Abstract Nowadays, the development of economy and society and consciousness structure are closely intertwined. One of humans’ major concerns now is how to overcome a series of environmental, economic, and social issues. The concept of sustainable development was put forward to instruct people to develop economy and society without damaging environment and sacrificing the welfare of our offspring, and development is at the heart of sustainable development. Everyone is affected by it in a variety of ways. Sustainable Social Development (SSD) is a newly launched journal focusing on the research of sustainable development.

Abstract The study of a foreign language for students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs) can often be a tremendous challenge, making this process extremely complex (most of the difficulties arise from spelling and lexis with major consequences for reading, writing and pronunciation). This also entails a challenge for educators and educational institutions having the task of responding to students’ needs by becoming more flexible and equipped to understand, value and adapt to the differences of their students in order to provide them with quality and inclusive education and equal learning opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to present a study conducted among university students with SLDs with the aim to identify approaches and teaching strategies to foster effective and meaningful English language learning. The underlying intention is to provide useful insight into future trends and definitions of guidelines and viable strategies in the field of education and SLDs. Therefore, 82 university students with SLDs were randomly assigned either to an experimental group (EG, n = 41) who received English lessons designed according to their individual needs and based on compensatory measures, or to a control group (CG, n = 41) who participated in conventional English lessons. Results suggest that the students who benefited from a variety of individualised supports were able to improve their foreign language skills.

Abstract The subject of the article is the formation of the legal framework for sustainable development in the context of modern global challenges. The subject of the legal framework is the social relations of sustainable development, which are regulated by separate branches of law, but in the aggregate form a separate branch of law. The legal foundations of sustainable development, formed under the influence of international cooperation processes, are currently exposed to new threats-illegitimate economic restrictions that call into question the previously stated goals of sustainable development. The purpose of the article is to review the current state and prospects for the development of the legal framework in the context of both traditional threats and new challenges caused by the external restrictions since 2014, and to assess the prospects for sustainable development in Russia. The main research method is the study of international and Russian scientific research literature, analytical and review materials from open sources using induction, deduction, analysis, synthesis and the method of analogies. In preparing the article, historical, statistical, system-structural and causal research methods were also used. It has been proved that the first year of the functioning of the national economy under the newly introduced sanctions in 2022 showed both their negative impact and a certain adaptive potential of the economic system and companies. The article is focused on the prerequisites for the formation, essence and subject of sustainable development law, as well as on methods of legal regulation and examples of legal mechanisms for incorporating sustainable development factors into business practices. The article raises the question of the legitimacy of unilateral economic sanctions from the point of view of international law. The article also assesses the impact of sanctions on the activities of companies and their commitment to the principles of sustainable development. The conclusion is made that business community considers the mechanisms of legal regulation of sustainable development as anti-crisis measures and considers those mechanisms to be expedient and justified in the long term to pursue a policy of maintaining a commitment to sustainable development and finding ways to overcome sanctions pressure.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the indiscriminate nature of global interconnectivity, compelling immediate and transformative changes in our daily lives. This crisis has highlighted leadership deficiencies and underscored the broken aspects of our society that were previously taken for granted. As we envision the future, it is crucial to move beyond mere safety and strive for a regenerative society that is fundamentally better. This research paper introduces the concept of the Virtual Living Lab (VLL), a pre-pandemic initiative designed to track and analyze essential lifestyle narratives. Leveraging signal analyses, the VLL identifies and monitors narratives that deeply captivate and engage individuals. By examining these narratives in both the United Kingdom and Japan, we gain valuable insights into the influence of culture and the growing role of ethics in facilitating meaningful transformations. Furthermore, this study recognizes the evolving nature of our network-mediated society, characterized by fluid boundaries between organizations and individuals. Through an exploration of engagement, transformation, and culture, we investigate how these factors shape a thriving society. We also acknowledge the critical role of big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in analyzing and understanding these dynamics. During the pandemic, community value emerged as a vital resource for survival. Now, as individuals reevaluate their lives and seek sustainable and meaningful work-life harmony, community value can play an increasingly significant role. This research delves into the intertwined concepts of narratives, engagement, transformation, culture, well-being, communication, and balanced life, shedding light on their collective impact in shaping a thrivable society.

