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The purpose of this study is to review the evolution of drug use in South East Scotland over the period since 1980 and from the clinical experience and to consider the implications of early and evolving clinical practice and related policy on outcomes for individual cases. Also, this study derives conclusions about the success or failure of practice and policy on the medical and social outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

This paper is a mixed method review of cases in clinical practice and publications carried out over the time period. The authors have published extensively in clinical journals and public health publications and draw on these experiences to describe a series of scenarios and observations which are a unique combination in the more general global pandemic of HIV/AIDS and the evolution of a modern substance use environment.

Clinical practice in the community and in specialist services was unprepared for a rapidly rising number of people using injectable heroin. The introduction of the HIV agent into this community was also met with medical, social and criminal justice systems which had to react rapidly to a situation which, at the time, was seen as a threat to the whole population. So many unknowns required a national (and international) response. What has been learned from what is now seen as a historical disaster is considered in the current policy and political framework.

The events described energized the academic and research communities. To say that we now live in a different environment is an underestimate of the impact of HIV/AIDS and substance use on how we conduct research and the ethical framework which has evolved compared to earlier times. The need for involvement of lived experience and the independence of research from political or ideological control and influence is self-evident from the paper that is presented.

Interpretation of clinical experience needs to be an integral part of planning projects. Structural changes allow early implementation of projects which link frontline services with specialist care and academic institutions. Unfortunately, silos still exist, and in a time of economic restraint, cooperation is curtailed by lack of interdisciplinary working. Learning from the events described in this paper should be helpful for clinicians, policymakers and funding agencies.

The social implications are enormous and almost too wide ranging to encapsulate in a few words. Since the 1980s, patient management and relationships have changed beyond recognition. Social norms have seen a revolution in attitudes to sexuality, drugs and relationships. Political and management practice has had to adjust and modernize to accommodate these changes. Unfortunately, these changes have not always penetrated the disadvantaged communities, and the lessons from the past have to be revisited. Hopefully, this paper will draw attention to ongoing inequalities.

Although it is in some ways relating to events past, it is strangely contemporary in its message and the implications for policy and research communities. While dramatic improvements have been made, there are forces which still need to be overcome and warnings of the dangers of not learning from past mistakes should be highlighted. The recent COVID pandemic was a global shock which again suggested changes outlined in this paper from the HIV/AID pandemic (which is still a threat).

Social robotics is a rapidly growing application of artificial intelligence (AI) in society, encompassing an expanding range of applications. This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing integration of psychology into social robotics ethics by reviewing current theories and empirical findings related to human–robot interaction (HRI) and addressing critical points of contention within the ethics discourse.

The authors will explore the factors influencing the acceptance of social robots, explore the development of relationships between humans and robots and delve into three prominent controversies: deception, dehumanisation and violence.

The authors first propose design factors allowing for a positive interaction with the robot, and further discuss precise dimensions to evaluate when designing a social robot to ensure ethical design technology, building on the four ethical principles for trustworthy AI. The final section of this paper will outline and offer explicit recommendations for future research endeavours.

This paper provides originality and value to the field of social robotics ethics by integrating psychology into the ethical discourse and offering a comprehensive understanding of HRI. It introduces three ethical dimensions and provides recommendations for implementing them, contributing to the development of ethical design in social robots and trustworthy AI.

This paper aims to explore the dimensions of spiritual tourism development, examine its current status, effectiveness and scope and analyze the knowledge landscape in terms of theories, contexts and research methodologies. The study also seeks to guide future research on spiritual tourism development.

A systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis were used using a framework-based approach. The theories, constructs, characteristics and methods (TCCM) framework guided the SLR, whereas VOS-Viewer facilitated comprehensive bibliometric analysis.

The study conducted a quantitative SLR, analyzing 80 research articles published between 2003 and 2023. Using the TCCM framework, the research identified crucial factors influencing the growth of spiritual tourist destinations, such as intrinsic motivation, destination physicality, tourist experience, spiritual activities and host community support.

This study contributes to theoretical advancement in spiritual tourism, provides insights into the current research landscape, offers practical guidance for stakeholders and serves as a roadmap for future research endeavors.

This research enhances knowledge by thoroughly assessing prior research, addressing gaps and offering practical managerial insights for spiritual tourism development. The managerial implications outlined in the study offer practical insights for destination planning and promotion in the context of spiritual tourism.

