Emerald Publishing Limited

David R. Maines (1940-2021), one of the most important sociological scholars of the 20th and 21st centuries, constructed a vast area of research to advance the field of symbolic interactionism during his career. Highlighting the significance of Maines’ works in symbolic interactionism, Festschrift in Honor of David R. Maines documents his most celebrated areas of scholarship, including social structure, narrative sociology, social interaction, dialectic perspective, temporality, and mesostructure.

Including stories from individuals who knew Maines via kinship, friendship, or professional relationship, the chapters conclude with two new empirical studies to reflect Maines’ interest in continually advancing the field with cutting-edge research. The collection also features a list of Maines’ selected works for further reading to guide other symbolic interactionists in their research endeavors.

Volume 57 of Studies in Symbolic Interaction is a source of both consolation and celebration for those who knew David R. Maines, as well as those who have just begun to discover his inspiring work.

Humans are fundamentally social beings who crave belonging, mission, and meaning, especially at work. Drawing on the increasing prevalence of remote work in the post-pandemic era, this book asks how organizations can overcome workplace loneliness and create a sense of belonging.

Prioritizing the need to create authentic workplaces to promote inclusion and empower employees to feel comfortable being themselves, chapters present strategies for addressing workplace loneliness based on interviews with remote employees and an examination of successful organizational practices. How, contributors ask, have remote employees experienced workplace loneliness in their organization? What is the role of belonging in tackling this? How can leaders and HR practitioners foster this belonging among remote employees? How does social identity affect employees’ abilities to connect within their organization?

Rooted in real-world research and insights, Overcoming Workplace Loneliness envisions a world of work where all employees feel valued for their authentic selves and are able to experience the encouragement and comradery of office connection from the comfort of their homes. This pioneering book not only sheds light on workplace loneliness of remote employees, but also provides an in-depth literature review of workplace loneliness to inspire future research.

Acting as a follow up to Volume 41 of Studies in Symbolic Interaction (2013), Symbolic Interaction and Inequality explores further the concept of Radical Interactionism, a perspective of researching domination and subordination introduced by scholar Lonnie Athens.

Demonstrating advancements made in Radical Interactionism over the past decade, chapters examine the omnipresent and insidious nature of inequality as well as its social construction among family members, cisgender and gender-diverse people, as well as university students and personnel, particularly college athletes.

Highlighting fruitful accomplishments achieved by a range of symbolic interactionists, this volume exhibits the significance of studying inequality, a venture that not only enriches symbolic interactionism but human life as a whole.

As the record number of forcibly-displaced persons in the world continues to rise, more people of differing origins are sharing space and learning to live together. Prolonged displacement has turned into permanent resettlement and citizenship. To reflect this geopolitical transformation, education too must transform. Beyond Refuge explores abstractions, practicalities, impediments, and assets proffered by research participants to illustrate what an educational transformation should and could look like via a theoretical framework for emancipatory education of forcibly-displaced youth.

Interviews, focus groups, and participant observations gather data from participants across local, state, national, and international levels of educational influence, resulting in a collection of diverse perspectives. The results of Swisher’s study are presented in narratives and discussions upon which educational leaders can build. An emancipatory education of forcibly-displaced youth must begin with an examination of ourselves, our systems, and our societies and be sustained by leadership, policies, and practices based in love, empathy, listening, learning, and community.

A central text for the next steps in inclusive and equitable education, Beyond Refuge appeals to researchers, teachers, leaders, community figures and participants, and policymakers wanting to create lasting and impactful change in their local and national societies.

Over the course of more than 70 years, students of symbolic interactionism have demonstrated how a resourceful and conceptually rich perspective can generate variegated lines of research. However, many have expressed concerns over the sheer wealth and quantity of "lines of research" and the promotion of a "chaos" that lacks a cohesive focus on the fundamental issues, processes, and concepts that define the essence of symbolic interactionism.

Answering David Maines’ call for a forum to define and describe different lines of research, Volume 59 of Studies in Symbolic Interaction allows symbolic interactionists to demonstrate how and why their respective lines of research contribute to the quality and substance of symbolic interactionism. Examining key issues across their respective specializations, authors analyze their importance, historical development, and relevance to this field.

Seeking a concise and substantial vision of symbolic interactionism, Essential Issues in Symbolic Interaction manifests the crucial research endeavors and key elements that contribute to the vitality of the interactionist theoretical framework.

Sustainable development aspires to reduce current societal challenges by creating wealth for everyone within the limit of the planet productive capacity, in this way, ensuring that future generations can meet their own needs. This is largely because sustainable development refers to the “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Activists, corporations, non-governmental organizations, entrepreneurs and politicians must all be involved in achieving sustainable development.

Academics and policymakers have also recognized the potential of entrepreneurs for tackling current societal challenges with their businesses because entrepreneurs are able to fill the voids left by the other individuals and organizations. However, who are these entrepreneurs? How can they provide solutions and tackle current societal challenges with their business?

Exploring the transformative powers of sustainable entrepreneurs, How Entrepreneurs are Driving Sustainable Development also demonstrates how family, women and immigrant entrepreneurs can tackle current societal challenges, break inequalities and bring about change.

The Houston Chinatown’s dramatic transformation from a Chinese enclave decades ago to a continually expanding multiethnic boomtown today contrasts development stagnation in many other traditional American Chinatowns. This pioneer study delineates the evolution of Houston’s two Chinatowns, from the emergence and decline of Old Chinatown to the subsequent development and vibrant growth of New Chinatown – spanning nearly a century.

Zheng and Zou delve into the distinctive character of New Chinatown, underscoring its innovative progress that sets it apart from the nation’s oldest major Chinatowns, a quintessentially Houston story. They also probe the immigrant experience, political landscape, and socioeconomic dynamics that influenced the Chinatowns’ metamorphoses. Scanning the community’s collective response to the dire impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on New Chinatown, the chapters examine the latest development trends in the New Chinatown areas, shedding light on the extent to which they are upholding, or deviating from, traditional practices. Furthermore, the book explores the significance of these trends to the local community and beyond, alongside their wider implications.

Amidst the growth challenges encountered by numerous Chinatowns across America, this timely work offers insightful perspectives on a sustainable model for urban and community development, as demonstrated by the transformative journey of Houston’s New Chinatown.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online.

Over past decades, scholars and practitioners around the world observed an emergence of professionals, research managers and administrators (RMAs) who play an essential role in the advancement of academic research. RMAs have extensive knowledge of the research ecosystem, including funding opportunities, proposals, budgeting and pricing, ethics, open research, project management, finance, negotiation, strategy, systems, and assessment. Until now, limited efforts have been made to investigate RMAs in a cross-regional, comparative manner, or to understand the recent surge of the profession in a larger policy context.

Addressing this gap, an international group of experts share diverse perspectives to provide a comprehensive account of RMA as a profession, offer an analytical framework to understand their role in higher education and academic science. Covering countries in Africa, Australasia, East Asia and India, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, the work provides trans-cultural coverage of the profession. Drawing on theories from related fields, it also provides insights and understanding of RMAs as a social phenomenon.

The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World is the most comprehensive book about practitioners working in research management and administration. The book provides basic knowledge for students and professionals considering a career in this field, and serves as reference material for policymakers as well as academic researchers. By presenting evidence-based observations from around the world and discussing global trends, this text promotes social awareness of RMAs, shares state-of-the-art knowledge on the profession, and offers insights into the future of academic research.

Sequential decision problems arise in virtually every human process. They span finance, energy, transportation, health, e-commerce, and supply chains and include pure learning problems that arise in laboratory or field experiments. They even cover search algorithms to maximize uncertain functions. An important dimension of every problem setting is the need to make decisions in the presence of different forms of uncertainty and evolving information processes.

Warren B. Powell’s work in sequential decision problems started in the 1980s and spanned rail, energy, health, finance, e-commerce, supply chain management, and even learning for materials science. His work on a wide range of problems highlighted the importance of using a variety of methods. In the process, he came to realize that any sequential decision problem can be modeled using a single universal framework that involves searching over methods for making decisions.

The goal of this book is to enable readers to understand how to approach, model and solve a sequential decision problem. To that end, it uses a teach-by-example style to illustrate a modeling framework that can represent any sequential decision problem. It tackles the challenge of designing methods, called policies, for making decisions and describes four classes of policies that are universal in that they span any method that might be used; whether from the academic literature or heuristics used in practice. While this does not mean that every problem can be solved immediately, the framework helps avoid the tendency in the academic literature of focusing on narrow classes of methods.

As society becomes increasingly digitized, the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds blur, giving rise to a dynamic fusion of art, culture, and creativity within the creative industries. In the realm of visual arts, VR and AR have sparked a renaissance of experimentation and expression. The influence of VR and AR extends beyond art, extending its transformative touch to fields like music, literature, and even cultural heritage preservation within the creative industries. The book introduces readers to the roots and evolution of VR and AR, exploring the pioneers, breakthroughs, and influential developments that have paved the way for their integration into everyday life.

The book includes case studies and real-world examples showcasing how these cutting-edge technologies have revolutionized cultural experiences within the creative industries. From virtual museums that transport visitors to distant historical eras, to augmented reality installations that merge digital art with physical spaces, the book uncovers a myriad of innovative applications within the fields of design, media, fashion, gaming, and more.

The profound societal implications of these technologies within the creative industries are examined in detail and the research addresses the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding VR and AR within the creative industries. The book culminates with a compelling vision of the future, exploring how these technologies are set to reshape culture and creativity within the creative industries in the years to come.

The rise of White nationalism has been a global phenomenon, drawing more attention to race and racism, and creating a heightened sense of White identity. As demographics in North America shift, White people are becoming increasingly aware of the racist structures and sentiments that have been embedded in society for centuries. While mainstream political rhetoric appears moderate on the surface, it also appeals to extremist views. There is an increase in hate speech and hate crime targeting members of equity-deserving groups.

White therapists and clients are overrepresented as counsellors and psychotherapists, while Indigenous, Black and People of Colour are significantly underrepresented. Multicultural counseling often tends to prioritize “others” from “different cultures”, while the training in multicultural practice crucial it tends to underemphasize systemic forces. Social justice considers power differentials and systemic contributors, but with a broad focus on anti-oppressive practice. Antiracist practice explicitly targets White supremacy and its effects on marginalized communities. There is relatively little written for White therapists about how they and their White clients can dismantle White supremacy.

Structural barriers rooted in White supremacy have a detrimental effect on all people, but the most disadvantaged are Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour. By drawing attention to this issue, and building support among White practitioners, Jason Brown aims to dismantle White supremacy in professional activities with clients, in the profession itself, and in public policy.

Genderwashing is the process whereby organizational rhetoric differs from the lived experiences of workers, creating the myth of gender equity in the workplace. Genderwashing in Leadership considers how the process of genderwashing highlights hidden biases in organizational policies and procedures, and patriarchal cultural practices.

International scholars from diverse areas such as leadership, organizational studies, sociology, and education explore how genderwashing occurs from various perspectives, including leadership, power and privilege, identity, and career recruitment and selection. Uncovering epistemological assumptions that underpin and sustain genderwashing practices, the ways in which genderwashing intersects with embodiment and intersectionality and how genderwashing policies and practices restrict women’s advancement into leadership, the editors host a space for dialogue and debate.

The Transformative Women Leaders Series is published in collaboration between the International Leadership Association (ILA) and Emerald Publishing. Celebrating women leaders and the leadership styles they employ to achieve success, the books in this series highlight successful context-specific leadership approaches and the moral qualities of endurance.

Shell Structures in Civil and Mechanical Engineering, joint winner of the University of Cape Town Book Award for 2019, comprehensively covers the theories governing the membrane and bending behaviour of thin elastic shells. It applies these theories to obtain practical solutions for a wide variety of shell structures encountered in the civil and mechanical engineering disciplines. Through a detailed examination of the mathematical solutions, the treatment reveals important insights on the mechanics of the shell, allowing the designer to make more informed choices.

