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The circular economy (CE) has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its potential in combining the economic growth positively with businesses, society and the environment simultaneously. The purpose of this review is to provide a concise summary of the existing literature regarding how CE strategies can help mitigate climate change.

A comprehensive review of extant literature is undertaken on the topic of CE and climate change. Six sectors are explored in this chapter; although these sectors are different, but still, they are interdependent and are not completely separate.

Thorough study of literature reveals that the energy, transport and manufacturing sectors have the greatest potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while the waste and building sector have a moderate potential for savings. The agriculture sector, on the other hand, is predicted to have the lowest potential for savings.

This chapter provides implications for achieving a sustainable future in terms of economic growth, social harmony and environment conditions by developing efficient and affordable methods to achieve the goal of CE.

This chapter is a unique endeavour to explore the intricate relationship between CE and climate change. Although both concepts have been explored individually by various studies, but our study is one of the few attempts made to emphasise the crucial role of CE to mitigate the climate change.

Despite the increased retrofitting of Finnish residential buildings, there are limited post-retrofit studies on the actual measured indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and occupant satisfaction during summer-time. This paper provides a better understanding of the actual performance of retrofitted residential apartment buildings in Finland, focusing on some aspects of and the risk of summer overheating through post-occupancy evaluation (POE).

The study used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, including satisfaction surveys, indoor air temperature and relative humidity measurements, self-reported behaviour forms, open-ended discussions, and site visits in five apartments in different residential buildings in Tampere city, monitored during the summer-time, for at least 2 weeks at a time.

While occupants were positive regarding most aspects of IEQ, concerns about indoor air quality (IAQ), summer overheating and acoustic comfort were raised. The summer-time monitoring highlighted that indoor air temperatures could reach as high as 27 °C for 2–9 days depending on the monitored apartment. Little cloud cover and warmer outdoor temperatures directly influenced indoor air temperature overheating. For some aspects of the investigated IEQ parameters, it was noted that while occupants’ satisfaction was influenced by the length of their residence, their acceptance of the same conditions remained positive over time (i.e. more than one year) as they adapted over time.

The number of participants and case studies was relatively small due to the well-known difficulty in gaining access to private homes, so the results do not allow generalisation but do provide interesting insights of these specific cases to be validated with future additional research. The short sequential rather than long-term parallel monitoring of the case study apartments was another limitation making comparison between cases and understanding reasons for differences difficult.

Findings highlight the need to maintain the performance of housing in Finland during summer-time. The highlighted subjective issues emphasised in this study underscore the necessity for enhanced pre- and post-retrofit quality processes and the prompt resolution of issues as they arise. The integration of POE studies into all residential construction practices becomes pivotal for the advancement of sustainable homes now, but also in the future, especially when subjected to a warming climate.

This study is among the few POE studies conducted in Finland, offering insights into post-retrofit performance and occupant satisfaction during the summer-time. The study highlights the potential of POE to understand the performance of retrofitted Finnish apartments from a user-centric perspective.

Artworks made of hygroscopic materials, like wooden panel paintings, are susceptible to environmental conditions. Traditional panel paintings typically consist of a wooden panel coated with layers of gesso, paint and varnish. Due to environmental fluctuations, the gesso layer and the wood panel may respond differently to moisture changes, triggering potential fractures. The investigation of such phenomena is of high interest, but it is still scarcely studied by engineers.

The proposed study aimed to create a simplified 3D finite element model for paintings to identify environmental conditions that could exceed critical strain levels. A penny-shaped crack within the gesso layer was modelled and, after applying a given deformation, the strain energy density failure criterion was used to assess if the crack was in a critical state.

Various combinations of geometric parameters of the model were explored, and to save computational time and cost, machine learning algorithms (namely extreme gradient boosting machines and Gaussian process regression algorithms) were introduced. The analyses were carried out on different panel paintings 3D models obtained by varying the wooden species and the boundary conditions, for exploring a wide number of combinations.

Moreover, the integration of machine learning can potentially reduce the reliance on numerical simulations and offer new insights into the conservation of artworks, a field in which such tools are still scarcely exploited.

The Q method is an inherently mixed-method approach suitable for tackling issues regarding theory, conceptualization and operationalization in the social sciences. Nevertheless, the application of this method in organizational behavior (OB) studies is still limited. This paper aims to delineate to what extent, regarding what topics, and in what ways the Q method has been applied in OB studies. Moreover, it aims to systematically explore the strengths and weaknesses of this method for the OB field.

We present a systematic literature review of 47 studies employing the Q method in OB research.

There is an upward trend in the application of Q in OB research. The studies in our sample address the following OB topics: Human resource management (HRM) (14), leadership (10), group decision-making (6), collaboration (4), culture (9) and organizational change and development (4). We describe how Q is used in a wide variety of ways.