Design thinking is widely recognized as an effective problem-solving approach in the professional and academic world, albeit with varying interpretations. It has been studied in multiple forms – as a tool, a practice, a skill and a mindset – leading to ongoing debates about its fundamental nature. This study aims to explore the use of design thinking in practice and determine how its application varies depending on the characteristics of the innovation projects, namely, the types of goals pursued and the level of uncertainty involved.

Using a survey methodology and a knowledge-intensive empirical setting, this study analyzes a data set of 221 innovation consulting projects based on design thinking conducted by European consulting firms and design agencies.

By analyzing the survey data, the authors identify six distinct sets of design thinking practices: discovering user needs, understanding the problem addressed, challenging existing assumptions, navigating the problem-solution pair, ideating through visualizations and learning through prototypes. The authors also identify configurations of these design thinking practices that are used to address different innovation project goals and levels of uncertainty.

The study draws attention to the need for design thinking practitioners to be aware of how different innovation project goals and levels of uncertainty can be pursued/addressed through the use of alternative configurations of design thinking practices.

To the best of the authors knowledge, this study is one of the first large-scale quantitative analyses of the nature of design thinking in action, providing a solid foundation for future research on design thinking.

The study aims to examine the association between virtual communication effectiveness (VCE), leadership effectiveness (LE) and the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in the post-pandemic era.

A survey was conducted among 305 employees in the Indian IT sector using an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using reliability, validity and moderated regression analysis.

The findings reveal that VCE is a significant predictor of LE. EI plays a significant moderating role between VCE and LE.

This study establishes the role of EI in pre-empting LE. Furthermore, it results in the advancement of improved tools for the selection, training and development of leadership talent. Research on virtual communication (VC) and EI enhances our understanding of effective leadership. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present research is one of the first to link and standardize various practices of VC, and EI to increase LE in the post-pandemic era.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical perspective on how the COVID-19 crisis shaped inclusive leadership behaviors of global business leaders.

Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the authors analyzed 240 CEO statements in 120 multinational enterprises from six countries (France, India, Japan, South Korea, UK, USA), pre- and mid-COVID-19.

Results show that CEO emphasis on inclusive leadership increased during the pandemic. More substantively, the authors identify three key behaviors of inclusive leadership – fidelity, calmness and collective resilience.

The authors provide empirical evidence of inclusive leadership behaviors by global business leaders. In doing so, the authors integrate inclusive leadership into societally engaged international business research.

This study uses a comprehensive literature review and analysis of recent research, policy documents and program evaluations related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and policy, systems and environmental (PSE) strategies. Key sources include peer-reviewed articles, the 2025 SNAP-Ed Plan Guidance and case studies of successful PSE interventions. The Social-Ecological Model serves as a framework to organize and analyze the multilevel impacts of PSE interventions. The method involves identifying relevant information, synthesizing key themes and patterns and critically examining the potential impact of PSE strategies on nutrition security and health equity.

This paper examines the evolution of the SNAP-Ed from direct nutrition education to a comprehensive approach integrating PSE change strategies. It aims to analyze the rationale, implementation and potential impact of PSE approaches in SNAP-Ed on nutrition security and health equity in the USA. The study explores how these strategies address social determinants of health, promote sustainable population-level changes in nutrition environments, and their capacity to reduce health disparities in low-income communities. It seeks to identify challenges, opportunities and future research directions in implementing PSE strategies within SNAP-Ed.

The review reveals that PSE strategies in SNAP-Ed show promise in creating sustainable, population-level changes in nutrition environments and health outcomes. Successful examples, such as healthy corner store initiatives and workplace wellness programs, demonstrate the potential of PSE approaches to improve access to healthy food options and physical activity opportunities. The integration of PSE strategies has enhanced SNAP-Ed’s capacity to address social determinants of health and promote health equity. However, challenges including resource constraints, political opposition and the need for cross-sector collaboration persist. The effectiveness of PSE interventions relies heavily on community engagement, partnerships and supportive policies.

The findings underscore the importance of adopting comprehensive, multilevel approaches in nutrition education and obesity prevention programs. For SNAP-Ed implementers, this implies a need to develop expertise in PSE strategies, foster cross-sector partnerships and engage communities in intervention design and implementation. Policymakers should consider increasing support and resources for PSE approaches within SNAP-Ed and similar programs. Public health practitioners can use these insights to design more effective, equitable interventions that address root causes of nutrition insecurity. The study also highlights the need for improved evaluation methods to assess the long-term impact of PSE strategies on population health outcomes.

