Since the 1990s, the faculty of U.S. colleges and universities has shifted from a workforce dominated by full-time tenured and tenure-track positions to one in which contingent appointments predominate. According to the American Association of University Professors, contingent faculty grew from about 47 percent of the national workforce in 1987 to roughly two-thirds by 2021 (AAUP, 2023). Business schools faced the same pressures, including cost constraints, a shortage of doctorally qualified faculty, ranking competition, and revised accreditation standards, but they responded differently. Drawing on two decades of faculty data from 180 AACSB-accredited business schools and a subsample of 54 schools at AAU institutions, this paper finds that business schools retained a substantially larger tenured core than higher education as a whole. By 2021-2022, non-tenured faculty accounted for about 26 percent of the total in the full sample and about 36 percent at the research-intensive AAU schools, while taking on growing roles in governance, curriculum, and industry engagement. We argue that the resulting portfolio of tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and lecturer faculty is a deliberate strategic response to market and accreditation forces. Tenured faculty sustain research, doctoral education, and leadership; clinical and applied-research faculty bridge academia and industry and anchor experiential learning. Managed deliberately, this balance strengthens business education rather than signaling its decline.
Based on a study by Tajhya (supervised by Varis), this article examines the utility of the Burke-Litwin model for evaluating R&D processes in international industrial technology organizations. It addresses the challenges in aligning strategic intent with daily R&D operations, proposing that understanding this alignment improves organizational efficiency amidst complex internal and external pressures (Kaplan & Norton, 2008; Tidd & Bessant, 2021).
This study investigates how and under what conditions leadership styles generate organisational resilience and performance in indigenous oil and gas firms, theorising organisational culture as the mediating mechanism and psychological safety climate as the boundary condition that determines whether leadership's cultural influence is genuinely embedded or symbolically enacted. A convergent mixed-methods design integrated PLS-SEM analysis of 350 survey responses across 12 Nigerian indigenous oil and gas firms with thematic analysis of four focus group discussions involving 33 purposively selected participants. Moderated mediation was examined at three conditional levels of psychological safety climate using bias-corrected bootstrapping. Leadership styles directly predict organisational performance but not resilience. Organisational culture fully mediates the leadership–resilience relationship and partially mediates the leadership–performance relationship, revealing an asymmetric mediation structure. Psychological safety climate significantly moderates both culture-mediated pathways, with stronger indirect effects observed under high safety conditions. Leaders in high-risk, hierarchically structured environments must recognise that compliance-oriented management sustains short-term performance while simultaneously undermining the adaptive cultural conditions resilience demands. Psychological safety is an operational priority, not a cultural aspiration. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no prior study has applied a moderated mediation framework to explore the conditional, culture-mediated pathways linking leadership styles to firm-level resilience and performance in the oil and gas sector, making this the first such investigation in Nigeria's indigenous operator context.
The dynamics of society is enabled, in large part, through an efficient matching between people who have money to lend and people who have a need to borrow. Fair loans serve both the lender and the borrower. This task is handled today mostly via traditional banks. They offer various plans to depositors from whence they serve borrowers. Proposing to replace such rigidity with cyberspace-rooted dynamic ad-hoc global matching of lenders and borrowers. Uniquely here we build a chain of lenders to support a single borrower. Lenders will post a proposition to lend a given amount of money for a stated duration for a set interest rate. Borrowers will post a request to borrow a desired amount of money, for a specified duration, and for which they are ready to pay a stated interest. A virtual digital bank (VDB) will match all the posts, negotiate terms as necessary, and move the money -- everyone benefits. Distributed Digital Lending, DDL, applies to macro, long terms loans, as well as to micro. very short terms loans. DDL efficiency will ensure that all money at rest will be money in growth, and the full global lending capacity will be put to good service through the exact loans borrowers want. DDL is hinged in digital transactions which are immediate, irrevocable, and private, per regulatory allowance. The matching is optimized with AI tools. BitMint*LeVeL is the design standard coin for DDL, but other digital money options will do too.
