Engineering Economics

Impact of Globalisation and Energy Consumption on CO2 Emissions: Empirical Evidence from Lithuania Using Linear and Non-linear ARDL Bound Testing Approach

Habib Ur Rahman — 2024-06-28

This study examines the symmetric and asymmetric impact of globalisation and energy consumption on Lithuania's carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions using the KOF index of globalisation. Interestingly, the KOF database applies several globalisation gauges, including financial, trade, and overall globalisation. This study employs a series of econometrics techniques using data from 1988 to 2018. The results of the linear and non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach reveal substantial evidence of a long-run association between the study variables. The OLS estimates of the non-linear ARDL model explain that the positive shock in financial globalisation deteriorates CO₂ emissions. I could not find such evidence for trade globalisation and overall globalisation. Conversely, energy consumption is the primary source of CO₂emissions in Lithuania.

Interpersonal and Organizational Dimensions of Leaders’ Transformational Behaviours Measured by LPI©

János Fehér — 2024-06-28

This paper discusses characteristics of leaders’ transformational behaviours by using the five-factor Exemplary Leadership model measured by Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI©) (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Literature is scarce on investigating the psychometric properties of this instrument. In this study factor analysis, cluster analysis and ANOVA are used for identifying changes of the internal variable structure of Leadership Practices Inventory© and examining correlations between leadership scales and objective variables on a sample of 1638. The main goal of this paper is to report on a new, two-dimensional factor structure found, in which one of the factors represents a development-motivation (i.e., stimulation), and the other, a vision-organizational transformation dimension. Through identifying the two-dimensional structure, this research statistically confirms the literature suggestion (Northouse, 2001; 2019) about the existence of an interpersonal and an organizational dimension of transformational behaviours. Along the two factors an original cluster structure of ‘transformational leadership’ and ‘non-leadership’ and hypothetical further clusters are proposed. By using the factors, significant relations between leadership activities and management levels, leaders’ qualifications, as well as organizational variables like ownership, sector, size, and functional unit are found. Beyond their theoretical implications, the results of this research can be used in management education, self-development of managers, and managerial practice.

Is the Export-Led Growth Model Valid in Emerging Economies? The Role of Intellectual Capital

Le Thanh Tung — 2024-06-28

In recent years, emerging economies have been considered a new growth engine of the global economy. This study tests the export-led growth hypothesis with a sample of 31 emerging economies. Unlike other studies, in this research, intellectual capital is used as a variable affecting economic growth. The database for the study covers the period 1992–2019 and is divided into two sub-samples and two sub-periods. The study’s results make some notable contributions to the current literature. First, they confirm the export-led growth hypothesis in these economies. This empirical finding is the first evidence of this with the largest sample of emerging economies, filling an empirical research gap in the contemporary literature. Second, intellectual capital is found to have a positive impact on economic growth both directly and indirectly, in upper-middle-income countries. However, the positive effect of this variable is not confirmed in the lower-middle-income group. Third, education is considered a key factor supporting economic growth based on all estimated results. Conversely, pollution and poverty have a negative influence on economic growth in most study samples. Lastly, we derive some policy implications for improving economic growth in these emerging economies in the future.

Determining of Marketing Mix Components to improve sales performance in startup companies in Islamic culture

Mehrgan Malekpour — 2024-06-28

Currently, one of the main concerns of startup companies is the sales of their products. Sales reduction is an issue that managers in startup companies are struggling with. The aim is to determine effective components of the marketing mix on sales performance in startup companies in Islamic cultures.

We collect information related to measuring variables using field methods and questionnaire through library studies. The statistical population is including all startup companies in Iran; 20 companies were selected from the available probability sampling method in Tehran, of which the data of 14 companies are correct. 383 questionnaires have been completed in these 14 companies. From five marketing mix examined factors; product, packaging, and promotion have positive effects on sales performance in startup companies. The research is innovative because no research has been done relevant to startup companies in Islamic culture.

