The linkages between leadership approaches and coordination effectiveness

PurposeThis paper presents the concerns in agri-food supply chain. Further the research investigates the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in agri-food supply chain and determines the impact of supply chain management (SCM) practices on firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical framework was proposed for the study on the basis of existing literature. Data for the study was collected with the help of structured questionnaire from 121 executives and officers of the public food distribution agency. Partial least square (PLS)–structured equation modeling was employed to test the framework and hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that ICT and SCM practices (logistics integration and supplier relationships) have a significant relationship. Furthermore, SCM practices (information sharing, supplier relationship and logistics integration) have a significant and positive impact on performance of the organization.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research could be carried out to test the moderation effect of SCM practices between ICT and organizational performance (OP). Extending the research study to the companies operating in other sectors can enhance the external validity of the study and improve the accuracy of parameters examined.Practical implicationsThis study can be of interest to the agri-food industry as well as other industry practitioners interested in improving the performance of the organization from the view of supply chain.Originality/valueThe outcomes of this study have important implications that translate into a series of recommendations for the management of public food distribution as well as other agri-food-based supply chains.

The aim of this study is to do research about non-financial aspect that has influence toward the companies’ financial performance, that will highlight the scores of companies’ ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) disclosure. Nowadays, investors take into account the non-financial aspect into their investment decision, such as ESG performance as a risk measurement. The mixed of results found in the previous studies regarding the correlation between company ESG/CSR and financial performance warranted us to conduct more research in this particular topic. We conducted research on companies in the real estate sector since its long-term nature of investment is aligned with long-term ESG goals. The samples of companies were collected from seven countries with the strongest economy worldwide, the G7. The financial performance is measured by both in the perspectives of accounting and stock market, which are ROA, ROC, Stock Price, and P/E. The panel data was collected over five years (2014-2018), using STATA to run multivariate regressions to test for the correlations. The results indicate that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between the ESG disclosure with firm’s ROA and ROC, but no significant relationship with Stock Price and P/E. Furthermore, we found that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between the Environmental factor towards the firm’s ROC and Stock Price. Lastly, the study also reveals that there’s no significant relationship between the Social factor and Governance factor with firm financial performance. The results show that a high transparency regarding ESG information could improve the financial performance. Thus, it is advisable for investors, company management, decision-makers, and industry regulators to consider the importance of the ESG disclosure

Previous studies suggest that the relationship between strategic change and firm performance depends on the organizational conditions under which the change is initiated and implemented. An important organizational condition that is salient in understanding the performance effect of strategic change is executive leadership. Focusing on outside succession among family businesses in an emerging economy, this study attempts to understand the role of outside chief executive officers (CEOs) on the firm's innovative and internationalization efforts. Based on interviews with 110 small and medium‐sized family companies in Malaysia, this study found that functional and process upgrading strategies depend not only on the firms’ internal and external sourcing strategies but also is moderated by the international experience of the outside CEO. Focusing on both financial and nonfinancial performance outcomes, the mediating effect of internationalization on the relationship between innovation and performance found mixed results. Findings suggest a fully mediating effect between process innovations and financial performance while a fully and partially mediating effect was observed for the relationships between product innovation and process innovation and nonfinancial performance, respectively. Finally, the interaction between international experience of outside CEOs and firm's degree of internationalization (DOI) is positively related to both financial and nonfinancial performance suggesting that the internationalization‐performance relationship is strengthened when an outside CEO possesses greater international experience. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This paper tests the moderating role of firm age on the relationship between Chief Executive Officer (CEO) duality and financial performance among manufacturing firms in Uganda. A cross section survey was adopted using 78 manufacturing firms in Uganda. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and hierarchical regression. Modgraph software was also used to ascertain the validity of the set hypothesis. Results reveal that whether the CEO doubles as chairman of board or not, this does not significantly affect firm Financial Performance. However, as the firms grow older, the role of CEO-Board Chairman duality phenomenon gains significance in determining financial performance. Therefore, as firms grow in age, the CEOs should not be the same as Board chairpersons if firms have to perform well financially. Since only a single research methodological approach was employed in this study, future research can undertake to use a mixed methods approach to provide more detailed insights. Further, a longitudinal approach can also be employed to study financial performance trends among manufacturing firms over years. Entrepreneurs of these firms should put emphasis on proper segregation of the CEO role and those of the board chairman especially as firms grow in age. A moderating role of firm age on the relationship between CEO duality and financial performance was tested among manufacturing firms; previous studies have tended to test the direct or mediating effects.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to assess whether an existing sourcing strategy can effectively supply products of appropriate quality with acceptable levels of product waste if applied to an international perishable product supply chain. The authors also analyse whether the effectiveness of this sourcing strategy can be improved by including costs for expected shelf life losses while generating order policies.Design/methodology/approach– The performance of sourcing strategies is examined in a prototype international strawberry supply chain. Appropriate order policies were determined using parameters both with and without costs for expected shelf life losses. Shelf life losses during transport and storage were predicted using microbiological growth models. The performance of the resulting policies was assessed using a hybrid discrete event chain simulation model that includes continuous quality decay.Findings– The study's findings reveal that the order policies obtained with standard cost parameters result in poor product quality and large amounts of product waste. Also, including costs for expected shelf life losses in sourcing strategies significantly reduces product waste and improves product quality, although transportation costs rise.Practical implications– The study shows that in perishable product supply chain design a trade-off should be made between transportation costs, shortage costs, inventory costs, product waste, and expected shelf life losses.Originality/value– By presenting a generically applicable methodology for perishable product supply chain design, the authors contribute to research and practice efforts to reduce food waste. Furthermore, product quality information is included in supply chain network design, a research area that is still in its infancy.

The increasing complexity of global agri-food supply chains has exacerbated the issue of information asymmetry, undermining trust among stakeholders and compromising transparency in production processes. In such a fragmented and opaque ecosystem, the ability to access reliable, verifiable information becomes not just a competitive advantage but a necessity for the sustainability, accountability, and resilience of the entire agri-food supply chain. This study explores the potential of blockchain technology as a strategic tool to mitigate such asymmetries by developing a formal model grounded in evolutionary game theory. The model simulates the strategic interactions between supply chain actors, specifically, the choice to cooperate by sharing truthful information or to defect by concealing or falsifying it, within a blockchain-enabled environment. By employing a two-strategy replicator dynamic, the research identifies the conditions under which cooperation becomes an evolutionarily stable strategy. The findings suggest that the introduction of blockchain, combined with targeted incentives and credible penalties, significantly increases the likelihood of cooperative behavior. Simulations reveal that the implementation of blockchain, when combined with appropriate incentive and penalty mechanisms, significantly reduces tendencies toward data concealment or falsification. The findings also highlight the pivotal role of blockchain in fostering inter-organizational trust, enhancing traceability, and promoting sustainable practices throughout the value chain. The paper concludes with practical implications and policy recommendations aimed at supporting the digital transition and strengthening the resilience of the agri-food sector.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between intellectual capital (IC), which is represented by structural capital (SC), relational capital [RC], and human capital (HC), and member participation (MP) and performance within the context of agricultural cooperatives. This study employs a survey technique involving 104 palm oil smallholders’ cooperatives in Peninsular Malaysia, and the data are analyzed through the partial least squares (PLS) technique. The results indicate that MP and RC have a significant direct relationship with cooperatives’ financial performance. Simultaneously, MP also has a direct and significant relationship with the cooperatives’ non-financial performance. This proves that MP is the most important intangible resource that determines the cooperatives’ financial and non-financial performance. Members’ cooperation contributes through active involvement and sharing of constructive ideas, while RC contributes to the competitive advantages in cooperatives' business dealings. Meanwhile, SC and HC have non-significant relationships with cooperative performance. The findings confirm the postulation of the RBV that internal resources are useful to gain superior performance in the marketplace. Therefore, management of agricultural cooperatives must maintain good relationships with their members and relevant constituencies to ensure sustainable performance.

