Achieving resilience through knowledge management practices and risk management culture in agri-food supply chains

Abstract Purpose: Given the increasingly turbulent business landscape and unprecedented incidents (e.g. Covid-19), firms must achieve supply chain resilience (SCRes) as a dynamic capability to bounce back from adversities and ensure continuity of operations. The purpose of this study is to integrate the three interrelated [knowledge management, risk management culture (RMC) and resilience] but often separately discussed concepts to advance the understanding of their intertwined influence on SCRes in the agri-food supply chains. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a cross-sectional survey approach where quantitative data is collected from 349 participants from the Australian agri-food supply chains to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings: Exposure to supply chain risks triggers the deployment of specific knowledge management practices in the agri-food supply chains. Further, the analysis on serial mediation suggests that firms’ knowledge management practices work sequentially (knowledge acquisition, assimilation and application) and develop a RMC to achieve SCRes amid supply chain risks. Practical implications: The findings of this study inform practitioners and policymakers who seek to understand the key mechanisms that facilitate the development of SCRes when facing supply chain risks, particularly in the Australian agri-food supply chains. Social implications: The growth of the food industry through more resilient food supply chains could ensure sustained food supply and more employment opportunities. Originality/value: Using dynamic capability theory, the authors devise a novel empirical model that explicates how knowledge management practices and RMC instigate the dynamic capability of SCRes amid supply chain risks facing agri-food supply chains

The role of dynamic capabilities and strategic agility of B2B high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises during COVID-19 pandemic: Exploratory case studies from Finland

This paper focuses on the critical role of business-to-business (B2B) high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) dynamic capabilities and strategic agility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the exploratory case studies of 5 Finnish high-tech SMEs, we find that the case SMEs enacted different processes and utilized resources and capabilities creatively to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and leverage it as an opportunity. Findings indicate that agile adaptation and new opportunity utilization were the primary means of dealing with the disruptions the COVID-19 pandemic brought about. These findings indicate effective utilization of sensing and seizing capabilities and engagement with opportunity recognition and discovery to capture opportunities and deal with the impact of the pandemic on their businesses. The results further suggest that the outbreak of COVID-19 triggered a fight-or-flight survival instinct among B2B SMEs due to unprecedented levels of market uncertainty. As such, the sensing capability of B2B SMEs allowed them to identify the market threats and opportunities and understand the prevailing market situation. Accordingly, B2B SMEs seized the identified threats and opportunities by reconfiguring their business models and face-to-face and online operations. The digital technologies facilitated the online presence and promoted communication with existing and new customers. Interesting implications emerge from these findings

Civil society organisations’ management dynamics and social value creation in the post-conflict volatile contexts pre and during COVID-19

Purpose The current paper aims to address the management dynamics of civil society organisations (CSOs) in volatile contexts. Along with analysing CSOs’ management dynamics at a general level, it also offers specific insights into their management strategies in response to COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative research design, where in-depth case studies are undertaken with four CSOs operating in post-conflict volatile Sub-Saharan African economies of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Findings Findings revealed that multiple stakeholder management plays an important role in social value creation by CSOs. The findings further state that, in volatile contexts, CSOs appear to have more legitimacy than state functionaries due to their capabilities in dealing with political pressures and conflict sensitivities. The findings also revealed that case CSOs operating in Liberia and Sierra Leone were quick to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by adjusting their working routines accordingly by switching to online working where possible and repurposing their management strategies. This repurposing of management strategies focussed on minimising economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 and continuing to create social value by helping youth and farmers particularly. Originality/value This paper contributes to the extant literature by being one of the first studies, highlighting the specificities of CSO management in volatile (especially Sub-Saharan African post-conflict) contexts and contributes to the literature streams on multiple stakeholder management and social value creation. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current paper is also one the first study to address the management strategies of case CSOs in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Expatriates, rise of telecommuting, and implications for international business

Abstract International business (IB) travel has long been considered an important aspect of international business management strategies of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Extant literature further recognizes that expatriate managers are an essential cornerstone of MNEs’ global strategies. They play a crucial role in the management of subsidiaries as well as in knowledge transfer of organizational routines and practices. Covid-19 has caused a collapse of the airline industry due to travel restrictions, which have been referred to remain in place in one way or another for the foreseeable future. The issue of international travel has become a daunting problem in relation to Covid-19 pandemic. Many MNEs have been overwhelmed by the unprecedented and severe problems they face in regard to the mobility of their workforce. The fundamental changes in the way the global economy is being run, and firms operate offer profound future research opportunities on labor mobility and IB travel

Favor Reciprocity, Innovation, and Inefficiency: The Double-edged Sword of Business-to-Business Wasta Relations

