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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of environmental and cultural factors on the benchmarking implementation process and management control within organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). By exploring the complex interplay of these factors, the study aims to uncover how environmental considerations and cultural dynamics shape the effectiveness and outcomes of benchmarking initiatives in the UAE's unique business environment. The research seeks to provide valuable insights for organizations in the UAE to optimize their benchmarking practices and enhance their overall performance and competitiveness.

The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to comprehensively explore the influence of environmental and cultural factors on benchmarking implementation and management control in the UAE. This study draws on the integration of two main theoretical perspectives: institutional theory and contingency theory. This is the first attempt to integrate these different frameworks in a single study. The study presents a case study of Emirates Industrial City (EIC), which has been recognized by global industries for boosting efficiency, cost control, quality and overall operations. The quality method known as benchmarking maximizes the potential for organizations to achieve optimal levels of production efficiency.

This paper provides compelling evidence that the benchmarking implementation process and management control in the UAE are significantly influenced by the complex interplay of environmental and cultural factors. By recognizing the importance of environmental sustainability and cultural values in guiding benchmarking practices, UAE organizations can optimize their performance and competitiveness. The findings contribute valuable insights to the existing literature, offering practical implications for UAE organizations seeking to leverage benchmarking as a strategic tool for growth and continuous improvement. The findings reveal that UAE organizations incorporating environmental considerations into benchmarking practices demonstrate a proactive approach to sustainability, aligning their goals with eco-friendly practices. Cultural influences, including a culture of collaboration and openness to external learning, contribute to successful benchmarking adoption and knowledge sharing. Moreover, the study highlights that the integration of benchmarking outcomes into the management control process positively correlates with organizational performance. UAE organizations that leverage benchmarking data for decision-making and performance evaluation exhibit higher levels of competitiveness and efficiency.

This paper has important implications for organizations in the UAE seeking to optimize their benchmarking practices and management control. The study's findings can guide organizations in aligning their benchmarking efforts with environmental sustainability goals and cultural values to enhance performance and competitiveness. Understanding the influence of environmental and cultural factors on benchmarking adoption and implementation allows organizations to foster a benchmarking culture that embraces knowledge sharing and learning. Managers can tailor their approaches to accommodate cultural nuances and enhance the effectiveness of benchmarking initiatives.

This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge in several ways. Integrated approach: By examining the complex interplay of environmental and cultural factors, this study takes an integrated approach of institutional and contingency theories to understanding their influence on benchmarking implementation and management control. It offers a comprehensive view of how these factors interact to shape organizational practices and outcomes. UAE context: The study focuses specifically on the UAE, providing insights into benchmarking practices within the unique environmental and cultural context of the nation. This research addresses a gap in the literature by examining the influence of these factors in a distinct business environment.

Insufficient intra-organizational diffusion of prefabricated construction (PC) technology hinders its implementation benefits. More research on intra-organizational diffusion of PC technology is required to improve organizational performance in PC implementation. This study aims to explore the antecedents and consequence of intra-organizational diffusion of PC technology.

This study established an antecedent and consequence model of intra-organizational diffusion of PC technology from the perspective of contingency theory. The model was empirically tested by 91 valid questionnaires using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The results indicate that organizational support (OSU), organizational climate (OC) and mechanistic organizational structure (OST) positively influence intra-organizational diffusion of PC technology, which further positively influences organizational performance. The relationship between OC and intra-organizational diffusion of PC technology is mediated by OSU. Technological turbulence negatively moderates the relationship between OSU and intra-organizational diffusion.

This is the first paper to study the antecedents and consequence of intra-organizational diffusion of PC technology and an expansion of contingency theory in the research field of PC technology. This study helps to theoretically stimulate future research on intra-organizational diffusion and practically promote intra-organizational diffusion of PC technology along with improving organizational performance in its implementation.

