Search Results (6,992)

This study provides a stakeholder-based assessment of the drivers, barriers, and strategic priorities shaping energy efficiency (EE) adoption across Egypt’s private sector, focusing on the industry, buildings, and transport sectors. Drawing on 17 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from government, industry, finance, academia, and development organizations, the study identifies the main factors influencing EE implementation. The findings show that sustainability objectives, particularly carbon reduction commitments and compliance with environmental regulations, alongside donor-funded grants and green finance instruments, are the primary drivers of EE uptake. However, progress remains constrained by institutional and financial barriers, including weak enforcement mechanisms, fragmented governance, limited policy coordination, high upfront costs, restricted access to finance, inflexible banking conditions, and the absence of a domestic EE finance market. Technical and awareness-related challenges further hinder implementation. While gender-related barriers were generally perceived as limited, the analysis revealed underlying disparities in women’s leadership and decision-making roles. Financial barriers represented the largest share across all sectors, while institutional barriers ranked second. The absence of enforcement mechanisms was the most significant individual constraint, cited by 13 out of 17 respondents, followed by limited access to finance (10 out of 17) and high upfront costs (9 out of 17). The study highlights the need for stronger regulatory frameworks, clearer institutional mandates, accessible financing mechanisms, and the integration of gender perspectives to accelerate EE adoption and support Egypt’s sustainable energy transition. Full article

The rapid diffusion of generative AI is profoundly transforming knowledge-intensive work and reshaping how employees innovate. Although prior research has highlighted the positive role of generative AI in improving work efficiency and performance, the underlying mechanisms through which it promotes employee creative behavior remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory and Psychological Safety Theory, this study develops a moderated dual-path model to examine how generative AI use influences employee creative behavior through creative self-efficacy and psychological safety. Using a three-wave time-lagged survey design, data were collected from 297 employees in highly digitalized industries. The results indicate that generative AI use is positively associated with subsequent self-reported employee creative behavior. Both creative self-efficacy and psychological safety significantly mediate this relationship. Furthermore, digital leadership strengthens the positive effects of generative AI use on creative self-efficacy and psychological safety, thereby further enhancing its indirect effects on employee creative behavior. The findings not only extend the literature on generative AI and employee creative behavior but also deepen the theoretical understanding of AI empowerment mechanisms by identifying two critical pathways: a capability-enhancement pathway and a risk-reduction pathway. This study provides important theoretical insights and practical implications for organizations seeking to effectively leverage generative AI to foster employee creative behavior in the context of digital transformation. Full article

How do the frameworks of religion and spirituality influence perceptions of what it means to be a Black man and a family man? This study explores how increases in religiosity and spirituality influence Black masculinity and fatherhood among 33 Black Christian couples (n = 66). Qualitative interviews and analysis examine how religious beliefs and practices may facilitate shifts from independence-centered views of masculinity to family-oriented, spiritually grounded ideals. Participants described how deepened religiosity and spirituality were perceived as assisting with greater marital fidelity, fatherly involvement, and relational commitment, regardless of denominational affiliation, socioeconomic status, or education. Key mechanisms included (1) personal crises and faith community engagement, (2) divine interventions, (3) scripture study, and (4) recovering traditional religious masculinity roles. Findings suggest that religion and spirituality may provide an alternative framework for Black masculinity, one that emphasizes relationality, moral integrity, and family leadership. These processes are interpreted through Ryff’s six-factor model of eudaimonic well-being and mapped onto positive psychology constructs such as resilience, meaning-making, and the sanctification of family roles. Full article

In 19th-century Hungary, the German-language press provided an important intellectual platform for Jewish journalists, many of whom became significant actors in political communication and cultural transfer. This study examines the Pester Lloyd (founded in 1854) as an institutional case through which the mediating role of Jewish journalists in a multilingual press culture can be explored. By analyzing editorial strategies, journalistic networks, and forms of cultural mediation, the paper explores how Jewish intellectuals operated between Hungarian- and German-language cultural and political spheres. Methodologically, the study combines historical press research with institutional and intellectual–historical analysis, drawing on editorials, feuilletons, autobiographical writings, and contemporary press material. Special attention is given to Miksa Falk, whose editorial leadership embodied the ideals of liberal constitutionalism and linguistic and cultural mediation. The article situates the Pester Lloyd as both a product of and an important medium for journalistic modernization and the participation of Jewish journalists within Hungary’s evolving media landscape. Full article

