Search Results (1,190)

Fileless malware is a type of malware that does not rely on executable files to persist or propagate. Unlike traditional file-based malware, fileless malware is more difficult to detect and remove, posing a significant threat to organizations. This paper introduces a novel hybrid analysis model that combines static and dynamic analysis techniques to identify fileless malware. Applied to four real-world and two custom-created fileless malware samples, the proposed model demonstrated its qualitative effectiveness in uncovering complex behaviors and evasion tactics, such as obfuscated macros, process injection, registry persistence, and covert network communications, which often bypass single-method analyses. While the analysis reveals the potential for significant damage to organizational reputation, resources, and operations, the paper also outlines a set of mitigation measures that cybersecurity professionals and researchers can adopt to protect users and organizations against threats posed by fileless malware. Overall, this research offers valuable insights and a novel analysis model to better address and understand fileless malware threats. Full article

This study explores the role of solidarity finance in promoting local development and the empowerment of marginalized communities through financial inclusion and access to community credits. It focuses on how solidarity-based financial mechanisms provide accessible credit with fewer barriers, fostering productive activities and economic resilience. This study employed a quantitative and exploratory design, analyzing data from 51 community funds in Ecuador out of a total of 220 through a self-administered online survey, validated by auditing professionals and answered by community representatives. The 25-item questionnaire gathered data on organizational dynamics, financial practices, and perceptions of sustainability. Descriptive analysis was complemented with an analysis of variance to test hypotheses concerning associativity, self-management, and organizational performance. The results show that while associativity, self-management, and organizational management are perceived as institutional strengths, aspects such as autonomy and solidarity received lower evaluations, suggesting critical areas for strategic improvement. Notably, significant differences emerged between self-management–organization and solidarity–organization groups, emphasizing the importance of associativity (collaboration) in enhancing the sustainability of solidarity finance, which proves to be a vital mechanism for community empowerment and local development; however, its long-term sustainability depends on strengthening internal dimensions, particularly autonomy and solidarity, and reinforcing associativity as a core driver of organizational resilience. Full article

The aim of this article is to identify key factors shaping organizational agility as a determinant of the sustainable development of an organization in the conditions of Economy 5.0. The research used the survey method conducted in 2024 on a sample of 312 respondents. It analyzed the impact of decision-making processes, identification with the goals of the organization, tolerance of rapid changes, internal communication, internal motivation and implementation of the idea of work–life balance. Based on the results, an original mathematical model was constructed presenting the relationships between the analyzed variables. The research results confirmed a significant relationship between the level of organizational agility and the ability of the organization to implement the sustainable development strategy. It was identified that factors such as quick and accurate decision-making, strong identification of employees with the goals of the organization and efficient communication have the greatest impact on strengthening this ability. The limitation of the research was the homogeneity of the sample and the inability to fully take into account variables related to the industry and cultural context. The research highlights that enhancing organizational agility is crucial for achieving sustainable development and building lasting competitive advantage in the dynamic context of the Economy 5.0. Full article

Background: Equine-assisted experiential learning (EAL) is an emerging approach that uses human–horse interactions to develop leadership skills through experiential methods. Purpose: This review synthesizes the literature on the role of EAL in developing leadership competencies and explores its implications for workplace learning. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative review was conducted examining empirical studies and theoretical frameworks on EAL and leadership development. Findings/Conclusions: Recent studies show EAL improves self-awareness, emotional intelligence, nonverbal communication, trust building, adaptability, and problem solving. These competencies are fostered through activities such as ground-based exercises, join-up techniques, and trust-building tasks, which require congruence between intention and action. Participants report behavioral changes such as improved empathy, clarity under pressure, and team cohesion. These align with core management skills for organizational performance. Implications: EAL complements traditional leadership training by developing relational and embodied leadership skills, including trust building, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, which contribute to organizational resilience and sustainable growth. Full article

