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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of social working environment and secured working environment on job satisfaction in Lebanese SMEs, with a particular focus on the mediating effect of job satisfaction Theoretical Framework: A secure working environment is an essential aspect of the workplace that contributes to employee job satisfaction. A secure working environment is free from threats and hazards, and employees feel safe and secure while working. A secure working environment is vital in enhancing job satisfaction among employees. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study utilized a sample of 350 respondents working in SMEs in Lebanon and employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships between the variables Findings: The findings of this study revealed that both social working environment and secured working environment had a significant positive impact on job satisfaction. Specifically, a supportive and friendly social working environment and a secured working environment were found to be associated with higher levels of job satisfaction among employees. Furthermore, the study also found that job satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between social working environment and job satisfaction, as well as the relationship between secured working environment and job satisfaction. Research, Practical & Social Implications: This suggests that job satisfaction plays a crucial role in explaining the relationship between these variables. These findings have important implications for SMEs in Lebanon and other contexts. For example, employers should prioritize creating a social working environment that fosters teamwork, collaboration, and positive relationships among employees, as well as a secured working environment that prioritizes safety and security. These factors can significantly contribute to employee job satisfaction and overall well-being. Originality/Value: This research is original and unique

Purpose: This research aims to identify the adaptations that Brazilian companies operating in foreign trade have implemented in their operations to mitigate the effects caused by the Covid 19 pandemic on imports and exports in the context of foreign trade. Methodology/approach: To enable the achievement of the proposed objectives, a bibliographic literature review was carried out, that is, the scope of the research was broad so that it was possible to identify the actions implemented by companies operating in foreign trade to mitigate the effects caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The articles were collected in the SPELL, Scielo and Google Scholar databases. The data analysis technique used was content analysis (Bardin, 1977). Originality/Relevance: The article addresses a topic of great importance, there are no studies that identified the actions that were implemented by Brazilian companies in a broad way to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are fragmented studies that did not consolidate all the actions that were implemented in the pandemic scenario. Key findings: The main actions implemented by Brazilian companies operating in foreign trade to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic were the reinforcement of hygiene processes, dismissal of employees, changes in meeting methodology and adoption of remote work by their employees Theoretical/methodological contributions: This research is expected to contribute to the literature on crises, more specifically crisis mitigation strategies, given that the pandemic was a disruptive event and impacted commercial operations around the world. The study also presents managerial contributions, as managers can use the findings of this research to implement actions that aim to reduce damage in other crisis., Objetivo: Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar as adaptações que as empresas brasileiras que atuam no comércio exterior têm implementado em suas operações para mitigar os efeitos causados pela pandemia da Covid 19 nas importações e exportações no contexto do comércio exterior. Metodologia/abordagem: Para possibilitar o alcance dos objetivos propostos, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica da literatura, ou seja, o escopo da pesquisa foi amplo para que fosse possível identificar as ações implementadas pelas empresas que atuam no comércio exterior para mitigar o efeitos causados pela pandemia de COVID-19. Os artigos foram coletados nas bases de dados SPELL, Scielo e Google Acadêmico. A técnica de análise de dados utilizada foi a análise de conteúdo (Bardin, 1977). Originalidade/Relevância: O artigo aborda um tema de grande importância, não há estudos que identifiquem as ações que foram implementadas pelas empresas brasileiras de forma ampla para mitigar os efeitos da pandemia de Covid-19. Existem estudos fragmentados que não consolidaram todas as ações que foram implementadas no cenário pandêmico. Principais conclusões: As principais ações implementadas pelas empresas brasileiras que atuam no comércio exterior para mitigar os efeitos da pandemia da Covid-19 foram o reforço dos processos de higienização, demissão de funcionários, mudanças na metodologia de reuniões e adoção do trabalho remoto por seus funcionários. Contribuições teóricas/metodológicas: Espera-se que esta pesquisa contribua com a literatura sobre crises, mais especificamente estratégias de mitigação de crises, visto que a pandemia foi um evento disruptivo e impactou as operações comerciais em todo o mundo. O estudo também apresenta contribuições gerenciais, pois os gestores podem utilizar os achados desta pesquisa para implementar ações que visem reduzir danos em outras crises.

Since the early 1980s, with the support of a series of national policies, Chinese companies have been expanding globally to seek resources and strategic assets, aiming to build long-term competitive advantages. Alongside this foreign expansion, managing foreign workforces presents unique challenges. While researchers have investigated the management practices of Chinese MNEs with a focus on the relationship between headquarters and subsidiaries, there is limited research evaluating the effectiveness of Chinese leadership in non-Chinese contexts. Therefore, this dissertation aims to fill this research gap by addressing the main research question: How do Chinese organizations become successful abroad in the digital age, and how effective are Chinese leadership styles in the host business environment? To achieve this goal, we conducted four independent empirical studies (Chapters 2 to 5) to advance understanding of the success of Chinese organizations in international contexts and the impact of Chinese leadership styles on non-Chinese employees. Chapter 2 delves into the success of TikTok, an app developed by ByteDance, attributing its global success to business model innovation. This innovation combines successful elements from other social networking and video-sharing platforms to provide a new and unique customer experience and utilizes the huge and diverse domestic market for testing and improving core technologies before going global. Chapter 3 addresses the gap in systematic review regarding Chinese leadership research. We synthesize insights from 268 articles, highlighting two main areas: traditional Chinese leadership philosophies and the application of Western leadership theories in a Chinese context. Future research directions are proposed, including the development of Chinese leadership theories and exploring their effectiveness beyond the Chinese context. Chapters 4 and 5 build on the directions proposed in Chapter 3, focusing on investigating the effective

Conventional economic and accounting systems have been exposed by the limitations of market-driven mechanisms, where public services, education and healthcare have been subordinated to profit, exacerbating the inequalities between people and countries. Italy was one of the earliest countries to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and also one of the hardest-hit. The successes and failures of the Italian response provides a blueprint for the factors determining the ability of institutions to meet these challenges. This book presents a multifaceted analysis and reflection of the challenges that various types of organisations - public, private and non-profit - have had to face during the pandemic. It contributes to the creation of robust strategies for institutions worldwide to be able to respond promptly and equitably to future emergencies and offers insights for developing policy and practice, with respect to global leaders' accountability for and management of exceptional events. It addresses three main subjects: extraordinary events and their challenges for business and organisations; the nature and roles of interdisciplinary accounting and accountability in a pandemic environment; and how the global pandemic is impacting accounting and accountability in diverse contexts, such as public services, healthcare, education, and NGOs. With a focus on institutional approaches to establishing, maintaining and discharging accountability throughout the pandemic, the insights of this book are invaluable to both students and practitioners seeking to bolster institutional resilience in an increasingly uncertain world. Both management and accounting communities can learn from this extraordinary global event to promote the process of transforming how business and societies operate.

Our study investigates how the organizational growth paradox is perceived and managed by incumbent firms from a degrowth perspective. There is a growing critique against the growth paradigm, an increasing support for its abandonment. Scholars are calling for a paradigm shift towards a post-growth economy. The degrowth movement has paid more attention to macroeconomics but it has been insufficiently researched on a micro level. It is viewed as being too abstract and does not provide concrete frameworks that can be applied in a business context. We address this gap by applying two theoretical frameworks, organizational paradox and degrowth theory. Then the degrowth notion is defined on a macro- and a micro-level, including relevant degrowth frameworks such as the Doughnut Economic and the Circular Economy model. Lastly, we define organizational paradoxes and possible managerial responses to them. The degrowth agenda has a variety of perspectives that range from radical to more moderate. We adopt a moderate perspective, influenced by Buch-Hansen and Nesterova (2023) and consequently, we anticipate gradual changes as incumbents adapt to a post- growth economy. We collect empirical data by conducting a case study and performing semi-structured interviews on a cooperative in Sweden’s primary food industry. In addition, we interviewed the CEO of a family-owned company operating in the same industry. Moreover, we analyze the resulting organizational paradoxes, and explore management responses. Two new paradoxes have been discovered. First, the governance paradox shows that a cooperative structure by itself, as advocated by degrowth theory, does not prevent but potentially creates paradoxical tensions. Second, the core business paradox describes a dissent between the business or product and public perception. A justification response approach in this case can endanger the business’ existence. We conclude that profitability in financial terms is key to being able to transitio