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In an era of polycrisis, we argue that responsible leaders need to unlearn common thinking patterns imprinted by old (management) paradigms in order to find new solutions to the grand challenges of our time. To be able to overcome the “crisis of the imagination” and spur narratives about more sustainable futures, leaders need to update and restructure their skill sets and invest in developing anticipatory and futures (thinking) skills, as well as futures literacy as a competence. To achieve this on the student level, we also need to rethink business and management education at the university level by challenging the ways we teach, i.e., teaching pedagogics, as well as the content and story we want to tell about the future of management. Thus, with this chapter, we aim to rethink pedagogical methods and tools by introducing educators to potential pathways for equipping students with adequate skills to be able to “use-the-future”. As the process of unlearning is difficult, we argue that we need to venture out of the business discipline and push the barriers of the business and management curriculum so as to be able to further unleash creativity and imagination. To achieve this aim, we propose the integration of methods and approaches from art-related disciplines, such as theater, visual arts, or design, into the business curriculum.

This paper aims to identify the effectiveness, student perceptions and impacts of integrating comics into the English as a foreign language (EFL) writing curriculum for undergraduate Ecuadorian polytechnic students.

This research followed a mixed method design to obtain quantitative information through a researcher-made survey and paired T-test, which would be corroborated by the qualitative data obtained from semistructured interviews.

From the descriptive and T-test results and the interview answers, it is concluded that students have a favorable view of the effectiveness of using comics to improve their writing skills. They also expressed their engagement and motivation to work with comics.

First, the research sample, comprised of 109 students, may restrict the generalizability of the findings beyond the specific context of this study. This constraint suggests caution in extrapolating these findings to broader student cohorts, emphasizing the need for larger-scale studies to validate the robustness and applicability of the outcomes. Second, the study’s focus solely on students from a polytechnic state university introduces a potential limitation concerning the diversity and representativeness of the participant pool. Consequently, the findings might be limited in their applicability and may not fully encompass students’ varied responses and attitudes from other educational backgrounds.

The scaffolding afforded by comics aligns with genre-based literacy perspectives, valuing instruction in textual genres and social purposes. From a practical pedagogical point of view, this paper’s results suggest the potential of comic narratives and storyboarding. Comics writing could be added to classroom activities to vibrantly aboard brainstorming, drafting and peer reviewing before dealing with higher-stakes assignments. Legitimizing alternative mediums like comics for academic writing tasks has social implications for promoting literacies in a multimedia world.

Writing comics nurtures multiliteracies aligned with participatory digital cultures by expanding traditional linguistic-centric norms. This multimodal composing can potentially increase access and representation and amplify voices across identities and cultures.

Although the paper addresses a topic that is not entirely novel in research, its originality lies in its focus on data originating from Ecuador, where specific cultural nuances and educational contexts may influence the effectiveness of using comics to enhance EFL writing skills. Thus, it fills a gap in the existing literature on this subject.

The paper’s main goal is to examine the relationship between the video marketing of financial technologies (Fintechs) and their vulnerable website customers’ brand engagement in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

To extract the required outcomes, the authors gathered data from the five biggest Fintech websites and YouTube channels, performed multiple linear regression models and developed a hybrid (agent-based and dynamic) model to assess the performance connection between their video marketing analytics and vulnerable website customers’ brand engagement.

It has been found that video marketing analytics of Fintechs’ YouTube channels are a decisive factor in impacting their vulnerable website customers’ brand engagement and awareness.

By enhancing video marketing analytics of their YouTube channels, Fintechs can achieve greater levels of vulnerable website customers’ engagement and awareness. Higher levels of vulnerable customers’ brand engagement and awareness tend to decrease their vulnerability by enhancing their financial knowledge and confidence.

Fintechs should aim to increase the number of total videos on their YouTube channels and provide videos that promote their customers’ knowledge of their services to increase their brand engagement and awareness, thus reducing their vulnerability. Moreover, Fintechs should be aware not to over-post videos because they will be in an unfavorable position against their competitors.

This research offers valuable insights regarding the importance of video marketing strategies for Fintechs in promoting their vulnerable website customers’ brand awareness during crisis periods.

Prior studies have put much emphasis on using the uses and gratification (U&G) theory to find out why people use games, social media, the Internet, e-shopping, etc. Despite past research efforts, the root causes underlying this phenomenon still need to be discovered as to why people use interactive virtual rides (vrides) entertainment services, especially when incorporating the hedonic consumption perspective (i.e. playful-consumption experiences). Considering the knowledge gap in the vrides’ context, this study aims to use the UGT to find out why people use the vrides entertainment service from a hedonic consumption point of view.

With 217 usable responses, the research model was tested using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

Findings reveal that only perceived enjoyment, arousal and sensory experience derive continuous intention behavior to consume vride entertainment service. Findings using the fsQCA revealed multiple causal configurations for the proposed outcome.

