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The aim of this study is to examine which issues teachers' perspectives focus on in culturally responsive educational practices within the Turkish education system, identifying points of consensus and disagreement, and exploring the reasons behind the most extreme statements. Q methodology was used to collect and analyze the data. Twenty-one volunteer teachers participated in the research. Q statements regarding culturally responsive education were created based on opinions in the literature. As a result of the analysis, it was found that teachers agreed with the statement "students' cultural competence skills for different cultures are increased." Conversely, teachers disagreed with the statement "measures are taken against discrimination towards different cultures." Teachers felt hesitant to share their opinions on the statements they strongly agreed or disagreed with due to the sensitivity of the subject. The research findings recommend that teachers be provided with concrete practices and good examples of culturally responsive education.

An increasing necessity to prepare future teachers to cater for the needs of multilingual learners has led to growing research in education and educational linguistics across the world. This paper presents the methodological design of a longitudinal research project that measures the affective-motivational competence development of pre-service teachers with regard to multilingual learners. The project is based within a large German teacher education programme during which pre-service teachers attend several compulsory modules on multilingualism as part of their early professionalisation. The affective-motivational competence development of two full cohorts of prospective middle school teachers (n = 499) is observed in four test intervals across their five-year programme. The present paper limits itself to reporting on the complex design, the measurement instruments, and the methodological challenges of a longitudinal observation of relevant competence facets. The paper closes with a critical reflection of both the opportunities and the limitations of the research design presented here.

This article analyzes the sketches of Ernesto “Che” Guevara and fellow guerrillas made by the Argentine Ciro Bustos during his captivity in Bolivia in 1967. Many of the references to Bustos in biographies of Guevara and in writings about the latter’s failed Bolivian campaign depict Bustos, because of those sketches, as “the man who betrayed Che.” The tensions and discrepancies in those accounts suggest instead that Bustos’s sketches should be seen not merely as documents of betrayal but as artworks embedded in the period’s wider revolutionary visualities. The article argues that Bustos’s drawing of Che Guevara, who is usually depicted visually as “heroic guerrilla” or “saintly martyr,” introduces an affective, intimate gaze of armed struggle in all its complications.

At a time when Cuban immigrants are seeking political asylum at historically unprecedented rates, most press and scholarly accounts consistently mirror earlier portrayals of Cubans’ mass exodus from the island in one key aspect: they ascribe to refugees a primarily economic reason for their decision to leave and offer little discussion of political factors. To illuminate the need for such analysis, this article examines the Mariel Boatlift of 1980, when approximately 125,000 Cubans, most of them thirty years old or younger, left Cuba. No other exodus of Cubans was more demonized than the Mariel, both by Cuba’s supporters and leadership and by exile opponents of the communist state. Exploring how the intensification of ideological criteria for inclusion in the Cuban Revolution undermined the quality of Cubans’ liberation under socialism prior to Mariel, this article explores state policies and the deep politicization of everyday life and identity. Key political factors explain many young people’s alienation and the degree to which the Cuban state sanctioned and directed extreme measures of repression to discredit those who wanted to leave as lazy, sexually degenerate escoria (human trash).

This article examines the emergence, consolidation, and influence of the Cristianos por el Socialismo (CpS, or Christians for Socialism) movement as part of the overlapping political and religious transformations of the 1960s. The election of self-declared Marxist Salvador Allende in 1970 inspired a sector of the clergy to creatively converge the tenets of Marxism and Christianity. The notion of transcendence and the construction of a “New Man” appealed to the utopian aspects of both religious and Marxist thinking. The Chilean CpS had a Latin American impact, as evidenced by the First Latin American Encounter of Christians for Socialism in Santiago in 1972, and a transnational impact, as seen in the formation of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians in 1976. The analysis of CpS and its influence within and outside of Chile reveals an often-overlooked component of the Chilean road to socialism: the work of Catholics in Marxist-Christian rapprochement.

This article explores “religious racism,” or discrimination against devotees of African-derived religions in Brazil, as a broader pattern of structural racism rooted in racialized religious alterity, Afrophobia, and the epistemic divide between religion and nonreligion. The term religious racism has been proposed by some devotees and anti-racist activists to emphasize that Afro-Brazilian religions are uniquely targeted in ways other non-Christian religions are not. Unlike religious intolerance, the term religious racism explicitly connects discrimination against Afro-Brazilian religions to colonization, color or racial hierarchy, and anti-Black prejudice. This article clarifies the ideological groundings of religious racism that encourage Neo-Pentecostal extremists to pursue “order and progress,” as the national motto suggests, through physical violence.

José Maldonado and Manuel José Castellanos were two Cuban pardo veterans who, in search of military status, rank, and salary, petitioned the court, making arguments that would prove subversive to the racial order. As Maldonado justified his entitlement to rank and Castellanos his to rank or salary, they recovered family narratives dating from when pardo and moreno commandants had enjoyed real power. Under the guise of symbolic recognition, new regulations greatly reduced black militias’ autonomy. These militiamen acted as de facto historians, legal interpreters, and activists during times of institutional and historical change. While they did succeed in recording their families’ past, their petitions for rank and salary were denied.