This study shows how performance-oriented organizations can benefit from the Q method as a managerial diagnostic and intervention tool in organizational change and development and in human resources management.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic literature review on the Q method that spans the field of organizational behavior across topics and research levels, including the individual, team and organizational levels.

Considering a normative conception of democracy based on the values of autonomy and inclusiveness, there are many reasons to argue that a democratic global financial governance (GFG) is necessary. However, from an empirical approach, the democratization of GFG seems to be very hard to implement. Taking that into consideration, we discuss the challenges and the feasibility of a democratic GFG. We argue that both the skeptics' negative response and the positive one based on abstract premises are unsuited. A democratic GFG will only be feasible if its institutional framework has as reference a concept of democracy which is compatible with the complexity of this field, and a flexible design suitable for facing its multilevel democratic deficit. The BRICS, on the one hand, are key actors for GFG reforms. However, on the other hand, we face a very unfavorable political scenario to the thematization of the GFG democratization by the BRICS. The literature on this topic is vast, but there is a lack of comprehensive studies. We seek to fulfill this gap and, in addition to our own theoretical contribution, provide a framework for future specific empirical-normative research.

This chapter examines Taylor Swift’s strategic response to losing control over her master recordings, showcasing exemplary crisis management. Swift’s decision to re-record her albums illustrates how proactive crisis handling can transform challenges into opportunities. This chapter uses the five phases of crisis management and positive psychological capital to analyze Swift’s approach, highlighting her resilience, optimism, and strategic thinking. By navigating adversity and advocating for artist rights, Swift demonstrates effective leadership and the power of taking control of one’s destiny.

This study aims to investigate the potential of wood as a water-lubricated bearing material, determine the factors influencing the water-lubricated properties of wood and identify suitable alternatives to Lignum vitae.

Three resource-abundant wood species, Platycladus orientalis, Cunninghamia lanceolata and Betula platyphylla, were selected, and their properties were compared with those of Lignum vitae. The influencing mechanism of the tribological properties of different woods under water lubrication was thoroughly analyzed, in conjunction with the characterization and testing of mechanical properties, micromorphology and chemical composition.

The findings reveal that the mechanical properties and inclusions of wood are the primary factors affecting its tribological properties, which are significantly influenced by the micromorphology and chemical composition. The friction experiment results demonstrate that Lignum vitae exhibits the best tribological properties among the four wood species. The tribological properties of Platycladus orientalis are comparable to those of Lignum vitae, being only 17.1% higher. However, it is noted that higher mechanical properties can exacerbate the wear of the grinding pair.

The originality of this study lies in the combination of friction experiments and wood performance tests to identify the factors contributing to the superior water lubrication performance of wood, thereby guiding the application and improvement of different wood types in water-lubricated bearings.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-07-2024-0284/

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.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate network mobilization for collective market shaping. The authors focus on sustainable innovations that require broad cross-sectoral mobilization to create collective action among network actors. By drawing on insights from mobilization in innovation and issue networks, the authors shed light on the role of these two different networks in mobilizing collective action and triggering collective market shaping for sustainable innovations.

This paper presents a qualitative case study on the commercialization of a new low-carbon eco-concrete. The eco-concrete faces significant challenges in entering the market, due to the construction industry’s entrenched practices and institutional arrangements. These challenges emphasize the critical need for mobilizing collective action to generate the momentum for market change.

The findings reveal four types of interplay between mobilization in innovation and issue networks: synergistic and complementary mobilization that can reinforce collective market shaping and conflicting and diluting mobilization that can impede collective action and hinder the market shaping for sustainable innovations.

This paper contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the role of mobilization in triggering collective market shaping. In particular, this research sheds light on the early stages of market shaping for sustainable innovations where broad mobilization for collective action is critical.

This study aims to assess the extent to which acute hospital trust mergers in England are associated with quality improvements.

We apply an event study design using difference-in-difference (DID) and coarsened exact matching to compare the before-and-after performance of eight mergers from 2011 to 2015.

We find little evidence that mergers contribute to quality improvements other than some limited increases in the proportion of patients waiting a maximum of 18 weeks from referral to treatment. We postulate that financial incentives and political influence could have biased management effort towards waiting time measures.

Inherent sample size constraints may limit generalisability. Merger costs and complexity mean they are unlikely to offer an efficient strategy for helping to clear elective care backlogs. We recommend further research into causal mechanisms to help health systems maximise benefits from both mergers and emerging models of hospital provider collaboration.

This paper is the first to study the quality impact of a new wave of acute hospital mergers taking place in the English National Health Service from 2011 onwards, applying a group-time DID estimator to account for multiple treatment timings.