Published Papers - Special Issue 6, 2026

Shifts in Management in Challenging Times

Accepted papers will be published on a continuous basis (as soon as accepted) and listed together on this special issue page of the journal.

Final publication date of the Special Issue 6: December 2026

1. ALWAYS ON, ALWAYS STRESSED? HYBRID WORK, BOUNDARY BLURRING, AND EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING IN THE MODERN ORGANISATION

RECEIVED: 05.01.2026

REVISED: 19.01.2026

FIRST ONLINE: 20.01.2026

Dinko Herman BOIKANYO

University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg

South Africa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2026.S.I.6-01

Hybrid work has become a defining feature of the modern organisation, widely promoted for its potential to enhance flexibility and autonomy. However, growing evidence suggests that hybrid work may intensify employee stress by eroding traditional work non work boundaries. Drawing on boundary theory, the Job Demands Resources model, and Conservation of Resources theory, this conceptual paper develops an integrative framework explaining how hybrid work generates stress through boundary blurring. Boundary blurring is conceptualised as a multidimensional construct encompassing temporal, spatial, and psychological domains that function as chronic job demands, depleting employee resources and undermining recovery. The framework identifies key stress mechanisms including cognitive overload, impaired psychological detachment, and role conflict, and highlights individual, organisational, and institutional factors that moderate these relationships. By reframing employee stress as a systemic outcome of hybrid work design rather than an individual coping failure, the paper advances theory on new ways of working and offers insights for more sustainable, well-being oriented hybrid work practices.

2. JOB SATISFACTION IN HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS: EVIDENCE FROM RANGPUR COMMUNITY DENTAL MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL

RECEIVED: 24.09.2025

REVISED: 19.01.2026

FIRST ONLINE: 20.01.2026

Shamim UDDIN

Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur

Bangladesh

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2026.S.I.6-02

Employee job satisfaction plays a crucial role in enhancing organizational performance, service quality, and employee retention in healthcare institutions. This study examines job satisfaction among doctors, nurses, and support staff at Rangpur Community Dental Medical College and Hospital in Bangladesh, focusing on seven key domains: job privileges, interpersonal relations and cooperation, working environment, patient relationships, organizational facilities, career development, and human resource practices. A descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative research design was employed, collecting data from 90 employees, including 35 doctors, 26 nurses, and 29 support staff, using a structured questionnaire and the validated Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) scale. Findings indicate moderate overall satisfaction, with notable variations across domains. Interpersonal relations and cooperation were rated most positively, reflecting a supportive work culture, whereas financial benefits, organizational facilities, and certain career development opportunities were areas of dissatisfaction. Human resource practices, including recruitment transparency and workload management, also require attention. The study highlights the importance of enhancing job-related benefits, promoting professional growth, and providing institutional support to improve employee satisfaction. These insights provide actionable recommendations for hospital management to optimize workforce motivation, performance, and, ultimately, patient care outcomes.

3. EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF INSTITUTIONAL WORKSHOPS ON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN A SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

RECEIVED: 15.06.2025

REVISED: 19.01.2026

FIRST ONLINE: 20.01.2026

Alfred Mvunyelwa MSOMI

Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban

South Africa

Sandiso NGCOBO

Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban

South Africa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2026.S.I.6-03

Rapid technological progress calls for continuous professional development in digital literacy for academic staff to accommodate the transformative integration of educational technology within education. This research assesses the effects of faculty participation in such workshops and its subsequent practical application in educational contexts. Utilising purposive sampling, twenty-one academic members who consistently attended educational technology workshops during 2021-2023 completed a closed-response online questionnaire using Microsoft Forms. The study incorporates the Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation Model’s (KEM) and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to provide rigour in its evaluation of training efficacy. Our findings reveal substantial barriers to sustained technology integration, namely limited post-workshop support, insufficient time for practical application, unreliable infrastructure, and varying levels of digital literacy among academic staff. This data highlights the need for strategic enhancements in workshop structure and presentation to better cultivate substantial technological integration within teaching practices.

4. QUALITY OF LIFE AND EDUCATION: PATTERNS, RESEARCH TRENDS, AND OVERLAPS

RECEIVED: 03.11.2025

REVISED: 28.01.2026

FIRST ONLINE: 13.02.2026

Ina NIMERENCO

Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest

Romania

Raluca Mihaela DRĂCEA

Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest

Romania

Carmen Lenuța TRICĂ

Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest

Romania

Cristian TEODOR

Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest

Romania

Elena Mădălina DEACONU

Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest

Romania

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2026.S.I.6-04

The link between quality of life and education has attracted increasing interest from the scientific community, but the intersection between the two fields remains underexplored. The aim of this study is to map the intersection of research in this field through a bibliometric analysis, aiming to identify the most influential publications, dominant keywords, research trends, the most prolific journals and their characteristics, as well as the geographical and institutional distribution of studies. The Web of Science database was queried with a broad intersection of keywords, and the data were analyzed using the Bibliometrix package in R version 4.5.1 (RStudio IDE). The dataset includes 4,883 documents published between 1984 and September 2025, contributed by 17,492 authors, with an average annual growth rate of 16.71% and an average of 13.27 citations per article. The results highlight a growing interest in converging themes such as higher education, well-being, and mental health. The purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive and structured overview of this emerging research area, supporting future theoretical development and evidence-based policy and educational strategies. The study provides an integrated picture of how education and quality of life intersect, contributing to strengthening interdisciplinary dialogue and opening new directions for future research.

