Strategic Actions Research Articles

Finishing the business: Disentangled narratives of gendered success, diasporic citizenship and the ongoing quest for balance

Neoliberal narratives of resilience and transformation frame the success of the relatively few women and even fewer immigrant women who succeed in American industry. This article extends the critique of neoliberal feminism with an analysis of how the bestselling memoir and public persona of Indra Nooyi, a globally visible South Asian immigrant woman, disrupt the racial exclusivity of the discourse on women and work while aligning with a post-feminist vision of success. Through a critical reading of Nooyi's self-making in her memoir and in interviews conducted globally and across platforms, this article argues that by equating her extraordinary success to strategic individual actions, familial support, traditional diasporic values, caste affiliations and national affirmation, Nooyi forecloses the possibility of structural critique and collective feminist politics. The elite gendered narrative of success overrides intersections and fortifies the economistic logics that underpin neoliberal discourses on race and gender.

From strategy to success: the path to financial resilience through strategic fresight in mining SMEs

This study examines the influence of strategic foresight on the financial performance of small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) within the mining sector of South Africa's Eastern Limb. It examines the roles of scenario planning, external environmental assessment, and organisational culture in fostering financial resilience and competitive advantage. The research utilises a quantitative methodology, employing survey data gathered from 310 participants, comprising firm owners, managers, and employees within mining SMEs. The study employs linear regression analysis to evaluate the correlations between strategic foresight activities and financial performance metrics, including revenue growth, profitability, and return on investment (ROI). Reliability was established via Cronbach’s alpha (exceeding 0.9 for all constructs), while validity was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients. The findings demonstrate that all three elements of strategic foresight—scenario planning, external environmental scanning, and organisational culture—exhibit a substantial and favourable correlation with financial success in mining SMEs. The investigation indicates that SMEs with strong strategic foresight systems are more adept at risk mitigation, regulatory adaptation, and maintaining financial growth. The research highlights the essential function of strategic foresight in improving financial resilience and stability in mining-focused SMEs. Companies that actively participate in scenario planning and environmental monitoring while fostering a robust organisational culture are more likely to adeptly manage market uncertainty. The findings provide guidance to SME leaders, policymakers, and researchers on incorporating foresight-driven strategies for enduring sustainability and financial prosperity.

Socioprofessional dynamics in a Federal Public Administration Institution in Brazil

This study represents a segment of broader research on the production context of goods and services in a federal educational institution located in the Federal District, Brazil. The investigation analyzed socioprofessional relationships in this Federal Public Administration institution, using the Work Context Assessment Scale (WCAS) as a reference. A quantitative approach was adopted, characterized as descriptive and inferential research. Data were collected through a survey, with the instrument made available to 1,294 federal public servants, obtaining a total of 424 respondents. The findings of this study point to the need for implementing short- and medium-term strategic actions aimed at improving perceptions of the factors that compose social and professional interactions in this context. Such measures are essential for mitigating work-related discomfort and reducing the risk of illness among federal public servants, contributing to a healthier and more productive organizational environment.

Value-Based Care in Orthopaedic Surgery: Outcomes, Costing, and Policy Updates.

➢ Strategic action following the measurement of outcomes in the context of cost allows for the reallocation of resources to value-adding interventions, while eliminating non-value-adding services.➢ Providers and administrators should leverage institutional alignment to advance best-practice principles through integration and utilization of patient-reported outcomes and cost-containment initiatives and engagement in institution-wide value-based care dialogue.➢ Health-care policy and reimbursement structures in the United States are shifting from a fee-for-service model to a value-based care model with policy changes such as the Hospital Price Transparency Regulation by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement, the risk-standardized performance measure for elective total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty based on patient-reported outcomes, and the Transforming Episode Accountability Model.➢ The incorporation of machine learning technologies presents major potential for refining our understanding of high-value events and identifying exemplary surgeons within the orthopaedic field. The successful incorporation of artificial intelligence models into practice requires investment from and alignment of several partners: health-care administrators, information technology, legal teams, providers, and patients.

