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To elaborate a systemic view of conducting psychotherapy with twins.

Using the form of a Batesonian metalogue the authors unpack and illustrate a number of key notions in the systemic psychotherapy of twins, including the ideas of the “exosomatic mind” which makes special reference to Bateson's definition of “mind” “cybernetic complementarity” and the “incarnated narrative”.

The discussions in the metalogue evidence a number of important systemic conversational features, underlining the fact that a therapist can conduct “systemic therapy” with a single individual.

Therapists are helped to see the need for going “beyond the individual skull” when doing therapy with a single person.

This paper aims to empirically investigate the triadic relationship between internal integration, internal flexibility and external flexibility.

This research hypothesized the mediation effect of internal flexibility on the relationship between internal integration and external flexibility. Survey data were collected and analyzed using simple and mediation regression analysis to test the study hypotheses.

The research finding reveals that machine, labor and material handling flexibilities; being as internal flexibility dimensions mediate the relationship between internal integration and volume and mix flexibilities; being as external flexibility dimensions. The results provided insufficient evidence on the mediating effect of routing flexibility on the relationship between internal integration and both volume and mix flexibilities.

This research presents a new perspective for research studies to understand the factors that affect manufacturing flexibility. However, the nature of the surveyed sample and using of a single informant might limit the generalizability of the research findings.

This study provides useful insights for firms wishing to enhance their competitiveness through improving their flexibility. The companies should be aware of the importance of developing a suitable platform for coordinating inter-departmental activities to enhance its internal competencies, which, in turn, improve its customer-facing capabilities and boosts its competitiveness.

This paper contributes to knowledge by proposing and empirically testing the mediating effect of internal flexibility on the relationship between internal integration and external flexibility.

The paper serves as an introduction to the special issue on Heinz von Foerster. Major episodes of his life are sketched and related to his scientific convictions regarding transdisciplinary research and radical constructivist. In the second part the contributions to the issue are summarized. Finally, the relevance of Foerster's work is discussed.

The arguments are based on the scientific literature.

Foerster argued against reductionist science and in favor of transdisciplinary research in order to trigger further scientific developments.

By using transdiciplinary and choosing the constructivist perspective, science will increase its productivity. This should be reflected in science policy.

By pointing at the variety of his scientific output and his influence on many colleagues and students, the paper is in support of Foerster's non‐reductionist worldview.

To specify the nature of experiential information by examining how such information is articulated and shared in online discussion.

Experiential information is approached by identifying two constitutive aspects: (1) sensory information that an individual obtains from noticeable events lived through by means of human senses such as sight and touch and (2) cognitive–affective information that is indicative of how the individual interprets such events by means of cognitive operations like comparison and evaluation, as well as appraises the affective valence of such events. To examine the nature of experiential information, an empirical study was made by analysing how people articulate sensory and cognitive–affective information in online discussion about the COVID-19 epidemic. To this end, a sample of 1773 messages posted to the online forum hosted by the Canadian Broadcasting Company was scrutinized by means of descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis.

Experiential information was mainly articulated in the depiction of visual observations of lived-through events, as well as in their comparison and evaluation. Experiential information was often articulated in conjunction with information of other types, most notably topic-related opinions, neutral descriptions of COVID-19 related issues and suggestions offered to fellow participants.

As the study concentrated on the sharing of experiential information about the COVID-19 epidemic in an online discussion forum, the findings cannot be extended to concern the exchange of experiential information in other contexts.

The study is among the first to characterize empirically the nature of experiential information by examining the articulations of online discussants.

The purpose of the study is to establish the mediating role of Perceived Service Quality on the relationship between Retail Atmospherics and Retail Store Patronage of Supermarkets in Emerging Economies using empirical evidence from Uganda.

