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Turning decolonial rhetoric into anti-colonial praxis in religion education Africa South of the Sahara
Full text linkThere exists no reliable empirical research on anti-decolonial critiques of religion education (RE) in Africa South of the Sahara (ASoS), therefore, this article uses the African Anti-colonial Analytical Framework (AAcAF) as a novel theoretical lens in critiquing neo-colonial embeddedness in the RE of ASoS. It exposes how colonial epistemologies continue to malign non-normative and diverse ways of knowing and further explains why this problem has persisted in RE despite its provision existing in a post-colonial educational environment. The article calls for epistemic equality in dealing with the complexities of religious diversity in RE aligned with democratic principles governing the political state in post-independent Africa. To counteract the colonial status quo, the article presents anti-colonial strategies that can turn decolonial rhetoric into anti-colonial praxis in the RE of ASoS
Impact of green skills development and circular economy training on circular economy performance:the role of employee proactive behavior
Full text linkThe textile industry of Pakistan plays a vital role in the national economy; however, it faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable and circular practices. The circular economy (CE) approach minimizes waste and enhances re source efficiency. However, prior studies have focused on technical and legislative elements of CE adoption, while eco-capability remains understudied in developing economies. This study investigates the role of green skills devel opment (GSD), employee training on CE (ETCE), and employee proactive behavior (EPB) in enhancing circular economy performance (CEP) in Pakistan’s textile sector, supported by Resource-Based View theory. Using a quanti tative, cross-sectional survey design, primary data were collected from 215 middle-to top-level employees working in textile manufacturing organizations across Pakistan through a structured five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Measurement and structural models were examined using PLS-SEM to assess reliability and validity and model re lationship. Results indicate that GSD (β=0.431, t=5.846) and ETCE (β=0.357, =4.728) significantly enhance CEP, em phasizing the importance of technical skills and structural training. EPB, however, showed no significant effect (β=-0.008, t=0.080), indicating that individual initiative alone is insufficient. The finding suggested that formal skill development and systemic CE training are critical for improving sustainable performance and advance UN SDGs 8 and 12 in Pakistan’s textile industry
Netflix, websleuths and the contemporary urban legend
Full text linkThis article explores how Joe Berlinger’s Netflix true crime docuseries Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021) has appropriated the apparatus of the modern urban legend. The article demonstrates how Berlinger merges the aesthetics of true crime documentary, websleuthing, and urban legend to reconfigure the unusual circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Canadian student Elisa Lam into a form of participatory infotainment. The article contends that Berlinger’s recreation of the events and aftermath of Elisa Lam’s disappearance and death uses the processes of urban legend creation to first attract and entertain the audience, only to later challenge the audiences’ susceptibility to such legends. The article proposes that this mode of consumption functions as a form of ‘honey trap’ which, while passive, allows the viewer to become embedded in the narrative, inviting them to create and critique the processes of contemporary legend construction
Impact of green skills development and circular economy training on circular economy performance:the role of employee proactive behavior
Full text linkThe textile industry of Pakistan plays a vital role in the national economy; however, it faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable and circular practices. The circular economy (CE) approach minimizes waste and enhances re source efficiency. However, prior studies have focused on technical and legislative elements of CE adoption, while eco-capability remains understudied in developing economies. This study investigates the role of green skills devel opment (GSD), employee training on CE (ETCE), and employee proactive behavior (EPB) in enhancing circular economy performance (CEP) in Pakistan’s textile sector, supported by Resource-Based View theory. Using a quanti tative, cross-sectional survey design, primary data were collected from 215 middle-to top-level employees working in textile manufacturing organizations across Pakistan through a structured five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Measurement and structural models were examined using PLS-SEM to assess reliability and validity and model re lationship. Results indicate that GSD (β=0.431, t=5.846) and ETCE (β=0.357, =4.728) significantly enhance CEP, em phasizing the importance of technical skills and structural training. EPB, however, showed no significant effect (β=-0.008, t=0.080), indicating that individual initiative alone is insufficient. The finding suggested that formal skill development and systemic CE training are critical for improving sustainable performance and advance UN SDGs 8 and 12 in Pakistan’s textile industry
‘You’re a warrior, right?’:the manosphere, podcasts, and the strongman politics of Donald Trump in the 2024 United States Presidential election
Full text linkIn the run up to the 2024 United States Presidential Election, President Donald Trump, in continuing his disapproval, disavowal, and eschewing of 'mainstream media’' increasingly turned to influencers and podcasters as mediums through which to speak to his followers and prospective voters. A core feature of this strategy were alternative media platforms not immediately related to the political sphere, but to sport related podcasts and 'bro influencers' that cater to a predominantly male audience - such as UFC Unfiltered and The Joe Rogan Experience. Trump’s efforts to fit within a media landscape where the capacities of sporting, fitness, and ‘body building’ subcultures (re)produce deviant masculinities also endorsed conservative and authoritarian political movements. This paper presents a discursive and contextual analysis of Trump’s podcast appearances in the 2024 election cycle. We explore the growing inter-relationship between gender, masculinities, sport, and 'the manosphere' - the loose constellation of reactionary, anti-feminist and misogynistic movements often propagated in digital spaces by online influencers, reactionary conservative politics and, more specifically, Trumpism. We argue that within Trumpism, alternative sport and fitness media become sites whereby discourses of deviant and ‘alpha’ masculinity and the male body are constructed and activated as resources for political capital. We conclude by considering the importance of sport and leisure – such as the fitness and sporting subcultures embodied in conservative politics and the digital ecosystems through which they proliferate - in (re)shaping political movements in a digital age
