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This study aims to explore art workshops for people living with dementia as a process enabling creative expression and fostering communication with others.

To enable detailed exploration of the expressive powers of painting and drawing, the authors draw several examples from a series of painting workshops for people living with dementia, which formed part of the PPI for research into experiences of restraint within care.

Artwork enabled personal expression, facilitated conversation with others and revealed hidden knowledge and abilities, but also revealed dangers of miscommunication, specifically here related to technological changes and spirituality.

Individual differences in responses to painting will exist meaning that the specific findings outlined here are unique to individuals and not always generalisable. This follows from the quality of the individual communication that may be enabled by painting, meaning that close attention to each person is both fostered and required.

Art activities can provide a means to enable deep personal expression and agency in people living with dementia, which can contribute to countering dehumanisation.

Attention to the process of painting can be beneficial in fostering verbal and non-verbal communication with individuals who have difficulties in communication. Attention to cultural issues in care needs to incorporate understanding of spiritual and religious issues and take note of gaps in understanding related to technological as well as cultural changes between generations.

Much work in this area explores art activities for people living with dementia in terms of beneficial outcomes. This work explores the creative process inherent in painting, drawing upon insights from art theory and providing in-depth individual insights through case studies. Both researchers in this study are artists and the work drew upon their understanding of the processes of painting.

This study aimed to determine the factors affecting consumers’ perceptions and intention to purchase home meal kit services (HMK), a convenient home-cooked meal option, considering the moderating effects of monetary restriction, through the lens of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).

This cross-sectional study used an online, self-administered survey to collect data from 374 US adults. Results were tested for variable associations via multiple linear regression and moderation analyses.

HMK adoption intention was positively associated with attitude and subjective norms but negatively associated with perceived behavioural control. Consumers’ HMK attitude demonstrated a significant positive relationship with food safety concerns and perceived time constraints. Income and financial constraints were significant moderators of the associations between TPB determinants and HMK intention. The findings emphasised the possibility of using HMK as a foodservice option for time-challenged consumers with food safety concerns.

This study addressed the limited research on HMK, a competitive meal option that foodservice businesses could implement to boost revenue. The study establishes the contribution in understanding the motivators and barriers that potentially affect consumers’ HMK behaviour through the lens of TPB. The results expand the scope of the TPB application in food-related research, providing a deeper understanding of antecedents and other factors on consumers’ HMK behavioural attitudes. Understanding this information will enable practitioners to develop strategies that meet consumers’ concerns when embracing this service to promote HMK.

This study aims to develop a theoretical framework that marketing practitioners and scholars can adopt to enhance their understanding of how firms can effectively deploy and use digital human avatars as part of their global digital marketing strategy. By doing so, we inform investors of ongoing digital transformations of marketing practices that will equip marketeers to provide scalable, tailored, reliable and relevant digital self-service interactions to users, consequently improving the user/customer experience.

Thematic analysis was used to discover factors to enable the successful implementation of digital human avatars, drawing on in-depth interviews with fourteen executives of digital human avatars developer companies worldwide and analysis of ten podcasts and webinars with artificial intelligence (AI) experts.

Digital human avatars revitalise the international dynamic marketing capabilities (IDMCs) of firms by integrating advanced technologies that transform user interactions, improve engagement and facilitate knowledge acquisition, dissemination and usage across various sectors and business units globally. This integration promotes a dynamic approach to international brands, customer relationships and marketing knowledge management capabilities, offering profound value to users and firms.

Our first limitation is a lack of diversity in data sources. As digital human avatars are an emerging field, we had to limit our study to 14 experts in AI and 10 podcasts. While this method provides deep insights into the perspectives of those directly involved in the development and implementation of digital human avatars, it may not capture the views of end-users or consumers who interact with these avatars, which can be an avenue for further research. Our second limitation is the potential bias in the interpretation of our interview data and podcasts. This study’s approach to data analysis, where themes are derived from the data itself, carries a risk of subjective interpretation by the researchers. Future studies are encouraged to investigate the impact of digital human avatars across different organisational contexts and ecosystems, especially focusing on how these technologies are integrated and perceived in various international markets.

The novel framework has direct implications for innovators and marketing practitioners who aim to adopt digital human avatars in their marketing practices to enhance the effectiveness of international marketing strategies.

The adoption of digital human avatars can alleviate loneliest elderly and vulnerable people by being a companion. The human-like characteristics can impact sense of presence and attachment.

The novelty of our study lies in exploring the characteristics of technologies and practical factors that maximise the successful adoption of digital human avatars. We advance and contribute to the emerging theory of avatar marketing, IDMCs and absorptive capacity by demonstrating how digital human avatars could be adopted as part of a firm’s global digital marketing strategy. We focus specifically on six dimensions: outcomes and benefits, enhancements and capabilities, applications and domains, future implications, foundational elements and challenges and considerations. This framework has direct implications for innovators and marketing practitioners who aim to adopt digital human avatars in their marketing practices to enhance the effectiveness of international marketing strategies.

