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The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of technological diversification (TD) on enterprise innovation performance, meanwhile focusing on the moderating effects of various organizational slack (i.e. absorbed and unabsorbed slack) and ownership types (i.e. state-owned or privately-owned) in the context of Chinese listed firms.

This study formulates five hypotheses based on organization and agency theories. Our empirical analysis employs a fixed-effect regression estimator with a unique panel dataset of Chinese-listed manufacturing firms and 13,566 firm-year observations over 9 years from 2012 to 2020.

Our findings show that an inverted U-shaped relationship exists between TD and innovation performance, varying with different types of organizational slack and ownership. In state-owned enterprises (SOEs), unabsorbed slack negatively moderates the inverted U-shaped relationship; however, in privately-owned enterprises (POEs), this relationship is positively moderated. Although absorbed slack has negative moderating effects in both SOEs and POEs, its impact is only significant for POEs.

Our results imply that organizational slack has a contrasting impact on the relationship between TD and innovation performance when the type of ownership varies. Therefore, the managers that intend to achieve optimal innovation performance through TD should understand how organizational slack can be leveraged.

This study contributes to the existing literature by applying the relationship between TD and innovative performance to the transition economy, as well as examining the double-edged sword impact of state ownership on firm innovation performance.

This study aims to investigate the effect of income and asset diversification on earnings management using discretionary loan loss provisions (LLP) in banks, and the role of risk level in mediating this effect.

A sample of banks operating in Middle East and North Africa countries was used to test the mediation model of Baron and Kenny (1986) with different measures of diversification and risk.

The results show that bank income and asset diversification have unique and combined effects on earnings management. The results also support the idea that a risk-mediating effect contributes to explaining this relationship among banks. Specifically, bank diversification strategies positively affect LLP-based earnings management by increasing bank risk. This result is relevant for conventional banks. However, only a direct and positive effect of diversification strategies on LLP-based earnings management can be observed in Islamic banks, and the indirect effect is not supported.

This study extends previous research by examining the unique and combined effects of income and asset diversification strategies on earnings management in the banking sector. Specifically, it provides new evidence that diversification strategies increase LLP-based earnings management, both directly and indirectly, through bank risk.

Examines the selection and diversification of market segments for robotics products with respect to application areas and customer sectors.

This study attempted to investigate the selection and diversification of market segments by 50 robotics firms in the US with respect to application areas and customer sectors that they serve. Based upon the concept of strategic groups, we classified those robotics firms into three distinct strategic groups along the dimensions of application area diversification and customer sector diversification. The three strategic groups were identified as high, moderate, and low diversification groups, with respect to both application areas and customer sectors.

The results show that robotics firms vary in their selection of application areas and customer sectors, and more importantly in the degree of diversification of application areas and customer sectors. Also, three distinct strategic groups are observed among them, based upon the degree of diversification of application areas and customer sectors.

A few limitations are recognized in this study. First, we used only the dimensions of market segment diversification in classifying the strategic groups in the US robotics industry. Given the important role of technology in the industry, we may consider pairing market dimensions with technology dimensions in exploring any strategic groups in the industry. Second, we only tested for the existence of strategic groups in the industry. We may further consider investigating the factors or reasons for the differences between the strategic groups, as well as any performance differences between the strategic groups. In studying the firm's performance, it is desirable to utilize financial performance measures such as sales growth and profitability. But securing such financial performance measures for individual robotics firms is hampered by the consolidated financial results of diversified firms and the presence of privately held firms in the industry. Third, we used data compiled from a secondary source. We may consider collecting time‐series data directly from robotics firms. These limitations are not certainly exhaustive but rather important ones for future research.

Given the limited studies on robotics firms and their strategy, the results should be of interest to those who formulate product strategy in the robotics market.

The issues of diversification of market segments and the resultant strategic groups that we examined are well worth trying to understand for more viable market strategy in the field. Particularly, the identification of such strategic groups in the industry would help robotics firms evaluate their competitive positions, as well as competitors' approach to the market place.

Although there are many variations in the definition of diversification, it would be only appropriate to provide some form of definition for the reader. Corporate diversification in its broadest sense can be defined simply as the entering into a new business activity by an existing business entity. This definition is expounded upon by many of the leading corporate diversification researchers to include references to the method of entering the new business (whether it be through acquisition, internal development, etc.), the driving forces behind the diversification (i.e., synergy, resource sharing, risk reduction), and the levels of relatedness between the company's present product line and market to that of the new businesses' products and markets.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of diversification in the strategic management of libraries.

The literature is examined to identify issues attached to diversification and also examples where libraries have pursued this strategy. Lessons that can be learned from other sectors regarding diversification are presented and their relevance for libraries considered.

The paper finds that diversification is relevant for libraries because of increased competition in places where people can access information. It provides a way to grow and develop. Various diversification approaches exist and they all have a level of risk. Extra resources are also necessary when diversification is pursued. Library managers have to be able to judge when the risks in diversification are justified.

The paper provides food for thought for library practitioners in the use of diversification in developing future services.

This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate diversification and growth opportunities on the performance of real estate investment trusts (REIT) in Malaysia and Singapore before and during the pandemic.

The sample consists of 33 public-listed REITs across Singapore and Malaysia. A dynamic panel system generalized method of moments (DPS-GMM) estimation is used to account for unobservable factors and a relatively short sample period (2009–2022).

