This study aims to investigate the determinants that contribute to the sustainable development of creative tourism, a transformative shift from traditional cultural tourism which possess high economic potential. Grounded in stakeholder theory, a qualitative approach was employed to explore the perspectives of 23 existing suppliers of creative tourism in the Greater Bay Area, China, through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with key management in exiting business, this study uncovers determinants for the development of creative tourism. The findings shed light on the significance of fostering creative synergies and their implications for sustainable growth in the industry. While a positive attitude from suppliers is crucial, this study emphasizes the importance of mutual understanding of creativity to generate momentum, integration of local culture and regional knowledge, and the development of creative products. Moreover, removing barriers faced by suppliers such as a lack of financial support, insufficient government policies and regulations, and inadequate infrastructure is imperative for sustainable development. This research significantly contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing an overview of the current research status on suppliers\' perspectives towards creative tourism. It offers valuable directions for future scholarly inquiry in this field. Moreover, the research offers valuable insights that can assist policymakers and destination planners in developing efficient policies and sustainable planning approaches.

Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) has emerged as a sensitive issue, attracting the attention of a large audience that could not be ignored. Government bodies continue to pass regulations mandating organizations to comply with ESG principles. However, many organizations have had unsatisfactory results while promoting sustainability ideals due to various challenges. To achieve ESG goals, the present study offers a thorough framework for ESG implementation across organizations based on the critical success factor (CSF) theory and the opinions of diverse stakeholders. Following a literature review and brainstorming with ESG experts and academicians, a survey questionnaire was sent to 400 respondents to evaluate the 20 factors identified as \'super-set\' CSFs for ESG implementation. This paper represents a novel attempt in ESG research as it conducts a survey supported by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The interactions between the significant CSFs were studied by employing total interpretative structural modeling (TISM) and fuzzy MICMAC approach. ESG implementation is found to be highly driven by firm characteristics, earnings quality, and environmental performance, which can be argued to be the fundamental determinants of ESG implementation. According to these findings, organizations\' leadership should (1) focus on effectively structuring firms\' attributes to swiftly operate the ESG implementation framework, (2) ensure consistent business earnings that signal improved future performance, and (3) continuously monitor and assess their environmental performance. These efforts should be supported by engaging with diverse stakeholder groups, each playing its respective role in ESG implementation. Consequently, ESG implementation across organizations is anticipated to accelerate with thoughtful organizational coordination, strategic planning, and compliance with authoritative policies. However, rather than solely focusing on creating ESG disclosure laws, policymakers should also focus on creating better ESG outcomes through effective ESG implementation. Therefore, this research offers valuable insights into improving ESG practices, which facilitates the adoption of mandatory ESG disclosure regulations.

Collaborative engagement between international and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) has recently been promoted as an effective strategy to enhance internal process strengths but less as a strategy to localize humanitarian aid programs; a grand strategy that aims to strengthen local capacity, develop local capabilities, and boost regional humanitarian project performance. While stakeholders deem to play an important role in leveraging the efficiencies of such collaborative engagements between international and local actors, there is limited empirical knowledge about how stakeholder pressure affects the association between the collaboration-performance association within international and local NGOs. Drawing on stakeholder theory, we propose a model to examine the role of donors, media, and governments, three major stakeholders noteworthy because of their power and legitimacy to moderate the collaboration-performance association in this NGO context. We test our hypotheses across a series of samples collected at both international and local NGOs in 2015 and 2020. From a practical perspective, we discuss how the traditional role of NGOs as implementers of aid programs is shifting toward a new role as conveners and capability builders.

