Purpose This study aims to synthesize the current state of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) research in Vietnam, a rapidly growing economy with unique cultural and institutional characteristics. This study examines methodologies, theoretical frameworks, antecedents, outcomes and gaps in EO research to provide insights for researchers, policymakers and practitioners. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) method was used to collect 36 empirical studies focusing on entrepreneurial orientation research in Vietnam between 2011 and 2025. These studies were analyzed using content analysis to assess research methods, measurement tools, theoretical frameworks and key findings. Findings The review reveals that quantitative methods are predominant, with no studies using qualitative or mixed methods approaches in the sample. Resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory are the most frequently used theoretical frameworks. Firm-level EO research dominates, while individual-level antecedents, such as leadership traits, are underexplored. EO has a positive impact on firm performance, innovation and internationalization, although contextual and moderating factors can influence these outcomes. Key gaps include the lack of qualitative studies and limited examinations of barriers to EO. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first comprehensive SLR of EO research in Vietnam, providing critical insights into the methodological and theoretical gaps. It highlights the contextual uniqueness of Vietnam and its implications for EO frameworks, offering avenues for future research.

Purpose This study aims to determine the performance of women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) relative to male-led SMEs in the context of European peripheral and Nordic countries, concerning sales, employment, productivity, investment, export intensity and innovation. Design/methodology/approach We conduct an empirical analysis using an instrumental variable (IV) and a quantile IV quantile regression approach to analyze data drawn from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) database. Findings The authors find that the performance of women-led SMEs relative to male-led SMEs is better in innovation and equal in other dimensions; in Nordic Countries, it is equal; and in peripheral countries, it is higher in innovation and investment but worse in sales and productivity growth, mainly in median-performing firms; in non-exporting SMEs, it is worse in sales and employment growth and better in investment and innovation; and in exporting SMEs with the highest employment growth rates, it is worse in this dimension. Research limitations/implications Policymakers interested in reducing gender gaps should support CEOs by investing in policies designed to actively support female entrepreneurs, especially if they are in domestic firms (e.g. mentorship, networking and partnership programs; export coaching). Originality/value The paper innovates by focusing on different measures of firm performance and considering the importance of socio-cultural factors as performance determinants. The value of this novel approach is confirmed by the results, which clearly show that SME’s performance cannot be extrapolated from single indicators alone and is strongly affected by contextual factors.

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of innovation in driving financial performance in innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), distinguishing between female-led and non-female-led firms. It aims to examine which combination of R&D investment, qualified human capital and intellectual property rights contributes to higher profitability, and whether gender influences this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the study analyses a sample of 2,635 Italian innovative SMEs over a ten-year period (2013–2022). This approach allows for the identification of different innovation pathways that lead to high financial performance, considering both female-led and non-female-led SMEs. Findings Results highlight that R&D and highly qualified teams are more critical predictors of profitability than legal protection mechanisms. While female-led SMEs exhibit higher levels of innovation-related resources, the study finds no substantial differences in the specific innovation strategies leading to financial success between female-led and non-female-led SMEs. Moreover, when access to and control over resources is equitable, the impact of innovative practices on profitability appears to be gender-neutral. Originality/value This study contributes to the academic debate on innovation in SMEs. By integrating a gender perspective, it advances the understanding of innovation-driven financial performance in these firms and suggests a gender-neutral dimension of innovation. The findings provide empirical insights into the key innovation pathways for high-performing SMEs, offering valuable implications for managers and policymakers aiming to foster innovation, gender equality and competitiveness.

Purpose The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to a public health and economic crisis. Therefore, many countries implemented furlough policies, but the impact of these policies on employees and organizations has not been adequately investigated. This study aims to analyze the relationship between job insecurity and organizational trust, mediated by psychological contract breach (PCB) and moderated by perceived organizational support (POS) through the lens of both Conservation of Resources Theory and Social Exchange Theory. Design/methodology/approach The study uses an online survey conducted over two chronological waves, involving 122 furloughed employees and 134 continuing employees. Findings PCB is found to fully mediate the relationship between job insecurity and organizational trust, while POS does not serve as a moderator. The mediation path was significantly stronger for the furloughed employees. The authors also find significant differences in the levels of PCB, perceived job insecurity, POS and organizational trust between furloughed employees and those who continued to work. Originality/value This study discovers that PCB can act as a mediator between job insecurity and organizational trust during times of crisis. The study findings provide insight into the employee–employer relationship in the distinct context of furlough policy.

Purpose This study aims to introduce the concept of the “non-green triple threat” to examine the antecedents and outcomes of employees’ non-green behavioral intentions using the theory of planned behavior. Design/methodology/approach A multi-group analysis of structural equation modeling based on partial least squares was applied to data from manufacturing employees in Iran, Italy and India. Findings Non-green attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control significantly predicted non-green behavioral intention. This intention, in turn, positively influenced non-green behavior, knowledge sharing and work engagement. Furthermore, national culture moderated certain relationships. Originality/value By incorporating non-green employee behaviors, this research provides a broader view of how environmental attitudes, norms and control perceptions shape harmful environmental outcomes.

