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.

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.

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.

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.

As societies and public service organizations are facing new challenges resulting from the turbulence created by the pandemic and conflict, focus has turned to public value and it has gained momentum at the centre of the agenda: how accounting can have an emancipatory and societal role. This could well lead to a paradigmatic shift alternative to rational managerialism and new public management rationale.

This book brings together academics and practitioners alike, theoretical and empirical studies, providing a base for future developments in public value accounting and accountability studies. In doing so, the book aims at providing three major contributions. First, it will provide a reference point with the latest theoretical and practical advancements in public value accounting and accountability. Second, it will provide real case examples of how public value accounting and accountability can be made operable, representing an alternative paradigm for public managers and politicians. Third, it will guide future public value research in the accounting and accountability field.

Delivering and Evaluating Participation after Access is a timely response to the rise in discussion about how Higher Education (HE) providers support participation for disadvantaged students in HE. Chapters expand on the notion of widening participation (WP) work as being purely about getting students into HE, and considers the questions of engagement, retention, attainment and progression.

This is the first major work on the design, delivery and evaluation of student success activities by HE providers. Featuring contributions from expert practitioners in many areas of student success in the UK HE system, this edited volume presents four case studies that explore interventions to enhance success (what institutions do) and how they are evaluated for effectiveness (how institutions know if they work). The case studies offer a range of perspectives including disciplinary variations in pedagogy and practice and different evaluation approaches.

This practical, research-informed guide for HE providers that are seeking to integrate access and student success strategies across the student lifecycle, highlights a new synthesis of discourses and practices drawn from fields such as WP outreach, quality assurance and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Taken together they provide us with a unique take on how these policy/practice regimes have migrated into the student success space.

Exploring the rich history of teacher education in France, this comprehensive volume spans centuries of educational transformation, meticulously tracing the journey from informal training methods to the modern, state-regulated system that shapes today's teaching profession.

Structured both chronologically and thematically, Teacher Preparation in France offers an in-depth exploration of key historical periods and pivotal reforms. From examining the early influence of the Catholic Church and the establishment of state-run institutions during the Third Republic to delving into secondary teacher preparation, highlighting the tension between classical education and pedagogical training, and the rise of prestigious institutions like the École Normale Supérieure, Elliott and Lecuit explore the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation in French teacher education.

Inspired by the need to clarify French teacher education for international colleagues, Teacher Preparation in France combines extensive research with firsthand insights from educators. It offers a nuanced understanding of the complexities and controversies that have shaped teacher preparation in France, providing valuable lessons for educational debates worldwide.

Comprehensive Insights in Technological Sustainability, Education and Business: Exploring Diverse Perspectives and Impactful Strategies examines the intersections of technology, education, and business and provides effective approaches to promoting sustainability to drive organisational success. The book explores how technology can be harnessed to mitigate ecological challenges while driving sustainable development and corporate responsibility. It delves into strategies for leveraging technological advancements to enhance operational efficiency, improve customer engagement, and create a competitive edge in the global marketplace. The book also sheds light on transformative pedagogical approaches with the emphasis on the importance of equipping learners with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Through a diverse range of perspectives and case studies, Comprehensive Insights in Technological Sustainability, Education and Business provides a roadmap for stakeholders across various industries to navigate the complexities of the modern landscape. It advocates for a holistic approach that integrates sustainability principles, educational excellence, and innovative business practices to create a more prosperous and sustainable future for all.

Comprehensive Insights in Technological Sustainability, Education and Business: Exploring Diverse Perspectives and Impactful Strategies is the first of two volumes exploring the intersections of technology and education. Both volumes are part of the Technological Innovation and Sustainability for Business Competitive Advantage series (TISBCA). The TISBCA series emphasises the scientific exploration of business challenges faced by organizations, while offering practical solutions. By contributing to the development and enhancement of business theories and practices, and by promoting scientific research in technological innovation and sustainability, the volumes facilitate meaningful dialogues among academics, practitioners, and individuals. The research presented connects traditional accounting, auditing and internal control practices with the cutting-edge technological advancements that are revolutionising the way business transactions are conducted.

Banditry in Nigeria has been intensifying for almost a decade, however there is no study that focuses specifically on the financial impact or political economy of banditry. Filling this gap, authors Sambo and Sule explore this unique and new aspect and dimension of the banditry in Nigeria, comparing cases in Africa and Asia with the Nigerian experience to provide a view of the political economy implications of banditry at regional and global levels.

The Political Economy of Banditry in Nigeria explores the escalation of new areas of political economy triggered by banditry in Nigeria, where new strategies of bandits have turned crime into a multi-billion Naira business. The chapters investigate acts such as kidnapping for ransom, abduction of school children for ransom, illegal mining, capture and confiscation of farmlands by the bandits, collection of taxes and levies by the bandits from the local populace, as well as the cost of response by policy makers. Delving into an emerging security crisis relating to the political economy of banditry, the chapters explore the impacts causing food insecurity, shortage of livestock, and a huge outflow of government funds. Chronicling these events beyond Nigeria’s borders, the analysis shows the financial costs or economic loss incurred by the Nigerian state and looks at what can be done.

Concluding with practical policy implications and potential solutions for combatting economic crisis and poverty, the authors pose strategies relating to institutional strengthening, social inclusion and political will. This is important reading for scholars interested in securing lasting peace and prosperity in Nigeria and the wider international community beyond its borders.

Seeking to redress the traditional focus of historical criminology on the West and Global North, Imperial Crime and Punishment brings a fresh perspective to this burgeoning field by drawing instead on imperial contexts.

Chapters focus on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which witnessed the development of the recognisably ‘modern’ institutions of the criminal justice system, including policing and institutions of punishment and care. The collection broadly covers punishment and its institutions, enforcement, a reflection on methodological considerations for digital crime history, and more. Examining imperial contexts such as India and Australia beyond their immediate geographical context, authors highlight the global and imperial context including the movement of ideas between the British state and colonies, the international dimension of global punishments, and movement of labour in this period.

Offering empirically-based studies from the archives in order to understand and question beliefs about crime and social harm today, as well as ongoing practices both in, and outside of, the criminal justice system, Imperial Crime and Punishment provides a broad temporal and spatial scope to build the historical criminology literature and better understand and critique the world as it currently is.

The Prince Edward County, Virginia School Closing: A Compilation of Research Studies provides readers with a series of qualitative methodology approaches and topics. The collection of studies in this book contributes greatly to the research literature surrounding the school closing and examine topics such as (1) restorative justice, (2) massive resistance, (3) role of memory/racial healing, (4) the Civil Rights Movement, (5) socialization, (6) addressing silence, and (7) the importance of place.

Do Better illustrates the meaning of ableism through compelling narratives of graduate students in student affairs and higher education graduate preparation programs, who self-identify as disabled. These stories provide meaningful examples based on lived experiences. Furthermore, they aim to help higher education professionals, faculty, and staff recognize ableism and identify ways to dismantle these oppressive realities, both in their own practices and environments of influence.

The book seeks to honor the experiences of individuals with disabilities and provide opportunities for improvement in the areas of inclusion, community, and belonging. There is much work to be done in supporting disabled individuals within the collegiate environment and this book highlights both the challenges those with disabilities face in the classroom, graduate assistantships, and other relevant campus environments. Do Better provides solutions and strategies for integrating more inclusive practices into our work. The narratives shared within this book indicate problems that graduate students face and also opportunities for improvement.

The insidious nature of ableism means that it occurs on college campuses in a multitude of ways. Ableism creeps into the lived experiences, social interactions, academic endeavors, and professional opportunities within the field of higher education and student affairs. Do Better raises awareness about the various forms of ableist oppression faced by graduate students, aiming to inspire action and drive change.

Dis.Ordering Distribution explores the intricate relationship between distribution and production, drawing on empirical evidence from two vibrant centers of cultural production: Africa and Asia. Delving into how cultural entrepreneurs engage with global distribution platforms and the resulting impact on the creation of cultural artifacts, the analysis reveals that digital platforms are not merely end-point distribution tools but are also reshaping production processes.

The first section, “Infrastructures, Formats, and Rules”, examines the triad of infrastructures, formats, and rules, highlighting their historical significance and their role in shaping consumer behavior through distribution platforms. The second section, “Distribution as a Force Shaping Production” focuses on memes as a case study to illustrate the close link between distribution and production and how memes as a ubiquitous element of contemporary media culture, exemplify how distribution influences production. The final section, “Cultural Entrepreneurs in the Platform Business” brings attention to the physical spaces within a platform-dominated environment. It discusses how cultural entrepreneurs, such as artists and musicians, leverage their networks and data collection methods to promote their work, emphasizing the continued importance of local production and distribution sites.

This volume provides a comprehensive analysis of how digital platforms are transforming cultural production and distribution.