The agricultural supply chain is susceptible to disruptive geopolitical events. Therefore, agri-food firms must devise robust resilience strategies to hasten recovery and mitigate global food security effects. Hence, the central aim of this paper is to investigate how supply chains could leverage digital technologies to design resilience strategies to manage uncertainty stemming from the external environment disrupted by a geopolitical event. The context of the study is the African agri-food supply chain during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The authors employ strategic contingency and dynamic capabilities theory arguments to explore the scenario and conditions under which African agri-food firms could leverage digital technologies to formulate contingency strategies and devise mitigation countermeasures. Then, the authors used a multi-case-study analysis of 14 African firms of different sizes and tiers within three main agri-food sectors (i.e. livestock farming, food-crop and fisheries-aquaculture) to explore, interpret and present data and their findings.

Downstream firms (wholesalers and retailers) of the African agri-food supply chain are found to extensively use digital seizing and transforming capabilities to formulate worst-case assumptions amid geopolitical disruption, followed by proactive mitigation actions. These capabilities are mainly supported by advanced technologies such as blockchain and additive manufacturing. On the other hand, smaller upstream partners (SMEs, cooperatives and smallholders) are found to leverage less advanced technologies, such as mobile apps and cloud-based data analytics, to develop sensing capabilities necessary to formulate a “wait-and-see” strategy, allowing them to reduce perceptions of heightened supply chain uncertainty and take mainly reactive mitigation strategies. Finally, the authors integrate their findings into a conceptual framework that advances the research agenda on managing supply chain uncertainty in vulnerable areas.

This study is the first that sought to understand the contextual conditions (supply chain characteristics and firm characteristics) under which companies in the African agri-food supply chain could leverage digital technologies to manage uncertainty. The study advances contingency and dynamic capability theories by providing a new way of interacting in one specific context. In practice, this study assists managers in developing suitable strategies to manage uncertainty during geopolitical disruptions.

The dearth of leadership competencies to transform traditional industries to Industry 4.0 is a barrier to global production. This study explains the deficiencies in leadership competencies that hinder the transformation of traditional industries to Industry 4.0.

Leadership was explained into transactional leadership, digital leadership and Leadership 4.0. Then, the network of relationships between these leadership constructs was plotted in a path diagram to learn the mediating effect of digital leadership.

The results indicate that a lack of digital competencies to coordinate tasks, share information and solve problems in a digitalized environment is the barrier to the transformation.

The findings can be used in human resources (HR) management. In addition, the findings provide evidence to present the contingency theory as a universal theory of leadership.

The study is the first to assess the mediating effect of digital leadership on transactional leadership to explain the changes to strategic leadership due to the emergence of Leadership 4.0.

Effective and flexible organizational models have become an avenue for driving smallholder competitiveness in the agricultural sector. However, little is understood about the processes by which resource-constrained actors deploy their organizational networks to generate and retain value in rapidly changing agrifood environments. This study examines the moderating effects of business contingencies on the interplay between organizational relationships and the resource-based performance of small-scale farmers in a developing country.

The authors propose a novel conceptual framework grounded in the relational view, netchain and contingency theories. Cross-sectional data obtained from 330 maize farmers in rural Zambia were analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling, which involves mediation-moderation analysis.

The results show that all relational networks – vertical, horizontal and lateral – positively mediate the effects farm resources and social capital have on farmers' performance. However, these effects change depending on the predominant agency situations. Specifically, asymmetric power from customers and reputable competitors weakens the positive effect of closer horizontal relationships on business performance, while the positive effect of tighter informal vertical relationships on farmers' performance weakens under conditions of high affective trust. Moreover, the gender-based multigroup analyses highlight variations in the contingent relational view of men- and women-headed households.

The study relies on cross-sectional data from one agribusiness sector in Zambia, thus generalizations should be cautious.

The uniqueness of this study lies in the proposed theoretical framework and new empirical insights, which extend the scope of the relational view to small-scale farming households in developing countries.

