PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences

COMPETING GRAMMARS OF WORLD ORDER: CHINA’S FOUR GLOBAL INITIATIVES AND THE NEW U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY IN MIRROR PERSPECTIVE

Monica Gheorghita — 2026-01-06

This article examines the transformation of contemporary world order through a comparative analysis of China’s four global initiatives—the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative—and the United States National Security Strategy of December 2025. The purpose of the research is to move beyond conventional power-transition or rivalry frameworks and to assess how these documents articulate competing conceptions of international legitimacy, authority, and governance in a post-hegemonic global context. The article asks how each set of documents defines the sources of order, the role of institutions, and the acceptable instruments of power, and what their interaction reveals about the nature of the emerging world order. Methodologically, the article adopts a qualitative, interpretive analysis combining close textual reading with comparative and mirror-based conceptual analysis. The documents are treated not as sectoral policy statements, but as order-defining texts that encode broader normative and institutional visions. The findings demonstrate that China’s four initiatives constitute a coherent ordering doctrine grounded in performance-based legitimacy, development-first sequencing, inclusive security, civilizational pluralism, and reformed multilateralism. By contrast, the NSS 2025 articulates a sovereignty-centered, transactional, and leverage-driven conception of order, in which legitimacy is re-nationalized, institutions are endorsed conditionally, and economic and security instruments are instrumentalized in an open manner. Read in mirror perspective, these projects do not simply compete for influence; they advance structurally different grammars of world order that often operate at cross-purposes. The article concludes that the interaction between these two ordering projects contributes to the emergence of a plural and negotiated world order, characterized less by hegemonic replacement than by legitimacy fragmentation. Global governance is increasingly shaped by overlapping and contested justificatory regimes, in which authority must be continuously negotiated rather than assumed.

EXPERIENCE-VALUE ORIENTED MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR HEALTH CHECKUPS IN TAIWAN MEDICAL CENTERS

Ching-Kuo Wei — 2026-01-15

The study aims to analyze the consumption behavior and the mechanism of loyalty formation among customers at high-end health management centers affiliated with medical centers in Taiwan. It focuses on how service quality, customer satisfaction, and brand image interact to influence loyalty in a highly competitive market. A survey method was adopted, targeting high-end health checkup customers at medical centers in Taiwan. From June to November 2024, 500 questionnaires were distributed, resulting in 446 valid samples. The questionnaire was reviewed by experts for expert validity, and the data met the required standards after reliability analysis.

Demographic Impact: Age significantly affects service quality, satisfaction, brand image, and loyalty. Specifically, the 31-40 age group scored higher than the 21-30 group across multiple dimensions. Additionally, customers with lower education levels exhibited higher loyalty. Correlation Analysis: All main variables (quality, satisfaction, brand image, and loyalty) showed significant positive correlations. Regression Analysis: The model explained 55.4% of the variance in loyalty. "Brand Image" was the most critical factor (β = .428), followed by "Customer Satisfaction" (β = .306). Notably, "Service Quality" did not have a significant direct impact on loyalty. Loyalty in high-end health checkups is primarily driven by "experiential value" and "brand trust" rather than basic medical quality, which is now taken for granted by customers.Healthcare institutions should strengthen brand positioning and differentiate themselves through professional imagery and high-end facilities. They should optimize the customer experience process (e.g., managing waiting times) and cater to the specific needs of different groups. Ultimately, providers must shift from a "quality-oriented" approach to an "experience and value-oriented" management model.

ETHICAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS: RISKS AND CHALLENGES

Oleg Pavenkov — 2026-01-22

As AI systems become increasingly pervasive in various aspects of everyday life, from social media algorithms to national security applications, the potential for both enhancing and violating human rights grows exponentially. Article argue that Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the way people live and work, transforming understanding of human rights and providing new opportunities for innovation. However, the widespread use of AI has also raised concerns about its impact on human rights. Normative ethics theories and principles AI impact’s ethical regulation on human rights were considered and discussed. The research paper examines human rights implications of AI and the ethical responsibility for harm caused by AI technologies. Different type of discrimination and biased behavior in artificial intelligence systems were observed. It is needed to consider legal and ethical liability for human right’s damage caused by AI technologies. The issue of legal and ethical liability for damage caused by artificial intelligence is becoming more important in the era of self-driving cars and robotic surgeons, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in traffic management, as errors made by artificial intelligence systems can lead to fatalities, as has already happened repeatedly. The article examines the complex interplay between AI advances and established human rights frameworks, with a particular focus on the problem of ethical aspects of implementation of social credit system. The article highlights the urgent need for global cooperation in developing comprehensive and adaptive philosophical, ethical and legal frameworks to protect human rights in the face of rapidly evolving AI technologies.

