The mediating effect of sustainability strategy between sustainability committees and business performance: can persistent assessment condition this effect?

Purpose This study aims to analyse the role of persistence in the assessments carried out by sustainability agencies in the interaction between sustainability committee characteristics, sustainability strategies and performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors accessed a sample of European sustainable multinational and transnational companies (EMNs) for the period 2008–2017 from RobecoSAM universe. Using a set of simultaneous equation models, the authors test the effect of the sustainability committee on sustainability performance considering the sustainability strategy as a mediating element. Moreover, the authors analysed if the persistent assessment of sustainability agencies conditions the previous interaction. Findings Persistence of the sustainability assessment performed by an external agency is necessary to support the sustainability strategy and the sustainability committee, legitimating an organization in its institutional context. Practical implications This study provides practitioners with relevant insights into the identification of the sustainability strategy followed by an EMN and the effects associated with it can be useful for social and economic agents in decision-making processes. Social implications A persistent assessment could be a signal over time of the evolution of organizations, reinforcing the monitoring mechanisms. It is a stimulus to EMNs as they obtain both an indicator of their levels of performance and public recognition. Originality/value The lack of similarity in the levels of sustainable performance observed among companies can be explained by the persistence, which is an omitted variable in previous studies.

Circular Business Model Innovation and Its Relationship With Business Performance in Brazilian Industrial Chemical Companies

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between circular business model innovation and business performance in Brazilian industrial chemical companies. This is a quantitative study carried out through a survey with Brazilian industrial companies. Based on a homogeneity analysis (Homals), the results showed that the high degree of innovation in business models from the adoption of circular economy (CE) strategies in the analyzed companies confirms that a significant change leads to superior performance, especially in market, production, economic and financial, and social.

Role of Credit Access Program on the Performance of Women Owned MSES Incubated at KIRDI

Women owned Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) are a source of employment and wealth creation in most of the world economies and Kenya not an exemption. However, the survival rate of the women owned MSEs is minimal. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the role of credit access program on the performance of women owned MSEs which have been incubated at KIRDI. The study was a survey study design. The target population was 259 MSE women entrepreneurs who have graduated from KIRDI business incubation programs. The researcher did a census since it was appropriate for this study and used questionnaires to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The study analyzed data using descriptive and inferential statistics through Correlation and regression of variables. Results were reported through tables and figures. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to aid analysis of data. Data was analyzed and presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between credit access program and performance of women owned MSEs incubated by KIRDI (β=0.348, p=0.000). The study concluded that business incubation support programs simplified into incubator training and development, business development services, credit access program and technology absorption positively and significantly influenced the performance of women owned MSEs incubated at KIRDI in Nairobi. The study recommends that the government should consider looking towards setting a single window to manage business incubators all over the country and to coordinate the activities of all institutions and companies that are in the process of incubating new businesses. Keywords: Credit access, Women owned MSEs, Business performance, Business incubation, KIRDI

Does Innovative Millennial Entrepreneurship have a role in fostering cyber learning on business performance? A perspective of entrepreneurial agility

Millennials have the uniqueness of active learners and work with freedom. Millennials are the first generation to put the fun in work-life. Social media is a strategic instrument in Cyber Learning (CL) in work-life and lifestyle. Learning on Business Performance (BP) in many studies has an insignificant effect and is still inconclusive. The purpose of this study is to offer Innovative Millennial Entrepreneurship (IME), which will be tested empirically in its role in pushing CL to BP significantly. Data collection was carried out by employing a purposive sampling method on 159 millennials who hold owner/manager positions in business organizations. Data analysis used a quantitative approach with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The empirical results in the model provide evidence that IME fully mediates, becoming a bridge that strongly fosters the role of CL (β = 0.83) on BP (β = 0.42) and Marketing Capability (MC) through Agile Teamwork (AT) provides an excellent total effect when compared with the direct effect between CL (β = 1.01) and BP (β = 0.79). In the Entrepreneurial Agility perspective, IME and MC through AT have encouraged millennials CL to be converted into better performance through opportunity foresight, systemic insight, and entrepreneurial mindset.

Technological achievement in the food industry in Malaysia

Issues pertaining to food sustainability have long been debated in developing countries. Food sustainability practices benefit the environment, societies and economies, yet in Malaysia food production and management are still lagging in sustainability practices. The food industry needs to explore new methods in food production because of population increase, peoples’ lifestyle, demand for healthy foods, and environmental concerns. For this reason, this review paper discussed technological achievements in the food industry to help food producers improve production. It is crucial for Malaysia to ensure sustainability in food production technology in the 12th Economic Planning Unit (EPU) projection for 2021-2025. The EPU aims to restructure and empower the existing industry. This paper discussed the food technology sub-sector focusing on agriculture and livestock in Malaysia. This focus hopes to boost existing government strategies and improve food producers’ business performance following the EPU. Here, this paper highlights the government’s involvement in technology application to help farmers’ access affordable technology via research assistance from the government.

