The integration of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems presents a complex evolutionary challenge. Existing frameworks fail to capture the divergent strategic paths organizations take. This article proposes a three-dimensional conceptual model to explain this phenomenon, defined by the axes of Integration Locus (Resilience), Task Intelligence, and Scale of Automation.
In contemporary business environments, brand identity is increasingly recognized as a critical intangible asset shaped not only by external communication but also by internal organizational factors. While prior research has examined organizational culture, strategic human resource management (HRM), and brand identity in related but often separate streams, limited attention has been given to their combined integration through employee-related psychological mechanisms, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in emerging economies. The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a psychological integration model that explains how perceived organizational culture and perceived strategic HRM influence brand identity in SMEs.
The Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the eighth Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC8) reshape how EU tax authorities access cryptocurrency transaction data. This study examines the organisational-capacity deficit facing a small EU tax administration on the eve of DAC8, using Croatia’s cryptocurrency sector as the empirical setting.
The use of firearms represents the most severe coercive measure in policing and requires a high level of legal knowledge, technical competence, and psychological preparedness. Although the use of firearms by the Slovenian police is relatively rare, decisions regarding their deployment involve significant legal, ethical, and organizational consequences. The purpose of this study is to examine police officers’ preparedness for the use of firearms and their perceptions of the existing training system.
Strategic supply chain partnerships increasingly depend on the effective management of interorganizational relationships characterized by power asymmetries, behavioral dynamics, and trust. Although power, trust, and opportunistic behavior have been extensively studied, these constructs have largely been examined independently. This study addresses this gap by investigating the relationships among organizational power, Machiavellian behavior, and trust within strategic supply chain partnerships and by evaluating an integrated conceptual framework that combines structural, behavioral, and relational dimensions.
Background / Purpose This study examines the significance of the pre-training phase and its impact on subsequent learning outcomes. It investigates the critical role of contemporary digital technologies in employee development, specifically during the initial pre-training stage. The research aims to provide a deeper understanding of how these technologies support, rather than diminish, lecturer-learner interaction.Methods To achieve this objective, the paper utilized a mixed-methods approach. First, four semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture the organizational perspective. Subsequently, the authors surveyed participants to gather learner perspectives, allowing for the analysis of the training environment.Results The findings confirm that interaction between the lecturers and learners is pivotal to the employee development process, particularly during the pre-training phase. Additionally, the results indicate that digital solutions positively influence both parties in achieving primary learning goals.Conclusion The findings of this study offer significant theoretical and practical implications. The research highlights that pre-training activities function as a catalyst for effective employee development and subsequent organizational implementation. Furthermore, by integrating organizational and employee perspectives within a European context, this study provides a holistic view of modern training complexities.
Background/Purpose Employee satisfaction with career development is an important factor influencing motivation, commitment, and long-term retention, particularly in the public sector, where career paths are often constrained by legal and institutional frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to analyse employee satisfaction with career development in a selected public institution and to examine the influence of selected demographic and organisational factors.Methods The study is based on a quantitative empirical research design. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 113 employees in a public institution. Due to deviations from normal distribution, non-parametric statistical methods were applied, including the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.Results The results show that length of service and gender do not have a statistically significant effect on satisfaction with career development. In contrast, material forms of rewards have a stronger positive impact on satisfaction than non-material rewards, which deviates from some prevailing theoretical assumptions. Supervisory support was identified as the strongest predictor of satisfaction with career development.Conclusion The findings highlight the importance of supervisory support and development-oriented leadership in fostering satisfaction with career development in institutionally constrained public-sector environments and contribute to a better understanding of career development dynamics in Slovenian public institutions.
