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This research focuses on the demand from medium-sized firms to access public equity as a source of finance. The acceptance of public equity differs strongly between countries, particularly between the United Kingdom and Germany. Therefore, this research aims to identify the impact of national culture on the decision to go public in these two countries.

The theoretical framework builds on the satisficing theory of rationality, the pecking-order theory as well as Hofstede's cultural dimension theory. Using a questionnaire, over 1,000 medium-sized businesses in the United Kingdom and Germany were surveyed.

The findings demonstrate that British medium-sized firms are more open to using public equity as a source of finance than their German counterparts. The results indicate that national culture not only affects the decision to go public but also has a negative impact on uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation.

The originality of the research lies in the focus on medium-sized firms and the effects of cultural differences between the United Kingdom and Germany. No previous research has explored how culture influences the decision to go public using a dataset generated from medium-sized firms in the United Kingdom and Germany.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of corporate governance structures in the UK and Germany addressing the extent to which corporate governance structures may have been a contributory factor to the recent banking crisis. Following a review of shareholder and stakeholder theories of corporate governance and a comparative overview of corporate governance codes in the UK and Germany, the authors aim to provide some country level macroeconomic data and performance related data for a small number of large banks in the UK and Germany.

The paper is structured as follows. It first reviews the existing literature that underpins the stakeholder vs shareholder debate within corporate governance. It then reviews the current codes of conduct and governance structures implemented by UK and German banks. An analysis of the extent to which the banking crises can be attributed to failures in governance is presented and finally some conclusions and recommendations are outlined.

Findings suggest that while corporate governance in banks would appear to have been a significant factor in the recent banking crisis, based on the performance data, it cannot be said that a corporate governance approach based on either shareholder capitalism (UK) or stakeholder capitalism (Germany) is more at fault than the other. However, it is clear that UK and German corporate governance structures were not adequate to prevent the recent banking crisis and only time will tell whether the remedial actions taken have been sufficient. The present findings, in line with those presented in the Walker report in 2009, suggest that the codes of conduct in both countries were not adequate to deal with the complex issues caused by the financial crisis and that changes need to be implemented. The authors fully acknowledge that corporate governance only played a part in the financial crisis and in order to try to stop a repeat of this, the whole regulatory environment in both countries needs to be strengthened.

The main limitation of the study lies with a lack of complex analysis undertaken to support the findings.

The findings from the study suggest that, regardless of the type of governance in operation, current corporate governance rules were not adequate and that a new set of rules is needed in both the UK and Germany. The findings also suggest that the stakeholder/shareholder debate may not be as important as previously claimed and that regulators need to find good governance rules, regardless of theoretical underpinnings.

Governments across the world are currently cutting public spending in an extreme fashion and this is, partly, due to the banking crises. Therefore, poor governance in the banking sector is leading to massive social problems in the real world as governments cut services.

The paper is original as it is the first attempt to discuss the corporate governance failing and the banking crises from a shareholder/stakeholder perspective.

This study measures the relationship between human capital and innovative literacy from the perspective of intellectual capital. For this purpose, the relationship between human capital and innovative literacy was first investigated to measure intellectual capital. Subsequently, the moderating effect of entrepreneurial orientation on the influence of innovative literacy on human capital was also analysed.

This study analyses the relationship between innovative literacy, human capital and entrepreneurial orientation through structural equation modelling – the study sample comprised 457 participants in Türkiye.

The results suggest a positive relationship between human capital, a sub-component of intellectual capital and innovative literacy. Innovative literacy can influence intellectual capital and increase value. Our finding further confirms that entrepreneurial orientation has no moderating effect on the same relationship.

Despite the observed correlation between IL and HC growth, this study had some limitations. First, the generalisability of the findings is limited because the sample was selected from individuals with a high level of education in Türkiye. Despite these limitations, this study has important theoretical and practical implications for developing countries. Türkiye is a developing country, and the selected sample is the most critical database in the country for an Innovative Literacy Scale. However, future research could focus on whether there is a potential source of bias and collect and compare data from heterogeneous workers. In addition, research on existing research frameworks in other countries may consider varying levels of education and business sectors. This research aims to be a pioneering initiative towards the advancement of IL. The question of whether IL should be considered equivalent to or a subset of HC, which has been previously proposed as a dimension of IC, can be clarified through a thorough examination of what IL means.

