Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16080354

Authors: Michele Cristina da Silva Villas Boas Ítalo José Bastos Guimarães Omar Ouro-Salim Jean Marc Nacife Tânia Márcia de Freitas Jesiel Souza Silva

Innovation ecosystems are recognized as drivers of regional development and technological transformation, yet empirical studies remain concentrated in metropolitan areas, limiting the understanding of emerging agroindustrial territories. This study examines the innovation ecosystem of Rio Verde (Brazil), highlighting how structural configurations and functional asymmetries influence collaboration and distributed innovation outcomes. Grounded in the Regional Innovation System perspective and the Six-Helix model, an exploratory survey was conducted with 41 actors through a digital mapping platform. Results reveal institutional diversity and strong willingness to collaborate, but innovation capabilities and outputs remain concentrated in a few central organizations, while funding and coordination mechanisms are weak. The study refines the concept of the collaboration paradox—high engagement without broad diffusion of results—and demonstrates the methodological value of combining digital ecosystem mapping with the Six-Helix framework. Practically, it suggests that regional policies should move beyond stimulating collaboration to prioritize funding, institutional coordination, and the diffusion of innovation capabilities across emerging agroindustrial ecosystems.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16080353

Authors: Ogheneofejiro Jesujoba Edewor Olaleke Oluseye Ogunnaike Mercy E. Ogbari

This study examines the relationship between employee empowerment and sustainable competitiveness in the food and beverage manufacturing industry through the lenses of the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capability perspectives. Although employee empowerment has been widely associated with organisational success, comparatively limited attention has been devoted to its relationship with operational dimensions of competitiveness in manufacturing firms within emerging economies. Using cross-sectional survey data collected from 277 employees of the five largest food and beverage manufacturing companies in Southwest Nigeria, the study investigates employee empowerment as a multidimensional construct comprising structural and psychological components. Sustainable competitiveness is operationalised through cost leadership, product quality, on-time delivery, and flexibility. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that employee empowerment is positively associated with all four dimensions of competitiveness. The strongest associations were with flexibility, followed by product quality and on-time delivery. The association with cost leadership was relatively weaker. These findings indicate that employee empowerment might be particularly relevant to adaptability-oriented capabilities in manufacturing environments. The study contributes to the literature by integrating Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capability perspectives and provides insights into the importance of workforce-related capabilities in aiding operational competitiveness in manufacturing firms operating under resource-constrained conditions.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070352

Authors: Jiangshan Zhu Jinguo Xin Ning Zhang

Artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into physical products, industrial scenarios, and innovation ecosystems, yet management research has focused mainly on AI adoption rather than the depth of organizational integration. This study examines how AI embedding affects enterprise competitiveness in China’s embodied intelligence industry and whether competitive structure reconfiguration mediates this relationship. Using survey data from 266 firms and partial least squares structural equation modeling, the analysis shows that AI embedding positively affects both enterprise competitiveness and competitive structure reconfiguration. Competitive structure reconfiguration also improves enterprise competitiveness and partially mediates the focal relationship, with a variance accounted for value of 43.7%. By contrast, the moderating effects of data–computing foundation and scenario openness are not supported. These findings indicate that the competitive value of AI depends not only on adoption but also on its integration into R&D, decision-making, organizational coordination, and scenario development, as well as on the structural changes that follow. The study contributes by distinguishing AI embedding from AI adoption and by identifying competitive structure reconfiguration as a process mechanism linking embedded AI to technological, ecosystem, and rule-based competitiveness.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070351

Authors: Ibrahim A. Elshaer Chokri Kooli Alaa M. S. Azazz Sameh Fayyad Kareem A. Rashwan Hani Alshaiti

As sustainability becomes a strategic priority within the hospitality industry, understanding how environmentally responsible practices influence customer behaviours beyond loyalty has become increasingly important. This study investigates the mechanisms through which green hotel practices foster customer brand evangelism in the context of Green Star-certified hotels in Egypt. Drawing on Social Identity Theory and Relationship Marketing Theory, the study examines the direct effects of green hotel practices on brand pride, brand fidelity, and customer brand evangelism, while also exploring the mediating roles of brand pride and brand fidelity and the moderating role of green perceived quality. Data were collected from 428 guests of Green Star-certified hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that green hotel practices significantly enhance brand pride, brand fidelity, and customer brand evangelism. Furthermore, brand pride and brand fidelity individually and sequentially mediate the relationship between green hotel practices and brand evangelism. The results also demonstrate that green perceived quality strengthens the effects of green hotel practices on both brand pride and brand fidelity. By extending existing research beyond traditional loyalty outcomes, this study contributes to the growing literature on sustainable hospitality, customer advocacy, and brand relationship management. The findings suggest that environmentally responsible hotel practices can encourage customers to engage in active, brand-supportive behaviours, including positive word of mouth, online advocacy, and electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Practical implications are provided for hotel managers seeking to transform sustainability initiatives into stronger customer advocacy, enhanced digital brand engagement, and long-term brand support.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070350

Authors: Hussain Alhejji

This study examines how power distance (PD) at the national and individual levels may shape diversity training program (DTP) design and employees’ psychological responses. Specifically, it explores how national PD values may shape organizational DTP design characteristics and how individual PD orientations influence employees’ psychological responses. The study synthesizes conceptual, theoretical, and empirical research published between 2000 and 2026 to identify recurring themes across DTP design, cultural values, and employee psychological responses, which informed the development of a multilevel conceptual framework. The proposed framework distinguishes between organizational DTP design characteristics, employee psychological responses, and perceived DTP effectiveness across national and individual levels of analysis. A number of propositions are then developed to guide future research and inform culturally responsive DTP design practices. The findings suggest that DTPs may operate differently across cultural and organizational contexts, with PD representing an important yet underexplored contextual dimension shaping these differences. Perceived DTP effectiveness is further proposed to depend on the alignment between organizational DTP design characteristics and employees’ individual PD orientations. The study contributes to DTP research by highlighting the importance of aligning organizational DTP design characteristics with employees’ individual PD orientations when designing culturally responsive DTPs.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070349

Authors: Manuel Jesús Sánchez-González Rafael Robina-Ramírez Ana Leal-Solís

This study examines how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can contribute to the development of a responsible governance orientation in hotel companies located in inland tourism destinations through internal organizational capabilities. Unlike approaches focused primarily on the external dimension of CSR, this research directs attention to the internal mechanisms that enable responsible commitments to be transformed into ethical, verifiable, and sustained management practices. Drawing on stakeholder theory and the resource-based view, the proposed model analyzes the effects of ethical organizational design, internal CSR implementation, and accountability and evaluation mechanisms on responsible hotel governance orientation. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of 112 hotel managers in Extremadura, Spain, and uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), complemented by a multigroup analysis based on hotel category. The results show that ethical organizational design is the model’s primary antecedent, positively influencing internal CSR implementation, accountability and evaluation mechanisms, and responsible hotel governance orientation. Internal CSR implementation and accountability and evaluation mechanisms also act as explanatory pathways linking ethical structures to responsible governance. The multigroup analysis reveals distinct patterns across hotel categories, particularly in the relationships associated with ethical organizational design. At the practical level, this study offers guidance for strengthening responsible management in hotel companies through ethical structures, internal training, and continuous monitoring and improvement systems.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070348

Authors: Bernard Lee Namjae Cho Oliver O. H. M. Yau Giseob Yu

This study tests an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), examining how culture, religion, and spirituality shape entrepreneurial cognition among final-year university students in South Korea and China—two Confucian-heritage societies with sharply divergent religious compositions (30.4% vs. 9.2% religiously affiliated). Using a mixed-methods design, we analyzed survey data from 411 students and alumni via PLS-SEM, triangulated with four focus groups. The core TPB chain held in both countries: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control predicted entrepreneurial intention, which predicted behavior. Spirituality, however, operated differently across contexts. In the religiously diverse Korean sample, it directly affected intention and behavior and amplified the intention–behavior link; in the predominantly non-religious Chinese sample, its effects were null—focus groups there emphasized practical capability and social support instead. We propose a context-contingent model distinguishing spirituality as a direct driver (in religiously diverse settings) from spirituality as an amplifier (moderating TPB relationships). Because the sample comprises pre-entrepreneurial students, findings speak to early-stage cognition rather than practicing founders. Integrative entrepreneurship models should incorporate cultural and religious boundary conditions; future work should adopt longitudinal designs and include practicing entrepreneurs across more varied populations.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070347

Authors: Jean Marc Nacife Tânia Márcia de Freitas Jesiel Souza Silva Ítalo José Bastos Guimarães Omar Ouro-Salim Simone Vieira de Almeida Johnny Iglesias Mendes Araujo

Family farming cooperatives and associations play a key role in rural development but often face managerial constraints that limit their organizational performance and access to institutional markets. This study assessed short-term changes in organizational maturity among organizations participating in Brazil’s Mais Gestão Program. A quasi-experimental pre–post design without a control group was adopted using paired observations from 42 organizations assessed at baseline (April 2025) and follow-up (November 2025). Organizational maturity was measured using the official Mais Gestão diagnostic instrument, which comprises six managerial dimensions. Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), ANOVA, and K-means Cluster Analysis were performed. Overall organizational maturity improved between assessments, particularly in governance, people management, financial management, commercial management, and production processes. PCA showed that the first principal component explained 65.48% of the total variance, supporting the view of organizational maturity as a multidimensional construct. These findings suggest that institutional support initiatives may strengthen managerial capacities and improve organizational readiness to access public policy opportunities.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070346

Authors: Richik Maity Muhammad Yahya Hammad Rita Devi Syed Radzi Rahamaddulla Khai Loon Lee Altaf Hossain Molla Thomas M. T. Lei

This systematic review examines the impact of flexible work arrangements and hybrid work on small- and medium-sized enterprises, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 framework. A total of 35 peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2025 were analyzed from Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify global patterns, enabling factors, and organizational outcomes of workplace flexibility in small- and medium-sized enterprises. The findings reveal that flexible work arrangements and hybrid work have evolved from temporary responses during the COVID-19 pandemic into long-term organizational strategies in many contexts. Three key themes emerged from the analysis: workplace flexibility and employee outcomes, digital transformation as an enabling capability, and leadership as a driver of organizational resilience. Overall, the reviewed studies indicate that flexible work arrangements are generally associated with improvements in productivity, employee well-being, innovation, and organizational adaptability. However, these outcomes vary significantly across regions and are strongly influenced by digital readiness, leadership practices, and institutional support. Small- and medium-sized enterprises in developed economies demonstrate higher levels of digital maturity and more structured hybrid work adoption, while those in developing economies face constraints related to infrastructure, skills, and resources. The study concludes that flexible and hybrid work should be understood as integrated organizational strategies requiring strong digital capability, adaptive leadership, and supportive policy environments to ensure sustainable performance in small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070345

Authors: Nektarios Makrydakis Dimitris Spiliotopoulos Afroditi Lymperi

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) has emerged as a central strategic priority in e-commerce management, yet its positioning within the broader interactive marketing paradigm remains theoretically underdeveloped. Interactive marketing, defined as a multi-directional value creation process through active customer connection, engagement, participation, and interaction, provides a critical lens through which the effectiveness and efficiency of digital marketing tactics can be understood, as each tactic mediates a distinct form of consumer brand interactivity. The academic literature, however, remains fragmented; no unified comparative framework exists that simultaneously assesses both effectiveness and efficiency of digital marketing tactics within an interactive marketing context. Drawing on the classical effectiveness and efficiency framework and interactive marketing theory, this study addresses this gap through a cross-sectional quantitative survey of 302 digital marketing professionals, evaluating a broad range of tactics across both dimensions using a validated psychometric instrument. The findings reveal that Email Marketing consistently dominates across effectiveness and efficiency assessments, reflecting its permission-based structure and its capacity to sustain ongoing consumer–brand dialogue. Search Engine Marketing exhibits the most pronounced divergence between effectiveness and efficiency, consistent with auction-driven cost dynamics that constrain interactive value creation. Attribution modelling difficulty emerges as the primary structural barrier to CRO implementation, revealing a systemic challenge to evidence-based resource allocation in multi-channel interactive environments. An exploratory factor analysis identifies a three-factor taxonomy of tactic effectiveness, distinguishing Paid Conversion tactics, data-driven optimisation tools, and organic or relationship-based channels, each representing a qualitatively distinct mode of consumer–brand interaction. This study advances interactive marketing theory by providing the first empirically validated effectiveness–efficiency framework for e-commerce CRO, and offers actionable guidance for cross-channel budget allocation decisions in interactive digital environments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070344

Authors: Zisis Papastamatis Isaak Vryzidis Charikleia Karakosta Nikos Pnevmatikos

Public works projects are inherently complex, involving multiple stakeholders with distinct institutional roles and decision-making priorities. This study applies the multicriteria method Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate and prioritize Critical Success Factors (CSFs) influencing the successful delivery of public construction projects, comparing the perspectives of Project Managers, Public Authorities, and Economists engaged in public works. The analysis is grounded in empirical evidence and institutional practice, reducing subjective bias. Results reveal systematic differences between operational and institutional actors: Project Managers prioritize project maturity, effective planning, technical supervision, and control mechanisms, while Public Authorities emphasize financial soundness, exposure to external risks (Force Majeure), and stakeholder communication. Economists, in turn, assign the highest importance to financial stability, risk exposure, and budgetary resilience, highlighting the central role of financial sustainability in public-project implementation. These findings highlight the role of administrative responsibilities and governance structures in shaping decision-making priorities within the public sector. By demonstrating how AHP can support transparent comparison of stakeholder perspectives, the study contributes to public administration and project governance literature, offering a decision-support framework that enhances institutional capacity and facilitates more aligned and effective public-sector decision-making.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070343

Authors: Carlos J. L. Balsas

The article examines “Towards a Sustainable Future, Cambridge Growth Policy” from strategic planning and urban sustainability perspectives. Towards a Sustainable Future advances planning assumptions and policies aimed at guiding the physical planning of Cambridge. The plan was intended to be utilized by the City’s Planning Board and the Community Development Department to guide development projects, to help review land use decisions, and to determine work programs. The planning document enabled mostly three of four main social functions associated with Urban and Regional Planning in a democratic free market society that comprise (i) the promotion of the collective interests of the community, (ii) considering the external effects of individual and group action, and (iii) the protection of the interests of society’s most needy members. This article does not aim to be an exhaustive analysis of Towards a Sustainable Future. Nonetheless, it provides a general overview of the entire planning document and of the planning process that was behind it, while simultaneously presenting some of the most important connections and inferences that can be established between the plan and a set of selected planning and administrative sciences scholarly papers and books. Cambridge’s current roadmap, “Envision Cambridge,” is also expected to advance not only the three dimensions mentioned above, but also the improvement of the information base needed for public and private decision making in the context of growing concerns associated with the Anthropocene epoch.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070342

Authors: Fida Hassanein

The hospitality industry faces increasing challenges in retaining employees, enhancing employee engagement, and ensuring long-term organizational sustainability. There is ample quantitative research regarding employee engagement and talent management; however, there is a lack of qualitative evidence demonstrating how employee engagement can be sustained in the Middle East’s hospitality industry through the fulfillment of the psychological contract. This study examines how talent management and the fulfillment of the psychological contract contribute to the employee engagement of hotel organizations within the Middle East. The study was designed with an inductive qualitative methodology based on the Psychological Contract Theory and utilized semi-structured interviews with 37 hotel managers, human resource directors, chief executive officers (CEOs), and general managers of four- and five-star hotels from nine Middle Eastern countries. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis with the support of NVivo software. Participants identified psychological contract fulfillment as a primary relational mechanism supporting employee engagement, organizational commitment, and workforce retention. They identified that organizational support, transparent communication, responsive leadership, development opportunities, and employee-focused HRM practices strengthened trust and organizational commitment. The findings reconceptualize talent management as a relational and psychologically embedded organizational mechanism supporting employee engagement and workforce sustainability.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070341

Authors: Stefan Milojević Miroslav Knežević Aleksandra Vujko

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into organizational processes has accelerated the adoption of algorithmic management, reshaping work structures across labor-intensive service organizations. However, empirical evidence remains limited regarding the simultaneous control-oriented and developmental dimensions of AI-enabled management systems. This study examines how algorithmic control and AI-supported skill development influence perceived autonomy and career security among employees in hospitality organizations. Data were collected from 441 employees working in hotel organizations in Bavaria, Germany. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), bootstrapped mediation analysis, and hierarchical regression. The results suggest that control-oriented and developmental dimensions of AI are associated with different aspects of employees’ work experiences. Algorithmic control was negatively associated with perceived autonomy, whereas AI-supported skill development was positively associated with both perceived autonomy and career security. Perceived autonomy did not mediate the relationships between AI-related workplace conditions and career security, and digital literacy did not moderate the relationship between algorithmic control and perceived autonomy. The study contributes to research on algorithmic management and AI-enabled workplaces by highlighting the importance of analytically distinguishing between the control-oriented and developmental dimensions of AI when examining the organizational implications of AI-enabled management.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070340

Authors: Nada Mallah Boustani Elisabetta Magnaghi

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer only a technological innovation or an advanced computational tool; it has become a central driver of transformation in business, finance, entrepreneurship, human resources, organizational governance, and digital communication [...]