<i>Candidozyma auris</i> reported in Scotland:a call for vigilance amid global rise
Full text linkCandidozyma auris (formerly Candida auris) is an emerging pathogenic yeast associated with healthcare outbreaks worldwide. Despite increasing reports across Europe, no published data have previously described cases in Scotland. Here, we report the first detections of C. auris in Scotland, as submitted to ARHAI Scotland. Eight cases (seven colonisations, one infection) were identified to date across four NHS Scotland boards, all linked to repatriation or recent hospitalisation abroad. To contextualise these findings, we reviewed publicly available literature and surveillance data for Western and Northern Europe, identifying considerable variation in case numbers and highlighting Scotland’s position among countries with the lowest reported cases. All Scottish cases were imported, underscoring the importance of targeted screening of patients with international healthcare exposure. These findings inform preparedness planning and support recommendations for strengthened surveillance to prevent onward transmission
Optical losses in SiN<sub>x</sub> and SiO<sub>x</sub>N<sub>y</sub> coatings deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for gravitational wave detectors
Full text linkGravitational wave detectors (GWDs) rely heavily on low mechanical and optical loss mirror coatings to detect cosmic events happening in the universe. This work discusses optical losses through light absorption and scattering mechanisms in silicon nitride (SiNx ) and silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy ) thin films deposited by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. We report an efficient and repeatable procedure to tune the refractive index of both SiNx and SiOxNy thin films, while preserving a low optical absorption and scattering in the range of ppm. Finally, we demonstrate the design, fabrication, and characterization of an SiNx /SiOxNy multi-layer stack composed of 20 layers with a total thickness of 3.9 µm, achieving a reflectance above 99% (and a low absorbance of 0.259%) in the near-infrared region, which is a promising step toward meeting the optical requirements of the third generation of GWDs
Set fire to the rain:can empathetic crisis communication help when CSR signalling backfires?
Full text linkThis study examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) signalling and empathetic crisis communication shape stakeholder backlash during externally constrained market exits. Drawing on expectancy-disconfirmation and attribution theories, it explores whether strong CSR signalling, traditionally viewed as reputationally protective, can become a liability during crises in which external conditions constrain firm actions, and whether empathetic communication mitigates negative stakeholder reactions. Evidence from 182 multinational corporations’ exits from Russia following Ukraine-related sanctions indicates that firms with higher levels of CSR signalling experienced greater company-directed public outrage, suggesting that CSR signalling elevates stakeholder expectations and intensifies backlash when externally constrained actions generate expectancy disconfirmation among stakeholders. Empathetic crisis communication is associated with lower negative reactions overall but does not moderate the effect of CSR signalling. These findings extend expectancy-disconfirmation theory to externally constrained victim crises by demonstrating that empathetic communication operates independently of CSR signalling in shaping stakeholder reactions
Benevolent paternalism and player transition in Fiji soccer:insights from the Global South
Full text linkBecause Fiji is a relatively poor and remote Global South developing country, it is plagued by poor infrastructure, financial problems, and a lack of trained experts who also can relate to athletes in a culturally appropriate manner. In this article, we compare Global North coaching practices with traditional practices in Fiji, which are based mostly on benevolent paternalism and cultural hegemony. A specific focus is the transition of athletes into retirement. Case studies of Nadi Soccer Association and Ba Football Association are utilized based on ethnographic data obtained from seven interviews with ex-players, one interview with an ex-administrator, and one interview with an ex-team doctor as well as extended participant-observation. The Fiji Football Association (FFA) is seen as working hard now to consider the mental and physical welfare of ex-players after a slow start although the primary initiatives have come from ex-player self-help organizations such as Nadi Legends Club. Although better sport coaching and sport psychology can contribute, they need to be conducted in a culturally appropriate way where Indigenous Fijian and Fiji Indian cultures are worked with, and benevolently paternal administrators and coaches are not cast aside or marginalized
Accounting students’ perceptions of learning Python:a technology acceptance model study using natural language processing
Full text linkThis paper aims to examine accounting students’ perceptions of learning Python through the lens of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Reflective survey data were collected from 25 accounting students enrolled in a Python module at a UK university. A structured scaffolding approach was adopted to support students without prior coding experience, progressing from conceptual introduction to guided practice and independent tasks. Natural language processing techniques were used to analyse the data, including topic modelling and sentiment analysis. The findings show that students perceived Python as useful for automating tasks, handling data, and supporting employability, while reporting moderate ease and varied technical challenges. Positive attitudes persisted despite challenges. The paper contributes to accounting education by showing how TAM can explain accounting students’ experiences of coding. From a teaching excellence perspective, the paper shows that a structured scaffolding approach could support teaching by building confidence among non-technical learners