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This study aims to explore the effect of chief executive officer education on firms’ action timing and acquisition performance in industry merger waves. In addition, this study investigated the moderating influence of CEO duality and firm cash flow on the relationship between education and entry timing.

Following the methodology for determining merger waves in previous studies, the authors identified 16 industry merger waves of Chinese listed firms from 2008 to 2019. Multiple linear regression was employed to examine the hypotheses.

The results showed that higher CEO education was associated with early participation in merger waves. CEO duality negatively moderated the education-entry timing relation. The effect of CEO education on entry timing was more pronounced when firms had higher cash flow. Moreover, more educated CEOs materially enhanced acquisition performance in merger waves.

Entry timing in industry merger waves has important implications, as early movers establish competitive advantages and achieve higher acquisition performance. However, the managerial characteristics determining entry timing have not received adequate attention. Meanwhile, studies examining the effect of CEO education on acquisitions are limited. This study explored the effect of CEO education on firms’ entry timing and acquisition performance in merger waves, thereby contributing to the literature on merger waves and managerial characteristics. This study’s findings regarding the moderators of the education-entry timing relation enrich the literature on corporate governance and agency theory.

Part building orientation (PBO) is an important factor affecting the quality of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), which can affect the surface quality and manufacturing cost. The purpose of this paper is to propose a PBO optimization method to optimize the surface roughness and molding time of parts at the same time on the premise of small calculation scale and arbitrary resolution.

Efficient and accurate evaluation is an important index of PBO optimization method. In this paper, a PBO optimization method based on scaling enumeration method is proposed, and the surface roughness and molding time of L-PBF parts are modeled as the objective evaluation function of PBO optimization process. To realize multi-objective optimization, an expert system is established, and the fuzzy multiple-attribute group decision-making theory is used to provide weights for each objective evaluation function.

Research shows that the scaling-enumeration method can optimize the surface roughness and molding time at the same time and get the best PBO. Compared with the traditional method, the surface roughness and molding time are reduced by 1.1% and 0.58%, respectively, and the operation scale of the scaling-enumeration method is reduced by 99% compared with the traditional method. PBO with arbitrary angular resolution can be achieved.

This paper presents a new method to optimize the forming direction of L-PBF parts. This method has small operation scale and accurate results, so it is meaningful for industrial application.

Based on boundary theory, the authors try to clarify the boundaries of multiple environmental regulations. This paper aims to explore the strategic choices of multiple environmental regulations, analyze their spatial impact on green technology innovation and clarify the implementation priorities of multiple environmental regulations in various regions.

The authors construct an asymmetric response model based on the boundary theory perspective to analyze the strategic choices of different environmental regulations. In addition, dynamic spatial econometric methods are used to empirically analyze the differentiated regulatory boundaries of command-control type, market-incentive and voluntary-participation in environmental regulations and their spatial effects on green technology innovation.

Strict compulsory boundaries are formed in China when the command-control and market-incentive types are selected in a dynamic spatial and competitive game environment. When voluntary participation is selected, strict compulsory or loose basic boundaries are formed in each region. The command-control type is highly dependent on geographical distance, the market-incentive type is more dependent on an economic connection and the voluntary-participation type has obvious spatial spillover effects under the spatial weight matrix of geographical distance and economic connection. When Eastern China chooses voluntary participation in environmental regulation, the incentive effect on green technology innovation is the strongest. Middle China is the market-incentive type, and Western China is the command-control type. Command-control type and market-incentive type form strong complementary effects in dynamic spatial environments.

From the boundary theory perspective, this study analyzes the differentiated dynamic spatial boundaries of command-control, market-incentive and voluntary-participation in environmental regulations. Analyze the spatial impact of multiple environmental regulations on green technology innovation and clarify the implementation priorities of multiple environmental regulations in various regions.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of benevolent leadership on proactive customer service performance by creating a moderated mediation model. The model focuses on the role of harmonious passion as a mediator in the relationship between benevolent leadership and proactive customer service performance as well as the moderating influence of proactive personality on this mediation.

The model was tested using data from 339 immediate supervisor-subordinate pairs in eight five-star hotels in Egypt. Frontline service employees and their immediate supervisors completed separate questionnaires, and the responses were matched using identification numbers.