A key element in the historically unprecedented advances in indigenous women’s political representation under Bolivia’s Evo Morales’s administration (2006–2019) was the influence that women coca growers played in the rural women’s indigenous organization known as the Bartolinas. Driven in no small measure by their resistance to the US-financed War on Drugs in the Chapare region, the cocaleras became both Bolivia’s strongest indigenous women’s organization and its most dedicated advocates for indigenous women’s rights. This article contends that intersectionality—of gender, class, and indigenous identities—is at the heart of understanding indigenous women’s transformation from “helpers” of a male-dominated peasant union to government ministers in the space of ten years. Not only did they effectively deploy chachawarmi, the Andean concept of gender complementarity, to advance their rights in a way consistent with their cultural identity and political loyalties, but they also benefited from the gains of a predominantly urban middle-class feminist movement even though they formally rejected the feminist movement’s composition and perceived orientation.

This essay reviews the following works:

This essay reviews the following works:

This essay reviews the following works:

At the crossroads of scholarship scrutinizing digital religion and pilgrimage, this article analyzes the use of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram by devotees of Our Lady of Juquila, a Marian image in Oaxaca, Mexico. It combines the close reading of content and descriptive online ethnography with web scraping and data analysis. The article sketches these platforms’ role in pious expression, virtual community building, pilgrimage group communication, and devotional marketing, tracking closely the intertwining of religion and commerce, particularly religious tourism promotion. The data reveal that Facebook serves as the most popular platform for Juquila’s devotees, thanks to its open, pro-sharing design and flexibility regarding group formation. As a result, it has become the essential hub of devotee expression. YouTube, thanks to its particular affordances, has become an ideal niche for narrating travel to Juquila’s shrine and a showcase of the networked nature of devotion as users borrow tools, tropes, and expressive techniques from many sources, religious and secular. Instagram is the least popular platform among devotees because its design is less open and amenable to group communication. It does, however, facilitate both smaller, more intimate community formation, as well as shallow but significant community building on popular public pages run by religious tourism promoters hosting attractive, easily sharable, free stockpiles of images, memes, and devotional slogans. In the end, social media use appears to be stoking pilgrimage in Mexico and setting the stage for significant cultural change in the future as new tools, emerging shared devotional aesthetics, and media logics reshape religious expression and devotee communication. It is also becoming an unparalleled historical archive of popular religious culture.

Indigenous peoples in Latin America have produced some of the region’s strongest and most enduring social movements, drawing on a diverse repertoire of contention to pursue their goals. In the twenty-first century, social media have transformed the landscape of collective action, compelling Indigenous movements to navigate the evolving dynamics of digital platforms. There is an ongoing debate in the literature regarding the role of social media in mobilization. But we know relatively little about how social media fit into the tactical repertoires of Indigenous actors and what tasks these platforms are used for. This article addresses this gap through an examination of how Indigenous actors use social media during protest events. We conducted a comparative analysis of social media content produced by Indigenous social movement organizations during major protest events in three countries from 2018 to 2019. We find that the most common functions include activating supporters and exposing state violence. These functions support several of the organizations’ core mobilization tasks by providing actors with tools to complement collection action.

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Current research on Brazilian vacant buildings where squatters live tends to paint a familiar picture: the occupants are united in struggle, resolute in their understanding that squatting is within their constitutional, legal, and natural rights. However, drawing on new data from Rio de Janeiro, we argue that researchers have an incomplete understanding of this process. Our findings reveal considerable ideological variation among occupants regarding their rights to occupy abandoned property, including their understandings of private ownership versus the social function of property. In our analysis, we explain this ideological variation through what we call “moral economies of occupation.” Specifically, we focus on lived experiences of losing or being excluded from secure housing and the remembered role that the state played in that lived experience. This, we argue, is crucial for understanding why some occupants believe in their rights to squat while others doubt it.

La cifra de desaparecidos en Argentina motiva debates recurrentes. Durante la última dictadura militar (1976–1983) sus denunciantes elaboraron diversas cifras y estimaciones pero el número de 30 mil desaparecidos adquirió un carácter canónico. Tras retornar la democracia, la Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas registró 8.960 casos. En los años noventa, en un contexto de impunidad, grupos de la sociedad civil elaboraron sus propias cifras y en los dos mil el Estado ofreció nuevos registros. El resurgimiento del negacionismo y la relativización del crimen revitalizaron este debate. Este trabajo historiza las cifras de desaparecidos y víctimas de desaparición forzada elaboradas por diversos actores y propone una aproximación académica sobre el tema. Comprende a estas cifras en su doble dimensión: como fruto de la elaboración de conocimiento sobre las desapariciones y como expresión de los combates por la memoria sobre las violaciones a los derechos humanos sucedidas en el país.

ABSTRACTAgainst the backdrop of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Welsh and Basque Governments in 2018, this article introduces a multiscalar and transdisciplinary social sciences action research framework that emerged from a workshop held in May 2023. The workshop engaged stakeholders from both sides and is part of the broader ongoing project. This project seeks to address the main research question, ‘How do small nations cooperate?’ through the exploration of transregional cooperation and mutual learning between Wales and the Basque Country. The structure of the article is as follows: First, it commences with an introduction defining ‘small nations’, presenting the main research question, articulating two related aims, outlining three primary methodological goals and providing a broad context for these two small nations within the framework of their MoU. Second, following a brief description of each small nation, the article concurrently develops the action research methodological framework while analysing findings stemming from workshop discussions between stakeholders of Wales and the Basque Country. They addressed three intertwined territorial scale challenges: Macro, examined through devolution and fiscal federalism perspectives; Meso, explored through social innovations in urban spaces in Cardiff (SPARK) and Bilbao (ASFabrik); and Micro, investigated through grassroots innovations. Finally, the article concludes with an action research and policy agenda. It suggests one operational research question per territorial scale as the conclusion of this article, offering a response to the main research question. The conclusion acknowledges limitations and outlines future research and policy pathways for this ongoing project.

