Alfred Nobel University

This article examines the image of James Bond as a spy-hero in English-language popular culture and analyses the mechanisms behind his creation and subsequent transformation in literary and cinematic traditions. The aim of the study is to identify the characteristics of the construction of Agent 007 as a cultural archetype of the spy-hero, as well as to determine the artistic, ideological and cultural factors that influenced his evolution from a literary character into a stable, mythologised figure of popular culture. The methodological basis of the study comprises historical-literary, narrative, hermeneutic and comparative methods, which allow the image of Bond to be examined in the context of the interaction between the text and screen adaptations, as well as in relation to the socio-cultural and ideological conditions of various historical periods. The study finds that the image of James Bond, first established in Ian Fleming’s novels, originally combines the functions of a professional spy and a cultural symbol, which distinguishes him from traditional models of the spy novel. It is emphasised that the character is constructed as a “glamorous spy,” in whom professional activity is closely linked to the aesthetics of luxury, consumption and a demonstrative lifestyle. It is noted that the Bond narrative reflects the ideological and cultural changes of the second half of the 20th century, including the transformation of notions of masculinity, national identity and the role of the state. The image of the spy-hero gradually loses its rigid ideological certainty and becomes a more flexible cultural code, capable of adapting to changing social conditions. It is further established that the image of James Bond is formed at the intersection of the spy novel and popular culture aesthetics, leading to the creation of a hybrid artistic type that combines elements of adventure narrative and cultural myth. It is demonstrated that a key structural element of the image is the figure of the “gentleman-spy,” which combines traditional British cultural codes with modernised notions of professional efficiency. It is noted that this model contributes to strengthening the character’s recognisability and the formation of a stable media image within global popular culture. The analysis confirms that the spy-hero, in the form of James Bond, serves as a universal model of the cultural hero, reflecting the contradictions of the modern and postmodern eras. This allows us to view him as a key element in the study of the transformation of mass culture in the 20th and 21st centuries and the dynamics of the spy image in literature and cinema.

This study aims to contribute to the academic discussion on the concept of geopolitical food security and to examine the related processes that are transforming global food systems. Today, food security has become one of the fundamental pillars of national sovereignty. Any vulnerabilities in this area can quickly be exploited by geopolitical rivals. The article emphasizes the growing role of geopolitics in the functioning of the global food system, a trend that raises increasing concern. It suggests that food resources are increasingly viewed as instruments of influence or even pressure – both in situations of open conflict and conditions of international competition. The authors propose conceptualizing geopolitical food security through the integration of the core dimensions of classical food security with geopolitical factors. In this context, the key components of geopolitical food security are identified as follows: food sovereignty; food self-sufficiency; control over agricultural production resources; resilience of food systems; geo-economic positioning in global markets; and the political use of food. The article also highlights the transformative processes currently reshaping food systems worldwide under the influence of food geopolitics. It is argued that the modern weaponization of hunger operates in far more complex ways than simply restricting access to food supplies. It may involve the deliberate destruction of agricultural infrastructure, the use of food aid as a tool of political manipulation, and even the strategic triggering of food inflation aimed at destabilizing governments. The study further demonstrates that food insecurity functions as a kind of risk multiplier, intensifying instability across several dimensions: social unrest, increased recruitment into armed groups, and intensified competition over resources. The analysis shows that food has become an integral component of hybrid warfare. These trends inevitably lead to the transformation of global food systems, driving a transition toward sustainable, healthy, and inclusive models that take into account geopolitical crises, climate challenges, and shifts in global trade.

