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PurposeThis study examines the mediating effect of employee loyalty on the relationship between love dimensions as adapted from the triangular theory of love and business performance of entrepreneurial ventures.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed structural equation modelling in data analysis. However, before conducting confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis, exploratory factor analysis was conducted because most of the items used were new to human resource management (employee–organization relationship), especially among entrepreneurial ventures. Additionally, a Hayes’ PROCESS mediation test was conducted to analyze the mediation effect of employee loyalty.FindingsThe findings suggest that love dimensions such as employee intimacy, employee passion and employee commitment have positive and significant relationships with employee loyalty. It also appears that employee loyalty plays a significant mediation role in the relationship between love dimensions and business performance of entrepreneurial ventures.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings have several implications. However, all of them are developed to include initiatives related to improving business performance through increasing employee intimacy, employee passion, employee commitment and employee loyalty.Originality/valueThe application of the triangular theory of love adds to human resource management and entrepreneurship literature. Very few studies have focused on the love relationship between employees and their organizations especially among entrepreneurial ventures in developing countries. Since in the current settings of business practices employees are considered as important internal customers, extending the triangular theory of love to employee and organizational relationships is critical, because creating an employee–job relationship is considered a short-term emotional feeling. Therefore, there is a need to look into a long-lasting love relationship between employees and their organizations. This is important for increasing employee intent to stay and loyalty within the entrepreneurial ventures.

This study aims to analyze the interplay between green transformational leadership, organizational green culture, and environmental sustainability among small businesses in Tanzania. Although there is increasing interest among scholars to incorporate green practices in small business practices, little is known about how green transformational leadership can influence environmental sustainability through organizational green culture. This study involved 344 managers of small businesses located in the Dar es Salaam and Dodoma regions. A structured questionnaire was administered to managers through online platforms using Google Forms. CB-SEM was used to analyze the data. The findings suggest that green transformational leadership significantly influences environmental sustainability, while green transformational leadership significantly influences organizational green culture, which in turn significantly influences environmental sustainability. Finally, organizational green culture was found to be a significant mediator of the relationship between green transformational leadership and environmental sustainability. Generally, the findings suggest that a shift from traditional transformational leadership to green transformational leadership can be a key initiative toward environmental sustainability among small businesses. In addition, this study has both theoretical and managerial implications.

Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not often survive beyond five years. The major challenge is the transition from the maturity stage to a sustainable stage. However, apart from a few studies done on SME sustainability with the majority engaged in SME performance, a gap has been identified in the body of literature, especially the exclusion of the mediating effects of key variables. This study, therefore, aims at looking into the mediating role of entrepreneurial innovations on entrepreneurs' competencies and the sustainability of SMEs in Tanzania. The study applied a cross-sectional design, in which a structured questionnaire was adopted to capture information from 384 sampled SMEs. The study used structural equation modeling (SEM) in doing a confirmatory factor analysis and a path analysis. The findings show that entrepreneurs' competencies have positive and significant effects on entrepreneurial innovations, and the effects of entrepreneurial innovation on SME sustainability are also positive and significant. The study further found partial mediation effects of entrepreneurial innovations on entrepreneurs' competencies and SME sustainability. It was found that establishing SME sustainability is the outcome of competencies and innovation. Therefore, this study's findings can help enrich the limited literature on competencies and innovations and increase the chances of SME sustainability. Further, the current study recommends providing key competence-based training that will help equip entrepreneurs with innovative skills for the sustainability of SMEs.

