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The purpose of this study is to examine the role of social presence in enhancing positive behaviors in the virtual reality (VR)-based wine tourism context through an innovative approach.

Two sequential experimental studies were conducted to test proposed hypotheses using Web and head-mounted display (HMD) VR formats. Specifically, Study 1 probed the influence of social presence on mental imagery, which subsequently impacted destination visit intention, drinking intent and memorable experience. Study 2 used a field experiment to explore the boundary effects of environmental cues (nature versus social) on social presence and a series of behavioral intentions using an HMD format.

The findings represent one of the first efforts to unravel the influence of social presence on positive behaviors through mental imagery and the moderating role of environmental cues.

This research enhances the understanding of wine tourism, drawing upon social presence theory and stimulus-organism-response framework.

The outcomes provide valuable insights for wine tourism marketers in developing innovative marketing strategies by addressing the usage of social presence and environmental cues in a VR setting.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to enrich the existing knowledge of wine tourism by exploring the role of social presence and environmental cues in both Web and HMD VR formats.

Over the past 50 years, dark tourism has seen exponential growth in terms of both physical and digital contexts. Dark tourism is primarily a concentration around documented accounts of physical violence, and theorizations centered on dark tourism studies have generally fallen within either behavioral or interpretivist perspectives. Such perspectives are indicative of the continually evolving nature of dark tourism and its receptiveness to new definitions, conceptual frameworks, and theorizations. Taking this into consideration, this chapter seeks to develop and broaden the notion of “dark tourism” within the era of late capitalism by presenting fresh theoretical perspectives stemming from critical criminological frameworks. Specifically, in drawing upon critical notions of violence and the emerging deviant leisure framework, this chapter will aim to instigate fresh academic enquiry into the nature of dark tourism, expand its theoretical underpinnings, and subsequently provide a means in which to examine how banal forms of tourism play an integral part in the proliferation of some of the most serious harms that populate the contemporary neoliberal landscape.

There is a surprising lack of underpinning evidence relating to how police specialism is defined, conceived and operationalised nationally. This study aims to shed light on the development of specialism, adding insights towards academic and police knowledge on the topic.

Exploratory research was conducted to draw evidence on police specialism in England and Wales according to publications in the literature and insights from high-ranking police officers. A total of 57 documents and 10 officers’ accounts were thematically analysed. Five main themes have been identified, relating to the development, impact and barriers of specialist units, knowledge and training.

Socio-cultural, policy-based and historical information that contributed to the development of specialism in its contemporary form were discussed. The conceptual triggers for the institution of most specialist units were disasters and a need for modernisation. In both cases, police forces were faced with the inability to keep up with emerging threats and new criminal techniques. Some exceptions apply, with specialisms of sex offences still being underdeveloped and underfunded compared to other crimes. Overall, although specialism has the potential to positively impact police efficacy, the specialist knowledge of officers working within specialist units is frequently inferred – rather than measured.

Organisational support and the quality of training impact specialism effectiveness. The substantial lack of resources allocated to specialism means that training for some crime types is either unavailable or difficult to complete. Police officers fear that specialism might lead to elitism and corrupt police practices. There is no evidence, however, that elitist beliefs are the direct result of specialism or rather additional co-occurring organisational, cultural and force-specific or role-dependant factors. Police officers’ wellbeing and specialist capacity take a significant toll.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first modern study of its kind that investigated how police specialism is conceived, instituted and prioritised in England and Wales.

This study aimed to explore the expectations and challenges of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized elderly persons.

A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit the participants. The sample of the study consisted of eight (N = 8) elderly persons. Four were institutionalized, and four were noninstitutionalized. The age range of the participants was between 60 and 80 years. A semi-structured interview guide was prepared to explore expectations and challenges of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized elderly persons. The interviews were audio-recorded and later on transcribed verbatim for a detailed in-depth analysis. The interviews were analyzed by using an interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Emergent and subordinate themes were emerged. Superordinate themes emerged after analysis were expectations from self, expectations from immediate family, expectations for betterment in life, expectations from society, challenges related to physical self, psychological challenges, difficulties due to immediate family, problems at a societal level, satisfactory behavior of children, supportive family, satisfaction from society, positive values in old age, striving for betterment in life and health-promoting behaviors. These themes were interpreted in the context of given subordinate themes and verbatim of the participants.

This study will help implement proper strategies for the betterment of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized persons. The study results can also aid in a better understanding of the challenges faced by the elderly population and also provide them with better facilities to fulfill their expectations.

