Search Results (907)

This paper examines the effect of digital innovation on cost stickiness in manufacturing firms, focusing on the underlying mechanisms and contextual factors. Using data from Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms from 2012 to 2023, we find that, first, for each one-unit increase in the level of digital technology, the cost stickiness index of enterprises decreases by an average of 0.4315 units, primarily through digital process innovation and digital business model innovation, whereas digital product innovation does not exhibit a statistically significant impact. Second, manufacturing servitization and the optimization of human capital structure are identified as key mediating mechanisms. Digital innovation promotes servitization by transitioning firms from product-centric to service-oriented business models, thereby reducing fixed costs and improving resource flexibility. It also optimizes human capital by increasing the proportion of high-skilled employees and reducing labor adjustment costs. Third, the effect of digital innovation on cost stickiness is found to be heterogeneous. Firms with high financing constraints benefit more from the cost-reducing effects of digital innovation due to improved resource allocation efficiency. Additionally, mid-tenure executives are more effective in leveraging digital innovation to mitigate cost stickiness, as they balance short-term performance pressures with long-term strategic investments. These findings contribute to the understanding of how digital transformation reshapes cost behavior in manufacturing and provide insights for policymakers and firms seeking to achieve sustainable development through digital innovation. Full article

The growing number of senior experts leaving the workforce (especially in more developed economies, such as in Europe), combined with the ubiquitous access to artificial intelligence (AI), is triggering organizations to review their knowledge transfer programs, motivated by both financial and management perspectives. Our study aims to contribute to the field by analyzing options to integrate intergenerational tacit knowledge transfer (InterGenTacitKT) with AI-driven approaches, offering a novel perspective on sustainable Knowledge and Human Resource Management in organizations. We will do this by building on previous research and by extracting findings from 36 in-depth semi-structured interviews that provided success factors for junior/senior tandems (JuSeTs) as one notable format of tacit knowledge transfer. We also refer to the literature, in a grounded theory iterative process, analyzing current findings on the use of AI in tacit knowledge transfer and triangulating and critically synthesizing these sources of data. We suggest that adding AI into a tandem situation can facilitate collaboration and thus aid in knowledge transfer and trust-building. We posit that AI can offer strong complementary services for InterGenTacitKT by fostering the identified success factors for JuSeTs (clarity of roles, complementary skill sets, matching personalities, and trust), thus offering organizations a powerful means to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of InterGenTacitKT that also strengthens employee productivity, satisfaction, and loyalty and overall organizational competitiveness. Full article

Introduction: This prospective descriptive study explored the disparities in perceptions and experiences regarding healthcare services between providers and users during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on the impact of the digital divide on access to and quality of care. The study revealed significant inconsistencies in the experiences of healthcare providers and patients, particularly regarding the effectiveness of digital health interventions. Methods: This study was a prospective descriptive analysis conducted to evaluate and compare the use of electronic healthcare services between healthcare employees (HΕs) (N = 290) and consumers (Cs) (N = 263) from December 2024 to May 2025, utilizing an electronic survey after the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the statistical validity of the sample size, a power analysis was performed using G*Power 3.1.9.2 software. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate the readiness of healthcare employees and consumers for electronic healthcare services. It was validated to ensure reliability within this population and comprised 49 questions. Results: The response rate of the participants was 89.19%, and the Cronbach’s alpha for the questionnaire was 0.738. The study revealed notable differences in perceptions regarding health-related information and digital health technologies across genders and age groups. Specifically, 28.8% of females and 27.3% of males considered it important to be well-informed about health issues (χ² = 8.83, df = 3, p = 0.032). Conclusions: This research contributes to filling a gap in comparative analyses of provider and user perspectives, offering a comprehensive view of how digital health was adopted and experienced during a global crisis. Practically, it provides an evidence base to guide future interventions aimed at fostering more equitable, resilient, and user-friendly digital healthcare systems. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study assessed Knowledge and Practices related to Food Safety (KPFS) among nutrition services employees in hospitals across the Al-Ahsa Governorate, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The objective was to evaluate the staff’s understanding of key food safety principles, including foodborne illness prevention, food handling, personal hygiene, and food storage and preparation practices. Methods: A descriptive survey method was used, and data were collected using an electronic questionnaire, which was either self-administered by the participants or completed with the assistance of the researcher in cases involving employees who did not speak Arabic or English. This study included 302 staff members involved in the preparation, service, and supervision of food provided to hospital patients. Results: The results indicated a high level of knowledge among nutrition services employees regarding food safety principles, critical temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, and proper hygiene practices. The employees also demonstrated a strong commitment to personal hygiene behaviors, such as handwashing, wearing appropriate clothing, and avoiding unsafe practices. Additionally, a high degree of knowledge and understanding was found regarding food storage procedures and contamination prevention. The study also highlighted a very high level of awareness concerning the cleaning and sterilization of equipment, tools, and food storage surfaces, as well as maintaining a clean and healthy environment. These findings emphasize the importance of continuous training in enhancing food safety knowledge among nutrition services employees. Conclusions: It is recommended that all employees, regardless of education level, experience, or role, participate regularly in food safety training programs to sustain and improve food safety practices within hospital environments. Full article

