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As a response to global population growth and increasing demand for food, farmers have been complementing traditional agriculture practices with vertical farming (VF) and indoor hydroponic systems. To facilitate the growth of the VF industry, this paper aims to identify business model elements and their configurations that lead to high firm performance.

The research goals were met by conducting literature reviews coupled with a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on five business model elements, “superior” OR “strong” performance as two possible outcomes, and the top-ranked global VF growers listed in the Crunchbase Database.

From the fsQCA results, it was observed that several business model configurations lead to strong firm performance. Vertical farms growing in urban settings and having strong customer engagement platforms, coupled with a presence of business-to-business (B2B) sales channels, are more consistently associated with superior performance. These results imply that the decision configuration of location, along with customer engagement activity and sales activity are differentiating factors between good firm performance and superior firm performance in the case of vertical farms.

This paper contributes to expanding the knowledge of business model theory, business model configurations and VF management, providing specific guidelines for vertical farm owners and investors related to decision-making for higher firm performance, as well as positive environmental, social and economic impact.

Knowledge sharing enables a firm’s absorptive capacity to reconfigure its dynamic capabilities to sense, track and recognise embryonic business opportunities. Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition triggers entrepreneurs to invest in and upgrade their knowledge practices to improve entrepreneurial performance. This study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity on entrepreneurial orientation as well as the moderating effect of opportunity recognition and the mediating effect of absorptive capacity.

A quantitative cross-sectional research design was applied to data from Algerian small and medium-sized enterprise managers in middle- to top-management positions. The final analysis using smart PLS included 246 respondents.

Knowledge sharing positively influenced entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity. In addition, the findings reveal that entrepreneurial orientation positively influences entrepreneurial performance, and opportunity recognition strengthens the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial performance. Entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity have partial mediating effects.

This study focuses on how firms create and share developed knowledge to enable absorptive capacity to fit a level of entrepreneurial orientation. This study validates the vital impact of opportunity recognition as a leading motivation for entrepreneurial orientation. The results highlight an important area of research and suggest that firms should focus on knowledge sharing to boost entrepreneurial outcomes.

The notions of entrepreneurship, absorptive capacity and knowledge sharing are extended by building on dynamic capability theory. Knowledge sharing increases absorptive capacity, which drives superior entrepreneurial orientation outcomes.

This study investigated the relationships among big data analytics capability (BDAC), low-cost advantage, differentiation advantage, market and operational performance underpinning the resource-based view (RBV) and the entanglement view of sociomaterialism (EVS) theories.

A total of 191 responses from members of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers were analysed using a structural equation modelling approach.

This study has conclusively demonstrated that BDAC is indeed a resource bundle comprising human skills, tangible and intangible resources. This study found that BDAC positively influences competitive advantage and firm performance. The differentiation advantage was found to be a key factor in explaining market performance. Theoretically, both RBV and EVS could be used to link BDAC, differentiation advantage and market performance to explain superior firm performance.

First, the sample is restricted to the manufacturers in Malaysia. Second, a single independent variable, BDAC, is used as a higher-order capability to influence competitive advantage, and thus, superior firm performance. Third, this study uses a self-reported survey, which means that only one respondent from each firm answered the questions. Fourth, this study excludes the focused strategy as it aims to investigate the competitive strategy used in the broader industry environment, rather than in a specific segment pursuing a focused strategy.

First, BDAC is a valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable tool for manufacturers to enhance their firm performance. Second, BDAC is crucial for manufacturing firms to reduce costs and differentiate themselves. Third, a low-cost advantage may not help manufacturers achieve greater market and operational performance.

The relationship among BDAC, low-cost advantage, differentiation advantage, market and operational performance within manufacturing industry is empirically tested.

Factor investment is booming in global asset management, especially environmental, social, and governance (ESG), dividend yield, and volatility factors. In this chapter, we use data from the US securities market from 2003 to 2019 to predict dividends and volatility factors through machine learning and historical data–based methods. After that, we utilize particle swarm optimization to construct the Markowitz portfolio with limits on the number of assets and weight restrictions. The empirical results show that that the prediction ability using XGBoost is superior to the historical factor investment method. Moreover, the investment performance of our portfolio with ESG, high-yield, and low-volatility factors outperforms baseline methods, especially the S&P 500 ETF.

Grounded in the resource-based view of the firm, this study aims to examine the effects of goal orientation and the mindfulness of entrepreneurs on firm innovation capability and analyzes that capability’s subsequent impact on firm performance. The authors also analyze whether mindfulness interacts with goal orientation to intensify its effect on firm innovation capability.

Simple random sampling was used to obtain the sample of Thai firms listed in the Department of Business Development database (n = 304). The data analysis was done by using partial least square structural equation modeling.

