seen as a limiting factor of the research, which does not allow for generalizing the conclusions about beer tourism in Slovakia. In this case, it was a pre-test, and the questionnaire was subsequently modified and expanded to include other activities in the field of beer tourism. In the future, the data will be supplemented by personal interviews with brewery owners about their perception of beer tourism.

This study aims to analyse the effect of the implementation of Government Regulation No. 55 of 2022 on Final Income Tax revenue from Individual Taxpayers (WP OP) and also on compliance of Individual Taxpayers (WP OP) MSMEs at the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Taxes of South Sumatra and Bangka Belitung Islands. This research approach was conducted using a quantitative approach with descriptive methods. The population of this research is MSME Individual Taxpayers (WP OP) in the working area of the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Taxes of South Sumatra and Bangka Belitung Islands. The data used is primary data, obtained from the database of the Regional Office of DGT of South Sumatra and Bangka Belitung Islands. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of PP No. 55 of 2022 has a positive effect on the compliance of MSME OP taxpayers in the working area of the Regional Office of DJP South Sumatra and Bangka Belitung Islands.