Tunisian Managers Research Articles

Employee and manager’s emotional intelligence: the role of servant leadership climate in individual adaptive performance

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsA study of Tunisian managers, and team members, came to three conclusions: (1) employees’ emotional intelligence directly influences individual adaptive performance – which is the ability to adapt well to changing environments. (2) There is a direct influence of manager’s emotional intelligence on individual adaptive performance. (3) There is an indirect influence of emotional intelligence on individual adaptive performance through the mediation of servant leadership climate.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The Effect of the Investors’ Sentiment on the Trade-Off Between Earnings Management Strategies: The Case of Tunisian Market

The aim of this study was to provide evidence to the benefit of an emerging market on whether and how the prevailing investors’ sentiment influences the earnings management tactics i.e. accrual earnings management and real earnings management. used data related to Tunisian listed firms over the period 2009–2018. We measure the investors’ sentiment index using Google search volume approach. We estimated a recursive equation system to investigate the effect of the investors’ sentiment on the trade-off decision between accrual earnings management and real earnings management. First, in line with the catering theory we found that optimistic period is an opportune occasion that encourages Tunisian managers to upward their earnings whether by accrual earnings management or by real earnings management. Indeed, Tunisian managers are likely to rely on abnormal cashflows. Second, we found that the Tunisian managers, use both techniques as complementary rather than substitutes. However, during high sentiment period, this complementary relation decreases which may be explained by total cost of earnings management tools. Our results give the investors and the financial analysts, within emerging markets, important insights and requires them to adopt necessary adjustments to their expectations when evaluated from an optimistic market’ perspective. During such periods, they should be more cautious to the possible distortions of reported earnings made by managers. Our research differs from previous studies dealing with the implication of behavioral biases emerging contexts, which is still embryonic. Such contexts have their uniqueness regarding the economic, social and political environment making evidence drawn from developed contexts questionable. Second, we address this query in a more comprehensive way. We were interested in examining the effect of the investors’ sentiment on each of earnings management technique taken individually as well as on the possible trade-off between them.

Are Tunisian firms managing their earnings through asset sales following the 2011 uprising

This paper aims to provide evidence of the use of the asset sales tool by Tunisian managers as a way of real earnings management during the critical period following the 2011 uprising. For this pur...

Regulation of Social Times during the COVID-19 Period: A Replication and Extension of the Work Activity Regulation Model

The present study replicates St-Vincent and al. in 2011 experience sampling study of the work activity regulation model and addresses health crisis issue, which replicates the original study’s findings. Results suggest that social times is regulated within each Tunisian manager. Individuals’ or collective optimal social regulation state changed from public and organizational policies, but results did not support the original study’s claim regarding social satiation. Similarly, the study showed a significant number of events involved a risk to their occupational health and safety. However, the thematic analysis reveals disparities in the distribution of risk events for the manager as well as the type of risks to which he is exposed during the COVID-19 period. So, there are a significant number of managers who were confronted with a risk to their health more than times when unforeseen events occur. These events experienced by Tunisian managers during the COVID-19 period can be stressful. In fact, in order to withstand the stress inherent in each of the life spheres, some people want to maintain a permeable border between work and non-work to avoid overflows from one to the other.

Representation of the Articulation between Spheres of Life

Our paper aims to improve the understanding of the articulation between spheres of life among Tunisian managers, by mobilizing a mixed theoretical framework. In this context, we develop a model of representation of spheres of life simultaneously explaining the structural relationships between its different areas. This conceptual model is validated on data collected from the Word Values Survey. However, the model obtained leads to a certain hierarchy of the effects of the spheres of life.

Managerial Optimism Level and Investment Decision: Decision Tree Analysis

This paper deals with the relationship existing between the emotional aspect and decision-making. More specifically, it examines the links between managerial optimism, and effectiveness of the investment decision. We introduce an approach based Decision Tree analysis with a series of semi-directive interviews. CEO optimism level was measured using a questionnaire with several items. As for the selected sample was composed of 100 Tunisian managers. The originality of this research paper is guaranteed since it traits the behavioral corporate policy choice in emergent markets. In the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in the Tunisian context that explores such area of research. Our results show that Tunisian optimistic leader who seeks the pioneering advantage for him and his company is encouraged to adjust its specific investment decision (investment, overinvestment or under-investment in the short term or long term ...) to ensure that advantage pioneer.

Explaining the impact of a customer-oriented strategy on the small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) global performance: Lessons from the Balanced Scorecard and the CUSTOR scale model

Abstract This research aimed to explain the impact of a customer-oriented strategy on the small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) global performance. To do this, we proposed a modelling of this relation on the basis of the Balanced Scorecard and the CUSTOR scale model. A mixed methodology approach was used to validate our research model. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted among 25 SMEs Tunisian managers, which allowed us to develop and to study 25 verbatims by the content analysis method. Then, a PLS method was applied on data collected by a questionnaire from 137 managers of private SMEs of goods and service. Results showed that the financial axis of the global performance is affected by the customer intimacy and the continuous improvement of activity. The outcomes also reveal that the customer focus of global performance is affected by the customer intimacy, the customer retention and the business transparency. Moreover, the results reveal that the internal process axis of the global performance is only affected by the customer intimacy and the customer retention. These results also indicate that organizational learning is affected by customer retention, continuous improvement in activity and business transparency. In addition, our analyses highlighted a moderating effect of management’s commitment.

