Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of human capital (HC), intellectual property rights (IPRs) and research and development (R&D) expenditures on total factor productivity (TFP), which leads to economic growth. Design/methodology/approach: The panel data technique is used on a sample of 16 countries categorized into two groups, namely Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and, in order to make a comparison for the time period of 2007–2015, the researchers used a fixed effect model as an estimation method for regression. Findings: The results indicate that HC, IPRs and R&D expenditures appear to be statistically significant and are strong factors in determining changes in TFP and exhibit positive results in all sample sets. Moreover, IPRs alone do not accelerate growth in an economy, especially taking the case of emerging nations. Originality/value: Considering the importance of CEE and BRIC countries, and inadequate research on these regions with respect to current study’s variables and techniques, the present research provides valuable insights about the importance of HC, IPR and R&D activities and their impact on TFP, which leads to economic growth. IPRs create a fertile environment for R&D activities, knowledge creation and economic development. Distinct nations can attain better economic status via HC, R&D activities, innovation, trade and FDI, although the relative significance of these channels is likely to differ across countries depending on their developmental levels.

The current research uses the principles of reinforcement theory of motivation and self-determination theory and investigates how motivation and rewards impact on job performance of employees. Motivation and rewards are examined from intrinsic and extrinsic perspectives, while job performance is measured from the task and contextual performance aspects. The mediating effect of job satisfaction has also been investigated between motivation, rewards, and job performance. Using five points Likert scale, the researchers collected data from the managerial and non-managerial staff working in manufacturing and services firms. Non- probability convenience sampling technique was followed to collect 422 empirical responses. The collected data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The results indicated that reward and motivation affect employee job performance positively significantly. However, the dimensional analysis indicated an insignificant impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on contextual performance. Besides, the findings substantiate that the relationship between rewards, motivation, and employees’ job performance depends on job satisfaction. The current research provides valuable insights to senior management of manufacturing and services firms on how they can enhance their employees' job satisfaction and performance by following different motivational and reward approaches in different size firms.