Advances in Social Sciences and Management

The Design of Academic Advancement: Dissecting Tenure and Promotion

Cheryl Pollard — 2026-04-01

Racial disparities have long characterized Canadian higher education, and nursing academia is no exception. Persistent underrepresentation of racialized groups within nursing faculties contributes to lower enrollment of Indigenous and Black students and limits the racial and ethnic diversity of the nursing workforce. This lack of representation continues to shape inequitable access to healthcare and contributes to documented disparities in health outcomes. Research consistently demonstrates that Indigenous and Black students, staff, and faculty encounter ongoing negative experiences—ranging from subtle exclusion to overt discrimination—that affect their retention, sense of belonging, and overall quality of academic and work life. Among faculty members, one critical space where these experiences often surface is within tenure and promotion committees, which play a central role in shaping career advancement and academic culture. The purpose of this review was to apply Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle to examine a specific experience within a Tenure and Promotion Committee, focusing on how such processes intersect with efforts to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Using an adaptive leadership lens, the review considers how entrenched norms within academic structures can impede meaningful progress, even when institutions express commitments to EDI. Adaptive leadership highlights the need for cultural change, emotional resilience, and collective responsibility—elements often challenged within traditional academic settings. The findings suggest that organizational change within a nursing faculty can provoke significant emotional distress. This distress may manifest as heightened defensiveness, reduced openness to new perspectives, and an increased propensity toward unkind or exclusionary behaviours. Such reactions can erode empathy, compassion, and cognitive flexibility—qualities essential to fostering psychological safety. Because psychologically safe environments are foundational to both faculty well‑being and student success, recognizing and addressing the emotional dimensions of change is crucial. Without deliberate attention to these dynamics, efforts to advance EDI risk being superficial, resisted, or unsustainable.

Educational Inclusion by Conviction

José Manuel Salum Tomé — 2026-04-30

Inclusive education began to be addressed within the broader international debate on “Education for All” (EFA), a debate initiated at the World Conference held in Jomtien , Thailand , in 1990. From Jomtien to the present, thinking has evolved from the almost symbolic presence of special educational needs in the initial documentation to the recognition that inclusion must be a fundamental principle of the EFA movement as a whole. Within this process, the Salamanca Statement on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality (UNESCO, 1994) stands out, as it is from this statement that the concept of educational inclusion emerged strongly. From then on, the scope and perspectives of inclusive education have been based on the idea that all children and young people have the right to a quality education with equivalent learning opportunities, regardless of their social and cultural background and their differences in abilities and capacities (IBE-UNESCO, 2008).

The Jewish-Roman Alliance of 47 BCE

Valentine J. Belfiglio — 2026-04-24

Julius Caesar, unlike Pompey, and future Roman leaders, utilized Jewish soldiers as auxiliaries during the Battle of the Nile in 47 BCE. Methodology: Historiography and conceptual analysis of the writings of ancient and modern scholars and historians. Results: Judea became a client state of Rome during the remainder of Caesar’s reign. Conclusion and Implications: Future Roman leaders did not possess Caesar’s diplomatic genius and sought to dominate Judea as a subject state. rather than maintain it as a client state of Rome.

Bridging Clinical Music Therapy and Social Inclusion: The D.D.A.T.A. Framework as a Tool For Community-Based Interventions

Ioannis Makris — 2026-04-30

The present study explores the Differentiated Didactic Approach to Teaching the Arts (D.D.A.T.A.) as a transformative framework bridging clinical music therapy with inclusive community practices. While traditional music education often marginalizes individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to rigid pedagogical structures, the D.D.A.T.A. model provides a flexible, multisensory methodology tailored to diverse neurodevelopmental profiles. Drawing upon the theoretical foundations of Positive Psychology, specifically the P.E.R.M.A. model, and Michael Apter’s Reversal Theory, this research analyzes over a decade of clinical implementation within community ensembles, most notably the Ichochroma Orchestra. The findings, derived through qualitative participatory observation and longitudinal case studies, demonstrate that D.D.A.T.A. functions as a critical intervention that enhances emotional well-being and fosters authentic social inclusion. By integrating clinical improvisation, specialized percussion techniques, and community-based performances, the framework dismantles the systemic barriers between therapeutic settings and professional artistic spaces. The study advocates for a shift from a deficit-based medical model to a strength-based social paradigm, emphasizing that structured differentiation is the key to unlocking the vocational and cultural potential of vulnerable groups.

