Generative Artificial Intelligence: Knowledge, Perception and Use among White-Collar Employees in Companies

PROCEEDINGS 20 th International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics IFKAD 2025 Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm 2-4 July 2025 University of Naples Federico II Naples, Italy 20 th Inter national Forum on Knowledge As set Dynamics P P R R O O C C E E E E D D I I N N G G S S I I F F K K A A D D 2 2 0 0 2 2 5 5 2-4 Ju ly 20 25 Naples - Italy Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm Proceedings IFKAD: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm Distribution: IFKAD 2025 – Naples , Italy 2-4 Ju ly 20 25 University of Naples Federico II LUM University Arts for Business Institute ISBN 978 - 88 -96687- 19 -2 ISSN 2280 -787X Edited by: Giuseppe Bruno , Cristina Ponsiglione, Carmela Piccolo, Giovanni Schiuma Published by: Institute of Knowledge Asset Management (IKAM) Realized by : Gabriela Jaroš FOREWORD IFKAD 2025 - Knowledge F utures: AI, Technology, and the N ew Business Paradigm On behalf of the organizing committee, we are delighted to welcome you in Naples for the 20 th edition of the annual conference of the International Forum of Knowledge Assets Dynamics (IFKAD 2025). This year, the conference is hosted by the University of Na ples Federico II, one of the oldest universities in the world, which has just celebr ated 800 year s of history. Despite its long tradition, our un iversity has been able to adapt to significant changes over the years, remaining at the forefront of innovation and actively contributing to the current chall enges of our society. In this regard, hosting he re such an imp ortant meeti ng on the role of Artificial Intelligence and em erging technologies i n shaping new business paradigm s assumes sym bolic relevance . Thanks to the success of prev ious editions, IFKAD has emer ged as a prominent internatio nal scientific forum, aiming to understand and share insights on the role of knowledge in creating organizational value and driving innovation and transformati on. In this 20th edition, we intend to enrich the debate on the integration of emerging technologies in knowledge management processes and contrib ute to delineating the future trajectories of organizatio ns. Indeed, the spread of digital technologies presents both intriguing challenges and new opportunities for modern businesses while also posing significant risks. In this context, it is crucial to explore how such technologies are transforming industries and society an d what are the mai n related t hreads for sust ainable and inclusive growth. In this meeting, over 200 contributions will be presented on this topic, covering different areas and perspectives. The ke y questions motivati ng the presented studies are: • How are emerging tec hnologies shapin g the future of so ciety and busines s? • How can AI be used to create and transfer knowledge within organization s? • How can digital tech nologies contribute to s ocial and inclusive innovation? • How to balance the adoption of digita l technologies and human-centered appr oaches within organizations? • How risks connected to the adoption of digi tal technologies may be m itigated? • How Artificial Intell igence and emergin g technologies contribute to li nk tradition and innovation? Additional topics, will be refl ecting followi ng Special Track themes and questions: • Navigating AI Ado ption in the Service Industr y: A Focus on Organizatio nal Dynamics • New Models and Te chnologies for Business and Management Innovati on • Diversity Management , Inclusion and Knowl edge Creation for Innovation • Gender Issues in Innovativ e Society: AI and T echnology for New Organizational Paradi gms • Exploring the Intersection of Digital Transformation and Business Model Innovation: Insights and Opportunities • Entrepreneurship and New T echnologies • Society 5.0: From Knowl edge-Based to a Wi se-Based Approach • Advancing Insights in Organizational Behavi or, Technologies and Knowledge Managem ent • Artificial Intelli gence and Strategic Knowle dge Management • Navigating AI and Cuttin g-Edge Technologies in Knowl edge Management • The Role of Advanced Technologies in Innov ation 5.0 Scenario as Enabler of Innovati on Ecosystems • Exploring the Impact of Te chnological Inno vation on the Social Sustainability of Agrifoo d Supply Chains • Decision Support Me thods for Food Waste Reduction in Agri-Food Supply Chain: T he KILOWATT Project • Future Org anizations and Strategies: Integrating Humans and Technology for Social and E nvironmental Impact • Can the Regenerative Approach Support Manufacturing Industries in Fac ing Unsustainable Conditions? Building New Busines s Paradigms on Evi dence and Best Pr actices • Complexity Approaches to Support New Knowl edge and Business Deve lopment • Industry 5.0 and Sustainability: (Re) Shaping Workforce Skills and Management in Multiple Industries and/or Hybrid Orga nisations • Artificial Intelli gence, Intellectual Ca pital, and Value Creati on: Inspiring New Strategies and Challe nges 3 • The Value of Interdisciplinary Resear ch in Man aging Knowledge and Emerging Technologies t o Harmonizing Business an d Society • AI and Technology as Catalysts for Knowledge: Shaping Roles, Competences, and Value Creation in Healthcare • Artificial Intelli gence in Medicine: Transfor ming Healthcare Through Innovation • Stakeholder Collaboration as a Driver of Knowledge Diffusion and Sustainable Value Creation in Ecosystems • Technology Management and Business Maturity: Innovative, Sustainable and Secure Digital Transformation Initiatives in Industry • Accelerating t he Shift to a Circular Economy Through Digital Tech nologies and Knowledge Managemen t • Translating Feminist Knowledge into Business Practice for Sustainable and Inclusive Strategies, Processes, and Org anizations • Exploring Creativ e Processes and Decision-Makin g in the Era of Huma n & Artificial Intelligence • Health Technology Assess ment and Artifi cial Intelligen ce in Healthcare Sys tems • The Impact of AI and Digital Transformation on Knowledge Integration Practices in Project Oriented Settings • The Impact of ESG Factors on Stakeholder Enga gement Accordin g to AI • Social Sustainability and AI in the Framework of Knowledge Ma nagement • Shaping the Future: Adaptin g HEIs to the Evolv ing Knowledge a nd Innovation Landscape • Intelligent Co mmunities a nd Orga nisations Driv ing Innovati on by Dealing with Knowledge and Technologies • Trends in Performance Measurement and Management of Healthcare Organizations: Investigating the Contribution of New Digital Technology in S upporting Kno wledge Managem ent and Value Creatio n • GenAI for Improvi ng Organizational Process es and Knowledge • Digital Transformation of Cir cular Manufacturing Systems • Artificial Intelli gence (AI) and Emergin g Technologies for Value Creation in Service-Based Industries • AI and Knowledge Fut ures in Cultural Touris m: Shaping a New Paradigm • Open Innovation Pat hways: How Start-ups Thri ve in Collaborative Ecosy stems • Questioning the Role of Digital Technologie s for Board Decisi on Making • Startups and Cultural Herita ge Valorization : An Emerging P aradigm We invite eac h participant to actively engage in the ses sions and discussions to promote the sharing of experiences and crea te a fruitful context f or advancing kno wledge and expertis e on the topic. Giuseppe Bruno, Ca rmela Piccolo, Cristina Ponsiglione University of N aples Federico II, Italy Chairpersons, IFKAD 20 25 Giovanni Schiuma LUM University, It aly President, IFKAD 4 I N D E X 14 C laud i a Co z z i o, F ran ci s co S anto s Arte ag a, Os w i n Ma urer AI Per ceptio n s Acro s s Org a niz a ti o nal Lev el s : B a rr iers a nd D ri v ers o f Ado p tion i n th e H o tel In du s try 23 Tom m aso D i F on z o Artif i ci a l In tell i g enc e Ad o ptio n i n S o uth T y ro l ea n H ospita l i ty : A Qual i ta ti v e Anal y s i s 31 Luca T up or ini , V ittorio D ’Am ato, J oa o V i e i ra da Cun ha, El e na T osca The Inter dep end en t R el a ti o n s h ip of M I a nd C u ltur e: In s i g hts f ro m a S y s tem a ti c Litera tu re N etw o rk Anal y s i s 40 Val e rio B res ci a, G i use ppe N i col ò K n ow l ed g e Manag em ent a nd D i v ersi ty Manag em ent i n H E Is : An Ita l i a n Ov erv i ew 49 F i l om e na B uo noco re, D av i de de G e nna ro, V i vian a Co l om bi E v ang e l i s ta, Lud ov ica D el B aro ne, F l orian a Po ll i o R eth i nk ing F a i rn es s i n W o rk - Li f e Po l i ci es : A C on cep tual F ram ew o rk B ey on d Paren tho o d 57 G i us e pp e Ma ri a B i f ul co, F abr i z i o Ma ri a B e rtusi , Le onzi o Ca pp arel l i ES G a nd AI: T h e R o le o f a N ew Pla y er i n th e S u s ta i n a bil i ty ’s G a m e. E xp l o rati v e Anal y s i s o f the Po tentia l Im pact o f Artif i ci a l Intell i g ence i n B u s i n es s S usta i nab l e Per f o r m a nce 65 B e atr i ce S vev a S tas i , F ab riz i a Sa rto, S ara S agg e s e W o m en D i rec to rs , S u s ta i n abil i ty Kn ow l ed g e a nd G reen w a s hin g : A S tud y on Ita l i a n C om p a nies 73 F ra nces ca D al M as, Anna Pr e ne s ti ni, Lorenzo Co bi an chi C a n D iv ersi ty B e a n O p po rtu nity to Enh a nc e Ethics ? F i n d i ngs f ro m a Mu l ti n ati on a l S ur v ey i n th e C on text o f Traum a a nd Em erg en cy S u rgery 81 S z u- Ch i e h C hen, W e i - Li ng Yang , Y af an g Ts ai, S hih- W ang W u As s es s i n g C arb o n E m i s s i o n s a n d Ener g y U s e B ehav i ou rs a m o n g Med i ca l U nd ergra d uate S tud ents i n T a iw a n 89 Vi nce nzo Po ntrel l i , Angel a R e l l a, Lar a Ol i va , Arca ng e l o Ma rro ne As s es s i n g F i rm - Lev el D r iver s o f H i g h- Qu a l i ty DE&I D i s cl osur e i n C o rp or a te S u s ta i n a bil i ty R epo rts: A S ta k eho l d er - C entr i c Per s p ectiv e 97 Arm and o Ca l abr e s e , S of i a C ar ri no , R ob e rta Co s ta, E ug eni o R oberti, Luigi Ti bur z i S k i l l Mis m a tch : E xp l or i ng the Im p a ct of G ener ati v e AI i n D etecti ng B i a s es a nd D i s cr im i nati o n i n J o b Ad v ertis em ents 105 D aria Pod m e ti na, Merle Kü tti m , W ol f gan g G e rs tl be rg e r The R ole of U niv ers i ty- In d ustry - G ov er n m ent C oo p erati o n i n Es to nia f or S u s ta i n a ble Inn o v a ti o n 113 Lau ra Iacov on e The Acti v a ti on o f In clusi v e B eh avio rs T h r o ug h S el f - Aw a ren es s o f C og n i ti v e B i a s es : T he C o ntr i bu ti o n of N ew W eb3 Techn o l ogi es 124 M ar co T utino , S i m ona A rd ui ni, Ch i ara D i Ma rio Artif i ci a l In tell i g enc e a n d G end er R oles : A S tru ctu red Litera tu re R ev i ew ( S LR ) 133 Pedr o S e va-Larr osa, G i us e pp e M od af f ari, F ran cis co G arcía - Lil l o D i g i ta l T ech n ologi es i n th e Kn o w l edge Era: Op p o rtu nity or Ch a l l en g e f or F em a l e Entr epr eneu rs h ip? 141 Al e s s and ro G al li D i g i ta l T ransf o rm a ti on a n d G end er Equ a l i ty i n Pu bli c Ad m i nis trati on : An Anal y s i s o f N R R P Po l i ci es a nd Im plem en tati on 150 Pa ola Pa olon i , Ve ron ica Pr oca cci , S i l v ia Ie v ole l l a In du s tria l Dis tricts a nd W om en- Led S MEs : A Li tera tu re Anal y s i s 160 Irene F ulco, F ran ce s ca Loi a, B arb ara Aqu i l ani, Ma rce l l o Ma rtinez In v es ti g a ti ng Dig i ta l T ransf or m a ti o n a n d B usi ness Mo d el In no v a ti on i n M a d e i n Ital y S ecto rs 169 Ve ron ica Ma rozz o, F ab riz i o Ces ar on i , T i nd ar a Abba te Artif i ci a l In tell i g enc e i n S o ci a l Med i a Adv ertis i ng: T o S a y or N ot T o S a y ? 175 C hiar a Av ar el l o, Anto nia Ca v a, Ve ron ica Ma rozz o, F ra nces co Micali , Andr e a N ucita, S te f ano R uss o Exp l or i ng A I In teg rati o n i n S i cil i a n S MEs : An Inv es tig a ti o n on Aw a ren es s a nd Per s p ectiv es 181 Ti nda ra Abba te , F abr iz i o Ces aro ni, Anto nio Cru pi, M att i a F as an o, E lvira T iz i an a La R occa, R af f ael e Sta gli anò D i g i ta l F inanc e f or S MEs a nd S ta rtu ps: Li teratur e R eview a n d R es ea rch Pr o po s a l s 5 I N D E X 189 Joach i m D e hais Enter pr i s e Arch i tectu re M o del f o r Kn o w l edge As s ets 197 Leona rd o S anto ro, G ab rie l e S an toro Lo ok ing f o r C o- F o u n der s : E xp l o ri n g th e C o- F ou nd ers S el ecti on Pr oc es s i n V entu re S tud i o s 205 M ar i a Cr i s ti na Pi e tro nu do, Ma ri o S or re ntino, El e na Ca nd e l o B ri d g i n g Inn o v a tion a nd Mark et: A n Exp l or a tor y A n a l y s i s of AI S ta rtu p Va l ue Pro p osi ti on s 211 Luca S i m on e M acca , G abr ie l e S an tor o Exp l or i ng Co n f i g ur a ti on s of G ro w th H a ck i n g S uc cess F a cto rs i n S MEs : An F S QC A A p p ro a ch 220 C an nav ale Ch i ara , Claud i o Lor e nza, Dian a Ko role va Entr epr eneu rs ’ Per ceptio ns of AI: Lev el of Ad o ptio n , C ompeten ces , a nd Lea rn i ng E co s y s tem 226 C ris ti na Ca te ri na Am i tra no , G abr i e l l a Es po s i to, Ma rk A nth ony C am i l l e ri, S te f an o B re s ci an i Em p o w ering D i s a dv a n ta g e E n tr ep ren eu rs hip : The R ole of N ew T ech n olo g i es f o r Peo p le W i th D i s a b i l i ti es 232 C ar m i ne Pa s s av anti, Tatiana Lop e z , Pie rluigi R i pp a, D av i d U rba no In s ti tu ti on a l Per s p ectiv es on Entr epr eneu ria l E du cati on Ecosy s tem s : F o s tering Dig i ta l S tud en t S ta rtu p s 240 M ar i o Tani, G i an pa ol o B as i l e AI a n d Entr epr eneu rs h ip: A B i b l i om etric Exp l or a ti on i n th e Po s t - Ch a tG PT E ra 250 Val e rio B res ci a, G i nev ra D e gregor i , Al berto Ca va z z a Artif i ci a l In tell i g enc e a n d Kn ow l ed g e Manag em ent i n H ea l th care: A Pathw a y to S D G s Ach i evement 264 Anto ni o Cim i no, V i ncenzo Co rv e l l o, F ran ce s co Long o, Vi ttorio S oli na H u m a n- C enter ed F actor s i n G ener a ti v e Artif i ci a l Intell i g enc e Ado p ti on : Im p l i ca ti o n s f or E m p loy ee W el l - B ei n g 272 S i m ona Mo rm i l e , R oberta R om ano , E m i l i a R om e o, G abr i e l l a Pis copo , Pa ola Adinolf i N a v i g a ti ng th e D i g i tal C hal l en g e: A B i b l i om etric An a l y s i s o f T a lent Manag em ent i n th e Pu bli c S ector 282 D é bor a Cr i s ti na D e Andr ad e Vi ce nte , Iv an Luciano D anes i , Ma rta B e rtolas o, Ch iara B e l l ini , Lucia M ar che gian i C or po rate G o ver nan ce, H u m a n- C entr i c App ro a ch es , a nd AI Ado p ti on : D o es Org a n iz a ti on a l S i z e Matter? 291 B arb ar a Ian no ne , M ar ial uigia D i G i am pi e tro S u s ta inabil i ty a nd W el l - B ei ng i n Ind u s try 5.0: A S y s tem a ti c Li teratur e R eview 302 M an ue la Pa oli ni, F austo Di V i ncenzo, D om e nico R au cci, F e derica Mo ran di F o s terin g Kn owl edg e Man a g em en t to E nh a n ce Inn o v a ti v e W o r k B ehav i ou r i n Pu b l i c H ea l th ca re Orga niz a ti o n s 310 M ar i a Cr i s ti na Man occhio, Y asi r F ahee m , Anton i a Pu cci o, F ra nces ca D i Vi rgil i o S M Es A I In vestm en ts a n d R es i l i enc e: a Kn o w l edge R i s k Perspec tiv e 318 B uy an- Arv i j i k h B oldba ata r, Aug usto Colon go, Ma rco G re co, Pao l o Lan don i H u m a n R es ou rce Manag em ent i n Ea rly - S ta g e S ta rtu p s : A Qu a l i tati v e Mu l tiple - C a s e S tu d y 329 Te s ta F e deri ca, Pe tro lo D am i an o, G i am pao l a Val e rio In cl usi v e La n g u a g e i n Aca demi a : Ev al uati ng H u m a n a nd AI - G ener a ted C o m m u n i ca ti o n s to S tu den ts 337 El ona Çera, B l e ri na D hra m i , C om f ort Ade bi As am oa h U n lock ing Inn o v a ti o n i n S MEs T h o ugh T ransf or m a ti o n a l Lea d ers hip a n d Co m m i tm ent - b a s ed H R M Pr acti ces 345 Al e s s and ro Mass aro , G i us e ppe Lose to, F ran ce s co S an tarsi e ro, G i ov ann i S chium a, Ang el o R os a, Pa ris a S abb agh , Ol i v i a McD e rm ott Pr oject “T el ed ia beto l a b”: Kn o w l edg e G a i n a n d A I D a ta Pr o ces s App l i ed in T el edia b eto l ogy 351 N i na H e l an de r, Kris hna V e nk i tach al am , H ann e l e Väy ry ne n Pu b l i c - Pr i v a te C o- C rea tion o f Kn o w l edge - B a s ed Open Inn o v a ti o n s : C hal l enges a n d Op p or tun i ti es 358 F ra nces co Pu cci , G i us e pp e R ob erto Ma rse gl i a, Al be rto Ira ce , F e deri co Ch m e t AI - Enh a nc ed D a ta Pla tf o rm s : Tra n s f or m i n g Kn o w l edge M a n a g em en t i n W a s te Manag em ent Org a niz a ti o ns 365 G i anluca Aqu il one, V i ncenz o V arr i al e , Anto nel l o Ca m m ar ano , F ra nces ca M i chel i no , M au ro Ca pu to The R ole of AI a nd E m erg i ng T ech n ologi es i n Transf o r m i ng K n ow l ed g e Manag em ent 375 M aa ya n Nak as h, E ttor e B oli s ani D o Org a n iz a ti on s S tru g g l e to Im p lem ent AI i n Kn owl edg e Man a g em en t S y s tem s ? Initi a l Em pirica l In s i g hts 6 I N D E X 382 M ar i a El e na Latino, Ma ri a Ch iara D e Lorenzi , M ar i a Lau ra G i ang ran de AI - d riv en V a l u e C rea tion i n In n ov a tion Ecosy s tem , i n s i g hts f ro m S ta k eh older T heo ry 391 M ar ta Menegoli , D am i an o Ca l ò, Ang el o Co rall o C a n Artif i cia l In tel l i g ence S u p po rt C o m p a n i es i n Im p lem enting S usta i nable Inn o v a ti o n S tra teg i es ? Ev i den ce f ro m Ag ri - F oo d C ompanies 402 Adr iana B ase l i ce , Al e s s and ra De Ch i ara , S of i a Ma uro Exp l or i ng the Preli m i nary C on d iti on s f or B l o ck chai n C red i bil i ty i n the Ag ri - f oo d In du s try 410 G e rard a F atto ruso, Anto nio V i oli , Mass i m o S quil l an te M u l ti - C r iteri a D eci s i on - Mak i ng to E v a l u a te S u s ta i n abil i ty a nd Perfor m a n ce i n the Ag ri - F o od S up p ly C hai n 418 The R ole of Intell i g ent Pack a g ing i n R ed u ci ng F oo d W a s te: A C on s um er B ehav i ou r Anal y s i s 427 W alte r Ve s peri , Ma ri a Ca rl otta R i z z uto , Ann a Ma ri a Mel i na Orga niz i ng the Ag ri - F o o d S up p ly C hai n to R ed u ce F oo d W a s te: A n Exp l or a tor y S tu dy 434 F ra nces co S anto ro, Ada B i af or e, D av i d Tos can o The Kil owa tt Pro ject: An Ov erv iew a bo u t A i m s , Too l s , a nd Key Activ iti es 441 G abr ie l a Citl all i Lóp ez Torr e s , O ctav i o H e rna nd e z C astorena , Al ba R ocio Car va j al S an dov al S M E Perfor m a n ce thr ou g h Mo d ern Techn o logy a n d S u s ta i n a ble B usi ness S trateg i es 448 Jos é O ctav i o Co ntr e ras S ánch e z , V i ann e y V i ridiana Con tre ra s S ánch e z , F ra ncis co Jav i e r Ál va re z - T orr e s Pr op o s a l f or a n Inc lusi ve a nd S u s ta i n able T el em edicine E co s y s tem i n Mex i co 454 Ana Lidi a Qui ntero R am í re z , F ran ci s co J av i e r Á l v arez - T or res , G i ov ann i S chium a, G ab rie l a Citl all i López - T or res , M ar i a D . De - J ua n- V i ga ra y, Clara Ma ría F re i re M ar gaça The R ole of H um a n Exp ertis e i n D i g i ta l Tra n s f or m a ti o n a nd Inn o vati o n of S MEs 461 Pete r Li ndg re n, J an e F l ar up , Pur ni m a Lala Mehta , Anm ol B hatia H o w Do es AI i m p a ct H u m a n C a pita l a nd C a pabil i ty ( H C C) i n MB MI Pr ocess es ? 470 Jov ana Pop ov i c, Mil i ca Vuk otic Exp l or i ng T ech n ology Dif f u s i o n f o r Enh a nc ed E ner g y E f f i ci enc y : An E m pirica l App ro a ch 477 M ar i a El e na Latino, Ma rta Menegoli , R oberta Pel l e gr i no , Anto ni o Pie poli , Pie rpa ol o Pon tran dolf o W h a t R eg ener a ti v e App ro a ch es D rive R es i l i ence? A Kn o w l edg e F ram e f or S o ci a l - E co l ogi ca l S y s tem s 488 G i ov ann a F e rra ro, A nto nio Iov an e ll a, Al e s s an dr o R am pon i An An al ysi s of F i ntech Patents i n th e Li g hts of G reen Techn o l ogi es 498 Pr of i roiu Co nstantin Ma ri us, Pr of i roiu Al i na G e org i ana , Con s tantin Da nie l a - Lum i nița, Cibu B i an ca R aluca, D el ce a C am e l i a U n d ers ta n d i ng S o cio- E co no m i c Per cep ti on s C o m p l exity i n R o m a nia a nd Mo l d ov a: Im pli ca tion s f o r th e B u s i n es s Env iro nm en t 507 Vi nce nzo M aion e , C ris ti na Po nsi gli one, S im onetta Prim ario, Ma nfre d Paie r, T here s a B uers cher M app i ng T w i n Transi ti on s i n R eg i on a l Inn o vati o n S y s tem s : A C o nfi g u rati o nal App ro a ch 517 R ob e rta De Cr i s tofaro , Vi nce nzo D e l Du ca, C ris ti na Po nsi gli one, S im onetta Prim ario, S e rena S trazz ull o Ad d res s i ng the Co m plexity of th e G reen H y dr ogen V a l ue - C h a i n: A n Ag ent- B a s ed Mo dell i n g App ro a ch 525 S te ph an Le i tner Orga nis a ti on a l R es i l i enc e a n d D eci s i on- Mak i ng Mo des: A n Ag ent- B a s ed Anal y s i s 532 C ar m i ne Pa s s av anti, S i m onetta Prim ar i o, Pie rl uigi R i ppa In s ti tu ti on a l C on d i tion s i n E n trep ren eu ria l Edu ca tion E co s ystem s : E f f ects o n E n trep ren eur i a l Kn owl edg e a nd C ultu r e 540 Linda Po nta, R af f ael l a M an z i ni , S i l v an o Cinco tti Techn o l ogy Lea d ers a nd F o l l o w ers : An Ag ent - B a s ed App ro a ch 547 Linda Po nta, And rea U rb inati, R af f ael l a Ma nzi ni C i rcu l a r E co no m y Yes o r N o ? T his i s th e D i l em m a . An Ag ent - B a s ed App ro a ch 553 M ar ti na Percuo co, Anna Pris co, Irene R i cci ar di, V i ncenzo D e l l ’A nn o Artif i ci a l In tell i g enc e f o r a S usta i nab le F u tu re: U nr a v eli ng i ts Im p a ct on C i rcu l a r E co n om y 7 I N D E X 561 M ar i aro s alba Ang ris ani, Ma rce l l o R i s i tan o, Ma rco F e rretti S k i l l i n g a nd U psk i l l i ng w i thin Po rt Auth o rity M anag em ent: A S trateg i c A p pr o a ch to In du s try 5.0 R equ i rem ents 567 K ris taps B ang a, El i na G ail e - S ar k an e The B ridge M a k er’s R o l e i n In du s try 5.0 E co s y s tem s : Dr i v ing C oll a b o rati on a nd In n ov ati on f or S usta i nable Ou tco m es 574 Is ab el l a B on acci, Ma ri a Mens hik ov a, D anil a S car oz z a Ev o l utio n of H R M : Lo n g i tu dinal Anal y s i s o f H R S pecia l i s ts ’ S k il l s i n Ital y 583 R asm a Pīpiķ e , El ī na G ail e - S ar k an e The R ole of T o p Manag em ent T ea m s ' E du cati on a l D i v ersi ty i n E nter pr i s e Per f o rm a nce th ro u g h th e Len s o f U p p er Echelo n s Theo ry 592 M ar i a Eugenia S ánch e z V i dal, D av i d Cega rr a Le i v a S h if ti n g Oper a ti on a l H R M to AI: Opp or tun iti es , C hal l enges a n d S trateg i c Pathw a y s 600 Es ri N yitur i k i Artif i ci a l In tell i g enc e a n d Micro f i nanc e: Enh a nc ing S o cia l Inc lusi on a nd V a l u e C rea tion f or Im m i g rant C omm un i ties 608 Vi nce nzo B e lf i ore, Al berto Ca ra toz z olo, Val e ria N aciti , D anie l a R upo AI - d riv en T ran s f or m a ti o n i n the Ph a rm a ceutical Ind u s try : Va l ue Cr ea ti o n th ro ug h S tr a teg i c C oll a b o ra tion 617 Anto ni e tta Co s e ntino, Ca rl a Mo rron e , Sa l v ato re Pr inci pa l e , Al e s s an dro S ura R em ote W or k ing a n d Pu b li c Adm i n is trati o n: Im pli cati on s f o r R el a ti o n s h i ps w i th E xter nal U s ers 624 Ann al uce Ma nd i e l l o, F e deri ca Z e uli , F ran ce s co S chiav one D i g i ta l T her a peu ti cs a nd Mu s i c: A T ran s d i s cipli nary Ap p ro a ch i n H ea l thc a re 631 D am i ano C or te s e , Ceci l i a Ca s ale gno W h a t i f …? N a rr a ti v es , S ta k eho l d ers a nd Al tern a te E nd i n g s i n V a l ue C rea ti o n 637 Anto ni o Iazz i , S i m ona Lam usta, Pa ola S corra no, Mo ni ca F ait B i bli ometri c E xp l or a ti o n o f Im p res s i on Man a g em en t a n d E m ergi ng Techn o l og ies i n B u s i n es s C o m m u n i ca ti o n 647 Arm and o Ca l abr e s e , R oberta C osta, F ra nce s ca D i Pil l o, V ale rio S chi ar ol i , S i m ona S e dda , Luigi Ti bur zi In teg rati n g the B usi ness Mo del C o ncep t f or the D ev el op m ent of Ph y s i cia ns’ D ual Pr a cti ce i n Pu bli c H ea l th ca re D el i v ery S y s tem s 656 Luigi J e s us B as i le F ro m Inn o v a ti o n to Integrati on : A B i bli o m etric - S y s tem a ti c R ev i ew of D i g i ta l T her a peu ti cs a nd Their Im pact o n H ea l th care 663 S alva tore Am m i rato , Al e s s an dro R uss o, Lau ra C utr ì , R oberto Li nzalone D riv ing th e Po ten ti a l A p p l i ca ti o n of AI i n Ti m e - S ensi ti v e C l i nical W o rk f l o w s : A C a s e S tud y on S tro k e C a re 675 F ab i ol a Co l m ene ro F on s e ca, A m pa ro B orrel l , Lau re n Y oland a G óm e z Z am ora no , R ut B e na vente Techn o l ogy a n d H erita g e: A rtif i ci a l In tel l i g enc e App l ied to the D ia g n o s i s a nd C on s erv a ti o n of C eram i c Materia l s 681 Ilaria M ar i ani, Ma rz i a Mor tati, F ra nces ca R i z z o D es i g n i n g a nd S ca l i n g G o v Tech S olu tion s T h ro u g h S ta k eho l d er Eng a g em en t. T he C as e S tud y of W i s eTow n ’s D i g i ta l T w i n 691 S ab rina Picon e Artif i ci a l In tell i g enc e a n d the F utu re of Co p y rig ht La w 698 C ris ti na S i m one, Ma ria Anton i e tta D e Ces ar e Pla tf o rm C a pita l i s m a n d th e S ta te: B etw een a N ew B a l a n ce of Po w er a n d G eop o li ti ca l C o m petition 707 M ar co Ch i ron i, B e ne detta Co l uccia C y ber s ecu ri ty i n th e Leg a l C o ntex t: S tate o f Art a nd N ext C hal l en g es 715 Al ba M ar i a G all o, U ba l do Co m ite , Eveny Ciur le o H u m a n- Mach i ne Inter a cti o n a n d R ob o tics i n H ea l th ca re: A R es ea rch Pro g ram m e a s a S ta rting Po i n t 720 G ue nd al i na C ap e ce , Ti nda ro Cice ro, D an i e l a D ’Auria, F l av ia D i C osta S p ecif i c Lea rn i ng D i s a bil i ti es ( S LD ) a nd Artif i ci a l Intell i g enc e ( AI) : A B i bli o m etric Anal y s i s 8 2 Theoretical background 2.1 Drivers to AI adopti on in hospitality Following Rasheed et al. (2024), drivers to the adoption of AI in hospitality can be categorized in three distinct groups: functional, emotio nal and situatio nal. Functional drivers refer to the tangible advantages derived from the fundamental capabilities of AI technologies. Scholarly investigations have con sistently emphasized the pivotal roles of perceived usefulness (PU) in shaping consumer s' attitudes toward s AI adoption (Park et al., 2021). For instance, AI facilitates huma ns in efficiently accomplishing various tasks, including self-check-in or out, housekeeping, concierge services, and chatbot interactions for information retrieval (Wong et al., 2023; Zhu et al., 2023; Law er al., 2023; Li et al., 2021). Hence, ope rational efficiency pertains to the tangible benefits stemming from the core features of AI technologies, specifically in terms of optimizing processes. Furthermore, AI adoption correlates with reduced workloads and heightened productivity among employees (Ersoy and Ehtiyar, 2023; Buhalis and Moldavska, 2022). Tasks su ch as dat a analysis, c ustomer service, and ad ministrative duties are streamli ned, allowing staff to focus on higher-value activities. I ndeed, prior studies un derscore AI technologies' ability to optimize inventory management and streamline processes, leading to cost savings for businesses. In addition, factors such as perceived interactivity and innovativeness of AI technologies positively contribute to intentions to adopt and repurchase these technologies (Go et al., 2020; Pillai and Sivathanu, 2020). More specifically, AI technologies' ability to deli ver personalized exp eriences based on individual prefe rences and behaviors fosters positive attitudes towards AI adoption, as users perceive the tech nology as val uable and relev ant to their customization needs. Indeed, service customi zation triggers greater customers’ knowledge, emot ional attachment and behavioral commitm ent (Buehring & O'M ahony, 2019). Shifting the focus away from the functional benefits for businesses, emotional drivers explore the complex domain of consumer sentiments and motivations towards AI adoption. Prior studies underscore the relevance of perceived human likeness and intrinsic motivations, moderated by socio-demographic aspects such as age, gender, and income in shaping consumers' propensity towards AI adoption in the hospitality sector (Belanche et al., 2020). AI technologies s treamline processes (Rasheed et al., 2024), provi de personalized experiences (Go et al., 2020), and offer real-tim e support (Li et al., 2021), enhancin g overall service quality. Hence, studies suggest a positive correlation between AI adoption and heig htened customer satisfaction levels , underscoring the importance of AI-driven inno vations in meeting ev olving consumer dem and (Alam e t al., 2023). Focusing on the macro level, situational drivers are facilitating conditions that are key contextual drivers in AI adoption intentions. The macro context where users interact with AI technologies has a considerable impact on their perceptions toward AI value and usefulness, ultimate ly either pushing or inhibiting adoption behaviors (Mariani and Borghi, 2023; Lin et al., 2020). Both mimetic and first -mover pressure relates to the contextual factors influencing user attitudes and behaviors towards AI adoption, specifically in terms of gaining a competitive edge throu gh the use of AI tec hnologies. 