This paper quantifies and explains the consumer intention–behaviour gap in mobile telecommunications and shows how it matters for competitive resource allocation. Using a two-wave longitudinal survey of 4887 consumers, I compare stated switching intentions at time t with self-reported provider choice at t + 1 and identify a 15.4% divergence comprising two forms: nonswitching intenders (consumers who intended to switch but did not) and switching nonintenders (consumers who did not intend to switch but did). Binary logistic models reveal temporal asymmetry in determinants. Among nonswitching intenders, higher baseline loyalty (satisfaction, repeat-choice commitment, and recommendation intention) lowers the likelihood of remaining switch inactive. Among switching nonintenders, proximal triggers experienced between t and t + 1 dominate: negatively perceived events increase the probability of unintended switching, while positively perceived events decrease it. Contractual lock-in shows limited direct influence. These findings generalise behavioural theory to a high-portability, promotion-intensive market and imply segmentation of retention spend by gap type: effort-reducing offers for declared intenders with weak loyalty and event-based monitoring/recovery for customers without declared intent. Aligning interventions with the timing of determinants can reduce forecast error and deploy retention budgets more efficiently.
Leadership sustainability among women remains insufficiently explained in leadership research, as dominant models prioritise workplace factors, neglecting the role of private-life demands. This research explored how social expectations and gender norms influence women's private lives and how the emotional impact spills over into their leadership style and performance, thereby influencing their career progression. Using a qualitative design and thematic analysis of 18 interviews with women in leadership roles, the research examined what it means to lead while also navigating family and relationships.The findings revealed that the boundaries between women's private and professional lives are almost nonexistent. Professional success often undermines women's private relationships. Recurring themes include pressure on women to downplay their success, difficulty in relationship formation and stability, unequal household labour, and emotional exhaustion. The research highlights the systemic neglect of these issues on an organisational level, where work–life balance is treated as an individual challenge rather than a shared responsibility. If organisations want to retain and support women leaders, they need to implement cultural change, redefining leadership and performance based on outcomes and sustainability. Practical implications include redefining performance indicators, introducing co- and shared leadership, offering part-time options without penalty and stigma, and actively engaging men in equality initiatives.
This study compares Nigeria's 2025 Tax Act with regimes in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States using quarterly panel data (2000–2025) and complementary econometric and machine-learning methods. We estimate fixed-effects difference-in-differences, autoregressive distributed lag/cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag error-correction models, dynamic panel generalised method of moments, and local projections to identify short- and long-run effects on revenue efficiency, compliance behaviour, and fiscal space. Predictions for VAT/corporate income tax revenues and gaps are generated with Elastic Net, Random Forest, XGBoost, and LightGBM, and heterogeneity is assessed via generalised random forests and doubly robust learners. Results show a significant, durable postreform rise in Nigeria's revenue efficiency, with the strongest gains where enforcement intensity and digitalisation are high; VAT/corporate income tax gaps shrink, and long-run elasticities confirm cointegration with policy fundamentals. Machine-learning models achieve high out-of-sample accuracy and highlight digitalisation, enforcement, VAT productivity, and tax capacity as dominant predictors. Policy implications emphasise pairing rate design with administrative capacity building.
This study examines how technological, organizational, and environmental factors shape social media technology (SMT) use in business-to-business (B2B) markets and how SMT use relates to customer relationship performance and marketing performance. Building on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework, we develop and test a structural model in which perceived simplicity of SMT (technology), SMT strategy (organization), and mimetic competitive pressure (environment) shape SMT use, which in turn affects customer relationship and marketing performance. We collected data with an online survey of 195 marketing and sales professionals from B2B companies in Slovenia. Results indicate that SMT strategy is the strongest predictor of SMT use, followed by mimetic competitive pressure, while the effect of perceived simplicity on SMT use is not statistically significant. SMT use is positively related to marketing performance and only marginally to customer relationship performance. Customer relationship performance further enhances marketing performance. The study contributes to digital communication research in B2B markets by showing how SMT use in a mature technology context is related to relationship outcomes and overall marketing performance.
This study examines the relationship between hospital financial performance and operational efficiency. Using data from the American Hospital Association (AHA), we find that profitability, debt coverage, and working capital efficiency are positively associated with hospital efficiency, while liquidity and capital structure exhibit a negative correlation. Fixed-asset efficiency, however, shows no significant impact on hospital operational efficiency. Furthermore, we find that the operational efficiency of urban hospitals is, in general, more sensitive to financial performance than that of rural hospitals. These findings provide practical insights for healthcare administrators and policymakers aiming to enhance hospital operational efficiency and promote equitable care delivery.
