Dynamic stability of Stackelberg equilibrium in mixed oligopolies: The role of social responsibility, marginal costs, and market structure

Toxic neighbors: E-waste dumps and the decline of social capital

Modeling the empathy-self-discovery paradox in Gen Z social behavior with NPD using artificial neural networks.

Vitamin D deficiency is a growing public health concern among young women. Despite its essential role in bone health and immune function, behavioral barriers limit supplementation. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a social marketing intervention based on the Social Marketing Assessment and Response Tool (SMART) model in improving vitamin D supplementation behavior and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs in female students at Yasuj University of Medical Sciences (YUMS). A quasi-experimental mixed-methods study was conducted in 2024. In the qualitative phase, 17 participants (5 nutrition experts, 2 health education specialists, 10 students) were interviewed using semi-structured guides. Data saturation occurred after 15 interviews, followed by two confirmatory interviews. Directed content analysis identified barriers and facilitators. In the quantitative phase, 224 students (112 intervention, 112 control) were assessed at baseline and one-month post-intervention using TPB-based questionnaires. The intervention, designed using social marketing components (product, price, place, promotion), included free supplement distribution, educational sessions, webinars, and digital materials. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests (P < 0.05). Qualitative analysis yielded 231 codes organized into 4 themes and 13 subthemes. At baseline, no significant differences existed between groups (P > 0.05). Post-intervention, all TPB construct scores were significantly higher with moderate to large effect sizes (r = 0.29-0.61, P < 0.0001). Regular supplementation increased to 92% (n = 103) versus 11.6% (n = 13) in controls (RR = 7.93, P < 0.0001). A SMART model-based social marketing intervention systematically addressing accessibility and facilitation barriers achieved substantial short-term improvements in vitamin D supplementation behavior. However, the study is limited by its one-month follow-up period and reliance on self-reported behavioral assessment. This theory-based, audience-centered approach provides a practical and replicable framework for promoting preventive health behaviors in university settings, though future research with objective biomarkers and extended follow-up is needed to confirm long-term sustainability.

Effects of a community-based social marketing campaign on the social support, self-efficacy, and physical activity of elderly people: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Depression and social capital (SC) have been increasingly studied in diverse cultural settings, yet little is known about their relationship in high-altitude regions such as Ladakh, India. This study examines the association between social capital and depressive tendencies among Ladakhi residents. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 140 residents of Domkhar village, Ladakh, during community medical camps in 2018 to 2019. Depressive tendencies were assessed using the PHQ-9 (cutoff ⩾5, selected to capture mild depressive states based on Asian literature). Social capital was measured with structural and cognitive SC indices, along with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and the Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10). Personality traits were assessed using the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI). Depressive tendencies were identified in 12 participants (8.6%). Univariate logistic regression revealed that age ⩾60 years and living alone were significant risk factors, while being married, good subjective well-being, good health, good economic satisfaction, and engagement in structural SC were protective. Cognitive SC showed a protective trend. Extraversion scores were significantly lower among those with depressive tendencies. MSPSS and RCI-10 demonstrated a strong positive correlation. In multivariate analysis including all predictors simultaneously, only subjective well-being remained statistically significant (OR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.80, 0.98]). Our findings suggest that both social capital and personality traits, particularly extraversion, play protective roles against depressive tendencies in Ladakh. Practical implications include leveraging community and religious structures, such as monasteries and local leaders, to enhance resilience in high-altitude populations.

ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigates how Saudi early childhood Preservice teachers (PTs) negotiate professional identity formation during practicum experiences situated at the intersection of deep-rooted Islamic pedagogical traditions and national modernization reforms (Vision 2030). Framed by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice, the research conceptualizes the practicum as a contested field where PTs navigate competing demands, deploying cultural, religious, and social capital. Data from semi-structured interviews with female PTs, university supervisors (US), and cooperating teachers (CTs) at two Saudi universities revealed key findings. PTs’ motivations and identities were profoundly shaped by Islamic religious capital, viewing teaching as a prophetic, blessed profession central to moral formation and societal building. However, the practicum exposed significant tensions. PTs experienced hysteresis, a disconnect between theoretical knowledge gained at university and the realities of kindergarten practice, manifested as “shock” and frustration. Power dynamics critically influenced their experiences: positive relationships with CTs facilitated practical capital transfer, while relationships with university supervisors were often weak and attenuated. Crucially, PTs were systematically excluded from parent communication, identified as active symbolic violence denying them essential social and cultural capital. This exclusion, justified by their temporary status and lack of “entitlement,” hindered their understanding of home-kindergarten cultural bridges. The study concludes that the Saudi practicum often functions as a site reproducing existing field power structures and hierarchies, potentially fostering compliant rather than empowered professional identities.

