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In the USA, as elsewhere in the world, the public interest in effective law enforcement is often in conflict with the public's concern for the privacy of personal financial and other sensitive information. During recent decades, the federal government has compiled increasing quantities of data on its citizens. This has proven necessary to determine who qualifies for various benefit programmes, to monitor compliance with anti‐discrimination statutes and to pursue various other social goals. In addition, improved technology has greatly increased the capability of the government to compile and retrieve information about individuals. This burgeoning governmental information gathering, however, has brought with it an increasing concern over its potential to intrude into the private lives of the citizenry.

In this chapter, we assume the following: (1) the root cause of most organizational problems is culture and leadership, (2) executives seldom want to deal with these root causes, (3) because life is uncertain, organizational change is an emergent process, (4) most change processes unfold by reconstructing social reality, (5) the change process is inherently relational, (6) effective change efforts are enhanced by increasing the virtue of the actors, (7) change is embedded in the learning that flows from high-quality relationships, and (8) change agents may have to transcend conventional, economic exchange norms in order to demonstrate integrity and to build trust and openness. Drawing on the field of positive organizational scholarship, we focus on the change agent. We review the literature on self-change and offer several paths for becoming a positive leader.

The purpose of this paper is to compare a group of service users with mental health problems with a community comparison group of gym attenders.

Cross-sectional questionnaire surveys were conducted at a large gym (n = 181) and two community mental health facilities (n = 127) in the Greater Manchester area using a convenience sample approach. All participants completed the PERMA Scale, a measure of flourishing.

Gym attenders scored significantly higher on the five elements of PERMA. Their physical health ratings were almost double. They also had significantly lower levels of negative emotions and loneliness and higher levels of overall happiness.

This study only considered levels of flourishing. Previous studies of quality of life have shown similar disparities between people with mental health problems and others.

Professor Seligman has claimed that improving levels of flourishing is the main aim of positive psychology. The present study suggests this may be especially challenging for people with mental health problems.

The concept of flourishing could provide a more positive non-medical focus for mental health services, in the development of what some have called positive psychiatry. This complements the current recovery model.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to compare flourishing levels between individuals with mental health problems and a community comparison group using the PERMA Scale.

The purpose of this study is to deepen our understanding of the well-being of transient organizations/groups and to use this to develop a novel conceptual framework of gig worker well-being during times of crisis.

A qualitative approach was adopted combining in-depth semi-structured interviews and daily diaries. Twenty-two workers working in the sharing economy were recruited. Thematic analysis was conducted for the diary and interview data.

The findings illustrate a complex picture of sharing economy workers’ four dimensions of well-being, including physical, subjective, psychological and social well-being. A number of the COVID-19 pandemic contexts, such as more time, restriction, economic recession and uncertainty, were seen to influence these workers’ well-being in different ways including both positive and negative impacts. The precarious nature of gig work within the sharing economy was also found influential, which includes flexibility, uncertainty, temporality and diversity. Furthermore, the specific contexts of the hospitality, tourism and event industry (such as labor-intensive, low esteem, self-value and purpose in life) had also impacted gig workers physical and psychological well-being in various ways.

This study complements the gig workers’ view of the sharing economy by investigating their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this study reveals the complex and various influences hospitality, tourism and events industry contexts made, amplified by the pandemic. Methodologically, the daily diary approach applied in this research has captured gig workers’ instant feelings and thoughts, which enriches the current understanding of gig workers’ well-being.

From the findings and the newly developed conceptual framework, practical implications are proposed focusing on how the tourism, hospitality and event industries should look after their gig workers’ well-being in the COVID-ized environment. From the physical well-being perspective, businesses should consider partnering with gym operators to provide corporate packages or discounted membership to their gig workers. From psychological well-being perspective, a recognition system integrating gig workers would be useful to strengthen gig workers’ perception of value in their jobs. In addition, technology can be used to introduce more resources to their gig workers, particularly when distancing.

A conceptual framework is developed, which captures the influence of both “internal” and “external” determinants of gig worker well-being during times of crisis. This research contributes to theory by developing a framework of well-being in the context of the sharing economy, as well as explicitly addressing how the uncertainty and precariousness of sharing economy work and the hospitality, tourism and event industry contexts relate to well-being. This model is likely to have applicability beyond COVID-19 as the pandemic made clear many existing challenges – rather than just simply creating new ones.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a theoretical model to investigate whether supply chain (SC) innovation positively affects risk management capabilities, such as robustness and resilience in global SC operations, and to examine how these capabilities may improve competitive advantage.

A theoretical model was developed from extant studies and assessed through the development of a large-scale questionnaire survey conducted with South Korean manufacturers and logistics intermediaries involved in global SC operations. The data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to validate the suggested model.

It was found that innovative SCs have a discernible positive influence on all dimensions of risk management capability, which in turn has a significant impact on enhancing competitive advantage. Therefore, this work provides evidence for the importance of SC innovation and risk management capability in supporting competitive advantage.

This study contributes to providing an empirical understanding of the strategic retention of SC innovation and risk management capabilities in the SC management discipline. Furthermore, it confirms and expands existing theories about innovation and competitive advantage.

The finding provides firm grounds for managerial decisions on investment in technology innovation and process innovation.

This research is the first of its kind to empirically validate the relationships between SC innovation, risk management capabilities and competitive advantage.

