Behind the screens: a phenomenological study of charity professionals’ experiences of digitally mediated fundraising

Parkinson's disease is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder that not only affects motor function but also impairs empathy. While the neurobiological changes underlying these deficits are known, the impact of PD on the lived experience of empathy remains poorly understood. This study investigates the lived experience of empathy for pain in individuals with PD, with a specific focus on embodied intersubjective synchrony. Forty-five patients with mild to moderate PD were exposed to videos of athletes suffering falls during extreme sports. Following exposure, participants underwent phenomenological interviews to explore their embodied experiences in connection with the other's suffering. Data were analyzed through an iterative process involving three independent analyses, triangulation, and the application of advanced analytical techniques (CAQDAS, inter-rater agreement index, interactive dashboards, spider graphs) to enhance the depth of the phenomenological analysis. This study provides a nuanced view of empathy for pain in Parkinson's disease, uncovering a spectrum of embodied intersubjective synchrony. Two primary empathic structures emerged: Embodied Resonance Empathy, marked by strong bodily and emotional connections with temporal synchronization to others' suffering through internal sensations, and Marginal Embodied Resonance Empathy, where bodily and emotional resonance is reduced or absent, relying mainly on external visual cues. Substructures of Embodied Resonance Empathy include Other-Centered Empathy, driven by a motivation to help, and Self-Centered Empathy, focused on personal discomfort. For Marginal Embodied Resonance Empathy, substructures range from Transparent Resonance Empathy, involving emotional responses without bodily sensations, to Non-Resonance Empathy, characterized by a complete absence of bodily and emotional resonance. This study uncovers a spectrum of embodied intersubjective synchrony in empathy among individuals with PD, ranging from fully embodied synchrony, characterized by internal bodily and emotional resonance, temporally attuned to the other's suffering, to externally oriented synchrony, characterized by diminished or absent bodily and emotional resonance, relying primarily on external visual alignment with the other's suffering. These findings highlight the importance of embodied intersubjective synchrony in empathy, suggesting that targeted interventions could be essential for enhancing social cognition in PD.

Purpose of the study: This research aims to analyse the role of visual communication in supporting storynomic tourism strategies, particularly how visual elements shape tourist perceptions, emotional connections, and destination attractiveness in the digital age. Materials and methods: A qualitative-descriptive approach was employed, incorporating visual semiotics and representation discourse analysis. Data were collected through digital documentation of social media content, in-depth interviews with tourism content creators and digital travellers, and participatory online observation. Visual materials from Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts (e.g., @wonderfulindonesia) were the primary objects of study. Results: Findings reveal that visuals—through the use of local symbols, colour palettes, illustration styles, and cinematic storytelling—effectively build emotional narratives and trigger the imagination of digital travellers. Content infused with cultural meaning outperformed purely informational visuals in engagement metrics. Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok proved particularly powerful in conveying micro-narratives that inspire travel interest. Conclusions: Visual storytelling is a critical component of storynomic tourism, influencing traveller decisions through emotional engagement and digital immersion. A research-based visual communication strategy that prioritises cultural authenticity and emotional resonance is essential for tourism stakeholders aiming to differentiate destinations in the competitive digital landscape.

This study aims to explore the connotation of “Guanxi” within contemporary Chinese marketing channels and to construct and verify a global management model. The objective is to examine how instrumental and emotional dimensions of Guanxi influence enterprise operations and management processes. A hybrid research methodology combining qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed. In-depth interviews with 30 dealer executives provided qualitative insights, while a large-scale survey with 305 valid responses facilitated quantitative analysis. SPSS22.0 and LISREL8.8 were utilized for data analysis, including reliability, validity, hypothesis testing, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that Guanxi is multi-dimensional, comprising both instrumental and emotional components. Instrumental Guanxi includes factors such as status, prestige, credibility, and decision-making power, while emotional Guanxi encompasses trust, emotional connection, and mutual respect. Both dimensions significantly affect professionalism, shared values, contact frequency, and popularity within marketing channels. Hypothesis testing confirmed the significant relationships between these variables, except for the non-significant impact of popularity on instrumental Guanxi. The mediating effects of flexibility and supervision on the relationship between Guanxi and corporate performance were also significant, highlighting the mechanisms through which Guanxi influences organizational outcomes. Moderating effects of perceived internal incentive fairness and digital collaboration capabilities further amplify these relationships. Finaly, the study underscores the dual importance of strategic utility and emotional resonance in Guanxi, providing a robust model for understanding its impact on business management. These insights are valuable for both researchers and practitioners aiming to leverage Guanxi in enhancing organizational performance and relational strategies.

