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The purpose of this paper is to explore whether there are ways in which the preventive strategies used to tackle volatile substance abuse (VSA) can be usefully applied to today’s new psychoactive substances (NPS).

In 2010-2013, with funding from the Big Lottery, Re-Solv, in partnership with St George’s, University of London, and educari, commissioned a re-analysis of both the mortality data relating to VSA and of the legislative and preventative measures taken that may have played a part in the steady downward trend in VSA mortality since. This paper is informed by Re-Solv’s research findings and the papers resulting from it, namely, Ives (2013) and Butland et al. (2013).

Efforts to reduce the harm from NPS could benefit from a re-examination of preventive approaches to VSA, which have resulted in a downward trend in mortality over the past two decades.

There is evidence from past prevention practice which could be relevant and applied to present day concerns about drugs and substances not previously available or used.

This is the first paper to explore how learning from VSA might be applied to NPS and the “legal highs” of today.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on new information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on deaths caused by volatile substance abuse (VSA) in Great Britain which occurred between 2001 and 2016.

Comparing the new study with previous mortality data, the authors consider the strengths and some limitations of the analysis provided by ONS.

By utilising a broader range of codes and collating additional information from death certificates, the new report provides a more comprehensive measure of VSA mortality than was previously available, showing increasing prevalence of deaths. The age profile of people dying is older than in previous studies. Most deaths were associated with inhalation of gases and almost three-quarters of deaths involved volatile substances alone.

Understanding VSA mortality is essential for service planning. It is important that we identify why so many people whose deaths are associated with VSA are not accessing treatment, with particular concern about treatment access for those who only use volatiles. Training to support drug and alcohol and other health service staff to respond to VSA is essential. In future reports, data to identify socioeconomic correlations of VSA deaths would enable targeted responses. Additionally, information on whether deaths occur in long term rather than episodic or one-off users could enable risk reduction education.

This paper shows how data on VSA deaths may inform for policy and service planning.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether corporate environmental performance (CEP) exerts any significant influence on the voluntary external assurance of sustainability reports.

The sample of this study includes 176 firm-year observations covering an eight-year period (2008-2015) for listed Finnish companies that have issued sustainability reports during the sample period. As the dependent variable “voluntary external assurance” is a binary variable, a logistic regression model has been estimated to observe the effect of CEP on the dependent variable. In addition, a number of control variables have also been included in the empirical model.

The results of this study exhibit that Finnish firms with superior environmental performance in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption have their sustainability reports externally assured. Additionally, among the control variables, firm size, leverage and asset age are found to have significant impact on the adoption of voluntary sustainability assurance (VSA). These results are robust, as they do not change substantially when conducting sub-sample analyses.

The literature on VSA is evolving slowly paying very little attention to the association between CEP and VSA. This empirical research aims to extend such scant literature. The results could have important implications to users of environmental information, managers and regulators.

The purpose of this paper is to combine service science (service science, management and engineering, and SSME) and service dominant (S‐D) logic contributions with the network and systems‐based theories of many‐to‐many marketing proposed by Gummesson and the viable system approach (VSA), proposed by Italian researchers and highly diffused in Italy during the 2000s.

This paper is a conceptual analysis based on recent developments in service science, S‐D logic and network/systems theory.

Being grounded in network theory, systems thinking and value co‐creation, many‐to‐many marketing is found to be particularly supportive to both service science and S‐D logic. It is also found that VSA, being broad, interdisciplinary and based on systems theory and resource‐based theory, and with strong influences from biology, sociology and mechanics, is a key to the interpretation of complex phenomena. Both many‐to‐many and VSA embrace the whole and the general while still considering the detail and its contextual dependency. Both theories are highly suitable for analysing and designing service systems.

The network and systemic approach to business offer by many‐to‐many marketing and VSA and applicable to service and the value creation, relationship management and business finalities, are strongly coherent with the one proposed or tacitly implied by service science and S‐D logic.

The paper helps practitioners to better manage service and to enable efficient behaviour within multiple contexts with multiple actors and optimising inter‐systemic relations.

This is believed to be the only paper to apply network theories and the VSA perspective on service.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon strategic marketing in emerging economies (EEs). It tries to answer the research question: what new business models are enabled by the Viable Systems Approach (VSA) and Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) perspectives?

The paper is developed by integrating two well-established perspectives – VSA and SDL – and applying them to inclusive businesses.

The integration of these perspectives allows the authors to recognize a convergence toward business models that seem to be consistent with the principles of inclusive capitalism. The authors claim that by shifting between a reductionist/static and a holistic/dynamic view, these perspectives can be integrated, thus revealing an interesting contribution to the understanding of inclusive business. Specifically, they contribute by highlighting how the economic and social dimensions are intertwined and by highlighting that the management-thinking perspective, which has dominated in recent decades, should shift toward a more inclusive vision.

