The effect of role clarity on the relationship between transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles and commitment to service quality

The effectiveness of leadership style initiatives resulting in sustainable competitive advantage and enhanced commitment to service quality has been a major subject of interest for business and academia alike. past research frequently cites the importance of leadership style (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire) and commitment to service quality, but only little research has been done to evaluate the linkages between leadership styles and commitment to service quality. Drawing upon cognitive dissonance theory and path goals theory, this study examined the relationship between the transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership style and commitment to service quality. This study also examine the moderating effect of role clarity on the relationships between three leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles) and commitment to service qualityin public hospitals of Sindh Pakistan. A quantitative research design was adopted to collect data, test hypotheses, and answer the research questions. A cross-sectional survey method was used to conduct this study.Using the multi-stage cluster sampling technique, a total of 315 survey responses were collected from the medical officers working the 43 public hospitals in Sindh, Pakistan. The data was analyzed using SmartPLS 2.0 software. The findings of the study revealed supports for the hypothesized three direct influences of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership style on the commitment to service quality. While role clarity was found to moderate the relationships of two leadership styles, namely transformational leadership and laissez-faire leadership with commitment to service quality, significant moderating effect was not evident for the association between transactional leadership and commitment to service quality. The present study had also discussed the theoretical and practical implications

Supply chain learning of sustainability in China: What role does MNCs’ leadership play?

Studentship Award for the PhD Program 2013-2016Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) has increasingly been considered important by both industry and academia, organizations around the world seek to extend or disseminate their sustainable practices to their multi-tier supply chains in order to make the whole chain sustainable. Among the main streams of SSCM research, it is surprising that, with a few exceptions, the leadership role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in their supply chains in an emerging economy has been ignored by researchers. Little is known on how MNCs, assuming leadership in their supply chain, have been able to facilitate their supply chain members to learn sustainability practice in an emerging economy context i.e. the mechanisms. To address this gap in the literature, a multiple-case study is designed. Multi-tier supply chains of three MNCs were selected to investigate their proactive sustainability projects in China. They are: Tetra Pak creating a recycling chain in China; Nestlé modernising China’s dairy industry; and IKEA’s sustainable cotton initiative. By adopting Resource Orchestration Theory (ROT), findings related to supply chain leadership, supply chain learning, multi-tier SSCM are presented. A number of testable propositions are advanced. The main findings of the research are that rather than focusing on the ‘low hanging fruits’ of sustainability, MNCs implement proactive sustainable initiatives requiring a strategic thinking and long term significant investment by engaging their multi-tier suppliers and non-traditional supply chain members. They tend to play a leadership role in the implementation process enabled by transformational and transactional leadership styles. These MNCs applied different leadership styles and governance mechanisms on different tiers of suppliers, which render different supply chain structures in the process of supply chain learning, which includes three stages of set up, operating and sustaining. This research contributes to SSCM research in the following ways: first, it may be the first attempt that investigates multi-tier SSCM through supply chain learning and supply chain leadership angles adopting a ROT perspective. This help to explain how MNCs implement sustainable initiatives in China; second, it contributes to supply chain learning literature by differentiating supply chain learning stages and learning content in terms of focal company knowledge resources and supplier learning complexity to explain the implementation of SSCM initiatives; third, leadership at an individual level is well researched and understood but it is not the case for organisational level leadership. This research enriches our understanding of the role of organisational leadership in MNCs’ SSCM; fourth, the research contributes to multi-tier SSCM with a focus on both supply chain governance mechanisms and supply chain structure; fifth, this research extend ROT from within an organization context to supply chains and include three aspects: breadth (resource orchestration across the scope of the supply chain including both internal and external breadth); depth (resource orchestration across multi-tiers of the supply chain); and project lifecycle (resource orchestration at various stages of supply chain learning stages); finally, a complete theoretical framework is developed to tie together the constructs of supply chain learning, supply chain leadership, multi-tier SSCM with ROT. Practically, a step by step methodology, integrating the key factors affecting the implementation of SSCM initiatives including supply chain learning, supply chain leadership, multi-tier supply chain governance and supply chain structure, is proposed. The ‘best practices’ of the researched MNCs provide a feasible roadmap for these organizations to learn from.University of Exeter Business Schoo

Transformative Technology in Microfinance: Delivering Hope Electronically?

Considered a lifeline, and a convenience, a mobile phone has now acquired another transformative dimension within the microfinance context.  As a result of the proliferation of mobile banking in emerging markets and developing countries, microfinance institutions (“MFIs”) have adopted similar technological enhancements to deliver microfinance products.  This paper will explore how emerging technology advances has altered the contours of microfinance, specifically mobile banking (also known as “m-banking”) which is utilized to facilitate efficient financial services to a vast number of people without access to the formal banking  system and financial services, otherwise known as the “unbanked”.  This discussion offers a snapshot of the current state of mobile banking, and examines the kaleidoscopic approach used by microfinance institutions through several auxiliary considerations.  Part I examines the underlying rationale in employing a cashless banking paradigm and illustrates how mobile banking is administered institutionally.  Part II seeks to highlight the regulatory considerations intractable within the mobile banking discourse, and is intended to provide a survey of the current regulatory landscape, and finally, Part III focuses on uncovering the consumer perspective, and calls for a conceptual refinement in the interconnection of the social context within mobile banking. This paper is not intended to be categorized as a comparative law piece; rather its primary objective is to provide a snapshot of how certain jurisdictions have embraced mobile banking platforms and their legislative response thereto.  This discussion is merely offered as part of a functionalist approach discourse currently adopted by regulators; as such this paper only offers a cursory perspective of emerging legal considerations within the mobile banking context as it relates to MFIs

