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This study aims to explore the relationship between the innovation capacity and performance of manufacturing firms in the Ecuadorian pharmaceutical and chemical sectors using strategic foresight analysis.

From an extensive literature review, the fundamental variables related to manufacturing firms’ innovation for better performance were identified. Six hypotheses and actions were proposed related to financing, economic resources, capacities and research and development. Several scenarios were tested through foresight methodology to determine the more appropriate to be implemented by manufacturing firms over the next five years.

Scenario 01, where all the hypotheses resulted positive, has a 15.3% probability of occurrence. The results offer a relevant understanding of the behavior of the variables proposed as strategic actions for the sector.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, foresight methodology is applied for the first time to analyze the manufacturing sector in Ecuador. The authors propose a plan of action from the strategic scenario identified in this study, supporting the development of the industrial sectors under study.

Output from the Irish Dairy Industry has grown rapidly since the abolition of quotas in 2015, with processors investing heavily in capacity expansion to deal with the extra milk volumes. Further capacity gains may be achieved by extending the processing season into the winter, a key enabler for which being the reduction of duration of the winter maintenance overhaul period. This paper aims to investigate if Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques can be used to enhance operational maintenance performance, thereby releasing additional processing capacity.

Combining the Six-Sigma Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology and the structured approach of Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) widely used in process industries creates a novel hybrid model that promises substantial improvement in maintenance overhaul execution. This paper presents a case study applying the DMAIC/TAM model to Ireland’s largest dairy processing site to optimise the annual maintenance shutdown. The objective was to deliver a 30% reduction in the duration of the overhaul, enabling an extension of the processing season.

Application of the DMAIC/TAM hybrid resulted in process enhancements, employee engagement and a clear roadmap for the operations team. Project goals were delivered, and original objectives exceeded, resulting in €8.9m additional value to the business and a reduction of 36% in the duration of the overhaul.

The results demonstrate that the model provides a structure that promotes systematic working and a continuous improvement focus that can have substantial benefits for wider industry. Opportunities for further model refinement were identified and will enhance performance in subsequent overhauls.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that the structure and tools of DMAIC and TAM have been combined into a hybrid methodology and applied in an Irish industrial setting.

This study is focused to support an ongoing development project of the case company's current state and the challenges of the order-to-cash (O2C) process. The O2C process is the most visible process to the customer, and therefore, its punctual and fluent order management is vital. It is observed that the high degree of manual work in the O2C process causes mistakes, delays and rework in the process. The purpose of this article is therefore to analyze the case company's current state of the O2C process as well as to identify the areas of development in this process by deploying the means of Lean Six Sigma tools such as value stream mapping (VSM).

The study was conducted as a mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Based on both the quantitative and qualitative data, a workshop on VSM was organized to analyze the current state of the O2C process of a case company, engaged in the energy and environment sector in Finland.

The results found that excessive manual work was highly connected to inadequate or incorrect data in pricing and invoicing activities, which resulted in canceled invoices. Canceled invoices are visible to the customer and have a negative impact on the customer experience. This study found that by improving the performance of the O2C process activities and improving communication among the internal and external stakeholders, the whole O2C process can perform more effectively and provide better customer value.

The O2C process is the most visible process to the customer and therefore its punctual and fluent order management is vital. To ensure that the O2C process is operating as desired, suitable process performance metrics need to be aligned and followed. The results gathered from the case company's data, questionnaire interviews, and the VSM workshop are all highlighted in this study. The main practical and managerial implications were to understand the real-time O2C process performance, which is necessary to ensure strong performance and enhance continuous improvement of the O2C process that leads to operational excellence and commercial competitiveness of the studied case company.

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, innovation is the cornerstone for every organization. Knowledge management (KM) is crucial for developing sustainable competitive advantage by fostering innovation. This study aims to identify the key drivers of KM in the context of digital transformation through qualitative research.

This study employs a qualitative approach based on in-depth interviews with senior KM officers, including chief knowledge officers and directors who spearhead KM in their respective organizations. This research identifies four key dimensions, shedding new light on the drivers of KM in the context of digital transformation.

This study’s findings reveal that the integration of important drivers from the lens of social-technical system (STS) theory is categorized into the four dimensions of KM, namely, motivation, technology, people interaction and organizational drivers. These factors jointly impact and design the effectiveness of KM in the digital age.

This study makes a unique contribution to the field of digital transformation. It presents a conceptual framework from the lens of the STS theory that encompasses four critical dimensions of KM: motivation, technology, people interaction and organizational dimensions, each with sub-codes. This framework can be utilized by practitioners and scholars alike.

The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the resilience literature to integrate the fragmented views and provide a more comprehensive understanding. This study aims to fill the gaps in the literature by discussing scientific contributions and highlighting the main issues in previous research findings regarding the definitions, dimensions and concepts that make up organizational resilience. This research highlights organizational resilience from a capabilities perspective.

This paper uses the systematic literature review method by searching all previous studies studying organizational resilience from 2014 to 2023. In total, there are 28 articles reviewed from the Scopus database.

This study found that resilience is a complex concept and has many definitions and dimensions. This study also conceptualizes organizational capability with a pyramid, which illustrates the basic framework of the six stages of the resilience process and hierarchically forms organizational resilience.