Although childless women comprise around 17% of women aged 65 and over in the US (Census Bureau, US, 2016) and up to 20% in other places in the world (Dykstra, 2009), the intersection of childlessness, female gender and old age has not been as widely explored as is necessary; older women have historically been and continue to be overlooked in feminist research compared to other groups of women (Browne, 1998; Ray, 1996; Twigg, 2004). Therefore, how childlessness affects identity and identity, childlessness in later life is not well understood. Our analysis considered: How do never-married, childless women identify themselves in terms of age? What are the key features of such an age identity? And, do these identities align with progress narratives or narratives of decline? For this chapter, interviews with 53 older women (22 African American, 31 White) aged 60 and over, who described themselves as never married and without biological children, were analysed. Questions were semi-structured and open-ended and covered background health information, a life story interview, questions about social networks, various forms of generativity and the sample’s views about the future. Overall, these women negotiated their age identity not necessarily in relation to others (e.g. child, spouse) but in relation to themselves as social actors with an orientation towards the future – what will tomorrow bring? These forward-thinking narratives point to a new and important way to consider progress narratives and to rethink trajectories of the experience of aging.

This study examines the impact of bureaucratic structure on morale among hospital staff. Hypotheses are drawn from Hage's axiomatic theory of organizations, including the predicted negative impact on morale of formalization, centralization and stratification, and the positive impact on morale of task complexity. Contingency hypotheses involving structure and task complexity are also examined. Results indicate morale is either positively affected or unaffected by structure, and negatively affected by process. Some evidence of contingent effects are found. The findings are discussed within the broader context of Weber's theory of bureaucracy. This paper addresses the relationship between several structural features of bureaucracy and workers' morale in a hospital setting. It examines these relationships from broadly defined theoretical perspectives. In this connection, Weber's theory of bureaucracy is treated, as was the case in his original, as part of his general theory of rationalization in modern western society. The study considers the relationship between: 1) Formalization and morale, 2) Centralization and morale, 3) Stratification and morale, 4) Complexity and morale. These structural features of bureaucracy—formalization, centralization, stratification and complexity‐are treated as the means at the command of management for attaining organizational objectives. Worker morale is often referred to as the “level of feeling” about themselves among workers or about the work they perform (Revans, 1964; Veninga, 1982; Simendinger and Moore, 1985; Zucker, 1988). In effect, the term is used in stating that morale is high or low to suggest that something is right or wrong about the organization. Surprisingly, many of these studies do not explain why they are suggesting a particular state of morale, but only that the state of morale is crucial to the performance of the organization. In essence, morale is the level of confidence of the employees. It can vary from one department to the other due to specific or overall structural conditions of the organizations; without giving it routine consideration, performance will degenerate (Nelson, 1989).

Libraries—international activities KING, A. The place of documentation today.

Personal data is today recognized as an asset in the digital economy, generating billion-dollar annual revenues for many companies. But how much value do users derive from their seemingly free apps (zero-price services), and what user costs are associated with this value exchange? By adopting a human-centric lens, this article scrutinizes the complex trade-offs users face trying to capture the benefits and unperceived costs that such usage entails.

Using a mixed-method research design, this study is anchored in empirical survey data from 196 participants in Linköping, Sweden. The authors investigate users’ willingness to pay for these services in relation to different types of costs.

The results indicate that users can derive significant value from the use of free services, which can be interpreted as a win-win situation between users and companies. Regarding costs, this research shows that the most significant costs for users are associated with procrastination, sleep deprivation and reduced focus, which can be challenging to identify and evaluate from the users’ perspective.

This study shows that zero-price services provide significant benefits like enhancing social connectivity and offering a wide variety of content. Significant drawbacks, such as increased procrastination and sleep disturbances, highlight the psychological effects of these platforms. These impacts include behavioral changes, emphasizing the influence of online platforms on user engagement. Furthermore, a trend toward single-purchase preferences over free services suggests changing consumer attitudes toward digital payment models. This underscores the need for further research on non-monetary aspects in zero-price markets for better understanding and regulation of the digital economy.

This study shows that users appreciate the accessibility and potential of zero-price services but are wary of privacy concerns. It underscores the need for companies to balance profit objectives with user experiences and privacy requirements. Offering a range of ad-free premium services to meet diverse customer needs can be effective. Users’ high valuation of privacy and transparency suggests businesses should focus on human-centric, privacy-respecting strategies. Increased transparency in data usage and giving users greater data control could enhance the user experience and foster sustainable customer relationships.

The study calls for policymakers to focus on non-monetary risks of zero-price services, such as behavioral changes and digital well-being impacts. They should consider implementing regulations to protect users, especially children, from manipulative designs such as “dark patterns”. Policymakers must balance user protection with innovation, leading to a sustainable zero-price economy. For zero-price service users, awareness of non-monetary costs, like procrastination and sleep deprivation, is vital. Understanding that “free” services have hidden costs is important, especially for younger generations. Managing privacy settings and selective service choices can protect privacy and well-being.

This research shifts the focus from simply valuing personal data based on market prices to assessing the worth of free services themselves. By listing various hidden costs, it underscores the need for increased user awareness and greater corporate transparency. Uniquely, it finds that users prefer making one-time purchases over using zero-price services, extending prior assumptions in the field. Additionally, it also characterizes the zero-price economy ecosystem, highlighting differences between market types and provides a deeper understanding of the zero-price market and its related concepts.