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This study aims to investigate the experiences of service providers supporting male victims and female perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). The study explored the drivers, methods and treatments of female-perpetrated IPV, the nature and impact of abuse towards male victims, the barriers and facilitators to service provision and the impact on the practitioners themselves.

The study used a qualitative approach, using reflexive thematic analysis to analyse semi-structured interviews with 13 experienced service providers.

Two overarching themes were identified: systemic issues in service provision, including challenges with multi-agency approaches, funding and availability of services and the impact on practitioners; and gender stereotypes, which created barriers to male victims' help-seeking and influenced the treatment of female perpetrators.

The findings suggest the need for a multi-level approach, addressing gendered inequalities in IPV policy and funding, implementing gender-inclusive, evidence-based and trauma-informed practices, and raising public and professional awareness to challenge the dominant “domestic violence stereotype”.

This study provides a detailed, in-depth exploration of the experiences of service providers supporting “non-typical” populations in IPV, revealing the complex, multi-faceted challenges they face within a system that is inherently designed to support female victims of male perpetrators.

Based on the theoretical framework, this paper analyzes the sentiment-herding relationship in emerging stock markets (ESMs). First, it aims to examine the effect of investor sentiment on herding. Second, it seeks the direction of causality between sentiment and herding time series.

The present study applies the Exponential Generalized Auto_Regressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) model to capture the volatility clustering of herding on the financial market and to investigate the role of the investor sentiment on herding behaviour. Then the vector autoregression (VAR) estimation uses the Granger causality test to determine the direction of causality between the investor sentiment and herding. This study uses a sample consisting of stocks listed on the Shanghai Composite index (SSE) (348 stocks), the Jakarta composite index (JKSE) (118 stocks), the Mexico IPC index (14 stocks), the Russian Trading System index (RTS) (12 stocks), the Warsaw stock exchange General index (WGI) (106 stocks) and the FTSE/JSE Africa all-share index (76 stocks). The sample includes 5,020 daily observations from February 1, 2002, to March 31, 2021.

The research findings show that the sentiment has a significant negative impact on the herding behaviour pointing out that the higher the investor sentiment, the lower the herding. However, the results of the present study indicate that a higher investor sentiment conducts a higher herding behaviour during market downturns. Then the outcomes suggest that during the crisis period, the direction is one-way, from the investor sentiment to the herding behaviour.

The findings may have implications for universal policies of financial regulators in EMs. We have found evidence that the Emerging investor sentiment contributes to the investor herding behaviour. Therefore, the irrational investor herding behaviour can increase the stock market volatility, and in extreme cases, it may lead to bubbles and crashes. Market regulators could implement mechanisms that can supervise the investor sentiment and predict the investor herding behaviour, so they make policies helping stabilise stock markets.

The originality of this paper lies in investigate the sentiment-herding relationship during the Surprime crisis and the Covid-19 epidemic in the EMs.

The purpose of this study is to examine the recruitment practice of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Czech Republic to learn whether it encourages or discourages former offenders from attempting to attain work after release.

A qualitative approach was taken to understand the perspective of SME company owners and decision-makers within the Czech Republic. In all, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted which examined the current recruitment practice and individual attitudes towards employing former offenders.

Through a change of employer perception, working with support agencies and amending recruitment practice, opportunities can be created for former offenders in the workplace to assist their rehabilitation. This would assist with overcoming employer attitudes which have little sense of responsibility to helping former offenders with reintegration through employment. Recruitment practices focus heavily on past accomplishments and the existence of a criminal record which can disincentivise former offenders from applying for work because of their stigmatised identity. Prior experience with offenders can lead to a change of attitude and offers a vector for changing employer attitudes. In combination with linkage to agencies which work with former offenders, small businesses could amend their recruitment practice and provide support for former offenders on their rehabilitation journey.

This study is based on a limited sample size, only 25 responses, and the need for translation from English to Czech could have led to a loss of nuance in the responses gathered. With asynchronous interviews also being used, some brief responses limited the insight which could have been gained.