2.2 Barriers to AI adopti on Barriers towards AI adoption in hospitality are mainly grouped into value, risk and usage barriers (Rasheed et al, 2024). When users perceive that the cost of adopting a new technology outweighs the potential benefits or returns, they may view it as offering less value compared to existing alternatives. Hence, value barriers may arise, thus leading to rel uctance in ad opting the new technolo gy hindering its acceptance (Laukkanen et al., 2008). Scholarly, high implementation costs (i.e., substantial upfront costs for technology acquisition, integration, training) and concerns regar ding return on inves tment (ROI) are considered value barriers due to t heir potential to negatively influen ce user perceptions of a new product or service (Rasheed e t al., 2023). Prior studies unveil the emergence of risk barriers , referring to the degree of uncertainty and associated risks inherent in novel products, s ervices or technologies, shaped b y user perceptions or experiences (Chen an d Kuo, 2017). Privacy and security concerns are categorized under risk barriers, revolving around uncertainties regarding compliance wi th regulations like GDPR or CCPA to uphold custome r trust (Rasheed et al., 2023). While few studies elucidate no significant relationship between technological anxiety and the intention to adopt AI (Pillai and Sivathanu, 2020), scholars tend to acknowledge usage barriers that include a mismatch between t he new technology and the user prior experiences (Antioco and Klei jnen, 2010). For insta nce, existing research highlights factors such as the lack of awareness and understanding that reflects the incompatibility of AI technology with user´s existing experiences, habits, and acceptance standards. Businesses may not fully comprehend the potential of AI and its applications, indicating a lack of awareness as a barrier to adoption (Alam 15 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- et al., 2023; Huang et al., 2022). Furthermore, Li et al. (2019) show a significant positive correlation between awareness of AI and roboti cs and employees' intention to turnover. This underscores the reluctance to embrace AI technologie s due to fear of job displacement, changes in wor kflow, or percei ved threats to professio nal roles. Consequently, resistance to change sig nifies the in congruity between AI and current workflow and roles, impeding adoption. Additionally, Rasheed et al. (2023) classify technological complexity as a usage barrier, encompassing ch allenges related to AI service complexity and the requisite technical expertise, often lacking within organizations. Technical complexity represents a usage barrier to AI adoption due to difficulties in implementing and i ntegrating AI solutions into existing systems and workflows. 3 Methodology To explore the intriguing issues of challenges and opportunitie s toward AI adoption in the hotel in dustry, we conducted semi-structured face- to -face interviews with n. 21 key information-rich stakeholders occupying diverse hierarchical positions in the hotel industry. Following the managerial pyramid developed by Robbins et al. (2020), we classified workers grouping them as (i) top managers, (ii) first-line managers, (iii) non -managerial employees. From the literature revie w, five main themes relative to drivers (i.e., operational efficiency, competitive advantage, enhanced custome r exper ience, ser vice per sonalization, cost saving) and barri ers (i.e. , lack of awareness and understanding, privacy and security concerns, resistance to change, tec hnological complexity, cost concerns) emerge. We asked the study participants to prioritize the five categories related to the drivers and barriers by ranking them in order of importance. The output was a persona l ranking of factors that propel (inhibit) AI adoption that ran ged from the most im portant driver (barrier) to t he least important driver (b arrier). We used the responses to assess the degree of con sensus within and between diverse hierarchical groups (i.e ., top manager, first-line manager, non-managerial employees ) using the methodology of consensus mapping developed by Tar akci et al. (2014). We present a brie f description of eac h informant in Table 1. Table 1: Informants detail s Top managers N=7 Gender Male ( 100 %); Female (0 %) Age 18 – 30 (0%); 31 – 40 (43 %); 41 – 50 ( 57 %); 51 – 60 (0 %) First-line managers N= 7 Gender Male ( 72 %); Female ( 28 %) Age 18 – 30 (0%); 31 – 40 (28 %); 41 – 50 ( 72 %); 51 – 60 (0 %) Non -managerial employee N= 7 Gender Male (43%); Female (57 %) Age 18 – 30 ( 0%); 31 – 40 (43%); 41 – 50 ( 57 %); 51 – 60 (0 %) 4 Results and Discussion Top managers, first-line managers and non-managerial employees assigned priorities to five different categories of drivers and barriers . The output obtai ned consisted in a set of six matrices describing the corresponding rankings, one per group of respondents evaluating either drivers or barriers. Two measures of consensus have been computed to an alyze the responses received (Cozzio & Furla n, 20 23). The fir st one fo cuses on the degree of consensus within the members of each group and follows from principal component analysis (PCA). The sec ond measure analyzes consensus between groups and is based on classic multidimensional scaling. All computations have been performed in MATLAB. 4.1 Assessing within-group consensus The degree of consensus within a group is obtained by applying the vector model of unfolding (VMU) defined by Tarakci et al. (2014), w hich transposes th e standard data matrix used in PCA (Borg and Gr oenen, 2005). More precisely, we apply PCA to a matrix where respondents define the columns and the categories ranked are placed in the rows. Consider the standardized data matrix that lists the categories evaluated in its rows and the respondents along its columns. The VM U method proposed by Tarakci et al. (2014) in dimensions is based on the minimization of the sum of th e sq uared errors derived from and the low dim ensional represent ation and defined as foll ows (1) H m n p H ' XA 2 2 ( , ) ' VMU ij ij L X A H XA e = − =  16 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- where is an matrix of object scores and is an matrix of component loadings for the first compone nts. The component loadings in are the correlations between the object scores for each category and the evaluations of each respondent. Tarakci et a l. (2014) used this fact t o define the consensus within ea ch group as the length of the aver age component loadi ng vectors in a cross its first two compo nents (2) where denotes the -th component loading for respondent . As is the case in PCA, the results obtained can be represented in the Euclidean plane using a biplot. The categories are described in order of preference relative to t he horizontal axis, w hile the respondents composi ng each group are depicted as vectors. The correlation between respondents can be app roximated via the cosine of the angle between their vectorial representations (Linting et al., 2007). Larger angles describe less similar evaluations, while the opposite is true for smaller angles. The same int uition applies to the consensus within the group, with tighter clusters of vectors demonstr ating a higher degree of consensus. The preferences of the different respondents are represented by the orthogonal projection of eac h category item of their corresponding vectors. The farther an item is projected into the vector the more preferred it is, while the items projected in the opposite direction are less preferred. In this regard, the horizontal axis corresponds to the prototypical member representin g the opinion of the group. That is, the projection on the horizontal axis represents t he overall ranking of the group. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the biplots defining the degree of within-group consensus for each group of respondents when consideri ng drivers and barriers, respect ively. Hotel Managers Notation OE: Operational efficiency CA: Competitive advantage ECE: Enhanced customer experience P: Personalization CS: Cost saving Respondents I_1 to I_7 each referring to the corresponding members from a given group First-line Managers X mp  A np  p A A 2 2 1 ip pi a n  =  =    ip a p i 17 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non -managerial Employees Figure 1: Within-group consensus (drivers) Hotel Managers Notation PS: Privacy & Security CC: Cost concerns LAU: Lack of awareness and understanding TC: Technical complexity RC: Resistance to change Respondents I_1 to I_7 each referring to the corresponding members from a given group First-line Managers Non -managerial Employees Figure 2: Within-group consensus (barriers) 18 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Based on the projections of the items on the horizontal, Operational effi c iency, Comp etitive advantag e, and Enhanced customer experience (satisfaction) emer ge as primary drivers for top to p managers, whereas first-li ne managers prioritize Enhanced customer experience, Personalization, and Operational efficiency . Non-managerial employees emphasize Cost saving, Operational efficiency and Enhanced customer experience . Overall, all groups recognize the benefits of AI adoption for operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. This highlights significant differences in their orientations, with top managers focusing outward and non-managerial employees inward. For instance , whil e AI ado ption offers added v alue for top managers by providing a competitive advantage, non-manageri al employees perc eive it primari ly as a means of cost-savin g. In terms of barriers, top managers prioriti ze Resistance to change, Lack of awareness and understanding, and Cost concerns . First-line managers rank Resistance to change, Lack of awareness and understanding, and Technological complexity as the most significant inhibitors. Conversely, non-managerial employees value Technological complexity, Resistance to change, and Lack of awareness and un derstanding . Priv acy and security concerns are consistently ranked as the least important across all groups. The identification of resistance to change, lack of awareness, and technological complexity as predominant barriers across hierarchical levels signifies a degree of consensus, albeit weak, regarding the critical challenges impeding AI adoption in the hotel industry. 4.2 Assessing betw een-group consensus Consensus between groups is measured in terms of the correlation exhibited by the ranking preferences o f the prototypical group members. More precisely, the measure proposed by Tarakci et al. (2014), denoted by , is determine d by the correlation of the object scores of the categories on the first principal component for respondent groups and . The higher this value, bounded between zero and one, the higher the consensus between bot h groups. The distance between t he gr oups of respo ndents definin g the symmetric matrix of correlations is computed using classical multidimensional scaling (MDS) . The corresponding output obtained is represented in Figures 3 and 4 for the driv ers and the barriers, respe ctively. Tarakci et al. (2014) suggested defining ten rings to describe the difference in correlations relative to the group placed at the cen ter of the plot. In this regard, a higher level of consensus is observed as the distance between points dec reases, represen ting a more aligned evaluation between groups. In our graphical representation, top managers are at the center of the MDS plots. The distance between the bubbles shows the degree of consensus between the groups . The sizes of the bubbles denote the degree o f the within-gro up consensus in each group ( α ), and the rings that surround the bubbles depict the size of a bubble when there is perfect consensus wi thin a group ( α = 1). Clearly, between-group consensus differs markedly across groups of respondents. First -line managers and non-managerial employees display substantial differences with respect to top managers when considering the drivers. Consensus between group s increases when considering the barriers, though the correlations between groups remain quite low also in this case. Figure 3: Between-group consensus (drivers) ( , ) r A B A B 19 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Figure 4: Between-group consensus (barriers) 5 Conclusions 5.1 Theoretical impli cations This study constitutes a pioneering investigation into the implications of AI adoption from an employee - centric perspective, diverging from the prevalent customer-focused approach (Wong et al., 2023; Huang and Zheng, 2023). Notably, the segmentation of participants into three cohorts across varied hierarchical levels - top managers, first-line managers, and non-managerial employees - facilitates a nuanced exploration of multifaced viewpoints on AI adoption within hotel settings. Operational efficiency and enhanced customer experience are pivotal drivers across all groups (Ersoy and Ehtiyar, 2023; Zhu et al., 2023). However, our research reveals nuanced specificities, providing profound insights into AI acceptance within distinct hierarchical strata. Specifically, our findings highlight differences in orientation, with top managers focusing outwardly (i.e., competitive advantage ) and non-manageri al employees ori ented inwardly (i.e., cost saving). Second, our s tudy elu cidates both t he impediments inhibiting the widespread adoption of AI an d the facilitators propelling AI uptake within hotel operations, thus addressing the call for additional exploration on the employees perspective (Rasheed et al., 2024; Li et al., 2022). Through rigorous analysis of interview data and consensus mapping techniques, this study seeks to distill key themes, patterns, and divergences in perceptions between hierarchical levels, thereby identifying sal ient factors shapi ng the traje ctory of AI adoption in the hotel industry. Third, our stu dy advances understandings on multiface ted barriers to achieve consume r acceptance, by acknowledging the significance of effective communication in facilitating organizational ch ange (Morosan and Dursun-Cengizci, 2024). Hence, we advocate for the implementation of tailored communication strategies. These strategies aim to heighten awareness and cultivate acceptance of AI technologies among various hierarchical groups, repres enting a signific ant advanceme nt in adoption acceptance. 5.2 Managerial implicati ons Tailored communication strategies shoul d be designed to address the specific nee ds and concerns of different hierarchical groups within the organization. While emphasizing operational efficiency and enhanced customer experience is essential, specific considerations must be made to enhance the effectiveness of these strategies. For non-managerial employees, highlighting the cost-saving implications of AI adoption can bolster their acceptance levels. Emphasizing how AI technologies streamline processes and reduce operational costs helps non-managerial em ployees perceive AI as beneficial to the ir roles and dai ly tasks. Similarly, first-line managers should be informed about the potential for service personalization offered by AI technologies. By demonstrating how AI can facilitate personalized experiences for customers based on their preferences and behaviors, first-line managers are more likely to recognize the value of AI in improving customer satisfaction and loyalt y. 20 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.3 Limitations and future research direc tion While our study provides valuable insights into AI adoption within the hospitality sector, it is important to acknowledge its li mitations. One signifi cant limitation is the rather focused sample, w hich primarily cons isted of participants from the hotel industry. This narrow focus may limit the generalizability of our findings to other segments of the broader tourism industry. Additionally, our study focused solely on perceptions within hierarchical positions in hotels, potentially overlooking valuable insi g hts from other stakeholders, such as customers or AI technolog y providers. To address these limitations and expand the scope of future research, several promising avenues emerge. Firstly, future studies could explore AI adoption across various segments of the broader tourism industry, including airlines, cruise lines, and travel agencies. This broader perspective would provide a more comprehensive understandi ng of the challenges and opportunities associated with AI adoption within different sectors of the t ourism industry. Furthermore, future research could investigate the perceptions and attitudes of other stakeholders beyond employees, su ch as customers, AI te chnology provi ders, and r egulatory bodies. Understanding the perspectives of these diverse stakeholders could shed light on additional barriers and facilitators to AI adoption and inform more holistic strategie s for AI implem entation. 6 Ethics declaration This research did not req uire form al ethical approval, as it did not involve s ensitive personal data, vulnerable populations, or invasive proced ures. Participation in intervie ws was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from all responde nts. 7 AI declaration No generative AI tools were used in the writing, editing, data analysis, or development of this paper. All content is the result of t he author’s origina l work. References Alam, S. S., Masukujjam an, M., Mohame d Makhbul, Z. K., Helmi Ali, M., Ahmad, I. and Al Mamun, A. (2023), “Experience, Trust, eWOM Engagement and Usage Intention of AI Enabled Services in Hospitality and Tourism Industry: Moderating Mediating Analysis”, Jou rnal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, Vol. 1 pp. 1- 29. 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(2023), “Investigating customers’ responses to artificial intelligence chatbots in onli ne travel agencies: the moderating role of product famil iarity”, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 208- 224. 22 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Artificial Intelligen ce Adoption in South Tyrolean Hosp itality: A Qualitative Analysis Tommaso Di Fonzo Free University of Bolza no, Bolzano, Italy Abstract This study aims to analyse and understand perceptions of artificial intelligence and its use in the South Tyrolean hospitality sector, with particular attention to the different organizational roles held by employees. To this en d, 44 semi -structured interviews were conducted, involving both managerial staff and employees in non-managerial positions. This approach allowed for the collection of a broad and diverse range of perspectives. Data analysis was carried out us ing a qu alitative approach, de emed the most suitable for exploring personal perceptions and experiences. The NVivo software was used to support data processing and organization, facilitating the identification of recurring themes and differences between the groups analysed. The results highlight signific ant differences in familiarity with artificial intelligence. Managers, in particular, demonstrate a greater un derstanding of the topic, often illustrated with concrete exa mples of artificial intelligence usage within their establishments. Moreover, they tend to hav e a more posi tive outlook, perceiving the benefits of artificial intelligence as outweighing the associated costs. Interestingly, both groups identified the current staf f shortage as a stron g incentive for adopting artificial intelligence, which is seen as a potential solution to this challenge. At the same time, they recognize the lack of specific skills among employees as one of the main barriers to effective AI implementation, which in turn impacts the availability of qualified personnel. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, AI in hos pitality, Perceptio n toward AI, AI benefits and AI challe nges. Paper type: Academic Research Paper 1 Introduction 1.1 Context of the stud y South Tyrol, an autonomous region in northern Italy bordering Switzerland and Aust ria, is known for its stunning mountainous landscape, dominated by the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region’ s hospitality sector, a key part of the local economy, is built on a tradition of excellent service, enriched by a unique mix of alpine and Mediterranean cultures. This makes it a top destination for global tourists, as reflected in the latest ASTAT report showing over 36 million overnight stays in 2022/2023 (Südtiroler Informati k AG | Informatica Alto Adige SPA, 2024). Despite its notable ac hievements, the hotel indu stry, akin to many other sectors, remains susceptible to the dynamic transformations brought about by technological advancements and evolving consumer expectations. In light of these changes, Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a highly promisi ng technology for addressing both contemporary and future challenges in the hospitality sector. Specifically, AI applications cover a broad spectrum of areas, including the optimization of daily operations, personalization of customer experiences, human resource management, predictive maintenance, energy manageme nt and strategic planning. Notably, the adoption of intelligent systems can play a pivotal r ole in boosting operational efficiency, lowering expense s, and elevating service quali ty, all critical factors for the success of hospitality businesses. This is particularly important because, as highlighted by (Anderson & Sullivan, 1993), there is a direct link between the quality of service and customer satisfaction, which ultimately translates into loyalty and repurchasing intentio ns. Nevertheless, despite the recognized potential of AI, its implementation across the industry is far from uniform. In fact, according to a McKinsey report (2023), the tourism industry ranks third to last out of 22 industries examined in terms of technology adoption. This heterogeneity is influenced by various factors, such as the size of the bu siness, organizational culture, and the perceptions of different stakeholders within the organizations themselve s. Therefore, in the South Tyrolean context, which is characteri zed by a diverse entrepreneurial fabric and a strong presence of family-run small and medium-sized enterprises, these dynamics offer a parti cularly intriguing s cenario for analysing how t hese entities engage with AI. 23 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Literature Review 2.1 Artificial Intelligence: A Journey throug h its definition and dimensions Humans are widely regarded as the most intelligent specie s on Earth d ue to their remarkable ability to solve problems and capacity to process large volumes of data. This intelligence reflects a range of skills, including analytical thinking, logical reasoning, statistical understanding, and computational prowess. In a similar vein, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology specifically desig ned to enable machines and robots to tackle complex problems in a manner that closely parallels human abilities. By combining these cognitive skills, AI significantly enhances the functionality of machines and robots (Mohan & Senthilkum ar, 2023). To gain a clearer understanding of AI, we can break down the term "Artificial Intelligence" into its two fundamental components: "intelligence," signifying the ability to engage in autonomous reasoning and "artificial," indicating something that is human made. Consequently, AI can be defined as a human-crafted thinking ability, as noted by Limna et al. (2021). Moreover, AI is often described as a "family of technologies" that not only recognizes and analyses data but also acts, learns, and demonstrates adva nced aspects of human intelligence. This compreh ensive vi ew of AI is supported by various scholar s, including McCartney & McCartney (2020) and Huang & Rust (2018). In other words, AI represents the capability of technological devices to simulate and even replicate human intelli gence through advanced programming and sophisticat ed algorithms (Kumar et al., 2019; Siau & Yan g, 2017). Additionally , as highlighte d by Littman et al. (2022) , designing and imple menting advanced algorithms that enable AI to replicate human intelligence requires careful consideration of five fundamental aspects: learning, reasonin g, problem-solving, perceptio n, and linguistic intelligence. These aspects are essential because they have enab led the creation of a wide range of technologies and services that are increasingly integral to daily life. To elaborate on these aspects, we start with learning, which refers to the acquisition of new information and the enhancement of existing skills thr ough various sources such as books, real-life experiences, and expert instruction. In contrast, reasoning involves the process that provides the essential standards and principles for evaluation, prediction, and decision-making across different contexts. There are two types of reasoning: gen eralized reasoning, which relies on broad observations and assertions, and logical reasoning, which is grounded in data, facts, precise statements, and documented or observed occurrences. While the former may not always yield accurate conclusions, the latter is generally more reliable. Next, problem-solving entails identifying the root cause of an issue and exploring potential solutions. Thi s process involves understanding the problem, making decisions, and investigating various possible solutions before selecting the most effective one. To resolve the problem efficiently and swiftly, the optimal solution must be chosen from the available options. Furthermore, perception involves the process of collecting, interpreting, se lecting, and organizing relevant information from raw input. While human perception is shaped by previous experiences, sensory organs, and environmental context, artificial intelligence relies on logically derived perceptions through artificial sensor mechan isms in conj unction with d ata. Lastly, linguistic intel ligence pertains to a person's skill in using, understanding, reading, and writing verbal information in multiple languages. This intelligence is a critical component of communication and is essential for both logical and analytical comprehension. In terms of classification, artificial intelligence, frequently characterized as a group of technologies, can be divided into three principal categories based on its level of capability: narrow AI, general AI, and super intelligent AI. To begin with, Narrow AI (also known as Weak AI) r efers to artificial in telligence created to carry o ut specifi c tasks, such as recogni zing faces, performing online sear ches, or co ntrolling a vehicle. The majority of AI systems in use today, including those capable of engaging with intricate games like ch ess, belong to this category, functioning within a restricte d and predefined scope or set of circumstan ces. In contrast, General AI (S trong AI) is endowed with broad cognitive abilities similar to human intelligence, allowing it to tackle new and unknown tasks independently. This type of AI possesses the ability to analyse, learn, and apply its intelligence to address any problem independently , without human interventio n. Ultimately, Su perintelligent AI sign ifies a futuristic advancement where machines might exceed human intell igence across all areas, including creativity, overall wisdom, and problem-sol ving abilities. 2.2 Shaping tomorrow's hote l: AI’s strengths, weaknes ses, opportunities and th reats The first figure presents a detailed SWOT analysi s concerning the ado ption of artificial in telligence (AI) in the hotel sector, offering a structured view of both the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that accompany this technological integr ation. By providing a balanced perspective, this analysis highlights key factors that need to be considered in the pr ocess. 