Results indicate that the impact of diversification is contingent on the market where the REIT is based and other institutional factors. The estimates also show that diversified REITs are better able to weather period of economic uncertainty.

We provided a definitive answer as to why corporate diversification leads to conflicting outcomes – market and institutional factors, strategic intent and the overall economic environment. We also show that the impact of typical firm controls (i.e. free cash, size) can differ. Future firm-level work should thus study similar phenomenon more contextually and carefully consider these varying effects.

The literature is divided on the impact of diversification on firm performance. By using a two-country sample, we show conclusive evidence that this contradictory outcome is due to market and institutional factors. We also show evidence that strategic intent is an important factor that influences the outcomes of diversification, regardless of market. We also infer that excess cash aids the resilience of the firm, contrary to the negative perception of excess cash during normal times. Firm size, in contrast, does not contribute to firm performance during a crisis.

This research aims to empirically investigate the impacts of product and international diversification strategies on firm-level inventory performance.

This study empirically examines the associations between product and international diversification strategies and inventory performance based on a sample of 64,124 observations across 7,367 US publicly traded firms between 1989 and 2019 from the COMPUSTAT Segment, Fundamental Annual and Fundamental Quarterly data files. We employ both linear and nonlinear regression models to perform our empirical analysis.

This research provides strong evidence that there exists a U-shaped relationship between unrelated product diversification and inventory level and a partially inverted U-shaped relationship between international diversification and inventory level. We also find a positive impact of related product diversification on inventory level, but there is no significant curvilinear relationship between related product diversification and inventory level.

Our research findings offer important insights into top management’s strategic planning for diversification strategies and operations manager’s inventory control policies to achieve the strategic fit between corporate diversification and inventory management.

Product and international diversification strategies not only play an essential role in the firm’s competitive advantage, but also have a significant influence on operations manager’s inventory decision. This research is among the first to systematically investigate how top management’s related product, unrelated product and international diversification strategies may have complex nonlinear impacts on inventory performance.

Much prior work involving director incentives and corporate behaviour has been focussing on their absolute dollar value or the intrinsic value and generated mixed findings. Comparison theories, however, suggest that the relative value of an incentive may be the main drive for individual performance. This study attempts to investigate the role of director relative pay in promoting the board’s intervention with unrelated diversification decisions.

The analysis uses data from firms operating in more than one segment during the period from 1999 to 2019. Data were obtained from WRDS databases. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis and the two-stage system generalized method of moments (GMM) were run to test the hypotheses. To test the robustness of the findings, alternative proxies for the key independent variables were used in separate analyses.

The results support the hypothesis that unrelated diversification negatively impact firm performance, while higher director relative pay will help reduce unrelated business diversification. The absolute director pay, however, has no significant impact on corporate strategic choices. The results also highlight the moderating effect of director overcompensation. Director overcompensation will cancel out the impact of relative director pay on unrelated diversification.

This study takes a fresh theoretical perspective by framing the investigation using the dimensional comparison theory to address the single untended comparison framework in the director pay structure – the intra-individual framework. It is the first to investigate the role of director relative pay in corporate strategic choices. The findings support the contention that the relative value of the incentive is an important indicator of the effectiveness of the pay.

The income structure of banks has undergone a notable change in recent decades; therefore, non-interest-based activities have gained much attention. This paper aims to examine the impact of income diversification on bank performance in Pakistan.

A balanced panel data set of 20 Pakistani commercial banks is used from 2007 to 2020. The random effect model is employed to test the relationship between income diversification and financial performance.

The empirical results indicate a significant positive impact of income diversification of banks on risk-adjusted returns on assets and equity. Moreover, while banks' risk-adjusted profit performance improves with the increase in bank size, equity ratio and loan ratio, it deteriorates with high credit risk and technology. However, geographical diversification does not explain financial performance in all the risk-adjusted return on equity models. Among the macroeconomic factors, the interest rate influences bank risk-adjusted returns positively, whereas gross domestic product and inflation rate have a negative effect on banks' financial performance.

To the best of the author's knowledge, this study is the first to empirically investigate the relationships between income diversification and the risk-adjusted profits of Pakistani-listed commercial banks. This study has implications for regulators and policymakers of commercial banks.

The increasing growth in global trade is promoting economic diversification through efficient air cargo logistics. The overdependence of Nigeria on mono-product export, mainly crude oil, hinder the successful implementation of economic diversification policy. However, air cargo export plays a significant role in any successful economic diversification policy. Despite the importance of air export of cargo to the economy, literature is scarce on the role of air cargo export in economic diversification studies. This chapter assesses the performance of air cargo export by highlighting its inherent opportunity to support economic diversification in Nigeria. The analysis draws on air cargo export data by volume, types, and airline market share in Nigeria. Regression analysis established a significant relationship between Nigeria's gross domestic product (GDP) and air cargo export. Johansen cointegration test showed that both short and long-run cointegration exists between air cargo and GDP in Nigeria. An increasing trend in Nigeria's air cargo export volume indicates the significance of air cargo export to support economic diversification policy in Nigeria. Airlines market shares have British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, and Saudi Air dominating the exportation of cargo in Nigeria. Agricultural products dominate the air cargo export with 34.6% volume, followed by manufacturing products (23.6%). An all-inclusive policy that promotes international trade for the economic emancipation of Nigeria through diversification into agriculture and manufacturing sectors is necessary.