Top Management Positions Research Articles

Research and innovation and the role of competition in family owned and managed firms

PurposeThis paper examines the innovation behavior of family-owned firms versus non-family-owned firms. The role of internal family governance and the influence of external stimuli (competition) on innovation are also considered.Design/methodology/approachThe data of 20,995 family and non-family firms across 38 countries are derived from the World Bank Enterprise Survey during the period 2019–2020. Probit models are used to examine the impact of family ownership, family governance, and competition on innovation outcomes.FindingsFamily firms are more likely to make R&D investments, acquire external knowledge, engage in product innovation (including innovations that are new to the market) and process innovation, relative to non-family firms. However, a high propensity of family member involvement in top management positions can reduce innovation. Competition has a negative impact on innovation outcomes for both family and non-family firms, but it has a positive moderating effect on the innovation activities of family firms where a higher level of family member involvement in management is present.Originality/valueThis paper provides novel insights into family firm innovation dynamics by identifying family firms as more innovative than non-family firms for all types of indicators, debunking the idea that family firms are conservative, reluctant to change, and averse to the risks in innovation activities. However, too much family involvement in decision making may stifle some innovation activities in family firms, except in cases where the operating environment is highly competitive; this provides new insights into the ownership-management dynamic of family firms.

Women's Career Growth and Top Positions - Factors Determined by Literature

This research study combines scholarly research work on factors influencing women and top positions.Providing a synthesis of 94 research studies published in the ISI web of knowledge, this study not only highlightssignificant factors influencing women's journey towards top managerial positions but also compares literaturefrom developing and developed nations. Empirical and conceptual papers were chosen by scanning the title,abstract and stated aim of the study. Broadly two theoretical models, the Gender Organization and Systemframework by Fagenson-Eland and Baugh (2000) and the Systems of Career Influences Model purposed by DianeMagrane, et al. (2012) were used for the analysis. Overall three themes, Institutional Resources and Strategies,personal and professional roles and values and systemic factors were identified. By using literature each factorwas placed under one theme For analysis all factors (identified by using existing literature) were coded underthree main themes and analysed by using frequencies and charts. In the end, the research gap, implications andlimitations are also mentioned.

How diverse are Shariah supervisory boards of Islamic banks? A global empirical survey

PurposeThis study aims to examine diversity in the composition of Shariah supervisory boards (SSBs) of Islamic banks (IBs). It investigates diversity from two perspectives: existing composition of SSBs and the regulatory frameworks and standards of selected Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries. Diversity characteristics include education, nationality, gender and age.Design/methodology/approachA list of all full-fledged Islamic commercial banks (FFICBs) globally has been carefully prepared and confirmed. Conventional banks with Islamic windows, non-commercial banks, takaful companies and other Islamic financial institutions are excluded. The available profiles of 428 SSB members have been scrutinised and analysed. These board members occupy 522 SSB positions in 238 FFICBs operating in 52 countries around the globe. From the regulatory perspective, 12 national and international Shariah governance frameworks and standards have been examined.FindingsFindings of this paper indicate various levels of diversity in SSBs of the reviewed IBs. The level of diversity in educational background and in the nationality of SSBs can be described as generally acceptable. However, a lack of diversity in gender and age among SSB members is evidently observed in IBs. While the lack of age diversity in SSBs may be relatively justified as a common trend in the composition of corporate boards, SSBs of IBs are seriously lagging behind in gender diversity. On the regulatory level, this study concluded that provisions on diversity as a requirement in SSBs are almost non-existent in the existing regulatory frameworks and standards.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this study is the lack of available information on the SSB members.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insights for IBs and policymakers concerned with the corporate governance of IBs and all Islamic financial institutions. First, it offers an excellent bird’s-eye view of the status of diversity in SSBs of IBs. Second, it motivates policymakers and standard-setting bodies to ensure, through the relevant regulatory frameworks, adequate levels of diversity in the composition of SSBs. Diversity in SSBs of IBs and Islamic financial institutions should be given special emphasis, not only in boards and top management positions but also in the workplace. This is of profound significance to the reputation of Islamic finance industry which has been recently under mounting pressure to translate the rhetoric about the Islamic finance industry being ethical, fair, just, equitable and inclusive into genuine implementations.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine the diversity of SSB members from the regulatory as well as from the implementation perspective.

