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The present correlational research study examined the theoretical and statistical relationship between mentoring, research self-efficacy, work–life balance and the psychological well-being of doctoral program students. The study highlights the positive role of mentoring for uplifting the eudemonic aspects of well-being of doctoral program students of natural sciences.

A purposive sample (N = 72) of natural sciences doctoral program students was selected from the Higher Education Commission recognized universities of Lahore and Sargodha. Participants' experiences regarding mentoring were operationalized utilizing the Mentorship Effectiveness Scale (Berk et al., 2005). Similarly, their levels of research self-efficacy, work–life balance and psychological well-being were operationalized via the Self-Efficacy in Research Measure (Phillips and Russell, 1994), Work–life Balance Scale (Brough et al., 2014) and Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff, 1989), respectively.

Results indicated that mentoring, research self-efficacy, work–life balance and psychological well-being were significantly positively related to one another. The parallel mediation analysis through the process established the path model of mentoring and psychological well-being. The model highlights the importance of mentoring mechanisms in strengthening research self-efficacy and work–life balance and in turn enhancing the psychological well-being of doctoral program students.

This paper highlights the significance of mentoring for the psychological well-being of doctoral program students. It can guide policymakers and mentors to acknowledge and address the research-based needs of these students in terms of improved well-being and productivity.

Argues that although flexible working is becoming increasingly common, training departments are not creatively adapting their strategies. Provides a framework within which to redefine the role of flexible trainers in more opportunistic, value‐added directions. Suggests the need to recognise non‐permanent professional trainers as a distinct group from permanent staff. Analyses attitudes of six English as a second language (ESL) peripheral practitioners, who typify one coherent group of the free agent training sector. Indicates concept of flexibility was viewed positively but lacked adequate support from employing organizations. Proposes various approaches for redefining flexibility to enhance organizational competitiveness and effectiveness, and individual performance and commitment.

This paper aims to examine the ways in which discourses of talent management (TM) reinforce and perpetuate structural barriers of exclusion and discrimination. The argument is made that dominant TM discourses must be interrogated if authentic talent development (ATD) practices are to succeed. This interrogation will require a shift from an organizational emphasis on talent identification towards ATD’s focus on talent cultivation.

A conceptual approach is used to critically analyse TM discourses to assess the degree to which they are inclusive. Building upon the work of Debebe (2017), an alternative ATD approach is suggested that, together with the novel concept of authentic otherness, may enable scholars and practitioners to reflect upon current organizational practices and devise new approaches that encourage talent cultivation in diverse employees. This, in turn, may foster a greater sense of organizational belonging.

Findings identify a number of ways in which organizational norms and structures are maintained and perpetuated through dominant, mainstream TM practices. This hinders ATD for many due to social ascription processes. By exploring the concept of “authentic otherness” (Gardiner, 2017), alongside Debebe’s (2017) approach to ATD, the argument is made that systemic inequities in the workplace may be addressed when we create conditions to support the cultivation of talent for all employees.

This paper builds on recent arguments in the critical TM literature concerning the exclusionary nature of mainstream TM practices in organizations. The concept of authentic otherness is clarified and defined with a view to using this new term as a heuristic device to encourage a reflective understanding of how ATD practices can be developed.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the discourses that shape nurses’ understanding of self-harm and explore strategies for working with people who self-harm in a relational and a recovery-oriented manner.

Self-harm is a relatively common experience for a cohort of people who present to the mental health services and is, therefore, a phenomenon that mental health nurses will be familiar with. Traditionally, however, mental health nurses’ responses to people who self-harm have been largely framed by a risk adverse and biomedical discourse which positions self-harm as a “symptom” of a diagnosed mental illness, most often borderline personality disorder.

This has led to the development of largely unhelpful strategies to eliminate self-harm, often in the absence of real therapeutic engagement, which can have negative outcomes for the person. Attitudes towards those who self-harm amongst mental health nurses can also be problematic, particularly when those who hurt themselves are perceived to be attention seeking and beyond help. This, in turn, has a negative impact on treatment outcomes and future help-seeking intentions.

Despite some deficiencies in how mental health nurses respond to people who self-harm, it is widely recognised that they have an important role to play in self-harm prevention reduction and harm minimisation.

By moving the focus of practice away from the traditional concept of “risk” towards co-constructed collaborative safety planning, mental health nurses can respond in a more embodied individualised and sensitive manner to those who self-harm.

This paper adds further knowledge and understanding to assist nurses’ understanding and working with people who self-harm in a relational and a recovery-oriented manner.

The transitions of early adulthood and early careers are becoming increasingly disorderly and less predictable than in the past. These changes can be seen as manifestations of the “risk society”. Based on surveys and biographical interviews of the life and early career experiences of young adults in Germany and England, generates some insights into the relationships between “transition behaviour” and career outcomes, with reference to contrasting labour markets and the interfaces between personal lives, work and learning. While focusing on comparisons between the labour markets in the former West Germany, reference is also made to the emerging situation in the eastern part of Germany. Concludes that policies are required which develop active transition behaviours in young adults, while providing social and economic support to finance studies, reduce risk for the most vulnerable and promote active and autonomous modes of learning trajectories in adult life.

