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First‐level managers are increasingly held accountable for the training and development of their team members. In order to explore how this HRD responsibility is executed, HRD officers of 23 innovative companies were interviewed. Delegation of HRD responsibility to first‐level managers turns out to be a feasible option, providing certain conditions are met. Three distinct HRD roles of first‐level managers can be observed: an analytic role, a supportive role and a trainer role.

Several studies have examined the leadership styles and behaviour of managers across hierarchical levels to see whether or not the styles and behaviour are similar. The present study collected data from over 400 managers in the UK to research the topic. It found that generally there are significant differences in the leadership styles between senior and first‐level managers, but not between senior and middle‐level managers or between middle and first‐level managers. The study suggests that differences in the leadership styles practised by managers may be blurred in organisations with short chains of command, while it will tend to be pronounced in organisations with long chains of command, other things being equal. Overall, while there was a weak but statistically significant difference between the leadership styles of senior and first‐level managers, the differences in their leadership behaviour was statistically strong. The implications of these results are explored.

This paper aims to show how changes in the workplace may have coincided with shifts in the importance of managerial skills over the past 15 years and to identify managerial skills needed at different levels and functions in today's work context.

This study, using survey methodology, is within the context of field research using 7,389 managers from 1988‐1992 and 7,410 managers from 2004‐2006.

Managerial skills important in the 1980s are relevant today. However, the importance of “relationships,” “administrative/organizational ability” and “time management” shifted over the last 15 years. This paper also identifies which managerial skills are important at different levels and across different functions of an organization in today's work environment.

Asking managers to choose which skills are important, rather than asking how important each skill is, may be a limitation. Future research should also consider the importance of managerial skills from a boss, peer, or direct report perspective.

The results have implications for training and development, selection and succession planning.

This study is unique since it uses the opinions of practicing managers totaling more than 14,000 over two distinct time periods to determine whether certain skills important (or not important) in the past are still important (or not important) today, and whether the importance of certain managerial skills has changed over a 15‐year period, and what skills are important across managerial levels and functions in today's organizational and work context.

An assessment of the EFQM excellence model was carried out in Italy's Udine Hospital, aimed at evaluating how first and second‐level managers perceived their hospital and individual departments. The study objectives also included identifying strengths and areas requiring improvement and stimulating a quality culture.

Udine's S. Maria della Misericordia Hospital is a large specialised unit in North East Italy and similar to many regional hospitals throughout the country. The survey is a single case study of the hospital and its ten clinical departments. A 153‐item questionnaire was completed by 201 experienced respondents.

Leadership, policy and strategy, partnership and resources were rated highly, whereas people, society and customer results received lower ratings. Several improvement actions were planned, primarily with regard to the results criteria.

A two‐level self‐assessment was successfully carried out in a hospital, giving insight into the organisation's strengths and areas requiring improvement. Through the study, a systemic approach was introduced and quality awareness was heightened.

The findings are useful for other hospitals conducting EFQM self‐assessment.

The purpose of this paper was to assess and determine the impact of the five core technologies of Industry 4.0 (3D Printing, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and Robotics) on the organizational performance of the retail industry in the context of Pakistan.

Pakistan's retail industry was chosen as the target sector, and the target population was composed of senior-level employees, including managers from first-level positions to top-level positions, as well as subordinate employees working under the supervision of first-level managers, possessing the technological know-how of Industry 4.0. The data were collected through a matrix-based survey questionnaire that was based on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The process of data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics.

The findings obtained by this research work showed a significant relationship among the five core pillars of Industry 4.0 and the organizational performance of Pakistan's retail industry. Besides, the obtained findings provided preliminary evidence that Industry 4.0's disruptive technologies, particularly, 3D printing, big data analytics, cloud computing, IoT and robotics, could help Pakistan's retail industry solve various problems and challenges, such as meager revenues, increased expenses and unorganized systems.

The present study extended the theoretical body of knowledge through studying and examining Industry 4.0's five crucial factors that significantly contribute to the service sector, particularly, the retail industry, of the big emerging markets (BEM) economies, including Pakistan.

The purpose of this paper is to provide strategic recommendations for Indian hotel administrators for improving sustainability practices: environment, economic and social with respect to the supply chain members by analyzing performance dimensions and the importance attached to them.

Importance performance analysis is a tool to analyze the perception of top-level, middle-level and first-level managers in hotels. Questionnaire is developed to collect the hotel manager’s perceptions. The snowball sampling method is used for data collection.

The paper introduces specific sustainability practices, namely, environment, economic and social factors, at the interface of the tourism supply chain (TSC). This will allow the hotels to identify the importance and performance of various sustainability practices to achieve a long-term competitive advantage. The present work finds that the responding hotel managers have given highest importance to the sustainability practices within the organization and the hotel manager’s perception of sustainability practices in the TSC will vary with respect to the supply chain members.

The effort has been made to capture specific sustainability practices across the supply chain. The paper reinstates the fact that sustainability practices are not firm specific and should be practiced at the supply chain interface. The data for the study were taken from focal organizations perspective which is the hotels.

Results provide the hotel administrators to develop appropriate strategies to improve their practices and functions by analyzing their strengths and weakness regarding their tangible and intangible assets. The identified sustainability practice attributes can act as a benchmark and drive the hotel industry toward possible cost-saving conditions by prioritizing the allocation of the resources while taking care of overall performance.

