When it comes to events that have marked turning points in the relationship between global governance and business history, I have focused on the role of international crises to understand the forces shaping relations between firms, states, and global governance frameworks. Such an approach stems from the fact that I am primarily an historian of international relations, and much of my research and writing is concentrated on European and global history in the period from about 1880 to 1950. For me, the origins and course of the two world wars and the Cold War have been as important as crises of capitalism, such as the Great Depression.

While previous research has identified the performance implications of leaders’ positive implicit followership theories (IFTs, i.e., personal expectations regarding followers’ positive characteristics), this study focuses on the effect of leader–follower congruence in positive IFTs on followers’ job performance. To test our predictions, we conducted two complementary studies. The results of Study 1 (an experiment, N = 200) show that leader–follower congruence (versus incongruence) in positive IFTs is positively related to followers’ relational identification with the leader, which, in turn, is positively related to followers’ job performance. Moreover, followers’ uncertainty avoidance strengthens this relationship. These findings were replicated in Study 2 (a three-wave survey, N = 223) through polynomial regression and response surface analysis. This study improves our understanding of IFTs by showing that leader–follower congruence in this domain is related to followers’ outcomes.

Grounded in the organizational legitimacy perspective, this study examines the influence of formal institutional distance (FID) on the entry mode choice of Japanese cross-border acquirers. By disaggregating the FID variable using the Worldwide Governance Indicators, we provide a nuanced understanding of the relationship between FID dimensions and acquisition behavior. We find that out of the six disaggregated FID measures, three dimensions significantly impact acquisition decisions. Specifically, FID related to ‘regulatory quality’ and ‘control of corruption’ negatively affects the likelihood of full acquisitions, while FID related to the ‘rule of law’ positively influences full acquisitions. Our findings challenge the use of aggregated measures and highlight the importance of considering institutional variations. Japanese acquirers demonstrate a preference for higher control in uncertain legal environments. This study contributes to the literature by offering insights into the specific FID dimensions that drive the choice between partial and full acquisitions for Japanese firms.

This article draws on status characteristics theory to explore the mechanisms of individual-level boundary-spanning behavior on employee creative performance, as well as the mediating role of informal status and the moderating role of Zhongyong thinking. The results of a two-wave questionnaire survey of 202 employees show that boundary-spanning behavior has a significant positive relationship with employees’ creative performance, informal status mediates the link between boundary-spanning behavior and creative performance of this employee, Zhongyong thinking plays a moderating role between employees’ boundary-spanning behavior and their informal status, and Zhongyong thinking also moderates the mediating role of informal status between boundary-spanning behavior and employee creative performance. In this paper, a moderated mediation model is established to enhance the understanding of the effects and mechanisms of individual boundary-spanning behavior, as well as to provide some constructive insight into how boundary-spanning behavior can be effectively employed in management practice within the Chinese context.

An increasing number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are focusing on sustainable development and on embracing sustainable business models (SBMs). Despite the growing interest of academics and practitioners in SBMs, and the benefits for stakeholders, there is limited knowledge regarding the factors enabling SME transition toward SBMs, leading them to integrate sustainable principles in their BMs. This study explores the enabling factors for SBM adoption by SMEs and provides an improved understanding of this recent phenomenon. Understanding what factors enable adoption of SBMs is crucial for both SMEs and policymakers. The research uses an inductive qualitative research design approach focused on multiple case studies. The findings reveal that both internal and external factors play a key role in enabling SME transition toward SBM adoption. The internal factors that emerged include openness, change of mindset, problemistic search, social exchange, and resource valorization, while external factors included markets change, technological innovation, stakeholders’ influences, policy and institutions.