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Over the years, International Organisations have started to look at Cross Border Higher Education (CBHE) with more attention, namely, at the impact and challenges entailed by this type of educational provision due to the emergence of low-quality offers and degree mills. This paper aims to discuss the role of these organisations in the development and promotion of CBHE and its quality assurance in Europe.

This paper conducts interviews using a previously drafted guideline with top-level managers of seven relevant international organisations involved in quality assurance at European and international level, namely, INQAAHE, EUA, ENQA, ESU, EQAR, ECA and EURASHE. It analysed the data collected using a grid created through the articulation of the guidelines’ questions and the empirical data.

The interviews’ content analysis indicated that these international organisations are important stakeholders in the development of CBHE quality assurance in Europe, particularly through the promotion of cooperation and trust between the different actors involved in it. These organisations can assume two different roles: a Technical-Professional Role and a Community Building Role.

This work’s originality stems from the fact that at least to our knowledge there is no other empirical work so far on the role and the views of different international organisations on the challenges CBHE entails for quality at the European level.

The recent pandemic (COVID-19) and the continuous ICT advancements have resulted in increased levels of technostress. On this basis, the present work tried to explore how technostress influences employees’ turnover intention with the mediation of work-exhaustion. Deploying the theoretical lens of job demands-resources theory, the authors also aim to investigate the part that positive psychological capital (PsyCap) has to play as a moderator in between technostress and work-exhaustion.

The study utilizes a time-lagged methodological design; data was gathered from 544 Indian IT employees. Additionally, PLS-SEM was used to carry out the aforementioned moderation-mediation analysis.

All the hypotheses proposed were confirmed. It was found that technostress significantly impacts employees’ turnover intention. Additionally, work-exhaustion does mediate the relationship between technostress and employees’ turnover intention. Furthermore, PsyCap did play the role of a moderator between Technostress and work-exhaustion.

This paper provides an augmented understanding of technostress in IT organizations and highlights the role of personal resources in aiding employees’ to deal with technostress.

This study is one of the early studies to highlight the role of positive psychological capital in mitigating the impact of technology-induced exhaustion and employees’ turnover intention.

This study aims to evaluate and synthesize literature on exoskeleton implementation in the construction industry to understand their current applications, evaluate existing research approaches and identify critical areas for future investigation. Through a comprehensive analysis of empirical studies, the research seeks to establish a clear roadmap for advancing exoskeleton adoption in construction work.

This study conducts a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. By searching relevant databases and applying predefined inclusion criteria, the review focused on empirical studies that evaluate the effectiveness and acceptance of exoskeletons in construction. Both objective parameters (EMG data, Kinematic analysis, heart rate) and subjective parameters (user comfort, perceived exertion, usability surveys) were analyzed to assess how impactful are exoskeletons among construction workers.

The review identified 236 publications, of which 36 were included, revealing several critical insights: (1) A significant reliance on studies conducted in controlled environments, accounting for 77.78% of studies. (2) A limited representation of actual construction workers, mainly non-construction worker volunteers, which may affect the practical relevance of the findings. (3) A significant gap exists in standardized evaluation protocols, with researchers using varying assessment methods that hinder cross-study comparisons. (4) Predominantly short-term nature of existing studies. These findings highlight the need for more real-world testing, standardized evaluation frameworks and longitudinal studies.

This review contributes original insights into the deployment of exoskeletons in the construction sector, particularly highlighting the industry's gap in direct, in situ engagement with construction workers. It suggests that future research should prioritize long-term, onsite studies to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of exoskeletons’ impacts, thus supporting the development of targeted intervention strategies for reducing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among construction workers.

This study explores the relations between home and family in times of a pandemic, transporting the family away from the family home and, apparently, from the family itself. Specifically, it focuses art, culture, and society by shedding light on the enduring role of family rituals in creating and sustaining family identity while affirming the role of information and communication technology (ICT), in both the construction and reproduction of the family dynamics amid pandemic times. Reflection is taken upon a live-by-Zoom art exhibition opening. Family photo albums and several artifacts are used to show the family history, and, at the same time, the installed objects and surrounding narratives invite others to imagine the artist’s family as well as each audience member’s own family. The opening took place in March 2021, during the second lockdown in Portugal. Methodologically, the chapter draws on data collected through direct observation and autoethnography. Inspired by an arts-based approach, narrative is built on storytelling sociology, while using writing as a method of inquiry and reflexive composition to overcome the limits of the personal narrative. By the end, it is argued that as families “live” at Zoom, family rituals too. Zoom platform reproduces the family atmosphere, opportunities, and constraints. Looking at the art exhibit opening as a family ritual allows one to think about how individuals experienced family gatherings during the pandemic, but also how art might generate such familial intimacies in such exceptional times.

