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The purpose of this study was to examine the global perceptions of social equity in the fine dining business model as a result of the surprise announcement for the 2024 planned closure of the Michelin three-star restaurant, Noma.

This study used critical discourse analysis to inductively analyze 91 source documents retrieved through a lexical database search. The analysis yielded five overarching themes and six subthemes.

Findings from this study serve as a benchmark in retrospect for capturing a rapidly accelerating global conversation from January to March 2023 around the long-term viability and social sustainability of the fine dining business model.

Against the backdrop of labor challenges in the restaurant industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the announced closure of Noma precipitated criticism of the stage (unpaid intern) system and the intense pressures of attaining and maintaining Michelin star status.

Results from the discourse analysis suggest certification for fine dining restaurants, perhaps through the Michelin Guide, for demonstrating a commitment to social sustainability as a qualifier to achieve a Michelin star.

Findings from this research reveal a palpable change in societal tolerance for a more socially sustainable fine dining restaurant business model that advances equitable solutions for its workers while assuring the economic sustainability of restaurants.

This study drew upon a foodscape lens to reveal a juxtaposition between well-executed environmentally sustainable initiatives in the fine dining business model and the threats to the social sustainability among its workers.

This paper aims to realize an in-situ quality inspection system rapidly for new injection molding (IM) tasks via transfer learning (TL) approach and automation technology.

The proposed in-situ quality inspection system consists of an injection machine, USB camera, programmable logic controller and personal computer, interconnected via OPC or USB communication interfaces. This configuration enables seamless automation of the IM process, real-time quality inspection and automated decision-making. In addition, a MobileNet-based deep learning (DL) model is proposed for quality inspection of injection parts, fine-tuned using the TL approach.

Using the TL approach, the MobileNet-based DL model demonstrates exceptional performance, achieving validation accuracy of 99.1% with the utilization of merely 50 images per category. Its detection speed and accuracy surpass those of DenseNet121-based, VGG16-based, ResNet50-based and Xception-based convolutional neural networks. Further evaluation using a random data set of 120 images, as assessed through the confusion matrix, attests to an accuracy rate of 96.67%.

The proposed MobileNet-based DL model achieves higher accuracy with less resource consumption using the TL approach. It is integrated with automation technologies to build the in-situ quality inspection system of injection parts, which improves the cost-efficiency by facilitating the acquisition and labeling of task-specific images, enabling automatic defect detection and decision-making online, thus holding profound significance for the IM industry and its pursuit of enhanced quality inspection measures.

It is important to note that insider trading is currently outlawed under the Securities Act 17 of 2004 (Chapter 24: 25) as amended (Securities Act) in Zimbabwe. This Act enumerates some practices that may give rise to insider trading liability in the Zimbabwean financial markets. Nonetheless, numerous challenges, such as the lack of adequate financial resources, the lack of sufficient persons with the relevant skills and expertise on the part of the enforcement authorities, lack of political will, inadequacy of insider trading provisions, poor cooperation and collaboration between the relevant authorities and the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic have negatively impeded the effective regulation and combating of insider trading in Zimbabwe. To this end, the author explores the stated challenges and recommend measures that could be used by regulatory bodies and other relevant enforcement authorities to enhance the regulation and combating of insider trading in the Zimbabwean financial markets. This study aims to enhance the detection and combating of insider trading in Zimbabwe.

A qualitative research methodology is used through the analysis of relevant legislation and case law.

It is hoped that the findings and recommendations made in this study will be considered by the Zimbabwean policymakers.

The study does not use empirical research methodology.

The findings and recommendations made in this study could enhance the combating of insider trading activities in Zimbabwe.

The study seeks to curb insider trading in the Zimbabwean financial markets and financial institutions in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic-related regulatory and enforcement challenges.

The study provides original research on the regulation and combating of insider trading activities in Zimbabwe.