FIELD BASED INSIGHTS INTO VERNACULAR OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION ON THE SYRIAN COAST (ROMAN–BYZANTINE PERIODS)

Maha Ismail — 2026-01-28

This paper examines how rural communities in the mountainous Syrian coastal hinterland adapted olive oil production technologies to rugged topography during the Roman and Byzantine periods. Based on the author’s field documentation (September 2023; October 2024) in villages including al-Jibliyyeh, Baʿbda, Dirmāneh, Dweir Baʿbda (al-Bayyāḍa), Falsaqo, and Harama (near Beit Yāshūṭ), the study analyzes rock-cut press installations characterized by basin morphology, gravity-assisted drainage, and limited or absent built superstructures. These design choices are interpreted as pragmatic responses to marginal landscapes and small- to medium-scale production needs, rather than indicators of technological inferiority. A comparative perspective with inland northern Syria (e.g., the Limestone Massif/“Dead Cities”) highlights a different investment pattern, where presses were more frequently integrated into architectural complexes and, in some cases, employed more elaborate mechanisms. The coastal corpus instead reflects decentralized production strategies shaped by terrain constraints, household or cooperative labor, and long-term reuse of stone-carved features. By integrating field observations with comparative archaeological and historical scholarship, the paper argues for rural technological resilience and agency in peripheral eastern Mediterranean contexts.

DIGITAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES AND THE NURSE–PATIENT RELATIONSHIP: INSIGHTS FROM SOUTH AFRICAN HOSPITALS

Faeda Mohsam — 2026-01-28

This study explores how technology shapes the nurse-patient relationship, enhancing efficiency, responsiveness, and monitoring while posing risks to personal interaction. Guided by Normalization Process Theory (NPT), a qualitative interpretive design was used to examine nurses’ experiences with digital health technologies (DHTs) in two Western Cape hospitals. Using purposive sampling, 28 participants provided in-depth insights analysed thematically. Findings show that DHTs improved efficiency, accuracy, and patient monitoring but also reduced face-to-face interaction, increased administrative tasks, and required ongoing training. Administrators valued DHTs’ strategic benefits yet stressed the need to address relational and practical challenges. Overall, the study reveals the dual impact of DHTs - enhancing efficiency while challenging relational care - and offers insights into balancing digital innovation with patient-centered practice in South African hospitals during crises, but offers novel insight into its importance. These findings highlight the strategic value of developing communication skills.

A PSYCHOMETRIC TOOL TO MEASURE THE GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES: DEVELOPMENT AND STANDARDIZATION OF PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING SCALE FOR ELDERLY

Soumya Kammar — 2026-02-16

With the increasing global attention on ageing population, assessing psychosocial well-being among elderly has become essential for ensuring holistic care and age specific interventions. Besides, every generation carries its own psychological imprint shaped by the decades they have lived through. As a result, understanding well-being in old age requires assessment approaches that are sensitive to generational contexts and life-course experiences. However, culturally relevant standardized tools for such assessment are limited, especially in age inclusiveness. The present study introduces the Psychosocial Well-Being Scale for Elderly (PSWSE), a five-point Likert comprehensive scale developed to measure well-being of elderly in nine dimensions as Psychological Resilience (PR), Cognitive Functioning (CF), Emotional Wellness (EW), Financial Autonomy (FA), Cultural Engagement (CE), Spiritual Wellness (SW), Physical Wellness (PW), Subjective Well-Being (SWB), and Interpersonal Relationships (IR). The scale consists of 60 items and was standardized after employing on a diverse sample of 466 elderly individuals aged 60 years and above. This scale was developed through systematic psychometric procedures including expert validation, item analysis and exploratory factor analysis, yielding high reliability (Cronbach’s a = 0.898) and sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.828, Bartlett’s χ² = 2645.867, p < 0.001). The inter-dimension correlations ranged from 0.080 to 0.818, indicating moderate relationships among the nine dimensions, suggesting these constructs are strongly related yet theoretically distinct. The determinant score of the correlation matrix is 0.034> 0.00001, which confirms that there is an absence of multicollinearity and severe redundancy among dimensions. Reliability of the full scale was established through Split-Half method (even-odd items:0.831) by applying the Spearman-Brown formula. Test-retest reliability conducted on a subset of 150 participants, demonstrating excellent temporal stability of Psychosocial well-being scale and its nine dimensions (r = 0.92).

