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The a priori identification and development of army personnel competencies are necessary to enable effective and efficient responses to rapidly changing climate conditions. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the performance requirements of a military flood responder and the competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) required to perform it.

Using an abductive approach, the authors conducted both secondary and primary research to generate a validated framework of performance criteria and competencies for army personnel responding to floods. This literature review integrated both the peer-reviewed academic literature and public sector grey literature. Using the critical incident technique, the authors then conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who had previously been tasked with flood response operations. Participants were asked about the tasks required while conducting flood response operations. Interview transcripts were then content analysed to identify themes regarding those tasks, and the competencies needed to perform those tasks were then extracted and contrasted with the literature review findings. Inter-rater reliability for the analysis was established via iterative discussion between the two co-authors.

The primary data reinforced and expanded the list of performance expectations that the authors deductively identified from the integrated literature review, adding granularity to each. It also identified competencies (including both hard and soft skills) and highlighted previously neglected contextual antecedents of military flood response effectiveness.

though knowledge saturation was achieved from the 15 interviews conducted, further research with larger samples could more deeply ground the evidence discovered in this study. Nevertheless, the competencies identified in this paper could serve as a starting guide to staffing and/or training interventions targeted at improving these competencies for personnel responding to flood scenarios.

The theoretical findings also have immediate practical relevance to training for flood response operations. In particular, the subtle challenges in competency crossover from military operations to flood response operations may facilitate not only more efficient, targeted training (that could improve the effectiveness of army personnel involved in humanitarian roles), but could be applied to the selection of army personnel as well. This study may also help provincial/municipal operators and emergency planners by better communicating the strengths and limitations of army personnel in addressing civilian military cooperation for humanitarian operations. Thus, the findings of this research study represent an important first step in prompting attention to the strategic human resource planning studies required to make all responders more efficient and effective in their respective division of labour within the humanitarian domain.

Peering a little beyond these research findings, human-induced climate change is expected to continue increasing the frequency of such events (IPCC, 2021), and a timely, national force is likely to be increasingly required for Canadians impacted by major disasters stemming from natural hazards when local resources become overwhelmed. Yet, there is some concern from the CAF that increasing responsiveness to disaster operations will affect their military readiness (Leuprecht and Kasurak, 2020). One can indeed envision a paradox whereby the CAF is both a “force of last resort” while increasingly becoming a “first choice for domestic disaster and emergency assistance”. The practical implications from this research also suggest that military personnel, while fully capable of successfully conducting flood response operations, may become overburdened and less able to adopt yet greater capacity and training for other additional humanitarian work. Nevertheless, the competencies highlighted by participants can help inform the next flood response operation in Canada.

Most literature in the field of emergency response focuses on cooperation between civilian and military resources and other strategic-level themes. The findings address critical granularity missing at the operational and tactical levels of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief research. The authors also draw implications beyond the military context, including for local/regional governmental players (operators and emergency planners) as well as for volunteers in flood response roles.

This paper aims to construct positivity-preserving finite volume schemes for the three-dimensional convection–diffusion equation that are applicable to arbitrary polyhedral grids.

The cell vertices are used to define the auxiliary unknowns, and the primary unknowns are defined at cell centers. The diffusion flux is discretized by the classical nonlinear two-point flux approximation. To ensure the fully discrete scheme has positivity-preserving property, an improved discretization method for the convection flux was presented. Besides, a new positivity-preserving vertex interpolation method is derived from the linear reconstruction in the discretization of convection flux. Moreover, the Picard iteration method may have slow convergence in solving the nonlinear system. Thus, the Anderson acceleration of Picard iteration method is used to solve the nonlinear system. A condition number monitor of matrix is employed in the Anderson acceleration method to achieve better robustness.

The new scheme is applicable to arbitrary polyhedral grids and has a second-order accuracy. The results of numerical experiments also confirm the positivity-preserving of the discretization scheme.

1. This article presents a new positivity-preserving finite volume scheme for the 3D convection–diffusion equation. 2. The new discretization scheme of convection flux is constructed. 3. A new second-order interpolation algorithm is given to eliminate the auxiliary unknowns in flux expressions. 4. An improved Anderson acceleration method is applied to accelerate the convergence of Picard iterations. 5. This scheme can solve the convection–diffusion equation on the distorted meshes with second-order accuracy.

This paper aims to assess the role of CEOs with military experience in shaping corporate outcomes in Vietnam and provide new insights into how these unique backgrounds influence corporate financial decisions and firm performance within the specific context of an emerging market.

This study uses a comprehensive data set of 323 non-financial firms listed in Vietnam over 2013–2021 to examine the association between military-experienced CEOs and corporate outcomes. The authors apply propensity-score matching analysis to address potential endogeneity issues and use 2SLS estimation to show the mechanisms through which military CEOs affect firm performance.

