Administrative Sciences

Purpose: This research explored the role of female managers as change agents and the “problem of making women visible,” specifically in top management positions in in Jordanian banking industry. Methods: This research design is built on the basis of qualitative research, analyzing the perceptions in the mind of research subjects. Interviews were conducted with 32 participants from the Jordanian banking industry. Findings: Our research has revealed different and important insights into the changing role of Jordanian female workers, not only in such a male-dominant industry but also more broadly in Jordan’s wider society, in which the Arab masculine culture has been dominant. The positive impact of increased acceptance of females’ roles is significantly evident in our research, and we support the assertion that women can survive and prosper in the face of Arab or Eastern culture traditions. In addition, we asserted that females’ managers are deemed to be internal change agents through their knowledge, experience, and leadership traits and behavior. Conclusions: We shed the light on emancipation, in which females have had the opportunity to cross previous social and taken-for-granted boundaries, and which has eroded gender-biased boundaries and behavior as a response to the situational demands. Full article

The paper explores “life skills” acquired and enhanced during an internship in preparation for the work of the future, identifies challenges faced and gaps between academic preparation and internship requirements, and explores the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the internship experiences of Generation Z students. This qualitative study involves cohorts from 2016–2021, including 50 students before the pandemic, and 47 students during the pandemic, majoring in the field of Economy and Business. Data are gathered through 97 semi-structured interviews and written reports from the students. Interestingly, the findings showed that job placement is not the main reason why students pursue an internship; acquiring skills and experience was identified as the major motivating factor. “Communication” was the top enhanced skill from internships in both periods before and during the pandemic, while “relationship building” and “ethical issues” ranked as the second and third most important skills before the pandemic, to be replaced by “critical-thinking and problem-solving” and “analytical and technical” skills during the pandemic. Lack of accountability and COVID-19 stress were reported as the main challenges experienced during internships, while lacking hands-on experience and social skills were identified as gaps. The foremost pieces of advice for future interns revealed in this study are to get involved seriously and show respect and integrity. Full article

In this paper, I explore whether and how New Public Management (NPM) inhibits the long-term sustainability of co-production between non-profit practitioners and service users in the United Kingdom. I show how the key elements of NPM (contracts and competitive tendering, performance measurement, a pressure for non-profits to become more ‘business-like’, and the framing of citizens as ‘customers’) provide distinct barriers for non-profits to engage in co-production over the longer term, inhibiting the long-term creation of value for citizens. Through an analysis of seven case study organisations, this paper contributes to building theory about the sustainability of co-production, the factors that shape enduring co-production, and the compatibility/incompatibility of NPM tools with co-production. Full article

Human beings are strongly influenced by their emotions; so, it is believed that building a close relationship between consumers and brands is a key factor for success. In this way, car brands are no exception, and despite facing numerous challenges associated with the energy transition, they have to reinvent themselves, retaining a focus on offering a unique and personalized experience for the consumer without forgetting the factors that influence the decision-making process. Therefore, current research aims to understand the relationship between brand love and other behavioral constructs, including brand attachment, brand satisfaction, brand loyalty, and positive word of mouth, as well as its influence on consumer behavior in the Portuguese automotive market, more specifically regarding the brands Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Based on the literature review, a questionnaire survey was conducted on a group of 324 respondents. From this sample, it was possible to develop a conceptual model and formulate six research hypotheses. The results reveal that brand attachment and satisfaction have a positive influence on brand love, which has a positive influence on brand loyalty and positive word of mouth. In addition, brand attachment is positively related to brand loyalty, which has a positive impact on loyalty. Therefore, this article presents some insights from the perspective of digital marketing (i.e., e-WOM and social networks) and territory management (i.e., notoriety and positioning of territories). In the end, the limitations of the study will be presented, and guidelines for future research will be outlined. Full article

Although the concept of Industry 4.0 is newer, more and more companies are responding to this concept and incorporating it into their business models. Industry 4.0 arose as a result of the development of new technologies based on automation, through which technologies can communicate with each other. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of Industry 4.0 on companies from the point of view of the value chain model. The study points out why the model is a suitable tool for evaluating changes. The research consisted of 1164 respondents, while the sample consisted of 591 Czech companies and 573 Slovak companies. We found that 62% of companies carry out activities in the field of robotization and automation to a large extent, and 32% carry out these activities little or not at all. Regarding the impact of Industry 4.0 on individual activities in the value chain, we found that companies expect the greatest impact on technological development (secondary activity) and customer service (primary activity). On the contrary, they least expect the impact of Industry 4.0 in the primary activities of input logistics and operation. From this point of view, we can say that companies perceive the impact of Industry 4.0 on the activities taking place in their value chains. However, it is important to capture these changes, react appropriately to them and remain competitive. Full article

