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Family small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent a substantial part of many economies. In these organizations, close and informal relationships between employers and employees often foster a mutual understanding of each other’s needs, facilitating the negotiation of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals), special employment conditions tailored for individual employees. However, research on how i-deals are negotiated in family SMEs, especially regarding power dynamics and influence, remains limited. This study aims to identify the types of i-deals negotiated in family SMEs and explore the role of power and influence in these negotiations.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 employees and 15 employers from Spanish family SMEs. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti 8, and thematic analysis was performed.

The study concludes that task, flexibility, financial and development i-deals are particularly negotiated in family SMEs. It identifies that referent and expert power play an important role in initiating these negotiations. Furthermore, rational tactics are generally employed for negotiating work performance, soft tactics for employment-related aspects and hard tactics for work flexibility. Additionally, the study identified gender differences in the negotiation of i-deals.

This study enhances i-deal literature by highlighting the distinct characteristics of family SMEs and their impact on i-deal negotiations. The findings suggest that power dynamics and influence tactics in family SMEs differ from those in larger firms. Moreover, certain i-deals may encounter resistance due to concerns about organizational performance and economic implications. Understanding these factors is essential for developing effective negotiation strategies in family SMEs.

This study offers a dual perspective, analyzing the power and influence tactics used by both employees and employers in family SME i-deal negotiations and highlighting gendered dynamics in these processes.

The purpose of the article is to show the regime of truth in the institutional commissions that have the objective of restoring history by establishing a democratic, equitable, comprehensive, inclusive and fair criterion against the attempts of re-victimization and suppression of memory that Western political and cultural traditions have installed through their mechanisms of power.

Based on the analysis of the cases of Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú, they establish the material conditions from which prejudices and hegemonic stereotypes are intertwined to reproduce serious violations of human rights in democratic political and epistemic frameworks. The colonial function of the truth commissions in Mexico is analyzed, which are presented as mechanisms for social development, political and colonial reproduction of liberal democracy.

The qualitative results allow considering the way in which the different truth commissions in Mexico have been strongly linked to epistemic mechanisms in which truth and justice favor the reproduction of established relationships based on race, social class and gender. Especially in the so-called democratic transition, violence, truth and justice come together to highlight power relations in situations that have been disavowed by the intelligentsia.

The limitations of the research are found in the historical configuration of the truth commissions in Mexico. The data, references and assessments are crossed by the initial function of the truth commissions and the establishment of apparatuses and mechanisms based on transitional justice. Based on this, it can be considered a methodological oversight to shift the analysis of truth commissions toward a critical assessment of the truth as a regime of government and hegemonic and colonization criteria from two very specific cases.

The originality of the work is found in the critical discernment of truth as a political category and the coloniality of power.

This study aims to explore the mediating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) committees in the relationship between board characteristics and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, specifically within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Based on a panel of 178 firms spanning 2015–2022, the analysis uses Baron and Kenny’s (1986) mediation approach, supplemented by structural equation modeling (SEM) path analysis for robustness.

The findings demonstrate that CSR committees play a significant mediating role in the impact of board size, expertise and gender diversity on ESG performance. Furthermore, the study confirms the direct, positive influence of both board characteristics and the presence of CSR committees on ESG performance, underscoring their strategic importance in fostering sustainability in this regional context.

The findings highlight the strategic importance of diversifying and enhancing board skills to improve ESG performance. Companies are encouraged to recalibrate their governance frameworks to leverage the mediating influence of CSR committees and promote sustainable business practices.

By demonstrating the positive effect of CSR committees on ESG performance, this study aligns with global trends in responsible business conduct and highlights the importance of corporate governance in addressing environmental and social challenges. This alignment is critical for achieving sustainable development goals and reinforcing stakeholder trust in the region.

This research provides novel empirical insights into the mediating effect of CSR committees within the MENA region, offering a unique contribution to the discourse on corporate governance and sustainability. By highlighting region-specific governance dynamics that shape ESG outcomes, it deepens the understanding of effective governance practices.

This paper aims to examine the determinants of the dividend distribution policy in a banking setting.

Using a sample of 48 Islamic banks and 94 conventional banks from 15 Islamic countries over a period spanning from 2012 to 2019, we document the effect of board gender diversity, executive director profile and governance mechanisms on dividend payment decisions. We also analyze the moderating effect of Islamic banks on the relationship between gender diversity and dividend policy.

We find new evidence on the role of women directors in determining dividend distribution policy and confirm the risk aversion hypothesis, hence contributing to the ongoing debate on gender diversity literature. Our results show that the moderating role of Islamic banks is effective only for small banks.

Our findings have practical implications for shareholders, managers and financial analysts as they suggest rationalizing dividend distribution strategies.

Our study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on dividend policy, gender diversity and Islamic banks.

