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The roles and responsibilities of the chief financial officer (hereafter CFO) have evolved dramatically over the past 10 years. This article explores this evolution from a South African perspective by, firstly, presenting an extensive literature review on the matter. Secondly, a unique South African model of the key focus areas for CFOs is proposed. Lastly, the results of a questionnaire administered to the CFOs of FTSE/JSE Top 40 companies are reported. The results revealed significant findings relating to the CFO’s most important current and future role ‐ that of planner and strategist. In addition, CFOs at the top of the corporate ladder expect to focus more on their role as a growth and innovation catalyst. This article also identifies three key areas for future research that will make an important contribution to the continued development of the educational framework for chartered accountants.

This chapter provides an in-depth examination of the role that sustainable tourism plays in fostering a more environmentally and economically sustainable global economy. It delves into the advantages, disadvantages, and potential of sustainable tourism, emphasizing environmental conservation, societal inclusion, and economic progress. The shift towards sustainable tourism underscores the importance of minimizing negative impacts while maximizing positive outcomes for the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage. It underscores the necessity of balancing economic development, environmental preservation, and social well-being. Sustainable tourism encourages environmentally friendly practices, promotes renewable energy, and supports local businesses, thereby driving both environmental protection and economic growth. Challenges and opportunities are identified, necessitating innovative solutions for a sustainable tourism model. Effective policies and collaboration among stakeholders can address issues like excessive tourism impacts and ensure equitable distribution of benefits to local populations. Technology and community involvement play crucial roles in fostering sustainability and responsible travel. The chapter emphasizes energy efficiency, waste management, and transportation enhancements, while recognizing digital platforms’ role in promoting informed travel decisions. Future trends focus on climate adaptation, responsible tourism, and circular economies. Thus, a triple bottom-line approach integrating economic, social, and environmental considerations, alongside resource management, technology, community engagement, and cultural preservation, emerges as essential for advancing sustainable tourism practices.

This paper explores the significance of work-based learning in the context of leadership development, organizational growth and the promising economic success in Tennessee organizations. It aims to investigate the practical implications of work-based learning, focusing on its role in enhancing leadership capabilities, fostering innovation and contributing to a prosperous economic future.

The research employs a systematic literature review to examine existing studies on work-based learning, leadership development, organizational growth and economic success in Tennessee. It also involves data collection from various sources, including government agencies, colleges and organizations in the state. The collected data are rigorously verified and cross-referenced to ensure reliability and relevance.

The findings emphasize the transformative potential of work-based learning initiatives in Tennessee. They reveal that work-based learning programs are vital in developing influential leaders, fostering a culture of learning and innovation and contributing to economic competitiveness. The research also highlights the interconnectedness of leadership development, organizational growth and economic success, emphasizing the critical role of work-based learning in driving positive outcomes in all these dimensions.

This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by emphasizing the practical applicability of work-based learning findings. It provides insights into the unique context of Tennessee organizations and their motivations, challenges and opportunities related to work-based learning. The research also outlines recommendations and future research directions to bridge the gap between theory and practice, enhancing the impact of work-based learning initiatives in Tennessee and beyond. The insights gained can assist other states and industries in developing effective work-based learning programs tailored to their specific economic needs and industry demands, fostering broader economic prosperity.

This paper aims to explore whether firms’ performance determines innovation using a sample of Indian manufacturing firms. The impact of innovation on firms’ performance across specific countries has been discussed in the literature. However, the effect of firms’ performance on innovation output, especially for a developing country like India, remains an open question. Against this backdrop, this paper investigates whether firms’ performance determines innovation in Indian manufacturing firms.

The authors use patent filing information to instrument innovation and total factor productivity to instrument firms’ performance. The patent data are collected from the Patent Search and Analysis Software database and firm-level data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s Prowess database. The study uses a sample of 309 Indian manufacturing firms from 2005 to 2021. Given the count nature of the data set used in this study coupled with over-dispersion issues, the authors have used the negative binomial regression to estimate the empirical specification of the models. There could be a possible problem of endogeneity due to the contemporary nature of innovation and firms’ performance. Therefore, to address the possible issues of endogeneity in the model, the authors have used the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimators for more robustness checks of the empirical results.

The empirical results exhibit a positive and significant impact of firms’ performance on the innovation output, validating that firms’ performance determines innovation in Indian manufacturing firms. The posterior estimation results using GMM estimation also corroborate that firms’ productivity is a determining factor for the innovation output of Indian manufacturing firms. Furthermore, empirical results exhibit that the ex ante innovativeness of the firms substantially affects the current innovation. This validates that the firms’ prior experience, learning by doing and past innovative efforts are more likely to precipitate more innovation in the current period.

This paper’s main contribution is empirically estimating whether firms’ performance determines innovation, which is hardly discussed in the existing innovation literature, specifically using Indian manufacturing industries. Further, it adds to the existing literature in two other prominent ways. First, this paper investigates whether firms require ex ante expertise to innovate or if a firm starting from scratch can innovate significantly without any hindrances. Second, it enriches the literature by instrumenting innovation in output terms with the patent application against input measures of innovation, such as research and development expenditures, acquisition of machinery and equipment, while discussing the relationship between firms’ performance and innovation, specifically in the context of a developing economy like India.

Intellectual capital (IC) is an increasingly important strategic asset for sustainable value creation in organisations. This paper aims to provide a conceptual perspective on the university’s role as a catalyst for IC creation and development within the dynamic landscape of organisations, exploring the nexus to capture its essence.

Adopting a conceptual framework development approach, key concepts were cohesively and coherently synthesised from various theoretical underpinnings, namely, the multiple capitals approach to maximising corporate value creation, the evolved triple bottom line approach to corporate sustainability, the triple helix innovation model and its subsequent extensions, the upper echelons theory and the social licence construct linked to stakeholder, legitimacy and institutional theories.