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractEntrepreneurial initiatives among repatriates often arise from the interplay between international expatriation experiences and domestic entrepreneurial ecosystems. Returning entrepreneurs leverage the financial, human, and social capital they accumulated abroad, while simultaneously navigating the challenges of reintegration and market adaptation. This study investigates the impact of expatriate-derived resources on the entrepreneurial performance of repatriates in India. Primary data were collected from 420 repatriate entrepreneurs registered with District Industries Centers across India, using a multi-stage random sampling approach. The survey, conducted between January and June 2025, employed confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression techniques to assess the impact of acquired resources on business outcomes. The results indicate that entrepreneurial performance is significantly shaped by financial, social, and human capital, with human capital exerting the strongest positive effect (β = 0.349, p &amp;amp;lt; 0.001), followed by social capital (β = 0.292, p &amp;amp;lt; 0.001) and financial capital (β = 0.185, p &amp;amp;lt; 0.001). Collectively, these factors explain 59% of the variance in entrepreneurial performance. The results indicate that the knowledge and expertise acquired from abroad, financial capital mobilized, and social networks developed tend to foster entrepreneurial performance. Thus, the findings advance the understanding of repatriate entrepreneurship and highlight strategic pathways for enhancing returnees’ contributions to domestic economic development.AcknowledgmentThis study was made possible through the support of repatriate entrepreneurs, who provided timely data during the survey, as well as the University library.

This study focuses on the factors influencing the performance of agribusiness MSME clusters in Central Java Province, an area that has not been previously studied. The novelty of this study lies in the use of cluster performance variables and indicators that differ from those in previous studies. This study uses a descriptive analytical method. The research locations were determined purposively in Pati Regency, Rembang, Demak, Purbalingga, Pekalongan, Sukoharjo, and Magelang City, which have a larger number of agribusiness MSME clusters compared to other regions. The research sample consisted of 251 members of the agribusiness MSMEs cluster, selected proportionally across seven areas. Data analysis used the SEM method with PLS tools. The results of the study indicate that factors influencing the performance of agribusiness MSME clusters include collective efficiency, social capital, and socioeconomic benefits. Company performance does not affect MSME cluster performance. Collective efficiency influences social capital and socioeconomic benefits, while collective efficiency does not affect company performance. Social capital does not affect socioeconomic benefits and company performance. Socioeconomic benefits do affect company performance. Suggestions include strengthening collective efficiency, social capital, and socioeconomic benefits, which influence the performance of agribusiness MSME clusters. Strengthening collective efficiency is necessary to improve the performance of agribusiness MSME clusters. Strengthening social capital and socioeconomic benefits will further boost the performance of agribusiness MSME clusters. Social capital is strengthened when collective efficiency is also improved. Improved social capital will increase socioeconomic benefits. Improved collective efficiency will increase socioeconomic benefits. Stronger socioeconomic benefits will boost company performance.

The purpose of this research was to examine clove marketing channels and the impact of social capital in facilitating marketing processes in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi. In-depth interviews were conducted with clove producers, intermediate traders, and wholesalers to obtain data for a qualitative case study. The data was evaluated thematically to identify patterns of trust, reciprocity, and network interaction in the clove marketing system. The findings revealed two major marketing channels: (1) farmers sell wet cloves to intermediary traders, who then distribute the product to wholesalers and industries, and (2) farmers sell dried cloves directly to wholesalers for higher pricing and greater market control. Trust, reciprocal relationships, and adherence to social standards facilitate unsecured capital loans, promote information exchange, and assure compliance with informal agreements. Strong community values, particularly gotong royong (mutual cooperation) and solidarity, enhance the robustness and adaptation of clove marketing systems. The combination of social capital and digital networking enhances access to market knowledge and promotes sustainable marketing practices. The findings highlight the necessity of increasing social capital to improve farmer welfare, increase market efficiency, and create a sustainable marketing framework. Keywords: clove, marketing channels, rural agribusiness, social capital, trust

Background Addressing intensified labor market competition, this study validates the multidimensional structure of future employability and examines its underlying sequential capital conversion process-a critical objective for higher education-within a non-Western cultural context. Methods Data from 1,304 Chinese undergraduates were analyzed using a rigorous structural modeling approach: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Multi-Group CFA (MG-CFA) to establish Measurement Invariance (MI) across gender, and Sequential Structural Equation Modeling (Sequential SEM). The validated four-factor model comprises Human Capital, Psychological Capital, Social Capital, and Career Development. The successful MI test permitted robust latent mean comparisons. Results Multi-group analyses revealed significant gender differences in resource possession: males excelled in Human Capital, while females reported significantly higher latent means in Psychological Capital. The sequential mediation analysis demonstrated that Human Capital significantly influenced Career Development through the sequential mediating roles of Psychological Capital and Social Capital. Crucially, Psychological Capital was identified as the pivotal psychological engine in this conversion process, serving as the foundational resource that facilitates the mobilization of social capital and subsequent career development. Conclusion This research provides robust empirical support for a dynamic, integrated capital conversion model. Theoretically, it advances capital theory by demonstrating the sequential interplay between cognitive, personality, and social factors, underscoring Psychological Capital as the pivotal engine that facilitates this conversion process. Practically, the findings suggest that higher education interventions should prioritize psychological resilience and self-efficacy alongside traditional skill-building to design gender-sensitive programs that optimize resource transformation for sustainable employability.

