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Empowering women entrepreneurs in West Africa:a comparative study of opportunities and challenges in Nigeria and Ghana
Full text linkWomen entrepreneurs play a vital role in driving economic growth and social development in West Africa. Despite facing numerous challenges, they have demonstrated remarkable resilience and enterprising spirit. This comparative study aims to provide insights into the opportunities and challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Ghana. The study focuses on understanding the factors that influence the longevity of female-owned businesses, survival rates, causes of failure and evolutionary trends. The research will also address the limited access to finance, knowledge gaps and inadequate skill-building opportunities that hinder the potential growth and impact of women entrepreneurs in the region. By comparing the experiences of women entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Ghana, this study seeks to contribute to the development of targeted interventions and policies aimed at empowering and supporting women in business across West Africa
From challenge to consensus:pathways for inclusive growth in Africa
Full text linkIn this white paper, Ephias Ruhode and Kingsley O. Omeihe reflect on the conversations and debates that emerged at the inaugural Atlas Global Academic Conference in Victoria Falls in 2025. They show that Africa’s challenge is not a shortage of ideas or innovation, but the difficulty of turning knowledge into action across institutions, sectors, and communities. The paper highlights how closer collaboration, ethical governance and locally grounded innovation can help build a more inclusive and resilient future for the continent
What is the process? Defining and enacting inclusive practice within community sport in Scotland
Full text linkResearch AimThis article explore perspectives and understanding of inclusion within Scottish community sport and analyses the different ways in which sport organisations, voluntary sports clubs, and the individuals within them define inclusion. The aim is to determine the complexities in defining inclusion and the subsequent challenges of creating an inclusive sporting system.Research MethodsThe aim is explored through a comparative case study. The comparative study incorporated two stages: Stage one employed a comparative textual analysis to determine differences and similarities in relation to representations of inclusion across a variety of Scottish sporting organisations. Stage two included two distinct phases: a document analysis and an analysis of qualitative responses from local sports clubs to specific questions within a survey. Findings Findings highlights several significant challenges including conceptual disparities, funding, training and the disconnect between inclusive intentions and the reality of practice. The concept of policy enactment was employed as a theoretical concept and framework to develop this understanding, placing a focus on how policies are interpreted and translated by individuals in the context of Scottish sport.Implications We argue that inclusion must be seen as an ongoing, organic and fluid process and that to enhance inclusion within Scottish sport requires specific and collaborative direction, support and guidance from organisations across the Scottish sporting landscape.<br/
Keeping trust when leaders go hybrid:a phase map and playbook for sustaining follower trust
Full text linkPurpose Hybrid leadership is increasingly recognized as an important feature of contemporary organizations, yet there is still no clear explanation of how hybrid settings change the evidence that followers use when judging a leader’s competence, fairness and care. This paper investigates how hybrid leadership changes the cues followers use to evaluate competence, fairness and care. In doing so, it provides an evidence-based framework that enables senior teams to sustain both cognition-based and affect-based trust through the intentional design of cue architecture.Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a structured narrative review in line with PRISMA 2020 guidance. Scopus was used as the primary database, identifying 216 records. After deduplication and screening, 70 empirical studies were retained. These were organized across four temporal phases : pre-crisis baseline, crisis, stabilization and maturation : and synthesized into four integrated pathways that leaders can implement to build and sustain trust.Findings The empirical evidence supports the proposition that hybrid leadership does not simply reduce proximity but rather recalibrates the distribution and interpretation of cues. The review highlights asymmetric vulnerabilities: affect-based trust shows resilience through rituals, care signals and symbolic gestures, while cognition-based trust erodes rapidly without visible proof of reliability and procedural fairness. Successful hybrid models deploy four mutually reinforcing mechanisms: predictable cadence that structures time, legibility of judgement through documentation, engineered proximity through designed touchpoints, and monitoring governance that creates visibility without surveillance. Phase progression from crisis to stabilization and then to maturation demonstrates organizational learning extending beyond short-term adaptation. Contextual factors such as task interdependence, tenure composition and equity concerns moderate