To explore its community level applicability, the standardised scale was employed in the study and administered on a separate sample of 240 respondents across two generational groups i.e. baby boomers and silent generation. The results revealed that baby boomers reported better psychological well-being in most domains, including mental wellness, cognitive functioning, economic independence, cultural practices, physical wellness and subjective well-being. In contrast, the silent generation displayed comparatively greater emotional and spiritual wellness, possibly due to deeper life reflection and stronger ties to traditional belief systems. This study offers a statistically validated scale that not only contributes to accurate assessment of psychosocial well-being among the elderly but also provides meaningful generational insights. The findings have practical implications for designing targeted mental health strategies, elder care policies and age-sensitive and age-inclusive interventions to support positive and active ageing.

THE WEIGHT OF TOXIC LEADERSHIP: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCES UNDER TOXIC LEADERSHIP

Abhishek Shukla — 2026-02-18

Toxic leadership, which is characterized by abusive, manipulative, and destructive behaviour on the part of organizational leaders, poses significant obstacles to the well-being of employees, the organization's culture, and its overall performance. While toxic leadership persists and has detrimental effects, it is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that requires an in-depth investigation. From the perspective of employees, this qualitative study aims to provide a detailed investigation of the profound effects that toxic leadership has on employee well-being and behaviour. In this research, in-depth interviews and thematic analysis will be used to examine the experiences and responses of employees who have experienced toxic leadership.

The toxic leadership in an organization has emerged as a major concern in organizational behaviour research, having a profound impact on the well-being of employees and the health of organizations. The findings of this study are expected to identify and analyse how employees cope with these adverse impacts as well as offer interventions that organizations can implement to mitigate the adverse effects of toxic leadership. It is also anticipated that the findings from this study will contribute to future research on toxic leadership and the long-term effects it may have on the well-being of an organization.

DEVELOPMENTS IN ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCE LITERATURE: TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF WORK

Marcella Riwo Abudho — 2026-02-24

The innovative human capital in global economic development cannot go unnoticed in such times of change with a focus on sustainability. Research has long shown that the intermateriality across social, economic, and political facets is a manifestation of the change created by entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is therefore not just a venture creation process but a driver of civilization. Entrepreneurial learning has been evolving since the proposal of the first entrepreneurship course, dubbed ‘Management of New Enterprises,’ at Harvard Business School in 1947. The diversity of educational aims, methods in teaching, and approaches in monitoring and evaluation has led to the heterogeneity in the definition of concepts around entrepreneurship, including entrepreneurship competence, entrepreneurial education, and entrepreneurship practice. Entrepreneurs have been described by a variety of terms, and various studies have concluded that there is no scientific definition that has been agreed upon for the concept. The ever-growing engagements in entrepreneurial competence in research and practice has led to a diversity of perspectives and models that all make a contribution to the field. While referring to early entrepreneurial literature, studies have concluded that individual intentions and subsequent behaviors bring the emergence of new business organizations, and as this process evolves over time, entrepreneurial intentions are witnessed across business formations.

VIABLE SUPPLY CHAINS: THEORETICAL EVOLUTION AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM THE ITALIAN FMCG SECTOR

Andrea Payaro — 2026-02-26

Abstract

Over the past forty years, supply chain management has evolved from a technical–logistical discipline focused on efficiency into a dynamic and complex system oriented toward resilience, adaptability, and sustainability. This paper critically retraces the conceptual evolution of supply chains—from Lean to Agile, Resilient, Adaptive, and finally Viable Supply Chains—framing these paradigms in light of today’s volatile, uncertain, and digitalized environments. Through a narrative literature review and an empirical survey involving 112 Italian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies (245 respondents), the study investigates the adoption level of Viable Supply Chain principles across four key dimensions: end-to-end visibility, predictive capabilities through Artificial Intelligence, rapid reconfigurability, and integration of ESG criteria. Findings reveal that most firms have limited first-tier visibility, an embryonic adoption of AI (only 10.9% have pilot initiatives), and insufficient digital competences within procurement teams (44.2%). Nevertheless, 70% of firms collaborate with suppliers to reduce environmental impact, showing increasing awareness of sustainability. The study concludes that Italian FMCG firms are in a transitional phase: while recognizing the strategic importance of digitalization and sustainability, they have yet to fully embed viability into decision-making and operations. The paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the future of Supply Chain Management, advocating for a Complex-Aware Supply Chain—a system able to learn, adapt, and regenerate in highly complex contexts.