This study aimed to analyze the influence of local politics, village facilitators, recruitment of administrators, training and education, and organizational culture on work motivation and management performance. The study was conducted in Wajo Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, utilizing primary data collected from 250 participants, including administrators of village-owned enterprises (BUMDES), community leaders, and representatives from the private sector. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with the LISREL program. The results indicated that the latent variables of local politics, village facilitator, recruitment of administrators, training and education, and organizational culture had a positive and significant impact on work motivation and management performance. These findings are valuable key indicators and provide essential insights for promoting and driving the BUMDES as a pillar of rural development strategies. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the local government revitalize the local political system, reorient the organizational culture of the BUMDES toward a modern business-oriented culture suited to rural conditions, and enhance the training and education of village facilitators to improve their motivation and performance. This recommendation will empower the BUMDES to promote rural economic improvement and sustainable rural development by enhancing work motivation and management performance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite its significant impact on learning, classroom acoustics and students’ hearing difficulties are often overlooked compared with more visible issues like lighting. Hearing loss—frequently underestimated and invisible—affects both students and teachers, potentially leading to fatigue, reduced participation, and academic challenges. The A.BA.CO. project in Italy was developed to address these issues by promoting improved classroom design, technological solutions, and better auditory communication accessibility in schools. Objective: This article presents the A.BA.CO. project, offering context and an overview of the preliminary analyses conducted by its multidisciplinary team. The goal is to share insights and propose organizational frameworks, technical solutions, and best practices concerning the hearing, communication, and auditory learning challenges experienced by students with hearing impairments. Results: The A.BA.CO. team’s analyses identified key barriers to inclusion for students with (or without) hearing impairments, such as poor classroom acoustics, excessive noise, and suboptimal seating arrangements. The project underscores the importance of improved acoustic environments and the integration of assistive technologies, including speech-to-text systems. The findings highlight the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to design accessible and inclusive educational settings for all learners. Conclusions: Embedding educational audiology within school systems—alongside enhancements in classroom acoustics and the use of assistive technologies and other technological solutions—is essential to ensure that all students, regardless of hearing ability, have equitable access to learning and full participation in educational life. Full article

As climate change intensified water scarcity in Southern Europe, tourism-dependent regions such as Portugal’s Algarve faced growing pressure to adapt their water management systems. This study investigated how hotel groups in the Algarve have adopted and communicated water reuse technologies—specifically desalination and greywater recycling—under environmental, institutional, and reputational constraints. A comparative qualitative case study was conducted involving three hotel groups—Vila Vita Parc, Pestana Group, and Vila Galé—selected through purposive sampling based on organizational capacity and technology adoption stage. The analysis was supported by a supplementary mini-case from Mallorca, Spain. Publicly accessible documents, including sustainability reports, media coverage, and policy frameworks, were thematically coded using organizational environmental behavior theory and the OECD Principles on Water Governance. The results demonstrated that (1) higher organizational capacity was associated with greater maturity in water reuse implementation; (2) communication transparency increased alongside technological advancement; and (3) early-stage adopters encountered stronger financial, regulatory, and operational barriers. These findings culminated in the development of the Maturity–Communication–Governance (MCG) Framework, which elucidates how internal resources, stakeholder signaling, and institutional alignment influence sustainable infrastructure uptake. This research offered policy recommendations to scale water reuse in tourism through financial incentives, regulatory simplification, and public–private partnerships. The study contributed to the literature on sustainable tourism and decentralized climate adaptation, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals 6.4, 12.6, and 13. Full article

This study explored the experiences of Hungarian minority parents of children with severe disabilities from Romania. Examining individual life paths and becoming a parent is difficult in all aspects, but the issue of parental responsibility for raising a child with a severe disability suggests a much more complex approach. Participants were parents (female = 8; male = 3) who were purposively sampled from an urban setting (Bihor area) and whose children attended SEN schools in the same area. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and were thematically analysed. It turned out from the interviews that the challenges parents of children with severe disabilities encounter at home, school, and in society are accumulated emotional stress and exhaustion; however, they also face material challenges. The analysis also revealed that the parents were unsure of what was expected of them in making educational or habilitation–rehabilitation decisions on behalf of their children. The parents’ difficulty with decision-making and their unpreparedness put them under serious stress, often characterized by depressive life stages. The findings reveal the need for ongoing professional development and the establishment of organizational–community networks. Parents of children with disabilities face serious, unresolved challenges that are difficult to overcome. In order to overcome these challenges, we need to develop policies that take the needs of parents into consideration. Full article