24 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Interdepe ndent Relationsh ip of MI and C ulture: Insights from a Systematic Literature Network Analysis Luca Tuporini 1 , Vittorio D’Amato 2 , Joao V ieira da Cunha 3 , Elena T osca 2 1 LIUC -Università Cattaneo, Castellanza (VA), Italy 2 Università LUM-Giuseppe Degennaro, Cas amassima (BA), Italy 3 IÉSEG School of Ma nagement, Lille, France Abstract Continuous innovation is necessary as a source of competitive advantage due to the constant changes in global business brought about by globalization and the quick adv ancement of technology. While product and process innovations hav e traditionally received considerable attention, manag ement innovation (MI) has emerged as an equally critical element (Birkinshaw et al., 2008 ; Mol and Birkinshaw, 2009). However, despite its potential benefits being clear, the academic debate on MI is still lacking, especially in understanding its interdependence with organizational culture (OC) ( Khosravi et al., 2019 ; Hogan and Coote, 2014). F ew studi es have systematically examined how organizational cult ure can both support and hinder methods of managerial innovati on, as well as how MI can function as a catalyst for cultural change ( Hamel, 2008). By emphasizing this interconnectedness, we add to the expand ing body of research that establishes MI as a critical component for achieving long-term competitive advantage through cultural flexibility (Puranam et al., 2014). By examining how MI and OC influence each other, this stud y aims to fill this gap and enrich the literature by offering a current and in-depth synthesis of the main research themes and trends. In particular, we specifically investigate MI enablers, how organizational culture supports or inhibits MI, and how MI itself stimulates cultural change. To this end, we use an approach called Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA), which combines the accuracy of literature network analysis with the rigor of a systematic literature review (SLR). The data for our analysis came from the Scopus databas e, which contains more than 57 million acade mic publications. The results of our SLNA provide several important insights. First, we verified that managerial innovation and orga nizational culture have a positive feedback loop. Secondly, we list several important factors that support management innovation, such as organizational learning, knowledge management, and transformational leadership ( Sarros et al., 2008). Third, our work emphasizes how crucial narratives and knowledge management are to the MI-OC dynamic. The SLNA demonstrates the growing importance of management innovation in organisational studies. By filling this knowledge gap, our research lays the foundation for further emp irical studies on the connection be tween MI and OC, providing managers with kno wledge that can support the development of innovative and cultural ly transformative environments. Keywords: Management Innovation , Organizational Culture, Systematic Network Literature Review, Bibliometric Analysis Paper Type: Academic Research Paper 1 Introduction Globalization and technological progress have accelerated dramatically in recent decades, increasing pressure on companies and competitiveness requirements. The ability to constantly innovate has become an indispensable source of competitive advantage. While studies have focused mainly on product and process innovations (Crossan, 2009), recent research has highlighted the importance of management innovation (Birkinshaw et al., 2008; Da manpour and Aravind, 2012; Ali and Park, 2016), defining it as the number one imperative for companies (Hamel, 2008). Understanding the definition of management innovation can be challenging due to various synonymous terms: organisational innovation ( Damanpour and Aravind, 2012), administrative innovation (Birkinshaw and Mol, 2009), man agerial innovation (Cros san and Apaydin, 2010), an d non-tech innovation (Hamel, 2008). Mol and Birkinshaw (2009) define it as “the invention and implementation of management practices, processes, or structures new to the firm and intended to advance organizational goals”. Management innovation aims to al ter the way managers perform their tasks to improve organisational performance. However, if the benefits of management innovation are clear, why is discussion on the subject still underdeveloped compared to other forms of innovation? And why aren't companies focusing more on management innovation practices? To answer we have to consider that the introduction of new management practic es often confronts significant cultural barriers within organisations. A rooted organisational culture acts as a brake, reinforcing existing practices, mindsets, and power hierarchies ( Sørensen, 2002). Entrenched values, behaviors, and 31 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- attitudes trigger scepti cism, resistance, and opposition to m anagement innovati on (Hogan and Coote, 2014). I n contrast, an organisational culture that embraces experimentation , risk-taking, and continuous learning provides fertile gro und for manageme nt innovation (Pura nam et al., 2015; Sperber, 2017). In literature previous foundational framework indirectly issued this relation: like Schein's (1985) organizational culture model clarify how cultural norms enable or hinder managerial innovation. Kotter's (1996) change management framework emphasizes leadership's role in overcomin g cultural iner tia, while Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1995) knowledge spiral theory links organizati onal learning to innovation. Empirical contri butions from O'Reilly and Tushman (2013) on ambidexterity and Edmondson's (1999) on psychological safety highlight adaptive cultures as critical enablers of MI. Understanding the interplay between manag ement innovation (MI) and organizational culture (OC) is critical for researchers and practitioners. This gap is intensifie d by fragmented conceptual foundations, as prior literature employs divergent definitions and explores disparate knowledge domains lacking cohesive synthesis (Damanpour and Aravind, 2 012; Khosravi et al., 2019). This paper addres ses the followi ng research questio n: RQ: Wh at are the most pivotal research domains examining the interdependent relationship between management innovation and organizatio nal cu lture, particularly in light of their historical and evolving dynamics? To address this, we offer an integrative synthesis of the current state- of -the-art in MI, emphasizing breakthroughs and future trajectories tied to organizational culture. Methodologically, we employ the Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA) ( Colicchia and Strozzi, 2012), integrating systematic review protocols with bibliome tric network techni ques. The paper is structured as follows: Section 2 details the SLNA methodology; Section 3 details the outcomes of the systematic literature review; Section 4 outlines the findings from bibliometric network analyses (citation networks, citation scores, keyword clusters); Sec tion 5 discusses implications and proposes future research directions. 2 Methodology Our methodology follows the Systematic Literature Network Analysis (S LNA) framework introduced by Colicchia and Strozzi (2012) (Figure 1), consisting of two interconnected phases (Kim et al., 2018; Henao-Garcìa et al., 2023). The fir st phase employs a S ystematic Literature Review (SLR). The SLR follows the protocol defined by Denyer and Tranfield (2009), which emphasizes transparency and replicability to mitigate bias-a principle further validated by Briner and Denyer (2012) in organiza tional research . Key steps include: • Scope definition: guided by the CIMO framewor k (Co ntext, Intervention, Mec hanism, Outcome) to align with the resea rch question (Danyer and Tr anfield, 2009) • Search strategy: Leveraging Scopus, the largest multidisciplinary database with over 57 million peer- reviewed entries (E lsevier, 2024), ensuring comprehensive coverage without requiring supplementary sources. • Selection and evaluation: prioritizing peer-reviewed articles and conference papers in business and management, following inclusion protocols akin to those used by Abdi et al. (2018) in automotive innovation studies. Figure 1: Systematic Literature Network Anal ysis (SLNA) - Source: Strozzi et al., 2017 32 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The seco nd p hase integrates Bibliographic Networ k Analysis (BNA), a h ybrid approach combining syst ematic review with quantitativ e network mappi ng (Colicchia and Strozzi, 20 12; Strozzi et al., 2 017). The analysis leveraged two specialized tool s for bibliometric and network anal ysis: • VOSviewer (version 1.6.19), a widely adopted software for visualizing and clustering bibliometric networks (Van Eck and Waltman, 2009). Its clustering algorithm was employed to map keyword co - occurrence net works, identifying t hematic clusters within the dataset. • Pajek (version 5.15), a robust platform for social network analysis ( De Nooy et al., 2012), which was used to analyze citation networ ks, focusing on structural proper ties such as ce ntrality and modularity. This dual-tool approach aligns with methodologies applied in recent SLNA studies (e.g., Aria and Cuccurullo , 2017; Strozzi et al., 2017), ensuring both granular keyword insights (via VOSviewer) and macroscopi c citation pattern detection (via P ajek). 3 First Phase of SLNA: Systematic Liter ature Review This section describes the left-hand side of the Figure 1. The SLR has the goal to rigorously and objectively select the paper for the analysis. 3.1 Scope of the analysis To reduce uncertainty in the analysis, review questions need to be defined and formulated. Daneyr and Tranfield (2009) advocate the use of the CIMO logic to define the scope of a literature review and generate questions. The applic ation of the logic was t he first step of the literature review: Context: the urge for management innovation . Management Innovation is a concept that is becoming increasingly important and relevant, but organisations are still lagging far behind. They often come up against entrenched val ues, behaviours and ri tuals that prevent ma nagerial innov ation from flourishing. Intervention: obsolete organizational cultures . At the same time, there is a growing realisation that traditional cultural models are an obstacle to digital transformation and the implementation of new technologies that are increa singly necessar y for firms. This challen ge may be the most complicated of the digital era. Mechanism: MI as a trigger for change . As firms struggle to change their culture to embrace the digital transformation, manageme nt innovation practices could represent a trigger to start the cultural change. Innovating how people are managed and treate d, with a human ce ntric perspective, is a priority for c ompetitive advantage. Outcome: the relation between MI and OC . Innovating in managerial practices is a step for cultural change. At the same time, over time, a more human centric culture , could foster more and more ma nagement innovations. This mechanism creates a positive feedback lo op between MI and OC , these two co nstructs ca n no longer be considered in isolation, they go hand in hand with the goal of changing the way people are managed and the firms’ culture. 3.2 Locating Studies With the CIMO-logic emerged the need to explore the relation between MI and culture. The second step was to ide ntify t he keywords. The identification of the ke ywords was pe rformed considering all synonyms of management innovation, to capture in his e ntiret y the a cademic debate. The term “management innovation” is also expressed as “managerial innovation”, “organizational innovation”, “administrative innovation”, “no -tech or non- tech innovation”. In the term “innovation” has not been considered enough, exclu ding the term “innovative”, to address this issue the abbreviati on “innova*” was preferred. In the end, after analysing the terms related to “culture”, it was deemed sufficient to grasp each aspect of the term itself. The following research string was obtai ned: ("Management Innova*” OR "Organizational Innova*" OR "Managerial Innova*" OR "Administrativ e Innova*" OR "no-tech Innova *" OR "non -tech innova* ") AND ("culture" ). 3.3 Study selection and evalu ation A number of inclusion criteria were sel ected to evaluate the relev ance of the paper in the conversation , and to select only the one pertinent to the analysi s: • Published in peer-rev iewed journals • No restriction on p ublication year • Limited to articles and conference papers 33 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Search field restricted to "Title-Abstract- Key words” • Published in English • Subject area of Business, Management and Accounting In April 2024, 25,457 articles were initially retrieved from Sc opus. After filteri ng by search fie ld, 2,714 papers remained. Subject area filtering excluded 2,238 more contributions, leaving 476 papers. The final dataset comprised 465 English-language publications spanning 1987 to 2024. As shown in Table I, the top 10 journals accounted for 171 publications (36.8% of the sample), with the Harvard Business Review emerging as the dominant outlet. This concentration reflects the interdiscipl inary nature of the field, bridging business management and health care innovation. Table 1: Number of papers b y source (top 5) Journal No. of articles Harvard business review 56 Health Care Management Review 25 International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance 16 Journal of Health Organization and Management 13 International Journal of Innovation Management 12 Other 294 Total 465 4 Second phase of SLNA: bibliographic ne twork analysis 4.1 Citation network anal y sis (CNA) The citation network (Figure 2) represents articles as nod es (n =465) and citations as directed edges, mapping knowledge diffusion (Van Eck and Waltman, 2014). A significant proportion of nodes (n=335) were isolated, forming disconnected components- a p henomenon attributed to the field ’s fragmentation and emerge nt nature (Khosravi et al., 2019). Following established bibliometric protocols ( Strozzi et al., 2017; Colicchia et al., 2018), the analysis focused on the largest connected component (n=130), as small er components lack statistical robustness for trend dete ction (Zhao and Strotm ann, 2015). Figure 2: Citation network of 465 papers Generated using VoSviewer citation analysis, with documents as unit of anal ysis The largest component has 20 nodes. The Kamada -Kawai algorithm (Kamada and Kawai, 1989), included in the Pajek software package, was used to create the node arrangement. This technique may be used to detect nodes connected by stronger linkages that are close together to identify correlated works and, as a result, the key developing themes of the academic debate. Sec ondly providing a historical picture of the network allows for the gradual development of nodes and linkages over time. Figure 3(a) displays pub lications from the largest linked component published up to 2017 and related citations, while Figure 3(b) shows the complete connected components. Is important to note that the same analysis was performed on papers up to 2010, resulting in no connected components. T his can be a signal that the academic debate on the relati onship between MI and OC before 2010 was present but in a disconnected fashion. Papers app earing up to 2017 investigated culture, continuous learning, leadership, and social-cultural context as key factors promoting or hindering innovation. Sarros et al. (2008) demonstrated that transformational leadership and an innovation- oriented organizational culture are crucial for promoting an innovative climate. Elenkov and Manev (2005) 34 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- confirmed that transformational leadership positively impacts innovation, moderated by social-cultural context. Busaibe et al. (2017 ) found that gender div ersity promotes mana gement innovation. These studies suggest that creating a culture of innovation requires initial focus on management. Firms can promote management innovation by creating a learning culture ( Kalyar and Rafi, 2013). Failure to remove cultural barriers risks curbing creativity (Hernàndez-Mogollon et al., 2010). Management innovation can break down cultural barri ers and promote wi despread knowledge s haring. Some studies addressed measuring innovation culture ( Hogan and Coote, 2014; Danks e t al. 2017a; Danks et al. 2017b). Tes ting Schein's m odel, Hogan and Coote (2013) found t hat the process from values to performance is indirect, partly dependent on innovative behaviors and norms. Danks et al. (2017) introduced the Innovation Quotient to measure innovation culture.Later pap ers continued this debate. Abdi et al. (2018) claimed MI benefits are comprehensive and sustainable. Azeem et al. (2021) found MI mediates the relationship between OC and competitive advantage. Knowledge management emerged as a critical concept ( Liao et al., 2012; Abdi et al. 2018; Azeem et al. 2021; Ayestaràn et al., 2022; AlSaied and Alkhoraif, 2024). Firms with clear KM strategies are better positioned to innovate, develop human resources, and improve financial results. Knowledge sharing mediates between OC and competitive advantage, and a culture oriented toward knowledge management is associated with greater innovative capabiliti es. Bartel and Garud (2009) highlighted the importance of narratives in the MI-OC relationship, essential for translating ideas and promoting management innovation pr actices. Research eventually mov ed from explor atory to more des criptive studies in specific sectors. Figure 3(a) Figure 3(b) 4.2 Citation score anal ysis To includ e isolated publications, we analyzed citation scores by ranking publications based on citations in Scopus during 2023, divi ded by lifespan. Th e top papers include d: • Moore (1993) introducing the "business ecosystem" concept, emphasizing adaptation in changing competitive en vironments. • Kahn (2018) providing an overvie w of innovation, reaffirming the importance of innovation-fostering organizational culture. • Lei et al. (2021) investigating how HRM practices and knowledge management promote exploratory and exploitative innovatio n. • Wang et al. (2022) and Chowdhury et al. (2022) linking MI and OC to sustainability, emphasizin g green MI and circular economy ma nagement. 4.3 Author keywords anal ysis Analysing author keywords can reveal major study areas and trends throughout a citation network (Colicchia et al., 2018). 35 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.3.1 Co- occurrence analysis of authors’ key words To perform this analysis the VoS viewer software was used. This software uses the VOS (visualization of similariti es) clustering a pproach. VOS algorithm locates elements on a ma p by minimizing a function ba sed on a similarity measure between them (Colicchia et al., 2018). Prior to the analysis, keywords were normalized, by replacing all synonyms of management in novation, with t he term itself. Table 2: Number of o ccurrences of eac h keyword include d in the clusters Cluster Keyword No. of occurrences 1 Management innovation 92 Organisational culture 85 Knowledge management 17 Organizational learning 15 Transformational Leadership 14 Knowledge sharing 10 2 Innovation 80 Culture 22 Organizational Change 21 Leadership 15 Innovativeness 12 3 Organizational innovativeness 13 Innovation culture 10 4.3.2 Cluster 1: the enablers and a ntecedents of MI and OC Cluster 1, deals with the enablers and ante cedents of MI and OC. The focus on this topic relates to the appearance of keywords such as 'Knowledge Manageme nt', 'Organizational learning' and 'Transformational leadership’. Knowledge Management is the systematic process of recognizing, producing and sharing knowledge inside an organization to help and enhance performance ( Kalyar and Rafi, 2013). Organizational learning refers to the ability of firms to acquire, distribute and absorb new information and behaviors in order to constantly grow (Hogan and Coote, 2014). Lastly, transformational leadership is a leadership style that has the goal to inspire and encourage people within the organization to achieve high performance by sh aring a common vision and fostering innovation (Sarros, 2008). Regarding our debate the prominence of Knowledge Management ( Liao et al., 2012) and Organizational Learning (Hogan and Coote, 2014) underscores their role in institutionalizing adaptive practices-for insta nce, firms with r obust knowledge-sharing me ch anisms are 27% mor e likely to adopt novel managerial practices (Abdi et al., 2018). Transformati onal Leadership (Sarros et al., 2008) further amplifies this dynamic, as leaders who champion vision-driven change reduce cultural resistance by 40% ( Azeem et al., 2021). Notably, emerging linkages to Innovation Narratives ( Bartel and Garud, 2009) suggest storytelling as a bridge between MI adoption and cultural alignment, enabling employees to internalize abstract innovations through relatable success stories. All these concept result in the concept of human centric organization, where people are at the centre a nd their centrality i s the trig ger to managerial innovation and im proved organizational culture. On top of that, the co -occurrence between MI and OC within the keywords, may increasingly suggest the presence of a posi tive feedback loop be tween the two constructs. 4.3.3 Cluster 2: the other forms of innovati on are not disconnected In Cluster 2 the dominant keyword is “innovation”, this term suggests that the debate on MI and OC is not dis-linked form the other forms of innovation. MI in particular can be a construct able to make process and product changes effective, this suggests that further research could explore a hypothetical mediating role of management innovation between product/process innovation and competitive advantage or performances. Also, the term “organiz ational change” is pr esent implying that MI could be a change m an agement process. 4.3.4 Cluster 3 Cluster 3, Cultural Metrics and Innovation Outcomes, highlights the growing emphasis on quantifying cultural readiness for MI. Keywords like Innovation Culture and Innovation Quotient ( Danks et al., 2017) reflect a paradigm shift toward empirical measurement - for example, firms scoring high on the Innovation Quotient report 35% faster implementation of managerial innovations (Danks et al., 2017b). This cluster also signals interdisciplinary convergence, with studies linking cultural metrics to sustainability outcomes (Wang et al., 2022) 36 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and circular economy practices (Chowdhury et al., 2022), illustrating MI’s expanding relevance beyond traditional business co ntexts. 5 Discussion and research agenda In this work a SLNA was performed to address the res earch question: “what are the most important research areas on the interdependent relationship of management innovation and organizational culture, taking into account their evolution over time?”. By comb ining the results of the performed analyses, we are able to summarize the main areas of the academic debate under investigation and the future development of the research to address emerging needs for academi cs and manager. This rep resents an orig inal perspectiv e on the debate about the relationship between MI and OC, providing academics and managers with an overview over time. From an academic point of view the research provides a complete research agenda for future research shown in Table 3, this is particu larly important in this historical moment when other forms of innovation lack the time to be effective due to the unsustainable digital transformation. Form a managerial point of view this work can suggest an agenda for manager by providing the most relevant paper by specific topics. An additional contribution is the application of SLNA methodology to the field of management innovation and organizational culture, which can be an inspiration for other academics to perform systematic literature review on di fferent topics using bibliome tric analyses. Table 3 summarize and repo rt the specific contributions f rom the analyses of the SL NA: 1. The first area investigated answers the question of what the possible enablers of MI. Literature about the theme are suggest that transformational leadership; knowledge management; organizational learning; and narratives are all variables that can create a fertile organizational envi ronment for management innovation. These enablin g factors can work in synergy to also promote a culture open to change a nd foster creativity by active ly i nvolving employees in innovation processe s. Th e literature also suggests that organizations that i nvest in these factors will be better positioned to meet marke t challenges and maintain a long-term competitive advantage. The future research directions concern the analysis of management innovation in this complex ecosystem, takin g into consideration more the relationship betwe en MI and the suggested enablers. 2. The analyses showed a positive feedback loop between MI and OC. The relationship between MI and OC was widely reported in a relevant part of the academic debate, not only that, both constructs are considered crucial for the other one. A positive organizational culture is the perfect environment for implementing management innovation and management innovation practices could be the trigger point to improve the organizational culture. Future research directions focus on this strict relationship between MI and OC, suggest ing more empiri cal analysis when possible . 3. The review showed a linkage between MI and other form s of innovation. Some academics ( Hamel, 2008) suggested that MI is the most important type of innovation for firms. Still, the academic debate suggests that MI may not have to be considered in the same basket as the other ones. The future research directions ask for more empirical evidence of this possible link between MI and other forms of innovation. 4. In the analysis also emerged what are the change agents for management innovation. The two main actor of this practices are the top management and the HR. Each construct relies around the people of the firms, an d both HR and T op Management are direc t responsible for managing people, sharin g value and overall promoting a cultural change. The future research directions focus on more qualitative analysis on the traits and characteristics nee d for top management and HR to promote a better OC and MI practices within the firms . 6 Conclusions After discussing the res ults, we cannot disregard the li mitations of t he methodology presented in this paper. Citations cannot fully represent a research’s contribution to the academic debate ( Colicchia et al., 2018). Additionally, citations are collected from the Scopus database, a rich database of scientific papers, but not sufficient to fully cover all publications. Finally, the phenomenon of the “rich get richer” also called “Matthew effect” has to b e taken into consideration. Researchers with a high reputation often obtain an increased nu mber of citations for their stu dies. Despite these l imitations, the relevance of this study extends beyond the abili ty to fully analyze citation networks and bibliometric data. The relevance of the SLNA technique rests in its adaptability to many fields of study, providing insights about the discipline's evolution and guiding future research agendas. This SLNA demystifies the interdepend ent relations hip between manageme nt innovation (MI) and organizational culture (OC), offering three key contributions. First, the feedback loop - where MI drives 37 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cultural adaptability, and progressiv e cultures enable MI emerges as a linchpin for resilience in volatile markets (Azeem et al., 2021; Al Saied and Alkhoraif, 2024). Se cond, MI transcends its role as a standalone practice, a cting as a strategic enabler that amplifies product/process innovations through agile decision-making framewor ks (Hamel, 2008; Lei et al., 2021). Third, leadership and metric s - exemplified by transformat ional leaders and tools like the Innovation Quotient - are pivotal in dismantling cultural inertia (Hogan and Coote, 2014; Danks et al., 2017). For practitioners, this un derscores the urgency of aligning MI with ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) goals to foster sustainable competitiveness. Future research should prioritize cross-industry validations of MI-OC dynami cs and explore AI-driven cultu ral adaptations in hybrid work models. Table 3: Research dir ections (including speci fic contributions from t he analyses of t he SLNA) No. Investigated Area Relationship with citation network analysis Relationship with citation score analysis Relationship with Author Keywords analysis Future research directors 1 The enablers/inhibitors of management innovation Transformational leadership (Busaide, 2017; Kalyar and Rafi, 2013; Sarros et al., 2008; Elenkov and Manev, 2005) Knowledge management (Liao et al, 2012; Abdi et al ., 2018; Azeem et al, 2021; Ayestaràn et al., 2022; AlSaied and Alkhoraif, 2024) Narratives (Bartel and Garud, 2009) Cluster 1: Transformational leadership Knowledge management Organizational learning Cluster 2 : Leadership Cluster 3 : Organizational innovativeness More analysis on the relationship between MI and his possible enabl ers: transformational leadership, knowledge management, organizational learning and narratives 2 The positive feedback loop between MI and CO MI as a mediator between OC and competitive advantage (Azeem et al., 2021) Kahn (2018) Cluster 1: Both MI and OC are dominant in the conversation More empirical analysis on the positive feedback loop between MI and OC 3 The correlation between MI and the other forms of innovation Link to Sustainability (Wang et al., 2022; Chowdhury et al., 2022) Cluster 2: Innovation is predominant in cluster 2, suggesting the link between MI, OC and the other forms of innovation More empirical analysis on the possible link between MI and other forms of innovation 4 The change agent for management innovation Top Management (Sarros et al., 2008; Hernàndez - Mogollon et al., 2010; Busaide et al., 2017) HR (Lei et al, 2021) More qualitative analysis on the traits and characteristics needed for top management and HR promote MI 7 Ethics declaration We confirm that ethi cal clearance was not required for t his research. 8 AI declaration We confirm that AI tools were not used for the creation of this paper. 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(2009), Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping, Scientometrics, 84 (2), 523-538, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192- 009 - 0146 -3. 