Purpose. This study aims to conceptualize time savings generated through workflow optimization in self-employed beauty service work as a resource that can be allocated not only to increased client throughput and revenue growth but also to non-work life. The article introduces this alternative as the reclaim pathway and develops an analytical structure in which work-life balance emerges from session-level workflow choices rather than being treated solely as a residual outcome of personal preferences. Methodology. The analysis draws on labor-economics approaches to time as a scarce resource, work-family conflict literature, and empirical evidence concerning gender-based inequalities in household time allocation. The practitioner’s choice between revenue growth and recovered non-work hours is examined as a household economic decision shaped by life stage, household composition, partner earnings, and care responsibilities. The analysis is supported by practice records from independent licensed practice between 2019 and 2025, together with trainee feedback and correspondence from licensed colleagues. The lifestyle implications of the reclaim pathway are considered across household labor, recovery, education, and irregular-demand buffering, while structural constraints including employment configuration, quality-maintenance ceilings, life-stage variation, and market-side demand are also examined. Results. The analysis indicates that time saved through more efficient procedural workflow can follow two distinct pathways: it may be reinvested in additional client capacity and revenue generation or reclaimed for non-work activities. The proposed framework demonstrates that the relative value of these alternatives varies according to the practitioner’s household and economic circumstances rather than being determined by productivity considerations alone. The reclaim pathway therefore provides a mechanism for connecting session-level workflow efficiency with broader patterns of household labor allocation, recovery, education, and management of irregular demands. Practical implications. The proposed approach broadens the practical interpretation of workflow optimization in self-employed beauty services by treating saved time as an allocable resource rather than automatically converting it into additional working capacity. It may assist practitioners in evaluating whether efficiency gains should be directed toward revenue growth, recovery of personal time, or a combination of both according to their life stage, household responsibilities, income structure, and market conditions. Value/originality. The study contributes an alternative conceptualization of procedural efficiency by introducing the reclaim pathway and linking session-level workflow decisions to work-life balance and household economic decision-making. In contrast to approaches that primarily interpret faster service delivery through productivity and revenue outcomes, the framework recognizes recovered non-work time as an independent potential return on workflow improvement.
Problem setting. A decade after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, companies have embedded sustainability principles into mainstream corporate reporting, while the financial effects of this transition remain considerably less certain. The growing financing needs associated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), together with the recent weakening of several sustainable finance indicators, make it increasingly important to distinguish between declared corporate commitment and actual capital allocation. Aim. This study aims to assess this divergence, focusing on the relationship between SDG-related corporate commitments and observable financing and investment outcomes in contemporary corporate finance. Methodology. The study applies documentary, comparative, and structural-dynamic analysis to aggregate open-source data for 2015-2025 and examines five interconnected layers, namely, corporate disclosure, labelled debt issuance, sustainable fund flows, pricing signals, and real investment. Results. The results show that sustainability reporting has become near-universal among the world’s largest companies – 96% of the G250 report on sustainability; among G250 companies that report on sustainability or ESG matters, 74% use the SDGs. At the same time, sustainable bond issuance declined by 19% in 2025 to approximately USD 866 billion, while total global bond issuance increased by almost 11% to more than USD 10 trillion. Sustainable funds recorded USD 84 billion in net outflows in 2025, while SDG-related FDI in developing economies fell by 26% in 2024. Annual labelled issuance is equivalent in scale to approximately 20-25% of the estimated USD 4 trillion annual SDG financing gap, although this comparison does not measure actual gap coverage. The findings demonstrate a descriptive divergence between mature sustainability communication and several downstream indicators of financing and investment. Practical value. This study demonstrates that corporate treasurers, investors, regulators, and development finance institutions should assess disclosure, labelled instruments, investor commitments, and real investment separately when evaluating the financial contribution of business to the SDGs.