As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in higher education face increasing political resistance, it is critical to understand how equity-centered institutional change is fostered, and who is transformed in the process. This study examines the intended and emergent outcomes of faculty professional development initiatives implemented through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Inclusive Excellence (HHMI IE) program. We analyzed annual institutional reports and anonymous reflections from four public universities in a regional Peer Implementation Cluster (PIC), focusing on how change occurred at individual, community, and institutional levels. Guided by Kezar’s Shared Equity Leadership (SEL) framework, our thematic analysis revealed that while initiatives were designed to improve student outcomes through inclusive pedagogy, the most profound outcome was the development of equity consciousness among faculty. Defined as a growing awareness of systemic inequities and a sustained commitment to address them, equity consciousness emerged as the most frequently coded theme across all levels of change. These findings suggest that equity-centered faculty development can serve as a catalyst for institutional transformation, not only by shifting teaching practices but also by building distributed leadership and deeper organizational engagement with equity. This effort also emphasizes that documenting emergent outcomes is essential for recognizing the holistic impact of sustained institutional change. Full article

This contributed paper presents results from efforts by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to investigate the impact of integrating conservation into AZA members’ organizational cultures. Part of this work included AZA setting goals related to organizational and professional culture, strategic communication, developing communities of practice, and promoting tools and resource-sharing. Prior to implementing the majority of these steps, a baseline assessment was administered to directors plus a random sample of AZA organizations in 2020—assessing how well conservation is integrated into the institutional culture and measures of perceived conservation impact. The same sample of organizations was re-surveyed in 2023 with the intent of a three-year cycle of surveying to monitor change and identify additional ways that AZA could support and strengthen a culture of conservation within the profession. These findings will help the zoological and broader conservation community assess opportunities to integrate conservation into organizational cultures across a broad association for the purpose of achieving the mission and impact. Full article

This study examines the added value of territorial cooperation within the LEADER approach, a key pillar of the EU’s rural development policy. Both interterritorial and transnational cooperation projects empower Local Action Groups (LAGs) to tackle common challenges through innovative and community-driven strategies. Drawing on over 3000 projects since 1994, LEADER cooperation has proven its ability to deliver tangible results—such as joint publications, pilot projects, and shared digital platforms—alongside intangible benefits like knowledge exchange, improved governance, and stronger social capital. By facilitating experiential learning and inter-organizational collaboration, cooperation enables stakeholders to work across territorial boundaries and build networks that respond to both national and transnational development issues. The interaction among diverse actors often fosters innovative responses to local and regional problems. Using a mixed-methods approach, including case studies of Italian LAGs, this research analyses the dynamics, challenges, and impacts of cooperation, with a focus on learning processes, capacity building, and long-term sustainability. Therefore, this study focuses not only on project outcomes but also on the processes and learning dynamics that generate added value through cooperation. The findings highlight how territorial cooperation promotes inclusivity, fosters cross-border dialogue, and supports the development of context-specific solutions, ultimately enhancing rural resilience and innovation. In conclusion, LEADER cooperation contributes to a more effective, participatory, and sustainable model of rural development, offering valuable insights for the broader EU cohesion policy. Full article

The transition to hybrid work has become a defining feature of the post-pandemic IT sector, yet organizations lack empirical benchmarks for balancing flexibility with performance and well-being. This study addresses this gap by identifying an optimal hybrid work structure and exposing systematic perception gaps between employees and managers. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and the Job Demands–Resources model, our research analyses survey data from 1003 employees and 252 managers across 46 countries. The findings identify a hybrid “sweet spot” of 6–10 office days per month. Employees in this window report significantly higher perceived efficiency (Odds Ratio (OR) ≈ 2.12) and marginally lower office-related stress. Critically, the study uncovers a significant perception gap: contrary to the initial hypothesis, managers are nearly twice as likely as employees to rate hybrid work as most efficient (OR ≈ 1.95) and consistently evaluate remote-work resources more favourably (OR ≈ 2.64). This “supervisor-optimism bias” suggests a disconnect between policy design and frontline experience. The study concludes that while a light-to-moderate hybrid model offers clear benefits, organizations must actively address this perceptual divide and remedy resource shortages to realize the potential of hybrid work fully. This research provides data-driven guidelines for creating sustainable, high-performance work environments in the IT sector. Full article