Strategies for Business Management Innovations to Improve Competitiveness

Some African business leaders were, in 2019, less competitive because they continue to use traditional business management practices and have failed to incorporate advanced technology. Taking advantage of new management strategies and innovative technology to increase their global competitiveness will benefit African businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study, grounded in Burns’ transformational leadership theory, was to explore strategies that business leaders in Seychelles have used to implement management innovations to improve competitiveness. The participants consisted of 5 business leaders from 5 large innovative business organizations operating successfully and based in Mahe, Seychelles. The data were collected through semistructured interviews with the participants and from official company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting the data, and drawing conclusions. The themes that emerged from the study were the importance of innovative business leaders, the critical role of the Internet and technological innovations for business competitiveness, and why having a competitive business environment contributes to business innovations and success. The implications for positive social change include the potential for business owners to improve organizational performance and create more job opportunities, resulting in a better local economy that provides families and local communities with a better standard of living. When business leaders apply a positive business culture and create an excellent work environment, the social well-being of their communities may also improve

Blockchain technology:Implications for operations and supply chain management

Purpose This paper aims to encourage the study of blockchain technology from an operations and supply chain management (OSCM) perspective, identifying potential areas of application, and to provide an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach An explanation and analysis of blockchain technology is provided to identify implications for the field of OSCM. Findings The hype around the opportunities that digital ledger technologies offer is high. For OSCM, a myriad of ways in which blockchain could transform practice are identified, including enhancing product safety and security; improving quality management; reducing illegal counterfeiting; improving sustainable supply chain management; advancing inventory management and replenishment; reducing the need for intermediaries; impacting new product design and development; and reducing the cost of supply chain transactions. The immature state of practice and research surrounding blockchain means there is an opportunity for OSCM researchers to study the technology in its early stages and shape its adoption. Research limitations/implications The paper provides a platform for new research that addresses gaps in knowledge and advances the field of OSCM. A research agenda is developed around six key themes. Practical implications There are many opportunities for organisations to obtain an advantage by making use of blockchain technology ahead of the competition, enabling them to enhance their market position. But it is important that managers examine the characteristics of their products, services and supply chains to determine whether they need or would benefit sufficiently from the adoption of blockchain. Moreover, it is important that organisations build human capital expertise that allows them to develop, implement and exploit applications of this technology to maximum reward. Originality/value This is one of the first papers in a leading international OSCM journal to analyse blockchain technology, thereby complementing a recent article on digital supply chains that omitted blockchain

From Sensor to Observation Web with Environmental Enablers in the Future Internet

This paper outlines the grand challenges in global sustainability research and the objectives of the FP7 Future Internet PPP program within the Digital Agenda for Europe. Large user communities are generating significant amounts of valuable environmental observations at local and regional scales using the devices and services of the Future Internet. These communities’ environmental observations represent a wealth of information which is currently hardly used or used only in isolation and therefore in need of integration with other information sources. Indeed, this very integration will lead to a paradigm shift from a mere Sensor Web to an Observation Web with semantically enriched content emanating from sensors, environmental simulations and citizens. The paper also describes the research challenges to realize the Observation Web and the associated environmental enablers for the Future Internet. Such an environmental enabler could for instance be an electronic sensing device, a web-service application, or even a social networking group affording or facilitating the capability of the Future Internet applications to consume, produce, and use environmental observations in cross-domain applications. The term ?envirofied? Future Internet is coined to describe this overall target that forms a cornerstone of work in the Environmental Usage Area within the Future Internet PPP program. Relevant trends described in the paper are the usage of ubiquitous sensors (anywhere), the provision and generation of information by citizens, and the convergence of real and virtual realities to convey understanding of environmental observations. The paper addresses the technical challenges in the Environmental Usage Area and the need for designing multi-style service oriented architecture. Key topics are the mapping of requirements to capabilities, providing scalability and robustness with implementing context aware information retrieval. Another essential research topic is handling data fusion and model based computation, and the related propagation of information uncertainty. Approaches to security, standardization and harmonization, all essential for sustainable solutions, are summarized from the perspective of the Environmental Usage Area. The paper concludes with an overview of emerging, high impact applications in the environmental areas concerning land ecosystems (biodiversity), air quality (atmospheric conditions) and water ecosystems (marine asset management)

Antecedents and Consequents of Information Usefulness in User-generated Online Reviews: A Multi-group Moderation Analysis of Review Valence

Online reviews have become a critical component of consumers’ Web-based search queries and help them minimize uncertainty and risk associated with purchase decisions. Not only do customers perceive online reviews to be more “real”, but also online reviews enable opportunities for interactivity between consumers, which makes them a popular source of information when consumers make (online) purchase decisions. In this study, we examine the impact of online reviews on consumers’ beliefs, brand attitudes, and purchase intention by theoretically extending the information adoption model (IAM) with constructs from consumer research. To do so, we used data from a scenario- based online experiment and manipulated three review characteristics (currency, accuracy, and credibility) using carefully selected TripAdvisor reviews. Using a partial-least squares approach (PLS) to structural equation model (SEM), we found strong empirical support for our hypotheses that review quality and reviewer credibility drive information usefulness and that information usefulness, in turn, drives consumers’ attitudes toward and their intention to purchase from a brand. Using PLS multi-group analysis, we further explored the moderating role of review valence—positive versus negative—and found significant differences in the importance of the drivers of information usefulness and its consequents. We discuss our study’s implications for theory and practice

Proceedings of the 2nd African Operations Management Conference: Competitive Operations Management for Driving Automation in Africa Forward

Conference proceedingsColleges of Economic and Management Science