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Adopting the lens of ambidexterity, this paper examines decision-making within private technical education providers as they attempt to meet workforce and UK government training demands against a backdrop of unprecedented pace of global change in technology.

Qualitative data, drawn from semi-structured interviews of participants within a private training provider, was analysed thematically to investigate common patterns, clarify understanding and identify development areas to inform government bodies and private provider apprenticeship delivery practices.

The findings reveal the extent to which neoliberalism is potentially undermining technical education reform and increasing regulation whilst decreasing trust and reducing authentic partnerships between key stakeholders, together negatively impacting ambidextrous decision-making.

This study is limited by the use of a monolingual, monocultural sample; therefore, a broader cross-section of respondents from a wider range, size and geographical location of training providers may result in a deeper understanding of the varying tensions and challenges associated with technical education reform.

This work seeks to inform policymakers of the wider consequences of neoliberalism and provide recommendations for government bodies and technical training providers to work collaboratively in seeking solutions to the barriers in delivering vocational training fit for a future-proof workforce.

This paper builds on a limited body of research examining the dual impact of once in a lifetime technological challenges and the consequence of neoliberalism upon ambidextrous decision-making within private providers of post-16 technical education.

This study aims to explore the relationship between social class and sports following in the United States, addressing a gap in research that has largely overlooked spectator sports in sociocultural analyses. The paper seeks to be an expanded update on previous work focusing on how socioeconomic factors such as income and education interact with sports engagement.

Employing 2023 national survey data from the United States, this study analyzes the following of 31 different spectator sports in relation to income and education. The methods include the use of Cramer’s V statistic to assess associations between sports following and socioeconomic variables and multiple logistic regression analysis to understand the relative predictive power of these variables on sports following.

The study reveals significant socioeconomic associations in sports consumption patterns in American society, with higher income and education levels generally predicting an increased likelihood of following a wide range of sports. Notably, international soccer leagues like the English Premier League and La Liga showed the strongest associations with higher socioeconomic status, suggesting their following might serve as particularly potent markers of sociocultural distinction.

This research provides a contemporary empirical update to the study of social class and spectator sports in the US, expanding the understanding of the evolving landscape of sports consumption and its socioeconomic connections. It underscores the importance of considering sports following as a vital aspect of cultural engagement, reflecting and reproducing broader socioeconomic stratifications. The findings offer new insights into how factors of social class shape sports consumption today, highlighting the role of sports in the cultural life of different social classes in the US.

Police officers increasingly deal with individuals with mental health problems. These interactions are more likely to result in the use of force and fatalities. To monitor these situations, several experts have recommended the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by police organizations. Past research and evaluations have overlooked how BWCs may influence mental health-related interventions, creating a knowledge gap regarding how BWC policies should oversee them. This paper, thus, aims to draw upon the street-level bureaucracy framework to explore how police officers perceive the usefulness of BWCs during interventions involving mental health issues and how they exercise discretion in activating them.

The authors analyzed comments on mental health-related interventions captured by BWCs from 83 interviews with 61 police officers.

The findings shed light on how BWCs may positively or negatively affect interactions with individuals with mental health issues and how officers adapt their activation practices to mitigate potential negative impacts and enhance potential positive effects on their work.

This study reiterates that the use of BWCs is not a simple solution for mental health-related calls, highlighting the need for a formal evaluation after implementation. It calls for BWC activation policies that reflect the dynamic and complex realities of police work. It does not advocate for a total ban on recording, mandatory filming or unrestricted officer discretion, but rather a balanced approach. It calls for policies that are both aligned with police leaders objectives and street-level officers’ ability to develop alternative and adaptative practices.

This study provides guidance for policymakers in developing BWC policies that will improve police–civilian interactions in the context of mental health crises while considering the ability of street-level officers to create their own alternative practices.

This paper aims to propose a solution for dissolving the “privacy paradox” in social networks, and explore the feasibility of adopting a synergistic mechanism of “deep-learning algorithms” and “differential privacy algorithms” to dissolve this issue.