This paper aims to shed new light on the contextual embeddedness of intersectional entrepreneurs, i.e. entrepreneurs situated at the intersection of multiple marginalized diversity attributes, beyond simply business strategies and decisions. Taking an emic perspective on everyday practices as intersectional entrepreneurs, it uncovers neglected dimensions of the contextuality of intersectional discriminations.

The study presents qualitative data analysis results of in-depth narrative interviews with six intersectional entrepreneurs, all LGBTIQA* entrepreneurs with further diversity dimensions. It provides an emic view of intersectional entrepreneurs, in their everyday lives and the contexts, in which they develop their businesses.

Intersectional entrepreneurs face different burdens induced by social structures along the entrepreneurial process. While access to the niche market is more difficult and they lack community support, their realization of intersectional discrimination is crucial for the development of business strategies. Simultaneously, intersectional entrepreneurs use their specific diversity attributes to develop their business, yet this proximity of their identity and the business contents has severe consequences for their mental state. Intersectional entrepreneurs adjust to the balance of opportunity and vulnerability.

As intersectional entrepreneurs are barred from conventional institutional support and also have limited access to resources from their respective social networks, there is an urgency to provide specific support for such entrepreneurs.

The appearance of social media in small and medium enterprise (SME) business operations seems to be increasing in recent years. SME owners have started to understand that digital marketing tools can benefit their businesses significantly. Hence, in this study, we explore further the relationship between organisations and customers, and how SMEs use social media as an opportunity to develop their enterprises. We report the results by relying on qualitative methods to explore the insights from a wider stakeholder perspective. The findings contribute to the existing literature in agreement with the latest theories that SMEs in Greece are aware of the hidden opportunities and try to apply branding with the combination of social media. This study explores further the role of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in a business transition, customers' experience and competitive business advantage.

To investigate the transformative impact of soft skills on the career pathways of experts and students in the engineering domain.

The study adopts a comprehensive approach, combining a review of existing literature with primary data to analyse quantitative and qualitative empirical investigations. Data from 40 participants, who are engineering students and professionals, is analysed using descriptive statistics and advanced software tools like ATLAS.ti and Jamovi.

The findings underscore the indispensable nature of soft skills in elevating employability, emphasising the urgent need for mandatory soft skills education for engineering students and professionals. The research identifies the top five soft skills engineers need: communication, teamwork, time management, leadership and problem-solving.

The research contributes to understanding soft skills’ pivotal role in engineering professions, providing valuable insights for professionals and organisations aiming to enhance performance and competitiveness in the industry. The study advocates for a holistic approach that recognises the symbiotic relationship between technical proficiency and soft skills in shaping the success of engineering graduates in the 21st-century workforce.

The study recognises the current job market demands and asserts that engineers must combine technical expertise with soft skills to succeed in the technology-driven yet people-centric engineering profession.

This research aimed to determine the relationship between technostress and information technology support (IT) and HRIS-related user satisfaction. The study also investigated the moderating influence of technological self-efficacy on the links between technostress, IT support, and HRIS user satisfaction.

This quantitative study used the deductive research approach. The study's population was HRIS users from 37 Malaysian public sector organizations. The judgmental sampling technique was employed, and the sample size was 490. Data analysis was conducted through SPSS and PLS-SEM.

The study showed that technostress is significantly associated with HRIS user satisfaction. While IT support, results show that literacy support, technological support, and technological involvement facilities significantly correlate with HRIS user satisfaction. In contrast, innovation support had an insignificant relationship with HRIS user satisfaction. The study also tested the moderation effect of technology self-efficacy in the relationships and found that technology self-efficacy only moderated the association of technostress and HRIS user satisfaction.

HR departments of government agencies can use the study's findings to understand to what extent HRIS system users are satisfied and what needs to be done to improve the HRIS system. The study also sheds light on the technological pressures that employees encounter.

Present study contributed to the literature by developing a study model of technostress, information technology support, technology self-efficacy, and HRIS user satisfaction. Further, the relationship of technostress with HRIS user satisfaction and the moderating effect of technology self-efficacy was explored for the first time, representing the study's novelty. The study also contributed to social cognitive theory and the theory of reasoned action by exploring attitudinal and behavioral aspects along with the cognitive aspects of users.