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The objective of this paper is to explore the development of the Blackmail-as-a-Service business model within the Digital Thrift Shop. This service model involves the sale of doxing files to customers, as well as the removal of the content from the shop and its dissemination to victims or individuals closely connected to them.

To access the Digital Thrift shop, this study relies on the Tor browser and a darknet indexing site. The authors then use an application to collect and store the web pages as PDFs. Finally, content analysis is performed on these PDFs to understand the Blackmail-as-a-Service business model developed by the Digital Thrift.

The doxing data available on the Digital Thrift is primarily targeted toward women. Digital Thrift has also established a way to value the purchase, sale and the removal of blackmail data. The presence of Blackmail-as-a-Service on darknet sites poses unique challenges for criminal justice agencies in terms of jurisdiction, due to the lack of harmonized laws and the obstacles involved in taking down content from darknet sites. Finally, the use of a service model for blackmail allows criminals without technical skills to engage in cyber-victimization using blackmail.

Research into Blackmail-as-a-Service from boutique providers has not been conducted. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first study seeking to understand the Blackmail-as-a-Service business model on the darknet when used to target adults. This study presents evidence of a lack of connection between the buyers of the compromising material and the potential victim, challenging preconceived notions about image-based sexual abuse and its connection to individuals involved in interpersonal relationships.

This paper presents the findings of assessing the strategies required for improved work-life balance (WLB) of construction workers in Eswatini. This was done to improve the work-life relationship of construction workers and, in turn, improve the service delivery of the construction industry in the country.

The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a questionnaire administered to construction professionals in the country. The data gathered were analysed using frequency, percentage, Mann–Whitney U test, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

The findings revealed that the level of implementation of WLB initiatives in the Eswatini construction industry is still low. Following the attaining of several model fitness, the study found that the key strategies needed for effective WLB can be classified into four significant components, namely: (1) leave, (2) health and wellness, (3) work flexibility, and; (4) days off/shared work.

The findings offer valuable benefits to construction participants as the adoption of the identified critical strategies can lead to the fulfilment of WLB of the construction workforce and by extension, the construction industry can benefit from better job performance.

This study is the first to assess the strategies needed for improved WLB of construction workers in Eswatini. Furthermore, the study offers a theoretical platform for future discourse on WLB in Eswatini, a country that has not gained significant attention in past WLB literature.

This study aims to investigate the use of voluntary disclosure on mainstream social media platforms to examine strategic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the influential factors and institutional pressures organisations faced when making disclosures on social media during the pandemic.

A two-stage qualitative approach was adopted. Stage one used content analysis to examine voluntary disclosures made by international organisations on social media during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stage two comprised semi-structured interviews with individuals who were involved in the decision-making process around the social media disclosures.

This study’s findings reveal significant changes in disclosure practices due to COVID-19-related pressures. In addition to the utilisation of social media for signalling conformance with new pandemic-related norms and connecting with stakeholders, the evidence also reveals how organisations made use of strategic responses to COVID-19-related institutional pressures.

The findings reveal how social media was used as a means of timely voluntary disclosure during the examined crisis. The findings can inform the development of organisational guidelines and policies for the use of social media as a disclosure medium.

This study reveals how organisations used voluntary disclosure on social media as a strategic response to institutional pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic; this context is under-researched. The study also extends the application of the strategic response framework regarding voluntary disclosure via social media.

The purpose of this study is to investigate, through the application of a decoupling conceptual framework, why seemingly appropriate workplace gender strategies may not yield the desired results. In doing so, the authors address two key questions: how and why have seemingly comprehensive gender equality–related strategies failed to eradicate workplace gender inequality, and how can implementing these strategies be more effective?

The authors use a qualitative approach to examine a case study organization within the public sector. This involves a combination of document analysis, semistructured interviews and focus groups. The authors use a unique data set to investigate the effectiveness of implementing a socially oriented strategy related to gender equality.

The findings highlight different approaches in the implementation of gender equality strategies compared to those aligned with core business objectives. This study also identifies techniques for bridging the gender equality strategy–practice gap, offering significant implications for both policy and practice.

This research is subject to common limitations associated with case studies, interviews and focus groups.

Despite the growing awareness and increased focus on eliminating workplace gender inequality, it remains a “wicked problem” due to its global pervasiveness and the complexity of its causes, manifestations and implications. This issue continues to present itself in various forms across numerous sectors and organizations, despite decades of concerted efforts by multiple stakeholders, including governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses and society at large. In this paper, the authors investigate the reasons for such slow progress and argue that this issue is less related to the appropriateness of existing gender strategies and more a result of the ineffective implementation of these strategies.

This volume answers a call by the late David Maines for forums to showcase symbolic interactionism. Eight papers in this volume answer Maines' call by illustrating the value of interactionist approaches, defining and describing directions for research. Exploring a broad range of topics including accounts, identity, sex work, and yoga, the eight studies show the breadth and innovation that Maines saw as crucial to a general sociology.

