RSS 1.0Business and Enterprise
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The impact of 16–18 performance measures in a Sixth-form college: a teacher’s perspective on interpersonal relationships and teacher professional identityThis research explores the impact of 16–18 Performance Measures on interpersonal relationships and teacher professional identity (TPI) within a sixth-form college. TPI is a dynamic construct shaped by individual experiences and social interactions. Interpersonal relationships, such as those with colleagues and management, play a crucial role in shaping TPI and influencing teacher retention. However, the increasing pressure of performance measures can negatively impact these relationships and, subsequently, TPI. This qualitative case study looks to explore the experiences of teachers working in a Sixth-Form college. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interview transcripts was used to identify key themes related to interpersonal relationships, performance measures, and TPI. The findings suggest that 16–18 Performance Measures can exacerbate tensions within the workplace, leading to strained relationships with management and a decline in teacher morale. These pressures can also erode TPI by limiting autonomy, creativity, and a sense of professional purpose. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for educational policy and practice, highlighting the need for a more supportive and less target-driven approach to education.
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Assessment of the impact of the revised National E-Waste Framework on the informal E-Waste sector of NigeriaE-Waste management in Nigeria remains predominantly informal, with unlicensed collectors focusing on extracting valuable materials, primarily for export. Despite policy interventions, including the revised 2022 E-Waste framework and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project, which introduced collection centers in Lagos and bolstered Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), progress has been uneven. This comparative longitudinal study examined informal E-Waste processing practices over a six-year period (2017–2023) to evaluate the impact of these initiatives. Using a mixed-methods approach, including content analysis and field interviews with informal collectors, government officials, and NGOs, our findings reveal that profit is the primary motivator for informal collectors, while E-Waste fractions that are not considered profitable are often discarded in environmentally harmful ways. The findings indicate persistent noncompliance with regulations and stagnant or declining income levels for informal collectors. The revised 2022 regulation resulted in a significant increase in registrations, with EPRON recording its highest number of producers, with 39 in total, including 25.6% renewals and 74.4% new registrations. Although the revised framework and EPR efforts have achieved limited success, critical gaps in implementation and outreach remain, with minimal improvements in collectors’ awareness of health and environmental risks. This study underscores the need for targeted training and financial incentives to redirect E-Waste flows toward formal channels, thereby more effectively safeguarding the environment and wellbeing.
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The legal and ethical considerations in cross-border telesurgical proceduresTelesurgery, or remote surgery, represents a transformative fusion of medicine and technology, enabling surgeons to perform procedures on patients located miles away using robotic systems and advanced telecommunications. However, its widespread adoption remains limited, with fewer than 50 documented fully remote telesurgical procedures in the past two decades. While robotic-assisted surgery is increasingly common - accounting for over 1.2 million procedures in 2019 - true cross-border telesurgery is rare due to technological, legal, and ethical barriers. The lack of a unified regulatory framework presents jurisdiction, licensing, liability, and data security challenges, particularly when procedures span international borders. The absence of standardized legal mechanisms creates uncertainty, especially in surgical complications or malpractice claims. A global regulatory framework should address these challenges, incorporating mutual recognition of medical licenses, standardized liability agreements, and uniform data protection protocols aligned with General Data Protection Regulation and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Additionally, real-time 5G-enabled monitoring systems could mitigate latency issues, reducing the risk of surgical errors due to connectivity disruptions. Ethically, telesurgery raises concerns regarding informed consent, equitable access, and accountability. Language barriers, differing cultural attitudes toward robotic surgery, and disparities in healthcare infrastructure complicate ethical oversight. Establishing an international telesurgical ethics board could ensure adherence to standardized consent procedures and promote equitable access through global partnerships. Investment in telesurgical training programs and AI-driven risk mitigation strategies could enhance patient safety. While technological advancements will continue to drive telesurgery's growth, addressing these legal and ethical considerations through harmonized global regulations and strategic policy interventions is crucial for sustainable and equitable integration into modern healthcare.
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Contextualising influential thought leaders and online learning communities in social media: A case of the gamification and serious games communityThis thesis aims to address the need for studies examining gamification as a community, particularly in the context of online learning communities. The growing influence of online learning communities in shaping nascent academic subjects calls for an understanding of the role of online influencers in their development. However, existing research lacks objectivity in identifying and assessing thought leaders and influencers within these communities. This research seeks to fill this gap by investigating an effective model for identifying and assessing influential thought leaders on social media platforms. The study utilizes a two-stage process that focuses on the social connections between accounts on Twitter. A Python program was developed to engage with Twitter's Application Programming Interface (API) for data collection. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is employed to query the network and measure levels of influence. The results indicate that the influence of Influential Thought Leaders within the community outweighs the social influence held by Social Media Influencers and celebrity accounts. Furthermore, the two-stage process developed in this thesis yielded a set of knowledgeable and subject-relevant accounts generated from a small initial sample and produced objectively. PageRank measurements further reveal that academic accounts exert more influence within this community compared to business or generic accounts. This thesis presents a new conceptual model called the Community of Development to address a theoretical shortfall. This model allows for an active online learning community with social and cognitive presence without the authoritative teaching presence observed in other frameworks such as the Community of Inquiry. The integration of gamification within the Community of Development framework contributes to the ongoing development of this subject area within academia. Furthermore, developing the Influential Thought Leader (ITL) concept addresses the gap in understanding online influencers. By recognizing the unique characteristics of influential thought leaders within the niche community, the research challenges the commercial and marketing-focused lens through which most influencer research has been conducted. This conceptualization expands our understanding of online influence and the dynamics of niche interest communities. The practical application of the research findings allows for the creation of a reliable and balanced "who to follow" listing for newcomers to the gamification community, as well as other online interest groups that function as Communities of Development. These results have implications for Social Network research, particularly for analyzing entire social networks or using small samples to explore the entire network. Understanding the dynamics of online influence is vital in marketing, especially in influencer marketing on social media. By identifying influential thought leaders within interest-based communities, marketers can find better fits for their brands and products, potentially yielding greater impact and influence within specific interest areas. This perspective offers a cost-effective and risk-mitigating strategy compared to seeking influencers with a larger general following. Overall, this thesis provides theoretical and practical contributions to the study of online learning communities, influencer marketing, and brand marketing on social media. The conceptual framework, combined with the objective approach for identifying influential thought leaders, can enhance our understanding of the dynamics of online influence and improve networking strategies within interest-based communities.