In the context of accelerating digital transformation in global healthcare systems, telemedicine and, in particular, telemonitoring are emerging as pivotal tools for promoting equitable access to care. This study presents a comprehensive literature review that explores how telemonitoring services can be leveraged to advance Digital Health Equity (DHE), particularly for underserved and marginalized populations. The review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed literature in the domains of implementation science, health informatics and organizational management, identifying key factors that influence successful adoption of telemonitoring. These factors include digital literacy, infrastructure readiness, ethical governance and socio-technical alignment. The findings emphasize that while telemedicine offers considerable potential in enhancing healthcare delivery, its impact on equity is contingent upon addressing disparities in digital access, trust in technology, and health system responsiveness. The review also highlights the role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks in embedding sustainability and accountability into telehealth strategies. The study concludes by proposing a conceptual foundation for healthcare organizations to co-design inclusive and resilient telemonitoring models that align with long-term public health and digital equity goals.
In today’s turbulent business environment, manufacturing firms face persistent challenges ranging from regulatory pressures and global competition to supply-chain fragility and post-pandemic disruptions. These dynamics often result in organizational decline, manifested in reduced profitability, weakened competitiveness, and operational inefficiencies. Corporate turnaround strategies have therefore become critical in reversing such decline and restoring firm performance. While much of the existing literature explores turnaround strategies, limited attention has been paid to the mediating role of leadership particularly CEO characteristics within emerging economy contexts such as Kenya. This study undertakes a systematic review of theoretical and empirical literature to examine how CEO attributes shape the effectiveness of turnaround strategies in manufacturing firms. Drawing on the Resource-Based View and Upper Echelons Theory, the paper conceptualizes CEO characteristics as tenure, educational background, age, gender, and nationality as pivotal mediators influencing the link between strategic interventions and firm outcomes. Turnaround strategies are operationalized through four dimensions: financial restructuring, strategic repositioning, market refocusing, and organizational reconfiguration. Firm performance is assessed across financial, operational, and innovation-based indicators such as return on investment, product quality, market growth, and competitiveness. Findings highlight that while turnaround strategies provide a pathway for recovery, their success is significantly contingent upon the strategic vision, decision-making capacity, and adaptability of CEOs. Case illustrations from the Kenyan manufacturing sector, such as Mumias Sugar, Eveready East Africa, and Bidco Africa, demonstrate how leadership stability, experience, and foresight can either hinder or accelerate organizational recovery. By proposing a theoretical framework that positions CEO characteristics as mediating variables, this study advances understanding of the interplay between leadership and strategy in turbulent environments. The paper contributes to strategic management scholarship and offers practical insights for policymakers and industry leaders seeking to revitalize Kenya’s manufacturing sector in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). Future empirical research is recommended to validate and refine the proposed model across diverse contexts.
Chatbot has become an innovation for business to connect with customers. People can communicate with technology devices in the same way they would with real people through Chatbots. Traditional Chatbots typically depend on already programmed principles and replies, while AI (artificial intelligence) Chatbots comprehend and dynamically respond to user inquiries utilizing natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). Chatbots powered by AI have an increased requirement to communicate with customers in a fast and effective way. People can communicate with technology devices like they were speaking to a real person, which are software programs that simulate human conversation which can be texts or speeches. Many criteria quantitative criteria, including frequently asked questions (FAQs), security, brands, improving efficiency, and enhancing engagement, etc., and quantitative criteria, including cost, bot analytics built-in templates and customer relationship management (CRM), etc., need to be considered when evaluating AI Chatbots for companies to enhance customer service. Moreover, criteria may have different importance. Therefore, evaluating AI Chatbots is a MCDM (multiple criteria decision making) problem. Many companies do not know how to select the most suitable one to serve their customers. To address this issue, the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), one of MCDM approaches, is used to evaluate AI Chatbots; and criteria weights will be produced by applying BWM (Best Worse Method). A numerical example will be used to present feasibility of the used method, and a comparison will be conducted to display its effectiveness.