Social Capital, Perceived Discrimination, and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults Across Three Racial/Ethnic Groups.

Purpose The research analyses the role of coworking spaces in urban and social regeneration. The purpose of this study is to investigate how coworking can integrate environmental sustainability, social cohesion and economic innovation, positioning itself as a driver of circular economy practices and sustainable local development. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative and exploratory approach, based on three focus groups conducted at Coworking Gottifredo in Alatri (Italy). The investigation explored coworkers’ perceptions of the space as a catalyst for social innovation, collaboration and community participation. The qualitative approach allowed for a deeper understanding of users’ experiences and of the relational and cultural dynamics that characterise coworking as a social ecosystem. Findings The results show that Coworking Gottifredo operates as a community-based ecosystem integrating entrepreneurial, cultural and social dimensions. It fosters the creation of social capital, learning within communities of practice and the shared creation of value. In the case analysed, coworking emerges as a potential catalyst for the regeneration of peripheral urban areas, when supported by local networks and participatory forms of governance. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by examining a coworking case in a small urban context, interpreted within a regenerative and sustainability-oriented framework. Coworking spaces are presented as laboratories of social innovation and territorial resilience, capable of supporting the twin ecological and digital transition through participatory practices and community-based governance models.

We examined the prospective association between social capital at work and perceived age discrimination among 7640 workers aged 50years or older participating in two waves of the Danish SeniorWorkingLife cohort study. Low levels of vertical (risk ratio 3.51 (95% CI: 2.66-4.62)) and horizontal (risk ratio 2.70 (95% CI: 2.04-3.56)) social capital at baseline increased the risk of reporting age discrimination in the labour market at follow-up compared to high levels of social capital. The study contributes knowledge that low levels of social capital is associated with increased risk of experiencing age discrimination in the labour market. The results indicate that measures to enhance the social capital in the workplace may help prevent age discrimination and thereby contribute to prolonging working lives of older workers.

ABSTRACT This article explores the scope of institutionalization of civil society organizations (CSOs) engaged in cross-border cooperation (CBC) between Czechia and Germany. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with representatives of CSOs, the analysis combines Bourdieu’s theory of field and forms of capital with Berger and Luckmann’s theory of institutionalization. Combining these two theoretical perspectives offers an original interpretative approach, which contributes to Border Studies by specifying how “border effects” are mediated through the cross-border valuation and convertibility of different forms of capital, and why many people-to-people initiatives remain institutionally fragile despite decades of European integration. While economic and social capitals are easily transferable across borders, cultural and symbolic capitals are less transferable across borders and remain strongly anchored in national fields. The analysis also shows that project-based, short-term funding causes organizational fragility and is among the main hindrances to institutionalization of CBC activities. It also reveals a discernible asymmetry between Czech CSOs on the one side and German on the other, where CSOs enjoy more supportive economic and symbolic capitals.

Indonesian education faces challenges of globalization, radicalism, and the shallowing of local identity. Multicultural Islamic education offers a solution by integrating tolerance, moderation, and cultural values. This study explores how Syi’ir Ngudi Susilo, a Javanese religious poem, can serve as social capital for multicultural Islamic education through glocalization. The Research employed a qualitative design combining library Research and fieldwork. The Research used critical discourse analysis based on Norman Fairclough’s approach, while ethnographic methods were applied to observe teaching practices in Lamongan, Gresik, and Bojonegoro. Findings reveal that Ngudi Susilo promotes moral discipline, respect for parents and teachers, and cultural pride. Its rhythmic and mnemonic style enhances student engagement and retention. Field data confirm its integration in extracurricular and religious learning, strengthening tolerance and multicultural awareness. Ngudi Susilo represents an effective glocalized educational model, fostering cultural identity while promoting moderation and inclusivity in Islamic education. Overall, this Research seeks to enhance education by exploring the theme of glocalization as a response to technological advancements, incorporating local wisdom found in Syiir Ngudi Susilo.

