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This paper examines the efforts of National Health Service (England) (NHSE) to respond to employee-based racial inequalities via its Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES). The WRES constitutes a hybridised accountability initiative with characteristics of the moral and imposed regimes of accountability.

The study conceptualises the notion of responsive race accountability with recourse to Favotto et al.’s (2022) moral accountability model and critical race theory (CRT), and through it, examines the enactment of WRES at 40 NHSE trusts using qualitative content analysis.

Despite the progressive nature of the WRES that seeks to nurture corrective actions, results suggest that trusts tend to adopt an instrumental approach to the exercise. Whilst there is some evidence of good practice, the instrumental approach prevails across both the metric reporting that trusts engage in to guide their actions, and the planned actions for progress. These planned actions not only often fail to coalesce with the trust-specific data but also include generic NHSE or equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and mimetic adoptions of best practice guidance that only superficially address racial concerns.

Whilst the WRES is a laudable voluntary achievement, its moral imperative does not appear to have translated into a moral accountability within individual trusts.

Responding to calls for more research at the accounting-race nexus, this study uniquely draws on CRT to conceptualise and examine race accountability.

The protection and preservation of the environment, whether of an urban area or a rural area may not be disregarded. Most of the rural areas in the world lacks the knowledge on this issue. In so far as the developing countries are concerned, it has now become a societal problem mainly owing to the lack of public awareness in the rural areas of these countries. This chapter examines the principal causes of the lack of public awareness. The author also examines the correlation between poverty and deterioration of the environment and between industrialisation and deterioration of the environment, where possible. Both sophisticated and unsophisticated technology cause pollution. The other causes of pollution, industrial or otherwise have also been identified and explained. The relevant UN Resolution, namely, the Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources 1962, the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States 1974, the UN World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (The Brundtland Report) have also received attention. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals have been mentioned.

In the opinion of the author, almost all of the important and relevant documents have received attention in this chapter in order to create awareness of the problems in connection with the protection of the environment.

The breadth of research and study on the topic of fairy tales is rich and abundant. However, there exists a gap in the research of the genre where it pertains to the meticulous study of male fairy tale.

The character Hook has enjoyed some status in film including the notable portrayal by Dustin Hoffman in the 1991 film (Spielberg, 1991), this character relied heavily on traditional fairy tale tropes and depicted little in the way of character evolution or progression. Nevertheless, a more progressive and complex version of Hook was depicted in the Once Upon A Time series (2011–2018). This version of the character enjoys not only an extended and complex narrative journey but comprises several layers of nuanced character construction that implores a contemporary exploration thereof.

While Vladimir Propp's dramatis personae stands as, likely, the most prominent model for the study of fairy tales, its comprehensiveness can be called into question when applied to contemporary fairy tale characters. For example, whereas previously the female fairy tale character was confined to the role of damsel in distress, contemporary versions display substantial development in this area. And as illustrated through the complexity of Once Upon A Time's Captain Hook this is not, in contemporary times, confined only to the female character. Consequently, this chapter adapts the Looking Glass paradigm and utilises what the author has termed the Looking Glass Masculinity Matrix as an evaluative tool to unpack the contemporary representation, in line with current societal ideals and/or values.

The present study undertakes an extensive review of the causes of service failures in artificial intelligence (AI) technology literature.

A hybrid review has been employed which includes descriptive analysis, and bibliometric analysis with content analysis of the literature approach to synthesizing existing research on a certain topic. The study has followed the SPAR-4-SLR protocol as outlined by Paul et al. (2021). The search period encompasses the progression of service failure in AI from 2001 to 2023.

From identified theories, theoretical implications are derived, and thematic maps direct future research on topics such as data mining, smart factories, and among others. The key themes are being proposed incorporates technological elements, ethical deliberations, and cooperative endeavours.

This research study makes a valuable contribution to understanding and reducing service defects in AI by providing insights that can inform future investigations and practical implementations. Six key future research directions are derived from the thematic and cluster discussions presented in the content analysis.

