PART ONE: THE BUSINESS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Introduction Research Philosophy Research Design and Process Focus and Frame Access and Relationships Ethics in Research Qualitative Research Materials Electronic Research PART TWO: METHODS IN QUALITATIVE BUSINESS RESEARCH Case Study Research Ethnographic Research Grounded Theory Research Focus Group Research Action Research Narrative Research Discourse Analysis Feminist Research Critical Research PART THREE: WRITING AND EVALUATING QUALITATIVE BUSINESS RESEARCH Writing Process Qualitative Research Evaluation Closing Up
Recent advances in large language models have enabled their application to a range of healthcare tasks. However, aligning LLMs with the nuanced demands of medical ethics, especially under complex real world scenarios, remains underexplored. In this work, we present MedES, a dynamic, scenario-centric benchmark specifically constructed from 260 authoritative Chinese medical, ethical, and legal sources to reflect the challenges in clinical decision-making. To facilitate model alignment, we introduce a guardian-in-the-loop framework that leverages a dedicated automated evaluator (trained on expert-labeled data and achieving over 97% accuracy within our domain) to generate targeted prompts and provide structured ethical feedback. Using this pipeline, we align a 7B-parameter LLM through supervised fine-tuning and domain-specific preference optimization. Experimental results, conducted entirely within the Chinese medical ethics context, demonstrate that our aligned model outperforms notably larger baselines on core ethical tasks, with observed improvements in both quality and composite evaluation metrics. Our work offers a practical and adaptable framework for aligning LLMs with medical ethics in the Chinese healthcare domain, and suggests that similar alignment pipelines may be instantiated in other legal and cultural environments through modular replacement of the underlying normative corpus.
This study aims to analyze the influence of Robusta coffee productivity on the income of coffee farmers in Pekon Tambak Jaya, Way Tenong District, West Lampung, as well as to examine the implementation of Islamic business principles in their farming practices. The research employs a qualitative descriptive approach with 22 respondents selected purposively from a total population of 77 coffee farmers. Data collection was conducted through interviews, observations, and documentation, while data validity was ensured using method and source triangulation techniques. The findings indicate that fluctuations in Robusta coffee productivity are largely influenced by climatic conditions and farm management practices. Higher productivity generally leads to increased farmer income; however, farmers still face vulnerability due to unstable coffee selling prices. In addition, the study reveals that most farmers have implemented Islamic business ethics in their economic activities, including honesty in weighing products, transparency in determining prices, and the avoidance of interest-based financing. These practices reflect the application of ethical and fair principles in agricultural transactions within the local farming community.
Keywords : Robusta Coffee; Farmer Income; Productivity; Islamic Business Ethics
Ensuring the integrity of business processes without disclosing confidential business information is a major challenge in inter-organizational processes. This paper introduces a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP)-based approach for the verifiable execution of business processes while preserving confidentiality. We integrate ZK virtual machines (zkVMs) into business process management engines through a comprehensive system architecture and a prototypical implementation. Our approach supports chained verifiable computations through proof compositions. On the example of product carbon footprinting, we model sequential footprinting activities and demonstrate how organizations can prove and verify the integrity of verifiable processes without exposing sensitive information. We assess different ZKP proving variants within process models for their efficiency in proving and verifying, and discuss the practical integration of ZKPs throughout the Business Process Management (BPM) lifecycle. Our experiment-driven evaluation demonstrates the automation of process verification under given confidentiality constraints.
AI ethics narratives have the potential to shape the public accurate understanding of AI technologies and promote communication among different stakeholders. However, AI ethics narratives are largely lacking. Existing limited narratives tend to center on works of science fiction or corporate marketing campaigns of large technology companies. Misuse of "socio-technical imaginary" can blur the line between speculation and reality for the public, undermining the responsibility and regulation of technology development. Therefore, constructing authentic AI ethics narratives is an urgent task. The emergence of generative AI offers new possibilities for building narrative systems. This study is dedicated to data-driven visual storytelling about AI ethics relying on the human-AI collaboration. Based on the five key elements of story models, we proposed a conceptual framework for human-AI collaboration, explored the roles of generative AI and humans in the creation of visual stories. We implemented the conceptual framework in a real AI news case. This research leveraged advanced generative AI technologies to provide a reference for constructing genuine AI ethics narratives. Our goal is to promote active public engagement and discussions through authentic AI ethics narratives, thereby contributing to the development of better AI policies.