Cases Integrating Ethnography and Evaluation examines the connections between ethnography and evaluation in educational spaces, wrestling with pressing justice and equity issues in today’s societies across the world. The book provides readers from different disciplines and practice areas with detailed accounts of evaluation and ethnographic practice. Contributing chapters employ contemporary ethnographic strategies for engaging people, collecting data, generating knowledge, and taking action to make a social impact.

Concentrating on underrepresented and historically marginalized communities, authors describe evaluations that emphasize the use of fieldwork, participant observation, arts-based strategies, and Indigenous methods to explore the cultural and contextual specificity of educational spaces. Such evaluations pursue greater democracy and justice in educational policy, programs, and systems through forging trusting and reciprocal relationships with individuals and communities.

The chapters situate inquiry in the contested histories and policies of contexts—as they are globally, nationally, and locally defined. Authors present productive fusions of interpretivist and transformative epistemologies, emphasizing both emic understandings and critical framings of social issues. Describing the pursuit of transformative work in collaboration with a diversity of people, these chapters ultimately investigate issues of equity, marginalization, self-determination, (mis)representation, and cultural sustainability in inquiry as well as in education.

Shaping Entrepreneurial Marketing, Volume 1: A South Asian Perspective provides an in-depth analysis of how marketing and entrepreneurship have shaped the business landscape in South Asia.

As the region undergoes rapid economic development, this book offers valuable insights into the role of entrepreneurial marketing in the growth of advertising, e-commerce, technology, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This timely publication addresses a gap in the literature, offering theoretical and practical contributions to the emerging field of entrepreneurial marketing in developing economies.

This volume is essential for scholars, policymakers, and business leaders seeking to understand the dynamic interplay of entrepreneurship, marketing, and economic development in the South Asian context.

Toward Responsible Service Management develops service management concepts by providing a platform initiating critical debates from pertinent industry cases and proposes new theoretical and practical implications aimed at services, policymakers, educators, and students.

Analyzing the drivers and barriers of Responsible Service Management, Hesam Olya brings together a global range of perspectives from researchers and industry experts, reflecting on how service developments can increase efficiency and financial performance, but acknowledging the human face of the management process and how services should responsibly appreciate human rights including safety, privacy and ethical concerns.

Chapters examine the impacts of technological changes and related ethical concerns in this field, including issues such as enablers and barriers of responsible service management, dark sides of digital technologies, human face in digital services and responsible artificial intelligence.

Achieving Net Zero is a wicked problem that is not just a question of applying technological innovation to existing transport patterns and behaviours. It involves all three aspects of the environmental, social and economic sustainability triangle and any attempt to significantly reduce transport’s CO₂ emissions will involve major technological and behavioural changes – indeed, a fundamental rethink of existing expectations. Any approach needs also to be politically achievable, promoting opportunities for improving quality of life while not evading the issues at hand.

This 20^th volume in the Transport and Sustainability series focuses on Net Zero transport, providing a go-to source of information for policymakers, businesses, scholars and students alike. The contributors discuss the nature and scale of the issues associated with moving towards net zero transport, along with the opportunities for positive and transformational change. The chapters in Towards Transport Net Zero address the topic from a range of different perspectives including different transport modes, policy areas, social and demographic considerations and economic sectors.

The Transport and Sustainability series addresses the important nexus between transport and sustainability, containing volumes dealing with a wide range of issues relating to transport, its impact in economic, social and environmental spheres and its interaction with other policy sectors.

"Many assume a connection between historical black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and religion. Yet, the nature and meaning of this relationship has often been overlooked. 'Saving’ Education seeks to address this oversight by exploring the impact of theological concerns and the changes resulting from the Reconstruction and Jim/Jane Crow on the ethos of these institutions and their students’ worldview. Some of the key questions which guide this exploration include: How have significant figures shaped the educational communities and missions of HBCUs within their socio-cultural, intellectual, and theological contexts? What dynamics of critical thinking are essential in a predominantly Black educational setting, and how do these dynamics influence pedagogy? What role does the university or college chapel play in defining the nature and global presence of HBCUs? Such questions and the considerations inform this slim volume composed of five essays. They also underscore a broader inquiry: How does the complex relationship with religion define the history, mission, and impact of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)? This book delves into both the personal and communal aspects of this theme, offering insights and challenges across various responsibilities assumed by HBCUs, particularly in relation to religious thought and practice. Together, these essays provide a layered, multidisciplinary examination of the influence of religion on the mission and activities of HBCUs over the centuries. "

While there is much goodness in today's world, it often feels like the world is ablaze. Across all regions, we face conflicts, wars, inhumane actions, racism, xenophobia, crimes against humanity, poverty, social injustice, and other forms of hatred. As global citizens, we seem to have forgotten the value of our multicultural world and the importance of embracing our differences. No Time to Retreat: Why We Must Solidify Multicultural Education is a book that acknowledges these challenges and advocates for leveraging our diverse thoughts, talents, strengths, and skills to create a more liveable world.

Our global problems are evident in our nations, communities, organizations, institutions, schools, and among individuals. In the United States, for example, many of our multicultural gains in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are under attack; and our hard-fought freedoms are eroding. This book reminds us that we are in this together and urges us to shift paradigms, refocus our energies, and realign our vision and strategies to achieve our goals. On the whole, this book emphasizes that now is “no time to retreat” and that we must “solidify multicultural education.”

Freelancing has become a dominant work mode in communication industries such as public relations, marketing communications, digital media, and corporate communication, offering flexibility, autonomy, and creative freedom to workers, as well as dynamic access to specialized skills for businesses. However, below this shiny surface lies a complex reality marked by job insecurity, unequal access to job opportunities, and persistent gender constraints. Studies that looked at this profession in the communication industries through the lens of gender have been few and far between.

Gender and Freelancing in the Communication Industries: Experiences, Practices, Discourses is the first edited volume to focus specifically and exclusively on the intersection of gender and freelancing within the communication industries, challenging the assumption that freelancing is inherently liberating. The book investigates how gendered narratives, structural inequalities, and national labour policies influence freelancers’ identities, career dynamics, and everyday practices, offering a comprehensive perspective of national and international viewpoints and inviting critical reflection on equity, identity, and sustainability in the gig economy.

Divided into three thematic sections, the chapters examine discourses surrounding resilience and empowerment in online communities, explore exclusionary networking practices, and uncover how women navigate precarity, work-life balance, and professional isolation. Contributors draw from diverse methods including autoethnography, qualitative interviews, and generational analysis to capture the lived realities of freelance communication professionals.

This collected volume benefits professionals from various fields, including communication specialists, researchers, business leaders, and policymakers. Freelancers seeking to understand their role in the economy, communication experts exploring gender dynamics in their industry, and researchers interested in the intersection of gender, work, and freelancing will find valuable insights.

As organizations navigate an increasingly complex and fast-evolving business landscape, The Future of Human Resource Management in a Multigenerational Workforce provides HR professionals, researchers, and business leaders with a comprehensive guide to understanding and managing the workforce of tomorrow.

Driven by technological advancements, demographic shifts, and evolving employee expectations, the future of work demands adaptive and forward-thinking HR strategies. This contributed volume explores essential topics, including workforce planning, talent acquisition, employee engagement, and leadership development, all tailored to meet the challenges of a multigenerational and diverse workforce.

Drawing on contributions from global experts in human resource management, performance systems, and smart data analytics, The Future of Human Resource Management in a Multigenerational Workforce offers a rich blend of research-driven insights and practical strategies. Whether addressing the needs of digital-age employees or preparing leaders for an unpredictable future, this book serves as an invaluable reference for those committed to shaping the future of human resource management.

This volume contains an Open Access Chapter

In recent years, the global business landscape has witnessed an increasing emphasis on sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations. This trend has led governments around the world to adopt policies aimed at addressing emerging ESG-related issues, including but not limited to climate-related risks.

Climate Risks Reporting Practices and Assurance captures novel insights into the existing landscape of climate risk reporting practices and assurance practices related to Sustainability and ESG. Chapter authors discuss disclosure practices, climate risk assurance in New Zealand, responsible governance in sub-Saharan Africa, research opportunities within Science Based Targets, and valuation, accounting and climate risk.

The Advances in Environmental Accounting & Management series aims to advance knowledge of the governance and management of corporate environmental impacts and the accounting involved.

In recent years there has been a dramatic shift in consumer behaviour, with people becoming increasingly more environmentally conscious, putting pressure on companies to adapt their current working practices. Sustainability is, therefore, acting as a key driver for innovation, encouraging retailers and brands to adopt out-of-the-box thinking and find novel solutions without exploiting the environment.

As society contends with the realities of a cost-of-living crisis, brands grapple with multifaceted challenges: from dwindling consumer resources to the diminishing vitality of traditional retail spaces. Embracing technology as an ally, Future Priorities for Design, Branding, Marketing and Retail unravels the transformative role it plays in amplifying brand resonance, propelling a seismic shift in the fabric of communication between brands and their audience.

Future Priorities for Design, Branding, Marketing and Retail offers essential insights for brands navigating these uncharted waters, instigating a paradigm shift in design, branding, and marketing that intertwines sustainability with technological innovation. With fascinating insights from both practitioners and scholars, it crystallises a holistic understanding of the dynamic landscape, orchestrating ideas and experiences that illuminate the path forward for retailers and marketers in the post-pandemic world.

From Counting to Computing demonstrates the powerful integration of formal mathematical reasoning, hands-on educational experiments, and digital computation to solve problems. It focuses on numeric tables shaped as squares, equilateral and isosceles triangles, offering ample opportunities for algebraic generalization in the digital age. Activities are grounded in addition and multiplication tables, polygonal numbers, and Pascal’s triangle. Based on the idea that counting objects arranged in geometric shapes leads to the development of numeric patterns, this book extends this concept to digital computing. Using technology-immune/technology-enabled didactical framework, it blends formal reasoning with digital computation in problem solving and provides a conceptual shortcut to achieving mathematically significant computational outcomes.

From Counting to Computing covers classic topics from arithmetic, number theory, combinatorics, and probability theory. Many historical and cultural origins of mathematical concepts are highlighted, featuring figures like Pythagoras, Aristotle, Heron of Alexandria, Theon, Fibonacci, Gersonides, Pacioli, Cardano, Galilei, Kepler, Descartes, Fermat, Pascal, Spinoza, Leibniz, Jacob Bernoulli, Binet, de Moivre, Lamé, and Lucas.

The final chapter includes problems on the proof of divisibility of integer variable polynomials, motivated by digital computations. Ideal for mathematics teacher education programs and discrete mathematics courses, this book showcases the use of simple algorithms and tools like spreadsheets, Wolfram Alpha, Maple, and Graphing Calculator to achieve sophisticated computational results.

There is a scarcity of sociological literature on the role and place of sport within the Arab World and the Middle East that centralizes a critical Muslim perspective. This is significant given both their immense geographical scope and the continued and emerging social and political issues within the Muslim world, in which sport and physical cultures play an important role. This timely edited collection responds to an ongoing need for a critical Muslim studies approach to sport and physical cultures in the Arab World, the Middle East, and North Africa.

In the tradition of a critical Muslim studies approach and bringing together a diverse community of scholars, both established and emerging, the chapters utilize sport and physical cultures as its entry point to interrogate and critique Orientalist, Eurocentric, and positivist understandings of Arab and Middle Eastern cultures and communities, engage with intersectional, postcolonial, and decolonial epistemologies to advance this mission, and illuminate and legitimize the sporting knowledge and experiences of those from physical cultures in these regions.

Prioritizing sociological analyses from sport scholars from regions which tend to be omitted within Western sport scholarship, Arab and Middle Eastern Sport situates both the scholars and communities discussed in the sociology of sport literature. Boasting a wide range of analyses, it is appealing to sport scholars from diverse interdisciplinary and methodological backgrounds.

The first airport was built at College Park Maryland, USA in 1909. Since the initial construction of that structure the number of airports worldwide has grown to over 40,000. These facilities served over 8.7 billion passengers and handled over 102 million tonnes of cargo in 2023. Airports stimulate economic growth by creating direct, indirect and induced job opportunities and facilitating tourism and trade.

The presence of a functioning airport is therefore a key component of regional development, however most of the literature on regional development fails to include this vital growth determinant. This volume contributes to the literature on regional development by examining the economic effect of airports on regional growth. Chapter contributions have an international focus with analyses including examination of regional development in Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America, as well as regional development in rural areas. Chapters also recognize the external costs associated with the growth in airport operations. These chapters on external costs will provide an international appraisal of the need for carbon-neutrality and sustainability.

Airports and Regional Development provides a holistic approach toward the analysis of airports and regional development.

Vampire Leaders Suck sheds light on the characteristics and impacts of a form of toxic leadership that sucks the life out of individuals, groups, and organizations. Using vampire lore allegory, leader experiences, and critical examination, it book equips readers with the knowledge and tools to identify, understand, and counteract these detrimental behaviors.

This book aims to unveil the mystic of vampirism as a precursor to fostering a culture of positive leadership by contrasting vampire-like qualities with strategies for nurturing supportive, inspiring, and ethical leadership.

Though the content of this book plays out in higher education, the relatability makes the content a valuable resource for educators, administrators, HR professionals, and policy makers.

Sustainable Tourism: Entrepreneurship Innovations and Strategies explores the evolving landscape of tourism meeting the pressing need for sustainability. Chapters examine how entrepreneurial ventures are harnessing current trends to create eco-conscious opportunities that benefit both businesses and local communities.

Emerging entrepreneurial trends are unpacked along with the strategic opportunities that arise from adopting sustainable practices. It explores how entrepreneurs can align their ventures with evolving consumer preferences for eco-friendly travel while creating impactful, enduring business models. Through a blend of case studies, strategic models, and real-world examples, Sustainable Tourism offers readers a comprehensive guide to shaping a responsible and profitable tourism business.

Addressing themes like responsible tourism, community engagement, and technology-driven solutions, this book empowers readers to navigate the complexities of the tourism market. Entrepreneurs, tourism professionals, and industry stakeholders will find a wealth of opportunities to innovate, lead, and thrive in a sustainable future. Whether you are a business leader, academic, or policy maker, this guide will inspire you to seize opportunities while fostering a sustainable tourism ecosystem.

Literature reviews play a crucial role in advancing scholarly understanding by organizing, synthesizing, and critiquing the vast body of existing knowledge. They provide researchers and practitioners with comprehensive insights into current developments, highlight gaps in the research, and suggest pathways for future exploration. As the landscape of business and management continues to evolve rapidly, literature reviews become invaluable in helping to navigate these changes by offering a clear view of where the field stands and where it is heading.

Both the issues under volume 4, Review of Management Literature focus on Reviewing the Latest Trends in Management Literature, offer an in-depth exploration of contemporary topics shaping management thought and practice, particularly in three core areas: human resource management, sustainability, and technology.

The contributions included in the volume serve as a valuable reference, advancing both theory and practice in management.

Homeless Polish migrants in the UK face multiple challenges, including low wages, exploitative working conditions, and discrimination. Limited access to housing support further complicates their ability to break free from homelessness. However, the struggle goes beyond finding a physical place to live. Home is deeply tied to identity, emotional security, and a sense of belonging. The phrases ‘Home is where the heart is’ and ‘Show me your home, and I will tell you who you are’ reflect how home represents more than shelter—it embodies stability, comfort, and personal connections. Yet, for homeless migrants with limited social support, creating these emotional bonds can be difficult. Without stability, they remain disconnected, making it harder to establish a sense of home and belonging.

The Undeserving Polish Migrants: Homeless in a Place Called Home, Magdalena Brzeska explores the lived experiences of homeless Polish migrants in the UK, shedding light on how negative social attitudes and marginalisation shape their struggles with home, identity, and belonging. The book examines how immigration policies intersect with homelessness, reinforcing exclusion and instability. Brzeska argues that greater social inclusion is essential to addressing these challenges while also highlighting gaps in current policies for non-British-born homeless populations and the need for clearer regulations.

This study offers valuable insights for professionals in sociology, social work, homelessness advocacy, policymaking, immigration studies, and community development. It is an essential resource for those seeking to understand and address the barriers faced by homeless migrants.

Literature reviews play a crucial role in advancing scholarly understanding by organizing, synthesizing, and critiquing the vast body of existing knowledge. They provide researchers and practitioners with comprehensive insights into current developments, highlight gaps in the research, and suggest pathways for future exploration. As the landscape of business and management continues to evolve rapidly, literature reviews become invaluable in helping to navigate these changes by offering a clear view of where the field stands and where it is heading.

Both the issues under volume 4, Review of Management Literature focus on Reviewing the Latest Trends in Management Literature, offer an in-depth exploration of contemporary topics shaping management thought and practice, particularly in three core areas: human resource management, sustainability, and technology.

The contributions included in the volume serve as a valuable reference, advancing both theory and practice in management.

The Invisible Influences on Decision-Making explores the often unseen factors that influence decision-making in both everyday life and various professional settings, with a particular focus on policing, medicine, education, and counselling.

Chitpin and Dougan present key findings and trends in decision-making research, then go on to explore the concept of indecisiveness before examining decision-making processes in these specific professions. The authors employ qualitative research methodologies, such as case studies and phenomenology, alongside social influence theories, to provide a nuanced and current understanding of decision-making within these fields. By incorporating perspectives from professionals, chapters aim to enhance public understanding and confidence in how decisions are made in these critical areas, especially within a Canadian context.

While there is existing literature on decision-making in community service professions, it often remains discipline specific. The Invisible Influences on Decision-Making addresses the need for more inter-professional and interdisciplinary research, highlighting the collaborative nature of these professions and the complexities of their decision-making processes. By integrating real professional examples with research and theory, this study offers a compelling and insightful narrative that will engage researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across various fields.

