This study investigates the core competencies essential for product designers to excel in cross-cultural global markets, with particular emphasis on implications for human resource development and organizational leadership. As design practices increasingly transcend cultural and geographical boundaries, designers are required to integrate advanced technical proficiency, creative problem-solving, technological adaptability, and cultural intelligence to create inclusive, socially responsible, and market-relevant products. Employing a mixed-methods approach—including focus groups and surveys with design professionals, industry executives, and academic leaders—the research identifies key competencies such as flexibility, intercultural communication, ethical integrity, and systems thinking. The findings underscore the necessity of balancing technical expertise with emotional intelligence and transformational leadership capabilities to effectively lead diverse, cross-functional teams. These competencies contribute significantly to fostering innovation, enhancing employee well-being and job satisfaction, and strengthening organizational resilience, thereby supporting sustainable human resource strategies. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of continuous professional development and lifelong learning in cultivating culturally competent and ethically driven design talent. The insights offer strategic guidance for human resource professionals, organizational leaders, and educational institutions aiming to develop adaptive, inclusive, and future-ready design capabilities aligned with evolving global demands.

Knowledge transfer, assimilation, transformation and exploitation significantly impact performing business activities, developing innovations and moving forward to new business models such as transferring to a circular economy. However, organizations’ decisions or willingness to transition to a circular economy are very often also influenced by the external environment. The study aims to determine the influence of the external environment on the transfer from a linear to a circular economy while mediating knowledge assimilation. The quantitative research involved 159 Nordic capital companies operating in Estonia and Lithuania. The survey has been performed by means of the CATI method. The analysis has been done also by applying structural equation modelling (SEM). In order to perform mediation analysis, IBM SPSS and a special PROCESS macro have been used. The study showed that knowledge assimilation partially mediates the relationship between the external environment and the transfer to the circular economy. Hence, the external environment’s direct effect is much more significant than the indirect. The added value of the study also consists in extending the concept of circular economy by including some aspects of absorptive capacity and the external environment.

The main goal of this study is to assess the moderating role of digital leadership capabilities (DLC) in improving the overall performance of telecom companies through their organisational knowledge capabilities. The author builds a conceptual model with six hypotheses and tests them with data collected through an electronic questionnaire. The data is analysed using WarpPLS 8.0 software as an application of the structural equation modelling technique. The sample size included 528 participants. The study revealed that individual knowledge capability (IKC) does not significantly affect organisational performance (PR). Also, the results reveal that managerial knowledge capability (MKC) and organisational collaborative capability (OCC) have a positive but weak impact on the performance of telecom companies (PR). However, it was clear that individual knowledge capability (IKC) and organisational collaborative capability (OCC) do not affect organisational performance (PR) through the moderator, digital leadership capabilities (DLC). On the other hand, it was also evident that managerial knowledge capabilities (MKC) significantly negatively affect the performance of telecom companies (PR) through the moderator role of digital leadership capabilities (DLC). The author recommends that telecom companies adopt knowledge-based practices to ensure enduring high performance. He also suggests creating a knowledge management department to foster a culture of creativity and cooperation across departments, which is essential to establishing a work environment that promotes continuous learning and development. Findings may help telecom sector CEOs boost the company’s performance value. The research highlights the importance of fostering appropriate knowledge pillars and building digital leaders to shift telecom companies to a new successful stage. These findings offer tangible benefits that can be directly applied in the telecom industry, making the research highly relevant and valuable.

Based on 898 English documents and 363 Chinese documents citing the Rising of Network Society, it studied that the knowledge contribution of citation content analysis and citation context analysis methods, and the knowledge contribution of Chinese and foreign quotations to human geography. The study found that “mobile space” is the most quoted theoretical view in domestic and foreign literature, and the proportion of domestic research is significantly higher than foreign research; the focus of domestic and foreign research focuses on the external spatial form and its transformation, while foreign research pays more attention on the internal spatial dynamics of network society and three types of knowledge contributions, reflecting the influence of “network social theory” on human geography. Among them, critical references reveal the shortcomings of “network social theory” point out the abstraction of “spatial duality” the importance of local space, and the limitations of research data, methods, and time background, which provides new enlightenment for the future application and innovation of “network social theory” in the field of human geography.

This cross-sectional study examines the knowledge, perception, and practice of health professions students and academics in Jordan concerning halal pharmaceuticals. Health professions students and academics from various universities in Jordan were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and inferential tests to identify factors affecting knowledge, perception, and practice. Participants had a high level of awareness regarding general halal and haram concepts, but there was relatively lower awareness of the term “halal pharmaceuticals” and detailed information about non-halal ingredients. Knowledge scores varied between students and academics, with academics scoring higher. Participants exhibited positive perceptions, acknowledging the importance of knowledge about halal pharmaceuticals and patients’ rights to inquire about medication sources and ingredients. Concerns were raised about the potential controversy surrounding the topic. This research contributes to understanding the role of halal pharmaceuticals in healthcare, particularly in predominantly Muslim countries. The findings highlight the importance of integrating education on halal pharmaceuticals into healthcare curricula, emphasizing patient-centered care, and addressing cultural and religious sensitivity. There is a need for tailored educational approaches and sensitivity training to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice.