FIIB Business Review

In the evolving landscape of leadership, criticism has traditionally been viewed as a reputational risk to be avoided or carefully managed. This Perspective challenges that assumption by introducing the Elevatory Paradox—a counterintuitive phenomenon in which public criticism by established leaders can inadvertently enhance the visibility, status and perceived legitimacy of emerging figures. This article explains how media amplification, public curiosity and narrative reframing can convert reputational criticisms into unexpected elevation. This paradox operates through several psychological and sociological mechanisms, including paradox mindset, social comparison theory, media agenda-setting and narrative identity construction. Recent scholarship on resilience, digital discourse and ethical leadership is integrated to show how public criticism may function as an unintended endorsement—particularly when the target responds with composure and narrative control. Ethical and practical implications are explored, with recommendations for both critics and targets. Ultimately, the Elevatory Paradox provides a novel framework for understanding how influence is shaped, not only by credentials and performance but also by how individuals are perceived under public scrutiny.

Dominant logic helps organizations simplify decision-making, but during extreme shocks, it may also constrain adaptation. Although prior work explains how firms respond to turbulence, we still know little about how dominant logic is handled as crises unfold in emerging-market service settings. Addressing this gap, we conduct an inductive, theory-building study drawing on ethnographic observation, 21 semi-structured interviews, archival documents and netnographic data collected between 2020 and 2022. Our analysis traces how a Kazakhstani tourism firm reconsidered its long-standing assumptions during overlapping public-health and political disruptions. Rather than entering the study with predefined categories, we found—through inductive coding—that three interconnected shifts gradually took shape: a deepening emphasis on values and care, a renewed responsiveness to clients’ evolving needs and a broadening integration of digital tools into service routines. Together, these shifts illuminate a process through which a firm’s dominant logic is reoriented in real time. The study contributes to research on dominant logic and crisis response by theorizing how value-laden, relational and digital practices can emerge as mutually reinforcing mechanisms that support organizational resilience in uncertain, resource-constrained service contexts.

Despite the importance of internal communication (IC) in organization and management studies, its role or impact on employee outcomes (specifically employee loyalty, commitment and citizenship behaviour) remains understudied. To address the preceding gap, this article systematically reviews the role of IC and its impact on employee outcomes. Our analysis reveals four critical themes, crisis events, culture/climate, organizational change and managers’ roles, where IC effectively influences the discussed employee outcomes. By summarizing the findings, we propose an integrated framework for researchers to move the conversation on the part of IC on employee outcomes forward.

This study aims to investigate the volatility transmission between energy commodities and global stock indices. Two primary energy commodities, Brent crude oil and Natural gas, are considered using monthly data from January 2001 to June 2023. Dynamic conditional correlation–GARCH method has been employed to examine the interdependence between two selected energy commodities and stock indices of India, the United States and Japan. The results show a high degree of interdependence between Brent crude oil and the global stock market indices of India, the United States and Japan compared to natural gas. The study also shows that long-run shocks persistent by the crude oil price variability have a more substantial influence on the global stock indices of India, the United States and Japan than short-run stocks. Swings in commodity prices and their effect on the stock market volatility indicate that policymakers and regulators should learn about financial system risks and vulnerability to external shocks.

Drawing on the job demands–resources model, this study examined the effect of workplace conflict as a work demand on job-related well-being (proxy by job satisfaction) while assessing the direct and buffering roles of job resources (employee development and supervisor support). The study employed a survey data from 130 employees of a major local government institution in Accra, Ghana, and the data were analysed using multiple regression and Hayes’ PROCESS macro moderation technique. The findings revealed that while workplace conflict has a significant negative effect on employee job-related well-being, employee development and supervisor support have significant positive effects but their interactions with workplace conflict show insignificant effects on employee job-related well-being. Our study provides new empirical evidence to extend the workplace conflict and employee well-being literature generally, and within the local government setting in particular. Furthermore, it contributes to the job demands–resources model by validating the dual pathways (job resources and job demands) of improving well-being while suggesting that a mismatch between the level of job demands and job resources may render their interactive effects ineffective.

