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The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of stakeholder integration and project complexity on information technology (IT) projects in Kenya. The following research question guided our inquiry: what is the influence of project complexity and stakeholder integration on the performance of IT projects in Kenya?

To advance the current understanding of the effect of stakeholder integration and project complexity on IT projects, multiple regressions were used to predict how project complexity and stakeholder integration influence project performance. Both government-funded and privately funded IT projects from a developing country were examined.

The study found that any project’s complexity and stakeholder integration levels offer a distinctive contribution to its success. Theoretically, the study contributes to linkages between stakeholder integration and project complexity concerning IT project performance. Through the adoption of actionable research and theoretical elaboration, we have shown that the successful execution of IT projects is driven by the successful integration of stakeholders and monitoring the level of complexity at each phase of the project.

The findings of this study add to the burgeoning literature on the performance of IT projects and come with several managerial implications as well. It brings to the fore the concept of stakeholder integration as an essential element of project success. The findings suggest that the inclusion of stakeholder integration into corporate decisions, strategies and policies can be an asset to the production of sustainable competitive advantages needed during the implementation of IT projects in government entities and organisations. As shown in this study, all the above require a collaborative platform allowing for data sharing among diverse stakeholders to ameliorate distrust or lack of information.

Following Joseph Schumpeter's conception of innovation as ‘new innovations’, this chapter contends that innovations that transform lives in developing countries of Southern Africa are not radically new and different novelties but rather ‘new combinations’ at the interface of new materialisations (creative expression) and exploitations of new opportunities (entrepreneurship). We argue that this posture is not a contestation of the reality that novelty enter the system through the development of new technologies, processes and new ways of organising, but rather such novelty is a process of recombining existing elements in new ways. I build on this argument to demonstrate that in resource-poor contexts where institutional voids frustrate entrepreneurs' potential to deploy innovation capabilities for generating groundbreaking innovation, innovations and entrepreneurship are outcomes of ‘tinkering’, improvision and refinement of unsophisticated creative ideas. Drawing on exemplars from health, education, finance and poverty alleviation interventions that support sustainable human development, I also demonstrate that high knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (KIE) and low knowledge-intensive frugal innovations are mutually constitutive and recursive outputs of the interaction of knowledge application and innovation conversion rather than serial processes of cause and effect. Using combinative innovation, internal coupling and combinative capabilities as heuristics for understanding the entrepreneurship–innovation nexus, I provide empirical support to the view that entrepreneurial effectuation, new combinations, bricolage and improvision constitute useful cognitive arena for the conversion of entrepreneurial and innovation behaviours, practices and processes into KIE and frugal innovation outputs.

Nowadays, an analysis of the circumstances that have led to the development of specific industries within regional entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) is extremely relevant. The chapter carries out a twofold analysis, in order to fully explore the reasons that have led to the creation of a specific industrial district. On the one hand, the tissue paper industry in the Italian province of Lucca is analysed through a qualitative approach; on the other hand, the contextual traits of the Toscana EE influencing firm performance are investigated through using a quantitative research approach. This mixed research analysis provides some important hints. First, it helps to understand how systemic, framework and human conditions affect firm performance. Second, it examines how historical, social, and economic factors have shaped regional industries. Through an in-depth analysis, the chapter provides theoretical and empirical insights into the dynamics that affect industrial transformation in response to globalisation, technological innovation, and changing market demands. After completing the chapter, readers will understand how knowledge, collaboration, and shared resources drive regional competitiveness. Through the qualitative analysis, readers will be aware of the tissue paper industry evolution. The combination with the quantitative study allows us to capture the different drivers swaying firm performance, such as infrastructure, innovation capacity, and institutional support. Therefore, the use of empirical data enables for a more objective assessment of the earlier contextual elements, revealing trends and patterns that may not be immediately evident through qualitative analysis.

This study examines the role of values, social causes, PR ethics and sustainability in public relations (PR) curricula in a European country. PR students are asked about the value of learning imponderabilia versus technical skills needed in the PR industry.

The method used for this study is a quantitative online survey among PR students from six public universities with established PR programs. The study is another part of a long-term project about PR education, students' job prospects, the usefulness of PR studies at work and the role of values and technical skills in PR curricula.

This study shows that the PR students believe that their profession should include broader social issues, like equality, ethics, activism and ESG (ecological, social and governance). Most students report that their curricula cover ethics, sustainability and social responsibility and that these subjects would be useful in their future careers.

Even though the study was conducted in one European country, it may be interesting to scholars and practitioners elsewhere and may be adopted and replicated.

Identifying PR students' needs, expectations and attitudes towards the PR industry and understanding the worldviews of new graduates, with their commitment to social causes and activism, should be helpful to their teachers and instructors, future employers or clients in terms of faster and more efficient onboarding.

A better understanding of the current requirements for graduates of PR studies should help them find enough opportunities in the job market and improve the organizational communication of their future employers.

Measuring PR students' opinions on their educational experience, the role of professional skills and socially conscious, ethically oriented classes can contribute to better formulation of PR curricula and may be useful for the PR industry and academia in other countries.

The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants of success in peer-to-peer (P2P) lending campaigns, especially amid global financial disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing a notable gap in current research, we explore how factors such as firm uncertainty, loan characteristics (interest rates and maturity) and venture quality (human, social and intellectual capital) influence P2P lending effectiveness. Using multiple regression analysis on data from 523 projects on the October platform, our study aims to enhance the understanding and operational efficiency of P2P platforms, contributing to a more resilient financial ecosystem.

This study employs a quantitative research design using multiple regression analysis to examine the impact of specific variables on the success of P2P lending campaigns. Data were collected from 523 concluded P2P lending projects on the October platform, spanning from 2015 to 2021. Variables of interest include the level of uncertainty of the firm, loan characteristics such as interest rate and maturity and the quality of the venture assessed through human, social and intellectual capital. This method allows for a robust analysis of the factors contributing to the success of P2P lending within a dynamic financial context.