Achieving gender equity in Latin America and the Caribbean brings significant societal and economic benefits, including reduced social disparities, better access to education, higher incomes, and greater participation in the workforce. Collaboration between academia, business, and government is essential in driving these outcomes, creating more inclusive and productive economies. Gender Equity and Economic Development highlights how aligning policy, practice, and strategy can foster equitable growth across the region.

This comprehensive volume is structured around three key lines of inquiry. The first section investigates the progress of public policies in promoting gender equity, offering perspectives on gender equity practices, female entrepreneurship in Colombia, and the broader implications of intersectionality. The second section delves into gender equity across different socioeconomic sectors, focusing on issues like the gender gap in social and financial security, the balance between reproductive and remunerated work, and a decade of labor market analysis for women in Colombia. The final section examines gender equity as a strategic component within productive organizations, exploring how businesses integrate gender equity into their strategies and the specific experiences of industries like tourism in the region. Highlighting the impact of gender-focused public policies, strategies, and organizational practices, this work invites readers to reflect on the transformative potential of gender equity for a more inclusive and prosperous society.

Bringing together insights from experienced researchers and multidisciplinary perspectives, this collected edition is essential for academics, policymakers, business leaders, and anyone committed to understanding the vital role of gender equity in economic development.

In Pursuit of a Lifelong Learning Society explores the policy discourses of lifelong learning articulated by three major international organisations - UNESCO, OECD, and the EU. Through comparative analysis, Moosung Lee explores how these organizations have shaped lifelong learning policies through their ideologies and interactions, bridging fields such as adult education, policy analysis, social policy, sociology, and comparative education.

By tracing the historical evolution of these policies, chapters explore alternative discourses aimed at building a learning society and restoring the authenticity of lifelong learning. Key policy texts are analysed to provide real-world implications, highlighting the commonalities and differences in the organizations’ discourses and their evolution. The book identifies distinctive features of each organization’s policies, explores their historical development, and critically analyses their global educational implications.

The comparative approach adopted throughout will interest policy researchers designing lifelong learning systems at local and national levels, as well as those studying global educational policy trends and their impacts. Researchers in global studies and international relations, particularly those focused on the role of international organizations in global governance, will also find it valuable.

Exited: Terminated from Higher Education considers the experiences of academic workers who find themselves abruptly expelled, terminated or exited from their contracts and workplaces. This is an increasingly common occurrence for academic workers with middle or senior management roles, and one that needs exposure and discussion. While there is extensive coverage of the precarity of early-career, teaching and research staff, the experience of longer-tenured staff is less explored.

This collection of papers and anonymised case studies highlights the lived experience of individuals who have been ‘exited’ from their roles. Academic chapters explore the legal and human resources practices in higher education. Case studies detail those in ascending career positions, established professionals and those nearing the end of their professional careers. Further drivers of sexism, racism and ageism are addressed. The ‘exiting’ phenomenon is contextualised within the broader literature on professional identity and roles in higher education, and on higher education leadership and management, providing insights into these practices, the impact on individuals and the cultures that fuel such behaviours.

Governments and academics are increasingly interested in understanding the entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) phenomenon as a comprehensive theoretical and practical framework to foster resilient economies. Current literature on the EEs mainly concentrates on studies investigating more developed ecosystems with less evidence and understanding of ecosystem dynamics in regions with limited resources.

Global, Regional, and National Entrepreneurial Ecosystems includes chapters with empirical and conceptual studies conducted in the MENA region on theories and practices related to understanding the interplay of stakeholders to support the development of entrepreneurial activities collaboratively. The book provides an understanding into many topics including the cultural effects on entrepreneurial activities, family businesses, entrepreneurship education, role of SMEs, policies, and women entrepreneurship.

This book serves as an introduction to entrepreneurship and a guide to transforming ideas into a reality in the MENA region. It provides solid research and theoretical background in the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems. It could be used for topics of technology commercialization, business plan, innovation, and business models.

The Emerald Handbook of Sustainable Energy Transition and Social Justice fosters a profound understanding of research and discourse on energy transition across the Global South and deconstructs the current thinking by presenting alternative viewpoints that enhance the understanding and engagement of communities in the Global South in the process of achieving sustainable development. The expertly curated chapters in this handbook focus on sustainable practices, energy use and creation and human rights from the perspective of a range of countries in the global south.

The interdisciplinary nature of the topics covered appeal to readers in a range of disciplines across business and social sciences, as well as those interested in understanding the ongoing complex debate on sustainability, energy transition and social justice.

New Frontiers in African Business and Society book series is dedicated to the exploration of theoretical and conceptual discussions that consolidate conventional knowledge about Africa. The purpose of the series is to invite new reflections on the nature of business and society across parts of Africa. The series contributes by interrogating the socially constructed practices assumptions and beliefs which provide meaning for scholarship across Africa.

Unlike traditional financial data that originates from firms’ internal information systems, exogenous data is generated outside business organizations, including a broad spectrum of sources that include social media posts, website cookies, Google search index, GPS traffic data, and satellite images. Exogenous data is distinguished from periodic and structured financial data by its timeliness, enormous variety, massive volume, tremendous velocity, and reduced likelihood of management manipulation.

However, the present financial reporting framework and accounting and auditing textbooks do not typically discuss the proper use of exogenous data in practice. In response to the gap between industry demand and academia, Exogenous Data in Accounting and Auditing in the Rutgers Series in Accounting Information Systems seeks to provide practice-oriented guidance on which types of exogenous data sources might be used under varying audit contingencies; how to integrate exogenous data into the business reporting cycle to give stakeholders more value-relevant and timely information; and how exogenous data could contribute to the measurement and assurance of various ESG-related issues.

With contributions from leaders in the field, this timely work outlines how emerging exogenous data sources can be used in both the accounting and auditing fields. It will be of interest to academics, researchers, business students, and accounting professionals.

While the past decade has witnessed the emergence of more studies dedicated to Africa and an emphasis on the significance of paying attention to issues across the continent, the search for more answers demands extending the reach of contemporary scholarly work. The Emerald Handbook of African Studies works to ‘break down’ hinges on the issues limiting Africa’s development. In fact, more dialogue and debates across subject areas will help refine our knowledge towards investigating pertinent and analogous issues.

Filling this gap in existing scholarship, Omeihe and Harrison distinctly and carefully curated an exploration of thematic areas, (general concerns, entrepreneurship and Economic Institutions, intersections of culture and society, politics and systems of behaviour), which generations of scholars, practitioners and policy makers can resonate with and apply in their work.

The Emerald Handbook of African Studies forces one to rethink the very nature of African research, serving as a catalyst for new fresh thought and acuminating our understanding of the social world.

Continuing Change, Constant Engagement considers the current environment, impact, and future directions of academic libraries in the Caribbean. The book explores some of the most pertinent issues affecting academic libraries in the Caribbean, including areas of ensuring impact, governance, innovation, technology and digital transformation, Library futures and the multifaceted, and evolving roles of the academic librarian, and library staff.

Chapters highlight stories on how libraries have responded to changes in culture, purpose, and practice to offer excellence in programs and service to their communities. A key feature of this publication is to provide a fresh approach, with a future mindset to the academic library environment. This collection is useful to practising librarians, library and higher education administrators, LIS faculty, and students. It is particularly valuable as a compilation of timely resources and critical chapters that highlight the diversity of areas to be addressed and practised in the Caribbean region.

The field of management studies have long been criticised for its predominantly Western-centric perspective. The Emerald Handbook of Decolonising Sustainability: A Global South Perspective fosters a more profound understanding of research and discourse on sustainability across the Global South. It deconstructs current thinking by presenting alternative viewpoints that enhance the understanding and engagement of communities in the Global South in the process of achieving sustainable development.

The editors argue that there is a need to decolonise sustainability by the inclusion of indigenous epistemologies and examining indigenous perspectives that investigate the interrelated and interdependent relationship between individuals and the environment. This perspective on sustainability challenges conventional Western concepts of "development" that presuppose a clear separation between human and planetary existence.

The interdisciplinary nature of the topics covered appeal to readers in a range of disciplines across business and social sciences, as well as those interested in understanding the ongoing complex debate on sustainability, energy transition and social justice.

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), new technology is reshaping business landscapes and creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation and growth. Professors Babu George and Ontario Wooden explore the transformative journey of African American entrepreneurs as they navigate the evolving AI era.

Beginning with a conceptual analysis based on firsthand experiences with African American business leaders and supported by the existing literature, George and Wooden trace the historical trajectory of African American entrepreneurship, highlighting the resilience and ingenuity that have long defined this community. They examine critical aspects such as policy frameworks, financial strategies, educational initiatives, and the importance of networking within the AI ecosystem, underscoring the need for inclusive policies and accessible resources to ensure African American entrepreneurs can fully participate in and benefit from the AI revolution.