The paper represents an attempt to address an inclusive capitalism perspective in the context of marketing. Nevertheless, the conceptual reasoning developed in the paper should be further supported by empirical research carried out in the context of EEs.

The paper has relevant managerial implications that suggest a rethinking of the business model to market with EEs.

The paper contributes to the research on inclusive capitalism by linking it to well-grounded conceptual approaches to business that recapture a harmonious relationship between the economy and society.

Assortment planning, the determination of the range of choices to be made available at a given time, is a primary merchandising function. Many people with different job titles in both apparel manufacturing and retailing make decisions that impact merchandise assortments. The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of assortment diversity as measured by volume per stock‐keeping unit for an assortment (VSA), describe the relationship of VSA to per cent gross margin (%GM), and propose topics for further research.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to merchandising theory development by testing and refining Rupe and Kunz’s Volume per Stock‐keeping unit for an Assortment (VSA) and Assortment Diversity Index(ADI), using multiple merchandising performance measures. Behavioural Theory of the Apparel Firm with a Quick Response construct (BTAF/QR), was used as the theoretical framework for the study. The data were generated by a computer simulation of the merchandising process called Sourcing Simulator. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation coefficients and regressions. The VSA had significant correlations with all 14 merchandising performance measures (p < 0:001), and the ADI was a consistent indicator of financial productivity considering all 14 merchandising performance measures. The results of the study supported the proposal of additional assumptions as well as propositions and hypotheses related to merchandising responsibility for BTAF/QR.

This study aims to investigate the potential for virtual study abroad (VSA) programs to exist in a post-pandemic world. VSAs quickly grew in popularity when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of traditional study abroad programs. Now that a return to travel appears imminent, it is uncertain whether VSAs hold sufficient value to continue as legitimate study abroad programs or whether they will be shelved until the next pandemic.

This study compares VSAs to short-term study abroad (STSA) programs. Drawing on extant literature, an STSA profile, based on five best practices, sets the legitimacy standard to which VSAs must rise. Based on the authors’ experience, consultations with two additional study abroad leaders and one VSA firm, VSAs are defined, and a sample profile is developed. VSAs are compared and contrasted with STSAs. Program attributes in which VSAs fall short, meet and exceed those of STSAs are identified.

VSAs meet all five study abroad best practices. Although VSAs are incapable of providing benefits specifically related to travel, VSAs meet or exceed benefits provided by STSAs in all other areas. VSAs have advantages in cost, risk, flexibility and inclusion. VSAs are legitimate substitutions to STSAs for first-year students, students who cannot travel and student types currently under-represented in study abroad programs.

Practical advice on managing VSAs is offered through a sample VSA program profile. Target student types are identified, program positioning is discussed and implications to universities are offered.

Literature on VSA is essentially non-existent. This study introduces VSA programs as an option to gain not only academic knowledge but also many of the experiential benefits of typical study abroad programs.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the decision-making process in the management of the complex adaptive systems (CAS), particularly focusing on the dimensions that affect the individual decision maker (DM) when passing from decision to behavior in fitting processes. Although the importance of the general process of fitting in terms of organizational design has been highlighted in earlier studies, a closer focus on the DM perspective is required.

Starting from the theoretical frameworks of viable systems approach (vSa) and addressing the evolving concepts of change and adaptation in CAS, the work takes the DM perspective and investigates the dimensions involved in the paths that lead complex decisions into behaviors, when referring to fitting processes. The paper reviews the vSa and the concept of CAS, deepening the decision making in fitting processes. Then, the paper proceeds to discuss the schemes and the categories that affect, at different levels, the decision and behavioral choices by proposing an interpretative framework.

The paper proposes a general framework useful to recognize/identify which are the elements/dimensions that have to be considered when organizations change in pursuing survival. The findings of the paper also show how adopting a vSa as a meta-model can be insightful to the understanding of service systems and useful in fully comprehending decision-making processes and behavior in complex adaptive system.

The originality of this paper lies in exploring the decision making process in CAS, adopting a closer perspective on the single DM through the lens of the vSa.

Reviews the response of Government and drug agencies to the problem of volatile substance abuse (VSA). Describes how VSA has, in the past, been treated differently to abuse of other drugs, both legal and illegal, but that most agencies now believe it should be dealt with alongside other drugs. Reviews the main findings of a report on volatile substances from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and the Government’s response to it. Describes the measure put in place in the UK to help control the supply of sniffable substances, and the need for education campaigns for parents and young people. Concludes there are no grounds for optimism, as the latest figures on deaths due to VSA show a rise. Gives recommendations for professionals who wish to seek further help for those involved with VSA.