This paper explores the historical aspects of customer due diligence and related anti-money laundering measures in South Africa. Customer due diligence measures are usually employed to ensure that financial institutions know their customers well by assessing them against the possible risks they might pose such as fraud, money laundering, Ponzi schemes and terrorist financing. Accordingly, customer due diligence measures enable banks and other financial institutions to assess their customers before they conclude any transactions with them. Customer due diligence measures that are utilised in South Africa include identification and verification of customer identity, keeping records of transactions concluded between customers and financial institutions, ongoing monitoring of customer account activities, reporting unusual and suspicious transactions and risk assessment programmes. The Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (FICA) as amended by the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment Act 1 of 2017 (Amendment Act) is the primary statute that provides for the adoption and use of customer due diligence measures to detect and combat money laundering in South Africa. Prior to the enactment of the FICA, several other statutes were enacted in a bid to prohibit money laundering in South Africa. Against this background, the article provides a historical overview analysis of these statutes to, inter alia, explore their adequacy and examine whether they consistently complied with the Financial Action Task Force Recommendations on the regulation of money laundering.

The paper provides an overview analysis of the historical aspects of the regulation and use of customer due diligence to combat money laundering in South Africa. In this regard, a qualitative research method as well as the doctrinal research method are used.

It is hoped that policymakers and other relevant persons will adopt the recommendations provided in the paper to enhance the curbing of money laundering in South Africa.

The paper does not provide empirical research.

The paper is useful to all policymakers, lawyers, law students and regulatory bodies, especially, in South Africa.

The paper advocates for the use of customer due diligence measures to curb money laundering in the South African financial markets and financial institutions.

The paper is original research on the South African anti-money laundering regime and the use of customer due diligence measures to curb money laundering in South Africa.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of agency on basis of a pragmatist philosophy framework of analysis. Agency is a key analytical concept in management studies, debated in terms of its theoretical elements and its degree of empirical substantiation. Agency is commonly either assumed to be the case, understood as some generic human capacity to act with integrity, or, alternatively, agency is considered to be derived from social structures, say professional norms or occupational identities acquired through socialization. In contrast, in an attempt to escape the agency/structure model, agency may be considered as what is generated in and through meso-level interactions, constituted as recurrent practices wherein accomplishments in the past serve as the template for new activities that further reinforce agential capacities.

Drawing on the work of pragmatist philosopher Donald Davidson and what he calls the principle of charity, this paper presents an analytical model wherein agency is generated on basis of a shared everyday language wherein beliefs and preferences are constituted and thereafter serve as the basis of agential action.

Davidson’s externalist theory of action is supportive of the theory and study of meso-level interactions and helps to overcome the question whether agency is exogenously given or the effect of social structure.

This paper reviews recent social science literature on agency and introduces pragmatist philosophy concepts to better examine under what conditions social actors can reasonably have faith in an interaction being premised on beliefs that are held on basis of rational and reasonable grounds. This adds to an integrated theory of agency, being of importance for social theory and organizational analysis more specifically.

With the increasing diversity, including international students, in US American colleges, it is inescapable for faculty to make long-term adjustments to maximize learning for every participant in their courses. Creating an inclusive environment means that faculty are attuned to the diverse needs of college students regarding each task written or oral. In this chapter, the author describes an applicable academic class discussion model, an equitable process that faculty can adapt in their classes and facilitate frequently, especially if that is an inevitable component of their courses. The author explains how comprehensive notes on texts, adequate information literacy skills, and transparent class norms will lead to learning-centered academic class discussions and meaningful engagement of international college students.

In 2020, Sports Illustrated proclaimed its “Sportsperson of the Year” as something dubbed “the activist athlete,” choosing five athletes – LeBron James, Breanna Stewart, Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Osaka, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif – that represented the term. Like so many athletes who came before them, these athletes vividly demonstrate the potential of sport to shine a spotlight on critical issues in society, yet again solidifying how sport does not exist merely as some kind of escape, but is a major stakeholder in global campaigns for social justice.

This chapter historicizes the contemporary resurgence of athlete activism, largely connected to the reawakening of Black Lives Matters (BLM) in 2020, within what journalist Howard Bryant has called The Heritage, with athletes who acknowledge and accept the charge to use their spotlights for those who have none. From the turning point of the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, which saw collective movements of African-American athletes culminate in the powerful Black power protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, a protest that built upon the legacies of so many, to the ongoing debates that surround the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Rule 50, athletes have long understood how sport serves not only as an integral part of society but also as an agent for change. Contemporary cries for athletes to “shut up and dribble” echo past claims that sport takes place on a level playing field that transcends politics. The history of sports demonstrates otherwise, as athletes embody every imaginable, intersectional, classification of political actor.

This paper aims to investigate the links between daily review sentiment and the hotel performance measures of occupancy rate (OR), average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR).

The authors conducted review sentiment analyses in three moments (−1, −7 and −14 days) before arrival time using a data set of budget hotel performance and online reviews. The aim was to identify the effect of review sentiment in the budget hotel market on the three performance metrics.

Daily sentiment positively affects ADR and negatively affects OR and RevPAR, but only up to a certain threshold, after which the trend reverses. Prices increase with the level of sentiment, and high prices lead to low OR and RevPAR only when the sentiment scores are low. When they are high, they are associated with low rates, which lead to high OR and RevPAR.

Daily review sentiment can be viewed as a valuable “barometer” indicating a hotel’s daily operational effectiveness. Daily sentiment can thus allow hotel managers to adjust their dynamic pricing strategies more accurately.

This study identifies daily sentiment as an alternative predictor of hotel performance. In addition to the roles of valence and volume in the decision-making process, the authors found that daily review sentiment can be an “in-the-moment” factor with a high impact, encouraging consumers to complete their transactions. This study suggests that aggregated measures such as the total number of reviews and overall ratings of the hotel should not be the sole consideration in reputation management.

To assess the introduction and performance of light electric freight vehicles (LEFVs), more specifically cargo cycles in major 3PL organizations in at least two Nordic countries.

Case studies. Interviews. Company data on performance before as well as after the introduction. Study of differing business models as well as operational setups.

The results from the studied cases show that LEFVs can compete with conventional vans in last mile delivery operations of e-commerce parcels. We account for when this might be the case, during which circumstances and why.

Inherent limitations of the case study approach, specifically on generalization. Future research to include more public–private partnership and multi-actor approach for scalability.

Adding to knowledge on the public sector facilitation necessary to succeed with implementation and identifying cases in which LEFVs might offer efficiency gains over more traditional delivery vehicles.

One novelty is the access to detailed data from before the implementation of new vehicles and the data after the implementation. A fair comparison is made possible by the operational structure, area of delivery, number of customers, customer density, type of packages, and to some extent, the number of packages being quite similar. Additionally, we provide data showing how city hubs can allow cargo cycles to work synergistically with delivery vans. This is valuable information for organizations thinking of trying LEFVs in operations as well as municipalities/local authorities that are interested.

Sweeping changes are underway in the world of work where new work-models such as permanent work-from home mandates are being implemented by many organizations in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although cost benefits for organizations are obvious from such measures, little is known about how emotions of employees are affected by such measures. A recent industry survey reveals that some employees feel that they are being ostracized from their normal workplace while others are being allowed to return to their normal office settings. However, there appears to be dearth of empirical studies on how employees are coping with workplace ostracism (WO), and whether such emotions are related to factors such as their levels of mindfulness and perceived organizational support (POS). Therefore, this study deploys the stress and coping theory to suggest that individuals with high levels of mindfulness are less likely to experience WO, and that such a relationship is further moderated by POS.

The hypotheses developed in this study are tested through survey data collected from 240 employees who work for various large organizations in Oman. Eligible respondents are employees who have been directed by their employers to continue to work from home even after a large portion of their colleagues have returned to their physical offices.

The data is analyzed with R Core Team software. The findings reveal that employees with high levels of mindfulness reported lower levels of WO. Furthermore, POS moderates the inverse relationship between mindfulness and WO at moderate and high levels of POS but not when organizational support is perceived to be at low levels.

This study suffers from several limitations. First, the study is cross-sectional in nature and does not capture how the perceptions of workplace ostracism change over time. Considering that majority of the new directives to employees to permanently work from their remote locations are quite recent. Second, this study posits the effect of mindfulness as a trait on WO and does not consider other constructs. Third, the demographic details of the respondents indicates that bulk of the employees that were asked by their employers to continue to work from home even after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted were women (68%).

Practically, the relationships between mindfulness, perceived organizational support and workplace ostracism provide useful managerial knowledge. This is particularly important considering the fact that the influence on employee perceptions due to these new work models are yet to be fully realized. As a result, managers can fine-tune their organizational communication and their training programs toward developing awareness of the present among employees to enable them to appraise new organizational policies from a more holistic long-term perspective. Additionally, the management can also emphasize sufficient material and psychological support for employees that are required to remain working from home.

This study appears to be among the first empirical research that provides evidence on the inverse relationship between mindfulness and WO, especially in the context of the new work-models in the post pandemic period. Additionally, the study demonstrates that moderate to high levels of POS can further mitigate WO among individuals with higher levels of mindfulness.