At the heart of the discussion is AI’s role in bridging socioeconomic divides, equipping African American entrepreneurs with powerful tools to overcome systemic barriers and advance toward economic empowerment. Through micro-case studies, innovative insights, and actionable strategies, the book brings home the hope that digital divides and systemic inequities can be overcome successfully.

AI Empowered concludes with a forward-looking perspective, envisioning a future where African American entrepreneurs lead AI-driven innovation. It calls for a collective effort to support these trailblazers and foster a diverse, dynamic entrepreneurial landscape that reflects the promise of the digital age.

Entrepreneurship has long been a way for women to create economic opportunities, especially in challenging environments. Women entrepreneurs are essential in transforming their communities and industries within the global circular economy. By challenging traditional models and addressing urgent issues like environmental sustainability, they are leading a transformative movement that seeks to foster a brighter and more sustainable future for all.

In Women Entrepreneurs in the Circular Economy: Global Experiences, author Lisbeth Clausen presents ten compelling stories of women founders across seven different countries, from Japan to Colombia. Their experiences reveal the diverse ways these women navigate barriers in cultural attitudes, access to resources, and work-life balance. Clausen’s study is unique for its in-depth ethnographic approach, which includes a novel approach to collaborative immersive fieldwork, interviews, and local expertise. These detailed case studies provide a nuanced understanding of how business acumen, culture, and innovation intersect in the entrepreneurial journeys of these women. By richly exploring diverse cultural contexts and personal narratives, Clausen and her colleagues provide a powerful tool for understanding both the challenges and opportunities women face in the circular economy.

This work is essential for anyone interested in culture and diversity studies, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business practices. It serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, educators, and students in higher education, as well as aspiring entrepreneurs seeking global insights.

In a world where the new often collides with the old, Tradition as Resource or Constraint for Strategic Action examines the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation. Spanning industries from fashion to sports and from gastronomy to design, the researchers present a meticulously curated anthology of research discussing the dual role of tradition—as both a stabilizing anchor, and a springboard for strategic change.

Volume 44 provides insight into the challenges businesses face when trying to innovate without compromising their historical values, emphasizing the importance of balancing the old and the new. Traditional practices can be reimagined to satisfy contemporary needs, ensuring the essence of the past is preserved, whilst still keeping up with the spirit of innovation.

By focusing on this intersection between tradition and invention, this compilation not only marks a resurgence of interest in the interplay between traditional mores and strategic innovation but also serves as crucial reading for strategists and leaders. It equips them with the insights needed to balance a reverence for historical legacies with the imperatives of forward-thinking innovation—charting a course for a future that both honours and renews the past.

Organizations in every industry are facing pressure to become more sustainable, reduce their carbon footprint and ensure resources are reused, reduced and recycled; whether that push for change is from consumers or direct from government in terms of policy, and the sports industry is no exception.

A Global Perspective of Sustainability in Sports Organizations examines sports organizations from across the globe, highlighting similarities and differences to approaches in sustainability. Focusing on specific countries, chapters examine environmental protection, carbon footprints, the economic benefits of reducing use of resources, the UNSDGs, policy implementation and much more.

A practical examination of strategies, A Global Perspective of Sustainability in Sports Organizations will appeal to practitioners and policymakers while the academic discussion will appeal to researchers of sustainable business, economics, management and sports.

Foundations of Managing British Olympics: Institutions Through Time is an interdisciplinary study that examines the organisation, administration, and public benefits of Olympic Games in the United Kingdom. The book examines the 1908 and 1948 Olympic Games as well as the more recent 2012 Olympics Games and its long term legacy so far. The book draws upon archive materials held by the International Olympic Committee, UK national and local government, and FIFA. The long-term perspective adds to contemporary debates about the hosting of major sporting events and their wider impacts on business, the economy and society. 

The book combines the craft of the business historian with the methodology of the social scientist, to offer interdisciplinary perspectives on the management history field, alongside theories, frameworks, critiques, and applications for practice.

Reports from the United Nations indicate that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not meeting their targets, at least not according to the proposed timeline. Despite this, the world produces enough food to feed everyone. The crucial task remains to ensure equitable food distribution to those in need and reduce global food wastage.

Feeding Tomorrow Ecologically: Ecofriendly Food from Cradle to Cradle serves to support the top three SDGs: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, and Good Health and Well-Being. In this edited collection, authors delve into multifaceted aspects of global food systems. They examine the pivotal role of engineering throughout the food supply chain, from production to waste management, and its potential in fostering sustainable food security. Additionally, contributors investigate the evolution and perception of eco-friendly agriculture, focusing on adoption rates and attitudes, as well as diverse topics such as soil management, water reclamation, and policy. Through these varied perspectives, the chapters provide a comprehensive overview of challenges and innovations in shaping the future of food production and sustainability.

This edited collection brings together experts from farming, engineering, health sciences, policy, and other fields to provide insights into sustaining future populations with nourishing food. Scholars and professionals across various disciplines, including engineers, economists, scientists, sociologists, and marine conservationists, benefit from this work, which holds deep implications for food and economic systems.

In an era defined by unprecedented technological advancements, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Smart Systems presents both challenges and opportunities. Rapid advancements in automation, machine learning, and AI-driven technologies are reshaping job roles and creating new avenues for employment. The urgency lies in equipping educators, policymakers, and industry professionals with insights to navigate this transformative period effectively.

The first of two volumes, Education, Future Jobs and Smart Systems in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Part A is a timely collected edition, emerging precisely when the ramifications of AI on the job market are becoming palpable. Each section of the work explores a unique aspect, covering the foundational role of AI as a catalyst for developing new skills and competencies. It provides insights for higher education institutions, discusses AI as a powerful tool for sharing knowledge, considers policy implications, and examines the emergence of innovative job markets.

The chapters serve as a comprehensive guide for higher education stakeholders, offering actionable insights and strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-influenced job markets. Authors work to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world application, providing a roadmap for institutions to adapt curricula, teaching methodologies, and policies to meet the demands of the AI-driven future.

In an era defined by unprecedented technological advancements, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Smart Systems presents both challenges and opportunities. Rapid advancements in automation, machine learning, and AI-driven technologies are reshaping job roles and creating new avenues for employment. The urgency lies in equipping educators, policymakers, and industry professionals with insights to navigate this transformative period effectively.

The second of two volumes, Education, Future Jobs and Smart Systems in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Part B is a timely collected edition, emerging precisely when the ramifications of AI on the job market are becoming palpable. Each section of the work explores a unique aspect, covering the foundational role of AI as a catalyst for developing new skills and competencies. It provides insights for higher education institutions, discusses AI as a powerful tool for sharing knowledge, considers policy implications, and examines the emergence of innovative job markets.

The chapters serve as a comprehensive guide for higher education stakeholders, offering actionable insights and strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-influenced job markets. Authors work to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world application, providing a roadmap for institutions to adapt curricula, teaching methodologies, and policies to meet the demands of the AI-driven future.

In the 21st century professional sports teams are engaged in a fiercely competitive race for success both ‘on’ and ‘off’ the field of play. Professional sports team owners operate within a dynamic and disrupted global sporting ecosystem where every club is in search of competitive advantage. The challenge for the custodians of club success is to constantly review, check and challenge how best to support, nurture and challenge staff and players to optimize their performance. Success on the field of play has enormous implications for the commercial welfare of any club.

In a global and increasingly disrupted marketplace, business owners and their shareholders are forced to explore how they create, nurture, and ultimately maintain their competitive advantage. The search for individuals who can deliver organizational ‘success’ and its various component performance indicators are crucial for the longevity of any business. In elite sport, the search for talent is now a global activity with professional sports team owners using a variety of ‘traditional’ and innovative tools and techniques to identify their c-suite personnel.

In Executive Recruitment in Sport: Insights from the Boardroom, global thought-leader Ian Lawrence utilizes interviews with top-level executive recruiters to contextualize the plethora of peer reviewed and industry insight. The result is a nuanced appreciation and understanding of the major roles, responsibilities and challenges faced by senior staff. This vital work will appeal to those individuals responsible for recruitment and appointment of elite staff and the research conclusions will have far-reaching implications for analysis of ‘C-Suite’ recruitment.

Global education and coaching are concerned with transformation. Both expand self-awareness and open new ways of being in a world of others in a moment characterized by unprecedented and rapid change. In global education, the emphasis is on learning to collaborate within difference and embrace a concern for the greater good. In coaching, the work focuses on cultivating new ways of understanding oneself, others and the world, and expanding habitual repertoires of choice and response.

Coaching for SOWL: Self-Other-World Learning in Global Education bridges these fields, showing how coaching offers a uniquely appropriate modality for advancing our capacity to hear, hold and engage with difference, and to link personal and social transformation. By looking at coaching pedagogically, this book offers an approach that does two things. It allows global educators to reconsider how we make sense of encounters with others different from oneself. It also posits coaching as a tool to support those engaging in the important global work the world needs.

