Search Results (71)

Background/Objectives: After perinatal loss, namely stillbirth and neonatal death, many bereaved mothers continue to produce breast milk, facing the decision as to whether to suppress lactation or donate their milk. Our aims were to explore the experiences and views of Muslim mothers who had donated their breast milk following perinatal loss and examine the Islamic legal-ethical perspectives relating to milk donation. This research explores how milk donation serves as a coping mechanism and how Islamic teachings frame its permissibility and ethical considerations. Methods: A qualitative research methodology was employed, using a Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Nine bereaved Muslim mothers who had donated their breast milk and three Islamic religious scholars (an Imam, a Mufti, and a Muslim jurist) participated in in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis identified recurring patterns and insights. Results: Our findings revealed that mothers experienced milk donation as a coping mechanism, allowing them to maintain a symbolic connection with their lost child while contributing to other infants’ survival. Religious scholars who we interviewed agreed that milk donation is permissible in Islam, provided that milk kinship (rida’a) regulations are observed. Mothers reported a strong need for structured support from healthcare providers and religious leaders in order to assist in the informed decision-making process. Conclusions: Breast milk donation after perinatal loss aids in grief management for bereaved mothers while benefiting vulnerable infants. Healthcare providers should offer comprehensive lactation counseling for bereaved mothers, including milk donation options. Milk banks should implement processes in alignment with rida’a guidelines. Improving support systems for bereaved mothers can alleviate their grieving process while ensuring alignment with cultural and religious norms. Full article

Rural areas in Brazil, like many parts of the Global South, face profound socioeconomic and demographic transformations, including depopulation, aging populations, and infrastructural deficits. These challenges are particularly acute for traditional communities such as quilombolas—descendants of Afro-Brazilian maroons—whose territorial rights and cultural survival remain vulnerable. This study examines socioeconomic and demographic changes in two traditional quilombola communities—Moreiras and Buraco do Paiol—in the municipality of Rio Espera, Minas Gerais, and their interaction with rural development policies. Using a mixed-methods approach combining census data (IBGE 2022), geoprocessing (QGIS, MapBiomas), and fieldwork—including semi-structured interviews with 16 households and community leaders—we analyze population trends, land use dynamics, access to services, and local strategies of resistance. Results reveal a dual dynamic: structural pressures such as youth outmigration, aging, and inadequate infrastructure coexist with endogenous resilience strategies, including agroecological farming, productive diversification, and cultural revitalization through festivals and community associations. Programs such as the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) and National School Feeding Program (PNAE) have provided critical support, but their impact is amplified by community ownership and participation. We conclude that sustainable rural development in quilombola territories depends on integrating context-sensitive public policies with endogenous social, productive, and cultural dynamics. This calls for a territorialized, participatory approach that recognizes quilombola communities not merely as beneficiaries, but as agents of sustainable development. Full article

This research explores how coalitions of leaders who score high in the Dark Triad traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy—rebuild moral architectures in organizations to consolidate power, suppress dissent, and secure their rule. Contrary to work that has focused predominantly on individual toxic leaders, this research examines the collective processes that emerge when multiple high-DT-scoring leaders coalesce and unify their moral leadership front. Adopting a qualitative, article-based document analysis methodology, this study synthesizes and critiques evidence from 55 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025. Thematic analysis identified three fundamental dynamics through which Dark Triad leaders collectively exercise dominance. The first, the Ethics Cartel, involves the construction of a shared moral façade that legitimates power and shields wrongdoing. The second, Mutual Cover, outlines forms of mutual protection in which leaders shield one another from accountability and scrutiny. The third, Cultural Capture, outlines processes through which organizational culture is increasingly reconfigured such that “ethics” are structured to favor leadership over employees or wider stakeholders. This study illustrates how these coalitions cross over into individual transgressions, creating systemic risk that warps the fabric of organizational culture. Employees are confronted with a work culture that positions ethics as a means of developing survival adaptive mechanisms, such as silence, withdrawal, or compliance. These processes not only harm psychological safety and break trust but also disable accountability mechanisms established to maintain integrity. This study contributes to the study of leadership and organizational ethics by framing ethics not as merely an individual moral stance but as a collective instrument of power. It calls for more attention to the risks that follow collaboration among toxic leaders and for governance arrangements that address the organizational and systemic consequences of these unions. By situating these findings within the broader debate on power, people, and performance, this paper aligns with the focus of the Special Issue “Power, People, and Performance: Rethinking Organizational Leadership and Management” by showing how collective Dark Triad leadership distorts organizational performance outcomes while reshaping power relations in ways that undermine people’s trust and well-being. These insights extend Alowais & Suliman’s findings, highlighting the systemic feedback loops sustaining ethical distortion. Full article

Background: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in Italy. Despite better survival rates, significant disparities in access to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up persist across regions. We propose an integrated, multidisciplinary care model—the Breast Immunology Network (BIN)—to address these challenges. Methods: The model was developed through a two-phase expert consultation with key opinion leaders and stakeholders, aligned with national and European oncology guidelines. No new patient data were collected; this is a qualitative analysis based on expert consensus and existing literature. The proposed model integrates a Hub-and-Spoke cancer network structure with fully functioning multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), standardized care pathways (PDTA), and digital tools to ensure continuity of care. Results: Experts identified critical gaps in Italy’s breast cancer care: limited access to specialized centers, inconsistent adherence to screening programs, and delays in treatment initiation. The proposed BIN model aims to bridge these gaps by enhancing collaboration across all care levels, incorporating immunotherapy where appropriate, and defining key performance indicators (KPIs) for continuous quality evaluation. For example, quantitative targets include achieving ≥65% nationwide mammography screening adherence and ensuring ≥90% of patients are treated in certified Breast Units. Conclusions: The Breast Immunology Network offers a strategic framework to improve equity, quality, and timeliness of breast cancer care in Italy. Importantly, unlike existing Hub–Spoke or CCCN models, the BIN formalizes governance tools, harmonized eligibility criteria, and a national registry for immunotherapy. By uniting Breast Units and community services under shared governance, and by integrating innovations such as immunotherapy and telemedicine, the BIN model could significantly improve clinical outcomes and ensure more equitable care for all patients. Its implementation may serve as a reference model for other health systems seeking to optimize oncology pathways through multidisciplinary integration and advanced treatments. Full article

This study examines the distinctive male leadership—comprising procurators, parish priests, and chaplains—of the beguinage of St. Elizabeth in Valenciennes during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Contrary to the majority of beguine communities in the southern Low Countries, where leadership appointments were dictated by religious or secular authorities, this community was entitled to elect its male administrators autonomously. The elected were generally influential figures in local religious and secular affairs and maintained a close relationship with the comital family of Hainaut. The analysis will demonstrate how this politically embedded ecclesiastical framework not only ensured doctrinal legitimacy but also mediated conflicts between secular lords and church authorities, thus enabling the community’s survival amid accusations of heresy and institutional repression. By examining the electoral criteria and functional specialization of male leaders, and their interactions with self-governed beguines, this research tries to offer a new perspective on the complex governance strategies of the medieval beguine movement. Full article

The Druze community has survived for a thousand years, during which it witnessed the emergence of female political and religious leaders. However, the Isma‘ili foundations of the Druze religion favored women without offering them considerable rights. This study describes the political actions of women leaders who are considered unique and outstanding leaders in the history of Druze society. The women discussed in this article share some features: all came from an elite social background; all were endowed with outstanding leadership qualities, which gave them status and prestige in the community; and, in keeping with Druze female leadership, all were identified with female sanctity and spirituality. Additionally, these women were portrayed in folk stories and biographies as women characterized by boldness, courage, leadership, and especially charisma to lead in the public sphere and not just the private one, in contrast to what is expected of Druze women as belonging to the private sphere, the family. This article argues that the combination of the level of positive consciousness toward women in the Druze religion and the elite status of these women, in addition to being unique charismatic personalities in Druze society and in their era, explains how they acquired their leadership role in the Druze community. Furthermore, while engaging in social and political activism, these women never employed their privileged status to promote gender equality in their societies. Full article