This study contributes to extending the assumption of UGT via incorporating the hedonic consumption perspective to explore the potential motives and intention to consume vrides entertainment services. Our study also discusses the important theoretical/practical implications of our findings. Besides, this study is unique because it shows both symmetrical and asymmetrical connections that help us understand why people keep using vrides entertainment service.

This study aims to apply the predictive processing theory to examine the influence of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven robotic performers on audience emotions and the audience’s resulting electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) behaviors during tourism service encounters.

Using a quantitative research methodology, survey responses from 339 regular customers of performing arts in tourism destinations were analyzed. The respondents were recruited through Prolific, a professional data collection platform. SPSS 23.0 was used for the preliminary analysis, from which a research model to achieve the aim was proposed. SmartPLS 3 was used for partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the model.

Interactive and novel robotic performances significantly encouraged the consumers to share their experiences online, thereby enhancing eWOM. However, melodic resonance had no significant impact on eWOM intentions. The consumers’ emotional responses fully mediated the relationship of the novelty and interactivity of the performances to the consumers’ eWOM intentions but did not mediate the relationship of the musical elements to their eWOM intentions.

This study enriches the understanding of how AI-driven performances impact consumers’ emotional engagement and sharing behaviors. It extends the application of the predictive processing theory to the domain of consumer behavior, offering valuable insights for enhancing audience engagement in performances through technological innovation.

本研究旨在运用预测处理理论, 考察人工智能（AI）驱动的机器人表演对观众情感及其在旅游服务接触中的电子口碑（eWOM）行为的影响。。

采用定量研究方法, 分析了339名经常观看旅游景点表演艺术的常客的调查问卷。受访者通过专业数据收集平台Prolific招募。初步分析使用SPSS 23.0进行, 从中提出了实现研究目标的研究模型。使用SmartPLS 3进行偏最小二乘结构方程模型测试该模型。

互动性和新颖性的机器人表演显著鼓励消费者在线分享他们的体验, 从而增强电子口碑。然而, 旋律共鸣对电子口碑意图没有显著影响。消费者的情感反应完全中介了表演的新颖性和互动性与消费者电子口碑意图之间的关系, 但没有中介音乐元素与电子口碑意图之间的关系。

本研究丰富了对AI驱动表演如何影响消费者情感参与和分享行为的理解。将预测处理理论的应用扩展到消费者行为领域, 为通过技术创新增强观众参与度提供了宝贵的见解。

In this photo-essay, I engage with bodies in swimwear in both posed and candid fashion. Seeking out models, I put out an open call in my social media that I was looking for subjects who felt comfortable being photographed in their swimwear, without the angle of sexiness. I wanted to negate the sexual gaze on the body and the person, and instead create documentation and study of the body language, dress codes, and comfort levels of the Indian citizen. I juxtapose these photographs with a second set of images I shot is from my trip to Udupi, a small city in the southwestern state of Karnataka. These are photographs of the average Indian citizen, families, and small social groups by the sea in a very local yet touristy beach of South India.

Despite the growing use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies in construction, the reasons behind adopting social media in this context and its real benefits for sustainable construction and productivity remain unclear. This study aims to examine how construction professionals perceive the impact of social media on sustainable construction and productivity in the industry.

This research used a mixed-methods research approach (qualitative and quantitative), resulting in the formulation of a well-structured questionnaire which was distributed to construction professionals. Ordinal regression and multinomial logistic regression were carried out to assess the impact of social media use on sustainable construction and productivity enhancement, as well as the extent of social media utilization in construction projects.

Through exploratory factor analysis, five distinct clusters of social media consequences were identified, namely: information and knowledge sharing, community engagement and morale, environmental and resource management, disruptive and stressful effects and communication and collaboration. Furthermore, the extent of social media usage is closely related to three key factors: community engagement and morale, environmental and resource management and communication and collaboration.

This study represents one of the pioneering research efforts in Nigeria to investigate the implications of social media usage in the construction industry. Thus, future studies can build upon this research to further contribute to the multifaceted dimensions of social media’s impact on the construction industry.

Online brand communities (OBCs) and their role in determining consumer behavior is gathering interest of theorists and practitioners. This study examines the role of OBCs in influencing the level of involvement leading to perceived sport team brand equity (STBE) of sports fans from a social exchange theory perspective. The role of self-congruity as a moderator is examined to determine the differences in the level of involvement and attachment of fans in OBCs.

Based on quantitative research and convenience sampling, data for the study were collected from 394 football fans who were existing members of OBCs. The research model is tested using partial least square structural equation modeling.

The results show a direct and significant impact of brand involvement on brand attachment. Consumer brand engagement (CBE) mediates the relationship between brand attachment and STBE. While self-congruence does moderate the effects between brand involvement and brand attachment.

The study reveals the role of community related factors on sports fans’ perceived STBE. The study also provided a novel approach to examine sport fan behavior in social media through the lens of social exchange theory. Finally, it is providing a novel approach in examining role of OBCs in influencing behavior of sports team fans towards the team and brand.