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070339

Authors: Matúš Cagala Lukáš Juráček

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly understood as a strategic factor associated with corporate reputation, stakeholder relationships, and consumer attitudes toward socially responsible brands. The aim of this study is to analyze CSR from two complementary perspectives: from the corporate perspective, to examine the extent to which medium-sized and large industrial enterprises operating in Slovakia declare the integration of CSR into their strategy or business practice, and from the consumer perspective, to determine how declared preferences for socially responsible brands differ across generational cohorts of customers. The research is based on two separate questionnaire surveys conducted between December 2024 and May 2025: one focused on consumers and the other on representatives of industrial enterprises. The consumer sample consisted of 331 respondents from the Baby Boomer, X, Y, and Z generations, while the corporate sample included 103 medium-sized and large industrial enterprises. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test of independence, and Cramer’s V. The results show that 82.47% of the surveyed enterprises declared some level of engagement in CSR, either as a strategic element or as an emerging component of business practice. The most frequently reported CSR priorities were environmental protection, employee support, and ethical business conduct. The consumer part of the research demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between generational affiliation and declared preference for socially responsible brands (χ2 = 49.62; df = 12; p = 0.0000016), with Cramer’s V = 0.226 indicating a weak-to-moderate association. Since the study is based on declared attitudes and respondents’ self-assessment, its findings cannot be interpreted as evidence of actual consumer purchasing behavior or as an objective verification of the quality of enterprises’ CSR activities. The contribution of the study lies in the parallel examination of the corporate and consumer perspectives on CSR in the context of a smaller Central European economy and in highlighting the importance of generational segmentation for the development of CSR strategy and communication.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070338

Authors: Catarina Rodrigues António Neto-Mendes Andreia Gouveia

Decentralization reforms are reshaping contemporary public management and are often presented as innovations capable of improving efficiency, accountability, and responsiveness to the citizens’ demands. Yet their implications for governance arrangements remain highly contested. This paper critically analyzes the process of educational decentralization in Portugal to explore whether it represents a genuine administrative innovation or a broader reconfiguration of state governance. The study draws on a critical interpretative policy approach informed by post-structuralist policy analysis and the sociology of public policy instruments. Based on a qualitative analysis of legislation, policy documents, planning instruments, institutional reports, and governance arrangements, it applies a threefold analytical framework—Promise, Reality, and Transformation—linking policy discourse, instruments, and governance transformation. The findings suggest that while decentralization is discursively justified by narratives of modernization and local empowerment, it is operationalized through dense regulatory architectures, policy instruments, accountability mechanisms, and digital governance infrastructures. This leads to a paradoxical decentralized centralism, in which expanded local responsibilities coexist with strengthened capacities for central coordination, evaluation, and multilevel regulation. The study contributes to debates on public management and governance transformation by showing how decentralization may reconfigure rather than diminish state power in the context of contemporary multilevel governance.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070337

Authors: Miguel Muñoz Juan Felipe Espinosa-Cristia Raúl Carrasco

Globally, states are incorporating various digital tools with the purpose of accelerating customs management of export and import goods. An example of this is the implementation of electronic single windows that seek to streamline the transmission of information on export and import operations by generating a single data entry point that can be accessed by different interconnected state and private entities. For customs clearance, some States require the collaboration of intermediaries known as customs agents: private actors who collaborate in the public function of customs control. Customs agents are licensed by the State to act as such, and are hired by exporters and importers to manage their operations with the customs authority. A digital reform of this type is a governance mechanism that involves coordination between institutions, interaction between the State and private actors, and the redefinition of the role of different actors. However, this can create tensions with actors who collaborate with the State. The objective of this study is to determine the perceptions of customs agents—as incumbent actors and collaborators of the State—regarding the implementation of new technologies by the State, through an analysis of the case of Chilean customs agents in the context of the implementation of a single window system for foreign trade by the Chilean customs authority. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted based on 15 semi-structured interviews with customs agents, including both current and former government officials. The data obtained were coded using MAXQDA software. The results show that the State has had to integrate customs agents into the implementation process, primarily due to their expert knowledge. On the other hand, some customs agents have viewed the implementation of the single window system with apprehension, while others have attempted to embrace the technological change since its inception, collaborating with the government. In order to protect their profession, the agents have sought opportunities for dialogue with the authorities and state agencies. Furthermore, customs agents and public officials agree that one of the system’s main weaknesses is the lack of participation from other government agencies in the operation of the single window system, thus failing to meet the State’s own established plans: the interconnection of different state agencies at a single point. This, in turn, reveals weaknesses in collaborative governance. In short, the implementation of a single window has been a major challenge for actors collaborating in the public customs function, producing tensions in its governance.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070336

Authors: Catherine Daus Gloria Sweida Adira Romanoff Dylan Zimmerman

We present two studies within the talent management umbrella. In the first, we explored procedural justice as an outcome of talent management strategies, with the mediating role of perceived fairness and the moderating role of gender. A survey of 100 full-time US workers yielded positive, significant relationships between the inclusivity of talent management practices, procedural justice, and perceived fairness. Further, perceived fairness emerged as a partial mediator in the relationship between the inclusivity of talent management practices and procedural justice. In the second study, we examined a specific type of talent management, succession planning. We explored the development of a measure that assesses employees’ perceptions regarding their company’s succession planning process, and provided initial predictive validity by examining the relationship between the type of succession plan and perceived organizational support (POS). We assessed 96 employees’ succession planning perceptions with an adapted model of succession planning, examining integrated and informal categories. The measure’s initial psychometric and conceptual fidelity, as well as predictive validity, were promising. Further, we found that perceptions of an organization’s succession planning process, specifically the level of integration, are positively related to perceptions of organizational support. Both of these studies represent a substantial addition to the literature regarding talent management broadly and succession planning, specifically.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070335

Authors: Daniel Altieri Zohra Damani Cynthia Nebel

This article addresses the growing concern that generative artificial intelligence (AI) may replace human expertise in organizations. Instead of asking whether AI should be used, it examines why human judgment rooted in experience cannot be fully replaced by current AI systems and how organizations can work with AI more effectively. Drawing on research from cognitive science, neuroscience, and organizational studies, the paper explains how people use prior experience to interpret context, notice subtle cues, and make sense of ambiguous situations—capabilities that differ fundamentally from how large language models process data. Evidence from recent studies of AI use in hiring, performance management, healthcare, and knowledge work shows recurring problems, including mistakes in unusual cases, missed context, over-reliance on AI recommendations, and reduced visibility of real skill differences among employees. In response, we propose a five-part Human–AI Collaboration Framework designed to help organizations use AI for efficiency while keeping human judgment active and accountable in key Human Resource Management decisions. The analysis shows that AI performs best in routine, data-rich situations but falls short when decisions require lived experience and contextual understanding. By framing organizations as systems built on accumulated experience, this article offers practical guidance for responsible AI integration and outlines directions for future research on human–AI collaboration.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070334

Authors: Víctor Hugo Fernández-Bedoya Amador Grover Mejía-Osorio Emilio Javier Rojas-Villanueva

Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation are increasingly reshaping decision-making and governance processes in public universities, creating opportunities for administrative modernization and evidence-based institutional management. This systematic review aimed to analyze the scientific evidence regarding decision-making and governance in public universities in the era of artificial intelligence, identify the countries contributing to this field of research, and synthesize the principal lessons and conclusions reported in the literature. The study followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and conducted a systematic search in the Scopus database on 15 May 2025 using descriptors associated with university governance, academic management, Artificial Intelligence, and digital transformation. Original empirical studies published in English or Spanish were considered eligible. From 109 identified records, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria and were incorporated into the qualitative synthesis. The findings revealed that AI supports administrative efficiency, predictive analytics, academic planning, resource optimization, and data-driven governance. However, successful implementation depends on institutional readiness, leadership commitment, digital literacy, and ethical governance frameworks capable of addressing algorithmic bias, data privacy, and transparency concerns. The review highlights AI as both a strategic opportunity and a governance challenge for public universities, requiring responsible, human-centered, and context-sensitive implementation strategies.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070333

Authors: Amir Mohammad Amin Nezhad Parisa Jourabchi Amirkhizi Siamak Pedrammehr Zahra Haghighi Aghdam Mahdi Soleimanzadeh

Design management in Industry 5.0 faces a persistent gap due to fragmented conceptualizations that treat AI, human creativity, and machine capabilities as largely separate elements, limiting their effective integration within complex socio-technical systems. Addressing this gap, the present study develops and empirically validates a Design Management Model grounded in human-centered, ethical, and sustainability-oriented principles, framing design management as an adaptive and relational system rather than a linear or technology-driven process. Departing from the automation-oriented logic of Industry 4.0, the study adopts an augmented cognition perspective in which AI functions as a collaborative partner supporting, rather than replacing, human judgment. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating systematic literature review, qualitative content analysis, expert evaluation, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on data from 316 participants, followed by empirical examination in two service-oriented case contexts, namely tourism/hospitality and healthcare services. The findings identify and validate six interrelated domains and demonstrate that Human–AI–Machine Synergy plays a central role in shaping design outcomes. More specifically, the results show that effective design management in Industry 5.0 depends on the coordinated interaction between cognitive processes, technological infrastructures, and organizational strategies, rather than on isolated technological advancement. Empirical applications further illustrate how the model supports ethically guided AI integration, enhances adaptive decision-making, and improves experience-oriented innovation across different contexts. By providing a validated structural framework that connects previously disjointed elements, this study contributes a clearer operational understanding of how human–AI collaboration can be embedded within design management practices in Industry 5.0.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070332

Authors: Chou-Ching Liou Hsin-Mei Lin

The dynamic capabilities perspective explains how firms sustain a competitive advantage in contemporary rapidly changing environments, yet it still lacks empirical accounts of how the three high-level capabilities of sensing, seizing, and transforming become observable processes through managerial practices. The study examines Thunder Tiger, a firm that developed into a leading global brand in the technologically dynamic and highly competitive radio-control model industry, and uses 30 strategic initiatives identified from its 36-year development trajectory as the units of analysis. Adopting the extended case method, we conduct simultaneous coding across two dimensions: the core content of high-level capabilities and observable managerial practices. We develop an analytical framework for dynamic capability processes comprising three layers: the three high-level capabilities, four functional domains, and twelve process items. Through this framework, we show how high-level capabilities can be linked to observable managerial practices in Thunder Tiger’s strategic initiatives.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070331

Authors: Jaruwan Supachaiwat Atthaphon Mumi Achariya Issarapaibool Anupong Sukprasert

Entrepreneurial exit intention represents an important yet underexplored stage of the entrepreneurial process. Prior research has identified several antecedents of entrepreneurial exit intention, but it has largely overlooked entrepreneurial addiction and its underlying psychological mechanisms. Drawing on self-regulation theory, this study examines the relationships among entrepreneurial addiction, entrepreneurial burnout, career adaptability, locus of control, well-being, and entrepreneurial exit intention. Data were collected from 250 entrepreneurs in Thailand’s digital services, software, and food and beverage industries and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that entrepreneurial addiction is positively associated with entrepreneurial exit intention both directly and indirectly through entrepreneurial burnout. Internal locus of control weakens the relationship between entrepreneurial addiction and burnout, whereas career adaptability and well-being unexpectedly strengthen the hypothesized relationships. The study contributes to the entrepreneurial exit literature by identifying entrepreneurial addiction and burnout as important self-regulatory antecedents of entrepreneurial exit intention. The findings also provide evidence compatible with self-regulation theory and suggest that psychological resources may not consistently function as protective resources under conditions of excessive entrepreneurial engagement.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070330

Authors: Cledilson Viana Sérgio Cruz Ana Dinis

This study investigates how family firms adjusted their tax strategies following Brazil’s 2023 alignment with the OECD transfer pricing guidelines, using nonfamily firms as a benchmark. The analysis adopts a blended socioemotional wealth (SEW) and implicit theory perspective, which explains family firms’ behavioral responses to institutional change by linking SEW intensity to owners’ cognitive orientations. The sample comprises 1239 firm-year observations from 177 nonfinancial companies listed on Brazil’s stock exchange between 2018 and 2024. Before the transfer pricing reform, family firms displayed a more aggressive approach to corporate income tax (CIT) minimization than their nonfamily counterparts. After the reform, only nonfamily firms, typically more internationalized, intensified their CIT minimization, indicating greater responsiveness to the new OECD-aligned rules. Family firms, by contrast, exhibited no significant change. Exploiting the new rules requires cross-border operations, which family firms tend to limit to preserve family control. With little such exposure, they were not positioned to benefit from the reform and their tax behavior remained unchanged. This inertia is consistent with an entity-oriented mindset, indirectly inferable from the firms’ muted tax response to the reform. The study contributes to family business and international taxation research by revealing that ownership structure conditions firms’ responses to regulatory change, extending the SEW–implicit theory framework to explain heterogeneous tax behavior, and offering policy insights that standardized enforcement may yield uneven outcomes across ownership types.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070329

Authors: Amira Daouk

The behavior of employees in the hospitality industry has gained strategic significance as it has become a competitive service industry where the level of customer satisfaction is highly dependent on the discretionary contributions made by employees. This study examined whether Employee Engagement mediates the relationship between Transactional Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior and whether the Perceived Organizational Support moderates the relationship of Transactional Leadership and Employee Engagement among the employees working in a fine dining restaurant in Beirut, Lebanon. The study based its moderation mediation analysis on two theoretical frameworks—Social Exchange Theory and Organizational Support Theory. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design and distributed 500 electronic questionnaires via Google Forms to staff working in upscale hospitality and fine dining restaurants after securing managerial approval. A total of 441 questionnaires were received. Following data screening procedures, 428 valid questionnaires were retained for analysis. The analysis was performed using the following applications: AMOS 24, SPSS 27, and the PROCESS Macro 4.2 through 5000 bootstrap resamples. Results showed that Transactional Leadership was positively associated with OCB. Employee Engagement significantly mediated the relationship between Transactional Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior. POS was found to strengthen the relationship between Transactional Leadership and Employee Engagement, and the conditional indirect effect of Transactional Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behavior through Employee Engagement was stronger when POS was high. Originality/value: This study addresses an important gap in the conditional process leadership literature by combining the concepts of Transactional Leadership, Employee Engagement, POS, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior into one empirical model tested in a hospitality setting plagued by a crisis. The results provide viable solutions for hospitality managers interested in developing improved Employee Engagement, discretionary behavior, and service quality in an operationally constrained environment.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070328

Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Hasanein Bassam Samir Al-Romeedy Mohamed A. Aldossary Aya Ahmed Abdel Majeed

This study investigates how sustainable leadership enhances green performance in the tourism and hospitality sector, specifically among managers and supervisors working in five-star hotels and travel agencies, by examining the mediating roles of green innovation and green self-efficacy through the lenses of the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT). A quantitative research approach was adopted, utilizing survey data collected from 788 managers and supervisors employed in Egyptian five-star hotels and travel agencies operating within a highly competitive tourism destination context. The findings indicate that sustainable leadership has a significant positive effect on green performance and positively influences both green innovation and green self-efficacy. Moreover, green innovation and green self-efficacy significantly contribute to green performance and partially mediate the relationship between sustainable leadership and environmental outcomes. This study contributes to the literature on sustainability, tourism, and organizational behavior by providing an integrated framework that links sustainable leadership with organizational innovation capabilities and employees’ environmental competencies. In addition, the findings extend the explanatory power of RBV and DCT in explaining how sustainable leadership practices translate into enhanced environmental performance in tourism and hospitality organizations. From a practical perspective, the study highlights the importance of adopting leadership practices that foster green innovation, strengthen employees’ environmental confidence, and promote proactive environmental behavior within organizations.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070327

Authors: Umamaheswari Shanmugam Mohan K. Rajendran Jawahar Natarajan Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Reddy Karri

Objective: This paper develops a conceptual theory-building framework for understanding and managing AI-enabled workplace conflict. It reframes AI-mediated conflict as a socio-technical justice problem and proposes the Hybrid Conflict Governance Model (HCGM), which links HR policy design, ethical governance mechanisms, and workforce capability development to conflict outcomes through procedural justice, trust, contestability, and human oversight pathways. Methods: This study adopts a conceptual theory-building design based on interdisciplinary literature synthesis. Literature from human resource management, artificial intelligence governance, organizational justice, socio-technical systems theory, digital work, and workplace conflict was synthesized using a problem-driven conceptual approach. The study integrates these literature streams to develop a theoretical framework explaining how AI-enabled workplace conflict emerges and how governance mechanisms may influence conflict outcomes. Conceptual Findings: The analysis identifies four major AI-enabled conflict dynamics: algorithmic bias, algorithmic surveillance, human–AI decision misalignment, and opacity in AI-supported decision making. The proposed HCGM explains how AI system characteristics influence employee justice perceptions, trust, and conflict escalation or reduction. The model identifies four interdependent governance layers: foundational rights, structural governance, operational integration, and capability development. These layers interact dynamically and are shaped by boundary conditions including organizational culture, AI autonomy, workforce digital literacy, and regulatory context. Conclusion: AI-enabled workplace conflict cannot be managed through technical controls alone. Effective governance requires integrated HR policies, ethical oversight, transparent decision processes, human review mechanisms, and workforce capability development. The HCGM contributes to AI governance, HRM, and workplace conflict literature by explaining how socio-technical governance mechanisms shape fairness perceptions, trust, and conflict outcomes in AI-mediated workplaces.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070326

Authors: Gladys L. Peña Pazos Marina Fernández Miranda Elberth E. García Panta Adolfo Zeta Vite Milagros Córdova de Chang José H. Chang Valdiviezo Juan F. Gonzales Vera Adolfo A. Jurado Rosas

This study analyzes the transition toward anticipatory public administration through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite the growing deployment of predictive models, a clear research gap remains regarding the socio-technical prerequisites—such as institutional trust, data infrastructure, and ethical–legal frameworks—that condition their success. To address this, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, retrieving 68 open-access articles published between 2020 and 2025 from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Data synthesis was performed using descriptive bibliometric mapping and qualitative thematic analysis. The results show that scientific interest has experienced accelerated growth since 2024, highlighting a preference for machine learning systems that automate service delivery. While AI enables significant benefits, including a 40% reduction in budgetary errors and early fraud detection, progress is hindered by algorithmic opacity (“black box” models), the risk of structural bias, and civil servants’ confirmation bias. The study concludes that technological complexity must be subordinated to democratic safeguards. To this end, a research agenda is proposed alongside practical implications, recommending that public institutions implement mandatory independent algorithmic audits, enforce strict interpretability standards in public procurement, and adopt hybrid regulatory frameworks to ensure fair and accountable governance.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070325

Authors: Michael D. Galanakis

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative review of Positive Psychology in contemporary organizational contexts, examining how psychological resources such as Psychological Capital, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, Psychological Safety, Self-Determination Theory, and Positive Leadership contribute to employee well-being, flourishing, and organizational effectiveness. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study adopts a narrative integrative literature review approach, synthesizing recent theoretical and empirical research in Positive Organizational Psychology, Organizational Behavior, and Human Resource Management. The review integrates foundational theories with contemporary empirical findings published in high-impact academic journals to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework. Findings: The findings indicate that Positive Psychological constructs are consistently associated with higher levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction, performance, resilience, and flourishing, while reducing burnout, stress, and turnover intentions. Psychological Capital emerges as a key malleable resource, while Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence enhance self-regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Originality: The paper integrates multiple streams of Positive Psychology into a unified conceptual model, combining individual-level psychological resources with motivational and organizational-contextual factors. Research limitations/implications: As a narrative review, the study does not include primary empirical data or statistical testing. Future research should empirically validate the proposed integrative framework using longitudinal and cross-cultural designs. Practical implications: Organizations can enhance employee well-being and performance by implementing Psychological Capital Interventions, mindfulness-based programs, strengths-based development, and psychologically safe leadership practices. Social implications: The findings highlight the broader societal value of fostering psychologically healthy workplaces that promote sustainable employment, mental health, and human flourishing.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070324

Authors: Najib Bou Zakhem

The study examines the role of Human Capital Development Programs in helping employees cope with Work–Family Conflict and maintain performance and wellbeing in the context of Lebanon’s long poly-crisis post COVID-19. In a climate of economic downturn, inflation, organizational uncertainty, and social unrest, SMEs face greater pressure to protect both productivity and employee well-being. The study tests the proposed model using SEM-PLS based on data from 209 employees in Lebanese SMEs. The results show that human capital development programs have a significant negative association with work–family conflict, and the latter has a significant negative association with employee performance and employee wellbeing. Additionally, employee resilience also weakens the negative relationship between work–family conflict and employee performance, highlighting the protective role of resilience in crisis conditions. The study contributes to the human resource management and work–family literature by positioning developmental HR practices and resilience as critical resources in crisis-prone environments. The results are practically useful for the Lebanese SMEs in designing employee-oriented strategies that promote adaptability, well-being, and organizational continuity.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070323

Authors: Christian Schachtner Catalin Vrabie

Universities are increasingly expected to contribute not only to teaching and research, but also to public-sector innovation, regional development, and digitally enabled governance. This article examines how higher education institutions organize that contribution by comparing two university-based transfer architectures: Smart-EDU Hub @ SNSPA in Bucharest and the distributed transfer portfolio of RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSRM). Using a qualitative comparative case-study design based on the document analysis of internal strategy and regulatory documents, institutional webpages, and European policy frameworks, the study analyzes the mission framing, organizational form, program architecture, trust infra-structure, and scaling logic. The documentary analysis indicates that Smart-EDU Hub is formally presented and institutionally organized as a centralized, branded, mission-led platform that bundles conferences, courses, projects, visiting scholars, and publication channels under a recognizable public-facing identity. HSRM, by contrast, is documented as a distributed transfer portfolio linking transfer strategy, dialogue formats, digitally supported teaching, administrative digitalization, continuing education, and AI support services. The comparison should therefore be read as an analysis of formal and publicly documented transfer architectures, not as an evaluation of actual institutional performance, stakeholder experience, or societal impact. The article contributes to Administrative Sciences by conceptualizing university transfer for smart governance as a public-management and governance-design problem. It develops an analytical hybrid transfer-architecture framework in which a visible hub is combined with distributed specialist nodes, shared quality assurance, and explicit safeguards for ethics, cybersecurity, and trustworthy AI.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070322

Authors: Maram Tarshihi Seung Ho Youn

This study explores how small business owners in the hospitality sector in Jordan cope with the threats from the adjacent Gaza-Israel conflict. While crisis research in tourism has focused mainly on macro-level indicators and managerial responses to events, less is known about the psychological processes used by small hospitality business owners to evaluate such geopolitical tensions and translate them into coping reactions. Using a transactional perspective on stress, appraisal, and coping, this study explores how business owners perceive threats and adopt coping mechanisms under unstable geopolitical conditions. Semi-structured interviews with small hospitality business owners in Jordan reveal that geopolitical conflict is not automatically perceived as a catastrophic threat. Rather, threat emerges through a person–environment transaction when owners interpret the conflict as harmful, uncertain, or beyond control within their business context. The findings further reveal that owners combine problem-focused coping, such as operational and marketing adjustments, with emotion-focused coping, such as pragmatic optimism, positive reappraisal, goal resetting, and the normalization of instability. By foregrounding cognitive appraisal and coping in this way, the study extends tourism and hospitality crisis research beyond macro-level outcomes and offers practical insights into strengthening the resilience of small hospitality businesses in geopolitically unstable tourism regions.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070321

Authors: Ceyda Taghanli Clemens Koob

Brand personality is a strategic lever for higher education institutions facing intense competition. Although institutions commonly use social media video content to reach students, evidence on how content design affects brand personality perceptions is scarce. This study examines whether informational and entertaining Instagram videos differentially influence enrolled students’ brand personality perceptions and whether attitude toward the post mediates these effects. A between-subjects online experiment was conducted with enrolled students (N = 184) in Germany, a mature higher education system. Participants were randomly assigned to view a professionally produced video for a fictitious institution, either informational or entertaining. They then evaluated the post and the institution’s brand personality, measured with the University Brand Personality Scale and analyzed as vertical (prestige, sincerity, conscientiousness) and horizontal (appeal, liveliness, cosmopolitanism) facets. Effects were tested using simple mediation analyses. Informational content produced more favorable post attitudes than entertaining content. It had a large positive direct effect on vertical brand personality, complemented by a positive indirect effect via post attitude. For the horizontal facet, only the indirect effect was significant. The study provides the first experimental evidence on content-type effects on higher education brand personality in a mature system, guiding institutions’ social media communication.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070320

Authors: Javier Gamboa-Cruzado Erik Loayza-Zarate Gerson Loayza-Leon Grover Mejia Osorio Javier Rojas Villanueva Edgar Vicente Armas Angel Nuñez Meza Alex Salazar-Marzal

Digital transformation has increased interest in the use of blockchain in Accounting Systems Auditing because of its potential to strengthen data integrity, decentralized validation, traceability, and accountability. However, the available evidence remains fragmented across technical, theoretical, methodological, and bibliometric dimensions. This study systematically analyzes the literature on blockchain and its influence on Accounting Systems Auditing, focusing on effectiveness criteria, auditing indicators, journal quartiles, definitions, theoretical foundations, thematic patterns, and keyword co-occurrence. A systematic literature review was conducted following the Kitchenham approach and the PRISMA guideline, covering studies published between 2019 and August 2025. From 5031 initial records, 63 studies were retained after applying exclusion criteria and quality assessment. The findings show that blockchain effectiveness is mainly evaluated through data integrity and decentralization, while scientific production is concentrated in Q1 and Q2 journals. The literature remains strongly oriented toward technical and operational foundations, with limited integration of broader theoretical frameworks. Thematic analysis identifies tokenization and governance as motor themes, while blockchain, auditing, and accounting constitute the most influential semantic nodes. This review contributes by integrating conceptual, theoretical, methodological, metric, and bibliometric dimensions into a single framework, offering a clearer understanding of how blockchain may transform audit evidence, internal control, assurance quality, fraud risk, accountability, and auditor judgment. The field shows high scientific visibility but still requires stronger theoretical integration, evaluative standardization, and empirical validation in real-world auditing contexts.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070319

Authors: Minseo Kim Eunji Choi Yongseok Jang

This study investigates the strategic responses associated with small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) recovery under crisis conditions. Rather than assuming that maintaining ambidexterity is universally beneficial, it questions whether the balance between exploration and exploitation remains effective when firms face severe resource constraints and heightened uncertainty. Using panel data on Korean SMEs from 2019 to 2023, this study compares the performance implications of ambidexterity balance and strategic switching, identifies which firms are more likely to undertake strategic switching, and examines how post-switch recovery patterns unfold over time. The findings indicate that the performance implications of ambidexterity balance weaken during the crisis period and, in some cases, become negative, whereas strategic switching is associated with more favorable recovery patterns during the crisis period. In addition, the benefits of strategic switching do not emerge immediately but instead become gradually visible over two to three years following the initial switch, highlighting the importance of post-switch adaptation time.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070318

Authors: José-Francisco Ortiz-Terrinches Roberto Sánchez-Cabrero Marta Sandoval-Mena

The transformation of the world of work, driven by economic and social change, technological advances, digitalization, and new working environments, has highlighted the importance of soft skills in vocational education and training (VET). In this context, workplace internships constitute a key setting for their development and assessment. This systematic review analyzes the recent literature on transferable skills in VET and their relationship with work-based learning environments. Following PRISMA guidelines, searches were conducted in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 26 studies were selected from 1114 records. Findings reveal international consensus regarding the importance of communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and socio-emotional skills for labor market integration. However, a gap persists between workplace demands and training practices. Although active methodologies and integrated learning models show promising results, important limitations remain regarding competency assessment, school-company coordination, and teacher preparation. The review also identifies research gaps, particularly the scarcity of longitudinal studies and validated instruments for assessing transferable skills in authentic VET contexts. Finally, the findings highlight the need for integrated school-company collaboration models that support more consistent assessment and professional development among students.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070317

Authors: Alina-Petronela Haller Larisa-Loredana Dragolea

This article investigates how structural transformations—growth, development, digitalisation, renewable energy consumption, education, and economic freedom—could influence public investment in education and public debt in the EU27. This objective was achieved by taking into consideration suggestive secondary data for the period 2009–2021 and applying the Structural Equation Model (SEM), dynamic panel data (ARDL), and, for robustness, fixed effects (FE) models. Education shows the ability, in structural terms, to relax the public budget, even if, in the very short term, the mandatory education is associated with additional public investment. Growth may create conditions, in the short term, to diminish the public investment in education and to be favourable for less dependence on financial markets, regardless of the period. In contrast, human development is associated with increased investment in education in the very short and long term and with increased public debt in the short and very short term. Education can adjust investment in the sector, especially in the long term, even if tertiary education depresses public investment in the very short term. However, education, regardless of level, has a significant contribution to the economy and society, which qualifies investment in education as being strategic, and education as a sector which must be protected even in complicated economic periods. Economic freedom, in the very short term, through deregulations, helps the state to become less indebted; in the long term, the accumulation of vulnerabilities and dependencies changes this dynamic. The energy transition, despite an immediate favourable effect, in the short term implies state intervention, including through debt, so that European decarbonisation objectives can be achieved as soon as possible. The results complete the literature, especially as there are significant gaps, and inspire decision-makers in establishing educational policy measures regarding public investment and in resolving tensions among European economic policy objectives. The results are not strictly causal relationships; the situation of each member state may differ due to the heterogeneity in the European space.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070316

Authors: Sónia Gouveia José Luís Abrantes Eduardo Gouveia Daniel H. de la Iglesia Maria Vaz Alfonso J. López Rivero Paulo Váz