The authors find that firms led by CEOs with military backgrounds outperform their counterparts lacking this experience. Furthermore, the findings indicate that firms helmed by military-experienced CEOs tend to make more investments and maintain lower (higher) short-term (long-term) debt levels.

This study provides additional evidence on the influence of military CEOs on corporate outcomes, particularly in the context of an emerging market. It underscores the positive effects of skills acquired during military service on veterans’ civilian careers, particularly in business leadership roles. The findings are valuable for managers contemplating the recruitment of veterans, highlighting the potential advantages these individuals can bring to a company. Additionally, the results may inspire younger individuals to consider military training as a means to develop valuable characteristics that can enhance their personal and professional development.

The authors have observed the notable success in firms led by CEOs with military backgrounds since Vietnam’s renovation period in the 1980s. Yet, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, research on the influence of military-experienced CEOs in Vietnam remains scarce. This study is the first pioneering in shedding light on the diverse contributions of soldiers to the development of the Vietnamese economy.

Using “on justification” theory, this article explores the rationality and justification of the West-African military migrants for joining the British Armed Forces.

We utilise an interpretive qualitative research methodology in this study. We undertook semi-structured interviews with 42 military migrants who joined the British Armed Forces between 1998 and 2013.

We identify various factors that influenced the participants’ decision to join the British Armed Forces, such as individual aspirations, the need to find a “path” at a crossroad in life (e.g. a career dilemma or the loss of a parent), economic opportunities and institutional incentives. Military migrants’ career motivations are shaped by their deep affection for the Crown and their desire to give back to the country with which they share a colonial history.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence, government and policymakers could gain valuable insights from this study. The findings could significantly shape their recruitment and retention policies, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of the military profession. This could be a crucial step in addressing the recruitment challenges and personnel deficit currently faced by the British Armed Forces.

This study provides a fresh perspective on the dynamics of the military service of foreign-born veterans. The article focuses on an underrepresented group (West-African military migrants) to enhance our understanding of their career motivations in the British Armed Forces. We identify and categorise the motivations and justifications for military migrants’ enlistment in the British Armed Forces according to seven justifications, each depicting a career pattern informing the participants’ motivations and justifications for their enlistment.

This study aims to investigate whether and how the executive military experience influences accrual-based earnings management and real earnings management.

Based on a sample of 4,392 listed firms in China between 2006 and 2022, this study examines the theoretical hypotheses by performing multiple regressions with fixed effects and a battery of robustness tests.

With a focus on executives’ decisions on the choice between two earning management methods, this paper find military executives reduce accrual-based earnings management but increase real earnings management. The mechanism of risk-aversion is verified in the post hoc analysis.

Most studies argue that military experience, which represents a strong sense of duty and self-discipline, can help to reduce corporate unethical behaviors. The study extends the existing literature on executives’ military experience by identifying risk-aversion rather than ethical values as the potential mechanism through which executives’ military experience affects earnings management.

In this paper, we introduce the CRISPS (CRoss-domaIn relevance aSPects Scheme) coding scheme for complex information needs in the four leisure domains of books, games, movies and music. It categorizes the relevance aspects people consider when searching for these resources. The coding scheme and findings help search engines to better support complex information needs, both by prioritizing which aspects are easier to classify automatically and by determining which information sources should be considered.

A cross-domain classification scheme for relevance aspects and information needs in casual leisure domains (CRISPS) is developed and applied. The paper provides the documentation of the scheme development and annotation process as well as a detailed, large-scale analysis of 2000 requests (500 per domain) and relevance aspects for four domains as expressed in complex search requests in everyday life information seeking posted to online forums.

We identify and discuss relevance aspect frequencies, information need types and the described search process of the requests. Furthermore, the coding scheme development and the annotation process are documented and reflected on.

This is the first categorization and analysis of complex information needs in these four leisure domains combined. The coding scheme and findings can be used to develop new types of search interfaces that incorporate the kinds of relevance aspects identified in the scheme, allowing to express complex needs in the form of structured queries.

Does the history of the bureaucratic system, along with the establishment of the Great Wall during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911), affect firm behavior across the borderlands of the Great Wall?

The Ming and Qing dynasties built a centralized administrative system in the borderlands on the south side of the Great Wall, in contrast to the “feudal lordship” system on the north side. Employing a regression discontinuity analysis framework with the Great Wall as a geographical discontinuity, we examine the long-run effects of the Great Wall on firms’ earnings management.

Using a large sample of nonlisted firms in the central core frontier region, we show that the earnings management of firms in the region south of the Great Wall is significantly curtailed compared with firms in the north of it, and this effect is more pronounced for non-SOEs. Our findings are robust to a battery of tests to account for alternative explanations.

Overall, by emphasizing the role of institutions, like legal system, shaped in history on firms’ earnings management, this study sheds new light on institutional determinants of firms’ behaviors in earnings information disclosure.