Background and purpose With ongoing disruptions that affect various sectors, understanding organizational resilience is crucial, especially in tourism businesses. However, studies focusing on organizational resilience often lack objective data and rely on subjective opinions. Even fewer studies combine company data with insights from managers. Therefore, this study aims to explore resilience factors in tourism businesses and strategies used by less resilient ones during the COVID-19 crisis.Methods This study used a mixed-method approach to explore organizational resilience, combining company data analysis with insights from tourism managers. Quantitatively, data from 624 Slovakian tourism businesses were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, binary logistic regression, and survival analysis to explore resilience factors. Based on this, qualitative interviews with 10 managers of less resilient businesses examined crisis coping strategies.Results The findings reveal that business size and age are significant predictors of resilience, with larger and newer businesses demonstrating a higher probability of maintaining or recovering pre-pandemic revenue levels. Regarding financial indicators, the analysis suggests that rapid debt growth may represent a potential vulnerability. In addition, accommodation services were found to be generally more resilient than restaurants and travel agencies. Qualitative results highlight that less resilient businesses frequently employed coping strategies such as renegotiating financial terms, reducing staff, and temporary closures.Conclusion Tourism stakeholders should take these implications into account and assess the key factors that may strengthen organizational resilience.
Background/Purpose This study investigates the questions "Does supervisor support affect ambivalent identification?" and "Does organizational ostracism play a role in this potential effect?" The primary objective is to determine the mediating role of organizational ostracism in the relationship between employees' perceptions of supervisor support and their ambivalent identification. The hypotheses are grounded in Social Exchange Theory and Social Identity Theory.Methods A cross-sectional survey design was employed. Hypotheses were tested using data collected from 404 employees working in a diverse range of sectors within a major Organized Industrial Zone in T & uuml;rkiye. Analysis was conducted using SPSS 29 and AMOS 24.Results The findings reveal that perceived supervisor support has a statistically significant negative effect on both ambivalent identification and organizational ostracism, while organizational ostracism exhibits a positive effect on ambivalent identification. Furthermore, the findings indicate a complementary mediation mechanism: Perceived supervisor support reduces ambivalent identification both directly and indirectly by mitigating organizational ostracism.Conclusion The results support the arguments of the aforementioned theories. By discussing the findings within the context of prior literature, this study establishes a foundation for further research. Moreover, it explores the dynamics within a high power-distance, collectivist industrial culture, offering novel insights into how paternalistic support mechanisms can buffer against social exclusion in industrial clusters.
Purpose This study analyzes the implementation of selected HRM practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across four Slovenian industries and examines their relationship with financial performance.Methods A survey was conducted among 60 SMEs in four industries (motor vehicle trade and repair, construction, food and beverage manufacturing, and ICT) to assess their involvement in productivity, motivation, satisfaction, organizational climate, organizational culture, engagement, and quality management. Statistical analysis in SPSS examined industry differences and links between HRM practices and financial performance, measured by return on assets (ROA).Findings Results indicate significant industry differences in HRM. Car dealerships and ICT companies place greater emphasis on HRM, while construction and food manufacturing companies exhibit lower levels of implementation. A weak but observable relationship was found between HRM implementation and ROA, with the strongest association in organizational culture.Conclusion While statistical significance was not fully established, the findings indicate that HRM implementation is associated with improved financial outcomes, with discernible industry-specific patterns in both adoption and effects. These results underscore the need for tailored HRM strategies that align with industry-specific contexts and operational requirements.
Background and purpose This paper examines sustainability transition in SMEs through three interconnected lenses: stakeholder incentives, sustainability reporting, and performance implications. Building on stakeholder theory, it develops an integrative framework showing how pressures from customers, suppliers, financiers, employees, communities, and regulators shape the adoption and disclosure of sustainable business practices.Methods The paper combines a conceptual literature synthesis with a structured bibliometric review. The stake-holder-incentive and reporting sections synthesize theoretical and regulatory literature, while the performance section relies on a structured Scopus-based review and keyword co-occurrence analysis using VOSviewer.Results The conceptual synthesis shows that stakeholder pressures and value-chain information demands are key drivers of SME sustainability transition. The review of reporting frameworks indicates that, for SMEs, the regulatory centre of gravity has shifted toward proportionate and largely voluntary reporting tools, especially the VSME framework in the EU. The bibliometric analysis identifies eight clusters that can be synthesized into four broader logics: operational and circular transformation; innovation and strategic competitiveness; stakeholder-, finance-, governance-, and reporting-related infrastructures; and socio-organizational and normative embedding, suggesting that sustainability transition in SMEs is a multidimensional capability-building process.Conclusion Sustainability transition in SMEs should be understood not only as a compliance issue but as a stake-holder-driven strategic process. For SMEs, transparent and proportionate reporting can support access to finance and value-chain integration, while sustainable practices can improve innovation, competitiveness, and long-term performance.