39 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Knowledge Management an d Diversity M anagement in HEIs: A n Italian Overview Valerio Brescia 1 , Giuseppe Nic olò 2 1 University of Milan, Milan Italy 2 University of Salerno, Fisciano (SA), Italy Abstract Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a critical role in fostering diversity and inclusivity while managing knowledge effectively. However, the integration of Diversity Manag ement (DM) and Knowledge Management (KM) in HEIs remains a fragmented process, influenced by institutional size, technological infrastructure, and strategic alignment. This stud y explores the presence of key diversity management elements within Italian university PIAOs ( Integrated Plans of Activities and Organization), using a knowledge man agement lens to assess inclusivity, collaboration, intersectionality, and technology integration. Through content analysis, the stu dy identifies signific ant dispa rities in diversity and knowledge strategies a mong universities of different sizes. La rger institutions tend to leverage AI-driven recruitment systems, open -access repositories, and interdisci plinary coll aboration platforms, ensuring a scal able and technology-enhanced approach to diversity and knowledge dissemination. Mid-sized universities prioritize regional engagement, faculty-student mentorship programs, and interdisciplinary teamwork, adopting structured but less technology-intensive approaches. Smaller universiti es, by contrast, rely more on community engagement, face- to -face col laboration, and l ocalized mentorship models, often lacking the resources to implement large -scale digital transformation. The findings reveal that institutional size directly influen ces the extent of technology integration in both diversity and knowledge strategies. Larger universities demonstrate advanced digital ecosystems, while mid -sized and smaller institutions exhibit resource constraints that limit thei r ability to implement AI - driven and automated solutions. Add itionally, intersectionality re mains an unde rdeveloped dimension in most institutions, with policies often failing to address the complexity of overlapping identities, resulting in generic rather than tailored inclusion strategies. This research underscores the need for more integrated and technology-su pported diversity management frameworks across HEIs. AI, digital platforms, and structured knowledge -sh aring models can enhance inclusivity, bridg e disparities, and ensure that diversi ty policies are effectively embedded within knowledge systems. The study calls for policy reforms, targeted investments, and institutional collaborations to foster an equitable and technology - driven higher education environment, ensuring that diversity and knowledge management serve as complementary pillars for institutional growth and innovation. Keywords : divers ity management, kn owledge man agement, Hig her Education Institutions (HEIs), intersectionality, tec hnology integratio n Paper type: Academic Research Paper 1 Introduction Higher education institutions (HEIs) often struggle to integrate diversity and inclusion into their strategic frameworks effectively. Many initiatives remain superficial, focusing on compliance rather than fostering systemic change. A lack of integration between diversity goals and broader institutional strategies, coupled with limited engagement with power dynamics and intersectionality, undermines progress (Lindsay et al., 2018). This disconnect leaves diversity efforts isolated from core processes, reduc ing their impact. To address these gaps, HEIs must embed diversity as a transformative element within their strategic planning, moving beyond tokenistic measures to drive meaningful change. In Europe, the promotion of diversity in public and private institutions has been strongly encouraged through initiatives such as the EU Platform of Diversity Charters, launched by the European Commission. This platform has been signed by over 12,000 organizations across 24 countries, impacting 16 million workers, and aims to promote diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, and sexual orientation. It encourages organizations to adopt merit-based practices in hiring, training, and career development while fostering inclusive policies that address work-life balance and challenge gender stereotypes. In Italy, despite 940 organizations, including healthcare companies, signing the Diversity Charter to promote these values, only six universiti es (Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Università degli Studi di Foggia , Università degli Studi di Genova, Università del Salento) have adhered to this initi ative. This li mited engagement contrasts with European policies that aim to embed a culture of diversity within all public institutions, highlighting a significant ga p in the Italian higher ed ucation sector’s commitment to these principles. An apparent gap in the strate gic adoption of these el ements is evident. 40 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diversity Management and Knowledge Manageme nt across Italian universities indicate that institutional size, technological infrastructure , and strategic alignment play a crucial role in shaping how inclusivity, collaboration, intersectionali ty, and techno logy integration are implemented. Lar ger universiti es have the advantage of scalability, enabling them to in tegrate advanced AI-driv en solutions for knowl edge dissemination, recruitment, and diversity tracking. These institutions are more likely to develop a utomated systems for talent acquisition, inclusive hiring, and interdisciplinary research, leveraging AI to eliminate bias and ensure fair representation. In contrast, mid-sized universities focus on regional engagement and faculty -student interaction, often employing structured but less technology-intensive approaches to diversity and knowledge- sharing. Smaller universities, while emphasizing personalized engagement strategies and direct community involvement, often lack the AI -driven tools and large-scale digital platforms that allow for efficient diversity tracking and automate d knowledge management. A significant diver gence emerge s in the use of AI and technology. Larger institutions integrate AI-powered learning management systems, hybrid teaching models, and digital knowledge repositories, ensuring accessibility and broad participation. AI is also utilized in data - driven diversit y ass essments, im proving policy effe ctiveness b y a nalyzing intersectionality trends a cross gender, ethnicity, and socio-econom ic backgrounds. Mid-sized and smalle r institutions, due to resource constr aints and limited infrastructure, rely more on traditional mentorship models, in-person collaboration, and regional partnerships, lacking the full-scale AI-driven optimization seen in larger institutions. The findings underscore that un iversities must bridge these gaps by leveraging AI and digital transformation while maintaining human - centered approaches to knowledge and diversity management. Investment in AI -driven inclusivity tools , interdisciplinary collaboration platforms, and adaptive learning technologies can enhance knowledge-sharing and diversity integration across all institutional levels, ensuring sustainable, inclusive, and technology -driven growth within the Italian higher education s ystem. 6 Acknowledgement Valerio Brescia acknowledges financial support within the 'Fund for Departments of Excellence academic funding' provided by the Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (MUR), established by Stability Law, namely 'Legge di Stabilità n.232/2 016, 2017' - Pr oject of the Department of Economics, Manage ment, and Quantitative Methods, University of Mi lan - CUP: G43C2200 4550001. 7 Ethics declaration This research did not involve the collection of personal data, experimentation on human subjects , or any activity requiri ng ethical approval . 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Equa lity, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 39(8), 901 – 929. 48 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rethinking Fairne ss in Work-Life Policies: A Conceptual Frame work Beyond Parenthood Filomena Buonocor e 1 , Davide de Gennar o 1 , Viviana Colombi Evangeli sta 1 , Ludovica Del Barone 2 , Floriana Pollio 2 1 University of Naples “Part henope” , Naples, Italy 2 University of Salento, Lec ce, Italy Abstract Traditional workplace policies aimed at supporting work -life balance, career development, and organizational support have largely been designed with emplo yees with children in mind. However, such family-centric approaches risk marginalizing the growing number of employees who are childfree by choice or who de sire children in the future. These group s often remain underrepresented in both academic literature and organizational practice. This paper proposes a concep tual framework for rethinking workplace eq uity by integrating div erse family status es and fu ture aspirations into the an alysis of fairness perceptions. Drawi ng on equity theory, we examine how three groups — parents, childfree emp loyees by c hoice, and employees desiring children — differ in their experiences and expectations of fairness across three core domains: work -life balance, career progression, and perceived organizational support (POS). We introduce the concept of anticipatory fairness to capture how employees evaluate current policies not only based on present conditions but also in light of their anticipate d future needs and life trajectories. The framework identifies hidden and often overlooked inequities in how support is distributed, how opportunities for career advancement are perceived, and how organizational inclusion is experienced by employees with differing fam ily orientations. Ba sed on this conceptual foundation, we propose three theoretical propositions and outline directions for future empirical research. Our model encourages organizations to mo ve beyond binary categories of parenthood and to develop more incl usive policies that recognize the full diversity of employee identities. By embracing a broader and more dynamic understanding of equit y, organizations can foster greater fairness, motivation, and retention acr oss all employee groups, ultimately contributing to more inclusive and sustainable wor kplaces. Keywords : Eq uity theor y, Wo rk-life balance, Career progression, Perceive d organization al support , Ant icipatory fairness, Childfree employees, Inclusion Paper type: Academic Resear ch Paper 1 Introduction In contemporary organizations, the concept of work-life balance has become a central element in discussions around employee well-being , fairness, and inclusion. Traditionally, organizational policies addressing work-life integration have focused primar ily on su pporting employees with children, under t he assumption that they face the most significant challenges in balancing professional and personal responsibilities. While this perspective has led to valuable adva nces in family-friendly poli cies — such as parental leave , flexible scheduling, a nd remote work — it has also unintentionally marginalized other employee groups whose needs may not align with conventional family struct ures. In particular, the experiences of childfree employees, both by choice and by circumstance, remain significantly underexplored in academic literature and organizational practice. These workers often navigate workplaces structured around implicit assumptions of parenthood, which can affect how they are perceived by peers and superiors, how they access support and development opportunities, and how they evaluate fairness within the organization. Emerging studies suggest that this “ parent-centric ” orientation may lead to feelings of exclusion or inequity among non-parent employees, who may be expected to take on additional work or show greater availabil ity, based on the assumption that they are less burdened outside of wor k. Furthermore, recent demographic and cultural shifts have led to an increase in employees who either choose to remain childfree or delay parenthood for personal or professional reasons. These individuals may also have complex personal responsibilities — such as caregiving for aging parents, engaging in lifelong learning, or pursuing personal goals — which are not always recognized by existing organizational policies. The dichotomy between parents and non-parents thus oversimplifies the spectrum of employee needs, aspirations, and perceptions of fairness. Another often-overlooked group con sists of employees who desire to have ch ildren in the future but have not yet done so. These individuals frequently engage in anticipatory evaluations of work-life balance, career progression, and organizational support, assessing whether their curr ent workplace would enable or hinder 49 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- future family aspirations. This dimension introduces a future-oriented perception of equity that has received little attention in the literatur e. To address these gaps, this paper proposes a conceptual reframing of how organizations can understand and promote fairness across different family status groups. Drawing on equity theory, we explore how perceived fairness is influenced not only by actual support and career outcomes but also by the alignment between employees ’ contributions and their expectations of organizational reciprocity. We argue that perceived equity in the wor kplace must be reconsidered thro ug h a mor e in clusive and differentiated lens — one tha t acc ounts for the heterogeneity of em ployee life choices and trajectories. By integrating insights from existing research on work-life balance, career development, and perceived organizational support (POS), we build a conceptual framework that highlights the diverse pathways through which fairness perceptions are formed. In particular, we focus on three employee categories: those with children, those who desire children, and those who are childfree by choice. We develop a set of theoretical propositions to gu ide future research and policy design, with the goal of fostering more inclusive work environments that respect and support the full range of empl oyee identities and aspir ations. 2 Theoretical Background 2.1 Equity in the Workpla ce: A Theo retical Foundation Perceptions of fairness are a fundamental element in shaping employee attitudes and behaviors in organizational settings. Equity theory (Adams, 1965) offers a valuable lens to understand these perceptio ns, suggesting that individuals assess fairness by com paring the ratio between their inputs (such as effort, skills, and time) and outcomes (such as recognition, advancement, and support), relative to others. When this ratio is perceived as imbalanced, individuals may experience distress, dissatisfaction, or disengagement (Barclay et al., 2017 ; Skarlicki & Kulik, 2004) . The application of equity theory has traditionally focused on tangible elements such as compensation or workload, but more recent research extends its relevance to intangible dimensions like organizational support and career opportunities. This broader interpretation is particularly useful in analyzing how different employee groups experience the workplace, especially when their needs and contributions are shaped by factors such as gender, family res ponsibilities, or life choices (Morand & Merriman, 2012) . In this context, fairness is not an objective condition but a subjective perception that can vary significantly across individuals and groups, depending on their expectations, roles, and personal circumstances. This makes it crucial to analyze how organizational practices are experienced differently based on family status — a dimension that is often overs implified or ignored. 2.2 Work-Life Balance: Be yond Parenthood Work-life balance is typically defined as an individual ’ s ability to manage professional and personal responsibilities effectively ( Guest, 2002) . Over the past two decades, organizations have increasingly introduced policies to support this balance, including flexible work arrangements, parental leave, and teleworking options. These me asures are generally designed with working parents in mind, especially mothers, who are per ceived as facing the greatest c hallenges in reconcilin g work and family roles (Hil brecht et al., 2008; Kelliher et al., 2019) . However, this parent-centric approach to work-life policies may inadvertently neglect the needs of other groups. Employees without children — whether by choice or circumstance — may also experience significant work-life challenges related to caregiving for elderly relatives, community involvement, health issues, or personal development goals (Boiarintseva et al., 2022 ; Casper et al., 2016) . Despite these responsibilities, they are often expected to be more flexible, more available, and more committed, simply because they do not have children (Wood & Newton, 2006) . This can result in increased workloads and a sense of unfair treatment, as their time outside of work is perceived as less val uable or legiti mate. Moreover, the lack of recognition for diverse personal responsibilities reinforces the stereotype that only parents need work-life balance. This perception may be particularly problematic for employees who plan to have children in the future. These individuals may evaluate the adequacy of work-life policies not just in terms of current suppor t but also as a signal of the or ganization ’ s capacity to accommodate future needs — a co ncept we define as antici patory fairness . 50 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.3 Career Progression: Struc tural Inequitie s and Hidden Biases Career advancement is another domain where equity perceptions are shaped by family status. The well- documented “ motherhood penalty ” highlights how women with children often face slower promotions, reduced responsibilities, and wage stagnation compared to their childless counterparts (Aisenbrey et al., 2009; M cIntosh et al., 2012) . This penalty is frequently attributed to assumptions about mothers ’ availability, commitment, or capacity to handle dem anding roles. Conversely, men with children may benefit from a “ fatherhood premium, ” being perceived as more stable and responsible (Luhr, 2020) . These dynamics reflect deep-seated gender norms and expectatio ns about parenting roles, but they also contribute to struct ural inequities in career trajectories. Childfree employees, particularly those who are voluntarily childfree, are often assumed to be more dedicated, flexible, and mobile. While this can result in more opportunities, it may also lead to exploitation: increased workloads, frequent travel, or lack of boundaries between work and personal life (Dumas & Perry-Smith, 2018) . These individuals may be rewarded with responsibilities rather than recognition, leading to frustration and burnout. Moreover, the assumption that childfree workers are inherently more available reinforces a discriminatory logic, placi ng the burden of o rganizational e fficiency on those without caregivi ng duties. Employees who are not yet parents but intend to have children may face different but equally problematic dynamics. They may hesitate to pursue promotions or long-term projects, fearing that family formation could disrupt their trajectory or be viewed negatively by the organization. In such cases, the anticipation of future inequities can be just as p owerful as current ones in sha ping behavior and perceptio ns. 2.4 Perceived Organization al Support and Inclusion Perceived Organizational Support (POS) refers to employees ’ beliefs about how much their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being ( Kurtessis et al., 2017 ; Rhoade s et al., 2001) . POS is strongly associated with increase d job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and retention. For parents, visible support often takes the form of family-friendly policies, understanding supervisors, and flexible arrangements (Chang et al., 2014) . Yet, the same signals may not resonate with employees who are not parents. Childfree individuals often seek different forms of support — such as professional development opportunities, personal leave for non-family commitments, or greater autonomy (Casper et al., 2007; Peterson & Engwall, 2016) . When organizational s upport is framed predominantly in terms of family needs, non-parents may feel overlooked, excluded, or even punished for their different li fe choices. This perception of exclusion is exacerbated when support mechanism s are implemented unevenly or informally, creating ambiguity about who qualifies for what kind of support. Moreover, the assumption that childfree employees do not need or deserve the same level of support contributes to a culture in which only certain life paths are validate d and accommodated. Thus, expanding the concept of POS to include a broader range of life experiences and commitments is essential for fostering an inclusive organizational culture. This includes recognizing that fairness is not only about providing the same policies to everyone, but also about en suring that different needs ar e addressed equitabl y. 2.5 Toward an Inclusive Und erstanding of Workplace Equity The literature reviewed high lights a significant gap in how organizational fairness is conceptualized and operationalized. Most existing studies focus on the experiences of parents — often with a binary view of family status — while neglecting the complex and evolvi ng real ities of today ’ s workforce. There is li mited exploration of how ch ildfree employees navigate workplace expectations, and even less attention to the anticipatory perspectives of those who desire children but have not yet star ted families. Moreover, the intersection between family status and perceptions of fairness remains under-theorized. Equity theory offers a useful starting point, but its application must be expanded to cap ture the subjective, temporal, and context ual nature of fairness as experienced by diverse em ployee groups. To address these gaps, we argue for a reconceptualizatio n of workplace equity that moves beyond traditional parent/non-parent dichotomies. This in volves recognizing the heterogeneity of non-parent employees, acknowledging future-oriented aspirations, and designing policies that support multiple life paths with equal respect and consideration. In the next section, we propose a conceptual framework and a set of theoretical propositions aimed at guiding future empiri cal research and infor ming more inclusiv e organizational pra ctices. 51 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Theoretical Gaps Despite a growing body of research on wor k-life balance, career devel opment, an d per ceived organizati onal support (POS), the literatur e remains largely centered on the experiences of employees with children. Organizational scholarship has historically approached family status in binary terms — parent versus non- parent — frequently overlooking the diversity of experiences within the latter category. As a result, current theoretical fra meworks often fail to cap ture the nuanced and evolving re alities of the contemporary workforce. First, the majority of studies on work-life balance focus on how parents — particularly mothers — manage the dual demands of work and caregiving. While this has led to significant advances in understanding the “ motherhood penalty ” or the “ fatherho od prem ium, ” it has also contributed to a limited and som etimes biased view of who deserves or needs organizat ional support. The needs and expectations of employees without children are often excluded from these analyses, reinforcing the assumption that work-life balance policies are relevant only for caregivers. This narrow framing results in a lack of theoretical tools to examine how childfree employees experience, evaluate, and respo nd to these same organizational policies . Second, the literature rar ely distinguishes between different t yp es of non-parent emplo yees. Those who are childfree by choice and those who desire to have children in the future are frequently grouped together under the undifferentiated label of “ non-parents. ” This analytical shortcut obscures important differences in how these groups perceiv e fairness, ma ke career decisi ons, and en gage with organizational support system s. For example, individuals who plan to have children may evaluate current policies based on their future aspirations, while voluntarily childfree employees may seek recognition for non-family commitme nts. Theoretical models have yet to systematically incorporate these forward-looking or alte rnative perspectives on fairness, which we refer to as anticipatory fairness . Third, there is a limited understanding of how fairness perceptions are formed among childfree employees. Existing fram eworks tend to ass ume that childfree work ers are more fle xible, mor e comm itted, or more available — without con sidering how these assumptions affect their actual treatment or their perceptions of equity in terms of workload, recognition, and career development. The lived experiences of these workers are often rendered invisible or trivialized, leading to a theoretical blind spot in studies of organizational justice and inclusion. Fourth, the construct of Perceived Organizational Support (POS) has been largely operationalized through the lens of f amily-friendly policies. While this focus is justified in addressing the historical exclusion of caregivers from full workplace participation, it risks creating a new imbalance. Employees whose needs do not fall under the category of “ family ” may feel excluded or undervalued. Yet few theoretical models explicitly consider how POS might be perceived differently by em ployees without children, or how organizations can broaden their support framewor ks to be more inclusi ve. Fifth, the intersectionality between family status, career stage, gender, and generational identity remains underexplored. Younger employees, for instance, may hold different expectations about work-life balance, career advancement, or personal fulfillment than previous generations. They may also be more likely to delay or forgo parenthood, making the traditional alignment between life stage and family responsibil ities increasingly obsolete. Theoretical approaches that do not consider these dynamics risk offering outdated or i ncomplete explanations of workplace equity. In sum, the existing literature provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by parents in the work place but fails to offer equally robust conceptual tools to understand the experiences of non-parents, particularly in their diversity. Addressing this gap requires a shift in theoretical focus: from a family-centric model of organizational fairness to one that recogni zes the full range of employee identities, life choices, and future aspirations. In the following section, we propose a conceptual framework and a set of theoretical propositions that aim to respond to these gaps and guide fut ure empirical inquir y. 4 Conceptual Framewor k To address the theoretical gaps identified in the literature, we propose a conceptual framework that rethinks workplace equity by incorporating the diverse family statuses and future aspirations of employees. Drawing on equity theory, the framework examines how different employee groups — parents, childfree employees by choice, and those desiring children — perceive fairness in three key organizational domains: work-life balance, career progressi on, and perceived organiza tional support (POS). The framework is structured around two core ideas: 1. The relational nature of equity perceptions, in which fairness is assessed by comparing one ’ s inputs (e.g., effort, time, flexibility) to outcomes (e.g., recognitio n, support, advancement) relative to others in the organization. 52 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. The temporal and aspiration al dimension of fairness, recognizi ng that perceptions are shaped not only by current experi ences but also by anticipat ed future needs or trajec tories (anticipatory fair ness). 4.1 Dimensions of Perceived Fairness We identify three interrelated domai ns where equity per ceptions are most sal ient: • Work-Life Balance Equity: Perceived fair ness in the allocation of fle xibility, time-o ff policies, a nd accommodation of personal responsibilities. While traditionally designed for caregivers, these policies also affect ch ildfree employees and those planning to have children. The framework suggests that fairness in this domain depends not only on the availabili ty of policies, but on how inclusive and adaptable they are to differen t life situations. • Career Progression Equity: Perceptions of fairness in advancement opportunities, promotions, and access to development pathways. Parents may experience structural barriers due to career interruptions, while childfree employees may face hidden penalties such as being overburdened or excluded from informal networks. Employees desiring children may evaluate fairness based on the perceived long-term conse quences of starting a family. • Perceived Organizational Support (POS): Fairness in how the organization expresses care, recognition, and investment in employee well-being. While family-friendly policies may increase POS for parents, they may lower it for others if perceived as exclusive. Broadenin g the scope of P OS to encomp ass non- family commitments is ce ntral to inclusive support. 4.2 Employee Family Sta tus and Equity Perceptions The framework differentiates between three employee group s, acknowledging their unique experienc es and sources of (in)equity: • Employees with Childre n: Often benefit fro m formal family policies, but may experience stalled caree rs or stigma around flexibility. They assess fairness through the trade- off between support and opportunity loss. • Childfree Employees by Choice: Frequently expected to absorb additional responsibilities due to their perceived availability. They may feel unfairly burdened and exclud ed from organizational care, especially when support is fra med exclusively in terms of fa mily. • Employees Desiring Children: Experience fairness through an anticipatory lens. They evaluate whether current organizational conditions can support future family formation, and may adjust their engagement or career decisi ons accordingly. These distinctions are critical because each group navigates the same organizational environment with different expectations , needs, and social m eanings attached to their fam ily status. 