We investigate the different mechanisms concerning how employees’ perceptions of external and internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) serve to influence employees’ work engagement. By combining social exchange theory and social identity theory, we implement and examine an integrated moderated mediation framework in which employees’ value orientations (e.g., collectivism or individualism) impact the mediating mechanism between their perceived external and internal CSR, organizational pride and perceived organizational support (POS), and work engagement. This work fills a research gap to examine the indirect relationship between employees’ perceptions of external and internal CSR and work engagement. Using two periods of survey data from 250 working employees in China, we find that employees’ perceptions of external CSR positively influence work engagement via organizational pride. The value of collectivism strengthens the direct effect of employees’ perceptions of external CSR on work engagement, and the indirect effect of employees’ perceptions of external CSR on work engagement via organizational pride. Moreover, employees’ perceptions of internal CSR positively influence work engagement via POS. The value of individualism strengthens the direct effect of employees’ perceptions of internal CSR on work engagement, and the indirect effect of employees’ perceptions of internal CSR on work engagement via POS. The results contribute to both theory and practice.

Purpose: This paper investigates the dual interactive effects of manufacturer encroachment on the supply chain and retailer provision of retail services. Design/methodology/approach: Consider a supply chain dominated by manufacturers, retailers, and e-commerce platforms, with the manufacturers selling the same product online and offline. Utilizing Stackelberg’s game theory, examples of wholesale and retail prices and profits of participants in the supply chain under different channels are analyzed. An effective encroachment strategy for manufacturers facing different retail service investment strategies of traditional retailers is given. Findings: When traditional retailers do not invest in retail services, they will lose more profit due to competition with the manufacturer. At this time, the retailer does not want the manufacturer to encroach. The traditional retailer’s investment in retail services will enhance its and the manufacturer’s profits, incentivizing the manufacturer to pursue an aggressive expansion strategy. Originality/value: (1) Considers a situation where the selling efficiency of the manufacturer is lower than that of the traditional retailer. (2) The interaction between traditional retailers’ retail service investment strategies and manufacturers’ encroachment strategies is investigated where the manufacturer is the dominant player. The three modes of online direct sales, resale, and third-party platform agency are compared to provide a basis for decision-making on different types of manufacturers’ encroachment. (3) Offline retail services not only directly increase sales in the offline market but also indirectly have a negative effect on the online market.

This paper describes a study on identifying key successful factors in knowledge transfer resulting from business mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in those (so-called) traditional industries (e.g., textile and steel & iron) with the data collected in the steel and iron industry in Southwestern China. Specifically, this research investigates the relationship between prior-gained knowledge of merging companies, preparation and implementation processes, and actual performance after knowledge transfer. The result reveals that such prior-gained knowledge of merging companies will have a significant positive impact on the motivation for proposed M&A, while it, in contrast, may only have a limited impact on other factors such as the levels of transferred knowledge, its investments, implementation process, and the final performance. In fact, the prior-gained knowledge about the transferred knowledge among involved firms in the M&A is often mutually complementary. This research suggests that intensive motivation for M&A will have a positive impact on the desire levels of knowledge transfer, which will in turn have a positive impact on the success of knowledge transfer implementation process, and a successful implementation process then certainly will make a positive contribution to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Purpose: This study deals with the issue of how ethnic diversity on boards in a given firm may influence its performance in human resource management (HRM). Moreover, the study also tests the interaction between ethnic diversity and gender diversity and examines their joint effect on HRM.Design/methodology/approach: Based on prior research, we predict that, with increasing demographic diversity in organizations today, ethnic diversity on boards should have a positive effect on HRM. Moreover, gender diversity, as a most visible dimension of demographic diversity, should have both a direct positive effect and an indirect moderating effect on the relationship between ethnic diversity and HRM. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses.Findings: Our data analyses show empirical evidence supporting our predictions. First, our study shows that employer–employee relationship can be influenced by ethnic diversity on boards. Second, the foregoing analyses highlight the importance of considering the interaction between different dimensions of demographic diversity, such as that between ethnic and gender diversity. With a higher level of gender diversity on boards, the positive effect of ethnic diversity on HRM can become more salient.Originality/value: This research tests the benefits of ethnic diversity on boards for improving firms’ performance in HRM, thus making a contribution by helping to understand the effects of ethnic diversity in a more comprehensive way. We also document the beneficial moderating effects of gender diversity on boards for the first time.

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