ABSTRACT This study examines the factors influencing citizens' valuation of democracy in a transitioning African economy, using Ghana as a case study. Recognizing that family ties, friendships, and ethnic bonds uniquely characterize social capital formation in Africa, we draw on social capital theory as a backdrop to examine how networks, norms, and trust influence attitudes toward democracy and general elections, as well as their connection to the attractiveness of foreign direct investment (FDI). Based on three surveys, six dimensions emerged: (a) personal gratification and the virtue of politics, (b) fulfillment of financial responsibility, (c) democratic virtues, (d) influence of family and friends, (e) country image and FDI, and (f) political anxiety. The study ranks and interprets these dimensions, revealing that democratic virtues and country image are the most salient. These findings advance understanding of democratic consolidation and offer practical implications for political marketing, policy design, and international business in Africa.
Environmental pressures and competitive uncertainty increasingly require firms in emerging markets to translate sustainability‐oriented leadership into tangible competitive value. Drawing on the resource‐based view, this study examines how eco‐centric leadership influences competitive advantage through radical innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR), while considering organizational resilience as a boundary condition. Survey data from respondents in Pakistan's food manufacturing sector were analyzed using a hybrid partial least squares structural equation modeling–artificial neural network (PLS‐SEM–ANN) approach. The results reveal that eco‐centric leadership has a significant negative direct association with competitive advantage, whereas its indirect effects through radical innovation and CSR are positive and significant, indicating competitive or inconsistent mediation. Radical innovation emerges as the stronger mediating mechanism and the most important predictor of competitive advantage in the ANN analysis. Organizational resilience strengthens the positive relationship between radical innovation and competitive advantage but slightly weakens the CSR–competitive advantage relationship; both moderation effects are small. The study extends the resource‐based view by showing that eco‐centric leadership generates competitive value primarily through organizational resource‐conversion mechanisms rather than leadership orientation alone. For managers in emerging‐market firms, the findings highlight the strategic importance of translating environmental leadership priorities into innovation and responsible organizational practices while treating resilience as a complementary capability.
ABSTRACT Business incubators (BIs) play a crucial role in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth by nurturing early‐stage startups. Tier‐2 cities have recently emerged as potential startup destinations in India, but the dynamics of their ecosystem and the effectiveness of incubation have not been thoroughly studied. The study is based on a survey of entrepreneurs and managers from Tier‐2 cities in India, where an initial 447 responses were collected, and after data screening and validation, 375 valid responses were retained for final analysis. This study is necessitated by the fact that there is an unequal allocation of resources and opportunities between metropolitan and non‐metropolitan areas. Tier‐1 cities are highly visible and attract a lot of investment, whereas Tier‐2 cities are not visible, even though they exhibit increasing entrepreneurial activity. To address this development gap and guide regional policy‐making, it is important to understand the role of incubation in startup growth in these cities. Survey results show that access to mentoring, funding networks, infrastructure, and training programs influences startup sustainability and scalability considerably. The three‐year survival rate for incubator‐related startups showed a 37% increase, which demonstrated that incubation support had a strong connection to startup business operations. Further, the quality of incubators, institutional relationships, and local support systems was found to be key differentiators. Research results show that Tier‐2 ecosystems are enabled by tailored incubation models, policy support, and collaborative platforms. By enhancing incubators in such cities, innovation can be decentralized, local jobs can be generated, and balanced development of regions can be achieved.
ABSTRACT Research on post‐merger integration typically assumes that acquirers enter with baseline legitimacy and authority, a condition that rarely holds in emerging‐economy firm (EEF) acquisitions of developed‐economy firms (DEFs). Country‐of‐origin stereotypes and institutional distance generate credibility deficits that shape how employees evaluate acquirer leadership. Re‐centering the Ohio State dimensions of initiating structure and consideration, this paper develops a configurational framework of early PMI under fragile legitimacy. We theorize that a structure‐first stance sends credible competence signals to skeptical employees, while early relational gestures are read as impression management. Three propositions develop this argument: structure‐first leadership outperforms alternatives under fragile acquirer legitimacy, with the advantage amplified by power distance gaps and formal institutional distance. The paper contributes a credibility‐first account of early integration leadership, an explanation of why relational leadership backfires under fragile legitimacy, and an explanation of how Structure simultaneously coordinates tasks and signals institutional conformity to skeptical employees.
ABSTRACT This article advances the understanding of employee performance by unraveling the relationship between high‐performance human resource management practices (HPHRMP) and employee performance. Data were obtained from 510 bank employees across 25 banks operating in Jordan. A sequential mediation model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with bootstrapping. An initial model assessed the pattern of associations for the complete bundle of HPHRMP. Subsequently, separate SEM models evaluate the associations for each individual practice. The findings partially support the hypothesized positive relationship between HPHRMP and employee performance, with continuance commitment and readiness for change operating as intermediate variables. However, the results reveal that in certain developing contexts, some HPHRMP may be perceived as unsupportive, triggering adverse social exchange mechanisms that undermine employee performance. The performed analysis yields valuable insights into how individual practices and practice bundles are associated with employee performance, continuance commitment, and readiness for change in the studied context, while also considering the intermediate role of readiness for change and continuance commitment. From a theoretical perspective, this study extends the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework and social exchange theory in explaining the outcomes of HPHRMP, suggesting that some inconsistencies in prior AMO‐based findings may be attributable to contextual contingencies. The use of side‐bet theory to understand the relationship between HPHRMP, continuance commitment, and employee performance is another theoretical contribution of this work, while from a practical standpoint, the results indicate that when managers face uncertainty regarding integrative versus additive approaches, implementing a comprehensive bundle of practices is not necessarily optimal.