Objective: There is growing interest in analyzing whether ethical climates influence the emotional states of organizational members. For this reason, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between a benevolent ethical climate, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, taking into account the mediating effect of job autonomy. Methodology: To evaluate the research hypotheses, data were collected from 448 people belonging to six organizations in the Colombian electricity sector. Statistical analysis was performed using two structural equation models (SEMs). Results: The results show that a benevolent climate and its three dimensions (friendship, group interest, and corporate social responsibility) mitigate the negative effect of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. A work environment focused on people and society triggers positive moods that prevent the loss of valuable psychological resources. On the other hand, job autonomy is a mechanism that has a direct impact on the emotional well-being of employees. Therefore, being able to intentionally direct one’s own sources of energy and motivation prevents an imbalance between resources and demands that blocks the potential effect of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Practical implications: This study has important practical implications. First, an ethical climate that seeks to build a caring environment needs to strengthen emotional communication among employees through a high perception of support. Second, organizations need to grow and achieve strategic objectives from a perspective of solidarity. Third, a benevolent ethical climate needs to be nurtured by professionals with a clear vocation for service and a preference for interacting with people. Finally, job autonomy must be accompanied by the necessary time management skills. Social implications: This study highlights the importance to society of an ethical climate based on friendship, group interest, and corporate social responsibility. In a society with a marked tendency to disengage from collective problems, it is essential to make decisions that take into account the well-being of others. Originality/value: This research responds to recent calls for more studies to identify organizational contexts capable of mitigating the negative effects of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Full article

Employees’ green voice behavior (GVB), as a specific category of extra-role green behavior, plays a vital role in promoting a firm’s sustainable development. However, its underlying mechanism has not been sufficiently explored. Drawing on social learning theory (SLT), this study proposes a research model that examines the indirect influence of environmentally-specific transformational leadership (ESTFL) on GVB via psychological empowerment (PE) and ecological reflexivity (ER) as well as the moderating role of person-supervisor value congruence (PSVC). To achieve the research goals, we conducted a two-wave online survey via the convenience sampling method to collect data from 530 employees and 106 direct supervisors working in the manufacturing, hospitality and service, energy production, construction, transportation, information and communication, and finance industries in China. Regression analyses and CFA based on SPSS and Mplus were employed to test and validate the research model. Our findings show that PE and ER both partially mediated the positive association between ESTFL and GVB. Moreover, PSVC moderated the mediating effects of ESTFL on GVB via PE and ER. This study advances empirical research regarding how leadership impacts GVB by revealing dual cognitive mechanisms and identifying its boundary condition. It also offers managerial implications for leaders and enterprises in China to promote employees’ GVB and improve sustainable management. Full article

This study examines the awareness and implementation of Circular Economy (CE) principles within Chile’s mining sector, which represents the world’s leading copper producer. We employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative semi-structured interviews, to evaluate perceptions and implementation levels of CE practices across diverse organizational contexts. Our findings reveal a pronounced knowledge gap: while 73.3% of mining professionals reported familiarity with CE concepts, only 57.3% could provide accurate definitions. State-owned mining companies demonstrated substantially higher CE implementation rates, with 36.5% participating in eco-industrial collaborations and 51% conducting environmental audits, compared to their private counterparts. Small enterprises (1–100 employees) exhibited particularly limited engagement, as demonstrated by 71.8% lacking established sustainability reporting mechanisms. A considerable implementation gap was also identified; although 94.8% of respondents considered CE principles integral to business ethics and 89.6% recognized CE as essential for securing a social license to operate, only 20.8% reported that their organizations maintained dedicated CE units. The research presents actionable recommendations for policymakers, including targeted financial incentives and training programs for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in mining services, the establishment of standardized CE performance metrics for the sector, and the integration of CE principles into strategic management education to accelerate sustainable transformation within Chile’s critical mining industry. Full article