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Abstract After a long season aimed at regulating urban growth, the theoretical debate and the operational practice of urban planning are now focused on transforming existing cities. In this context, public real estate, particularly buildings and areas that no longer fulfill their original purpose or for which the land use is no longer suitable, has emerged as a crucial resource for cities due to its heterogeneity and widespread availability. In Italy, however, the emphasis has been on selling public assets to address financial deficits, rather than meeting local needs or public interests. This paper focuses on the relationship between public real estate and urban planning strategies at the local level, through the analysis of the municipal urban plans of a selection of urban centers across the Italian territory, to assess how unused or decommissioned public real estate assets are addressed within the planning processes, with a view to urban regeneration.

Abstract This paper provides a comprehensive examination of thought analysis as a contemporary practice within philosophical inquiry, exploring its theoretical foundations, methodological approaches, and practical implications. Rooted in classical philosophical traditions yet acutely relevant to modern life, thought analysis—officially conceptualized by Tianqun Pan—serves as a bridge between knowledge and action, addressing the cognitive dissonance that often hinders personal growth and rational decision-making. Through an analysis of historical and recent sources, including case studies from the laboratory of thought analysis at Nanjing University, we investigate whether logical reasoning is an innate human capacity or developed through education and practice, highlighting the importance of fostering logical skills in thought analysis. Ethical considerations, such as trust between analyst and visitor and the principle of value neutrality, are critically examined to underscore the necessity of maintaining visitor autonomy and preventing bias. We explore the relationship between thought analysis and therapeutic practices, emphasizing that while thought analysis is not inherently therapeutic, it possesses qualities that can lead to psychological relief and personal development through the clarification of thought. Comparative analyses with Logic-based Therapy and Logotherapy illustrate the unique position of thought analysis within philosophical practice. By reframing thought analysis as a form of humanistic care rather than clinical therapy, the paper advocates for its role in promoting clear thinking, self-awareness, and ethical living, thereby contributing to individual well-being and social harmony. Ultimately, the study affirms thought analysis as a transformative practice that aligns philosophical inquiry with practical life, empowering individuals to achieve greater coherence between their beliefs and actions.

Abstract Containment, as a way of restricting mobilities, ranges from physical infrastructures to diffused control practices in everyday life. Alongside their physical, social, and political dimensions, such restrictions also engender various temporal borders and experiences of time particular to situations of containment. A prolific field of research has identified waiting and hope as strategies for both enforcing and surpassing containment. In response, anthropological research on future-making has highlighted a more diverse set of contextual and emergent practices that derive from imagining and realising migrants’ futures. Yet, in contrast to waiting, migrants’ future-making practices have seldom been related to containment. Besides containment informing future-making, migrants and control actors also manipulate time as they plan or experiment with futures to overcome or reinforce containment. Carrying elusive promises of a better future, containment infrastructures can also motivate migrants to stay put and accommodate restrictions to their mobility. This paper addresses how such different relational, often conflicting, practices of envisioning and realising migrant futures contribute to or subvert different types of containment. Building on empirical studies from Turkey, Niger and Kenya we suggest future-making as a relational, practice-oriented and contextual approach suited to trace the negotiation of migrant futures between migrants, control actors, and infrastructures in situations of spatiotemporal containment. We give special attention to resettlement as a form of containment due to its ability to limit mobility through promises of future mobility and its role in negotiating migrant futures. This article serves as a theoretical introduction into the emerging research field of contested future-making in containment and to the corresponding paper cluster.

Abstract This study investigates the association between audit committees’ (ACs) financial expertise and the implementation of accretive repurchases as a strategic method for real earnings management (REM). The study also examines empirical data about the influence of powerful Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) on the linkage between AC financial expertise and REM through accretive repurchase. A comprehensive analysis was performed on the dataset from a representative sample of 391 publicly traded Malaysian companies actively participating in accretive repurchases between 2014 and 2019. The research discovered a negative association between the level of financial proficiency exhibited by the ACs and the degree to which accretive repurchases are performed. The finding also shows a negative moderating impact of CEO authority on the connection between the financial competence of the AC and accretive repurchase practices. The results emphasise the need for financial competence inside the AC to guarantee effective oversight. However, the effectiveness of this specialised expertise appears to diminish in scenarios where a CEO possesses significant decision-making power. This indicates that AC members with financial experience are compromised in the presence of a powerful CEO. The findings carry significant ramifications, specifically for major stakeholders and governing entities in emerging economies. The significance of implementing strong corporate governance practices is emphasised to mitigate the adverse effects of dominant CEOs on monitoring functions of the ACs.s

Abstract Climate change impacts are gendered. This is also true for climate-induced migration, which affects men and women differently. On account of this difference, legal instruments and policies seeking to address and support climate-induced migration need to be gender-focused to address differentiated needs and outcomes. This paper looks at existing policies and legal instruments for the inclusion of gender aspects of climate-related migration. We focus on Ethiopia, India, and Peru, all of them with developed instruments to address the human mobility-climate change nexus. We investigate the scope of provisions concerning gender in relevant instruments in the three country contexts, their likely impact to tackle gender-specific vulnerabilities arising with climate-induced migration and suggest strategies and priorities for enhancing gender-inclusion in policy development and application broadly.

