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The purpose of this study is to revisit the conventional wisdom about a key contribution [i.e. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis] in the field of strategic management. The societal context and the role of academics, consultants and executives is taken into account in the emergence of SWOT analysis during the 1960–1980 period as a pivotal development within the broader context of the satisfactory, opportunities, faults, threats (SOFT) approach. The authors report on both the content and the approach, so that other scholars seeking to invigorate indigenous theories and/or underreported strategy practices will thrive.

Applying a historiographic approach, the authors introduce an evidence-based methodology for interpreting historical sources. This methodology incorporates source criticism, triangulation and hermeneutical interpretation, drawing upon insights from robust evidence through three iterative stages.

The underreporting of the SOFT approach/SWOT analysis can be attributed to several factors, including strategy tools being integrated into planning frameworks rather than being published as standalone materials; restricted circulation of crucial long-range planning service/theory and practice of planning reports due to copyright limitations; restricted access to the Stanford Research Institute Planning Library in California; and the enduring popularity of SOFT and SWOT variations, driven in part by their memorable acronyms.

In the spirit of a renaissance in strategic planning research, the authors unveil novel theoretical and social connections in the emergence of SWOT analysis by combining evidence from both theory and practice and delving into previously unexplored areas.

Caution is advised for scholars who examine the discrete time frame of 1960–1980 through mere bibliometric techniques. This study underscores the risks associated with gathering incomplete and/or inaccurate data, emphasizing the importance of triangulating evidence beyond scholarly databases. The paradigm shift of strategic management research due to the advent of large language models poses new challenges and the risk of conserving and perpetuating academic urban legends, myths and lies if training data is not adequately curated.

The US dollar (USD) has served as a global reserve currency over the past eight decades without contest. Also referred to as the Petrodollar, the US dollar has been perceived as a hegemonic currency that is detrimental to the economic aspirations of the developing world for many years. Recent efforts by developing countries to diversify their currency reserves away from the US dollar have raised serious anxieties in the Global North as much as it has raised hopes about the new dawn for the economies of the Global South away from unfettered US dollar dominance. However, a possible transition from the US dollar as a reserve currency worldwide is far more complex as the emerging economies, especially Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), have not necessarily embraced a singular stance beyond the general acceptance that the status quo can no longer hold. The potential decline of the US dollar's role in global finance presents a conundrum that deserves dedicated scholarly inquiry. The implications of the de-dollarization for the BRICS nations at this juncture are opportune enough to deserve an academic inquiry. Therefore, this study examines the role of the BRICS banks in the rising power of de-dollarization.

Taking instances from extant findings from the literature, the study aims to examine the community perception toward renewable energy (RE) off-grid (mini-grid/microgrid) intervention, the underlying rationales for engagement of communities in RE off-grid projects, the different alternatives/models to engage communities in various phases of RE off-grid project deployment.

The study has followed the structured literature review to explore the identified research question of the study.

Based on findings from the review, the framework for effective community engagement in RE mini-grid projects is suggested. Furthermore, the study also draws suggestions and implications for future research and practice.

Based on such understanding the present study offers the framework which suggests the steps for the engagement of the communities in the off-grid projects. The key steps are managing the perception of the community (including generation of awareness among the community), planning for the benefits of the community, linkage the sustainable development goals (SDG), planning for the inclusion of the community and measuring performance (in the line of social and economic criteria and SDG).

This study finds the gap in the literature on the nexus of community, off-grid energy projects and SDG. Following the findings from the scholars in this field, a few gaps in the policy and practice have been highlighted which could be useful for practitioners and policymakers in this area.

This paper aims to reassess Professor Ibrahim Kavrakoğlu’s contributions to management, focusing on his Total Management Quality (TMQ) concept. It examines how his ideas offer an alternative and practical perspective, emphasizing the integration of theory and practice across various contexts.

This paper uses a multidisciplinary approach, integrating a literature review of Kavrakoğlu’s works and interviews with his collaborators. It compares his management theories to prominent scholars like Michael Porter and Peter Drucker. The framework emphasizes Kavrakoğlu’s intellectual contributions within the context of broader critiques of management scholarship.

Kavrakoğlu’s work, particularly the concept of TMQ, provides an alternative by offering a holistic approach, integrating quality management across strategic, operational and human resources dimensions. His locally adapted concepts, such as 3D Data-Driven Decision-Making, Asymmetric Education, Synergic Management and Knowledge Leveraging provide practical tools widely applied in Turkish industries but overlooked globally.

Based on Kavrakoğlu’s works and firsthand testimonials, further empirical research is needed to explore the practical applications of his theories.

Kavrakoğlu’s principles provide valuable insights for integrating global theories with local business realities, improving overall managerial quality and decision-making in various contexts. This study highlights the importance of incorporating diverse management perspectives to enrich management education and practice.

By emphasizing the contributions of management thinkers from diverse cultural backgrounds, this study promotes inclusivity and broadens the global discourse in management education and practice.

This study highlights Kavrakoğlu’s overlooked contributions, emphasizing his practical impact on management and advocating for a more inclusive view of global management history.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how a clinical interview protocol with failure artifact scenarios can capture changes in high school students’ explanations of troubleshooting processes in physical computing activities. The authors focus on physical computing, as finding and fixing hardware and software bugs is a highly contextual practice that involves multiple interconnected domains and skills.

This paper developed and piloted a “failure artifact scenarios” clinical interview protocol. Youth were presented with buggy physical computing projects over video calls and asked for suggestions on how to fix them without having access to the actual project or its code. Authors applied this clinical interview protocol before and after an eight-week-long physical computing (more specifically, electronic textiles) unit. They analyzed matching pre- and post-interviews from 18 students at four different schools.

The findings demonstrate how the protocol can capture change in students’ thinking about troubleshooting by eliciting students’ explanations of specificity of domain knowledge of problems, multimodality of physical computing, iterative testing of failure artifact scenarios and concreteness of troubleshooting and problem-solving processes.

Beyond tests and surveys used to assess debugging, which traditionally focus on correctness or student beliefs, the “failure artifact scenarios” clinical interview protocol reveals student troubleshooting-related thinking processes when encountering buggy projects. As an assessment tool, it may be useful to evaluate the change and development of students’ abilities over time.

This study aims to examine the impact of laws, regulations and standards (i.e. the sources) on implementing a recordkeeping system in the public sector. It then provides an approach to set up a recordkeeping system in public procurement that complies with modern project management (PM) paradigms, information technology best practices and sources.

This study used the action research methodology to implement a recordkeeping system module within a PM information system for an Italian public procurement project. The study involved mapping the existing information flows, analyzing stakeholders’ needs and constraints and developing, testing and analyzing PM approaches and tools.

Regarding the impact of the sources, national laws set usability parameters and specify the content to store but often overlook storage methods and formats. Customs dictate data exchange formats, significantly affecting storage efficiency and retrieval, and are challenging to alter. Contracts outline content requirements and may standardize formats among parties. Standards establish foundational principles, ensuring records remain authentic, retrievable and usable over time. The proposed approach to address these constraints involves implementing information systems across multiple layers.

This research proposes a blueprint for effective recordkeeping in public procurement. This can lead to cost savings, reduced paperwork and faster access to critical data. In terms of proposed policies, it is also discussed how contracts could address these issues at the root by imposing suitable formats for PM data exchange.

The novelty of this study is associated with the proposed approach for designing and implementing recordkeeping systems that comply with laws, regulations and standards aligned with modern PM paradigms.