The impact of the quality of corporate governance on sustainable development: an analysis based on development level

Sustainable development has gained the attention of researchers worldwide and is becoming an important topic, especially in relation to corporate governance principles. This study investigates the influence of corporate governance on sustainable development in a sample of 185 countries over 2005–2020 using a panel linear regression model. Separate analyses are also conducted on subsamples of high- and low-income countries. Our findings highlight the positive influence of corporate governance, as measured by board efficacy, the strength of audits and reports, and digitalisation, on sustainable development, as measured by the Human Development Index, Human Capital Index, and Environmental Performance Index. Moreover, we find a higher positive and marginal effect of the influence of corporate governance on sustainable development for low-income countries than for high-income countries. The robustness checks performed using variables related to the happiness index, women in top management positions, and technology adoption verify our results. Our findings are important for managers and policymakers to consolidate sustainable development through the incentive brought about by high-quality corporate governance.

Beyond or In the Midst of the Masculinized Intelligence Community in Poland

The implementation of equality and antidiscrimination strategies in Polish intelligence and counterintelligence institutions has lagged behind the rise in the number of female functionaries serving in them. Women in the Polish secret services are exposed to systemic prejudices and stereotypes that are rooted in a patriarchal mentality and in so-called muscular thinking. The underrepresentation of women in top management and leadership positions continues to be a barrier for women seeking careers in military and civilian agencies. Due to the hermetic and hierarchical character of such institutions and the predominance of men in them, organized promotion of gender diversity is very important. This is nonetheless related to the issue of tokenism, which leads to the informal isolation of women and to role encapsulation. The position of women in a male-dominated environment is undermined by the behavior patterns established by culture and the biological features attributed to the female body and to femininity. Changes have been initiated by women networking in Polish security institutions, but this is a gradual process.

Powerful political corporate appointments and firm bribery channels

PurposeThe authors examine the influence of powerful political corporate appointments on the usage of firm bribery channels. Party Secretaries within Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) may simultaneously hold top management positions, thereby endowing powerful firm-level decision rights on those appointees, hereafter referred to as powerful dual role Party Secretaries.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs panel data analysis with industry and year fixed effects. The authors use a sample of 1,143 Chinese SOEs listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2004 to 2015.FindingsThe authors find that powerful dual role Party Secretaries are associated with greater bribery channel usage. Following the ongoing anticorruption campaign, SOEs with the powerful appointments significantly reduce their usage of both transparent (entertainment and travel costs) and opaque bribery (abnormal management expenses) channels. However, in general, Chinese SOEs respond to the anticorruption shock by switching from the more transparent to the opaquer bribery channel.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the ongoing debate of politicians on corporate boards by examining the relatively unexplored area of government appointed top management and their influence on bribery at the firm level.

Use of performance information in Performance Evaluation: An effective tool in minimizing unconscious gender bias in the workplace

Dearth of women in the senior management positions is a global phenomenon with slight national variations.Stereotypebased expectation of the people of the positions of power generate unconscious gender bias which leads to biases inperformance evaluation of female employees. As a result, they are not promoted to the top management positions andcannot contribute to the decision making process. But Keeping women outside the decision making process is excludinghalf of the potentiality. Marginalization of women and their potentiality in contributing to economic development, socialadvancement and environmental protection is a great impediment to global advancement. So discrimination of womenin the performance evaluation is to be minimized. Reviewing the related existing literature, this article argues that aneffective performance management system with the use of performance information against set goal can reduce genderbias in performance evaluation and expedite the presence of women at the top levels of the workplace

Risk Leadership and Emotional Intelligence on ISO 31000 Application’s Effectiveness for Organisation

Background: ISO 31000 indicates that risk management is a science in which competencies are embedded in the individuals. It also emphasises the importance of having proper leadership while demonstrating the commitment towards risk management implementation. Humans are emotional creatures—we could sometimes be influenced by the force of feelings, rather than rational discussion.
 Aim: This paper describes the dynamics of emotional intelligence and risk leadership in implementing risk management.
 Method: The research used a qualitative descriptive design with the verification strategy of the case study. It used a non-probability sampling to individuals in the top management position.
 Findings: The findings suggest that without a proper level of emotional intelligence, it is difficult for leaders to cultivate an effective risk culture. These findings may equip decision-makers on the interrelationships between emotional intelligence, risk culture, and an organisation’s risk management maturity.

Shine Bright Like a Diamond: When Signaling Creates Glass Cliffs for Female Executives

There is mixed support for the glass cliff hypothesis that firms will more likely appoint female candidates into top management positions when in crisis. We trace the inconsistent findings back to an underdeveloped theoretical link and deficient identification strategies. Using signaling theory, we suggest that crisis firms appoint female top managers to signal change to the market and argue that the effect is context-dependent. In a field study of 26,156 executive appointments in U.S. firms between 2000 and 2016, we exploit a regression discontinuity to test for the causal impact of firm crisis status on the likelihood of female top management appointments and for moderators of the effect. We find that crisis status leads to a significant increase in female top management appointments and that crisis (vs. noncrisis) firms are more likely to frame female appointments as change-related in press releases. Importantly, the presence of the glass cliff effect hinges on attributes of the signaler (absence of another female executive), signal (appointment type), and receiver (investor attention). The findings robustly evidence the glass cliff and our theoretical extensions.