The spread of the pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges for Chinese enterprises, particularly in the new energy sector, where numerous companies have been forced to halt their development plans and suspend projects, awaiting opportunities to restart. In this context, enterprise performance is significantly affected, making employee innovation a critical factor in business survival and growth amid adversity. This study explored the intrinsic link between inclusive leadership styles and employees’ innovative behaviors, with a particular focus on introspection and sense of accomplishment as key psychological mechanisms that drive innovation. Through mediation analysis, this study investigated how inclusive leadership could foster employees’ innovative behaviors by influencing their introspection and sense of achievement. This study incorporated psychological safety and organizational support as moderating variables in its research methodology. Psychological safety refers to the extent to which employees can feel accepted and respected within an organization, whereas organizational support encompasses the assistance and resources provided by the organization. This study employed a detailed questionnaire to assess employees’ perceptions of inclusive leadership, introspection, innovation behavior, psychological safety, and organizational support in energy companies. Following data collection, IBM statistic SPSS 27 software was used for correlation, regression, and moderated mediation analyses. This article concludes that leaders should not only focus on performance, but also on the psychological development of employees, such as their sense of achievement and introspection. Full article

Startups face significant challenges in balancing survival with sustainability, as approximately 90% of them fail. Sustainability is often perceived as a short-term cost, yet turbulent business environments—driven by climate change, environmental regulations, and evolving social expectations—are compelling startups to align their innovations with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. These efforts aim to attract investors, customers, and other stakeholders. Despite resource constraints and the liabilities of smallness and newness, understanding how startups leverage innovation to achieve sustainability performance is of both theoretical and practical importance, particularly within the framework of triple bottom line theory. This study empirically examines the roles of absorptive capacity, appropriability, and openness in mediating and moderating the relationship between innovation activities and sustainability performance in startups. Using data from the Korean Innovation Survey 2018—a structured tool aligned with global standards for tracking innovation activities—we analyze 278 young manufacturing firms. Regression analyses reveal that product innovation and organizational innovation are significantly associated with sustainability performance. Furthermore, absorptive capacity mediates the relationship between these types of innovation and sustainability performance. To explore the contingencies influencing these relationships, we test appropriability (measured by protection mechanisms) and openness (quantified by external partnerships). Moderated mediation analysis indicates that openness strengthens the direct relationship between product innovation and sustainability performance up to a threshold but weakens it beyond this point. Organizational innovation’s impact on sustainability performance is fully mediated by absorptive capacity, while appropriability moderates this mediation by enhancing absorptive capacity’s effectiveness when limited protection mechanisms are used. These findings contribute to sustainability research by highlighting that startups’ sustainability efforts are driven by innovation activities mediated by absorptive capacity and contingent upon specific factors such as appropriability and openness. The study confirms the paradox of openness in startup contexts pursuing triple bottom line objectives. Practically, this research provides actionable insights for corporate leaders and policymakers on fostering absorptive capacity through external knowledge acquisition while carefully managing appropriability mechanisms and collaboration strategies to enhance sustainability outcomes. Full article

The purpose of this study is to identify motivational profiles in sustainable career trajectories via emerging latent class methods using a multilevel schema between engagement in sustainable career practices, developing and utilizing job competency—a key marker for human capital development—and leader–member interaction. Using latent class analysis (LCA), we further identify different types of motivational profiles that reflect the principle and adaptable nature with which individuals can relate their sustainability values to career decisions. Results indicate large practical differences within latent classes, evidencing higher career adaptability and sustainability principles congruence in some groups. These differences highlight that intrinsic motivation, adaptability, and elements connected to the sector drive sustainable career engagement that should ensure enduring satisfaction with commitment to a chosen profession. In explaining why sustainability drives career advancement, this study takes a theoretical standpoint from three overarching theories: Career Construction Theory, Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), and Sustainable Career Theory. The practical recommendations are that companies must offer programs at the sector level to increase career adaptability (readiness) and help employees build sustainable careers. This study calls attention to the importance of producing participative content that is demanded by organizations seeking greater resilience, well-being in work contexts, and their long-lasting survival as institutions. Full article