In a theoretical framework, transforming human capital into value through innovations derived from innovative literacy activities will significantly increase the company's intellectual capital. Organizations in which innovative literacy play an important role achieve organizational goals, strengthen commitment and contribute to sustainability through the emergence of new potential innovative individuals. This research also contributes significantly to the existing literature. Initially regarding theoretical implications, this study examines the concept of innovative literacy in the existing literature on intellectual capital, human capital and entrepreneurial orientation. Additionally, this study offers a new perspective on intellectual capital.

The findings of this research also provide managerial outcomes. Initially, the assessment of concepts, research and development capabilities and efficient knowledge management are indicators of innovative literacy proficiency at the individual level. Human capital is a subcomponent of intellectual capital and refers to knowledge, skills and experience. Innovative and literate team members should be developed in order to strengthen the intellectual capital structure of an organization.

This study contributes to understanding innovative literacy from an intellectual capital perspective using the Innovative Literacy Scale to reveal important dimensions that influence innovative literacy. Using a measurement tool with new sub-dimensions not included in the extant literature on intellectual capital is unique. This study suggests that scholars should include innovative literacy – a distinct subset of intellectual capital – in their body of knowledge on human capital. Our findings have the potential to help meet the needs of human resource departments, researchers, educational institutions, public institutions and enterprises.

The purpose of this paper is to conduct an investigation into knowledge‐sharing mechanisms by empirically testing the role that context plays in the transfer of actionable knowledge, and, in turn, for innovation.

A multiple‐respondents survey was performed in 72 business units of companies belonging to the ICT, pharmaceutical and food industries in Greece. In total, 295 useful questionnaires were collected using a multiple respondent strategy. All constructs were measured with multi‐item scales and validated using exploratory factor analyses. A total of seven hypotheses were generated following a literature review on the key determinants of context for effective knowledge sharing. The hypotheses were tested using ordinary least squares regression.

The research shows that when units pursue knowledge transfer between their different actors, contextual factors such as trust, motivation to transfer knowledge, management support and learning orientation are crucial for fostering knowledge transfer and innovation. This contribution is important since the need for developing an organizational context where knowledge transfer and innovation flourish is constantly put forth in the business press, while the empirical and research based evidence for its importance has been scarce.

There is a research need in knowledge sharing theory to define and identify an integrated model concerning the contextual factors that enable the knowledge sharing process. Having established a firm relationship between organizational context and innovation, the research also sets a foundation for further exploring the organization‐environment link in terms of leveraging organizational knowledge dynamics.

The research is a first attempt to show that the construct “perceived usefulness of knowledge” is a critical proxy of knowledge transfer effectiveness, as well as to find support for its positive relation to innovation.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between learning orientation (LO), entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and firm growth in small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs). The authors theoretically argue for a mediation effect of EO on the relationship between LO and growth. The study considered how companies that value learning enact actions to affect firm outcomes. This is particularly important for small firms that may not be capable of withstanding significant shocks in the marketplace.

The research design employed the survey method for data gathering and resulted in 105 completed responses from CEOs/presidents of SMEs. To examine the construct validity of the measurement dimensions the authors used a multistage process. Additionally, the authors employed a competing models analytic design to determine the presence and strength of mediating effects of the EO construct.

The findings empirically demonstrate the notion that firm cultural values embodied in a LO and translated into action behaviors by an EO is positively related to SME growth and adaptation. The research also supports the notion that learning is an important element in opportunity recognition insofar as opportunity recognition is entrepreneurial or reflecting an EO. SMEs that are open to learning may identify opportunities to exploit through an EO that facilitates growth. In the face of dynamic external environments and competitive conditions SMEs are well served by being more creative and entrepreneurial.

The design of the study is limited by single source, key respondents in SMEs, and has the potential for common method bias even though the authors tested for this effect successfully.

The study contributes to the literature by examining how learning and an orientation toward entrepreneurial behavior affect the growth of firms. These findings will be of value to both scholars and entrepreneurs.

The purpose of this paper is to use conservation of resources (COR) theory as a lens for comparing the impact of line management on Bangladeshi public and private nurses’ perception of work harassment, well-being and turnover intentions where Anglo-American and European management models have been super-imposed on an existing different culture.

Survey data were collected from 317 Bangladeshi nurses’ (131 from the public sector and 186 from the private sector). Structural equation modelling was used for analysis.

High work harassment was associated with low-being, and together with management practices, it explained approximately a quarter of private sector nurses’ well-being. In total, management, work harassment and employee well-being explained approximately a third of the turnover intentions of public sector nurses, whereas only work harassment explained approximately a third of private sector nurses’ turnover intentions. The findings suggest a differential impact of management on work harassment across the public and private sector.