The findings of this study highlight areas of practice which can be amended to better attract former offenders, being future-focused rather than past-focused.

Enhancing employment opportunities for former offenders would be a major enhancer for their reintegration efforts and lower the associated social costs to society.

Prior research has been conducted into the offender experience, with recruiter/owner receiving far less attention. Most prior studies have been quantitative in nature, with few using a qualitative approach.

The purpose of this study is to identify managerial perceptions, as well as individual and organizational contingencies, that influence the use of balanced scorecard (BSC) among SMEs.

This paper adopts a mixed methods approach to study the use of the BSC from a survey database of 414 SMEs across several industries in Portugal.

This paper shows the perceived benefits, reasoning and obstacles that managers face when using the BSC in SMEs. The BSC is not the first choice for strategic management control of most firms in the sample. Most SMEs in this study have an explicitly formulated business strategy. The results show that it is possible to implement the BSC in SMEs without a formalized strategy. Such findings seem to suggest that the use of the BSC may stimulate the formulation of strategies for those firms.

The use of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis limits the generalization of the findings; nonetheless, the transparency of the report enables replication without restrictions.

This paper proposes that the size of the firm and the characteristics of the manager may compensate for the absence of a strategy to guide BSC use.

This paper advises a match between the stage of development of the SMEs strategy and the gender of the manager, which may have implications for recruitment purposes.

This study reports alternative configurations of individual and organizational conditions that lead to the use of the BSC in SMEs as well as configurations that prevent its use.

El propósito de este estudio es identificar las percepciones de los gerentes, así como las contingencias individuales y organizacionales, que influyen en el uso del BSC entre las PYMEs.

Adoptamos un enfoque de métodos mixtos para estudiar el uso del BSC a partir de una base de datos de encuestas de 414 PYMEs de varias industrias en Portugal.

Mostramos los beneficios percibidos, el razonamiento y los obstáculos que enfrentan los gerentes al utilizar el BSC en las PYMEs. El BSC no es la primera opción para el control de gestión estratégica de la mayoría de las empresas de la muestra. La mayoría de las PYMEs en este estudio tienen una estrategia comercial explícitamente formulada. Los resultados muestran que es posible implementar el BSC en PYMEs sin una estrategia formalizada. Estos hallazgos parecen sugerir que el uso del BSC puede estimular la formulación de estrategias para esas empresas.

Este estudio reporta configuraciones alternativas de condiciones individuales y organizacionales que conducen al uso del BSC en las PYMEs, así como configuraciones que impiden su uso.

El uso de la fsQCA limita la generalización de los hallazgos; no obstante, la transparencia del informe permite replicarlo sin restricciones.

Proponemos que el tamaño de la empresa y las características del gerente pueden compensar la ausencia de una estrategia que oriente el uso del BSC.

Aconsejamos hacer coincidir la etapa de desarrollo de la estrategia para las PYMEs y el género del gerente, lo que puede tener implicaciones a efectos de contratación.

O objetivo deste estudo é identificar as perceções dos gestores, bem como as contingências individuais e organizacionais, que influenciam o uso do BSC entre as PMEs.

Adotamos uma abordagem de métodos mistos para estudar a utilização do BSC a partir de uma base de dados de inquérito a 414 PMEs de diversas indústrias em Portugal.

Mostramos os benefícios percebidos, o raciocínio e os obstáculos que os gestores enfrentam ao usar o BSC nas PMEs. O BSC não é a primeira escolha para o controle estratégico de gestão da maioria das empresas da amostra. A maioria das PMEs neste estudo tem uma estratégia empresarial explicitamente formulada. Os resultados mostram que é possível implementar o BSC nas PME sem uma estratégia formalizada. Tais resultados parecem sugerir que a utilização do BSC pode estimular a formulação de estratégias para essas empresas.

Este estudo relata configurações alternativas de condições individuais e organizacionais que levam à utilização do BSC nas PMEs, bem como configurações que impedem a sua utilização.

O uso do fsQCA limita a generalização dos resultados; no entanto, a transparência do relatório permite a replicação sem restrições.