Responding to an urgent need to foster environments that promote both personal growth and collective responsibility, Rodríguez provokes thoughtful inquiry into what the future is asking of us as global educators.

For centuries, human “civilisation” has struggled with hatred, conflict, and war since the first people tried to privately own property and protect their resources. The social and economic pressures that “civilisation” has created have placed increasing strain on the institution of private ownership, which is showing signs that it must be replaced by something more modern. To explore the next development stage for society, we must consider how the old paradigms have begun to show their limitations, and what may replace them.

Cao interprets the culture, politics, economics, and the environmental problems that society faces from the perspective of a scholar, exploring potential solutions to the current global political dilemmas and providing intellectual support for a smooth transition of society to the next stage of civilisation. This stage draws on the great harmony proposed by Confucius, by taking steps to eliminate warfare and other forms of conflict and striving to achieve a more harmonious coexistence for everyone. Cao proposes a new perspective for global governance and encourage readers to work to improve the evolution of civilisation.

 A New Stage of Civilization: Striving for the Great Harmony will appeal to researchers in a range of fields, including economics, culture, history, politics and sustainability.

We are in an era marked by rapid geopolitical shifts and evolving security challenges, the need for a comprehensive understanding of intelligence failures and strategic surprises has never been more critical. In this important work, Frederic Lemieux analyzes intelligence failures and strategic surprises in geopolitical contexts, offering historical and contemporary case studies, exploring causes and consequences, and providing insights into improving intelligence practices and understanding future geopolitical challenges.

Bridging the gap between academic theory and practical intelligence analysis in the context of modern geopolitical instability, Lemieux features in-depth case studies spanning over eight decades, from the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 to the recent Hamas Attack in 2023. Recounting not only the events but also dissecting the types and sources of intelligence failures and their broader geopolitical implications, this historical breadth provides readers with a diverse range of scenarios to understand the evolution and recurring patterns of intelligence oversights. By exploring how technological advancements such as artificial intelligence can mitigate human cognitive biases, Lemieux presents a forward-looking perspective on intelligence practices. Operating under the premise that understanding past failures is crucial for improving future intelligence operations, this study demonstrates how we can re-shape international relations and emphasizes the importance of adapting intelligence analysis to the changing nature of global threats.

A timely work which integrates insights from political science, psychology, history, and technology, this text provides intelligence professionals, policymakers, scholars, and students with a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between intelligence, decision-making, and geopolitical dynamics.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) place a strong emphasis on empowering women and reducing poverty. To achieve these goals effectively, it is essential to implement strategic initiatives that connect policy planning with practical solutions. Microfinance has played a significant role in enabling the financial inclusion of women through collective and joint liability models. While these collective initiatives have existed worldwide in various forms, there remains a noticeable lack of literature on collectives and joint liability initiatives supporting semi-formal finance, especially in emerging economies.

In this much needed work, Nishi Malhotra offers valuable insights into microfinance initiatives through in-depth case studies across Africa, Europe, and Asia. She examines the shift in emerging economies towards achieving the SDGs, focusing on poverty reduction and women’s empowerment. Her work highlights the transition from traditional donor-driven models to sustainable finance frameworks, emphasizing the importance of microfinance and social finance. By exploring financial intermediation and bottom-up strategies like collective endeavours and savings groups, Malhotra demonstrates how these approaches can advance the SDGs. Combining expert interviews with grounded theory analysis, her research provides a nuanced understanding of the intersection between sustainable finance and poverty alleviation, offering insights into policy initiatives and the operational dynamics of microfinance mechanisms.

By presenting a comprehensive analysis of microfinance initiatives and their impact on poverty reduction, especially concerning women's financial inclusion, Global Perspectives on Financial Inclusion: Case Studies in Microfinance and Women’s Empowerment serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners committed to advancing financial inclusion and achieving the UN SDGs.

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.

Discover how the internet’s next evolution is reshaping the world of business. The second of two volumes, Web 3.0 Unleashed: Transforming Industries and Building Ethical Frameworks explores the groundbreaking technologies that define Web 3.0—blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), augmented reality, and artificial intelligence—and their profound impact on the way businesses innovate, grow, and connect with customers.

Through insightful analysis and real-world examples, this contributed work provides a comprehensive guide to harnessing Web 3.0’s potential. From revolutionising supply chains to reimagining customer engagement, every aspect of business is poised for transformation. Whether you’re a technologist, entrepreneur, executive, academic, or student, this book equips you with the tools, strategies, and knowledge to thrive in the digital economy.

Although social justice initiatives in education and the workplace have decades-long histories, sport has been slow to follow. In the areas of sport policies, sport practices and sport scholarship, liberal/reform approaches dominate, while the structural roots of injustice - racism, colonialism, misogyny, homophobia, disablism, homophobia and transphobia - remain largely unchanged.

Use and misuse of sport sciences contributes to this pattern, and the Olympic industry serves as the machine driving these forces.

Applying an intersectional analysis, the book examines issues of sex/gender/sexualities, disability, Global North/Global South disparities, doping, and violence in all its forms. A discussion of action and outlaw sports as a route to empowerment is followed by an exploration of community-based initiatives and a model for physical activity that puts joy at the centre of human movement.

Agency Pods represent a revolutionary shift in organisational structure. For more than a century, businesses have unknowingly held themselves back by traditionally organising their teams by job function. While it might sound sensible, this organisational structure places strict limits on the ability for organisations to grow, innovate, and acquire talent. Enter the Agency Pod; a new way to organise employees that breaks from the traditional constraints of function-based set ups.

With this innovative new industry structure, employees are aligned into small, cross-functional teams, or Pods, that act as internal agencies responsible for specific clients every need. This contrasts the traditional single function model, where departments handle only small parts of client or project deliverables, creating a highly collaborative, nimble, and laser focused environment which allows organisations of all kinds to become much more responsive to client requests and changing market conditions.

As this new business organisational structure takes the corporate world by storm, leading System Integrators and Service Providers globally have either already moved to the pod model or are hastily doing so. In Agency Pods: The Definitive Guide, Bhatti and Biddiscombe blow the lid off one of the most closely guarded secrets in business consulting by explaining how to implement it, how to measure it, and what success looks like.

HR 5.0: Adapting to the AI-Enhanced Workforce addresses the pressing need for comprehensive insights into the dynamic interplay between technology and human resources (HR). The authors, drawing from their extensive experience in Artificial Intelligence (AI), HR, and organisational development, present strategic frameworks that challenge organisations to view AI not as a threat, but as a catalyst for organisational growth.

As organisations transition into HR 5.0, characterised by advanced technological integration, HR professionals are required to navigate complexities and seize opportunities effectively. HR 5.0 encourages organisations to strike a harmonious equilibrium between human and machine elements, ensuring that the workplace remains not just efficient but also human-centric. The authors advocate for the augmentation of human capabilities through AI, fostering a work environment that is adaptive, resilient, and capable of thriving in the face of technological disruption.

HR 5.0: Adapting to the AI-Enhanced Workforce is a valuable resource for academics, executives, decision-makers, and technology professionals seeking to harness the full potential of data and technology for organisational success.

Positive Psychology is a swiftly expanding field, attracting academics who commit their careers to its advancement. Although happiness was initially a focal point in Positive Psychology research, some academic circles now prefer the more precise concept of flourishing. Without doubt, the primary goal of Positive Psychology is to enhance flourishing, even though the term happiness holds broader significance through history and across cultures.

This work is the first to look at happiness as a crucial aspect of Positive Psychology. Authors Sandie McHugh and Jerome Carson begin by introducing definitions of happiness and Positive Psychology, followed by a discussion on the measurement of happiness. The study then navigates through the historical evolution of these concepts, exploring the transition from Humanistic Psychology to Positive Psychology and the shift from happiness to flourishing. Chapters explore the global perspective on happiness, focusing on enhancing happiness through individual and external interventions. It concludes by contemplating the future of happiness and Positive Psychology, summarizing self-help interventions and reflecting on the lessons learned throughout the exploration.

Happiness and Positive Psychology is essential reading for academic professionals in Positive Psychology seeking theoretical insights and for students in Positive Psychology programs looking for foundational knowledge and practical insights. Psychologists specializing in well-being and flourishing, researchers in humanistic psychology, and practitioners in applied positive psychology, such as therapists and counsellors, benefit from real-world case studies presented throughout the work.

Over recent years, the nature of politics in nations around the globe has become increasingly heated and polarized, with much of this change being attributed to a variety of sources, including news outlets, online websites, social media, and various forms of communication technology. While researchers have long recognized how political beliefs are often passed on from one generation to the next within families, little is known about how the more disruptive and turbulent nature of contemporary politics is affecting families and family relationships. Blood Ties and Politics addresses the relationship between politics and the family.

Topics of discussion include political socialization within the family, the influence of extremist online websites, marital quality and political ideologies, political disagreement and family relationships, the impact of propaganda upon family relationships, intergenerational patterns of political beliefs, and other related issues. Encompassing the vast array of political beliefs, governmental forms, along with the multitude of family structures and relationships, the chapters come from a diversity of regions of the world, as well as of theoretical and methodological perspectives.