Purpose The importance of top management team (TMT) heterogeneity is increasingly recognized in strategic management. Despite numerous research studies, the results remain inconsistent. This research aims to address this gap by examining the moderating effect of the internal context in which TMT operates, specifically corporate entrepreneurship (CE). CE is an opportunity for modern companies to achieve a competitive advantage and has gained significant attention in both literature and practice over the past decade.Methodology The study seeks to determine whether CE moderates the relationship between TMT heterogeneity and company performance. The research was conducted using secondary and primary data with samples of 62 companies and 444 respondents. Moderated regression analysis was employed for hypothesis testing.Findings The results confirm CE's moderating effect and its positive, significant impact on company performance, as measured by return on assets and return on sales. Implications for theory and practice: The paper contributes to the literature by addressing the identified research gap. The inclusion of moderating variables in research models is necessary, as existing research in upper-echelon theory requires improved methodology to achieve greater consistency in results. Furthermore, research results identified recommendations for improving CE implementation in companies.Findings The results confirm CE's moderating effect and its positive, significant impact on company performance, as measured by return on assets and return on sales. Implications for theory and practice: The paper contributes to the literature by addressing the identified research gap. The inclusion of moderating variables in research models is necessary, as existing research in upper-echelon theory requires improved methodology to achieve greater consistency in results. Furthermore, research results identified recommendations for improving CE implementation in companies.Originality and value Due to the limited prior research on this topic, this paper makes a meaningful contribution to the upper echelons' theory. The findings indicate that corporate entrepreneurship exerts a moderating effect on the relationship between TMT heterogeneity and company performance.
Background/Purpose An ongoing problem of the ethical transgression of students poses a fundamental threat to the functioning of higher education institutions and translates to their behaviour in the future workplace. The aim of the paper is to examine the relationship between the academic context in higher education institutions in a transitional society and students' ethical behaviour.Methods Two-source empirical research was conducted using samples of 235 students and 112 faculty and administrative staff from 12 higher education institutions in Croatia. Data on the ethical infrastructure of higher education institutions and the ethical behaviour of students and employees were collected from both groups. Descriptive statistics were used to provide insights into various aspects of the academic context and the characteristics of students' and employees' ethical behaviour. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between the academic context and the ethical behaviour of students and employees.Results Perceptions of students and employees differed on a number of aspects of the academic context in their higher education institutions, while the formal ethical framework, individual-level ethics, and witnessing and sanctioning of unethical behaviour are found to be the factors that play a role in shaping students' ethical behaviour. Students enrolled in natural sciences-related programmes are less susceptible to the effects of academic context than those studying programmes in other scientific fields.Conclusion The current state of academic context at higher education institutions in a typical transitional society leaves considerable room for improvement in developing ethical infrastructure and promoting a culture of academic integrity and ethical values. Translating the 'words' into 'actions' at both organisational and individual levels is a primary goal for these institutions to establish an effective ethical framework and culture, and to be perceived as ethical by their stakeholders.
