Although Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is one of the strategic choices for digital transformation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), its adoption remains constrained by leadership decision-making that must balance strategic aspirations with resource limitations and organizational inertia. Organizational leadership must face the dynamic and complex characteristics of digital transformation in the knowledge era. Drawing on Complexity Theory and integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT), and the Resource-Based View (RBV), this study proposes a conceptual framework reflecting distinct strategic leadership orientations. Following a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with SME leaders and an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) this conceptual framework contributes by reframing GenAI adoption as a complex, nonlinear process rather than a straightforward diffusion model, that includes four strategic profiles (Strategic Adopters, Aspiring Adopters, Opportunistic Adopters, and Operational Stabilizers) that affect a dynamic relationship between three key adoption dimensions: intention, motivation, and resource allocation. SME leaders can benefit from a delimitation of their strategic and operational goals while overcoming adoption barriers.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether perceived brand globalness (PBG) and perceived brand localness (PBL) can favor brand consistency, brand clarity and perceived quality to finally influence consumer purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach: Ten local-global brands across 5 fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) product categories have been selected to test the hypotheses by conducting a survey with 404 consumers in the emerging economy of Iran. Findings: The results show that both perceived brand globalness (PBG) and localness (PBL) contribute to brand consistency in FMCGs, with globalness being a stronger signal than localness. However, while localness positively influences brand clarity, globalness does not. Additionally, brand consistency improves perceived quality, whereas brand clarity has no impact on it. Practical implications: By fostering a higher perception of brand globalness, managers can directly boost brand consistency, perceived quality and purchase intention. Conversely, increasing the perception of brand localness will enhance brand consistency and clarity but not perceived quality. Originality/value: This study uniquely investigates the direct effects of PBG and PBL on the signaling theory elements of brand consistency and clarity. It distinctively introduces brand consistency as a mediator between perceived brand globalness, perceived brand localness and perceived quality, while expanding signaling theory into the underexplored Middle Eastern context.

This study, grounded in consumer culture theory, examines how quality‐of‐life, consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption, and ethnocentrism influence local brand preference. Moving beyond national wealth metrics, it explores regional disparities in quality‐of‐life using a representative sample of 2589 Spanish consumers and official quality‐of‐life indicators. A hierarchical cluster analysis grouped regions by quality‐of‐life, and structural equation modeling tested the proposed relationships. Results reveal that the effect of consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption on local brand preference varies by regional quality‐of‐life—factors like safety strengthen local brand preference, while access to broader resources may reduce reliance on local options. Ethnocentrism amplifies local brand preference, particularly in lower‐quality‐of‐life regions where supporting local brands reinforces community identity. These findings underscore the need for localized marketing and policy strategies that not only address consumer preferences at a national level but also consider regional variations in quality‐of‐life and cultural identity, thereby enabling more effective, context‐sensitive interventions.