In South Asia, traditional views of gender, especially womanhood, are evolving from static roles to dynamic identities shaped by social, cultural, and technological shifts. This nuanced understanding of womanhood goes beyond past frameworks focused on patriarchy and traditional female-led narratives. Today, gender issues intersect with the media, state policies, and digital activism, reflecting both local and global influences on gender discourse.

In Contemporary Gender Transformations in South Asia: Transcending the Archetype of Womanhood, Reazul Haque presents an insightful exploration into how modern gender expressions in South Asia resist traditional archetypes and adapt to contemporary social shifts. This work examines how gender identities in the region are not only fluid but also capable of significant cognitive transformation in response to historical and cultural influences. By analyzing the impact of state, market, religious, and media institutions on gender roles, Haque argues for an inclusive yet cautious approach, acknowledging the risks of universalizing diverse gender experiences. His study also draws on recent digital and activist movements, which challenge existing power structures, offering a comprehensive view of how gender dynamics in South Asia are actively reimagined and redefined.

Providing a fresh perspective for scholars, policymakers, and those interested in gender studies and South Asian cultural studies, this volume asks readers to consider the active roles individuals and institutions play in reshaping gender expression today.

Human and ecological systems face substantial risks, and the ways individuals and communities adapt, change or otherwise transform are being increasingly highlighted as routes to address long-standing system-level problems. Central to this are the ways in which mediated communication may foster and support community resilience and collective efficacy.

Communicating Resiliency and Efficacy in a Digital Age: Mediated Communities takes an interdisciplinary look at the roles and processes associated with mediated communication in helping to foment community resiliency. The chapters describe the nexus of communication, media, health, and the environment and identifies leverage points to engage scholars across disciplines in the social sciences and humanities,

Through a culture-centric lens, this edited collection looks at how the concepts of community resilience and collective efficacy have been applied to work across academic disciplines, and how new understandings and applications may result.

The Disruption Continuum explores the profound and ongoing forces that drive societal transformation in our era of relentless technological change. Examining pivotal historical moments reveals that disruption is not a one-time occurrence caused by a disruptor event or technology but a continuous, evolving process. The book highlights Generative AI's role in perpetuating this continuum, reshaping social, economic, and cultural landscapes.

This book is particularly essential now as technological advancement accelerates, and the societal impacts of these changes become increasingly pervasive. By framing disruption as a continuous process rather than isolated events, it offers a novel perspective that aligns with the current reality of constant innovation. The book contributes to the field by emphasizing the need for ongoing adaptation and providing actionable strategies for navigating perpetual change.

For business leaders, practitioners, and academics, the book underscores the necessity of strategic foresight, agility, and imaginative thinking to navigate this ongoing disruption. It provides practical guidance on establishing disruptive innovation hubs and preparing for future trends, emphasizing that adaptation must be continuous.

In a society that is still experiencing the crisis generated by the pandemic due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, aggravated also by the conflict in Ukraine, it is necessary to rethink the concept of culture, which must be declined in its factual reality of everyday life, since the cultural system and its elements not only produce relationships (meaningful interactions) but also individual and collective social action, hence the use of the term rela(c)tion in the title.

The text proposes to discuss the theme of culture and cultural processes with an innovative slant that takes into account the changes that have occurred in recent years. One thinks, for example, of the great interest in processes that lead to social justice, particularly in the Global South, and the sustainability strongly brought about by Generation Z. The authors, without omitting theoretical insights necessary for understanding the transformation of this concept, will proceed to outline the areas, dimensions and cultural processes that influence the dynamics of everyday life and that in turn influence culture itself.

The idea behind this book was to construct a reflection on culture that goes beyond the individual definitions of this concept and allows for the exploration of the processes that take place in contemporary society on different levels (individual, social, and cultural) in the unfolding of individuals' everyday lives. To sum up, the objective pursued is to provide a picture of the dynamics, but at the same time of the future challenges to be faced by the different cultural systems due to the continuous changes in society, without neglecting to highlight what may be the orientations and/or innovative models (sustainability, social justice, democratic culture, etc.) that should be pursued for the construction of a cultural system that favours the peaceful and cohesive existence of differences.

Elder Women’s Wisdom: A Reclaimed Paradigm of Leadership examines seven leadership ‘signatures’ and weaves an iterative, layered model of women’s ways of wisdom that honours the voices of elders. The book advances limited feminist research on ageing, reconstructs archetypes, and advocates a pioneering paradigm of sage-ing.

The years 2021-2030 have been identified as the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. This curated collection of research is intended to bridge academic and popular press discourses about women’s leadership, ageing, and wisdom as well as advance a Call to Action aligned with UN efforts to bring visibility to societal beliefs about eldering. Integrating an intersectional lens within leadership theory and practice disrupts the prevailing leadership paradigm that remains skewed toward a male leadership prototype. This shift provides leaders with the ability to bring their whole selves to leadership and secure a sense of belonging.

This book contains an Open Access chapter.

Mathematics teacher educators’ (MTEs) intimate scholarship is growing in interest and is diversifying research methodologies and products in the mathematics teacher education field. Becoming an MTE involves identifying self as belonging to mathematics teacher education. Although insights about belonging in mathematics teacher education have focused on teachers, becoming an MTE involves learning and growing in the teaching of mathematics teaching.

This volume brings together the work of a range of US-based scholars at various career stages, working in mathematics teacher education using self-based methodologies such as narrative, autobiography and autoethnography, to explore knowing and doing in relation to the process of becoming mathematics teacher educators (MTEs). The chapters in the book reflect the value of intimate scholarship and its focus on practice and a variety of associated methods are utilised to capture aspects of MTE work and a conceptualisation of knowing in the context of practice.

Taking a unique approach to bring the theories of desistance and of development criminology to life, the chapters in this book are framed around a single individual’s life-story which have inspired rigorous, evidence-based and scholarly chapters on key issues in criminology.

Breaking fresh ground, Bringing Criminological Theory to Life chronicles the case study of the rich and fascinating life of Billy, who has moved from being a soldier, to a prisoner, to a university student, to a father and an acclaimed athlete. Enabling a cutting-edge mixture of narrative interviewing methodology and critical analysis and theory, Billy’s journey is accompanied by commissioned essays from leading figures in criminology on several controversial issues brought to life by Billy’s story. From the intersection of military veterans and criminal justice to the importance of cultivating supportive social networks and the role of sport in desistance from crime.

Concluding with a final chapter written by the Editors which reflects on Billy’s inspiring story, the purpose of this book is to bring theory to life for students and practitioners. Inspired by teaching styles whereby real-life experiences are shared by prison-based students that exemplify theory, this book presents a novel means of rendering academic analysis vibrant and accessible.

Femicide – the killing of women and girls – has gained increasing prominence on global and national agendas since the United Nations and the World Health Organisation, amongst others, started to respond to femicide as an issue of global concern. This edited collection explores the nature and extent of femicide, from intimate partner femicide to its connections with women’s suicide, and the institutional failures associated with Indigenous women’s deaths in the context of intimate partner violence. This collection contributes to progressing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.2.1: the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in public and in private, which sits within SDG5 focused on improving gender equality worldwide.

In extending recent work done by the editors on the measurement of women’s deaths as a result of male violence, Femicide: Problems, Possibilities and Prevention considers how theory, research, activism, policy, and prevention in different contemporary environments impact on how femicide is defined, understood and prevented. The debates explored within this book pose particular challenges for practitioners in developing effective risk informed prevention.

Social media’s incessant connectivity cultivates a vibrant digital landscape centred around shared interests. Though these fandoms offer a sense of belonging, they also pose risks due to the unchecked dissemination of toxic practices - harmful rhetoric, intolerance, and hateful speech. Beyond Fandom offers a meticulous exploration of online communication in social media, providing insights into online discourse and a timely perspective on the evolving nature of communication.

Standing out for its deliberate and comprehensive engagement with fan studies and toxic fan practices within the context of contemporary online communication, this collection situates fan communities at the forefront, not only meticulously investigating the broader impact of social media on contemporary society, but also delving into an in-depth exploration of the dynamics inherent to fan practices within these digital spaces. Integrating perspectives from Information Technology, Communication Studies, Sociology and more, the collection captures the complexities of how online fan communities’ function, communicate, and influence the evolving digital landscape. By centralising fan studies, this collection provides a crucial lens through which to understand the capability of fan practices to shape the trajectory of online communication. It provides a nuanced understanding of the interplay between social media and contemporary society.

Providing a thorough exploration of online discourse and focusing on the “always on” nature of social media and the dynamics of fandom, this is compelling reading for scholars of digital communication.

Volume 31 of Research in Organizational Change and Development addresses emerging issues, challenges and opportunities while advancing new insights to practice and theoretical development.

