Does Machiavellian leadership of HODs hinder university teachers’ creativity? A moderated mediation model

Machiavellian leadership, an emerging form of toxic leadership, has been noticed to have serious negative effects on organizations. Thus, expanding the literature on dark styles of leadership, this study specifically examines the mechanism via which Machiavellian leadership of departmental heads (HODs) may hinder university teachers’ creativity by considering the mediating effect of teachers’ enterprising tendency. Furthermore, the study considers leader-member exchange (LMX) as a moderator that buffers the dysfunctional effects of Machiavellian leadership. A dual-source data was collected from 303 teachers and 32 HODs of two leading universities in Islamabad. Findings from statistical analyses confirm that the Machiavellian leadership–creativity relationship is mediated by teachers enterprising tendency. Also, the Machiavellian leadership and enterprising tendency relationship is moderated by LMX, such that the relationship is more evident under higher levels of LMX. In total, this study’s findings expand the understanding regarding why, when and how Machiavellian leadership may hinder employees’ creativity.

Barriers to innovation: experience of Ecuadorian small and medium entreprises

The innovation barriers to small and medium-sized enterprises affect their innovative process and influence their company development. In this empirical work, we analyze the cost, market, and knowledge barriers that impede or delay the development of innovative activities and projects in Ecuadorian SMEs. A logit estimation model uses fixed-effects panel data on a sample of 5,205 SMEs during the period from 2009–2014. The results show that small and young companies are more vulnerable to the perceived barriers of cost and knowledge. This is mainly due to high innovation costs and a lack of skilled staff that restricts organizational growth and market competitiveness.

Brand ambassador and customer patronage of FMCGs: mediating effect of advertisement believability

The market for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) in the Nigerian food and beverage industry has been inundated with a massive amount of promotional messages. These messages have resulted from intense competition and rivalry among the organizations that market similar products. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a brand ambassador on the patronage of FMCGs. Furthermore, we explore the mediating role of advertisement believability in the relationship between the variables. We use a questionnaire to elicit information from 400 respondents who are members of households in the metropolitan area of Kano that consumed Peak milk. Partial least square algorithms and bootstrapping techniques served as the tools of analysis with the aid of SMART-PLS 3. Our findings indicate that a brand ambassador has an insignificant direct effect on customer patronage and that advertisement believability has no mediating effect on the influence of a brand ambassador on customer patronage. The study recommends that managers of FMCGs should use a hybrid model of a brand ambassador and believable advertising to elicit the desired patronage from their target customers. Further, they should de-emphasis the supposed role of advertisement believability as a mediating factor on the influence of a brand ambassador on customer patronage.

Analysis of product mix, capacity release and utilities

The objective of the article is to present the design and application of a technique based on the Cost - Volume - Benefit method, in order to have economic - financial information of the right mix of products that allows achieving the expected results of the organization in a negotiation process. The proposed analysis has the usual components of the Cost - Volume - Benefit method, namely unit price, unit variable cost, operating expenses and financial expenses. The technique consists of ten steps that will lead to create as many scenarios as necessary in which the mix of products, the installed capacity and the profits of the organization will be evaluated, the ultimate goal of the same. These steps, through the formulations that allow their application, will explain the way to achieve the desired profits or the point of balance with a certain composition of products. The application is made in a small business consisting of a machining workshop. The results obtained show that the proposed technique allows the achievement of the stated objective, in the case that occupies a level of desired utilities. This research provides an economic-financial perspective so that entrepreneurs have the information required to prepare the negotiation processes and can make the most pertinent decisions in order to achieve the expected results.

Knowledge donating and hiding as an organizational basis for intersectoral collaboration: a review of the literature

The present article presents a literature review on the relationship between knowledge donating and hiding strategies as an organizational basis for intersectoral collaboration. The literature finds that sharing or hiding behavior is a question of individual motivation, which can affect the collaboration process among individuals in a public or private organization. An understanding of this motivation can help organizations to transform their management strategies, thus improving internal and inter-organizational collaboration processes. The review identified various strategies— motivational, social, and national cultural—that are considered to influence individual and group creative capacity and, in turn, on social and technological innovation, the creation of competitive advantage within an organization, and the development of social responsibility policies. The results indicate a lack of consensus regarding motivations, as well as a limited depth of knowledge regarding the behavioral strategies involved in knowledge hiding.

