Merits

Despite the existence of human rights legislation in Canada, equitable access to these rights remains elusive in many workplaces—particularly in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as engineering and mining. This paper argues that the proactive application of human rights frameworks can drive meaningful workplace culture transformation by addressing both overt and systemic inequities. While Canadian human rights laws offer legal remedies for discrimination, underrepresented groups continue to face barriers, especially in non-unionized environments where support mechanisms are limited. This paper presents a novel analysis of Canadian workplaces through a human rights lens, emphasizing the need for policies that go beyond reactive measures. It advocates for increased public awareness, targeted allyship training, and leadership accountability to foster inclusive and equitable work environments. The findings have broad implications for advancing decent work across sectors and for building representative and inclusive workforces.

The rapid integration of emerging technologies into organizational processes has fundamentally redefined the role of strategic human resource management (SHRM). This paper explores how digital innovations—such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), blockchain, and immersive technologies—are reshaping the workforce and transforming the way organizations attract, develop, and retain talent. In the context of the digital era, human capital is no longer a passive input but a strategic enabler of sustainable competitive advantage. The purpose of the study is to analyze how SHRM practices must evolve to align with technology-driven organizational models, combining insights from a systematic literature review, institutional reports, and illustrative corporate cases. Findings indicate that agility, continuous reskilling, ethical AI governance, and employee well-being are critical levers for sustainable advantage. Comparative tables highlight differences between traditional HRM and SHRM in the digital era, while case studies (IBM, Walmart, Unilever, and UiPath) demonstrate the strategic value of predictive analytics, diversity and inclusion programs, virtual training, and people analytics. By proposing a conceptual model that links emerging technologies, SHRM, and competitiveness, the paper contributes to current debates on the transformation of work and organizational resilience. The study offers practical implications for HR leaders, policymakers, and academics navigating digital transformation while reinforcing human-centric performance and sustainability.

In the ESG era, the hospitality sector faces an urgent need to transform its governance models. However, a conceptual gap exists regarding the specific mechanisms that drive this transformation. This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review to propose a novel integrative framework. Unlike previous reviews that analyze sustainable leadership and ESG governance in isolation, this paper positions sustainable leadership as the central mechanism that catalyzes the systemic integration of ESG criteria into the sector’s organizational culture and strategy. The proposed framework articulates how this leadership style facilitates a cultural, strategic, and operational transformation by balancing economic performance with social well-being and environmental protection. Specifically, within the hospitality context, sustainable leadership is shown to be key in fostering organizational resilience, responsible innovation, and participatory governance. The analysis also identifies critical barriers to implementation, such as cultural resistance, the lack of clear metrics, and the need for specialized leadership training. The unique contribution of this article is to offer a conceptual model that articulates the causal relationship between leadership and applied ESG governance, presenting sustainable leadership not merely as a management style, but as the fundamental component for building resilient and legitimate hospitality organizations in the long term.