Showing papers in "Global Business and Organizational Excellence in 2020"

The impact of COVID‐19 on franchising in emerging markets: An example from Brazil

Abstract: The outbreak of COVID‐19, the disease caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, has had significant economic, political, and social consequences worldwide. The franchising sector, consisting mostly of retail and service businesses, is an example of an industry that has been deeply affected. The experiences of franchising stakeholders in Brazil highlight the strengths of the franchising model in such situations. This investigation, based on primary data from webinars with food service, education, retail, and business‐to‐business service companies in Brazil, coupled with reports from commercial and franchising entities, reveals how the COVID‐19 outbreak has affected the franchising sector. It illustrates the measures that were taken, the negotiations that take place between suppliers and landlords, the adaptation of business models, the effects on franchisor‐franchisee relationships, and the impact the pandemic has had on relationships with customers. The strategies adopted by Brazilian franchisors and franchisees suggest lessons for other franchising companies in similar situations, such as those in developing and emerging economies.

The impact of trust in leadership on organizational transformation

Abstract: During periods of transformation or in other uncertain and volatile business environments, high levels of work engagement—the extent to which employees identify with their role in an organization—enable leaders to implement change more effectively. A study conducted in Bangladesh's banking sector explores the influence of transformational leadership on work engagement and examines the mediating effect of trust in that relationship. Taking place in a context of significant organizational change, the study shows that a transformational leadership approach enhances work engagement. It also shows that the influence that a transformational leader has on the level of work engagement is subject to the degree of trust that employees have in their leader. The findings highlight the need to foster bonds between leaders and their followers and to pay close attention to the most critical antecedents of trust in leadership.

The digital transformation of preventive telemedicine in France based on the use of connected wearable devices

Abstract: France has a large and well-organized health-care system, however, before the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine was largely seen as a cost-effective method of making specialist skills available to socially isolated groups, and to patients who live in remote locations. Here, we present the findings of an exploratory study that examined what a preventative telemedicine system, based around a centralized platform and connected wearable devices, might look like. The data were collected during 2019, ahead of the pandemic, and include interviews with three key stakeholders: a doctor working in a hospital emergency room, the director of a service providing mobile resuscitation teams, and a user of a wearable device who discovered, through the device, that he had a serious cardiac pathology. The study uses the HINGE digital transformation model both as a methodology, and as a structure for presenting an outline of the key features of our proposed approach. We conclude by highlighting some of the benefits of our system, both in light of the context for the original study, and in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic that occurred afterward.

Connecting people to purpose builds a sustainable business model at Bark House

Abstract: At Bark House, a purpose-driven, sustainability-oriented small and medium-size enterprise (SME) based in North Carolina, a symbiotic relationship between the firm and its stakeholders has led to the development of a resilient business model that has generated hundreds of green-collar jobs. Data collected through semi-structured interviews show that by proactively engaging with stakeholders, the firm has been able to change market perceptions and behavior, and to refine its core operations to become more sustainable. In addition, the stakeholders' belief in the authenticity of the organization's commitment to environmental responsibility influences the way employees feel about themselves and how they behave with others. By putting environmental and societal concerns before profits, the firm generates customer loyalty that enables it to survive economic downturns and offers the promise of long-term success.