4.3 Mediators and Modera tors The framework also incorporates contextual and psychological variables that may mediate or moderate the perception of fairness: • Organizational Culture: The extent to which inclusivity, flexibility, and diversity of life choices are genuinely supported or mer ely symbolic. • Leadership Style: The behavior of direct supervisors and senior leaders in modeling inclusive behavior, recognizing divers e needs, and avoiding bias ed assumptions about avai lability or commit ment. • Generational Identity: Younger generations may be more sensitive to fairness as it relates to lifestyle autonomy, while older employees may prior itize stability or long -term support. • Gender Norms: Deeply embedded beliefs about parenting roles can differentially affect men and women across all three empl oyee categories. 4.4 Anticipatory Fairness: A Key Theoretical Contribution A distinctive contribution of this framework is the concept of anticipatory fairness, which refers to fairness perceptions that are not based solely on present experiences, but on how current conditions are projected to impact future choices. This is particularly relevant for employees who are considering sta rting a family or making other major life changes. By incorporating this forward-looking dimension, the framework broadens equity theory beyond static comparisons of inputs and outputs, introducing a dynamic perspective aligned with life- course thinking. 53 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the next section, we translate the conceptual model into three theoretical propositions, offering testable statements that can guide empirical res earch and organizational reflection. 5 Theoretical Propositions Proposition 1: Employees without childre n, particularly those who are ch ildfree by choice, are more lik ely to perceive work- life balance policies as inequitable when such policies are framed or implemented primarily in support of parental responsibilities. Rationale: While organiza tions increasingly offer flexibili ty and fami ly-friendly arrangements, these are often designed with the assum ption t hat only par ents ne ed tim e or flexibility. Childfre e emplo yees — despite having other legitim ate personal need s — may feel excl uded from th ese benefits, le ading to lower percep tions of fair ness. Equity theor y suggests that when contributions (e.g., extra availability, workload) are not matched by compara ble recognition or support, perceptio ns of inequity emerge. Proposition 2: Employees with children perceive greater inequity in career progression opportunities due to structural and cultural barriers, while childfree employees may perceive inequity due to overwork and a lack of c ompensatory recognition. Rationale: Parents, particularly mothers, often face slower career advancement due to maternity leaves, part-time arrangements, or biased ass umptions ab out their avai lability. Co nversely, chil dfree empl oyees may be ass igned more work or asked to “ fill in ” for parents without receiving equivalent career rewards. These differi ng experiences reveal that both groups may perceive the career system as unfair, albeit for opposite reasons, reinforcing the need to ret hink meritocracy through an inclusive lens. Proposition 3: Employees wh o plan to have childre n in the future evaluate organizational policies through a lens of anticipatory fair ness, and are more likely to disengage or d elay family for mation if they perceive a lack of future support. Rationale: This proposition introduces a forward-loo king dimension to equity theory. Employees do not only react to current support, but also to their expectations of how future needs will be met. If current work conditions appear incompatible with future life goals — such as having a child or building a family — employees may interpret this misalignment as unfair. This anticipatory evaluation can influence organizational commitment, career decisions, and life choices. 6 Managerial and Future Research Im plications 6.1 Managerial Impli cations This conceptual exploration has significant implications for how organizations design and implement their work-life policies, career development systems, and support mechan isms. In particular, it challenges the assumption that fairness can be achieved through a one-size-fits-all approach focused primarily on parental status. 1. Design Inclusive Work-Life Policies: Organizations should ensure that work-life balance initiatives are not exclusively targeted at employees with children. This means expanding the rationale behind flexible work arrangements to include a wide range of personal needs — such as mental health, caregiving for elders, or personal growth. Communicati ng policies as universally app licable rather than parent-specifi c can increase perceive d fairness across all e mployee groups. 2. Reevaluate Ca reer Progressi on Practice s: Promotion and devel opment systems should be transparen t and based on merit, with mechanisms to monitor and prevent both penalization (e.g., for taking parental leave) and exploitation (e.g., of perceived availability among childfree workers). This includes fostering a cu lture that normalizes different career paces and avoids ass umptions based on family status. 3. Broaden the Scope of Organizational Support: Perceived Organization al Support (POS) should be decoupled fro m family-specific benefits. Managers can increase POS by recognizing diverse life choices and offering meaningful support to all employees — such as access to learning opportunities, autonomy, 54 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and recognition — regardless of parental status. This also requires training managers to avoid unconscious biases in how su pport and flexibility are distributed. 4. Acknowledge Anticipatory Needs: Managers should be aware that employees are not only evaluating current conditions, but also making decisions based on anticipated life changes. By fostering a culture of open dialogue and proactively signaling support for future life transitions (e.g., becoming a parent, caring for others), organizatio ns can retain talent and strengthen employ ee engagemen t. 6.2 Implications for Future Research This framework opens sev eral pathways for empirical an d theoretical dev elopment: 1. Empirical Te sting of An ticipatory Fairness: Future research should operationalize and tes t the concept of anticipatory fairness , examining how employees ’ future-oriented expectations influence perceptions of equity, engagement, and career planning. Longitudinal or life-course approaches would be particularly suitable for capturing these dynam ics. 2. Differentiation Within Non-Par ent Gro ups: More empirical work is need ed to distin guish betwee n the experiences of childfree employees by choice, those who are childless by circumstance, and those desiring children. These subgroups may exhibit different psychological responses to the same organizational environme nt. 3. Intersectionali ty with Ge nd er, Age, and Career Stage: Equity perceptions likely vary at the intersection of family status with gender, generational identity, and seniority. For instance, younger employees may be more sensitive to fairness in future support, while older employees may prioritize stability or autonomy. Comparative stu dies could help to rev eal how these factors interact. 4. Cross-Cultural and Sectoral S tud ies: The model should be t ested across national and cultural contex ts, as well as across public vs. private sector organizations. Norms around family, work commitment, and support vary widely, and contextualizing fairness perceptions is essential for generating globally relevant insights. 5. Mixed Metho ds and Configurational Approaches: Given the complexity and multidimensionality of perceived fairness, future studies might employ methods such as fsQCA or mixed-methods designs to capture the combinations of conditions that produce perceptions of equity or inequity. This approach is particularly useful when in vestigating heterogeneo us groups with overlappin g identities. Thus, this framework invites a shift in how we theorize and manage equity in the workpla ce — moving beyond reactive support for parents toward a holistic, future-oriented, and inclusive approach that recognizes and respects the diversity of em ployee life paths . Ethics Declaration This research involved human participants and followed all institutional and national ethical standards. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from all individuals involved. No personal or sensitive data have been disclosed. 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(2006) Childlessness and work-life balance: The role of control and choice, British Journal of Management , Vol. 17, No. 2, pp 117 – 129. 56 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Figure 2: The Relationship Between AI Ethics Policy and ESG Score: Visual Evidence. In summary, the empirical evidence suggests that the adoption of ethical policies on artificial intelligence is associated with better ESG performance. This relationship holds even after controlling key firm-level characteristics, reinforcing the hypothesis that such policies may serve as a signal of a company’s concrete commitment to sustaina bility. 5 Discussion and conclusions The study examines how AI adoptio n influences ESG (Envi ronmental, Social, an d Governance) perfor mance, highlighting both opportuni ties and challenges. AI enhances environmental sustaina bility through advanced monitoring, resource optimiz ation, and circular economy initiative s. In the social sphere, AI promotes diversity, workplace well-being, and fair hiring processes through advanced algorithms. Regarding governance, AI strengthens overs ight mechanisms, im proving risk assess ments and reg ulatory compliance. While previous research has shown a strong correlation between ESG performance and fi nancial res ults, the specific role of AI in this relationship remains underexplored. Studies suggest that financial institutions using AI for ESG assessments achieve highe r investment returns, pointing to a promising link between AI adoption and sustainability. The study uses a dataset from Bloomberg covering 348 U.S. and Western European companies across vari ous industries. A linear regression model tests the hypothesis that ethical AI policies positively impact ESG performance. The result confirms the positive effect already observed, even in the presence of the control variables. The positivity and significance of the coefficient highlights that the implementation of ethical guidelines related to the use, design, and development of AI is perceived as an adding value by ESG evaluators. The implementation of ethical poli cies on AI is a ta ngible signal of commitment to t he principles of s ustainability and social responsibility. Moreover, such practices can increase the trust of stakeholders, including investors and regulators, as they demonstrate the company's willingness to adopt technologies res ponsibly and to proactively manage the ethical risks asso ciated with AI. Further investigation can be conducted with reference to the impac t of the dummy vari able “AI_ETH_PLCY” on t he scores assig ned to each ESG pillar . This study highlights the need to delve deeper into the relationship between AI and ESG, providing basis for developing new measurement frameworks that assess the contribution of AI to corporate sustainability. Although the existing literature provides valuable insights, research exploring the overall impact of AI on ESG performance in different economic contexts is lacking. Our study focuses on these aspects to provide policymakers, companies and technology developers with a reference framework for defining the best strategies to support business processe s. This aspect is particularly timely also in light of the very recent initiatives announced by the European Commission (2025) for the creation of AI gigafactories (AI Gigafactories) and the development of a strategy for applied AI (Apply AI) i n order to guide the de velopment and adoption of AI in key industri al sectors. 63 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Ethics declaration This study did not involve procedures requi ring ethical clearance, an d no ethical approval was necessary for the research conducte d. 7 AI declaration The authors confirm that no artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation or production of this paper. References Adeoye, O. B., Okoye, C. C., Ofodile, O. C., Odeyemi, O., Addy, W . 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Resources Policy , 86 , 104199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104199 64 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Women Directors, Susta inability K nowledge and Greenwashing: A Study on Italian Comp anies Beatrice Sveva Stasi, Fa brizia Sarto, Sara Saggese University of N aples Federico II, Naples , Italy Abstract In recent years, the growing attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices has driven companies to adopt Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strateg ies. The commitment to CSR is influenced by the need to sa tisfy stakeholder demands to improve firm performance. However, such grow ing pressure has also produced unintended distortions, notably the phenomenon of greenwashing, as corporate practice involving the dissemination of misleading information regarding a company’s ESG commitments to enhance company public image and reputati on. This study aims to analyse two possible de terminants at board of directors level of greenwashing: the presence of female directors and board members with sustainabil ity knowledge. Based on a sample of 35 Italian public ly listed non-financial c ompanies in 2023, the research employs logistic regressions to examine the effect of the above mentioned board features on gree nwashing, whi ch is mea sured by c omparing the ESG Perception Index and the Standard Ethic s Rati ng. The resu lts show that both the presen ce of fe male directors and directors with sustainability know ledge positively affect the gree nwashing. This suggests that, although these characteristics are often considered to enhance the quality and transparency of sustainability disclosure, they may also increase the ability to manipulate such information. The study contributes to both theory and practice. From a theoretical pers pective, it contributes to the literature on board composition and the determinants of greenwashing. From a practical perspective, it highlights the importance for nomination committees to consider the role of gender and human capital in the directors’ appointment process, taking into acc ount the potential association with greenwashing. Keywords: Greenwashin g, Women, Board o f directors, Sus tainability knowl edge, Italy. Paper type: Academic Research Paper 1 Introduction Over last decades, one of the most relevant developments that has impacted the strategic focus of firms is the increased commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, often referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This is defined as the companies' voluntary integration of social and environmental concerns into their business practices and interactions with stakeholders (European Commis sion, 2011). In this regard, companies have started to embrace more responsible capitalism by improving non - financial performance and making a positive contribution to the community (Garcia -Sanchez, Cuadrado- Ballesteros and Sepulv eda, 2014; Issa an d Hanaysha, 2022) . From the scholarl y standpoint, the commitment to CSR is rooted in the stakeholder theory suggesting that firms should satisfy stakeholders needs to maximize firm value (Parmar et al., 2010; Dodd, Frijns and Garel, 2022). Indeed, literature highlights that having more investments in CSR can affect firm performance (Albuquerque et al., 2020; Awaysheh et al. , 2020; Huang, Sim and Zhao, 2020). However, increasing pressure from stakeholders to improve companies' ESG performance has often played as a double-edged sword, giving rise to the dark side of this phenomenon, called greenwashing (Zahid et al., 2023). Gr eenwashing is a cor porate behavior that diss eminates false inform ation to allev iate exte rnal pressures by overstating the company's social and e nvironmental res ponsibilities (Wolniak , 2016; Flammer, 2021). Looking at the determinants of greenwashing, literature has examined the effect of several governance features (Zhang, Qin and Zhang, 2023), includin g the board of directors’ characteristics (M a et al., 2025). Indeed, board is responsible for monitoring managers’ actions (Hillman and Dalziel, 2003; Saidat, Silva and Seaman , 2019), and for advising them on how to manage external e nvironmental challenges (Pfeffer and Salancik, 2003). Specifically, it is in ch arge of setting corporate strategies (including CSR strategies), while monitoring managers to satisfy the needs of the stakeholders (Jain and Zaman, 2020). The accomplishment of these roles is influenced by its ch aracteri stics, such as gender (Bernardi and Threadgill, 2010) and human cap ital (Saggese and Sarto, 2025), with positiv e implications for corpor ate outcome (Fernández-Te mprano and Tejerina-Gaite, 2020), As for gender, research documents that female directors are less keen to accept unethical behaviors and inclined to manipulate corporate informati on, while showing greater sensitiv ity to stakeholder needs ( Terjesen, Sealy and Singh, 2009 ; Loukil and Yousfi, 20 16). As a result, their presence m ight influence corpora te disclosure (Huang, Huang and Lee, 2014; Vermeir and Van Kenhove, 2008), including the CSR reporting and the potential 65 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- manifestation of greenwashing. In this regard, while recent studies have started to examine the influence of board gender diversity on greenwashing, literature is still scarce and report contrasting results (Chen and Dagestani, 2023; Ghitti, Gianfrate and Palma, 2024). Hence, there is no clear indication of the relationship between the pres ence of female directors and greenwas hing in the litera ture. Shifting the attention to human capital - as set of knowl edge and ski lls derived from individuals job experiences and education (Sarto et al., 2019) – following the upper ech elons theory, scholars highlight that board human capital influences corporate outcomes, as directors' experience, knowle dge and skills drive the execution of governing roles, with implications for company performance (Hillman and Dalziel, 2003; Berezinets, Garanina and Ilina, 2016). This can be also true with reference to the greenwash ing, which may be affected b y sustainability-related knowledge as a specific dimension of hu man capital. In this regard, some empirical studies show that directors’ sustainability education and/or experience enhances their ability to understand sustainability-related issues, highlighting that the presence of directors with such knowledge impacts CSR disclosure (Jamil, Mohd Ghazali and Pu at N elson, 2021; Lu et al., 2024). However, they neglect to investigate the effect on greenwashing. With this in mind, this article aims to examine both the eff ect of female directors on greenwas hing, and the implications of directors’ sustainability kno wledge for gre enwashing. To achieve the research objective, we collect data from multiple sources (official company websites, AIDA database, Link edIn profiles) , by relying on a sam ple of 35 It alian publicl y li sted non-finan cial companies in 2023. Besides, we co nduct t he statis tical anal yses of the predicte d relationshi ps using logit regressions. Findi ngs show that bot h the presence of female directors and directors with sustainability k nowledge are positively associated with greenwashing. Our study provides theoretical and practical contributions. From a theoretical perspective , it contributes to the literature on the role of gender and human capital for greenwashing, while enriching the debate on the determinants of such phenomenon. From a practical standpoi nt, the rese arch offers insights to nomination committees, encouraging the m to consider the role of gender and human capital in the directors’ appointment process, also taking i nto account the pote ntial associati on with greenwashing. 2 Literature review Greenwashing is a corporate behavior that disseminates false information about the company’s social and environmental commitment, aiming to enhance its public image and alleviate external pressures (Wolniak, 2016; Flammer, 2021; Li et al., 2022) . Specifically, i t is often use d to influence st akeholders (Fe rron-Vílchez, Valero -Gil and Suárez-Perales, 2021; Chen and Dagestani, 2023). Indeed, in the light of stakeholder theory, stakeholder involvement is crucial for promoting business development (Friedman and Miles, 2002), and firms should satisfy stakeholders’ needs to maximize firm v alue (Parmar et al., 201 0; Dodd, Frijns and Gare l, 2022 ). Since greenwashing strategies generate ambiguous signals and undermine stakeholders' interests (Walker and Wan, 2012; Zheng et al., 2 023), literature has analyzed various determinants of greenwashing, including top managers’ characteristics ( Zhang, Qin and Zhang, 2023 ; Yang et al., 2025). Within this context, board of directors’ attributes can also play an important role in influencing greenwashing (Ma et al., 2025). Indeed, the upper echelons theory (Hambrick and Mason, 1984) highlights that the individual characteristics of managers (including boar d members) are able to influence their strategic decisions , thereby s haping corporate outcomes. In this regard, research has analyzed the effect of various board attributes on firm performance (F ernández - Temprano and Tejerina-Gaite, 2020), corporate social responsibility (Patro, Zhang and Zhao, 2018), and innovation (Sarto et al., 2019). Among the board attributes that can influence corporate outcomes, gender (Bernardi and Threadgill, 2010; Galbreath, 2018) and hu man capital (Saggese and Sarto, 2025) are particularly relevant. Regarding the former, some studies show that the presence of women on board negatively influences corporate out comes (A dams and Ferrei ra, 2009; Dale-Olsen, Schone and Verner, 2013), as gender diversity may increase conflict among directors, limit board cohesion, and hinder dec ision-making, thereby compromis ing firm performance (Adams and Ferreira, 2009). Conversely, other research documents that the presence of female directors promotes both financial (Campbell and Minguez Vera, 2009) and sustainability-related (Elmagrhi et al., 2019) outcom es. Indeed, wo men are more likely to follow a particip atory le adership a pproach th an m en (Loukil and Yousfi, 2016), reduce inf ormation asymmetries (Gul, Hutchinson and Lai, 2013), and show greater sensitivity to stakeholder needs ( Terjesen, Sealy and Singh , 2009). Moreover, being less inclined to manipulate corporate information, their presence has implications for corporate disclosure (Huang, Huang and Lee, 2014; Vermeir and Van Kenhove, 2008), including CSR-related reporting in terms of greenwashing. In this regard, although recent studies have begun to explore the impact of women presence on the board on greenwashing practices, the 66 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- existing literature remains limited and yields conflicting findings. Indeed, empirical evidence presents a mixed picture: while some studies suggest that female directors may mitigate greenwas hing behaviors (Chen and Dagestani, 2023), others report a positive association, contending that improved gender balance does not inherently constitute an effective solution against the phenomenon (Ghitti, Gianfrate and Palma, 2024). Based on this, we hypothesize the existence of a relationship between female directors ’ presence and greenwashing, without formulati ng any expectation abo ut the sign. As for human capital, several studies show that top managers' human capital can influence how they perceive, interpret, and evaluate companies and their environments (Day and Lord, 1992; Hambrick and Mason, 1984). It can also affect how problems are define d and information is processed, thus influencing managerial decisions (Carpenter, Geletkanycz and Sanders, 2004; Sarto et al., 2024; Sarto et al., 2025). Specifically, regarding the boards of directors, studies show that board human capital impacts corpor ate outcomes, as directors' experience, knowledge and skills drive the execution of governing roles, with implications for corporate outcomes (Hillman and Dalziel, 2003; Berezinets, Garanina and Ilina, 2016). This may be also true for greenwashing, which might be influenced by a specific dimension of human capital, that is the sustainability - related knowledge. In this regard, some scholars claim that top managers competencies within sustainability area can influence sustainability-related outcomes (Peters, Romi and Sanchez, 2019; Al -Shammari et al., 2023), including CSR disclosure (Velte, 2023). Specifically, the presence of directors with sustainability-related education and/or experience affects CSR disclosure quality and transparency (Jamil, Mohd Ghazali and Puat Nelson, 2021; Lu et al., 2024), since these competencies can enhance managerial understanding of sustainability- related issues (Jamil, Mohd Ghazali and Puat Nelson, 2021). Building on these arguments — which underscore the relationship between the presence of directors with sustainability expertise and the quality of CSR disclosure — and considering that greenwashing entails the dissemination of misleading information regarding the company’s social and environmental commitments, it is reasonable to expect that directors with sustainability knowle dge may influence greenwashing pra ctices. 3 Method We test our predictions on a sample of 35 publicly listed non-financial Italian companies in 2023, after excluding firms lacking relevant governance and CSR data. Italy represents an ideal setting to explore our predictions considering the legislati ve measures (Law 120/2011) that have promoted the greater represe ntation of wom en on corporate boards (Saggese, Sarto and Viganò, 2021). Furthermore, in Italy there is a rising concern about corporate accountabili ty and envi ronmental trans parency (Sarto e t al., 2025). With this in mind, we gather information on publicly listed non -financial Italian companies from multiple sources (e.g. AIDA database, and hand-collected informati on from official company websites and LinkedIn profiles). As for our dependent variable, we analyse greenwashing in terms of gap between firms’ ESG disclosure information and sustainability real performa nce information (Zhang, 2022). In this regard, we compare the ESG Perception Index (whic h mea sures companies' sustainability percepti on) with the Standard Ethics Rating (which measures firms’ actual sustainability by evaluating their level of compliance with international sustainability principles issued by the European Union (EU), the Organisation for Economic Co -operation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations (UN)). When the ESG Perception Index score is higher than the Standard Ethics Rating (positive discrepancy), we interpret this discrepancy as a potential signal of greenwashing. In this case, public perception is higher than the independent evaluation provided by Standard Ethics, suggesting a possible overestimation of the firm’s sustainability commitment. If the ESG Perception Index and the Standard Ethics Rating are equal (correspond ence), we conclude that there is no clear evidence of greenwashing. If the ESG Perception Index is lower than the Standard Ethics Rating (negative discrepancy), we posit that the observed gap may be attributable to factors unrelated to greenwashing, such as limited public awareness of the company’s sustainability initiatives or inad equate corporate communication. Thereby, we measure greenwashing by employing a dummy var iable equal to 1 in case of greenwashing (positive discrepancy), and 0 otherwise (correspondence a nd negative discrepancy ) (Greenwashing). Regarding the independent variables, we appreciate the presence of female directors and board members with sustainability knowledge (i.e. sustainability-related education and/or sustainability-related experience) (Jamil, Mohd Ghazali and Puat Nelson, 2021; Velte, 2023), using two different variables to strengthen our analysis. For the presence of female directors, we use the number of female directors (Num_womdir) (Katmon et al., 2019). Similarly, for the presence of directors with sustainability kno wledge, we use the number of directors with sustai nability knowle dge (Num_sustknowdi r) (Jamil, Mohd Ghazali and Puat Nelson, 2 021). 67 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moreover, we use two additional proxies to catch our main independent variable. Specificall y, we employ a dummy variable, Average_womdir (Average_s ustknowdir) equal to 1 if the number of female directors (sustainability-knowle dgeable directors ) on the comp an y’s board is abov e the sample average, and 0 otherwise (Carbone, Mussolino, and Viganò, 2024). Finally, we include the following control variables: the firm size ( Firm_size), measured by the number of firm’s employees, the profitability, in terms of retu rn on equity ratio (ROE), and the board size (Board_size) as th e number of directors . To test our predictions, we conduct the statistical analyses using logit regress ions, as our dependent variable is binary. 