Women’s Promotion to Management and Unfairness Perceptions—A Challenge to the Social Sustainability of the Organizations and Beyond

Inequality between women and men in top management positions is still a current reality where women are underrepresented. Gender discrimination against women in managerial positions violates the Sustainable Development Goal of gender equality. Gender discrimination affects women but also has negative consequences for employee output. Our aim is analyzing how the role of gender moderates the relationship between gender barriers to managerial positions and performance, mediated by organizational justice and commitment, and whether this relationship is stronger in women than in men. This study was carried out with 1278 employees (45.2% women and 54.8% men) of a Spanish financial group consisting of three different organizations. We performed a moderated mediation path analysis with Mplus. Results show that some gender barriers are associated with lower perceptions of organizational justice, which in turn are associated with lower organizational commitment, thus reducing performance. Moreover, this relationship is significant in men and women for work–family balance and barriers to accessing influential networks, but for unfair HR policies and practices, it is only significant in women. Removing gender barriers and unfairness perceptions is the goal that will contribute to organizational sustainability from the gender perspective.

The role of women on board of directors and firm performance: Evidence from Saudi Arabia financial market

The major purpose of this article is to investigate how women on boards of directors influence firm performance in Saudi Arabia firms. The major approach utilized to assess the influence of female board members and top management positions on business performance was multivariate regression analysis. The research employed an alternate proxy assessment for women on the boards of directors and in top management. Women on boards of directors and in top management had a modestly favourable link with company success, according to the data. The study employed alternative proxy metrics for women on the board of directors and in upper management. The study contributes to the corpus of information on the influence of women on business boards of directors and in top management. The study’s shortcomings include its small sample of publicly traded Saudi firms and its concentration on the problem of women on boards of directors and in top management in Saudi Arabia, as well as their impact on firm performance. Finally, this study is the first to examine the link between the success of a corporation and the presence of women in senior management positions and on corporate boards

She-E-Os and innovation: do female CEOs influence firm innovation?

PurposeThis paper empirically investigates whether female CEOs (She-E-Os) have an effect on firm innovation among Chinese listed firms based on patent data. This study also delved further by looking at whether the internal corporate environment moderates the effect of female CEOs on innovation, that is, state ownership. Finally, this study investigates an additional test of financial constraints to examine whether financial constraints also moderate the impact of female CEOs on firm innovation.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the data of all A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges for the period from 2008 to 2017. The authors use ordinary least squares regression as a baseline methodology, along with firm-fixed effect, lagged measure of female CEOs, alternative measures of innovation, Heckman two-step model and negative binomial regression to check and control the possible issue of endogeneity.FindingsThe authors’ findings show that CEO gender plays an important role in producing higher levels of innovation output by improving the governance structure. However, female CEOs have no effect on state-owned enterprises' (SOEs) innovation activities, which suggests that the main goal of SOEs is achieving sociopolitical objectives. Furthermore, female CEOs' influence on innovation output is weaker in firms with financial constraints.Social implicationsThis study adds to the emerging global discussion on gender diversity. Many legislative bodies require a quota for women on corporate boards due to gender inequality. This study's findings reinforce such guidelines by emphasizing the economic benefits of including women in top management positions.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights by highlighting the role of female CEOs in increasing firms' innovation activities. Additionally, this study provides evidence on whether the internal corporate environment (state ownership and financial constraints) moderates female CEOs' effect on innovation.

Role of Family Management in R&D Investments: Indian Evidence

The purpose of the present study is to examine the influence of family management on R&D investments of Indian companies. Panel regression analysis is undertaken on the data of top 200 Indian companies (the final sample got reduced to 179 companies) listed on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) over a period of 5 years from 2015 to 2019. The results reveal that family management supports R&D investments. The presence of family members on top management positions have a significant positive influence for both capital R&D expenditures and revenue R&D expenses. Given the restructuring of Indian corporate governance system, the findings recommend continual of family management as Indian way of management as it actively supports research and development investments thereby significantly influencing growth of the firm. The non-family members must support the strategic envision of family managers as the latter are more emotionally linked with the firm. The study contributes to the existing literature by examining the impact of family management on capital R&D expenditures and revenue R&D expenditures separately to gain meaningful insights about the attitude of family owners towards R&D investment decisions.

