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The International Integrated Reporting Council introduced the concept of integrated thinking skills to the accounting world overall. This study uses a constructivist approach to address the development of integrated thinking skills for future professional accountants during higher education. This issue is relevant as many professional accounting bodies expect that integrated thinking skills are developed during the higher education of prospective professional accountants. Despite this expectation, there is limited guidance available to academics in the accounting education field to do so. By means of a literature review as well as an empirical study, this chapter develops a constructivist model that can be used by academics to develop integrated thinking skills during the higher education of prospective professional accountants. The model addresses the foundation, appropriate pedagogies, disciplinarity type, and point of introduction of integrated thinking principles in accounting education.

Inspired by the internationalisation paths to prosperity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where narcissistic leaders are diligent about organisations but also pursue their dark goals, this study aims to concurrently examine two avenues for the internationalisation of narcissistic leaders in SMEs concerning the function of team organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB): corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) and digital business model innovation (BMI).

This study utilised a quantitative design emphasising mature theory research, and data was analysed using multiple regression analysis and Hayes' process model. The data for this study was collected via surveys from 270 SMEs in Vietnam.

The study showed that narcissistic Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) can penetrate the global market profoundly by utilising both the righteous path, which is based on the power of the times via BMI, and the unethical path, CSI. However, team devotion via OCB can mitigate the unethical conduct of narcissistic CEOs.

The study endeavoured to find a path to internationalisation for SMEs in emerging markets with high economic openness and increasingly close connections with international markets, via two strategies for SMEs to conquer the international market more successfully, and with utilising the foundations of CEO narcissism and team citizenship behaviour.

This study contributed to the theory of SME internationalisation by employing the resource-based view and upper-echelon theory, with the updated Uppsala model as its foundation.

Innovation is widely desired within healthcare organizations, yet the efficacy of programs aimed at fostering it remain largely unassessed, with little consideration given to their effects on employee experience. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) innovators network (iNET) was established to provide organizational support to improve and reimagine patient care and processes across the VA. We evaluated participant perspectives on how iNET impacted workplace experience and fostered innovation.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted using purposive sampling to maximize diversity for program roles and site characteristics, reviewed using a rapid matrixed approach, then analyzed using a hybrid inductive/deductive approach that applied a theoretical framework of innovation supportive domains.

21 project investees, 16 innovation specialists and 13 leadership champions participated from 15 sites nationally. Most participants reported strongly positive impacts including feeling re-energized, appreciating new experiences and expanded opportunities for connecting with others, sense of renewed purpose, better relationships with leadership and personal recognition. Negative experiences included time constraints and logistical challenges. Participants’ experiences mapped frequently onto theorized domains of supporting a curious culture, creating idea pathways and porous boundaries, fostering/supporting catalytic leadership and supporting (role) diverse teams. The program’s delivery of ready resources was critically supportive though at times frustrating.

Participants’ experiences support the conclusion that iNET fosters innovation and positively impacts participating employees. In the post-pandemic context of unprecedented challenges of healthcare worker burnout and stress, effective innovation training programs should be considered as a tool to improve worker experience and retention as well as patient care.

This study examines the influence of disciplinary differences and applied practices between architecture and engineering on students’ cognitive and affective responses to online education systems by employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

A questionnaire addressing the aimed TAM constructs is conducted with 483 architecture and engineering students. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to test the direct and indirect relationships between students’ attitudes towards using (ATU), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and system quality (SQ) based on disciplines’ diverse learning methods and approaches.

This research shows that online education systems’ quality (SQ) influences students’ attitudes toward using (ATU) directly and indirectly. The strongest relationship is observed between system quality (SQ) and perceived ease of use (PEOU), proving that online education adoption is strongly linked to the environment’s quality where applied practices are conducted. Architecture students’ attitude is significantly shaped by the system’s visual and interactional attributes parallel to constructivist and experiential learning. Oriented towards multidimensional problem-solving, engineering students’ attitude is mainly influenced by their efficiency and productivity.

This research contributes to the knowledge of technology acceptance in online education by exploring students’ attitudes and the less-examined differences between architecture and engineering disciplines. Emphasizing the impact of system quality on online education concerning applied practices, the study also underlines the possible shortcomings of the generalization of approaches. The findings offer insights into tailoring online education more inclusively and effectively by considering discipline-specific applied learning methods.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reshaped the healthcare landscape, revealing both systemic strengths and weaknesses. This article examines a long-term study of the pandemic’s impacts on healthcare systems and integrated care processes, highlighting both negative results – such as increased burnout and persistent systemic flaws – and positive outcomes, such as improved patient care models, enhanced collaboration and increased technological integration.

The study employed elements of the ethnographic approach, combining various qualitative methods with a literature review and data analysis.

The findings reveal a mixed legacy: while the pandemic accelerated innovation and exposed systemic flaws, it also exacerbated mental health issues among healthcare workers.

The main limitation is study’s focus on the Polish healthcare system, which may introduce biases and limit the generalizability of findings to other regions with different backgrounds, infrastructures and pandemic responses.