This paper identifies the salient features of feedforward control and the advantages that it provides vis-à-vis feedback control. These advantages are especially salient in strategic control situations and also during periods of environmental turbulence and extreme strategic discontinuity. Consciously adopting a feedforward orientation in organizational strategic management processes could enhance an organization’s competitive advantages and potentially lead to sustainable, superior performance. Additionally, broadening the conceptual definition of feedforward (from its cybernetic origins) to also include strategic foresight might also enable organizations to develop dynamic capabilities. The example of Zara, a leader in ‘fast-fashion’ retailing, is presented as an example of how feedforward attributes can be identified, inculcated, and ingrained/retained as organizational attributes that become a part of an organization’s DNA. Moreover, when severe external environmental disruptions inevitably erode an organization’s resource bases and pose an existential threat to the organization’s survival, such a feedforward orientation could be the catalyst for coping, adapting, and developing new dynamic capabilities. These new capabilities can not only help organizations to counter newly emergent threats and survive, but also help them to dynamically cultivate and develop newer sources of competitive advantages. Full article

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatches in stem cell transplantation can be well-tolerated with the use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) for graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) prophylaxis. Haploidentical (Haplo) and HLA-mismatched unrelated donors become acceptable donors. This review focuses on Haplo and unrelated donor selection in the context of PTCy-transplant for hematological malignancy, in comparison with conventional GvHD prophylaxis. Evaluating patient’s donor-specific antibody (DSA) is critical in donor selection regardless of donor type or the use of PTCy. High DSA levels and positive C1q increase the risk of engraftment failure and unsuccessful desensitization. On the other hand, the degree of donor HLA matching is less critical under PTCy compared to conventional GvHD prophylaxis. Donor age was found to be important, as younger donors improve survival outcomes. HLA-B leader match appears to be preferable. The impacts of donor gender, donor cytomegalovirus serostatus, and ABO mismatch are unclear or non-significant. Additionally, available studies suggest that, in PTCy-transplant, preferred Haplo-donors are HLA class II mismatched (DRB1 mismatch and DPB1 non-permissive), siblings or offspring over parents, and if parent, father over mother, while preferred unrelated donors are HLA class I matched. Further study is warranted. Full article

On-demand ride-sharing services change our travel behavior, which threatens the survival of taxi services. Motivated by this, this paper examines the impact of on-demand ride-sharing services on taxi services and how to achieve the coexistence of two services from a service quality perspective. This paper analyzes the coexistence condition of two services considering the network effect. First, the profit target for taxi drivers is nonnegative. A Stackelberg model is built in which the taxi service is the leader and the on-demand ride-sharing service is the follower. Then, the reference dependency theory is introduced to modify the profit target of taxi drivers. And the new coexistence condition is compared with the benchmark status. The results find that the coexistence of the two services depends on the type of riders and the quality difference in both cases. When two services and riders are highly heterogenous, two services are more likely to coexist. Services with different qualities could better satisfy the diverse preferences of riders. Considering taxi profit without competition as the profit reference point, the requirement of service quality difference and the diversity of rider composition is increased. In terms of the network effect, the negative network effect is more beneficial to the coexistence of two services. Full article

In the context of supply disruption, having a resilient supply chain is crucial for the survival and growth of enterprises. It is also essential for gaining a competitive advantage in a turbulent environment. Enterprises need to invest in supply chain resilience to better deal with future uncertainties. This paper constructs a Stackelberg game model with the manufacturer as the leader and the retailer as the follower. We explored how supply chain-related factors under supply interruption risk affect supply chain resilience investment, and studied how to choose supply chain coordination strategies to improve the effectiveness of manufacturer capacity recovery and mutual profits in the context of supply interruption. The study also analyzes the asymmetrical impact of changes in product order quantity, supply disruption probability, and the capacity recovery coefficient on retailer decision-making and the profits of supply chain members. The results indicate that manufacturer profits are negatively correlated with supply disruption probability, while retailer profits are positively correlated with supply disruption probability when product order quantities are low and negatively correlated when product order quantities are high. The supply chain resilience investment is positively correlated with the supply disruption probability. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the cost-sharing contract is closely related to product order quantity and supply disruption probability. When the product order quantity $d<{\alpha }_L{\displaystyle \frac{-c[\left(1-\xi \right)a_L+\xi a_H]+s{\alpha }_H\xi +w{\alpha }_L(1-\xi )}{k}}$ or ${\alpha }_H{\displaystyle \frac{-c[\left(1-\xi \right)a_L+\xi a_H]+s{\alpha }_H\xi +w{\alpha }_L(1-\xi )}{k}}<d<{\displaystyle \frac{{\alpha }_H[\left(1-\xi \right)a_L+\xi a_H](w-c)}{k}}$, manufacturers can withstand the risk of supply interruption by investing in supply chain resilience alone. But when the product order quantity is ${\alpha }_L{\displaystyle \frac{-c[\left(1-\xi \right)a_L+\xi a_H]+s{\alpha }_H\xi +w{\alpha }_L(1-\xi )}{k}}<d<{\alpha }_H{\displaystyle \frac{-c[\left(1-\xi \right)a_L+\xi a_H]+s{\alpha }_H\xi +w{\alpha }_L(1-\xi )}{k}}$ and ${\displaystyle \frac{{\alpha }_H[\left(1-\xi \right)a_L+\xi a_H](w-c)}{k}}<d$, the use of cost-sharing contracts is more effective. Additionally, when the sensitivity analysis is conducted, the capacity recovery coefficient positively correlates with supply chain profits in a decentralized mode. However, under the cost-sharing contract mode, it exhibits a U-shaped fluctuation pattern, indicating that the impact of improving capacity recovery efficiency on the profits of both parties is not symmetrical and linear. As $\xi$ approaches 0.5, the profits of manufacturers and retailers decrease. Instead, it undergoes an initial decline followed by a subsequent increase, highlighting the nonlinear benefits of capacity recovery strategies under the cooperative approach. Full article

