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The emergence of consumerism has led to regulatory measures being integrated into business practices, but the influence of consumers in developing countries remains limited, resulting in businesses being less responsive. The digital retail landscape is undergoing a transformative revolution, driven by Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), wearables, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain technology. This development focuses on convenience, personalisation, and emotional connections. Companies are adapting to modern consumer behaviour through various strategies, including online shopping, mobile commerce, data analytics, technology integration, user reviews, and contactless payments. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this seismic shift in the retail industry, and online retail is expected to continue to grow post-pandemic, driven by these technologies. AI enhances the customer experience, wearables provide interactive engagement, VR offers immersive shopping, AR merges online and physical shopping, and blockchain ensures secure transactions in the emerging metaverse. As retail converges with the metaverse, the potential for borderless and personalised shopping experiences is enormous. Advances in VR technology could lead to interconnected virtual spaces that seamlessly connect physical and digital retail, providing immersive and personalised shopping experiences. However, challenges such as cost, learning curves, digital security, legal ambiguity, data privacy, financial risk, and ethical considerations need to be addressed through vigilant and informed consumer engagement in this evolving digital landscape.

The present study delves into the incorporation of the Metaverse in the insurance industry, with an emphasis on augmenting consumer experiences via virtual interaction.

We explored secondary data sources on metaverse in the insurance industry and went through a thorough analysis of the literature and case studies, showcasing best practices and inspirational tales from top insurers.

The study found that insurers are ready to capitalize on the convergence of the digital and physical realms embracing the “phygital” environment. By making investments in the Metaverse, insurance companies can reduce new risks, enhance customer satisfaction, and streamline operations. But it also brings up issues with user privacy and security. The efficient application of metaverse solutions may be hampered by problematic areas including malware, cyberbullying, identity theft, cyber hacking, and cyberattacks. User privacy and data security are complicated issues that need the cooperation and accountability of several stakeholders.

Insurers may revolutionize traditional insurance interactions by utilizing cutting-edge technology like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to create personalized, interactive, and instructive experiences for their consumers. For insurers, the Metaverse has ushered in a new era of digital transformation by giving them a powerful arsenal of technological resources to engage with customers and develop creative business plans.

The study on the Metaverse in insurance—a virtual customer experience is an original contribution based on literature and case studies on virtual experiences. The ultimate goal of this study is to offer insights into the optimization of virtual client experiences in the digital age by examining the possible advantages, difficulties, and ramifications of applying Metaverse technologies in the insurance industry.

The issues raised in this chapter are primarily those of obfuscation regarding social and economic inequality in the UK. The chapter is about the way discourse in various forms serves to disguise and justify the huge inequalities in this society; legitimising and ‘naturalising’ them, or in Arendt's words ‘lying’ about them so that they are seen as ‘natural and self-evident’ (Alvesson & Deetz, 2006, p. 261). Issues looked at are the institutional arrangements by which government ministers give or withhold resources to and from certain categories of its citizens. This includes the UK Treasury in relation to which economic groups the Chancellor of the Exchequer decides how much to tax or not to tax. In particular what are examined are the discourses justifying these measures and establishing certain ‘truths’ about how things are economically and socially; which categories are entitled to or deserving of certain kinds of resources and which are not – argued here as constituting obfuscations of the ‘actual’ situation. Obfuscation has been defined as the action of making something obscure, unclear, or unintelligible. This, arguably, is not far removed, from the action of being deliberately untruthful or lying. The question then arises as to how close these discourses come to lying and how serious the inequalities are.

The purpose of this study was to determine if outcome bias and hindsight bias impact police performance ratings and perceptions of the likelihood and foreseeability of intimate partner homicides. In addition, the authors wished to see if taking the perspective of police mitigates any effects.

A total of 200 university students read vignettes describing an incident from a police officer’s perspective or from their own perspective. Participants also read risk assessments of the offender’s risk of committing violence. They were randomly assigned to receive either information that the offender later committed a homicide or no outcome information.

The results demonstrated an outcome bias and hindsight bias, wherein participants who received information about the homicide rated it as more likely and foreseeable and gave lower performance ratings to the police, compared to those who did not receive outcome information. Participants who took police perspective still showed this bias.

The findings indicate that people are likely to be biased in their perceptions and judgements of police performance when they know a homicide occurred. This bias seems to be difficult to overcome.

This paper provides empirical evidence to show people may be unfairly critical of police performance when a homicide is perpetrated.

This study investigates the factors influencing monetary donations in Thailand, a developing Buddhist nation. We explore the interplay of demographic, socioeconomic, psychological and social factors on individual donation behavior, focusing on frequency, amount, planning and motivation. Our primary aim is to distinguish pure altruism from the “warm glow” effect and identify the optimal model explaining how donation behavior impacts donor life satisfaction.

A structured, self-administered questionnaire surveyed 450 Thai charitable donors (convenience sample) using logistic regression analysis in SPSS

The study revealed females and those with higher education exhibited stronger altruistic motives, while a warm glow motivated five distinct groups: 1) older, 2) unmarried, 3) those with high external locus of control, 4) reputation-conscious donors and 5) those aware of public health benefits like medical care access. Additionally, pre-planned donations were associated with five factors: 1) debt-free, 2) Buddhist faith, 3) belief in societal improvement through donations, 4) witnessing family members donate and 5) awareness of public health benefits including receiving royal decorations.