Propomos que o tamanho da empresa e as características do gestor podem compensar a ausência de uma estratégia para orientar o uso do BSC.

Aconselhamos uma correspondência entre o estágio de desenvolvimento da estratégia para as PMEs e o género do gestor, o que pode ter implicações para efeitos de recrutamento.

Contemporary early career teacher (ECT) mentoring approaches have largely aspired to shift towards a more non-hierarchic and mutually beneficial learning partnership approach. Such mentoring can be challenging to achieve. We report on a project that sought to further understand how intellectual virtues, such as intellectual courage, open-mindedness and humility, may be mobilised to prepare ECTs and mentors for more collaborative mentoring conversations.

Using qualitative case study research design, we collected data from 31 mentors and ECTs across two states in Australia engaged in professional learning focused on developing mentors’ and ECTs’ understanding of intellectual virtues as a resource for mentoring conversations. Data were generated from online professional learning activities, a questionnaire and field notes from school site visits and thematically analysed.

ECTs and mentors reported an increased self-awareness of their dispositional strengths and limitations and heightened confidence to engage in conversations that were more equal and open. Teachers perceived the deployment of intellectual virtues for mentoring to have personal, relational and learning benefits.

Numerous mentoring studies have espoused the value of mentoring that takes a co-constructivist and deeply relational approach, yet there is limited guidance provided to teachers as to how such an approach may be achieved. This paper innovatively draws on intellectual virtues as a cognitive construct to explore this issue and makes an empirical contribution to understanding how to prepare mentors and early career teachers for non-hierarchical and relational mentoring conversations.

This study aims to offer an original criterion of assessment for examiners of practice-based doctorates in contemporary arts practices, based upon the degree of intrigue, perceptual and conceptual, afforded by the research outputs. It is argued that intrigue is the necessary stimulus for the states of attention required for the recognition of fresh understanding and the acquisition of new knowledge from such outputs. The paper is intended to support doctoral students structuring theses for such research, those responsible for assessing proposals in university cross-disciplinary research committees with limited experience of practice-based research and the examiners of such research.

Acknowledging the several decades of work already published on practice-based research, this study adopts an aesthetic cognitivist position from which the visual arts are construed as powerful means of deepening our understanding, a source of non-propositional knowledge on a par with, although qualitatively different from, the way that the sciences are accepted as the means to propositional knowledge.

A case study demonstrates the efficacy of applying the proposed criterion in the assessment of practice-based doctoral research.

Within the social context of academic research, the article strengthens the validation of practice-based research.

The terms perceptual intrigue and conceptual intrigue are coined as values implicit in aesthetic cognitivism; they are construed as the initial stimuli for the state of attentiveness required for fresh understanding, and the degree of balance between them is proposed as an original criterion for the assessment of practice-based research.

This research seeks to provide methodological bases for the identification, documentation and critical reflection of good practices of architectural design in built heritage. These are applied explicitly to the School of Porto architects, which express a high sense of pedagogy and community practice in this field. The methodological approach defines the selection criteria for a georeferenced inventory and the procedures for in-depth analysis of adaptive reuse strategies.

The works included in the inventory were selected according to geographical, chronological, typological, qualitative and quantitative criteria. The cases chosen for in-depth analysis have been studied along four thematic axes to dissect all the intervention processes (previous state, design/construction and final state). This approach is supported by a cross-analysis of different sources (oral, written, graphic) and using drawing as a fundamental research tool.

The research has collected and disseminated up to 150 works by 44 architects, providing a comprehensive portrait of heritage intervention by the School of Porto over the past decades. The selection of 22 buildings for in-depth documentation reveals a particular sensibility toward the cultural values through a case-by-case approach based in deep knowledge of the preexisting context and the introduction of contemporary additions in continuity and harmonious relation with the environmental and sociocultural context.

This work provides a novel methodology suitable for further extension and adaptation to other case studies, as a first contribution to a more comprehensive “Atlas of Architectural Design in Built Heritage” with European case studies. The research aims to introduce new and deeper perspectives on reference works that may constitute pedagogy for the future practice of architects within contextual, inclusive and sustainable approaches.

