Perceptions Of Top Management Research Articles

The impact of corporate reputation and social media engagement on the sustainability of SMEs: Perceptions of top managers and the owners

Research background: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a fundamental role in countries’ economies. Currently, entrepreneurs are struggling not only with the uncertainty of the business environment, but also with high expectations for businesses to be run in a sustainable way. Therefore, the impact of corporate reputation and social media on sustainability is an area of interest for entrepreneurs. In this context, little research has been conducted on their perception of the linkage between these issues. Furthermore, there has been no direct explanation of the effects of SMEs’ reputation and social media usage on their sustainable development, especially in the V4 countries. Purpose of the article: This article defines, quantifies, and verifies the effects of corporate reputation and social media on sustainable development as perceived by SMEs’ owners and top managers in the V4 countries. Methods: Data were gathered in December 2022 and January 2023 using the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) method. The survey was designed based on a literature review and experts’ opinions. Respondents (top managers of SMEs, n = 1090) were asked questions on their firms’ characteristics, reputation, social media usage and sustainable development. The linear regression modelling (LRM) was utilised to evaluate the hypothesis. Findings & value added: The study revealed a strong relationship between owners’ and top managers’ perceptions of the importance of both corporate reputation and sustainable development in SMEs. The belief that social media supports the growth of companies’ performance is related to the understanding of the concept of sustainable business development. Surprisingly, for the owners and top managers of SMEs in V4 countries, there was no relationship between the awareness of social media usage to share information with customers and partners and the understanding of sustainable business growth.

SME Top Management Perception of Environmental Uncertainty and Gender Differences during COVID-19

Environmental scanning has become increasingly crucial for an organisation’s existence and a matter of interest for scholars and professionals. This research presents an outline of the situation in the field of multidimensional environmental scanning, focusing on Slovenian micro, small and medium sized organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the paper aims to examine if top managers perceive the multidimensional (external) environment as uncertain and if there have been gender differences in multidimensional (external) environmental uncertainty perception during the COVID-19 pandemic. We researched the field of ecological, social, technological, economic, and political–legal environments. The nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test and descriptive statistics were used to test the research hypotheses. The results show that top managers are not aware enough of multidimensional environmental uncertainty. They do not perceive the ecological and social environment as unpredictable at all. Among the studied environments, they perceive the political–legal environment as most unpredictable. There are no statistically significant gender differences in perceptions of ecological, social, technological, economic, and political–legal environmental uncertainty. We suggest SME top managers pay more attention to environmental uncertainty and use environmental scanning methods to achieve more sustainable development.

Informing cybersecurity strategic commitment through top management perceptions: The role of institutional pressures

Given the financial consequences of security breaches, security risk management has gained more attention in board rooms and garnered more involvement from top management. We undertake a study to understand the top managers’ role in cybersecurity strategy, specifically with cyberinsurance. This study draws from institutional and upper echelons theories to explain how top managers’ values and perceptions mediate the impact of external institutional pressures on the commitment to use cyberinsurance as a risk management strategy. We empirically test proposed hypotheses using data collected from executive-level managers of various firms and perform semi-structured interviews of six case sites as post hoc analysis. The results suggest that institutional pressures positively affect top managers’ perceptions of job security, breach risk, financial risk, transaction cost, and regulatory oversight. In turn, these perceptions influence their commitment to cyberinsurance. We find that values and perceptions of personal relevance have a significant impact on their strategic decisions. The findings emphasize the critical role that top management plays in mediating the influence of institutional pressures on cybersecurity strategy. Implications for research and practice, along with limitations and future directions, are discussed.

How Perceptions of Top Management’s Bottom-line Mentality affect Incivility, Service Performance, Unethical Behavior towards customers: The Role of Mental Preoccupation, and Self-Interest Cognitions, complemented by Consciousness, Leader Empathy, Organizational Politics, Individualism, and Masculinity

How Perceptions of Top Management’s Bottom-line Mentality affect Incivility, Service Performance, Unethical Behavior towards customers: The Role of Mental Preoccupation, and Self-Interest Cognitions, complemented by Consciousness, Leader Empathy, Organizational Politics, Individualism, and Masculinity

WITHDRAWN: SWOT analysis of medical educationists’ preparations to make their university a regional medical education hub: A qualitative study