This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and charities. By understanding donor motivations, targeted incentives (e.g. emphasizing the “warm glow” effect) can be designed to increase donations and address social issues.

The study suggests tax deduction campaigns may be less effective than expected, as awareness of deductions correlated with lower donation frequency and amount. To incentivize giving, the government should focus on factors most linked to donor satisfaction. This research indicates warm glow is the strongest driver, followed by donation frequency, planning behavior and amount donated.

Sexual harassment is a worldwide and prevalent problem that can have severe consequences. The #MeToo movement has highlighted that sexual harassment is not an isolated event and is linked to misogynistic cognitions and other forms of sexual violence. However, there is a lack of research regarding the relationship between sexual harassment and its nomological network, particularly in the general population. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the nomological network of harassment.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between perception of harassment and rape myths (RMS), with paraphilia (fantasy and behaviour) as mediators. In addition, the prevalence of paraphilia in the general population was explored and gender difference was analysed. Frequencies, Pearson's r correlations, independent sample t-tests and mediation analyses were conducted on a sample of n = 254 participants from the general population.

Analyses revealed that half of the sample have engaged in at least one paraphilia behaviour. Furthermore, correlations between a more lenient perception of harassment, RM acceptance and paraphilia were found, as well as significant gender differences. Finally, mediation models revealed a strong relationship between RM acceptance and a more lenient perception of harassment, with paraphilia mediating this relationship.

This study has several implications, highlighting the role of misogynistic cognitions in predicting a lenient perception of sexual harassment, and thus, proposing a key focus for prevention and intervention models.

This research is mostly conducted on male samples in these areas; thus, this study aimed to collect data from a diverse sample that may provide a better overview of sexual harassment and its nomological network.

The purpose of the two online experimental studies was to examine how information about threats related to sexual crimes influences personal beliefs regarding social threats (in line with the finite pool of worry concept) and belief in a just world, as proposed by Melvin Lerner.

In the first experiment (n = 256), female participants were presented with press information about a sexual crime that occurred at a student concert. Different groups were informed whether the perpetrator was apprehended (or not) and asked to indicate the punishment they thought should be imposed. In the second experiment (n = 251), participants in the experimental group were asked to read texts about various threats that may concern them.

In both experiments, the authors measured the perceived risk of being a victim of a sexual crime (and, in Study 1, other threats) as well as belief in just world (at both personal and general levels). Analysis of results has shown that participants’ focus on one threat did not reduce their concerns about other threats. However, belief in just world appears to be negatively associated with the fear of being a victim of a sexual crime.

The findings concern the relationship between the sense of threat and belief in a just world. In this regard, both of the studies consistently showed that the threats the authors induced did not affect the level of belief in a just world. However, the second experiment revealed that belief in a just world is related to the fear of being raped. Belief in a just world serves as a foundation for good adaptation and functioning. It provides cognitive control, motivates hard work and long-term goal-setting and gives life meaning (e.g. Dalbert, 1999; Dalbert and Sallay, 2004; Sutton and Winnard, 2007). Therefore, a woman’s fear of being a victim of rape has implications that extend beyond this narrowly defined issue.

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to identify which soft skills are developed during work-based learning (WBL) programmes in higher education contexts. Additionally, the study sought to identify strategies used to promote soft skills development within work-based learning programmes.

The authors used the PRISMA-P protocol to guide the methodology and ensure the transparency and reproducibility of the paper. In total, 36 papers were considered eligible from the search conducted in two databases between 2013 and 2024.

Findings indicate that while there is some overlap in the soft skills mentioned, great variety exists due to the complexity of soft skills frameworks. The soft skills most frequently referenced were communication and teamwork skills. Regarding strategies, a few articles mention reflection and personal connections for enhancing soft skills development; however, further research is needed in this area.

A clearer understanding of skill development could significantly benefit higher education institutions, students and related organisations. This understanding may enhance programme quality and better prepare students for their future.

Although research on the development of soft skills in the context of WBL programmes is still limited, there is increasing evidence suggesting they may be an effective means of fostering these skills. This paper presents an overview of the research conducted to date and outlines potential avenues for further investigation.

Heritage is a crucial aspect of national identity, and preserving it is essential for safeguarding cultural and historical continuity. In India, there are numerous policies and laws aimed at the preservation and management of cultural and natural heritage. This study aims to review the existing policies and programs for the preservation of cultural heritage in India, focusing specifically on an ancient Jain temple located in Subaiee village, Koraput District, Odisha. It also seeks to document the temple’s condition, history and religious significance and to evaluate local awareness of the heritage through public archaeology methodology.

The research involved a detailed review of preservation policies and programs at both state and central levels in India. It included documentation of the Jain Temple’s current condition, historical background and its role in the region’s religious history. Additionally, a public archaeology approach was used to assess local awareness and engagement with the temple’s heritage.

The study found that the Jain Temple complex has significant historical and architectural value. The current condition of the temple and its relics indicates a need for effective management strategies to prevent further damage and increase local awareness of the temple’s heritage value.

The research highlights the importance of preserving the ancient Jain Temple complex and calls for national and local efforts to identify, restore and maintain this valuable cultural heritage for future generations.