This study examines how WhatsApp has evolved from a personal communication tool to a professional platform, focusing on its use by small business owners in India. Initially embraced in smaller, rural communities for its ease of use and familiarity, WhatsApp played a crucial role in local economies. However, as Meta introduced WhatsApp Business with new, formalized features, users encountered challenges in adapting to the more complex and costly platform. Interviews with 14 small business owners revealed that while they adapted creatively, they felt marginalized by the advanced tools. This research contributes to HCI literature by exploring the transition from personal to professional use and introduces the concept of Coercive Professionalization. It highlights how standardization by large tech companies affects marginalized users, exacerbating power imbalances and reinforcing digital colonialism, concluding with design implications for supporting community-based appropriations.
Cheonsu Jeong, Seunghyun Lee, Seonhee Jeong
et al.
This study provides an in_depth analysis of the ethical and trustworthiness challenges emerging alongside the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and proposes a comprehensive framework for their systematic evaluation. While generative AI, such as ChatGPT, demonstrates remarkable innovative potential, it simultaneously raises ethical and social concerns, including bias, harmfulness, copyright infringement, privacy violations, and hallucination. Current AI evaluation methodologies, which mainly focus on performance and accuracy, are insufficient to address these multifaceted issues. Thus, this study emphasizes the need for new human_centered criteria that also reflect social impact. To this end, it identifies key dimensions for evaluating the ethics and trustworthiness of generative AI_fairness, transparency, accountability, safety, privacy, accuracy, consistency, robustness, explainability, copyright and intellectual property protection, and source traceability and develops detailed indicators and assessment methodologies for each. Moreover, it provides a comparative analysis of AI ethics policies and guidelines in South Korea, the United States, the European Union, and China, deriving key approaches and implications from each. The proposed framework applies across the AI lifecycle and integrates technical assessments with multidisciplinary perspectives, thereby offering practical means to identify and manage ethical risks in real_world contexts. Ultimately, the study establishes an academic foundation for the responsible advancement of generative AI and delivers actionable insights for policymakers, developers, users, and other stakeholders, supporting the positive societal contributions of AI technologies.
The extent of corruption in South Africa has been fast catching up to that of the world. It is public knowledge that the past two decades have seen several government initiatives aimed at combating corruption, and none of these seems adequate to rid South Africa of the plague of corruption and severe corruption at high levels of government. The parliament has a primary role to play, which involves exercising that role over government departments and ensuring that public resources are used for their intended purpose, and Chapter 9 institutions must play their primary role. The researchers dissect the role of parliamentary oversight institutions through the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and how it can be strengthened by working as a trilogy of parliamentary oversight institutions together with Chapter 9 institutions in conjunction with the Special Investigation Unit and Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, to contribute to political and administrative accountability. The research was conducted in South Africa in 2025, comprising 30 participants: current or former parliamentary presiding officers, former and current SCOPA chairpersons; the current and former parliamentary oversight senior officials, current and former chapter 9 institutions heads or managers relevant to the study and current and former members of justice, crime prevention and security cluster services officers with intimate knowledge of parliamentary oversight work. The questionnaire consisted of open-ended questions and qualitative interviews that raised issues of accountability involving a trilogy of oversight institutions in South Africa and their lack of capacity to arrest the scourge of corruption in South Africa. The developed theoretical framework for improving the performance of the trilogy of parliamentary oversight institutions in South Africa is based on the paradigm and conditional/consequential framework of Corbin and Strauss (2008). The methodology applied was a qualitative research approach based on semi-structured and desktop methods of data collection, and the comparative analysis method assists the main goal of aiding a researcher with the focused and systematic generation of theoretical frameworks from data. The research entailed qualitative interviews being held. The processing of the results comprised narratives expressing the general view of participants as well as graphical representation based on the data collected. The relationship between government and parliament has conventionally been a vital connection within democracies. Political scientists and accountants argue that parliament is essential in safeguarding liberty. The general question addressed by this study is how the trilogy of oversight institutions can work together to improve accountability through developing a theoretical framework, with the general objective of creating a theoretical framework for improving accountability through a trilogy of oversight institutions. In terms of prospects opened by this research, it precipitates the need to investigate the reasons why serious matters need to be dealt with and what remedies would strengthen oversight in terms of new legislation and institutionalized collaborative effort between Chapter 9 institutions and parliamentary oversight.
