Editorial

Abstract

In the previous editorial, I observed that articles in GBOE used a wide range of research methodologies. In what is my last editorial before Professor Weng Marc Lim takes over as Editor-in-Chief, I must again comment on the journal's methodological diversity; the current issue contains research using novel text mining techniques as well as more conventional questionnaire-based data sources. To begin, Soman Sajid, Natalia Volkova, Joseph Ato Wilson, and Emmanuel Opoku-Asante examine how data from crowdsourcing platforms can be used to attract and retain high-caliber employees. In “Using text mining and crowdsourcing platforms to build employer brand in the US banking industry” (https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22153) they argue that employee reviews on such sites can be leveraged to yield insights into an employer's key value propositions. Using text mining techniques, such as topic modeling and sentiment analysis, they analyzed 11,000 reviews on the crowdsourcing platform Indeed.com to identify the factors that attract employees for the US banking industry. The article highlights areas for future research and the managerial and theoretical implications of this approach. Following this, in “Soft TQM, agility, and knowledge management deliver organizational performance: A study of Malaysian manufacturing organizations in the electrical and electronics sector” (https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22155) Eu Chin Ong and Cheng Ling Tan look at how organizational performance can be improved through soft TQM, agility, and knowledge management. Using data from 87 electrical and electronics manufacturers in Malaysia, they showed that soft TQM alone had no significant link with organizational performance. However, when mediated by knowledge management, the relationship with organizational performance became more significant. This link was further strengthened when both agility and knowledge management were considered. The study highlights several important factors in the implementation of soft TQM, agile practices, and knowledge management. In “The role of status consumption and brand equity: A comparative study of the marketing of Indian luxury brands by traditional and social-media” (https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22156), Rehan Husain, Amna Ahmad, and Bilal Mustafa Khan undertake a comparative analysis of the marketing of luxury brands through social and traditional media. Based on 453 responses to a questionnaire distributed among followers of luxury brands in four of India's largest cities, they show that status consumption and brand equity positively influence purchase intention, and that this effect is more significant in social media than in traditional marketing. The article provides a model of how status consumption and brand equity are linked to purchase intention, and draws several managerial and theoretical inferences. Finally, Ankita Sahoo, Nelvin Leow Xechung, Md. Imtiaz Mostafiz, and Jayaraman Krishnaswamy examine the factors that influence expatriate performance during the COVID outbreak. In “Perceived risk and sensitivity and their influence on expatriate performance during the COVID-19 pandemic” (https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22152) they examine the mediating effects of perceived risk and sensitivity on the relationship between expatriate support mechanisms and performance. Using data from 114 expatriates living and working in Malaysia, they show that host country support influences performance through expatriate engagement, while perceived risk and sensitivity moderate the relationship between organizational and host-country support. They argue that organizations need to be more prepared in terms of potential risks, and develop intervention programs to mitigate the negative outcomes of the pandemic. And so, after 13 years with GBOE, initially as an Associate Editor, and later as Editor-in-Chief, all that remains is for me to wish Professor Weng Marc Lim every success as GBOE's new Editor-in-Chief.