Cross-Sector Collaboration for Social Impact: Evidence from Thailand’s Digital and Innovation Ecosystem

Cattleya Delmaire — 2026-04-24

Nonprofit organizations increasingly operate in complex institutional environments where achieving sustainable social impact requires collaboration beyond organizational boundaries. As social challenges become more interconnected and technology-driven, nonprofit leaders must develop the capacity to work across legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, research institutions, private firms, and community organizations. This paper examines Thailand’s digital and innovation ecosystem as a case of cross-sector collaboration that supports measurable social outcomes. Particular attention is given to the continuing development at Wieng Pa Pao College in Chiang Rai province, where cooperation among public institutions, regulators, university research centers, private telecommunications firms, and local educators has promoted SDG awareness, curriculum integration, and digital literacy. Using a qualitative case study approach and a leadership-oriented evaluation framework, the paper analyzes how governance alignment, regulatory stability, and institutional continuity contribute to sustainable impact. The findings suggest that effective nonprofit leadership in contemporary contexts requires policy literacy, cross-sector negotiation skills, and the ability to design impact measurement systems within multi-actor environments. The study offers practical implications for nonprofit management education and for leaders seeking to operate in complex digital ecosystems in emerging economies.

The Black-Scholes Formula when Traders are (Only) Sufficiently Rational

Hammad Siddiqi — 2026-04-24

The Black-Scholes-Merton model assumes that investors form perfectly rational expectations. Given the challenges associated with forming perfectly rational expectations, in reality, traders may only be forming sufficiently rational expectations (expectations that deviate from perfection without creating arbitrage opportunities). In this article, by using recent findings from brain sciences, we adjust the Black-Scholes formula for sufficiently rational expectations. We find that a relatively simple adjustment arises in the Black-Scholes formula (a higher rate replaces the risk-free rate in the call option formula). The adjusted formula generates the implied volatility skew and potentially contributes to a number of well-known option pricing puzzles.

The Genius of Julius Caesar within the Context of Logistical and Battlefield Considerations

Valentine J. Belfiglio — 2026-04-19

Thesis Statement: The Battles of Gergovia and Dyrrachium were neither victories nor defeats for Gaius Julius Caesar. Methodology: Historiography and conceptual analysis of the writings of ancient and modern scholars and historians. Results: At Dyrrachium, Caesar executed a logistical maneuver by relocating his troops to Pharsalus instead of retreating, leading to heavier losses for Pompey. The action at Gergovia was a Delay Operation. After being betrayed by the Aedui, Caesar avoided a direct attack and positioned his army in a defensive position . Conclusion and Implications: The Battles of Gergovia and Dyrrachium were neither victories nor defeats for Caesar. What both battles demonstrate is the genius of Julius Caesar within the context of logistical considerations and changing conditions on the battlefield.

Artificial Intelligence in Curriculum Decision-Making: A Human–AI Comparison of Core Knowledge Selection in Patent Law Education