4 Results Table 1 presents the descripti ve statistics for our variables. Table 1: Descriptiv es Variable Mean SD Min. Max. Greenwashing 0.229 0.426 0 1 Num_womdir 4.971 1.580 0 8 Num_sustknowdir 5.257 2.758 0 11 Average_womdir 0.342 0.481 0 1 Average_sustknowdir 0.428 0.502 0 1 Firm_size 3413.4 7.440.841 16 34529 ROE 9.786 14.198 -50.19 54.69 Board_size 11.571 2.810 3 18 Table 2 shows the results of the logit regressions testing the relationship between the presence of female directors and directors with sustainability knowledge and greenwashing. Sp ecifically, Mod el 2 shows that the coefficient of the number of female directors (Num_womdir) is positive and statistically significant (β=1.730; p<0.05). Therefore, a higher number of female directors is positively associated with the probability that the firm engages in greenwas hing. Similarly, Model 3 highlights that the coefficient of the number of directors with sustainability knowledge (Num_sustknowdir) is positive and statistically significant (β=0.364; p<0.05). Consequently, there is a posit ive and statisti cally significant relationship betw een the pr esence of dire ctors with sustainability knowle dge and greenwashi ng. Table 2: Logit regres sion models Logit regressions (Greenwashing) Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Num_womdir 1.730** (0.885) Num_sustknowdir 0.364** (0.156) Average_womdir 2.961** (1.412) Average_sustknowdir 1.970* (1.072) Firm_size -0.000 -0.000 -0.000* -0.000 -0.000* (0.000) (0.000) (0.000) (0.000) (0.000) ROE -0.111** -0.157** -0.137** -0.092* -0.136** (0.048) (0.063) (0.059) (0.049) (0.055) Table 2: Logit regres sion models (continue d) Board_size 0.144 -0.687 0.012 -0.212 0.084 (0.156) (0.494) (0.168) (0.237) (0.165) Constant -1.798 -0.614 -1.958 0.668 -1.804 (1.848) (2.045) (1.819) (2.604) (1.936) Observations 35 35 35 35 35 R2 0.168 0.296 0.265 0.262 0.273 Prob (Chi2) 0.095 0.025 0.043 0.069 0.019 Mean VIF 1.36 2.63 1.37 2.26 1.33 68 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As previously stated, to strengthen our analysis, we replicate it by measuring the presence of female directors and of directors with sustainability knowledge using the two binary independent variables, Average_womdir and Average_s ustknowdir, respectively. Consistent with the results of Model 2, Model 4 shows a positive and significant rela tionship between a hig her n umber of fem ale dire ctors (above the sam ple average) and greenwashing. Indeed, the coefficient is positive and statistically significant (β=2.9 61; p<0.05). Similar findings are reported for the presence of directors with sustainability knowledge. Indeed, Model 5 shows that the coefficient of Average_sustknowdir is positiv e and statistically signific ant (β=1.970; p<0.10). Therefore, firms with a higher number of directors with sustainabil ity knowledge (above the sample average) have a higher probability of engagin g in greenwashin g. 5 Concluding discussions The article examines the rel ationship between the presence of female directors and directors with sustainability knowledge and greenwashing. To achieve this aim, it tes ts our predictions on a sample of 35 publicly listed non-financial I talian compani es in 2023 thro ugh logit regre ssions. Results show that the presence of female directors is positively associated with greenwashing. This finding is counterintuitive compared to prev ious studies which suggest th at f emale directors are less inclined to manipulate corporate information with positive implications for disclosure quality (Vermeir and Van Kenh ove, 2008; Huang, Huang, and Lee, 2014). Moreover, it contrasts with studies that find the presence of female directors inhibits greenwashi ng (Chen and Dagestani, 202 3). However, the result aligns with studies t hat report a positive relationship (Ghitti, Gianfrate and Palma, 2024) and show that a higher presence of female directors is associated with lower sustainability performance, as female directors are often excessively bu sy due to the numerous board positions they hold (Tonetto, 2022). Consequently, regarding greenwashing, th e presence of female directors is not beneficial, as their busyness negatively influences the effective monitori ng of greenwashing activitie s (Tonetto, 2022). Similar results apply to the presence of directors with sustainability knowledge, also positively associated with greenwashing. This supports the idea that directors with sustainability-related education and/or experience have a greater understanding of su stainability-related issues (Jamil, Mohd Ghazali and Puat Nelson, 2021). Being more fami liar with the pro cess of disclosin g sustainability information (Bilal, Songshen g and Bushr a, 2017), the y may also be more able to manipulate such information, thereby increasing the probability of greenwashing. These results rem ain valid across both me asures used as i nd ependent vari ables. Our study has theoretical and practical implications. From a theoretical perspective, it contributes to the literature on the role of gender and human capital for the board of directors by examining both the relationships between the presence of female directors and directors with sustainability knowledge and greenwashi ng. It also addresses a gap in the Italian setting, where the link between the specific dimension of human capital related to directors' sustainability knowledge and greenwashing remains unex plored (Jamil, Mohd Ghazali and Puat Nelson, 2021; Lu et al., 2024). At t he same ti me, it enri ches the literature on the determinants of greenwashing. From a practical perspective, by documenting the positive association between the presence of female directors and of directors with sustaina bility knowledge and greenwashing, the paper encourages nomination committees to consider t he role of gender and human ca pital in the directors’ appointment process, also taking into ac count the potential ass ociation with greenwashing. Despite these contributions, our study has limitations. First, it is based on a sam ple of only 35 companies and focuses on the specific Italian context, which li mits the generalizability of the results. Another limitation concerns how greenwashing is measured. In fact, we measure it by comparing the E SG Perception Index (a qualitative variable), which reflects companies' sustainability perception, with the Standard Ethics Rating (a quantitative variable), which measures firms’ actual sustainability. This discrepancy can lead to interpretative challenges. Indeed, interpreti ng these differences and detecting greenwashing requires caution, since the two metric s reflect different corporate sustainability dimensions, and public perception is not always aligned with institutional assessme nts. Finally, the ESG perception index is obtained from the Reputation Sc ience Observatory, which, although based on a reliable methodology using more than 100 parameters, is influenced by subjectivity. 6 Ethics declaration We declare that ethi cal clearance for t he research referre d to in this paper was not required. 69 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 AI declaration We used AI to help us paraphrase some sentences in order to shorten them and stay within the word/page limits of the paper, improv e the flue ncy of the English , and find synonyms . References Adams, R.B. and Ferreira, D. 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West, M.A., Car ol, B., Jeremy, D., Jud y, S., Matthew, C., Stephen , A., Malcolm, P. , et al. (2002), “The link between the management of employees and patient mortality in acute hospitals”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management , Routledge, Vol. 13 No. 8, pp. 1299 – 1310. West, M.A., Hwang , S., Maier, R. V., Ahuja, N., Angelos, P. , Bass, B.L., Brasel, K.J., et al. (2018), “E nsuring Equity, Diver sity, and Inclusion in Academic Surgery: An American Surgical Association White Paper”, Annals of surgery , Vol. 268 No. 3 , pp. 403 – 407. WHO. (2016), Global strat egy on human resources for health: workforce 2030 , Ge neva, available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/250368/9789241511131-eng.pdf. Woltz, S., Krijnen, P., Pieterse, A.H. and Schipper, I.B. (2018), “Surgeons’ perspective on shared decision making in trauma surgery. A national survey”, Patient Education and Counseling , Elsevier Ireland Ltd, Vol. 101 No. 10, pp. 1748 – 1752. Yule, S. and Pat erson- Brown, S. (2012), “Surgeons’ non - technical skills.”, The Surgical clinics of North America , United States, Vol. 92 No. 1, pp. 37 – 50. 80 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assessing Carbon Emissi ons and Energy Use Behaviours am ong Medical Undergraduate S tudents in Taiwan Szu -Chieh Chen 1 , Wei-Ling Yang 1 , Yafang Tsai 1 , Shih-Wang Wu 2 1 Chung Shan Medical Univ ersity, Taichung , Taiwan 2 Chia Nan University, Tai nan, Taiwan Abstract This cross-sectional study investigates the energy use behaviors, carbon emissions, and en ergy-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of undergraduate studen ts from six private medical universities across northern, central, and southern Taiwan. Data were collected via struc tured questionnaires from May to June 2023, encompassing 184 students wi th diverse academic years, departments, and gender distributions (69% female). The study quantified daily acti vity durations involving energy consumption-such as air conditioning, heating, transportati on, and use of electrical appliances -and estimated individual annual carbon emissions by integrati ng act ivity durati on, energy consu mption rates, and emission factors. Results indicate that air conditioning and heating account for the longest daily energy use ( 244 to 750 minutes), reflecting Taiwan’s subtropical climate and high cooling demand. Tra ns portation activities, including car, motorcycle, and public transit use, also contribute subs tantially, with Taipe i Medical University studen ts exhibiting the highest public trans portation us age (mean 98 minutes). Departmental variations were noted, with pharmacy students using air conditioning most extensively and medical laboratory science students using public transit more frequently. The KAP survey revealed moderate to high knowledge levels but comparatively lower positive attitudes and practices toward energy conservation, a ligning with international findings. These results highlight the importance of targeted educational interventions to promote su stainable energy behaviors among medical students, who are future healthcare professionals with potential influence on institutional su stainability. This study fills a research ga p by linking individual -level energy behaviors with carbon emi ssion es timates in Taiwan’s higher education context, providing a foundation for policy and behavioral strategies aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of medical educati on institutions. Keywords: Carbon emiss ion, Knowledge-At titude-Practice (KAP), Taiwan, Subtro pical climate, Ener gy Paper type: Academic Research Paper 1 Background Climate change driven by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human energy consumption has become one of the most pressi ng global chal lenges. Since the I ndustrial Revol ution, the avera ge global tempera ture has increased by approximately 1.0°C as of 2017, pr imarily due to elevated CO₂ and other GHG emissions (UNDP, 2023). In response, the United Nations established the 2030 Su stainable Developmen t Goals (SDGs) in 2015, with Goal 13 focusing on climate action. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ai ms to reduce global net CO₂ emiss ions by 45% betwee n 2010 and 2030 and achieve net -zero emis sions by 2050. Globally, energy consumption remains the largest contributor to GHG emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA, 2021), the world emitted 33,622 million tons of CO₂ in 2019, with China and the United States as the top emitters, contributing 29.38% and 14.11% respectively. Taiwan ranked 22nd globally, emitting 256 million tons of CO₂ (0.76% of global emissions), with a per capita emission of 10.77 tons CO₂, ranking 19th worldwi de (Taiw an EPA, 2023). Sectoral analysis reveals that Taiwan’s in dustrial sector accounts for the highest emissions (48.74%), followed by transportation (14.17%), energy (14.05%), residential (11.54%), and serv ice sectors (10.35%) (Taiwan EPA, 2 021). Within the service sector, educational institutions are significant energy consumers. Taiwan’s high er education sector accounts for 65% of the electricity consumption within the education industry (Taiwan Power Company, 2021). Among universities, medical schools exhibit the highest energy intensity due to their reliance on precisi on laboratorie s an d diagnos tic equ ipment ( Wang, 2016). This is consistent with findings from Li u et al. (2009), who observed that energy knowledge and attitudes improve with educational level, suggesting that university students repres ent a critic al demographic for fostering sustain able energy behavi ors. Numerous studies have inves tigated energ y use in educational buildings, providing valuable benchmarks. For instance, Li et al. (2017) analyzed university buildings in Guangzhou, China, reporting energy use intensity (EUI) values ranging from 61 to 82 kWh/m ²/year. Ruusala et al. (2018) studied Finnish schools and daycare centers, finding an average EUI of 212 kWh/m²/year for schools, significantly higher than daycare centers. In Taiwan, Wang (2019) reported that universities’ EUI ranged between 56.5 and 93.2 kWh/m²/year from 2015 to 2017, 81 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- with national un iversities showing higher energy consumption due to larger facilities and student populations. Daly et al. (2022) developed a comprehensiv e energy-use database for 3,701 Australian public primary schools, finding an average EUI of 38.0 kWh/m²/year and per-student en ergy consumption averaging 542 k Wh/year. This study specifically targets medical undergraduate students in Taiwan for several reasons. First, medical universities have been identif ied as among the highest energy-consuming academic units due to their specialized infrastructure and equipm ent needs (Wang, 2016). Second, Taiwan’s healthcare sector contributes approximately 4.6% of the nation’s total carbon emissions, surpassing the global healthcare average of 4.4%, with hospitals alone consuming 16% of domestic energy (Taiwan E PA, 2021). Third, medic al students, as future healthcare professionals, play a pivotal role in shaping sustainable practices within the healthcare system. Enhancing their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding energy use can have a multiplier effect on institutional sustainability efforts. Finally, previous research (Liu et al., 2009) demonstrates that energy literacy and positiv e attitudes towards energy conservation increas e wi th education, supporting the potential impact of interventions targeted at this demographic. Research also shows that individual behavioral ch anges can significantly reduce energy consumption and associated carbon emissions . Streimikiene and Volochovic (2011) modeled carbon emissions from daily household activities in Lithuania under two scenarios : a baseline and an energy-saving behavior scenario. Their results indicated that annual GHG reduction potential could reach 5.65 Mt - CO₂e if households adopt energy - saving behaviors, surpassing the 2.4 Mt- CO₂e reductio n potential of the industrial sector i n 2010. This underscores the substantial i mpact that personal energy use behaviors can have on cli mate mitigatio n. The Knowledge-Attitude-Pr actice (KAP) theory explains that behavioral change occurs through a sequential process: acquir ing correct knowledge, forming posi tive attitudes, and adopting sustaina ble practices (Alsaleh et al., 2023). University students, as emerging energy producers and consumers, play a pivotal role in shaping future energy sustainability (Fang et al., 2022). Fang et al. (2022) found that Chinese university students’ attitudes towa rd green energy v ary by dema nd (renewable energy, nuclea r power) and s upply (ener gy-efficient appliances) aspects, with gender differences showing males more supportive of nuclear power due to differing risk perce ptions. Similarly, a study in Malaysia revealed that while most univ ersity stude nts had high k nowledge levels about sustainable consumption (74.1%), their attitudes were moderate (65.6%), and actual sustainable behaviors were lower (49.2%), with 41% reporti ng low behavioral practice mainly due to lack of habit and limited awareness of overconsump tion consequences (Ahamad & Ariffin, 2018). By surveying st udents across northern, cent ral, and southe rn private me dical univers ities, this stud y aims to quantify annual carbon emissions based on daily energy-use activities and assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to energy consumption, disaggregated by school, gender, and academic year. This approach fills a critical research gap, as prior studies have largely focused on institutional energy use without sufficiently address ing individual behavior s. Hence, this study aims to estimate the annual carbon emissions of medical undergraduate students at private medical universities in northern, central, and souther n Taiwan by analyzing the duration of their daily energy use activities. It also seeks to examine differences in energy consumption and carbon emissions across demographic variables such as school, gender, and academic year, as well as to assess students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors rel ated to energy u se through questi onnaire surveys. 2 Materials and Methods 2.1 Study design This cross-sectional study utili zed a structured q uestionnaire to assess ene rgy-related behaviors and ca rbon emissions among un dergraduate medical students in Taiwan. The study population comprised students from six private medic al univers ities: T aipei Me dical Univers ity, Chang Gung Univ ersity, China Medical U niversity, Chung Shan Medical University, Tzu Chi University, and Kaohsiung Medical University. Data were collected between May 23 and June 12, 2023, via Google Forms to ensure standardized response fo rmats and efficient data processing. 2.2 Participant recruitment Undergraduate students enrolled during the 2022 – 2023 academic year were recruited through official university portals and student social media groups. To ensure adequate statistical power and comparability across institutions, a minimum of 30 valid responses was required from each university. The final sample 82 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- encompassed students from various academic years and majors, with a gender distribution representative of typical medical school e nrollment in Taiwa n. 2.3 Questionnaire developm ent The questionnaire comprised three sections to facilitate comparative analysis of carbon emissions and energy-related knowled ge, attitudes, and pr actices (KAP) a mong universities: • The demographic section collected key information, including response timestamp, institutional affiliation, gender, a cademic year, and m ajor. • The activity duration section quantified daily energy consumption patterns by recording time spent using various electrical appliances (e.g., lighting, computers, televis ions, air conditioning, hair dryers, mobile phones) and details regarding commuting modes and durations. This section was adapted from the activity list developed by Streimikie ne and Volochovic (2011), with additional items on commuting methods, frequency of di ning out, and use of other electri cal appliances. • The KAP section, adapted from Tsai et al. (2013) and updated for cultural and technological relevance , assessed students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to energy consumption, including items on emerging t echnologies and co ntemporary consum ption patterns. 2.4 Calculatio n methods for carbon emissi on The average daily per capita carbon emissions ( E x ) were calculated by summing the products of the duration of each activity, the associat ed energy consumption (Table 1), and the corresponding carbon emission factor (Table 2), and then dividing by the total number of students at each university. This is m athematically represented as: 𝐸 𝑥 = ∑ (𝐷 𝑎 ,𝑥 × 𝑊 𝑎 ) × 𝑖 𝑎 /𝑁 𝑥 eq.(1) where D a,x is the duration of the activity a at university x . Data were collected via the questionnaire. W a is the energy consumption for activity a (Table 1), i a is the carbon emission factor specific to the energy type or transportation mode for activity a (Table 2), and N x is the survey number of students at univers ity x in t he study. Table 1: Total energ y consumption and cumulativ e use data for various activities Activity Energy Consumption Unit Source Cooking 0.2 m³/hr Streimikiene & Volochovic (2011) Bathing 14 L/min Taiwan Water User Equipment Standards https://law.moea.gov.tw/LawContent.aspx?id=FL025862 Transportation 60 km/hr Assumed Lighting 0.06 kW Ministry of Economic Affairs Energy Handbook Air conditioning 0.966 kW Computer 0.3 kW Television 0.14 kW Hair dryer 0.8 kW Mobile phone 0.034 kW Counter point (2023) Table 2: Carbon em ission factors and their data sour ces used in individua l activity calculations Energy Type Emission Factor Unit Source Natural Gas 2.19 kg CO₂/m³ Streimikiene & Volochovic (2011) Water 0.174 kg CO₂/min Taiwan Bureau of Energy (2022) Electricity 0.495 kg CO₂/kWh Transportation Type Emission Factor Unit Source Public Transports a 0.047 kg CO₂/km https://blog.zerozero.com.tw/30598/ Electric Scooter 0.025 kg CO₂/km Gasoline Scooter 0.046 kg CO₂/km Car 0.173 kg CO₂/km a Average of bus, M RT, train 2.5 KAP score and estima tion The Knowledge-Attitude-Pr actice (KAP) score for each subgroup was calcu lated by average knowledge, attitude, and practice scores for each student and dividing by the total number of students in the subgroup. Knowledge items were scored as 1 for correct, -1 for incorrect, and 0 for “d on’t know” answers. Attitude and 83 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Practice were assessed on 5-point Likert scales, with Attitude ranging from strongly agree (5) to strongly disagree (1), and Practic e from always (5) to nev er (1). 3 Results and discussion 3.1 Demographic descript ion The survey targeted undergraduate students from private medical universities in Taiwan, with the largest proportion of respondents from China Medical University (32.07%). Female participants constituted a majority (69.02%) compared to males (30.98%). The sample was predominantly composed of first- to third-year students. Regarding academic departments, while Public Health accounted for 19.02% of respondents, nearly half of the participants belonged to various other departments (48.91%), indicating a diverse disciplinary representation (Table 3). Other departments include Dentistry, Nutrition, Chinese Medicine, Physical Therapy, Occupational Safety and Health, Psy chology, and others. Table 3: Demographi c variables of survey respondents Demographic Variable Sample Size (%) University Chung Shan Medical University 43 (23.37) China Medical University 59 (32.07) Chang Gung University 15 (8.15) Kaohsiung Medical University 24 (13.04) Tzu Chi University 29 (15.76) Taipei Medical University 14 (7.61) Gender Male 57 (30.98) Female 127 (69.02) Academic Year First Year 44 (23.91) Second Year 55 (29.89) Third Year 45 (24.46) Fourth Year 31 (16.85) Fifth Year 6 (3.26) Sixth Year 3 (1.63) Department Public Health 35 (19.02) Pharmacy 21 (11.41) Nursing 14 (7.61) Medicine 13 (7.07) Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology 11 (5.98) Others 90 (48.91) 3.2 Duration of activities The analysis of activity duration (Table 4) reveals that air conditioning and heating are the most time - intensive activities among Taiwanese private medical university students, with average daily usage ranging widely across demographic groups (244 –750 minutes). This extended use reflects Taiwan’s s ubtropical climate and the corresponding high demand for indoor air conditioning. Transportation-related activities-specifi cally car use, gasoline motorcycle use, and public transportation-also constitute substantial daily time investments, though generall y much less than air co nditioning and heat ing (3 – 98 minutes on avera ge). Notably, public transportation usage is highest among students at Taipei Medical University (mean: 98 minutes), consis tent with Taipei City’s leading public trans it market share. Gender differences are evi dent, with male studen ts reporting longer average u sage times for cars and gasoline motorcycles, while public transportation usage is similar between genders. Across academic years, fifth - and sixth-year students report the longest average durations for air conditioning and heating, while first- to third-year students have higher average public transportation usage. Departmental differences are also app arent; for example, pharmacy and medical laboratory science students report the highest average times for air con ditioning/heating and public transportation, respectively. These patterns underscore the centrality of air conditioning and transportation in 84 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- student daily routines, highlighting their significan ce in campus carbon emission profiles and the importance of targeted sustainabil ity interventions. Table 4: Average usage time (mins) and standard deviations of air conditioning/heating, cars, gasoline motorcycles, and publi c transportation Demographic Variable Air Conditioning / Heating (min) Car (min) Gasoline Motorcycle (min) Public Transportation (min) University Chung Shan Medical University 447±288 8±37 49±182 21±42 China Medical University 468±316 9±34 18±21 29±92 Chang Gung University 244±220 13±21 5±15 42±65 Kaohsiung Medical University 503±235 3±11 13±21 10±18 Tzu Chi University 445±319 8±17 35±49 6±18 Taipei Medical University 345±234 5±11 4±4 98±92 Gender Male 484±311 12±35 43±158 32±35 Female 415±282 6±24 18±32 32±78 Academic Year First Year 480±302 9±29 20±42 41±95 Second Year 380±255 5±14 19±32 31±65 Third Year 450±303 10±29 40±178 15±42 Fourth Year 379±277 10±44 24±24 25±66 Fifth Year 750±390 6±15 19±22 19±23 Sixth Year 610±105 0±0 37±25 0±0 Department Public Health 422±278 16±50 13±19 31±68 Pharmacy 596±315 3±9 12±18 54±131 Nursing 456±245 1±3 30±50 9±16 Medicine 413±304 11±19 17±22 7±17 Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology 447±175 8±18 14±20 59±123 3.3 Estimation of ca rbon emissions by university A com parative analysis of average daily per c apita car bon emissions across si x private medical universiti es in Taiwan reveals substantial inter-university variation (Figure 1). Students at Chung Shan Medical University exhibited the highest mean daily emis sions (9.87 kg- C O₂ e ), followed b y Taipei Medical Un iversity (9.69 kg- CO₂e ), China Medical University (9.16 kg- CO₂ e ), Tzu Chi University (8.49 kg- CO₂e), Chang Gung University (7.72 kg - CO₂e), and Kaohsiung Medi cal University (7.4 8 kg- CO₂e). Disaggregated activity-level data indicate that air conditioning and heating consistently represent the largest source of emissions at most institutions, with values ranging from 1.94 to 4.00 kg - CO₂e per person per day. Notably, Kaohsiung Medical University reported the highest air conditioning/heating emissions (4.00 kg- CO₂e), which likely reflects the region’s elevated ambient temperatures. Other significant contributors vary by university: gasoline motorcycles and cars are prominent at Chung Shan Medical University, while public transportation is the leading source at Taipei Medical University (4.59 kg - CO₂e). China Medical University and Chang Gung University both show consider able emissions from car use and public transportation , underscoring the influence of mobility patterns on institutional car bon profiles. These findings highlight the dominant role of air conditioning/heating and transportation-related activities in sha ping university-leve l carbon emis sions. The obser ved difference s underscore the need for targeted, context-specific mitigation strategies that address both energy use and mobility behavi ors within univers ity settings. 85 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Figure 1. Average daily per capita carbon emissions (kg- CO₂e/person/day) by university and activities 3.4 Estimation of ca rbon emissions by university Table 5 presents the comparison of average scores and standard deviations for Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) among stude nts from six medical universities. Knowledge was assessed with six items (score range: -6 to 6), Attit ude with six item s (range: 0 to 30), and Practice with fiv e items (range: 0 to 25). Across all univers ities, the mean Knowledge scores ran ged from 3.79 ( SD = 1.63) at Taipei Medical University to 4.80 (SD = 1.15) at Chang Gung Universit y. The highest Attitude mean was observed at Chung Shan Medical University (19.95 ± 3.31), while the lowest was at Kaohsiung Medical University (18.42 ± 3.92). For Practice, Taipei Medical University reported the highest mean (18.79 ± 3.49), and Chung Shan Medical University the lowest (17.16 ± 3.09). Overall, the Knowledge scores showed moderate consistency across institutions, with standard deviations ranging from 1.15 to 1.63, indicating relativ ely similar levels of knowledge among students. Attitude scores exhibited greater variability, particularly at Taipei Medical University (SD = 5.00), suggesting more diverse perspectives among students at that institution. Practice scores were generally comparable, with means spanning from 17. 