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In response to the worsening environmental crisis, there have been multiple calls for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) scholars and practitioners to adopt a “business-not-as-usual” approach based on justice, fairness, equity and sustainability. We add to this literature by proposing environmental justice (EJ) as a key concept for the theory and practice of SSCM.

This conceptual article builds SSCM theory on EJ and contributes to supply chain justice research and practice by introducing the concept of the “environmentally just supply chain” and presenting pathways for operationalizing it in practice.

Three pathways are proposed to leverage transformative SSCM to create environmentally just supply chains: human rights due diligence, resilience thinking and coproduction of environmentally just supply chains.

The three pathways can be used by actors within a supply chain to create environmentally just supply chains.

This article extends transformative, non-instrumental perspectives on environmental sustainability within SSCM scholarship to provide insights into how supply chains can be transformed through EJ. Not only does the article show the relevance of EJ for SSCM theory and practice, but it elaborates pathways for moving from harm reduction to transformative sustainability actions.

Our work adds to the debate regarding higher education graduates’ skills required in the labour market in Germany and beyond.

Using Q-methodology and the accompanying narrations, we explore German employers’ and employees’ views (N = 26) on characteristics required at the entry level.

Our findings show three areas of the labour market with different skill requirements. Whereas the first area, “The world of rules”, applies more likely to the professions and academia, the two other areas, “The middle field” and “The people-oriented and critical market”, can be found throughout the labour market. The disciplinary affiliation does not play a role. In all three areas, soft skills are crucial and specialised knowledge is only highly valued in the area of “The world of rules”.

In contrast to previous findings, we do not focus on singular skills. Instead, we focus on skill sets and discuss their relevance from the background of their usability.

Autistic individuals are employed and access higher education opportunities at significantly lower rates than their nondisabled peers (US Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2023; Newman, 2015). Schools are an optimal setting for intervention as most individuals access the school setting. However, traditional support to facilitate postsecondary transition effectively, such as transition plans, is currently lacking (Greene, 2018; Hughes et al., 2023). The authors of the present chapter conducted a systematic review to identify school-based interventions available for autistic youth intended to support the transition from high school to higher education, entrepreneurship, and employment. The data extraction methods used by the authors identified 19 articles on interventions. Across all studies, the authors found variation in the extent to which researchers addressed entrepreneurial skills and identified two key skill development areas across different intervention modalities: employability skills and interpersonal communication skills. Based on these results, the authors discuss available school-based programming intended to prepare autistic youth for postsecondary careers and entrepreneurial opportunities and the implications of existing interventions for practitioners and researchers interested in improving outcomes for autistic students as they transition to the workplace, particularly entrepreneurial endeavors.

Currently, transition-age youth on the autism spectrum face a loss of access to services. They are at risk for a number of difficulties, including reduced meaningful relationships, internalizing and externalizing problems, and problems with adaptive skills. In the United States, young adults are expected to either attend postsecondary education and/or pursue gainful employment. However, neurodivergent individuals face barriers and often have difficulties meeting these societal expectations. The following chapter will highlight ways that employers and entrepreneurs can support neurodivergent individuals, including meaningful accommodations and inclusive practices.

The metaverse is considered an evolution of the Internet, and it engages users with digital content more seamlessly due to its enhanced immersion and diverse applications. The current study examines factors affecting the intention to adopt the metaverse. Existing studies on metaverse were found insufficient in explaining users’ intention to adopt metaverse, for which the companies are investing vast amounts of money for its implementation. The study fills the research gaps in the literature and applies the UTAUT2 (Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use of Technology) and PAD (Pleasure, Arousal, Dominance) theory in the SOR (Stimulus-Organism-Response) framework. The study proposes a conceptual model by including effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, social influence, security personalization as stimuli, arousal, dominance, pleasure, immersive experience and perceived value as organismic variables and intention to adopt metaverse as the response variable, with gender as a moderator.

The study used purposive non-probability sampling approach and total of 420 responses were collected to examine the model. The partial least squares (PLS) technique is used for data analysis using Smart PLS software.

The study’s findings suggest that social influence and immersive experience have the highest impact on perceived value which affects users’ intention to adopt metaverse. Results indicate that individuals perceive value on using metaverse when it provides enjoyment and fun as well as security. Hence, it is important to ensure not only that individuals feel hedonically motivated but also feel secured and exert less effort to use the metaverse.

The study contributes to the existing literature on metaverse and extends its association with immersive experience and the theories applied. The fundamental qualities of metaverse that contribute to its immersive and enjoyable nature can influence users' behavioral responses. Our research emphasizes the importance of executives acknowledging the development of organismic experience within metaverse.

The insights derived from this study will serve to expand the knowledge of metaverse application developers, offering valuable guidance in incorporating these factors into their development processes. By prominently displaying security measures, metaverse brands can demonstrate their commitment to mitigating risks associated with virtual interactions. This includes clearly communicating the security protocols in place to protect user data and privacy and providing detailed information about security features can build trust and alleviate concerns.

The study highlights how the metaverse features affect individuals toward its adoption intent. Specifically, the study reveals that social influence and security affect the metaverse, further affecting the adoption intent of the metaverse. This has implications for enhancing customer relationships and value cocreation with different stakeholders. The research also recognizes that security measures are necessary for metaverse technology. These reactions could include placing regulations and standards in place to deal with the social and economic effects, making sure that data is collected and used ethically, and giving privacy and security measures priority.

This paper contributes to the body of knowledge as it is the first of its kind to explore and link immersive experience, pleasure and perceived value from the metaverse’s point of view to explore the user’s adoption intention. The study also contributes to the SOR framework with UTAUT2 and PAD theories by applying it to the metaverse context, which is used in limits.