Rain Chen — 2026-04-27

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence, its potential role in professional decision-making and curriculum design has attracted increasing scholarly attention in higher education. In specialized courses such as intellectual property and patent law for design students, instructors must select core knowledge from intricate legal frameworks based on teaching objectives, professional relevance, and students’ learning needs. This process involves professional judgment that is often rooted in instructors’ accumulated experience and tacit knowledge, and is therefore difficult to standardize or replicate. This study investigates whether artificial intelligence can effectively participate in professional knowledge selection and instructional decision-making in specialized education. Using all 159 articles of the current Patent Act of the Republic of China as the shared evaluation framework, this study adopts a human–AI comparative research design. Artificial intelligence and an experienced instructor teaching intellectual property courses in a design department independently selected core legal provisions under the same teaching scenario. The overlap and differences between their selections were then systematically examined. The results reveal a notable degree of convergence between artificial intelligence and the human instructor in provisions related to ownership of service inventions and designs, definitions of inventions and designs, novelty requirements, and core regulations of design patents. However, marked divergences emerge in the emphasis on on procedural and institutional provisions. Artificial intelligence tended to focus on provisions related to design protection, novelty risks, and scope of patent rights, whereas the human instructor placed greater emphasis on the systemic coherence of the patent framework and its underlying procedural architecture. Overall, the findings underscore that artificial intelligence demonstrates considerable potential in supporting professional judgment and curriculum decision-making, particularly in identifying core knowledge related to practical risks and application strategies. In the era of digital content, virtual products, and Metaverse creation, where intellectual property issues are becoming increasingly complex, artificial intelligence may serve as a valuable decision-support tool for curriculum design and teaching content planning. Nevertheless, instructors’ institutional understanding and teaching experience remain indispensable to the effective integration of artificial intelligence into specialized education.

Pluralism Under Siege: Islamization, Minority Persecution, and the Erosion of Civil Liberties in Post-Assad Syria

Shaul M. Gabbay — 2026-04-03

When Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged to govern an inclusive Syria in which diversity would be treated as a national strength. Fifteen months later, that pledge has been systematically contradicted. Drawing on constitutional documents, human rights reports, and documentary evidence through March 2026, this article examines how Syria's transitional government has pursued the Islamization of governance while failing to prevent, and in key instances enabling, mass sectarian violence against the country's religious and ethnic minorities. The new constitutional declaration formally elevated Islamic jurisprudence as the principal source of legislation; an all-Sunni Fatwa Council was established to vet legislation; and a series of social norm directives have imposed conservative Islamic standards on a religiously diverse population. Pro-government forces conducted massacres of Alawite civilians in March 2025, with a confirmed death toll exceeding 1,400, followed by mass killings of Druze in July 2025 leaving over 1,000 dead. Christians face systematic intimidation and structural exclusion. The regime's accountability mechanisms have been opaque and inadequate. This article argues that the gap between al-Sharaa's inclusive rhetoric and HTS governance reflects a structural tension between Islamist ideology and Syria's irreducible pluralism, with profound implications for domestic stability and international human rights.

Agency and Consciousness: Towards an Integrated Foundation for Behavioural Economics The Architecture of Choice as a Bounded Universe: Empirical Evidence for Jung (1921) with an Instrumental MBTI Intake for cCC*

Colin G Benjamin — 2026-03-09

This paper advances a bounded-universe claim about choice architecture: Jung's Psychological Types (1921) is not treated as a loose typology of labels, but as an empirically instanced architecture that yields a closed, non-degenerate 16-state distribution (15 differentiated positions plus an integrative whole). Using ABS-labelled Roy Morgan Single Source files reported as unweighted respondent counts (earlier extract n=322,119; later pooled five-year extract n=327,119), we show that every state carries non-zero population mass and that the full grid sums to a complete probability space within rounding tolerance. We further show that this boundedness persists when the same base population is re-expressed through multiple independent profile partitions (e.g., gender, SES, technology, social direction, family stage, health, and "mattering"). This matters for behavioural economics because it supplies a practical bridge between intrinsically private experience and public coordination: experience remains private in its intrinsic character (as emphasised in contemporary "hard question" framings), while its downstream footprints in patterned preference, priority formation, and maintained commitment are empirically observable. We define Consciousing (cCC*) as the human process that converts life chances into choices and sustained changes via disciplined testing and stabilised determination, yielding measurable agency outcomes (autonomy, coherent identity, and sustained commitment). MBTI is accepted instrumentally as a structured language through which individuals articulate their private life chances, choices, and changes; cCC* then specifies how that articulation is converted into publicly followable criteria through a repeatable protocol ("Walking the Squares") and auditable decision-work cycles (AEIOUF/ICOSA). We conclude with a testable programme for applied validation focused on protocol fidelity and outcome value ("enjoy living MORE of life"), and we invite contributions that strengthen operational transparency, comparative evaluation, and translation into practice.