To validate our viewpoint, this study constructs a game model with two algorithms as the core strategies.

The “deep-learning algorithms” offer a “profit guarantee” to both network users and operators. On the other hand, the “differential privacy algorithms” provide a “security guarantee” to both network users and operators. By combining these two approaches, the synergistic mechanism achieves a balance between “privacy security” and “data value”.

The findings of this paper suggest that algorithm practitioners should accelerate the innovation of algorithmic mechanisms, network operators should take responsibility for users’ privacy protection, and users should develop a correct understanding of privacy. This will provide a feasible approach to achieve the balance between “privacy security” and “data value”.

These findings offer some insights into users’ privacy protection and personal data sharing.

There is a high prevalence of individuals with intellectual disabilities experiencing restrictive practices in the community. A quality improvement initiative instructed clinicians in community intellectual disability services to routinely ask about restrictive practices that were in place for service users in the community. This paper aims to summarise an audit, re-audit and service evaluation of this initiative.

An initial audit and re-audit measured the extent to which clinicians routinely asked about restrictive practices. A focus group then explored clinicians’ perceptions and barriers to having these conversations.

Clinicians routinely asked about the presence of restrictive practices in 51% of cases at the time of the first audit, and in 12% of cases at re-audit, although this was from a much larger sample size. Following this finding, a focus group with clinicians identified key barriers: fear of initiating difficult conversations, ambiguity in discerning the least restrictive option, difficulties navigating legal frameworks during transition to adult services and existing workload pressures.

Findings highlighted how early discussions and planning around restrictive practices are imperative for smoother transitions into adulthood. To address barriers in recording such information, the community learning disability service in question has established an area to record restrictive practices on the electronic patient record.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study addressing routine enquiries around restrictive practices for individuals with intellectual disabilities in community settings.

Food waste constitutes a critical global dilemma, presenting substantial environmental, economic and social challenges, with around one-third of all food intended for human use being discarded annually. This waste depletes essential resources, increases greenhouse gas emissions and intensifies food poverty. Comprehending the factors contributing to food waste is crucial for formulating effective methods to alleviate this issue.

The responses have been collected from Indian households using longitudinal techniques. In Study 1, 481 respondents responded to the questions, and in Study 2, finally, 453 respondents responded.

This study examines the relationship between attitudes about food waste, intents to mitigate waste and several influencing factors like price sensitivity, altruistic behavior, awareness of food waste and societal norms.

The study seeks to elucidate consumer behavior by analyzing these relationships and identify practical interventions that can encourage a more sustainable food consumption approach, thereby aiding in the reduction of food waste and the promotion of responsible consumption practices.

This study aims to explore the influence of management control on the performance of teams with surface levels of social diversity.

Under the categorization-elaboration model perspective, an integrative literature review was conducted. Selecting articles published in the Scopus and Web of Science databases until 2023 and with the terms about gender diversity, age diversity, racial diversity and team performance, obtaining 122 documents. Results were analyzed in a matrix under the criteria of social diversity as a principal variable and examined the effects on team performance. Subsequently, it is synthesized according to the social diversity dimension and then integrated into an analysis with conceptual perspectives from management control systems.

The main negative effects of surface-level social diversity on team performance arise from stereotypical perceptions and social biases about differences in gender, age and race, affecting team members’ interactions. This scenario is related to the causes of the need for management control in the absence of direction, motivation problems and personal limitations, so control systems associated with possible solutions to improve group performance are proposed.

To the authors’ knowledge, this work opens the discussion on the influence of management control on the performance of teams with social diversity. Demographic changes require new perspectives for team management, from management control providing a way to guide socially diverse team behaviors to desired team performance.

This study aims to explore the holistic context of organisational staff retention in small, medium and large organisations. It also aims to identify the factors affecting the retention of organisations of different sizes.