Accomplishing SMEs’ performance through firm resilience and strategic planning

ABSTRACT This research investigated the relationships between firm resilience, strategic planning, and the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the informal economy. We gathered data from 314 owner-managers and managers of SMEs in Nigeria dealing with the importation and sale of fabrics. We utilized the partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis to determine the direct and indirect relationships between firm resilience, strategic planning, and the performance of SMEs. The result reflected that while the direct relationship between strategic planning and SME performance is confirmed, this relationship is strengthened by the mediating role of firm resilience, and thus suggests that firms must consider firm resilience capabilities as a critical component in their strategic planning activities. Theoretical and managerial implications were discussed in the study.

Ruta de actividades en el departamento de RR.HH.

The human resources department is a key pillar in any company's organizational structure, as proper management depends on a solid foundation of human capital. This team is key to attracting, developing, and retaining staff capable of performing and solving all the technical, strategic, and knowledge-based activities of any organization. This paper presents an analysis of the path to follow within the human resources department, from the opening of a business to the evaluation of staff performance, highlighting the importance of each stage in building a strong team.

Gaps in environmental and social evidence base are holding back strategic action on our national food system

ABSTRACT While there is broad agreement on the challenges facing the Aotearoa New Zealand food system now and in the near future, there is less agreement on the action to be taken. Poor agreement is fuelled by gaps in both our scientific understanding of the food system and data to support our decision making, particularly in the environmental and social spaces. Filling these gaps and being transparent about scientific confidence in future predictions will strengthen the evidence base for action.

Ambulance Deserts

The growing prevalence of ambulance deserts—geographic areas where residents live more than 25 minutes from the nearest ambulance station—poses a critical threat to health equity and public safety in the United States. Rooted in systemic underinvestment, workforce shortages, and fragmented policies, these deserts disproportionately affect rural and underserved communities, where response times can exceed 30 to 60 minutes during life-threatening emergencies. This paper examines the structural determinants of ambulance deserts, including the lack of statutory recognition of EMS as an essential service, outdated reimbursement models, and the absence of coordinated sustainability planning. Drawing on two decades of leadership experience across EMS, public health, and government, the author outlines five strategic actions for EMS leaders: securing essential service designation, advancing statewide sustainability plans, advocating for readiness-based funding, expanding Medicaid reimbursement pathways, and strengthening the EMS workforce. The paper also explores global parallels, offering key lessons for international health and emergency systems. Ultimately, ambulance deserts must be reframed as a public health emergency requiring bold leadership, integrated policy reform, and sustained public investment. EMS leaders are uniquely positioned to drive this transformation—if they act decisively and strategically.

Influencers as emerging actors in global digital propaganda

This article conceptualizes the emerging phenomenon of ‘influencer propaganda’, which we define as the various persuasive, strategic communicative actions by social media influencers that promote political and ideological agendas through popular content and emotional appeals, with the intent to affect behaviour and belief among their followers. The current discussion of such practices frequently reproduces a dichotomy of ‘illegitimate’ vs ‘legitimate’ political communication. In contrast to this, we propose viewing influencer propaganda as a near-global political activity that can be found in both domestic and external spheres, regardless of political system and national context. By illustrating this phenomenon with observations from China, we argue that influencer propaganda in China and beyond is not solely dictated by traditional political actors but is instead negotiated through the interplay of political, corporate, and personal interests, all mediated by the affordances of digital platforms and embodied in the influencers’ digital performances.

Strategic Action Field Theory: Explaining Variation in the Percentage of Women on Boards in Credit Unions

A key feature of strategic action field (SAF) theory is the importance attached to collective identity, group membership, and social skills in understanding social orders. Gender is part of a SAF’s social order. This study investigates the relationship between credit union SAF choice and the percentage of women on boards. The setting is community credit unions in Northern Ireland where three distinct SAFs are explicitly identifiable, where board gender diversity is not subject to regulation, and where prior research identified financial management benefits from women on boards. The findings are that common understandings of the social order in community credit union SAFs are an important determinant of women on boards in credit unions. Credit unions belonging to the Orange Order SAF, a conservative religious organization, reveal a preference for a lower percentage of women on boards relative to credit unions not belonging to a SAF that emphasizes religious identity.