Addressing these issues will be crucial for developing robust healthcare policies and improving overall healthcare delivery and integrated care processes.

The study provides practical implications for policymakers, healthcare providers and the workforce, emphasizing the need for structural resilience, effective resource management and ongoing professional development to sustain and enhance healthcare systems globally.

The study’s originality arises from its methodological approach, combining interviews with healthcare professionals and a narrative review to provide a long-term analysis of both positive and negative outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on the Polish healthcare system while also generalizing insights that could be relevant globally.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between food sponsorships and gender stereotypes, focusing on how patriarchal beliefs influence consumers’ purchase intentions in sports.

The research comprised two studies. In Study 1, n = 161 participants participated via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform. Study 2 involved n = 250 participants who completed a cross-sectional and self-administered survey.

Study 1 indicated an apparent gender-based categorization of certain foods and beverages: beer and red meat were predominantly perceived as masculine, while yogurt, salads, and wine were seen as feminine. Further, brands like Budweiser and Red Bull were mainly seen as masculine, while Chobani and Smoothie King were perceived as feminine. Moreover, findings indicate that foods, especially those rich in protein or linked to BBQ and spicy tastes, are considered more masculine by men than women in sports settings. Further, Study 2 findings unveiled a significant relationship between patriarchal beliefs and both attitudes (ß = 0.327, p < 0.01) and subjective norms (ß = 0.525, p < 0.01) towards masculine brands.

The two studies’ results underscore the profound impact of gender stereotypes shaping sports fans’ perceptions of food items and the brands sponsoring them. This inquiry significantly augments the current understanding of the nuanced interrelation between the paradigms of social role theory and the theory of planned behavior, particularly within the ambit of sports-related sponsorship by food and beverage brands and its consequent influence on consumer purchasing inclinations.

The purpose of this study was to examine entrepreneurs’ learning before, during and after entrepreneurial failure and understand the relationship between learning and recovery from failure.

A qualitative multiple case study was carried out based on entrepreneur interviews who have experienced the failure of their businesses.

The study finds that entrepreneurs learn both during the company’s lifespan and post-failure, with distinct types and intensities of learning at different life cycle phases. It highlights the link between learning and emotions during the failure process, revealing entrepreneurs’ limited awareness of their knowledge gaps, particularly during successful business phases, and shows the difference between women and men.

One limitation of this study is that the companies are all located in northern and central Portugal, and the number of entrepreneurs starting new ventures post-failure is limited. Another is a lack of comprehensive measurement of the economic impact, especially on the health of individuals who have experienced the impact of failure. The absence of concrete data hampers understanding and the development of targeted support mechanisms for these individuals.

This study stands out for its unique approach, thoroughly exploring the intricate, profound and significant experiences during a crisis, such as a business failure, from the entrepreneurs’ perspective. It delves into their learning processes before, during and after the failure, providing a comprehensive understanding. This study evidence that significant learning occurs during the operation of the business, and not during or after failure, due to the limitations imposed by the pain and disorientation it causes. Therefore, if recovery does not occur, learning does not happen either. It also highlights the differences between women and men in their learning experiences, adding a new dimension to the research.

Over the past 20 years, entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) have emerged as a significant research field, inspiring several scholars to provide valuable contributions. The chapter aims to map the current state of literature by highlighting the most prominent research strands and the main theoretical lenses employed in the research field. By carrying out a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis, the study examines articles published over a period of 27 years. The time frame from 1996 to 2023 offers an extensive outlook of the field’s evolution and current trends, resulting in the identification of five research strands and different future research avenues. From the analysis of prior research works, this study provides an in-depth examination of the complex nature of EEs. The results hold theoretical and practical implications. From the scholars’ point of view, they offer future research directions to move the current level of knowledge forward. From the entrepreneurs’ perspective, they provide valuable insights to address ongoing challenges and catch new opportunities within the dynamic panorama of EEs. Therefore, the insights are poised to drive future research, inform policymakers, and enhance business strategies aimed at fostering resilient EEs. In other words, the purpose is to provide readers with a well-rounded understanding over the state of the literature on EEs and the research strands that deserve further exploration.

This research investigates the determinants of public perception of contribution of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in Croatia disaggregated by subsectors and the perceived role of government policy on cultural and creative industries. Based on the survey data, it empirically explored how well citizens/consumers are familiar with cultural and creative industries, their usage of cultural and creative industry products and services, and their attitudes towards cultural and creative industries. Findings that many people use them without being aware they are consuming cultural and creative industries' outputs and that benefits of cultural and creative sectors are not recognized by the public in Croatia indicate that future sectoral policy should, among others, include the public campaigns about cultural and creative industries. A well-thought-out and systematic policy for the development of the cultural and creative industries in Croatia is lacking despite public opinion on the key role of the government in that matter. Low public awareness of cultural and creative industries might stand as one of the reasons why this sector in Croatia is lagging behind the European Union. Therefore, the findings are framed to facilitate policy decision-making to encourage cultural and creative industries in Croatia.