OnlinePublPurpose – The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the dark side of business-to-business (B2B) relationships in traditional business practices worldwide that rely on strong networks. Design/methodology/approach – This study applies a questionnaire survey to collect data from buyers in 224 Kuwaiti firms and uses the partial least squares structural equation model for data analysis. Findings – Drawing on the social exchange theory, we test the relationships between B2B wasta, relationship satisfaction, innovation and efficiency. The findings show that despite the belief that wasta brings long-term benefits when applied in B2B relationships, it negatively impacts the firm’s efficiency. Originality/value – This study contributes to the existing literature on B2B relationships by identifying important issues related to the multifaceted nature of B2B wasta relationships. The study confirms the importance of relational and innovation benefits over economic consequences based on elements of social exchange theory, which extends our current understanding of the application of SET in B2B wasta relationships.Omar AlHussainan, Ying Guo, Hussain Gulzar Rammal, Ryan W. Tang, Ismail Golgec

Understanding the link between subsidiary CEOs and corporate social responsibility in emerging markets:moderating role of social capital

Abstract This paper analyzes the interlink among managerial experience, capabilities, and social capital in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) subsidiaries in an emerging market context. Based on the empirical sample of 104 subsidiaries of 28 Italian MNEs operating in India, we found that CEO managerial capabilities are positively associated with CSR activities. However, interestingly, our findings also show that subsidiary CEO (managerial) experience is negatively associated with CSR activities in emerging markets. Therefore, our study is one of the few that highlights the negative repercussions of experience in the context of CSR activities in emerging markets. Moreover, our findings show that while social capital alleviates the negative influences of CEO experience on CSR activities, it does not enhance the role of CEO managerial capabilities in CSR activities. As such, our study contributes to research on business ethics with a focus on sustainable development in business

Impression management and leadership in failing or failed business-to-business firms during and post-COVID-19:empirical insights from Africa

Abstract This paper is one of the pioneering studies to specifically link COVID-19 pandemic with business failures in African B2B firms and the role of leadership and impression management in mitigating business failures. Based on the qualitative data from Ghana and Nigeria, our findings show that although B2B firms in emerging markets are agile and proactive, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the process of business decline leading to failure in some cases. Particularly, the lack of technological know-how and the absence of online business activities made it difficult for B2B firms to continue operations. Further, we found that case B2B African firms needed a balance of market and non-market strategies to avoid failure caused by the pandemic. Study findings also indicate that despite the challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic presented opportunities to B2B firms in emerging markets. Flexible working and employee management are found to be instrumental in avoiding business failure. Finally, our findings show that, despite the absence of institutional support in African emerging markets, several case B2B firms quickly adopted digital technologies to communicate with partners and manage online business operations

Artificial intelligence and human workers interaction at team level:a conceptual assessment of the challenges and potential HRM strategies

Abstract Purpose: This paper aims to specifically focus on the challenges that human resource management (HRM) leaders and departments in contemporary organisations face due to close interaction between artificial intelligence (AI) (primarily robots) and human workers especially at the team level. It further discusses important potential strategies, which can be useful to overcome these challenges based on a conceptual review of extant research. Design/methodology/approach: The current paper undertakes a conceptual work where multiple streams of literature are integrated to present a rather holistic yet critical overview of the relationship between AI (particularly robots) and HRM in contemporary organisations. Findings: We highlight that interaction and collaboration between human workers and robots is visible in a range of industries and organisational functions, where both are working as team members. This gives rise to unique challenges for HRM function in contemporary organisations where they need to address workers’ fear of working with AI, especially in relation to future job loss and difficult dynamics associated with building trust between human workers and AI-enabled robots as team members. Along with these, human workers’ task fulfilment expectations with their AI-enabled robot colleagues need to be carefully communicated and managed by HRM staff to maintain the collaborative spirit, as well as future performance evaluations of employees. The authors found that organisational support mechanisms such as facilitating environment, training opportunities and ensuring a viable technological competence level before organising human workers in teams with robots are important. Finally, we found that one of the toughest challenges for HRM relates to performance evaluation in teams where both humans and AI (including robots) work side by side. We referred to the lack of existing frameworks to guide HRM managers in this concern and stressed the possibility of taking insights from the computer gaming literature, where performance evaluation models have been developed to analyse humans and AI interactions while keeping the context and limitations of both in view. Originality/value: Our paper is one of the few studies that go beyond a rather general or functional analysis of AI in the HRM context. It specifically focusses on the teamwork dimension, where human workers and AI-powered machines (robots) work together and offer insights and suggestions for such teams’ smooth functioning