International travellers and migrants perform self-care to maintain their health in their destination countries. The aim of this review was to determine the self-care needs of international travellers and temporary migrants, and to assess how these needs align with existing self-care frameworks. We conducted a systematic review and meta-synthesis, searching MEDLINE, Embase, International Pharmaceutical s, PsycINFO, and CINAHL for studies on self-care among international travellers or migrants without limiting date and language. Two reviewers performed title and abstract screening after deduplication, followed by full-text screening. Two reviewers used the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine’s (CEBM) Critical Appraisal of Qualitative Studies to assess the quality of selected articles. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus with a third reviewer. Thomas and Harden’s thematic synthesis was applied to synthesise the included literature. El-Osta’s Self-Care Matrix (SCM) was used as a sensitising concept and to map conceptual similarities of descriptive themes. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022372693). The searches retrieved 2,394 articles, of which 17 were considered acceptable quality and included in the meta-synthesis, totalling 769 participants. Two studies were conducted among travellers and 15 among migrants. Twenty-one descriptive themes were generated, and five analytical themes were synthesised. All descriptive themes, except social engagement, were mapped to the SCM, with partial convergences occurring for self-care products and medicines, self-treatment, and treatment adherence. This meta-synthesis identified five self-care needs: self-care empowerment, mutual understanding, healthcare challenges and opportunities, preventive self-care, and self-care facilitation. Travellers’ and migrants’ reduced social capital (resource-gaining from social networks) may impact their ability to self-care, and social engagement is a form of social capital important for their self-care.

In this article, the author attempts to assess selected components of social capital in the context of stimulating social innovation in peripheral areas. The Middle Pomerania region serves as an empirical example. It is the region that is specific in terms of history and structure, which, despite the lack of formal delimitation in the administrative division, exhibits relative economic and social cohesion, while at the same time displaying high intra-regional diversity. The main objective of the article is to diagnose and assess the innovation potential of local communities operating within social organisations, which are main players in the creation of a regional innovation system. The results of the empirical research indicate that the peripherality of the region, although considered rather a dissimulating feature, can in itself be a catalyst for local activity. The inhabitants declare that the Middle Pomerania region, although peripheral, has sufficient social capital resources to create changes and social innovation. In her conclusions, the author suggests constant monitoring of the social capital in peripheral regions and encourages the building of relationships in the region through, among other things, supporting the activities of social organisations. These organisations can and should become stimulators of development for marginalised regions.

The main objective of this research is to prospect the roles and changing aspects of indigenous knowledge as social capital in conflict resolutions of south wollo zone: the case of tehuledere woreda. The research design and approach of this study is a cross sectional design with a mixed research approach, where Survey, and in-depth interview were the primary sources of required data. The quantitative data was collected from 189 household respondents in the selected three kebele districts, namely: Ketie, Weldelulo, and Gobeya by using semi structured survey questionnaire. On the other hand, the qualitative data was collected from in-depth interviews with seven local elders, religious leaders and influential community members, continuing until data is saturated. The findings of this research indicated that land disputes emerged as the predominant source of conflict (51.9%), followed by property related disputes (24.3%) and family related issues (23.8%). The study emphasizes the significant reliance on respected elders and religious leaders in conflict mediation, emphasizing practices such as Shimgilina as central to community cohesion. However, the research also reveals a trend among younger generations towards formal legal systems, posing challenges for the preservation of traditional conflict resolution methods. The research highlights the urgent need for documenting and codifying indigenous knowledge, which is essential for enhancing its relevance and effectiveness in contemporary conflict management. Thereby contributing to socio-economic development South Wollo Zone, Tehuledere wereda.

The article examines the semiotic organization of the female image in professional glossy photography of the early twenty-first century as a mechanism for producing and consolidating normative scripts of femininity in fashion magazines and advertising visuality. The aim of the study is to identify stable codes through which glossy imagery constructs desirability, status, power, pseudo-naturalness, and youth, and to explain how the technological manageability of the image amplifies the predictability of connotations and the effect of the norm’s self-evidence. The relevance of the work is conditioned by the fact that digital shooting and post-production constitute a unified regime of visual production, in which retouching and stylization become routine procedures that complicate the distinction between recording and constructing and expand the sphere of influence of glossy standards in the platform environment. The scientific novelty lies in the operationalization of parameters for the semiotic reading of the glossy frame and in the comparison of single images and series in order to register recurring patterns of gaze, distance, framing, light, and color organization, as well as material markers of capital. As a result, it is demonstrated that the glossy image functions as a stable system of codes, in which composition and camera angle distribute power, framing and fragmentation regulate subjectivity, and light and color typify the emotional regime and enhanced corporeality. Models of the woman as an object of desire, as status and luxury, as strength and power, as carrier of stylized naturalness, and as embodiment of eternal youth are identified. These models are reproduced as legible templates and sustain the mythology of visible naturalness, turning beauty into a disciplinary resource and social capital. The article may be useful to researchers in visual culture, media and fashion communication, as well as to specialists in advertising and gender studies.