In the 1970s, the discovery of the problem of the hole in the ozone layer represented a crucial milestone in the history of science and the environment. Scientists such as Mario Molina and F. Sherry Rowland revealed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), previously thought to be harmless, could destroy the ozone layer, leading to global awareness of environmental protection. However, they faced resistance from industry and misinformation. Confirmation of the problem came with Jonathan Shanklin’s work in Antarctica. The effects of ozone depletion, such as increased skin cancer, were documented, and humanity reacted with the Montreal Protocol, phasing out harmful substances. Furthermore, the link between the historical success of science-based environmental actions and the modern challenges posed by misinformation should be emphasized, especially considering the rise of digital platforms as both tools and threats to public understanding. Today, tackling disinformation in global environmental problems represents a substantial challenge, requiring science education, raising awareness on social media, valuing traditional sources, training in source verification, recognizing science as a reliable source, and tackling environmental challenges based on science. This article proposes actionable solutions such as integrating critical media literacy into education, establishing international regulations to curb disinformation, and leveraging collaborative platforms to promote accurate scientific communication. It argues that strengthening international cooperation, modeled on the Montreal Protocol, is crucial to countering misinformation and fostering effective global environmental policies. The history of the Montreal Protocol highlights the importance of science, international cooperation, and determined action in protecting the environment and human health.
Competitiveness is imperative for business leadership, as it fosters resilience and the capacity to outperform in a rapidly evolving market. This study explores the evolution of competitiveness factors and identifies those most critical in the current business environment. Competitiveness, traditionally associated with market performance and cost efficiency, has undergone a significant conceptual transformation, increasingly converging with sustainability and digitalization. Using a bibliometric approach, the research analyzed 741 publications indexed in the SCOPUS database, employing tools such as VOSviewer 1.6.20, Bibliometrix, and R 4.4.3 software for keyword co-occurrence mapping and thematic evolution analysis of competitiveness factors. A graphical representation has been employed to convey the results. The findings reveal that innovation remains the most persistent and dominant factor across all periods, underscoring its foundational role in competitive advantage. However, recent years have witnessed a marked rise in sustainability and digital transformation as key drivers of competitiveness. Sustainability, once peripheral, now represents a strategic imperative, reflecting global priorities related to climate change, social responsibility, and regulatory compliance. Similarly, digital transformation has emerged as a motor theme since 2017, highlighting the impact of advanced technologies, such as AI, big data, and automation, on operational efficiency and strategic positioning. Cluster analysis further demonstrates interconnections among these factors, with sustainability and digitalization linked to innovations, information technology, knowledge, human capital, strategy, and investments. The study concludes that competitiveness is no longer defined solely by financial metrics but by the ability to integrate technological, environmental, and social dimensions into business models. These insights provide a comprehensive framework for managers and policymakers to align competitive strategies with emerging global trends, ensuring long-term viability and resilience in dynamic markets.