PurposeThe logistics industry has undergone a tremendous transformation. This transformation is necessary to cope with the fundamental changes in customer expectations and the need for digitalization imposed by the pandemic, changes in the socioeconomic world, and innovative technology solutions. This paper aims to present digital transformation as an integrated framework for transforming the operating model and applying advanced solutions to the ecosystem of a quintile logistics (5PL) company. 5PL operators are typically an ecosystem. Loosely coupled or self-organized entities that collaborate in a symbiotic relationship represent this ecosystem. They aim to jointly develop capabilities, create innovative services or solutions, share knowledge, facilitate transactions, and leverage network synergies in a logistics environment to provide optimized or novel customer- or partner-centric solutions (Lamberjohann and Otto, 2020).Design/methodology/approachCurrently, there is no single definition of an integrated logistics operations model in 5PL practice, so the qualitative method used in this paper allows for investigation from an exploratory perspective. The paper follows a qualitative research methodology, collecting and analyzing data/facts through interviews and visits to subject matter experts, industry practitioners, and academic researchers, combined with an extensive review of academic publications, industry reports, and written and media content from established organizations in the marketplace. This paper follows a qualitative research methodology, as it is an inquiry rather than a statistical study. The qualitative method allows the study of the concepts of phenomena and definitions, their characteristics, and the defining features that serve as the basis (Berg, 2007). It emphasizes generalized interpretation and deeper understanding of concepts, which would be more difficult in quantitative, statistically based research. Fact-finding was conducted in two ways: in-depth interviews with experts from academia, information and communication technology organizations, and key players in the logistics industry; and academic publications, industry reports, and written and media content from established national and international organizations in the market.FindingsThe operations model introduced considers six aspects: persons, processes, platforms, partners, protection and preservation. A virtual team approach can support the personal side of the 5PL ecosystem’s digital transformation. Managing a 5PL ecosystem should be based on collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment methods (Parsa et al., 2020). A digital platform can support trust among the stakeholders in the ecosystem. A blockchain solution can powerfully support the 5PL ecosystem from partner relationships’ points of view. The implementation of a cybersecurity reference model is important for protection (Bandari, 2023). Reverse logistics and an integrated approach support the preservation of the ecosystem.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the author has experience applying the different components of the operations model presented, it would be interesting to find a 5PL that would use all the components presented in an integrated way. The operations model presented applies to any similar ecosystem with minor adaptations.Practical implicationsThis paper addresses operations models and digital transformation challenges for optimizing 5PL operators. It provides several opportunities and considerations for 5PL operators interested in improving their management and operations to cope with the growing challenges of today’s world.Social implicationsThe competitiveness and long-term performance of 5PL operators depend on selecting and carefully implementing their operations models. This paper emphasizes the importance of using advanced operations models.Originality/valueThe operations model derives from the author’s personal experiences in research and the innovative application of these models to logistics operators (DHL, UPS, Poste Italiane and others). This paper brings together academic and industry perspectives and operations models in an integrated business digital transformation. This paper defines an original optimal operations model for a 5PL operator and can add sustainable value to organizations and society. In doing so, it outlines different solution requirements, the critical success factors and the challenges for solutions and brings logistical performance objectives when implementing a digital business transformation.