Purpose This study aims to analyze the mediating effect of brand love (BRL) on the relationship between service quality and brand addiction (BRA) among Islamic banks. Past studies have noted that customer satisfaction as the primary means of studying customer behaviour needs to be reconsidered because even satisfied customer switch brands, and the dissatisfied customer have repurchasing intentions. Therefore, considering BRL and BRA can be a new way of studying customer behaviour in Islamic banking. Design/methodology/approach This study used a structured questionnaire administered to 380 customers of Islamic banks. The study used structural equation modelling and Process Macro test in the analysis. Findings The empirical findings of this study suggest that service quality is positively and significantly related to BRL and that BRL positively and significantly relates to BRA. Furthermore, the findings indicate that BRL mediates the relationship between service quality and BRA. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study have revealed that the triangular theory of love and expectation-confirmation theory can be combined to explain the relationship between service quality and loving relationships among customers of Islamic banks. Practical implications The study provides ways in which service providers can use service qualities to manage BRL and addiction. Based on the positive and significant relationships, managers of Islamic banks can build service qualities that are vital for creating BRL and BRA. Originality/value The link between service quality, BRL and BRA is not adequately established, especially in Islamic banking. This is important to be established because studying consumer psychology is currently considered a vital strategy for customer repurchasing and switching barriers in the modern banking business. Furthermore, integrating two theories, the triangular theory of love and expectation-confirmation theory, provide a new way of combining two theoretical aspects from different disciplines.

PurposeSmallholder farmers in Tanzania were investigated in this paper to determine the dimensions and influence of psychological contracts on smallholder farmers' decisions to participate in the market.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through structured questionnaires, of which a cross-sectional design was conducted in central Tanzania, the Dodoma region in which 467 smallholder farmers were surveyed. First, a preliminary Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted by involving psychological contracts and market participation items derived from previous studies. This was followed by the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to verify the items obtained in the EFA. The regression analysis was then performed to test the causal effects of psychological contracts on market participation among smallholder farmers.FindingsThe path analysis revealed that transactional, relational, and ideological contracts have a positive and statistically significant impact on the participation of smallholder farmers in the market. Therefore, smallholder farmers have own set of expectations for participating in the marketplace. As a result, smallholder farmers' relationships with market participation decisions can be strengthened.Research limitations/implicationsThis study covered only smallholder farmers. However, future studies can include large-scale farmers, because psychological contracts and market participation difficulties also apply to them. This may increase the generalizability of the findings.Originality/valuePast studies have not extensively covered the psychological contracts in smallholder farming, especially in market participation. Based on prior empirical and theoretical research from other disciplines, the findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of the psychological contract framework and the significance of multiple psychological obligations between smallholder farmers and market management.

The study is among a few attempts to understand how higher education institutions (HEIs) fulfil the expectations of students. It therefore contributes through analysing the mediating role of psychological contract fulfilment on the relationship between the lecturer's competency and entrepreneurial intention (EI) among undergraduate students. The study involved a cross-sectional design in which the structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 321 third-year students. During the process, the stratified and systematic sampling techniques were adopted by allocating students in strata per their respective degree programs, and after that, they were selected systematically from each degree program. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyse all relationships that were tested to be positive and significant. Hence, the study confirms the important competencies among lecturers as key predictors of psychological contract fulfilment in the Tanzanian context. Furthermore, it confirms the importance of psychological contract fulfilment on entrepreneurial intention (EI). Finally, it confirms the mediating effects of psychological contract fulfilment on the relationship between a lecturer's competency and EI. The findings of this study imply that HEIs should emphasise identifying and developing competencies among lecturers by conducting short- and long-term training to fulfil the promise given to university students during promotion campaigns. Also, universities are recommended to improve their means of fulfilling students' expectations to build beneficial relationships between HEIs and students. Therefore, HEIs must strive to understand specific students' expectations to use them as the basis for building successful relationships.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of word of mouth (WOM) attributes on the resilience of customers to negative word of mouth (NWOM) about locally made products when mediated by message quality. The study's findings contribute to a variety of areas. To begin, available empirical evidence has primarily examined WOM from a source perspective, with an emphasis on the message's design and delivery to receivers. Thus, it is necessary to study WOM from the perspective of the receiver, as the decision to accept or reject products is highly dependent on the perspective of the receiver (user). Further, available literature has not sufficiently connected the attributes of WOM with resilience to NWOM when mediated by message quality, especially of locally made products. This study attempts to cover that gap in knowledge. The study used a cross-sectional design involving 201 customers. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) revealed that WOM attributes such as expertise, homophily, and trustworthiness between the sender and the receiver positively and significantly influence the message quality, and that message quality influences the resilience of NWOM about locally made products. Furthermore, message quality was found to partially mediate the relationship between WOM attributes and resilience to NWOM. The findings have both theoretical and practical implications.