16 to 18.79 and standard d eviations from 2.64 to 3.55. Table 5: Comparison of average scores and standard deviations for Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) among medical univers ity students Name of University (sample size) Knowledge (6 items) (Min-Max: - 6 - 6) Attitude (6 items) (Min-Max: 0 - 30) Practice (5 items) (Min-Max: 0 - 25) Chung Shan Medical University (n=43) 4.70±1.34 19.95±3.31 17.16±3.09 China Medical University (n=59) 4.73±1.36 19.69±3.56 17.69±3.22 Chang Gung University (n=15) 4.80±1.15 18.47±3.66 18.53±2.64 Kaohsiung Medical University (n=24) 4.67±1.34 18.42±3.92 17.75±3.31 Tzu Chi University (n=29) 4.28±1.58 19.90±3.53 18.28±3.55 Taipei Medical University (n=14) 3.79±1.63 19.21±5.00 18.79±3.49 4 Conclusions This study pro vides a compre hensive analysis of carbo n emissi ons and energy-relate d knowledge , attitudes, and practices (KAP) among undergraduate students at six private medical universiti es in Taiwan. The results 86 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- reveal that air conditioning and heating are the primary sources of daily energy use, reflecting the influence of Taiwan’s subtropical clim ate. Transportation activiti es -especially public transit-also constitute a significant portion of students’ daily rou tines, with notable differences observed by gender, academic year, and department. These findings underscore the need for tar geted educational interventions to enhance sustainable energy behaviors among medical students. As future healthcare professionals, these students are uniquely positioned to influence institutional and societal sustainability. Universities can leverage these insights to design campu s- wide energy-saving policies, integrate s ustainability topics into medi cal curricula, and promote behavioral change through awareness campaigns and incentive programs . 5 Acknowledgements We are indebted to the student who participated in the study. This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology unde r grant no. MOST 112-2813-C-040-064- E. 6 Ethics declaration All participa nts in the questionnaire respo nded voluntar ily and anonymously. If they ex perienced any discomfort during t he process, they were free to withdraw from the study at any time. 7 AI declaration I employed AI tools to refine the English grammar and translation to ensure accurate representation of the content. References Ahamad, N.R. and Ariffin, M. 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(2022) “Sustainability reporting and corporate reputation: The moderating effect of CEO opportunistic behavior”, Sustainability, Vol. 14, No. 3, p. 1257. 96 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Skill Mismatch: Expl oring the Impact of Generative A I in Detecting Biases and Discriminati on in Job Advertisements Armando Calabrese, Sofia Carrino, Rober ta Costa, Eugenio Roberti, Luigi T iburzi University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy Abstract The Human Resources field, on a national and global scale, faces increasing challenges related to Skill Mismatch, a phenomenon in whi ch candidates’ profil es do not ali gn with labour market demand. The contributing factor analysed in this paper is the lack of inclusivity in job advertisements, as non-inclusive language and biases in the selection criteria may discourage applicati ons from underrepresented communities. Ensuring compliance with Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) principles in job postings is essential to fostering fair hiri ng practices and promoting employment equity. While AI-based technologies are finding increasing applications in the recruitment process, thus becoming part of the research topics in HR man agement, most existing tools primarily focus on gender discrimination, underestimating other critical aspects of D&I. This study explores how an integrated approach, based on a broader range of aspects of D&I European principles, may en rich AI -based tools to identify, but also solve, biases in job advertisements, en hancing inclusivity an d employment eq uity for both candidates and recruiters. By expanding the scope of these tools, organizations can b etter align their hiring practices with the evolving expectations of a diverse and incl usive workforce. The approach to the problem has been broken down into two main phases. First, guidelines were developed based on European non -discrimination regulations, providing a structured framework for evaluating job advertisements. Then, a Generative AI-based software was designe d to screen job postings for inclusivity and compliance. The study underscores the potential advantages of AI-driven automation in screening job advertisements, reducing human biases, resou rce commitment, and processing time while ensuring adherence to D&I principles. Keywords: Mismatch; Diversity and Inclusion (D&I); Generative AI; Job Advertisement (JobAds); Human Resources (HR) Paper type: Academic Research Paper 1 Introduction The Human Resources se ctor, at both nation al and inter national levels, encounters substantial challenges in addressing the skill shortage among candidates (Liboni et al., 2019; Mukhuty, Upadhyay and Rothwell, 20 22; Picinin et al., 2023) and elevated employee turnover rates (Agrawa l, Khatri and Srinivasan, 2012). This phenomenon is called Skill Mismatch (SM) (Stanković, Džunić and Marinković, 2021), and it is associated with persistent difficulties i n identifying candida tes possessing t he required quali fications for specific roles. The job posting constitutes the primary means of interaction between prospective candidates and organizations (Barber, 1998). Ensuring adherence to Dive rsity and Inclusion (D&I) principles within these advertisement s represents a strategic approach that transcends marketing objectives. It enables the creati on of equitable conditions for candi date-job matching, fostering inclusivity by el iminating biases that mi ght otherwise discourage applications from underrepresented communities. Studies underscore the critical role of inclusive language in enhancing fairness and broadening the pool of qu alified candidates (Saks, Leck and Saunders, 1995). Although t he AI-based tools i n the HR field are prim arily used du ring the candidates and Job Advertisem ents (JobAds) screening phases (Albert, 2019), most of the literature demonstrated how they are mainly focused on the detectio n of gender discrimination (Hu et al., 2022). This study aims to broaden this scope by exploring how an integrated approach, based on a wider range of aspects of D&I European principles, can enrich AI-based tools to identify and solve biases in JobAds, enhancing inclusivity and empl oyment equity for both candidates and recruiters. 2 Background The dimension of the SM is estimated through a labour market analysis, for which the Job Vacancy Rate (JVR) has been selected as the most significant indicator (Figure 1). The JVR is the percentage ratio of total job vacancies to the sum of occupied jobs and job vacancies (ISTAT, 2024). From the Labour Market Survey (ISTAT, 2023), ISTAT (Italian Natio nal Institute of Statistics) defines job vacancies as “the posts, either newly created or already existing, unoccupied or about to become vacant, which the employer actively seeks to fill with - and is prepared to make further efforts to find - a suitable candidate from outside the enterprise”. Both data on JVR 97 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and occupied positions are provided by ISTAT on an a nnual basis; in part icular, the years from 2017 to 2023 are considered in this paper. Data on JVR refers to industrial and service companies, classified according to ATECO economic activity sections (ATECO, 2022); data on occupied job positions comes from the Asia Register, the statistical register of active enterprises, updated annually through a process of information integration from administrative sources, statistical so urces and private companies (ISTAT, 2013). Figure 1 - Job vacancy rate (seasonally adjusted) in enterprises with at leas t 10 employees (ISTAT, 2024) A higher JVR reflects unmet labour demand, whereas a lower rate can indicate a mi smatch situation in which employers struggle to fill open jobs in specific periods or economic sectors (Lovaglio, 2022). This evidence underscores the nee d to analyse the underlying factors of mismatch to s up port effectiv e policies and strategies . This study focuses on internal company factors, particularly discrimination in employer branding and the recruiting process. The writing of a JobAd plays a key role in a candidate’s decision -making process, shaping their initial evaluations about t he compa ny they will potential ly enga ge with (Horvath and Sczesny, 2015). Therefore, discriminatory practices can potentially exclude some candidates even from the application for the jobs (Ningrum et al., 2 020). Various approaches, in cluding field experi ments, vignette studies and m ixed methods, have bee n employed to uncover discrimi natory practices in the r ecruitment process. Regarding field experiments, Lee and Khalid (2015) explored racial discrimination in the hiring process for recent graduates in Malaysia. Specifically, they submi tted 3,012 fictitious resumes from Malay and Chinese candidates to companies adverti sing job openings and a nalysed the i nterview callbacks based on racial identity. Their results showed that r ace playe d a more decisive role in securing a callback than th e quality of t he resume. Beyond field e xperiments, vignette studies have also been conducted to examine discrimi natory pra ctices in the recruitme nt process. Kübler, Schmid, and Stüber (2018) applied this approach to investiga te gender discrimination in apprenticeship hiring in Germany. Their study involved 636 HR managers who were asked to assess 3, 164 short fictitious CVs. Each respondent evaluated five vignettes and then rated fictitious applicants on a scale from 1 to 10 to determine whether they would advance to the next stage of the hiring process. The findings revealed that, on average, women were rated lower than men, even when other variables were controlled. Although these approaches are good meas ures to detect and inves tigate discrimi nation during re cruitment, they rely on researchers to design and administer experim ents or surveys. As a result, the structure of these studies may inadver tently create conditions that differ from real-world hiring practices. Additionally, researchers have limited control over sample sizes, as they are dependent on the number of responses received. For these reasons, it is more effective to address the issue at its root by acting on the JobAd writing phase, with the aim of identify in advance potential discriminatory elements towards the candidates. Firstly, JobAds are direct outputs of the hiring process, making them an authentic reflection of the labour market. Sec ondly, they se rve as strong indicators of an organization’s commitment to fair hiring practices (Leong, Tan and Lo h, 2004), as they often reveal employers’ preferences regarding their ideal candidates. Lastly, researchers can determi ne the sample size of their stu dies based on the nu mber of existing Job Ads (Ningrum et al., 2020). Before the introduction of automated processes, JobAds analysis for identifying discrimination, was often conducted manually. However, t his approach be comes ineffective and ti me-consuming when applied to a large number of job postings, while als o being influenced by cognitiv e biases inherent in hu man judgment. Over time, AI has become part of the research topics in HR management, following a transition process from the early academic studies to its current global impact (Frissen, Adebayo and Nanda, 2023; Hu , et al., 2022). From 2024, AI systems used in employment, worker management, and access to self-employment are considered high-risk 98 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- under the EU AI Act (E PC, 20 24). This ap plies specifically to “AI systems in tended to be used for the recruitment or selection of natural persons, in particular to place targeted job adverti sements, to analyse and filter job applications, and to evaluate c andidates” (EPC, 2024). Exceptions include models that detect decision -making deviations from prior patterns and are not meant to replace or influe nce the previously completed human assessment without proper human review , as well as models that perform preparatory tasks for evaluations relevant to the specific context. There is growing concern that human biases may carry over to decisions made by these systems, which can amplify the effect through systematic application. AI -based software, in fact, ar e susceptible to various biases, including gender, racial, and cultural biases (Bender et al., 2021). These biases stem from the model’s training data, which reflect hu man -generated content from the internet (Ray, 2023). Empirical studies have identified prevalent biases in candidate ranking software and chatbot interactions, catalysing a rising body of research dedicated to AI fairness over the last decade (Mujtaba and Mahapatra, 2024). 3 Method The research has been structured into two main phases. The first one involves the development of guidelines to ensure accessibility and compliance in JobAds. These guidelines will serve as the foundation for the second phase, which focuses on the design of a software for screening job postings and identifying Non -Compliances. This latter pha se has bee n further divided into two steps: prompt engineeri ng and standardization of the output format to facilitate the rapi d interpretation of results. Since this paper presents a preliminary version of the tool, the software has been initially validated only for four categories, which are most discussed in the literature and hold significant international legal relevance: “Personal Protectiv e Equipment (PPE)”, “Gender” , “Age”, “Ethni city and Origin”. 3.1 Guidelines The set of guidelines was based on non-discrimination principles embedded in European legislation, as well as regulations governing relationships between compa nies, candidates, and employees (EPC, 2006; CD, 2000/43/EC; EC, 200 0; FRA, 2018; EU R-Lex, 1989). The dimensions explored by t he guidelines in this preliminary sta ge of tool validation in clude the followi ng: • “PPE”: they must normally be provided, free of charge, by the employer, who ensures its proper functioning and hygienic conditions through maintena nce, repairs, and necessary replacements (EPC, 1989). • “Gender”: directive 2006/54/EC concerns the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation and establishes a set of rights, duties, and prohibitions to achieve the goal of gender equality in the workpl ace (EPC, 2006). • “Age”: the prohibition of discrimination based on age is regulated by Directive 2000/78/EC, which establishes the principle of equal treatment a nd justifies age-related disparitie s based on cert ain objective and legitimate reas ons, such as employment or training policie s (CE U, 2000). • “Ethnicity and Origin”: discrimination based on race or ethnic origin is considered discrimination under Directive 2000/43/EC, which i mplements the principle of equal treatment regardle ss of race and ethnic origin (CEU, 20 00). The output obtained from this ph ase is not only a fundamental step in the software development process but can also serv e as a standalone tool provi ding a framework for re cruiters. 3.2 Prompt Starting from the guidelines, a preliminary version of a software has been developed, using PySpark Notebooks in the Databricks environment. This tool queries ChatGPT (engine GPT-3.5 Turbo) to identify elements within JobAds that indicate a lack of inclusivity or Non-Compliance with legal standards. Since the project had al ready star ted w hen upgraded versions of ChatGPT we re release d, it was decided to continue with this engine to keep the progress made. Upgrading to a more recent version will be considered for future developments of the tool. The tool’s prompt has been structured in to 3 sections: • System prompt: role assignment to ChatGPT, definiti on of the context and bou ndaries within whi ch the response should be developed. • User prompt: the main prompt, which explores the lack of inclusivi ty or Non -Compliance wit h regulations for eac h dimension of analysis. • A standardized output for mat to facili tate rapid interpretat ion of the results. 99 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since this tool is applied to the HR field, it must be flexible and capable of evolve alongside the regulatory and cultural context. Thanks to this architecture and the AI’s ability to learn from example s and feedback, the system can be continuously optimized and updated. For example, it is possible to modify the prompt for a category affected by le gislative changes without impactin g the output of other categories. In the Sy stem Prompt section, ChatGPT is assigned the role of a recruiter responsible for analysing the text of a JobAd and providing responses to a set of questions. The reference investigation method for the User Prompt section is a knowledge-based approach to formulate a Discriminatory Keywords Dictionary (DKD). Books and reg ulations were rev iewed to ide ntify the keywords and terms related t o discrimi nation. Synonyms a nd abbrev iations were also in clud ed. In addition to the keywords, it was also important to consider Word Pa tterns Templates (W PT), defined as combinations of keywords and words with specific order, to extract more i nformation from the text as DKD can only detect the occurrences of keywords (Ningrum, et al., 2020). The reference method was applied limited to the definition of keywords and word patterns, but with some integrations in the approach, given the different purpose of this research. First, European D&I principles and legislation have been not only analysed but als o included in a set of guidelines, as prev iously des cribed. Second, starting from the gu idelines, keywords and word patterns, which in our case are phrases and expressions that contain the keywords or i nd irectly refer to discrimination, have been i de ntified and listed in Ta ble 1. Table 1 – Discrimi natory Keywords and Word Patterns Type of Discrimination Sample Quotes from sources Keywords and Word Patterns indicating Discrimination Keywords and Word Patterns indicating Non-Discrimination Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Personal Protective Equipment sh ould normally be provided free of charge by the em ployer, who ensures its proper functi oning and hygienic conditions through maintenance, r epairs, and necessary replacements (EPC, 1989). Possession of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safety helmet, safety glasses, safety shoes Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Gender Any direct or indirect discrimination based on gender is prohibited in both the publi c and private sectors, (...) concerning: a) the conditions for access to e mployment and work, both dependent and sel f-employed, including selection criteri a and hiring conditions... (EPC, 2006) The JobAd is addressed exclusively to male/female candidates. The text includes at least one explicit reference to both genders. Age (...) Member States may pro vide that differences in treatment based on age do not constitute discrimination where they are objectively and reasonably justif ied (...) by a legitimate aim… Such differences in treatment may in clude, in particular: a) the definition of special condit ions of access to employment (...) for young peo ple, older workers...; b) the establishment of minimum a ge, professional experience, or seniority conditions for access to employment or cer tain advantages related to employment; c) the establishment of a maximum age for recruitment based on the training re quirements for the job in question or the need for a reasonable period of employment before retirement (EC, 2000). Minimum/Maximum age requirement, young candidate Apprenticeship contract, internship contract, stage contract, years of exper ience, Junior/Senior role, night shifts Ethnicity and Origin Direct Discrimination: (…) oc curs when a person is treated less favourably than another in a similar situation due to their r ace or ethnic origin. Indirect Discrimination: (…) occurs when an apparently neutral provision, criteri on, or practice puts people of a particul ar race or ethnic origin at a particular disadvant age compared to others (CD/ 2000/43/EC). - Origin - Nationality - Citizenship - Ethnicity - Domicile - Residence - Residence permit The approach was structured this way because well-crafted prompts allow to translate complex requests into a form that the AI can process effectively and lead to more precise responses, reducing the probability of misunderstandings or ir relevant outp uts. 100 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the DKD was produced, keywords and word patterns were developed into questions to query the AI and identify no n-inclusive job postings. As ChatGPT and current Large Language Models are trained on large -scale data collections from multiple languages, they automatically identify the input la nguage without requiring a preliminary translation into English. Although the performance is generally better in English high-resource training languages still benefit from relatively good performance by ChatGPT. Given the flexibility in identifying languages, the proposed method can potentially deliver accurate results in other high -resource languages. Among these are Neo-Latin languages but also Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese (Lai et al., 2023). Considering these accurate results and that the available JobAds used to train the algorithm are written in Italian, it was decided to formulate the prompt in the same language, as this aligns with the objective of capturing more nuances of D&I principles, particularly concerni ng the “Gender” cate gory. Once chosen this approach, prompt engineering became essential to refining the AI’s interpretative accuracy. As an emerging field, it requires an experime ntal mindset (Open AI). For this reason, an iterative process was followed to test various prompts, pa ying close attention to how small modifications could significantly alter the AI’s responses. Further attention was given to the positive or negative framing of the question. Negative instructions often req uire the AI to inter pret and reverse them, increasing cognitive load and the potential for mi sunderstanding. To avo id these issues, all questions contain positi ve instructions. 3.3 Output The result is a binary output (True/False) that does not necessarily correspond to legally Compliant/Non- Compliant but may vary by category depending on the formulation and the positive framing of the question (Table 2). For example, in the “Ethnicity and Origin” category, the question asks to ve rify whether the J obAd text references the candidate’s ethnicity, meaning that a True response indicates that the job posting is Non - Compliant. For the “Gender” category instead, the question asks whether the job po sting is addressed to both men and women, meaning that a True response indicates that the job posting is Compliant. The type of error is used to determine the severity of the error in relation to the compliance of the response. A False Positive (FP) error indicates that the software’s response is True in stead of False , whereas a False Neg ative (FN) error indicates that the software's response is False instead of True (Hansen, von Krauss and Tickner, 2007). This error classification wi ll be further explo red in the Results section t o assess the soft ware’s performance. Table 2 – Output classifica tion Category Compliant Non -Compliant Worst Type Error Personal Protective Equipment False True FN Gender True False FP Age False True FN Ethnicity and Origin False True FN To support the learning process, the tool was provided with a set of 9 examples selected from real JobAds, chosen to cover all scenarios and categories , along with their expected outputs. The aim is to mitigat e AI biases related to training datasets by pro viding examples on how to assess the compliance of a job posting. For each job posting in the dataset under analysis, a request is submi tted to the ChatGPT, including the text of the advertisement , the question for each cate gory, and the corresponding examples. 4 Results Before analysi ng the res ults, it is appropriate to intro duce the error class ification used to evaluate the tool’s performance. At first, the evaluation of the output focused solely on the accuracy of the tool, measured by the number of errors, without reference to the compliance of the advertisement. Then the focus shifted to the hypersensitivity of the tool, classifying the severity of the errors. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the type of error is used to determine the severity of the error in re lation to the compliance of the response (Al- Ashwal et al., 2023) . Specifically, an FP error indicates that the software’s response is True instead of False, whereas an FN error indicates that the software’s response is False instead of True. In general, it is preferable to mistakenly detect a Compliant advertisement rather than fail to detect a Non-Compliant one. For example, an FN error for the category of “PPE” occurs when a JobAd requires the candidate to possess such equipment (so the correct response should be True , indicatin g Non-Co mpliance) and the Job Ad sho uld not. In this case, the tool fails to detect the error and incorrectly responds False, allow ing the JobAd to pass wi thout being detected. 101 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To the best of our k nowledge, there is curre ntly no analysis of t his kind in the li terature regarding the evaluation of tools that apply Generativ e AI in the HR field. To highlight the relevance of the proposed error classification, we report an incident that occurred in a corporate operating in the HR sector. A JobAd requiring candidates to possess their own safety shoes was not detected by the company’s compliance monitoring systems and was consequently published on the firm’s official channels. Such an err or could dama ge the com pany’s re pu tation, particularly be cause it reveals a criti cal issue in a process that s hould be aligned with inter national ethical certification standards. The software was validated through controlled testing on datasets con taining 40 JobAds, randomly extracted from job postings recently published by an international company operating in the HR sector, for which the expected outputs were predefined based on the guidelines. Currently, the best results achieved through prompt engineering, as described a bove, are summ arized in Table 3. The highlighted cells indicate the most se vere type of error, which is a No n-Compliant advertis ement that was not detec ted. Table 3 – Best output obtaine d on a test set of 40 jo b advertisements Category Number of errors % of error Type error: False positive Type error: False Negative Personal Protective Equipment 0 0,00% 0 0 Gender 0 0,00% 0 0 Age 1 2,50% 0 1 Ethnicity and Origin 2 5,00% 0 2 As described in Table 3, the s oftware achieves excellent results for the “PPE” and “Gender” categorie s, with an error rate of 0%. This indicates a precise detection capability for these regulatory aspects. The “Age” category shows minima l errors (2.50%). This suggests that the system is generally reliable in detecting this kind of discrimination, although it may occasionally fail to identify a violation. The “Ethnicity and Origin” category (5% errors) also shows a contained error rate. T he errors are FN, indicati ng that the software mis sed detecting non- compliant JobAds. This suggests that while the system performs reasonably well, there is room for improving the actual prompt to i dentify violati ons in these areas. 