Shell Structures in Civil and Mechanical Engineering:

• presents a thorough discussion of the applicability and limitations of the membrane hypothesis in the context of the more general bending theory of shells
• develops the membrane and bending theories of shells, and presents a wealth of closed-form mathematical results for a wide range of shell structures, including junction problems
• includes design considerations and parametric findings for domes, shell roofs, cooling towers, pressure vessels, tanks, new shell forms for liquid containment and novel multi-shell assemblies
• presents the fundamentals of shell buckling and of finite element modelling of shells.

This new edition is intended for civil and structural engineers involved with the design of domes, architectural shell roofs, industrial barrel roofs, cooling towers, silos, elevated water reservoirs, liquid-containment structures at water treatment works, egg-shaped sludge digesters, oil-storage tanks, chemical storage vessels, and pipelines for water, oil and gas.

It will also be of interest to mechanical and industrial engineers involved with the design of pressure vessels, boilers, nuclear containment vessels and associated piping. The rigorous derivation of theory and inclusion of new findings will appeal to researchers and postgraduate students in these fields.

With easy-to-understand explanations of the basic concepts, Seismic Design of Foundations examines recent and worldwide research outputs and post-earthquake reconnaissance case studies, and offers practical means of applying them to the real world. Each case study also provides worked examples of new and innovative findings that reveal background information behind the codes of practice in various parts of the world as well as the lessons learned from recent large-scale earthquakes.

This book aims to

• explain the latest state-of-the-art research on seismic design of foundations and related issues
• breakdown and explain the codes of practice into easy-to-understand concepts
• showcase worked examples at the end of each chapter highlighting the concepts covered
• cover case studies from all over the world, including Japan, New Zealand, India and Taiwan amongst others.

Seismic Design of Foundations presents state-of-the-art information which will be ideal for any student studying postgraduate civil engineering or structural engineering as well as researchers and practitioners working in the field of earthquake geotechnical engineering.

Reservoir Management is the indispensable guide to managing all aspects of small to large reservoirs and dams. Reservoir managers now require a wealth of technical, environmental and legal knowledge alongside a background to key aspects of design, as well as safety know-how, in order to successfully manage their assets. There is also a need for reservoir managers to understand not just the technical fundamentals of reservoirs but to understand the impact they can have on the local environment. In this book, Andrew Pepper, with contributions from reservoir experts, covers all of the essential expertise and technical knowledge in one easy-to-read volume written with the practitioner in mind.

The book includes coverage of:

• the various functions which reservoirs perform
• roles and responsibilities of all involved in reservoir management
• hydrological and water quality aspects of reservoirs
• physical components and features of dams and reservoirs
• maintaining mechanical and electrical equipment
• ecology, amenity and recreation purposes of reservoirs
• reservoir safety
• incidents and emergencies
• sediment troubleshooting
• reservoir decommissioning.

This book will be an essential purchase for any reservoir manager, as well as for developers and designers looking to exercise good practice for the future management of new reservoirs.

Professional Perspectives on Banking and Finance is a collection of cutting-edge articles written by practitioners for practitioners. Addressing core topics such as risk management, corporate governance, and strategy, but with the emphasis on recent developments and their impact on the industry. These gathered chapters reflect a diverse global outlook, addressing issues of importance and relevance for all bankers.

With 100% emphasis on accessible, clear, and applicable advice Professional Perspectives on Banking and Finance provides suggestions to instil best practice in any commercial bank.

Humour is officially recognized in positive psychology as one of the 24 ‘character strengths’. However, laughter has an uneasy relationship with positive psychology, despite being key to communicating joy and happiness.The Positive Psychology of Laughter and Humour corrects this disconnect by combining academic insight with real-world experience. Drawing on the authors’ diverse backgrounds and expertise, this is the first academic volume dedicated to the rarely discussed topic of laughter and humour in positive psychology.

Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky, Merv Neal and Jerome Carson demonstrate how laughter and humour differ, and how both can be applied within positive psychology to boost mood and maintain positive outcomes.The Positive Psychology of Laughter and Humour includes case studies and real-world insight as well as providing a methodological and theoretical background to the topic, giving rigorous theoretical and methodological insight for researchers, and including pedagogical sections in each chapter useful for teachers and researchers.

Structural Design of Buildings: Elemental Design is the essential reference for all structural engineers involved in the design of buildings and other structures. The book forms part of the Structural Design of Buildings series and focuses on the introduction of building elements and materials. It also introduces retrofitting and materials for thermal upgrade of existing buildings.

Broken down into the key areas for understanding and undertaking structural design, and with a fully international approach, this book features coverage of

• concrete
• steel
• timber
• masonry
• aluminium
• glass
• thermal upgrading and life cycle impacts

The book provides a comprehensive and practical guide to the design of buildings from a structural perspective. It is a timely and essential read for consultants, designers, technicians and contractors tasked with a holistic approach to structural design.

Special education has changed over the years since its inception due to advocacy, litigation, legislation, trends, and research investigations. While it can be somewhat controversial depending on the disability the child might have or professionals involved in the process of instructing and planning his/her future education, it is a field that has values that has had measurable impacts on people’s lives. Special Education: Advancing Values focuses on values that are engrained in special education and how we can maintain, sustain, and advance them. It also addresses the most current viewpoints and perspectives on the traditions of special education for students with disabilities alongside new and innovative practices.  

Special Education: Advancing Values is a very comprehensive book. The chapters introduce the field of special education and how we can maintain and advance traditions in the education of students with learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioral disorders, intellectual disabilities, physical and other health impairments, students who are deaf/hard of hearing, students with visual impairments, and students with extensive support needs. Related topics include students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, general education teachers, school leaders and administrators, and parents.

Special Education: Advancing Values concludes with a summary chapter that addresses why special education is an important educational phenomenon that has fundamental values worthy of sustainability and advancements. This volume is an excellent resource for special education professionals who teach and serve learners with disabilities, and other related professionals involved in the educational process such as administrators, school counsellors, and psychologists.

While the physical and emotional trials of waiting on transplant lists are featured in popular media, the struggles recipients face years after surgery are not. Voices of Teenage Transplant Survivors introduces illness narratives from an unrecognized patient population: recipients of heart, liver, and kidney transplants. Offering unique narratives by adolescents who use poetry to explore issues surrounding the changing body, independence, identity, and mortality, the book showcases a message of healing and voices of hope amid uncertainty.

Illuminating the physical, psychological, and existential challenges confronted by adolescents for which organ rejection and side effects loom in their future, Sample details the poetry workshops where these adolescents articulated experiences silenced by family, friends, and the culture of medicine. She includes close readings and analyses of their writings, along with writing prompts and references to narrative medicine theory. This powerful book offers something new for medical and health professionals, medical humanities researchers, students, and the public.

African Leadership is an edited collection enriched by the people who have lived and experienced indigenous leadership first-hand, demonstrating how African leadership is distinctive from usual Western hegemonic paradigms.

Providing an indepth discussion of the components, context, followers, and skills that contribute to the success of African leaders, African Leadership concludes with meaningful applications for 21st-century leaders globally.

Real and meaningful educational ethnography requires researchers to grapple with how they come to know what they know. In Black Boys' Lived and Everyday Experiences in STEM, KiMi Wilson invites us to understand the experiences of four Black boys attempting to learn mathematics and science in K-12 spaces. How do mitigating circumstances and fraught relationships impede on their journey to sharpening their mathematical and scientific skills?

Taking us on a sociocultural trek of the best and worst elements of public education, Wilson provides access to a bird's eye view of how Black boys experience schooling on a day-to-day basis. Through phenomenological interview, readers are let into the minds of students Carter, Malik, Darius, and Thomas, and given the opportunity to understand how they identify themselves. Showcasing a mixture of revelations, we learn how some of their perceptions come from an authentic place, while others were out of their own control, and decided by individuals blind to their potential. Imagining a world where Black boys are encouraged to work on STEM goals rather than abandon them, this important book is for educators, researchers, teachers, administrators, and superintendents who want to create school cultures that value Black boys, and want to reimagine teaching spaces for them.

This volume of Research in the Sociology of Health Care analyses a variety of important social factors and their relationship to health and health care inequities in both the United States and the rest of the world.

With distinct sections for vaccination and other related topics, the chapters unveil the health care inequities that exist across a broad range of scenarios such as residential segregation, rurality, caregiving during COVID-19, the effects of stress on patients of color with chronic illnesses, cochlear implants in children, community health centers and viral load testing.

Employing a sociological and broader social sciences approach, Social Factors, Health Care Inequities and Vaccination draws on a variety of contexts, including the COVID-19 pandemic, to explore wider trends in healthcare and the impact they may have on historically disadvantaged communities.

Teacher attrition and burnout have been researched in school districts all over the country for several decades. Characterised by physical and psychological exhaustion, cynicism (as an interpersonal and emotional indication of built-up aggression), and a sense of helplessness and low self-efficacy, burnout can lead to anxiety, depression, diminished job performance, absenteeism, and attrition.

Drawn to the Flame investigates incidences of burnout and burnout avoidance among educators in both K-12 and higher education spheres during the COVID-19 pandemic – a period that saw an intensification and increased frequency of polarizing sociocultural and socio-political conditions, resulting in psychosocial and emotional strain among those invested in education. Through narrative inquiry, the chapters present the stories of teachers in a variety of settings (e.g. urban, suburban, rural) and sociological conditions (economic, racial, sex/gender), who experienced first-hand the impact of the pandemic and the chaotic transition to remote learning, the impact of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and racial strife, on students and curricular planning processes.

Using Technology to Enhance Special Education, Volume 37 of Advances in Special Education, is a logically, thoughtfully organized, and well-sequenced text. It focuses on how general and special educators can use technology to work with children and youth with disabilities.

This cutting-edge book involves researchers, scholars, educators, and leaders who are knowledge producers in the field. It is written to respond to today’s changing world where technology has become a very powerful force. As it stands, the world is getting smaller and smaller; and what is happening in a location quickly becomes known everywhere. For example, during the tense periods of the global COVID pandemic, technology became the livewire of our world. This book begins with an introduction to technology and students with disabilities; and the remaining chapters focus on the role of technology in the education of students with learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioral disorders, and intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, physical and health impairments, hearing impairments/deafness, visual impairments, and traumatic brain injuries.

In addition, some chapters focus on the role of technology in achieving equitable and inclusive education, building culturally and linguistically responsive general and special education, and creatively using digital comics to improve written narratives. In the end, this book concludes with a chapter that forward looking ways to infuse technology in special education. We feel that this volume is an excellent resource for special education researchers, scholars, practitioners, and professionals who teach and serve students with disabilities.

Over the past three decades, guidance on the selection of art in hospitals has suggested realistic art that depicts soothing and comforting images such as tranquil waters, green vegetation, flowers, and open spaces. Based on these findings, curators have been cautioned to avoid art with uncertain meaning that risks upsetting viewers in stressful states. However, some hospitals exhibit ambiguous or abstract art and cite anecdotal evidence of its appropriateness for healthcare settings. More recent research is going beyond anecdotal evidence, and indicates that the ambiguity of meaning in abstract compositions can have positive effects.

'Purpose-built' Art in Hospitals is built on an international study of artwork in hospitals around the globe. Exploring 'purpose-built' (specially commissioned) artwork in hospitals through the dual lens of an artist and healthcare professional, Rollins identifies 15 specific 'purposes' of visual artwork in hospitals and presents a compelling case for their use that is grounded in research. The book builds the reader's understanding of the many functions of artwork in hospitals, with the goal of encouraging greater variety in art offerings to better serve the many diverse needs of patients, families, visitors and staff within the hospital environment.