This study concentrates on the impact of firm specific determinants on financial performance in the power industry. The firm specific determinants used in this study as independent variables were capital structure, firm size and liquidity whilst ROA, ROI and profitability were used as proxies of financial performance. Modigliani and Miller (1958) argue that capital structure has no impact on financial performance whilst the Trade-off theory suggests that the ideal capital structure that helps firm remain financially healthy is the trade-off between cost of leverage and the advantages of debt. Beyond that trade-off point, a firm will start making losses. The target population included 60 employees from all the 5 subsidiaries of the Holding company and researchers used 40 respondents as sample size to enhance reliability. A relationship was established between firm specific determinants and financial performance as measured by ROA, ROI and profitability. The results showed a negative but significant relationship between capital structure and financial performance and they support the pecking order theory which suggests that capital structure is a significant determinant of financial performance. Firm size and financial performance were also negatively related. However, a significant positive relationship was established between liquidity and financial performance. From the findings the researchers concluded that firm specific factors have a significant impact on financial performance. Researchers therefore recommend that ZESA holdings should use its internal funds such as retained earnings and more equity than debt when financing its activities so as to reduce leverage costs which lead to poor performance.

Research SummaryWhile extant research has studied extensively the consequences of chief executive officer (CEO) succession, we explore the concept of family CEO mentoring (from a departing family CEO to a younger family leader) as a potential driver of post‐succession performance in family firms. Drawing on stewardship theory and using a data set of 1787 Italian firms experiencing a CEO succession over 14 years, we show that family CEO mentoring positively influences post‐succession financial performance. We then argue and empirically confirm that the performance benefit of family CEO mentoring is enhanced by the presence of nonfamily members on the board but is dampened by industry turbulence. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for research on CEO mentoring, CEO succession, and family business performance.Managerial SummaryTo thrive across generations, family firms need to navigate the many complexities of chief executive officer (CEO) succession. One way to overcome the challenge is to have a departing family leader who provides mentoring to the younger family leader. Our examination of 1787 Italian family firms that experienced CEO succession in the period 2003–2016 suggests that family CEO mentoring drives better post‐succession firm performance, especially when there is a high presence of nonfamily directors in the boardroom and when the firm operates in low‐volatility industries. This study enhances the understanding of CEO succession by integrating the role of family CEO mentoring as a driver of post‐succession financial performance.

This paper reports an exploratory case study on innovation in, and governance of, international supply chains originating in developing countries. Two African fruit export chains are analyzed: the table grape chain from South Africa (a highly developed chain) and the pineapple chain from Ghana (a newly emerging chain). The most important market for both chains is the EU. The two cases present complementary perspectives on international supply chain development. The paper shows that Western demands in these cases lead to innovation at the producer end of the international supply chain and changes in governance structures towards chain coordination and vertical integration.

The topic of green human resource management (HRM) has drawn increasing attention of HRM scholars in the past decade. Recent research has called for more studies to identify the antecedents of green HRM used in organizations and explore the mediating mechanisms through which green HRM is related to performance outcomes. This study represents an effort to address these research needs by examining the joint effects of chief executive officer (CEO) environmental belief and external pollution severity on the use of green HRM and testing the mediating role of employee environmental commitment in the relationship between green HRM and firm performance. Drawing upon data collected from multiple sources (i.e., survey data from chief executive officer (CEOs), chief financial officers (CFOs), HR managers and employees, and archival data from government statistics), we found that CEO's environmental belief is significantly related to the use of green HRM, especially for companies operating in locations with severer pollution. Green HRM in turn has a positive relationship with the firm's environmental and financial performances via employee commitment to the environment. The findings highlight the often‐overlooked role of in the strategic HRM literature pertinent to environmental management and clarify the antecedents and influential mechanisms of green HRM at the firm level of analysis. We also discuss theoretical and practical implications in this study.

This chapter aims to identify some current and emerging research issues in international and maritime supply chains involving the physical distribution of raw materials, semi-manufactures and finished goods. Within supply chains, physical distribution incorporates transport systems, logistics systems, specialist techniques and educational issues. The discussion introduces each in turn. Physical components of transport systems underpin physical movements within supply chains as each mode of transport incorporates a way, terminals, and units of carriage and motive power, generating research challenges with financial, environmental and regulatory dimensions. Within logistics systems, "total logistics cost" considerations pose challenges concerning networks and value chains. Physical distribution research invites specialist techniques, spanning novel mathematical modelling, qualitative analysis, sensory stimulation, systems dynamics, multi-criteria decision making and forecasting. Ongoing re-definition of the competencies and educational requirements for international supply chains managers will require ongoing research. The complexities of supply chain contexts will challenge the most able researchers.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of audit committee (AC) characteristics, such as AC size, AC independence and gender diversity on firm risk in the context of an emerging market.Design/methodology/approachThe sample data includes 102 nonfinancial Pakistan Stock Exchange listed firms from 2004 to 2018. Firm risk is measured through three proxies, namely, idiosyncratic risk, total risk and capital expenditure. Along with this, profitability, leverage, market-to-book ratio, firm age, net property plant and equipment (NPPE) and surplus cash are used as control variables. The Housman test is used to select the best model from the fixed-effect model and the random effect model to conclude the findings.FindingsAccording to the study's findings, AC characteristics have a negative and significant relationship with idiosyncratic risk. In addition, a gender-diverse AC has a significant negative relationship with capital expenditure. In connection with total risk, AC characteristics fail to shows any significant relationship. Among the control variables, the results show that profitability stand for return on asset (ROA) and NPPE have a significant negative relationship, whereas market-to-book value has a significant positive relationship with both idiosyncratic and total risk.Practical implicationsThe study's findings offer policymakers, managers and investors guidance. This study will provide new insights to the Pakistani Government, stock market, companies and accounting and auditing regulators in terms of understanding the determinants influencing risk management activities. Furthermore, this study will assist financial institutions in making credit decisions. In addition, this study provides policymakers, such as the stand for Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), with guidelines for developing policies that strengthen the board governance mechanism.Originality/valueThis study investigates the impact of AC characteristics on corporate risk, which is rarely discussed in emerging economies.

Prior empirical research investigating the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) tenure and firms’ financial performance has shown inconclusive results. Based on arguments of agency and behavioral agency theories, we suggest that this relationship is nuanced and may vary depending on CEO pay and board monitoring. In response to these arguments, we meta-analytically test 385 studies ( n = 1,029,602). We find that CEO tenure is positively related to firms’ financial performance. This positive relationship is enhanced when CEOs receive higher cash compensation or hold more stock ownership. On the other hand, the above positive relationship becomes weaker when CEOs receive higher long-term incentives or when the firm has more independent board directors. These findings suggest that CEO pay and board monitoring, or agency mechanisms in general, can offer new research avenues to help explore boundary conditions of the CEO tenure and firms’ financial performance relationship.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of gastric premalignant changes as gastric atrophy, intestinal metaplasia and dysplastic changes in patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy in three health institutions in Karbala province.
 Methods: The data was collected from patients attended the endoscopy units during a period from January to September 2018 in three medical centers in holy Karbala/ Iraq, Al Hussein teaching hospital, Imam Zain Al Abedin hospital and Imam AL Hujjah hospital. It includes 215 males and 285 females who were subjected to esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) from whom mucosal biopsies were taken. These biopsies were stained by Giemsa to detect H. pylori organisms.
 Results: The mean age of patients was (40.9 +/- 15 years SD). H. Pylori infection was demonstrated in (71%) patients, (19.4%) were presented with glandular atrophy, (7.4%) out of 500 patients had intestinal metaplasia and only 6 (1.2%) patients had dysplastic changes. there was a significant statistical relation between gastric glandular atrophy and age, p value (0.03). there was a significant statistical relation between glandular atrophy and infection with H. Pylori, p value (0.001). there was a significant negative relation between H. Pylori infection and the existence of intestinal metaplasia, p value (0.0001). this study show a significant statistical relationship between the existence of intestinal metaplasia and the occurrence of dysplastic changes, P value (0.001).
 Conclusion: the current study show a significant relation between aging and the existence of gastric glandular atrophy. There was a significant relation between each of gastric glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplastic changes with the H. pylori infection. there was a significant relation between gastric intestinal metaplasia and dysplastic changes.