The purpose of this study is to examine how automation and digital control systems can enable the safe and efficient integration and transportation of next-generation gaseous energy carriers, primarily biomethane and green hydrogen, through existing pipeline infrastructure originally designed for natural gas. Methodology. The study is based on a structured review of peer-reviewed literature addressing four interconnected areas: modernisation of control systems on linear pipeline networks; gas quality monitoring, metering, and pressure management requirements for biomethane and hydrogen; infrastructure compatibility constraints arising from hydrogen’s material and physical properties; and the specific conditions of Ukrainian biomethane projects as a near-term energy transition pathway. Results. The study develops the Pipeline Carrier Transition Readiness Framework (PCTR), a four-domain, multi-indicator scoring tool designed to assess the readiness of existing pipeline segments for transition from natural gas to biomethane, hydrogen blends, or pure hydrogen service. Application of the PCTR to the Ukrainian context identifies gas quality monitoring and regulatory certification as the most critical near-term gaps. The analysis further demonstrates that automated monitoring and SCADA modernisation constitute essential prerequisites for a responsible transition to alternative gaseous energy carriers. Practical implications. The proposed framework can support pipeline operators, engineers, infrastructure planners, and decision-makers in identifying technical and regulatory gaps, prioritising infrastructure upgrades, and determining appropriate transition pathways for individual pipeline segments. In the Ukrainian context, substantial biomethane potential provides a viable near-term opportunity for developing the technological, monitoring, and regulatory capabilities required for the subsequent transition toward hydrogen-ready infrastructure. Value/originality. The principal contribution of the study is the development of the PCTR as an integrated assessment instrument that brings together automation, gas quality control, infrastructure compatibility, and transition requirements within a single structured framework. Unlike approaches that examine biomethane or hydrogen integration separately, the proposed model conceptualises their deployment as successive stages of pipeline infrastructure transformation, positioning biomethane integration as a practical intermediate step toward the longer-term development of hydrogen-ready networks.
The article examines the role of economic innovativeness in strengthening national and international security, with a particular focus on Austria and Germany as highly integrated European economies. The subject of the study is the relationship between the innovative capacity of national economies and their ability to maintain economic resilience, competitiveness, technological capabilities, and strategic autonomy under conditions of global transformation. The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing importance of technological development, research and development, digitalization, and innovation capacity amid geopolitical uncertainty, disruptions in global value chains, and growing competition for technological leadership. The purpose of the study is to identify the key dimensions of economic innovativeness in Austria and Germany and to assess their significance for national economic security and the broader international security environment. The research is based on a comparative methodological approach that combines comparative analysis, systematization, statistical analysis, and synthesis. The empirical basis of the study includes international and European innovation indicators, particularly data from the European Innovation Scoreboard, as well as selected indicators reflecting research and development activity, business innovation, technological capabilities, and the integration of national innovation systems into the European economy. The study also applies a conceptual approach to interpreting economic innovativeness as a multidimensional strategic capability rather than merely a source of economic growth. The results of the study demonstrate that both Austria and Germany possess strong innovation systems, although their structural characteristics and individual strengths differ. Germany benefits from a powerful industrial and technological base, substantial business research and development activity, and strong integration into international value chains. Austria demonstrates a high level of innovation performance supported by effective cooperation between business, research institutions, and public-sector actors. At the same time, both economies face challenges related to technological competition, changing global value chains, and the need to strengthen their strategic technological capabilities. The analysis indicates that economic innovativeness contributes to security by strengthening competitiveness, supporting technological capabilities, reducing certain forms of critical external dependence, and increasing national economies' capacity to adapt to external shocks. The conclusion is that economic innovativeness should be regarded not only as a driver of economic growth but also as a strategic component of national and international security. The comparative analysis of Austria and Germany demonstrates that sustained investment in research, technology, human capital, and innovation ecosystems can strengthen economic resilience and strategic capacity while contributing to the stability of the wider European economic environment.
The purpose of the paper is to assess the innovation and institutional determinants shaping the competitive position of Ukraine's creative industries in the global creative economy. The study focuses on identifying the key strengths and constraints of the innovation and institutional environment influencing their development and competitiveness. Methodology. The study applies an index-based approach using the Global Innovation Index (GII) and the International Property Rights Index (IPRI). The empirical analysis covers selected years during 2010–2025 and examines changes in Ukraine's ranking positions and selected index components related to the development of creative industries. The results of the index-based assessment are systematized through a SWOT analysis to identify the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats affecting the competitive position of Ukraine's creative industries in the global environment. Results. The analysis reveals a persistent asymmetry between Ukraine's innovation inputs and innovation outputs, with stronger positions generally observed in innovation outputs. Relatively favorable positions are identified in knowledge creation, information and communication technologies, and selected components of creative outputs. At the same time, weaknesses in the institutional environment, human-capital development, innovation linkages, and intellectual property protection constrain the realization of Ukraine's creative and innovation potential. The findings indicate a gap between the country's capacity to generate knowledge and creative outputs and its institutional capacity to protect, commercialize, and capitalize intellectual assets, thereby constraining the competitive position of Ukraine's creative industries in the global creative economy. Practical implications. Strengthening the competitive position of Ukraine's creative industries requires improving the institutional environment, intellectual property protection, human-capital development, and innovation linkages. Addressing these constraints can facilitate the transformation of existing creative and innovation potential into sustainable economic value and strengthen the position of Ukraine's creative industries in global markets. Value / originality. The combined application of innovation and property rights indices provides a multidimensional perspective on the determinants shaping the competitive position of Ukraine's creative industries and reveals the structural gap between creative potential and the institutional capacity for its economic realization.