A comprehensive conceptual framework was developed that outlines universities’ role in catalysing four corporate IC forms crucial to sustainable organisational value creation: human capital, governance capital, social/relational capital and structural/organisational capital. The framework interprets this role of universities as dynamic IC reservoirs serving regional ecosystems for sustainable development. It highlights the synergistic sustainable value creation between universities and organisations in host communities and broader society, with university governance acting as a key driver.

This paper offers a theoretically grounded interpretation of universities’ pivotal role in catalysing essential forms of IC to support contemporary organisations’ sustainable value-creation processes. The proposed framework has the potential to ignite conversations on the crucial connection between universities and corporate IC development relevant to sustainable organisations, inspiring future empirical research, reflection and discussion.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

There is a paucity of studies on the complex longitudinal dynamics of innovation incorporation within family‐based small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in response to market and technological change. Attempts at innovation implementation are likely to be influenced by the dynamic effects of critical incidents or crisis points in small family‐based firms. The aim of this EU‐funded study is to explore the effects of critical incidents on innovation implementation within a regional cluster of family‐based SMEs over a two‐year period.

The research methodology involves the longitudinal study of a regional cluster of five family‐based businesses in relation to innovation implementation at firm level. A participant observation and critical action learning methodology was used to study the firms over the two‐year period of the study.

The findings, as summarised using a conceptual model, show that the critical incidents acted interactively with the firm's lifecycle stage and its approach to family versus business, to either act as a catalyst for developing more radical innovation or in maintaining the status quo or continuous improvement.

The findings can act as a guide for how family‐based firms can evaluate and maximise their responses to critical incidents and leverage them to encourage more radical approaches to innovation implementation.

There is a paucity of longitudinal studies on the effect of critical incidents on approaches to innovation implementation in family businesses.

In an increasingly interconnected world, transportation infrastructure has emerged as a critical determinant of economic growth and global competitiveness. High-speed rail (HSR), characterized by its exceptional speed and efficiency, has garnered widespread attention as a transformative mode of transportation that transcends borders and fosters economic development. The Kuala Lumpur – Singapore (KL-SG) HSR project stands as a prominent exemplar of this paradigm, symbolizing the potential of HSR to serve as a catalyst for national economic advancement.

This paper is prepared to provide an insight into the benefits and advantages of HSR based on proven case studies and references from global HSRs, including China, Spain, France and Japan.

The findings that have been obtained focus on enhanced connectivity and accessibility, attracting foreign direct investment, revitalizing regional economies, urban development and city regeneration, boosting tourism and cultural exchange, human capital development, regional integration and environmental and sustainability benefits.

The KL-SG HSR, linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, epitomizes the potential for HSR to be a transformative agent in the realm of economic development. This project encapsulates the aspirations of two dynamic Southeast Asian economies, united in their pursuit of sustainable growth, enhanced connectivity and global competitiveness. By scrutinizing the KL-SG High-Speed Rail through the lens of economic benchmarking, a deeper understanding emerges of how such projects can drive progress in areas such as cross-border trade, tourism, urban development and technological innovation.

The purpose of this paper is to codify a comprehensive array of executive education (EE) revenue growth ideas that are implementable in their own right or that spark other, related growth ideas.

The EE revenue growth ideas presented are an outgrowth of: a collective and personal “reflections from practice” process that embraced nearly a century of combined years in the talent management and EE sales, design, and delivery arena; and a focused “ideation” process sparked by the contemporary business literature devoted to profitable growth models.

In total, a robust list and description of 90 EE revenue growth ideas are succinctly chronicled.

The 90 ideas presented here, although rooted in nearly a century of the authors’ combined EE experience, are nonetheless limited by their experience. The array of ideas, and variants of those presented, are constrained only by the unique experience and creativity of other conscientious EE program designers and stewards. The inventory of 90 ideas is a robust start that can be extended, modified, and used as a catalyst for ongoing EE revenue growth discussions and research.

The growth ideas presented are immediately actionable and potentially galvanizing for EE providers. In addition, EE clients whose interest is piqued by any of the ideas, can approach their own providers to initiate a tailored talent development process rooted in one or more of the ideas. Of note, the extensive list has been crafted to have a long shelf life and thus this paper can effectively serve as a reference for ongoing use.

The authors are not aware of any prior articles presenting such a myriad of ideas for EE providers (and clients) to potentially renew and expand their portfolio of activities with the aim of revenue growth. Moreover, the paper is both an inventory of ready ideas as well as an array of catalysts for specific providers (and clients) to pursue their own related, or parallel, ideas.

Entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face ever increasing competition not only at the domestic level but also at the global level. While large-scale enterprises and multinational corporations often hog the limelight, research and studies reveal that SMEs form the core of the growth engine of most of the national economies and are critical to rebuilding the economy from an economic crisis. In fact, SMEs make a significant contribution to economic growth and continue to play a pivotal role as a catalyst for development to drive innovation, competitiveness, and future growth. However, due to their size and limited resources, most SMEs often struggle to keep on top of new development in capabilities and skills and encounter difficulties keeping their operational activities in balance. Therefore, it is inevitable that most governments have taken a keen interest in SMEs’ development by providing infrastructure and financial grants. As such, it is argued that resource-constraint SMEs need to preserve the focus and drive to survive and grow in today’s interconnected, interdependent world. SMEs need to be properly equipped with deep capabilities in transformational leadership, technicality, and entrepreneurship, and innovativeness required to go international more rapidly and profitably in today’s increasingly borderless world.