24-hour Movement Behaviors in Minority Children from Low-income Families in the U.S

Kara K. Palmer — 2026-03-22

Purpose: We examined adherence to the 24-hr movement guidelines in a sample of primarily African American children from low-income families in the U.S. Secondly, we examined how parental practices and the screen environment within the home related to child health behaviors. Methods: 48 families completed questionnaires regarding child screen time, sleep, and parental practices/screen environment within the home. Children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed using Actigraphs. Adherence to guidelines was calculated as a percentage of the population who met guidelines, and differences MVPA, screen time, and sleep were examined between children from families with and without screen time rules and between children who did and did not have access to screens in the room where they slept. Results: One child (3%) met all 24-hour movement recommendations during the week, and 7 children (26%) met all on the weekend. Children with access to screens where theft slept had more weekday screen time than children without access to screens (p<0.05). Children with screen time rules engaged in more MVPA on weekdays than children without rules (p<0.05). Conclusion: Children mostly failed to meet guidelines. Parental practices and home screen environment influenced children’s movement behaviors.

Policy Shifts and Workforce Stability: Examining the Impact of Regulatory Frameworks and Business Cycles on Employee Turnover in Telecom

LRK Krishnan — 2026-04-09

The telecommunications industry is operating in a highly regulated and technologically dynamic environment, particularly in emerging economies like India. Frequent regulatory reforms, spectrum policies, tariff restructuring, and compliance mandates regularly reshape industry structures. In such a policy-intensive sector, institutional changes can influence organizational stability and employee role expectations. While employee turnover has been widely studied, limited research examines how macro-level regulatory forces affect attrition in regulated technology industries. This study addresses that gap by investigating the impact of regulatory changes and evolving work nature on employee turnover in India’s telecom sector. Drawing on Institutional Theory and turnover models, the study proposes that regulatory pressures directly and indirectly influence turnover, potentially mediated by business cycles, while changes in work nature may affect turnover through job satisfaction. Using a descriptive empirical design, data were collected from 75 telecom professionals. Reliability was acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.707), and regression and mediation analyses were conducted. Findings show that the regulatory framework significantly predicts employee turnover (R² = 0.1389; b = 0.4121; p = 0.001), indicating that institutional pressures directly drive attrition. However, business cycle mediation was not significant, and changes in work nature and job satisfaction did not significantly influence turnover. The study extends Institutional Theory to workforce research, demonstrating that in highly regulated industries, regulatory volatility outweighs traditional satisfaction-based predictors of attrition. Managerially, the findings highlight the need for transparent communication, proactive workforce planning, and structured upskilling initiatives to reduce uncertainty-driven turnover. Overall, regulatory instability emerges as a dominant factor shaping employee retention in policy-intensive sectors.

Involvement of Clinical Psychologists in Organizational Resilience: Membership, Regulations, and Innovations in the Community Health Insurance Schemes in South Kivu/Eastern DRC

Buhendwa Wendo Mweze Victor — 2026-03-27

Multisectoral crises of a political, economic, and socio-health nature raise important concerns. They spark curiosity about how to involve clinical work psychologists into multidisciplinary organizational/ institutional diagnostic teams. Drawing on documented statistics, interviews, and survey conducted among 367 members, this study examines membership status and the mechanisms as well as innovative corrective measures that have been implemented or should be introduced to strengthen the organizational resilience of mutual health insurance organization. The analysis revealed an overall decline in membership, estimated at 18.6% in urban areas and 19.9 % in rural areas in 2025 compared to 2020. These differences are statistically equivalent (Chi-square test not significant at the 0.05 level). According to 78% of respondents, fragile management practices, weak regulatory mechanisms, combined with certain exogenous factors, are the primary causes of the structural shortcomings observed. The study recommends the creation of a multidisciplinary technostructure team including a clinical psychologist specializing in work and organizations. It contributes to the ongoing discussion on the necessity of collaborative work among technocrats responsible for diagnosing atypical situations, adjustments, innovations, and the structuring of micro-organizations.

