{"title":"Nurturing Employee Agility, Creativity, and Engagement: Unveiling the Influence of Internal Marketing","authors":"Tadeja Harl, Borut Milfelner","doi":"10.3390/admsci15120484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15120484","url":null,"abstract":"Despite evidence that internal marketing influences key employees and customer outcomes, its role in shaping employee agility, creativity, and engagement remains underexplored, limiting organizations’ ability to develop a workforce that sustains competitiveness in dynamic environments. While previous literature has addressed individual relationships between internal marketing, employee creativity, agility, engagement, and satisfaction, we propose a structural model to test the proposed effects and provide a holistic understanding of how internal marketing interacts with employee creativity and other concepts. Covariance-based structural equation modeling was used to test relationships. The results confirm a significant positive impact of internal marketing on employee agility and engagement. While we did not find a direct impact on creativity, we identified an indirect impact on employee creativity via agility. Additionally, analysis showed a positive impact of creativity on satisfaction, highlighting the importance of a creative work environment in enhancing overall employee satisfaction. The study demonstrates that a well-structured IM strategy can set a company apart by fostering a workforce that is more agile, creative, engaged, and committed to success.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"15 12","pages":"484-484"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/12/484/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147892535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Brand Image and Net Promoter Score: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study in the Banking Sector","authors":"Þórhallur Guðlaugsson, Unnar Theodorsson","doi":"10.3390/admsci15070237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15070237","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores the link between brand image and Net Promoter Score (NPS) in Iceland’s banking sector using data from three survey waves (2021, 2023, and 2025). While NPS is widely used to track customer loyalty, its relationship with brand image, especially in financial services, remains unclear. Drawing on repeated cross-sectional data (n = 1504), we examine how trust, corporate social responsibility, customer satisfaction, and perceived corruption relate to NPS across three major banks. Results show a consistently strong positive correlation (r > 0.5), with Arion Bank customers showing the highest association (r = 0.68). This suggests that customers with a positive image of the bank are far more likely to recommend it. The findings offer both theoretical and practical value: they reinforce the role of brand image in driving customer advocacy and support a more contextualized use of NPS in brand strategy and customer experience management.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"15 7","pages":"237-237"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/7/237/pdf?version=1750400020","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147918120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Virtuous Leadership for Social Sustainability: Integrating Psychological Well-Being and Attitudes Towards People with Disabilities in the Workplace","authors":"María José Rodríguez Araneda, Pablo Livácic-Rojas","doi":"10.3390/admsci15050155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15050155","url":null,"abstract":"Social sustainability that starts from the workplace is a relevant factor for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Based on this need, this study analyzes the role of virtuous leadership as facilitator of health and inclusive work environments that integrate followers’ psychological well-being and their attitudes towards people with disabilities. An exploratory design was used with latent variables to assess the proposed virtue-based ethical leadership adjustment model for social sustainability, which presented efficient absolute, comparative, and parsimonious adjustments for its operationalization. In conclusion, virtuous leadership plays a relevant role in the development of followers’ psychological well-being, and attitudes towards people with disabilities in the workplace, contributing to the social sustainability criteria from the work environment.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"15 5","pages":"155-155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/5/155/pdf?version=1745472037","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147917311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health Care: Management Implications, Ethical Challenges, and Policy Considerations","authors":"Stephan Hoose, Kristína Králiková","doi":"10.3390/admsci14090227","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090227","url":null,"abstract":"Adopting AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the provision of psychiatric services has been groundbreaking and has presented other means of handling some of the issues related to traditional methods. This paper aims at analyzing the applicability and efficiency of AI in mental health practices based on business administration paradigms with a focus on managing services and policies. This paper engages a systematic and synoptic process, where current AI technologies in mental health are investigated with reference to the current literature as to their usefulness in delivering services and the moral considerations that surround their application. The study indicates that AI is capable of improving the availability, relevance, and effectiveness of mental health services, information that can be useful for policymakers in the management of health care. Consequently, specific concerns arise, such as how the algorithm imposes its own bias, the question of data privacy, or how a mechanism could reduce the human factor in care. The review brought to light an area of understanding of AI-driven interventions that has not been explored: the effect of such interventions in the long run. The field study suggests that further research should be conducted regarding ethical factors, increasing the ethical standards of AI usage in administration, and exploring the cooperation of mental health practitioners and AI engineers with respect to the application of AI in psychiatric practice. Proposed solutions, therefore, include enhancing the AI functions and ethical standards and guaranteeing that policy instruments are favorable for the use of AI in mental health.