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African agricultural mechanization could lead to a mechanization divide, where only large farms have access to machines. Technological solutions such as scale-appropriate machines and institutional solutions like service markets offer hope for more inclusive mechanization. Two-wheel tractor-based service markets combine both technological and institutional elements, but there is limited research on their economic viability and challenges.

We analyze the economic viability of two-wheel tractor-based service provision based on data from service providers in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe. We also examine the institutional framework conditions for such service providers based on qualitative interviews with these service providers and stakeholders such as machinery dealers, spare parts providers, and banks.

Two-wheel tractor-based service provision is economically highly viable, largely due to multifunctionality. Post-production services such as threshing and transportation are particularly lucrative. However, the emergence and economic sustainability of service providers can be undermined by bottlenecks such as access to finance, knowledge and skills development, access to fuel and spare parts, and infrastructure problems.

This is the first study on the economics of two-wheel tractor-based service provider models. Past studies have focused on large four-wheel tractors, but two-wheel tractors are different in many aspects, including regarding investment costs, repair and maintenance costs, capacity, and multifunctionality.

This study aims to analyze Samuel Gompers’ use of innovative management practices involving authority and voluntarism at the American Federation of Labor (AFL) as a way of suggesting a role for a labor leader as a management guru. It is a case study attempt to insert a labor presence into the canon of management leaders whose accomplishments are taught in academic programs and appear in the field’s textbooks.

The methodology involved close reading and dialogue with primary sources on Samuel Gompers and the AFL from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, along with more recent reviews and critiques of the union’s foundation period.

The paper analyzes Gompers’ approach to nonhierarchical decision-making through his doctrine of voluntarism. The paper discusses jurisdictional disputes in the AFL in the early 20th century, exploring internal rebuffs Gompers originally received to his suggestion of voluntary solution building. The narrative recounts his tenacity in pursuing voluntarism and his use of sub-federative departments after 1907 to damp down jurisdictional disputes without fiat from himself or the AFL executive board.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is one of the first in the management history literature to present a labor leader with blue-collar origins as a management guru, expanding the representativeness of the progenitors of the field.

Organizational transformation and widescale upgradation of working conditions have resulted in disrupted work–life balance and employee health. In this era of drastic change interventions taking place, there is an urgent need to balance organizational changes simultaneously with forces of continuity. It is essential to consider these forces of continuity with respect to employees’ well-being.

This research employs an integrated approach, which consists of two distinct stages. In the first stage, the relevant forces of continuity are identified, validated and ranked with reference to employees’ subjective well-being. In the second stage, TISM-derived criterion weights are utilized to obtain the final ranking of these forces.

This paper has identified six forces of continuity operating in the information technology (IT) sector and constructed a unique IRP model. Findings advocate that preserving organizational culture and following performance standards were at the upper levels and were found to be the most significant forces influencing employees’ well-being.

The established framework for continuity forces among IT professionals offers a potential solution to the challenges encountered by organizations in mitigating the adverse change effects on the employees. This framework offers a means to boost their performance by improving organizational effectiveness through the enhancement of strategic change management.

This is one of the pioneering studies providing a breakthrough in applying the multi-criteria decision-making techniques in organizational behavior and human resource management. As per our awareness, this is the first study incorporating the IRP-TISM technique to recognize and prioritize the forces of continuity for Indian IT professionals.

In the digital transformation era, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India face both opportunities and challenges in adopting Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. To ensure successful I4.0 implementation, the study aims to develop a digital readiness assessment model based on stakeholders’ perceptions.

This research adopts a mixed-method framework to develop a comprehensive maturity model to assess the digital readiness of SMEs. The framework uses systematic literature review to comprehend I4.0 solution dimensions, followed by empirical validation of dimensions through a questionnaire survey and hypothesis formulation.

The digital readiness model is applied to companies working in four SME sectors, namely, automobile, machinery and equipment, pharmaceutical and agriculture. The findings highlight the necessity for sector-specific strategies to enhance digital capabilities, addressing unique challenges and leveraging opportunities for growth.

The proposed readiness assessment model, developed based on the 14 solution dimensions, 41 prerequisites and six levels, enables the respondents in SMEs to make factual assessments of their digital readiness and initiate efforts toward successful I4.0 implementation.

This research uniquely combines expert insights, multi-dimensional assessment and rigorous statistical validation to provide a robust conceptual framework for SMEs to navigate their digital transformation journey effectively.