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A dynamic process of structural change is currently under way in the global wine industry. Historically, the wine industry has been dominated by the traditional wine‐producing countries of Europe. However, forces of change in the commercial environment have encouraged an influx of wines from countries such as California, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, to name but a few. As the portfolio of wines on the market continues to expand, the challenge for survival of both new and traditional wine‐producing countries is intensified. This study of the Northern Ireland wine market is based on the results of a questionnaire which was distributed through off‐licences in Northern Ireland. Two hundred and ten questionnaires were distributed with a response rate of 57 per cent. Key findings included: country of origin is the most important factor when customers are selecting wine; word of mouth recommendation is most likely to influence the type of wine chosen; most of those surveyed usually spend between £3.50 and £4.49 on a bottle of wine; French wines are popular with those surveyed but Liebfraumilch is the favourite wine.

This article intends to comprehend the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach adopted in the aerospace industry in India for process improvement. This research has the objective of determining LSS deliverables such as Voice of Customer (VOC), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Critical-to-Quality (CTQ), project approach, deployment strategies and tools and techniques used to execute the project.

The study adopted an exploratory research methodology and a multiple case study analysis to draw robust inferences. The research is carried out in the Indian aerospace industry and analyses five case studies. The case studies were collated from the company via a case study protocol with pre-defined criteria. Also, a semi-structured interview is conducted with the stakeholders of each case study to determine the deployment strategies followed during the respective projects.

It is reconfirmed that LSS is crucial in the aerospace industry, particularly in engine and gear shops, to reduce rework and rejections. Also, it was found that cost and time savings are essential KPIs. Some LSS projects require multiple CTQs for process improvement in aero industries. The DMAIC approach is used for project execution, with the Design of Experiment (DOE) being an essential tool. Top management engagement, effective HRM practices, customer focus, cross-functional collaboration and clear roles are essential for successful LSS projects. Eventually, a road map was developed based on the analysis of multiple case studies.

The study is focused on the aerospace industry in India, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other industries or regions. The small sample size and reliance on qualitative data through semi-structured interviews may introduce subjectivity. Additionally, the long-term effects of LSS implementation, particularly in the context of evolving technologies, were not fully explored.

This study provides actionable insights for aerospace companies and related organisations to enhance quality and operational performance. The developed roadmap offers a practical guide for LSS deployment, helping organisations improve efficiency and competitiveness, especially in an era of economic slowdown and high competition.

The study reveals similarities and differences in LSS deliverables in Indian aerospace industries, creating a roadmap and tool matrix for project execution and serving as a template for manufacturing industries.

Motivated by upper echelon theory, this paper aims to examine the association between gender and the cannabis industry in the USA from both policy and an organizational perspective.

This paper examines two novel data sets in two legal adult-use cannabis states. First, it examines how city council gender diversity relates to city opt-out measure decisions, barring cannabis operations and forgoing related tax revenues. Second, it examines how management gender diversity relates to organizational performance.

Results suggest that, from a policy perspective, cities with higher council gender diversity are less likely to propose an opt-out measure to city taxpayers. From an organizational perspective, results suggest that female representation at the highest level is associated with higher sales in the retail sector of the cannabis industry.

Findings are somewhat limited by data availability and may not be generalizable to all adult-use legal states. While the study recognizes the possibility of self-selection bias in the results, robust analyses is performed to limit this possibility. Finally, while the study wholly recognizes that gender is not binary, it is limited to a binary gender variable based on the gender recognition software used in this study. It is also understood that this may not accurately capture the richness of a more inclusive examination of gender.

Results from this study inform communities on the impact of city council gender diversity on policy outcomes and related tax revenue levels. Further, results inform the adult-use cannabis industry on benefits derived from executive-level gender diversity.

Evidence suggests that gender diversity has a significant impact on the adoption of legalized adult-use cannabis policy. Social benefits from legalization potentially include increased revenues from taxes, decreased spending on cannabis enforcement, decreased health costs and decreased drug-related violence. Many of these benefits substantially impact communities disproportionally burdened by former prohibition. Additionally, the results indicate that gender is associated with the level of sales within cannabis organizations, generating debate about the possibility of economic performance in the absence of historical executive gender barriers.

This paper provides an initial empirical examination of gender diversity within and around the rapidly evolving adult-use cannabis industry in the USA.

The purpose of this paper is to draw the state of the art on the trade credit, one of the most alternative form of firm financing, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The present study first reviews the theoretical papers focusing on the raison d’être of trade credit financing. Then the study identifies the empirical research studies in SMEs’ context and summarizes them on the basis of the following drivers: the country and the period analysed, the methodology used, the main findings and the presence of a shock in time span.

Findings reveal a discrepancy of results, especially in testing Meltzer’s hypothesis of substitution effects among trade and bank credit. The heterogeneity of results should be driven by lending infrastructure of the country analysed and the presence or not of a shock in time span considered. Financial constraints can reconcile the discrepancy of results. Then, most of the studies analysed are based on the assumption that trade credit is more expensive than bank credit.

This paper provides valuable conclusion on past and present studies on trade credit. First is providing a rule of the thumb in the reading of empirical evidences. Also researchers and academicians should deal with consideration regarding the cost of trade credit that still appears as a black box. This is an important issue in corporate finance, as it influences the financial decision of firms and it will be useful for conducting a deeper comparison on the alternative cost of firm financing.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the indirect relationship between board gender diversity and capital structure decisions and to examine whether the capital structure is affected by the type of approach used to promote women’s participation in the boardroom.

Based on a sample of French non-financial listed companies over the period 2006–2019, this paper uses structural equations modeling, difference-in-differences using propensity score matching and chow test to highlight these effects.

This paper finds that the relationship between the board gender diversity and the capital structure is mediated through the information transparency channel and firm risk taking channel. Furthermore, the results show that the effect of board gender diversity on capital structure decisions varies through the approach adopted (voluntary, enabling or coercive).

This paper contributes to the literature in several ways. First, the study is to the knowledge the first to examine whether and how board gender diversity affects capital structure decisions through two mediations channels, namely, the information transparency and the firm risk taking. Second, the study is one of the first to examine whether the capital structure is affected by the type of approach used to promote women’s participation in the boardroom: coercive, enabling or voluntary approach.

Do female CEOs face a compensation gap? The purpose of this paper is to examine whether gender affects the total compensation of today’s CEOs, and whether it moderates ten factors influencing their total compensation.

Taking the 54 female CEOs cited in the US 2014 Fortune’s 1000 report, a matched sample of male CEOs was selected, matched according to the crosstab of age by education and by the sizes of the companies directed by these female CEOs.

Using four years’ worth of Fortune reports, between 2013 and 2016, this matched sample indicates that female CEOs are not discriminated against in terms of total compensation. However, eight factors do show a significant effect on total compensation. Using moderation analysis, the present study reveals how gender interacts with company size, sector, membership of outside boards and nature of previous experience.

This paper addresses an important and under-researched gap, with contradictory findings in the existing literature, by compiling and testing the characteristics of male and female CEOs which are not cited in Fortune 1000 reports.

Arguably, this is therefore one of the first papers to study gender differences in total compensation among Fortune 1000 CEOs using a matched sample technique, based on a larger number of female CEOs and a larger number of years than any previous research.