Abstract Objective This study aimed to analyse medical educationists' perceptions of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to their university's efforts to become a regional hub in medical education. Materials and methods In this qualitative study, we employed a strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of medical educators to gather data. Focus group discussion (FGD) was utilised to gather data about the participants’ evaluations of the current situation in the four quadrants of the SWOT matrix. Nine medical educators participated in this study. The data obtained from educators at the Universiti Sains Malaysia were clustered by theme in each of the four categories of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Results The average age of the participants was 34 years, with an average length of service of seven years. The positive factors influencing the respondents in this study included high motivation and interest on the part of lecturers, interest in writing, a strong medical background, experience in clinical practice and management, good health, postgraduate medical education, and the presence of international students on campus. The negative factors affecting the respondents included personal challenges, lack of experience, and the absence of PhDs. Additionally, support from family, capable support staff, positive perceptions of top management regarding the medical education department, and the availability of research and grant opportunities were identified as positive factors affecting the respondents. Finally, we noticed financial issues and inadequate facilities as possible areas of improvement for the medical education department discussed in our study. Conclusion Based on our findings, we can report a generally positive outlook regarding medical educators’ efforts to establish the Universiti Sains Malaysia as a medical education hub in the near future.

Moral Burden of Bottom-Line Pursuits: How and When Perceptions of Top Management Bottom-Line Mentality Inhibit Supervisors’ Ethical Leadership Practices

Drawing on theoretical work on humans’ adaptive capacity, we propose that supervisors’ perception of top management’s high bottom-line mentality (BLM) has a dysfunctional effect on their ethical leadership practices. Specifically, we suggest that these perceptions hinder supervisors’ empathy, which eventuates in less ethical leadership practices. We also investigate, in a first-stage moderated mediation model, how supervisors high in trait mindfulness are resistant to the ill effects of perceptions of top management’s high BLM. Supervisors high (versus low) in this trait are less likely to respond to perceptions of top management’s high BLM with reduced empathy that then hinders ethical leadership. Results from a multi-wave, multi-source sample of working adults from the Chinese high technology industry provide general support for our theoretical model. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Empirical evidence of the suitability of IFRS in emerging markets

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the suitability of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in emerging markets such as Qatar. The current research attempts to obtain insights into the advantages and disadvantages of IFRS implementation in Qatar based on the perceptions of top management, academics in accounting and external auditors.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was the main tool used in this research. A total of 120 questionnaires were distributed to financial managers, academics and external auditors. Of the 97 replies (80 per cent), 91 completed questionnaires were analysed.FindingsThe results suggest that IFRS implementation is suitable for the business environment of Qatar because the adoption of IFRS provides many advantages to the Qatari business environment, regulations and stock market without incurring additional major costs. Moreover, IFRS imposes no major constraints on the business environment or Islamic social responsibility and education in Qatar.Practical implicationsThe results of this research paper will help regulators in Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries develop accounting regulations.Originality/valueThis paper provides empirical evidence of the suitability of IFRS in emerging markets in general and the GCC region in particular and enhances the level of understanding of IFRS worldwide.

A business frame perspective on why perceptions of top management's bottom‐line mentality result in employees’ good and bad behaviors

AbstractEmerging research suggests that bottom‐line mentalities (BLMs) (i.e., a sole focus on bottom‐line outcomes to the exclusion of other considerations) can have dysfunctional consequences within the workplace. However, research has yet to consider how and why BLMs may result in both beneficial and dysfunctional organizational outcomes. In the present research, we examine employees’ perceptions of top management's BLM as a type of business frame that results in two cognitive states. Under the influence of this business frame, employees may adopt a mental preoccupation with work (i.e., a state of ongoing work‐related cognitions) that propels beneficial employee outcomes by reducing customer incivility and enhancing customer service performance. Yet, also in response to top management's high BLM as a business frame, employees may adopt self‐interest cognitions (i.e., a cognitive state of self‐interest) that instigate customer‐directed unethical conduct. Across two field studies, we found general support for our hypotheses. Taken together, our findings suggest that perceptions of top management's high BLM can be a mixed blessing in that it may drive employees to adopt focused work efforts (mental preoccupation with work), but also self‐interest cognitions, with each cognitive state predicting beneficial or dysfunctional behaviors. We discuss the implications of these findings and directions for future research.