First, we enrich our understanding of the institutional determinants of firms’ financial reporting outcomes. Second, our findings shed new light on the long-term effects of historical ruling styles on modern corporate behavior.

The purpose of this review paper is to outline the parachute materials and its behavior. To enhance parachute life, it is highly desirable to consider the commercial angle for any parachute manufacturing industry and its components under varying operational conditions. Hence, the knowledge of various textile materials and operational conditions which contributes the parachute strength and durability will be helpful for industries/researchers.

This section is not applicable for a review paper.

Parachute is a material used in numerous real-time applications such as man-drop, cargo delivery, aircraft recovery and aircraft decelerator which drastically reduces human efforts and time. However, each application requires a unique design and fabric selection to achieve the area of drag needed and the terminal velocity of the parachute material while in flight. For designing a man-drop parachute, the most critical parameters are weight and strength which must be considered during manufacturing. The army person uses the man-drop parachute, which must be as light as possible.

This paper is an original review work and will be helpful for parachute manufacturers/researchers to enhance the life of parachutes with improved functionality.

We propose an alternative rationale for why some firms employ veterans, driven not solely by benevolence but also by the prospect of enhanced outcomes. Financially, hiring veterans could correlate with improved stock market performance for the hiring company while aligning with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Our study centers on the stock market performance of companies hiring veterans. It aims to underscore a lesser-known facet of the veteran employment discourse and its connection to the hiring firm's financial performance.

This paper evaluates the stock market performance of three VETS portfolios (made of companies that hire veterans) compared to the benchmark SPDR S&P 500 ETF. Using a modular approach, we create three VETS passive indices: VETSEW (equal-weighted index), VETSPW (price-weighted index) and VETSVW (value-weighted index). The study analyzes the annual returns, portfolio allocations, risk-adjusted performance metrics and style analysis of the portfolios from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022.

The findings indicate that all three VETS portfolios outperformed the benchmark, with higher ending balances and superior risk-adjusted ratios such as the Sharpe and Sortino ratios. Notably, the portfolios demonstrated resilience during challenging periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent recovery and an inflationary period.

Limitations include the paper's focus solely on stock returns, suggesting a need for broader financial and management ratios. Moreover, a deeper exploration into how veterans contribute during turbulent times is suggested for further investigation. Although the study touches upon the financial performance of veteran-focused companies during challenging economic times, it does not extensively delve into the specific ways in which veterans add value under such circumstances, presenting an opportunity for further exploration.

Firms that employ veterans amid the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate favorable risk-adjusted returns, underscoring the potential of veterans as valuable crisis-time assets. Our research further underscores the correlation between veteran hiring and enhanced financial prowess. These insights carry significant policy implications, including CSR initiatives for hiring veterans, skill translation and training and collaboration with veteran organizations.

The paper's findings suggest significant implications: (1) Policymakers could incentivize firms to hire veterans through tax benefits or grants, leveraging their skills for organizational resilience. (2) Collaborative efforts between policymakers and firms can promote responsible hiring, boosting a company's reputation through diversity and inclusion, positively impacting society. (3) Support for skill translation from military to civilian jobs is crucial. Programs certifying skills and tailored education aid veterans' successful transition into the workforce. (4) Collaborations between policymakers, veteran organizations and private sector entities can create networks, job placements and support systems for veterans' employment.

Numerous prior studies within the domain of corporate social responsibility have predominantly neglected the contributions veterans offer to businesses and the underlying reasons behind firms' decisions to employ them. Our research uniquely concentrates on the stock market performance of companies that choose to hire veterans.

The purpose of this article is to elicit understanding of how forgiveness, religion and spirituality, and relationships can better our lives. It draws from the life of Everett L. Worthington, Jr, a positive psychologist and Commonwealth Professor Emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has published almost 50 books and over 500 scholarly articles or chapters.

This is a case study, followed by a ten-question interview. The core methodology is positive autoethnography which is embraced by Worthington to reveal life lessons from things he has done.

Worthington reveals a life honoring the interwoven lives of people. He has studied forgiveness intensively and finds it to be an essential way of making our way in the world and in a world community that all too often hosts hurt.

An extensive literature has developed to understand what forgiveness is, how it comes about naturally and how the REACH Forgiveness method can help people who struggle to forgive themselves or others, and do it more quickly, thoroughly and frequently. Forgiving has psychological, social, spiritual and physical benefits to the forgiver.

This article is filled with practical information on how to forgive and how to pursue eudaemonia, which Worthington defines as virtue for oneself.

Forgiveness has widespread social implications. Good relationships are those that can help form, maintain, grow and repair when damaged close emotional bonds. Forgiveness helps repair, maintain and grow those bonds.

Worthington has been instrumental in the establishment and growth of the subfield of forgiveness studies and in the study of humility.