Results will help the hotel administrators to identify the better sustainability practices which will reduce the negative effects and protect the Mother Nature.

The study included hotels/resorts from tourism locations: hill station, backwaters and coastal areas, specifically in the Indian context.

The aim of this study was to identify what people in Mexican organizations perceive as effective and ineffective managerial behavior.

A qualitative study based on the grounded theory approach was conducted. Interviews using the critical incident techniques were conducted with 35 participants from six different companies located in Yucatan, Mexico.

Results suggest that effective managers in Mexico are considered approachable, democratic, fair, considerate, understanding, supportive, caring, and hard working with problem solving skills.

This study is based on the responses of participants located in one region of Mexico. This study focused on the perceptions of Mexican participants only.

Findings of this study have practical implications for human resources professionals, Mexican managers, and expatriates who manage operations and manage people in Mexico. Human resources professionals can use the findings of this study to develop programs for leadership and management development. For Mexican managers, this study set parameters of what is considered effective or ineffective management behavior. Also, the findings of this study can help multinational companies better prepare expatriates for their international assignments in Mexico.

The article explores leadership practices internationally.

Grounded in regulatory mode theory (RMT), this study aims to investigate the impact of managers’ orientation for action (locomotion and assessment) in business-to-business positioning decision-making.

Data are collected using a scenario-based experimental design. Study 1 examines whether interest and involvement in recommending a positioning strategy depends on a manager’s regulatory mode orientation. The impact of such orientations on the likelihood of changing a recommended positioning strategy is the focus of Study 2. The moderating effects of task motivation (expected rewards resulting from a recommendation), market feedback and the line manager’s leadership style are examined.

Both assessment and locomotion are significant determinants of involvement in recommending a positioning strategy. The introduction of motivation as a moderator helps explain differences in level of interest in positioning decision-making. Locomotion, but not assessment, affects the likelihood of changing a recommended positioning strategy. Assessment amplifies the impact of locomotion, while none of the interaction effects between regulatory mode orientation and contextual factors is a significant determinant of changing a positioning strategy.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first application of RMT on positioning decision-making. Results from two experiments provide novel insights into the predictive relevance of managers’ preference in terms of involvement with the decision-making process and the likelihood of altering positioning.

This paper aims to discuss the most critical aspects relative to the “usability” of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Framework faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in releasing the integrated report and adapting the Integrated Reporting (IR) principles (i.e. materiality, integrated thinking and connectivity) to their needs and features. Only recently the relevance of IR for SMEs has been internationally acknowledged.

The study is based on both a deductive and inductive approach. The first one is founded on a literature and technical review aimed at tracing the theoretical background and the framework on integrating reporting in SMEs. The second one is empirically constructed and follows the action research approach because it involves the analysis of a single case-study relative to a company – Costa Edutainment Spa that released its pioneering integrated report in 2014 – belonging to the Italian Network on Business Reporting, a working group which has been involved in the pivotal drafting process of a Guidance for IR in SMEs.

Results emphasise the main criticalities faced by an SME in the IR process, namely, the need for the following: clearly defining the relationship between sustainability and integrated reporting; adapting the main IR concepts (such us materiality, integrated thinking and connectivity) and fully understanding the benefits deriving from the implementation of IR. Moreover, results shed light on the usefulness of a simplified and operative guidance for releasing the integrated report within SMEs the effectiveness deriving from the direct involvement in the NIBR working group and the provision of practical examples and suggestions.

The main limitations are due to the fact that the empirical analysis is related to a single case study, and it is explorative in nature. Consequently, results are not generalisable. However, the work contributes to nourish the debate on the benefits and critical issues relative to the diffusion of IR among SMEs in a research field which has not been adequately investigated and to develop reflections on the benefits of the diffusion of the IR among SMEs, pointing out the opportunity to follow an evolutionary path which drives the evolution of the entrepreneurial and organisational culture towards monitoring, assessing and reporting the company’s value process creation.

The work contributes to triggering the debate on the diffusion of IR among SMEs which represents a research field that remains still under investigated. It points out a fundamental gap on how to implement IR in SMEs and operationalise the IIRC concepts and principles. It develops reflections on the critical issues and benefits of the diffusion of the IR among SMEs. Drawing from a pioneering experience, the work contributes to supporting entrepreneurs by emphasising the possible benefits deriving from the implementation of the IR process. It suggests an evolutionary path through different steps (starting from the business model definition) which are necessary to drive the entrepreneurial and organisational culture towards monitoring, assessing and reporting the SMEs’ value process creation.

The work contributes to devoting the attention of both scholars and practitioners to an underestimated research field – the “feasibility of IR in the SMEs context – which has not been yet adequately investigated. Moreover, being empirically based, it helps in supporting the diffusion of the IR framework among SMEs, practitioners and consultants by providing insights aimed to improve the IR Guidance for SMEs and sensitise entrepreneurs by emphasising that a possible step-by-step “IR journey” is possible.

360° feedback processes have gained popularity as a performance management and career development tool in contemporary organisations. This monograph explores the nature of 360° feedback, investigates the factors which have influenced its emergence and contrasts it with more traditional performance management processes used by organisations. It specifically identifies the benefits and problems associated with 360° feedback in the context of management of performance and employee career development. The monograph considers the issues surrounding different sources of feedback, i.e. peer, subordinate and self. The monograph concludes with a discussion of the issues pertaining to the use of multi‐rater feedback as a tool for performance improvement and career development.