Cross-sectional data are susceptible to common method bias. A common latent factor was included, and several items that were explained by common method variance were controlled. Further, the findings are limited by the sample size from one sector and the use of only one developing country.

It is a waste of resources to transplant Anglo-American and European management models to developing countries without understanding the impact on nurses’ outcomes.

Anglo-American and European management models are not easily transferable to the Bangladesh context probably because of the impact of ties and corruption. Line management is a positive resource that builds employee well-being for public sector employees only.

The strategic learning perspective has attracted increased interest among strategic management scholars, yet the operationalisation of this concept is still in its infancy. The aim of this study is to develop a multidimensional understanding of the strategic learning process and to build an instrument to measure this concept.

The article confirms the validity of the developed measurement instrument with expert evaluations and quantitative data from the analysis of 206 Finnish software companies. Structural equation modelling was the primary statistical technique used.

The results of the validation study suggest that strategic learning is a multidimensional construct that is manifested through the sub‐processes of strategic knowledge creation, distribution, interpretation, and implementation. The results demonstrate that the reliability and validity of the developed measurement model is satisfactory, thus enabling its use in further studies.

Although the validation study and the use of a panel of expert judges present substantial support for the developed construct, future research is necessary to continue to examine and refine the measure in other industries and cultural contexts.

Executives and practitioners can use the developed tool to identify potential areas for improvement and thus bring focus to organisational development efforts to enhance collective strategic learning.

This study contributes to strategic management research by developing and validating a measurement method for the concept of strategic learning. To date, the empirical research of strategic learning has been mainly limited to descriptive case studies, and the literature lacks a comprehensive measurement tool.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how a foreign subsidiary operates in emerging markets and integrates market orientation with organizational learning to achieve a competitive lead. It is an attempt to fill an evident gap in the literature of integrating organizational learning into a market-oriented competitive strategy through using a four-step collective learning cycle at General Motors Egypt (GME).

The paper adopts a qualitative case study methodology to thoroughly examine the viewpoints of 90 respondents via in-depth and unstructured interviews with both managers and employees working in a variety of divisions inside GME. An integrative qualitative data analysis approach is used to explore, synthesize, interpret and derive relationships resulting from the collected data.

This work advances the theory of organizational learning by testing the theme of collective learning cycle in a real work setting. It presents a real example of aligning market orientation into a collective learning cycle directed toward achieving competitive advantages.

This study provides scholars and practitioners alike with a real scenario on how and why a four-step organizational learning cycle functions as a building block to generate a competitive advantage. It also discusses the elements of collective learning that are not captured by the four-step collective learning cycle. Factors facilitating market-based organizational learning are also explored. However, the results generated are contingent on the investigated case study circumstances, which are limited in generalizability.

The paper addresses a set of directions through which auto assembly firms leverage both collective learning practices and knowledge-driven strategy to gain competitive advantages. The GME paradigm indicates how a firm can use collective learning not only to respond to an internal need for change but also to react to external market forces and constraints.

This study is the first of its kind to investigate the value of the cyclic learning concept from a strategic viewpoint in a multinational organizational context. It enriches the primarily practitioner literature on aligning collective learning into strategy with rich empirical examination of the learning practices of a leading foreign subsidiary. It resolves a gap in the literature regarding how organizational learning and knowledge management processes are aligned to market-oriented competitive strategy. The paper draws a number of critical research issues that call for refinement of the organizational learning cycle theory.

As they say, “Change is the only constant.” Thriving and surviving during a period of extraordinary collision of technological advances, globalization, and climate change can be daunting. At any given point in one’s life, a transition can be interpreted in terms of the magnitude of change (how big or small) and the individual’s ontological experience of change (whether it disrupts an equilibrium or adapts an emergent way of life). These four quadrants represent different ways to live in a highly dynamic and complex world. We share the resulting four-quadrant framework from a quantitative and a mixed methods study to examine responses to various ways we respond to transitions. Contingent upon these two dimensions, one can use a four-quadrant framework to mobilize resources to design a response and hypothesize a desired outcome. Individuals may find themselves at various junctions of these quadrants over a lifespan. These four quadrants provide “requisite variety” to navigate individual ontology as they move into and out of fluid spaces we often call instability during a time of transition. In this chapter, we identified social, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral factors that contribute to thriving transition experiences, embracing dynamic stability. Two new constructs were developed, the first measures the receptivity to change, Transformation Quotient (TQ) and second measures the range of responses to transitions from surviving to thriving, Thriving Transitional Experiences (TTE). We hope our work will pave the way for Thriving to become a “normal” outcome of experiencing change by transforming the lexicon and expectation of engaging with transitions.