PurposeThe Covid-19 pandemic closed most educational institutions covering all world and academic calendars are threatened. In this situation keeping academic activities live, most institutions adopted learning via online platforms. However, the question about online learning effectiveness especially in developing countries like South Africa is still not clearly or evidently recognized, as in developing countries due to technical constraints of availability of bandwidth and device suitability is a serious challenge. The authors focus is to obtain the perception and insights of business and commerce students towards online learning education in order to improve an effective online learning environment.Design/methodology/approachThe research study is based on an online survey of 415 students. The research study also explored a mixed-method and numerous explanatory attributes which helped the authors to discuss the results.FindingsResults find out that 73 percent of students were ready to manage online learning and the majority of them prefer curriculum learning through smartphones during this pandemic. Some of the students have an attractive opinion due to the convenience and flexibility of online learning while some students in rural areas face many challenges in online learning due to the connectivity of broadband.Research limitations/implicationsResearch has been uniquely limited to students of tertiary level and vocational training in the field of commerce across some educational institutions from South Africa. Some students were not cooperative in providing answers on time as per the questionnaire.Practical implicationsThe insights of this research study will be very helpful in curriculum designing for the next academic session.Social implicationsIts findings will help to improve the online learning method so that it can be socially inclusive to all the students no matter their condition on data bundle accessibility background and location.Originality/valueOne of the few case studies done during this pandemic era and its findings will help understand how students perceive online learning in order to improve the learning environment.

The Silk Road Economic Belt routes covers more than 60 countries and regions accounting for 30 per cent of Global GDP and world's merchandise up to 35 per cent. By 2050, SREB routes aims to contribute 80 per cent of Global GDP growth and will advances three billion more people into middle class from Asia to Europe via Southeast Asia, Central Asia, West Asia and the Middle East. Asian countries vary in size and complexity having more than sixty per cent consumers of the world market but are not integrated yet, while European Union is extremely integrated market with more than 500 million consumers. Basic idea behind the research is that whether EU trading bloc has improved the performance of member countries or not (regarding education, welfare & growth)? Findings shows that the EU have improved the performance of member countries and all they are moving in same like situation of band. On the other hand, Asian countries are behaving in some irrespective manner. Now, it is suggestion for Asian countries to make trading and economic blocs for improved performance of member countries and better wellbeing of the people in near future and SREB will plays a main role.

This paper presentation reflects literature review and the theoretical approaches on the relevance of the interdependent dynamics of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and their relationship to economic growth. The paper will do a review on literature of case studies and will aim to understand how the STI indicators have been applied or not applied in Mozambique for framing policy on economic planning purpose. Evolutionary theories like those of Schumpeter and others have complex and dynamic approaches which are conceptually attractive. In this paper we examine their respective virtues and limitations, and their visibility when connected with practical policy-making. In this context, the paper aims to examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of science and technology in the economy of Mozambique and analyze the policies identified to support the development of science, technology and innovation. This theoretical approach will also reflect on the relevance of the interdependent policy issues relating to the dynamics of science, technology and innovation and their relationship to economic growth.

PurposeThe purpose of the present paper was to explore the best practices of destination management in promoting tourist destinations through the Mozambique government website (INATUR) and identify strategies that enhance its visibility and online presence. This was only possible by (1) exploring if people are aware of the government website’s existence; (2) examining the existence of indicators of the engagement behaviors for the web-users (visitors) in their searching process on the government website; (3) exploring if the engagement behavior and website features have influence on the government website visitors’ satisfaction and (4) providing measures to enhance the popularity of the government website at INATUR.Design/methodology/approachThe study combined a qualitative and quantitative methodological approach from the primary data collected via an online questionnaire survey of 269 random respondents, and the selected data was analyzed and processed using Stata 13 with the descriptive statistic and ANOVA [Analysis of Variance (an econometric model)] technique. The data was collected from secondary sources and from the interview, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was applied with an interpretive approach.FindingsThe government website presents the minimum of relevant information to respond to the users’ needs and expectations. There is little knowledge regarding the existence of the government website for tourism destination marketing. Few respondents were surprised about this website’s existence. The optimistic side of responses came from those peple who used the website and it helped their expectation. The correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship between the government website features and the visitors’ searching satisfaction; the interview outputs noted that the shortage of staff at INATUR with knowledge of digital marketing engagement plays a role in solving the problem of the visibility and online presence of the website.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the apparent limitations of this research was the world pandemic situation (Covid-19), which influenced to make abrupt arrangements in conducting the questionnaire survey and interview compared to the planned schedule. The interview was supposed to be a field research to have direct contact with her respondents and collect nonverbal information through the respondents’ body language, but unfortunately, it was not possible. Improvising was one of the solutions and had to design an online questionnaire survey for national and international tourist respondents and an emailed interview with INATUR director. Because of that, the results showed a very significant gap between African nationals and international respondents in number of 264 and 5, respectively (about in 98,14%) caused by the lockdown and traveling limitation.Practical implicationsThe adoption of the contents in “Recommendations for policy and decision-making” can help in synergizing an integrative marketing communication strategy that enables all actors to maximize local economic benefits without spending many financial resources, and support sustainability, different tourist destination suppliers, authorities and local communities’ development. Ensuring effective and efficient communication, and above all, enhancing the provision of reliable information. Reinforce the importance of the practical teaching and learning of digital platforms in tourism schools and universities; offer a thematic tool to serve as an analytical basis in future studies, encouraging continuous scientific research on the subject under study.Social implicationsRaising the awareness of the government website among tourist consumers; promoting Mozambique as a reference destination and its tourist diversity through the use of the government website; capitalizing tourists’ enterprises for communities’ development; improving the competitiveness of destinations through greater exposure of tourism products and services on the government website boosts the economic gains for the development of the tourism sector in the country. Accessibility to the information channel of Mozambican tourist destinations via the government website, and stimulating the desire to visit; improve and enrich the visitor’s experience quality on the government website in the tourist information consultation.Originality/valueIt is the first research in the country about tourism destination marketing using indicators like customers’ behavioral engagement levels based on social interactions such as likes, shares and comments on the government website, as well as its awareness and performance aspects, to analyze if the INATUR government website is being successful on its tourism destination marketer role. The research was also done to bring solutions to the current trends of the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected and disrupted the tourism industry.