This study proposes a multidimensional decision-support model for assessing the strategic implications of Digital Transformation (DT) in SMEs under conditions of uncertainty. The study addresses the challenge of measuring the digital impact of DT across value creation, strategic management maturity, and sustainability dimensions. A conceptual framework grounded in strategic management and digital transformation literature is operationalized using the Fuzzy TOPSIS method. A controlled stochastic simulation was conducted to generate a synthetic dataset representing 30 heterogeneous SMEs for computational model-validation purposes. The proposed framework generates three dimension-level performance indices and one aggregated Global Digital Impact Index (GDII). The simulation results illustrate the analytical potential of the framework to support multidimensional digital impact assessment under uncertainty. The study contributes a fuzzy-based evaluation framework capable of integrating value creation, strategic management maturity, and sustainability within a unified digital impact assessment model.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070315

Authors: Souad Hassanie Georgiana Karadas Harun Sesen Ahmed Hussein

The complex nature of the healthcare work environment, resource strains, and cultural diversity threaten human sustainability and exacerbate healthcare workers’ psychological disconnection from work. From the perspective of sustainable HRM and organizational sustainability, and in response to calls raised by the United Nations 2030 Agenda, our study examines how institutions can support human sustainability and healthy performance through sustainable HRM practices. Therefore, building upon the conservation of resources theory and person–environment fit theory, our study investigates the impact of grit and person–environment fit on work alienation, examining the mediating role of thriving at work, postulating that cultural intelligence moderates the effect of grit and person–environment fit on thriving at work. Data were collected from 335 healthcare workers working in private hospitals in Lebanon and analyzed via structural equation modeling with bootstrapping. The results indicated that grit, person–environment fit, and thriving at work have a significant negative effect on work alienation; meanwhile, grit and person–environment fit have a significant positive effect on thriving at work. Moreover, the results highlighted the mediating role of thriving at work between grit, person–environment fit, and work alienation. Additionally, the findings revealed that cultural intelligence moderates the effect of grit on thriving. However, the interaction between person–environment fit and cultural intelligence was significant in the opposite direction to the hypothesized effect. Theoretically, our research is one of the pioneering studies showing that thriving at work functions as a resource-gain mechanism linking personal resources, such as grit, and contextual resources, such as person–environment fit, to lower alienation. Practically, the findings suggest that management should strengthen person–environment fit, promote thriving, and develop cultural intelligence to enhance healthy performance and human-centered organizational sustainability.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070314

Authors: Rune Bjerke

Collaboration is increasingly treated as a core capability in contemporary working life, yet leadership-development research suggests that developmental efforts often remain too generic, weakly contextualized, and insufficiently connected to the conditions under which participants must learn and perform. This theory-informed exploratory study examines how Norwegian union representatives define, operationalize, and reflect on collaborative capability development within a semester-long university course. The study adopts a qualitative document design based on 25 written course reports produced by Parat union representatives enrolled in the course Collaboration for the Future Working Life at Kristiania University of Applied Sciences in autumn 2025. The reports are analyzed as structured reflective development documents using cross-case thematic analysis. Conceptually, the article draws on collaboration research, leadership development, self-directed learning, self-leadership, and job demands–resources theory. The findings indicate that participants conceptualized collaborative capability as a multidimensional professional capability combining dialogic competence, trust-building, psychological safety, role-based bridge-building, assertive boundary-setting, and self-regulation under pressure. Development was typically organized through iterative practice cycles of self-evaluation, feedback, goal setting, monitoring routines, micro-practices for attention and stress regulation, environmental redesign, implementation, reflection, and adjustment. At the same time, the reports suggest that collaborative development was constrained by time pressure, emotional exposure, cumulative role demands, and fluctuating energy. Reported outcomes were typically incremental, including clearer communication, increased awareness of triggers, stronger boundary-setting, more sustainable role professionalism, and improved presence under strain. The article contributes a bounded, context-sensitive account of collaborative capability development as a self-directed, self-regulated, and resource-sensitive process of professional becoming. It further develops two connected practical–theoretical models: the Performance Pyramid, which clarifies the developmental architecture from identity awareness to energy and capability regulation and performance enactment, and the Self-Leadership Wheel of Becoming, which functions as an operational scaffold for self-evaluation, goal setting, feasible program design, implementation, reflection, and revision. Rather than presenting these models as universally validated, the article positions them as heuristic and processual contributions for understanding and supporting capability development in collaboration-intensive roles.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070313

Authors: Joshua M. Smith Darlene F. Russ-Eft

The adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and health information technology (HIT) is foundational to building a more integrated, efficient, and patient-centered healthcare system. Despite significant investments and advancements, the U.S. healthcare system continues to face critical barriers to EHR interoperability. The purpose of this study was to identify the primary policy barriers hindering interoperability and propose actionable modifications to address these challenges. This research employed a qualitative meta-synthesis, complemented by a scoping literature review, to explore the policy landscape shaping EHR interoperability. The data were systematically organized and analyzed using NVivo® 12 software provided by Purdue University. Manual annotations provided critical context to qualitative findings. Two key themes emerged: (a) policy perspectives and (b) economic challenges. Recommendations included adaptive policy enforcement mechanisms, sustained and equitable financial support, and targeted leadership development initiatives. These strategies hold the potential to inform ongoing effortcreating a more integrated and efficient healthcare system.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070312

Authors: Ghida Jihad Abou Ltaif Nasri Antoine Messarra

The rapid proliferation of misinformation and pseudo-facts on social media platforms has raised significant concerns regarding their impact on public opinion, institutional trust, and decision-making processes. This study investigates the effectiveness of artificial intelligence in detecting pseudo-facts by distinguishing between emotional and rational discourse in social media content. Drawing on a dataset of 26,322 Arabic tweets related to a controversial judicial event in Lebanon, the research employs machine learning techniques, including K-Nearest Neighbors, Naïve Bayes, and Logistic Regression, to classify content based on emotional intensity. A manually labeled subset of 600 tweets was used to train and evaluate the models, with Logistic Regression achieving the highest performance across multiple evaluation metrics. The findings reveal that emotional discourse overwhelmingly dominates the dataset, accounting for more than 89% of the analyzed content, consistent with prior evidence of an association between emotional expression and the dissemination of pseudo-facts, while noting that the study classifies discourse as emotional or rational rather than verifying the factual accuracy of individual claims. The study further demonstrates that high classification accuracy can be achieved using relatively small, context-specific datasets, particularly within non-Western linguistic environments. Beyond its methodological contribution, this research offers a proof-of-concept for using artificial intelligence as an analytical aid for organizations, supporting information risk assessment and a clearer understanding of digital communication dynamics. By integrating sentiment analysis with socio-political context, the study advances current knowledge on misinformation detection and highlights the importance of emotion-driven narratives in shaping digital discourse.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070311

Authors: Hasan Tutar Selçuk Nam Münevver Bayar Nuran Varişli Nadire Kantarcioğlu

While digitalization is expected to increase the demand for continuing workforce training in European economies, large-scale, cross-country panel data on macro-level relationships between participation in adult learning and digitalization remain insufficient. This study examines how digital diffusion, employment in the information and communication technologies sector, research and development intensity, and institutional quality are associated with adult learning participation across EU-27 member states. An unbalanced panel dataset covering the 27 EU member states for the period 2015–2023 was created from Eurostat and Sustainable Development Goals monitoring indicators. The empirical strategy includes cross-sectional dependence diagnostics, unit root and cointegration tests, fixed-effects estimation with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, moderation analysis, and robustness checks based on alternative covariance specifications and first differences. The level-fixed-effects results show positive associations between individual internet use, as a proxy for economy-wide digital diffusion, and research and development intensity with adult learning participation (β = 0.110, p < 0.01; β = 2.451, p < 0.01, respectively). Employment in the information and communication technologies sector is not statistically significant, and institutional quality does not significantly moderate the association between individual internet use and adult learning participation. In hypothesis terms, H1 (digital diffusion) and H3 (research and development intensity) are supported in the level specification, whereas H2 (information and communication technologies employment) and H4 (institutional quality moderation) are not supported. When standard errors are clustered at the country level, the key coefficients lose significance, so these level estimates are descriptive structural associations rather than causal effects. The first-difference estimator does not reproduce the level relationships, indicating that the findings primarily reflect cross-country structural associations rather than within-country dynamic effects. Country-group analysis reveals a fourfold difference in mean adult learning participation between the lowest and highest digital diffusion quartiles (5.3% vs. 20.3%). The findings inform EU digital and skills policy by suggesting that the expansion of digital infrastructure should be coordinated with adult learning targets within the 2030 Digital Compass framework.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070310

Authors: Raed Wishah Sulaiman Weshah Hamzah Rahahleh

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging economies, yet the organisational mechanisms that link GenAI capability to business development outcomes remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on Dynamic Capabilities Theory and the Resource-Based View, this study examines the association between GenAI capability and business development performance (BDP) in Jordanian SMEs through the mediating role of business model innovation (BMI) and the moderating role of market sensing agility (MSA). A cross-sectional survey of owner–managers and senior decision-makers was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results indicate that GenAI capability is positively associated with BDP, with BMI accounting for a meaningful share of the link, while MSA strengthens the mediated pathway such that the association is substantially more pronounced among firms with higher levels of market sensing capacity. The findings suggest that returns to GenAI investment in resource-constrained markets depend less on technological access and more on the firm’s capacity to reconfigure its business model and interpret the external environment effectively. The study contributes to the dynamic capabilities literature in emerging-market contexts and provides direction for managers and policymakers concerned with digital transformation in the SME sector.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070309

Authors: Dag Øivind Madsen

Business influence increasingly unfolds in platform environments where visibility is ranked, repeated, measured, and monetized. At the same time, many platform interactions have shifted from reciprocal sociality toward creator-centered attention, mediated familiarity, and one-sided attachment. This perspective article develops the concept of parasocial business to explain how business actors convert platform visibility into credibility, trust, advocacy, and commercial value. Drawing on an integrative reading of research on parasociality, platformization, influencer labor, organizational reputation, marketing communication, and creator economies, this paper identifies three linked mechanisms: algorithmic visibility, persona design, and parasocial conversion. The conceptual analysis shows that parasocial business is not simply influencer marketing, personal branding, brand community, or consumer–brand relationship management. Its distinctive feature is the platformed conversion of repeated, persona-based familiarity into business-relevant authority and value. This paper develops the related concept of platformed authority and illustrates it through LinkedIn thought leadership, podcast-based business influence, and B2B expert visibility. This paper contributes to business administration and management research by showing how leadership communication, reputation governance, expert visibility, and organizational influence are increasingly shaped by platform infrastructures and public-facing personae.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070308

Authors: Carin Loubser-Strydom Klavdij Logožar

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly vulnerable when crisis support systems are delayed, unreliable, or difficult to access. This study examines how South African SMEs maintained strategic continuity during COVID-19 by developing the concept of relational substitution, defined as a process in which owner-managers compensate for weak formal support by internalizing continuity work within the employment relationship. The study is based on a secondary qualitative analysis of 16 semi-structured interviews with SME owners in the Western Cape, South Africa, complemented by a targeted evidence review to inform boundary-condition assessment. The findings show that owner-managers assembled relational continuity bundles that combined labor flexibility, retention intent, transparent communication, and visible well-being support. Owners presented these bundles as efforts to sustain cooperation, trust, and operational functioning when enacted through fairness logics such as voice, transparency, equal sacrifice, and relational care. The study contributes to SME resilience and management and organization studies by distinguishing relational substitution from sustainable human resource management, organizational justice, relational leadership, and institutional fragility, and by specifying the firm-level and institutional conditions under which this mechanism is more likely to support strategic continuity.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070307

Authors: Masakazu Asano Masayuki Goto

This study examines whether within-person changes in behavioral evaluation factors are associated with performance improvement using longitudinal personnel appraisal data from a Japanese firm (fiscal years 2019–2021, N = 218). Fourteen behavioral appraisal items were standardized annually and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, yielding three factors: Comprehensive Behavior, Job Skills, and Discipline/Values. Behavioral change was defined as the difference in factor scores between FY2021 and FY2019. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified four typical behavioral change patterns. Binary logistic regression results indicate that changes in Job Skills are significantly associated with a higher likelihood of performance improvement (odds ratio = 1.33, 95% confidence interval = 1.02–1.75, p = 0.037). Additional sensitivity analyses controlling for baseline performance and baseline factor levels supported the positive association between changes in Job Skills and performance improvement. These findings suggest that improvement in job-related skills, rather than overall behavioral level, is associated with short- to medium-term performance improvement. The study provides a change-based analytical framework that leverages longitudinal appraisal data to identify behavioral domains linked to performance improvement, thereby contributing to data-driven human resource management and employee development.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070306

Authors: Patrícia Martins Generosa Nascimento Adalberto Campos Fernandes Ana Palma-Moreira Pedro Vieira

Background: Public healthcare systems face persistent workforce retention challenges that undermine service continuity, organizational resilience, and public value creation. Although leadership is frequently identified as a relevant lever, the literature remains theoretically fragmented and often treats leadership effects as direct and context-free. Methods: This review adopts a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review as a theory-building strategy. Searches were conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed using combinations of terms related to leadership, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intention, and retention in healthcare settings. The review identified 640 records, removed 372 duplicates, screened 268 titles and abstracts, assessed 90 full-text records for eligibility, and retained 30 peer-reviewed studies for configurative synthesis. The analysis combined thematic synthesis with configurative mapping to identify mechanisms, recurring patterns, and contextual contingencies. Results: The review shows three consistent patterns. First, leadership is linked to retention predominantly through organizational commitment, especially affective and normative commitment, rather than through direct effects. Second, institutional and organizational conditions—particularly red tape and working conditions—shape the strength of leadership–commitment relationships. Third, workforce heterogeneity, including generational differences, affects how leadership practices and organizational environments are interpreted, although these dynamics are rarely theorized explicitly in the literature. Conclusions: The article develops a governance-sensitive integrative framework in which people-centered leadership influences turnover intentions indirectly through organizational commitment, while red tape and working conditions operate as contextual moderators. By embedding leadership within Public Administration and governance theory, the review clarifies the literature’s main explanatory gap and provides a foundation for comparative empirical testing and for more sustainable workforce strategies in public healthcare systems.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070305

Authors: Aruna Ranasinghe Ripan Das Tayyaba Zia Fayyaz Qureshi

Against the backdrop of rapid digital acceleration and a tightening UK labor market, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are pressured to move beyond manual administrative processes to bridge the national productivity gap. This study investigates how Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) transform HR functions from administrative burdens into strategic assets within resource-constrained UK SMEs. Adopting an interpretivist, multiple case study qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 HR managers across the hospitality, retail, and recruitment sectors and analyzed using thematic analysis via NVivo 14. The findings reveal a three-stage, non-linear pathway of value creation: administrative liberation through automation, strategic visibility via data-driven insights, and digital friction stemming from cultural and structural barriers. While HRIS enhances operational efficiency and evidence-based decision-making, its strategic value is mediated by organizational readiness, digital literacy, and change management capabilities. This research contributes to strategic human resource management literature by conceptualizing “digital friction” as a key mediating construct between technology implementation and value realization under resource poverty. For practitioners, it provides a deployment roadmap highlighting that managing the socio-technical “human element” is as critical as the core technological infrastructure for long-term competitiveness.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070304

Authors: Andrea Tracogna Yusaf Akbar

Digital business models often emerge rapidly and attract users, yet only some become durable over time. This paper develops the concept of business model establishment to capture the process through which a digital business model becomes organizationally robust, transactionally governable, and economically viable beyond initial growth. Combining the business model literature with Transaction Cost Economics, the paper argues that establishment depends on the co-evolution of governance and monetization. Governance matters because scaling increases the need for measurement, adaptation, and safeguarding mechanisms. Monetization matters because these mechanisms require sustained investment supported by stable, diversified, and economically adequate value capture. The paper applies this framework to fintech, a domain in which digital business models face particular demands around transaction frequency, uncertainty, regulation, and trust. Through qualitative case analysis of Revolut, Klarna, Robinhood, and N26, it illustrates four configurations of establishment defined by varying levels of governance and monetization maturity, contributing to the business model literature by distinguishing establishment from innovation, adaptation, and scaling.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070303