PurposeUnder the influence of the digital economy, the digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises has attracted widespread attention from scholars at home and abroad due to its uniqueness and importance. However, the existing literature is still deficient in the inner mechanism of digital transformation and lacks research on the digital transformation process. Through in-depth interviews and rooted theory, this paper focuses on the key factors of digital development of manufacturing enterprises and constructs a model of the digital transformation process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper takes China's manufacturing enterprises as research projects. First, through a literature search, the authors proposed three key factors for constructing sustainable competitiveness from digital transformation, that is, core technology innovation, business model re-engineering and organizational structure optimization. Second, the authors adopted the grounded theory approach to identify three sustainable competitive factors of manufacturing enterprises resulting from digital transformation and constructed a theoretical model. Third, based on Chinese manufacturing enterprises data, the authors used an empirical study to validate the three influencing factors. Finally, the authors identified the inner mechanism of the digital transformation of enterprises and put forward suggestions for enterprises to maintain sustainable competitiveness.FindingsFirst, based on the existing literature, this paper identified the importance of digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises, and the essence of digital transformation of manufacturing companies was found to lie in the change in the combined effect of technological, market and organizational innovation. Second, based on the grounded theory, through in-depth interviews with manufacturing enterprises on digital transformation and open coding of interview transcripts, it was concluded that the key factors for the digital transformation manufacturing companies are core technology change, business model re-engineering and organizational structure optimization. Third, based on a dynamic perspective, the authors evaluated and validated digital transformation. The study found that manufacturing enterprises can improve their digital transformation capabilities through the trajectory of “core technology change – business model re-engineering – organizational structure optimization” to improve their sustainable competitive advantage.Originality/valueFirstly, this study proposed three key factors for constructing sustainable competitiveness from digital transformation, that is, core technology innovation, business model re-engineering and organizational structure optimization, which enriched the theory of transformation and upgrading. Secondly, this study constructs the structural equation model of digital transformation and discovers the key factors pf digital transformation.

Amid Vietnam’s ongoing digital transformation, this study evaluates the readiness of Vietnamese enterprises for comprehensive digital change, identifying a significant gap in their preparedness for Industry 4.0. The research employs a mixed-methods approach. Initially, in-depth interviews with 10 enterprise leaders uncover detailed perceptions regarding digital capacity and transformation management capabilities, aiming to provide nuanced qualitative insights into the specific challenges and opportunities faced during digital transformation. Following this, a survey of 352 enterprises quantitatively assesses their digital transformation maturity, focusing on digital and transformation management capabilities. The survey’s data analysis identifies trends and patterns across different sectors and enterprise sizes. Specifically, it reveals that Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in services are at an early stage of Digital Mastery, while those in manufacturing remain beginners; Private Large Enterprises (PLEs) are early-stage Digital Masters but lag behind Foreign-Invested Enterprises (FIEs). These findings, analyzed through established transformation management theories, highlight the need for targeted strategies to enhance digital readiness, foster innovation, and implement supportive policies to ensure sustainable growth and competitiveness in the digital era.

This study aims to understand the digitization transformation of village credit institutions towards sustainability based on local genius. Local geniuses are fundamental values for village credit institutions to enrich traditional local citizens. This research was conducted in village credit institutions and has since been transformed into digital. This research employed the combination methodology of Participatory Action Research in developing the application and Nusantara Paradigm as a view and the method using local values in implementing the application. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with stakeholders’ village credit institutions in Bali Province, the heads of village credit institutions, which is a digital transformation. This study realizes that window-dressing is a common practice that can be described using agency theory. Window dressings can be reduced through digital transformations. Sustainability exists as an enrichment of traditional local economics based on local genius with three harmonized relationships with God, humans, and the environment. Local genius not just the values written in regulation or standard operating procedures, but internalization in daily operational village credit institutions. Sustainability existence and growth measure with the comprehensive approach, harmonization with the God in our spiritual values, harmonization with the human through transparent report can be describe with development Humanism Agency Theory on Traditional Social Community Ownership. Harmonization in an environment with practical digital transformation to save our planet. The originality of this research is that it extends agency theory type 4 in accordance with social community ownership of a new type of conflict. The combined method of Participatory Action Research in developing the application and Nusantara Paradigm in implementing a new methodology approach reflecting digital process transformation based on local values.

This article examines the internal sources for digital transformation at the local level. It attempts to comprehend a public manager’s individual role in the introduction of digital tools to lower levels of governance, traces the institutional and personal motivators that encourage city managers in framing digital transformation efforts, and identifies barriers that temper their efforts in practice. The empirical study based on forty-seven interviews with Russian city managers explores the peculiarities of digital transformation comprehension, the key barriers hampering digital transformation, and the detours that city managers use to implement digital tools. The study explores why and how, in a situation of limited resources, unclear political attitudes, and restricted opportunities, city managers act in the direction of implementing digital tools and digital government transformation. The flexible thematic analysis shows that digital transformation at the local management level has the potential for leadership, as city managers recognize and articulate the importance of digital tools in transforming the urban environment. Digital transformation is integral to the image of the city managers’ profession and their mission to serve the local community. However, the leadership potential of digital transformation is significantly hindered by institutional factors, predominantly regulatory deficiencies, lack of resources, and social mistrust.