Several paradoxes have been presented in the literature as inherent in supervision of doctoral students. The purpose of this paper is to explore these paradoxes and offer the concept of praxis as a way of effectively engaging with complex and paradoxical dimensions of supervision, rather than denying or avoiding them.

Drawing on sometimes provocative offerings of others, and the seminal work of Grant, views are presented that problematise supervision, challenging its representation as something to be transparently understood, planned and managed. Sophisticated theories of supervision have been offered in literature to hold its inherent paradoxes while opening up its practice for inquiry. It is suggested that supervision is usefully understood as the development of praxis: challenging supervisor and student to understand their practice journey as one of interwoven, often tacit, dimensions of knowing, doing, being and becoming (that are personally and therefore distinctively resolved.

Generative metaphors drawn from other complex domains of human experience suggest useful ways of engaging with the intensity, individuality and murkiness of supervision. Such metaphors draw attention to the identities and authorities that are in play and offer markers that can be identified even through the fog.

Voice work is explored as a metaphor for supervision, suggesting reflective practices that ask supervisor and candidate to pay deep attention to the sounds of their voices as well as to the nuances of the dialogue they create together.

To provide an Asia‐Pacific viewpoint of the key constraints associated with large geographic distances for smaller westerns firms entering central and eastern Europe (CEE), described as a turbulent transitional environment.

An exploratory study was used within a qualitative methodology, using eight case studies across multiple industries. Semi‐structured interviews were the main method of data collection conducted in 2003/2004. Open, axial and selective coding was used for the analysis to identifying issues.

Key internal constraints for smaller western firms (mindset of western management and middle management in CEE; and lack of management in CEE with decision‐making authority) related to managements' inability to recognize geographic and psychic distance as major external constraints. Largely overcome by enhancing communication between various functional groups; adapting organizational structure; maintaining frequent communicational; developing partnerships in international joint ventures; finding reliable distributors and commitment from re‐sellers and working with government. While no single international business theory adequately explains this process, there is overwhelming support for the network perspective and international entrepreneurship.

The study is limited by small sample size. The explanatory phase is proposed with further western companies, such as the UK, operating in CEE to identify geographic distance, and additional CEE markets to verify dimensions in this environment.

The paper provides a checklist of strategies for overcoming constraints facing managers of smaller firms, entering emerging markets with geographic distance.

Previous studies, using a European or Nordic viewpoint, fail to identify the constraints associated with large geographic distances. This paper provides practical assistance to managers starting out in CEE from the Asia‐Pacific.

This study investigates the impact of large-scale teaching in higher education on students’ preparedness for the workforce within the context of evolving labour market demands, the expansion of higher education and the application of high-impact teaching strategies. It synthesizes perspectives on employer work readiness, the challenges and opportunities of large-scale teaching and strategies for fostering a dynamic academia-industry feedback loop. This multifaceted approach ensures the relevance of curricula and graduates’ preparedness while addressing the skills gap through practical recommendations for aligning teaching methodologies with employer expectations.

The research methodically examines the multifaceted challenges and opportunities inherent in large-scale teaching. It focuses on sustaining student engagement, maintaining educational quality, personalizing learning experiences and cultivating essential soft skills in extensive student cohorts.

This study highlights the critical role of transversal skills in work readiness. It also uncovers that despite its challenges, large-scale teaching presents unique opportunities. The diversity of large student groups mirrors modern workplace complexities, and technological tools aid in personalizing learning experiences. Approaches like peer networking, innovative teaching methods, real-world simulations and collaborative resource utilization enrich education. The importance of experiential learning for augmenting large-scale teaching in honing soft skills is emphasized.

This manuscript contributes to the discourse on large-scale teaching, aligning it with employer expectations and the dynamic requirements of the job market. It offers a nuanced perspective on the challenges and opportunities this educational approach presents, providing insights for crafting engaging and effective learning experiences in large cohorts. The study uniquely integrates experiential learning, co-creation in education and industry-academia feedback loops, underscoring their importance in enhancing student work readiness in large-scale teaching.

Assertive outreach is based on extensive international research and has been promoted in the UK in 1999 as a key area of the National Service Framework for Mental Health. Its primary aim is to provide a specialist service for people disengaged from traditional approaches of mental health services, but very little attention has been paid to how such services can be developed. Practice Based Evidence, a practice development consultancy, has engaged seven assertive outreach teams to focus on development first, and follow‐up evaluation of the impact of reflective practice on team functioning. This has prompted a number of strengths‐based recommendations for changing the way we think about developing services before we engage in research and evaluation.