PurposeThe combination of strategic orientation and digitalization for sustainable competitive advantage among small businesses is still not given much attention in the literature. Therefore, this study aims to understand the influence of strategic orientation on sustainable competitive advantage while mediating the relationship with digitalization.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a cross-sectional design. This design helped collect data from 234 small businesses in Arusha city, Tanzania. Since the study used latent variables, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze relationships and conduct confirmatory factor analysis. Through bootstrapping confidence intervals, Hayes's Process was also used to test how digitalization mediates the relationship between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage.FindingsThe strategic orientation attributes that include market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and learning orientation were positively and significantly related to digitalization. Furthermore, the results on digitalization and sustainable competitive advantage show a significant positive relationship. Finally, digitalization was analyzed to mediate the relationship between strategic orientation, market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation and sustainable competitive advantage. Hence, all hypotheses were supported.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adopted a cross-sectional design that helped to capture the quantitative information. In addition, the current study is limited to Tanzania's small businesses; thus, the findings cannot assure generalization of the conclusion to other countries because of the differences in social, cultural and technology across countries.Originality/valueThis study integrates the concepts of strategic orientation from the strategic management discipline and digitalization from a technology perspective. As a result, the study adds new knowledge about combining two aspects and determining whether they add value in terms of providing a sustainable competitive advantage. This knowledge comes from digitalization, which acts as a mediator between strategic orientation dimensions and a sustainable competitive advantage.

PurposeConsumer psychology research has established the importance of customer satisfaction as a determinant of customer repurchasing intention. Nonetheless, even satisfied customers switch brands. Also, even dissatisfied customers have repurchasing intentions. This means that customer repurchasing behaviour is extremely difficult to predict, necessitating additional research to identify additional factors that can help organizations better understand the methods to predict customer repurchasing intention. To fill this knowledge gap, this study examined the mediating effects of brand love (BL) and positive word of mouth (PWOM) on psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) and customer repurchasing intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis is a cross-sectional study. The study used structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse relationships from a sample size of 400 beauty salon customers. Also, a process macro mediation test was used to analyse the mediating effects of BL and PWOM on the relationship between PCF and customer repurchase intentions.FindingsThe findings indicate that transactional and relational psychological contracts have a positive and significant relationship with BL and PWOM. As well, BL and PWOM positively and significantly influence customer repurchase intentions. Finally, the findings indicate that BL and PWOM mediate the relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and customer repurchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThis survey sampled beauty salons solely. Given that each type of organization may have a unique way of fulfilling psychological contracts, future studies may include more categories such as restaurants and craftsmanship to broaden the sample. Additionally, this study utilized female beauty salons. Therefore, future research could include salons that cater to women and men to boost the sample's generalizability. Finally, this study concluded that BL and positive recommendations are the most effective variables for resolving consumer satisfaction challenges. However, additional factors can probably amplify this fact by focusing on additional elements to broaden the arguments.Originality/valuePast studies have extensively covered customer repurchasing intention in relation to customer satisfaction. However, it was noted that even some satisfied customers could switch to other brands, and those who were dissatisfied could repurchase the brand. Given that little is known about how other factors than customer satisfaction can affect repurchasing intentions, this study examines the mediating effects of BL and PWOM on PCF and customer repurchase intentions.

This paper investigates the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance in the public sector. Furthermore, the paper examines the moderating role of contract management difficulty on the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance. Using cross-sectional data collected from 179 public procuring entities, the main findings of the study are two-fold. Firstly, the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance in public sector is positive and significant (Ø = 0.2343 and p = 0.0014). Also, contract management difficulty negatively and significantly moderates the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance (Ø = −0.1447 and p = 0.0190). In this aspect, the influence of supplier development on procurement performance is negatively affected by contract management difficulties. The study contributes to the supplier management, procurement performance, and contract management literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of supplier development on procurement performance in developing countries like Tanzania. Also, the conditional effects of contract management difficulty on the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance matter. The study's findings have important implications for procurement practitioners in the public sector and policy makers.