The study implements an empirical test of a model created during previous research with the participation of 511 employees. The responses to the online questionnaire and the modelling were analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling method. The models were tested for internal consistency reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, multicollinearity and model fit.

Two models were tested by organisation size, which revealed a total of 62 significant correlations between the latent variables tested. Identical correlations were present in both models in 22 cases. After testing the hypotheses, critical variables (nature of work, normative commitment, benefits, co-workers and organisational commitment) were identified that determine employees’ organisational commitment and intention to leave, regardless of the size of the organisation.

As a result of this research, the models developed are suitable for identifying differences in organisational staffing levels, but there is as yet no empirical evidence on the use of the scales for homogeneous groups of employees.

The results show that employees’ normative commitment and organisational commitment are critical factors for retention. Of the satisfaction factors examined, the nature of work, benefits and co-workers have a significant impact on retention in organisations, so organisational retention measures should focus on improving satisfaction regarding these factors.

The readers of the journal would appreciate the work, which highlights the significance of employee psychology and retention for organisational success.

The study is based on primary data and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is one of the few studies that take a holistic approach to organisational staff retention in the context of the moderating effect of organisational size. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of employee retention and in contrast to previous research, examines the combined effect of several factors.

This study examines the complex relationship between executive overconfidence and firm performance, highlighting the moderating role of country-level factors. By conducting a meta-analysis of 116 independent effect sizes from global studies, this research aims to clarify the ambiguous effects of executive overconfidence, emphasizing the significance of national contexts.

Utilizing a cross-national meta-analytic framework, this study evaluates how variations in governance, board efficacy and shareholder protection across countries influence the impact of executive overconfidence on firm performance.

Results reveal that the relationship between executive overconfidence and performance is significantly shaped by country-level factors, suggesting a need to consider contextual influences alongside traditional trait-focused perspectives and underscoring the importance of contextual influences.

The findings suggest that organizations should incorporate national-level contextual factors in their governance structures to better manage the risks associated with executive overconfidence.

This study advances the literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of how country-specific variables modulate the effects of executive overconfidence on firm outcomes. It offers new insights into the role of situational factors in executive behavior, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of leadership and organizational performance.

The purpose of this paper is to explore user engagement (UE) within the Metaverse (MV) environment, emphasising the crucial role of immersive experiences (IEs). This study aims to understand how IEs influence UE and the mediating effects of hedonic value (HV) and utilitarian value (UV) on this relationship. Additionally, the authors examine the moderating impacts of user perceptions (UPs) such as headset comfort, simulation sickness, prior knowledge and ease of use on the utilisation of the MV. This study seeks to elucidate the dynamics of virtual travel at a pre-experience stage, enhancing the comprehension of how digital platforms can revolutionise UE in travel and tourism.

This study used a triangulation methodology to provide a thorough investigation into the factors influencing UE in the MV. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to frame the research context and identify relevant variables. To gather empirical data, 25 interviews were performed with active MV users, supplemented by a survey distributed to 118 participants. The data collected was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships between IEs, UPs, HV and UV and their combined effect on UE within the MV.

The findings from the SEM indicate that engaging in the MV leads to a positive IE, which significantly enhances UE. Additionally, it was discovered that HV and UV play a mediating role in strengthening the link between IEs and UE. Furthermore, UPs, including headset comfort, simulation sickness, prior knowledge and ease of use, are significant moderators in the relationship between IEs and MV usage. These insights provide a nuanced understanding of the variables that contribute to and enhance UE in virtual environments.

This research contributes original insights into the burgeoning field of digital tourism by focusing on the MV, a rapidly evolving platform. It addresses the gap in the existing literature by delineating the complex interplay between IEs, UPs and value constructs within the MV. By using a mixed-method approach and advanced statistical analysis, this study provides a comprehensive model of UE specific to virtual travel platforms. The findings are particularly valuable for developers and marketers in the hospitality and tourism sectors seeking to capitalise on digital transformation and enhance UE through immersive technologies.