The aim of this study is to test the multidimensional construct of the Entrepreneurial University (EU), and therefore to confirm whether EU factors make a positive contribution to regional competitiveness. Data were collected from ten Portuguese Public Universities (PPUs) through a self-administered questionnaire. First- and second-order confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed through factor and multiple linear regression analyses. The main findings show that EU related factors—perceived and combined with actual regional metrics—especially entrepreneurial supporting measures, positively contributed to regional competitiveness. This study shows policy makers that universities are not merely cost centres but provide knowledge spillovers that can have a positive influence on regional competitiveness. Full article

The focus of this study is to investigate the major factors influencing entrepreneurial intent and behavior, by addressing the role of entrepreneurial education, business opportunity recognition, and the need for achievement. The research data were collected online using a self-administered questionnaire among 148 Moroccan women having completed an entrepreneurship training program. The data analysis using a PLS-SEM provided evidence of the positive impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial self-efficacy and PBC. Likewise, the findings supported the direct impact of subjective norms and entrepreneurial self-efficacy on entrepreneurial attitude. Furthermore, entrepreneurial attitude, business opportunity recognition, and the need for achievement were identified as predictors of entrepreneurial intent, leading to enhanced entrepreneurial behavior. These results highlight a number of useful practical recommendations for public policy-makers on how to stimulate and encourage entrepreneurship initiatives among women. Full article

The Internet of things (IoT) has oriented organisations digitally in administrating human resources. In line with this trend, Indonesian public sectors are adopting Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) to boost employee innovation outcomes. However, coercive pressure to implement HRIS has only resulted in fiascos for the technology, which cannot be fully considered to eliminate long, ineffective, and inefficient practices. This study examines the instrumental adoption factors to adopt HRIS in boosting employee innovation outcomes from technological, organisational, people, and social outlooks. The empirical data consisting of 500 valid datasets were obtained from public servants in Indonesia via web-based questionnaires. structural equation modelling (SEM), which was used to examine the relationship among constructs. Technology fit, organisational resources, knowledge, and social influences have positive impacts on technology adoption. However, when treated as a mediation, the negative path from HRIS to innovation outcomes implied that e-HRM reflected in HRIS implementation would not make employees innovative. The scrutinized under ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO) framework and empirical insights clearly portray that Indonesian’s ability to fit into this framework is problematical, making technological innovation in the Indonesian public sector only complimentary, not compulsory. This study suggests that HRM reform in public organisations is a top priority if the country wishes to achieve world-class bureaucracy by 2025. Full article

Various strategic plans compiled by the local levels of government seek to advance the need to integrate strategic planning frameworks and improve service delivery and related content through the application of performance management tools. From the perspective of municipalities, all policies and plans at all levels of government need to be articulated with empirical based plan-level formulation and in compliance with set performance assessment criteria. Using South Africa as a case study, the methodology of the paper included a theoretical analysis of available (but applicable) performance management tools and processes. The focus and outcome were the development of a simplified performance management tool that supports elementary prioritization of projects and the setting of standards to address the growing needs, service backlogs, and informality challenges, thereby enhancing sustainable planning and development applicable to developing countries. The study findings highlight, firstly, the prevalence of persistent service delivery gaps in local government. Secondly, local government performance management and strategic plan implementation is constrained by measurement data, standards, and information gaps. Thirdly, inadequate legislative frameworks and strategic instruments applicable to local government in developing countries adds another layer of performance management gap dimensions. Fourthly, there is misalignment between policies, legislative provisions, and local needs in terms of a set of applicable measurement tools and standards relevant in a developing country. Fifthly, an oversight role gap exists in terms of clearly defining the roles and scope of responsibilities concerning performance management. These above-mentioned shortcomings read together constitute a service delivery performance management tools gap that needs to be overcome if improved service delivery is to be achieved. In view of the above-stated considerations, a simplified performance management tool to enhance service delivery in local government had to be developed. The developed simplified performance management tool assumes that the application of performance management assessment processes is to be aligned throughout all spheres of government. Full article