Authors: Rashid Alnaqbi Ana María Castillo Canalejo

Crisis management has evolved from a reactive organizational function into a strategic capability grounded in organizational learning, knowledge-based processes, and behavioral alignment, thereby enhancing institutional resilience in volatile environments. This study examines how organizational and financial determinants contribute to crisis management success in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It integrates crisis management culture as a learning-oriented mediating capability. It incorporates a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)-based behavioral extension to explain how attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control shape intention toward crisis-related compliance. Using SPSS regression analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the findings indicate that policies, procedures, and financial stability exert significant positive effects on crisis management success, whereas trained human resources show no direct significant impact. Crisis management culture emerges as a key mediating mechanism that enables knowledge integration, supports organizational learning processes, and translates structural preparedness into coordinated action. The TPB-based extension further shows that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly predict intention, and that intention is positively associated with crisis management success. The results suggest that effective crisis governance depends not only on formal structures and financial resources but also on learning-oriented cultures and behavioral mechanisms that transform institutional knowledge into coordinated crisis responses.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070302

Authors: Qingya Yang Boyu Fang

Digital transformation in construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) depends on employees’ willingness to use information systems in their daily work. This study examines the role of transformational leadership (TL) and perceived organizational support (POS) in employees’ behavioral intention to use information systems in Chinese engineering construction SMEs. It also considers the mediating role of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) and the moderating role of organizational culture. A total of 361 valid responses were collected from employees in Chinese engineering construction SMEs. The results show that TL and POS both act as organizational drivers of employees’ adoption intention. TL influences BI by improving employees’ cognitive evaluation of information systems through PU and PEOU. POS provides resource-based support to help employees feel more confident using these systems. OC further conditions how employees respond to leadership and support signals during digital transformation. These findings suggest that technology acceptance in engineering construction SMEs is shaped by both individual technology beliefs and organizational conditions. This study extends technology acceptance research by making the Theory of Planned Behavior more concrete through managerial and support mechanisms. It also provides practical guidance for SME managers seeking to support digitalization through clear leadership communication, targeted resource support, and a learning-oriented culture.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070301

Authors: Iulia-Georgiana Hermeneanu Dana Adriana Lupsa-Tătaru Ioana-Simona Ivasciuc

Conventional approaches to motivating individuals within firms emphasize external incentives, sometimes referred to as the “carrot and stick” paradigm. However, such elements are often absent in volunteer environments, where incentive is derived from psychological and relational influences. In the work context, volunteers are an exceptional case as they lack traditional extrinsic incentives, making them suitable for researching motivation outside this paradigm. This study, based on Self-Determination Theory, explores the impact of communication methods on motivation, satisfaction, and retention of volunteers. The study employs a qualitative design to analyze data from 91 volunteers and 6 coordinators in nonprofit organizations, using content analysis conducted with ATLAS.ti version 26. The findings demonstrate that communication functions as a crucial motivator by promoting autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Volunteers are intrinsically driven by their engagement, the opportunity to make a significant contribution, and experiential learning. Conversely, coordinators influence these experiences by providing feedback, advice, and chances for engagement. The findings indicate a struggle between autonomy and control, illustrating variations in motivation within organizational contexts. The study contributes to existing knowledge by demonstrating that communication serves as a primary motivator and engagement catalyst in the absence of external rewards. This holds significant ramifications for nonprofit administration and motivational philosophy.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16070300

Authors: Sara Santos Pedro Espírito Santo Sónia Ferreira Paulo Botelho Pires José Duarte Santos

Tourism destination marketers increasingly rely on video advertising, yet the psychological mechanisms linking perceived advertising design and destination familiarity to engagement remain underspecified in tourism contexts. Drawing on narrative transportation and advertising stimulation perspectives, this study examines how perceived advertising design and destination familiarity relate to narrative transportation and advertising stimulation, and how these mechanisms relate to engagement. Using a survey of 915 Portuguese respondents and structural equation modeling in AMOS, we estimate a model comprising advertising design, destination familiarity, narrative transportation, advertising stimulation, and engagement. Results show that perceived advertising design is positively associated with narrative transportation (β = 0.451, p < 0.01) and advertising stimulation (β = 0.158, p < 0.01). Destination familiarity is also positively associated with narrative transportation (β = 0.215, p < 0.01) and advertising stimulation (β = 0.104, p < 0.01). Narrative transportation is strongly associated with advertising stimulation (β = 0.659, p < 0.01), whereas narrative transportation does not show a significant direct association with engagement (β = 0.086, n.s.). Advertising stimulation is positively associated with engagement (β = 0.288, p < 0.01). Findings suggest that, in this context, affective activation (stimulation) may be a more proximal correlate of self-reported engagement than narrative immersion alone, warranting careful interpretation given the cross-sectional, self-report design.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060299

Authors: Efthimios Dragotis Despina A. Karayanni

The study examines the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) adoption and firms’ future CSR investment, with a particular focus on the mechanisms and conditions that shape this relationship, drawing on the business case perspective and the resource-based view. A quantitative research design was employed using survey data collected from 568 business executives in Greece. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to test the proposed relationships. The findings indicate that CSR adoption has a significant positive impact on future CSR investment, confirming that CSR engagement evolves into a sustained strategic commitment. Perceived benefits are found to play significant mediating roles, suggesting that firms increase future CSR investment when they recognize the value generated by CSR. In contrast, institutional barriers negatively moderate this relationship, weakening the effect of CSR adoption. The study demonstrates that the continuation of CSR investment is driven by internal reinforcement mechanisms and external conditions rather than purely by financial constraints. It offers empirical evidence that CSR adoption initiates a self-reinforcing process supported by perceived value decisions. The findings provide practical insights, emphasizing the importance of strengthening institutional frameworks and enhancing the perceived benefits of CSR to foster long-term investment in sustainable business practices.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060298

Authors: Olja Arsenijević Igor Radošević Nenad Perić

This paper examines leadership characteristics within local self-governments in the Republic of Serbia through a comparative analysis of leaders’ self-assessments and associates’ evaluations. Drawing on the Johari Window framework, the study explores differences in the perception of leadership attributes from two complementary perspectives. The sample consisted of 150 participants occupying managerial positions within different municipal administrations. The findings indicate that capability is the dominant leadership attribute across both respondent groups, followed by energy, reliability, intelligence, and responsibility. However, notable discrepancies were identified between self-perception and external evaluation, particularly regarding adaptive and interpersonal characteristics. The results further suggest that leadership perception in transitional institutional environments is strongly influenced by organizational uncertainty and institutional instability. Emotional and relational attributes appear to be less emphasized, whereas functional competencies and managerial effectiveness remain highly valued. The study contributes to contemporary leadership research by highlighting the importance of contextual and relational dimensions in the interpretation of leadership characteristics. In addition, the findings offer practical implications for leadership development within public administration systems.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060297

Authors: Ibrahim A. Elshaer Chokri Kooli Alaa M. S. Azazz Hani Alshaiti

This study explored the associations among business intelligence (BI) capabilities and innovative performance (IP) in four- and five-star luxury hotels, while also examining the moderating key role of absorptive capacity (ACAP). Based on the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study conceptualised BI as a multidimensional construct comprising six key capabilities. Data were collected from a sample of 470 hotel managers, and the model was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that four BI dimensions (analytical decision-making culture, use of information in business processes, information access quality, and information content quality) have a significant positive association with IP. On the contrary, analytical capability and data integration did not exhibit a direct significant association with IP. The moderation analysis offered further insights, illustrating that ACAP can selectively strengthen the association between information content quality and IP, as well as between data integration and IP. These findings highlighted that, in the luxury hotel context, the value of BI depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on the firm’s ability to transform high-quality, integrated data into actionable knowledge. The study contributed to the literature by indicating the moderating role of absorptive capacity in the BI–IP relationship and by providing nuanced insights into how distinctive BI capabilities can drive innovation in a service-intensive setting. From a practical perspective, the results suggested that hotel managers should prioritise promoting a data-driven culture, improving data quality, and designing organisational learning capabilities to leverage BI for IP fully.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060296

Authors: Carlos Correia Carlos Martins Cláudia Pereira

Accounting harmonization enables the comparison of financial reporting and enhances its usefulness. The IFRS was developed to achieve such harmonization in a globalized world. This study focuses on the impact of transitioning from IAS 17 to IFRS 16 within the European airline industry. We conducted a quantitative analysis using non-parametric statistical tests to evaluate the impact on financial and economic ratios and compare the periods before and after the change, covering the period from 2018 to 2024. Our results show that both financial ratios and economic ratios were significantly affected by IFRS 16 adoption; namely, in contrast to prior studies, we show that ROE is significantly and positively affected, an important contribution of this study. Additionally, the size and type of airline company (low-cost, full-service, and flag airline companies) maintain these impacts, representing an innovative approach to this study compared to previous research. Overall, by recognizing both assets and liabilities in financial statements, IFRS 16 allows stakeholders to gain an accurate understanding of a firm’s capital structure and performance. This study contributes empirical evidence to the prior literature about the benefits of the new lease accounting standard and to improving the scientific knowledge on this topic.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060295

Authors: Alexios Kythreotis Di Zhou Liběna Černohorská Tomáš Fišera Bernard Vaníček Kyriakos Christofi

This study examines the relationship between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and financing and pricing outcomes in green and conventional bond markets in China over the period of 2017–2024. Drawing on signaling theory, information asymmetry theory, and market segmentation theory, the study argues that the role of ESG performance differs across bond types because green and conventional bonds operate within different institutional and informational environments. Using a comparative analysis of green and conventional bonds, the findings show that ESG performance is more strongly and consistently associated with conventional bond characteristics, particularly in relation to issuance amount, yield to maturity, and credit spreads. In contrast, ESG effects in green bonds are weaker and less consistent, suggesting that investors place greater emphasis on certification mechanisms, environmental project objectives, and sustainability-related bond characteristics than on broader issuer-level ESG disclosures. The findings also suggest that ESG information does not affect all debt instruments in the same way or always functions as a purely risk-reducing signal. In the Chinese market, stronger ESG exposure may also be associated with transition risks, regulatory pressures, and sector-specific sustainability challenges, particularly in conventional bond markets. Overall, the results indicate that the financial relevance of ESG performance depends not only on firm characteristics but also on the institutional and informational environment of the financial instrument itself. The findings remain robust across alternative model specifications and sensitivity analyses, providing additional confidence in the reported differences between green and conventional bond markets. The study contributes to the sustainable finance literature by showing that the pricing relevance of ESG information is instrument-specific rather than uniform across debt markets. It also provides practical implications for regulators, investors, and issuers by highlighting the importance of disclosure quality, transparency standards, and external verification mechanisms in strengthening investor confidence and reducing potential greenwashing risks in sustainable finance markets.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060294

Authors: Luis Ángel Meneses Cerón Idolina Bernal González Julián Mauricio Gómez López Yudith Cristina Caicedo Domínguez Astrid Larrondo García

In the current context, where sustainability has become a global imperative, emerging markets have increasingly incorporated green finance as a strategic pillar to foster long-term growth and stability. This study examines the evolution, trends, and key challenges of sustainable investment in emerging economies, with a particular focus on the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. A systematic literature review was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, based on a sample of 399 articles published over the past decade. The findings reveal a significant expansion in academic output on ESG investments in emerging markets, with an average annual growth rate of 14.06% and an international co-authorship rate of 37.34%. China, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the United States emerge as leading contributors, particularly since 2020. However, critical gaps persist, including inconsistencies in ESG ratings and the limited adaptation of ESG frameworks to local socioeconomic and institutional conditions. Future research should focus on strengthening public policy frameworks, designing effective fiscal incentives, assessing the distributive implications of green finance, and leveraging technologies such as fintech, blockchain, and artificial intelligence to enhance ESG rating consistency, transparency, risk measurement, and the overall efficiency of sustainable investments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060293

Authors: Jennifer Strong Hannah Gerken Donald Kudek

The main purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the association between mid-level leaders’ perceptions of their followers’ critical thinking skills and leaders’ geographic location. Studies such as the GLOBE study provide the foundation for recognizing variation in perspectives on leadership behaviors. Yet there is a lack of insight into how the effect of global location on followers’ perceived effectiveness varies across areas like critical thinking skills. Using a survey to collect data, mid-level leaders at a global oil and gas company participating in a leadership development program were asked to evaluate their followers against the QUEEN Model of Critical Thinking. Analyses were conducted at both the complete QUEEN model score level and within each critical thinking skill category, using one-way ANOVA and post hoc testing. Significant differences were found in relation to where mid-level leaders were based, as defined by the GLOBE clusters. This suggests a need to provide mid-level leader training tailored to global locations on understanding critical thinking and developing this skill in followers.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060292

Authors: Marko Jović Ranko Bojanić Aleksandra Sitarević Jelena Mitrović Nataša Novaković Božić Aleksandra Stevanović

The construction sector operates under conditions of high capital intensity, project complexity, cost uncertainty, fragmented supply chains, and increasing pressure to improve efficiency, sustainability, and long-term competitiveness. Although prior research has emphasized the importance of organizational resources and knowledge-based capabilities for competitive advantage, fewer empirical studies have examined how internal capacities, intellectual capital, and knowledge sharing jointly explain sustainable competitive advantage in construction companies. Drawing on the resource-based view, the knowledge-based view, and the dynamic capabilities perspective, this study examines the effects of marketing capacity, financial capacity, innovative capacity, management capacity, human capacity, human capital, structural capital, relational capital, and knowledge sharing on sustainable competitive advantage in the construction sector. Survey data were collected from 306 employees working in construction companies in the Republic of Serbia and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and covariance-based structural equation modeling. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The structural results indicate that financial capacity is the only significant internal capacity predicting sustainable competitive advantage, while relational capital is the only significant dimension of intellectual capital. Marketing capacity, innovative capacity, management capacity, human capacity, human capital, structural capital, and knowledge sharing did not show significant direct effects. The study contributes to research on sustainable competitive advantage by showing that, in construction companies, competitiveness is most strongly associated with financial robustness and stakeholder-based relational strength. For managers, the findings highlight the importance of strengthening liquidity, investment capacity, risk absorption, and long-term relationships with clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and institutional stakeholders.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060291

Authors: Grant Freedman

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operate under conditions of rapid change, competitive pressure and growing informational complexity, while their owner-managers often have limited time and cognitive bandwidth to interpret emerging strategic possibilities. Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to change this by extending how firms detect signals, interpret shifting environments and evaluate possible strategic responses. However, existing work in dynamic capabilities, sensemaking and microfoundations does not fully explain how AI-augmented cognitive systems shape organisational interpretive capacity, strategic adaptability and sustainable competitive positioning. This article addresses that gap by developing Strategic Edge Architecture (SEA), a sociotechnical microfoundational theory of how AI-augmented cognitive infrastructure enhances environmental sensing, prospective sensemaking, adaptive strategic response and sustainability integration in SMEs. Drawing on a multiparadigm theoretical synthesis, this article integrates insights from strategic management, organisational cognition, microfoundations, AI governance and sustainability strategy. SEA conceptualises strategic capability as an emergent property of cognitive infrastructure within which human and AI systems interact to support environmental interpretation, strategic adaptation and sustainable growth. The framework proposes a causal pathway through which AI augmentation strengthens sensing and sensemaking, with human-in-the-loop governance acting as a key moderating condition. The article concludes with formal propositions to guide future empirical research on AI-augmented organisational cognition, whilst recognising that the framework’s claims remain inferential and require empirical examination before SEA’s explanatory power can be assessed.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060290