This study presents a methodology developed in collaboration with the Colombian National Mining Agency, aimed at enhancing the economic and productive activity of small-scale miners in Colombia through the promotion of associativity. Despite persistent challenges in the formalization and sustainable development of the artisanal mining sector, fostering associative models offers a pathway towards a more sustainable mining industry, aligned with current national policies. The proposed roadmap, designed to achieve this objective, is divided into three sequential phases. The first, the Baseline Survey, focuses on comprehensively understanding the initial socio-economic and operational conditions of mining communities. This is followed by Participatory Strategic Planning, which involves projecting the long-term role and development of mining associative figures. Finally, the Annual Operational Planning and Execution phase concentrates on the concrete implementation of activities designed to achieve sustainable organizational goals. During the design and initial implementation of this roadmap, we found that continuous support and tailored training programs are essential for mining communities. These programs are critical for fostering the development of collective skills and strengthening community ties within mining organizations. The findings highlight that by strengthening collective capabilities and community ties, mining organizations can enhance their self-management capacities and significantly contribute to the economic development of their regions. This approach addresses key challenges in the sector by promoting a more organized and resilient operational framework. The implementation of a participatory methodology, coupled with specific organizational strengthening programs, coordinated execution, and continuous monitoring, provides a viable route towards a more sustainable and formalized small-scale mining sector in Colombia. This roadmap offers a practical framework for fostering self-managed and economically contributing mining organizations. Full article

This study explores the perceptions of primary school teachers in Sparta, Greece, regarding toxic leadership behaviors and their impact on job satisfaction (JS) and organizational commitment (OC). The study was motivated by the need to investigate how school management practices, particularly in smaller regional communities, influence teacher well-being—an area underexplored in the Greek educational context. A total of 163 teachers participated by completing validated questionnaires assessing toxic leadership, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified two factors explaining 61.3% of the variance: one linking toxic leadership and job satisfaction and another centered on organizational commitment. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed significant negative correlations between toxic leadership and both OC (r = −0.230, p < 0.001) and JS (r = −0.476, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis confirmed the predictive effect of toxic leadership on both variables. Interestingly, teachers with over 15 years of experience exhibited higher OC compared with those with up to 5 years of teaching experience, suggesting the resilience-building benefits of tenure. This study underscores the urgency for leadership development programs emphasizing ethical practices, emotional intelligence, and accountability to mitigate the adverse effects of toxic leadership. Full article

Background/Objectives: Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been widely adopted in clinical nursing practice, with nursing education efforts consistently emphasizing its importance in strengthening implementation efforts. Despite these efforts to promote translational research, the level of implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) in clinical nursing practice remains unsatisfactory. This study aimed to identify specific organizational, individual, and research-related barriers to the utilization of research in clinical practice among nurses in Sabah, Malaysia, to determine factors associated with these perceived barriers and to assess nurses’ awareness and understanding of the implementation of evidence-based practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 using the BARRIERS scale, a validated tool that measures perceived barriers to the utilization of research across four domains: organizational barriers, nurses’ research awareness and values, quality of research, and research communication. This study involved nurses from five tertiary hospitals in Sabah, Malaysia. Results: A total of 562 nurses participated in the study, with a mean age of 34.3 years (SD = 7.96) and mean duration of clinical practice of 10.0 years (SD = 7.58). While 66.5% of the nurses had heard of EBP, only 7.3% reported understanding it very well. The top three barriers to the utilization of research were ‘the nurse does not feel she/he has enough authority to change patient care procedures’ (35.9%), ‘the nurse does not have time to read research’ (27.8%), and ‘research reports/articles are not published fast enough’ (25.8%). Among the four domains, organizational barriers scored highest (mean = 2.7, SD = 0.72), followed by research communication (mean = 2.6, SD = 0.73). Conclusions: The study findings emphasize the challenges nurses encounter in integrating research into clinical practice and highlight the need for ongoing efforts to promote the utilization of evidence-based practice and research among nurses in Sabah, while addressing the identified gaps. Full article