This study aims at stirring up the existing research conducted in the field of creative economy (CE) and also in the context of Industry 5.0. CE encompasses all the creative industries/businesses which form a major part of the knowledge-based economy. The functionalities of these setups, their global trends and developments are to be assessed for a better understanding of its present circumstances and its prospective opportunities by augmenting Industry 5.0 and its core principles. This provides a comprehensive illustration to enhance the economic, social, creative and sustainable performances of the creative industry. In addition, the study also seeks to identify the dynamics of creative units and how it could highly contribute to the glorification of the creative and cultural history in the Indian economic backdrop.

The study adopts a systematic literature review process to fulfill the research objective. Four critical databases in Scopus such as Emerald Insight, Springer Link, Sage Publications and Taylor and Francis have been chosen for the review process. Following the critical literature review process, the chosen articles from each database have been retrieved for an exhaustive analysis within a time frame of 2013–2023 to evaluate the research evolution on the subject area.

The paper identified various research dimensions and perspectives of the researchers in the area of study. This gives a platform to extensively evaluate the capabilities and functionalities of the sector for strategy building and enhancing returns from the sector.

As the methodology was restricted to top 5 articles from 5 important databases, the study was limited to only those articles and the other open-access peer-reviewed articles/journals/databases have not been considered which is a major limitation. Alongside, as the time frame was restricted for a period of 10 years and only English language papers were chosen, prior study has not been considered, which is also a key limitation to the study.

Policymakers, i.e. government and institutions, can understand the existence and contribution of the CE in different geographical regions for a specified period of time. This helps them understand the new revolution, Industry 5.0, and how they could merge their concepts to bring innovations in the sector and support in building sustainable cities in the emerging economies.

As the paper works on bringing out the viewpoints of multiple authors and research works, it is considered to be a novel study as none of the previous studies, especially systematic literature review works, have been done only in high-quality journals of Scopus database. Therefore, the study holds high-quality information which can be significantly used by creative business units.

We operate in a complex dynamic world where human activities interfere with the environment in ways that may cause unpredictable extreme outcomes that reflect exposure to uncertainty and unknown factors as opposed to identifiable risk events. As humans, we tend to downplay the effects of uncertainty and create a false sense of security by adopting formal control-based management practices where we in truth face more uncertainties than we realize. Hence, we attempt to assess extreme disaster events to mitigate adverse effects but fail to address the underlying causes for the exposures rooted in the way we have organized global economic activities. Exposures partially derive from the way enterprises govern their economic assets while systemic exposures derive from the way we conduct our global business practices. Identified exposures are typically local whereas the systemic causes are global with collective societal effects. Therefore, mitigating enterprise exposures will not address the global systemic causes for the extreme societal effects. To reach more sustainable solutions we must involve businesses that operate the global economy as well as the societies they operate in around the world. Given the extreme uncertainty of systemic risks, grand solutions cannot be derived from computational analytics but require experimentation among engaged public and private organizations and open collaborative learning to identify viable solutions from diverse insights. We must embrace uncertainty to explore innovative opportunities for proposed solutions and implement them in gradual co-evolving progression to develop viable sustainable economic outcomes.

Research serves to elucidate and tackle real-world issues (e.g. capitalizing opportunities and solving problems). Critical to research is the concept of validity, which gauges the extent to which research is adequate and appropriate in representing what it intends to measure and test. In this vein, this article aims to present a typology of validity to aid researchers in this endeavor.

Employing a synthesis approach informed by the 3Es of expertise, experience, and exposure, this article maintains a sharp focus on delineating the concept of validity and presenting its typology.

This article emphasizes the importance of validity and explains how and when different types of validity can be established. First and foremost, content validity and face validity are prerequisites assessed before data collection, whereas convergent validity and discriminant validity come into play during the evaluation of the measurement model post-data collection, while nomological validity and predictive validity are crucial in the evaluation of the structural model following the evaluation of the measurement model. Additionally, content, face, convergent and discriminant validity contribute to construct validity as they pertain to concept(s), while nomological and predictive validity contribute to criterion validity as they relate to relationship(s). Last but not least, content and face validity are established by humans, thereby contributing to the assessment of substantive significance, whereas convergent, discriminant, nomological and predictive validity are established by statistics, thereby contributing to the assessment of statistical significance.