reza heydari, hamidreza rezaeekelidbari, musa chaman zamin
Abstract
The aim of this study is to present a quantum leadership model to establish organizational civilization in the Iranian higher education system. The research method is fundamental in terms of its purpose, and qualitative in terms of its implementation method, with inductive-deductive logic. Based on purposive sampling, the statistical population of the study includes 11 experts and managers of Islamic Azad University as well as members of the university's faculty. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. A coding-based data-driven approach was used to analyze the data. The research findings consist of categories arising from the data-based approach include causal factors (structural factors, behavioral factors, contextual factors); strategies (structural strategies, behavioral strategies, contextual strategies); challenges and obstacles to quantum leadership (structural obstacles, behavioral obstacles, contextual obstacles); the governing context (structural capabilities, behavioral capabilities, contextual capabilities); Quantum leadership characteristics (extrapersonal, intrapersonal); Organizational civilization characteristics (behavioral, structural); Consequences of organizational civilization (consequences for the higher education system, consequences for society and the country). The results of this study showed that by implementing the model obtained in this study, we can witness positive consequences in terms of implementing quantum leadership in order to establish organizational civilization in the country's higher education
Extended abstract
Introduction
Creating new knowledge has long been one of the main functions of universities, and the greatest effort of the academic community is to promote knowledge and strengthen intellectual capital by utilizing existing informational, intellectual, and human resources; therefore, universities must identify, extract, and utilize these resources using new and appropriate leadership and management methods. One of the new concepts of the third millennium is quantum leadership (Razi & Nadi, 2021). The twenty-first century is witnessing an era that can be called the quantum age in terms of technology. Traditional beliefs about management and leadership and the nature of the organizational environment have been limited by the influence of a mechanistic, deterministic, and reductive worldview. Current thinking about leadership has necessitated the use of new models, dimensions, and skills; that are more appropriate for responding to the complexities of the quantum age and empower organizational leaders to perform their duties more effectively (Hamzepur, 2018). The goal of quantum leadership is to increase the power and effectiveness of managers and employees, which tries to use the concepts and principles of quantum theory as a guide to describe and explain organizational phenomena and solve management problems. On the other hand, effective management and organizational excellence of universities and the existence of precise management and leadership systems are the inevitable necessities and needs in an efficient and effective system (Norozzadeh et al, 2020).
The preservation and protection of the organization's civilization by managers and the existence of extensive organizational social capital are clearly among the criteria of organizational civilization. A civilized organization, depending on how civilization is defined, requires its own strong foundations; the main foundation of which is definitely formed by the founders and leaders of the organizations; followed by senior managers, middle managers, supervisors, experts, and finally employees to decorate and maintain this structure (Mirsapasi, 2008). The lack of establishment of organizational civilization in organizations, especially in higher education and the Ministry of Science as the source of scientific and cultural developments, which is a pioneer in the field of producing civilizational knowledge and developing the global culture of Islam, can bring irreparable challenges. If the source of developments and changes does not base its priority on order, politeness, ethics, and social justice, it will certainly deviate from its main path and goal; and achieving predetermined perspectives will be out of reach. Therefore, in this research, we seek to answer the question: what is the quantum leadership model for establishing organizational civilization in the Iranian higher education system?
Theoretical Framework of
Quantum Leadership
Quantum leadership is a style of leadership that seeks to increase trust, security, dynamic communication, and learning; and to reduce vertical communication and increase horizontal communication in the organization. The framework and structure of the quantum organization include reciprocal and fluid communication between the leader and followers, which can be defined through an organization with trust, value, spirituality, learning, dialogue, and thinking together (Rozbeh et al, 2021).
Organizational Civilization
The organizational civilization perspective as a perspective towards organizational excellence or in the words of Mirsapasi (2008) is a complementary measure of organizational excellence that focuses on observing ethics and civil rights in the organization. Organizational civilization plays a key role in organizational change and helps the organization to evaluate itself and the environment and to revive its strategies, structures and processes. Organizational development also helps organizational members to stop superficial changes and change the values that guide behavior in the organization (Xu et al, 2018).
Cai et al, (2024) investigated the causal relationship between quantum leadership and employee innovation performance from the perspective of organizational sustainability. These results show that quantum leadership has a positive effect on innovation performance. Organizational intelligence and knowledge sharing have multiple serial mediating effects on quantum leadership and innovation performance. In addition, the interaction between innovative culture and knowledge sharing improves employee innovation performance. Therefore, this study elucidates the causal relationship between quantum leadership and innovation performance through theoretical and valid research models. It lays the foundation for the sustainable development of organizations in the future.
Bogale & Lemi (2024) examined organizational civilization: A systematic review. The findings emphasize the significant impact of organizational civilization on workplace dynamics, influencing employee interactions, treatment, and management. The dimensions often examined in organizational civilization are: innovation, teamwork, outcome orientation, masculinity, participation, and power distance. This review pays attention to the existing literature on the creation and modification of organizational civilization and uses three distinct perspectives: functional, leader characteristics, and culture transmission. Cultural orientations are classified into four main groups: workplace orientation, business orientation, system orientation, and group orientation.