Abstract This study examines the impact of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake on the BIST100 index through the application of complex network analysis. The method begins by examining the correlation distance between the logarithmic returns of companies in the BIST100 index, which serves as the foundation for creating filtered weighted networks. This technique prioritizes robust financial connections while downplaying weaker ones, enabling a thorough examination of the network topological structure and identifying noteworthy financial interactions. The study employs a combination of global and local topological metrics, as well as structural entropy, to gain insights on the interconnections among markets in terms of public interest and the roles played by various entities. It demonstrates how exogenous shocks impact the network structure and reaction. Findings indicate initial notable alterations in the network framework, which were subsequently alleviated by the implementation of financial rules and market processes. This demonstrates the ability of financial markets to recover and maintain stability following a disaster. Results offer useful perspectives on the interplay between market dynamics and the resilience of the financial system in the presence of natural disasters.

Abstract This paper aims to find out if a score-based investment strategy could be developed using different scales. To achieve this objective several academic sources have been used and it is found that score-based investment not only outperforms the market but also protects the investors from the risks arising out of avoidable poor investments in the market. The project is a summary of bibliographic outcome of several scholars who have attempted to find out the impact of score-based investments in their respective markets. Score-based investments are typically dependent on accounting parameters and changes in these parameters signal that a firm’s performance is geared up for a change. The study has been done using a systematic literature review. Several research papers in peer-reviewed journals were referred starting from 1934 to 2021. Various equity-based scores like F-score, G score, L score and C score and debt-based scores like Z score, O score and M score are used for the construction of portfolios. It has been found that across geographies the use of score-based investing is known to give superior returns as compared to the market. Several pieces of literature provide the evidence. Developed countries like USA, UK, Australia, and Canada have a large concentration of literary sources that point to the evidence of score-based investing. At the same time, it is also pertinent to note that the performance of such techniques works relatively better in markets that are not efficient and where asymmetry in information flow is evident.

Abstract Human capital and social capital are crucial in shaping entrepreneurial decisions, yet their combined effects on entrepreneurship entry remain insufficiently explored. This study uses data from the China Household Tracking Survey (2010–2018) to examine how the coupling of human and social capital influences entrepreneurship entry. By defining human-social capital coupling as the interdependence between these two forms of capital, we estimated its nonlinear impact using generalized propensity score matching and analyzed variations across gender and region. The results revealed that human capital-social capital coupling mediated the relationship between these capitals and entrepreneurship entry, following a significant N-shaped trend with identified thresholds. The impact of this coupling was also influenced by gender and regional variations. The study contributes to the literature by introducing a novel perspective on capital coupling, assessing its threshold effects, and highlighting gender and regional disparities. Individuals should understand and use the human capital-social capital coupling to guide their actions; policymakers are encouraged to consider and enhance the coupling between human and social capital in their entrepreneurship support strategies.

Abstract The COVID-19 outbreak caused a disruption of the conventional education system worldwide. This resulted in a shift towards online mode of delivery. This study analyzed the pandemic’s effect on the education of students from diverse socioeconomic groups in Sri Lanka. The required data for this study was collected through a nation-wide field survey, covering 3020 households. The factor analysis (FA) performed identified seven significant factors. Thereafter, K-means and spectral clustering were used to cluster the population in order to identify the socioeconomic groups that were impacted in a similar manner. This resulted in the identification of three clusters whose demographics and relationship to the extracted factors were extensively analyzed and interpreted. The study concluded that students in high-income households were more emotionally affected, whereas students in low-income households were mostly affected by a lack of resources. The study also concluded that students from mid-income households were the least affected emotionally.

Abstract Technology-based reading interventions have been used to enhance the reading skills of young students with reading difficulties. Although a few meta-analyses have addressed this approach, they have overlooked single-subject design studies that usually include students with the most deficient reading skills. This meta-analysis reviewed the 20 most recent technology-based reading interventions for young students with learning disabilities (LDs) and those performing critically below their expected reading levels, conducted over the past 12 years. Tau-U statistics were used to identify potential moderator variables (e.g., setting, grade level, LD identification, technology type, targeted skills, and Council for Exceptional Children standards). The results indicated that the technology-based reading intervention had a moderate effect size (Tau-U = 87), and no significant difference in the moderator variables was observed. Considering intervention efficacy, technology can provide adequate and efficient reading interventions for young students with reading difficulties. Possible explanations for the moderators’ effects are also discussed.

Uncertainty is a ubiquitous, yet often misunderstood condition studied by academia. In the humanities, subjects wield it as a tool, using it as a source of inspiration and entertainment. In the social sciences, subjects consider it a weapon that, when controllable, is leveraged for competitive advantage and, when not, is defended against to minimize harm. We describe the dangers of its misunderstanding—specifically, those arising from mistaking untreatable uncertainties as treatable ones and vice versa. We draw from the analysis of these uses and misuses of uncertainty to make a call to action to improve how we study and address this unique condition that makes strategic decisions so much harder to optimize.

