This study considers the role of leadership within the hospitality sector as a key tool in raising performance levels. Hospitality is unique in its service-based approach, which relies on employees to ensure effective service. Post-COVID-19 and Brexit, the hospitality sector has seen a shift in reliance towards a home workforce, and as such, retention has become an area of greater importance. This case study investigation adopted a qualitative approach to consider the perceptions of six managers within a UK-based luxury hotel. Semi-structured interviews were used to draw out their experience of approaches used to ensure effective delivery in their areas of responsibility. The research concludes that a shift in leadership approach (from autocratic to democratic) is a necessity to retain staff, particularly as the shift to a greater reliance on a home workforce due to COVID-19 and Brexit starts to impact the sector. There does, however, remain a need to be more autocratic in certain situations to ensure the quality of service. Subsequently, communication becomes critical in the building of relationships. The research considers leadership approaches from a managerial perspective and is based on individual perceptions. Traditionally, research has been conducted from an employee perspective.

As digital technologies continue to shape the economy, countries are faced with increasing scrutiny in the use of digital transformation to aid productivity and improve performance. In South Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated Small and medium-sized businesses’ (SMEs’) uptake of digital technologies, as many businesses had to shift their operations online and adopt new digital tools and technologies to solve the challenges posed by the pandemic. This has led to an increased focus on digital transformation mechanisms among South African firms. Therefore, the study examines the effect of digital transformation on the productivity of firms using cross-sectional data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) (2020). The survey was based on firms and is a representative sample of the private sector in the South African economy and covers a wide variety of business environment themes, such as infrastructure, competitiveness, access to finance, and performance indicators. We found that digital transformation improved productivity of South African firms. Furthermore, empirical findings are reassuring robust to the IV-2SLS and quantile regression model, size of business, sectoral and provincial analysis. Finally, we recommend that policy makers should develop and implement initiatives to improve digital infrastructure, including high-speed internet access and reliable connectivity, especially in rural and underserved areas.

Organisational competitiveness hinges on the strategic integration of digital transformation (DT), emerging skills (ES), and organizational health (OH) to foster sustainable performance. Despite the pivotal role of these variables, limited research investigates their interplay in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia. This study addresses this gap by empirically examining how MSMEs navigate challenges and opportunities amid the digital transformation landscape. Specifically, the research probes the intermediary function of the synergistic integration between DT and ES, influencing organisational performance (OP) moderated by OH. Utilizing a validated questionnaire, a three-month convenience sample involved 120 MSME managers. Partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis was employed to assess hypotheses. Findings indicate a significant relationship between DT, ES, and OH, with DT influencing OP. Interestingly, ES alone does not impact OP. Structural equation modelling reveals OH as a mediating variable between DT, ES, and OP. While the proposed model is preliminary, offering avenues for further research, this study underscores the importance of emerging skills in the MSME sector, contributing to a nuanced understanding of organisational competitiveness dynamics.

In the rapidly expanding Chinese high-tech industry, high employee turnover poses a significant challenge. This study employs a mixed-methods approach to explore the association between transformational leadership and turnover intentions, utilizing both survey responses and detailed interviews. Findings from this investigation demonstrate a strong negative correlation between transformational leadership and turnover intentions. Increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment, crucial factors for employee retention, mediate this relationship. The study underscores the strategic significance for high-tech enterprises in China to nurture transformational leadership as a means to mitigate turnover, thereby fostering a more engaged and dedicated workforce, and sustaining a competitive advantage in this dynamic industry.

The integration of digitalization and servitization has become a significant trend in transforming the manufacturing industry due to digital intelligence technology. This paper examines the impact of the integration of digitalization and servitization on the performance of manufacturing companies and how small-scale enterprises can promote digital transformation leading to servitization. The study involved surveying 331 manufacturing companies in China using a seven-point Likert scale questionnaire. Measurement scales were validated using confirmatory factor analysis and discriminant validity tests. Mediation analysis assessed digitalization’s impact on servitization and firm performance. The study’s findings emphasize the significant impact of digitalization and servitization on enterprises’ performance. Digitalization plays a crucial role in mediating this relationship. The study highlights three critical dimensions of digital variables, including digital technology, digital labor, and digital relationship resources, essential in enabling effective servitization. Manufacturing enterprises generally prefer aligning their technology investments and organizational changes within the digitalization framework to implement servitization successfully. The study suggests two integration strategies, namely conservative and aggressive. The finding emphasizes that the convergence of digitalization and servitization leads to a new manufacturing production mode called digital servitization.

In the domain of public management, the concept of agency refers to the capacity of individuals or groups to effectively utilise power and resources to achieve certain goals. The formation of agency is significantly influenced by the external institutional environment and how actors perceive social structures. Thus, the agency to win a game can be generated as players familiarise with the game’s operations and understand the story line. But beyond this, there are also players who make mods on a non-profit basis, modifying the game’s program to meet the needs of others. mods, as a form of patching, are different from other fan-created mediated texts. Therefore, studying the agency in gaming community management, where both players and developers interact, offers valuable insights for understanding how to promote public participation, innovation, and effective governance in the context of public management. This approach bridges the gap between the digital world and real-world public management practices.