effectiveness.Research limitations/implications The findings show that leaders must design predictable routines that make judgement visible and maintain human connection, particularly when teams rely on mediated interaction. Leaders should design predictable interaction points that balance focus with connection and govern monitoring through narrow, co-owned metrics. Trust requires quarterly review and rebalancing across both strands. The evidence base remains skewed toward knowledge-intensive sectors, and the automated screening method, although rigorous, carries classification risks.Originality/value This paper contributes by reframing hybrid leadership from location policy to cue architecture, offering a more nuanced account of how distance and justice interact with trust. It specifies the asymmetric mechanisms affecting cognition- and affect-based trust, integrates monitoring governance into the trust literature, and presents a phase-aware playbook that senior teams can apply. In doing so, it shows that sustaining trust in hybrid contexts requires intentional design rather than heroic availability
Keyworkers' experiences of leader recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic::a dilemma of moral values
Full text linkThis study explores keyworkers' perceptions of managerial recognition during the COVID-19 crisis and examines how the quality of leader–member relationships shaped their motivation and well-being. Ten keyworkers were interviewed at the height of the pandemic, and thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo. Findings reveal substantial variation in how recognition was experienced across sectors, with perceptions closely tied to relational quality, fairness, and the presence or absence of bias. These results highlight that recognition functions not only as a relational exchange central to LMX theory but also as a morally meaningful practice that affirms dignity and fosters resilience during crisis. To minimise favouritism and strengthen equitable recognition, HR practitioners should implement standardised recognition systems and leader development initiatives. This study provides novel qualitative insight into manager–keyworker recognition and extends LMX scholarship by illustrating how recognition practices shaped employee outcomes in an extreme work context
Toxicity and biodistribution of lanthanum and gadolinium in <i>Daphnia magna</i> following chronic dietary and waterborne exposure
Full text linkDaphnia magna has frequently been used to assess the toxicity of lanthanides (Ln) such as lanthanum (La) and gadolinium (Gd). However, most studies have focused on acute toxicity. Knowledge of chronic toxicity and the potential effects of dietary exposure on aquatic organisms is still scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic waterborne and dietary route exposures of 0.5 mg L− 1 of La and Gd on the mortality, growth, and reproduction of D. magna. Four different exposure conditions were used: (i) control, (ii) dietary exposure, (iii) waterborne exposure, and (iv) a combination of dietary and waterborne exposure. The results showed that none of the Ln exposures affected the mortality or the growth of the organisms. Reproduction was identified as a more sensitive endpoint. For La, combined waterborne and dietary exposure delayed the release of the first brood by an average of approximately 1.1 days compared to the control group For Gd, dietary and combined exposures significantly decreased the total offspring of the organism by approximately 20 offspring per adult in 21 days. The biodistribution patterns differed for each metal, with La being uniformly localized in the intestine and Gd bioaccumulating differently depending on the exposure route. Dietary and combined Gd exposure led to an accumulation in the intestinal tract. However, waterborne exposure resulted in a more heterogeneous biodistribution within the individual D. magna. For both metals, dietary exposure led to the highest Ln body burden in the organisms, in contrast to the waterborne exposures. The effects observed confirm the importance of considering dietary exposure in long-term bioassays. A better understanding of the mode of action of Ln on D. magna is needed and could be achieved by exploring the effects of Ln accumulation in the gut and energy limitations for D. magna
Machine learning for Multi Objective Convex Separable Programming (MOCSP) with aggregation of linear approximations and portfolio optimization
Full text linkA novel technique is developed for nonlinear optimization problem which is convex, separable and having multiple objective functions. In the development of the model all the objectives and the constraints of the multi objective model are linearly approximated over suitable intervals. The linear approximations are then aggregated to account for the original problem. The developed technique has been utilized for portfolio optimization problem. Firstly, the minimum variance model has been formulated and solved with machine leaning techniques. Secondly, the risk aversion model has been formulated and solved. The results obtained are combined into a multi objective framework of convex separable programming problem. All the three problems have been solved with the help of the XGBoost, neural network, and decision forest regression models. The renowned Python machine libraries of scikit-learn and keras have been utilized. The results identified portfolios that can return more financial benefits to the investors while investing in the capital market. The results of the proposed MOCSP approach are 22.5% improved in case of risk aversion model. Additionally, 17% improvement has been recorded in case of the minimum risk model. The MAE and RMSE for both XGBoost and decision forest regression have a frail value 0.0001. MAE and RMSE for the neural network regression have been recorded 1% and 2%, respectively. Both Accuracy and F1 score for XGBoost are 91%, for neural network regression are 98%, and for decision forest are 92%, respectively
