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Anxiety, depression and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are commonly reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and are of great interest for therapeutic approaches. Based on regional differences a quantitative assessment of these factors in comparison to the general population, and the consideration of demographic cofactors, would be useful when designing specific interventions. We adopted such an approach in a German cohort of MS patients. Anxiety, depression (HADS) and HRQoL (SF-36) were measured in 49 consecutive outpatients with MS and compared to age- and gender-adjusted control groups (n=1330 for HADS; n=5087 for SF-36) extracted from German National Health Surveys. Patients with MS showed significantly increased levels of anxiety and depression as well as decreased HRQoL with the exception of mental health; the effect sizes ranged from 0.39 (depression) to 1.06 (physical functioning). As could be expected, MS patients with relapsing-remitting clinical course had better physical functioning than patients with secondary progressive MS. There were strong relations between anxiety and depression (r=0.54; P<0.01), and between neurological impairment (EDSS) and physical functioning (r=-0.80; P<0.001) as well as depression (r=0.48; P<0.05). This investigation of MS patients confirms the prevalence and impact of anxiety, depression and most of the HRQoL dimensions in MS patients and provides evidence for the usefulness of a quantitative comparison to a region-specific general population as a starting point for therapeutic approaches.

The authors investigate the implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices of firms for the pricing of their credit default swaps (CDS). In doing so, the authors compare European and US firms and consider nonlinear and indirect effects. This complements the previous literature focusing on linear and direct effects using bond yields and credit ratings of US firms.

For this purpose, the authors apply fixed effects regressions on a comprehensive panel data set of US and European firms. Further, nonlinear and indirect effects are investigated utilizing quantile regressions and a path analysis.

The evidence indicates that higher ESG ratings mitigate credit risks of US and European firms from 2007 to 2019. The risk mitigation effect is U-shaped across ESG quantiles, which is consistent with opposing effects of growing stakeholder influence capacity and diminishing marginal returns on ESG investments. The authors further reveal a mediating indirect volatility channel that substantially amplifies the direct effect of ESG on credit risk. A one-standard-deviation improvement in ESG ratings is estimated to reduce CDS spreads of low, medium and high ESG firms by approximately 4%, 8% and 3%, respectively.

This is the first study to examine whether credit markets reflect regional differences between Europe and the US with regard to the ESG-CDS-relationship. In addition, this paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating differences in the response of CDS spreads across ESG quantiles and to study potential indirect channels connecting ESG and CDS spreads using structural credit risk variables.

Disciplinary school exclusion has negative consequences in terms of academic achievement, well-being, mental health, and future prospects. Permanent and temporary school exclusions rates in England are much higher than in the rest of the United Kingdom and disproportionately affect students with special needs, from care backgrounds, living in poverty, and from particular ethnic backgrounds. This chapter argues that looking at the issue of school exclusion is another way of looking at issues of inclusion and diversity in schools and that these are central concerns for initial teacher education programs. The chapter illustrates this argument by reporting some of the preliminary findings from the 4-year ESRC funded project The Political Economies of School Exclusion Across the UK (2019–2023) led by the Excluded Lives Research team at the University of Oxford. The main objective of this research has been to develop a home international multidisciplinary understanding of the landscapes of political economies and the experiences and consequences of school exclusion across the United Kingdom.