This study highlights the importance of addressing social determinants of health, such as poverty and access to healthy food options, to promote equitable health outcomes. It underscores the potential of community-driven, multilevel interventions in building a more just and equitable food system accessible to all.

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the shift toward PSE strategies in SNAP-Ed, offering valuable insights into the program’s evolution and its potential to address complex public health challenges. By examining both successes and challenges, it contributes to the growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of multilevel interventions in promoting nutrition security and health equity. The study’s emphasis on the role of community engagement and partnerships in PSE implementation offers practical guidance for program planners and policymakers.

This study aims to examine the effect of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade on economic complexity in Africa.

Panel data from 34 African countries between 2003 and 2022 are used. This study analyzes the data using a two-stage least square proposed by Lewbel (2012) and Driscoll and Kraay (1998) estimator based on robust standard errors and panel quantile regression via moments proposed by Machado and Silva (2019).

The results show that Chinese FDI and trade effectively upgrade economic complexity in Africa. Also, there is an inverted-U-shaped relationship between Chinese trade and economic complexity, thus revealing evidence of the trade Laffer curve.

Despite the intense debate on the Chinese-African economic relationship, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no known study has examined the implications of Chinese FDI and trade on economic complexity in Africa. Therefore, this study fills this lacuna found in the literature and suggests that Chinese FDI and trade are veritable tools for technology diffusion and innovation, which are capable of upgrading economic complexity in Africa. However, the Chinese-African trade relationship should be complemented with sound trade policies for the sustainability of the beneficial effect of Chinese trade on economic complexity in Africa.

The purpose of this paper was to document the success and failures of applying Social Cognitive Theory to increase breakfast consumption in a military setting. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, delivering performance and health benefits. Increasing rates of breakfast consumption may be improved through the application of theory.

Ready to Go, a theory-informed intervention, was piloted in 2022 in one army base in Australia. Ready to Go aimed to embed nine social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs within the pilot programme. Nine SCT indicators were tested using a pre–post design to test whether the theory could be applied to understand potential drivers of behavioural change. A total of 79 participants completed the pre-survey and 74 participants completed the post-survey.

Statistically significant differences were observed for one SCT construct, namely, knowledge, with 10 out of 24 knowledge items improving during the pilot intervention and an increase in rates of breakfast eating on Wednesdays at home was observed. Rates of breakfast eating increased by 13% (from 68% prior to Ready to Go compared to 81% afterwards). Programme participants were satisfied with the programme and reported receiving benefits from programme participation.

Programme data indicates that breakfast eating rates increased and knowledge about healthy eating improved. This paper documents the successes and failures of applying SCT to a pilot programme that aimed to increase breakfast eating rates. This study raises more questions than answers, providing a rich avenue for future research that aims to improve theory application.

The programme used SCT. As far as the authors know, this application of a full reciprocal triad model for breakfast frequency within an institutional setting is novel. Although the theory showed promise for increasing breakfast frequency, adaptation and refinement of the measures may be required for this context to provide more accurate and applicable measurement.

This study aims to reflect on the future of work dimensions through the new concept of inclusive organizational behaviour (IOB) and its practices.

This work is a reflective concept development paper that focuses on new dimensions of organizational behaviour (OB) exploring IOB practices in the new workplace which can broaden the concept of OB that fits into the future of work.

The IOB practices will adapt and help in adapting to the new work dynamics that can create more humane and stimulating workplaces, thereby benefiting society at large. Individual positive psychological traits, team dynamics and a fusion of digital corporate culture with a human-centric approach and sustainability are highlighted in the redefined IOB, expanding the concept of OB from the three levels of analysis (individual, group and the entire organization’s behaviour) in the new normal post-COVID situation.

Limited research studies are being conducted to investigate the future of work dynamics in the new standard post-COVID environment, which is dominated by digitization. The lack of literature and the changing situations that impact OB are the limitations.

Corporate houses, policymakers and leaders who understand the workplace dynamics in the post-COVID scenario can effectively leverage the insights from this work and may chalk out a road map for future work through IOB practices.

This research extends knowledge pertaining to IOB practices and the changing dynamics that need to be followed in the future OB practices.