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The crude oil supply chain (COSC) is one of the most complex and largest supply chains in the world. It is easily vulnerable to extreme events. Recently, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (often known as COVID-19) pandemic created a massive imbalance between supply and demand which caused significant price fluctuations. The purpose of this study is to explore the influential factors affecting the international COSC in terms of consumption, production and price. Furthermore, it develops a model to predict the international crude oil price during disease outbreaks using Random Forest (RF) regression.

This study uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A qualitative study is conducted using a literature review to explore the influential factors on COSC. All the data are extracted from Web sources. In addition to COVID-19, four other diseases are considered to optimize the accuracy of predictive results. A principal component analysis is deployed to reduce the number of variables. A forecasting model is developed using RF regression.

The findings of the qualitative analysis characterize the factors that influence international COSC. The findings of quantitative analysis emphasize that production and consumption have a higher contribution to the variance of the data set. Also, this study found that the impact caused to crude oil price varies with the region. Most importantly, the model introduced using the RF technique provides a high predictive ability in short horizons such as infectious diseases. This study delivers future directions and insights to researchers and practitioners to expand the study further.

This is one of the few available pieces of research which uses the RF method in the context of crude oil price forecasting. Additionally, this study examines international COSC in the events of emergencies, specifically disease outbreaks using machine learning techniques.

This paper advances what is known about emotional experiences and challenges when researching work-caused trauma in organisations and illustrates learning for researchers of work-related trauma. Viewing vulnerability as strength could be conceived as an oxymoron. The paper explains how vulnerability can lead to strength for researchers/participants and focuses on researcher reflexivity in relation to one interview with a woman leader in a small-scale qualitative study.

The research protocols of the qualitative study are outlined: pre-interview briefings, participant journaling and semi-structured interviews. Researcher reflexivity, following Hibbert's (2021) four levels of reflexive practice (embodied, emotional, rational and relational), is applied to an interview with a woman leader.

The paper illustrates how research design and recognising vulnerability as strength facilitates considerable relational work and emotional experiences. Researcher reflexivity conveys impact of work-caused trauma on participants and researchers. The paper advances understandings of vulnerability as strength in practice, emotional experiences and challenges of work-caused trauma research.

In this paper, a single case of researcher reflexivity is considered.

There are practical implications for researcher relationships with participants; demonstrating emotional awareness; responding to traumatic stories, participant distress and impact on the researcher; issues of vicarious/secondary traumatic stress; having safe psychological systems; scaffolding a process which recognises vulnerability as strength and becoming personally and methodologically vulnerable; risk of embodied and emotional impact; commitment to reflexivity and levels of reflexive practice.

There is lack of researcher reflexive accounts of practice when studying trauma. Few scholars suggest ways to support researchers in challenging and difficult research. There is silence in research exploring leaders' experiences of work-caused trauma. This paper provides a reflexive account in practice from a unique study of women leaders' experiences of work-caused trauma.

The purpose of this paper is to propose mindfulness (e.g. practices such as yoga, meditation) as a fruitful addition to women leader/ship development research and practice, specifically as a means through which to prevent and mitigate negative health outcomes.

This is a literature review-based paper that integrates scholarly research on gender and women’s leadership, well-being (including stress reduction), women leader/ship development and mindfulness.

Women continue to be under-represented in senior leadership roles and many confront a “labyrinth” of “gender-organization-system” challenges throughout their careers. These challenges can have material effects on the well-being of women leaders. Research reveals positive psychological and biological effects of mindfulness practices on well-being (including stress). Some of this research reveals that women are more likely to engage in mindfulness practices and experience greater benefits. Leader/ship development programs designed specifically for women are needed, and it is proposed that incorporating mindfulness into these programs may result in beneficial outcomes for women leaders.

This research contributes to the limited body of work on women leader/ship development, mindfulness and leadership.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the intersections between the way women’s careers develop, the hierarchical relationships between women and the resulting implications for gender equity in the workplace.

While a considerable body of research exists on gender in the workplace, the intersection between the way in which women ' s careers develop and the influence hierarchical relationships between women in the workplace have on that career development are under-researched. This paper examines existing relevant research, discusses the implications of these intersecting areas and raises areas for future academic research, as well as the development of organizational practice.

The nature of the hierarchical relationships between women in the workplace is an important but under-researched factor when considering the career development of women. Delving into the experiences of women managers and employees, both good and bad, enables a deeper understanding of the role these relationships play in shaping the careers of women. From this, personal and organizational strategies can be developed that enhance workplace relationships and the career development of women.

This paper encourages academics and practitioners to critically consider the connections between hierarchical workplace relationships and career development as part of organizational practice and further gender equity research.

The purpose of this study is to examine how a group of special companies, i.e. highly acknowledged and awarded ones operating in Brazil handle the gender issue.

This investigation relies on historical analysis by addressing essentially a surface-level indicator (i.e. gender preferences). Rather, this study is grounded on data from the companies that were awarded as one of the best organizations to work for in Brazil by Época-Great Place to Work® Institute and Guia Você S/A lists (between 2012 and 2016). As a result, four organizations were selected, that is, the most representative examples of gender doing.

Overall, it found that the glass ceiling is apparently breaking down within at least some germane Brazilian organizations. However, data suggest that other sorts of institutional discrimination may be taking place, i.e. the one in which a feminist mindset may be permeating an organization or even a whole business sector. Under such a scenario, male workers will likely have only a few opportunities.

The sample size of this study does not permit that the results be generalized. In addition, data were elicited from only a specific cohort of companies.