Abstract In response to the growing consumer demand for organic products, this study examines the economic viability of traditional versus organic Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) cultivation in Paraná State, Brazil. The research uses a robust financial analysis framework to compare production expenses, projected profits, and associated risks over a fifteen-year horizon for a single hectare of land. The analysis employs the multi-index methodology to provide empirical evidence and analytical insights into the economic and risk profiles of both traditional and organic agricultural practices. This study further enhances the evaluation by incorporating the Monte Carlo Method and Crystal Ball software, transforming key financial indicators into stochastic variables. This approach allows for a nuanced risk assessment that captures the inherent uncertainties in agricultural investment. The findings indicate a significant economic advantage for organic farming, with an organic return on investment (ROI) of 12.03%, substantially outperforming the 3.99% ROI of conventional methods. Moreover, the research highlights the improved risk-adjusted returns of organic farming, showing an almost negligible probability of encountering a negative net present value (NPV), specifically P(NPV_organic ≤ 0) ≈ 0. The results underscore the financial viability and reduced risk of organic Yerba Mate cultivation, positioning it as a strategic alternative to traditional agricultural methods. These insights align with current market trends favoring sustainable and health-conscious consumer choices and provide critical guidance for stakeholders in the farming sector. This study contributes to the academic discourse on sustainable agriculture and offers practical implications for enhancing economic sustainability and resilience in farming practices.

Abstract The information relationship between real estate investment trusts and stock markets has garnered significant interest in finance; however, the time-varying information flow between the two can vary due to different market conditions. This study scrutinizes the information-leading roles between the real estate investment trust sector and overall stock markets under various market conditions. Shannonian transfer entropy, used for identifying information-leading roles, can reveal nonlinear interactions between two markets; however, the results can be hindered by rare events, such as sporadically occurring episodes. Therefore, this study introduces Rényian transfer entropy to examine the role of rare events in the information flow between the two markets. This conjecture is confirmed using the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment setting of rare events. The results reveal notable findings. (i) Rényian transfer entropy can accurately capture the impact of rare events regardless of the sample period, including the changes in information-leading roles when volatility clustering strengthens. Furthermore, (ii) the significance of liquidity and market efficiency produces different information flows depending on market status. The findings suggest that investors can use Rényian transfer entropy to accurately identify information-leading roles between assets under various market conditions, facilitating optimal portfolio allocation. Moreover, policymakers can benchmark this approach to identify financial risk contagion paths, enabling regulators to implement timely policy actions to mitigate market risks.

Abstract Human capital is represented by people who are carriers of knowledge, ideas and experience that contribute to increasing the performance and competitiveness of the company and the entire society. Human capital management helps companies achieve business goals through efficiency, which includes the effective use of human capital and the effectiveness of investment in it. The article aims to explain the essence of human capital management, offers new metrics for measuring the effectiveness of human capital, and points out a possible approach to implementing human capital management in a specific small trading company. We used the observation method in obtaining data about the trading company, content analysis in the examination of scientific articles and internal documents of the company, synthesis, descriptive statistics, and mathematical methods in the design of metrics for measuring the value of human capital through Excel statistical software, and deduction in the design of generally applicable rules for all types of companies. IBM SPSS software was used for the statistical evaluation of the questionnaire survey. We obtained the basis for making the article through a questionnaire survey, which was carried out in 350 Slovak trading companies. Using a survey, we found that up to 89% of companies do not have a human capital management concept in place and do not use and do not know metrics to measure human capital effectiveness. It is while companies are aware of the impact of investments in human capital on the overall performance and the size of the company´s profit. Based on it, we created metrics to measure the human capital´s value. Thanks to quantitative analysis, we identified KPIs for small business company—sales, profit. We found that external factors also affect the value of human capital. In the analysed company, the improvement of the working environment helped to increase the value of human capital, which also led to higher customer satisfaction. The article fills a gap in the scientific literature because it deals with the issue of implementing the human capital management concept and metrics for measuring the human capital´s value in the company. The theoretical and practical contribution of our contribution also lies in the use of common accounting documents in the quantification of the value of human capital. Companies can be inspired by the article because it provides an overview of the human capital management implementation in a small company, and designed metrics to measure the value of human capital.

Abstract Barriers, such as inadequate accessibility and accommodation, may impede employment access and progression for people with disabilities (PwDs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This study examined how assistive technology (AT) utilization influences the employment experiences of PwDs in KSA. We explored AT types in use and whether gender, age, and disability type shape AT effectiveness. We sought to identify challenges hindering AT adoption, and effectiveness in workplaces. We explored potential remedies through government and corporate actions. A qualitative case-report study was conducted with 13 PwDs (10 males, 3 females; age range, 26‒47 years) of varying occupations. Diverse disabilities were represented: cognitive impairment, speech impairment, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), visual impairment, mobility impairment, hearing impairment, learning disability, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), physical impairment, and anxiety disorder. Individual interviews were conducted in Arabic with open-ended questions addressing employment opportunities, work challenges, the importance of employment, and employment-related factors. Mixed descriptive and inductive methods were used to identify themes. The participants also completed a 21-item Likert-type standardized exploratory questionnaire. The findings indicated that workplace inclusivity of PwDs and widespread AT adoption in KSA are hindered by a lack of awareness, stigma, accommodation costs, limitations of technical compatibility or lack of standardization, and inadequate AT training and technical support. Greater disability inclusion support in workplace environments, with tailored assistance and comprehensive accessibility measures, is needed in KSA. Companies should pursue accommodation individualization and actions aimed at improving awareness and reducing stigma. Governments should pursue legislation that supports AT adoption and awareness campaigns.