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"187 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142252867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Effect of Payment Delay on Consumer Purchase Intention","authors":"Minkyung Choy","doi":"10.3390/admsci14090226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090226","url":null,"abstract":"While previous studies have focused on the form of payment methods as a criterion, this study proposes payment delay as a new criterion and examines the relationship between consumers’ need for closure (NFC) and temporal construal in payment situations. Three empirical studies were conducted with participants who had experience with plastic card payments to ensure they understood the concept of payment delay. Participants with a low NFC tended to construe payment situations more abstractly, leading to increased purchase intentions for hedonic products when payment was delayed and for utilitarian products when it was not. In contrast, participants with a high NFC exhibited higher purchase intentions for hedonic products when payment was delayed but no significant difference for utilitarian products based on payment delay. The findings provide implications for strategies to mitigate excessive hedonic consumption through credit card payments and address reluctance toward credit card use stemming from consumers’ aversion to debt or uncertainty.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"187 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142252875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding and Mitigating Leadership Fear-Based Behaviors on Employee and Organizational Success","authors":"Jason A. Hubbart","doi":"10.3390/admsci14090225","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090225","url":null,"abstract":"Leadership behavior profoundly influences organizational culture, serving as a cornerstone for environments that foster safety, innovation, and employee satisfaction. This article utilizes research from the primary literature to demonstrate how leaders’ actions and underlying fears influence organizational dynamics and employee outcomes, highlighting the importance of respect, transparency, and trust. Studies have shown that leadership styles shape the work environment, driving innovation and performance. However, concerns over productivity, evaluation, and control can lead to poor communication, low transparency, reduced innovation, and diminished performance, creating a culture of mistrust and anxiety. Authoritarian control or neglect of employees’ needs exacerbates these issues, stifling creativity. The Pygmalion and Golem effects demonstrate how positive reinforcement enhances morale, productivity, and retention, while negative reinforcement is detrimental. Leaders operating under fears of failure or loss of control or political capital inadvertently create a culture of fear and increasingly severe feedback loops of reduced employee trust, satisfaction, and commitment. Addressing these fears fosters open communication, psychological safety, transparency, and mutual respect. Strategies for transforming leadership fears into positive change include promoting open communication, decentralizing decision-making, and implementing positive reinforcement mechanisms. Constructive feedback mechanisms encourage bidirectional communication and help mitigate the negative impacts of leadership fears. Leaders who address their fears can strengthen team trust, enhancing collaboration and engagement. Ultimately, managing leadership fears proactively catalyzes organizational learning and development, promoting a mindset where challenges are seen as opportunities for growth. This approach enhances adaptability and resilience while fostering continuous improvement. Addressing leadership fears and fostering a supportive culture is essential for sustainable productivity and success, serving as a starting point for exploring strategies that support employee performance and development, ultimately contributing to organizational success.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142252868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Preferences of Generations of Customers in Slovakia in the Field of Marketing Communication and Their Impact on Consumer Behaviour","authors":"Matúš Cagala, Dagmar Babčanová","doi":"10.3390/admsci14090224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090224","url":null,"abstract":"This paper deals with the analysis of the preferences of different customer generations in Slovakia in the field of marketing communication and its influence on consumer behaviour. Currently, marketing communication is an integral part of company strategies and has a key influence on how customers choose products or services. With the increasing importance of the generational segmentation of customers, understanding their individual preferences and tendencies in communication becomes an essential prerequisite for success. In this paper, we explore how preferences differ between Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z, and how these preferences influence their consumer behaviour. Based on the analysis of primary and secondary data, the main trends and preferences of generations in the field of marketing communication were identified. This paper provides useful information that can be used by companies in the creation and implementation of marketing strategies. At the same time, the paper enables a better understanding of the dynamics of consumer behaviour in the context of generational preferences and will help identify opportunities for improving marketing activities and more effective communication with target groups.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142252870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dario Peirone, Dina Batista Pereira, João Leitão, Olha Nezghoda