Corporate governance, ethics, internal controls and compliance with IFRS

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between corporate governance, ethical culture, Internal Controls over Financial Reporting (ICFR) and compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by microfinance institutions (MFIs).Design/methodology/approachThis is a cross-sectional survey based on a sample of 85 MFIs in Uganda. Hypotheses were tested using partial least squares (PLS) analysis technique. An unweighed IFRS compliance index to capture the level of compliance with IFRS was constructed. Yet to capture corporate governance, ethical culture and ICFR variables, the perceptions of top management of MFIs have been taken into consideration.FindingsCorporate governance, ethical culture and ICFR, each makes a significant contribution to compliance with IFRS. Also both corporate governance and ethical culture are significantly associated with ICFR. However, compliance with IFRS by MFIs is better enhanced by corporate governance and ethical culture through ICFR.Research limitations/implicationsResults support the idea that in terms of agency and virtue ethics theories, the board should support ICFR to minimize egocentric managers and other employees and also inculcate an ethical culture to achieve better compliance with IFRS because corporate governance and ethical culture are associated with sound ICFR which in turn lead to compliance with IFRS.Practical/implicationsBoards of MFIs should encourage investments that improve ICFR. At the same time, regulators should ensure that boards are composed of members with financial expertise, with no conflict of interest and introduce mechanisms that encourage boards to perform their roles.Originality/valueThe study contributes towards a methodological position by showing that the behavioural perspective of corporate governance can be an alternative to the boards’ structural variables in investigating compliance with IFRS. A direct association of ethical culture and compliance with IFRS and an indirect association through ICFR can be envisaged.

The relationship between gender equality activity in organizations and employee perceptions of equality

A persistent unexplained gender wage gap exists in Iceland and women are still in a minority as directors, chairs of boards and board members within organizations. Organizations are required by law to have a gender equality statement, but in addition they may be taking various proactive actions towards equality. However, little knowledge exists on whether these actions lead to more positive perceptions of equality amongst employees. The main objective of this study is therefore to study the relationship between organizational gender equality activity (existence of a gender equality statement and Organizational Equality Maturity (OEM)) and employee perceptions of equality, as well as to explore whether minimum legally required actions and OEM have a positive influence on employees in the workplace. This is the first study in Iceland to evaluate organizational equality activity against employees’ perceptions of equality. The study was executed at two levels and is time-lagged, first among 35 HRM managers and then a few months later among 1041 employees in the same 35 organizations. The results show that when organizations reach higher Organizational Equality Maturity, employee perceptions of gender equality in the workplace are positively influenced. The influence is primarily on employee perceptions of top management and on hiring and promotional activities. The results contribute towards a better understanding of how gender equality activity in organizations affects employees, which has practical implications for management and HRM practitioners.

Perceptions of top management about the total rewards statement: a case study in the retail sector

Perceptions of top management about the total rewards statement: a case study in the retail sector

Perceptions of top management about the total rewards statement: a case study in the retail sector

A total rewards statement (TRS) is a summary of compensation, benefits, and perquisites that an employer provides to their employee. This qualitative case study examines the TRS related perceptions...

E-PROCUREMENT USE IN THE NIGERIAN BUILDING INDUSTRY

Since the mid-1990s, the use of electronic (e-) procurement aspect of electronic commerce in the different industrial sectors has been on the increase across the world. However, the extent of its adoption in the Nigerian building industry is not clearly understood. This study investigated e-Procurement use in the Nigeria building industry with a view to improving understanding of the extent of its adoption in this country. The research involved a questionnaire survey of 213 respondents drawn from consulting and contracting firms, client organizations in the private sector and government institutions conducted in Nigeria in 2015. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and multiple regression analysis. The result shows that the main users of e-Procurement were quantity surveyors and construction/project managers in consulting firms; and that there was a significant relationship between professional roles and e-Procurement use in the Nigerian building industry. The most frequently used e-Procurement technologies for announcing/receiving invitation to tenders; exchanging project briefs and specifications; submitting/receiving tenders/bids and sourcing for materials and equipment were e-mails and websites. Age of organizations, top management perception of the benefits of e-Procurement and sector of procurement experience had the most significant influence on e-Procurement adoption in the study area. The study concludes that the private sector was taking the lead in e-Procurement use and that only established organizations whose top management understands the benefits of e-Procurement would most likely adopt it in the Nigerian building industry. To cite this document: Egidario B. Aduwo, Eziyi O. Ibem, Emmanuel A. Ayo-Vaughan, Uwakonye O. Uwakonye, and James D. Owolabi, E-PROCUREMENT USE IN THE NIGERIAN BUILDING INDUSTRY, International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, Vol.8, No.2, pp.180-215, 2017. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/ijecs.1524