In an era where leadership in higher education is increasingly overshadowed by identity politics and institutional inaction, this timely volume offers a critical examination of the leadership vacuum that has quietly become the norm. Universities around the world are grappling with the normalization of ineffectual leadership practices that are normalized and rarely challenged.

Inclusive and Innovative Leadership in Higher Education brings together a diverse array of voices and perspectives from across the globe, including Canada, Africa, and other regions, to explore the multifaceted nature of leadership in academic settings. Each chapter delves into a specific leadership dilemma, offering both critique and insight into the challenges faced by institutions today. Through a blend of qualitative and quantitative research, the contributors illuminate the complexity of leadership as it manifests in different cultural, institutional, and pedagogical contexts.

Offering practical solutions, innovative strategies, and forward-thinking approaches that aim to revitalize leadership in higher education, this volume underscores that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept; rather, it is dynamic, context-dependent, and capable of emerging in unexpected ways. At its core, this book is a call to action. It challenges readers to rethink what leadership means, how it is practiced, and how it can be transformed to foster inclusivity, well-being, and pedagogical excellence.

The HBCU Sisterhood: Testimonies of Triumph and Transformation is a powerful, first-of-its-kind anthology that pulls back the curtain on one of the most extraordinary leadership legacies in American history. For the first time, eight pioneering Black women presidents—Dr. Sebetha Jenkins, Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber, Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed, Dr. Brenda Allen, Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier, Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, and Dr. Cynthia Warrick—share their stories in their own words. These are the voices that sustained, protected, and transformed America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities through some of the most challenging eras of modern higher education.

Their testimonies are breathtakingly honest and profoundly insightful. These women describe the realities of navigating financial crises, accreditation pressures, political scrutiny, cultural resistance, gender bias, and the relentless expectations placed on Black women leaders. Through every challenge, they demonstrate bravery, integrity, excellence, resilience, and grace. Their reflections offer powerful wisdom for aspiring leaders and provide a historic lens into the inner workings of HBCUs, reminding readers that leadership at these institutions is both a calling and a transformative act of service.

More than a book, The HBCU Sisterhood stands as a living archive of Black women’s leadership and a tribute to the enduring strength of HBCUs. This volume includes a historical documentation of every HBCU founded in the United States and the women who have served as sister presidents across the sector. A companion workbook extends the experience, inviting readers to reflect, engage, and apply the leadership insights shared within these pages. This collection is essential reading for anyone who cares about education, equity, and the powerful legacy of Black women leading with vision and purpose.

Endogenous Growth traces the intellectual evolution of growth theory, from its formative origins to its modern formalisation. The authors investigate how endogenous growth theory developed alongside the dominant analytical frameworks of dynamic macroeconomics. The book examines why models incorporating imperfect competition, heterogeneous returns, and alternative equilibrium concepts were long overshadowed. Through careful attention to the mathematical foundations—Hamiltonians, dynamic programming, and the shifting conceptualisation of capital—the authors reveal how the field’s trajectory shaped both the promise and the limitations of its models, and why a richer treatment of competition, capital, and equilibrium is essential for understanding long-run growth.

This volume of the International Symposia in Economic Theory and Econometrics series fills a conspicuous gap in contemporary macroeconomic pedagogy. By devoting greater space to model exposition, historical context, and dynamic optimization techniques, the authors provide a gentler yet analytically robust pathway into modern mathematical economics. The result is a timely, clarifying work that engages constructively with established literature while offering a complementary framework for understanding the mechanisms that truly drive economic growth.

Beyond Burnout offers a timely and essential exploration of the escalating stress faced by healthcare professionals in today’s demanding clinical environments. Drawing on qualitative research and interviews with frontline workers, author Filomena Riemma examines how individuals navigate emotional exhaustion, burnout, and systemic challenges, while highlighting the pivotal role of organisational structures—particularly leadership and support systems—in shaping these experiences. By integrating established theoretical frameworks, the book provides a multi-level analysis of stress management that bridges individual coping strategies with institutional responsibility.

What distinguishes this work is its practical orientation and interdisciplinary scope. It translates research findings into actionable recommendations for healthcare administrators and policymakers, offering strategies to improve staffing, leadership engagement, and professional development. In doing so, it addresses a critical gap in the literature by presenting an evidence-based framework that combines psychological insight with organisational behaviour. Particularly relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book equips leaders with the tools to foster healthier, more resilient workplaces—ultimately enhancing both employee well-being and patient care outcomes.

The current wave of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has seemingly reached a tipping point where it is having a real and perceived impact on work and education. The societal impact of the development, use, and recovery from AI is growing, be it from the increase in energy required to create and maintain AIs, the psychological cost of creation, or bias being built into algorithms.

In this exciting and dynamic time, AI in Teams engages various disciplines in a conversation of how AI is affecting teamwork, as a tool, as a teammate, or both. Leading scholars on AI and teams whose research has explicit implications for how we should grapple with AI for productive, satisfying, and ethical teamwork, provide chapters discussing the various aspects of this problem. Authors draw on expertise from psychology and management, but also from computer science, communication, sociology, and information science. This work is valuable for team scholars who want to engage in learning about the possible impacts of AI, and AI scholars who want to learn about how AI can exist within teams.

The Research on Managing Groups and Teams series provides a forum for truly novel ideas and emerging lines of inquiry across many group-related topics. Its multidisciplinary approach invites both contributors and readers from across the social sciences - from management to psychology to sociology to communications, and more - allowing for a broad-based conversation not limited to one or two disciplinary norms or perspectives.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the accounting field by enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and strategic decision-making. As businesses increasingly adopt AI technologies, accounting professionals must adapt to new tools that automate routine tasks such as data entry, financial reporting, and auditing, while also generating valuable insights for strategic financial planning.

This curated collection investigates the practical applications of AI, including machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics, and how these technologies enhance functions like audit and assurance, fraud detection, and predictive analytics. Through case studies and real-world examples, the book showcases how AI can streamline operations, improve compliance, and optimize decision-making in the financial world.

Furthermore, the book contributes to the field by addressing both the opportunities and challenges AI presents, offering strategies for overcoming technical, ethical, and regulatory hurdles.

Technological Innovation and Sustainability for Business Competitive Advantage highlights business problems faced by institutions in a scientific way, finding possible practical solutions. Contributing to setting and improving business theories and practices and encouraging scientific research in technological innovation and sustainability, volumes activate dialogue between academics, practitioners and individuals and provide recommendations to improve institutions.

This book contains two Open Access chapters.

In an era where the digital landscape is increasingly marred by online hate, this groundbreaking book delves into this multifaceted world, offering an in-depth exploration of the origins, evolution, and impact of online hate material over the past decade.

Supported by a robust series of quantitative analyses, Online Hate and Extremism draws on unique datasets collected from large, random samples of Internet users in the U.S. and Europe from a period of over a decade. Offering a comparative analysis across different countries, the chapters provide a broader understanding of cyberhate in various cultural contexts. Analysing both perpetrators and victims, the authors investigate who produces online hate material and why, as well as who is likely to be victimized and the consequences of such victimization. Offering practical insights, this insightful study also considers ways to reduce the spread of online hate and provides strategies to avoid being targeted.

With timely data collection surrounding the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Online Hate and Extremism provides a snapshot of how current electoral politics influence the flow of online hate. By examining cyberhate cross-nationally and over time, this book offers a unique and essential perspective on one of the most pressing issues in the digital age.

Voices of Resistance: Music, Femicide, and Gender Justice in Spain and Greece examines how feminist musical practices across Southern Europe confront femicide and gender-based violence through mourning, memory, and political resistance.

Drawing on detailed national case studies, the book argues that in contexts marked by institutional silences, legal gaps, or patriarchal backlash, music becomes a crucial feminist tool for naming violence, honouring victims, and sustaining collective demands for justice. In Spain, a rich genealogy of feminist musical activism intersects with a robust yet contested legislative landscape – functioning as emotional counter-publics that challenge antifeminist backlash and supplement the limitations of institutional responses. In Greece, where femicide lacks full legal recognition and media narratives often reproduce misogyny, music assumes an even more urgent role – transforming public grief into mobilisation and forging affective publics that hold state and society accountable.

Across both contexts, Voices of Resistance positions music as a vital yet incomplete mode of feminist world-making, capable of unsettling silence and imagining more just futures.

Synthetic Intelligence in Education introduces the groundbreaking concept of synthetic intelligence, referring to a harmonious blend of human and artificial intelligence. Yufeng Qian explores how today's generative AI and future systems can create a progressive learning environment where human cognition and AI capabilities work together, fostering co-learning experiences that surpass the possibilities of previous technological eras.

Arriving at a critical moment, this volume addresses the urgent need for a fundamental shift in mindset, pedagogical vision, and professional practice. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into educational tools and practices, many educators and learners still rely on outdated methods and lack the frameworks to engage with AI meaningfully. Synthetic Intelligence in Education provides a clear and accessible roadmap for educators, researchers, and policymakers to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in education.

The book examines the theoretical foundations of synthetic intelligence, emphasizing the cognitive and pedagogical principles that support meaningful human–AI collaboration. Through practical examples and actionable strategies, it shows how synthetic intelligence can be applied across diverse educational contexts.

Violence is never just an act; it is a spectacle, a mechanism of power, and a tool of erasure. As authoritarianism, ethnonationalism, and systemic racism intensify, the question becomes whose suffering is made visible and whose is ignored. At the intersections of gender, race, and media, these dynamics reveal that violence is structured, sustained, and legitimised by the narratives surrounding it.

Marked for Erasure offers a critical examination of how mediatisation, ethnonationalism, and necropolitical regimes intersect to determine which bodies are marked for violence or erasure. Drawing from political theory, gender studies, and media analysis, this book exposes the ways in which marginalised communities are subjected to systemic violence that is both physical and epistemic. Author Meghna Prabir interrogates how media spectacles sensationalise suffering while obscuring the structural forces behind it, creating an economy of grief that decides which lives matter. Prabir's work highlights acts of resistance, showing how activists and artists reclaim visibility and forge spaces of survival against regimes of disposability. By taking a transnational perspective, Marked for Erasure not only reveals patterns of oppression across different geopolitical contexts but also amplifies the counter-narratives that disrupt them.

Engaging with this work means tackling urgent questions about power, media, and the politics of life and death. Essential for scholars, activists, and justice advocates, it provides a crucial intervention in the global conversation on violence, visibility, and resistance.

Traditionally, research on immigrant entrepreneurship has adopted a somewhat monolithic perspective, often concentrating on the sheer number of immigrant-founded businesses, their internationalization strategies or their economic contributions. In many cases, immigrants are regarded merely as another sample population to which mainstream entrepreneurial theories are applied, rather than being recognized as a distinct phenomenon warranting a tailored approach.

Strategic Orientation and Performance in Immigrant Firms introduces a new conceptual model that considers how the entrepreneur’s migration journey serves as a vital source of entrepreneurial heterogeneity, ultimately accounting for differences in strategic orientation and performance between immigrant- and non-immigrant-founded firms. Recognizing that immigrant entrepreneurs are heterogeneous individuals who adapt differently to new environments, the book offers a more sophisticated understanding of how cultural, individual, and socio-economic factors intersect and impact entrepreneurship.

Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers alike can benefit from an approach that considers not only firm-level metrics but also the personal trajectories that inspire and guide entrepreneurial endeavours. In doing so, the book offers a much-needed framework for understanding how the migration experience can act as a powerful catalyst for strategic orientation and performance outcomes.

This series is dedicated to communicating innovative and multi-disciplinary new research that advances theory and practice in Entrepreneurial Behaviour. The series is focused on expanding the scope of Entrepreneurial Behaviour theory and analysis and enriching practice by encouraging multi-theoretical multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary approaches. Key issues to be explored in the series include cognition decision-making organisational behaviours and identifying creating and exploiting opportunities concerning new products services processes innovations or ventures from entrepreneurial perspective.

