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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.

Fairy tales were first transmitted orally to teach the community to adapt and engage with their surroundings (Zipes, 1987, p. 1). Nonetheless, they have also contributed to reproduce traditional gender roles and stereotypes (Meland, 2020, p. 912). Indeed, they encourage ‘females to become passive self-denying, obedient, and self-sacrificial’, and males to ‘be competitive, authoritarian, and power-hungry as well as rational, abstract, and principled’ (Zipes, 1987, p. 3). Likewise, Western fairy tales are characterised by a racial dichotomy manifested through the uses of colour: purity is usually associated with white, while black is related to death. This binary opposition suggests that ‘[w]hiteness is often the invisible, privileged state, whereas any other skin colour is marked and laden with ideological judgments’ (Jorgensen, 2013, p. 56).

Carnival Row (2019–2023) is a neo-Victorian TV series created for Amazon Studios that rewrites Western fairy tales through the lens of postcolonial and gender studies. It is set in a fantastically reimagined Victorian England, where mythological creatures – e.g. fairies or centaurs – are allegorical representations of the ethnic Other. The male protagonist of this series, Philo, is a ‘half-breed’ – half human, half fairy – who passes as human to avoid racial discrimination. However, he evolves from being a male character who rejects his ethnic identity to a heroic figure who eventually embraces his racial origins at the end of Season 1. As I demonstrate in this chapter, Philo's nuanced development arguably subverts traditional depictions of white male heroes in fairy-tale narratives, where they tend to be portrayed as strong, principled and non-complex characters.

Body weight has a long history of functioning as a symbol of one’s beauty, social status, morality, discipline, and health. It has also been a standard inflicted much more intensely on women than men. While US culture has long idealized thinness for women, even at risky extremes, there is growing evidence that weight standards are broadening. Larger bodies are becoming more visible and accepted, while desire for and approval of a thin ideal has diminished. However, the continued widespread prevalence of anti-fat attitudes and stigma leaves uncertainty about just how much weight standards are changing. This study used an online survey (n = 320) to directly compare evaluations of thin, fat, and average size women through measures of negative stereotypes, prejudicial attitudes, and perceptions about quality of life. Results indicated that, as hypothesized, thin women were perceived less favorably than average weight women. However, fat women were perceived less favorably than both average and thin women. Men were harsher than women in their evaluations of only fat women. Additionally, participants being underweight or overweight did not produce an ingroup bias in their evaluations of underweight and overweight targets, respectively. That is, participants did not rate their own group more favorably, with the exception of overweight participants having lower prejudice toward overweight targets. These findings add to the emerging evidence that women’s weight standards are in transition, marked by an increasingly negative perception of thin women, though not necessarily growing positivity toward fat women. This evidence further points toward the need for more extensive research on attitudes of people across the entire weight spectrum.

The utilization of mobile fitness applications (apps) is on the rise, making user retention and engagement critical factors in the commercial success of these apps. However, research in this area is limited and fragmented. The objective of this study is to conduct a thorough review of the available literature on the effects of digital innovations, gamification, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) on user engagement with fitness mobile apps. The findings reveal the relationships between gamification, the use of AI/ML and technology adoption on user engagement, interaction and intent to use. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of understanding how user experience, customer experience and brand experience impact customer retention and contribute to the overall success of mobile fitness apps. Furthermore, the study also identifies the gaps in the current research and recommends further studies to be conducted in these areas. Future research is encouraged to incorporate elements from the experience domains to provide consumers with engaging interactions and improve retention and commercial success for mobile fitness apps.

This chapter explores genderwashing in the context of exclusive talent management (ETM) and defensive diversity management (DDM). It makes the counter intuitive argument that ETM is a misnomer in that it privileges maintenance of an organizational hierarchy based on social identity over the development of talent. Further, DDM is a genderwashing tool, enabling organizations to fend off criticism through symbolic diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives while enacting discourses that legitimate structures, practices, and norms that produce a status hierarchy based on social identities. A genderwashing perspective reveals this contradiction and spotlights the uncomfortable reality of workplace inequalities. It also shows that operating within boundaries set by the status quo renders DDM ineffective in removing the real career impediments faced by women and members of minoritized groups (MMG). A transformative diversity management (TDM) approach is needed to confront these realities and enable organizations to support the career aspirations of women and MMG.

The inclusion of esports as an official event in the Hangzhou Asian Games is an important step towards the institutionalisation of esports. The significance of this event marks that Asia once again takes a lead in the global esportisation. This chapter investigates a series of history events in the inclusion process of esports into the comprehensive Games in Asia using process sociology and actor network theory (ANT). This study will analyse the type characteristics of esports events in Hangzhou Asian Games, whilst examining how key stakeholders' interact and balance in the network composed of international sports organisations, host of the event, emerging esports organisations and esports game companies. The chapter also examines the functions of global game industrial economic geography, local cultural politics, esports geopolitics and Olympic values in esports sportization, aiming to reveal the implications of esports inclusion in the Asian Games on the debate of whether esports meets the criteria to be classified as a ‘sport’ and its enlightenment of digital strategy to the inclusion esports in the Olympics.

Despite being conjointly stronger in their synergies in the past, there is still a significant gap between management and organization studies and sociology. The temporal lag is also, on occasion, a substantive lag. The emergent sociological concept of emotional reflexivity has recently been used in organizational studies. The question that animates this contribution concerns the nature of this translation, reception, and extension; thus, we ask how organization studies have been using the sociological concept of emotional reflexivity? We will examine recent seminal sociological studies on emotional reflexivity to answer this inquiry and consider some organizational studies citing these. We describe the reception of sociological ideas of emotional reflexivity in management and organization studies literature. By analyzing the differences and disconnections produced within this discourse, it will be possible to understand that emotional reflexivity is rarely addressed in emotional encounters between people and other modes of being in modern organizations. We introduce narrative fiction as a method; the narrative focuses on the relationships between humans and other beings in the workplace dynamics of a vocational school. The story tells how Charlie, a deaf student, changed his life after entering the vocational school and becoming involved with different pedagogical teaching-learning strategies. Adopting two deaf dogs, which had both suffered from past unsuccessful adoption experiences, produced life-enhancing emotional reflexivity. We conclude with a research agenda scoping further directions.

For over a decade, fintech has challenged traditional business models and processes in the financial services industry. The ongoing disruption has necessitated the digital transformation of financial institutions (FIs) to remain an integral part of the financial system. This paradigm shift is not merely a technological update. Still, it signifies a cultural and operational rebirth, compelling FIs to embrace innovation, adaptability, and a customer-centric approach in the digital era. Independent of the business model, FIs must become digitally ambidextrous, offer tailored and dynamic customer experiences, support financial inclusion, and promote an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda while leveraging data and remaining compliant. From digitalization to fintegration, the financial services industry's future is deemed to be an exciting and productive one.