Adoption of 3D-printing technologies in manufacturing: A survey analysis

Current manufacturing literature discusses the potential for 3D-printing to optimize both operations and supply chain management performance. In addition various countries have invested heavily in encouraging the adoption and use of 3D-printing in manufacturing. Despite this, very little current literature exists on addressing the question: what impacts 3D-printing adoption? Through the use of diffusion of innovations theory and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, this study addresses three research inquiries. (1) Does top-management adoption category impact 3D-printing speed of actual adoption as well as speed of potential adoption in manufacturing? (2) What are the main drivers of intention-to-adopt 3D-printing in manufacturing from the perception of top-management on the innovation? And (3) Does top-management perceptions differ based on adoption category in the context of 3D-printing adoption? Survey analysis was used to examine these questions with 270 top-management representatives from manufacturing firms across the United States. The results provide evidence that top-management adoption category impacts potential speed of adoption. In addition the results provide conflicting evidence on the role of complexity and effort expectancy in intention-to-adopt 3D-printing. Post-hoc moderation analyses suggest innate individual characteristics of top-management play a role in the impact of these perceptions on intention-to adopt 3D-printing.

Process Model of Impact of Publicness on Organisational Performance: An Integrated Approach

Factors influencing performance of organizations represent a common thread of research in public administration and organizational studies. “Publicness” as a concept has been used to distinguish between public and private organizations. Researchers, influenced by inputs from organizational studies have stopped such distinction and suggest that all organizations have some degree of Publicness. Models explaining impact of Publicness on performance have evolved where organizing has been considered as a critical moderating factor. Further progress at integrating these strands is critical to identify and evaluate the dimensions of the concept and suggest an explanation of interaction between Publicness and organizational performance. We use the concepts of “organizations and Resource dependency” from organizational theory and revise the understanding of Publicness. This is then used to develop a process model to explain how Publicness impacts organizational performance. We state that “Publicness” is an attribute of an organization and is a function of the role of the citizen and the type of political governance mechanism prevalent. This determines the regulatory instrument used to manage that economic space. The different regulatory instruments have differential impact on the revenue sources made available to the organization. This when related to its costs determines the top management perception of their ability to consistently allocate resources to their production activities and in turn impacts their commitment towards key organizational processes of personnel selection and purchasing. This influences the motivation of managers down the hierarchy and the organizations ability to harmonize its products with the consumers. Achievement of goals in terms of performance is an outcome of the impact of these processes. A case study is used to validate this model.

Individual employee’s perceptions of “ Group-level Safety Climate” (supervisor referenced) versus “ Organization-level Safety Climate” (top management referenced): Associations with safety outcomes for lone workers

Research has shown that safety climate is among the strongest predictors of safety behavior and safety outcomes in a variety of settings. Previous studies have established that safety climate is a multi-faceted construct referencing multiple levels of management within a company, most generally: the organization level (employee perceptions of top management’s commitment to and prioritization of safety) and group level (employee perceptions of direct supervisor’s commitment to and prioritization of safety). Yet, no research to date has examined the potential interaction between employees’ organization-level safety climate (OSC) and group-level safety climate (GSC) perceptions. Furthermore, prior research has mainly focused on traditional work environments in which supervisors and workers interact in the same location throughout the day. Little research has been done to examine safety climate with regard to lone workers. The present study aims to address these gaps by examining the relationships between truck drivers’ (as an example of lone workers) perceptions of OSC and GSC, both potential linear and non-linear relationships, and how these predict important safety outcomes. Participants were 8095 truck drivers from eight trucking companies in the United States with an average response rate of 44.8%. Results showed that employees’ OSC and GSC perceptions are highly correlated (r= 0.78), but notable gaps between the two were observed for some truck drivers. Uniquely, both OSC and GSC scores were found to have curvilinear relationships with safe driving behavior, and both scores were equally predictive of safe driving behavior. Results also showed the two levels of climate significantly interacted with one another to predict safety behavior such that if either the OSC or GSC scores were low, the other’s contribution to safety behavior became stronger. These findings suggest that OSC and GSC may function in a compensatory manner and promote safe driving behavior even when either OSC or GSC scores are low. The results of this study provide critical insight into the supplementary interaction between perceptions of OSC and GSC. Recommendations for future research, as well as practical recommendations for organizational intervention, are discussed.