Ending Violence in PreK–16 Schools provides a comprehensive examination of the complex issues surrounding violence prevention and intervention in educational settings, focusing on promoting equity, justice, and safety for all students.

The book explores innovative strategies, research findings, case studies, and best practices related to ending violence in schools from preschool through higher education. With insights, analyses, and practical recommendations for addressing the complex challenges of violence in educational settings, this book offers interdisciplinary perspectives and diverse methodological approaches which contribute to a deeper understanding of the issues at hand and offer actionable solutions for promoting equity and justice in schools.

Ending Violence in PreK–16 Schools will provide valuable insights and resources for educators, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working to create safer, more inclusive learning environments for all students.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online.

There is a gap in research on families in the Global South and those that address the issue with a gendered and critical perspective. Considering the Global South and its articulations of power and resistance, this handbook presents chapters on the family in the Global South, acknowledging gender differences and their impact on individuals and societies in those nations and cultures.

Exploring the complex intersection among three significant social dynamics – families, the forces of societal transformation, and gender-related matters within the framework of the Global South and acknowledging the ongoing debate surrounding the Global South concept – the chapters illuminate and critically examine some of the debated matters pertaining to shifts in family dynamics from a gendered perspective. Demonstrating that examining changes in living arrangements and family dynamics through a gendered lens is indispensable not only to understand the ongoing socio-cultural processes in the Global South but also to develop social policies and service delivery practices, authors present case studies from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. To what extent do structural and cultural contexts influence gendered family dynamics and living arrangements in various societies of the Global South? In diverse societies of the Global South, how do individuals from intersectional backgrounds navigate the challenges posed by economic and social instabilities? What role does the family play in regulating these transformations?

Compelling reading for students, researchers and policymakers from various disciplines, chapters address a rich diversity of the issues relating to the family, social change and gender relations with a critical focus on the countries/cultures/communities that have been significantly underrepresented in the literature.

Sovereign citizens are an anti-government movement steadily expanding across the United States and many other parts of the world. A subculture of anti-government extremists, sovereign citizens falsely deny the legitimacy of government and law, believing their interpretation of society’s laws supersede all others. A much-needed introduction to Sovereign Citizen ideology in book form, this study spotlights the prevalence and scope of sovereign citizen involvement in the January 6^th Capitol insurrection.

The January 6^th Congressional Committee reported that only two insurrectionists were sovereign citizens. Providing a more comprehensive review of their participation in the attack since that time, Christine Sarteschi draws together hours of access to court records to unveil that the correct number was much higher. Highlighting the nature of their participation in the riot, this study also details the use of sovereign citizen tactics and their interactions with court officials during the adjudication process. Addressing a topic that is underexplored yet increasingly relevant as the growth in this movement continues unabated in the United States and abroad, Sarteschi extends our knowledge of known sovereign citizen cases and also provides a practical resource for identifying and countering sovereign citizen tactics.

Written for scholars and students of criminal justice, criminology, social work, psychology, forensic psychology and other related disciplines, Sovereign Citizen Ideology is crucial for understanding right wing extremism and social movements.

QAnon can no longer be treated as a ‘fringe issue’ but must be considered a far-reaching social problem. In this crucial contribution to our understanding of how family relationships and dynamics deal with and are affected by conspiratorial beliefs, Simpson and Mulcahy explore how the social and relational consequences of QAnon belief affect both individuals and communities.

Through a feminist, relational lens and drawing on data from a digital ethnography of the Subreddit forum ‘QAnonCasualties’, A Relational Approach to the QAnon Movement: The Hidden Pandemic addresses a gap in current research by providing a much-needed analysis of the unheard voices and experiences of the primary social networks of QAnon believers (e.g., family, partners, friends etc.), exploring the impact such conspiratorial theories have on the lives of ‘outgroup’ members and their relationships with their loved ones. By doing so, it sheds light on the unacknowledged and far-reaching consequences of conspiratorial belief more generally. The experiences of QAnon believers’ friends and families provide a unique perspective on the journey towards conspiratorial belief and political polarisation, as they watch (and react to) the process in real time. This also allows for the identification of push and pull factors relating to the QAnonCasualties and their ‘Q’s as they negotiate their relationships.

Through investigating the banality of the everyday experiences of those affected, the authors create space for the emergence of social responses to redress what has become a wicked social problem that requires a multifaceted, holistic and empathetic approach to solving it.

The urgency of sustainability in business practices has risen to the forefront due to a confluence of factors. Climate change, social responsibility, and resource constraints have pushed sustainability from a fringe concern to a fundamental driver of corporate strategy. Simultaneously, the rapid advancement of digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things, presents both unprecedented opportunities and challenges.

The Tech-Driven Future: Navigating Sustainability in the Digital Age is a timely, comprehensive, and forward-looking resource; it empowers businesses and individuals to embrace innovation, build a sustainable future, and thrive in an era where technological advancement and responsible corporate citizenship go hand-in-hand. The comprehensive chapters collected here delve into the facets of this topic, exploring economic resilience, innovation culture, SDGs, social responsibility, technological advancements and ethical considerations.

In today’s fast-changing global economy, entrepreneurship drives innovation, economic growth, and social transformation. As industries evolve and technology reshapes markets, entrepreneurship education equips individuals with the skills to navigate uncertainty, solve complex problems, and create sustainable solutions. Governments, universities, and policymakers worldwide recognize its critical role in job creation and economic resilience.

Educating for Impact brings together leading scholars and practitioners from across the globe to examine the pivotal role of entrepreneurship education in fostering economic resilience. This volume explores diverse perspectives on entrepreneurial learning, innovative pedagogies, and the intersection of entrepreneurship with digital transformation, sustainability, and social development. Featuring contributions from experts in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, this edited collection presents case studies, empirical research, and theoretical insights on how entrepreneurship education can empower individuals and communities. By bridging theory and practice, authors offer a comprehensive guide for rethinking entrepreneurship education in the context of today’s global challenges.

Bringing together educators, policymakers, and business leaders, this work serves as an essential resource for those committed to enhancing entrepreneurship education as a catalyst for economic and social progress. By sharing international best practices and forward-thinking strategies, it provides valuable insights for shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Neurodivergent individuals frequently face distinct challenges within creative fields such as music, literature, performance, media, and the visual arts. Recognising how their experiences intersect with creative expression and employment is essential, not only to support individual potential but also to expand our understanding of inclusivity in these fields. The perspectives of neurodivergent creatives bring valuable insights into the often-hidden challenges and strengths within a set of industries driven by innovation and diversity.

Creative Minds, Divergent Paths delves into the intricate relationship between neurodivergence and the creative industries, asking whether these individuals should be seen as “neurodivergent creatives” or “creative neurodivergents.” Through a blend of literature critique and original research, this work explores employment in the music and literary industries as well as in performance, media, and the visual arts. Lovesey incorporates lived experiences to reveal the tensions and potentials within creative fields, considering how these industries can be more inclusive. The study also examines the precarity of employment in creative sectors, as well as academia, where short-term work arrangements impact neurodivergent individuals’ stability and success. By examining stereotypes, definitions, and individual experiences, this work ultimately advocates for a democratic and community-driven approach to neurodiversity.

Presenting a rich resource for scholars, creative professionals, and anyone invested in understanding the intersection of neurodiversity and creativity, the book invites readers to reimagine inclusivity in the arts and employment. Ultimately, using the creative industries as the means for shaping new narratives of neurodivergence, by neurodivergent creatives.

In a world that is predominately shaped by cis-/heteronormative binaries, LGBTQIA+ communities are under regular attack in life, studies, and at work. Given the importance of promoting and affirming diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the current educational landscape, there is a growing movement in queering research and curriculum. Rejecting the rigidity of cis-/heteronormative frameworks, these approaches allow for more inclusive and equitable practices in research and pedagogy.

Rainbow Futures in Research and Teaching showcases pioneering work from queer scholars and allies in Australia, offering a unique exploration of how queering methodologies can be applied across disciplines. Queering methodology and pedagogy challenges and breaks down strict, binary and hierarchical ideas about gender and sexuality. The authors of this edited collection address urgent issues such as the ongoing marginalization of LGBTQIA+ communities in education and society, and highlight the role of queer-inclusive research and teaching in promoting DEI. Contributors span a range of fields and disciplines – from Social Sciences to the Humanities, to STEM and Indigenous Studies, as well as norm-defying and creative contributions. This holistic approach provides a multifaceted technique to disrupt cis-/heteronormativity in education and scholarly research.

For those committed to challenging the status quo, from researchers to educators and advocates, this edited collection helps advance inclusive and creative practices that resist normative approaches to research and writing. Providing concrete examples of queering methodologies and heartfelt lived experiences authors equip readers with the rainbow toolkit to foster real-world change in their given field.

Digital transformation (DT) has emerged as a distinctive and evolving phenomenon that is reshaping individuals, organizations, and societies. Although it was initially perceived as a new label for long-standing processes, it has become increasingly evident that DT embodies unique and novel characteristics that set it apart from related concepts such as digitalization and digitization.

Addressing a gap in current research, this book explores the specific innovations and implications associated with DT and artificial intelligence. It builds on insights developed through more than four years of direct involvement in the digital transformation of complex organizations, drawing on the reflections, experiences, and understandings that arose from this sustained engagement.

Furthermore, advanced text analysis techniques are employed to uncover the distinctive features of digital transformation across multiple disciplines. While the book primarily targets scholars in fields such as information systems, organization studies, and innovation management, it also offers practical insights relevant to a broader audience interested in understanding the multifaceted nature of digital transformation.

The unprecedented crises that the contemporary educational world and global society are facing, intricately interwoven with traumas of human tragedies and eco-disasters, call for responses based upon the awareness of the connectedness within, between, and among individuals, groups, nations, and our shared planetary environment. We desperately need to heal, to heal from the injuries of wars, dominations, and polarizations, and to heal education’s instrumental disconnections from its own existential roots. It is in this context that wisdoms of Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism with their abundant and diverse practices of healing are approached in this volume as gifts to contemporary educational thoughts and praxis. In these wisdom traditions, healing is a holistic, ongoing process physically, psychologically, philosophically and spiritually to integrative pathways.

This book, through engaging in intercultural, transdisciplinary, and international conversations and dialogues, intends to synergize our collective energies to enhance our resilience and create a space for strength-based, community-based, and experience-based, and inner-outer connected restorative approach of healing in education. This book also serves as a 20-year celebration of the Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education SIG at AERA. It is a timely collection for addressing today’s challenges and will make an important contribution to transforming education, curriculum, and pedagogy internationally.

Understanding Context in Leadership invites readers to explore the often-overlooked element of leadership: the context in which it occurs. This accessible and thought-provoking text introduces students and new leadership learners to the essential practice of analyzing context as part of the leadership process. By examining the dynamic interplay between leaders, followers, and their environments, readers will learn how to observe, interpret, and respond to the many forces that shape leadership outcomes.

At the heart of the book is the SHAPE framework, a powerful tool for breaking down context into five key dimensions: Social, Historical, Attitudinal, Personal and Environmental.

Each chapter explores one SHAPE dimension through four lenses—self, organizational/team, institutional, and societal—offering a layered understanding of how context influences leadership at every level. Readers will gain practical strategies for observing and analyzing context, along with reflective prompts and tips to apply these insights in real-world settings.

Whether you're a student beginning your leadership journey or an educator guiding others, Understanding Context in Leadership provides the tools to lead with greater awareness, adaptability, and impact.

Educators and researchers confirm that young adolescents’ health and well-being directly impacts their academic progress. Yet, those with a vested interest in educating young adolescent learners have few explicit resources to guide them through the implementation of programs or practices that support the health and well-being of young adolescent learners, their teachers, or school.