Few resources exist to incorporate principles of modular approach to course design. This research aimed to help instructors by presenting principles for practical and empirically informed modular course design in engineering education.

In the first phase, a systematic literature review was completed to identify categories addressing a modular course design. Search and screening procedures resulted in 33 qualifying articles describing the development of a modular course. In the second phase, 6 expert interviews were conducted to elaborate on the identified categories.

Guided by the interview results and the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate) course design model, the categories were compiled into six design principles. To present the design principles in relation to the guiding principles of modular approach, an overarching conceptual model was developed.

Here, we present our innovation; a foundation for an evidence-based systematic approach to modular course design. Implications have value for supporting flexibility and autonomy in learning.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of board characteristics on environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure in the energy industry of emerging economies.

The authors adopt the Bloomberg ESG rating to measure the extent of ESG disclosure using a sample of 1,260 observations from BRICS emerging economies. Multiple regression techniques were used to estimate the effect of board characteristics on ESG disclosures of a sample Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) listed companies between 2010 and 2019.

The authors find a relatively low (at 37%) level of ESG disclosure among the sampled firms and a relatively high degree of variability. The authors also find that board gender diversity, board composition and board diligence are positively related to the level of ESG disclosure while the study documents no relationship between board size and ESG disclosure.

The study’s findings highlight the importance of corporate board attributes in influencing strategic decisions such as the level of ESG disclosure and the findings may be useful to regulators, policymakers and investors in making informed investment decisions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts at examining the impact of board characteristics on ESG disclosure in the energy industry in emerging economies. The paper provides new evidence on the relationship between board characteristics (BC) and ESG disclosure in the energy industry of emerging BRICS countries within a panel multi-country research setting.

This study presents new empirical evidence to the relatively scarce number of research papers on the correlation between eco-innovation and company growth. It sheds light on the causal relationship between these two variables.

Data from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel from 2008 to 2016. Propensity Score Matching is applied to avoid self-selection problems.

The study found that engaging eco-innovation has no statistically significant impact on employment and sales growth. Therefore, the main benefits of transitioning to green innovations are in the environmental aspect.

The research findings provide a clear direction for policymakers. Such directions suggest the design of instruments that make the adoption of eco-innovations mandatory with the firm promise of substantial environmental benefits.

The paper explores an important issue for environmental policy. If being an eco-innovator is positively or at least neutrally related to growth, policymakers could create measures that encourage this type of green innovation. This would benefit the environment, and if the impact is positive, it would also have a positive social effect.

This paper aims to identify different combinations of causal conditions (celebrity attributes) that explain our outcome: destination image. More specifically, three main research questions guide our work: (1) Which attributes should an outstanding sportsperson have to enhance the image of his/her country as a destination image? (2) Are these the same for different product categories? (3) Do tourists and residents differ?

To this end, the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) was used with a sample of 187 participants (105 tourists and 82 residents).

Results show that some attributes of a sports celebrity are more critical than others in enhancing destination image. Those attributes of sports celebrities appearing in the intermediate and parsimonious analysis should be prioritized. This is the case of trustworthiness. Second, experience is a peripheral requirement (only appeared in the intermediate analysis). Third, attractiveness is unnecessary and an even and undesired attribute in many solutions. Fourth, when comparing tourists and residents, both groups value the role of football players, while residents also appreciate the role of marathon runners. Tennis players are the less relevant sports celebrities to build Spain’s destination image.

First, a new statistical analysis in the marketing discipline, QCA, has been used. The use of qualitative approaches to investigate destination images has been scarce. Second, the study of the role of sports celebrity endorsement on brand–place attachment has yet to be investigated. Third, studies about the role of residents in the image of a tourism destination/city are scarce. Tourists and residents must be investigated because they can benefit from sports celebrities' activities.

Given the great tourist attractiveness of Spain at international level, tourism has become one of the main sources of income and employment, as well as a basic pillar of the Spanish economy. With these ideas in mind, this paper aims to study how the different promotion strategies implemented in the industry have influenced the evolution of tourism in Spain since the early 20th century.

The research is a general review, providing a historical examination of the diverse promotion strategies deployed in the tourism industry in Spain over the past decades. It focuses on the descriptive approach of these strategies and their implications throughout the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.

The findings reveal a shift in recent years from strategies focused on Marketing 1.0 to strategies that, apart from being centered on consumer values (therefore, Marketing 3.0), are beginning to rely to a greater extent on information and communication technologies (ICT) and sustainability, more in line with the more recent Marketing 4.0 and even Marketing 5.0.

This work has many implications for the management of public and private operators in the industry, including the need to incorporate the latest marketing trends – most notably the advances in ICT and sustainability.

The study offers an in-depth understanding of how marketing strategies have been used in the tourism sector in Spain from the end of the 19th century to the present day, which is highly original compared to previous studies.