Authors: Venesser Fernandes

This paper explores the complex nature of ethical leadership and decision-making in educational settings by reviewing the learning content of a master’s subject in an educational leadership course. The paper focuses on how effective ethical leadership requires a multidimensional, context-sensitive approach rather than simple rules or linear paradigms. Drawing on foundational and contemporary scholarship, the paper discusses how leaders address “wicked problems” such as equity gaps, data ethics, and conflicting stakeholder values. It emphasises moral reasoning rooted in dialogue, role theory, and political literacy, acknowledging that institutional cultures, power dynamics, and norms influence decision-making. The article discusses how practical tools, such as ethical decision-making staircases, dilemma mapping, and reflection protocols, help leaders balance values and foster inclusive, morally resilient communities. A discussion of the increasing ethical challenges of data analytics and surveillance, and an advocacy for transparency, dignity, and data minimalism, is presented. The paper concludes that preparing ethical leaders involves immersive experiences such as case studies and simulations, alongside the development of moral courage and networks to support systemic change. By integrating theory, context, and transformative practices, this paper offers a comprehensive framework for nurturing leaders who navigate ambiguity and advance justice, care, and integrity across diverse educational environments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060289

Authors: Taiwo Hassan Ajadi Vuyokazi Ntombikayise Mtembu Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku Ebenezer Esenogho

This study examines the association between digitalization-enabled green human resource management (GHRM) practices and employee green behavior (EGB) within a South African metropolitan municipality. Anchored in an extended Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) framework, a convergent mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 66 HR employees (from a target population of 80) and analyzed using Spearman’s correlation and hierarchical regression, while qualitative data from seven HR managers were analyzed thematically. Results indicate statistically significant positive associations between digital green training (ρ = 0.524, p < 0.01) and EGB, and between digital performance management (ρ = 0.463, p < 0.01) and EGB. However, regression estimates suggest moderate explanatory power within this context-specific public-sector setting. Qualitative findings identify automation, paperless systems, and e-HRM tools as key digital enablers, alongside infrastructural constraints, skills deficits, and institutional barriers that limit implementation. By integrating quantitative associations with qualitative evidence of implementation gaps, the study proposes a Digitalization-Integrated GHRM–EGB framework and demonstrates that digital HR systems are associated with pro-environmental workplace behaviors, contingent on organizational readiness in resource-constrained municipal environments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060288

Authors: Fahad Saeed Al-Subaey Omar Durrah

This study examines the effect of values-based leadership on workplace engagement and explores the moderating role of sustainable social responsibility. The proposed study is based on the social learning theory, the leader–member exchange theory, and the social exchange theory, proposing a multidimensional model of values-based leadership, leadership qualities (LQ), ethical values (EV) and balance in achieving interests (BAI). The quantitative survey design was employed in the collection of data amongst 390 employees of the Ministry of Interior, Qatar. The measurement and the structural models were tested using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using WarpPLS V. 7 Software. The findings show that the three dimensions of values-based leadership make important and positive contributions to engagement in the workplace. The results indicated that sustainable social responsibility had no significant moderating effect on the relationship between leadership qualities and workplace engagement, or on the relationship between achieving a balance of interests and workplace engagement. However, sustainable social responsibility significantly moderated the relationship between ethical values and workplace engagement. The study adds value to the literature on leadership and workplace engagement by separating the dimensions of values-based leadership and the contextualized enhancing role of sustainable social responsibility.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060287

Authors: Jeanine K. Andreassi Angela R. Grotto Leanna Lawter Tuvana Rua Cynthia A. Thompson

This study investigates the relative impact of utilizing various forms of work flexibility on mothers’ retention in full-time jobs. Drawing from a model of work reentry for new mothers and Human Ecology Theory (HET), we theorize that mothers’ flexibility needs influence retention through flexibility use and that top management support strengthens this process. Using a cross-sectional Qualtrics online survey, we recruited a diverse sample of 213 women across the United States who stayed with or left their full-time jobs after childbirth or adoption. Using relative weights and path analysis, we compared six forms of flexibility. Schedule, career, and leave flexibility emerged as stronger predictors of retention than other forms of flexibility, with schedule flexibility explaining the largest proportion of variance. For most flexibility types, the need for flexibility increased usage, which, in turn, raised the likelihood of staying in a full-time position. Strong top management work–life support further strengthened the relationship between need and use for certain forms of flexibility. We extend the work reentry framework beyond early motherhood by including mothers in later career and parenting stages. Our results also extend HET by demonstrating that top management support is a critical environmental factor influencing whether flexibility need translates into actual use by working mothers. This suggests that working mothers use flexibility to shape their work environment to meet personal needs, and top management support signals that the use of flexibility effectively addresses these needs. From a practical standpoint, organizations can use these insights to design flexibility policies that more effectively support working mothers in their full-time jobs.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060286

Authors: Cüneyt Çatuk Bahman Peyravi

This study investigates the impact of logistics performance on international trade by comparing Lithuania and Turkey within a gravity model framework. Using a bilateral panel dataset of 984 observations covering trade with 26 European Union member states over the period 2007–2025, the study incorporates the six sub-indicators of the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) as explanatory variables. The results confirm that logistics performance significantly influences bilateral trade, but through markedly different channels for the two economies. For Lithuania, the quality and competence of logistics services emerges as the dominant trade-enhancing factor (4.726, p < 0.01), reflecting its position as a small open EU economy. For Turkey, infrastructure quality is the primary driver of trade (2.782, p < 0.01), consistent with its status as a large emerging economy. The Turkey dummy variable becomes statistically insignificant when LPI variables are included, indicating that logistics performance substantially explains the trade differential between the two countries. Export–import disaggregation reveals that imports are more sensitive to logistics dimensions such as timeliness and service quality than exports. Robustness checks using pooled OLS, random effects, and fixed effects estimations, along with the Hausman test, broadly support the baseline findings. The study provides differentiated policy recommendations: Lithuania should prioritize logistics service quality, while Turkey should focus on infrastructure development and customs reform.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060285

Authors: Stephen Bok James Shum Maria Lee

Person–Environment Fit Theory explains organizational match in beliefs and values influences employee satisfaction and motivation in the workplace. Automated systems [e.g., artificial intelligence (AI)] and advanced technology have been integrated into business operations to compete in the digital era. However, how employee technology orientation and individual differences influence workplace preferences is underexplored. This study advances how organizations can strategically attract talent aligned with their technological infrastructure and work design. Parallel mediation path analysis was conducted on a surveyed U.S. convenience sample (SPSS PROCESS Model 4; N = 912). Technology adaptability was positively associated with preference for a job role highlighting working with automated systems relative to emphasizing supportive coworkers. Technology adaptability related to a greater need to belong and job satisfaction (as parallel mediators) and thereby less preference for a role working with automated systems (i.e., preference for a supportive coworkers job ad). The findings reveal that job ads promoting automated systems do not unilaterally attract tech-adaptive employees. Belonging needs and job satisfaction can function as psychological factors that redirect tech-savvy workers towards socially enriched roles. Proactively advertising social belonging and job satisfaction cues alongside advanced technology use could more comprehensively appeal to tech-adaptive job seekers. This can signal a better value congruence between an organization and these job seekers.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060284

Authors: Abayomi Ogunrinde José Luis Montes-Botella Carmen De-Pablos-Heredero

How does artificial intelligence (AI) adoption shape administrative efficiency and e-citizen integration in local governments, and what role does professional development play in mediating these relationships? Drawing on a survey of 500 municipal employees across Spanish municipalities, this study employs partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), with formal non-linearity testing via Warp3 algorithms, to test a theoretically grounded model. The conceptual framework integrates Digital Transformation Theory and Public Value Theory as primary explanatory lenses, while drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) logic as complementary background perspectives that contextualise rather than directly operationalise the micro-level findings. Structural results reveal that AI adoption exerts a strong direct (and statistically linear) effect on perceived administrative efficiency (β = 1.04, p < 0.001; the standardised coefficient exceeding 1.0 and R2 > 1 are a legitimate WarpPLS warp-model fit index rather than evidence of model misspecification: the Warp3 warp functions inflate the variance of predicted efficiency and break the additive identity SST = SSM + SSE, with the high AI–PD collinearity (r ≈ 0.84) as the contributing mechanism (RSCR = 1.000, SSR = 1.000); a comparative re-estimation without the moderation term yields β = 0.87 and R2 = 0.76; we adopt this parsimonious specification (β ≈ 0.87, R2 = 0.76) as the substantively interpretable estimate, with predictive relevance confirmed by a high Stone–Geisser Q2 = 0.685, indicating that the model fits and predicts well rather than overfitting, while simultaneously stimulating professional development (β = 0.84, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.70). Professional development positively predicted both efficiency (β = 0.27, p < 0.001) and e-citizen integration (β = 0.26, p < 0.01). Efficiency is the primary driver of e-citizen integration (β = 0.54, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.53). The proposed moderation of AI adoption by professional development on efficiency was not supported (β = −0.01, p = 0.44), suggesting additive rather than synergistic effects. Model fit was robust (GoF = 0.701; ARS = 0.749; APC = 0.495); convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed by composite reliability, average variance extracted, Fornell–Larcker, and HTMT criteria; and common method bias diagnostics (Harman’s single-factor test, full-collinearity AFVIF, and marker-variable analysis) indicated that systematic method variance was not a material threat. These findings offer micro-empirical evidence of the mechanisms linking AI adoption to citizen service outcomes via a professional development pathway and provide actionable recommendations for Spanish and European municipalities navigating AI-driven governance reform.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060283

Authors: Nada Mallah Boustani

This study examines experiential and financial factors associated with Metaverse readiness in Lebanon. Drawing on a socio-technical readiness perspective informed by selected concepts from technology adoption literature, the study explores how interest in immersive technologies, remote work experience, and perceived financial security in decentralized digital assets relate to individual readiness and perceived organizational expectations. Using an exploratory cross-sectional survey of 231 respondents, multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine these associations. The findings indicate that interest in VR/AR technologies and positive remote work experience are positively associated with individual willingness to use the Metaverse for work, education, or professional activities. Perceived financial security in decentralized digital assets is also positively associated with perceived organizational benefit expectations. The results suggest that Metaverse readiness is linked not only to technological interest but also to prior digital collaboration experience and financial trust. By focusing on Lebanon as a developing and crisis-affected economy, the study contributes a context-sensitive and perception-based understanding of readiness for immersive digital ecosystems. Practical implications are discussed for organizations and policymakers seeking to support responsible digital transformation.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060282

Authors: Vânia Dias Patrícia Quesado Lurdes Silva Helena Costa Oliveira

This study critically investigates the scientific literature on the intersection of management accounting and intellectual capital using a bibliometric performance analysis and science-mapping approach. Drawing on a sample of 59 publications from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the paper maps the intellectual structure, key contributors, and thematic evolution of the field. This study conceptualizes management accounting not merely as a neutral technical system but as a socio-political mechanism that shapes how intellectual capital is rendered visible, measurable, and governable within organizations. The findings identify five dominant research clusters (intellectual capital and corporate strategy, management accounting and performance, green intellectual capital, digitalization and value creation, and management control and intangibles), revealing how accounting practices actively participate in constructing organizational realities and legitimizing particular forms of value and knowledge. The analysis highlights that measurement and reporting practices privilege certain dimensions of intellectual capital while potentially obscuring others, raising critical questions about power, visibility, and accountability in knowledge-based economies. In particular, the growing emphasis on digitalization and sustainability reflects shifting governance regimes in which accounting systems extend their influence over organizational conduct and strategic decision-making. By integrating bibliometric techniques with a critical interpretive lens, this study contributes to the literature by reframing management accounting as a key site where knowledge, control, and organizational value are negotiated. It also identifies gaps for future research, particularly regarding the ethical and political implications of accounting for intangible resources in increasingly digital and transparency-driven environments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060281

Authors: Lorena Espina-Romero Angélica Ochoa-Díaz Lucía Pico Versoza Francisco Arias-Montoya Jorge Izaguirre Olmedo

Digital transformation has become a strategic pillar of modernization in public administration; however, evidence from emerging economies shows that technology implementation alone does not guarantee institutional transformation. This study examines the structural relationships among digital competencies, change management, technology adoption, and digital transformation in public administration institutions in Lima, Peru, incorporating Digital Inclusion Practices (DIP) as a moderating variable. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was applied to a sample of 358 public servants working in ministries, national agencies, regional administrative units, and municipal governments located in Lima. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that digital competencies and change management are positively associated with technology adoption, and that change management and technology adoption show significant positive relationships with digital transformation. Technology adoption partially mediates the relationships between digital competencies and digital transformation, and between change management and digital transformation. Additionally, digital competencies show a direct and statistically significant, although weak, relationship with digital transformation. The moderating relationship involving DIP was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that digital governance in emerging public administrations may depend less on individual skills alone and more on structured institutional processes that support effective technology adoption, strategic change management, and institutional modernization.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060280

Authors: Ömer Kürşad Tüfekci Ferdi Akbiyik Lidija Kraujalienė Andreea Marin-Pantelescu Alytis Gruodis Saulius Kromalcas

Consuming fast food draws consumers’ attention to emerging issues related to such consumption. Namely, the consumption of fast food affects environmental sustainability, healthy living, and other sustainable activities. The main objective of this study is to explore how environmental awareness, healthy living, and sustainability-oriented fast-food stimuli may influence neurophysiological response patterns during food-related cognitive processing. Eighteen voluntary subjects, aged 19 to 53 years, who frequently consume fast food and have no physical or mental disorders, took part in the experiment. An experiment was conducted in which data were collected using Electroencephalography (EEG) and analyzed with WinEEG. The waves detected from brain activity signals were digitally converted to data using WinEEG. The resulting digital data was further analyzed using Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, Neural Networks (NN) algorithms, and K Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) algorithms. Herewith, the findings suggest that fast-food-related visuals associated with healthy living may elicit stronger patterns of cognitive engagement among participants. The findings provide exploratory insights into implicit cognitive engagement associated with healthy-living and sustainability-related fast-food stimuli. Additionally, the discussion helps in understanding sustainability-oriented food perception and consumer neuroscience research.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060279

Authors: Vladimir Alfonso Ballesteros-Ballesteros Rodrigo Arturo Zárate-Torres

Open innovation has become a central framework for explaining how firms access, integrate, and exploit knowledge beyond organizational boundaries. However, the conditions shaping its adoption by small- and medium-sized enterprises remain insufficiently understood, particularly in Latin American contexts. This study examines the determinants of open innovation adoption in Colombian SMEs and develops an analytical model that integrates six explanatory dimensions: external partnership and cooperation, government support, rules and regulatory factors, market and customer factors, organizational and human resource factors, and technological factors. Empirically, the study combines an exploratory qualitative phase, based on semi-structured interviews with SME managers in Bogotá, D.C., with a quantitative phase using survey data from 319 SMEs operating in ISIC 6201 and 6202. The hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that technological factors have the strongest direct association with open innovation adoption, followed by government support and external partnership and cooperation. Market and customer factors, as well as organizational and human resource factors, also exert positive and significant effects, whereas rules and regulatory factors do not show a significant direct effect. Additional analyses indicate that organizational and human resource factors partially mediate the relationship between technological factors and open innovation adoption, while a complementary moderation test does not support an interaction-based effect. These findings suggest that open innovation adoption in SMEs is technologically enabled, partially translated through organizational and human resource capabilities, and shaped by a configuration of relational, institutional, market-based, and internal conditions rather than by any single determinant.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060278

Authors: Kanipriya Radhakrishnan Malar Mathi Krishnan Satyanarayana Parayitam Matteo Cristofaro