Introduction & Purpose The aim of this study is to analyse the relationships between professional personal competencies, organisational agility, job satisfaction, and organisational citizenship behaviour in work teams, as these factors can influence organisational performance and competitiveness.Methodology The cross-sectional study included a sample of 25 teams (N = 135) from various economic sectors in Slovakia. We conducted multilevel correlation and regression analyses, factor analyses, and structural modelling.Results The multilevel correlation analysis showed positive correlations with job satisfaction for all scales of the Bochum Inventory of Personality (ranging from 0.097 to 0.406), 10 of which were statistically significant. The results indicate that job competencies predict job satisfaction, and that job satisfaction correlates positively with employees' organisational citizenship behaviour. However, the moderating effect of organisational agility on the relationship between job competencies and job satisfaction could not be demonstrated. We found a statistically significant positive relationship between the maturity level of agility and job satisfaction. We discuss possible causes, highlight the limitations, and suggest implications.Conclusion Appropriate professional skills and a people-centred approach are key to long-term success in a competitive environment and, along with organisational agility, can contribute to employee job satisfaction.
Background/Purpose This paper examines the key factors for successful change implementation in organisations, management qualities, and the most common barriers to change implementation. The main change we focus on is implementing new work methods in the organisation, such as Six Sigma, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and similar methods.Methods The latest findings from the literature about change management, key success factors and barriers to change implementation are presented. An empirical study of 55 organisations from Slovenia is presented. An online questionnaire was used to gather data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The research questions concerned the key factors influencing the successful implementation of organisational changes, the qualities necessary for organisational leaders, and the most common barriers to successful implementation.Results The key factors for successful change implementation are strongly connected to cultural and human-related factors, such as top management and employee involvement. Choosing the right leaders and communicating effectively about the implementation of change are key success factors. Key barriers identified include ineffective means of communication and employee habits and mindsets that do not support change. The most important quality of a manager who is leading organisational change is respect for other parties in the change management process, such as employees.Conclusion Understanding key success factors and the barriers to implementing change in organisations can improve change management practices. The findings contribute to a better understanding of change management in the implementation of new methods in organisations and deliver theoretical and practical implications.
Background and purpose This systematic literature review focuses on the use of learning analytics among higher education teachers, who play a key role in collecting, analysing, and interpreting data. Empirical studies from the period between 2011 and 2024 were analysed to understand the role of teachers in learning analytics and the antecedents and outcomes of its use.Methods A systematic literature review was conducted to reduce research bias and ensure repeatability. The relevant articles identified were analysed in two phases, first with a descriptive analysis and then with an in-depth qualitative synthesis.Results The literature review reveals two predominant trends in how higher education teachers use learning analytics. The first focuses on the use of learning analytics technologies to solve specific problems, while the second considers learning analytics in the context of broader pedagogical practices of teaching and learning. The paper also discusses antecedents and outcomes of the use of learning analytics among higher education teachers, highlights gaps in existing research, and suggests further research directions in this field.Conclusion This paper provides an overview of recent literature on the use of learning analytics among higher education teachers. The findings clarify the role of teachers in the use of learning analytics and provide insights into the antecedents and outcomes of its use that are also relevant to other stakeholders and decision-makers in higher education.
Background/Purpose The research aims to identify marketing tools that promote the development of the knowledge economy and to design a development model grounded in the research findings. This paper analyses the theoretical aspects of non-profit, social, and political marketing, introduces the concept of self-segmentation, and proposes a strategy to transform society's readiness to foster the values of the knowledge economy.Methods The research was carried out in two successive stages. The first stage consisted of three separate sub-studies: a case study, quantitative descriptive research, and qualitative exploratory research. The second stage encompassed designing the model based on the findings.Results After conducting the case study, secondary impact factors of the tools were identified, influencing the choice of tools or the formation of their set. Following the study of the survey results, groups of high-priority marketing tools were distinguished. Based on the results of the expert evaluation, a set of the most commonly proposed marketing tools was compiled. As a result of the conducted research, a coherent five-stage model for promoting the development of the knowledge economy was created.Conclusion The model reflects key ideas: the choice of marketing tools is determined by the readiness and openness of the society to accept ideas; the success of dissemination is determined by inter-institutional cooperation; effective dissemination requires identification of the target consumer audience; and a set of marketing tools is designed on the basis of the results of continuous data analysis.