Sustainability disclosure has become a central component of corporate governance, yet it remains an area marked by ambiguity, uneven standards and growing institutional pressure. Firms are increasingly required to provide information that is complete, credible and defensible, but internal capabilities often lag behind expanding regulatory and stakeholder expectations. This misalignment creates a structural tension in which sustainability disclosure becomes a strategic act shaped by uncertainty, managerial interpretation and institutional dynamics.Drawing on institutional theory, legitimacy theory and research on corporate transparency, this article develops a conceptual framework to explain why and when organizations distort sustainability disclosure through overstatement or understatement. The analysis identifies three structural drivers of distortion—regulatory uncertainty, heterogeneous stakeholder scrutiny and gaps in internal reporting capabilities—and examines how managerial sensemaking influences whether disclosure is interpreted as an opportunity or a risk. The European Union serves as an illustrative case to show how dense and evolving regulation can heighten, rather than reduce, interpretive ambiguity.By offering a clearer understanding of the mechanisms behind sustainability disclosure distortion, the article contributes to strategic management research in two ways. First, it clarifies the institutional and organizational dynamics that shape sustainability reporting. Second, it identifies the conditions under which firms are more likely to produce balanced, credible and auditable sustainability disclosure. In a context where the demand for transparency is rising, understanding these dynamics is essential for sustaining legitimacy and improving the quality of sustainability information.
In the context of intelligent technology, the study aims to examine the influence of employees’ anti-fragility on perceived insider status and employee engagement, and explore the mediating role of perceived insider status. Employees in the hotel and tourism industry were investigated by random sampling, and 526 valid questionnaires were analyzed with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between variables. The findings manifested that employees’ anti-fragility made a positive effect on perceived insider status and work engagement. Apart from the direct effect on work engagement, perceived insider status also mediated in the relationship between anti-fragility and work engagement. The study may advance the understanding of anti-fragility by empirically examining its impact on perceived insider status and employee engagement, and promote organizational innovation and market adaptability.
This study uses Knowledge Sharing (KSH), Knowledge Documentation (KDC), Knowledge Creation (KCR), and Knowledge Application (KAP) to examine how AI Trust (ATR) affects Employee Innovative Behavior (EIB). The main goal is to examine AI Trust's direct and indirect effects on creativity and Career Resilience (CRL)'s moderating role. The study employed a standardized questionnaire to collect data from IT staff in China, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. This study uses quantitative research. Data analysis was done using SMART PLS 4.0 on 678 replies. ATR directly and indirectly affects EIB through knowledge management strategies. CRL moderates ATR and Innovation, strengthening it. The study emphasizes the importance of knowledge management and ATR in organizations to foster innovation. This research could help organizations foster creativity using artificial intelligence. These findings may potentially affect managers and politicians trying to boost employee creativity and responsiveness to technology.
As the “new generation” enters the workplace, concerns about work attitudes increase, especially with artificial intelligence (AI) emerging as a disruptive force in the labor market. We explore the influence of AI trust on innovation performance, focusing on the mediating effects of anti-fragility and knowledge sharing, as well as the moderating role of organizational identity. Our findings indicate that AI trust significantly positively affects innovation performance. This effect is partially mediated by anti-fragility and knowledge sharing, and these mediations are moderated by organizational identity. The study enhances understanding of the mechanisms and boundary conditions linking the new generation’s AI trust to innovation performance, offering valuable insights for enterprises aiming to foster innovation.
The main purpose of the study is to empirically assess the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) dimensions (self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, and relationship management) on each individual Job Satisfaction (JS) dimension (working conditions, supervision, co-workers, job security and pay and promotion) of administrative staff members at a public Egyptian university. The study considers EI as a multidimensional variable and investigates the impact of these dimensions on the JS dimensions. The study was conducted in a public university in Cairo, Egypt. The data was collected using questionnaires distributed to administrative staff members. The sample includes 361 responses. The results showed that there is a partial influence of the independent variable (EI dimensions) on the dependent variable (JS dimensions). The theoretical and practical implications of the study, the limitations and future research opportunities are also listed.