Resources for Effective Health and Well-Being Practices in the Middle Grades provides school leaders, teachers, academics, and teacher candidates with evidence-based examples of the successful implementation of health and well-being programs or practices—ones that focus explicitly on the needs of young adolescent learners and/or their teachers or school leaders. Specifically, this book provides a collection of examples from the field that describe ‘how’ to implement a range of individual, class, whole school, or teacher focused programs.

In an era marked by uncertainty and rapid change, how do educational leaders sustain resilience, not just for themselves, but for their entire school communities? Leading With Resilience: Voices of Leaders in Challenging Times brings together powerful narratives and research-driven insights from teachers, school leaders, and system-level changemakers navigating some of the most challenging moments in recent history. brings together powerful narratives and research-driven insights from teachers, school leaders, and system-level changemakers navigating some of the most challenging moments in recent history. Drawing from three longitudinal projects in California, this compelling volume explores how resilience can be cultivated through intentional leadership, community care, and equity-centered practices.

From the frontlines of the global pandemic to the lived experiences of AAPI educators and women of color pursuing superintendency, each chapter offers a unique lens on the emotional, cultural, and systemic dimensions of resilience. These stories illuminate the strategies that have helped leaders not only survive but thrive, fostering wellbeing, driving change, and inspiring hope.

Whether you're an educator, policymaker, or aspiring leader, this book offers a timely and deeply human look at what it means to lead with strength, compassion, and purpose in times of crisis.

Becoming an academic can be an overwhelming, if not a completely consuming, experience, and conceptualising this process is often fraught with a lack of understanding of both the process and the subsequent implications. Many academics struggle with the notion of who they are, despite believing that they are aware of who they want to be and where they are situated on their academic journey.

This edited collection draws on the experiences of early and mid-career academics, as well as leaders in the field, to explore the role and contribution of the self when professionally undertaking research. Each chapter addresses valuable questions for academics to examine and articulate the self in one’s work, and encourages the probing of the impact of academic engagement in higher education on individual fidelity to personal and professional values, beliefs and assumptions. With a focus on self-methodologies, including arts-based approaches to reflective and reflexive practice, the authors showcase methods that go beyond traditional reflective practice and explore the interplay of arts and self-practices.

Conceptualising the Academic Self offers transformative educational insights with both theoretical and practical applications. It serves as a comprehensive guide for novice academics to seasoned educators and researchers, as well as institutional leaders and policy influencers, addressing the challenges of self-conceptualisation and self-formation.

Microbial Processes in Environmental Engineering explores the latest advances in microbial biotechnology and environmental engineering. Bridging the gap between theoretical concepts and practical applications, the book illustrates how microbial processes can be effectively utilised in pollution control, ecosystem restoration and resource recovery.

The chapters provide clear explanations of microbial mechanisms, biochemical pathways, and environmental factors influencing microbial activity, and cover essential topics such as microbial ecology, metabolism, biodegradation and bioremediation.

Key features include:

• applications across a range of environmental challenges, including water pollution, wastewater treatment and soil remediation
• innovative approaches to sustainable energy production, including microbial fuel cells and biogas production
• case studies in a variety of sectors providing concrete examples of successful microbial interventions
• practical techniques for bioaugmentation and biostimulation, illustrating how these technologies can enhance microbial activity for effective bioremediation
• insights into the latest advancements and future trends, including developments in pollutant degradation and resource recovery.

Microbial Processes in Environmental Engineering is an essential resource for researchers, practitioners and students in environmental engineering seeking to contribute to environmental sustainability through microbial applications.

This volume contains an Open Access chapter.

This edited collection showcases the usefulness of symbolic interactionism in examining concurrent social issues which demand researchers’ attention - symbolic interactionists demonstrate their roots in pragmatism by examining contemporary social issues, mental health, gun control and the homeless. Although these issues have been around for quite some time, recent changes in social, political, and economic landscapes have escalated the significance of these issues in everyday life.

While these issues have traditionally been examined using a quantitatively “big data” approach, authors here illustrate the usefulness of utilizing the symbolic interactionist methodology, an empirical endeavor that keys on micro interactional developments, in providing understandings of these social issues. Theoretically, chapters showcase the utility of symbolic interactionism, a perspective for investigating the meanings of objects, social relationships, and how objects become linked to social structures, in providing significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge of these social issues. Stressing the importance of examining mental health, gun control and the homeless as social constructs that involve social relationships and communication processes of actors in various structures, the authors utilize theoretical concepts such as reflexivity, interaction, and willfulness as pivot points in analyzing these social issues.

Calling for researchers’ attention to study urgent social issues by demonstrating the effectiveness of symbolic interactionism as a research tool both theoretically and methodologically, this is appealing reading for both emerging and established interactionist scholars.

Local Governance Resilience: Navigating Contemporary Challenges explores the critical intersection of governance, resilience, and sustainability, and offers a comprehensive framework for addressing contemporary issues. Gerrit van der Waldt examines how local governments can adapt, recover, and innovate amidst crises, providing theoretical insights and practical applications across diverse topics, including climate adaptation, urbanization, smart city governance, and crisis management. His work integrates the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), underscoring the essential role of resilient local governance in achieving global sustainability targets. Through examples and actionable strategies, this study equips readers with the tools needed to build adaptive, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

Providing valuable insights for academics, policymakers, urban planners, and local government leaders, this volume is essential for those seeking to understand and enhance the resilience of local governance systems. By addressing both theoretical and practical dimensions, it offers a vital resource for navigating the complexities of modern governance.

This book contains two Open Access chapters.

Families in Europe have faced many challenges in the early years of the 21st Century that have disrupted everything from care services to education. From the frequent periods of lockdown in face of the Covid-19 pandemic to the devastation wrought by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many families have been left with nothing but uncertainty.

In this edited collection of carefully curated chapters from researchers across Europe, the authors create a comprehensive and engaged look at the strategies employed to overcome unprecedented hardships for European families. Split across 3 parts, the chapters discuss topics such as problems of childcare, work-life balance, parenting while living in economic hardship, parenting children with special needs, paternity leave, care and assistance policies, and more. The chapters include a strong focus not only on innovative policy measures for mitigating these challenges, but of the methods developed by families themselves to cope with the pressures of contemporary life.

With meticulous research and a rich exploration of current European family life, European Families Facing Hard Times is a unique volume for those wanting to further their understanding of modern-day family policies and social care.

The concept of teacher leadership has gained attention from educational scholars and practitioners across the globe due to its success in improving outcomes for teachers and students. The Challenges and Possibilities of Teacher Leadership explores the theory and practice of teacher leadership through a variety of international scholarly and practitioner perspectives, surveying the field of teacher leadership conceptually and practically.

Each chapter in this edited collection frames teacher leadership in terms of what is next for teacher leadership, how to foster teacher leadership, the impacts of teacher leadership and how to use teacher leadership to advance social justice agendas. International scholars in teacher leadership provide a range of case studies from countries across the world, including Brazil, Hong Kong, Australia, Chile, the USA and China, to offer a critical analysis of the concept of teacher leadership in terms of local cultures, organizational structures, and socioeconomic conditions.

Offering valuable perspectives, primarily from qualitative studies in the form of case studies, document analyses, and literature reviews, The Challenges and Possibilities of Teacher Leadership is a timely resource for academics, scholars, practitioners, and school leaders who are interested in creating schools where the leadership capacity of teachers is encouraged to grow, positive change is enacted, teachers are engaged and effective, and students are learning.

Social studies teachers cannot avoid teaching about war. They must consider how they can teach about war and related topics meaningfully instead of relegating wars to a body of facts, such as dates, places, names, or casualties. Teaching about war helps students comprehend (de)colonization, cultivates their critical thinking skills, and facilitates student understanding of conflict and peace.

In Teaching about War in International Contexts, the contributors adopt the literal meaning of war—a state of armed conflict between nations, states, or groups within a country or state. While there are books out there focusing on how to teach a specific war, such as the Vietnam War or the Korean War, no books highlight the pedagogical practices of teaching global wars. Thus, Teaching about War in International Contexts fills the gap in the existing literature.

This edited book is an invaluable pedagogical resource highlighting the teaching of war in an international context in secondary (grades 6–12 or equivalent) social studies classrooms worldwide. Featuring the voices of classroom teachers, graduate students who used to be classroom teachers, and teacher educators, this book provides readers with classroom-tested practices for teaching about war. Readers will find examples of lesson planning, teaching strategies, teachers’ reflections, and further teaching resources on specific wars. This edited volume is an invaluable resource for secondary social studies classroom teachers, graduate and undergraduate social studies education students, and social studies curriculum and instruction experts.

As the world wakes up to the incel problem following Netflix’s Adolescence, many examples of research into incels over the past decade have been poorly conducted. Researching Incels is a crucial intervention into problematic incel research – calling for a new framework for rigorous, responsible research to inform policy on the incel crisis.

A critical overview on poor research examples using the primary case study of a report commissioned by the UK Government’s Commission for Countering Extremism on predicting harm among involuntary celibates, the authors outline incel research that is methodologically flawed, unreliable, and normalizes misogyny. Focusing primarily on two critical flaws of researching incels - limited conceptualization leading to poor methodology; and positionality; they write from a feminist positioned critical analysis to offer a blueprint for the future of robust incel research in response to these limitations. This rebuttal is situated at the forefront of current polarizing debates developing within the incel community – emphasizing that incel research must address from a feminist perspective the underlying structural processes and ideologies that give authority and motivation to communities such as incels.

A “how to” guide for future research, Researching Incels also provides guidance for research, practice and policy on how to approach and assess existing work, with explicit caution where research is characterized by the limitations outlined here. Breaking new ground as the first broad commentary on researching incels, this is an essential roadmap for “Season Two” of incel research.

Michigan’s education system has been transformed by the rapid growth of charter schools and school choice since 1993. A New Type of Public School: Primary Source Interviews and Essays on Michigan Charter Schools traces the state’s journey from restrictive policies to a dynamic, often controversial marketplace for public education.

Drawing on original documents and the voices of policymakers, the chapters in this book reveal how political leaders and advocacy networks have reshaped governance, accountability, and equity. Michigan’s story offers vital insights into the national debate on charter schools and the future of public education.

A New Type of Public School demystifies the policymaking process and provides a vital lens on the complexities of educational reform. It is essential reading for educators, policymakers, and anyone invested in the future of public schooling.

In an ever-evolving health and fitness landscape, educators need tools that bridge theory with practice. A Reference Guide for Teaching Kinesiology through Problem-Based Learning: Case Studies and Insights is designed to transform how students engage with the study of human movement. This innovative resource offers a multidisciplinary approach to teaching Kinesiology, integrating foundational, applied, and sociocultural sciences through the lens of Problem-Based Learning (PBL).

Structured to support undergraduate teaching while remaining adaptable for graduate-level instruction, this book provides educators with ready-to-use activities and strategies that foster critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving. Each chapter, authored by experts in the field, showcases successful PBL implementation across diverse sub-disciplines—from biomechanics and exercise physiology to sport sociology and ethics.

Whether designing inclusive fitness programs, analyzing movement mechanics, or navigating ethical dilemmas in sport management, students are challenged to synthesize knowledge across domains. PBL not only enhances academic outcomes but equips future practitioners with the confidence and competence to thrive in interdisciplinary teams and dynamic professional environments.

This book is more than a teaching guide—it’s a catalyst for educational innovation. With practical tools, expert insights, and a glossary for technical clarity, Problem-Based Learning in Kinesiology empowers instructors to create engaging, experiential learning environments that prepare students for the complexities of modern Kinesiology practice.

Private schooling continues to be a divisive issue. In Britain, there has been a rapid expansion of overseas branches being opened by elite British private schools. Private Schools and Cultural Capital offers insight into the workings of private schools that continue to provide an advantage for their students. Author Rachel Louise Stenhouse reports on the role played by teachers’ social and cultural capital in reproducing privilege in private schools and how this capital is transmitted to students through their preparation for application to elite universities.