Post-war recovery of territorial communities (TC) is a key task for ensuring the country’s stable development. The war has significantly impacted the socio-economic condition of communities, causing substantial losses in infrastructure, human capital, and economic activity. In these circumstances, there is a need for a practical assessment of their potential to determine support priorities and develop development strategies. This article is dedicated to creating a methodological approach for classifying territorial communities based on their socio-economic potential (SEP), which serves as a basis for ranking and identifying the most vulnerable communities in the context of post-war recovery. The authors analyze community development factors and propose an evaluation system that considers infrastructure, demographic, economic, and social aspects. The methodological approach is based on taxonomic analysis and clustering, which allows for identifying groups of communities with similar characteristics and determining priority development directions. The study examines key evaluation criteria, including the level of economic activity, accessibility of essential services, employment levels, and the quality of social infrastructure. The proposed methodology classifies communities by their development level and forms targeted support strategies tailored to the specific needs of areas. This ensures the effective use of state and international aid resources, promotes investment attraction, and fosters the formation of sustainable economic recovery models. It has been proven that for effective post-war recovery of territorial communities, a comprehensive approach is required, which includes: economic recovery and support for entrepreneurship through development strategies, investment attraction, and support for small businesses; financial support through the search for grants and investments to cover critical needs; human capital development through professional retraining and skill improvement to reduce unemployment; enhancing investment attractiveness through simplifying procedures and creating a favorable business environment; social support through the development of medical, educational, and social services; regional and international cooperation for experience exchange and implementation of joint projects; and infrastructure development through the modernization of transport, housing, and public facilities. The comprehensive implementation of these measures will enable communities to restore economic and social stability, increase employment levels, ensure sustainable development, and improve the quality of life for residents. The study results can be used to optimize state regional development policies, develop support programs for communities, and improve funding mechanisms for post-war recovery. The proposed approach can serve as a foundation for further research in the socio-economic development of territorial communities in crisis situations.

The paper offers one of the first scholarly examinations of Michael Christie’s Greenwood (2019) as a literary (re)imagining of human–nature symbiosis, interpreted through the lens of ecocriticism. Christie’s eco-apocalyptic, multigenerational saga, whose concentric narrative structure evocatively mirrors the growth rings of a giant Douglas fir, revises contemporary ecocritical discourse on nature-oriented fiction. Spanning more than a century, the novel traces the intertwined destinies of a single family, uncovering their hidden transgressions while celebrating the enduring power of love, sacrifice, and the natural world, particularly the symbolic presence of trees. Throughout the narrative, Christie employs the rhythmic pulse of arboreal life as a central metaphor to illuminate the themes of environmental exploitation, survival, and redemption. An ecocritical reading of Greenwood reveals the author’s strategies for constructing a complex vision of ecological collapse through arboreal imaginaries, offering insights into how the novel conceptualises the environment both as a narrative force and as an ethical framework extending beyond the text itself.

The digitalisation of road transport and logistics is reshaping the work of automobile-transport college graduates, yet the pedagogical literature tends to catalogue digital tools rather than the entrepreneurial actions those tools should serve, and no evidence-based taxonomy links practice types to competence outcomes for this sector. This study derives such a taxonomy through a two-stage design: a PRISMA-ScR scoping review that maps a heterogeneous, cross-disciplinary evidence base, followed by best-fit framework synthesis that codes the extracted practices against an a-priori frame of entrepreneurial-competence areas and entrepreneurial-action stages. From an initial 320 records, 63 sources were retained; the 22 practice-exemplifying sources among them were classified into groups by two independent coding passes that agreed closely (Cohen's κ=0.94 for group assignment); as both passes were AI-generated, this indexes coding-scheme consistency rather than independent human-rater reliability. Four groups of digital entrepreneurial practice are distinguished: (1) project-based entrepreneurial, (2) technical-economic, (3) logistical-organizational, and (4) communicative-reflective practices. The first three are each supported by at least three independent sector or pedagogy studies; the fourth is warranted by the completeness of the entrepreneurial-action cycle together with cross-sector reflection and assessment scholarship, an evidential asymmetry we report rather than smooth over. The four groups span a coherent cycle of entrepreneurial action - a structure partly entailed by the analytic frame - and are mapped onto the EU EntreComp and DigComp frameworks and onto experiential and activity-learning theory. Two conceptual moves extend the taxonomy into a framework: a trace-reflection mechanism, in which each action leaves an inspectable digital artefact that mediates assessment and revision, and a two-dimensional practice-design space that positions each group against tiers of environment fidelity and treats immersive technology as a level of that dimension rather than a separate group. Eight testable propositions and a progression-anchored assessment rubric are proposed. The contribution is conceptual and design-oriented; the framework and rubric await empirical validation.