First, the keyword search strings on the repository database are currently limited to a few keywords. Need to broaden the range of keywords so as to produce a more comprehensive review. Second, the exclusion of books, book chapters and conference papers limits research findings and results. These sources are likely to enrich resilience development from various perspectives. Even though Scopus is the largest repository database, the research findings are not yet fully generalizable. Future researchers can add data from WoS, Ebsco or other databases. Literature obtained from various databases that can provide broader results.

The practical implications of this study are to provide a basis for managers in making decisions for organizational sustainability. Managers can consider each stage in the resilience capability pyramid as a reference for making strategic plans and relational orientation toward organizational members.

This research provides a hierarchical perspective on organizational resilience capabilities. For academics and practitioners, this study provides a critical and comprehensive systematization of the limited academic literature on resilience. This study also offers opportunities for further research to overcome the limitations of empirical testing of resilience capability construction using various theories and methodologies.

Critical examination of Bangladeshi laws related to workers’ rights in the garment industry. This paper aims to examine the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the protection of garment workers’ rights in Bangladesh, analyzing how international investment practices influence labor standards and the overall well-being of workers in the garment industry.

In this study, qualitative and analytical methods has been used to analyze legal frameworks related to labor rights in Bangladesh and BITs.

The findings indicate a need to strengthen the current legal framework to better protect workers' rights in Bangladesh. The study also provides recommendations for the relevant authorities to improve the existing laws.

Novel idea critically evaluating the Bangladeshi legal framework in the context of foreign direct investment and implications for worker's rights.

The case study can be used for the course of entrepreneurship and is appropriate for postgraduate students. Discussion would be the most appropriate method for teaching this case study. Through Nutan’s words, students could gain a first-hand glimpse into the transformative journey of a rural woman entrepreneur.

In 2018, Nutan Jha embarked on a remarkable journey by establishing Nutan Creations, a micro-enterprise situated in Kharrak village, Jhanjharpur, Bihar (India). This case study aims to achieve multiple objectives: understanding the operational obstacles confronted by a rural woman entrepreneur, acknowledging the inseparable connection between business and social issues in rural contexts, moreover shedding light on the intersection of gender, entrepreneurship and cultural preservation through traditional Madhubani painting art form products. This distinctive combination brings a fresh perspective to the research, offering unique insights into the challenges and triumphs experienced by rural women entrepreneurs. The findings of this case study exemplify the intricate interplay between business and social concerns in rural areas, portraying an inspiring depiction of how determination, adaptability and robust support networks can conquer hurdles and foster transformative changes.

The case study has been designed for the students of business administration and entrepreneurship who have completed their elementary model on marketing comprehend. The students should need to understand the concept of entrepreneurship and the basics of digital marketing strategy to ensure effective learning.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The research applied service-dominant logic of marketing theory, a customer-centered and relational that principally grounded in service relationships and actor networks. In actor networks, salespeople provide their skills and knowledge, such as expertise, service quality, ethics and shared value to cocreate value for buyers. Therefore, this study explores the attributes of salespeople that influence the quality of the relationship (trust and satisfaction) and, as a result, loyalty in the context of the business-to-business (B2B) relationship in the Taiwan market.

A causal relationship and survey research design are applied. The study collected 266 valid responses from B2B account managers representing various companies and industries. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to test the hypotheses.

The results showed that salespeople’s expertise demonstrated the most significant influence on both trust and satisfaction, followed by ethics, service quality and share value, in a descending order of impact. Consequently, trust and satisfaction had a significant impact on customer loyalty.

The four attributes of salespeople play a pivotal role in establishing lasting relationships and maximizing the customer lifetime value. To achieve long-term success in customer interactions and relationships, a well-rounded salesperson should diligently strive to excel in all these attributes.

The novelty and contribution of this study are twofold. First, investigating the quality of the relationship in the context of Taiwanese manufacturers in a B2B setting is still rare, and this is the study first to explore the Taiwanese B2B relationship with its global customers. As Taiwanese manufacturers play a pivotal role in the global supply chain, the research findings have symbolic meaning and practical implications for global business partners. Second, drawing from service-dominant logic theory, this research takes an integrative view by examining the attributes (expertise, service quality, shared value and ethics) that influence and establish a quality trusting relationship and consumer loyalty in the B2B context.

Corporate leadership and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance are closely intertwined, as effective corporate leadership can facilitate the achievement of strong ESG performance. Thus, the purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of corporate board leadership on the ESG performance of listed firms.

The sample has been taken from the listed firms of the Nifty 500 index spanning the period of 10 years from 2012 to 2022. Dynamic panel data estimations are applied through a fixed effect model.

The findings of this study revealed that board size, board independence and board qualification have a significant positive influence on ESG performance. It is evident that good corporate governance practices can positively influence ESG performance by fostering accountability, transparency and ethical behavior, as well as better integrating ESG considerations into their decision-making processes and ensuring that ESG issues are prioritized at the highest levels of management. Further findings also revealed that chief executive officer (CEO) duality has a significant negative relationship with ESG performance, which goes against the belief of stakeholder theory.

It has practical implications for policymakers, as they can enact new regulations pertaining to the CEO’s position in the organizations to make corporate governance responsible for improved sustainability and ESG performance.

There are very few studies analyzing the impact of corporate board structure on ESG performance related to emerging markets. Thus, this study contributes to that literature by using the methodology GMM panel data for the first time as per our knowledge