This study uses a comprehensive literature review and analysis of recent research, policy documents and program evaluations related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and policy, systems and environmental (PSE) strategies. Key sources include peer-reviewed articles, the 2025 SNAP-Ed Plan Guidance and case studies of successful PSE interventions. The Social-Ecological Model serves as a framework to organize and analyze the multilevel impacts of PSE interventions. The method involves identifying relevant information, synthesizing key themes and patterns and critically examining the potential impact of PSE strategies on nutrition security and health equity.

This paper examines the evolution of the SNAP-Ed from direct nutrition education to a comprehensive approach integrating PSE change strategies. It aims to analyze the rationale, implementation and potential impact of PSE approaches in SNAP-Ed on nutrition security and health equity in the USA. The study explores how these strategies address social determinants of health, promote sustainable population-level changes in nutrition environments, and their capacity to reduce health disparities in low-income communities. It seeks to identify challenges, opportunities and future research directions in implementing PSE strategies within SNAP-Ed.

The review reveals that PSE strategies in SNAP-Ed show promise in creating sustainable, population-level changes in nutrition environments and health outcomes. Successful examples, such as healthy corner store initiatives and workplace wellness programs, demonstrate the potential of PSE approaches to improve access to healthy food options and physical activity opportunities. The integration of PSE strategies has enhanced SNAP-Ed’s capacity to address social determinants of health and promote health equity. However, challenges including resource constraints, political opposition and the need for cross-sector collaboration persist. The effectiveness of PSE interventions relies heavily on community engagement, partnerships and supportive policies.

The findings underscore the importance of adopting comprehensive, multilevel approaches in nutrition education and obesity prevention programs. For SNAP-Ed implementers, this implies a need to develop expertise in PSE strategies, foster cross-sector partnerships and engage communities in intervention design and implementation. Policymakers should consider increasing support and resources for PSE approaches within SNAP-Ed and similar programs. Public health practitioners can use these insights to design more effective, equitable interventions that address root causes of nutrition insecurity. The study also highlights the need for improved evaluation methods to assess the long-term impact of PSE strategies on population health outcomes.

This study highlights the importance of addressing social determinants of health, such as poverty and access to healthy food options, to promote equitable health outcomes. It underscores the potential of community-driven, multilevel interventions in building a more just and equitable food system accessible to all.

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the shift toward PSE strategies in SNAP-Ed, offering valuable insights into the program’s evolution and its potential to address complex public health challenges. By examining both successes and challenges, it contributes to the growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of multilevel interventions in promoting nutrition security and health equity. The study’s emphasis on the role of community engagement and partnerships in PSE implementation offers practical guidance for program planners and policymakers.

This systematic review of the current gender inequality issues in operations and supply chain management (OSCM) seeks to illuminate the multifaceted aspects of this issue and their various implications for the field.

Employing systematic literature review and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodologies, this research delves into an analysis of 238 journal articles spanning a 47-year period. The objective is to discern existing voids and put forth actionable suggestions that align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Number 5 (SDG5) in the context of men and women, which pertains to realizing gender equality and empowering girls and women.

The results show a significant increase in published articles over the period. However, only five literature review articles were found that specifically address gender inequality in OSCM. The five common themes impacting gender inequality in this field are gender issues, mindset, transportation disparities, human resources and gender roles in OSCM, alongside sustainability, mobility and government policy intersections. The paper emphasizes the need for further research on these themes. It also suggests implications for educators, researchers, companies, OSCM departments and policymakers to achieve SDG5.

This study offers valuable insights by comprehensively reviewing and systematically analyzing the prevailing gender inequality issues within OSCM. It accentuates the significance of gender equality in OSCM, augmenting the burgeoning discourse and catalyzing concerted endeavors for gender equality.

The selves of individuals abhor vacuums and find themselves constituting identities with which to fill them. Such identities are either conferred by others or chosen by the agents themselves and cultivated and processed and presented. The processing of identities is best described by using Kenneth Burke's dramatistic grammar. He asked, “What is involved when we ask what a man is doing and why he is doing it?” and he answered that the individual will be performing an act as an agent by using one agency or another in defined scenes while displaying one attitude or another, in order to fulfill one purpose or another. In the current essay, these Burkean arguments are applied to the constitution; the processing (that is, choosing one among the multiple identities that an agent bears); and the performing of an identity. It is claimed that identities are constituted in one way or another and performed by processing them according to the Burkean grammar. Identities are not ways of being but ways of doing, by taking one road rather than another.

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.