Barriers and opportunities for the transition to a circular economy. A case study of Chilean cooperatives

The linear use–consumption–waste production model does not make allowances for resource limitation or loss, or the associated pollution. The concept of the circular economy (CE) emerged as an alternative to this model. In recent times, the CE has awoken considerable interest and discussion among academics, enterprises, and governments given its connection with sustainable development and its potential impact on the economic, social, and environmental levels. At present there is no precise and established definition of the CE as a concept, and though this new paradigm could proffer a host of benefits for the organizations who integrate it into their business model, it might also bring about difficulties or challenges. The main aim of this study is to identify barriers and opportunities for the transition to the CE based on a case study of cooperatives in Chile. The study employs the qualitative methodology of social discourse analysis, complemented by a literature review and interviews with CE experts. Five categories were constructed to guide the interviews and subsequent analysis: (i) knowledge, (ii) technological, (iii) structural, (iv) operational, and (v) financial. A total of ten interviews were conducted across the three specific cases selected. The data analysis was conducted using Atlas TI8 software. The results obtained for each case study point to gaps and opportunities in the five categories, and, more generally, in the legal and cultural spheres.

A sustainable tourism model for Buenaventura, Colombia

The purpose of the study is to propose a sustainable tourism model for Buenaventura, Colombia. This city is considered Colombia’s main port in the Pacific, and boasts a wealth of biodiversity and nature reserves. This study seeks to address the development shortfall facing sustainable tourism in Buenaventura, which is related to a lack of facilities and deficient road access to tourist sites. Moreover, public policy does not establish guidelines for the development of tourism. In the absence of human capital with specialized training, learning is carried out empirically. A descriptive-exploratory method was used, which enables triangulation in the processing of primary and secondary information.

Consumer perceptions of B corporations, purpose-driven brands and cause-related marketing campaigns: Knowledge, acceptance and appreciation at the time of purchase

For the Argentine case, studies that identify increasing implementation of three major CSR triple-impact strategies—B corporations, purpose-driven brands and marketing, and cause-related marketing—focus predominantly on supply. The present study seeks to identify consumer perceptions of these three triple-impact strategies in terms of recognition, knowledge, appreciation, and prioritization at the time of the purchase in the Argentine market. A quantitative investigation was carried out, based on a nationwide panel of 400 citizens. The results show that a majority of participants do not recognize the concepts of purpose-driven brands or the concept of B corporations. Many express difficulties in identifying such initiatives due to disinterest, ignorance, and/or lack of availability/exposure. In addition, there were non-significant differences in terms of generations, socioeconomic level, and sex. On the other hand, almost half of the panel has some familiarity with cause-related marketing campaigns, given the association with NGOs to which participating companies may donate or fund-raise. The results, particularly the limited overall recognition of these concepts, has management implications in a context of recession and spending restrictions.

The role of responsible management in job satisfaction and performance within banking firms

In recent years the need for responsible management of financial institutions, in terms of organizational commitment to supporting society and strategies for sustainable economic development, has become increasingly pressing. The aim of this article is to determine the influence that management has on job satisfaction and performance at banking firms based in northeast Mexico. The primary data were obtained using an instrument applied to management-level employees of public and private banking firms in the cities of Ensenada and Tijuana in Baja California; and Hermosillo, Guaymas, Ciudad Obregón, and Navojoa in Sonora. The statistical technique of linear regression modeling was used to analyze and validate the results, with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25. The results show that managerial commitment is a key factor in the organizational performance of responsible banking. Thus, the greater the management responsibility for socially responsible actions, the stronger the positive influence on employees’ job satisfaction in the sector. It was also found that the banks are generally well predisposed to corporate social responsibility, and that commitment has a positive and significant relationship with the performance of these institutions.

Factors that contribute to corporate volunteering: Articulating theory with the practice of companies

Corporate Volunteering (CV) has grown in recent years, looming largely on the agenda of many companies and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) both internationally and in Uruguay. The objective of this article is to identify the organizational factors that contribute to the management and development of CV and to analyze the articulation between, on the one hand, the theory underpinning the guides published by organizations that promote CV, and on the other, the practices of Uruguayan companies, in order to determine the relevance of the latter as inspiring models of good practice for other companies. To this end, on the one hand, an exhaustive review of CV and CSR guides from Europe and America was carried out, and then a sample of ten guides was selected for thus study; and on the other, a comparative analysis was carried out of four case studies of Uruguay-based companies: Pronto!, Carle & Andrioli, Telefónica, and Sabre. The methodological design entailed a mixed approach for the analysis of the companies and exploration of secondary information sources, with documentary analysis for the CV guides dimension. Among the main organizational factors identified are: the development of strategic CV, the support of leadership and management, CV integrating and promoting the organizational culture of the company, the promotion of volunteer participation, adequate implementation of internal and external communication, inclusion of other stakeholders, and synergy between CV and CSR.