Drawing on data from interviews with teachers, observations of lessons and teachers’ own reflections to provide an insight into the workings of one private school in England, Stenhouse contributes to an understanding of how private schools are able to continue to reproduce the privilege that their students enjoy. Using the theories of Pierre Bourdieu as a fitting framework in which to understand how private school privilege is reproduced, the chapters also provoke discussion about the prominence of “cultural capital” in the Ofsted school inspection framework and the role played by teachers in private schools in developing cultural capital in their students.

A timely addition to the literature on private school advantage, this is a compelling resource for international readers working in policy, academia, or education with an interest in social inequality and in particular the workings of private schools.

Making Training Meaningful in Higher Education: Future Challenges of Psychology invites us to reflect on the education and professional development of future psychologists. Their preparation demands a solid theoretical foundation, enriched by supervised practice and the strengthening of personal and professional competencies. The central purpose of this book is to share with society the psychological knowledge that students acquire and refine throughout their formative process, while highlighting emerging challenges and opportunities for the discipline in contemporary higher education.

The chapters presented within this book include proposals developed within the framework of academic activities, professional practices or research processes in which students participate with their professors. Through contributions from different countries and research teams, this book analyzes the current and future variables that the training of psychologists faces, such as the powerful technological development and its influence on the practice of the profession, distance education/learning processes, the training of therapists and clinical training in a technological society, among others. Making Psychologist Training Meaningful in Higher Education: Future Challenges of Psychology constitutes a valuable contribution for psychology teachers, clinical supervisors, educational researchers and psychology students.

“Possibility and Statistics” (P.S.) is a rigorously ethical, mixed-method way of knowing that centers lived experience, assets, and human agency; treats oral narratives as primary data; and designs measures, tools, and dissemination practices to cultivate flourishing rather than manage risk. Ivory A. Toldson’s Possibility and Statistics is more than a book about statistical methods; it is a profound and necessary intervention into the soul of education and social science. It is a methodological treatise and a deeply personal work of literary scholarship that redefines the purpose of data in a world saturated with it. By developing a new statistical language, Toldson demonstrates that the principles of possibility—care, context, and potential—can be as analytically rigorous as the principles of probability.

Possibility and Statistics introduces a new analytical toolkit; formula-driven methods designed to quantify hope. Metrics like the Overcoming Adversity Index (OAI), which measures success relative to context; the Potential Realization Quotient (PRQ), which quantifies achievement beyond statistical expectations; and the Resource Parity Index (RPI), which measures inequities in resources, give practitioners tangible tools.

Toldson crafts a powerful argument that the tools of statistics, so often used to document despair and predict failure, must be re-engineered to architect hope and cultivate human potential. The result is a work that is at once a rigorous academic text and a moral call to arms for researchers, educators, policymakers, and anyone who wields data that touches human lives.

Every member of the LGBTQ+ community has faced unique challenges when exploring their sexual identity, but for those in Southern African states, finding acceptance is often extremely difficult. Of the 61 United Nations member states that criminalize same-sex relations, more than half are African states. Influenced by different notions of culture, tradition and/or religion, the continued discrimination faced by the community has created an absence of research on Southern African narratives, until now.

Unveiling Identities bridges the gap between academic discourse and the lived experiences of the LGBTQ+ community, carefully researched and presented by scholars from across disciplines. The result is a startlingly honest account of the obstacles LGBTQ+ individuals must navigate in this specific geographic and cultural context. With chapters ranging from the legal landscape, the intersection of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the continued impact of activism and advocacy, editors Patsika, Naidoo, and Mutekwe curate a vivid exploration of the reasoning behind views of homosexuality amongst the African populous, driven by rigorous research.

This collective narrative is much needed in reducing the difference in focus on Southern Africa and the Global South more broadly in this space. The chapters offer a fresh perspective on the subject, but also a positive message of potential for the future. For those interested in African sexuality studies, Unveiling Identities is a title fuelled by enduring hope.

People around the world face grave crises of wars, climate change, genocides, rising sea levels, human rights violations, and inequitable distribution of natural resources. These problems are transcontinental, interconnected, and create immense human suffering, which require collective efforts toward just and sustainable global solutions. The United Nations resolved to address these concerns in adopting the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. These goals form a “plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity,” which “seeks to strengthen universal peace in greater freedom” (United Nations, 2015, para. 1). The social sciences are uniquely positioned to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by offering content and tools to pursue just and sustainable societies. The knowledge, skills, and values of social science education can empower global citizens to seek truth, to deliberate on the current problems, and to shape a just and equitable future for people and for our planet. In this volume, authors from around the world a) propose critical philosophical questions, b) describe current education problems, and c) explore educational possibilities for a just and sustainable world.

Designing and Engineering Economic Tramways is an essential guide for professionals involved in the design, engineering, and operation of tramway (light rail) systems. Featuring lessons learned from international case studies, this book provides an in-depth exploration of design and engineering principles, economic appraisal, and patronage forecasting. It highlights the critical importance of design and engineering on the operational viability of tramway systems.

The book guides readers through each stage of the design process, from route selection and pavement engineering to the installation of tram stops in city streets. It also offers a thorough understanding of vehicle characteristics, operational needs, and maintenance methods, addressing the engineering challenges and solutions necessary for successful tramway construction. Additionally, the book explains the economic evaluation of tramways, including passenger reactions to service aspects such as operating speed, frequency, and fare levels, and it emphasises the importance of marketing and promotion to ensure stakeholder engagement and public acceptance.

Designing and Engineering Economic Tramways is a valuable reference for railway engineers, researchers, and system promoters, providing the knowledge and tools needed to deliver robust, economical, and efficient tramway infrastructure.

Organizations have a pressing need for sustainable industrialization that minimizes waste, reduces environmental impacts, and promotes resource efficiency, all while embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technological advancements.

Covering theoretical and practical dimensions, the book addresses issues that industries encounter when AI is being implemented within their assembly lines from ethical considerations to labor transformation struggles as well as technical limitations and challenges related with data management. The chapters discuss ideas related to automation, predictive maintenance and reducing wastage; and how we can overcome the issues of these through solutions. Topics range from the intersection of AGI with sustainable innovation and how to engineer smart production systems, to a shift towards regenerative design principles.

The main theme of the book is to narrow down this gap between such advanced technologies and real-time applications based on Circular Economy. The publication comes at an important time when there is a pressing global imperative to reduce environmental impact without compromising on economic competitiveness.

The research presented here is relevant for industry professionals, policymakers, and academic researchers, as it explains the perspectives on the convergence of AGI and circular manufacturing, providing readers with the tools they need to drive forward Industry 5.0 innovations and lead the shift toward a more sustainable future.

As the volume and complexity of mental health needs of school-aged children has grown, the capacity of schools to meet those needs has been challenging at best. School closures and social isolation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated disconcerting trends regarding levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidality in children and adolescents. As resources continue to be strained for many schools, innovative approaches to addressing school mental health are necessary.

Promising Practices for Engaging Families and Communities around Mental Health in Schools is part of the Family School Community Partnership Issues series. This volume explores promising practices for engaging families and communities around mental health in schools. Through compelling case studies, it highlights collaborations that creatively engage systems of care to help schools respond to mental health concerns.

This book also introduces new paradigms for whole child support within the school-family-community context. It offers thoughtful analysis of the ethical, policy, and practical tensions that arise when addressing mental health in partnership with families and communities. Promising Practices for Engaging Families and Communities around Mental Health in Schools is an essential resource for educators, mental health professionals, and policymakers seeking inclusive, collaborative solutions to today’s school mental health challenges.

Worker organizing has long been a cornerstone of efforts to secure fair pay, decent working conditions, and protection against the insecurities of market economies. By acting collectively, workers have historically been able to counterbalance employer power and win improvements to work and life. Yet such gains have always been partial and contested, and the settlements between labour and capital remain under constant pressure. In the wake of rapid social, political, technological, and environmental change which is reshaping work and challenging the institutions and practices that have underpinned worker collective action, this edited volume explores the evolving landscape and practices of worker organizing in the twenty-first century.

In the context of developments that have exposed the limits of existing models of worker representation and protection – from the erosion of union density in many countries, to the rise of precarious and platform-based work, to climate crisis and pandemic fallout – the chapters in this volume examine the innovative strategies, organizational forms, and solidarities that workers are forging in response to intensified inequalities and new modes of exploitation. The contributions draw on diverse theoretical perspectives and examine a range of empirical settings to shed light on the forms, dynamics, and outcomes of worker collective action in contemporary contexts.

Recentring worker organizing as a vital force in shaping a more equitable, sustainable, and democratic world of work, Worker Organizing is a timely and compelling volume for scholars of the sociology of work and labour, organizational studies, social movements, and beyond.

Emotionally Intelligent Digital Learning explores how AI can transform digital education by supporting both academic success and student well-being. Instead of focusing solely on cognitive performance, this book introduces emotionally aware technologies that recognize student emotions in real time, offer personalized emotional support, and build mental resilience.

Through real-world case studies, ranging from virtual empathy training in nursing to tools that reveal emotional manipulation on social media, the authors explore how AI can foster emotional intelligence, empathy, and digital self-awareness.

Blending insights from psychology, computer science, and education, this work offers a practical framework for creating emotionally intelligent learning environments. It’s a vital resource for educators, developers, and researchers committed to creating psychologically sustainable educational environments.

Curriculum Windows: What Curriculum Theorists of the 2010s Can Teach Us About Schools and Society Today is an effort by students of curriculum studies, along with their professor, to interpret and understand curriculum texts and theorists of the 2010s in contemporary terms.

The authors explore how key books/authors from the curriculum field of the 2010s illuminate new possibilities forward for us as scholar educators today: How might the theories, practices, and ideas wrapped up in curriculum texts of the 2010s still resonate with us, allow us to see backward in time and forward as well – perhaps all at the same time? How might these figurative windows of insight, thought, ideas, fantasy, and fancy make us think differently about curriculum, teaching, learning, students, education, leadership, and schools? Further, how might they help us see more clearly, even perhaps put us on a path to correct the mistakes and missteps of intervening decades and of today? Or even create the possibilities for a bold, just, robust future for all, supported by outstanding educational access and experiences for all?

The chapter authors, all doctoral students at Miami University in the Department of Educational Leadership in Oxford, Ohio, interpret several of the most important books in the curriculum field of the 2010s. The book’s Foreword is by renowned curriculum theorist and friend of the Curriculum Windows series, William H. Schubert.

Building on the foundation established in volume 1 of Statistical Analysis Techniques, this second volume delves deeper into advanced statistical techniques, providing comprehensive guidance for students and researchers working with SPSS Statistical Software. In addition to the continuation of statistical analysis topics, this volume includes valuable supplementary materials, such as references to support further study and additional statistical tables for practical application.

The book serves as both an instructional guide and a reference manual, making it a vital resource for students, researchers, and professionals in business and economics. Its emphasis on practical implementation, coupled with its clear integration of SPSS examples, empowers readers to strengthen their data analysis skills and make data-driven decisions in an increasingly analytics-focused world.

Poetry as Knowledge in Librarianship draws on poetry to illustrate its role in library and information science professionals' intertwined personal and professional streams of life journeys.

The edited collection explores the power of poetry as a “voice” in transforming librarians’ lives and shaping their motivations, directions, choices, and actions at intertwined personal and professional nexus of intersection from all around the globe. Chapters provide an opportunity for librarians and information professionals worldwide to discuss the use of poetry and its transformational potential within and beyond the academy. The authors draw on the theoretical construct of “voice” as an instrument of self-consciousness, narrative development, storytelling, and discourse analysis.