Recognizing the unique and individualized expectations and challenges of the elderly persons can help in providing them person centered care. Better strategies can be introduced to increase their interactions, for better housing facility, health care, food facilities and transportation.

Old age is a challenging phase for individuals if they face difficulties and challenges. This stage is currently unaddressed by society. So, there is a strong need to bring them to the surface so that we can provide them with opportunities to achieve well-being. It can help in better understanding of challenges faced by the elderly population as well as expectations of the elderly population. This better understanding can give the idea about the different ways that elderly persons use to overcome and face these challenges in their life. A comparative study of expectations and challenges among institutionalized and noninstitutionalized elderly populations will give information about the differences among them, helping to understand them better

The topic of expectations and challenges faced by institutionalized and noninstitutionalized elderly in Pakistan holds significant originality value. Although discussions on aging and elderly care are not uncommon, exploring the specific context of Pakistan adds a unique perspective to the subject. By delving into the cultural context, policy implications and comparative analysis, researchers can contribute to the existing knowledge and pave the way for targeted interventions that enhance the well-being of the elderly population.

This paper aims to demonstrate that, in line with the emerging trend of multifunctional yarn development, cotton yarn can effectively harness renewable solar energy to achieve photothermal conversion and thermochromism. This innovation not only maintains the comfort associated with natural fiber cotton yarn but also enhances its ultraviolet (UV) light resistance.

In this work, 4% zirconium carbide (ZrC) and thermochromic powder were adhered to cotton yarn through polyurethane (PU) by sizing coating method. After sizing, the two cotton yarns are twisted by ring spinning to obtain composite yarns with photothermal conversion and thermochromic functions.

The yarn obtained by cotton/6%PU/8% thermochromic dye single yarn and cotton/6%PU/4% ZrC single yarn composite is the best match. After 5 min of infrared light, the temperature of the composite yarn rose to the maximum, increasing by 36.1°C. The ΔE* value before and after irradiation of infrared lamp is 26.565, which proves that the thermochromic function is good. The yarn dryness unevenness was significantly reduced by 27.2%. The composite yarn has a UPF value of up to 89.22, and its performance characteristics remain stable after 100 minutes of washing.

The composite yarn’s photothermal conversion and thermochromism functions are mutually reinforcing. Using sunlight can simultaneously achieve heating and discoloration effects without consuming additional energy. The cotton yarn used in this application is versatile, and suitable for a wide range of uses including clothing, temperature visualization detection and other scenarios.

Although studies have analyzed individual factors and their impact on marketing strategies and organizational performance, little is known about the owner-manager’s decision-making style. In the marketing literature of micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), little attention has been paid to the decision-maker. This study aims to gauge the impact of the manager's decision-making styles (rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant and spontaneous) on marketing strategy creativity, on its implementation effectiveness and, consequently, on organizational performance.

This study uses a quantitative and descriptive approach. The data collection technique was through a survey with structured questionnaires in an online format. The data were collected from Brazilian micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the commerce and service sectors. The nonprobabilistic sampling included 206 valid responses. The data were analyzed using the technique of structural equation modeling (SEM) through the partial least squares method (PLS).

Among the main results, it was observed that rational, dependent and avoidant styles influence the creativity and implementation effectiveness of marketing strategies, and that these two factors positively impact organizational performance. In addition, it was found that part of the effect of rational, dependent and avoidant styles on performance occurs through the creativity and implementation effectiveness of the marketing strategy. However, the effect of the intuitive style and spontaneous style was not significant.

For owner-managers, the main implication is that they need to be rational, carefully analyzing the information and options available, ask for support when necessary for their team or partners and avoid procrastinating decisions. This can aid the development of more creative and effective implementations of their marketing strategies, which consequently, may contribute to better performance results.

The main contribution of this study was to add a new approach (decision-making styles) to the SME marketing literature. Moreover, this study integrates organizational (focused on marketing) and behavioral (focused on the manager's decision-making style) perspectives as factors that improve organizational performance.