To inspire others, leaders must be visionary, communicate effectively, and possess the ability to motivate, as their actions influence employees' intrinsic motivation. Individuals driven by intrinsic factors find motivation in enjoyment or challenges rather than external rewards, pressure, or products. In contrast, narcissistic leaders perceive themselves as flawless and attribute their success solely to their own efforts, exhibiting traits such as arrogance, extreme self-love, unshakeable confidence, and hostility. n =218 employees were included in this study, in which the mediating role of Job Autonomy (JA) and Development Culture (DC) variables in the Paternalistic Leadership (PL) vs. Narcissistic Leadership (NL) and Intrinsic Motivation (IM) was investigated. The data obtained from volunteer participants from non-profit organisations in Istanbul were analysed by structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that PL positively and significantly affects IM through mediating variables, while NL significantly and negatively affects IM through these factors.
Understanding how individuals respond to infectious exposure and how symptom patterns evolve over time is critical for developing effective long-term management strategies. This study examines data from northern China to analyze symptom variation and the risk of chronic progression associated with delayed response. We apply data-driven models to explore how individual characteristics—such as occupation, age, and gender—are associated with different symptom profiles and long-term outcomes. Our findings suggest that individuals engaged in agriculture, animal handling, and related sectors are significantly less likely to experience high-fever symptoms. Additionally, younger individuals and females tend to exhibit higher peak body temperatures during acute phases. Importantly, delays in response management correlate strongly with an increased likelihood of long-term complications, while general supportive actions—even without specific identification of the underlying cause—can help mitigate chronic progression. These insights contribute to more effective planning, resource prioritization, and decision-making for better strategic management of complex symptom-based conditions.
According to many studies and sources, strategy execution/implementation is much more difficult than strategy selection and 60-70% of selected strategies fail (Beer, M. and Nohria, N, 2000; Bruch, H., et al. 2005; Worley, C. G. and Lawler III, E. E., 2006). Strategy execution and implementation are used as synonyms in this article.Therefore, ensuring and monitoring the implementation of the chosen strategies is one of the most important tasks for the boards of organizations. The information in this article is based both on Dr. Keijo Varis' more than 20 years of experience in strategic planning and strategy implementation in Finnish industrial companies and on 10 years of experience as an MBA trainer, and international research in the field. Dr. Varis spoke on this topic at the India Institute of Directors Global Conference in London on 14th November 2024 (Photo below).
The purpose of this paper is to analyse how a SME owner manager utilised the LinkedIn social media platform to create strategic growth for a new high technology firm in the business-to-business market. The primary research draws on a series of in-depth phenomenological interviews carried out with the owner manager. Findings, when viewed in the context of the owner managers local logic of action and the related opportunity focus, indicate that LinkedIn can provide a valuable conduit for the development of strategic growth opportunities in an SME. Interview analysis details a series of successful routes to growth that could provide the basis for analysis and action for similar firms, in similar situations. In terms of originality, the social media honeycomb construct is deployed as a theoretical and practical device, through which to structure and explore key issues. These include the importance of individual subjectivity in strategy making, a firm’s use of resources, and its growth in terms of the adoption and use of social media, in a dynamic product and market setting. Findings will be of value to other researchers interested in the areas of SME strategy, social media and the use of phenomenology as a research tool.
This article examines the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based on a survey of 803 SMEs in the Government of Mont-Lebanon. The statistical findings provide insights into the extent to which survey participants embrace a CSR approach, while also emphasizing the positive impact of CSR practices on motivation, commitment, loyalty, productivity, and the inclusion of stakeholders in the company. This investigation sheds light on the relationship between CSR and social performance, which encompasses factors such as the well-being of employees from different backgrounds and the conduct of managers and executives towards their subordinates. Social performance can be evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively, underscoring the advantages of adopting a responsible approach for companies.