Abstract The current research investigates the complex interplay between artificial intelligence (AI)-induced job insecurity, psychological contract breach (PCB), pro-environmental behavior at work (PEBW), and ethical leadership in the context of organizational sustainability. As AI technologies increasingly permeate the workplace, understanding their impact on employee attitudes and behaviors becomes crucial for maintaining organizational effectiveness and environmental responsibility. Drawing on several theories, we developed and tested a moderated mediation model using a three-wave time-lagged design with 391 employees from various South Korean corporations. Our findings reveal that AI-induced job insecurity does not directly affect PEBW, but rather operates through the mediating mechanism of PCB. Specifically, AI-induced job insecurity positively influences PCB, which in turn negatively affects PEBW. Moreover, ethical leadership emerges as a significant moderator, mitigating the positive association between AI-induced job insecurity and PCB. This study uniquely contributes to the literature by integrating AI-induced job insecurity into the organizational sustainability framework, offering novel insights into how technological advancements influence employee pro-environmental behaviors. Our findings extend the understanding of the Context-Attitudes-Behavior framework in the digital age, bridging the gap between technological disruption literature and environmental sustainability research. These results provide practical implications for organizations striving to balance technological innovation with employee well-being and environmental responsibility, offering strategies for maintaining pro-environmental behaviors amidst AI-induced uncertainties. This paper contributes to the growing literature on AI at work and offers insights for organizations navigating the challenges of technological advancement while promoting environmental sustainability.

Abstract This study examines the complex interactions between official development assistance (ODA) and the ecological environment of recipient countries, mainly focusing on agricultural economic development and renewable energy. Using dynamic threshold models and robust statistical methods, the analysis uncovers the nuanced effects of ODA across various dimensions. Findings suggest that ODA has different impacts on the ecology of African countries depending on their agricultural dependence and renewable energy development levels. The study highlights the importance of targeted aid and advocates for the integration of ODA with environmentally sustainable development goals. Furthermore, the research underscores the potential for environmental improvement in countries with significant agricultural reliance. It emphasizes the critical role of renewable energy in mitigating ecological pressures and adapting to climate change. This study contributes to the assessment of sustainable development performance after the expiration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2030.

Abstract On the basis of the unbalanced panel financial data of Chinese commercial banks from 2007–2021, this paper first conducts an identification test of the bank risk-taking channel for China’s monetary policy transmission. Then, it tests the impact of bank microcharacteristics and macroeconomic fluctuations on bank risk-taking in monetary policy transmission. The empirical results reveal the presence of the risk-taking channel for China’s monetary policy transmission. China’s bank risk-taking in monetary policy transmission is asymmetric because of the heterogeneity of bank microcharacteristics and macroeconomic fluctuations; i.e., the larger the asset size is, the greater the capital adequacy ratio is, the greater the return on net assets is, the greater the risk-taking level is, and the lower the risk-taking level of banks with poorer liquidity and higher branch coverage is. The impact of macroeconomic fluctuations is reflected in the fact that the higher the economic growth rate is, the greater the risk-taking level of banks. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the transparency of monetary policy, strengthen the supervision of commercial banks, stabilize the macroeconomic environment, match the risk-taking level of banks with monetary credit and economic growth, and improve the effect of monetary policy transmission.

Abstract This research develops a group of novel indicators from the energy consumption perspective and assesses their ability to forecast stock market volatility using various techniques. Empirical evidence reveals that novel indicators, notably industrial non-renewable energy consumption, significantly enhance the forecasting of stock market volatility. The MIDAS-LASSO model, which integrates a mixed-data sampling method, effectively captures key information and outperforms other models in predictive accuracy. Further analysis reveals that the novel indicators contain useful forecasting information over the business cycle and crisis periods. Additionally, we indicate the forecasting ability of the novel indicators from the standpoint of investor sentiment variation. Our findings yield useful insights for the forecasting of stock market volatility, emphasizing the significant role of energy consumption.

Abstract This article investigates the contribution of states’ soft power strategies to the process of East Asia’s increasing global economic and political significance. We identify hosting sports mega-events as key to such strategies and thereby seek to add to both the literature on regional ‘soft power’ and acquiring it through sport. Using East Asia as the focus, we concentrate on China’s leveraging of the Beijing 2008 and 2022 Olympics for soft power gains. We show that China’s propaganda system is also part of their soft power strategy, which tends to focus primarily on domestic soft power. Our findings indicate that China cares about its national image abroad but places greater emphasis on attaining domestic soft power. Knowing that China’s understanding of ‘soft power’ is distinctly different from the ‘West’ allows greater insight into their approach to regional and international soft power acquisition.

Abstract Science diplomacy has been assuming a growing importance in the actions of states due to their need to respond to global challenges and to strengthen their power and influence through competitive advantage based on science and technology. Within the European Union (EU), science diplomacy can be seen as an instrument for the integration of the European project and for the projection of EU influence, standards, and values in the relationship with third countries. In this context, the present work aims at understanding and characterizing Portugal’s science diplomacy model and its relationship with the European project from 1986 (the moment of Portugal’s accession to the European Economic Community) to 2021. To this end, we mapped the science diplomacy designed and implemented by the Portuguese State by identifying its different instruments based on a methodology suggested by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Van Langenhove in 2017 and using a timeframe suggested by Heitor in 2015. The obtained dataset was subjected to a combination of analytical frameworks, including the general framing analysis proposed by Ruffini and Krasnyak in 2023, which allowed us to identify the objectives, strategic drivers and implementation approach of the Portuguese science diplomacy model. In the period under study Portugal has been developing a science diplomacy in parallel with the European project without ever losing a global vision of the relations in the field of science and technology.