This paper aims to explore the role of multi-national enterprises in addressing grand societal challenges, emphasising the need for integrating environmental and social aspects into business models. Drawing on the books of Geoffrey Jones (2023) “Deeply Responsible Business” and Rob van Tulder and Eveline van Mil (2023) “Principles of Sustainable Business”, the paper provides comments and analysis of how principles and values can guide engaged international business (IB) scholarship and responsible leadership to effectuate meaningful change.

The paper adopts a dialogical review, as a curated discussion of the books whereby the authors attempt to co-construct a research and teaching agenda for responsible and engaged IB scholarship.

The paper highlights the critical importance of aligning business strategies with societal needs. Companies that adopt ethical principles, or adopt the sustainable development goals (SDGs) via principles-based frameworks, can achieve significant positive impacts.

The paper follows a viewpoint/perspective format. It relies on underpinning historical case studies and selected theoretical frameworks, which may not capture the full complexity of contemporary business environments. Scholars should conduct future research to study the underpinning principles and frameworks deployed in various industries and regions.

The paper suggests that business leaders should learn from the past to adopt a values and principles-based approach to integrate sustainability into their core strategies. It also highlights the importance of transforming the higher education teaching experience towards a value and principles-based one.

This paper underscores the potential of businesses to drive positive societal change by addressing environmental and social challenges. By adopting ethics-based value systems and aligning organisations with the SDGs, companies can help mitigate pressing issues, such as poverty, inequality and climate change. The authors suggest reading “Deeply responsible business” and “Principles of Sustainable Business” to influence public attitudes towards corporate social responsibility and foster a more sustainable and equitable global economy.

The paper offers a curated discussion and synthesis of historical and contemporary perspectives on sustainable business practices. It bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing actionable frameworks and tools for business leaders and scholars.

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to inherent barriers to help-seeking, particularly those caused by increased globalization and diversification of our societies. It explores the underutilization of mental health resources by ethnic minority groups while highlighting some alternative treatment approaches with growing evidence bases.

Using a literature review and comparative analysis of relevant studies, the author makes a case for increased adoption of alternative therapies; citing the evidence base for the most promising treatments which include exercise therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, yoga for depression and spirituality-based therapies. It further compares the efficacy and advantages of these therapies with common mainstream therapies.

In comparison, some alternative treatment modules are just as effective, if not better than traditional, mainstream therapies for certain ailments. In conclusion, the paper calls for increased research on the efficacy of alternative therapies; and beckons service providers to explore the potential for these therapies to bridge the gap in treatment towards a more inclusive and client-centered mental health care.

The author provides a plethora of thought-provoking ideas in this article. For instance, he tendered a different outlook on barriers to treatment by differentiating between accessibility challenges versus underutilization. He also highlights the critical impact of Eurocentrism as a contributor to barriers to treatment utilization.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape mental health practices, policies and research in the coming decade. Simultaneously, mental health inequalities persist globally, imposing considerable costs on individuals, communities and economies. This study aims to investigate the impact of AI technologies on future citizenship for individuals with mental health challenges (MHCs).

This research used a community-based participatory approach, engaging peer researchers to explore the perspectives of adults with MHCs from a peer-led mental health organisation. This study evaluated potential threats and opportunities presented by AI technologies for future citizenship through a co-created film, depicting a news broadcast set in 2042. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews and focus groups and were analysed using a reflexive thematic approach.

The analysis identified four key themes: Who holds the power? The divide, What it means to be human, and Having a voice. The findings indicate that adults with living experiences of MHCs are eager to influence the development of AI technologies that affect their lives. Participants emphasised the importance of activism and co-production while expressing concerns about further marginalisation.

This study provides new insights into the intersection of AI, technology and citizenship, highlighting the critical need for inclusive practices in technological advancement. By incorporating the perspectives of individuals with living experiences, this study advocates for participatory approaches in shaping AI technologies in mental health. This includes the co-creation of machine learning algorithms and fostering citizen engagement to ensure that advancements are equitable and empowering for people with MHCs.