Deaf parents experience higher rates of healthcare barriers and adverse parenting outcomes compared with their hearing peers. This qualitative study explored the parenting experiences of Deaf parents to better understand barriers and facilitators to optimal parenting situations. Semi-structured, individual remote interviews were conducted with twenty Deaf parents in the United States who primarily communicate using American Sign Language (ASL) and have children aged 13 years old and under. Interviews examined experiences related to access to information and resources, relationships with healthcare providers, communication accessibility, and involvement with the educational system. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged: communication accessibility across parenting contexts, lack of accessible parenting-related information and services, family dynamics, and the role of assistive technologies in parenting. Participants reported that systemic barriers across healthcare, educational, and service systems create persistent communication challenges and delays, disempowering experiences, and contribute to a critical lack of resources designed for Deaf parents. These findings underscore the need for increased awareness and improved communication access for Deaf parents across healthcare, educational, and legal settings to support positive parenting experiences. Full article

The present study aims to examine the effect of transformational and transactional leadership styles on the effectiveness of talent management in the Jordanian Ministry of Health, where the mediating variable is employee engagement while the moderating variable is organizational culture. The current study fills an important void in the literature because few studies have integrated all these relationships within the public healthcare sector in a Middle East context. A cross-sectional quantitative study was performed using stratified random sampling over 154 departmental units within the Ministry of Health. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 379 healthcare professionals, which were then analyzed by applying Structural Equation Modeling (SmartPLS 4). The results show that transformative leadership (β = 0.238; p = 0.043) as well as transactional leadership are significant to the success of talent management. Leadership styles also positively affect employee engagement (β = 0.66; p = 0.001), and employee engagement in turn has a positive influence on the effectiveness of talent management (β = 0.309; p = 0.001). Organizational culture is shown to have a moderating effect (β = 0.102; p = 0.012), which strengthens the relationship between leadership and talent management. The findings underscore the need for culturally appropriate leadership development and engagement strategies in public healthcare systems. Based on the findings, policy-makers in the Ministry of Health might consider investing in leadership competency building and develop supportive organizational cultures as strategic approaches to strengthen talent management and organizational performance. Full article

This study pivots from the universally beneficial view of servant leadership and examines how leader gender shapes its effectiveness evaluations through followers’ warmth and competence perceptions. Combining role congruity theory and the stereotype content model, we propose a congruity trap model and suggest that servant leadership produces different effectiveness evaluations depending on leader gender. Specifically, we hypothesize that servant leadership interacts with leader gender to produce divergent warmth and competence perceptions, and these perceptions in turn lead to perceived leadership effectiveness. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects online experiment (Study 1; N = 298), we found that servant leadership and leader gender interacted to predict both warmth and competence perceptions as hypothesized. In a three-wave time-lagged field study with full-time employees in China (Study 2; N = 194), we obtained partial support that the servant leadership and leader gender interaction was significant for competence perceptions but not for warmth perceptions. Gender-contingent differences in perceived effectiveness were more clearly transmitted through the indirect pathway involving competence. Taken together, these findings suggest that the competence perceptions constitute the more consistent mechanism through which servant leadership behaviors produce divergent evaluation outcomes for female and male leaders. Overall, our model and findings reveal that the benefits of servant leadership are not equally available to all leaders, illuminating how gender stereotypes create divergent evaluation outcomes from identical leadership behaviors. Full article

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into learning environments has driven the development of personalized learning models, yet systematic cross-sector comparisons remain limited. This systematic literature review addresses this gap by comparing AI-based personalized learning models in knowledge-intensive organizations and educational organizations, using the Nine-Cell Model as an integrative analytical framework. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 43 peer-reviewed studies (2017–2026) were analyzed. The findings indicate that while both sectors rely on shared AI infrastructures (e.g., adaptive algorithms), they diverge substantially: organizational models prioritize competency development and training transfer aligned with strategic goals, whereas educational models emphasize mastery of disciplinary knowledge through structured assessments. Furthermore, managerial involvement is a key differentiator, with managers in organizations acting as active learning architects, while educational leaders primarily enable self-directed learning conditions. Across both sectors, alignment with the Nine-Cell Model is strong in knowledge acquisition but critically weak in cultivating professional values and ethics. This review advances the field by foregrounding the underexamined managerial role and demonstrating the need to shift from defensive to generative ethics in AI-based professional development. Full article