Business model simulation is a computer-based model for understanding business processes and firm dynamics. Simulating a business model in a laboratory helps one to understand the operational and strategic aspects of firms quickly, reliably and cost-effectively, enabling them to develop new financial and operational strategies. Not many studies have focused on antecedents of the business model simulation and their consequences. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the antecedents and consequences of business model simulation and to further analyse the moderating effects of leadership support. A theoretical model is proposed that takes inputs from the literature and resource-based view and dynamic capability theories. The partial least squares–structural equation modelling technique tested the model by analysing the quantified responses of 327 respondents. This study finds that business model simulation is significantly impacted by firms’ competitive intensity, innovative activities and technology strategy. The study also demonstrates that leadership support moderates the relationship between business model simulation and actual business practices. The study contributes that business model simulation, which is affected by salient predictors, can impact firm performance when mediated through actual business process and practices and with the moderating effects of leadership support.

The present study empirically examines the impact of fear on consumers’ buying tendencies (Impulse buying, Panic buying and Online purchase intention). The study assesses the role of social media usage as a mediating variable in the above relationship. Also, it investigates the variation in consumer buying tendencies, fear, and social media usage across demographics. A total of 389 survey responses were collected online through a structured questionnaire using a snowball sampling technique from consumers of Delhi, India. A causal relationship established using Structural Equation Modelling reveals linkages of fear with panic buying and social media usage fully mediates this relationship, Further, the link between fear and online purchase is partially mediated by social media usage, and no linkage is found with impulse buying. ANOVA and T-test results show that panic buying tendency is higher in females and married individuals, social media usage is higher in unmarried younger age group people and online purchase intention is practiced more by males in middle- and upper-income groups. The study concludes by providing theoretical and practical implications.

The study addresses upon the call of mental wellbeing in global virtual teams. The objective is to explore how virtual scenarios of learning process, influence academic resilience and finally form mental wellbeing among the cohort group of different cultural and geographic backgrounds. Using stratified sampling technique, primary data were collected from 367 international students. In the present study, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling are used to obtain the results. The results revealed the challenges faced by the virtual teams in online learning setting. These challenges offer a path to both academic practitioners, higher management of the institutions and policymakers to offer an online learning process that is apt and suitable to the team members who participate from different geographical places. It was also found that online learning process is directly linked to academic resilience. Further, academic resilience successfully mediates between online learning process and mental wellbeing. The study opens debates on how online learning process should be made effective and relevant, especially, for those who do not belong to the same geography and cultural backgrounds.

A significant number of multilevel marketing (MLM) companies have perished with a high drop-out rate due to a lack of ability to sustain in Malaysia. Although, studies on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) are abundant, there is still a dearth of research on how MLM companies raise their SCA, especially in the Malaysian environment. This research aims to study the possible effect of strategic orientation factors (market, technology, learning and intellectual capital orientation) on SCA mediated by adaptive marketing capability for MLM companies in Malaysia. A framework was proposed based on the foundations of key theories such as the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities. The top executives of MLM companies are surveyed to gather data. We received 102 responses, which we later examined. The study models and proposed hypotheses were evaluated using SmartPLS. The findings of this study demonstrate SCA’s importance as a direct influence on business performance. The difficulties regarding ability of management to combine the appropriate set of necessary resources and employ them effectively will determine how well Malaysian MLM enterprises can steer their resources and capabilities (strategic orientations) toward developing firm’s capability.

This study investigates the determinants of capital structure for hospitality firms listed in India. The study validates the contradiction in the determinants of capital structure by using the data for firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Using fixed-effects regression models, the findings indicate that firm size and return on assets are significantly associated with total debt ratio (TDR), long-term debt ratio (LTDR) and short-term debt ratio. The variables such as growth rate, tangibility and volatility are found to be significantly associated with TDR and LTDR. Non-debt tax shield is found to be significantly associated with only TDR. Each of the stated determinants has a unique impact on capital structure decisions. The study partially confirms the applicability of the pecking order theory for hospitality sector firms. With the findings on hospitality firms, we hope to provide useful insights to lending institutions and corporate executives.