Contributions are devoted to a few timely concerns and emerging organizational challenges. The role that Organizational Development (OD) can play in helping organizations integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Technology – while focusing on issues of design, planned change roadmaps, and collaboration and change methodologies – are explored. Two of the chapters magnify the role that action research methodology plays in the infusion of AI literacy in a business school and in enhancing inter-organizational collaboration in the public health sector. Several chapters address the role that OD can play in the development of new capabilities such as ambidexterity, the moral purpose of the OD profession, and a scholar-practitioner system-based integrated organization development consulting model. One chapter focuses on group dynamics and advancing a sociological perspective that is embedded in a habitus change orientation.

The volume concludes with a contribution that builds on the legacy of Ed Schein, where the authors identify trajectories of broad areas for future exploration and development of the field.

Discover how the internet’s next evolution is reshaping the world of business. The first of two volumes, Web 3.0 Unleashed: Transforming Experiences with AR, AI, and Immersive Technologies explores the groundbreaking technologies that define Web 3.0—blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), augmented reality, and artificial intelligence—and their profound impact on the way businesses innovate, grow, and connect with customers.

Through insightful analysis and real-world examples, this contributed work provides a comprehensive guide to harnessing Web 3.0’s potential. From revolutionising supply chains to reimagining customer engagement, every aspect of business is poised for transformation. Whether you’re a technologist, entrepreneur, executive, academic, or student, this book equips you with the tools, strategies, and knowledge to thrive in the digital economy.

Addressing key inequities in education, specifically the lack of inclusivity in instruction and pedagogy, Developing Teacher Cultural Consciousness outlines a framework and provides strategies for teachers and principals to enhance their understanding of cultural diversity and implementing culturally responsive teaching practices in the K-12 and Higher Education sectors, with a specific emphasis on addressing inequities faced by BIPOC and Latino/a/x students.

Teachers play a critical role in student academic success, and they must be equipped with the knowledge and ability to respond to and incorporate their students’ varying cultural backgrounds into the curriculum. Revolving around the importance of cultural consciousness, Norris discusses the impact of teacher beliefs on student success, the role of student identity and culture in learning, addresses deficit ideologies, and challenges systemic inequities within the US educational system.

Highlighting the need for educators to develop cultural awareness and implement culturally responsive pedagogy, each chapter addresses the many challenges faced by marginalized students and offers practical solutions to enhance their learning experiences. Including practical examples, case studies, and real-life scenarios to illustrate the concepts discussed, Developing Teacher Cultural Consciousness will benefit the veteran teacher, the new teacher, and those looking to continue their education or move into different campus and district leadership positions. The reader will be able to utilize the framework provided to empower them to develop or deepen their cultural consciousness, and to become more culturally responsive, in terms of content, instruction, and pedagogy.

The AI Metaverse Revolution: Transforming Multi-Business Scenarios (Volume 1) explores the profound convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Metaverse, and its transformative effects on business decision-making and strategy. As these technologies evolve, they offer businesses unprecedented tools for operating more efficiently, engaging customers in innovative ways, and responding to rapidly shifting market dynamics. By examining the role of AI in analysing vast data sets and the insights gained from virtual environments within the Metaverse, this volume provides a comprehensive guide to harnessing these cutting-edge technologies for competitive advantage.

Through in-depth analysis and real-world examples, the diverse range of global contributors explore how AI and the Metaverse are driving a new era of business possibilities across industries. From AI-powered data analysis that enables businesses to make informed, real-time decisions, to personalised customer experiences created through behavioural analysis in virtual spaces. This volume presents actionable strategies for integrating AI and the Metaverse into modern business practices. It offers readers a roadmap for navigating this technological revolution, positioning AI and the Metaverse as essential components of future-proof business strategy.

Black graduate deans at historically white institutions have long navigated the complexities of higher education leadership while advocating for diversity, equity, and student success. This compelling volume brings together their stories, insights, and strategies for transforming graduate education. From breaking barriers to fostering inclusive faculty cultures, these leaders share how their lived experiences and collective knowledge have shaped programs that empower all students. Through personal narratives and institutional case studies, this edited collection highlights the resilience, innovation, and impact of Black graduate deans, offering essential guidance for educators, administrators, and policymakers committed to meaningful change.

Managing Change: Sustainable Practices, Inclusive Leadership, and Gender Equality in the Digital Industrial Revolution is a timely exploration of the multifaceted transformations occurring in today’s business environment under the influence of the Digital Industrial Revolution. As industries undergo rapid digitalisation, understanding and effectively managing these interconnected dynamics are crucial for fostering positive change and ensuring the development of more equitable and sustainable societies.

This edited collection delves into the intricate connections between sustainable practices, inclusive leadership, and gender equality amidst the digital revolution. It provides actionable insights through a blend of scholarly perspectives, practical case studies, and visionary discussions. Readers will gain a deep understanding of how sustainability can be integrated into organisational change efforts, the pivotal role of inclusive leadership in driving transformation, and strategies to achieve gender balance in technology-driven sectors. Additionally, authors analyse the impact of digitalisation on traditional industrial practices and organisational structures, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation while offering innovative approaches to effectively managing change within the context of the digital industrial revolution. Through real-world examples and forward-looking analyses, this insightful study equips its audience with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of the digital age.

Managing Change is essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and decision-makers seeking to thrive in the evolving business landscape. It offers practical strategies and best practices for those engaged in organisational change initiatives, sustainability efforts, or diversity and inclusion programs.

In Regenerative Tourism Industry, authors Geetanjali Sageena and Suneel Kumar take an in-depth and practical approach to regenerative tourism. Their innovative study analyzes the synergistic relationship between gender equality, tourism and climate change and shows researchers and policymakers what they can do to improve both social and environmental conditions.

This innovative study shows how tourism has major social, economic and environmental impacts that can no longer be overlooked. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the concepts of regenerative tourism allow travellers, businesses, employees and communities to realize their shared responsibility in preserving natural resources and encouraging the development of human resources.

Demonstrating how to go beyond sustaining a local destination by moving to regenerate it, this is appealing reading to policymakers, researchers and the various stakeholders of tourism who are interested in improving social and environmental conditions.

Provision of infrastructure development continues to be a great concern in emerging economies, particularly in ensuring sustainable growth through business continuity, and human development. The functionality and reliability of existing infrastructure is nowhere close to the aspirations of the global infrastructure initiative, thus affecting the rate at which services can be delivered to the public. Lack of understanding on the requirements of maintenance management has exacerbated the reliability of this infrastructure, particularly public office buildings.

The expertly curated chapters provide an unambiguous perspective on the practice requirements of maintenance management for public office buildings. Perspectives shared in the book include but not limited to maintenance principles and practice specifications for public asset management. Facility management is mostly to benefit from the perspectives deliberated in the book. More so, government institutions and regulatory bodies will also benefit from the findings of the book regarding practice requirements of maintenance management for public office buildings. The book further contributes towards expanding the existing body of knowledge in the field of maintenance management for public buildings.

Tourism Diplomacy: Insights from Economic, Environmental, and Socio-Cultural Perspectives examines how tourism serves as a powerful diplomatic tool, fostering cultural exchange, economic cooperation, and international collaboration. Moving beyond its traditional role as a leisure activity, tourism is increasingly recognized as a platform for strengthening global relationships. This contributed volume explores emerging trends and challenges in tourism diplomacy, including the growing influence of digital technologies and social media in shaping diplomatic efforts. It also delves into the vital role of private sector engagement, non-governmental organizations, and local communities in promoting sustainable tourism practices and advancing diplomatic initiatives.

Addressing the intersection of tourism and diplomacy, the authors emphasize the necessity of sustainable and responsible tourism practices to mitigate environmental and socio-cultural challenges while maximizing positive outcomes. Filling a crucial gap in current literature, this work provides a comprehensive analysis of tourism diplomacy, making it an essential resource for academics, researchers, higher education students, policymakers, and industry practitioners seeking to navigate the complexities of global tourism in an increasingly interconnected world.

Global Education: Linking Theory and Practice highlights the work of distinguished and emerging scholars and practitioners and their work on education research, policy and practice in relation to education access, equity and quality. They represent disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives including history, sociology, philosophy, psychology, economics, political science, public policy and anthropology. Contributions span from micro to macro levels of analysis, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and theoretical to applied orientations. What they have in common is a shared commitment to producing rigorous scholarship aimed at understanding educational institutions, educational processes and the social and cultural factors that affect them from a global perspective.

Kristy Kelly’s Global Education: Linking Theory and Practice links each chapter to Drexel University’s Global Education Colloquium. The goal of the Colloquium, and this collection, is to illuminate education – whether studied locally, globally or internationally – as shaped by, and with the potential to shape – social, political and economic change on a global scale.

A concluding chapter offers teaching notes and strategies for incorporating the chapters and Global Education Colloquium into teacher education courses. No other book on global education is designed for use in university classrooms in this way.