Building teacher capacity for curriculum renewal:insights from Scotland
Full text linkThis article examines Scotland’s twenty-year curriculum reform journey by applying strategic state governance and strategy-as-practice perspectives. Drawing on commissioned evaluations and research studies spanning 2004-2025, it analyses how teachers were positioned as curriculum makers across successive collaborative initiatives. The findings reveal persistent tensions between rhetorical positioning of teachers as strategic practitioners and the contextual conditions needed to enable meaningful agency. The analysis demonstrates how curriculum renewal depends on alignment between governance principles, resource allocation, and professional capacity – insights relevant to comparable reform contexts within the UK and internationally
A robust E learning recommendation system based on novel interval valued bipolar fuzzy hypersoft set theory
Full text linkUnderstanding bipolar information is crucial as it enables individuals to make informed decisions that consider both extremes of a spectrum, leading to more balanced and effective outcomes. Interval-valued bipolar fuzzy set (IVBFS) has already been introduced in the literature as a great decision-making tool that can capture interval-valued bipolar information to properly address uncertainty. In this article, we introduce a hybrid of Interval-valued bipolar fuzzy set (IVBFS) and bipolar hypersoft sets (BHSS) called interval-valued bipolar fuzzy hypersoft set (UVBFHSS), which merges the capabilities of IVBFS and BHSS. The rationale behind the design of the presented data structure is to manipulate and process information in decision-making scenarios when the data is bipolar, has multiple attributes that need to be addressed up to a sub-attributive level to get a proper representation of the data provided, and needs to be presented in the form of intervals. In (IVBFHSS), two hyper soft sets (HSSs) are used, one providing positive interval-valued membership information and the other providing negative interval-valued membership information. We outline the essential features and basic operations of (IVBFHSS) in this paper, examining its commutative, associative, distributive, and De Morgan laws to ensure a comprehensive analysis. To demonstrate the significance of (IVBFHSS), we develop a preferential decision support algorithm for selecting the best alternative in e-learning, such as identifying the most suitable instructional method, which can effectively be formulated as a Multi-Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) problem. This approach allows for the systematic evaluation of various alternatives based on multiple parameters and sub-parameters, enabling a rational and well-informed decision. This algorithm helps select the best alternative from a given set of options, leveraging the versatile nature of (IVBFHSS). The presented study conducts both computation-based and structural comparisons to evaluate the adaptability and reliability of the proposed framework
Preventing drug-related deaths in Scotland:perceptions and experiences of engagement in a “shared care” model of service delivery
Full text linkPurpose Scotland faces a crisis of drug-related deaths, disproportionately affecting people living in the most deprived areas. The purpose of this paper is to explore patient and service provider perceptions of engagement within shared care treatment systems, acknowledged as a critical factor in preventing drug-related harms and deaths.Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was adopted, focusing on two primary care practices in highly deprived urban areas. Thematic analysis was used to investigate the interplay of individual, organisational and structural factors acting as facilitators and barriers to service engagement. Data were collected through 34 semi-structured interviews with 6 people who use drugs, 4 family members, 20 health-care practitioners and 4 policymakers.Findings Engagement challenges were multifaceted, encompassing relational aspects (e.g. trust and stigma) and systemic issues, including poor collaboration across professional groups, fragmented services, inadequate communication and resource constraints. Participants emphasised the cumulative impact of socioeconomic deprivation and structural inequalities, which shaped the environments in which drug use occurred and constrained effective care delivery. Practitioners used various strategies, including harm reduction approaches and personalised support, to enhance engagement.Originality/value This paper provides new insights into the challenges faced by practitioners, people who use drugs and families in navigating the shared care system. The findings of this study highlight the need for policy action to strengthen service provision as well as reinforcing the importance of tackling cumulative health and social inequalities, seen as a key factor in drug-related deaths