This study aims to investigate the antecedents to ‘green personal care product’ (GPCP) awareness and purchase intention. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and sustainable consumption (SC), a conceptual model is developed and tested. Data collected from 455 Gen Z consumers from India were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results confirmed a positive association of subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and social media influence with attitude towards GPCPs. The findings indicate that attitude and health consciousness are positively associated with awareness, which in turn leads to purchase intention. Further, the findings support the positive role of environmental consciousness in driving consumers to engage in pro-environmental behavior. This study underscores the importance of health consciousness and environmental consciousness in driving individuals to engage in green purchase behavior. The findings from this study provide valuable insights into an individual’s attitude towards GPCPs and awareness of GPCPs, especially in the context of environmental sustainability. This study recommends actionable strategies to policymakers and marketers to advertise the benefits of consuming healthy products. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060277

Authors: Vernalee Marlene Arries John Olayemi Okunlola Suraiya Rathankoomar Naicker

This study investigates the relationship between digital leadership dimensions and school effectiveness in a rural school district in South Africa. This study advances the research frontier, which is predominantly focused on urban and well-resourced environments, by providing actual information from rural schools where infrastructural and contextual obstacles remain significant. A quantitative study design was employed, utilizing a census survey of 107 educators from primary and secondary public schools in a rural area of the Western Cape Province. The Digital Leadership and School Effectiveness Questionnaire (DLSEQ) was used to collect data. It measures five dimensions of digital leadership: visionary leadership, digital learning culture, professional development, systemic improvement, and digital citizenship. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4 was employed to assess both measurement and structural models. The findings reveal that digital citizenship and professional development were significant positive predictors of school effectiveness, whereas digital learning culture showed a significant negative relationship. Visionary leadership and systemic improvement were not significant predictors. Collectively, the five digital leadership dimensions explained 81.9% of the variance in school effectiveness. The study contributes theoretically by integrating Transformational Leadership Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model within the context of rural education. Practical implications advocate for context-sensitive digital leadership strategies to enhance school effectiveness in under-resourced rural environments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060276

Authors: Ibrahim A. Elshaer Alaa M. S. Azazz Abuelkassem A. A. Mohammad Sameh Fayyad

Prior research focused mainly on exploring the implementations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in efficient and eco-friendly hotel operations, with very limited studies investigating the vast capabilities of AI, such as AI-generated visual information, in shaping green attitudes and behaviors among hotel guests. Therefore, this study addresses such a gap testing the potential contributions of AI-generated visual images to hotel guests’ eco-friendly attitudes and behaviors. Explicitly, the study adopts a stimulus-based approach to examine the effects of the perceived persuasiveness of AI-generated stimulating images on guests’ green attitudes, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and green citizenship. Moreover, it investigates the perceived authenticity of AI-generated visual information as a moderator of these linkages. A stimulus-based questionnaire was developed and administered among hotel guests. The survey was Web-based and included four AI-generated images encouraging eco-friendly attitudes and behaviors, followed by scales measuring the study constructs. The sample of the study included 428 participants who were enlisted using a convenience sampling technique. Data analysis included the performance of a PLS-SEM using Smart PLS 3.0 to test the postulated hypotheses. The findings of the study reveal that AI-generated visuals positively contributed to guests’ attitudes, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and green citizenship behaviors. The perceived authenticity of the generated visuals also exerted a moderating effect on the examined linkages. Overall, this research fills a gap in knowledge and provides practical implications that support more sustainable attitudes and behaviors among hotel guests.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060275

Authors: Shaozhen Hong Yingqi Liu

Existing accounts of platform-mediated complementor growth rest on two limiting assumptions: that platform enablement constitutes a homogeneous environmental input and that firm growth is a unitary outcome. This double simplification obscures how distinct platform provisions generate qualitatively different forms of firm transformation. This study asks which combinations of mechanistically distinct platform enablement types and internal strategic response capabilities activate which forms of leapfrog growth among complementor firms operating under dual institutional governance. We employ fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) on survey data from 374 complementor firms in China’s autonomous driving platform ecosystem. Five antecedent conditions are examined across two dimensions: platform enablement, comprising rule-based enablement (RE) and business platform enablement (BPE); and strategic response capabilities, comprising network linkage capability (NLC), organizational ambidexterity (OA), and policy responsiveness (PR). Three outcome variables capture three non-reducible leapfrog dimensions: technology-chain (TL), value-chain (VL), and institutional-chain (IL) transitions. A reverse-causality robustness check and a common-method-bias assessment corroborate the validity of findings. The analysis identifies equifinal configurational pathways with distinct dominant logics across the three chains. Technology-chain transitions are predominantly network-linkage-driven; value-chain transitions are policy-responsiveness-anchored; institutional-chain transitions exhibit genuine equifinality between network-linkage and policy-responsiveness pathways, both requiring dual-platform enablement as a universal structural precondition. No single enabling condition or capability suffices; leapfrog growth is irreducibly configurational and causally asymmetric. The study offers a dual-enablement, three-chain configurational framework for understanding platform-mediated firm growth under dual institutional governance. For complementor firms, findings support dimension-selective capability investment over uniform accumulation strategies. For platform orchestrators, differentiated governance design calibrated to specific complementor upgrading trajectories outperforms homogeneous resource provisioning. For policymakers, institutionalized consultative channels linking private platform governance with public regulatory processes are recommended to facilitate coordinated digital industrial transformation.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060274

Authors: Fida Hassanein

Turnover is a major concern for hotel and hospitality industry on a global scale. This research focuses on Dubai 5-star hotels in terms of transactional leadership and how employees perceive its influence on climate and contract fulfillment. This research combines the premises of social exchange, organizational support, and psychological contract, and organizational climate theories to support the development of hypotheses. A total of 24 employee interviews from two 5-star hotels in Dubai were gathered using semi-structured interviews. The research used inductive qualitative approach via thematic network analysis using QSR NVivo software (version 14). Transactional leadership can stabilize the execution of services by clarifying roles, adequate monitoring, and contingent exchanges in the luxury hotel setting. The thematic qualitative evidence demonstrates that organizational climate is an immediate interpretive medium, while psychological contract fulfillment is an emergent factor that is formed through repetitive interactions between employees and leadership. The results provide an in-depth understanding of these dynamics in the luxury hotel context, which can be beneficial for both scholars and practitioners alike.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060273

Authors: Ingyu Oh Li Fei

The rise in large language models (LLMs) has sparked renewed interest in how firms, particularly multinational aid organizations, can enhance learning related to meta-dynamic capabilities (DCs), such as agility, sensing, and adaptation, in response to disasters and humanitarian crises. A key strategic priority is developing meta-rules that combine general engagement frameworks with locally tailored action plans, grounded in cultural and institutional contexts. LLMs offer potential in supporting this need, but premature deployment risks harmful or misleading outcomes. This underscores the critical importance of collaboration between artificial and human intelligence (AI-HI). While AI brings computational power, it lacks the tacit knowledge—encompassing cultural, contextual, and intuitive understanding—that is essential in high-stakes, unpredictable environments. Our experimental study provides two core insights: (1) AI alone cannot effectively handle tasks requiring tacit knowledge, and (2) AI-HI collaboration thrives when human input guides AI using deep awareness of local social and political dynamics. We contribute to the discourse on dynamic capabilities in multinational contexts during catastrophic situations by offering practical strategies to support successful AI-HI partnerships and a framework for organizations aiming to enhance meta-DCs through responsible, human-centered use of disruptive technologies. Our findings clarify how the international dimensions of these capabilities influence their effectiveness across diverse cultural and institutional environments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060272

Authors: Yasmine Wafa Justin Longo

The shift to teleworking, defined as technology-enabled work arrangements in which employees perform organizational tasks remotely outside traditional office settings, has exposed the limitations of traditional performance management systems, including the lack of direct oversight, micromanagement risks, communication barriers, and employee isolation and well-being. These systems often rely on physical presence or intrusive surveillance rather than outcome-based evaluation. This paper asks how AI-driven performance management can be designed to address the documented challenges of teleworking while safeguarding employee autonomy, fairness, and well-being. The study integrates a comprehensive literature review on AI capabilities with empirical evidence from a sequential mixed-methods study of Canadian public servants, comprising machine learning analysis of over 205,000 tweets, document analysis of federal and provincial teleworking policies, a survey of 176 public servants analyzed using logistic regression, and semi-structured interviews with Government of Canada employees. Grounded in socio-technical theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, the findings reveal that organizational support, workplace socialization, and attitudes are stronger predictors of teleworking success than digital skills or monitoring, while isolation functions as a measurable risk factor. These empirical patterns are mapped to specific AI capabilities to produce a socio-technical framework organized around three interdependent layers: technological, organizational, and human-centered. The paper contributes an empirically grounded alternative to purely speculative treatments of AI in performance management, offering design requirements derived from what teleworkers actually experience rather than from technological possibilities alone. While the framework is analytically grounded in empirical evidence, behavioral theory, and existing AI capabilities, it has not yet undergone full technical or longitudinal organizational validation. Accordingly, it should be understood as a theoretically and empirically informed design artifact intended to guide future implementation and evaluation efforts. It is worth acknowledging that the study’s key limitations include a Canada-specific public sector sample, modest survey and interview sizes, and the exploratory nature of several proposed AI capabilities; future cross-sectoral, comparative, and longitudinal research is needed to validate and extend the framework.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060271

Authors: Zikhona Prudence Ndlela Cebile Tebele Samuel Siwela

The global and national skills shortages, shifting employee work attitudes post-COVID pandemic, and the presence of a multigenerational workforce with diverse needs and preferences have sparked interest in employee retention. Traditional one-size-fits-all retention strategies are becoming less effective, and contemporary organisations are focusing on tailored retention strategies. The effectiveness of the tailored retention strategy does not only rely on its design but also on how it is perceived and experienced by employees. However, few studies have explored employees’ perceptions of their organisation’s employee retention strategy in the South African context. Hence, the objective of this study is to explore professional engineers’ perceptions of their organisation’s employee retention strategy and how these perceptions influence their intention to stay or leave the organisation. A qualitative research approach underpinned by the constructivism paradigm was employed in this study. A single case study was adopted, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 professional engineers working at a manufacturing organisation participating in the study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings indicated that the professional engineers were unaware of, and did not fully understand, their organisation’s employee retention strategy, and they felt that their organisation was not adequately implementing a robust, dynamic one, which resulted in high turnover. They indicated that the retention strategy seemed to lack provisions for career growth opportunities and formal mentorship programs and failed to embrace technological advancement, which influenced engineers to leave the organisation. They perceived that their organisation provided competitive compensation, onboarding, and offboarding, as well as training and development, though implementation gaps existed. This study suggests that organisations should develop a robust, dynamic employee retention strategy and widely communicate it to their workforce. A robust, well-communicated employee retention strategy is likely to positively influence employee perceptions and enhance the organisation’s employer brand, thereby facilitating retention.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060270

Authors: Paulo Botelho Pires Ângela Ribeiro José Duarte Santos

Mature technical business-to-business (B2B) markets challenge the canonical commitment–trust hierarchy because product parity, informational asymmetry, long-cycle repeat purchasing and enduring dyadic relations may decouple the antecedents of trust from those of commitment. This study re-specifies the commitment–trust model by proposing a dual-pathway architecture in which communication is associated with commitment via trust, whereas product quality and salesperson behaviour are associated with commitment through perceived value. The model was tested through a cross-sectional survey of Portuguese business customers in the paint sector (n = 101), analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results corroborate the five positive hypotheses: communication strongly predicts trust; trust is the strongest predictor of commitment; product quality and salesperson behaviour both predict perceived value; and perceived value retained a smaller but significant direct effect on commitment. The theoretically motivated non-effect of perceived value on trust is also supported, indicating that, under the specified scope conditions, trust is formed primarily through epistemic and communicational mechanisms rather than through utilitarian value aggregation. The study contributes by refining the commitment–trust tradition, distinguishing epistemic–relational and utilitarian routes to commitment, and offering managers a pathway-specific basis for allocating relational investments in mature technical B2B markets.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060269

Authors: Ismail Sheik Gabriel Kabanda

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in development systems, enabling new capabilities for poverty prediction, social protection targeting and service delivery optimisation. However, the implications of these technologies for poverty governance—the institutional mechanisms for designing and delivering poverty reduction strategies—remain fragmented in the literature. This study conducted a PRISMA 2020-guided systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly book chapters published between 2015 and 2025 and retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science and DOAJ. Following title/abstract screening, full-text eligibility assessment and quality appraisal, 48 studies were selected, thematically identifying cross-cutting patterns related to system performance, implementation processes, governance considerations and contextual constraints. The reviewed literature indicates that AI can improve poverty governance through multimodal data integration, enhanced targeting accuracy and automated administrative processes. However, persistent challenges include biased datasets, infrastructural limitations, regulatory gaps and ethical risks such as algorithmic bias and digital exclusion, which may reinforce structural inequalities. The review contributes an integrated evidence base and introduces a conceptual framework for understanding AI in poverty governance, highlighting that developmental gains depend on robust data governance, inclusive digital infrastructure, context-sensitive design, algorithmic transparency and institutional capacity. Future research should prioritise impact evaluation, fairness-aware AI, participatory design and scalable approaches for low-resource environments.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060268

Authors: Maria Konstantina Kouroukla Ioannis Zervas Sotiria Triantari

Contemporary organizations are increasingly expected to sustain resilience under conditions of ongoing digital disruption, yet the process through which change capability is translated into resilience remains insufficiently understood. This study examines whether change management capability contributes to organizational resilience directly and through digital upskilling, and whether digital Human Resource Management maturity strengthens this relationship. The study adopted a quantitative design based on an anonymous survey administered to HR-related and managerial respondents from private-sector organizations. The proposed model was tested primarily through PLS-SEM, while Bayesian analysis was used as a supplementary robustness check. The findings indicate that change management capability is positively associated with both digital upskilling and organizational resilience. Digital upskilling showed the strongest direct effect on organizational resilience and also partially mediated the relationship between change management capability and resilience. Digital Human Resource Management maturity was positively associated with digital upskilling and strengthened the effect of change management capability on it. These findings suggest that resilience is shaped less by change initiatives alone and more by the organization’s ability to translate change into structured capability development. The study contributes by positioning digital upskilling as a strategic mechanism linking change capability to resilience under conditions shaped by Human Resource Management maturity.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060267

Authors: Tshepo Mawasha Matemane Adebanji Adejuwon William Ayeni

Background: The retention of Clinical Research Associates (CRAs) is critical for the integrity and sustainability of clinical trials in South Africa, an emerging hub for global clinical research. High CRA turnover threatens trial quality, data continuity, and site relationships, yet the context-specific drivers of turnover within the South African clinical research landscape remain poorly understood. This study explores the factors influencing job satisfaction and turnover intentions among CRAs to inform targeted retention strategies. Methods: A qualitative, interpretivist study was conducted using semi-structured interviews. Twelve CRAs with experience in South African Contract Research Organizations (CROs) were sampled on LinkedIn using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed iteratively using thematic analysis within Atlas.ti 26.0.1.33961 software, guided by Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory and Mobley’s Turnover Model. Results: The analysis revealed a complex model of turnover drivers. Compensation was the most salient factor, operating not only as a hygiene factor but also as a direct motivator for job mobility in a competitive market. Unsustainable workload and a culture stigmatizing discussions of overload were key push factors. Intrinsic motivators were equally decisive: misalignment with therapeutic area preferences caused profound dissatisfaction, while alignment fostered engagement. Career growth manifested dual pathways: ambition for vertical progression and a redefined search for horizontal growth into roles offering greater work-life flexibility. Conclusions: CRA turnover is driven by an interplay of extrinsic pressures and intrinsic motivational deficits. To enhance retention, managers must adopt a multi-pronged strategy: implement market-competitive, well-being-oriented compensation; foster a culture that supports open workload dialogue; create transparent career architectures with dual progression tracks; and facilitate internal mobility across therapeutic areas. This study provides a foundational framework for developing context-sensitive retention policies, thereby contributing to the stability and quality of clinical research in South Africa.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060266