The extractive industry is crucial in this energy transformation age, where the world is concerned about emissions reduction and more sustainable businesses. The extractive industry has two objectives: meeting the rising demand and extracting natural resources in a sustainable way. However, the industry usually deals with community rejection and social conflicts wherever they are, and this dire situation is a barrier for new extractive projects worldwide. Understanding why social conflicts are generated and transformed into shared-value projects is crucial to designing extractive projects that consider the community's concerns and integrate these issues into the final project. In addition, getting and keeping the social license to operate (SLO) is important in the extractive industry, so companies must monitor the SLO during the operation's life cycle to prevent social conflict. That is why it is important to have a way to measure the SLO. This book presents a framework that allows companies to analyze social conflicts and propose better projects to obtain the social license to operate. It also presents a methodology for calculating the SLO that shows how the company-community relationship is going.

Entrepreneurship often brings to mind innovation, ambition, and strategic acumen, but it is also a field dominated by gendered narratives and masculine associations. Women entrepreneurs worldwide are breaking down these barriers, redefining entrepreneurial success, and developing strategies that reflect their unique experiences within gendered landscapes. Their journeys provide a valuable counterpoint to traditional stories of entrepreneurship, shifting the focus toward resilience, resourcefulness, and positive contributions that women bring to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This edited collection presents an in-depth examination of how women entrepreneurs across diverse global contexts navigate, challenge, and redefine the gendered dynamics of entrepreneurship. Drawing on a range of case studies and interviews from around the world, this volume is rooted in post-structural feminist theory and interpretative phenomenology to delve into the social constructions of gender and the subjective experiences of women entrepreneurs.

Backed by the Women and Economic Renewal Research Chair from the triple-accredited business school, Grenoble Ecole de Management, in Grenoble, France, Los Angeles-based Azusa Pacific University School of Business and Management in the United States, and an extensive international research network, the collection captures the voices of women who use local institutions, cultural practices, and their networks to succeed in sectors as varied as business, technology, and social enterprise.

From Africa, United States, Pakistan, France, Japan, India and China, these narratives collectively enrich the global conversation on women’s entrepreneurship. Ideal for scholars, policymakers, and students of entrepreneurship and gender studies, this work offers a fresh perspective on the strategies and successes of women entrepreneurs, inspiring new avenues for research and practical approaches for supporting women in business worldwide.

Statistical Analysis Techniques offers a comprehensive and practical guide to statistical analysis, with a focus on utilising SPSS software for research in business administration and economics. Designed to meet the growing demand for accessible data analysis tools in both academic and professional settings, the work seamlessly bridges theory with practical application. Real-world business examples—such as assessing customer behaviour, evaluating organisational success, and analysing employee performance—offer readers valuable hands-on experience with data sets. Each chapter includes step-by-step SPSS walkthroughs, ensuring readers can efficiently apply statistical techniques using the software.

The book serves as both an instructional guide and a reference manual, making it a vital resource for students, researchers, and professionals in business and economics. Its emphasis on practical implementation, coupled with its clear integration of SPSS examples, empowers readers to strengthen their data analysis skills and make data-driven decisions in an increasingly analytics-focused world.

In a world of accelerating technological progress, environmental pressure, and social change, leadership has become a defining factor for organisational success and human development alike. Today’s leaders must not only respond to transformation—they must anticipate it, navigating uncertainty with vision, empathy, and resilience. This challenge transcends traditional boundaries: leadership is no longer the exclusive domain of large corporations but a strategic necessity for small and medium-sized enterprises, family businesses, startups, and sports organisations.

This book explores leadership as an evolving social and organisational process rather than a fixed set of traits or techniques. Drawing from academic theory and real-world case studies, it analyses how different leadership models—transformational, situational, and sustainable, among others—interact with motivation, performance, and innovation. It highlights emerging contexts often neglected in leadership literature: amateur sports, where collective values meet competitive logic; motorsport, where technology, ethics, and performance intertwine; and startups, where leadership must balance agility, inclusion, and long-term vision.

In doing so, it draws “lessons learned” from these distinctive contexts to offer practical insights and transferable approaches that can inform leadership development across a wide range of organisational settings.

Managing Innovation in Business Strategy, Marketing and Finance has a goal of contributing to understanding the role of business innovation from the perspective of three key functional areas: strategy, marketing and finance.

Social Media Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia explores the economic empowerment and social transformation of Saudi women entrepreneurs in the wake of Saudi Vision 2030 (SV2030), which aims to modernise the Saudi economy and enhance women's participation.

Focusing on the transformative potential of digital entrepreneurship for Saudi women within the framework of SV2030, this study presents Saudi women entrepreneurs as agents of social change, exploring how they use social media platforms, particularly Instagram, as tools for economic empowerment, self-representation, and activism. Chapters go on to explore how these women confront structural constraints and tackle digital platforms to build socio-economic capital in new and innovative ways.

Focusing on the intersection between digital labour, visual self-representation, and gender within the unique socio-political landscape of Saudi Arabia, Abeer Bajandouh presents insights into gender and economic transformation in Saudi Arabia, contributing to the fields of digital media, visual culture, gender studies, and Middle Eastern studies. Utilising digital visual labour theory to explore a context traditionally limited by cultural norms, Bajandouh offers an innovative reading of Islamic feminism in digital spaces, including insights into social media and self-representation by exploring innovative perspectives on online branding.

The world of work has changed considerably since the second edition of Merit Pay was published. Advances in technology, changes in job design, alternate forms of work processes, differences in workforce demographics form many of these changes. In addition, compensation (in general) and merit pay (in particular) also have experienced changes based on these trends and events. The third edition addresses how these occurrences have introduced new theory and research impacting merit pay plans.

While much has changed in the compensation world since the second edition, merit pay remains popular – with perhaps as many as 90% of U.S. firms using it despite its controversial nature. The timeliness of this edition could not be better, occurring on the heels of major events and trends. Readers will benefit from over 230 new references added to the third edition. Moreover, this edition provides study questions and case studies to increase understanding of concepts, principles, and applications. Finally, in selected areas of the book, we added a new feature - current events in merit pay. These events explore innovative and often provocative subjects, aiming to leave readers with meaningful ideas to reflect upon.

Merit Pay is essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students studying compensation administration, as well as professionals working in pay administration, human resource management, industrial and organizational psychology, and labor economics.

International Handbook of Sustainable Tourism Economy is a timely and comprehensive handbook that responds to the growing global demand for sustainable practices in the tourism industry. With increasing awareness of tourism’s environmental and social impacts, this timely volume offers a holistic and multidisciplinary exploration of sustainable tourism, integrating economic theory, environmental stewardship, and social equity. Designed for tourism stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers, it provides practical strategies and actionable insights to support long-term sustainability and resilience in the sector.

A key contribution of the handbook is its emphasis on circular economy principles, including waste management, resource efficiency, and regenerative practices tailored to tourism. It also explores responsible tourism approaches that prioritise community engagement, cultural preservation, and biodiversity conservation. Through case studies and applied frameworks, the contributing authors illustrate how innovation and technology—including emerging areas such as space tourism—can be harnessed ethically to advance sustainability goals. This publication serves as a vital resource for shaping a balanced, inclusive, and future-ready tourism economy.

Modern Political Marketing and Relational Capital offers a comprehensive examination of how digital transformation is reshaping political marketing strategies. This edited volume explores the evolving landscape of political engagement, emphasising the role of digital relational capital—trust, loyalty, and connections between political actors and their audiences. By delving into emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, augmented reality, and social media-driven campaigns, the authors provide valuable insights into how political leaders and parties can effectively navigate the digital frontier to enhance their outreach and influence.

Bridging perspectives from political science, psychology, and technology, this book critically analyses the challenges and opportunities of modern political marketing in an era of rapid digital expansion. It examines how advanced tools such as cloud computing and AI-driven communication are revolutionising campaign strategies, while also addressing the uncertainties of digital engagement. With a focus on both theoretical frameworks and practical applications, this volume fills a crucial research gap by exploring the long-term effects of digital marketing on relational capital. Modern Political Marketing and Relational Capital is an essential resource for scholars, policymakers, political strategists, and students seeking to understand the complexities of political marketing in the digital age.

Dynamics of Niche Tourism in Malaysia explores the evolving landscape of Malaysia’s tourism industry, with a particular focus on the potential of niche tourism to drive sustainable growth. The book examines a wide range of specialised tourism segments—including nature based tourism, experiential travel, medical and wellness tourism, responsible, luxury, wedding, Muslim-friendly, and gastronomic tourism —and evaluates their role in reinforcing Malaysia’s position as a diverse and distinctive destination. Drawing on national strategies such as the Malaysia Truly Asia campaign and the Tourism Malaysia Marketing Plan 2022–2026, the text highlights the efforts of various stakeholders in navigating ongoing challenges related to business rejuvenation, infrastructure, and policy alignment.

Combining industry data, strategic analysis, and technological insights, the book also investigates how digital transformation is reshaping tourist engagement and service delivery. Key chapters address the socio-cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of niche tourism, as well as the implications for long-term sustainability. An essential resource for scholars, students, policymakers, and practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping Malaysia’s tourism sector and the strategic opportunities within niche markets to achieve sustainable tourism development.

The need for flexible work arrangements has become essential in today’s evolving work environment. As hybrid workplaces gain traction, flexible working hours allow employees to better balance their professional and personal lives, leading to improved work-life balance, productivity, and overall well-being. This shift is vital for fostering positive work environments globally.

Flexible Work Arrangements: Global Insights delves into the transformative power of flexible work hours, focusing on their impact across diverse cultures and economies. The editors of this collected edition, showcase how different countries and industries navigate the challenges of creating flexible work policies, particularly in hybrid environments. Drawing from global case studies, this work addresses the complexities of work-time laws, the influence of technology, and the critical role of flexible work in promoting gender equity, improving mental health, and fostering productivity. Highlighting the interplay between flexible schedules and sustainable development, this concise study also presents key insights into the role of flexible work arrangements in reducing carbon footprints, supporting gender equality, and promoting economic growth. Ultimately, it offers a comprehensive approach to creating a healthier, more inclusive work culture that enhances employees’ Quality of Life Index.

This work is useful for policy makers, business leaders, and HR professionals seeking to understand and implement flexible working policies. It offers practical insights and evidence-backed strategies for creating work environments that not only enhance employee satisfaction and productivity but also align with global sustainability goals.

Decolonial Epistemologies in Comparative and International Education: Anticipating the Cultural Turn? examines the current state of the field of comparative and international education (CIE) by addressing colonial and Eurocentric structures and advancing a decolonial approach. The chapters integrate frameworks from indigenous epistemologies, racial capitalism, and pluriverse thinking to question and reimagine existing paradigms in CIE.

This edited volume interrogates the level of coloniality and racial capitalism present in modern analyses of CIE. As such, the chapter authors unpack questions such as: Is CIE as a field too white? Are its theories and methodologies still too Eurocentric? How do we treat others as we study them? How do we accommodate differences, and how is inclusion dealt with? How might new epistemologies, ontologies, and axiologies help us decolonize the field?

Decolonial Epistemologies in Comparative and International Education: Anticipating the Cultural Turn? is valuable for academics in CIE and related fields, practitioners interested in decoloniality in education, administrators and policymakers in higher education, and graduate students in CIE, higher education, and educational leadership. It offers insights into current discussions on decoloniality and education, helping these groups understand and navigate the complexities of these themes in educational contexts.

The legal and societal implications for individuals experiencing infertility and considering various types of assisted reproductive technology have become increasingly complex in recent decades. New regulations surrounding surrogacy agreements have attempted to provide more protection to both surrogate mothers and prospective parents. To better understand this nuanced experience, this multidisciplinary volume focuses on families navigating these methods of reproduction.

