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We aim to elucidate the relationship between fixed-term employment and firm productivity by examining workers’ skills and considering how firm-level conversion rates influence this relationship.

We use longitudinal employer-employee data between 2011 and 2017 in the Netherlands to estimate a nonlinear regression derived from a production function proposed by Addessi (2014) and Castellani et al. (2020).

The contribution of fixed-term contracts to firm-level productivity is less than that of permanent contracts. However, this contribution is greater when firms exhibit a high conversion rate from fixed-term to permanent positions. The effect of the conversion rate is more substantial for high-skilled fixed-term workers than for low-skilled ones.

Our results suggest the extent to which firms benefit from fixed-term contracts when these are used for screening high-skilled workers for permanent employment.

In 2022, the SDG2-Zero Hunger Consortium, under the umbrella of the University Global Coalition (UGC), launched an international student challenge. More than 200 students applied to participate from around the world. Eleven teams completed the challenge in May 2023; each team produced a three-minute video explaining an innovative idea for addressing hunger. The first-place team included students from Indonesia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Spain, and the United States. Their idea was to establish an End-Hunger Community Center (EHCC) in Indonesia. This chapter describes why and how the SDG2 Consortium developed this challenge and includes a case study from the winning student team. The chapter provides other higher education (HE) institutions with ideas for engaging students in innovation for the SDGs.

Zygmunt Bauman was a Senior philosopher who did not need a previous presentation. His theses have shed light on modern philosophy and sociology globally. For Bauman, the liquid modernity should be understood through the lens of a binomial model, grounded on two main figures: vagabonds and tourists. The postmodern society is structured on an extreme social inequality expressed in the bipolar division between two classes: tourists and vagabonds. Each one is determined by a different degree of freedom of choice, which seems to be the cornerstone of postmodern life. The more freedom of choice each class showed the higher its rank in the postmodern social hierarchy. The chapter discusses the weaknesses and strengths in Bauman's reasoning.

This chapter explores how perceived product innovation influences brand loyalty among UK Apple users, extending the technology acceptance model. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 101 respondents via an online survey and analysed using SPSS. Objectives included examining the mediating role of perceived product usefulness and ease of use, exploring the relationship between product/brand attitudes and brand loyalty and assessing gender's impact on loyalty perceptions. Findings reveal a significant positive relationship among variables, with perceived product usefulness and ease of use jointly mediating the link between product innovation and attitude, affecting brand loyalty. Gender was found to have no moderating effect. The research contributes by highlighting these mediating effects and deepening understanding of product innovation's impact on loyalty. Managerially, prioritising innovation, usefulness and ease of use can enhance satisfaction and loyalty. Future research could explore additional variables to enrich understanding further.

In this chapter, I will outline the labels of giftedness and underachievement and present the theoretical debates surrounding these labels. A historicist examination of these labels follows, highlighting how the gifted underachievement (GUA) label emerges through the negation of “giftedness.” Subsequently, I explore the concept of GUA and its negative connotations, stemming from the positive valuation inherent in the term “giftedness” and its implications for what is considered “normal.” This chapter also reviews perspectives on shifting the focus away from the individual within the current paradigm of labeling giftedness and explores insights from systemic thinking and symbolic interactionism (SI). The conclusion underscores the necessity of a symbolic interactionist perspective to address the gaps in research on the labeling of giftedness and underachievement. Finally, I propose a generic definition that can be used in GUA research in the light of SI.

This chapter explores the interplay between organizational conservatism (OC) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices within family firms, specifically in Morocco. By exploring the familial dimensions of CSR, the study aims to uncover the impact of OC on CSR strategies, outcomes, and implications. Employing an exploratory qualitative design with multiple case studies, the research examines three Moroccan family firms. Thematic content analysis (TCA) was used to synthesize interview data and extract primary themes. The findings illustrate that OC fosters stable, values-driven, and sustainable CSR initiatives. This is achieved through the alignment of shared values, cautious change management, prudent financial strategies, commitment to legacy, and integration with family values. Moreover, the study underscores the informal nature of CSR practices in the Moroccan context, which are deeply intertwined with cultural, social, and religious norms. The implications of this research shed light on the effectiveness of OC in promoting enduring and meaningful CSR efforts within family firms. This study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the relationship between conservatism, CSR, and familial dimensions, enriching the discourse on responsible business practices.

One of the primary challenges associated with excavation near buildings is the significant decrease in the bearing capacity of nearby foundations during the initial stages before the stabilization of the excavation wall. This study aims to investigate the correlation between excavation height and foundation-bearing capacity under actual field conditions.

This paper uses a three-dimensional rotational failure mechanism to propose a novel method for estimating foundation-bearing capacity using the upper bound limit analysis approach.

The study delineates two distinct zones in the excavation height versus bearing capacity diagram. Initially, there is a significant reduction in foundation-bearing capacity at the onset of excavation, with decreases of up to 80% compared to its undisturbed state. Within a specific range of excavation heights, the bearing capacity remains relatively constant until reaching a critical height. Beyond this threshold, the entire soil mass behind the excavation wall becomes unstable. The critical excavation height is notably influenced by the soil's internal friction angle, excavation slope angle and soil cohesion parameter. Notably, when the ratio of excavation height to foundation width is less than 0.4, changes in slope angle have no significant impact on bearing capacity.

The bearing capacity estimates derived from the method proposed in this paper are deemed to reflect real-world scenarios closely compared to existing methodologies.

As the today's world is leading toward the digital dependency and after the world pandemic of COVID-19, the dependency of students and the university is completely through a digital medium, in context with that the higher education according to the demand of the generation is leading towards digital transformation. The digital transformation in the sector of education is the road map for the sustainable management and development of education. The digital transformation is the new pillar of education in which the students are mostly reliable. The digitalization in the field of education will lead to simple and clarified as well as multiple way for acquiring the knowledge. As the integration of the new model of education system is applied and implemented throughout the globe, the digital medium plays a significant role for the smooth and the systemic development of the model. In this chapter, the pathway for the development of the well-stable and well-developed strategies is considered in which the integration of the essential requirements, proper guidance, and advantages of the model is dependent for the transformation to digital medium of the higher education that will be leading to the development of the management and the education system. The foundation of that transformation model is detailed in the paper for the digitalization of higher education.