Lower-limb amputation is associated with persistent gait asymmetries and functional limitations that are not fully captured by conventional clinical outcome measures. This study aimed to develop and prospectively validate a wearable sensor-based Gait Goodness Score (GGS) derived from ensemble classifiers to summarize overall gait quality during supervised clinical walking. The algorithm was previously trained using inertial measurement unit data and clinically meaningful temporal–spatial features. In the present prospective, observational validation study, medically stable adults with lower-limb amputation performed supervised 10 m walk tests in outpatient rehabilitation settings, during which step-based GGS values were collected. Associations between GGS and established clinical measures, including walking velocity, Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP) score, and Timed Up and Go (TUG) durations, were examined. GGS demonstrated significant differences across functional levels and amputation levels and showed strong associations with walking velocity and AMP score, with a significant moderate-to-fair association also observed for TUG and PLUS-M. These findings support the validity of GGS as a quantitative, sensor-derived metric of gait quality during supervised clinical walking in individuals with lower-limb amputation. Full article

Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in higher education institutions (HEIs) across the Gulf region despite sustained policy efforts to advance gender equity. This study examined how stakeholders perceive the relationship between gender diversity and inclusion policies and women’s leadership advancement at the University of Sharjah, UAE. Specifically, it investigated the association between perceived policy adequacy and leadership opportunities, explored how policies supported or hindered progression, and identified persistent barriers. A concurrent mixed-method cross-sectional design was employed. The study population comprised academic and administrative staff at the University of Sharjah, from whom 40 survey participants (29 women, 72.5%; 11 men, 27.5%) were invited, with all 40 completing the form, and eight were purposively selected for qualitative interviews (seven women and one man, spanning administrative, faculty, and leadership roles). Quantitative findings revealed a very strong positive correlation between perceived gender diversity policies and women’s leadership (r = 0.95, p < 0.001), with policies explaining 89.8% of the variance in leadership perceptions. However, qualitative data highlighted gaps between formal policy commitments and practice, linked to structural, managerial, and cultural constraints. The study recommends adopting gender-responsive, enforceable policies supported by accountability mechanisms, transparent promotion systems, and targeted leadership development initiatives to achieve sustainable and substantive progress. Full article

Background: In Saudi Arabia, nurses have long lacked a formally defined scope of practice, contributing to role ambiguity and role overlap. In 2023, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) released the first national Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice document. This study explored how nurse managers and supervisors perceived the scope of practice following this update in Makkah Cluster Hospitals. Methods: As the second, explanatory phase of a larger sequential explanatory mixed-methods study, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted between May and August 2025 with 20 nurses in managerial roles (Nursing Directors, Nursing Supervisors, and Head Nurses) at two hospitals within the Makkah Health Cluster. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, restricted to managerial and supervisory positions to capture a cross-departmental, organizational perspective on scope enactment. Interviews were conducted via Zoom in Arabic, translated into English, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis consistent with the approach of Braun and Clarke. Trustworthiness was addressed through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability, with reporting guided by the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). Results: Four themes emerged from the accounts of the 20 participants (10 men and 10 women from both hospitals): (1) expanding the scope of nursing practice, (2) bridging the gap between training and practice, (3) overcoming barriers to full professional practice, and (4) promoting nurse empowerment and accountability. Participants described a tension between a formally defined scope and inconsistent enactment across departments and shifts. Unclear job descriptions, administrative constraints, staffing shortages, and resource deficits were the primary barriers, whereas autonomy and continuous development were identified as essential enablers. Conclusions: The nurse managers and supervisors in this study perceived the scope of nursing practice as variably enacted and frequently constrained following the 2023 SCFHS update. These findings suggest that regulatory publication alone may be insufficient, highlighting the need to operationalize the framework through revised job descriptions, simulation-based professional development, adequate staffing, and leadership-supported autonomy aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. Because these findings reflect the perspectives of nursing leaders rather than bedside clinical nurses, their application to direct patient care contexts should be interpreted with appropriate caution. Full article

Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) has emerged as a transformative paradigm in drug discovery, offering a robust strategy to address “undruggable” targets. This study presents the first 25-year longitudinal scientometric analysis (2001–2025) of the TPD field, integrating data from 2750 publications across the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PubMed to map the global research landscape and therapeutic innovations. The results indicate that TPD research entered an explosive growth phase post-2016. China leads in publication volume (1247 papers), while the USA maintains dominance in citation impact (H-index = 80) and foundational leadership. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and Harvard University were identified as core institutions, with Craig M. Crews confirmed as a pivotal scholar. Thematic analysis reveals a systematic evolution from foundational ubiquitin-proteasome mechanisms to the clinical translation of advanced modalities, including Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs), molecular glues, and non-ubiquitin-dependent platforms like LYTACs and AUTACs. Clinical viability is evidenced by the FDA approval of the agent ARV-471 for oncology. Despite this progress, critical challenges remain regarding E3 ligase expansion, molecular design optimization, and off-target toxicity. This review provides a data-driven roadmap for future TPD development, bridging the gap between academic output and real-world translational science to guide researchers, clinicians, and industry partners in navigating this dynamic therapeutic frontier. Full article

Background: The potential synergistic prognostic value of myosteatosis and albumin levels in patients with gastric cancer (GC) remains to be elucidated. This study evaluates the value of the albumin–myosteatosis gauge (AMG) and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) score in predicting postoperative complications and survival in patients who have undergone radical resection for GC. Methods: The present study enrolled patients diagnosed with stage I–III GC who underwent subtotal or total gastrectomy. Skeletal muscle area (SMA) and skeletal muscle density (SMD) were measured at the CT scan closest to the surgical procedure, which was performed for clinical diagnostic purposes. The AMG was defined as SMD × albumin. In this study, patients were divided into specific quartiles according to the AMG and GLIM. A series of analyses was conducted with the objective of identifying the risk factors associated with postoperative outcomes following GC surgery. The construction of a nomogram model for predicting prognosis was undertaken, and calibration curve analysis was utilised. Results: This study demonstrated that AMG is a more reliable predictor of OS than single indicators such as serum albumin and muscle density in patients with non-distant metastatic GC. Furthermore, the combination of AMG and GLIM scores has greater predictive value for GC outcomes and can be used as a novel prognostic scoring index in a GC patient prognostic model reflecting cachexia and malnutrition risk. Conclusions: The construction of a nomogram by our study team constitutes a simplified, reliable and efficient model for the prediction of the prognosis of GC, exhibiting considerable discriminative and calibration abilities. Full article

This systematic review examines the impact of flexible work arrangements and hybrid work on small- and medium-sized enterprises, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 framework. A total of 35 peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2025 were analyzed from Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify global patterns, enabling factors, and organizational outcomes of workplace flexibility in small- and medium-sized enterprises. The findings reveal that flexible work arrangements and hybrid work have evolved from temporary responses during the COVID-19 pandemic into long-term organizational strategies in many contexts. Three key themes emerged from the analysis: workplace flexibility and employee outcomes, digital transformation as an enabling capability, and leadership as a driver of organizational resilience. Overall, the reviewed studies indicate that flexible work arrangements are generally associated with improvements in productivity, employee well-being, innovation, and organizational adaptability. However, these outcomes vary significantly across regions and are strongly influenced by digital readiness, leadership practices, and institutional support. Small- and medium-sized enterprises in developed economies demonstrate higher levels of digital maturity and more structured hybrid work adoption, while those in developing economies face constraints related to infrastructure, skills, and resources. The study concludes that flexible and hybrid work should be understood as integrated organizational strategies requiring strong digital capability, adaptive leadership, and supportive policy environments to ensure sustainable performance in small- and medium-sized enterprises. Full article

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are popular and associated with increased organizational performance, but the channels by which ERP utilization affects firm performance are not fully known. This study investigates how ERP use relates to the performance of Chinese SMEs and examines customer relationship management (CRM), knowledge management (KM), and top management commitment (TMC) as parallel mediators. The analysis further tests the hypothesis that technophobia undermines the positive association between ERP use and knowledge management. PLS-SEM was used to analyze cross-sectional survey data of 600 ERP users. ERP usage was positively associated with firm performance, and CRM, KM, and TMC mediated this relationship. Technophobia significantly weakened the ERP-KM relationship. These results indicate that ERP systems improve the performance of firms not only through the integration of operations but also through customer- and knowledge-related processes and leadership processes. The findings emphasize the role of managers in complementing ERP investments with robust CRM practices, management support, and knowledge-sharing systems, as they deal with employee anxiety about technology. This study contributes to ERP research by demonstrating that the performance results associated with ERP in SMEs are contingent on the alignment of customer, managerial, and knowledge-based processes and that technophobia is a boundary condition that selectively limits the processes facilitated by ERP. Full article