Due to the recent significant increase in the scale of both domestic and international cargo transportation, the transport sector is becoming an important factor in the country’s economic development. This implies the need to improve all links in the cargo transportation chain. A key role in it is played by logistics centers, which in their activities must meet both state (CO₂ emissions, reduction in road load, increase in transportation safety, etc.) and commercial (cargo transportation in the shortest time and at the lowest cost) requirements. The objective of the paper is freight transportation from China to European countries, reflecting issues of CO₂ emissions, reduction in road load, and increase in transportation safety. Transport operations from the manufacturer to the logistics center are especially important in this chain, since the efficiency of transportation largely depends on the decisions made by its employees. They select the appropriate types of transport (air, sea, rail, and road transport) and routes for a specific situation. In methodology, the analyzed problem can be presented as a dynamic multi-criteria decision model. It is assumed that the decision-maker—the manager responsible for planning transportation operations—is interested in achieving three basic goals: financial goal minimizing total delivery costs from factories to the logistics center, environmental goal minimizing the negative impact of supply chain operations on the environment, and high level of customer service goal minimizing delivery times from factories to the logistics center. The proposed methodology allows one to reduce the total carbon dioxide emission by 1.1 percent and the average duration of cargo transportation by 1.47 percent. On the other hand, the total cost of their delivery increases by 1.25 percent. By combining these, it is possible to create optimal transportation options, effectively use vehicles, reduce air pollution, and increase the quality of customer service. All this would significantly contribute to the country’s socio-economic development. It is proposed to solve this complex problem based on a dynamic multi-criteria model. In this paper, the problem of constructing a schedule of transport operations from factories to a logistics center is considered. The analyzed problem can be presented as a dynamic multi-criteria decision model. Linear programming and the AHP method were used to solve it. Full article

Background/Objectives: Quiet Quitting (QQ) describes a state of reduced workplace engagement characterized by a lack of motivation and initiative. Employees practicing QQ typically limit their efforts to fulfilling only their assigned tasks, expending the minimum necessary energy, while still ensuring the completion of their core responsibilities. QQ is an emerging phenomenon in healthcare settings following the COVID-19 pandemic and is still relatively unexplored in the literature. The aim of this study is to assess QQ among nurses in a northern Italian hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 91 nurses in a single-specialist orthopedic hospital was conducted. Data were collected in August 2024 using an online form of the Quiet Quitting Scale (QQS). Demographic data were collected, including gender, age, years of work experience and department. Results: A response rate of 83.50% was recorded. Data analysis revealed that 46.06% of the sample (35 nurses) was identified as quiet quitters. Fewer years of service and a younger age were associated with a higher probability of Quiet Quitting. The highest average score was observed for “Lack of motivation” subscale at 2.40 (SD = 1.14). Conclusions: The findings establish QQ as a significant issue requiring urgent attention in healthcare. To guarantee high-quality nursing care, healthcare organizations must prioritize interventions focused on enhancing employee support and work environment. Longitudinal research is necessary to explore the long-term effects of QQ on patient outcomes and to evaluate the success of targeted interventions. Full article

Although open innovation is not novel within the business sector, it has recently garnered increasing scholarly interest. However, empirical investigations applying this concept to the tourism industry remain scarce. Despite tourism being one of the most significant contributors to the global economy, it continues to face persistent challenges, including political standpoints. Within this context, implementing open innovation emerges as a potentially transformative strategy. This study examines the application of open innovation to the tourism industry. Drawing upon a detailed analysis of 35 peer-reviewed articles retrieved from the Scopus database, the study adopts the PRISMA methodology to ensure methodological rigor and transparency. Articles were retrieved using a predefined search string: “Open innovation” AND “tourism industry” OR “tourism” OR “hospitality” OR “hotels” OR “leisure”. The selection process followed the PRISMA guidelines and included only peer-reviewed journal articles in English within Business and Economics. The findings reveal that open innovation enables stakeholder collaboration, supports service and experience co-creation, and facilitates digital and organizational transformation across diverse tourism contexts. The analysis shows that recent contributions in this field tend to converge around four key thematic areas: the role of open innovation in enhancing destination branding and experiential value; the importance of stakeholder collaboration and co-creation; the internal dynamics of employee empowerment and innovation culture within tourism firms; and the strategic use of digital technologies to drive transformation and resilience in the face of industry challenges. Full article

Local governments provide numerous services to their citizens. In doing so, they utilize two primary methods to deliver them: (1) producing them in-house with their own employees and equipment or (2) outsourcing them to external actors, which may take the form of other public agencies, for-profit firms, or non-profit organizations. In this entry, the authors review the logic of why local governments might choose one mechanism over another. The goal is to give readers a feel for the state of the academic literature in this regard. After reviewing basic concepts, such as the difference between the “provision” and “production” of services, the authors frame the discussion in terms of a variety of lenses used by scholars attempting to better understand the determinants of such decision-making. These include agency theory, transaction cost economics, and New Public Management. The authors also consider the role that management capacity plays in allowing cities to successfully deliver services to their constituents. Additionally, the authors offer a discussion regarding how local governments partner with non-profits in less formal ways than contracting to ensure their citizens have access to needed services. Finally, there is a review of the tradeoffs between efficiency and other values that should be accounted for when arranging service production. Full article

