This study delves into the intricate correlation between emotional intelligence and employee performance within the dynamic setting of Saudi small and medium enterprises. Acknowledging the increasing importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, this study examines how emotional intelligence influences employee performance, with particular attention to the mediating role of organizational citizenship behavior. Employing a comprehensive research framework, the study integrates quantitative methods to analyze data collected from 248 employees across various Saudi-based small and medium enterprises. The findings indicate that high emotional intelligence enhances employee performance, with organizational citizenship behavior serving as a crucial mediator, strengthening the positive impact of emotional intelligence on performance. The results demonstrated a robust positive correlation with organizational citizenship behavior (β = 0.719***) and a moderate positive correlation with employee performance (β = 0.314***). In addition, organizational citizenship behavior played a significant positive mediating role between employee intelligence and employee performance (β = 0.397***). This suggests a nuanced interplay among emotional intelligence, organizational citizenship behavior, and overall employee performance within the specific context of Saudi small and medium enterprises. Acknowledgment The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at Northern Border University, Arar, KSA, for funding this research work through project number NBU-FFR- 1502-03.

This study aims to investigate factors impacting work engagement and individual performance of teachers. The survey-based quantitative approach was used. The sample comprised 455 teachers working in lower and upper secondary education institutions in Lithuania. The findings show that work engagement is a full mediator of the relationship between managerial support (β = 0.319), organizational support (β = 0.432), control (β = 0.374), colleague support (β = 0.456), work pressure (β = –.587), and task performance as the effect of work engagement on task performance is significant (β = 0.229). Furthermore, the analysis demonstrates that remote work moderates the relationships between managerial support (β = 0.560***), organizational support (β = 0.332**), colleague support (β = 0.234*), work pressure (β = 0.456***), control (β = 0.443**), and work engagement. Finally, remote work moderates the relationships between managerial support (β = 0.453***), organizational support (β = 0.332*), colleague support (β = 0.441*), work pressure (β = 0.456***), control (β = 0.444**), and task performance. These insights are valuable to school principals, as they provide a deeper understanding of the factors that determine the task performance of teachers. Remote work requires more job resources to increase engagement and task performance. School principals should focus on increasing engagement through feedback and consultations, psychological safety and development opportunities, and contributing to the individual job performance of teachers. The study supplements the JD-R model with remote work perceived as a contextual factor and thus extends the scientific debate on the application of this model in the teaching occupation.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are crucial in economic growth and industrial diversification. Despite their importance, SMEs encounter challenges of intense competition, global market penetration, and rapid technological advancements. This study explores the factors affecting SME performance, focusing on entrepreneurial competence, leadership, and intention. A survey was conducted involving 400 SME respondents in East Java, Indonesia. The data were analyzed using a quantitative approach and the PLS-SEM method. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial competence and intention significantly influence entrepreneurial resilience and SME performance. Specifically, entrepreneurial competence has a path coefficient of 0.348 on entrepreneurial resilience and 0.567 on SME performance, both significant with p-value < 0.05. Entrepreneurial intention has a path coefficient of 0.649 on entrepreneurial resilience and –0.722 on SME performance, both significant with p-value < 0.05. These results highlight the necessity of enhancing entrepreneurial competencies and intentions to boost SMEs’ resilience and performance. Entrepreneurs and policymakers should focus on training and development programs to reinforce these competencies and intentions, thereby promoting an environment that supports innovation and prudent risk-taking.

Lean management is a way to satisfy the increasing customer demands while maintaining production efficiency. This paper aims to map and analyze the level of use of lean management methods in the manufacturing industry in the Czech Republic. It searched for links and dependencies between company size, production type, and lean management methods in operational processes. The data were obtained from a nationwide survey within the manufacturing industry companies and were presented using descriptive statistics. A structured questionnaire was sent to 469 manufacturing companies with a return rate of 18.8%. Nonparametric statistical analysis (Fisher’s exact test) was used to confirm or reject the hypotheses. The research results confirmed the dependence of lean management methods on company size and production type. Lean management methods are used mainly by large enterprises, while micro- and small enterprises rarely employ them. Considering production typology, lean management is applied in serial production, and Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) prevails. The most used techniques in mass production include the method of order in the workplace (5S) and Kaizen. The findings suggest that the future of industrial output should focus on sustainability and rationalization of production resources, which is offered by the synergy of lean management and Industry 5.0. AcknowledgmentThis paper is co-financed by IGA/FLKR/2023/002 Rationalization and Sustainability of Resources in Production-Logistics Processes the Czech Republic and RVO/FLKŘ/2024/01 Logistic Systems Safety.

Income inequality has been a major issue in South Africa. The 1994 transition from apartheid to democracy and global economic integration presented opportunities and challenges, fostering economic development while exacerbating existing inequalities. Therefore, this study aims to analyze how globalization affects income inequality in the South African economy. It utilizes the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach on a set of chosen variables. These variables include the Gini index, the Konjunkturforschungsstelle (KOF) globalization index, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, unemployment rate, inflation rate, and government expenditure. The study covers the period from 1980 to 2022, allowing for a comprehensive examination of the relationship between globalization and income inequality over time. The results obtained from the ARDL bounds test indicate that globalization has a positive long-run equilibrium relationship with income inequality. This means that as globalization progresses, it tends to be associated with higher levels of income inequality. In the short run, globalization exhibits a positive and statistically significant relationship with income inequality. The results of the Granger causality test indicate a unidirectional relationship between globalization and income inequality. This suggests that changes in globalization directly influence income inequality. Consequently, it is crucial to implement short- and long-term policies that address the adverse effects of globalization on income distribution. Policies could include providing support and retraining for workers in vulnerable industries, implementing social safety nets to protect those adversely affected by rapid economic changes, and ensuring equitable access to opportunities created by globalization.

