Purpose Digital transformation impacts not only what organizations do and how they do it but also how they are perceived. Differently from prior research on digital transformation, our study focuses on organizational identity to understand how professional service construes their digital organizational identity. Design/methodology/approach We purposefully select top 25 largest law firms operating in Poland, collect a dataset of 768 posts and examine this social media content first by coding, next by thematically structuring and finally through a frequency analysis. We identify the target stakeholders, the values, the social media awareness and topical coverage used by the firms in our sample. Findings We find that social media are used to engage both with external and internal stakeholders. Importantly, digital organizational identity construction on social media is a scattered and discrete process as compared to long-term, sustained and enduring processes observable for offline organizational identity. Originality/value Our findings have vast ramifications for organizational identity theorizing and substantial managerial implications. We provide guidance on adequately shaping digital transformation through the lens of a digital identity professional service firms need to purposefully create.

Purpose This study aimed to achieve two objectives: First, we verified whether person–organization fit indirectly affected job performance through positive and negative job-related affective well-being to explore potential affective mechanisms underlying these relationships. Second, we examined possible variations in these associations among employees in on-site, hybrid and remote work modalities. Design/methodology/approach The cross-sectional survey, involving 804 participants across the three work arrangements, utilized moderated mediation analysis to examine the impact of person–organization fit on job performance, with the mediating role of job-related affective well-being and the moderating effects of work modes. Findings The results revealed a positive relationship between fit and performance via positive and negative job-related affective well-being, consistent across all work modalities. Research limitations/implications The findings implicate the importance of person–organization fit in enhancing well-being and its consequences in performance behavior and goal attainment. The consistency of this relationship across various forms of work, including remote and hybrid arrangements, suggests their similarity. Originality/value This paper substantially contributes to the field and literature in several key aspects. First, we suggest and verify an underlying affective mechanism for the PO fit-job performance relationship. Second, we discuss this mechanism in the context of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, providing theoretical insights into the empirical findings. Last, we incorporate three work modalities to create a more complex model and investigate if the post-pandemic changes observed in the work environment differentiate the fit-performance association discovered in prior research.

Purpose The purpose is the analysis of promotional activities undertaken by Carpathian producers from Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. The main emphasis was placed on the marketing communication used by Carpathian producers and the use of the components of the definition of a regional and local product in the contents of marketing messages. It was important to evaluate the promotional channels (traditional and online), as well as the content analysis of media vehicles (mainly websites) used for promotional activities. Design/methodology/approach The analysis evaluated promotion as well as the content of media vehicles (mainly websites). Identifying the main characteristics of local products (traditionality and locality) which producers use in marketing messages was crucial. The subject of the study concerned marketing communication (content, channels, the sender’s intentions) undertaken by Carpathian producers of both food and non-food products. The study included five leaders from each country selected for analysis due to their recognition and importance in the local and regional economic system. Findings The study of Carpathian producers indicated that in the promotion of their products they are more likely to reach for customs, history, locality of the production and resources as well as traditional recipes and nomenclature. They tend to demonstrate concern about the local environment or non-massiveness of the production much less often. Both aspects of a local and regional product: tradition and locality are present almost equally in the messages; however none of the subjects of study used the theme of Carpathianness as a unique argument in favor of the localness they represent. Originality/value Until now, the producers of Carpathian local and regional products from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine have not been studied in regard to marketing communication. Qualitative analysis made it possible to investigate not so much the intentions and goals of producers in communicating with customers, but to capture what ultimately reaches the potential customer and how the various components of product definition are used in marketing messages.

PurposeBased on the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, the goal of this study is to examine the mediating role of organizational factors between environmental changes and SMEs digital transformation (DT). Precisely, it tests a structural model with the mediating role of top management support and digital strategy between general environmental and industry-specific factors, perceived barriers and digital technology usage, DT and firm performance. It also examines the moderating effects of sectors on the relationship between digital technology usage and DT.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from 1,000 SMEs in different sectors of Bulgaria through a standardized questionnaire and were processed using SmartPLS.FindingsThe results show that top management support and digital strategy mediate the effects of both general environmental and industry-specific factors and internal antecedents (perceived barriers and digital technology usage) on DT and firm performance. The industry sector moderates the influence of digital technology usage on DT.Research limitations/implicationsThis study uses cross-sectional data, which provide only a snapshot of the current state of SMEs’ DT in Bulgaria.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that SMEs managers should be more open to both general and industry-specific environmental signals and should rethink their strategies regarding the use of digital technologies to improve performance.Social implicationsThe advancement of DT in SMEs has great social importance as it can contribute to improving the quality of life, greater employment in technology sectors and the development of more innovative products and services.Originality/valueThis study enriches the TOE model by separating the effects of environmental factors into general and industry-specific ones. It also reveals the mediating role of organizational factors between environmental factors and DT.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how cognitive heterogeneity between managers and entrepreneurs-owners of exporting firms and firm size affect internationalization decisions in terms of resource commitment under competitive threat in the home market.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies experimental vignette methodology (EVM) to test the research hypotheses on a sample of 200 participants (100 entrepreneurs and 100 managers). Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to analyze the data.FindingsThis study finds that the condition of competitive threat in the home market increases entrepreneurs’ (but decreases managers’) willingness to decrease commitment in foreign markets (de-internationalize) and decreases their (but increases managers’) intention to increase international commitment.Research limitations/implicationsAs with all experimental studies, the vignette methodology suffers from limited external validity, although it ensures a high level of causal relationship. The relatively simple experimental scenario did not account for other potential factors and their combinations, limiting the reality of the considered situation (the effect of high competitive pressure on decision-making). However, this limited reality opens paths for future research, which could consider additional boundary conditions affecting decision-making in international business.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate the importance and nature of decision-making in internationalization, driven by cognitive, firm-level and industry factors. How a given event is perceived by a decision-maker depends on the interplay between cognitive factors and the firm’s resources. Our results reveal that organizational design and corporate governance of large diversified firms should account for the alignment of risk preferences between owners and appointed executive managers.Social implicationsThis study’s findings raise attention to owners–managers relationships in terms of hiring processes in terms of alignment of the owners’ and appointed managers’ risk attitudes. Furthermore, in the case of small firms led by an entrepreneur-owner (CEO), this study raises awareness of his/her potential internationalization choices and associated team building and overall orientation towards foreign vs. home market.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates how behavioral theory predictions contribute to the strategy tripod perspective in explaining determinants of resource commitments in foreign markets. It sheds new light on internationalization choices, by demonstrating how differences between the cognitive processes of entrepreneurs and managers and firm size affect their decisions about resource commitment in foreign vs. home market.