BACKGROUND: Traditional serious game design methods often overlook stakeholder needs. This study integrates stakeholder theory and enterprise architecture (EA), along with the Architecture Development Method, to propose a novel framework for serious game design. Crafted to aid practitioners, researchers, and specialists in leveraging resources more effectively, the framework is validated through a design science research methodology. Expert reviews have further refined its features, making it a robust tool for enhancing serious game design and implementation.
OBJECTIVE: This paper introduces a framework for designing serious games, covering stakeholder analysis, requirements gathering, and design implementation planning. It highlights the importance of expert review in validating and refining the framework, ensuring its effectiveness and reliability for use in serious game design. Through critical assessment by experts, the framework is optimized for practical application by practitioners, researchers, and specialists in the field, ensuring its utility in enhancing serious game development. The next step will be to validate the framework empirically by applying it to a serious game development project.
METHODS: We developed and validated a conceptual framework for serious game design by synthesizing stakeholder theory and EA through literature review, concept mapping, and theory development by way of a design science research approach. The framework is iteratively refined and validated via expert review, drawing on insights from professionals experienced in serious games, stakeholder theory, and EA. This method ensures the framework\'s practical relevance and effectiveness in addressing real-world design challenges.
RESULTS: An expert review by 29 serious game practitioners validated the framework\'s success in stakeholder management, confirming its stakeholder-centered effectiveness. Although the experts praised its structured approach, they suggested clearer guidance for game design elements. In addition, the experts, while acknowledging the framework\'s complexity, saw its depth as valuable for efficient management. The consensus calls for a refined balance between detailed functionality and user-friendly design, with the framework\'s impact on stakeholder capabilities revealing a spectrum of professional needs.
CONCLUSIONS: This paper presents a framework for creating effective and organizationally aligned serious games. Evaluated across execution, practical, and EA levels, it is logical but varies in ease of understanding, with experts calling for more accessibility at the EA level. It enhances stakeholder efficiency and management but is criticized for rigidity and a need for flexibility. Recommendations include streamlining the framework, enhancing clarity, reducing administrative tasks, and incorporating clear guidelines on technology use, motivational elements, and operational tools. This aims to help stakeholders produce more targeted and adaptable game designs. The next iteration will be developed after application to a project and team feedback.

A more robust, inclusive model of value creation will sharpen dominant normative theories of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) such as stakeholder theory and the theory of communicative/deliberative democracy. When measuring value creation, CSR theories oscillate between traditional, exchange-based approaches utilizing narrow financial metrics and value-oriented approaches embedded in prominent CSR theories. The two are often in conflict. The problem is aggravated by CSR\'s assumption that all firms, regardless of industry, possess the same generic responsibilities. A mining company, a sports betting service, and a medical device manufacturer are on all fours when measuring CSR success. The paper identifies a contradiction between settled normative convictions and the corporate decision making that normative CSR theories prescribe. Using the pharmaceutical industry as an example, it references the widespread conviction that during the 2019 Covid-19 pandemic some pharmaceutical companies had a responsibility to reach beyond the goal of financial optimization. It then explains why this conviction cannot be rationalized using two prominent normative theories of CSR, namely, stakeholder theory and the theory of communicative/deliberative democracy. The problem hinges on a defective model of value creation. One implication of the analysis is that healthcare companies should readjust corporate governance in order to make health a focal goal alongside that of profit. At the same time, a semiconductor firm might satisfy its CSR responsibilities by only designating profit as its focal goal. The thrust of the paper is to show why reconceiving the model of value creation can advance not only stakeholder and communicative/deliberative democracy theories, but all CSR.

There is increasing research attention as to how SMEs might realize corporate social responsibility opportunities. Most studies focus on the pursuance of responsible business strategies that result in favourable business outcomes. This study investigates SMEs who actively participate in CSR activities in a south-eastern European country during the economic crisis of the Eurozone. Data collected reveals that stakeholder salience and proximity moderate the relationship between CSR and financial performance. The context of this study is important as it addresses the paucity of research carried out in countries during economic crisis and sheds light on the positive aspects of CSR practices adopted during crisis.

In the context of the European Commission\'s proposal for the harmonization of front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs) across the European Union scheduled for 2023, Portugal\'s position on the preferred format to be adopted remains unclear. Our study aims to (1) describe the context of the political decision regarding FoPL\'s implementation in Portugal, (2) identify and characterize the actors involved in the debate and (3) evaluate their influence in the decision-making process and their position on the various formats of FoPLs considered. A document review complemented by a qualitative study with eight experts revealed the actors involved in the implementation of FoPLs in Portugal. The stakeholder theory was used to qualify their level of influence on the decision. To complement the experts\' analysis, the views of 1014 Portuguese consumers on stakeholders\' influence were collected via an online questionnaire. The results show a strong mobilization of the Portuguese Ministry of Health on the issue through the production of several technical and scientific reports. The background of the political decision related to FoPLs in Portugal highlights the commitment of some influential stakeholders in favour of the traffic light format, including one of the major Portuguese retailers, Continente. Nevertheless, in the face of public support for the Nutri-Score from a growing number of actors, Portugal has not yet adopted a specific format, partly due to some resistance from the agricultural sector. Portugal, by lack of consensus and agenda setting, is now awaiting formal harmonization of FoPLs by the European Commission. This study provides useful insights for public policy actors when promoting interventional measures.

Demand for foreign nurses and medical staff is rapidly increasing due to the severe labor shortage in U.S. hospitals triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, empirical studies on the effect of the racial diversity of medical staff on hospital operations are still lacking. This research gap is thus investigated based on the foreign medical staff working in 3870 U.S. hospitals. Results show that workforce racial diversity has a significantly positive relationship with hospital operational efficiency regarding occupancy rate, manpower productivity, capacity productivity, and case mix index. Notably, this study empirically supports that increasing the ratio of foreign nurses positively affects the overall operational efficiency of hospitals. In addition, the study results also indicate that the hospital location, size, ownership, and teaching status act as significant control variables for the relationship between racial diversity and hospital efficiency. These results imply that hospitals with these specific operating conditions need to pay more attention to racial diversity in the workplace, as they are structurally more sensitive to the relationship between racial diversity and operational efficiency. In short, the findings of this study suggest that hospital efficiency can be operationally improved by implementing workforce ethnic diversity. For this reason, hospital stakeholders and healthcare policymakers are expected to benefit from this study\'s findings. Above all, the results of this study imply that if an organization adapts to extreme external environmental changes (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) through appropriate organizational restructuring (i.e., expanding the workforce racial diversity by hiring foreign medical staff), the organization can gain a competitive advantage, a claim that is supported by contingency theory. Further, investors are increasingly interested in ESG, especially companies that embody ethical and socially conscious workplaces, including a diverse and inclusive workforce. Thereby, seeking racial diversity in the workforce is now seen as a fundamental benchmark for organizational behavior that predicts successful ESG business practices, a claim that is supported by stakeholder theory. Therefore, in conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that workforce racial diversity is no longer an optional consideration but should be considered as one of the essential determinants of competitive advantage in organizations, particularly in the healthcare sector.

This study analyses how startups implement circular business models supported by innovation and Industry 4.0, in which strategic stakeholders for value creation are to be found in this specific business ecosystem. The theoretical framework of circular business models supported by innovation was used for analysing the startups based on some assumptions of stakeholder theory. Fifty-one startups were selected, which correspond to the unit of analysis for this study on the improvement of supply chains through circular business models supported by innovation aimed at sustainability in organizations. We conducted a multiple case study whose results suggest that: (i) circularity is strategic for the business to assume its commitment to a sustainable development agenda, especially regarding pollution prevention and proactive action; (ii) visionary entrepreneurs are actively engaged with circular economy practices and technological innovation to promote a circular flow for their business ecosystem; (iii) Industry 4.0 is still incipient, but it is synergistic and beneficial for a successful circular economy in startups; and (iv) primary stakeholders are the activators of circular cycles in the startups surveyed. The present study contributes to the literature in four ways by: (i) presenting a framework which brings together exploratory theoretical propositions on strategic stakeholders for startups, innovative capabilities and assumptions of circular business models; (ii) validating exploratory theoretical propositions with 51 startups; (iii) providing lessons learned so far by the startups which are in line with the assumptions of circular business models for triggering their innovation capabilities and promoting Industry 4.0; (iv) providing an original typology of circular economy assumptions and technological innovations adopted by startups. The originality of this study lies in presenting useful insights for motivating managers to: (i) invest in circular business to become one of the first entrants and earn extra profits; (ii) make investments in circular business and technological innovations to obtain efficiency, practicality and process optimization; (iii) internalize Industry 4.0 technologies concomitantly with technological innovations and circular economy to generate systemic effects; (iv) integrate relevant stakeholders of the business ecosystem to generate a synergistic and effective effect for sustainable development.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is among society\'s most pernicious and impactful social issues, causing substantial harm to health and wellbeing, and impacting women\'s employability, work performance, and career opportunity. Organizations play a vital role in addressing IPV, yet, in contrast to other employee- and gender-related social issues, very little is known regarding corporate responses to IPV. IPV responsiveness is a specific demonstration of corporate social responsibility and is central to advancing gender equity in organizations. In this paper, we draw upon unique data on the IPV policies and practices of 191 Australian listed corporations between 2016 and 2019, that collectively employ around 1.5 M employees. Providing the first large-scale empirical analysis of corporate IPV policies and practices, we theorise that listed corporations\' IPV responsiveness reflects institutional and stakeholder pressures which are multifaceted and central to corporate social responsibility. Our findings identify greater IPV responsiveness among larger corporations, as well as those corporations with higher proportions of women middle managers, greater financial resources, and more advanced employee consultation on gender issues. This paper concludes that there is a need for further research on corporate IPV responsiveness, to further illuminate corporate motivations, organizational support processes, and employee experiences.