Moral Panics

Who would have thought that scuffles between teenagers on the southeast coast of England on a cold April weekend in 1964 would have produced the notion of moral panic? Originating as a concept used to understand the reaction to the behavior of these teenagers, moral panic is one of the few sociological ideas that has entered common parlance. The reaction was considerable in relation to the degree of harm or damage. However, local and national media picked up on the events and alarm expressed by civic leaders and local business groups and made hay with headlines decrying the behavior and announcing the arrival of riot police to relieve what was described as a besieged town. More headlines further contributed to a spiral of reaction, and the issues were raised in the Houses of Parliament. The police and judiciary were urged to “crack down.” In the climate of a much-distorted view of events and behavior, overlong and custodial sentences were handed out for petty offenses such as vandalism. The participants in the moral panics include “folk devils” (the English teenagers), an influential and exaggerating media, local interest and pressure groups (civic and business leaders, religious leaders, and those who make “claims” as to expertise on the perceived problem), local and national politicians, the police, and judges. An important feature of moral panics is the “reaching beyond” the immediate problem with claims that there are society-wide implications; in the case of the teenagers in 1964, their deviant conduct was claimed to be symptomatic of general decline in morals. A moral panic is distinguished from general social anxieties and specific moral crusades when there is first a heightened concern over behavior of a group and the consequences this poses for wider society. There must be a division between “them,” the folk devils, and “us,” the responsible and law-abiding citizens. There must be consensus within society, or at least considerable segments of it, that the threat proposed is very serious. Additionally, the threat, damage, costs, and figures proposed by claims-makers are wildly exaggerated and do not coincide with an objective reality. Finally, moral panics are volatile. They typically explode, reach a pitch, and subside. Classic moral panics can also result in illiberal laws. As we will see, children and young people, and childhood, have regularly been the sites of moral panics.

The mediating effect of mindfulness and self-compassion on leaders' communication competence and job satisfaction

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the interrelationships between leaders' communication competence, mindfulness, self-compassion and job satisfaction. Barge and Hirokawa's (1989) communication-centered theoretical approach of leadership and Gilbert's (2005) social mentality offered frameworks to examine mindfulness and self-compassion as co-mediators of the relationship between business leaders' communication competence and job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 219 business leaders in the USA via snowball sampling.FindingsThe results showed that communication competence served as an antecedent of mindfulness and self-compassion. Additionally, self-compassion served as a significant mediator between the positive relationship between communication competence and job satisfaction.Practical implicationsManagers and business leaders may gain insights about the benefit of developing self-compassion and communication competence skills to enhance their job satisfaction via courses, workshops and certifications.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the effect of two well-being constructs (self-compassion and mindfulness) on the relationship between leaders' communication competence and job satisfaction.

Quality Management System and Risk Analysis

Many business leaders believe that a comprehensive risk management system provides an essential foundation for maintaining competitive advantages. Moreover, the company is today in the need to set up this device since its environment is unstable and it is constantly changing. In the current circumstances of the virulent pandemic COVID-19, risk management is gaining importance. The majority of Moroccan companies, especially SMEs, are still in an embryonic stage with regard to the practice of risk management. It should be noted that certain SMEs have set up, in particular in the food industry, a food risk management system since this is of a regulatory nature. The results of empirical research have shown that the implementation of a quality management system or an integrated quality and food safety system in the companies promotes risk management. The risk approach is a transversal approach that allows companies to improve their operation and be resilient.

Business executives’ perceptions of responsible leadership and corporate social responsibility for stakeholders’ health and wellbeing

Over the past decade, and especially after the scandals that occurred during the last economic recession, there has been a call for business leaders to pay attention not only to maximization of profit but also to corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is argued that responsible leadership can be an appropriate response to the diverse needs and challenges of a complex stakeholder society. The purpose of this explorative study was to investigate top business executives’ understanding of responsible leadership and their perceptions of CSR for stakeholders’ health and wellbeing. Key informant interviews were conducted with ten business executives representing a variety of sectors in East Central Sweden. Content analysis was conducted to detect patterns and categories in the data. business executives understood the role of a responsible leader to involve contribution, inclusiveness, and the creation of community and structure. They viewed CSR and stakeholders’ health and wellbeing largely from an organizational point of view, including their own.

Multilingualism in International Business

Language situations vary in different nations. In some countries, a variety of languages are spoken; in others, a single language is used. People who have the linguistic competence to speak several languages are multilingual. What role does multilingualism play in multinational corporations? Is multilingualism a problem or a solution for international business? Does English as a lingua franca play a role in international business? How business leaders react to multilingualism or Englishization? Opinions are divided. Multilingualism has been the focus of interest in recent decades due to globalization, tourism, technology advancement, international trade, and so forth. Language barriers and linguistic diversity surfaced which may impact corporate communications in international business. Specific language policies might be needed for corporate communications. The aims of this chapter are to explore the roles of multilingualism and Englishization in international business, and to seek approaches for better corporate communications. Associated issues and problems as well as solutions and recommendations will be explored and discussed.

Business Ethics in a Digital World

This chapter will highlight the importance of transforming our conceptualization of business ethics in the digital era and the opportunities related to an optimal design of sustainable digital business ethics programs in this new hyper-connected, hyper-automated digital world. The complex issues of this revised business ethics model will be addressed from three perspectives: corporate governance, leadership, and society. The sections related to corporate governance will highlight the operational challenges when aiming to incorporate ethics into the boardroom's DNA and will emphasize the sustainability imperative ethical business leaders are facing in this digital era. This chapter will also posit that by adopting a design thinking approach for business ethics in this digital era, we can leverage all the benefits offered by emerging technologies and scientific advances while maintaining a human-centric stance.

Designing Curricular Games

Most teachers only dream of their students spending the amount of motivation, attention, passion, and critical thinking on their classes that some do playing video games. Many teachers have thought “How can I compete with that?” as they confiscate a hand-held gaming device from a student. However, more and more teachers are incorporating video games into their curriculum, instead of banning them. This chapter argues that it is not just video games that can transform teaching, video game techniques can as well. By using video game design principles such as game stories and quests, teachers can restructure their teaching so students do not just learn the curriculum, they experience it. This chapter explores the research on using game-based teaching and learning with the Next Generation including how game-based teaching can be used to achieve 21st century goals as outlined by business leaders within 21st century educational constraints.