Aim/Purpose The purpose of the article is to develop a methodology for evaluating startup teams and to create a corresponding computer model based on multicriteria analysis and fuzzy-logic decision-making. Particular attention is paid to determining both qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the team, and obtaining a generalized integral assessment of the startup team under uncertainty.Design/methodology/approach An integrated evaluation method is proposed that combines the principles of the fuzzy set approach and expert evaluation and is implemented as a fuzzy inference system in MATLAB. The developed model used different initial characteristics of the startup team as input parameters. For this, formulas were identified, described, and utilized to calculate the values of these evaluation parameters. The set of linguistic variables and a system of rules for processing fuzzy data were defined. Literature data, expert and investor assessments, and case studies of real startup projects served as the empirical basis for the study.Findings The results demonstrate that the proposed approach enables a fairly objective and comprehensive assessment of a startup team's quality, considering multiple assessment criteria, their interrelationships, and the combination of qualitative and quantitative input data, all within the context of significant uncertainty. The methodology ensures the objectivity and repeatability of the assessment, making it a valuable decision-support tool for various situations and participants within the startup community.Research implications/limitations The study is limited by the amount of data on real startup teams for model verification, which leaves much to be desired, as well as the need for further empirical substantiation and adjustment of the fuzzy model as a whole, including formulas for input parameters, linguistic variables, and decision rules, based on expert opinions. Possible areas for further research include adapting the method to different stages of startup development, taking into account their field of activity, size, and other specific features, and enabling more accurate model adjustment across various practical cases.Originality/value/contribution The article's originality lies in integrating fuzzy logic with multicriteria analysis to assess the human factor in startups. A useful contribution involves creating a practice-oriented tool that enhances the accuracy and reliability of team analysis, which is essential for startups themselves, business angels, venture funds, accelerators, and other participants in the startup community.
Background/Purpose This study investigates the mediating role of decision-making performance in the link between software performance and overall business performance in the logistics sector of an emerging economy. As logistics companies increasingly rely on digital infrastructures, understanding how advanced systems contribute to strategic outcomes is critical for sustaining competitiveness. Methods A conceptual framework was developed integrating ERP systems, big data analytics, and IoT applications. In this model, software performance is positioned as the independent variable, decision-making performance as the mediator, and business performance as the dependent variable. Data were collected from medium- and large-scale logistics firms and analyzed using regression and bootstrapping methods through SPSS and the PROCESS Macro. Results The findings reveal that software performance significantly improves decision-making performance (beta = 0.552, p < 0.01), which in turn has a strong positive effect on business performance (beta = 0.817, p < 0.01). The mediation analysis confirms that decision-making performance mediates the effect of software performance on business outcomes. Conclusion The results highlight the strategic importance of aligning digital capabilities with organizational decision processes. By demonstrating the mediating role of decision-making, the study highlights that the effective use of advanced analytical tools is crucial for optimizing performance and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in logistics.
Purpose This study is motivated by the importance of startups in economic growth and the need for methods to evaluate their success, considering risk and uncertainty. The objective is to analyze factors that influence startups, using factor and cluster analysis. The hypothesis that advanced business analytics in startup evaluation can enhance the quality of investment decision-making was tested.Methods The combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques was used. Statistics about 20 startups from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia over five years were processed to identify success drivers and to group startups by similarity. Machine learning and social media sentiment analysis were applied to assess non-financial indicators.Results The results showed that indicators such as projected profitability, social media activity, and innovativeness are significant for startup ranking. The share of traditional methods in the Baltic states was 55%, while modern tools were 45%, highlighting the role of digitalization in risk assessment. Startups with high clustering coefficients and positive mention sentiment demonstrated superior performance.Conclusions The study demonstrated that integrating business analytics and digitalization enhances startup evaluation. The model combines financial metrics with network and sentiment analysis, offering a comprehensive framework for investors. It confirms that data-driven methods improve decision-making, reducing investment risks.