A significant increase in financial crime globally emphasises the importance of forensic interviewing to obtain useful and reliable information as part of a commercial forensic investigation. Previous research has identified two interviewing strategies that are aligned with the legal framework in South Africa: the PEACE model (P = preparation and planning; E = engage and explain; A = account, clarify and challenge; C = closure; E = evaluation) and the person-centred approach (PCA). The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical underpinnings and application of the PEACE model and the PCA as commercial investigative strategies aligned with the legal context in South Africa.

A scoping review was undertaken to identify literature relevant to the theoretical assumptions and application of the PEACE model and the PCA.

Literature for the most part reports on the PEACE model but offers very little information about the PCA. A critical analysis revealed that the PEACE model incorporates a clear guiding structure for eliciting information but lacks content needed to create an optimal interpersonal context. To promote this, the PCA proposes that interviewers demonstrate three relational variables: empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard. The PCA suggests a basic structure for interviewing (beginning, middle and end), while providing very little guidance on how to structure the forensic interview and what information is to be elicited in each phase.

Combining the PEACE model and PCA presents an integrated interviewing technique best suited for obtaining useful and reliable information admissible in a South African court of law. The PEACE model has a clear structure, and the PCA assists in creating an optimal interpersonal context to obtain information in an interview.

The New Me MOT toolkit is part of the His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) accredited offending behaviour programmes, consisting of a series of short exercises that enable offender managers to support graduates of the programmes to generalise their learning. This study was commissioned by HMPPS with the aim to evaluate the delivery of the toolkit in custody, through exploring probation prison offender managers’ (POMs’) delivery experiences.

Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants from male prisons in England and Wales via semi-structured interviews (n = 8), and data was analysed through thematic analysis.

Five overarching themes with related subthemes were identified: New Me MOT is useful, flexible toolkit, motivation of the prisoner, limited resources and lack of structured guidance.

Future research should consider investigating POMs’ experiences from other prison establishments, to explore any possible additional findings about what impacts New Me MOT delivery in custody.

Suggestions were made to improve the future delivery of the toolkit across HMPPS. This is fundamental to support the behavioural change process.

No previous research on New Me MOT exists. This study findings showed that, based on the experiences of eight POMs interviewed, there are factors which aid and obstruct the toolkit delivery. This suggests that POMs might miss opportunities to prioritise generalisation of work for those most in need, target their criminogenic needs and tailor the toolkit content according to participants’ personal circumstances.

This study explores the impact of metaverse knowledge on freelancer engagement and performance within the gig economy, drawing upon the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory. The authors investigate the mediating role of freelancer engagement in the relationship between metaverse knowledge and performance, further examining the moderating influence of freelancer experience on these relationships.

Using a convenient sampling technique, data was collected through questionnaire from 301 freelancers working on various virtual platforms in Pakistan using a five-point Likert scale. Smart PLS 4.0 was used to analyze the data.

The findings reveal positive direct effect of metaverse knowledge on both freelancer engagement and performance. In addition, freelancer engagement significantly mediates the relationship between metaverse knowledge and performance. Furthermore, the findings affirm that the freelancers experience serves as a moderating factor in the relationship between metaverse knowledge, engagement and performance by indicating positive impact.

This study contributes a novel perspective to the gig economy literature by elucidating the underlying mechanisms through which metaverse knowledge drives freelancer performance via engagement. By examining the unique role of the metaverse in the gig context, the study offers valuable theoretical and practical implications for both scholars and practitioners seeking to understand and enhance freelancer engagement and performance in this evolving digital landscape.

Increased work hours can result in stress and burnout among mine workers. Research within stone, sand and gravel mining operations is limited and has not explored whether health impairment, in this context, influences job satisfaction and turnover intention among these workers.

A path analysis was completed using Mplus to assess a theoretical model and hypotheses associated with model variables to include work hours, stress, burnout, job satisfaction and turnover intention. Cross-sectional survey data from 419 stone, sand and gravel mine workers were used in the path analysis.

Model fit was good. Work hours were positively associated with stress, stress was positively associated with burnout, stress and burnout were negatively associated with job satisfaction, stress and burnout were positively associated with turnover intention and job satisfaction was negatively associated with turnover intention. Burnout partially mediated the relationship between stress and both job satisfaction and turnover intention. Job satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between stress and turnover intention and burnout and turnover intention. An alternate model determined there was no direct relationship between work hours and burnout and that this relationship was fully mediated by stress.

Findings illustrate the importance of managing work hours among mine workers to reduce health impairment and to bolster job satisfaction and reduce turnover intention.

The adoption of digital technology has not been able to overcome the problem of patient healthcare service quality in Indonesian hospitals, especially in lower middle-class hospitals that are widely distributed in the regions, because its utilization has not been well coordinated. This research explores the influence of Digital Adoption Capability (DAC) on Hospital Performance (HP) for these service problems.

This research used a quantitative methodology design approach. Survey data were collected from 285 leaders of class C and D hospitals throughout Indonesia, who were selected at simple random from March to August 2023. Data analysis was carried out using the structural equation modeling method with the help of LISREL version 8.80 software.

The research found a positive and significant influence of DAC on HP. Digital Leadership (DL) plays an important role in performance, both directly and indirectly. ICT Literacy (ICT) and Patient-Centric (PC) do not have a direct influence on HP but provide significant results through DAC. This research also found Environmental Dynamism (ED) factors that significantly drive the need to improve performance through digital adoption.

Providing insight into increasing the role of digital technology to connect healthcare workers and patients to produce safe and quality healthcare services in an ever-changing environmental condition.

This model is very important for the management of small hospital organizations in the context of adopting digital technology to be able to provide better services to patients and improve hospital performance.