Abstract Even before the COVID-19 global pandemic, the world saw the adoption and proliferation of numerous digital tools and technologies, or a global digital transformation. This paved the way for digital inclusion, particularly through e-commerce and shared services platforms which helped to reduce barriers to entry and created abundant socio-economic opportunities across income groups. As a result, digital literacy becomes a vital aspect of modern life due to the rapid global shift toward this digital transformation. Numerous scholars have investigated the benefits of digital literacies since 1995. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate good practices and lessons learned on how digital literacy may serve as a policy instrument for social innovation and socio-economic transformations. The empirical approach is interpretive, through an understanding of digital literacy categorized into three primary pillars: (i) the evolution and foundational concepts of digital literacy, (ii) frameworks and measures of digital literacy, and (iii) the capacity and skills associated with digital literacy. The paper also examines how digital literacy capacity and skills shape social innovation initiatives in Singapore and the UAE, impacting the socio-economic transformation of individuals, families, and communities. Our interpretive approach from field observations and policy implementation, offers a multi-dimensional perspective on digital literacy research, and its socio-economic impact on people and communities. These insights can assist researchers new to this field to gain a more thorough understanding of digital literacy’s broad ecosystem and its extensive impact on communities and nations as a key driver of socio-economic change.

Abstract Sustainable Development is an action programme of the European Agenda 2030 to protect people, planet and prosperity, this programme was signed by the governments of the member countries of the United Nations Organization in September 2015. All European countries recognize the importance of Education and Physical Education and how, as a consequence, schools can implement the goals of sustainable development using the various tools of increasingly digital and technological education. The paper proposes an examination of the literature and some of the technological tools known to date aimed at the didactic support of physical education aimed at the promotion of sustainable development. In addition, the work is enriched with an analysis of the current situation with an interview, administered through the Google Forms tool, addressed to Physical Education teachers working throughout Italy.

Abstract One common multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique is the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), which is frequently applied in several application fields. Finding an ideal and an anti-ideal solution, which are then utilized to determine the distances between the alternatives and the ideal solution, is the foundation of the TOPSIS approach. The method then ranks the alternatives according to their closeness to the ideal solution. TOPSIS is able to handle both quantitative and qualitative criteria, however, the method can be sensitive to the weight of the criteria, and the ranking results can be influenced by the choice of the reference alternatives. This paper provides an overview of the TOPSIS method, its applications, main characteristics and limitations. The paper also provides step-by-step instructions on how to apply the TOPSIS method, including the determination of the criteria weights, the construction of the decision matrix, and the calculation of the TOPSIS scores.

Abstract Industrial park is the important driving force of regional industrial transformation and economic development, but when developed to a certain social and economic level, most planning within the scope of industrial enterprises have been unable to meet the requirements of industrial iterative upgrade and space update reconstruction, and park construction “heavy quantity, light quality” characteristics, so in different levels of the resources will continue to promote strategic transformation and upgrading of old industrial park. Based on the theory of inclusive governance, this paper systematically analyzes the path of the upgrading and transformation of the old industrial park from multiple dimensions. The study found that, on the one hand, the upgrading of old industrial parks follows the path of “regional enterprises leading-public resources leading-local government leading”, forming the old industrial park transformation mode of “enterprise leading the market operation and government services”; on the other hand, the goal orientation and practice activities follow different paths. Among them, the regional enterprise leading mainly focused on the park industry accurate positioning and linkage of the main body to carry out the pilot project, public resources leading by integrated space overall transformation, integration of social resources to build urban construction and public service sharing platform, local government is around the different stages of the process and various security policies and measures of system and mechanism innovation. On this basis, this paper constructs the upgrading path model of old industrial parks, which can not only strengthen the theoretical understanding of the upgrading of old industrial parks, but also provide scientific guidance for specific practical activities.

Abstract The Varshita Venkatesh Written-Word Workshop set up by the author in honour and memory of his wife Varshita, who ascended to her heavenly home in January 2020, can be labelled as a ‘no-income-to-entrepreneur’ social entrepreneurship construct which knits together a swathe of different stakeholders to the ‘Varshita Venkatesh family of charitable funds’, so to say, and uncovers and creates value of different types—economic, social, spiritual, psychological and moral. It has a long way to go, in this ‘value-creating’ journey and contribute to sustainable development in its own humble way.