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This paper aims to explore the role of multi-national enterprises in addressing grand societal challenges, emphasising the need for integrating environmental and social aspects into business models. Drawing on the books of Geoffrey Jones (2023) “Deeply Responsible Business” and Rob van Tulder and Eveline van Mil (2023) “Principles of Sustainable Business”, the paper provides comments and analysis of how principles and values can guide engaged international business (IB) scholarship and responsible leadership to effectuate meaningful change.

The paper adopts a dialogical review, as a curated discussion of the books whereby the authors attempt to co-construct a research and teaching agenda for responsible and engaged IB scholarship.

The paper highlights the critical importance of aligning business strategies with societal needs. Companies that adopt ethical principles, or adopt the sustainable development goals (SDGs) via principles-based frameworks, can achieve significant positive impacts.

The paper follows a viewpoint/perspective format. It relies on underpinning historical case studies and selected theoretical frameworks, which may not capture the full complexity of contemporary business environments. Scholars should conduct future research to study the underpinning principles and frameworks deployed in various industries and regions.

The paper suggests that business leaders should learn from the past to adopt a values and principles-based approach to integrate sustainability into their core strategies. It also highlights the importance of transforming the higher education teaching experience towards a value and principles-based one.

This paper underscores the potential of businesses to drive positive societal change by addressing environmental and social challenges. By adopting ethics-based value systems and aligning organisations with the SDGs, companies can help mitigate pressing issues, such as poverty, inequality and climate change. The authors suggest reading “Deeply responsible business” and “Principles of Sustainable Business” to influence public attitudes towards corporate social responsibility and foster a more sustainable and equitable global economy.

The paper offers a curated discussion and synthesis of historical and contemporary perspectives on sustainable business practices. It bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing actionable frameworks and tools for business leaders and scholars.

In this paper, the theory of inequality of opportunity is applied to examine health inequality among adults in Spain. Using a survey module conducted by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) in 2017, the role played by and the contributions of circumstances, efforts and lifestyles, and demographic variables in explaining adult health inequality are assessed. Additionally, the mediating role of individual education in the relationship between circumstances and health is analyzed. The findings underscore the significant relevance of unfair factors (circumstances) and demographics in generating adult health inequality, as opposed to the minimal contribution of fair factors (efforts and lifestyles). Furthermore, education is shown to significantly influence health, mitigating the impact of certain circumstances and serving as a transmission channel for others. In light of these results, efforts and lifestyles alone are insufficient to counterbalance unfair circumstances beyond an individual’s control. Therefore, improving circumstances and early-life factors, or reducing their impact on health through the implementation of compensatory policies, is essential for reducing health inequality and promoting equal opportunities for inclusive development.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to dramatically change the human approaches to work, and specifically to learning and development. While AI coaching can reduce costs and increase accessibility, it also presents both opportunities and threats to human coaches. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed research on the use of AI in coaching.

A systematic literature review (SLR) method was used to search eight databases for articles produced up to March 2024. Data extraction was conducted, with Quality Assessment undertaken independently, in parallel, using two researchers and a third arbiter. The ROBINS-I tool was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. A narrative synthesis of a total of 16 quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method studies covering n = 2312.

The SLR identified four key themes: Research design and AI integration, AI usefulness in coaching, impact of AI coaching and ethical considerations. The findings suggest that AI coaches can be effective, accepted, useful and match human coaches in competence for specific tasks.

AI coaching is a growing area of practice and research. This paper brings together the literature and identifies future research priorities and potential next steps in AI coach development.

The paper uses clinical research SLR methods applying these robust processes to the field of organisational research, to set a new standard through the use of a pre-determined research protocol, quality assessment and ROB, well providing a comprehensive literature review of AI coaching.

Libraries play a pivotal role in advancing environmental justice by facilitating access to information and resources essential for informed decision-making and advocacy. This paper aims to explore the multifaceted relationship between libraries and environmental justice, focusing on strategies for information access and community engagement. The study also examines the challenges and opportunities in promoting environmental justice through library initiatives.

This study used a descriptive design and qualitative methods to delve into the roles of academic librarians in Nigeria. Qualitative methods were chosen to deeply explore participants’ perspectives, experiences and attitudes toward information access and environmental justice. The study involved six academic librarians from the Federal University of Technology Ikot Abasi. Data were gathered through focus group discussions (FGDs) with the participating librarians, conducted in a conducive and private setting to encourage open dialogue and diverse perspectives. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the FGD transcripts.

Key findings highlight the importance of diverse program formats, collaboration with experts and activists, leveraging technology for information dissemination and partnerships with other institutions. The study indicates the significance of continuous learning for librarians to effectively address environmental justice concerns and proposes recommendations for enhancing library support in this context.

Ultimately, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of the roles of libraries in promoting environmental justice and offers practical insights for future initiatives and policy decisions.

Degree apprenticeships are becoming more established within the higher education sector, however within England there are growing concerns around the completion rates of apprentices. Whilst there are a number of factors which could be impacting this, the support structure surrounding apprentices throughout their programme is a key consideration. This study aims to investigate the support relationship between construction degree apprentices and their work-based mentors through the lived experiences of both the apprentice and the mentor.

This study adopted a qualitative cross-sectional approach, collecting data from three focus groups involving Level 6 apprentices from a higher education institution and their work-based mentors based in England. The data was analysed inductively using NVivo 12 software to identify codes and key themes.

The relationship between the apprentice and their work-based mentor is key to the success of degree apprenticeships. The data analysis recognised three key themes: knowledge of the apprenticeship process, support structure and employer provider relationship.

This study is an original contribution addressing a gap in the literature around higher-level apprentices and their work-based mentors, generating and analysing new primary data, identifying ongoing issues and formulating subsequent recommendations for practice. There are also implications for the current English apprenticeship model and those seeking to adopt or adapt it more widely.