Abstract This study conducts a comparative analysis of grounding strategies employed in French and Indonesian narrative discourse. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the research draws upon a corpus of French and Indonesian novels to examine the linguistic mechanisms utilized to establish grounding in these languages. This research questions the different markers of grounding in French and Indonesian narrative discourses, the types of grounding meanings, the role of culture in grounding, and what elements can strengthen grounding. The results of the textual analysis reveal that French employs the use of tenses, specifically the passé simple and imparfait (past tenses), to convey grounding, whereas Indonesian utilizes affixes, specifically the “me(N)-” and “di-” prefixes, for the same purpose. Further, the analysis illustrates that the “me(N)-” affix can be utilized to express both backgrounding and foregrounding, while the “di-” affix is restricted to foregrounding. Additionally, Indonesian also employs the use of third-person singular pronouns—“dia” and “ia”—to enhance grounding. The contextual analysis also highlights that in Indonesian narrative discourse, there is a tendency to repeat self-names as a form of politeness. This conclusion applies to languages that use tenses (e.g., French and English) as grounding markers and applies to languages that use affixes for grounding markers (e.g., Indonesian and Malay).

Abstract Prosodic entrainment, the phenomenon of speakers adapting their speech patterns to each other, has been extensively studied in short turn-taking conversations. However, little is known about its dynamics in long-and-short turn-taking contexts, such as talk shows. This study investigates prosodic entrainment in Mandarin Chinese talk shows, focusing on the effects of gender and role on entrainment behaviour and the correlation between perceived similarity and acoustic-prosodic features. We analysed a corpus of 50 audio files from a popular Mandarin Chinese talk show, examining three acoustic-prosodic features: pitch, intensity, and speaking rate. Prosodic entrainment was measured using proximity and synchrony-related distances at both local and global levels. Additionally, a perceptual judgement task was conducted to assess perceived prosodic similarity. Results showed that negative entrainment was more prevalent than positive entrainment across all three feature sets, particularly in speaking rate synchrony. The female host demonstrated larger positive entrainment compared to both male and female guests. Gender-role interactions revealed complex entrainment patterns: mixed-gender pairs showed greater local synchrony, while same-gender pairs exhibited more global entrainment. Perceived similarity correlated moderately with pitch for male guests in both local proximity and synchrony, suggesting pitch plays a crucial role in listeners’ perception of prosodic similarity. These findings challenge conventional assumptions about positive entrainment’s benefits in communication and highlight the complex interplay between gender, role, and entrainment behaviour in talk show settings. The prevalence of negative entrainment suggests that contrasting speech patterns can contribute to engaging and dynamic conversations in specific contexts. This study enhances our understanding of prosodic entrainment in long-and-short turn-taking contexts and emphasises the need to consider gender, role, and communicative settings in future research on speech accommodation.

Abstract As green development gains traction, digital finance, a major engine of the economy, plays a conducive role in improving green total factor productivity. Against this backdrop, avoiding corporate ESG decoupling is essential in the pursuit of green and quality development of enterprises. With data from Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies from 2016 to 2022, this study explores the impact of digital finance on corporate ESG decoupling, and the findings reveal that digital finance can suppress corporate ESG decoupling, and the effect is significant at the 1% level. Specifically, digital finance curbs corporate ESG decoupling by alleviating financing restraints on enterprises, increasing investment efficiency, improving the quality of information disclosure, and minimizing managerial myopia; the effect is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, high-tech enterprises, and heavy-polluting enterprises; second, investor attention positively moderates the effect of digital finance on corporate ESG decoupling. The research findings are expected to provide an empirical basis and policy recommendations to allow digital finance to play a more effective role in leading enterprises to healthy and quality development.

Abstract In India, the cinema industry has gotten a facelift with the absorption of regional cinema into its defined and confined boundaries, which was earlier a monopoly of commercial Bollywood films as well as award-winning Hindi films. One of the pertinent problems it deals with is the societal, political, and individual negligence towards the marginalised and underprivileged gender minority communities in different parts of the country. This essay traces how transwomen are represented in Indian regional cinema and how the two representative South Indian films, Nanu Avanalla Avalu (2015) and Njan Marykutty (2018), chosen for study, become visual texts which mark clear demarcation from the existing trans narratives and call for a progressive perception to the representation of transwomen in regional cinema. A critical analysis of these films brings forth the nuances and politics of the representation of transwomen on screen by emphasising the construction and contestation of transfemininity and its association with the visible and invisible cisheteronormative patriarchal power play prevalent in society. It also examines the cinematic construction of transphobia directed towards transwomen and concludes on how such progressive narratives can pave the way for an inclusive society through sensitisation of their experiences and issues to a mass audience.

Abstract The brain constantly uses prior knowledge of the statistics of its environment to shape perception. These statistics are often implicit (not directly observable) and learned incrementally from observation, but they can also be explicitly communicated to the observer, especially in humans. Here, we show that priors are used differently in human perceptual inference depending on whether they are explicit or implicit in the environment. Bayesian modeling of learning and perception revealed that the weight of the sensory likelihood in perceptual decisions was highly correlated across participants between tasks with implicit and explicit priors, and slightly stronger in the implicit task. By contrast, the weight of priors was much less correlated across tasks, and it was markedly smaller for explicit priors. The model comparison also showed that different computations underpinned perceptual decisions depending on the origin of the priors. This dissociation may resolve previously conflicting results about the appropriate use of priors in human perception.