Risks and fraud: A theoretical approach

Objective. To explain fraud occurrence —under three theoretical models— and apply it to the organization’s hierarchy. Methodology. Based on the IIA risk outlook for 2021, an exploratory theoretical scope of analysis was constructed. Risks were considered under the umbrella of three fraud theories: Triangle of Cressey; Diamond of Wolfe and Hermanson; and Pentagon of Crowe. Results. Fraud occurrence may be explained by the perpetrator’s position across the hierarchical organization chart: where it is stressed that arrogance from the Pentagon fits the top management position; competence from the Diamond fits the middle management; and need, opportunity and pressure from the Triangle fit mainly the lower management. Conclusions. Fraud was considered under three main models, concluding that it may be explained through different worker motivations related to their management position in the company.

Emotional Intelligence and Risk Leadership on the Effectiveness of ISO 31000 Implementation in Organisation

ISO 31000 indicates that risk management is a science in which competencies are embedded in the individuals. It also emphasises the importance of having proper leadership while demonstrating the commitment towards the risk management implementation. Humans are emotional creatures—we could sometimes be influenced by the force of feelings, rather than rational discussion. This paper describes the dynamics of emotional intelligence and risk leadership in implementing risk management. The research used a qualitative-descriptive design with the verification strategy of case study. It used a non-probability sampling to individuals in the top management position. The findings suggest that without a proper level of emotional intelligence, it is difficult for leaders to cultivate an effective risk culture. These findings may equip decision makers on the interrelationships between emotional intelligence, risk culture, and organisation’s risk management maturity.

Analysis of Learning Governance Using E-Learning with Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) In the Covid-19 Pandemic ERA

The learning with e-learning is not only due to aspects of the development of information technology but also due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced all levels of society to adhere to the New Normal way of life. Elearning is a solution for learning in this pandemic era. This study will examine the analysis of learning management with Eleaning at Duta Bangsa University Surakarta with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) approach during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study uses a descriptive research approach with research respondents consisting of 25 lecturers and 48 students. Research data collection was carried out using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 16 questions which are the elaboration of 8 items of user satisfaction parameters in the use of the Elearning System. The eight items are Content, Format, Accuracy, Timeliness, Ease of Use, User Attitudes Towards Systems, Organizational Support and Perceived Attitude of Top Management. The results of testing and data processing, both data from lecturers and students, are normally distributed, with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The results of testing the data related to the 16 questionnaire questions also show that the data is valid and reliable. User satisfaction with the implementation of learning through the Elearning System during the Covid-19 pandemic is quite high, above 75% strongly agree, even from 8 items, 7 items on average are above 80% strongly agree. From the results of data processing per item, an average of 4.15 was obtained for lecturer respondents, which means that acceptance strongly agrees with the E-learning system around 83.0%. For student respondents the average is 4.11, which means that the acceptance of the E-learning system is 82.2%. Content occupies the highest satisfaction score of 89.2% for lecturers and 86.2% for students. While the lowest level of satisfaction is organizational support, the satisfaction rate for lecturers is 76.4% and students are 77.8%.

Behavioral intention model for green information technology adoption in Nigerian manufacturing industries