Eco-innovations (EIs) are intended to benefit not only the environment but society and firms, but how the relationship is reconciled is unclear, particularly in emerging economies. The advancement of EI has resulted in both positive and negative relationships with sustainability, indicating that the association is more complex than a simple linear one.

Thus, the authors hypothesize that EI has a curvilinear relationship with sustainable business performance (SPB) and that market turbulence (MT) exerts stimulus that reinforces EIs. Accordingly, using the Stata software, the authors apply a moderated regression to a sample size data of 511 manufacturing firms to test the hypothesized assumptions.

Although the results attest to a positive relationship between EI and SBP, the results are synonymous with an inverted “U” shape that renders EIs unprofitable beyond a certain threshold (rebound effect). Additionally, the authors observe that the moderation stimulus of technology turbulence flattens the inverted U-shaped curve.

Built on the foundations of natural-resource-based view (NRBV) and contingency theory, the authors identify the rebound effect point of EI and SBP and the reinforcing stimulus of MT.

The understanding regarding the impact of entrepreneurial intentions on the job insecurity and depression is limited in the longitudinal settings, organizations need to know which factors can be added to decrease the psychological and career issues of visiting or contract employees. Thus, this research aims to investigate the person vocation fit and entrepreneurial leadership as a moderator in the relation of entrepreneurial intentions, job insecurity and depression in within- and between-person level with the time of 4 months' time lag.

The data was gathered by using survey method from visiting faculty of universities located in Punjab, in the longitudinal design of 4-wave months and M.plus software was used to do the mediation and moderation analysis.

Results revealed that job insecurity mediated the entrepreneurial intentions and depression, the person vocation fit and entrepreneurial leadership moderated the entrepreneurial intentions and job insecurity link in the following month.

This paper contributes in the literature of entrepreneurship and career management, by considering the role of person vocation fit and entrepreneurial leadership in the organizations of emerging countries that have high unemployment rate and mental health issues. This paper provides nuanced understanding of how these two constructs have influenced the entrepreneurial intentions-job insecurity-depression within- and between-person level in the visiting or contract employees. Therefore, made strong contribution to the theory of person- environment fit, the entrepreneurial event theory and the contingency theory in the longitudinal data. In addition, to generalize the results, this theoretical framework should be tested in the other geographic area and industries.

The findings give practitioners, e.g. managers, policy- makers and counselors, with an idea how to decrease the feelings of job insecurity and depression in visiting or contract employees. They can promote the culture of innovation by giving training of entrepreneurial leadership and hiring the employees who have person vocation fit, all of these factors can lead to enhance the positive organizational image in potential and existing employees as well as it will also decrease the unemployment issue in emerging countries.

In past, scholars focused on the consequences of job insecurity and its harms but none emphasized on the aspects of entrepreneurship regarding the visiting faculty of universities. Like how entrepreneurial intentions can gradually decrease the job insecurity and depression among them and how the strengthen of person vocation fit and entrepreneurial leadership role their play monthly in this regard.

The coordination among the various entities such as the military, government agencies, civilians, non-governmental agencies, and other commercial enterprises is one of the most challenging aspects of managing the humanitarian supply chain. Blockchain technology (BCT) can facilitate coordination, but the cost and other hindrances have limited their application in disaster relief operations. Despite some studies, the existing literature does not provide a nuanced understanding of the application of blockchain technology to improve information alignment and coordination. Motivated by some recent examples where blockchain technology has been used to trace and mobilize resources in the form of funds and materials from the origin to the destination, the authors develop a theoretical model grounded in the contingent resource-based view.

To empirically validate the model and test the research hypotheses, the authors gathered cross-sectional data using a structured pre-tested questionnaire. In this study, the authors gathered our responses from international non-governmental organizations from twenty-four countries. The authors performed the statistical analyses using variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with the help of commercial software (WarpPLS 7.0).

The findings of the study offer some useful implications for theory and practice. The results obtained through statistical analyses suggest that the BCT significantly affects information alignment and coordination. However, contrary to popular beliefs the study suggests that intergroup leadership has no significant moderating effect on the paths joining BCT and information alignment/coordination. Moreover, the authors found that the control variable (interdependence) significantly affects the information alignment and coordination further, which opens the room for further investigation.

The result of the study offers some useful guidance. Firstly, it suggests that humanitarian organizations should invest in BCT to improve information alignment and coordination which is one of the most complex tasks in front of humanitarian organizations. Secondly, intergroup leadership may not have desired influence on the effects of BCT on information alignment/coordination. However, the interdependence of the humanitarian organizations on each other may have a significant influence on the information alignment/coordination.

The study offers some useful implications for theory. For instance, how BCT influences information alignment and coordination was not well understood in the context of humanitarian settings. Hence, this study offers a nuanced understanding of technology-enabled coordination in humanitarian settings.

Building on resource dependence theory and contingency theory (CT) and focusing on an emerging market setting, this study investigates how demographic board diversity (BD) influences the export intensity (EI) of firms listed on Borsa Istanbul (BIST), with the moderating effect of firm size, as a contingency factor, on this interaction.

Using a sample of 65 exporting firms listed on the BIST Industrials Index, this study explores how demographic attributes of board members, represented by the board diversity index (BDI), affects EI by employing panel data analysis over the period of 2016–2020.

The results suggest that there is a negative relationship between BD and EI, but firm size has a positive moderating effect on the association of BD and EI, indicating that large firms with diverse boards are more prone to access foreign markets and make export. The findings further indicate that board size and CEO duality have a negative and significant effect on EI, while marketing intensity has a positive and significant impact.

The sample covers only public companies listed on the BIST Industrials Index, and the impact of board characteristics on the EI is analyzed for a limited time frame, i.e. from 2016 to 2020.

The findings help business executives better understand the contribution of the firm size on the interaction of BD and EI and offers valuable insights to companies to gain a competitive edge in international markets.

The study provides evidence on the effects of board attributes on the EI from the perspective of emerging countries. It also helps to gain a deeper understanding of how board dynamics contribute to the internationalization of companies.

The “United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal” 9 seeks to “… foster innovation” in all sectors of an economy. Thus, this conceptual piece addresses the indirect effect of innovative behaviour (INB) between total quality management (TQM) and innovation performance (INP). It further explores the context-contingent effect of four external factors [government regulation (GOV), market dynamism (MKD), competitive intensity (CMP) and technological turbulence (TUR)] on the TQM–INB linkage.

By incorporating both theoretical and empirical works in the fields of strategic management, innovation and business performance, this conceptual piece constructs a conceptual model, using a systematic literature review, alongside suppositions that can be tested in further studies.

This conceptual piece puts forward that TQM will be favourably connected to INP, and this favourable association will be mediated by INB. Moreover, GOV, MKD, CMP and TUR will have a favourable context-contingent effect on the favourable direct connection between TQM and INB.

This conceptual piece affords suggestions for both practitioners and researchers alike in the areas of innovative and strategic decision-making in banking establishments for reinforcing INP by introducing TQM, INB, GOV, MKD, CMP and TUR as innovative-strategic tools. It also delivers suggestions for forthcoming academics to examine this conceptual piece, empirically, in diverse banking sites worldwide.

Practical lessons for managers, employees, customers and consultants within the banking sector for the superior advantage of all key stakeholders are deliberated.

This study provides a new model to demonstrate how TQM leads to INP by passing through INB of employees, and how TQM fosters INB under diverse degrees of GOV, MKD, CMP and TUR. It shows how internal factors (7 TQM dimensions) and external factors (GOV, MKD, CMP and TUR) interact to foster employee INB. It also underscores the theoretical authority of three theories utilised, both individually and in combination, by using them to explain new relationships.