Search Results (409)

Despite the growing participation of women in higher education worldwide, they continue to face persistent challenges in their career advancement, including limited promotion opportunities, underrepresentation in leadership positions, lower research productivity, and unequal access to institutional resources. These challenges are shaped by a range of structural, institutional, and socio-cultural constraints within academia. Understanding these influencing factors is essential for promoting gender equity within universities. This study investigates the factors influencing the career advancement-related challenges experienced by women academics in Jordanian higher education institutions, focusing on career experience, family responsibilities, and organisational support. Grounded in Gendered Organisations Theory, Work-Family Conflict Theory, and Social Support Theory, the study develops and empirically tests an integrated conceptual model. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of women academics across Jordanian universities. The quantitative data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), while qualitative responses on strategies for overcoming challenges were examined using directed qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that family responsibilities represent the most influential driver of perceived challenges, highlighting the continuing tension between professional and domestic roles. Career experience is found to reduce perceived challenges, suggesting that accumulated professional capital and institutional familiarity enhance women’s ability to navigate academic environments. Organisational and social support not only directly reduce perceived challenges but also buffer the impact of family responsibilities. Multi-group analysis further reveals differences in the strength of these relationships between teaching-research academics and those occupying leadership roles. The qualitative results identify key strategies for addressing these challenges, including mentoring systems, flexible institutional policies, professional networking, and leadership development initiatives. By integrating structural modelling with qualitative insights, this study advances understanding of the complex dynamics shaping women’s academic careers and provides evidence-based recommendations for fostering more inclusive and supportive higher education environments. Full article

The digital economy (DE) is increasingly associated with higher carbon productivity (CP) and is widely regarded as an important factor in efforts to achieve the dual-carbon goals. However, the formulation of differentiated policies is constrained by a limited understanding of the multi-factor collaborative mechanisms and their asymmetric configurational pathways. This study combines the GMDH algorithm with the fsQCA approach to explore the multiple sufficient paths for high carbon productivity. Through feature selection and nonlinear modeling, the GMDH algorithm identifies five key variables associated with CP: the industrial robot permeability, software business development, digital innovation input, the usage depth of digital finance, and mobile communication facilities. The fsQCA method reveals that three configurational pathways consistent with higher levels of CP: the “innovation and finance-driven model” represented by Sichuan and Hunan, the “innovation-assisted digital industrialization model” represented by Henan and Hebei, and the “industry digitalization first developing model” represented by Jiangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. Considering the uneven regional development across China, this study further categorizes provinces into four regional development types: innovation and finance-driven, digital industry empowerment, industrial digitalization leadership, and potential cultivation. Correspondingly, tailored policy recommendations are proposed for each region, providing practical insights consistent with the observed configurational patterns for improving CP in the context of DE development. Full article

Background: Gender discrimination in sport remains a persistent global issue, reflected in women’s limited participation, leadership representation, media visibility, salary equity, and personal safety. These forms of discrimination also negatively affect athletes’ psychological well-being, mental health, and overall sports experience. Despite growing scholarly attention over the past three decades, a comprehensive quantitative synthesis of this research area has been lacking. Methodology: A bibliometric analysis of 397 peer-reviewed documents published between 1995 and 2026 was conducted using the Scopus database. Data were analysed through the Bibliometric R package 4.2.1 and Biblioshiny interface. Science-mapping techniques including keyword co-occurrence, thematic clustering, thematic evolution, and collaboration network analysis were combined with performance indicators such as annual publication output, leading sources, author productivity, and citation impact. Results: Scientific production increased markedly after the mid-2010s, involving 187 sources and 1106 authors, with rising collaboration and citation influence. Core research themes included gender inequality, leadership exclusion, media representation, harassment and abuse, and structural discrimination in sports systems. Importantly, many of these themes are directly linked to reduced athlete well-being, including increased stress, anxiety, and decreased participation. Recent thematic developments highlighted intersectionality, safeguarding, inclusion, governance, and athlete welfare. Conclusion: Research on discrimination against women in sport has evolved into a multidisciplinary, policy-relevant field. Addressing gender discrimination is essential not only to achieving equity but also to improving athletes’ subjective well-being and long-term participation in sport. However, significant gaps remain, particularly in Global South contexts and intervention-based studies, indicating the need for stronger evidence-driven strategies to advance gender equity, inclusion, and ethical governance in sport. Full article

Starting from the idea of proximity as a fundamental news value—which may assume geographical, cultural, emotional, and thematic dimensions—this article discusses how this concept influences journalists’ production routines, focusing on the progressive abandonment of the journalistic genre of reportage. This quantitative study aims to understand how Portuguese journalists conceptualize proximity journalism and the role reportage plays as a journalistic practice that involves direct contact with the field. The study collected responses from 111 Portuguese journalists working in television, radio, print, and online media, across different media outlets, regardless of their hierarchical position or contractual status. The research shows that although proximity is considered transversal across all levels of journalism (local, regional, or national), current production routines primarily favor news production. This trend is driven by a strong dependence on the political and institutional agenda, neglecting reportage, which requires going into the field and establishing direct contact with local communities and, consequently, with alternative and non-official or non-institutional sources. Among the main reasons identified by journalists are a lack of time, a scarcity of human and financial resources, an overload of tasks in newsrooms, and poor editorial decisions by newsroom leadership. The study concludes that this dependence on fast production routines and institutional sources may compromise journalism’s ability to maintain close relationships with communities and to produce more in-depth, contextualized narratives, thereby gradually losing proximity to local communities and citizens. Full article

Nowadays, Global Value Chains (GVCs) play a vital role in job creation, income generation, knowledge diffusion, and productivity growth. However, significant disparities exist across countries in terms of their integration into GVCs, and Tunisia is no exception to this pattern. In this regard, the question about factors that influence GVCs’ participation is yet to be discussed, to formulate and implement appropriate strategies and reforms. Thus, using firm-level data from the 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey, this paper examines the role of female leadership and innovation in determining Tunisian firms’ participation in GVCs. Participation in GVCs is captured by a dummy variable indicating the firm’s export and import status. Estimation results from the logit model show that female representation in decision-making positions significantly increases the likelihood of firms’ participation in GVCs. The results also highlight the importance of process innovation in GVC participation, while product innovation appears to have no significant effect. Notably, when firms combine both types of innovation, their likelihood of joining GVCs increases further. Regarding control variables, firm size appears to be an important determinant, as larger firms display a greater tendency to participate in GVCs. The findings further indicate that firm certification and foreign equity participation significantly promote integration into GVCs, while corruption constitutes a major constraint on the integration of Tunisian firms. From a policy perspective, these findings highlight the need to rethink industrial policies, with a stronger focus on process innovation as a key lever of productive sector modernization. Achieving this transformation also requires the development of an inclusive policy ecosystem that supports meaningful and sustainable progress in female’s leadership representation. Full article

Contemporary political crises have exposed the limitations of traditional political marketing instruments for building and sustaining legitimacy, particularly in contexts of widespread citizen rejection and low emotional identification with political leaders. Within platform-mediated communication environments—especially digitally mediated ecosystems such as TikTok—this article argues that a new mechanism has emerged: affective transfer as a form of mediated affective circulation. This mechanism operates when positive affect is not generated by political leaders themselves but by external, non-institutional mediators, and subsequently circulated and reinforced through platform logics of visibility, virality, and engagement. Adopting a qualitative and interpretive case study approach, the article examines how the circulation of a non-institutional humorous performance on TikTok may have contributed to processes of public acceptance for a sitting president in a context of acute institutional crisis. The findings suggest that the repeated circulation of such content stabilises recognizable affective codes and enables their symbolic association with presidential leadership, potentially facilitating indirect forms of legitimation without direct affective production by the leader. The article contributes by (1) conceptualizing affective transfer as a distinct interpretive mechanism within platformed communication environments; (2) differentiating it from charisma, populism, and traditional persuasion; and (3) demonstrating its implications for rethinking political legitimacy as a process that may be shaped by distributed affect within digitally mediated environments. Full article

Healthcare waste management is a growing environmental and economic challenge due to increasing waste volumes, hazardous materials, and continued reliance on linear disposal methods such as incineration and landfilling. This review aims to examine how circular economy and zero-waste approaches can be applied to healthcare waste management to improve sustainability, resource efficiency, and system performance. A structured narrative review was conducted using peer-reviewed literature obtained from prominent scientific databases, concentrating on circular strategies, zero-waste initiatives, digital technologies, and policy frameworks relevant to healthcare waste systems. The reviewed studies indicate that practices such as improved waste segregation, recycling and material recovery, reusable product design, digital waste tracking, and Extended Producer Responsibility can significantly reduce waste generation, lower environmental impacts, and achieve cost savings, while maintaining infection control and patient safety. However, the review also identifies key barriers to implementation, including regulatory complexity, limited infrastructure, financial constraints, and weak coordination among stakeholders. The novelty of this review lies in its integrated analysis of circular economy and zero-waste strategies through the lens of digital enablement, offering a systems-based framework for transforming healthcare waste management beyond incremental improvements. The findings highlight that successful circular healthcare waste management requires strong institutional leadership, supportive policies, and the integration of digital technologies to enable monitoring, traceability, and decision-making. This review enhances the comprehension of how circular economy principles can facilitate the transition from linear to sustainable healthcare waste systems and provides guidance for policymakers, healthcare managers, and researchers. Future research should focus on evaluating real-world implementation, advancing recyclable and reusable medical materials, and developing standardised indicators to measure circular performance in healthcare settings. Full article

In a time of extraordinary global volatility, the survival and competitiveness of the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry rely less on technological supremacy and more on cultural agility to repurpose resources effectively. Although Industry 4.0’s digital transformation offered tools for operational efficiency, the new Industry 5.0 paradigm emphasizes a human-centric approach, with organizational culture serving as a crucial link between advanced technology and organizational resilience. This study explores how organizational culture mediates resource repurposing and the shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 in the AEC sector. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of 120 AEC professionals, it examines how cultural traits—viewed as strategic leadership influence, employee adaptability, and innovation— mediate operational results. The results indicate that employee technology use and innovation are key drivers of resource reconfiguration, directly improving productivity and lowering project costs. Importantly, the findings show that organizational culture is not merely a background factor but a strategic enabler that partly mediates the link between Industry 4.0 adoption and cost savings. Thus, this research offers a theoretical framework for AEC firms to harness cultural flexibility as a strategic resource, advancing beyond simple digital adoption to embed innovation for sustainable long-term growth. Full article

The construction sector in Saudi Arabia is under increasing pressure to enhance productivity and technological capability in line with Vision 2030, yet the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) remains uneven. This study investigates the multi-level barriers affecting AI adoption in the Saudi construction industry using a sequential explanatory design that combines large-scale survey analysis with Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and MICMAC classification. Data were collected from 181 construction professionals through a structured questionnaire covering eight constructs and 50 measurement items. Descriptive statistics reveal moderate AI utilization with a clear preference for analytics-driven applications over physical automation technologies. Perceptual rankings identify trust deficits and workforce capability gaps as prominent concerns. However, the ISM hierarchy uncovers a different structural reality: limited government support emerges as the root driver, cascading through cost and leadership constraints into workforce deficiencies, attitudinal resistance, and ultimately data ecosystem challenges. This perception–structure divergence highlights the risk of prioritizing visible symptoms over foundational causes. The MICMAC analysis further confirms the dominance of policy and strategic drivers within the adoption system. The study contributes by providing one of the first hierarchical mappings of AI adoption barriers in the Saudi construction context and offers a phased intervention roadmap for policymakers and industry leaders. The findings emphasize that sustainable AI diffusion in government-influenced construction ecosystems requires coordinated action across regulatory, organizational, and human capital dimensions rather than isolated technical investments. Full article

Background/Objectives: Postgraduate training is an essential component for the development of professional skills in health sciences. Our research question was: How does the implementation of structured residency and fellowship programs in podiatry and foot and ankle surgery impact the acquisition of clinical and surgical skills, academic productivity, interprofessional integration, leadership development, and resident well-being compared to less structured or traditional programs? Methods: We conducted a systematic review of published research, between September and November 2025, selecting observational studies that evaluated structured training programs compared to traditional approaches. The studies included reported residency or fellowship programs in podiatry and foot and ankle surgery that described clinical, surgical or academic experiences, together with the factors that influence learning variability. Results: Eleven cross-sectional studies were included. Program structure, mentorship, clinical exposure, availability of educational resources, and individual motivation are determining factors in the variability of skills acquisition. Structured programs were associated with better academic and clinical performance, greater technical confidence, and professional leadership development. However, substantial heterogeneity was observed among programs, particularly regarding access to resources, which contributed to differences in the ultimate preparation of residents and fellows. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale adapted assessed methodological quality, showing a low-to-moderate risk of bias. Conclusions: The literature suggests that although the programs generally achieve basic training objectives, the standardization and implementation of structured educational strategies could optimize skills acquisition and reduce variability across programs. Furthermore, multicenter research incorporating objective outcome measures would facilitate the development of internationally applicable standards for evaluation in health education. Full article

This paper reports upon the visual research methodology of artifact construction employed in semi-structured interviews to explore how Saudi women in academic leadership positions cultivate and maintain wellbeing. Ten Saudi Arabian women academic leaders were invited to draw, diagram, or annotate how they cultivate, maintain, and express wellbeing in a rapidly changing cultural context. Four exemplary artifacts were selected for analysis. Findings include that while semi-structured interviewing made themes visible, artifact construction extended the themes and illuminated unique aspects of the research question. Specifically, the artifacts illustrate wellbeing as holistic, interwoven of hedonic and eudaimonic aspects, and positioning self and others in a lattice of being well. It is intentional, balanced, spiritually sourced and sustained. It is generous and generative, animating abundance as both a process and a product of wellbeing. The artifacts are more than just a visual complement to the research story; they methodologically tap into the research question differently than verbal methods alone. While not every research participant accepted the invitation to construct an artifact, and methodological drawbacks are considered, the ones who did accept the invitation demonstrated that artifact construction captures complexity at the conceptual intersection of wellbeing and female academic leadership. This paper contributes new knowledge on the efficacy of artifact construction; in this case, in research sites beyond culturally ‘western’ ones. Full article