Evidence on the association between intangible investments and entrenchment strategies: lessons from an emergent context

The aim of this research is to study the link between managerial entrenchment and intangible investment in an emergent context. The methodology adopted is based on a theoretical review and an empirical survey on a number of Tunisian managers through a questionnaire. Results show that managers adopt two different types of strategies according to their perceptions. The seniority and age are key factors for choosing intangible investment as a managerial entrenchment strategy, while internal relational network appears as a control mechanism. This research contributes to a further understanding of investment behaviors through studying the link between managerial entrenchment intention and the importance of intangible investment.

Does Managerial Emotional Biases Affect Debt Maturity Preference? Bayesian Network Method: Evidence from Tunisia

This study documents that managerial characteristics’ play an important role in determining corporate debt maturity. Specifically, we focus on the relationship between the managerial biases and firm debt maturity preference. Empirical analysis of the relationship between emotional bias and debt maturity using Bayesian Network Method. We distributed a questionnaire among 100 Tunisian managers to measure their emotional biases. Our results have revealed that the behavioral analysis of debt maturity preference implies leader affected by behavioral biases (optimism, loss aversion, and overconfidence) presence prefer long term debt maturity allowing this protect against the takeover operation Russianness.

The detection of real earnings management in MENA countries: the case of Tunisia

This paper examines the real earnings management activities of 76 Tunisian public offering firms before and after the implementation of the financial security law, over the ten-year period (2003 to 2012). We measure real earnings management through sales manipulation and sales investments and assets following Roychowdhury (2006) and Zang (2012). The results show that after the implementation of the Financial System Reform Actin 2005, Tunisian managers started using sales manipulation as tools of real earnings management. The sale of assets or investment has no effect on their behaviour. These results suggest that Tunisian firms tend to use real activities manipulation in a tightened regulatory environment.

CEO’s commitment bias, ownership concentration, and innovation decision: Behavioral management of CEO’s discretion

AbstractThis paper deals with approving the effect of both a governance system and individual cognitive and emotional features in the financial analysis of a firms’ innovation decision. After discussing the theoretical linking between ownership concentration and the CEO’s attitude and behavior, we are showing on empirical grounds the relationship between the manager’s behavior toward the innovation decision and his cognitive commitment level. The CEO’s commitment bias and attitude conception were measured using a questionnaire. The data analysis was performed using the Bayesian network method on 220 Tunisian managers. In particular, we found that the application of a persuasion mechanism does not have a real impact on the alignment of the manager’s attitude and behavior in key tasks, such as the innovation decision. The CEO’s real behavior was more related to an important individual involvement in this behavior rather than to persuasive effort committed by block holders to make him contract this action. A...

Prospects for the Application of Strategic Foresight in the Tunisian Context: The Case of Industrial Companies

If foresight aims at providing information and analyses which will allow better considering the uncertainties andthe turbulences of the environment; strategic foresight would be a management tool which controls the necessityof ensuring the serious attempts of investigating the future before making decisions. The survival of theorganization, its development and its evolution depends on this exploration. Through this research, we have tried to describe the practice of strategic foresight by the Tunisian companiesand consequently their capacity to adopt such approach. More specifically, through an administered questionnaire with 39 industrial companies, we have tried to explainthe factors allowing a better understanding of the mechanisms determining the companies' commitment in thefield of strategic foresight. The empirical results have shown that the adoption of strategic foresight by companies which would be reducedto the adoption of a preactive and a proactive attitude towards changes, would be the answer to the limitations ofthe classical methods of planning which the manager resorts to in his daily management, would require theimplication of the various concerned actors, and finally, would be most of all interested in large companies.However, foresight tools do not seem to affect the companies' adoption of strategic foresight. Thereby, for the Tunisian managers, strategic foresight is essentially perceived as a state of mind, an attitudefacing the complexity of the problems they are confronting.

Managers’ perceptions of intellectual capital: An empirical study in the Tunisian context

Article history: Received January 14, 2013 Received in revised format 12 April 2013 Accepted 14 April 2013 Available online April 16 2013 The purpose of this exploratory research study is to examine the extent of recognition of the concept of intellectual capital in the Tunisian context and to identify the perceptions of managers concerning the accounting treatment and disclosure of this hidden concept. A survey questionnaire was conducted among 51 Tunisian managers. The results of this survey argue that the majority of respondents perceive the elements of intellectual capital as important value drivers for their business. This study shows that managers are aware of the shortcoming of the present accounting system and they approve previous studies that propose voluntary disclosure of information relating to intellectual capital as a solution to compensate for the loss of relevance of traditional accounting information. The present study presents a significant interest in the accounting literature and provides whether it would be appropriate for the Tunisian accounting standard setter to ask companies to disclose more intellectual capital information.