This paper aims to compare the perceptions of hotel customers and hotel staff regarding the value of green hotel attributes. By examining both stakeholder groups, the study addresses a gap in sustainable hospitality research, which largely overlooks employee perspectives in favour of customer preferences. An exploratory, cross-sectional survey was conducted using structured questionnaires, administered to hotel guests (n = 307) and hotel staff (n = 89) in Porto, Portugal. Respondents rated 15 green hotel attributes using a five-point Likert scale. Demographic data were also collected to analyse perceptual differences across gender, age, income, and education. The results revealed that both customers and staff exhibited environmental awareness, though their prioritisation of specific green practices differed. Customers tended to value visible environmental measures, such as recycling bins, energy-saving light bulbs, and renewable energy signage, while staff placed greater emphasis on operational sustainability aspects, including low-flow plumbing fixtures, refillable soap dispensers, and durable goods used in service areas. These differences reflect the stakeholders’ distinct roles and experiences within the hotel ecosystem. This study enriches the discourse on sustainable hospitality by providing a dual-stakeholder analysis of green hotel attributes using a shared evaluative framework. The findings offer practical insights for hotel managers aligning sustainability strategies with the expectations of both guests and employees, supporting more effective and inclusive green implementation in the lodging sector. Full article

The widespread adoption of mobile work, driven by advancements in information and communication technology, has increasingly blurred the boundaries between work and personal life. This phenomenon can increase job stress, potentially leading to sleep deprivation, which affects not only employees’ health and well-being but also organizational performance. Grounded in Conservation of Resources theory, this study examines the pathway through which mWork contributes to sleep deprivation, focusing on the mediating role of job stress, and investigates the moderating effects of gender and number of children on this relationship. Data were collected using a stratified random sampling method across three waves with 4-week intervals, involving 325 employees in South Korea engaged in diverse occupations, including the administrative, technical, service, and sales sectors. The findings reveal that mWork increases sleep deprivation through the mediation of job stress. Furthermore, the relationship between mWork and job stress was found to vary depending on gender and number of children, with stronger moderating effects observed among women and employees with children. This study underscores the need for organizations to develop tailored management strategies that address the unique challenges posed by mWork, taking particular note of employees’ gender and family responsibilities. By mitigating the negative effects of mWork on job stress and sleep deprivation, organizations can enhance employee well-being and promote sustainable long-term performance. Full article

Background: Spirituality has emerged as a potential protective factor that may promote mental well-being and resilience among healthcare workers. Aim: This study aims to examine the relationship between spirituality, stress, and depression among healthcare professionals in Greece. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 412 employees at the Corinth General Hospital in Greece, including medical, nursing, and administrative personnel. The data were collected using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-Being 12 (FACIT-SP12), the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The statistical analyses included non-parametric tests, correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. Results: The mean spirituality score was 34.6 (±6.83), while the stress and depression scores were 74.6 (±14.87) and 14.7 (±10.20), respectively. Spirituality was significantly and negatively correlated with both stress (r = −0.479, p < 0.001) and depression (r = −0.452, p < 0.001). Gender, years of service, educational level, and marital status were also associated with variations in stress, depression, and spirituality levels. Women and those with lower education reported significantly higher levels of stress and depression. Additionally, some demographic variables such as age and sector of employment did not show significant associations with spirituality or depression. The regression analysis confirmed spirituality as an independent predictor of lower stress levels (B = −1.158, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Spirituality is a significant predictor in mitigating stress and depression among healthcare workers. Promoting a supportive spiritual climate and incorporating elements of spiritual leadership in healthcare settings may enhance employee well-being and resilience. Future research should expand on these findings across diverse institutional and cultural contexts. Full article

A company’s competitive advantage largely depends on the longevity and quality of its customer relationships, making it essential to understand which tools best support these interactions. In particular, identifying the factors that shape the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems on business performance is crucial. This study examines the influence of CRM on the business performance of Portuguese companies by employing a conceptual model structured around five dimensions: customer-centric management (CCM), CRM organization (CRMO), operational CRM (OCRM), customer service quality (CSQ), and technological turbulence (TT). Data were gathered via a questionnaire completed by employees of Portuguese firms using CRM systems, yielding a total of 228 valid responses. Of the nine hypotheses tested, eight were confirmed. The results indicate that CRM organization (CRMO) exerts the strongest positive influence on business performance (0.457), followed by customer service quality (CSQ), operational CRM (OCRM), and customer-centric management (CCM). The study also confirms that technological turbulence (TT) moderates the relationship between the CRM dimensions and business performance. These findings suggest that the proposed model is well-suited to the context of Portuguese SMEs and provide valuable insights for managers aiming to enhance competitiveness through the strategic use of CRM systems. Additionally, the results offer a relevant contribution to the academic literature on CRM and business performance. Full article