The Role, Functioning, and Contemporary Challenges of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in International Dispute Settlement

Established in 1899, the Permanent Tribunal of Arbitration (PCA) is crucial to the mutually beneficial resolution of international conflicts. The PCA offers an adaptable and readily available institutional framework for arbitrators as well as other dispute resolution procedures, even though it does not constitute a court in the traditional sense of the word. In addition to assessing the PCA's present challenges, such as issues with credibility, conformity, and international inspirations, this article analyzes the corporation's organizational framework, organizational working properly, and administrative procedures. A unique position in the framework of global law is held by the International Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). It offers an adaptable, arranged structure to facilitate managing the operation of mediation along with other types of dispute resolution, although lacking having the standard judicial functions of a court, such as has mandatory competence or an ongoing bench for delivering decisions. Because of its adaptability, the PCA can be utilized on an array of problems, such as across state lines, investor-state, and environmentalist conflicts, by governments, international organizations, and private organizations. In along with providing administrative assistance, arbitrator appointments, and individually tailored rules, the PCA's operational architecture upholds scientific knowledge and institutionalized truthfulness. In order to understand how the PCA supports international disagree settlement, this investigation aims to analyze its institutional framework, operational procedures, and administration practices. It examines the role of participating nations and arbitrators, the Global Bureau's makeup and operations, and the administrative independence granted to contending participants. In additional to this organizational evaluation, the paper objectively analyzes a number of current issues confronting the PCA, the most prominent of which are problems of trustworthiness, the implementation of arbitral awards, and the increasing influence of global pressures on the organization's functioning. The fragmentation of dispute resolution forums, the strategic actions of powerful states, and the conflict between public accountability and confidentiality are all issues that are reflected in international law. For the purpose of to further strengthen the PCA's accessibility and performance in a disconnected multinational judiciary, the article concluded with reform suggestions.

Dinâmica socioprofissional em uma Institution da Administração Pública Federal no Brasil

This study represents a segment of broader research on the production context of goods and services in a federal educational institution located in the Federal District, Brazil. The investigation analyzed socioprofessional relationships in this Federal Public Administration institution, using the Work Context Assessment Scale (WCAS) as a reference. A quantitative approach was adopted, characterized as descriptive and inferential research. Data were collected through a survey, with the instrument made available to 1,294 federal public servants, obtaining a total of 424 respondents. The findings of this study point to the need for implementing short- and medium-term strategic actions aimed at improving perceptions of the factors that compose social and professional interactions in this context. Such measures are essential for mitigating work-related discomfort and reducing the risk of illness among federal public servants, contributing to a healthier and more productive organizational environment.

STRATEGIA: A REFLECTIVE STRATEGY FORMULATION MODEL FOR DEVELOPING SCHOOL EXCELLENCE THROUGH BLUEPRINT-BASED PLANNING

Objective: This study introduces STRATEGIA (Strategic Reflective Action for Growth and Institutional Advantage), a reflective strategy formulation model designed to support schools in developing context-sensitive and strength-based strategic blueprints for institutional excellence. Method: Employing a design-based research approach, the model was piloted with 19 school principals through a structured training program. Data were collected via pre–post surveys, blueprint portfolio analysis, and reflective documentation to evaluate shifts in strategic thinking and planning competence. Results: Findings indicate substantial improvements in participants’ strategic understanding and blueprint development, with score increases ranging from 24% to 53%. Participants rated the model as clear, relevant, and practically applicable in the context of school planning. Novelty: STRATEGIA is distinguished by its integration of Appreciative Inquiry, Resource-Based View (VRIO), SOAR, Organizational DNA, PESTEL, and stakeholder mapping into a five-stage reflective process—Reflective Discovery, Signature Formulation, Strategic Visualization, Roadmap Development, and First-Year Strategic Initiatives. This innovative combination provides a practical and scalable planning framework that is rooted in institutional identity, offering a novel contribution to strategic leadership development in educational settings.