Research Methodology
The research method is fundamental in terms of its purpose, and qualitative in terms of its implementation method, with inductive-deductive logic. Based on purposive sampling, the statistical population of the study includes 11 experts and managers of Islamic Azad University as well as members of the university's faculty. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data.
Research findings
A data-based approach based on coding was used to analyze the data. Research findings consist of categories arising from the data-based approach include causal factors (structural factors, behavioral factors, contextual factors); strategies (structural strategies, behavioral strategies, contextual strategies); challenges and obstacles to quantum leadership (structural obstacles, behavioral obstacles, contextual obstacles); governing context (structural capabilities, behavioral capabilities, contextual capabilities); characteristics of quantum leadership (extrapersonal, intrapersonal); characteristics of organizational civilization (behavioral, structural); consequences of organizational civilization (consequences for the higher education system, consequences for society and the country). The results of this study showed that by implementing the model obtained in this study, positive outcomes can be seen in terms of implementing quantum leadership in order to establish organizational civilization in the country's higher education.
Conclusion
The present study was conducted with the aim of presenting a quantum leadership model in order to establish organizational civilization in the Iranian higher education system. The results of this study are consistent with the results of Cai et al, (2024), Bogale & Lemi (2024), Balcioglu & Bilgen (2023), Ali sofi & Salami (2023), Hajizadeh Majdi et al, (2023), Geok & Bilal Ali (2021), Ahmadian et al, (2021), Rozbeh et al, (2021), and Noruz Zadeh et al, (2019). Cai et al, (2024) showed that quantum leadership has a positive effect on innovation performance. Organizational intelligence and knowledge sharing have multiple serial mediating effects on quantum leadership and innovation performance. In addition, the interaction between innovative culture and knowledge sharing improves employees' innovation performance. Therefore, this study clarifies the causal relationship between quantum leadership and innovation performance through theoretical and valid research models. It lays the foundation for the sustainable development of organizations in the future.
According to the results of this study, the following suggestions are made:
- In order to strengthen the structural factors affecting quantum leadership in the higher education system, strategies such as creating flexibility in the structure and tasks of the organization, developing and improving intra-organizational communication between personnel and leaders, moving towards learning and agility of the organization, and creating up-to-date and appropriate changes in the organization and process management are suggested.
- In the context of strengthening the structural strategies of quantum leadership, it is suggested that policies be considered to create changes from within individuals instead of changing the organization and utilizing new behaviors and skills; in other words, it is necessary for the effectiveness of the quantum leader, leaders to strive to create constructive changes in the mindset and perceptions of individuals and to apply and promote new and up-to-date organizational skills to carry out the affairs of the organization.
Large language models (LLMs) have achieved remarkable performance in language understanding and generation tasks by leveraging vast amounts of online texts. Unlike conventional models, LLMs can adapt to new domains through prompt engineering without the need for retraining, making them suitable for various business functions, such as strategic planning, project implementation, and data-driven decision-making. However, their limitations in terms of bias, contextual understanding, and sensitivity to prompts raise concerns about their readiness for real-world applications. This paper thoroughly examines the usefulness and readiness of LLMs for business processes. The limitations and capacities of LLMs are evaluated through experiments conducted on four accessible LLMs using real-world data. The findings have significant implications for organizations seeking to leverage generative AI and provide valuable insights into future research directions. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first quantified study of LLMs applied to core business operations and challenges.
Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) are emerging innovative organizational structures, enabling collective coordination, and reshaping digital collaboration. Despite the promising and transformative characteristics of DAOs, the potential technological advancements and the understanding of the business value that organizations derive from implementing DAO characteristics are limited. This research applies a systematic review of DAOs' business applicability from an open systems perspective following a best-fit framework methodology. Within our approach, combining both framework and thematic analysis, we discuss how the open business principles apply to DAOs and present a new DAO business framework comprising of four core business elements: i) token, ii) transactions, iii) value system and iv) strategy with their corresponding sub-characteristics. This paper offers a preliminary DAO business framework that enhances the understanding of DAOs' transformative potential and guides organizations in innovating more inclusive business models (BMs), while also providing a theoretical foundation for researchers to build upon.
