Contributors

Saiful Akmal

Chair professor, Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry

Chair professor, Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry

Stephen Lind

Associate Professor of Clinical Business Communication, University of Southern California

Associate Professor of Clinical Business Communication, University of Southern California Stephen Lind is a Associate Professor of Clinical Business Communication at USC's Marshall School of Business, where he teaches courses in business communication. His teaching encompasses strategic messaging, technology in communication, consulting, and refining speaking and writing skills for business contexts. Prof. Lind is an award-winning educator, recognized with the Marshall Teaching Excellence Award for his contributions to the business classroom. He teaches across Marshall programs, from the school's top-ranked undergraduate and graduate programs to high school immersion courses and traveling global programming. Lind's research interests lie in business communication technology and the nuances of communication choices, such as the use of video for business and the use of religious messaging in entertainment commerce. He is the author of the internationally recognized creator-biography and industry-insights book, “A Charlie Brown Religion.” Before joining USC, Dr. Lind was hired to build the business communication initiative at Washington and Lee University's commerce school. He received his PhD, with distinction, from Clemson's transdisciplinary Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design program. Outside of academia, Dr. Lind runs BizComm Ally, a consulting firm that assists businesses with their communication needs. He works with a range of clients, from multinational corporations to local L.A. entrepreneurs. His consulting work includes strategy development, content direction, and offering training workshops that drive business growth.

Seema Arora-Jonsson

Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Professor in rural development and chair for rural development in the global north. I work with questions of rural transformations and environmental politics and governance. Feminist post- and decolonial thinking is central in my work as well as collaborative methodologies in working with people in rural areas.

Sara Maioli

Reader in Economics, Newcastle University

Reader in Economics, Newcastle University Sara Maioli is a Reader in Economics at Newcastle University Business School. Her research relates to international economics, trade, labour, international business, firm performance, rural and regional development, and the creative economy. She is a co-investigator at the Centre of Excellence for Policy and Evidence in the Creative Industries funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (2023-28) and led by Newcastle University with the Royal Society of Arts, working on the internationalisation of UK creative industries.

Stephanie-Emmy Klarmann

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Johannesburg

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Johannesburg Dr Stephanie Klarmann is a Conservation Psychology researcher based in South Africa. Her work has focused primarily on envisioning a conservation psychology that is relevant in the South African context with a stronger focus on justice and diversity. Her research interests lie in capacity building, photographic storytelling and promoting diverse worldviews in conservation. She is also the Campaign Coordinator for Blood Lions NPC, a South African campaign working against the captive predator industry.

Stephen P. Bird

Professor of Sport & Exercise Science, University of Southern Queensland

Professor of Sport & Exercise Science, University of Southern Queensland Stephen P. Bird, PhD., is a Professor in Sport an Exercise Science and Director of Sport in the School of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ). An internationally recognised performance scientist and strength and conditioning coach, Stephen has led athlete support systems for elite sport programs across six countries. His career includes participation in 26 pinnacle sporting events, including two Olympic Games, culminating in Olympic gold. Stephen’s career spans professional roles in the NRL, NBL, and WNBL, alongside major international events, including the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, FIBA Asia Cup and EuroBasket, Rugby League World Cup, and UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and World Championships. He has held key high-performance roles such as Senior Performance Advisor for the NSW Swifts (2021 Suncorp Super Netball Champions), Performance Team Lead for Basketball New Zealand (2020–2024), and currently serves as Strength and Conditioning Lead for GB Basketball (Women) for the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. Stephen is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Strength and Conditioning and Associate Editor for the Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning. At UniSQ, Stephen leads the Student-Athlete Empowerment Project “2 WIN”, a comprehensive program designed to support student-athlete development through innovative education and research initiatives. 2 WIN aims to inspire and develop the next generation of champions. His ongoing research focuses on optimising health and performance in student-athletes and female athlete populations.