Towards Effective Implementation of Equity-Based Strategies in Tanzania Public Secondary Schools. A Case Study of Dodoma Region

Access to education is a fundamental right for every child. As such, promoting equity in the education system so as to facilitate access by every child is key to realising this goal. This study, therefore, sought to explore mechanisms for promoting effective implementation of equity-based strategies in Tanzania's public secondary schools. The study was carried out in the Dodoma region and employed a multiple case study design, which allowed the selection of two case study areas that included Dodoma City, representing the urban setting, and Kondoa district, representing the rural setting. One hundred Forty-Four (144) participants from seven (7) public secondary schools were involved in the study. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires. Quantitative data were analysed through descriptive analysis and presented in numerical and graphical form, while qualitative data were analysed through inductive content analysis and presented in thematic form and narratives. Study findings suggest that the successful implementation of equity-based strategies in public secondary schools in Tanzania will require employing strategic actions that have the ability to make it possible for equity to be achieved in these schools. Hence, a set of possible strategies were identified and some of them include increasing support to schools so as to strengthen implementation of more activities for enhancing prospects for implementing equity-based strategies, promoting teacher professional training and instituting measures to mitigate socioeconomic status stigma for students while at school, among others. Implications of the above findings show that, if such actions are not taken seriously by education stakeholders, effective implementation of equity-based strategies to respond to equity issues in public secondary schools may not easily be achieved, and as a result, this may hold back government efforts towards promoting equity in public secondary schools in Tanzania.

Pokdarwis (Tourism Awareness Group) Strategies in the Development of Sanjai Tourism Village, Bukittinggi City: An Analysis of Bourdieu’s Habitus and Capital

This research explores how the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) implementing Community-Based Tourism (CBT) in Sanjai Tourism Village, Bukittinggi, West Sumatera. By describing the strategies they have developed to promote tourism. As tourism serves as a vital economic driver, requires community involvement for sustainability. Employing a qualitative approach, this research gathers data through in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis to assess Pokdarwis’ strategies in fostering tourism growth within the village. The analysis is framed using Bourdieu’s theoretical concepts of habitus, capital, and field. Key findings show Pokdarwis: (1) developing tourism plans; (2) promoting the destination; (3) utilizing social capital; (4) empowering pokdarwis members. Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and capital (cultural, social, economic) highlight how shared norms and networks empower Pokdarwis to lead CBT sustainably. By blending local culture, strategic action, and community participation, Pokdarwis strengthens economic benefits while preserving cultural identity. This approach offers a model for policymakers and practitioners to enhance CBT through grassroots collaboration and socio-cultural alignment

The role of community pharmacists in natural disasters: Experiences from the 2023 Türkiye earthquakes.

The role of community pharmacists in natural disasters: Experiences from the 2023 Türkiye earthquakes.

Using strategic translation to empower meaningful language learning: a translanguaging perspective

Over the past decades, there has been a notable shift in pedagogical approaches, challenging the dominance of monolingualism in language teaching. Translanguaging has emerged as a promising approach to language education. This study adopts a design-based methodology, employing various data sources (video recordings, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations) to investigate translanguaging strategies used by a Chinese college English teacher within a translation activity. The findings reveal that the teacher uses translanguaging strategies to support students’ acquisition of lexical and background knowledge, syntactic and semantic understanding, along with procedural knowledge and comprehension skills. Furthermore, the teacher’s application of translanguaging serves as a valuable tool for scaffolding students’ language learning across different dimensions: learning content meaning, learning the mechanisms of language and learning the world. By leveraging students’ first language, engaging in strategic translation activities and implementing a structured translanguaging pedagogy, educators can glean valuable insights into translanguaging pedagogies in EFL and EMI education in China.