PurposeGreenhouse effects and the need for cost savings necessitate that an organization's information technology (IT) managers design IT equipment acquisition and service provisioning policies to reduce carbon footprint and cost. Analyzing the influencing factors that influence stakeholders' attitudes toward adopting green information technology (Green-IT) is an important input in designing these policies. In essence, the research aims to investigate into the relationship between these factors and how they influence policy-makers' behavior in Nigerian manufacturing industries.Design/methodology/approachThe study develops a model based on the norm activation model (NAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TBP) to investigate the factors that influence decision-makers' intention in adopting Green-IT. A quantitative approach using a survey method is carried out to gather opinions of IT decision-makers using a random sampling technique. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique is applied to test the structural model and measurement model.FindingsThe study's findings support the use of the behavior model for Green-IT adoption. The study's finding indicates that subjective norms, perceived behavior control (PBC), manager's attitude, personal norm (PN), awareness of adverse consequences and the ascription of responsibility (AR) positively influence intention to adopt Green-IT.Research limitations/implicationsThe development and validation of the model are the study's theoretical contributions. The study reviewed the existing literature on the utilization of Green-IT to better understand the intention to adopt Green-IT in Nigeria. It added to the literature by identifying factors that can influence it as well as theoretical underpinnings that can fit the intentions of decision-makers. The scientific community and the industrial companies would have the chance to investigate how this integrated behavioral intention model promotes the use of Green-IT. The research predictors explained about 70.20% of the variance in the behavioral intention to adopt Green-IT.Practical implicationsResearch offers practical implications and recommendations for top management practitioners of the manufacturing industries. Business leaders can use the results of this study to develop an effective strategic IT policy for the successful adoption of Green-IT practices for enhanced productivity. The study found that decision-makers' Green-IT attitudes had a substantial impact on their behavioral intention to adopt Green-IT. The study highlighted the importance of the top management attitude toward green products to facilitate the adoption of Green-IT practices in manufacturing industries in Nigeria. Thus, the positive and significant attitude of policy-makers is a necessary tool toward the successful adoption of Green-IT. Therefore, to foster an environmentally sustainability friendly atmosphere, Nigeria's manufacturing industries shall strive to strengthen the decision-makers' attitude toward practicing Green-IT in their respective domains. The findings showed that AR, AQ, environmental concern (EC), perceived behavior and perceived behavior are critical factors to be considered in an organization.Social implicationsAccording to the findings, an individual's Green-IT attitude has a substantial impact on the environment as social behavior. As a result, the positive and essential attitude of the social sector is a key tool for efficient Green-IT implementation. Nigeria's social activists must try to create awareness campaigns to boost decision-makers' attitudes toward implementing Green-IT in their various regions to develop a friendlier environment. Thus, the identified factors can be of great help to the social sector in designing and implementing successful environmental-friendly policies that could support the adoption of Green-IT practices.Originality/valueThe current research look at Green-IT adoption in manufacturing industries of West African countries. The study offers practical implications and recommendations for top management practitioners of the manufacturing industries, government policy-makers and organizations to enhance the use of Green-IT for mitigating environmental degradation. Recommendations for future research are stated as concluding remarks.

The Perception of Glass Ceiling and its Impact on Interpersonal Conflicts in a Masculine Culture: Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

Recently, the phenomenon of gender equality and representation of women in top managerial positions is one of the heightened issues. Although, there is substantial advancement in the presence of women in the workforce, yet the representation of women is limited upper echelons of the organizations. The main aim of present research is to seek the association between perception of glass ceiling and interpersonal conflict with mediating role of self-efficacy and moderating role of masculinity. Cultural norms play a vital role to construct beliefs regarding gender inequalities. A recent study on gender inequalities and Glass Ceiling has suggested for a further investigation on the aforesaid topic in different context. Research methodology is aimed at highlighting the adopted design for the current research by explaining the significance of implied research design in the light of prior researches. In a cross-sectional study, data were collected using a questionnaire from 316 female employees working in different organizations across Pakistan. Results indicate that Glass Ceiling perception is significantly related with interpersonal conflict and self-efficacy. Similarly, the mediating role of self-efficacy was also established between Glass Ceiling perceptions and interpersonal conflict and moderating role of masculinity was also established. Results are discussed with implications both for theory and industry. The current study has focused on mediation of self-efficacy and moderation of masculinity.

Evaluating the Intertwined Relationships of the Drivers for University Technology Transfer

Universities are the best places to gather knowledge and innovation, but the basis of technological development lies in talented R&D personnel who provide services to enterprise R&D activities, research institutions, and universities. Universities also gather many elites who cultivate talent for the country. However, universities do not have adequate technology transfer experience and do not network in industrial circles, which results in a huge gap between the concept and the practical result. This research determined the critical success factors and explored the causal relationships influencing the technology transfer from universities. We found that the main impact of the key factors was the technology market dimension. University technology transfer activities had to be classified as top priority. Technology industrial applicability was the main key evaluation factor, along with inventor attitude. In the organizational culture dimension, the attitude and ability of top management were the main evaluation factors. We attempted to draw upon our analysis results to make recommendations related to technology transfer to assist universities in successfully transferring their research results.

Equal Opportunity Within the Workplace

In the recent years, the representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnics (BAME+) in top management positions has been stagnant despite the increased talent pool. With the current issues arising involving the BAME+ community, it is of no surprise that these ethnic groups are still discriminated, even at their workplace. This is usually due to the culture and type of leadership at the company. Thus, this secondary research paper aims to find out the hurdles culture and leadership climate pose to talented BAME+ employees’ career progression. Nonetheless, the investigation, using existing data in the form of surveys, reports, and articles, will be limited to certain companies in the UK and US only. The result of this paper indicates that although there are some companies with good cultures and leaders which allow its BAME+ employees to progress in their careers, most companies do not practice an inclusive culture thus, talented BAME+ staff is often side-lined.