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By market capitalisation, Bitcoin, which debuted in 2009, is the biggest cryptocurrency globally. A decentralised ledger system called blockchain is used in the creation, distribution, trading, and storage of Bitcoin, with the original goal being to address the shortcomings of fiat currency. This chapter highlights potential dangers and legal concerns when Bitcoin interacts with the actual economy and the traditional financial system. Besides, the details also discuss the platform’s design principles and attributes for a non-technical readership. When assessing its transactional potential, some recognise its potential for speculation, while others are doubtful of its admirable intent. The write-up also explores the potential of the adoption of cryptocurrencies in Southeast Asia due to the vast adoption of Bitcoins in countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines following the establishment of cryptocurrency technology and e-commerce. In addition, rankings of the cryptocurrency and legal stance from each country in Southeast Asia were exhibited as the solid foundation of cryptocurrencies existent for transaction purposes. The rise of central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and the future directions of Bitcoins were also highlighted in this write-up to spur the debate on whether cryptocurrency remains a fad of sensation or is legalised as the medium of exchange in an ever-growing digital world of commerce.

We explore the intersection of Catholic social teaching (CST) and entrepreneurship studies which has seemingly evaded scholars’ attention.

We integrate and expand upon prior work to explicate an integrative framework for examining CST and entrepreneurship studies.

We articulate the mechanisms through which CST and entrepreneurship studies may extend our understanding of the economic paradigm of entrepreneurship studies.

We explicate the economic paradigm of entrepreneurship studies and present the key reasons for Catholicism’s and CST’s exclusion to demonstrate why this is unjustified. Beyond expounding what we mean by CST, we extend the economic paradigm by an application to show why the economic paradigm is flawed and call for more CST-focussed entrepreneurship studies.

Finite element (FE) analysis can be used for both design and verification of components. In the case of 3D-printed materials, a proper characterization of properties, accounting for anisotropy and raster angles, can help develop efficient material models. This study aims to use compression tests to characterize short carbon-reinforced PA12 made by fused filament fabrication (FFF) and to model its behaviour by the FE method.

In this work, the authors focus on compression tests, using post-processed specimens to overcome external defects introduced by the FFF process. The material’s elastoplastic mechanical behaviour is modelled by an elastic stiffness matrix, Hill’s anisotropic yield criterion and Voce’s isotropic hardening law, considering the stacking sequence of raster angles. A FE analysis is conducted to reproduce the material’s compressive behaviour through the LS-DYNA software.

The proposed model can capture stress values at different deformation levels and peculiar aspects of deformed shapes until the onset of damage mechanisms. Deformation and damage mechanisms are strictly correlated to orientation and raster angle.

The paper aims to contribute to the understanding of 3D-printed material’s behaviour through compression tests on bulk 3D-printed material. The methodology proposed, enriched with an anisotropic damage criterion, could be effectively used for design and verification purposes in the field of 3D-printed components through FE analysis.

This study attempts to assess the role that institutional quality (IQ) plays in influencing inflows and outflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for BRICS nations as burgeoning FDI is flowing into and out of these countries. Moreover, this paper explores the impact of individual governance indicators separately on the FDI flows.

The study analyses this nexus for these emerging economies for the period 1996–2019 using autoregressive distributed lag technique.

The study indicates a significant and positive coefficient for IQ in India and South Africa, suggesting that improving IQ would enhance the IFDI. However, for outward FDI (OFDI)–IQ linkage, the results show a negatively significant impact of IQ on OFDI for Brazil and Russia. Additionally, the authors observe control of corruption as a significant institutional component for attracting inward FDI for Brazil, India and South Africa, whereas it is an insignificant factor for Russia and China. Further, the authors notably find that upgrading the governance indicators will decrease the level of OFDI for Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. On the contrary, findings suggest that improving the IQ will foster the OFDI for India.

This study uses time-series analysis instead of cross-country analysis (used extensively in literature), avoiding heterogeneity. Further, this study explores the IFDI–IQ link for BRICS nations, which are captivating a significant chunk of IFDI, and still not given much attention in the extant literature. Moreover, the authors identify the impact of IQ on the OFDI, neglected by the existing studies.

Stigma towards people living with complex mental health issues is widespread and harmful, preventing help-seeking behaviour, fostering social exclusion and decreasing self-efficacy. This study aims to investigate the usefulness and drawbacks of a mental health-themed podcast in reducing stigma.

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 participants who had each listened to three episodes of the co-designed podcast “On the Same Wavelength”. Interview data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Four themes were generated: learning from a trustworthy source; connecting with lived experience; reducing stigma, one listener at a time; and a high-quality podcast with limited reach. Listeners appraised the podcast as improving their attitudes and behavioural intentions towards people living with mental illness and their understanding of mental illness and stigma. They perceived the lived experience narratives as its most impactful element, but felt the podcast might not have mass appeal.