Purpose What determines the takeover premium in mergers and acquisitions? In practice, target valuation and negotiating takeover premiums are silent and finalized in secret. A vast literature has examined several aspects of mergers over the past century, though there is scant research on the pre-acquisition stage, that is, negotiations and target pricing. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that affect the premium amount in merger and acquisition (M&A) negotiations. Design/methodology/approach This is a theoretical conceptual development paper on behavioral aspects of the negotiation strategy in mergers and acquisitions. The authors address the above important practical question by leveraging insights from the behavioral strategy and corporate finance literature. Findings Building upon the interplay logic between asymmetric information and resource dependence, the authors explore how managerial cognition, that is, anchoring perspective and prior acquisition experience, guide the focal bidder in gaining relative bargaining power, thereby determining a better takeover price for the focal target. This two-by-two decision matrix leads us to propose a bargaining power theory of takeover premium, including four types of premium decisions under different situations. The authors discuss them in single versus competitive bids, as well as in domestic versus cross-border M&A contests. Research limitations/implications This paper builds important theoretical foundations and recommends avenues for future research. Practical implications This paper recommends implications for managers in the corporate context, particularly top-level management and M&A advisors. Originality/value This paper is a unique attempt toward building a new perspective of bargaining power theory in M&A contests under the umbrella of the market for corporate control.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the negative pathway by which supervisor ostracism affects employee silence and causes conflicts by using the psychological contract theory. The study develops and tests an integrated model consisting of supervisor ostracism, role conflict, relational conflict, task conflict, emotional fatigue and employee silence. This study also provides a comprehensive understanding of the framework considering the relationship between supervisor ostracism and employee silence. Design/methodology/approach A purposive sampling technique and self-administered questionnaires were used in this study of 303 public sector personnel. This study uses the Mplus software, the data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings According to the results, supervisor ostracism has a strong impact on employee silence. This effect is mediated progressively by role, task and relational conflict, as well as fatigue. According to the findings, organizations should prioritize addressing supervisor ostracism to build a healthy work environment that promotes employee well-being and encourages employee voice. Originality/value This study’s novelty comes from its analysis of the sequential mediation of role, task and relational conflict, as well as emotional fatigue, in the relationship between supervisor ostracism and employee silence. The study’s findings add to the body of literature concerning management development (supervisors), conflict handling and employees’ attitudes and behaviors by offering a thorough grasp of the detrimental effects of supervisor ostracism on employee silence as well as useful recommendations for businesses looking to promote productive workplaces.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of clinical participation (i.e. physician directors and nurse directors) on patient experience in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals and, separately, in the NHS trusts and foundation trusts. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, the authors use an OLS estimator fitted with a fixed-effects model for panel data for a sample of English NHS hospitals from 2014 to 2018. Findings The results show that physician directors and nurse directors have no relationship with NHS hospitals’ patient experience. After splitting the sample, the results remain the same for the NHS foundation trusts. For the NHS trusts, the results report that physician directors are positively and significantly associated with patient experience, while nurse directors have no relationship. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine the association between clinician directors and patient experience. Overall, this paper contributes to the existing literature, especially in the context of public hospitals.

Purpose Innovation ecosystems have received attention in both theory and practice. While their connection with open innovation (OI) is well-established, little is known about how this relationship develops over time. Adopting a lifecycle perspective, the purpose of this paper is to offer a processual understanding of how OI mechanisms contribute to value creation and capture across distinct evolving stages of innovation ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach This theoretical essay is grounded in conceptual approaches of OI and innovation ecosystems, proposing dynamic relationships between them from an evolutionary lens. Findings A theoretical framework is proposed to illustrate the evolving role of OI throughout an ecosystem’s lifecycle. Grounded in processual ontology, this essay presents a twofold theoretical contribution. First, this study explains how OI enacts value creation and capture throughout the lifecycle stages of an ecosystem. Second, the mechanisms of an innovation ecosystem are unraveled, demonstrating that, at each stage, outbound and coupled OI practices (e.g. knowledge and technology flows) evolve in parallel with the relationships among actors, thereby facilitating value creation and capture processes. Originality/value This study offers a novel contribution by revealing the dynamic change and evolution of OI mechanisms through the lifecycle stages of ecosystems. The framework advances process theorizing and provides a practical tool to support quadruple helix actors in ecosystem orchestration. Overall, this essay opens new avenues for research on the temporal dynamics of OI in ecosystems.

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of supervisor incivility on employees’ attitudes and behaviors in the hospitality industry. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study proposes that supervisor incivility leads to emotional exhaustion and quiet quitting among hotel employees as a coping mechanism. Furthermore, resilience enables employees to cope with exhaustion differently, which will subsequently reflect in their intentions to quit. Design/methodology/approach Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling, this study tests the unique model on a sample of 273 hotel employees from the USA and the UK. Findings The study’s findings, which reveal that supervisor incivility is not positively associated with intentions to quit, are significant. The results assert that emotional exhaustion and quiet quitting serially mediate the relationship between supervisor incivility and intentions to quit. Furthermore, the moderation effect of resilience on the relationship between emotional exhaustion and quiet quitting is a critical finding that sheds light on the complex dynamics at play. Practical implications This study contributes to both theoretical and managerial understanding, providing actionable insights. It suggests interventions for organizations to maintain a civil work environment, empowering them to address and mitigate the adverse effects of supervisor incivility on employees’ attitudes and behaviors. Originality/value This study makes a unique and significant contribution to the existing literature on supervisor incivility, emotional exhaustion, quiet quitting, resilience and intentions to quit. This study provides a fresh perspective and valuable insights by advancing our understanding of these complex dynamics.