Purpose Digital transformation (DT) is a multidimensional process that encompasses significant technological, organizational and cultural shifts that aim to enhance business operations, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth. While substantial research has explored DT in large organizations, the unique challenges and dynamics faced by micro and small-sized enterprises (MSEs), particularly in emerging economies, remain underexamined. This study addresses this gap by investigating the sociotechnical system (STS) factors that influence the capacity of MSEs to implement DT within the context of an emerging market. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study involving 35 MSEs in southern Brazil was conducted over six months. Data were collected through a comprehensive digital check-up tool, questionnaires and in-depth interviews, all integrated into an innovation project strategically aimed at promoting DT. The study also involved the guidance of four DT experts to ensure analytical rigor. Findings The research identified 40 distinct factors that serve as both barriers and facilitators to DT. The results indicate that MSEs demonstrating improvements across multiple STS dimensions – technical, social, organizational and environmental – are significantly more likely to achieve sustainable digital transformation. The analysis underscores the importance of the interplay between these subsystems in shaping the success of DT initiatives. Practical implications: This study provides actionable insights for MSE managers, policymakers and DT service providers. By understanding the critical interdependencies among sociotechnical subsystems, stakeholders can develop targeted strategies to overcome barriers, enhance digital maturity and optimize technology adoption. These insights are particularly relevant for addressing the unique challenges faced by MSEs in resource-constrained environments. Practical implications The study provides actionable insights for MSE managers, policymakers and DT service providers. Understanding STS interdependencies enables targeted strategies to overcome barriers, enhance digital maturity and optimize technology adoption, particularly in resource-constrained environments. Originality/value This research uniquely applies the STS framework to the DT process in MSEs, offering a holistic perspective on the complex interactions between technological, organizational and social factors. By focusing on an emerging market context, the study not only bridges a critical gap in the literature but also generates practical guidelines for fostering digital transformation in smaller enterprises. The findings contribute to both theoretical advancements in sociotechnical systems research and the development of context-sensitive strategies to support MSEs in their digitalization journeys.

This study employs Randall Collins’ Interaction Ritual Chains theory as its analytical framework, with the popular on-screen couple "Yuzhou Zhongxin" CP as a case study, to explore how virtual pairings evoke emotional resonance and collective identity among fans through interactive rituals. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach combining case analysis and qualitative data, the research examines the CP’s variety show appearances, social media interactions, and fan-generated content. The findings reveal that the formation of emotional resonance follows the interaction ritual chain pathway—"Situation construction → focus aggregation → emotional connection → symbolic generation"—achieved through multidimensional ritualized interactions, including the character settings in the play, off-screen engagements, and participatory fan interpretations. Meanwhile, collective identity emerges via the mechanism of "shared attention → accumulated emotional energy → internalization of group symbols → establishment of moral restraint", manifesting in the fan community’s distinct linguistic codes, behavioral norms, and value systems. By extending the application of interaction ritual chains to virtual communities, this study not only enriches theoretical discourse but also offers practical insights for media marketing, proposing "ritualized interaction design" as a strategic tool for CP branding.

Digital Business Transformation is a crucial adaptation for organizations to remain competitive in the digital age. It involves leveraging digital tools and technologies to alter operations, customer interactions, and value delivery. This analysis aims to investigate the impact of digital business on organizational resilience, exploring the interplay between digital transformation, adaptive culture, frugal innovation, organizational learning, and organizational resilience. In order to investigate casual linkages, this study takes a quantitative method and gathers data using questionnaires, with a sample size of 295 respondents in a range of jobs within contracting organizations, the study focusses on contractors in Indonesia. This analysis result showing that the digital business transformation can enhance the organizational resilience by improving creativity, efficiency and the agility. Beside this, digital transformation also can boost all the job productivity with the frugal innovation which this can helping organization for adapting from sudden shocks of market volatility. With the digital business transformation, a company can have the adaptive culture for the organizational resilience on the responding for internal and external changes where the company will have better anticipate further changes. Furthermore, digital transformation can facilitate cost-effective solutions and strategic planning for dealing with challenges for a company.

