To read this content please select one of the options below:

High-performance work practices and entrepreneurial firm performance: the moderating role of firm size and industry type

Joseph Eyo Duke (Department of Business Management, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria)
Arzizeh Tiesieh Tapang (Department of Accounting, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria) (Department of Accounting, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon)
Obal Usang (Department of Accounting, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria)
Kechi Alphonsus Kankpang (Department of Accounting, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria)
Samuel Edet Etim (Department of Business Management, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria)

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

ISSN: 1462-6004

Article publication date: 16 May 2024

Issue publication date: 9 October 2024

143

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines the moderating role of firm size (FS) and industry type in the relationship between high-performance work practices (HPWPs) and entrepreneurial firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive research design involving a five-year dataset from firms in the retail and services industries of Nigeria was used in the analyses.

Findings

The use of HPWPs is widespread among entrepreneurial firms, with ability- and motivation-enhancing practices being dominant. Country context influences the types of HPWPs implemented by entrepreneurial firms. FS and industry type do not have significant moderating effects on the relationship between HPWPs and the performance of entrepreneurial firms. The positive effect of HPWPs on performance is consistent with findings made in prior studies.

Research limitations/implications

FS plays a neutral role in the relationship between HPWPs and entrepreneurial firm performance. Within the broader retail and services industries, this relationship is weaker in capital-intensive firms compared to less capital-intensive ones. The restricted focus on only retail and service industries may limit the universal applicability of the findings.

Practical implications

Findings indicate that the efficacy of HPWPs is neither influenced by FS nor industry type. Entrepreneurial firms with higher capital intensity benefit relatively more from the use of HPWPs.

Originality/value

Unlike other research efforts focusing on a single moderating influence, this study combines two important contextual factors, FS and industry type, to provide a better understanding of HPWPs. The study spotlights the effects of country context in the implementation of HPWPs in a way that prior studies have not done.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was self-funded and all aspects of the manuscript were developed and written solely by the authors.

Citation

Duke, J.E., Tapang, A.T., Usang, O., Kankpang, K.A. and Etim, S.E. (2024), "High-performance work practices and entrepreneurial firm performance: the moderating role of firm size and industry type", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 1119-1145. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-06-2022-0265

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles