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This paper sought to investigate the conditional indirect relationship between managerial capabilities (MCs) and performance amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sub-Saharan African economy. The study considered social capital (SC) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as parallel mediating mechanisms and competitive intensity as boundary conditions within this relationship. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.

Data were obtained from SMEs (n = 206) in a sub-Saharan African nation. Bootstrapping (Process Macro) and hierarchical regression in statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) were used to analyse the data.

The results demonstrate that whereas EO presents a mechanism through which MC influences performance, SC does not mediate the MC–performance relationship. The results further demonstrate that competitive intensity provides various interaction effects such that at high levels of competitive intensity the indirect effect of MC on performance through SC is weakened and strengthened through EO. The study, therefore, provides clarity to the intricate power of interactions of external factors with firm-specific resources.

The study demonstrates that varying combinations of resources influence performance differently. The authors consider the influence of these mediators simultaneously in attempts to extend theory by buttressing the bundling effect of MC on SC and EO in driving performance. They also highlight the impact of the boundary conditions created by competitive intensity (CI) on these mediated relationships.

Despite the growing scholarly interest in examining entrepreneurial orientation (EO)-performance link, the results have been inconsistent. However, studies have not explored firm-level and external factors that may serve as mechanisms or boundary conditions to explain this relationship. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to examine how and when EO influences performance by incorporating sustainability practices as a mechanism and competitive intensity as an important contingent factor.

Using primary data obtained from 323 chief executive officers/entrepreneurs, the authors analyzed the data using structural equation modeling in LISREL and Hayes PROCESS in SPSS.

The authors found that sustainability practices serve as a mechanism through which EO influences small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) performance. The study further revealed that the relationship between EO and sustainability practices is weakened at high levels of competitive intensity. Still, the relationship between EO and performance through sustainability practices remains strengthened when competitive intensity is present at high levels.

This study contributes to the literature by examining how SMEs who are less endowed with resources can engage in sustainability practices that can match large firms with stronger EO to achieve increased performance. Additionally, the study contributes to the literature by examining the mediating effect of sustainability practices in the EO-performance relationship. Finally, the study contributes to the body of literature by testing how competitive intensity presents as a boundary condition to leverage the relationship between EO and performance.

The study evaluates the role of institutional framework and macroeconomic instability on financial market development among emerging economies.

The study uses panel data compiled from 32 countries from the sub-region of Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), covering the period starting from 1996 to 2019. Empirical analyses were carried out using the two-step system generalized method of moments (TS-GMM) statistical framework.

Reviewed results suggest that institutional quality, effective governance and corruption control have a significant positive impact on financial market development among economies in the sub-region. Further empirical estimates show that macroeconomic risk and macroeconomic uncertainty have significant adverse effects on financial market development. Additionally, reported empirical estimates suggest that an improved institutional framework has the potential to lessen the adverse effect of macroeconomic instability on financial market development among economies in the sub-region.

The uniqueness of this empirical inquiry compared to related studies in the present literature stems from the fact that studies employing similar empirical approaches on the subject matter for economies in the sub-region are rare. Additionally, the analysis pursued in this study employs critical variables whose impact on financial market performance in the sub-region has not been examined per our review. These variables include indexes such as macroeconomic risk and institutional quality, which are unique to this study based on their construction; these indexes are generated using a principal component analysis procedure with different underlying variables compared to what may be found in the literature.

The purpose of this study is to explore user satisfaction with in-house facility management (FM) services in multi-tenanted office buildings in Accra, Ghana using a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) approach.

The study assessed user satisfaction with FM service quality by using a POE of their perceptions about the attitude and courtesy of the FM personnel, the reliability of the FM services they provide, the responsiveness and the competence of the service providers. The study used walk-throughs and questionnaire surveys as the POE methods. One hundred and twenty-one users from 22 multi-tenanted office buildings, who have actively used the FM services for at least a year, were purposively sampled. The data was collected via a survey using a structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and principal component analysis in version 25 of statistical package for the social sciences.