As Digital Transformation and innovation driven by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) continue to mark the evolution of society, ethics emerges as a central concern not only in terms of the outcomes and implications of technological systems but also throughout the activities carried out through the development of those systems. Power dynamics have been identified as a recurrent ethical challenge in the design and development process. As designers, participants, and project stakeholders engage in the process, potential conflicts, power imbalances, and ethical challenges emerge. This requires that awareness is raised on these imbalances and that teams proactively act on them. To address this issue, we propose the Participant-Designer Journey Map (PDJM), a tool to assist designers in conducting an ethical design process, aware of power imbalances. The proposal for the PDJM was evaluated, based on a set of criteria derived from the literature, by three design professionals, against nine other alternative tools. The PDJM was identified as the tool with the most potential to facilitate a structured approach to navigating ethical dilemmas, particularly those related to power dynamics.
Michel Kunkler, Felix Schumann, Stefanie Rinderle-Ma
Business Process Management and Operations Research are two research fields that both aim to enhance value creation in organizations. While Business Process Management has historically emphasized on providing precise models, Operations Research has focused on constructing tractable models and their solutions. This systematic literature review identifies and analyzes work that uses combined concepts from both disciplines. In particular, it analyzes how business process models have been conceptualized as mathematical models and which optimization techniques have been applied to these models. Results indicate a strong focus on resource allocation and scheduling problems. Current approaches often lack support of the stochastic nature of many problems, and do only sparsely use information from process models or from event logs, such as resource-related information or information from the data perspective.
Ernest Nikisi, Anthony Kambi Masha, Patrick Willam Bwowe
The effects of compensation and benefits on employees’ engagement levels in selected private family business schools (PFBSs) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa are investigated in the study. Several pieces of literature affirmed that employee engagement levels in South African schools are low despite the crucial role played by employees in implementing the teaching and learning programs of the schools. The study is to determine the extent to which employee engagement in PFBSs is predicted by remuneration and benefits. The study employed a quantitative positivist research paradigm and a case study technique to examine the impact of pay and benefits on employee engagement levels in PFBSs. A six-step sampling model was adopted, and a probability sampling technique was utilized. Nonparametric statistical analyses were done, and the results revealed that increasing employees’ compensation and benefits is key to improving employees’ engagement levels in PFBSs. All ethical requirements, such as respondents’ anonymity, informed consent, and confidentiality, were adhered to throughout the study. The study recommended that PFBSs are encouraged to have a compensation and benefits portfolio that competes favorably well with other educational institutions locally and abroad to retain a well-engaged set of employees. The study concluded that a large-scale survey be carried out to investigate the impact of compensation and benefits to PFBSs in another country rather than South Africa to compare findings.
Suud Sarim Karimullah, Bahtiar Efendi, Sattar Sattar
et al.
This study reveals the role of the family in instilling Islamic-based business ethics in children properly by the teachings of Islam. This study adopts the literature study method conducted with integrative literature analysis to obtain comprehensive and in-depth results related to the role of the family in the education of Islamic-based business ethics in children. By combining and synthesizing findings from a variety of relevant literature sources, this method enables a holistic and thorough investigation of this topic. The findings of this study state that families play a key role in shaping Islamic-based business ethics in children, which in turn contributes to the formation of ethical and sustainable business leaders in the future. The influence of the family on the development of children's business ethics covers various aspects, from risk management to stakeholder responsibility, as well as commitment to corporate social responsibility. In this context, the family serves as a role model and teaches children to conduct business with integrity, which will ultimately help create a generation of ethical, sustainable businesses that contribute positively to society and the environment.
In response to growing recognition of the social impact of new AI-based technologies, major AI and ML conferences and journals now encourage or require papers to include ethics impact statements and undergo ethics reviews. This move has sparked heated debate concerning the role of ethics in AI research, at times devolving into name-calling and threats of "cancellation." We diagnose this conflict as one between atomist and holist ideologies. Among other things, atomists believe facts are and should be kept separate from values, while holists believe facts and values are and should be inextricable from one another. With the goal of reducing disciplinary polarization, we draw on numerous philosophical and historical sources to describe each ideology's core beliefs and assumptions. Finally, we call on atomists and holists within the ever-expanding data science community to exhibit greater empathy during ethical disagreements and propose four targeted strategies to ensure AI research benefits society.