In the last 3 decades, organization-wide programs and practices based on the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy have become central to continuous improvement (CI) strategy in both public and private enterprises. However, there is paradoxical evidence of TQM-firm performance linkage in non-Japanese contexts. This study presents a meta-analysis of empirical research on TQM-firm performance linkage and investigates the moderating influence of national cultural (NC) values on this relationship.

Meta-analytical procedures are adopted to analyse 364 effects accumulated from 135 independent samples across 31 nations, for 30,015 firm observations. Additionally, weighted least square (WLS) meta-regression is used to test the moderation effects of four NC dimensions based on the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) model.

The meta-analysis results reveal that the strengths of the association varied across five soft and hard TQM dimensions and three firm performance dimensions Meta-regression indicate that the effectiveness of the TQM program is high in cultures which reward collectivist behaviours, equity of power distribution and avoidance of ambiguity in rules/structures.

The study contributes to international operational management theory on cultural influences on the effectiveness of operations strategies and decisions.

Organizations are increasingly joining inter-organizational networks to foster sustainable employability for their employees. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors and mechanisms central to their success as experienced by key stakeholders.

An explorative, qualitative approach was adopted, using four focus groups with network coordinators (N = 18) and HR professionals (N = 14). Fourteen Dutch inter-organizational networks were represented. Respondents were recruited through purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. Thematic analysis was applied using open coding to generate themes.

The results of this study outline environmental, structural, and inter-personal factors and mechanisms that contribute to the success of inter-organizational networks that aim to foster sustainable employability for their employees. The environmental factors and mechanisms consist of challenges stemming from the labor market. The structural factors and mechanisms include: a network’s flat structure, flat fee, lack of informal rules, the allocation of roles and expectations for stakeholders and shared network activities. Lastly, the inter-personal factors and mechanisms are: communication among stakeholders, establishing reciprocity, interaction and collaboration between stakeholders, the valuation of trust, a convivial culture and shared vision among stakeholders. The dynamics between these factors and mechanisms are compared to other forms of inter-organizational networks. Furthermore, several recommendations for network coordinators and practitioners regarding the development of networks are presented.

This study provides insights into the factors and mechanisms that are regarded by stakeholders as influencing the success of inter-organizational networks in their ability to foster sustainable employability for workers. We have identified a unique model that captures this new way of inter-organizational collaboration and builds on insights from literature on collaborative governance regimes, institutional fields and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Specifically, the model provides a framework that consists of environmental, structural and interpersonal factors and mechanisms for network success. This study increases our understanding of how collaborative efforts can be fostered beyond organizational boundaries and existing Human Resource Management practices.

This study aims to examine the interplay between renewable energy consumption, carbon footprints, natural resources depletion and economic growth.

It engaged 45 African countries using the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach. Data from the World Development Indicators for the period 2000–2023 are used to analyse the relationships among these variables.

The result indicates a positive and significant effect of greenhouse gas emissions on economic growth in all regions of Africa, except for Southern Africa. Regarding the depletion of natural resources, the authors observe a dominant negative effect on economic growth. Thus, an increase in the depletion of natural resources contributes to the reduction of economic growth in most regions of Africa, notably West Africa, East Africa and sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. Moreover, the depletion of natural resources can also have negative social impacts, such as conflicts over access to remaining resources, which can indirectly influence economic stability and growth.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence of the positive effects of renewable energy consumption on carbon footprints, natural resource depletion and economic growth. By quantifying these relationships, the study offers valuable insights into the potential of renewable energy to address pressing environmental and economic challenges.

With aging, the risk of requiring emergency care increases. Elderly patients who need Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are often vulnerable and dependent, especially when their decision-making ability is reduced, which may intensify the risk of important ethical values being violated. Studies about paramedics’ views on elderly people’s self-determination within EMS settings are scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of paramedics in a US context regarding self-determination in elderly patients who need emergency care provided by EMS.

The study had an exploratory design, and data were collected using a Delphi technique. A panel of experts consisting of US paramedics was recruited to answer a questionnaire sent out in three rounds. The questionnaire comprised 108 items, derived from a Swedish study on the same topic, rated with a five-point Likert scale ranging from agree to disagree with a predetermined consensus level of 70%.

In total 21 experts agreed to participate, 15 completed all three rounds, leaving a total response rate of 71%. Finally, 87 out of 108 items reached consensus, of which 60 were “agree” and 27 were “disagree.”

The paramedic–patient relationship is a core in assessing and handling ethical challenges within an advanced practice influenced by the paramedics’ educational level and/or the patient’s physical/mental status. Within a “find it fix it” modus operandi, there is a need to increase paramedics’ competence in understanding and handling advanced ethical challenges in relation to ethical values such as autonomy and self-determination in elderly patients.