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This study aims to investigate how organizations from different sectors interpret the meaning of business continuity management (BCM) in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A survey was conducted to capture the views of organizations across five different sectors. The sample consisted of ten senior managers; two from the banking sector; two from the supply chain sector (agricultural and food supply chains); two from the tourism sector; two from the services sector; and two from the higher education sector. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. One manager from each sector represented a local business/enterprise and the other represented an international business/enterprise.

It was found that different organizations/businesses understood BCM differently. Therefore, a variety of interpretations have been obtained.

This study sheds light on how different organizations understand BCM in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. By understanding the different interpretations, it becomes clearer whether or not these organizations have applicable business continuity plans in place.

This is the first study to investigate the different interpretations of the meaning of BCM across different business sectors. The majority of the existing studies on BCM discuss the process from the perspective of a single business or sector. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that witnessed prolonged and critical disruptions facing almost all businesses and organizations and which threatened the survival of some of them.

This study aims to test the impacts of risk-taking behaviour, competition and cost efficiency on bank profitability in China.

A two-step generalized method of moments system estimator is used to examine the impacts of risk, competition and cost efficiency on profitability of a sample of Chinese commercial banks over the period 2003-2013.

The paper finds that credit risk, liquidity risk, capital risk, security risk and insolvency risk significantly influence the profitability of Chinese commercial banks. To be more specific, credit risk is significantly and negatively related to bank profitability; liquidity risk is significantly and positively related to return on assets (ROA) and net interest margin (NIM) but negatively related to return on equity (ROE); capital risk has a significant and negative impact on ROA and NIM but a positive impact on ROE; there is a significant and negative impact of security risk on bank profitability (ROA and NIM). It is found that Chinese commercial banks with higher levels of insolvency risk have higher profitability (ROA and ROE). Finally, higher competition leads to lower profitability in the Chinese banking industry, and Chinese commercial banks with higher levels of cost efficiency have lower ROA. In other words, the structure–conduct–performance paradigm rather than the efficient–structure paradigm holds in the Chinese banking industry.

This is the first paper to investigate the impact of different types of risk, including credit risk, liquidity risk, capital risk, security risk and insolvency risk, on bank profitability. This is the first study which uses more accurate measurements of efficiency and competition compared to previous Chinese banking profitability literature and which tests their impact on bank profitability. The findings not only provide a general picture on the risk, efficiency and competition conditions in the Chinese banking industry, but also give valuable information to the Chinese Government and to the banking regulatory authorities to make relevant policies.

The research investigates the effectiveness of the performance measurement alignment approach which claims that measurement diversity (multiple performance measures) should be aligned with organisational contingencies to enhance organisational performance.

The theoretical framework is contingency theory. The study is an empirical investigation of the indirect relationship between three contextual factors (business strategy, information technology and organisation size) and organisational performance via multiple performance measures. The results are derived from cross-sectional questionnaire survey data from 132 Libyan companies (response rate of 61%). For data analysis, the research uses mediation regression analysis via Preacher and Hayes' (2004) macro.

There is a significant indirect effect of business strategy and information technology, but not organisation size, on organisational performance. The measurement diversity approach plays a core mediating role in the relationship between the contingencies and organisational performance.

The study helps to provide a better understanding of the usefulness of the fit/match between contingencies and Multiple Performance Measures in improving organisational performance.

The empirical evidence supports the central proposition of contingency theory that there is no universally appropriate performance measurement system which applies equally to all organisations in all circumstances. It also provides evidence relating to non–manufacturing and an emerging market context. This research significantly extends the relevant literature by highlighting the relationship between information technology, multiple performance measures and organisational performance. This study is the first to use Preacher and Hayes' (2004) macro to analyse mediation design in the field of contingency-based performance measurement.

This study is an empirical investigation of the relationship between the use of 41 multiple performance measures (MPMs), including financial performance measures (FPM), non-financial performance measures (NFPMs) and organisational performance (OP) in Libya.

The results are based on cross-sectional questionnaire survey data from 132 Libyan companies (response rate 61%), which were obtained just before the so-called Arab Spring.

MPMs are used by both manufacturing and non-manufacturing companies. Libyan business organisations are more likely to use FPMs than NFPMs. However, these companies still rely more heavily on FPMs. The relationships between the use of NFPMs and OP and the use of MPMs and OP are positive and highly significant. The relationship between the use of FPMs and OP is positive but not significant.

The high power distance associated with the conservative, Libyan, Arab context will reinforce the tendency to use FPMs more than NFPMs. This may provide a performance advantage to those organisations which do adopt NFPMs.

Although there may be institutional barriers to the use of NFPMs in Libya, and other emerging markets, these are not insuperable and there is a payoff to their use.

No previous studies of emerging markets, such as the Middle East or North Africa, have looked at the relationship between OP and the adoption of such a large array of MPMs.