The study revealed that users were dissatisfied with the quality of in-house FM services across all 15 services The results also showed that users’ satisfaction with the services is not affected by the differences in their age, gender, educational level, job role and number of years in the buildings. The results further demonstrated that the most critical factors that resulted in users’ dissatisfaction were electric facilities, building fabric maintenance, emergency coordination, waste management and the decoration of the buildings during festive seasons.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study based on POE to assess user satisfaction with FM services for multi-tenant office buildings has, presumably, not been tackled before in Ghana. The results of the study are very essential to the owners of the buildings and facility managers in decision-making concerning the delivery of FM services. Building industry-wise, the results demonstrate the need for in-house FM managers in multi-tenanted office buildings in Ghana to adopt FM service delivery methods that increase user satisfaction. The results also call for further research into user satisfaction with outsourced FM services in multi-tenanted office buildings and further research on the use of the in-house strategy on other types of buildings to ascertain whether the dissatisfaction with FM is due to other factors such as the choice of FM strategy, the property type etc.

Performance problems in the public sector (PS) necessitate adaptation due to the sector’s uniqueness. Purposeful leadership (PL) may resolve PS adaptive performance (AP) problems. However, there is a paucity of research on the influence of PL on AP. Using data from three large PS organisations in Ghana, this research explores the relationship between PL and AP through job satisfaction (JS) and organisational identification (OI). It also explores the moderating effect of organisational integrity (IN) on the PL–JS and PL–OI relationships.

This paper created and tested a research model using the responses of 875 public servants in Smart PLS 4. Contract fulfilment and perceived organisational support functioned as control factors influencing JS (an intervener). Perceived procedural justice and psychological need satisfaction serve as control factors for OI (another intervener). Age, sex, tenure, education and job position were used as control variables in AP. To assess the role of moderation, we utilised the product indicator approach, and to estimate the role of mediation, we used variance accounted for (VAF). A significance level of 5% was established.

As anticipated, this study found that PL and AP had a significantly positive connection (t = 2.229, p = 0.000, β = 0.138). Both JS (VAF = 27.37%) and OI (VAF = 39.21%) partially mediated this connection. IN positively moderated the PL–JS (t = 4.249, p = 0.000, β = 0.165) and PL–OI (t = 3.704, p = 0.002, β = 0.099) connections.

This paper provides a theoretical and empirical understanding of the PL–AP relationship, how this relationship is facilitated and how the PL–JS and PL–OI relationships are strengthened. It provides a roadmap for upcoming scholars to test the hypotheses in diverse PS contexts globally to broaden the field of leadership. It will be insightful to show how JS and OI jointly mediate this relationship and the potential mediating role of job embeddedness in further studies.

Human resource (HR) practices in PS organisations, such as selecting, leadership enhancement initiatives, promotions, training and performance evaluations, must be guided by a “values-driven strategy” if leadership is to find, cultivate and keep employees capable of devising innovative strategies to manage unforeseen circumstances at work. The leaders are required to demonstrate the values of their organisations in order to set up a role model.

This study highlights the obstacles that purposeful leaders have the potential to mitigate, as well as the prospects that they might offer. It shows the essence for PS organisations to uphold and maintain high integrity standards as their hallmark.

This paper is the first to create and test a research model that shows the relationship between PL and AP. It also shows the different mechanisms (JS and OI) that make this effect possible, as well as the good work environment (i.e. IN) that allows the PL–JS and PL–OI relationships to grow.

The study evaluates the effects of governance and other regulatory structures on the development of financial institutions in the subregion of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Data for the analyses were compiled from relevant sources from 1996 to 2019 from a sample of 36 countries in the subregion. Empirical analyses were carried out using the Prais-Winsten panel corrected standard errors panel estimation technique augmented by pooled ordinary least squares with Driscoll and Kraay (1998) standard errors model.

Findings from the study suggest that governance and institutional quality index, as well as individual governance and regulatory variables, have positive effect on the development of financial institutions among economies in SSA. Further empirical estimates show that output growth volatility has negative moderating impact on the relationship between effective governance, control of corruption, rule of law, regulatory quality, voice and accountability, and development of financial institutions. Additionally, the results show that during periods of heightened macroeconomic risk, financial institutions could benefit from improved governance and effective regulatory structures.

Compared to related studies that have reviewed the discourse on financial institutions, this study rather focuses on how governance structures and institutions influence development of financial institutions instead of the impact of financial institution on the broader economy. The authors further augment this interaction by examining how the relationship in question may be moderated by macroeconomic shocks.