5. PLANNING SUSTAINABLE WINE TOURISM IN TANZANIA: AN EXPERT-WEIGHTED VALUE CHAIN APPROACH

RECEIVED: 07.02.2026

REVISED: 12.02.2026

FIRST ONLINE: 13.02.2026

Galinoma Gahele LUBAWA

Institute of Rural Development Planning, Dodoma

Tanzania

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2026.S.I.6-05

Wine tourism is increasingly recognised as a strategic pathway for diversifying rural economies and enhancing destination competitiveness; however, its development in emerging destinations remains weakly structured and under-researched. This study examines how wine tourism in Tanzania can be planned as a sustainable and integrated value chain. Drawing on Institutional Theory and Experience Economy Theory, the study adopts a quantitative, expert-based research design using Real-Time Delphi, Analytic Hierarchy Process, and a Weighted Scoring Method. Primary data were collected from 46 experts representing key actors across the wine tourism value chain, including production, tourism services, markets, and governance. The analysis identifies and ranks the relative importance of value chain components for sustainable wine tourism development. The findings reveal that institutional, regulatory, and policy support, followed by marketing and branding and wine tourism experiences, are perceived as the most critical drivers, outweighing production-focused factors. It therefore indicates that sustainable wine tourism in emerging contexts is shaped more by governance quality and experiential design than by wine production alone. The study contributes to theory by integrating institutional and experiential perspectives within an expert-weighted value chain framework, and to practice by offering evidence-based guidance for policymakers, planners, and industry stakeholders seeking to develop sustainable wine tourism in Tanzania.

6. BALANCING AI'S PUSH WITH HUMAN VALUE: THE CASE OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR

RECEIVED: 11.02.2026

REVISED: 15.03.2026

FIRST ONLINE: 23.03.2026

Onise ALPENIDZE

Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah

United Arab Emirates

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2026.S.I.6-06

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has caused a significant disruption to the higher education sector by increasing the efficiency of pedagogy, hastening research activities, and advancing automation processes. However, this rapid development has given rise to considerable "Professional Friction" driven by faculty apprehension related to job replacement, deskilling, and a threat to academic integrity. The present conceptual investigation examines the interface between GenAI technological advancement and the value of the human professor with the aim of developing a framework for harmonization. The article introduces a unique conceptual model: The Balanced Scale Model, which consists of three integral parts: AI's Push - a worldwide drive for adaptive learning and technological acceleration, Professional Friction - the devaluation of the professor's role and expertise, and Institutional Mediators - strategic initiatives to bridge the gap between GenAI and academia. The research indicates that a paradigm shift is required to transition from viewing GenAI as a replacement for the educator to viewing GenAI as a part to be synthesized with the educational community. The use of institutional mediators transforms the professor's role to a "Human Architect". This allows the professor to break free from routine and mechanical tasks to focus on high-value human activities that GenAI cannot accomplish, such as ethical mentoring, thematic research, and the curation of complex learning experiences. This model provides a strategic pathway for administrators and researchers to manage GenAI-related anxiety to ensure a balanced future where GenAI enhances and improves the "human element" of higher education.

7. HRM COMMUNICATION IN CHALLENGING TIMES: EVIDENCE FROM CORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA OF KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE BUSINESS SERVICES

RECEIVED: 08.03.2026

REVISED: 23.03.2026

FIRST ONLINE: 30.03.2026

Işık ÇIÇEK

Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya

Turkey

Sibel ÇAVUŞ ŞAHIN

Deva Pharmaceuticals, Istanbul

Turkey

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24818/beman/2026.S.I.6-07

The service sector plays an important role in the increase of employment and the rise of social welfare in OECD countries. In periods of economic uncertainty, digital transformation, and intense competition, organizations increasingly resort to strategic communication tools to maintain stakeholder trust and organizational legitimacy. In this context, corporate social media stands out as an important communication channel through which businesses convey their human resource management (HRM) priorities, employer value propositions, and organizational resilience to stakeholders. The Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS) sector holds a central position in modern economies due to its role in the production and dissemination of knowledge. The fact that human capital is the fundamental strategic asset in these businesses makes the transfer of HRM practices to external stakeholders more critical. This study examines the HR functions emphasized on the official social media accounts of KIBS businesses. The sample of the study consists of 108 KIBS firms. The findings indicate that there are significant differences across the KIBS sector in terms of the number of social media accounts owned by firms and the number of HRM functions they emphasize. Contrary to expectations, no significant relationship was found between the social media channels used and the emphasized HRM functions. The most frequently emphasized functions are employee development and employee commitment. The findings indicate the strategic role of corporate social media in supporting organizational resilience and talent attraction during challenging times. This article contributes to the HRM and KIBS research literature on social media usage in accordance with the assumptions of the RBV, Intellectual Capital Approach, and Signing Theory, providing specific insights for practitioners.