It was found no substantial evidence that these organizations are making strides toward at least mitigating the effects of their gender unbalance, although gender equality and, broadly speaking, diversity does not constitute a new management topic anymore.

Unlike other investigations, it encompasses a larger sample of companies, draws exclusively upon gender-based organizations and is grounded on multiple sources of information. Additionally, data revealed that gendered organizations may encompass different levels of salience.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the expectations women have of their women managers and/or women employees and to suggest personal and organizational strategies to strengthen those relationships.

Building on a first phase of research using narrative inquiry into the lived experiences of women managing and/or being managed by women, workshops were held with 13 participants to explore their relationship expectations of women managers and/or employees.

While the participants initially believed they expected the same things of a manager or employee irrespective of gender, a closer examination revealed gender-based expectations. Women expect a higher degree of emotional understanding and support from a woman manager, than they would from a man. They also expect a woman manager to see them as an equal, take a holistic view of them as people, understand the complexities of their lives and provide flexibility to accommodate those complexities.

This is an exploratory study in an under-researched area. Extensive further research is warranted.

Understanding the expectations women have of their women managers enables the development of both personal and organizational strategies aimed at strengthening those relationships.

These findings begin a dialogue on the often-unspoken and unrecognized gender-based expectations women have of their relationships with women managers and/or women employees. Although considerable research exists on gender stereotypes in the workplace, little research exists on these gender-based relational expectations.

This paper explores the experiences of women in Saudi Arabia who have been managed by other women, and examines how junior women perceive senior women's role in advancing their career.

The paper is based on qualitative data gathered using in-depth semi-structured interviews undertaken with 30 women working in Saudi public organisations.

This study's findings shows that the hierarchical relationships between women and their woman manager are complex due to a multifaceted web of contextual factors including sociocultural values, family values, religious beliefs and organisational cultures and structures. These factors shape the quality of relationships between senior women and their women subordinates. Also, this study reveals that there is solidarity and ‘sisterly’ relationship between women in the workplace that plays a role in facilitating women's career development and advancement. In addition, this study shows that despite senior women's having supported other women's career advancement, this support tended to be conditional and limited. This can have an influence on women-to-women work relationships, where such relationships can be described as being disconnected and fragile. Furthermore, the study depict that there is evidence of the existence of ‘Queen Bee’-like senior women who distance themselves from other women and block their career advancement. The Queen Bee phenomena can actually become a form of hierarchy that mimics the patriarchal structure and excludes women from serving at top management levels.

This paper provides an in-depth understanding of the hierarchical relationships between women in the workplace and how these relationships have an influence on women's career advancement. Therefore, the paper makes a valuable contribution to the scarce knowledge that currently exists within the field of management research in relation to women's career development – and the advancement of such research within the Arab Middle Eastern context. Also, the findings of this study could potentially inform practitioners and HR department personnel within organisations about the connections between women's hierarchical workplace relationships and women's career development and advancement.

Informed by the role congruity theory of prejudice towards female leaders, this paper aims to review the literature on gender and leadership to consolidate existing theory development, stimulate new thinking and provide a framework for future empirical studies. It offers a theoretical framework to understand what may prevent or facilitate the emergence of female leaders.

The paper reviews and synthesises recent research on the linkages between gender and leadership.

The review extends Eagly and Karau’s (2002) role congruity theory by identifying additional constructs that may alleviate negative prejudicial evaluations and offering new insights into the potential alignment between feminine traits and leadership success.

The theoretical framework that emerged in this paper may be used as a heuristic model to contextually examine the lack of female leaders.

The paper proposes a theoretical framework to understand issues related to the emergence of female leaders. It offers news insights into possible alignment in female-leader role stereotypes that may address prejudicial evaluations against female leaders.

The paper discusses the “narrative practices” utilised by women leading in a small sample of Early Years services in the North East of England. These Early Years settings are presented as an alternative site for studying women's experiences of leadership. It examines the way in which these women use narrative strategies and approaches to work in collaborative, community based services for young children and their families.

The study is drawn from a larger study into narratives of professional identity and their relation to interactional contexts. The study follows an interpretive paradigm, and used narrative and participative methodology and methods to work with a small number of participants purposively sampled from cohorts of the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL). Participants were involved in reflective conversations about their leadership supported by interactive, visual methods in five extended sessions over the course of twelve months. Data from the larger study which related to the theme of “narrative practices” was subsequently coded and interpreted to inform this study.

Data coded as “narrative practices” led to the establishment of three high level categories of narrative practice found in the study. These are summarised in the metaphors of “tent making” (creating and using symbolic and narrative space with others), “skilled dancing” (improvising, and remembering with others) and “orchestration” (reflexive attuning). Data suggests that women involved in the study drew on their experience and values to develop sophisticated narrative practices that were particularly adaptive, ethically sensitive and sustainable – often in spite of “official” masculine leadership cultures.

This specific study only draws on narrative accounts of three women leaders in Early Years services and as such is not intended to generate generalizable theory. The intention of the study is to conceptualise women's leadership as narrative practice, and in so doing to direct further study into these practices as aspects of effective leadership.

The study develops new ways of conceptualising and interpreting women's leadership practices and opens up opportunities for further study in this field. Access to this material also provides individuals (including women leading in UK Early Years services) and opportunity for reflection on their own leadership practice.

This study is unique in using a form of highly participative, reflective methodology to consider women's use of narrative in leadership interactions in the UK Early Years sector. The study is the first in this sector to look at this specific topic using aspects of Ricoeur's (1984) narrative hermeneutics and in so doing generates new questions about women's narrative practices.