Social media are central to the creation and maintenance of social relations, including romantic relations. While much of the scholarship has examined how social media play a role in the initiation and maintenance of romantic relations, little is known about their role in romantic dissolution. This chapter fills this gap by examining the kinds of strategies young adults employ to cope with the aftermath of a romantic breakup complicated by Facebook. Based on qualitative analysis of 10 interviews with young adults, the authors propose a typology of Facebook coping strategies for romantic breakups. The typology includes seven types of coping strategies with 12 subtopics and 25 specific actions linked to the subtopics. The authors find that those coping with a breakup engage in erasing and avoiding breakup reminders and digital traces, as they perceive them as hurtful. They regulate their use of Facebook and limit Facebook communication with the ex. An important coping strategy used was to express their emotions via Facebook content, often aimed at the ex-partner. They also use Facebook to seek support and new information about the ex, including about potential new romantic interests. Others preferred to avoid information about the ex and either deleted the ex and their friends or chose to unsubscribe to updates. Coping strategies included preventative measures such as changing passwords, blocking the ex, and adjusting privacy settings. We found our participants engaged in both goal-directed and emotionally based coping strategies. Yet, the findings suggest a tendency to rely more extensively on goal-directed coping strategies by actively addressing the breakup stressor. We also note that coping strategies specific to Facebook are more likely to be used than traditional offline forms of coping. This exploratory study serves as a starting point to better understand the role that Facebook plays in mediating online behaviors following a romantic dissolution, such that these strategies can be subsequently evaluated in terms of usefulness in clinical coping recommendations.

The concept of resilience has exploded in the popular press covering topics from sports to the environment to the economy. Organizational scholars across disciplines have joined the discussion, but much remains unknown about the ability to build resilience capacity at work. Individual and organizational resilience is challenged by a world in constant flux, and having the ability to navigate unexpected or significant change is vital for success and well-being. This chapter explores several promising avenues of research to gain a better understanding of factors that build resilience capacity at work. We take an interdisciplinary approach to examine leadership, job crafting, and humor, through the lens of sensemaking, as a means to increase resilience capacity.

Performance-based contracting (PBC) links pricing with performance objectives in service business relationships. Although interest in PBC has surged recently, there is still great uncertainty about the risks, opportunities and challenges. This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the contextual factors of PBC and how providers assess them.

This paper includes conducting a multiple-case study evaluation and analyzes data from 21 cases. Risks, opportunities and contextual factors are identified through interviews, and the case data are analyzed with several methods, including Borda count and cross-tabulation.

The results show that the most important factors of PBC are clear responsibilities, clear performance indicators, transparent measurement, cooperative culture and a precise utilization profile of core assets. Surprisingly, incentives are of minor perceived relevance. The analysis supports the differentiation of PBC into two subcategories: lean (low integrated) and customized (high integrated) PBC.

While many studies stress the uniqueness of PBC in accordance with the “one-size-does-not-fit-all” mantra, this research differentiates the standardized PBC from a customized one. The findings face the limitations of case study research and qualitative data analysis in general.

Practitioners are provided with guidance to develop either a customized or a standardized PBC.

Previously, broader empirical insights have still been rare; thus, this paper contributes to the PBC literature, as it provides data from multiple cross-industry cases. The findings (e.g. the minor relevance of incentives) stand in contrast to parts of the academic literature and contribute also to the wider service management field.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online intercultural exchange (OIE) to mediate a cross-cultural project with pre-service teachers in two countries.

Using a population of convenience, students from one American and one German university were assigned to mixed multi-cultural project groups and collaborated outside of class to address the importance of diversity in education; two weeks later, students met face-to-face as a large group and discussed their findings. All students completed pre- and post-surveys to assess cultural preconceptions, pedagogical beliefs regarding technology-mediated instruction and globalization.

Pre- and post-surveys and reflective essays indicated that OIE reduced concerns before meeting face-to-face and the process successfully facilitated a deeper understanding of cultural diversity in education.

Generalizing results given the limited time frame of OIE and face-to-face interactions to other populations is cautioned. Future research should investigate extended interactions.

These results suggest the value of OIE with these pre-service teachers as an integrated method for teaching language and culture, broadening understanding of cultural diversity, and promoting familiarity in culturally diverse settings prior to an international field experience.

This chapter draws on the Agency Raising Achievement for all Learners (RA4AL) project to raise policy issues that need to be considered in bringing about greater equality in education systems in order raise the achievement of all learners in inclusive settings. After highlighting policy priorities, the chapter outlines some approaches to raising achievement, supported by country practice examples from Ireland and Germany. The examples focus in particular on local area and school leadership and management of change and collaboration for inclusive practice at school level.