In Pursuit of Parenthood: Infertility, Assisted Reproductive Technology, and Surrogacy covers a wide array of topics including infertility (e.g., psychological consequences, the social context, and relationship coping; surrogacy (international and domestic surrogacy, formal and informal surrogacy negotiations, LGBTQ+ families choosing surrogacy,) and fertility treatments (decisions to pursue in vitro fertilization, intrauterine insemination, and sperm donation, including financial, religious, and political limitations).

Cultural marginalization – which is defined in this volume as the exclusion of individuals, organizations, or communities based on their unique shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and practices, which diverge from the prevailing norms of the dominant culture – is not only widespread but also occurs globally. The purpose of this book is to conceptualize cultural marginalization by considering its inherent complexity and to show why it matters, particularly from a human standpoint. Grounded in this human ethos, the volume builds a theoretical foundation for scholarly debate in management and organizational studies on how the marginalized can engage in the processes of cultural survival and autonomy and how we can pave the way toward societies and organizations where we can pursue hope.

Representing a collaborative endeavor, Cultural Marginalization in Communities and Organizations: Seeds for Peace, includes contributions from diverse and vibrant contexts worldwide to gain a deeper understanding of the intricacy of cultural marginalization and how actors such as individuals, organizations, and communities navigate and overcome these challenges to cultivate ways of being that promote peace across cultural divides.

The global landscape of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has shifted dramatically in recent years. Protectionism, COVID-19, and the push for sustainability have disrupted traditional FDI flows beyond traditional manufacturing sectors and created new opportunities and challenges. With emerging economies increasingly competing for investment and developed countries reassessing their roles in global supply chains, there is a need for a fresh perspective on how FDI is adapting to this new reality. Amadi sheds light on the varying impact and strategies of FDI in different economic settings, including case studies from key countries like Nigeria, India, the UK, Kenya, and Vietnam, offering comparative insights into how FDI is reshaping all economies.

The International Studies in Small Business and Entrepreneurship Research Series opens a new chapter, as it seeks to advance discussions that consolidate conventional knowledge. The purpose of this initiative is to invite new reflections on the nature of entrepreneurship and small business across contexts. The collections in this series aim to improve the theoretical rigour and practical relevance of the field. The emphasis is to advance contemporary contributions that matter for small business and entrepreneurship, directing us to underexplored and under-theorised contexts.

Academic Talk for Higher Education brings together several current debates around oracy, dialogic teaching, and the role that academic talk can play in both widening access to higher education and creating more equitable learning opportunities.

Exploring the notion that a focus on purposefully using academic discourse in university classroom settings can support students to better engage, argue, and connect with their learning, peers, and educators, Academic Talk for Higher Education examines the relationship between academic discourse, equity, and student preparation for higher education and provides a theoretical and empirical account of enabling education, policy drivers, and widening participation cohorts. Working with extensive prior research conducted by the authors focused on ‘alternative pathway’ teaching contexts—Enabling Education in Australia and Foundation Programmes in the UK, chapters draw on teachers’ and students’ perspectives and experiences of academic preparedness to conceptualise the need for more explicit pedagogic focus on academic talk.

Concluding with an agenda for both policy and practice to value academic talk as a vehicle for equity, the authors offer recommendations for how to explicitly embed academic talk into the higher education curriculum, particularly in preparatory and foundation courses. This is significant at a time of great turbulence in the higher education sectors in both the UK and Australia, and when activities to support widening participation, retention and progression of all university students are needed more than ever.

Assessment Tools for Successful Library Evaluations is an essential guide for professionals involved in evaluating library operations or teaching assessment methods. Contributions offer clear, detailed descriptions of key assessment and evaluation techniques, complemented by practical examples that demonstrate how these principles can be applied and adapted to any library setting.

Various performance measurement tools are evaluated, such as ethnographic techniques, focus groups, interviews, observations, surveys, and usability testing. Chapters provide examples of how librarians have used these methods, along with guidance on applying each method to assess different aspects of library operations. This helps describe the library’s value and supports data-driven decision-making for strategic improvements. Examples of each assessment method are drawn from different types of libraries worldwide, including academic, public, school, government, and medical libraries.

This is a valuable resource for library managers and assessment librarians across all sectors. For those with assessment experience, it provides a quick refresher of the learning and skills related to library evaluation. For those teaching or learning about assessment as part of an MLS program, Assessment Tools for Successful Library Evaluations is a reference resource that will help instructors present methods and students to learn and apply the methods.

Creating Learning Systems for Higher Education: A Quantum Field Framework presents a groundbreaking approach to education that integrates quantum physics, competence, differentiated thinking, and individual performance proficiencies into a multidimensional, dynamic, and self-organising learning field. This innovative work is designed to prepare learners to know, perform, and understand personal, professional, and social competence.

Drawing on sciences, learning models, and human technologies, Moye's ‘Psychophysical Learning System’ propels learners toward success by bringing the competences required for specific disciplines into a coherent framework. This system is not discipline-specific, making it adaptable across various fields of study, making it a must-read for educators, curriculum designers, and anyone interested in the future of learning.

Explore the interconnectedness and interdependencies within the knowledge, performance, and integration of information that generate competence. Delve into the concept of Proprioception of Thought, which emphasises the importance of competent thinking in driving competent actions. Understand the contingencies of performing within a discipline through Human Performance Technologies, and discover how Quantum Design Models can create a resonance between the learner and natural learning events.

In an era where health encompasses not just physicality, immersive wellness has emerged as a multidimensional paradigm, encompassing the mental, emotional, technological, nutritional, organizational, and experiential aspects of well-being. The Immersive Wellness Spectrum: Trends, Technologies, and Transformations brings together an eclectic mix of interdisciplinary insights that explore the evolution and redefinition of wellness through technology, workplace dynamics, sustainability imperatives, and customized interventions.

Today, wellness is not just the absence of illness, but rather environments, systems, and experiences structured to empower individuals and institutions for sustenance. Whether it is multisensory HR innovations at work, AI-monitored personalized nutrition, digital detox initiatives, emotionally intelligent education, or sustainable wellness tourism, this volume captures the contemporary narratives in which immersive technologies and human-centric values are melded together.

The chapters contributed by academic scholars, industry experts, and wellness practitioners from around the world, areas of discussion include corporate sustainability, mental health, immersive marketing, supply chain innovation, and reform in higher education. In each domain, a chapter presents the transformative force of immersive wellness through conceptual frameworks, case studies, empirical findings, and directions for the future.

The Advances in Digital Technology and Data-Driven Business Practices series aims to shed light on the rapid developments, significance, benefits, and practical applications of evolving digital technologies and data-driven decision-making practices in businesses.

The world is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by the transformative forces of the Integrated Industrial revolution (4^th-5^th Industrial Revolutions)—a new era where data, connectivity, and human-machine interaction define progress. For libraries, this revolution presents both challenges and opportunities, demanding innovation in services, technologies, and strategies.

Both Volume 1 and 2 of Innovating in Libraries explore how academic libraries can harness emerging technologies, integrate Human-Tech synergistic and reciprocal solutions, and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on education, industry innovation, and reducing inequality. Contributions from leading experts and practitioners—many drawn from across the globe and selections from the Zimbabwe University Library Consortium’s 5th Biennial International Conference—offer global insights into spatial design for digital libraries, platform capitalism, open science, ethics, change management, and more.

With an international perspective and forward-thinking approach, Innovating in Libraries is essential for library professionals, educators, and policymakers navigating the future of information access in an era of rapid change.

Circular Happiness: Building Sustainable Workplaces for the Next Generation explores how businesses can merge sustainability and employee well-being by applying circular economy principles to create eco-friendly, fulfilling work environments. Focused on the needs of Gen Z, the book provides a framework for organisations to foster both environmental sustainability and mental health, offering practical strategies for enhancing workplace happiness while addressing climate change challenges.

In response to growing demands for sustainable practices and increasing workplace mental health issues, this contributed volume offers actionable insights for integrating circular economy models with employee well-being initiatives. At the heart of the book lies the concept of “Haptitude” — a fusion of Happiness, Attitude, and Result. It represents a measurable, action-oriented approach to cultivating sustainable happiness practices within organisations. By embedding Haptitude-driven strategies into workplace culture, leaders can create environments that not only enhance well-being but also drive long-term engagement, creativity, and organisational resilience. Circular Happiness is an essential guide for building a thriving workplace that benefit both people and the planet.

Healthcare faces immense challenges. Ensuring both clinicians and the public remain healthy to negotiate a world of increasing complexity, misinformation and uncertainty is urgent. Does scientific knowledge help them do this?

In Thinking, healthcare professionals and researchers Brown, Harvey Bluemel, and Coccia explore how philosophy can help us think differently about health. Drawing from history, culture, literature, and lived experience, they trace the deep connections between ideas, healing, and human flourishing. Each chapter offers accessible explanations of key philosophical ideas, with examples and exercises to help readers bring those ideas into their own lives.

This book invites readers to slow down and give thinking the attention it deserves. Thinking is a guide, but also an invitation to ask better questions; make space for reflection; and to rediscover the value of thought in an age that prizes speed and certainty over depth and understanding.

Rooted in ancient traditions, spiritual journeys have long served as powerful catalysts for self-reflection, cultural understanding, and personal growth. With an emphasis on the cognitive transformation that often accompanies such travels, this contributed volume provides both historical context and practical advice to navigate the complex landscape of contemporary spiritual tourism.

A Guidebook to Ethical Spiritual Travel: Innovation and Global Insights synthesises age-old teachings with modern perspectives, offering readers a comprehensive framework for travellers on meaningful spiritual journeys. By presenting case studies and practical guidance, it encourages mindfulness and intentionality in travel, while addressing critical challenges like cultural appropriation, sustainability, and the commercialisation of sacred sites. Aimed at both academics and industry professionals, the international team of authors emphasises the importance of respect, responsibility, and cultural sensitivity, fostering global empathy and personal transformation through well-guided spiritual exploration.

This book considers the effects of place and space on a variety of environments and work. In the 21st century, where an organization or a function is positioned, how easy it is to access, whether it has a visible presence at the community level is now a critical design issue. In the 21st century, technological advances are redefining what businesses and organizations do and how they do it. Customers expect increasingly customized products and services. Customers expect more significant direct interaction with product and service providers. These changes translate to increased integration of functions for the workforce, increased fragmentation of responsibilities, and an expansion and blending of roles. The authors suggest that organizations constrained to traditional place and space designs may encounter challenges adapting to these shifts.

The series covers a wide range of knowledge management concepts methods and strategies that enable decision makers to understand engage in and drive organization-wide efforts to build those capabilities required to remain competitive in the knowledge economy. From designing to implementing different types of knowledge-based strategies and measuring their success the series becomes a valuable resource for decision makers contributing to the sustainable transformation of business and society. By encouraging critical review and discussion among practitioners the series also generates important feedback for knowledge management academics and researchers. Experience applying core concepts and theories in a range of real-world scenarios creates opportunities to critically evaluate research topics and agendas methods and results.

This volume (Parts A and B) contains 16 new studies that shed light on key aspects of immigration: the drivers of immigration, the factors fostering or hindering immigrant integration in the host country, and the impact of immigration in the host countries. The studies span a wide range of countries in Europe, North and South America and use novel administrative, regional and survey data to offer insights into historical and contemporary episodes of migration. Together, they enrich our understanding of the determinants and consequences of migration and provide an evidence base for policy discussions.

The volume covers three broad themes. In both Part A and B are eight papers on the integration of immigrants in the host society, focusing on the acquisition of human capital, labor supply, family formation, and returns to skills. Part B also studies the impact of immigration on outcomes that often dominate the public debate, namely employment, education, and crime. Published twice per year in conjunction with the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) Research in Labor Economics contains new cutting edge peer reviewed research applying economic theory and econometrics to policy related topics pertinent to worker well-being often with an international focus.