Background: The impact of technologies on workers has been a recurring theme in occupational health psychology. In particular, the sudden digital transformation of the last two decades, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has stressed the urgency to investigate new ways of working that are characterized by flexibility and a constant increase of autonomy. In this perspective, this study aims to investigate the state of the art of the innovation process in Italian factories, explore whether and how digitalization can be seen as an opportunity, and imagine a new way of working characterized by adaptability, resilience, and openness to change. Methods: Thirty in-depth interviews of Italian experts in HR management were collected and analyzed using a mix-method approach. Results: The findings underline the Italian HR experts’ perceptions of the risks associated with rapid changes required by technological progress in terms of workers’ wellbeing and satisfaction and suggest how important it is that organizations rapidly set up learning and training programs to guide workers to the acquisition of new skills required by Industry 4.0. Conclusions: Future workplaces will be characterized by extreme versatility, which requires workers to increasingly have both technical and soft skills as well as the ability to collaborate and build functional relationships. Full article

Several public services in Malta operate under the stewardship of different governmental bodies, ministries, or departments. This results in considerable effort in the delivery of public services, especially ones that require the use of multiple registries, such as integrated public services (IPSs). Co-creation and co-production are increasingly being seen by public administrations as an approach toward mitigating issues stemming from such a siloed environment. Indeed, they are seen as a means to improve service provision through the delivery of citizen-centric public services that are more efficient and effective. This paper presents the Malta pilot as part of the inGOV project. The latter aims to develop and deploy a comprehensive IPS holistic framework and ICT mobile tools that will support IPS co-creation and governance. The Malta pilot focuses on modernising the Digital Common Household Unit public service. Improving considerably upon the previous ad hoc solution, the Digital Common Household Unit public service implements an iterative co-creation and co-production approach with the various stakeholders. This paper therefore presents the applied methodology in researching current challenges and enablers to the co-creation and co-production of a digital common household unit public service, with a specific focus on sustainability. Full article

Possessing an international brand in an exclusive field can play a critical role in developing exports. On the other hand, monitoring market conditions and predicting the changes caused by the physical separation and distance between the upstream and downstream markets and asymmetric information is challenging in export markets. Accordingly, it is necessary to manage this issue by adopting business intelligence tools. To this end, using a descriptive–correlation method, the present study investigated the effect of applying business intelligence on export development and brand internationalization in large industrial firms. To collect the data, three questionnaires were distributed among 161 employees at the headquarters of Isfahan’s Mobarakeh Steel Company. The validity and reliability of the research questionnaires were confirmed. Data analysis was performed with SmartPLS and SPSS software. The findings indicated the effect of applying business intelligence on export development and brand internationalization in large industrial firms. We also performed additional analyses to deepen the results of the verified hypotheses to identify the best business intelligence dimensions for the prediction of export development and brand internationalization. The conclusion that can be drawn from our findings is that business intelligence and its tools can provide companies with an optimal understanding of organizational processes, appropriate responses to the behavior of competitors, and the ability to identify the needs of global customers by developing the best value chain. Full article

Many academic studies have focused on exploring various interactions between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance, where, in general, the findings confirmed their existence to be of positive character. However, many authors indicated a need to further test the possibilities concerning the nonlinearity between EO and firm performance. Moreover, since many research studies on this topic have been conducted in developed countries, there is still a need for such studies in developing countries, especially in the region of southeast Europe. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the existence of nonlinearity between EO and subjective financial performance among SMEs in southeastern European countries. Data was collected from decisionmakers of the 963 SMEs operating in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. Proposed hypotheses were tested using hierarchical linear regression analysis. Research results confirmed existence of the positive direct relationship EO has on financial performance, including the positive effects on sales growth and profit-to-sales ratio. On the other hand, results have not confirmed existence of nonlinearity effects that EO has on financial performance, sales growth, nor on the profit-to-sales ratio. In other words, the observed relationship does not exhibit inversed U-shape characteristics among southeast European SMEs. Full article

The current study investigates and establishes the factors that lead to short-term orientation strategies in western organisations. Moreover, this study used questionnaire-based surveys to assess the relationship between these factors and what it would take for the organisation to move to a long-term orientation strategy. At the start of the study, it was evident that the annual bonus system is a key reason for prioritising a short-term orientation strategy. The sample was composed of 300 companies of different sizes from different western countries. Furthermore, the general consensus within these companies was that most managers knew that long-term orientation was necessary; however, either their superiors/shareholders/supervisory board only reward short-term results, or the managers and stakeholders prefer short-term goals for evaluations because it is challenging to transform a long-term strategy into multiple short-term strategies and goals. At the end of the study, a basic framework has been suggested to be used as guidelines for any company moving from short-term to long-term orientation strategies. Full article

