Review of Business Management

Investigating the mediating role of strategic improvisation on the relationship between entrepreneurship orientation and firm performance in Turkish micro-enterprises using PLS-SEM

Zafer Aykanat — 2025-10-07

Purpose – The main objective of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of strategic improvisation on entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance.

Theoretical framework – This study adds to the body of knowledge on entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance and advances the resource-based theory.

Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 241 SMEs was used to establish and examine four hypotheses. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis.

Findings – The empirical findings reveal that strategic improvisation behavior partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance as a predictor of entrepreneurs' business success in SMEs.

Practical & social implications – This paper may help lessen environmental uncertainty and enhance foresight. Managers and business owners need to be aware of the findings.

Originality/value – This paper fills an important gap in our understanding of the role of strategic improvisation in entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance in Asian environments, such as Türkiye, with corresponding partial mediation effects of strategic improvisation and statistically significant connections among entrepreneurial orientation, firm performance, and strategic improvisation.

Development of a Scale of Attitudes towards Foreign Health Workers

Yusuf Karasín — 2025-10-07

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to develop a scale to assess public attitudes towards the inclusion of foreign healthcare workers in the Turkish healthcare system.

Theoretical framework – The research idea and model were developed based on a review of the literature.

Design/methodology/approach – Within the scope of the study, the scale development process was applied. The study sample consists of 500 people living in the Karabağlar district of Izmir, Türkiye.

Findings – Factor analysis revealed a structure consisting of four factors and 24 items. These factors were named "Negative Perspective," "Professional Confidence," "Acceptance" and "Education Policy" to best reflect the items grouped under them. The structure determined by factor analysis was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis.

Practical & social implications – With globalization, foreign healthcare professionals can work in many countries besides their own. This study, which examines public attitudes towards foreign healthcare professionals working or intending to work in Türkiye, is expected to guide subsequent studies in the field. This demonstrates the social impact of the study.

Originality/value – A scale not previously developed in the literature was developed within the scope of this study. This scale is original in terms of methodology and human resources.

A Study on the Effects of Task Diversity and Skill Diversity on Burnout and Turnover Intention: Blue-Collar Workers in the Forest Products and Furniture Industries in Türkiye

Zeynep Arabaci — 2025-10-07

Purpose – The present study aims to determine the effects of task diversity and skill diversity on burnout and turnover intention.

Theoretical framework – This section describes task diversity, skill diversity, burnout, and turnover intention, and presents the relationships between these variables and the research hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach – Using a cross-sectional research design, data were collected from 200 blue-collar workers in various businesses in the forest products and furniture industries in Türkiye. The data were gathered using the Task Diversity Scale introduced by Nimon and Zigarmi (2015), the Skill Diversity Scale introduced by Eyi (2010), the Burnout Scale introduced by Kristensen et al. (2005), and the Turnover Intention Scale developed by Mobley et al. (1978).

Findings – The present study revealed negative and significant relationships between task diversity and burnout, as well as turnover intention (r = -0.288; r = -0.216, respectively). Additionally, negative and significant relationships were found between skill diversity and burnout, as well as turnover intention (r = -0.348; r = -0.167, respectively).

Practical & social implications – The results emphasize the importance of task and skill diversity in organizations in reducing employee burnout and turnover intention.

Originality/value – The research was conducted in Turkish forest products and furniture sectors. By examining the possible protective effects of task and skill diversity in this sectoral context, it provides important insights into how diversity can be used to reduce employee burnout and turnover intention. In this respect, the study aims to both fill a gap in the literature and provide practical implications for managers in the relevant sectors.

Understanding Financial Resilience through Innovation and Top Management

Aliki Karagrigoriou Galanos — 2025-10-07

Purpose – We aim to verify if and how top management’s acquired academic characteristics help firms withstand crises by examining the effect of CEOs’ and board members’ education and scholar expertise on financial resilience through innovation.