Amplifying IT Project Success Ratio: the Role of Transformational Leadership, Proactive Behavior, and Psychological Empowerment

Shoukat Iqbal Khattak — 2024-06-28

This research study investigates the transformational leadership (TFL) and IT project success nexus via the proactive behavior of employees. It further investigates the moderating impact of psychological empowerment (PE) in the nexus between TFL and proactive behavior (PB). The study also tested a moderated mediation model of the effect of TFL on IT project success mediated and moderated by PB and PE, respectively. The researcher collected data from 340 IT project experts in Pakistan through the purposive sampling technique. For data analysis, a multi-level method comprising CFA and SEM was applied. The findings indicated that TFL is significantly linked to IT project success. In addition, findings also confirmed the mediating effect of PB in the relationship between TFL and IT project success. Moreover, PE significantly moderates the relationship between TFL and PB. The results also revealed that PE moderates the indirect effect of TFL on IT project success through PB. Through the lens of self-determination theory, this study contributed to the understanding of how employee proactive behavior can play a significant role in successfully completing technology-oriented projects. In sum, the current study suggests that transformational leaders will be in a better position to encourage their employees to complete projects successfully using proactive behavior, provided their followers are psychologically empowered. The study offers valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners.

Budget Transparency and Good Governance for Human Development and Citizens’ Well-Being. New Empirical Evidence from the European Union

Raluca Mihaela Drăcea — 2024-06-28

This paper aims to study the synergies between budget transparency (proxied through the Open Budget Index) and good governance (measured through each of the 6 Worldwide Governance Indicators), with overall effects on human development (measured by the Human Development Index). Based on the literature underpinnings, most of the previous studies were based either on the bidirectional analysis of the influences exerted by budget transparency on the 6 pillars of governance, or on studying the relationship between good governance and the development prospects of states. Therefore, our study highlights the influences exercised on the level of human development, documenting the simultaneous causality of our coordinates, within the selected states. The sample includes 14 EU member states, selected according to the availability of reported budget transparency, for the period 2006-2021. The research methodology embeds a three-fold approach that relies on advanced modeling through robust regression models, structural equations modeling and Gaussian Graphical Models. The obtained results suggest that improving governance and human development can help promote budget transparency, and greater budget transparency can support better governance and higher human development by ensuring efficient use of public resources, considering the political factor as well.

Demystifying the Effects of Organizational Sensemaking and Green Dynamic Capabilities on Sustainability Performance

Denisa Bogdana Abrudan — 2024-06-28

The present study aims to investigate how organizational sensemaking contributes towards sustainability performance (i.e., environmental performance and social performance) by proposing green dynamic capabilities as underlying mechanisms. It uses time-lagged design and the data were collected in two waves, from 232 agribusiness organizations in Romania using an online survey. PLS-SEM was employed in WarpPLS 8.0 software to analyze the data and test the hypothesized relationships. Results showed that organizational sensemaking positively influences both dimensions of sustainability performance. Moreover, the results also supported the mediating role of green dynamic capabilities. Findings imply that organizations that are proficient in sensing and interpreting external events, cues, and changes can successfully strengthen internal business processes (by developing green dynamic capabilities) to address environmental concerns, which in turn helps these organizations to achieve enhanced sustainability performance. The novelty of this study is the development of a dynamic-capabilities-based integrated framework for sustainability performance.

Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Approaches, Corporate Reputation, and Corporate Performance: Evidence from China

Wenwen Lyu — 2024-06-28

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) entails balancing economic, social, and environmental aspects of business activities. The CSR report, a crucial non-financial disclosure tool, enables firms to effectively communicate their CSR strategies, actions' impacts, achievements, and shortcomings to stakeholders. It plays a pivotal role in shaping corporate reputation and performance. Therefore, enhancing CSR report quality is of great importance. This study examines the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Approaches (CSRDA) and corporate performance, with consideration of corporate reputation's role in this connection. By drawing from stakeholder theory, signaling theory, and reputational capital theory, we address the gap in understanding CSRDA and corporate reputation (CR) linkage. Using the System-Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) and bootstrapping techniques, we explore this relationship in a dataset of 943 publicly listed Chinese companies from 2011 to 2019, accounting for incomplete CSR data during the pandemic period from 2020 to 2022. Our results indicate a positive association between CSR disclosure approaches and corporate performance, mediated by corporate reputation.