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The role of Artificial Intelligence in political marketingThis chapter investigates the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary political marketing.
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Strategic National Human Resource Development: The case of the Duqm Special Economic Zone in OmanResearch is increasingly acknowledging the pivotal role of national human resource development (NHRD) in economic development. There is a growing call to conduct research in country-specific contexts to further explore this concept and the factors that influence its outcomes. The concept differs from one country to another; therefore, many human resource development (HRD) studies focus on one country. However, few have focused on the Middle East region, and there has been even less research on Oman. The aim here is to fill this research gap by evaluating information gathered from across the Duqm Special Economic Zone (DSEZ) in Oman and analyze Oman’s HRD practices. Specifically, the intent is to identify the gap in skillsets in Oman and to develop an NHRD model that is appropriate for the country’s economic requirements for national skills development.
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McLuhan, Herbert Marshall (1911–1980)Encyclopedia entry
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Women and leadership in paternalistic family-owned businessesFamily-Owned Businesses (FOBs) are unique constitutions as they are managed, owned, and controlled by the families and accepted as vital players of the global economy as they dominate commercial life and represent most businesses worldwide. Even though there is no widely accepted definition of such companies, the illustration’s common point is the family participation in the management and ownership. Moreover, to consider one company as a family business, most ownership should lie within a single-family, and family businesses are differentiated by the involvement of family members’ active participation, including the management team, board members, or shareholders.The intention to pass the business to their antecedents, longevity, long-term viability, continued family engagement, in other words, “Succession” is considered as the most critical event in family business literature, and a large majority of studies focus on this event. This event’s importance is that the sustainability of a FOB represents both business success and family functionality. Similarly, literature also underlines that family businesses outperform non-family businesses as the performance refers to both business and the family. Therefore, FOBs need to carefully plan the succession process to ensure healthy longevity while passing leadership and ownership from one generation of owners to the next generation.However, research shows that intergenerational succession is influenced by cultural background and, women’s participation in FOBs is deeply affected by cultural factors, social norms, sociocultural environment, and religious background. Traditional role thinking affects not only the succession process but also the participation of women within some specific cultures. Therefore, this study aims to show the effect of “paternalistic” culture on women’s FOBs presence.
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Maslow, Abraham (1908–1970) and Hierarchy of NeedsEncyclopedia entry
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Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)Encyclopedia entry
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Smith, Adam (1723–1790)Encyclopedia entry
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Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)Encyclopedia entry
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Bernays, Edward Louis (1891–1995)Encyclopedia entry
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China’s belt and road initiative and Marco PoloEncyclopedia entry
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Machiavelli, Niccolò (1469-1527): Machiavellianism, moralism, and his contribution to the development of International public affairs managementThis is a living reference work on Niccolò Machiavelli, one of the best known European political philosophers and writers on the realities of managing power.
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Generative artificial intelligence and learning: At the dawn of Idiocracy?In this article, we reflect on the dark side of generative artificial intelligence. We identify several concerns associated with generative artificial intelligence in relation to knowledge processing and developing understanding, including misalignment between the AI’s intended and actual use, its rhetorical duplicity, risk of technical dependence, negative impact on creativity and contextual understanding, overall decreased knowledge quality, the production of ‘illusory truths’, AI’s progressive encapsulation and its exponential proliferation. We call for reflection on its potential implications for management learning, as well as for learning more broadly.
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Genetically Modified (GM)Living reference work. Introductory paragraph: A term used to describe all artificial changes in a plant or animal created through genetic engineering. Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g., through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology,” sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering.” Currently available GM foods stem mostly from plants, but in the future foods derived from GM microorganisms or GM animals are likely to be introduced into the world market. Most existing genetically modified crops have been developed to improve yield through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance to herbicides. GM foods can also allow for reductions in food prices through improved yields and reliability.
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Bernays, Edward Louis (1891–1995)Encyclopedia entry
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Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)Encyclopedia entry
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Reclaiming work design in the age of automation: A call to human-centric strategyPurpose: This paper revisits work design theory in light of rapid advancements in workplace automation, arguing that traditional models are no longer sufficient for addressing the complexities introduced by digital automation technologies (DAT). It aims to reposition work design as a central strategic concern for organisations navigating technological change. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a narrative review, drawing from contemporary academic literature and recent empirical studies, to offer reflective commentary grounded in current research. Findings: Despite increasing attention to automation’s impact on job displacement, there remains a limited focus on how work design can respond to negative outcomes and promote employee engagement, innovation, and retention. Originality/value: This paper offers a timely call to action for HR leaders and work design researchers. It urges a shift away from purely technical implementations of automation toward more human-centred, strategically designed work environments. The piece contributes original value by framing work design as both a challenge and an opportunity in the digital economy.