Trust in supply chains, meanings, determinants and demonstrations

PurposeThis study aims to understand trust meanings, determinants and manifestations in supply chains (SCs) operating in an emerging market context. It also aims to improve our knowledge about the role of trust and the mechanisms by which it operates in establishing and maintaining relationships between firms in SCs.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts an explanatory approach. In‐depth interviews with 30 key informants were conducted. Informants were chief executive officers or marketing managers in firms operating in different economic sectors. Firms varied in size and ranged from small businesses to large companies.FindingsThe study results showed that trust could evolve through four building processes: calculative‐based process, predictive‐based process, intention‐based process, and identification‐based process and that trust meanings and determinants vary with the trust form. Moreover, the study revealed that determinants related to the trustor also have an influence on the trust form and its evolving process. On the other hand, it was found that risk taking, preference for the partner, fewer formalized controls, offers of assistance and psychological security are the main manifestations of trust. This supports the point of view of the twofold facets of trust: perceived trustworthiness and trusting behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the complexity of the trust phenomenon, and the research approach adopted, the findings may not be generally applicable. Further quantitative studies are needed to test the proposed framework.Practical implicationsGiven the globalisation of markets and the widespread increase in international collaborative partnerships, the study sheds some light on how Tunisian managers conceive trust, which factors they perceive most important to develop trust, and how they behave to signal their trust towards a partner. These insights can be very helpful for foreign investors who are willing to invest in this emerging market and to implement a supply chain management approach with Tunisian partners.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need, not only to better understand the phenomenon of trust in SCs, but also to carry out more studies in situ. Indeed, the rapid development of the global economy has made it more important than ever before for managers from different cultures to understand how their business partners conceive and manage the interpersonal aspects of business relationships.

Competitive intelligence in Tunisian companies

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the degree of knowledge of competitive intelligence in Tunisian companies.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study was conducted using semi‐in‐depth interviews and focus group with six executives in six companies in Tunisia. Three sectors were chosen for this study: communication technologies, manufacturing and commercial retailing. These companies are prevalent in Tunisia and are very different.FindingsThe results show that Tunisian managers are conscious of the importance of competitive intelligence in the management of their companies. Second, managers believe that internal sources of information are more valuable than external sources information and personal source information is deemed most valuable. Third, the results of the process and structure questions indicate that companies may not yet be investing appropriately in building the internal infrastructure required for fully effective intelligence efficacy. Finally, this practice is not organised in a separate department and, if it is mostly done in the marketing department.Practical implicationsTo know and develop this practice, a company must, on the one hand, build internal competitive intelligence process. On the other hand, develop a sensitisation programme that is continuous and that should focus on telling employees what competitive intelligence is, what they can, and should, contribute and demonstrate the value in sharing information.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate competitive intelligence in Tunisia. The results lead to a number of recommendations to develop competitive intelligence in Tunisian companies. Various methods are proposed including awareness and training program, recognising by managers the value of competitive intelligence as an important tool to develop competitive intelligence.

Decision-Making Styles of Arab Executives: Insights from Tunisia

The main purpose of this research is to identify the decision-making styles of Tunisian managers. The relationships between their value systems and decision styles and between their decision styles and certain demographic variables (such as level of education, age, etc.) and organizational variables (such as company size, kind of ownership, etc.) are also investigated. In this study, a sample of 215 managers in various organizations was surveyed. Following Ali's questionnaire (1993), managerial decision-making styles were classified into autocratic, pseudo- consultative, consultative, participative, pseudo-participative, and delegative. Furthermore, statistical analysis of the survey data classified managerial value systems into tribalistic, egocentric, conformist, manipulative, sociocentric, and existential. This classification was conducted in accordance with the framework developed by Flowers et al. (1975). This research is among the very few studies which investigates the characteristics of Tunisian managers, i.e., their value systems and decision styles. It is widely believed that the business philosophy of any country depends, to a large degree, upon the values held by those in management and their decision-making styles. The present study is, thus, a detailed introduction to contemporary Tunisian culture and the way it is managed.

Impact of Supply Chain Management and ERP on Organizational Performance and Competitive Advantage: Case of Tunisian Companies

Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERP) are effective ways to achieve competitive advantage and improve organizational performance. This research investigates SCM and ERP systems dimensions and tests their relationships with competitive advantage and organizational performance. A survey is conducted on 216 Tunisian managers. Data are analyzed using principal components analysis and relationships are tested using linear regression. Results show the importance of SCM and ERP systems adoption. It reveals their positive impact on organizational performance and competitive advantage.