The findings of this study reveal that the success of P2P lending campaigns is significantly influenced by the level of uncertainty of the firm, the interest rate of the loan and the quality of the venture. Specifically, higher uncertainty in firms correlates negatively with campaign success, while competitive interest rates positively impact funding outcomes. Furthermore, ventures that demonstrate robust human capital, particularly those with management teams that possess diverse skills and high qualifications, tend to attract more funding. These results underscore the critical role of strategic financial and human resource planning in enhancing the effectiveness of P2P lending platforms.

This study contributes uniquely to the literature by integrating multiple variables – firm uncertainty, loan characteristics and venture quality – into a comprehensive analysis of success factors in P2P lending. It addresses the scarcity of research examining the combined effects of these factors, particularly in the context of global financial disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing on a specific European platform during a dynamic period, this research provides new insights into how P2P lending can adapt to and thrive amid financial crises. The findings offer valuable guidance for both practitioners and policymakers aiming to optimize P2P lending practices in uncertain economic landscapes.

This chapter proposes an in-depth exploration of the role of governmental guidelines and lodge contributions in establishing sustainable wildlife-related tourism in specific Tourism Development Areas (TDAs) in Zambia. The study focuses on two prioritized TDAs, namely Luangwa Valley (South and North Luangwa National Park) and Lower Zambezi (Lower Zambezi National Park), which are renowned wildlife-related tourism destinations in Zambia. The chapter aims to bridge the existing research gaps in the implication of ecotourism in Africa, with a specific focus on Zambia, while highlighting the significance of responsible travel and ecotourism in the sustainable development of these areas.

This study aims to enhance our understanding of employee emotional competence (EEC) in the context of service failure and recovery. Accordingly, the present study investigates the relationship between perceived EEC and customer emotional attachment (CEA) through the mediating role of service recovery satisfaction (RES). Furthermore, the study examines the moderating impact of service failure severity (SFS) on the relationship between perceived EEC and RES.

A self-administered online survey was carried out to collect data. Using a convenience sampling technique, 195 US consumers were recruited from Prolific Academic. To test the hypotheses, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

According to the analysis, perceived EEC impacts CEA directly and indirectly via RES. Additionally, the study finds that consumers reported feeling more emotionally connected to the restaurant when they were satisfied with service recovery. Finally, the study identified that the connection between perceived EEC and RES increases with service failure severity.

This study emphasizes enhancing EEC through organization-wide training to increase customer satisfaction and emotional attachment to the service organization. Furthermore, it underscores the need for comprehensive employee training to categorize service failure severity and formulate appropriate recovery strategies.

The authors believe this is the first RES study to examine perceived EEC’s effect on CEA. By combining the affect infusion and cognitive appraisal theories to examine recovery satisfaction, this study contributes to the existing body of research on service recovery by shedding light on the relationship between perceived EEC and CEA. Furthermore, the study offers preliminary findings indicating an increase in the impact of perceived EEC on RES during high failure severity (SFS).

This study aims to explore the role of green motive (GM) and green dynamic capabilities (GDC) in green innovation (GI) through green value co-creation (GVC). Moreover, this study investigates the moderation of top management support (TMS) to strengthen the mediation of specific constructs; GM, GDC, green value co-creation (GVC) and green innovation (GI).

In total, 337 respondents (executive level/chief executive officer (CEO)) of service organizations were approached using a convenience sampling technique to collect the data through the survey method. Of these, 294 (87% response rate) duly filled responses were used in the final data analysis. In SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) v-23, the Process Macro-Hayes was used to evaluate the study's conceptual framework empirically.

The study revealed that TMS strengthened the mediation framework of GM, GDC, GVC and GI. Moreover, all hypotheses related to direct and indirect associations of specific constructs used in the theoretical framework were statistically significant and proved.

The comprehensive framework for GI of service organizations, primarily in the context of developing countries like Pakistan, is deficient in literature. This study helps service organizations by providing a comprehensive GI model to put a central focus on the transformation of management philosophy and working approach for achieving GI in the services structure.

This paper aims to examine whether firms’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance indicates higher quality internal controls. The authors argue that commitment to high ESG performance is indicative of a commitment to quality corporate governance and impactful ESG practices are presumed to be achieved when pursued within a system of strong internal controls.

The authors obtain financial and ESG-related information for firms on the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE)-350 for the years 2010–2018. Following prior literature, the authors use audit report lag as a measure of auditor effort. Controlling for various factors that proxy for audit clients’ inherent risk, the authors hypothesize that the remaining variance in audit report lag is related to audit clients’ control risk, and test whether ESG performance explains some of that remaining variance. To measure ESG performance, the authors use two variables to proxy firm’s ESG performance, an ESG disclosure score and being listed on the FTSE4GOOD index. Thomson Reuters provides a weighted average and industry adjusted ESG disclosure score. The FTSE4Good listing status was manually collected. Random-effect GLS panel regression model is used to estimate relationships. The authors reran their regressions using the generalized linear model and the two-stage least square model and the authors used an industry adjusted audit report lag and the lagged value of ESG and FTSE4GOOD to ensure the robustness of the results.

Regressing audit report lag on different measures of ESG performance, the authors find that better ESG performance is associated with lower audit report lag. The results remain consistent when replacing ESG with FTSE4Good and applying alternative econometrical techniques. The authors also find that female board representation facilitates lower audit report lag.

This study provides an alternative methodological approach to indicate firms’ internal control quality. In addition, auditors can benefit from firms’ ESG performance/disclosure to assess their client’s governance, internal control quality and project that on the audit risk and the level of effort required.