Gender quotas have emerged as key institutional mechanisms for promoting gender equality among corporate boards across Europe, yet their effectiveness remains uneven across national contexts. This study examines how institutional environments and quota legislation shape gender diversity in corporate governance. Using a sample of 2,406 listed companies from 33 European countries, the analysis combines linear regression models and nonparametric tests to assess the effects of national gender equality and quota regimes. The findings indicate that higher levels of gender equality and the presence of mandatory quota legislation are associated with significantly higher levels of board gender diversity and overall diversity performance. However, the results also reveal a more limited effect on executive management representation, suggesting that improvements at the board level do not automatically translate into broader gender equality within firms. Furthermore, only a minority of companies achieve gender-balanced boards, although this proportion is substantially higher in countries with binding quota systems. These findings highlight the importance of institutional complementarities and provide evidence that mandatory quota systems are more effective than recommended frameworks, while also underscoring the need for complementary organizational and policy measures to advance gender equality beyond the boardroom.
Over the past decade, crowdfunding has become an important alternative financing mechanism for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, by leveraging digital platforms and emerging technologies. Despite the rapid growth of interdisciplinary research on crowdfunding, its evolution within the business and management literature remains insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap by systematically mapping the crowdfunding literature through topic modelling, a machine learning technique that uncovers latent thematic structures within large collections of scientific publications. The analysis identifies 20 major research themes and shows a progressive shift from early studies on funding mechanisms and entrepreneurial finance to more diversified topics, including campaign success factors, platform dynamics, investor behaviour, digital innovation, and sustainability-related issues. By combining quantitative text analysis with an in-depth examination of these topics, this study synthesizes the existing literature, highlights major research trends, and identifies promising directions for future research. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolution of crowdfunding research and provide a valuable reference for scholars seeking to advance knowledge in this field.
This study, grounded in the resource-based view (RBV) and the organisational role perspective, examines the role of human resource managers in businesses as a pivotal factor in the connection between talent management (TM) and organisational performance. A total of 112 human resource managers in Spain completed a survey. Structural equation modelling and the Hayes PROCESS macro were utilised to examine the relationship between transformational management and organisational performance, whereby the mediating effect of human resources was considered. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the three roles of Human Resources (strategic business partner, agent of change, and employee champion) produced positive results, and a unidimensional model was validated. This position is designated as the High-Performance Role (HPR) of human resource managers and serves to connect talent management with organisational performance. These findings both clarify the role that human resource managers can assume to improve their effectiveness and also serve as a framework for their forthcoming training and development initiatives.
The objective of this research is to explore scientific production related to e-commerce in the field of tourism over the period 2002–2025. To this end, bibliometric analysis is applied as the main methodology, supported by mapping and longitudinal analysis techniques using VOSviewer and bibliometrix software. The study integrates various analytical approaches based on co-citation and co-occurrence analyses of keywords and the temporal evolution of research topics. Similarly, theories and factors frequently used in academic literature to address the subject under study are presented. Among these theories, Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) (1991) and Davis's technology acceptance model (TAM) (1989) stand out. Mapping techniques have provided evidence of the centrality of lines of research linked to trust in collaborative economy environments, risk perception, technological adaptation, and the use of social networks in hotel establishments. For its part, longitudinal analysis has identified emerging lines of research associated with customer engagement, strategic tourism management, and service quality. The findings afford a holistic and multidimensional view of e-commerce in the tourism sector, providing relevant information for the formulation of policies aimed at designing management strategies and promoting tourist destinations through digital platforms.
Emerging economies present significant growth opportunities for the medical device sector, yet these markets remain underexplored and face substantial financial, regulatory, and operational challenges. This study examines the key strategic factors for long-term business sustainability in untapped medical device markets in emerging economies, focusing on the prosthetics and orthotics industry within Pakistan’s economic and healthcare landscape. Using a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process–based multi-criteria decision-making framework, business growth drivers were evaluated and ranked based on expert opinions from the healthcare and business sectors, providing a comprehensive analysis of criteria. The findings identify finance as the most critical factor, followed by research and development and strategic supply chain management, highlighting the importance of strong financial planning, sustained innovation investment, and efficient supply chain integration for sustainable business growth. The analysis further indicates that supportive policy measures, regulatory improvements, and investment incentives are also essential for enhancing market scalability and strengthening enterprise development in emerging economies. The findings offer actionable insights for businesses, policymakers, and investors seeking to expand medical device enterprises in underserved markets. By integrating multi-criteria decision-making methodologies with healthcare economics, this study contributes to the business growth literature by proposing a structured priority-ranking system tailored to the challenges of emerging economies. It also provides a useful foundation for sustainable business expansion, innovation, and market development in the medical device sector.