This chapter seeks to conceptualize a new approach to the identification of the factors influencing the adoption of a political risk assessment (PRA) function. By making use of firm value maximization and risk aversion and considering the rationale for risk management activities, a number of determinants are identified which can be deployed in future PRA studies. A model for predicting the PRA adoption decision is proposed. Geographical contextualization in one or more emerging markets (EMs) provides a further dimension of originality as well as reflecting an increasingly important international business phenomenon. Political risk (PR) and political risk assessment (PRA) are of increasing importance in the context of the growth and development of emerging markets (EMs). The latter provide opportunities for inward investment from more developed economies. There has also been a rapid growth in outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from emerging markets to other economies. This chapter adds to the current understanding of PRA by examining this issue in emerging markets (EMs) through the model developed here.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of competition on credit risk, liquidity risk, capital risk and insolvency risk in the Chinese banking industry during the period 2003-2013.

This study uses a generalized method of moments system estimator to examine the impact of competition on risk. In particular, translog specifications are used to measure the competition and insolvency risk.

The results show that greater competition within each bank ownership type (state-owned commercial banks, joint-stock commercial banks and city commercial banks) leads to higher credit risk, higher liquidity risk, higher capital risk, but lower insolvency risk.

This paper is the first piece of research testing the impact of competition on different types of risk in banking industry and it further contributes to the empirical literature by using a more accurate competition indicator (efficiency-adjusted Lerner index) and a more precise insolvency risk indicator (stability inefficiency).

The purpose of this paper is to understand the use of strategic planning tools and techniques by hotels in Jordan and the nature of its relationship with managers' views of the strategic planning process.

A review of the literature relating to both strategic planning and strategic planning tools and techniques in both developed and emerging markets is provided. The empirical research was conducted via a questionnaire survey of Jordanian hotels in two cities; namely, Petra and Aqaba.

The main findings of this research are that the Jordanian hotels engage in the strategic planning process by using a number of techniques. The use of strategic planning tools and techniques relates more to the size of hotel and less to age and ownership type. There is a positive relationship between the use of strategic planning techniques and size of hotel. The managers of these hotels have generally positive attitudes towards the strategic planning process. The managers who believe in the benefits of strategic planning engage more in the practice of it.

The nature of this research is descriptive and the method used is a cross‐sectional survey. Therefore, future research could be conducted on a small number of these hotels by using a more in‐depth approach. Second, the sample was restricted to hotels in two cities in Jordan. Further research should include other regions in Jordan and should analyse the ownership types of hotels (such as independent versus chain) and its star rating.

This paper provides empirical evidence about the use of the strategic planning tools and techniques by hotels in an emerging market context.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the institutional context impacts on strategic decision implementation in an emerging market. Previous studies of strategic decision making in emerging markets have not examined decision implementation. Given the changes in the world economy during the past decade, and in particular the growing importance of emerging market multinationals, this is an increasingly salient issue.

Questionnaires were delivered to general managers in all Jordanian publicly quoted industrial firms. A 53.7 per cent response rate was achieved. The structure of the questionnaire built on earlier studies in developed markets and, in particular, Alexander’s (1985) seminal study.

The strategic decision implementation problems which are found in Jordan are similar to those found in developed economies. However, external shocks are a more important influence on strategic decision implementation that has been found to be the case in developed economies. The success of companies in the emerging market of Jordan is associated with the frequency and extent of their experience of strategic decision implementation problems. Formal strategic planning helps Jordanian firms to deal with these problems more effectively.

It was difficult to explore some of the “why” questions related to the implementation of strategic decisions in the sampled firms since most respondents agreed to complete the questionnaire but not to be interviewed. Single, rather than multiple, respondents participated in the research. A larger sample size would be desirable, although the results are statistically robust.

The results will help managers to make and implement strategic decisions, both in the context of market entry and market maintenance, in the Middle East and in other emerging markets.

Context (institutional) factors are found to be less influential in the case of decision implementation than strategic decision making itself. This is the first study of the problems associated with the implementation of strategic decisions in Jordanian firms and one of the first in any emerging market.

The purpose of this paper is to show how relatively little is known about the consumer perceptions of own brands in the newly emerging markets of central and eastern Europe. The paper attempts to fill a gap in knowledge by investigating various aspects of consumer perceptions of Tesco own brands in the Czech Republic.

The key data for this research were collected by structured questionnaires from Tesco supermarket customers in the Czech Republic and the UK. Non‐probability quota sampling was used and the sample was stratified according to gender, age and income.

The results of the research indicate that the general view of Tesco own brands is slightly less positive among Czech than among British customers. However, significant differences emerge when these are examined in terms of income. Increases in income lead to a decrease in the favourability with which own brands are viewed in the Czech Republic – the opposite to the position in the UK. The age of consumers was also found to be significant, although there is no linear trend. No strong correlation was found to exist between gender and any of the characteristics under investigation.

The sample was limited in size (n=100 in each country). In‐depth interviewing would be necessary to assess consumer attitudes further.

The results of the research may help Tesco in relation to its general expansion in central and eastern Europe and its brand building in particular.

The originality of the paper relates to its study of consumer behaviour in one of the emerging markets of central and eastern Europe.