High-quality information support for modern high-tech enterprises in any country is of undeniable relevance. An open, accessible, and fair, transparent economy creates an atmosphere of trust in which people easily perceive transparency, fairness, and efficiency of economic management. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of a transparent economy on the investment environment, innovation, competitive advantage, government regulation, and the formation of corporate social responsibility in the modern business environment on the example of high-tech enterprises in China. This study uses a multiple linear regression model to analyze the impact of a transparent economy on high-tech enterprises. The research sources included the CSMAR database, China’s stock market and accounting research, China’s economic and financial research database, CRSP, COMPUSTAT, and others, and financial statements of selected high-tech companies. Sustainable development, R&D and innovation, investor relations, social responsibility, and market competitiveness are identified as key aspects of the relationship between a transparent economy and high-tech enterprises. The study confirmed a positive correlation between a transparent economy and the efficiency of resource allocation of high-tech enterprises, the innovation capabilities of high-tech enterprises, the market competitiveness of high-tech enterprises, and the efficiency of state supervision of high-tech enterprises.

New technology-based firms (NTBFs) invent, develop, and commercialize original technologies whose research, development, and commercial success is highly uncertain and risky. Their growth is lengthy and often insufficient, but investors’ growth expectations are high. The study aims to determine factors and circumstances that affect the growth of new technology-based firms. The source of knowledge is a personal experience from a guided interview with the founder, which is recorded in the questionnaire. The research sample includes 67 NTBFs doing business in Slovakia. The respondents’ statements were analyzed using critical discourse analysis (CDA) with the support of artificial intelligence. The results are the factors that influence the business performance of the investigated companies. The performance of companies that show a long-term loss is affected by very limited access to financial resources, restrictive regulations, and a lack of qualified employees. The performance of companies that show a long-term profit is influenced by favorable access to external capital, effective management of human resources, optimization of internal processes, and improvement of marketing. The order of the identified factors expresses their importance in the thematic group. The secondary results are the accompanying circumstances of the growth of the investigated companies, namely the reasons for the establishment of NTBF and entry into business, commercialization of new technology, and cooperation with investors and banks. The combination of limited access to finance and a lack of qualified human resources creates a complex set of obstacles to the business performance of NTBFs. AcknowledgmentThis work was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic and Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA) under the grant “Accelerating the growth of innovative enterprises - scaling up scale-ups and new technology-based firms (NTBFs)”, number 1/0006/22.

Employee performance is one of the main drivers for company development. However, there is an emergence of quiet quitting behavior, which many Generation Z workers experience. This behavior is detrimental to the company because it affects employee performance. The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of perceptions of career development opportunities, job insecurity, and awareness of intelligent technology on quiet quitting and its correlation with work performance, especially in Generation Z in Jakarta, Indonesia. This paper adopts an explanatory research design to elucidate the causal relationships between these variables using quantitative methods. Stratified random sampling was used to ensure representative data. Questionnaires were distributed to 289 hotel employees in Jakarta, capturing diverse perspectives across various job roles and departments. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS. The results showed a significant negative relationship between perceived career development opportunities and quiet quitting behavior. A positive and significant relationship exists between job insecurity and quiet quitting behavior. The study identifies a positive correlation between awareness of smart technology and quiet quitting behavior. Additionally, the paper reveals a significant negative relationship between quiet quitting behavior and employee performance. Perceived career development opportunities significantly reduce quiet quitting behavior, while job insecurity and awareness of smart technology increase it. Quiet quitting behavior, in turn, significantly negatively impacts employee performance. Organizations can develop targeted strategies to reduce this behavior by understanding the factors influencing quiet quitting.

The russian aggression against Ukraine underscores the need to reassess regional strategies for digitalization and inclusivity. The study aims to identify strategies for enhancing these areas during wartime. Taxonomy and cluster and factor analysis methods have shown that regions with a higher level of digitalization have lower levels of poverty and unemployment. Specifically, regions in the top quartile of the digitalization index reported, on average, 12% lower unemployment rates compared to those in the bottom quartile. The analysis identifies distinct regional groupings: areas such as Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk are partially occupied and exhibiting low digitalization and inclusivity, in contrast with Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad that show moderate progress. Rural regions face a significant digital divide, with only 60% of rural households having stable internet access compared to 90% in urban areas. Factor analysis confirms that wartime conditions have accelerated digital transformation, evidenced by a 42% increase in Diia app usage from 2021 to 2023 and a rise in internet penetration from 62% in 2019 to 78% in 2023. Additionally, IT sector export revenues grew by 20% in 2022, and technology startups doubled between 2019 and 2023. The study proposes a strategic framework for regional adaptation: intensive digitalization and inclusivity for Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions; digitalization for Mykolaiv region; inclusivity for Kirovohrad and Zakarpattia regions; and balanced adaptation for Chernivtsi and Khmelnytskyi regions. Recommended measures include modernizing digital infrastructure, expanding educational opportunities, supporting startups, and aligning digital and social initiatives to foster regional resilience and development.