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This paper aims to investigate the variations in brand personality trait items to describe both global and local brands in Malaysia.

The authors adopted both factor analytic and experimental methods to investigate the internal and external validity of Malaysia brand personality (MBP) scale. They followed a stringent scale development process that ensures the scale conform to psychometric properties.

In seven studies, the results show that the 22-item four-factor Malaysian brand personality scale adheres to strong psychometric properties of scale development process. The findings further indicate that there are seven indigenous traits, while most traits emerge from factor analyses originate from studies of Aaker (1997) and colleagues (2001). This confirms universality of some brand personality traits and dimensions.

Within the limits of the study, we did not examine the MBP facet level, and were confined to those respondents in Klang Valley only.

The MBP scale enables marketing managers in Malaysia to focus on brand personality dimensions that their customers can relate to. In other words, marketing communications can be more efficient when managers can identify brand personality traits that enhance customers’ behaviors and profitability.

Malaysia is a multicultural and multiethnic country which is increasingly becoming the focus of international brand expansion. The authors view that the development of the MBP scale is timely and should provide managers further insights into the brand personality structure that is relevant in Malaysia.

Current conceptualisations of strategic flexibility and its antecedents are theory‐driven, which has resulted in a lack of consensus. To summarise this domain the paper aims to develop and present an a priori conceptual model of the antecedents and outcomes of strategic flexibility. Discussion and insights into the conceptual model, and the relationships specified, are made through a novel qualitative empirical approach. The implications for further research and a framework for further theoretical development are presented.

An exploratory qualitative research design is used applying multiple data collection techniques in a branch network of a large regional retailer in the UK. The development of strategic options and the complex relationship to strategic flexibility is investigated.

The number and type of strategic options developed by managers impact on the degree of strategic flexibility and also on the ability of the firm to achieve competitive differentiation. Additionally, the type of strategic option implemented by managers is dependent on the competitive situation faced at a local level. Evidence of managers' limited perception of competition was identified based on their spatial embeddedness.

A single, in‐depth case study was used. The data gathered is rich and appropriate for the exploratory approach adopted here. However, generalisability of the findings is limited.

Strategic flexibility is rooted in the ability of front‐line mangers to develop and implement strategic options; this in turn facilitates competitive differentiation.

The research presented is unique in this domain on two accounts. First, theory is developed by presenting an a priori conceptual model, and testing through in‐depth qualitative data gathering. Second, insights into strategic flexibility are presented through an examination of managerial cognition, resources and strategic option generation using cognitive mapping and laddering technique.

Process innovation is a key determinant of performance. While extant literature paints a clear picture of the drivers of process innovation, the effect of process innovation on performance has received little attention. This paper aims to examine how the divergence of process innovation impacts performance. Divergence concerns the extent to which the observed level of process innovation diverges from the expected level of process innovation. Positive divergence occurs when the observed level of process innovation is higher than expected while for negative divergence the opposite occurs. In turn, the authors consider how divergence acts as a driver of performance.

The authors use survey and archival data from 5,594 firms across 15 countries. The authors analyze the data using an advanced two-step random-effects estimator that accounts for the multi-level data used.

The authors find negative divergence to reduce performance under high competitive intensity, whereas positive divergence is detrimental under high environmental uncertainty.

The authors present new and unique insights into the relationship between divergence and performance. The authors argue that each firm has an “ideal” level of process innovation, based on their resources and business environment, relative to which performance diminishes. Specifically, the authors argue that divergence from the firm’s expected level of process innovation is associated with the reduced performance during high environmental uncertainty or high competitive intensity. Furthermore, the authors argue that there can be “too much” process innovation. This nuance of the majority of prior empirical studies in this area suggests that more innovation is always better for firms. The more nuanced approach reveals that the process innovation-performance debate should not focus on more or less innovation per se, but on how innovation is constructed and supported.