The global economy has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has placed greater responsibility on companies to fulfill their obligations to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) amid the crisis. This chapter investigates the role of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) attributes in improving a firm's CSR in the emerging economy of Jordan and how the COVID-19 pandemic modifies this relationship. Using a Jordanian sample of 655 firm-year observations during the 2014–2021 period, the research results show that older CEOs, well-educated CEOs, CEOs' remuneration, and CEOs' ownership positively correlate with CSR reporting. However, long-tenured CEOs are associated with lower CSR initiatives. The subsample analysis findings also validate the significance of CEO attributes in improving CSR practice during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the prepandemic period. These findings are beneficial for the regulatory setters to understand better whether CEO attributes are linked to engagement in CSR-related information. This research is among the limited number of studies that have explored how CEO attributes impact CSR reporting for the stakeholder's welfare. Moreover, it uniquely concentrated on contrasting the findings before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past few years, researchers across the world have been attracted to corporate governance (CG) and sustainability studies in the banking space. However, inconsistencies remain, which have created a lack of alignment in existing research. To address this problem, this paper aims to re-examines the CG–bank sustainability relationship using a qualitative design, which has been underused in the field, to generate in-depth, useful and novel analysis and insights that may hide behind the numbers.

A qualitative inquiry was conducted using key informants in Ghana’s banking industry. This study made use of purposive and snowball sampling techniques, an interview guide and the thematic approach to qualitative data analysis.

Firstly, this research finds that while larger boards do not promote bank sustainability, those who are independent and have diversified expertise and experiences do. Secondly, CEO duality can boost bank sustainability only if the CEO is actively engaged and performing. Thirdly, this study finds that foreign-owned and managed banks make more profits only if they have good knowledge of the local market.

This research makes the call that upcoming researchers should replicate this research in other banking settings worldwide to validate the results.

Practical lessons for local and foreign-owned banks and their shareholders are discussed to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 8.

This research shares novel insights that offer clarity to the literature and move the CG and sustainability fields forward.

This paper evaluates the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the performance of rural banks, as well as the moderating influence of effective governance on the surmised nexus.

Annual data for 122 Ghanaian rural banks from ARB Apex Bank, World Development Indicator (WDI) and World Governance Indicator (WGI) for the period 2014–2020 were compiled for analysis. A two-stage system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator was used in examining the relationships under study.

The findings suggest that CSR has a significant negative effect on return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and stability (Z-score). On the other hand, further results showed that CSR positively influences net interest margin (NIM). Again, the results suggest that government effectiveness exerts a positive moderating influence on the effect of CSR on performance from all four measurement criteria (ROA, ROE, NIM and Z-score) in the Ghanaian rural banking sector.

The study focuses on the rural banking sector in the Ghanaian economy, compared to related studies that examine the subject matter for commercial banks. The moderating influence of governance structures is also assessed on the relationships to guide policy on rural banking.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-02-2023-0116.

This article focusses on the hybrid strategy, a simultaneous combination of cost leadership and differentiation strategy. The study aims to examine the impact of hybrid strategy on firm performance through its anticipated positive effects on process and product innovation. In addition, we study the moderating role of adaptive capacity in the direct relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation.

Structural equation modelling was used to analyse 1,842 Spanish firms with fewer than 250 employees. We randomly selected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Spain from the Spanish Central Business Directory (2021) database. The overall sample design was based on stratified sampling.

We found that hybrid strategy is positively related to firm performance and to process and product innovation. Additionally, in firms implementing hybrid strategies, process innovation fostered firm performance. Finally, adaptive capacity strengthened the relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation. This sheds light on how and when hybrid strategy is most effective in fostering SME performance.

We highlight that SMEs need to establish strategies that use diverse resources and capabilities and not just generate competitive advantage using one strategy (cost leadership or differentiation strategy). This requires an agile and flexible systems and structures.

Our research provides novel results by proposing the adoption of hybrid strategies instead of pure strategies (cost leadership and differentiation strategy) as a way for SMEs to survive during crises. Unlike “stuck in the middle” strategies, our study demonstrates the importance of hybrid strategies in a comprehensive model that links them to innovation and firm performance, with adaptive capacity being a determining factor.