Leadership Communication and Emotional Health: Investigating the Mediating Role of Workplace Spirituality among Pre-University Educators in Northern Malaysia

Kanmani A/P Silvaraja — 2026-03-13

This study examines mediating role of workplace spirituality on the correlation between leadership communication and emotional health among pre-university educators in Northern Malaysia was investigated. This research integrates communication and spiritual resource perspectives within educational leadership using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, Social Exchange Theory, and Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory. According to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was a synthesis of 44 high-quality empirical studies from Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC databases. Then, a quantitative survey was taken of 100 pre university educators in the Northern Region, with Structural Equation Modeling (SmartPLS 4) used to analyze the relationship. Hypothesis: Workplace spirituality is a partial mediator of the relationship between leadership communication and emotional health, accounting for approximately 50% of the variance in emotional well-being. The study contributes to leadership communication theory, educational well-being literature, and regional policy implementation strategies.

Psychological Capital and Ethical Leadership as Determinants of Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Evgenia Pavlakou — 2026-03-22

A Century-Old Socialwork* Problem Solution (Jung 1921) Revisited

Colin G Benjamin — 2026-03-09

This manuscript revisits a century-old Socialwork* problem: how a conjoint client-worker process can justify choices, act ethically, and remain empirically disciplined without collapsing lived meaning into mere measurement or collapsing evidence into mere narrative. The proposal is that Socialwork* requires a Cube of Consciousing (CoC) for <cCC* >as an organizing form, function, frame, and focus. CoC is defined as a six-facet structure aligned to AEIOUF: (Activities, Environment, Interactions, Objects, Users, and Feelings.) These facets are mandatory and jointly hold inner and outer observations derived from interfaces of Self and Other. The argument is developed in three steps. First, the manuscript restates Flexner (1915) as a continuing challenge about disciplinary coherence and public legitimacy. Second, Jung (1921is used to explain predictable differences in orientation, language, and urgency that otherwise appear as personal conflict or professional consistency. Third, it integrates 21st-century empiricism through AEIOUF and governance through RB rules: RB0.13 (canonical token integrity) and F16 (zero-tolerance fallacy constraints) with human intervention gates. The result is a conjoint resolution protocol that makes the process auditable: what was constructed, how options were tested, how risks were handled, and why action was justified. RRID (Benjamin, 1981) is used here as a developmental guideline mapped as a 2×2 frame. The quadrants agronomical by position: Information (top-left), Resources (bottom-left), Relationships (bottom-right). Information (top-left),,Decision Making (top-right), (RRID is used here as a developmental guideline mapped as a 2×2 frame. (Benjamin, 1981) The quadrants are-canonical by position: defined by the quadrant mapping.

The Architecture of Choice as a Bounded Universe: Empirical Evidence for Jung’s Sixteen‑State Coordinate System and Behavioural‑Economic Implications

Colin G Benjamin — 2026-03-09

Behavioural economics requires a coordinate architecture that can link intrinsically private experience to publicly observable behavioural commitment without collapsing subjective privacy into mechanism. This paper advances a bounded‑universe claim: Jung’s Psychological Types (1921) provides a discrete 16‑position coordinate system (15 differentiated positions plus an integrative whole) that can be instantiated empirically as a complete probability space. Using Roy Morgan national probability sample distributions, we demonstrate closure (the full lattice sums to the stated base), non‑degeneracy (no state is empty), and partition invariance (the same lattice supports multiple independent behavioural and demographic partitions) across large Australian samples. A multi‑year summation table (n = 325,701) confirms stable population mass across all sixteen positions with sex splits. A one‑year extract (header base n = 327,119) is further expressed through independent coded partitions—technology adoption, social direction, spending intensity, housing tenure, children under 16, and socio‑economic status—each retaining the same 4×4 coordinate geometry. These results support an “architecture of choice” interpretation: the sixteen‑state lattice supplies a bounded coordinate space within which preferences, commitments, and constraints can be measured and compared. We interpret the lattice as an empirically grounded bridge across the explanatory gap highlighted in contemporary consciousness debates (e.g., Chalmers): experience remains private in its intrinsic character while exhibiting stable, measurable footprints in population distributions and behavioural correlates. The paper concludes with a reproducible methodological program for further validation and invites replication and critique from behavioural economics, social science measurement, and consciousness studies.