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Firms seek to improve their decision-making and enable more “fact-based” decisions by using business analytics. While the benefits of using business analytics to monitor, develop and improve daily operations have been reported by many scholars, using it in more complex top management decisions has received less attention. Building on the resource-based view of the firm, this study aims to investigate top management perceptions of using business analytics for making decisions on firm resources.

This study uses semi-structured interviews to collect perceptions of 12 top managers in large firms on when and why they use business analytics in their decision-making.

Top managers use business analytics output as their main source of information for monitoring ongoing business performance against set targets and taking corrective actions. Concerning future-oriented planning and strategic decision-making involving more complex changes on the firms’ resource base, top managers proactively complement knowledge derived via business analytics with other sources of knowledge, such as stakeholder and expert opinions. Moreover, top managers use of business analytics depends on their own expectations of its value potential and on the expectations of their organization.

This study adds to the extant literature on the business value of business analytics by outlining the purposes and reasons for top management business analytics use. By demonstrating when and why top managers apply business analytics when making decisions on the firm’s current and future resource base, this study contributes to the discussion on the resource-based view and decision-making practices of the firm.

The study examines the role of ethical leadership in the innovative performance of employees. Further, the purpose of the study is to investigate the mediating effect of human capital and social capital on the relationship between ethical leadership and the innovative performance of employees.

The study collected primary data from 386 managerial-level employees of information technology (IT) companies in the northern region of India. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data and derive the direct and indirect effects.

The findings indicate a significant positive impact of ethical leadership on the innovative performance of employees. Further, it was found that ethical leadership has both direct and indirect effects on the innovative performance of employees, where the indirect effect was mediated through intellectual capital (IC). The research confirms that IC and ethical leadership are crucial resources for fostering a knowledge-driven culture and innovative performance amongst employees.

The research has made a novel attempt to explore the interplay between ethical leadership, IC and innovative performance in the Indian context. Further, the study provides actionable strategies for business leaders to optimise business processes and encourage innovative practices amongst employees in the company.