Objective: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of sustainable human resources management (SHRM) and internal communication (IC) on turnover intention (TI) and employee performance (PER) while assessing the mediating role of organizational attractiveness (AT) over these relationships. In this sense, this study intends to evaluate the effect of SHRM and IC on employee PER and TI, with AT acting as the mediator in a joint model of analysis. Methodology: To achieve the aforementioned purposes, a cross-sectional quantitative study was prepared using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). In total, 177 individuals participated in the study. Regarding gender, 62.4% were female. Participants came from all districts of Portugal and were aged from 21 years old to over 55 years old. Results: The main results show that both SHRM and IC are significantly correlated with AT, PER, and TI. Additionally, AT has a total mediation effect in the relationship between SHRM, PER, and TI and also between IC, PER, and TI. Practical implications: These results seem to support the need for organizations to invest in combined strategies and practices that aim to intertwine SHRM and IC towards the benefit of the worker. Both areas have been shown to have solid effects over PER and TI, as well as on the development of favorable worker perceptions that identify the organization as a good place to work. Practitioners should look at both SHRM and IC as valid ways of stimulating the quality of the worker–organization relationship. Incorporating these areas into common strategic planning and consecutive practices seems advisable regarding workers’ performance and employee retention. Full article

This study examined the effect of high-performance work systems on developing incremental and radical innovation capabilities. Drawing on resource-based and knowledge-based theories, the mediating effects of human capital, social capital, and organizational capital were tested. Data were collected from 233 middle-to-senior level managers working in the banking sector of Pakistan, and hypotheses were tested through partial least squares structural equation modeling using Smart PLS 4.0. The findings showed that all components of intellectual capital mediated the relationship to develop both types of innovation capabilities. In terms of the strength of the relationship, social capital was found to be a more effective mediator, and next to this were human capital and organizational capital, respectively. Our findings contribute to the existing literature by explaining the relationship between HPWS and innovation capabilities, which is also referred to as the black box through the mediation of intellectual capital. Decision makers should recognize the importance of this relationship because it develops innovation capabilities that enhance organizational performance by giving them a competitive advantage. Full article

Entrepreneurship education is a recent field in education. From a field mainly related to small business, it is extended towards enhancement of students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and skills. It can support students in developing an independent and versatile way by growing the spirit of entrepreneurship. Developing entrepreneurship competence among students requires the mastery of concepts by teachers. Training teachers in entrepreneurship education helps them apply specific competences, methods, and tools to encourage confidence in learners’ own capabilities and to stimulate flexibility, leadership, and initiative. To understand the teachers’ entrepreneurial competence, an online survey was developed to assess the level of mastery of such competence in Albanian teachers. The survey was designed to analyze the development of entrepreneurial competence of teachers, and their entrepreneurship education and training. The research goal of the survey is to evaluate the influence mechanisms of gaining entrepreneurship education competence and the way of implementing this competence in pre-university education schools. Results from the questionnaire highlighted the teachers’ need for the acquisition of entrepreneurial competence at every professional level, starting from initial teacher education. The findings from the survey are analyzed by taking into consideration the European policies regarding entrepreneurship education, such as the European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp), and their implementation in the Albanian educational sector. Full article

Mexican industrial organizations focus their efforts on the development of new products and processes, including breakthrough technology. Few studies have focused on the analysis of this corporate effort. After an in-depth theoretical review, it has been detected that most of the research has been based on the study of knowledge management along its dimensions, and there has been no research that incorporates the capabilities of the knowledge management process and its effect on two activities that generate innovation. With the application of a Likert scale-type instrument to 279 industrial companies in Mexico, it was detected that there is a relationship and influence between the dimensions of knowledge acquisition (KAC), knowledge updating (KUP), knowledge protection (KP), knowledge conversion (KC) and knowledge application (KAP) in innovation-generating activities, such as research and development (R&D) and technology acquisition (TA). This was analyzed by the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation technique. Finally, it is important to highlight the contribution that the results of the study have in possible future research that can be carried out, for example, the analysis of the protection of knowledge and its impact on the industry of other countries. Full article