In the quantum era, the rapid development of enterprises cannot be separated from the efforts of employees, and the improvement of employee performance is also closely related to the behavior and attitude of organizational leaders. Quantum leadership, as a new leadership paradigm, differs from traditional Newtonian classical mechanics in that it emphasizes wholeness and interconnectedness, considers new ideas as the key to success, and values complex changes in the organizational environment, thus helping the organization provide sustainable development in the future. In addition, quantum leadership is able to manage in chaotic and potentially uncertain environments, encouraging employees to explore new ideas for solving problems, stimulating enthusiasm and motivation for innovation, and thus improving the level of employee performance. In particular, as the importance of innovation performance has been emphasized, it has been considered as a key variable in driving and promoting sustainable organizational development. Moreover, this study is different from previous studies that validate traditional leadership. We focus on an emerging type of leadership that distinguishes itself from traditional leadership—quantum leadership—which is a leadership model that is currently receiving a lot of attention. In the uncertain future environment, quantum leadership is gradually becoming a key factor for business growth and plays an important role in the survival and development of organizations in the future environment. Based on this research background, this study argues that quantum leadership is closely related to employee innovation performance. This study examines whether quantum leadership improves employee innovation performance and the sequential multiple mediating effects of organizational intelligence and knowledge sharing. Most of the previous studies focused only on the mediating or moderating role of the model. This study expands this area of research by incorporating the moderating role of innovative culture and validating its effects. This finding explores the development of quantum leadership and provides a theoretical foundation for related research. In addition, this study collected data from 345 employees of Chinese SMEs in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. These results suggest that quantum leadership positively affects innovation performance. Organizational intelligence and knowledge sharing have multiple serial mediating effects on quantum leadership and innovation performance. Moreover, the interaction between innovative culture and knowledge sharing improves employees’ innovation performance. Therefore, this study clarifies the causal relationship between quantum leadership and innovation performance through theoretical and validated research models. It lays the foundation for the sustainable development of organizations in the future. Full article

Recent advances in radar seeker technologies have considerably improved missile precision and efficacy during target interception. This is especially concerning in the arenas of protection and safety, where appropriate countermeasures against enemy missiles are required to ensure the protection of naval facilities. In this study, we present a reinforcement-learning-based strategy for deploying decoys to enhance the survival probability of a target ship against a missile threat. Our approach involves the coordinated operation of three decoys, trained using the Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) and Multi-Agent Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MATD3) algorithms. The decoys operate in a leader–follower dynamic with a circular formation to ensure effective coordination. We evaluate the strategy across various parameters, including decoy deployment regions, missile launch directions, maximum decoy speeds, and missile speeds. The results indicate that, decoys trained with the MATD3 algorithm demonstrate superior performance compared to those trained with the MADDPG algorithm. Insights suggest that our decoy deployment strategy, particularly when utilizing MATD3-trained decoys, significantly enhances defensive measures against missile threats. Full article