Supply chain resilience and critical dynamic capabilities: a balanced scorecard approach

ABSTRACT This study explores the critical dynamic capabilities (DC) needed to ensure supply chain resilience during large-scale disruptions, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. By utilising the balanced scorecard (BSC) framework, the research connects dynamic capabilities to organisational strategy and key perspectives on financial performance, processes, growth, and learning. Additionally, it considers the customer perspective to meet changes in demand and internal processes, which reveals the importance of operational-level flexibility. Through 24 expert interviews conducted online and in person in Sweden and Finland, the study demonstrates how strategic resources can be transformed into complementary capabilities that enhance supply chain resilience. The findings indicate that developing dynamic capabilities at all levels of the supply chain is a strategic action for achieving supply chain resilience and crucial for managerial action for effectively responding to large-scale disruptions. The research presents a comprehensive approach to building critical dynamic capabilities organised through the BSC framework.

Ukraine’s Counter-Strategic Responses Toward Russian Propaganda and Disinformation During the War

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was followed by a series of propaganda and disinformation aimed at degrading the government's political power and military capabilities in dealing with the war situation. Since the conflict escalated, there has been a significant increase in the spread of Russian propaganda messages and disinformation narratives among domestic Ukrainian society. Given the importance of political support and international legitimacy for the attack on Ukraine, the spread of propaganda and fake news about Ukraine has also targeted the global public. The enormous political impact requires Ukraine to take strategic countermeasures against the domination of Russian disinformation narratives. This study aims to explain the various strategic actions taken by the Ukrainian government and community organizations to overcome the spread of Russian propaganda messages and disinformation. This research uses a qualitative approach to analyze several of Ukraine’s actions toward Russian propaganda and disinformation attacks. A literature study technique has been conducted in this research by exploring the government’s statements, previous research, online publications, and other resources to collect data related to the topic. In general, this research found that the Ukrainian government, in collaboration with civil society communities, has increased anti-propaganda and disinformation campaigns to deal with the problems domestically. Meanwhile, various diplomatic initiatives are conducted in collaboration with governments and community organizations in different countries to counter the spread of Russian disinformation in the international sphere. It is hoped that, by applying those strategic steps, Ukraine can efficiently degrade Russia's political power and information domination regarding the war situation in the global arena. Keywords: Propaganda; Disinformation; Russia; Ukraine

SHERIF KHIMSHIASHVILI — ARCHITECT OF PEACEFUL INTEGRATION

The presented scientific work is dedicated to an in-depth analysis of the political figure of Sherif Khimshiashvili and an assessment of his strategic actions in the historical context of the second half of the 19th century. The authors present him as an example of transformational leadership, whose political vision and moral authority became a decisive factor in the peaceful return of Adjara to its historical homeland - Mother Georgia.. Historians explore how Sherif Khimshiashvili, relying on dynastic tradition, inherited responsibility, and a sense of political intuition, was able to guide regional transition without violence. He is portrayed not as a passive feudal lord but as an active intermediary between external empires and the local society. His strategy was rooted in internal legitimacy, negotiation-focused politics, and cultural compatibility, which enabled the peaceful navigation of a potentially conflict-ridden transformation. The paper is based on discourse-contextual analysis, integrating historical sources with contemporary theoretical approaches, including leadership theory, memory politics, and the concept of transitional justice. The authors argue that Sherif Khimshiashvili's actions may be interpreted as a realization of national self-consciousness that transcended the circumstantial role of the ruling class and exemplified moral leadership during the imperial age. Khimshiashvili’s political strategy established a legitimate basis for the integration of Adjara with the Georgian state—a process that remains a relevant lesson for modern Georgia, especially in a time when reconciling regional identities with national unity continues to be a challenge. His legacy, which combines feudal tradition, national vision, and peaceful diplomacy, deserves greater recognition in both Georgia’s collective historical memory and its contemporary political thought.