Strategic Management - International Journal of Strategic Management and Decision Support Systems in Strategic Management

Assessing the impact of employee-centric digital transformation initiatives on job performance: the mediating role of digital empowerment

2023-08-31T11:41:32+02:00

Background: The wave of digital disruption has been experienced across different industries in the fourth industrial revolution, altering processes and procedures as well strategies of many industries.

Purpose - As businesses strive to attain supremacy in their respective industries, reliance on technology has become an inevitable tool for sustainability and competitive advantage. Firms are employing novel business strategies and streamlining their operations by adapting to technology in order to transform digitally. Based on the theory of structural empowerment, we assess, from employees’ perspective, the efficacy of key employee-centric digital transformation initiatives, namely, digital skills training and access to digital platforms on employees’ performance through the mediating role of employee digital empowerment.

Design/methodology/approach - Survey data was collected from a sample 214 employees and their 89 direct supervisors across four banking institutions in China for the purpose of this study. Correlation and regression analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings - The result of the study showed support for the positive impact of both digital skills training and employees’ access to digital platforms at the workplace on job performance and also for the mediating role of employee digital empowerment. This study contributes to the empowerment literature by identifying key structural empowerment initiatives in an organization that enhance employee digital empowerment and performance at the workplace as firms transform digitally.

Practical implications - The results of the study suggest that firms should view digital transformation as an employee empowerment tool which, when implemented properly, could help enhance employees’ performance and the overall organizational goal achievement potentials. Hence, organizations should align their digital transformation strategy with the needs of its human resource in order to ensure overall success of such transformations.

Limitations/future research – The study focuses on the banking sector only. Further research could focus on other industries that are equally affected by the waves of digital disruptions.

Risk language barriers in a globalized world: insights from female managers from Slovenia

2023-07-04T10:30:09+02:00

Background: In today’s interconnected and globalised business environment, effective risk management is essential for organisations to achieve sustainable success. However, communication and understanding risks across cultural and linguistic boundaries pose significant challenges. This paper explores the concept of risk language barriers and their impact on corporate management and performance.

Purpose: This research examines the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to overcome risk language barriers in a globalised world. By shedding light on the importance of effective risk communication in a diverse and interconnected business environment, the study seeks to provide insights into the significance of addressing these barriers for successful management outcomes.

Study design/methodology/approach: The study conducted in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, in February 2023 uses data from in-depth interviews and a focus group to investigate risk language barriers. The participants are women entrepreneurs with prior experience in cross-cultural communication and managing people in different countries, e.g. a Slovenian sales guru with a penchant for transcending borders and a Maltese digital strategist who, through global collaboration and expertise, ensures that every corner of the Slovenian organisation aligns with its overarching goals. Their experiences explore the challenges of risk language and the need for intercultural communication skills.

Findings/conclusions: The research findings indicate that addressing risk language barriers is a strategic imperative for achieving successful management outcomes in a globalised business landscape. Overcoming these barriers requires a collaborative and proactive approach to risk communication. Developing intercultural communication skills allows individuals to navigate diverse environments effectively, provides them with more excellent networking opportunities, broadens their horizons, and fosters personal development.

Furthermore, managers can strengthen relationships with clients and partners worldwide by addressing risk language barriers effectively.

Limitations/future research: The study has limitations regarding its focus on women entrepreneurs. Future research should include diverse demographics and industries, conduct quantitative analyses, and explore technology’s role in bridging the risk language gap and associated challenges.

Do employees benefit from employer branding strategy? The mediator role of affective commitment

2023-05-29T07:49:34+02:00

Background: The modern business environment has caused a radical changes in all human resource management activities. In order to retain a competent and talented workforce, business organizations should manage job satisfaction, which imposes the need for a well–designed and implemented human resource management strategy.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the role of affective commitment as a mediator in the relationships between employer brand values and job satisfaction.

Study design/methodology/approach: Empirical research was carried out on a sample of managers from 146 enterprises in the Republic of Serbia, and data was collected using a questionnaire technique. After implementing descriptive and correlation analysis, we used simple and multiple regression to examine the mediator effects, and the Sobel Z test.

Findings/conclusions: Our findings present empirical evidence on the mediating effects of affective commitment in the previously listed relationships.

Limitations/future research: There are just three values relevant to the development of an employer branding strategy included in the study and this is acknowledged as a limitation. According to the models available in the literature, further research will contain other relevant components of the employer brand.

Intercultural competence in marketing and sales recruitment advertising (evidence from Austria and Sweden)

2023-07-04T10:21:08+02:00

The Background: The globalization of the business world and the ongoing internationalization of many organizations have profound consequences for societies and economies. National economies, the Austrian and Swedish being the examples in this study, are globally intertwined and export dependent. When businesses search for opportunities outside national borders, employees will engage with diverse groups of stakeholders while conducting daily business and pursuing organizational goals. Additionally, due to migrations, the available workforce is becoming increasingly diverse. Business schools have an obligation to educate graduates who are "ready for life." To stay relevant, business programs, specifically in marketing and sales, need to deliver not just subject-specific knowledge but also give students the chance to increase their intercultural competence.
Purpose: This study contributes to the discussion on business schools’ role in improving students’ intercultural competences and the necessity to align learning outcomes with future market needs.
Study design/methodology/approach: The content analysis of 240 qualified recruitment advertisements was conducted to investigate, in line with signalling theory, how employers’ express their requirements and expectations in recruitment advertising.
Findings/conclusions: The empirical study shows that ads frequently describe work environments as culturally diverse. Most reviewed advertisements contain references to interactions with partners and customers across national borders. However, there is a weak connection between the work situation described in the ads and the skills required to tackle diversity. While foreign language and communication skills are frequently listed as requirements in those ads, intercultural competence is seldom a requirement. Even if not vocalized, evidence suggests that future graduates will increasingly need intercultural competence.
Limitations/future research: The study was conducted based on a limited number of recruitment advertisements. Future research could include a wider coverage of recruitment advertisements. The qualitative research would complement findings on the need for interculturally competent graduates.

Changes in the fashion industry and consumer choices in the Portuguese context: strategic directions

2023-09-14T12:48:28+02:00

Background: This study aims to identify the changes in the fashion industry, during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically, within the context of online purchase of fashion products, the use of sportswear, the pondering moments before the purchase, and the importance of sustainability. Furthermore, we also consider sustainability as a fashion strategic factor and its impact in the decision-making process.

Purpose: The main purpose is to understand if the type of products and the way they are purchased by the retail consumer have changed, and to assess if the level of importance granted to sustainability is significant, in particular, by evaluating the way COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the online purchase of fashion products, the use of sportswear, the pondering moments before the purchase, and the importance of sustainability. Furthermore, we evaluate if the level of importance granted to sustainability, in the decision-making process, is still the same.

Study design/methodology/approach: Quantitative analysis was applied, through an observation data collection technique, using a survey by questionnaire. The sample is non-probabilistic, with the accidental and snowball sampling modalities.

Findings/conclusions: the companies must define new strategies to answer their consumers’ real needs, because we verify that consumer behaviour changed. It was verified that there was a growth in the amount of online shopping of fashion products, the use of sportswear increased, the level of pondering before buying expanded, and the increasing importance of sustainability became evident.

Limitations/future research: A non-probabilistic sample was used, which prevents the possibility of extrapolating general conclusions.