This study addresses the growing need for structured, measurable organizational development (OD) models amid digital transformation, geopolitical uncertainty, and increasing managerial complexity. Contemporary middle- and top-level managers are expected to ensure productivity, strategic clarity, resilience, and data-driven decision-making; however, existing leadership methodologies are often examined separately and lack integrated evaluation frameworks. The research analyses two prominent approaches: the American Action Science methodology and the Scandinavian (particularly Finnish) consensus-based leadership concept. While Action Science emphasizes explicit reasoning, double-loop learning, accountability, and measurable performance outcomes, the Finnish consensus model prioritizes trust, participation, and relational cohesion. The aim of the study is to develop and empirically test the original digital model LeadWinO (LEADership for WINning Organizations) for evaluating the organizational development activities of middle- and top-level managers. The model was empirically tested on managers in Lithuania. The novelty of the research lies in combining management and informatics perspectives by embedding organizational development evaluation into a digital, indicator-based, and potentially predictive framework. The type of study is quantitative research integrating questionnaire analysis in the case of multi-profile sections. Analytical tool used for data simulation is Feedforward Neural Network for constructing sufficient gapless sets of digitalized data. Research results showed that the American Action Science methodology is most effectively used by managers working in very small and small enterprises in the service and maintenance sectors. The findings are expected to contribute to the operationalization of leadership effectiveness under uncertainty and provide organizations with an auditable structure linking managerial behaviour, decision-making processes, and organizational performance outcomes. Full article

Digital–green synergy development is a critical pathway for promoting comprehensive rural revitalization and high-quality development. Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces spanning 2012 to 2023, we employ the global entropy weight method, a coupling coordination degree model, kernel density estimation, and an obstacle degree model to systematically analyze the spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics and obstacle factors underlying this synergy, aiming to provide a scientific basis for regionally differentiated comprehensive rural revitalization. The findings reveal that: (1) Both digitalization and greenization have improved steadily, though the growth rate of greenization lags behind that of digitalization. The level of digital–green synergy development, although initially low, shows continuous growth. (2) Spatially, digital–green synergy development exhibits a pattern of eastern leadership, central catching-up, western transition, and northeastern stagnation. (3) Nationally, the absolute disparity in digital–green synergy development continues to widen, indicating growing polarization. Regionally, the eastern region exhibits multipolarization, the central region shows bipolarization, while the western and northeastern regions display no significant polarization trends. (4) Production digitalization and living greenization are the primary constraints hindering synergy. Based on these findings, we propose targeted policy recommendations to facilitate deeper integration between rural digitalization and greenization, supporting decision-makers in advancing digital–green synergy development. Full article

Across the globe, companies are facing significant pressure to reduce waste, improve resource efficiency, and report their sustainability efforts transparently. ESG frameworks have become essential tools for sustainability transformation. However, traditional business models, based on a linear “take–make–dispose” approach, continue to dominate industries, limiting the impact of ESG efforts. The circular economy offers a compelling alternative: it encourages designing products for reuse, recycling, and regeneration, thus aligning closely with ESG principles. When businesses transition to circular models, they reduce their environmental footprint, create new green jobs and social inclusion opportunities, and strengthen accountability across business value chains. This study explores how selected firms in the mining, energy, consumer cyclical, technology, and healthcare sectors are aligning circular principles with ESG practices. Using a longitudinal, multi-sector comparative analysis of ESG indicators spanning 2014–2024, the research examines sector-level ESG evolution, firm-level ESG leadership, and the alignment of ESG performance with circular business model pathways. Rather than directly measuring circular transformation, ESG indicators are interpreted as signals of emerging circular business model pathways. This study identifies ESG-based ways and enabling conditions through which circularity may be increasingly embedded across different sectors. Full article

In recent years, cross-border e-commerce and digital trade activities in transition economy countries and regions have continued to grow. Based on resource orchestration theory and empowerment theory, this paper examines the influence mechanism of digital leadership on international entrepreneurial performance and investigates the moderating effect of platform support. Analyzing survey data from 227 Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises using structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the study finds that: (1) Digital leadership positively influences the international entrepreneurial performance of cross-border e-commerce enterprises through the mediating roles of brand management capability and product innovation capability; (2) Platform support plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between brand management capability and international entrepreneurial performance in cross-border e-commerce; (3) Platform support moderates the mediating effect of brand management capability in the relationship between digital leadership and international entrepreneurial performance of cross-border e-commerce enterprises; (4) Based on fsQCA analysis, two antecedent configurations for achieving high international entrepreneurial performance in cross-border e-commerce are identified. These findings hold significant theoretical implications for research on cross-border digital platforms and international new ventures, while also providing robust empirical support for enterprises seeking to achieve international entrepreneurial success through the implementation of digital strategies. Full article