Goal orientation and mindfulness are positively associated with firm innovation capability. The analysis also supports the interaction effect of goal orientation and mindfulness on firm innovation capability. Moreover, firm innovation capability is positively associated with firm performance.

Goal orientation and mindfulness should be considered two essential soft skills that entrepreneurs must develop to build up their firms’ innovation capability. Because entrepreneurs are the key drivers of economic growth and sustainable development, the government agencies responsible for the entrepreneurship development should consider goal orientation and mindfulness as parts of their entrepreneurship training program and development policy.

The finding about the interaction effect of goal orientation and mindfulness on firm innovation capability provides new evidence that was not documented in previous research. The authors clarify that these are entrepreneurial characteristics that could supplement each other to maximize the potential of entrepreneurs and strengthen the innovation capability of their firms.

Due to the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, increasing the use of AI in healthcare is critical, but few studies have explored the extent to which physicians cooperate with AI in their work to achieve productive and innovative performance, which is a key issue in operations management (OM). We conducted empirical research to answer this question.

We developed a conceptual model based on the ambidextrous perspective. To test our model, we collected data from 200 Chinese hospitals. One senior and one junior physician from each hospital participated in this research so that we could get a more comprehensive view. Based on the sample of 400 participants and the conceptual model, we examined whether different types of AI use have distinct impacts on physicians’ productivity and innovation by conducting hierarchical regression and post hoc tests. We also introduced team psychological safety climate (TPSC) and AI technology uncertainty (AITU) as moderators to investigate this topic in further detail.

We found that augmentation AI use is positively related to overall productivity and innovative job performance, while automation AI use is negatively related to these two outcomes. Furthermore, we focused on the impacts of the ambidextrous use of AI on these two outcomes. The results highlight the positive impacts of complementary use on both outcomes and the negative impact of balance on innovative job performance. TPSC enhances the positive impacts of complementary use on productivity, whereas AITU inhibits the negative impacts of automation and balanced use on innovative job performance.

In the age of AI, organizations face greater trade-offs between performance and technology management. This study contributes to the OM literature from the perspectives of operational performance and technology management in three ways. First, it distinguishes among different AI implementations and their diverse impacts on productivity and innovative performance. Second, it identifies the different conditions under which automation AI use and augmentation are superior. Third, it extends the ambidextrous perspective by becoming an early adopter of this approach to explore the implications of different types of AI use in light of contingency factors.

Drawing upon the natural resource-based view (NRBV), green absorptive capacity (GAC) is the backbone of firm green dynamic capabilities. It converts the developed knowledge into knowledge application. Understanding how GAC could benefit corporation environmental performance (EP) is still ambiguous and debated. Hence, this study introduced three facilitator factors, namely, managerial environmental concern (MEC), green innovation performance (GIP) and green entrepreneurship orientation (GEO), in which GAC can improve EP. The study tested the moderation effect of GAC and GEO on the MEC-GEO and the MEC-EP relationships and predicted the mediation effect of MEC, GEO and GIP on the GAC-EP relationship.

The quantitative study used a self-administered survey and cross-sectional research design; the study collected data from top management employees working in Chinese manufacturing firms.

The results indicated that GAC positively influences MEC, GEO and GIP, and these last three constructs influence EP. While MEC positively affects GIP, the MEC-GEO relationship was insignificant. The study found that GAC moderates the MEC-GEO relationship, whereas GEO failed to do so between MEC and EP. The results confirm a partial mediation effect between GAC-EP through the three intermediary constructs.

To promote EP, firms GAC should prioritize developing MEC ad GIP. Firms' GEO can exploit eco-friendly opportunities enabled by GAC, a process that bridges the existing knowledge and skills gap between MEC and GEO. GAC is one of the leading green strategic capabilities that help GEO to achieve green business growth and better EP. MEC is the process of facilitating GIP to deliver eco-products and protect the external environment. When MEC failed to address GEO's green business agenda, GEO could not enhance EP.

The study highlights the necessity of GAC to develop firms' green dynamic capabilities to boost EP. The study confirms GAC's vital role in strengthening the manager's environmental awareness and bridging the knowledge gap between GEO and MEC. In addition, GIP can drive entrepreneurial green opportunities and enhance EP when GAC is involved and converts knowledge creation to knowledge applications. Strategically speaking, given the importance of the triple green pillars of the NRBV, GEO would not balance green business growth and EP unless GAC leveled up MEC to match GEO's green business agenda and drive EP.

To develop electrode materials for supercapacitor with superior electrochemical performance and simple preparation process, the purpose of this study is to prepare flexible CC/NiS/a-NiS electrodes with self-supporting structure by loading hydrothermally synthesized a-NiS particles along with nano-NiS on carbon cloth by electroplating method.

The effects of current densities, temperatures and pH values on the loading amount and uniformity of the active substances during the plating process were investigated on the basis of optimization of surface morphology, crystalline structure and electrochemical evaluation as the cyclic voltammetry curves, constant current charge–discharge curves and AC impedance.

The a-NiS particles on CC/NiS/a-NiS were mostly covered by the plated nano-NiS, which behaved as a bulge and provided a larger specific surface area. The CC/NiS/a-NiS electrode prepared with the optimized parameter exhibited a specific capacitance of 115.13 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g and a Coulomb efficiency of 84% at 5 A/g, which is superior to that of CC/NiS electrode prepared by electroplating at a current density of 10 mA/cm², a temperature of 55°C and a pH of 4, demonstrating its fast charge response of the electrode and potential application in wearable electronics.

This study provides an integrated solution for the development of specifically structured NiS-based electrode for supercapacitor with simple process, low cost and high electrochemical charge/discharge performance, and the simple and easy-to-use method is also applicable to other electrochemically active composites.

Using the theoretical framework of social comparison theory (SCT), this study investigates the effects of employee envy on service sabotage behaviors in the hospitality industry. It further examines the complex dynamics of self-performance and job dissatisfaction in this context. Notably, this paper seeks to determine the potential moderating role of perceived employability in the interactions between service sabotage, employee envy, job dissatisfaction and self-performance.

Our research structure was divided into four distinct models. The findings of Model 1 highlight the significant impact of employee envy on service sabotage. The analysis in Model 2a shows that job dissatisfaction acts as a partial mediator in the employee envy and service sabotage linkage. On the other hand, Model 2b reveals self-performance as yet another partial mediator between envy-service sabotage relationships. In turn, Model 3 demonstrates that job dissatisfaction and self-performance play a serial mediation role in the envy-service sabotage relationship. In addition, our research shows that perceived employability effectively moderates the three proposed paths within these relationships.

Our research structure was divided into four distinct models. The findings of Model 1 highlight the significant impact of employee envy on service sabotage. The analysis in Model 2a shows that job dissatisfaction acts as a partial mediator in the employee envy and service sabotage linkage. On the other hand, Model 2b reveals self-performance as yet another partial mediator between envy-service sabotage relationships. In turn, Model 3 demonstrates that job dissatisfaction and self-performance play a serial mediation role in the envy-service sabotage relationship. In addition, our research shows that perceived employability effectively moderates the three proposed paths within these relationships.

Hotel managers must keep a close eye on their front-of-house staff to avoid any unintentional or direct interactions with customers. Equally important is the consistent and impartial treatment of all employees, which is an important consideration for managers to consider because it can help mitigate employee envy and job dissatisfaction.

This study seeks to enhance understanding of SCT by emphasizing perceived employability as a boundary influencing the relationships between these factors and desired outcomes in the hotel industry, such as job dissatisfaction, self-performance and service sabotage. This paper is an initial attempt to investigate the underlying mechanisms in the relationship between envy and service sabotage.

This study elucidates the interactive relationship of sustainability assurance (SA) quality with corporate environmental sustainability performance (CESP) and firm value and explores the moderating impact of CESP on the SA quality–firm value relationship.

The sample comprises 320 firm-year observations of 40 companies listed on the Cotation Assistée en Continu (CAC 40) from 2010 to 2019. The authors use the simultaneous equations model to capture the CESP and SA quality–firm value relationship and apply the three-stage regression and generalised method of moments approaches to address possible endogeneity.

The results show that CESP, as assessed by International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 14001 certification, has a significant positive effect on firm value, the relevance of which implies that in the case of good environmental performance, society's perception of a firm is much more favourable; consequently, the firm is likely to be rewarded with a premium value in capital markets. In addition, environmental performance has a stronger interaction with SA quality, acting as a moderator variable; thus, greater SA quality signals credibility owing to increased eco-efficiency. The authors interpret their findings within a multi-theoretical framework that draws insights from legitimacy, stakeholders and signalling theoretical perspectives.

This study contributes to the literature by re-examining the relationship between SA quality and firm value. It also provides new evidence of the moderating effect of CESP on the SA quality–firm value nexus. Specifically, this study explores the joint effects of credibility and eco-efficiency on market confidence in sustainability information. The authors use a simultaneous equation model to capture the reciprocal association between SA quality and firm value, whereas prior studies on SA quality and market performance have frequently used single-equation regression. The authors also find that CESP positively moderates the relationship between SA quality and firm value. Including CESP and exploring the moderating impact of eco-efficiency on the SA quality–firm value relationship is a novel approach.