Ethical principles and practices frequently support the position that people with disability are vulnerable. Vulnerability in research traditionally infers a need for protection from harm and raises questions over the person’s capacity to consent and engage. In addition, vulnerability in ethics infers a state of permanency and one that is all-encompassing for everyone within the vulnerable groups. This construction of vulnerability in effect legitimises the exclusion of people with disability from research or monitors and restricts how people with disability can engage in research. This results in an implicitly ableist environment for research. In this chapter, which has been led by researchers with disability, we argue that there is a critical need to move beyond a popularised social construction of vulnerability which serves to perpetuate barriers to including people with disability in research. Like all terms, the traditional and popular construction of vulnerability is open to reclaiming and reframing. Under this reconstruction, what is traditionally viewed as a limiting vulnerability can be owned, openly disclosed and accommodated. Following a pandemic-inspired ‘new normal’ that supports flexible workplace practices, and in accordance with UNCRPD goals of inclusive employment and reducing disability inequity, we argue that the pathway for people with disability as career researchers needs an ethical review and overhaul. We provide readers with a practical roadmap to advance a more inclusive academy for researchers with disability.

This study aims to demonstrate a rigorous approach to applying the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and Honey’s Content Analysis (HCA) to obtain and process qualitative data through structured interviews.

An illustrative case study using the OpenRepGrid package from the open-source software R facilitates a deeper understanding of these techniques. The study subjects were employees of a corporate charter company.

The RGT enables the identification of key attributes as perceived by interviewees regarding the phenomenon, whereas HCA clarifies how these attributes impact the desired analysis outcome. The presented case study identified constructs related to the client–supplier relationship and their impact on service performance from the provider’s perspective.

This study illustrates the use of qualitative methods based on an interpretative naturalistic approach to rigorously and systematically capture interviewees’ perspectives.

The combination of RGT and HCA can be a valuable tool for management studies by allowing controlled researcher interference in empirical investigations. In addition, the data-driven selection of constructs by interviewees can lead to the emergence of novel theories.

Using diverse methodologies enables researchers to address complex managerial challenges that often surpass the capabilities of conventional analysis methods.

The proposed methodology offers a robust understanding of phenomena from the interviewees’ perspectives. Consequently, this study highlights the potential of these techniques for theoretical and empirical research in the field of administration.

A recent United Nations (2021) report stated that education needs to be concerned with enhancing human relationships with the natural world if we are to work toward building a sustainable future. This paper proposes that educational practices underpinned by an ecological orientation in mid-century Aotearoa offer insights for educators looking to enhance human connection with nature. It also argues that ecological thinking has implications for how research in the history of education might be carried out.

The article responds to recent calls in history of education for researchers to attend to the intertwined ecologies of living and material worlds in research approaches by Maria Tamboukou (2020) and Karin Priem (2022). It conducts a close analysis of a 1952 nature diary, encountered in the national archive, written by a 9-year-old pupil on the West Coast of the South Island. The analysis attends to the human–nature interactions the diary records, and to the resonance of the text in the context of post-war curriculum changes.

Post-war nature study in Aotearoa New Zealand built on an aim to nurture children’s connections with nature and to place. Analysis of an entry from the 1952 nature diary highlights these connections and demonstrates the possibilities for a reframing of human–nature relationships that emerge with an ecological orientation in education. These findings speak to urgent contemporary concerns with environmental sustainability and human–nature relationships.

The paper draws on educational philosophy and theory (Fesmire, 2012; Nicol, 2014) alongside recent conversations in the history of education (Priem, 2022; Grosvenor and Priem, 2022; Tamboukou, 2020) to consider human–nature relationality at the heart of ecological thought. It outlines an approach to archival research that is ecologically oriented, generating openness and receptivity to the material world.

Over the past two decades, the hub location domain has witnessed remarkable growth, yet no prior study reviewed and synthesised problem formulation and solution methodologies to address real-life challenges.

The current study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric literature review to develop a thematic framework that describes and presents hub location problems. The work employs cluster, bibliometric, and social network analyses to delve into the essential themes.

Key themes include cooperation, coopetition, sustainability, reshoring, and dynamic demand, contributing to the complex challenges in today’s hub location problems. As the first work in this field, the study serves as a valuable single-source reference, providing scholars and industry practitioners with key insights into the evolution of hub location research, prominent research clusters, influential authors, leading countries, and crucial keywords.

Findings have significant implications since they highlight the current state of hub location research and set the stage for future endeavours. Specifically, by identifying prominent research clusters, scholars can explore promising directions to push the boundaries of knowledge in this area.

This work is a valuable resource for scholars in this domain and offers practical insights for industry practitioners seeking to understand the hub location problems. Overall, the study’s holistic approach provides a solid foundation for advancing future research work in the hub location field.