Authors: Oliver Rørvik-Olsen Marco Tagliabue Ingunn Sandaker

While previous scholarly work has focused on addressing the relationship between task variation and employee motivation, the functional relations between problem-solving demands at work and employee engagement remain underexplored. This systematic review examines how task variation and problem-solving opportunities influence employee engagement, motivation, and performance. Adhering to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we performed structured searches in Academic Research Ultimate, Business Source Elite, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science, and Scopus databases limited to peer-reviewed results in English published after 2009. Thirteen studies met our search criteria, although they employed diverse methodologies to explore how purposeful task variation and problem-solving affect observable work behavior. Key findings include (a) positive feedback enhances engagement in promotive tasks, while negative feedback may boost motivation in preventive tasks; (b) moderate boredom fosters adaptive problem solving, but excessive monotony reduces engagement; (c) active refocusing across task domains supports sustained performance; (d) perceived variation in pace, task type, and location facilitates recovery and engagement; and (e) flexible work arrangements improve information processing but may reduce support access. Our results highlight the importance of designing work processes that balance task variation and structured problem-solving, supported by tailored feedback and restorative conditions. Future research should quantify these effects across diverse organizational contexts.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060265

Authors: Francisco Javier Labarca Trucios María Jesús Delgado Rodríguez Sonia de Lucas-Santos

This paper examines how internal organizational hierarchies within large corporations shape socio-economic outcomes in territorial economic systems, using evidence from Chilean listed firms. Moving beyond board-centric approaches, firms are conceptualized as territorially embedded actors whose internal governance structures influence both firm performance and the distribution of socio-economic outcomes. Using fixed-effects panel data models for 31 IPSA-listed firms over the period 2018–2025 (248 firm-year observations), we estimate three stepwise model specifications with Tobin’s Q, ROE, and P/E ratio as dependent variables. The results show that diversity effects are strongly hierarchical. Executive-level gender diversity is positively associated with firm value, while board-level diversity shows no systematic effect. In contrast, diversity at intermediate levels is negatively associated with market valuation, consistent with limited decision-making authority and organizational frictions. Gender pay gaps are negatively related to firm performance, particularly in territorially embedded firms, suggesting that internal inequality contributes to broader socio-economic disparities within territorial systems. Overall, the findings highlight that diversity matters primarily when located in positions of effective decision-making power, and that corporate governance operates as a hierarchical mechanism through which socio-economic outcomes are shaped within territorial economic systems.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060264

Authors: Pedro Coelho Rega Alexandra Isabel O’Neill Rosa Isabel Rodrigues Mariana Marques

Early employee turnover remains a persistent challenge in labor-intensive service contexts. This issue is particularly salient in specialized retail, where performance, customer experience, and brand consistency depend on effective processes of organizational socialization and early skill development. Despite the growing attention devoted to onboarding, its role as a mechanism for organizational structuring, control, and differentiation of integration experiences remains limited. This study examines how the strategic redesign of onboarding can contribute to reducing early turnover among sales professionals in specialized retail. A qualitative interpretive approach was adopted, based on a single case study, and supported by a three-round Delphi method. Eighteen experts from management, human resources, training, and operations participated in the study. The findings indicate that early turnover is associated with an excessive concentration of digital training, insufficient relational support during the initial weeks, a lack of differentiation between contractual profiles, and weak formalization of mentoring roles. These factors reflect underlying organizational tensions related to the standardization of practices, inequality in integration experiences, and the diffusion of responsibilities within the onboarding process. The results support an understanding of onboarding as a management system that structures integration experiences and conditions employees’ initial adjustment. In this context, a redesigned onboarding model is proposed, highlighting how this process can simultaneously facilitate or constrain employee integration.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060263

Authors: Cristina O. Vlas Youstina Masoud Cristian Flores

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in managerial decision-making, yet innovation research has not fully explained how AI-enabled decision environments condition the influence of CEO traits on innovation strategy and outcomes. This conceptual paper examines CEO self-monitoring—leaders’ tendency to adapt behavior to social cues, manage impressions, and respond to external evaluation—as a trait that shapes innovation in AI-enabled decision environments. The problem addressed is that existing research often treats CEO traits, innovation, and AI-enabled decision-making separately, leaving underdeveloped how AI amplifies the leadership conditions under which innovation strategies and outcomes vary. Drawing on upper-echelons theory, self-monitoring research, the ability–motivation–opportunity framework, and the AI-enabled decision-making literature, we develop propositions explaining how AI-enabled decision environments condition the relationship between CEO self-monitoring and innovation-strategy volatility, innovation-strategy alignment, innovation-outcome quality, and innovation-outcome variability. The framework suggests that high self-monitoring CEOs may recalibrate innovation priorities more frequently while keeping innovation activity closer to recognizable industry norms. It further proposes that self-monitoring may improve innovation-outcome quality by mobilizing employees toward visible, high-potential initiatives, but it may also widen innovation-outcome variability through high-visibility, high-uncertainty innovation bets. AI-enabled decision environments are theorized to amplify these relationships by increasing algorithmic visibility, feedback velocity, and signal density. This paper concludes that AI should be understood not as an autonomous engine of innovation performance but as a contextual amplifier of leadership-driven innovation variance.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060262

Authors: Hyoung-Kil Kang

This study examines elementary school parents’ perceptions, expectations, concerns, and preferences regarding the use of Internet of Things (IoT) systems from an administrative perspective. Using survey data from 453 parents with at least one child attending an elementary school, descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and one-way analyses of variance were conducted to examine differences according to parental characteristics. Overall, parents reported relatively low-to-moderate levels of familiarity with IoT systems. Parental educational background and child grade level significantly influenced perceptions, with more highly educated parents and parents of younger children reporting more favorable views. Younger parents expressed more positive expectations regarding IoT systems, but also greater concern about personal information leakage. Parents showed strong demand for IoT applications related to emergency detection, environmental management, nutrition, and safety and preferred shared funding arrangements between schools and parents within clearly defined affordability thresholds. These findings suggest that parental acceptance of school-based IoT systems is conditional and shaped by perceptions of administrative relevance, governance quality, privacy safeguards, and cost fairness.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060261

Authors: Jorge Figueiredo Isabel Oliveira Ricardo Jorge Pinto Manuel Sousa Pereira Amândio F. C. Silva António Cardoso

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an increasingly important factor in shaping consumer responses, particularly among younger generations who are often portrayed as ethically sensitive yet behaviorally ambivalent. While prior research has established that CSR is associated with favorable consumer outcomes, the mechanisms through which CSR perceptions translate into loyalty and economic value remain insufficiently understood. Addressing this gap, the present study adopts a mediation perspective to examine how perceived CSR influences consumer loyalty and willingness to pay through the sequential roles of trust and attitudes among young consumers. Using survey data collected from 307 young consumers in Portugal, the study tests a conceptual framework in which CSR perceptions influence trust and attitudes, which in turn shape loyalty and willingness to pay. Data were analyzed using reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, regression-based mediation analysis, and bootstrapping procedures. The results provide strong support for the proposed mediation framework, revealing that CSR does not exert direct effects on loyalty or willingness to pay. Instead, its relationship with these outcomes is indirectly transmitted through trust, attitudes, and loyalty. Specifically, trust and attitudes sequentially mediate the relationship between CSR and loyalty, while the relationship between CSR and willingness to pay operates indirectly through loyalty. These findings contribute to the CSR and consumer behavior literature by clarifying the mechanisms through which CSR creates value for firms and by advancing a process-oriented understanding of CSR-driven consumer behavior. From a managerial perspective, the results highlight the importance of designing and communicating CSR initiatives that foster trust and positive attitudes, thereby strengthening long-term consumer relationships and enhancing willingness to pay among young consumers.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060260

Authors: Anteo Korcari Marina Saridi Antonia Koumpoti Foivos Anastasiadis

Agri-food organisations face a deepening governance challenge: managing demand un-certainty, supply chain volatility, and food waste under tight operational margins and in-creasing sustainability pressures. While artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential for logistics and operations management, the organisational dimensions of its adoption, including strategic alignment, human capital development, and change management, remain insufficiently synthesised in the literature. This study investigates AI-driven demand planning as a management and organisational innovation, presenting a systematic review of 37 peer-reviewed studies (2015–2025) following the PRISMA protocol. Thematic synthesis across four analytical pillars, such as forecasting model applications, inventory and waste management practices, strategic impacts and resilience, and methodological overviews, reveals that advanced AI tools can reduce the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) by 20–40% over traditional statistical methods in empirical case studies, with direct consequences for logistics performance, food waste reduction, and inventory governance. Critically, the review identifies persistent organisational barriers, particularly for SMEs: data governance deficiencies, high costs of technology adoption, workforce skill gaps, and the need for structured change management to institutionalise AI-based planning systems. The findings demonstrate that AI integration in agri-food supply chains constitutes a fundamental organisational transformation, requiring aligned strategies in innovation management, human resource development, supply chain governance, and sustainable business development. This review contributes to the administrative and management sciences by providing a structured, evidence-based framework for managers, policymakers, and practitioners navigating the organisational transition towards AI-enabled agri-food operations.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060259

Authors: Mihaela Brindusa Tudose Valentina Diana Rusu Angela Roman Silvia Avasilcai

This study examines the determinants of entrepreneurial intention among students from a Romanian economics faculty. Based on the empirical findings, the paper proposes a Filtered Entrepreneurial Intent Model. Although the traditional literature supports a linear relationship between creativity and intention, the regression analysis in this research identifies a series of psychological paradoxes and barriers. The methodology combines exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to build psychological dimensions with binomial logistic regression to test hypotheses on a sample of 237 students. The empirical results directly demonstrate that self-efficacy and resilience are positive predictors, while counterintuitive negative correlations are found for proactivity and innovation. A key statistical finding is that financial risk-taking acts as a significant moderator: innovation acts as a catalyst for intent only when a student’s risk tolerance threshold is exceeded. Data also show a significant impact of inherited windfall capital, which serves as a structural factor surpassing personality traits. Conceptually, the study interprets these findings by proposing that the intention-behaviour gap is governed by a filtration process. The study concludes by offering practical recommendations for academic decision-makers to recalibrate programmes beyond merely stimulating creativity, addressing the psychological and structural filters identified.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060258

Authors: Siphenathi Fihla Bramwell Kundishora Gavaza

Studentpreneurship has gained prominence in South Africa as universities are increasingly expected to foster innovation, job creation, and youth participation in the economy. However, despite the establishment of incubators, entrepreneurship centres, mentorship programmes, and EDHE-aligned initiatives, support for studentpreneurs remains unevenly implemented, poorly integrated, and inconsistently accessible, particularly within a historically disadvantaged university. This study examines how university support mechanisms shape the experiences, challenges, and business development trajectories of studentpreneurs in a South African university. Guided by Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Theory, the study adopts a qualitative research design involving in-depth interviews with 15 studentpreneurs. Thematic analysis reveals significant gaps in awareness, accessibility, and continuity of institutional support. While students valued motivational workshops, pitching opportunities, and limited mentorship, these interventions lacked sustained follow-up, sector-specific guidance, and financial or infrastructural resources necessary for business growth. The study contributes to South African entrepreneurship scholarship by highlighting the lived realities of studentpreneurs at a historically disadvantaged university and by proposing institutional reforms to build more coherent, equitable, and sustainable studentpreneurship ecosystems.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060257

Authors: Sura Sudarshan Sagar Vidhu Gaur Ajay K. Jain

Hybrid work has changed the behavioural foundations of organizational change. Employees are no longer continuously embedded in a common physical workplace where informal communication, shared routines, visible leadership and spontaneous peer sensemaking help them interpret new priorities. This study investigates how psychological ownership is associated with resistance to change when work is organized through hybrid arrangements rather than continuous office presence. Drawing on psychological ownership theory, self-determination theory, organizational identification, employee engagement, remote work design and recent digital transformation research, the paper develops an internalization-based model in which leadership communication transparency and perceived autonomy are associated with psychological ownership, and psychological ownership is associated with lower resistance to change. Hybrid work intensity is conceptualized as a boundary condition that strengthens ownership formation because employees who more frequently work remotely rely less on physical embeddedness and more on internal psychological connection. The model is tested using cross-sectional survey data from 412 employees working in hybrid arrangements across the fields of information technology, consulting, energy, manufacturing, financial services and professional services. Data were screened using IBM SPSS Statistics 29, and the measurement and structural models were estimated using covariance-based structural equation modelling in IBM SPSS AMOS 29, with maximum likelihood estimation and 5000 bootstrap resamples for indirect and conditional indirect associations. The findings show that leadership communication transparency and perceived autonomy are positively associated with psychological ownership. Psychological ownership is negatively associated with resistance to change and mediates the associations of communication transparency and autonomy with resistance. Hybrid work intensity strengthens the association of communication transparency and autonomy with psychological ownership and also strengthens the indirect associations with resistance. The study positions psychological ownership as an internal substitute for weakened physical embeddedness in hybrid change contexts. It further clarifies that resistance in hybrid organizations is not only a problem of communication volume, employee engagement or formal identification; it is also a problem of whether or not employees come to experience change as personally meaningful, identity relevant and partly theirs.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060256

Authors: Sedolfo Carrasquero-Ferrer Amanda Hidalgo-Astudillo Nayade Domenech-Polo Marisela Giraldo

This study examines how women entrepreneurs in Ecuador confront structural constraints and how these conditions influence their strategic management decisions. Adopting an explanatory approach, a structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was developed based on a survey administered to 110 female entrepreneurs. The instrument was designed to capture perceptions of institutional, financial, sociocultural, and technological limitations, as well as strategic responses in areas such as innovation, networks, digitalization, and formalization. The questionnaire was validated through expert judgment and a pilot test, and data were analyzed using SmartPLS. The results show that structural constraints are significantly associated with the adoption of strategic decisions (β = 0.496; R2 = 0.246), suggesting an adaptive resilience pattern in response to adverse contexts. While internal reliability indicators were acceptable (α > 0.87; ρc > 0.89), convergent validity was limited (AVE = 0.43 and 0.45, below the 0.50 threshold), reflecting the multidimensional complexity of the constructs measured. The study adds value by demonstrating how female entrepreneurial agency emerges in environments marked by institutional fragility, reinforcing the need for comprehensive public policies that reduce structural frictions and expand the entrepreneurial decision space. Future research should explore mediational models and heterogeneity analyses to deepen understanding and inform targeted interventions.

Administrative Sciences doi: 10.3390/admsci16060255

Authors: Alessandro Lanteri Simone De Ruosi Gabriele Santoro

Hybrid monetization is increasingly common in digital platforms, yet we know little about how sponsors of open-source ecosystems combine freeness, community participation and value capture under decentralised data constraints. This paper examines how PrestaShop, a large open-source e-commerce platform, reconfigures its business model to assemble a hybrid monetization architecture on top of a free, self-hosted core. Drawing on an abductive, qualitative single case study, we analyse semi-structured interviews with senior and middle managers, internal documents and performance dashboards, and participant observation in strategic and product meetings. Our process analysis traces three dynamics: a shift from community-led freeness and loosely governed marketplace revenues to intentional monetization; the construction of data and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities as monetization infrastructure that makes the ecosystem legible and segmentable; and the layering of transactional, infrastructural and curated subscription revenues around the open-source core. We show how hybrid monetization emerges through sequential, overlapping moves rather than a single pivot, and how each new revenue mechanism entails adjustments in control points, partner relationships and data governance. The study contributes to research on commercial open source, hybrid multi-sided platforms and AI-enabled business models by conceptualising hybrid monetization as a staged reconfiguration under structural constraints.