In the transition to a knowledge-based society, human capital has become a key driver of economic growth, innovation, and social progress. As industries evolve and new technologies reshape labour markets, the development of future skills plays a crucial role in ensuring workforce adaptability, productivity, and long-term competitiveness. A bibliometric analysis aims to examine the importance of human capital for economic growth and the transition to a knowledge economy, synthesizing existing research and academic discussions. By systematically reviewing the literature, this paper seeks to provide insights into how skills and education contribute to sustainable economic development and social resilience. Furthermore, it identifies key research gaps, emerging trends, and the evolving role of human capital in an era of rapid technological change. Additionally, this paper develops a conceptual framework outlining the essential skills required for the future workforce, integrating insights from technological advancements, economic shifts, and industry transformations. The framework categorizes skills into core areas, including digital literacy, AI proficiency, data analytics, sustainability expertise, and soft skills such as adaptability and critical thinking. Furthermore, this paper explores the necessary transformations within the workforce, highlighting the structural changes needed in education, corporate training, and policy frameworks to align skill development with future market demands. By mapping the transition pathways, this paper provides recommendations for workforce adaptation, ensuring that businesses, governments, and educational institutions are prepared to meet evolving labour-market needs.
Vietnam's rapid economic growth has intensified environmental pressures, heightening concerns about the country's ability to decouple growth from rising CO2 emissions. Although green policies and initiatives have been introduced, questions remain regarding their effectiveness and the extent to which technological innovation and renewable energy can mitigate environmental degradation. This study applies the stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology (STIRPAT) framework and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to investigate the short- and long-run impacts of economic growth, foreign direct investment (FDI), technological innovation, renewable energy consumption, and forest area on CO2 emissions in Vietnam, using annual data for 1990–2023 and provisional observations for 2024. The ARDL bounds test confirms a robust long-run cointegrating relationship among the variables. Empirical results indicate that economic growth is a key driver of long-run emissions, whereas FDI, renewable energy, technological innovation, and forest expansion play significant roles in reducing emissions over time. Short-run error correction estimates reveal that economic growth, FDI, and innovation initially contribute to rising emissions, but renewable energy and forest area exert consistent mitigating effects. Granger causality analysis shows predictive precedence from FDI, forest area, and technological innovation to emissions, emphasizing their potential as policy levers. Policy recommendations emphasize attracting green FDI, incentivizing renewable energy, and strengthening forest protection to facilitate Vietnam's transition toward low-carbon and sustainable growth.
This study examines the connection between religiosity and earnings quality, employing accrual-based and real earnings management as key indicators. By analyzing data from 22 countries from 2020 to 2023, the study identifies a negative correlation between religiosity and earnings manipulation, suggesting that managers in more religious environments are less prone to such practices. The robustness of these results is validated through multiple methods and alternative religiosity metrics. Furthermore, the study highlights the role of legal systems in shaping this relationship, demonstrating that managers in religious nations governed by civil law are more likely to engage in earnings management. This study underscores the need for greater awareness of earnings management, particularly in religious nations with a civil-law legal origin. Additionally, it builds on Yamen et al. (2021) by recommending further investigation into cultural influences beyond Hofstede's framework.
Physical activity (PA) is widely recognized as beneficial for employee health and well-being, yet research linking employee PA to job performance remains fragmented across disciplines, outcome conceptualizations, and theoretical perspectives. Although prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses report generally positive effects of workplace PA on health-, absenteeism-, and productivity-related outcomes, they provide limited insight into how this research field is intellectually structured or how it has evolved over time. To address this gap, we conduct a comprehensive bibliometric review of the employee PA–job performance literature. Using performance analysis alongside co-citation, co-occurrence, and bibliographic coupling techniques and interpreting results through the invisible colleges framework, we trace the field's development, identify its dominant research streams, and integrate them into a coherent conceptual account. The findings reveal a shift from early outcome-focused health and productivity studies toward more differentiated streams addressing employee well-being, cognitive functioning, and productivity-related outcomes. Building on this synthesis, we develop an integrative framework of the employee PA–job performance field, portraying its historical development, underlying theoretical underpinnings, conceptual space, and nomological network and offering guidance for future research at the intersection of employee PA, well-being, cognition, and job performance.
This study examines the impact of market strategies (global growth, differentiation, and cost leadership) and nonmarket strategies (political engagement and social responsibility) on firm performance in Lithuania. Based on survey data from 114 managers analyzed using partial least squares structural equation (PLS-SEM) modeling, a global growth/differentiation strategy has a positive impact on performance, whereas cost leadership does not. Nonmarket strategies positively influence firm performance, with larger firms benefiting more, ostensibly due to greater resource availability and institutional influence. Firm size moderates the relationship between nonmarket strategies and performance, highlighting the importance of tailoring strategies to an organization's specific characteristics. By focusing on firm size as a moderating factor, this study offers a nuanced understanding of how firms in Lithuania adapt strategies to align with evolving institutional frameworks and market dynamics. Managers in transitional and recently transitioned economies should integrate market and nonmarket strategies effectively while tailoring approaches based on organizational size.
This paper studies the importance of shocks to the largest firms on the aggregate output. Using firm-level data on eight European countries (2006--2019), we find that shocks to the largest firms explain an important part of aggregate fluctuations. Our paper brings several novelties. Firstly, in addition to the aggregate level, we extend the analysis of the transmission of firm-level shocks to study the shocks at the sectoral level. Secondly, we provide a novel measurement for demand-side shocks within granularity. We show that idiosyncratic shocks affecting the largest 20 firms can explain almost half of the output volatility, which is consistent with Gabaix (2011). Moreover, demand-side shocks contribute a greater share to this volatility compared to supply-side shocks. Finally, we show that the smaller the sample of the largest firms, the larger the propagation effect of the shocks to GDP. This suggests that a few large firms drive a large part of the aggregate volatility, while volatility of other larger firms balances out on average.
This study investigates the relevance and perception of loyalty programmes (LPs) among Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers in the high-fashion retail sector. While LPs are well-established tools for fostering customer retention, their effectiveness among Gen Z, a cohort characterized by digital fluency, a preference for authenticity, and distinct consumption values, remains underexplored. Given the high-fashion context, where exclusivity and identity are critical, this study examines the extent to which LPs resonate with this generation. Utilizing a qualitative methodology and with the help of thematic analysis, we reveal four key dimensions: drivers of high-fashion consumption, shopping preferences, customer loyalty patterns, and the utilitarian perspective of LPs. Findings reveal that Gen Z consumers prioritize quality and brand identity, favour online channels for convenience, and assess LPs through a pragmatic lens, emphasizing simplicity, transparency, and immediate rewards. Although emotional brand connections exist, they are secondary to tangible benefits. Tiered and experiential rewards are appreciated but rarely drive engagement. The findings suggest that LPs can retain strategic relevance if redesigned to reflect Gen Z's digital behaviours and demand for personalization. The study offers actionable insights for high-fashion retailers aiming to optimize LP design and communication strategies for this emerging consumer segment.
This paper examines how digital marketing is being reshaped by five interrelated tensions: balancing data privacy and personalization; navigating global–local dynamics (including cultural sensitivities and country-of-origin effects); integrating artificial intelligence without losing human connection; ensuring authentic communication to mitigate reputational risks linked to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and ethical storytelling; and responding to shifting consumer preferences, particularly among younger generations. We combine a targeted literature review with semistructured interviews of marketing professionals across industries and seniority levels. Findings portray marketers as “tightrope walkers” who negotiate paradoxes that redefine the function. We propose an integrated framework that synthesizes previously fragmented strands into a coherent structure and reconceptualizes these tensions as structuring logics rather than contextual challenges. We also identify the governance conditions that make them workable in practice—trust-based data ecosystems, context-conditioned glocal capabilities, human-in-the-loop AI, and evidence-bearing ESG communication. Managerially, the framework offers a roadmap to balance agility with coherence, data with empathy, and innovation with trust. Limitations stem from the qualitative, practitioner-focused design; future research should incorporate consumer data, quantitative tests, and cross-industry comparisons to assess boundary conditions and generalizability.
This study investigates the effect of internal control (IC) managers' cumulative career experience on the operational efficiency of Korean listed firms between 2018 and 2020. Building on the premise that managers with extensive experience positively influence ICs and the internal information environment, this study hypothesises that cumulative career experience of an IC manager is also positively associated with a firm's operational efficiency. To empirically assess efficiency, this study applies data envelopment analysis (DEA), a nonparametric technique that evaluates relative efficiency based on multiple input and output measures. The results suggest that IC managers with greater cumulative experience significantly enhance a firm's efficiency. Moreover, this effect is more pronounced in firms operating within weaker accounting information environments, where managerial experience plays a critical role in improving efficiency.
We explore the challenges facing the current academic training of economists in small European countries such as Sweden. The monolithic focus on publishing in the top-five journals, which prioritizes methodological rigor over problem-driven research, is often a threat to social relevance and policy applicability. This limits pluralism, excludes many talented economists, and fails to prepare graduates for nonacademic positions. We propose a two-track model for PhD training and academic evaluation, emphasizing both traditional research and applied economic policy, tailored to the diverse needs of academia, public administration, and business. We also argue for broader evaluation criteria, enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration, and institutional reforms, including trial lectures and specialized research institutes. By diversifying incentives, we recommend a shift towards socially relevant and more inclusive education and practice in the discipline of economics.
This study examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and firm performance, with particular attention to CSR's role as a mitigating mechanism during periods of economic crisis, notably the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a unique hand-collected dataset comprising CSR disclosures from Vietnamese publicly listed firms in the VNR500 index between 2014 and 2021, the analysis employs both accounting-based (return on equity) and market-based (Tobin's Q) performance indicators. The empirical findings indicate a positive association between CSR disclosure and firm performance across both measures. Disaggregated analysis reveals that governance-related disclosures significantly enhance market valuation, whereas the presence of a well-articulated CSR vision and strategic orientation correlates positively with accounting profitability. These results suggest that robust governance frameworks, environmental stewardship, and socially responsible product strategies contribute to superior firm outcomes. Moreover, the study provides empirical support for the conceptualization of CSR as an insurancelike mechanism that mitigates the adverse effects of external shocks-such as the COVID-19 pandemic-by preserving firm value and protecting shareholder interests.
This study examines the role of services trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) in shaping export performance among manufacturing firms participating in global value chains. Using firm-product-destination level panel data for Slovenia (2008-2020), the analysis investigates whether servicification-the growing integration of services into manufacturing-enhances firms' export quality and export volume. The findings reveal that services imports at the destination level significantly enhance export quality, particularly for consumer and intermediate goods, while services exports positively influence export volumes, suggesting strong complementarities between goods and services trade. Outward FDI is a key driver of both higher export quality and volume, while inward FDI has mixed effects, benefiting quality but occasionally reducing export volumes. These results highlight the critical role of services trade and FDI in global value chain upgrading and suggest that policies promoting servicification and strategic international investments can enhance firms' competitiveness in global markets.
This study explores the relationship between disaggregated country risk and foreign portfolio investment (FPI) flows in South Africa, focusing on both the long-run and short-run effects of economic, financial, and political country risk measures on net foreign purchases of shares (NFPS) and net foreign purchases of bonds (NFPB) during the period from 1995 to 2019. We employed autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) models to assess the relationships between the variables. The results indicate that all disaggregated country risk measures have a long-run effect on NFPS and NFPB, and the impacts of these risks are asymmetric. Specifically, low levels of economic risk are associated with a decline in foreign equity flows and an increase in foreign bond investments in the long run, while high levels of economic risk correlate with a rise in both foreign equity and bond investment flows. Conversely, both high and low levels of financial and political risk lead to a decrease in NFPS and NFPB. Notably, financial risk was the only country risk measure found to significantly impact NFPB in the short run. The findings highlight the importance for policymakers to understand these complex relationships in order to implement strategies that foster a mutually beneficial economic, political, and financial climate in South Africa, encouraging FPI while maintaining sovereignty.
The study examines the relationship between the organization–employee relationship (OER), well-being, and work performance of remote workers who were mandated to work from home because of the uncertainties and health risks brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study focuses on the work performance of the employees contributed through positive psychological well-being and positive OERs. A comprehensive nationwide survey was undertaken, involving a sample size of 1289 full-time IT employees in India, with the objective of determining the impact of well-being on individual work performance. Results from the analyses indicate that though the employees with limited experience of work from home found it challenging during the initial stages of the pandemic, the positive OERs positively and significantly affected their well-being and overall work performance by helping them overcome the stress created by the pandemic.
This document analyses the profitability of investments in venture accelerators compared to early-stage venture capital funds. Using a case study of a single fund manager operating both investment types, it tracks the Total Value to Paid-In (TVPI) ratio over 6 years. The early-stage venture capital investments showed a positive trend, exceeding a TVPI of 1, indicating profitability driven by company survival rates, external funding attraction, and growth. Conversely, the accelerator investments underperformed, with a TVPI consistently below 1, suggesting a loss for investors. This raises questions about the long-term viability of the accelerator model, potentially resulting in an L curve rather than the expected J curve of returns. While the accelerator's performance could still improve if the few successful companies significantly outperform the underperforming majority, this reliance on a small number of successes represents an inherently higher risk for investors. Future research should incorporate broader datasets and consider various market dynamics to generalize the findings, utilizing panel data across different geographies and industries.