This article contributes to a deeper understanding of validity’s multifaceted nature in research, providing a practical guide for its application across various research stages.

This study investigates the progress of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act 2003, and its associated Chartered Accountancy Profession Sector Code. In doing so, we explore why B-BBEE affirmative action has not yet achieved the Code's representational intentions, including systemic subtleties inhibiting this success.

Using semi-structured interviews, we explore the lived experiences of Black aspirant Chartered Accountants (CAs) undertaking articles in global audit firms. The experiences are thematically analysed, embracing a comprehensive theoretical approach that encompasses professional and social closure, as well as boundary work, to adequately understand why affirmative transformational endeavours persistently face uphill tasks. The utilisation of multifaceted theorisation is deemed essential for a more nuanced portrayal of the intricacies inherent in the CA profession in South Africa.

The narratives presented by Black aspiring CAs unveil a complex web of exclusionary practices entrenched in institutionalised historical, professional, and social contexts. The multifaceted nature of closures, symbolised by racial, cultural, and linguistic factors, significantly impacts the experiences of Black trainees. The findings furthermore show that deliberate intervention beyond compliance with the Government’s framework is necessary for meaningful transformation.

The paper brings to the fore the current lived experiences of underrepresented Black CAs in global auditing firms. In doing so, these firms are empowered with incremental knowledge of the prevailing challenges and can thus make tangible improvements towards authentic transformation. Additionally, the results help in tracking the advancements made through affirmative action, acting as a feedback loop for future developments in transformation policy.

Contributing to the critical accounting literature, our study extends scholarship on the barriers faced by CAs and the limitations in their capacity to challenge these obstacles within global audit firms. We offer practical policy-focused recommendations that, if implemented, can address the complex socio-political realities obstructing the success of affirmative action. By sharing first-hand accounts, our study aims to empower auditing firms and other related stakeholders with actionable insights, enabling them to improve genuine inclusivity and foster equitable representation in the accounting profession.

Fertility aspirations shape family planning behavior of a couple. Desire to have certain number of children is linked with various micro- and macro-level factors such as individuals’ characteristics, sociocultural contexts and unconscious personal motivations. Fertility aspirations are an important component of fertility decision-making and a major predictor of childbearing. In India, Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the most populated state with historically high levels of fertility rates as compared to national average. This research is a qualitative exploration of the perspectives and practices of women with respect to their fertility aspirations and family planning behavior in an urban setting. A cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2017 and July 2018 among married women and men of the reproductive age group of 17–49 years using qualitative methods. The study was done in Pakbara, a Census Town (has a minimum population of 5,000) in the district of Moradabad, situated in western UP. It was found that along with personal motivations of having a quality life change in objective circumstances has led to changes in the fertility aspirations of the participants, particularly women. Increasing education, more mobility in public spaces, aspirations for a quality life, exposure to mass media and new job opportunities generate revision of parental aspirations. Couples, particularly from middle and upper-middle classes, limit their family size to attain upward social mobility. Couples from lower economic class have realized that rise of household income has not been commensurate with rise in prices. Thus, restricted childbearing is one way to cope with the situation.

Genderwashing is an organizational phenomenon in which claims to gender equity remain superficial because organizational efforts toward gender equity are unsuccessful at creating substantive change. I introduce the concept of encounter as a useful framework in extending our understandings of the ways that genderwashing might occur within workplaces. Drawing on “encounters” as fundamentally informal, everyday interactions, I explore the ways in which these seemingly trivial social interactions make significant contributions to the quality of workplace relationships. Using the manager–employee relationship and performance review process as a basis, I show how paying attention to “small talk” is not trivial, but rather has a significant impact on the performance review process, and functions as an important site for the reproduction of or challenge to existing gender inequities. I also suggest that the consideration of “encounters” offers practical insights that can help identify additional behaviors that result in significant movement toward gender equity.