Green Capabilities Mediate the Effect of Green Supply Chain Management Practices on Farmers Business Performance and Vegetable Non-Pesticide (Study on “Lestari” Women Farmer Group in Bantul Regency)

The purpose of this research to find out and analyze the influence of Green Supply Chain Management consisting of Green Policy, Green Purchasing, and Green Packaging on Business Performance consisting of Environmental Performance and Economic Performance through Green Capabilities on non-pesticide fruit and vegetable farmers. The sampling technique used is the census method with a total of 60 respondents. Respondents in this study were all members of the KWT (Kelompok Wanita Tani/ Women Farmer Group) “Lestari” in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta. The type of research conducted is survey research. The data analysis technique in this study was divided into descriptive analysis and quantitative analysis using Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis with the help of the SmartPLS 3.2.9 program. The results of this study indicate that Green Policy and Green Packaging have a significant positive effect on Business Performance; Green Purchasing has a significant negative effect on Business Performance; Green Policy and Green Purchasing have a significant positive effect on Green Capabilities; Green Packaging has a significant negative effect on Green Capabilities; and Green Policy and Green Purchasing have a significant positive effect on Business Performance through Green Capabilities.

Acknowledging Sustainable Performance from the Global Crisis of COVID-19 in the Context of Bangladesh

Internationally, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a public health extremity due to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus named COVID-19 in January 2020. It has been over a year since the globe was imprisoned by COVID-19, despite discovering numerous vaccines to combat the virus’s innumerable versions. With this aim, this research has organized around three themes to achieve this goal. Firstly, to explain the scenario of the influence of COVID-19 on the sustainable performance (environmental, social, and economic) of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) industry. There has been a dramatic increase in the application of sustainable performance over recent decades, but less attention paid to developing countries, especially Bangladesh. Secondly, general online survey research has been conducted from July-August 2021 to empirically evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the RMG industries of Bangladesh. Thirdly, the study has provided recommendations to overcome any pandemic to maintain sustainable business performance. According to the survey results, 55.9% of participants assume there will be a loss in revenue and sales volume, while 44.4 percent are concerned about employee health and an increase in waste (using PPE, gloves, masks, and so on) in the industries during COVID-19 pandemic as well as 52.8% of employees anticipate that, Bangladesh’s loss of position against Vietnam is due to an ineffective sustainable business system. However, this pandemic has proved that business organizations should be more conscious in dealing with uncertain environments while sustainable performance can be a strategic solution.

The Impact of Digital Transformation on Performance: Evidence from Vietnamese Commercial Banks

The role of digital transformation in creating value for commercial banks has been interesting to researchers for a long time. While many commercial banks have significantly investigated digital transformation, researchers and managers have still met many difficulties examining the distribution of digital transformation to business performance. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of digital transformation on Vietnamese commercial banks’ performance by different sizes, from there proposing policy implications of digital transformation to improve the banking performance. To achieve this goal, we used a quantitative research method. Specifically, we applied the GMM system (SGMM) of Blundell and Bond for the data of 13 joint-stock commercial banks in Vietnam in the period from 2011 to 2019. Then Bayesian analysis is performed to test the robustness of the models estimated by the SGMM method. The result shows that the digital transformation has a positive impact on the performance of Vietnamese commercial banks. Besides, we also find that the larger the banks, the greater the positive impact of digital transformation on bank performance. Therefore, the efficiency of digital transformation depends on a bank scale.

Supply chain risk management in the COVID-19 pandemic: strategies and empirical lessons for improving global logistics service providers’ performance

PurposeThe enormous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic showcases the key role of supply chain risk management (SCRM) in achieving and maintaining business performance, competitiveness and survival in the “new normal”. The purpose of this paper is to explore what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had and may yet have on supply chains (SCs), which SCRM approaches have proved successful and how logistics service providers (LSPs) have applied the knowledge they have gained to improve their SCRM practices and resilience so as to prepare better for the next major disruption.Design/methodology/approachThis paper combines an extensive literature review with a multiple-case study of 10 internationally operating LSPs and how they have handled the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. To bridge the research-practice gap, this study draws on the dynamic-capabilities view and provide insights that are valuable to both academia and practice.FindingsThis study provides empirical evidence on the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on SCs, which has posed several challenges to LSPs. The study identifies eight factors that are critical to the adaptive capabilities of LSPs and, therefore, to their resilience in extreme conditions. The findings of this study show that these factors determine whether an SCRM system is robust and agile enough to allow an LSP to anticipate potential disruption and to respond fast enough when disruption occurs. Specifically, this study finds that robustness and agility demonstrably strengthen business performance, while learning from experience proves key to reconfiguring an SCRM design in response to acute disruption.Originality/valueThis paper is among the first to provide rich, empirical and practically applicable insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business in relation to SCRM. These novel insights offer inspiring opportunities for further research.

The Role of TQM Practice in Improving Business Performance’s Pharmaceutical Industry in Indonesia

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the role of Total Quality Management (TQM) on business performance in various dimensions. This study proposes a conceptual model that intends to study several research hypotheses. The data were obtained through an online questionnaire, sent to pharmaceutical companies manufactured generic products in Indonesia. The study was conducted based on responses received from 168 valid questionnaires, and it was used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses. Furthermore, we use both of reflective and formative construct with second order/higher order construct in our model of study which is rarely found in the previous study. This research analyzed the dimensions studied in different aspects. TQM variable consists of seven practice, namely management commitment, supplier quality, employee involvement, leadership management, customer orientation, continuous improvement and quality management system, and with respect to business performance, this variable was analyzed through four different perspectives, namely, financial, customer, internal business process and learning & growth. The findings indicate that companies adopt total quality management get improvement in their business performance. Leadership management has greater effect on the successful of TQM practice compared to other TQM dimensions. This study also provides a particular contribution for the companies and expect to be used as feedback related to the execution of their TQM implementation to improve their business performance. Keywords— Balanced Scorecard; Business Performance; Pharmaceutical Industry; Total Quality Management