{"title":"The Role of the Agglomeration Economy and Innovation Ecosystem in the Process of Competency Development and Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises","authors":"Dario Peirone, Dina Batista Pereira, João Leitão, Olha Nezghoda","doi":"10.3390/admsci14090222","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090222","url":null,"abstract":"In our paper, we examine the simultaneous impact of the agglomeration economy (AE) and the innovation ecosystem (IE) on the competency development of SMEs in the Piemonte region in three high-tech sectors: aerospace, mechatronics, and automotive. This study focuses on the critical challenge for SMEs: survival and market position expansion amidst rapidly changing external environments. We used the capability approach, which includes identifying and assessing a company’s competencies through the capability matrix, as a tool to analyse a company’s competitiveness in the industry based on structural changes; we determined the key insights from managerial practices of SMEs that help to comprehend the behaviour of high-performing, sustainable-performing, and low-performing companies in the development of competencies. The key finding is that SMEs’ sustainability in the context of structural changes in the external environment is primarily influenced by factors such as investment in the development of company competencies, industrial cooperation, strategic planning, cross-fertilisation, and the impact of company age and size on the availability of resources, along with the level of internationalisation. This study also identifies the main challenges these SMEs face, particularly the lack of highly skilled human resources to meet the sector’s specific needs, as well as the difficulties companies face in adapting to changes in consumer behaviour and forecasting future business strategies. In addition, this study introduces the AE and IE variables as strategic tools to enable company representatives to improve their development strategies.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142252869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ana Palma-Moreira, Ana Lúcia Dias, Beatriz Pereira, Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira
{"title":"Competence Development and Affective Commitment as Mechanisms That Explain the Relationship between Organizational Culture and Turnover Intentions","authors":"Ana Palma-Moreira, Ana Lúcia Dias, Beatriz Pereira, Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira","doi":"10.3390/admsci14090223","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090223","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated the effect of organizational culture (supportive culture, innovation culture, goal culture and rule culture) on turnover intentions and whether this relationship was mediated by organizational practices of competencies development (training, functional rotation and individualized support) and affective commitment. The study sample consisted of 369 participants working in organizations based in Portugal. The results show that only goal culture positively and significantly affects the three dimensions of organizational practices of development competencies and affective commitment. The culture of support has a positive and significant effect on functional rotation, individualized support and affective commitment. The culture of innovation has a positive and significant effect on training. Supportive culture, goal culture and the dimensions of organizational practices of development competencies negatively and significantly affect exit intentions. The serial mediating effect of organizational practices of development competencies and affective commitment on the relationship between organizational culture (supportive culture and goal culture) and turnover intentions was proven. Organizational culture, especially supportive culture and goal culture, proved to be relevant in boosting the implementation of organizational practices of development competencies, boosting affective commitment and reducing turnover intentions.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142252872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mina Daskalova-Karakasheva, Denitza Zgureva-Filipova, Kalin Filipov, George Venkov
{"title":"Ensuring Sustainability: Leadership Approach Model for Tackling Procurement Challenges in Bulgarian Higher Education Institutions","authors":"Mina Daskalova-Karakasheva, Denitza Zgureva-Filipova, Kalin Filipov, George Venkov","doi":"10.3390/admsci14090218","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090218","url":null,"abstract":"At present, higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly expected to incorporate sustainability into all aspects by integrating it not only into education and research but also into operational processes, including procurement. In some cases, national legislation hinders public universities from adhering to sustainability requirements. This paper aims to introduce a leadership approach model that enables public universities to overcome the constraints imposed by the legal framework. To explore the relatively new area of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP), where still little is known, the Technical University of Sofia (TU-Sofia) was chosen as a testbed for the case study. Firstly, the challenges posed by external factors—such as non-discrimination principles stated in Bulgaria’s Public Procurement Act (PPA) and internal incentives at TU-Sofia for sustainable procurement initiatives were identified. Secondly, based on the findings, the recommendation is to adopt a leadership approach model by developing and implementing a Sustainable Public Procurement Policy (SPPP) tailored to harness the university’s sustainable development drivers while complying with legislative requirements. As a result of the leadership approach model implementation, the university will not only enhance economic benefits but also mitigate risks and drive transformative change in procurement management processes, contributing to broader societal and environmental goals.","PeriodicalId":30376,"journal":{"name":"Administrative Sciences","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142202121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}