Some argue the existence of an academia-practitioner gap, with both living in different worlds (Reibstein et al., 2009). The findings suggest that theory is not only useful to practitioners but also has a crucial and central role regarding decisions relating to efficiency and effectiveness of scarce resources, in the field of process innovation. More specifically, the authors demonstrate that the prior study on process innovation seems to be useful in that relative to a theory-predicted level, divergence diminishes performance in the global sample of companies across a wide range of industries. In addition, the authors suggest that firms should not strive for more innovation per se. The findings suggest that positive divergence or too much innovation is detrimental for performance under environmental uncertainty, while negative divergence or too little innovation is harmful to performance under competitive uncertainty. Moreover, the divergence approach is also useful for comparing performance to that of other firms, typically referred to as benchmarking.

This paper is useful and important for managers and theory development as it provides insight into situations where a firm may have “too little” or “too much” process innovation. Thus, divergence advances understanding as, in contrast with the previous study, the authors do not suggest that more innovation is always better.

The primary purpose of this correlational study was to explain the relationship between discipline specific critical thinking skills and leadership training and experiences of selected FFA youth leaders. Researcher-developed measures of critical thinking skills and leadership were used to discover low, but positive relationships between critical thinking skills and each leadership variable of leadership training, leadership experience, and total leadership score. The relationship between leadership training and Evaluation and Total Critical Thinking Skill was significant. Similarly, the relationship between leadership experiences and Analysis and Total Critical Thinking Skill was significant. Finally, the relationship between combined leadership score and Analysis, Evaluation, and Total Critical Thinking Skill was also significant. Recommendations include more student exposure to formal teaching and training in leadership, more research to substantiate the connection between leadership and critical thinking, and more encouragement for students to be more active in non-formal activities.

The purpose of this study was to assess the leadership practices or behaviors of FFA members participating in a leadership development workshop known as the Success Conference in Georgia. Leadership practices were determined using the Student Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner, 1998). While success conference participants scored the highest on encouraging the heart (M = 23.77; SD = 4.18) and enabling others to act (M = 23.75; SD = 4.40), placing Georgia FFA members participating in the Success Conference at approximately the 45^th and 35^th percentile respectively for all Student LPI scores, this was slightly below Kouzes’ and Posner’s (1998) normative data for high school students. It is recommended that future leadership development opportunities focus on activities that foster collaboration, strengthen others, recognize the contributions of others, and celebrate team accomplishments.

Volunteers play an integral role in supporting the mission of 4-H programs in the southern region. For this reason their proficiency in volunteer administration competence and perceived leadership style is important. The researchers sought to examine both the perceived proficiency of 4-H faculty in the southern region in seven competencies associated with volunteer administration leadership (Stedman, 2004) and perceived leadership style based on Full Range Leadership (Avolio & Bass, 1991). Overall respondents’ scores indicated an average proficiency in volunteer administration leadership competence. Yet, their reported scores showed a higher proficiency in the individual competency areas of personal skill and organizational culture. Leadership style was measured based on behavior scores of transformational, transactional, and laissez faire leadership. The 4-H county faculty used transformational leadership most frequently, followed by transactional leadership, and then laissez faire. Implications are 4-H county faculty could use additional professional development opportunities which address accountability and management.

Change readiness (CR) is viewed as a multidimensional behavior that reflects the firm's competencies to do three things in response to environmental opportunities and threats in its industry: trigger identification; gearing up to take action (preparation); and the action's degree of novelty. The main purpose of this study is to propose and test an alternative conceptualization for CR.

Data were collected from 217 organizations in 14 countries. All respondents were in charge of, or involved with, their firms' strategic decisions and implementations thereof and filled out a structured questionnaire.

It was found that CR is influenced by both internal and external variables, including management orientation (entrepreneurial, centralization), environmental barriers, and technology and innovation roles in firms' business strategies. In addition, a higher degree of CR was correlated with better performance and with higher management evaluation of success in coping with environmental triggers.

The size and selection of the sample may pose limits in generalizing the study findings. Future studies may increase the number of interviews per firm, use objective assessments of performance and provide more specific information about threats and opportunities, as well as the type of industry.

The proposed CR concept is based on specific behavior rather than on attitude. CR is perceived as a strategy‐oriented construct that demonstrates the capacity of an organization to respond effectively to new developments in its environment.