The study used a cross-sectional research design and quantitative approach to understand stand the structured reality of Retail Store Patronage of supermarkets in context of emerging economies. In the context of this study, the data were drawn from Uganda's supermarkets. A sample of 1,504 customers were selected from 136,270 customers. Data was collected from supermarket customers using closed ended questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were derived to describe the behavior of customers and draw conclusions on population using sample statistics. Correlation analysis was used to establish the degree of association between the variables. Hierarchical regression was applied to assess the unique contribution of each variable; control variables-income and age, predictor variables – Retail Atmospherics and Perceived Service Quality on dependent variable – Retail Store Patronage. Mediation was done following the four-step procedures of mediation of Baron and Kenny (1986).

The results revealed significant positive relationship between Retail Atmospherics, Perceived Service Quality and Retail Store Patronage, confirming the direct hypotheses. Perceived Service Quality partially mediated the relationship between Retail Atmospherics and Retail Store Patronage. The findings depict that Retail Store Patronage is influenced directly by Retail Atmospherics and indirectly through Perceived Service Quality as a mediating variable. However, in situations where the atmospherics is good but perceived service quality is poor, Retail Store Patronage may not be fully realized.

The study provides information that is relevant for filling the practical and theoretical gap in the Retail Store Patronage in Ugandan supermarkets. Previous research studies investigated patronage behavior of shoppers in single retail units yet there is paucity of research on patronage behavior across different retail formats in the world. This study can be generalized and have strategic implications to developing economies that seek to grow and sustain their businesses. It points to the gaps that are normally overlooked and could lead business failure. The focus of most previous studies were on developed economies more especially Europe and America. This study in particular focused on the role of perceived service quality in the relationship between retail atmospherics and customer retail store patronage in emerging economies like Uganda as a testing ground.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test some of the consumer engagement frameworks that have been previously proposed in marketing literature.

Data were gathered via surveys distributed to members of a health club in the USA. Results were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

We found the effects of satisfaction on intercustomer support – the assistance received from other customers within a service setting – to be fully mediated by customer identification. The strength and direction of effects differed based on the type of identification. They also found an effect of satisfaction on customer patronage frequency. This effect was fully mediated by customer–employee identification.

The findings illustrate that, in most cases, intercustomer support can be built and enhanced by focusing on customer identification. Both customer–company and customer–customer identification had a positive effect on social/emotional and instrumental support; however, they did not influence a consumer’s patronage frequency. Conversely, customer–employee identification decreased perceptions of instrumental support, but increased perceptions of social/emotional support and patronage frequency. While the findings indicate that identification with a firm’s employees drives a customer’s patronage, firms must decide if the benefits received from increased patronage are worth the decreased instrumental support.

Past research has demonstrated the benefits of intercustomer support at both the firm and customer level, yet little research has investigated what enhances intercustomer social support in an organization. The research answers this question and illuminates some specific mechanisms that mediate this effect. Additionally, while previous research indicates that intercustomer support drives objective outcomes such as firm performance and loyalty intentions, we instead found these outcomes to be driven by customer–employee identification.

Looks at a reform, supported by a World Bank loan for technical assistance and equipment, by five member countries of the Organisation of East Caribbean States that are undergoing a unique experiment in telecommunications liberalization. Sums up that experience suggest this may be an awkward case to make, as there is mounting pressure to deregulate and open up telecommunications markets. Employs a table to emphasize service provider telephone rate reductions.

A variety of problematic administrative, organisational and institutional behaviours exist in the internationalising higher education sector globally. These vexing behaviours need to be addressed to fully realise the desired outcomes of the internationalisation movement. Encapsulating these behaviours under the concept of maladministration, we describe problems with respect to administrative commitment and competence, institutional integrity, academic integrity, abuse of authority and financial control. We then outline a hypothetical educational administration curriculum that could be used to equip higher education administrators to identify and mitigate problems with maladministration in internationalisation processes and contexts. This proposed curriculum has two dimensions: educational governance and institutional, academic and administrative integrity; and human relations, organisational culture and dysfunctional behaviour.