Purpose This study aims to provide an overview of blockchain technology (BT) adoption within the auditing domain. It focuses on three stages of BT adoption, i.e. pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation. Design/methodology/approach Of the 2,610 initial sources, we selected and analyzed 63 relevant articles from the Scopus database. Findings This study uncovered a promising and multidisciplinary field of research primarily driven by scholars with less practitioner involvement. Review and conceptual research were the most prevalent, highlighting the need for significant efforts in developing empirical research. This study provides a framework for BT adoption. It offers valuable insights into the adoption approach, covering the period from when organizations justify the need for adopting BT in auditing to the stage when they experience its full potential and derive various benefits. For the future research agenda, we posted 35 research questions about building a comprehensive approach to BT adoption. Originality/value This study approached BT adoption in auditing through the lens of three stages, i.e. pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation.

PurposeThe article aims to identify and classify competencies and values considered essential or even necessary in the daily work of active managers and leaders.Design/methodology/approachThis article is based on the results of comprehensive ethnographic research. I acquired the research material through open interviews (26 items), which facilitated immersion into the social reality of individual groups of respondents.FindingsA manager who consistently adheres to their values builds lasting authority. A manager who is guided by values also has a greater influence on decision-making and team relationships. A manager who adheres to values can contribute to improving organizational culture and thus increase employee engagement and achieve better organizational results.Research limitations/implicationsFindings from qualitative studies are context-specific and may not be easily generalizable to other settings or populations.Practical implicationsOrganizations need to recognize the centrality of values in building managerial authority. By strategically aligning values, promoting consistency and fostering a culture of trust, organizations can enhance managerial effectiveness, team relationships and overall organizational performance.Social implicationsManagers’ values play a crucial role in shaping workplace dynamics and can extend their influence to broader societal contexts. A values-driven approach has the potential to create positive social impacts and thus contribute to ethical business practices, trustful relationships and overall societal well-being.Originality/valueThe findings are original and valuable because they holistically explore the connection between managerial values and authority and identify key factors that contribute to lasting and impactful leadership in organizations and society.

PurposeBased on social exchange theory and social identification theory, I investigated how employee organizational identification affects the effectiveness of commitment-based human resource (HR) practices. I focused on employee attitudes (job satisfaction) and behaviors (proactive knowledge seeking) as HR practices’ outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing a structural equation modeling analytical approach, I tested the hypotheses with data from a web-based cross-sectional survey of 208 specialists and engineers of manufacturing subsidiaries in Poland.FindingsResults showed that the positive relationship between commitment-based-HR practices and job satisfaction is weakened for employees strongly identified with the organization. Simultaneously, the connection between seeking knowledge and job satisfaction is stronger and more important for people who identify moderately to strongly.Research limitations/implicationsThe study limitations regard mainly its cross-sectional design and single cultural and industrial context.Practical implicationsFrom the managerial perspective, the study suggests that to enhance proactive employee behavior, companies need to increase employee organizational identification and ensure that employees have a positive perception of the implemented HR practices.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the ongoing discussion on whether individual contingencies affect the effectiveness of commitment-based HR practices in the form of individual attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. The findings revealed that the contingent effect of organizational identification depends on the type of individual outcomes, suggesting that the strength of organizational identification affects how employees decide to reciprocate the organization’s attention and investment.

PurposeI aimed to analyze and synthesize the literature on sustainable HRM and its sub-concepts, such as green HRM and socially responsible HRM, with the focus on research conducted in the Visegrad Group (V4) countries. I posed the following research questions: (1) What are the main characteristics of sustainable HRM research in the worldwide literature? (2) What are the main characteristics of research conducted in the V4 countries? (3) Which future research directions are promising gaps to be filled by research conducted in V4 countries?Design/methodology/approachFor the purpose of this study, I applied bibliometric analysis, scientific network analysis and in-depth content analysis.FindingsThe results of the analyses of articles indexed in the Scopus database revealed that there is a growing trend in research on sustainable HRM. However, scarce research comes from the V4; scholars have conducted such studies only in Slovakia and Poland. There are five thematic clusters in the main sample, though the concept of green HRM has been explored the most. Although the keyword network analysis showed that the V4 articles focus mostly on sustainable HRM, the in-depth content analysis provided evidence that the V4 sample represented all concepts.Originality/valueThis is the first study to analyze the achievements of scientists from the V4 in this research field. It applies methodological rigor and a mixed-method approach. Moreover, it presents directions of research that go beyond the recommendations presented in the analyzed articles.