Theoretical framework – We draw upon upper echelons, agency and information asymmetry theories.

Design/methodology/approach – We collect data for the Brazilian stock market during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow observation in times of crisis. Using a unique dataset of academic curricula, we estimate OLS and Cox regressions to reach our goal and examine the stability and flexibility of firms during the pandemic. We perform robustness checks through quantile regression to provide more evidence for our findings.

Findings – We find that top managements’ acquired academic characteristics have an impact on financial resilience. This relationship is sometimes moderated by innovation. Overall, innovation and top managements’ acquired academic characteristics seem advantageous during a crisis with their interaction boosting these relationships.

Research Practical & Social implications – This study provides evidence of the importance of top management to yet another organizational outcome, i.e. resilience. Our contributions are both theoretical and empirical as we advance in the discussions about financial resilience, corporate governance and innovation while we deliver insights to practitioners and policymakers.

Originality/value – We are the first to uncover some of the determinants of financial resilience in Brazil whose stock market tends to be more sensitive to shocks than that of more developed countries. Our study provides guidance to both investors and managers.

The Moderating Role of Diversity Management in the Relationship between Absorptive Capacity and Innovation: A Quantitative Study

Cíntia Cristina Silva de Araújo — 2025-10-07

Purpose – This study aims to measure the effect of diversity management on the relationships between potential and realized absorptive capacity and between realized absorptive capacity and innovation capacity.

Theoretical Framework – This research is based on studies that consider absorptive capacity as an essential factor for innovation (Camisón & Forés, 2010; Flatten et al., 2011) and on the literature addressing the positive impact of diversity on creativity and innovation (Cox & Blake, 1991; Ashikali & Groeneveld, 2015; Mor Barak et al., 2016).

Design/Methodology/Approach – We developed and validated an instrument to measure the relationship between the constructs, then collected data and obtained 405 valid responses. We tested the hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings – The results indicate that diversity management has a direct effect on innovation capacity and positively moderates the relationship between absorptive capacity and innovation, reinforcing its strategic role in organizational performance.

Practical & Social Implications of Research – In a context of weakening diversity and inclusion policies, this study supports valuing them as relevant organizational practices. The findings suggest that diversity not only promotes inclusion but also enhances innovation potential by fostering collaborative and knowledge-sharing environments.

Originality/Value – The main contribution of this research lies in empirically demonstrating how diversity management moderates the conversion of knowledge into innovation, addressing an important gap in the literature (Yadav & Lenka, 2020) and providing practical guidelines for managers.

The Relationship Between Accounting Information Quality and Market Value in Brazilian Companies

João Pedro Padial da Costa Leite — 2025-10-07

Purpose – This study investigates the relationship between accounting information quality and market value in publicly traded Brazilian companies, highlighting the impact of high-quality financial reporting on valuation and investor decision-making.

Theoretical framework – Building on international research, the study examines how accounting information quality, firm size, growth, leverage, and dividends influence market valuation.

Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on an unbalanced panel of 317 non-financial publicly traded companies listed on the Brazilian Stock Exchange (B3) from 2011 to 2020, totaling 2,246 firm-year observations. Short panel regression with firm fixed effects, year dummies, and clustered robust standard errors was employed using the market-to-book ratio as a proxy for market value.

Findings – The results show a significant positive relationship between accounting information quality and market value. Market value is also positively affected by firm size and growth, but negatively affected by leverage and dividend yield. Capital expenditures and return on equity were not statistically significant.

Practical & social implications of the research – The findings underscore the importance of transparent and reliable financial reporting to foster investor confidence and improve valuation. The study suggests that enhancing corporate governance and incentives for accounting quality can further strengthen the Brazilian capital market.

Originality/value – This research contributes to the literature on emerging markets by providing robust empirical evidence of the impact of accounting information quality on market valuation in Brazil, complementing international studies and evidencing advances in Brazilian corporate governance practices.