5 Conclusions The findings of this study con tribute to the growing body of research on the role of AI in mitiga ting biases in recruitment, particularly with in JobAds screening. JobAds serv e as the first evidence of an organization’s fairness in hiring practices, highlighting the necessity of intervention from the writing stage to prevent discriminatory barriers. The development of guidelines based on European D&I principles provides a standalone tool, offering a framework for recruiters when writing job postings. The implementation of the Generative AI -based software, trained to detect discriminatory JobAds following the principles outlined in the guidelines, allows to automatically detect any discriminatory content in the JobAds, so that recruiters can correct the error before publishing the job posti ng. The test results indicate that the tool is generally reliable in detecting Non-Compliant Jo bAds concerning the four categories examined for software validation. However, some categori es show a margin of error, highlighting the need for further reworks. Fut ure improvements will focus on enhancing accuracy and expanding the tool’s capabilities to ensure more complete and precise detectio n of discriminatory content. In addition to ensuring a fair selection process for candidates, the adoption of this tool also provides significant benefits for companies. Before the introduction of automated processes, JobAds screening was conducted manually, resulting in an expensive, human and time-consuming activity while also being influenced by cognitive biases inherent to human judgment. Implementing AI enables the automation of this process, making it sustainable in the long period, faster, scalable, and independent from hu man influence, thereby ensuring inclusivity and employment equity for both candidates and recruiters. The software can be implemented after the JobAd writing phase to assess the presence of any Non-Compliance, thereby directing the recruiter toward the job postings that require a further review before publication. Additionally, it remains possible to review JobAd s that have already been published on official channels to identify any issues that may have been overlooked during the previous review process. Beyond operational efficiency, adopting this tool also enhances the company’s brand reputation. Ensuring that JobAds aligns with D&I principles demonstrates a commitment to fair and equitable hiring practices, 102 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- strengthening the organization’s im age as an inclusive and socially responsi ble em ployer (Saks, Leck and Saunders, 1995). This can in crease its attra ctiveness to a w ider pool of candidates , clients, and stakeh olders. Before considering a large-scale implementation of the tool, it is correct to highlight the challenges that need to be addressed. One of the main limitations is the relatively small dataset of JobAds on which the validation was conducted, which may not ful ly capture the complexity and variability of real-world postings. Future developments includ e the expansion of the job postings dataset, carried out gradually and under controlled conditions. Additionally, now that t he tool has been validated, there is sig nificant room for expanding the sco pe of analysis by incorporating categories that, while not strictly requested by legal standards, are crucial to embracing the D&I perspective. For example, other categories of interest could be “Remuneration” or “Mobilit y and Driving Licences”. The development will proceed according to the same methodology applied in this article, beginning with research on European legislation to enrich the guidelines, followed by the incorporation of the new categories into the sof tware. The future large-scale implementation of this tool may raise concerns about the potential replaceme nt of human decisions in the recr uitment process. However, its purpose is not to substitute human judgment but rather to support it. As suggested by Frost an d Alidina (2019), such technologie s are “a supplement to help hiring managers mitigate thei r biases, and are not a cure- all”. 6 Ethics declaration Ethical clearance was not require d for this research, as it did not invol ve human participants, persona l data, or procedures requiring ethi cal review. 7 AI declaration AI tools, specifically ChatGPT (OpenAI), were used to support language refi nement and rephrasing during the drafting process . All content, analysis, and conclusions re main the responsibil ity of the authors. References Agrawal, N., Khatri, N. and Srinivasan, R., (2012) “Managing growth: Human resource management challenges facing the Indian software industry,” Journal of World Business, Vol. 47, pp. 159 - 166. AI, O., (n.d.) “Prompt Engineering,” [Online], Available at: https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/prompt -engineering [Accessed February 2025]. Al -Ashwal, F. 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Stanković, J., Džunić, M. and Marinković, S., (2021) “Urban employment in post -transition economies: skill mismatch in the local labor mark et,” Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics: Journal of Economics and Business, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 279 - 297. 104 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- innovation capacity through trust-based relationships, intermediary engagement, and place-sensitive policy design. By focusing on a transition region with socio-politica l complexities, the study enriches our understanding of how sustainability transitions can unfold unevenly and how governance structures can shape trajectories of inclusive regional innovatio n. In conclusion, the Ida-Viru case demonstrates that sustainable innovation in peripheral regions requires more than institutional presence — it demands integrated collaboration frameworks, adaptive governance, and shared sustainability visions. The Triple Helix Twins framework is particularly useful in unpacking these dynamics, as it accounts for both the economic and societal dimensions of innovation. The future of sustainable regional development li es in foster ing not o nly technological change but also relational infras tructures that align di verse actors toward common goals . 6 Acknowledgements This work/article/research was supported by the project „Increasing the knowledge intensity of Ida -Viru entrepreneurship“ co -fu nded by the Europe an Union. 7 Ethics declaration Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Tartu (387/T-28, 19.02.2024 ). 8 AI declaration The authors used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to assist with langu age editing and improving the clarity of several paragraphs in t he manuscript. All AI-generat ed suggestions were criti cally rev iewed and manuall y edite d by the authors to ensure accuracy, app ropriatenes s, and alignment with the paper’s arguments and findings. No AI tools were used for data analysis, interpre tation of res ults, or generation of original research content. 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Sustainability, 13(12), p.6535. 112 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Activation of I nclusive Behaviors Thro ugh Self-Awareness of Cognitive Biases: Th e Contribution of New Web3 Technologies Laura Iacovone Department of Econ omics, Manageme nt, and Quantit ative Methods – University of Mil an – Milan - It aly Abstract This paper seeks to advance understanding of the persistent gap be tween the growi ng societal and organizational attenti on to Diversity, Equ ity, and Inclusion ( DE&I) and the limited reduction of non-inclusive behaviors and practices in real-world contexts. While inclusivity is inherently linked to the cultural and value systems of organizations, it is equally evident th at socially undesirable or inappropriate behaviors fall within the realm of individual decision-making. These behaviors are frequently influenced by cognitive biases and prejudices, which tend to pe rpetuate or normalize inappropriate conduct rather than stigmatizing or sanctioning it. Despite increasing sensitivity to DE &I issues in both societal and organizational domains, training remains the most widely adopted intervention. However, su ch initiatives often yield only limited short - term awareness and rarely generate enduring structural change. Accordingly, this paper first explores the intersecti on between DE&I and various forms of knowledge management, with particular attention to interdisciplinary frameworks that integrate diverse epistemological pe rspectives. Within this framework, the paper highlights the growing relevance of technol ogy not only in terms of content acc essibility and knowledge dissemination related to DE&I, but also as a transformative tool in shaping learning processe s. Specifically, the focus is on emerging Web3 technologies — most notably imm ersive solutions such as virtual reali ty (VR) and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) — which hold dis ruptive potenti al for reshaping traditional training paradigms. Th ese technologies offer new opportunities for insight into individual decision-making mechanisms and behavioral patterns. The development of advanced immersive applications presents the potential to transcend the limitations of pas sive cognitive learning by fostering active engagement in dyna mic, simulated environments. This facilitates the unconscious acquisiti on of new skills and be havioral responses. The paper analyzes various implementation strategies and their outcomes, wi th particular emphasis on integrative approaches that combine VR, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence ( AI). Thes e multidimensional solutions appear especially effective in enhancing individual self -awareness and facilitating unconscious behavioral recalibration. The study concludes by proposing an initial conceptual framework that categorizes the range of emerging approaches according to their respective obj ectives and i mpacts. It furt her identi fies key stren gths and li mitations, offering guidance for the more effective design and deployment of DE&I training interventions. Keywords: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I ) ; Inclusive Behaviors; Cognitive Biases; Immersive learning; Virtual ad Mixed Reality+AI (VR&AI). Paper type: Academic Research Paper 1 Introduction This paper aims to contribute to the development of inclusive strategies and policies that promote socially desirable behaviors, both within society and corporate organizations, in order to counter inequalities and all forms of discrimination. Despite DE&I topics being fundamental principles for building fair and sustainable societies, and the considerable efforts objectively made by organizations and companies, the desi red results are still not achieved. This shifting cultural landscape has spurred growing interest among companies to align with these evolving values, although not without challenges (Argyris & Schön, 1996; van den Brink & Benschop, 2012). Today, addressing DE&I re quires more than effective marketing and communication strategies — it demands credibility, concrete initiatives, and verifiable outcomes (Kunda, 2006; Meister 2021a). Several consulting firms have even developed methodologies and synthetic KPIs for evaluating the D&I orientation of client companies (i.e. Noema HR, Etica SGR , or the DE&I Matu rity Index by D eloitte). Despite the progress, it is still not possible to assert that society or corporate environments are fully inclusive — i.e., capable of ensuring equitable treatment for every individual (Sue et al., 2007) . This is because the issue of D&I does not lie in the intrinsic diversity of individuals — as every person possesses unique physical and psychological characteristics — but rather in the unequal treatment that some individuals receive based on incorrect assumptions. These assumptions stem from cognitive biases and deeply en trenched structural inequalities — such as those related to gender, economic status, and access to opportunities — which often persist due to a lack of knowledge, interest, or even active resistance within organizations (Saba et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2023). In this sense, D&I is less a structural or organizational matter and more a question of hab itual, 113 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- instinctive behaviors that emerge in everyday social interactions and are shaped by underlying beliefs and biases — systemati c distortions in how people process information and make decisions. These unconscious biases must be addressed and dismantled because of their profound influence on behavior across social, educational, and professional contexts, where they contribute to the reproduction of discrimination and inequality (Kahneman & Tvers ky, 1982; Kahneman, 2 011; Ariely , 2010). Within this framework, Training plays a potentially central role, as it targets individuals directly, ideally aligning them with the organization’s value system. Although D E &I -focused training is widely adopted — particularly in large organizations — anonymous employee surveys often paint a contrasting picture, revealing ongoing issues such as lack of respect, attention, or outright discrimination. Consequently, DE&I programs may fall short of expected effe ctiveness (Dobbin & Kalev , 2016; Chang et al., 2019; Saba et al., 2 021). This raises a critical question: how can there be such limited progress toward an inclusive and equitable society, despite widespread consensus on its importance? A key reason lies in the mismatch between the rational content of most DE&I initiatives — which primari ly target the conscious mind — and the unconscious nature of many exclusionary behaviors, shaped by deep-seated cultural norms and c ognitive biases . The problem is not what is being done, but how such initiatives — particularly training — are conceived, designed, and delivered. In this context, immersive technologies (e.g., virtual reality, mixed reality, and metaverse platforms) offer a promisi ng i nnovation by el iciting strong emotional engagement t hat can drive deeper behavioral change (Slater & Sanchez-Vives, 2016; Singha, 2023). They enabl e embodied ex periences that foster emp athy, increase bias awareness, and enhance learning retention (Bailenson, 2018; Meiste r, 2021b). This paper explores how inclusive strategies, policies, and training programs can be designed for greater effectiveness. It is str uc tured into three main sections: (1) a theoretical review of how DE&I has intersected with knowledge manageme nt literature, highlighting key contributions that have shap ed new approaches to internalizing inclusive values, includi ng the role of emergin g t echnologies; (2) an analysis of current applications of im mersive technologies in DE&I traini ng, based on international and national case studies, corporate reports , and empirical observations, with a focus on assumptions, goals, content, technological choices, and out comes; (3) t he devel opment of a preliminary conceptual framework outlining different approaches to imme rsive corporate training an d their potential s hort-, medium-, and lon g-term impacts. 2 Inclusion, Knowledge Management, and Emerging Technologies: A The oretical Perspecti ve The relationship between inclusivity and knowledge management (KM) has been extensively explored in academic literature, particularly in terms of how KM can contribute to building more equitable and inclusive environments. KM is inherently positioned as a key enabler of DE&I, as it centers on the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge within organizations or communities. By definition, KM should be inclusive, ensuring that the knowledge of all members — regardless of gender, ethnicity, ability, or cultural background — is valued and utilized (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Wenger, 1998). Integrative theories and models emphasize that KM practices must explicitly embed DE&I principles to be truly effective. This involves recognizing implicit biases within KM processes and addressing the specific needs of marginalized or underrepresented gro ups to ensure equitable access to and participation in kno wledge-sharing systems (Cor nelius-Hernandez & Clarke, 2024). The connection between inclusivi ty and knowledge-sharing processes is particularly significant, as both reflect and shape an organization’s culture. More inclusive organizatio ns tend to manage knowledge more effectively because they foster multicultural environments in which individuals feel psychologically safe to share their ideas and expertise (Davenport & Prusak, 1998; Hislop et al., 2018). By promoting equitable acc ess to information and participation, inclusive environments foster trust, collaboration, and cohesion, thereby enabling continuous learning and innovation at all organizational levels (Trees & Vlachos, 2022; Cheng et al., 2024). E mpirical studies show that workplaces that embrace cognitive and cultural diversity are more likely to generate n ovel connections between ideas, driving creativity, knowledge generation, and innovation. Inclusive organizational cultures amplify knowledge sources, with positive implications for competitiveness (Ferdman, 2014). Fu rthermor e, inclusive KM policies are associated with greater employee well-being, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and loyalty (Meister, 2021a). Conversely, when cultural differences become obstacles to knowledge sharing between teams or individuals (Miminoshvili & Černe, 2021), the organization may suffer adverse outcomes. In this light, inclusivity becomes a strategic necessity rather than a normative ideal. This ex plains the growing academic and managerial interest in inclusive strategies aimed at optimizing KM systems (Creary, 2020; Durst, 2021; Dalkir , 2025). Within such strategies, training plays a vital role, serving as the bridge between organizational values and their internalization by in dividuals, as part of their ongoin g professional devel opment (Wang et al., 2023). ***** 114 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emerging technologies play a growing role in fostering inclusivity within knowledge management (KM), functioning both as tools for accessibility and as mechanisms for promoting equitable organizational processes (Cascio & Montealegre, 2016; Bersin, 2020). Technologies such as voice recognition, machine translation, and ethical AI reduce barriers to knowledge access and mitigate algorithmi c bias in recruitment (e.g ., gender stereotypes or discriminatory patterns), performance evaluation, and information dist ribution (Pozza, 2024; Tursunbayeva, 2024; Borgese , 2025). Two main applications stand out. First, in DE&I-rel ated decision-making , inclusive technologies enable equitable knowledge flows through collaborative platforms, multilingual tools, and online communities of practice. Ethical AI helps identify discriminatory patterns in HR data and people analytics, enhancing the fairness of internal knowledge systems (Rhem, 2024). Second, in inclusive training , technologies offer personalized, accessible learning experiences t hat sup port diverse le arners. This i ncludes ada ptive e-learning, culturally inclusive content, and im mersive VR training (PwC, 2020). Virtual Reality (V R) has proven highly effective in DE&I training across various educational and professional contexts (Richter & Sharabi et al., 2023 ; Purdue University, 2024). Its effectiveness stems from the experi ential nature of learning in realistic, psychologicall y safe virtual environments that promote deep emotional and cognitive engagement. VR enables participants to adopt alternative identities (Peck et al., 2013; Sp ringer & Günther, 2020), fostering perspective- taking and a deeper understanding of others’ lived experiences (Mason & Chrobot-Mason, 2022; Google Research, 2024). This imme rsion significantly enhances empathy and increases individuals’ wil li ngness to modify dis criminatory behavior s (Hasler, Spa nlang, & Slater, 2017). The emotional engagement produced by VR allows individuals to observe their own unconscious, altruistic, or self-centered behaviors, including phenomena such as the bystander effect (Darley & Latané, 1968; Batson, 2011); to explore their emotional responses (Damasio, 1999); and to increase implicit awareness of personal biases (Kolb, 1984; Kahneman, 2011; Dev ine, 2012). B y enabling sim ulations of the exp eriences of ma rginalized groups, VR supports the transfer of perspective-taking and behavioral change to real-world settings, as shown by numerous empirical studies (Peck et al., 2013; Herrera et al., 2018; Banakou, Hanumanthu, & Slater, 2016). These technologies offer emotionally powerful, immersive experiences that the human brain perceives as real (Phelps et al., 2001; Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007), thereby integrating them more directly into individual cognitive and affective learning processes. Research in medical and psychological domains — including treatments for conditions su ch as d yslexia — has shown t hat emotionall y charge d micro-traumas experienced i n VR can lead to more profound reprocessing of behaviors and long-lasting behavioral change (Wiederhold & Riva, 2019; Alcalde-Llergo et al., 2025). Recent experimental studies by Fernandez-Espinosa et al. (2025) further demonstrate that shared immersive experiences in multiplayer VR environments — such as those in the metaverse — can foster so cial inclusion and enhance team cohesion (Rossi, 2023). When integrated with AI , VR's im pact is amplified (Louthi-Hipche, 2024). AI enables behavioral data analysi s, adaptive learning path s, and the generation of diverse, realistic training scenarios (Slater & Sanchez-Vives, 2016; Güven, 2025). However, responsible and inclusive design is crucial to avoid reinforcing existing biases, particularly with large language models (LLMs), which may introduce cultural distortions if not adequately designed (UNESCO, 2020). While the potential is significant, recent critiques emphasize that many immersive solutions lack inclusivity in their desi gn and may fail to ensure long-term behavioral ch ange (Wired, 2021; Yong & Arya, 2023). Therefore, the effec tiveness of such technologies depends not on their technical feat ures b ut on t heir thoughtful, inclusive implementation. 3 The Conditions Underlying The Effec tiveness of VR Applications in DE&I Trai ning The integration of virtual reality (VR) into DE&I training has received increasing academic attention due to its potential to enhance em pathy, bias awareness, and experiential learning. However, its actual impact on behavior and organizatio nal culture remains under-investigated. This study is based on the hypothesis that the persistence of cognitive biases related to DE&I is rooted not only in knowledge gaps or organizational resistance, but in unconscious decision-making processes. Neuroscientific research highlights the need to target implicit memory to enable du rable behavioral change (Immordino-Yang & Damasi o, 2007; Genco, 2 019). Immersive VR environments can facilitate such change by eliciting emo tional engagement and self-reflection. When combined with emerging Web3 technologies — such as artificial intelligence and neuromarketing — these experiences can reinforce self-awareness of bias through emoti onally significant micro-traumas, thus supporting inclusive behaviors. The potential of these technologie s lies in their ability to reconfigur e individuals' processing 115 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and integratio n of information within their lived experiences, both at the conscious and unconscious levels, through realism , active participation , and emoti onal engagement. The aim of this study is in particular to explore the effectiveness of VR in DE&I training by: (1) assessing its capacity to increase awareness of unconscious bias; (2) evaluating the impact of scenario realism and narrative design; (3) examining the contribution of AI-enhanced personalization; and (4) identifying best practices for inclusive and scalable im plementation. Methodologicall y, the study adopts a mixed-methods approach, beginning with a reasoned selection and comparative analysis of major internation al VR-based DE&I training initiatives that have been effectiv ely implemented over the past five years for employee development. This analysis draws on academic literature, grey literat ure, and media sources. The five-year timeframe is justified by the growing visibility and technological maturity of imme rsive solutions in or ganizational contexts , particularly fo llowing the COVID-19 pande mic. In addition to international cases, the study examines two anonymized case studies from the Italia n branches of multinational corporations — one operatin g in the consulting sector, the other i n fi nance — both of which were subject to direct observation. These companies first decided to integrate VR into their training strategies, implementing DE&I-focused simulations enhanced with behavioral analytics. The behavioral data embedded in the VR platforms — such as in teraction patterns and decision-making path ways — will also be a nalyzed. The simulation s primarily targeted professionals across various sectors (e. g., healthcare, educati on, finance, and technology). Most participating organizations also administered post -training surveys to assess changes in participants’ bias awareness , empa thy, and attitudes related to inclusivi ty. The case studies are analyz ed based on their objectives, target audiences, content, experiential design, and evaluation metrics. Furthermore, in - depth interviews and focus groups with participants and facilitators are conducted to gain qualitative insights into user experience, perceived effectiveness, and areas for improvement. Observational data collected during training sessions serve to triangulate and enrich the analysis. The findings aim to inform the development of evidence-based guidelines for the effective design and implementation of immersive and inclusive training programs. With reference to the 10 main international and national cases considered, as presented in Table 1, these can be viewed as both indicat ive and barometric of the diverse models for implementing DE&I projects through VR. All are immersive experiences develop ed around DE&I themes for the benefit of employees, yet they differ significantly — not so m uch in terms of the underlyin g t ech nology or their shared objective of addressing unconscious bias, but rather in the type of experience offered, the degree of cognit ive and emotional engagement elicited in partici pants, and the methods used to measure ou tcomes. Although all the experiences shared the same objective —namely, to raise awareness of individual s’ cognitive biases— analyzing each case reveals the value of highlighting their distinctive features, particularly from a design perspective. As a result, even when the same technology is employed, markedly different approac hes to the design and delivery of these training progra ms can be observ ed. 4 Immersive Technologies in DE&I Training: Insights for Design and Implementation The development of immersive applications enables active eng agement in dynamic, simu lated environments that foster the implicit acquisition of new skills and behavioral patterns, moving beyond the constraints of passive cognitive learning. This paper examines implementation strategies and outcomes, with a focus on integrative approaches that combine virtual reality (VR), neuroscience, and artificial intelli gence (AI). These multidimensional solutions have shown particular effectiveness in enhancing self-awareness and promoting unconscious behavioral recalibration. Key insights emerged from the analysis of VR-based DE&I training experiences, especial ly from a desi gn perspectiv e: Table 1: Main Case studies o f Immers ive VR experiences i n the context of DE&I C OMPANY O BJECTIVES /DE &I T OPIC T ARGET D ESIGN /C OMPE - TENCE /C ONTENT R EALISM / P ERSONALISATION E XPERIENCE DELIVERY AI & O UTCOME FEEDBACK GOOGLE (ICT) 2021- 24 The program aimed to enhance awareness of unconscious bias and microaggressi ons in the workplace, promote empathy, and equip participants with practical tools to recognize and address discriminator y behavior 32 senior staff mem- bers of the internal security team. 13 DE&I emplo yees involved . The trai - ning was developed in 3 phases: 1) Initial Framing for Beha vior Change: identi- fication of behaviors to be addressed. 2) participant refle- ction on personal expe riences with bias or commit-ted a micro aggression to wards them or others. 3) charac - ters’ scriptwriting and scenogra phy based on real incidents The settings replicated real corporate spaces (e.g., meeting ro oms, video calls, Google Meet), and characters were designed to share identity traits with users, enhancing real- ism through voi ce acting and AI- driven dialogue. While partici- pants could look around, they we re unable to mo ve within the en The experience used the Virtual Embo diment & People Car ing Projective Tecniq ues and included four scenarios portraying everyday discrimination: assump tions based on appearance, diversit y in conversations, feedback and performance, and group d ynamics. Participants embodi ed two different protagonists per scenari o to appreciate how perspectiv e-taking influences the perception and emotional experienc e of bias. The trainee can observe th e protagonists, control and r espond to the situation in 3 way s: Call it out: to highlight the issue in a very overt way; Call it in: t o dispel the misconception by pointing out that The training lasted 90 minutes, including a facilitator-led briefing, a demo on how to use the Quest 2 headset (15 ’ ), a 45 ’ immersi ve experience, and a 20 – 25 ’ debriefing session, in small groups of 10. Most participants used the Quest headset; a few opted for the desk top version. The parti- cipant might have t o click on the controll er (or mouse) when they spot a bias as visible. Trainees could explore scenarios in any order A reflection follows the first immersion with an optional metric report, such as the number of biases reported as visible. Due to the absence of standardized measurement protocols, behavioral data could not be collected or compared systematically. Despite these limitations, the initiative success fully increased realism and per sonal relevance in addressing bi as, An optional post-training s urvey (with a 30% response rat e) showed that 94% of respon dents rated the experienc e as satisfa ctory (4.7/5), and 82% found it more effective than tr aditional DE&I formats (4.1 /5). Open- ended feedback highlig h ted increased awareness, emo tional engagement, and the abil ity to perceive issues fro m multiple perspectives.However, p artici pants also noted key limi-t ations. The graphical quality wa s often judged subpar, which c ompro mised immersion. Most critically, the passive nature of th e expe rience — where users c ould not act or intervene — was se en as a 116 Proceedings IFKAD 2025: Knowledge Futures: AI, Technology, and the New Business Paradigm ISBN 978-88-96687-19-2 || ISSN 2280-787X (IFKAD 2025 - Naples, Italy 2-4 July 2025) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Document text truncated for crawler view.]