Companies rely on their knowledge of how their clients and customers will react in response to actions taken to run their businesses. What drives consumers to make their choices is a question that revolves around knowing the behavior of consumers and how their behaviors can be utilized to work best with the goals of the company. Price is one of the many factors that play a key role in the purchase decision. This study is designed to determine price sensitivity regarding luxury vs non-luxury products. For this study, shoes and water were used as product lines and subtle vs obvious price increases as the variable. Fielding two questionnaires to obtain both non-comparative and relative data, the objective was to perform research to see what causes consumers to buy the more expensive brand for identical or similar versions of the same product. This study provides insights into consumer behavior and price sensitivity in the presence and absence of a luxury/non-luxury competitor and across high and low involvement categories. It demonstrated that luxury brands can retain consumer willingness to buy with price increases. Price sensitivity and the threshold at which consumers will switch from a non-luxury product to a luxury product could be affected by the price point of the product category. This study strives to understand the effects of price variation in luxury versus non-luxury products on consumer decision making. It is important to know the threshold of price that drives consumers to make the purchase decisions that they do.
Economic Diplomacy between Ethiopia and China: A Focus on Infrastructure Development" explores the intricate dynamics of the economic partnership between Ethiopia and China, specifically emphasizing infrastructure development. This comprehensive analysis examines the alignment of Chinese government policies with Ethiopia's development goals, evaluates key infrastructure agreements and projects supported by China, and assesses the impact of Chinese government involvement on bilateral relations and economic diplomacy.Evidence of strategic alignment between Chinese government policies and Ethiopia's development objectives is observed across sectors such as infrastructure, industrialization, and poverty alleviation. Notable projects like the Eastern Industry Zone, Hawassa Industrial Park, and the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway illustrate coordinated efforts to advance Ethiopia's industrialization agenda and bolster connectivity and regional trade.Moreover, the article delves into broader implications of the partnership, extending beyond individual projects to encompass comprehensive collaboration in transportation, energy, and industrial zones. It underscores China's significant influence and expertise in these sectors, facilitating Ethiopia's emergence as a regional trade hub and alignment with its geopolitical and economic aspirations.Methodologically, the research employs a qualitative approach involving purposive sampling and thematic analysis of primary and secondary data sources. Primary data sources include interviews and discussions with key stakeholders, while secondary sources encompass policy documents, agreements, and scholarly literature. Thematic analysis is utilized to identify recurring themes and patterns, providing insights into the motivations and implications of Chinese involvement in Ethiopian infrastructure development.In conclusion, the study highlights the transformative potential of infrastructure development in enhancing diplomatic relations and projecting economic influence. China's contributions exemplify the evolving landscape of international economic diplomacy, shaping collaborative narratives in the 21st century. The rigorous qualitative methodology employed strengthens the credibility and reliability of the findings, offering deeper insights into the nuances of economic diplomacy between Ethiopia and China.
This article undertakes a comprehensive exploration of the historical evolution of diplomacy in African countries within the Western context, scrutinizing traditional practices, post-colonial transformations, and the enduring impact of milestones like the struggle against apartheid. While diplomacy in this context is vital for international cooperation, economic partnerships, and the projection of national interests, there persist gaps in understanding the determinants shaping diplomats' qualities.The study addresses these gaps by thoroughly examining cultural factors, the impact of educational qualifications, the role of professional experience, and the influence of political challenges on diplomatic effectiveness. Through qualitative methodologies, including purposive sampling and thematic analysis, the research strategically selects cases aligned with the specific focus on diplomatic qualities, ensuring relevance and depth in exploring the nuances of diplomatic effectiveness.Secondary sources, such as academic literature, historical documents, and theoretical frameworks, play a crucial role, contributing to a comprehensive exploration of the subject matter. The combination of purposive sampling and thematic analysis, supported by secondary sources, enhances the robustness of the research design, facilitating a nuanced investigation into the determinants shaping diplomatic effectiveness.The determinants of diplomatic qualities, explored through cultural factors, educational background, and professional experience, offer a holistic understanding of how African diplomats navigate international diplomacy successfully. The study's findings contribute to a robust foundation for policymakers and practitioners to enhance diplomatic strategies, training programs, and educational curricula, ensuring the continued effectiveness of African diplomats in the Western context. Overall, this research provides valuable insights that can inform diplomatic practices, training initiatives, and educational approaches to meet the evolving demands of the African-Western diplomatic landscape.