The results indicate that harmonious passion fully mediates the positive relationship between benevolent leadership and proactive customer service performance. Additionally, proactive personality was found to moderate the mediated relationship between benevolent leadership and proactive customer service performance through harmonious passion, such that the mediation was stronger for employees with higher proactive personalities.

By testing the moderated mediation model, this study contributes to our theoretical understanding of the motivational mechanism through which benevolent leadership influences proactive customer service performance.

This research offers initial evidence of the mediating role of harmonious passion in the positive relationship between benevolent leadership and proactive customer service performance. The moderated mediation model extends existing findings by incorporating proactive personality as a significant moderator in explaining the impact of benevolent leadership on proactive customer service performance.

How does a manager’s coaching behaviour encourage taking charge behaviour among subordinates? Although prior research has found a positive association between managerial coaching behaviour and employee performance, to date few studies have examined its effect on proactive behaviours in the workplace such as taking charge. Drawing on social exchange theory (SET) and social cognitive theory (SCT), this study develops a theoretical model to examine the mediating effects of work engagement and role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) in the relationship between managerial coaching and subordinates taking charge. Additionally, drawing on social role theory (SRT), we test whether our proposed relationships are contingent on subordinates’ gender.

We tested our proposed moderated-mediation model using empirical data collected across two waves from 196 employees within a large Malaysian services enterprise. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

The results revealed that managerial coaching has a significant, positive relationship with taking charge, work engagement and RBSE. However, only work engagement was found to partially mediate the relationship between managerial coaching and taking charge. Subordinates’ gender was found to positively attenuate the direct effect between managerial coaching and taking charge among females. However, the mediating effects of work engagement and RBSE in managerial coaching and taking charge were found to be not contingent on subordinates’ gender.

Finding from this study reveals that managerial coaching is useful in shaping employees' taking charge behaviour through work engagement. Hence, organisations should focus on strategies aiming to enhance managers' coaching capabilities.

This study extends the nomological networks of managerial coaching by highlighting it as a predictor of taking charge. Moreover, drawing on SET and SCT to explain the mechanism of managerial coaching and taking charge, we provide a novel perspective on how managerial coaching can influence taking charge. Specifically, we highlight the critical role of work engagement as a key mechanism that influences the relationship between managerial coaching and taking charge. Finally, we demonstrate managerial coaching as a means through which organisations can improve individual functioning.

The authors examined how employee led exchange benefits the organizations. Specifically, the authors aim at investigating the mediating role of family supportive supervision between employee performance and taking charge behavior. The authors further examined leader-member exchange (LMX) as a boundary condition between employee performance and family supportive supervision.

The authors collected data from 295 employees and their supervisors working in various public sector organizations of Pakistan on a convenience basis. Specifically, data on family supportive supervision and LMX was collected from employees; whereas, data on employee performance and taking charge was collected from their supervisors between June–September 2021.

The statistical analysis reveals that high-performing employees are reciprocated by the high family-supportive supervision which increases their work-life balance and they further reciprocate by showing a propensity to take charge. In addition, LMX is noted to strengthen the association between employees' performance and family supportive supervision.

This study explains how managers can extend the stream of employees' performance by highlighting the role of family-supportive supervision and LMX. The managers through high LMX and provision of family-supportive supervision can boost the employees' outcomes from job performance to extra-role performance (i.e. taking charge).

This study adds value to the existing body of knowledge by considering performance as a predictor of various organizational-level consequences. Recent studies have considered the negative consequences of employees' performance, while the positive aspect has been called for an investigation.

Drawing on prior research on strengths use and job performance, this study aims to investigate how employees’ strengths use for tasks and strengths use for relationships jointly influence role breadth self-efficacy and subsequent job performance, specifically in- and extra-role performances.

To test the assumptions, the authors methodologically performed a polynomial regression with response surface analysis using data collected from multiple time points and sources (i.e. 312 employee–supervisor dyads in Chinese companies).

The results showed that the higher the congruence between strengths use for tasks and strengths use for relationships, the higher the employees’ role breadth self-efficacy. Employees’ role breadth self-efficacy was greater when both strengths use for tasks and strengths use for relationships were high. Furthermore, the congruence between strengths use for tasks and strengths use for relationships had indirect effects on in- and extra-role performances via role breadth self-efficacy.

This study uniquely contributes to the strengths use literature by offering a more nuanced understanding of the consequences of strengths use for tasks and strengths use for relationships in the Chinese context. It highlights the importance of both types of strengths use for improving employee performance in Chinese organizations. Furthermore, this study provides new theoretical insights into the relationship between strengths use and job performance by ascertaining the mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy.

Based on the resource-gain-development framework, this study aims to explore the mediating mechanism of work–family enrichment (WFE) and psychological distress, and the potential positive effect of co-worker support, on employees’ work behaviour.

Data was obtained via a three-stage survey with 400 frontline employees from 13 distinct industries.

This study found that family-supportive leadership (FSL) has a positive impact on employees’ taking charge behaviour (TCB). WFE and psychological distress partially mediated the effect of FSL on TCB and WFE and psychological distress played a serial mediating role between FSL and TCB. Co-worker support positively moderated the relationship between FSL and WFE, TCB and psychological distress.

Managers should consider the problems and difficulties that employees may encounter in completing their work tasks and performance and minimise the interference of non-work factors on employees’ work status. Organisations should also facilitate diversity training for managers to respond to employees’ work and life problems and display family support behaviour.

This study confirmed the role of FSL in WFE, psychological distress and TCB. The results can provide guidance for managers to motivate employees’ TCB.

For start-ups or growing firms, to effectively navigate the unpredictable nature of digital development and achieve superior innovative performance, it is crucial to have a workforce comprised of creative and innovative employees. Drawing upon the principles of social information processing theory, this study aims to investigate whether specific combinations of organizational internal and external environments, as well as work characteristics in the digital age, can foster a high level of employee innovative behavior.

By collecting a multilevel and multisource data set comprising 693 employees and 88 CEOs from 88 start-ups or growing firms, this study used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to examine the distinctive configurations associated with achieving a high level of employee innovative behavior.

The study found that six solutions enabled employees to innovate more effectively, but six solutions led to the absence of employee innovative behavior.

The findings of this study offer important theoretical and practical implications to motivate employee innovative behavior in Chinese enterprises.

First, this study contributes to the literature on employee innovative behavior by addressing the need to explore the impact of the digital context on promoting innovation among employees. Second, this study adds to the existing literature on employee innovation and entrepreneurship by examining multiple organizational contexts and their influence on innovative behavior. Third, this study makes a significant contribution to the field of employee innovative behavior by examining the macroenvironment surrounding digital transformation within enterprises and integrating both internal and external organizational factors.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings and leverage manipulation and the moderating effects of internal and external supervision.

The authors draw on a sample of Chinese non-financial A-share-listed firms from 2013 to 2020 to explore the effect of ESG ratings on leverage manipulation. Robustness and endogeneity tests confirm the validity of the regression results.

ESG ratings inhibit leverage manipulation by improving social reputation, information transparency and financing constraints. This effect is weakened by internal supervision, captured by the ratio of institutional investor ownership, and strengthened by external supervision, captured by the level of marketization. The effect is stronger in non-state-owned firms and firms in non-polluting industries. The governance dimension of ESG exhibits the strongest effect, with comprehensive environmental governance ratings and social governance ratings also suppressing leverage manipulation.

Firms should strive to cultivate environmental awareness, fulfil their social responsibilities and enhance internal governance, which may help to strengthen the firm’s sustainability orientation, mitigate opportunistic behaviours and ultimately contribute to high-quality firm development. The top managers of firms should exercise self-restraint and take the initiative to reduce leverage manipulation by establishing an appropriate governance structure and sustainable business operation system that incorporate environmental and social governance in addition to general governance.

Policymakers and regulators should formulate unified guidelines with comprehensive criteria to improve the scope and quality of ESG information disclosure and provide specific guidance on ESG practice for firms. Investors should incorporate ESG ratings into their investment decision framework to lower their portfolio risk.

This study contributes to the literature in four ways. Firstly, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is among the first to show that high ESG ratings may mitigate firms’ opportunistic behaviours. Secondly, it identifies the governance factor of leverage manipulation from the perspective of firms’ subjective sustainability orientation. Thirdly, it demonstrates that the relationship between ESG ratings and leverage manipulation varies with the level of internal and external supervision. Finally, it highlights the importance of governance in guaranteeing the other two dimensions’ roles by decomposing overall ESG.