The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (EYLF; AGDE, 2022) guides education and care for children aged from birth to five years. This second version of the EYLF draws attention to children’s executive functions (EFs). However, the impact of the inclusion of EFs on pedagogy with children aged under three years has received little research attention. We reveal fine-grained interactional phenomena within a mother-infant dyad interaction and demonstrate how the mother’s conversational turns facilitate the three-month-old infant’s autonomous participation and sustained attention throughout a collaborative, co-constructed interaction. We highlight the sequential organisation of turns, carefully orchestrated by the mother, that creates opportunities for the infant to contribute to the back-and-forth interaction. We propose that early childhood educators could purposefully replicate some of the highlighted adult interactions in their talk-ininteraction with infants, as these create opportunities for infants to achieve sustained attention that may facilitate the emergence of EFs.

Sustainability has increasingly become a strategic focus of businesses that intend to remain profitable and pertinent in the contemporary operating environment. A Sustainable Business Strategy (SBS) advances the profitability and sustainable development nexus and is concerned with two key priorities: a) ensuring the viability and competitive edge of the business itself (inward focus) and b) contributing towards broader economic, environmental, and social well-being (outward focus). Achieving these two-pronged priorities warrants businesses to ensure alignment between strategic position, strategic choice, and strategic implementation.

This chapter provides a comparative summary and analysis of the key findings in this book. It reveals both similarities and differences in how critical skills shortages (CSS) is recognised, the nature of the challenges of CSS in the diverse countries included from the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions, and the plethora of government and private sector strategies, policies, and plans adopted in response to these challenges. The issue of CSS presents a particular dilemma due to the divide in terms of the inflow and outflow of labour between developed and developing countries. The country case studies in this volume suggest that more resources and efforts will be needed to address the multifaceted challenges of CSS. A series of practical suggestions are included for all stakeholders involved in mitigating or minimising CSS to consider in their attempts to address SDGs.

The tourism and hospitality sector (THS) is playing a catalytic role in developing economies to achieve the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), forming part of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. SDG #8, which promotes decent work/productive employment, provides an appropriate lens to advance a critical understanding of the contribution of THS in countries like Nepal. The country is an interesting case for two reasons. First, Nepal is recovering from several major crises in the past two decades, namely the 1996–2006 armed conflict, the 2015 Earthquake, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, Nepal relies heavily on tourism, contributing 7.5% to the GDP and accounting for one in eight direct jobs before the pandemic. However, despite labour being one of Nepal’s main exports, critical labour shortages (CLS) are experienced within the THS. This contradiction between exporting labour and facing labour shortages in Nepal has received little attention in the context of reviving the THS in a post-pandemic era. This chapter responds to this gap and analyses stakeholders’ perspectives using online media reports. Based on the findings that overcoming the CLS will be challenging due to the limited employment opportunities, inadequate education and training, and increasing outbound migration, the chapter ends with a discussion on strategic implications as a way forward in the context of SDG #8.