Despite the popularity of mental health-themed podcasts, there is limited research examining their potential to reduce stigma. This study provided insight into the usefulness, listener acceptability and impactful elements of such podcasts, by exploring listeners’ perspectives of a new podcast co-designed to reduce stigma.

This article aims to clarify the concepts used to understand, analyze and improve a patient’s progress through a health service system. A patient pathway describes plans and intentions. Within it, we distinguish between the clinical pathway of decisions and interventions and the care pathway of supportive activities. As a patient pathway is implemented, it turns into a patient journey of what is done, what happens to a patient’s medical condition and what is experienced and felt. We introduce “patient journey disruption” (PJD) as a concept describing the events that need to be prevented from happening to accomplish integrated, coordinated and seamless care.

The method used in this paper is concept analysis. First, an expert steering group worked to refine the concept of PJDs; second, an analysis of similar concepts from related fields was done to root the concept into existing theories, and third, semi-structured interviews with professionals and patients were done to test the concept of PJDs in the home care context.

PJDs are agency-based harmful events in the execution of the care pathway that deviate the patient journey from what can be reasonably expected. PJDs are management failures, which is why they should be studied by healthcare operations management (HOM) and service science scholars with the intention to find ways to prevent them from happening.

This study has limitations, including presenting conceptual ideas and preliminary results that are only indicative.

We believe that the introduction of the concept of PJDs into the literature provides a new, systematic way of approaching the different shortcomings in our healthcare production systems. Moreover, by systematically identifying different PJDs, interventions can be designed and targeted more appropriately.

Managerial challenges regarding healthcare processes have been studied but have not been well defined. The concept of PJDs is an original, well-thought-out definition.

Strategic human capital analytics (SHCA) has proven to be promising for improved organizational performance; however, research remains unclear about its influence on new venture performance. Building on the dynamic capabilities view (DCV), this study investigates the relationship between SHCA and new venture performance via generative capabilities with the moderating role of dual nationality founding members.

A quantitative research study has been carried out. Data was collected via a survey form from 313 founding members of new tech ventures and analyzed using Hayes process macro model.

Research results show that the generative capability mediates the linkages between SHCA and new venture performance. Whereas, the dual nationality of a founding member strengthens the linkages between SHCA and generative capability due to their diverse perspective, larger networks, cognitive flexibility, and resilience, which are important for generative capabilities and SHCA.

The originality of these results lies in the exploration of the linkages between dual nationality and generative capability, as well as the special elements, such as diverse perspectives, larger networks, cognitive flexibility, and resilience, which are highlighted as possible advantages of dual nationality in the context of SHCA and new venture performance.

The study aims to investigate the impact of social media influencer information overload (SMIIO) on customer purchase avoidance through mediation of customer confusion along with the moderation of prior product knowledge through the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) framework.

The data collected from 429 participants (YouTube and Instagram followers) from an online survey were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The findings reveal that SMIIO significantly leads towards customer purchase avoidance. Customer confusion mediates between SMIIO and purchase avoidance, while prior product knowledge weakens the impact of SMIIO on confusion through moderation.

The findings provide a wide range of applications for brand managers and social media influencers to adopt clear, concise communication strategies. Reducing information overload and minimizing confusion can enhance consumer decision-making. Tailored messaging based on consumer product knowledge can further optimize marketing efforts and reduce purchase avoidance.

This study uniquely applies the SSO framework to examine the effects of SMIIO on purchase avoidance, highlighting the mediating role of customer confusion and the moderating influence of prior product knowledge, offering a fresh perspective on consumer behavior.

This study aims to determine prior knowledge regarding the term “citizen science” (CS) and evaluate preservice teachers’ appreciation of the educational potential of CS.

Following the pedagogical framework of Experiential Learning Theory, a training program was designed for the subject of Environmental Education (EE) of the Primary Teacher Degree, incorporating CS activities. A quasi-experimental research was carried out with 36 primary preservice teachers who participated in this study, with a qualitative approach and without a control group. Two ad hoc surveys were defined for this study, the first one is related to prior knowledge about the term CS and a questionnaire was conducted to assess the educational potential of the CS after the implementation of the training program. The results showed a great initial lack of knowledge about CS but the appreciation of the preservice teachers after the educational intervention reveals the advantages and educational potential of CS.

Preservice teachers consider that CS can and should be incorporated, as part of the course syllabus, into the teaching system and this can be done in scientific-technological subjects or in all subjects with an interdisciplinary and transversal approach, with the majority of responses indicating that the development of generic skills would be the greatest perceived benefit for students.

There has been an increase in CS initiatives and projects in recent decades. However, despite the advantages for the participants and actors involved, its incorporation into higher education curricula is scarce.