The world is witnessing exponential growth and rapid change brought about by the advent of the digitalisation era. This change offers an opportunity to revisit the strategic approach on using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to improve the delivery of public value. Considering that governments around the world are now facing declining levels of public trust. Using so-called digital transformation, governments adapt the wide use of ICTs to better support government functions, services, and citizens, encouraging their participation in policy-making processes. Successful government digital transformation often depends on the ability of multiple government or non-government organisations to collaborate towards shared objectives. However, most governments are far from fully exploiting the benefits of ICTs, and often forget that in some social groups, access to ICTs is limited at the point of digital inequality. This article provides an overview of how the Indonesian local government implements its digital-based policy, which is centered on an electronic-based government system in Indonesia (SPBE), linking cross-sectoral central government agencies. In recent years, government organisations have spent a large part of their budgets on information and communication systems and rely on these systems for their functioning. However, the complexity of the digital transformation still requires considerable effort, especially when it comes to a lack of ICT infrastructure, human resources, and bureaucratic culture. By using qualitative methods, knowledge is formed through the perspective and way of interpretation that comes from the participants included in the research, not limited to the research implementer. The data will be collected through literature study, in-depth interviews, and observations. The aim of the research is to describe how collaborative governance contributes to the policy process of using ICTs to deliver inclusive policies by local governments.

Childbirth is one of the most important events in women's lives and a bridge for them to enter the maternal stage and accept a new role in the family. Due to the need to promote natural childbirth in the country, in this study, women's lived experience of the emotional link between wife and husband and successful natural delivery studied using the phenomenological methodology and in-depth interviews. Twelve participants were selected from among Tehran's first-born women by purposeful sampling. In this study, according to qualitative and phenomenological research, the sample size was determined based on the theoretical saturation criterion to achieve the research goal and lake of new information's appearance. The collected data analyzed by the Colaizzi method. This study's central theme is the spouse's emotional role in vaginal delivery, which is extracted from three sub-themes of the spouse's positive emotional attitude about natural childbirth, spouse's emotional participation during birth, and spouse's emotional protection after delivery. It seems that the emotional connection between husband and wife in this during can create a more pleasant experience of birth in women and increase women's desire for a natural birth. Indeed, Childbirth is a process that begins with the choice of the type of delivery, and it continues until the full recovery of women after childbirth. The emotional interaction of spouses plays an essential role in the passage of this stage and women's lived experience.

Immigration and population ageing represent circumstances with important sociocultural and economic repercussions. A qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted to understand the daily lives and the work of immigrant women dedicated to caring for older citizens. In-depth interviews and discussion groups were carried out in a group of 40 immigrant carers. Data were analysed via the constant comparative method. Three qualitative themes emerged from the data: 'difficult lives', 'working in the home', and 'the vision of the other'. This study highlights the many difficulties encountered by this population. A sense of vulnerability was described while fulfilling their professional duties due to their migrant condition, experiences of gender inequality, and work status. An emotional connection is necessary to provide care, which is impossible in cases of discrimination. Administrative regularisation is necessary to improve the quality of immigrant carers' working conditions.

Overview: Prior research has understood the process of digital transformation as shifts between digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation phases and has treated the digital transformation process tautologically. In the literature, digital transformation is understood as transforming the whole organization, including its business processes and value proposition. This understanding is problematic because it fails to capture the need for achieving alignment between the organization, the environment, and the strategy based on the finer details of an organization’s context. Achieving this fit is important in a VUCA environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. We conducted a single case study of Linn Products, a UK-based high-tech company renowned for designing and manufacturing high-end home entertainment systems, including digital streaming products, music players, and speakers. This award-winning firm has not only embraced digital transformation but also sustained its performance proactively amidst the dynamic shifts in the consumable electronics industry. Our interpretive longitudinal study spans 2007 to 2023 and incorporates insights from 23 in-depth interviews. Our research provides valuable guidance for practitioners seeking to build resilience and adaptability in an era of digital disruption and polycrisis. Practitioner Takeaways: In an era marked by polycrisis, organizations must cultivate a combination of threshold and core capabilities to attain organizational fitness amidst the challenges of a VUCA environment. To leverage digital transformation, companies must adopt a strategic approach, whether through providing digital support in business processes or opting for full digital participation. Success in digital transformations hinges on the harmonious alignment of strategy, an organization’s unique circumstances, and the dynamic conditions of the VUCA environment.