Co-evolution between institutional environments and organizational change

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to interpret organizational change from a co-evolutionary perspective. It examines the co-evolution between institutional environments and organizational change with the mediating role of uncertainty as perceived by managers. Design/methodology/approach – The author employed an inductive case study to explore how institutional environments interact with organizational change in a novel context: a Chinese state-owned enterprise. Findings – The author developed a co-evolutionary model of organizational change that emphasizes the interaction between institutional-level factors and organizational-level change as bridged by top management perceptions of uncertainty. The model also illustrates the dynamics of organizational uncertainty and its effects on organizational change. Practical implications – The study implies that uncertainty may not be an inevitable negative influence on organizational development, and tell managers how to manages the dynamics of uncertainty through two principles. Originality/value – This study contributes to the organizational change literature by interpreting organizational change as the results of interaction between multi-level factors from institutional, organizational, and team levels. The author also expand the understanding of uncertainty from a dynamic perspective.

Barriers to Lean Implementation: Perceptions of Top Managers, Middle Managers and Workers

For years, companies have tried to figure out how to consistently organize their businesses for improving quality and efficiency, and at the same time reduce costs and lead times. Lean principles and techniques have become a benchmark for Western manufacturing companies, founded on the success of the Toyota Production System. Despite its popularity, many companies still struggle to achieve a successful and lasting lean implementation. Existing research indicate that both organizational and technical barriers are important, such as lack of management support and commitment, poor involvement of employees, and excessive confidence in lean tools and practices. A gap in current research is the limited focus on identifying how different groups at different hierarchical levels in an organization perceive barriers to lean implementation. Unless the opinions of different groups are taken into account, efforts to overcome the barriers may be misguided. This paper reports on a two-year in-depth single case study of barriers to lean implementation, aiming at understanding why the company only to a certain extent has succeeded with their lean activities. Based on 28 interviews and observations, results indicate that the different groups at different hierarchical levels experience different types of barriers. The article will provide an important contribution to how companies can organize lean implementation processes better for future success, which should be relevant to both academia and industry.

Barriers to Continuous Improvement: Perceptions of Top Managers, Middle Managers and Workers

Continuous improvement [CI], as culture, tools and methods, is critical to manufacturing companies’ competitive position. Research has documented that as many as two out of three CI programs fail, in the sense of not meeting goals and expectations. While poorly designed CI systems and misguided use of tools and methods may explain some failed CI initiatives, surveys and expert polls indicate that the main barriers to CI success are organizational and managerial. This paper reports on a case study of barriers to CI. The case company, a medium-sized manufacturer of maritime systems, has achieved only partial success with CI, despite repeated efforts. Unsurprisingly, both technical and organizational barriers are important, but the relative importance attributed to the different barriers is strikingly dissimilar across hierarchical levels in the organization. While top managers attribute the limited success to shortcomings of information systems and improvement methods, workers primarily point to limited support and commitment from management, in addition to other organizational factors such as lack of involvement, motivation and teamwork. Middle managers acknowledge both groups of barriers, but tend to agree more with the workers’ view. If these findings are generalizable beyond the single case-company, there are important implications for both research and practice. Research should appreciate the complex attribution of barriers, by complementing conventional surveys with in-depth qualitative analysis. Practically, unless the opinions of different occupation groups at different hierarchical levels are listened to, efforts to overcome the barriers may be misguided. In addition, top managers should learn to take the roles of CI champions, who not only allocate resources to CI, but also actively encourage, follow-up and reward the appropriate use of CI tools and methods.

Organizational Structure and Performances of Responsible Malaysian Healthcare Providers: A Balanced Scorecard Perspective

Abstract This paper aims to assess the organizational structure and performances through the Balanced Scorecard of Malaysian private hospitals by focusing on top management's perceptions. A structured questionnaire was used and 97 private hospitals registered with the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia were included in the survey. In total, 39 responses were received which resulted in an overall usable response rate of 40.2%. The descriptive results illustrated that the majority of the private hospitals that adopt the Balanced Scorecard are highly centralized and formalized. These private hospitals subscribed to formalized rules and written formal procedures to ensure the management and governance of the health providers act in accord with espoused values. As such, there is a legitimate link to improved performances within this sector on the key aspects: internal business processes, patient quality services, safety and satisfaction, organizational learning and growth, and financial. Thus far, despite the evidence from this study that can be attributed to becoming responsible healthcare providers, drivers used which incorporate responsibility, integrity, accountability and transparency in assessing performances can be taken up. This paper adds value to the limited academic BSC literature and responsible issues pertaining to quality improvements and patient satisfaction within the private healthcare sector in Malaysia.