Abstract During empathic response selection, individuals draw from both past experiences and social cues, including the distressed person’s identity, their emotional state, and the cause of distress. To study how these social dimensions influence empathic-response learning we integrated a multidimensional learning paradigm, computational modelling, and adaptive empathy framework. Participants identified effective empathic responses across two blocks of distress scenarios, with one social dimension altered between blocks. We anticipated two learning patterns: dimension-sensitive, treating each change as a new learning experience, and dimension-insensitive, relying on previous experience as a baseline. We found that participants were sensitive to changes in person, emotional state, and distress cause, but to different degree. The person dimension was the most salient, suggesting that the distressed person’s identity is the primary reference point when interacting with others. Our findings provide a quantitative evaluation of the weight given to different dimensions of social interactions, which may help understand how people perceive and react in such scenarios.

Abstract Social neuroscientists have made marked progress in understanding the underlying neural mechanisms that contribute to self-esteem. However, these neural mechanisms have not been examined within the rich social contexts that theories in social psychology emphasize. Previous research has demonstrated that neural representations of the self are reflected in the brains of peers in a phenomenon called the ‘self-recapitulation effect’, but it remains unclear how these processes are influenced by self-esteem. In the current study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging in a round-robin design within 19 independent groups of participants (total N = 107) to test how self-esteem modulates the representation of self-other similarity in multivariate brain response patterns during interpersonal perception. Our results replicate the self-recapitulation effect in a sample almost ten times the size of the original study and show that these effects are found within distributed brain systems underlying self-representation and social cognition. Furthermore, we extend these findings to demonstrate that individual differences in self-esteem modulate these responses within the medial prefrontal cortex, a region implicated in evaluative self-referential processing. These findings inform theoretical models of self-esteem in social psychology and suggest that greater self-esteem is associated with psychologically distanced self-evaluations from peer-evaluations in interpersonal appraisals.

Abstract Light exposure triggers a range of physiological and behavioural responses that can improve and challenge health and well-being. Insights from laboratory studies have recently culminated in standards and guidelines for measuring and assessing healthy light exposure, and recommendations for healthy light levels. Implicit to laboratory paradigms is a simplistic input-output relationship between light and its effects on physiology. This simplified approach ignores that humans actively shape their light exposure through behaviour. This article presents a novel framework that conceptualises light exposure as an individual behaviour to meet specific, person-based needs. Key to healthy light exposure is shaping behaviour, beyond shaping technology.

Abstract Personality traits predict a broad range of life outcomes, including relationship success, educational attainment, and health. As many people have the desire to change some aspects of their personality, volitional personality change (VPC) – self-directed trait changes in the direction of personal change goals – has recently gained increasing attention. This preregistered review aimed to provide an integrative overview of the emerging literature on VPC ( https://osf.io/ns79m ). Based on a systematic literature search on PsycINFO (October 1, 2024), we identified 30 empirical, longitudinal studies on VPC (N = 7719). We summarized the findings from these studies in a narrative integration and using meta-analytic tools and distinguished two research strands in the VPC literature: studies examining VPC without interventions and studies examining intervention-induced VPC. Simply having a goal to change one’s personality was only weakly related to actual personality changes. However, VPC interventions were successful in promoting desired personality changes (d = 0.22, 95% CI = [0.005, 0.433], 7 studies, 26 effect sizes). These personality changes seemed to last or even increase during follow-up periods (d = 0.37, 95% CI = [0.140, 0.591], 4 studies, 17 effect sizes) and were associated with changes in other variables such as well-being. Although the available evidence on VPC is still limited, the initial results on VPC are promising. Future research is needed to draw definitive conclusions on the generalizability, mechanisms, and practical implications of VPC. The authors received no funding to conduct this review.

Abstract Introduction Dengue is a viral disease borne by mosquitoes that infects humans that is a significant public health concern and socio-economic burden globally, especially in countries in the tropics and subtropics. Health education and community participation are the most powerful prevention strategies. Assessing local community knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on dengue is essential for targeted interventions, as enhancing KAP helps communities recognize risks, adopt preventive attitudes, and implement effective measures to reduce dengue transmission. This study developed and validated a questionnaire on dengue KAP among secondary schoolchildren. Questionnaires serve as essential tools in research, allowing for standardized measurement of knowledge, attitudes, and practices, which supports accurate data collection and meaningful analysis. Methods The development and evaluation process (structure and content) involved consultations with eight experts including public health medicine specialists, medical officers, behavioural insights officer, academician, and entomologist, to ensure the relevance and comprehensiveness of the questionnaires. A QDengue-KAP questionnaire was administered to 30 secondary schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The online questionnaire was self-administered, closed-ended, distributed anonymously, and participation was voluntary. Results The final questionnaire comprised four sections and 50 items after the initial version had undergone a rigorous evaluation to ensure its reliability and validity. The content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) values exceeded the minimum requirement and indicated that all items met the minimum standards for content validity. Compared to the initial version, the final version of the questionnaire had improved Cronbach alpha values for each dengue KAP domain: knowledge [Cronbach’s alpha: 0.765 (items: 15)], attitude [0.894 (15)], practice Part A [0.735 (15)], and practice Part B [0.876 (5)]. Thus, each statement in the Knowledge (K), Attitude (A), and Practice (P) domains was deemed valid through validity and reliability evaluation, ensuring their relevance and accuracy in assessing dengue-related factors. Conclusion The validation process demonstrated that each statement in the KAP domains was relevant, accurate, and aligned with the study's objectives, supported by expert validation and representation of the target population. This rigorous approach strengthens the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, making it a valid tool for assessing and improving dengue-related behaviours within the target population.