Management

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Research Topic Summary.

Products are manufactured in complex global value chains, so resource use can only be determined by sharing information between relevant economic agents. Consequently, diverse stakeholders and their agents have strong interests in sustainable and circular economy (CE) indicators whether to inform decision-making, meet sustainability reporting requirements, or simply monitor performance. The proposal seeks to explore how agents’ needs and capabilities generate divergent indicators and how these can be integrated into an integrative CE framework.

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Research Topic Summary.

Crises seem to have become regular events, which pose increasing challenges to the organizations (Chen et al., 2021). Recently, the number of studies has been growing while demonstrating that organizational survival and effectiveness depend on the ability of organizations and employees to withstand and adapt to significant challenges, that is, on their resilience (Naswall et al., 2019). Generally, resilience is understood to be the capacity to rebound, ‘to come back’ from adversity, uncertainty, conflict, failure, or even positive change (Luthans, 2002). In a dynamic business environment, the concept of resilience is crucial to understanding how employees and organizations successfully handle adversity (Hartmann et al., 2021; Cani?ls and Hatak, 2022). Resilient employees can navigate in a turbulent society, deal with stress and cope with adverse conditions more effectively (Kakkar, 2019). Organizational resilience is the most direct factor explaining the longevity and competitive advantage of particular organization. Given the relevance of employee resilience and organizational resilience, the factors fostering resilience needs to be disclosed. Relying on the notion of Luthans (2002) that resilience can be developed through management practices, the proposed research argues that human resource management (HRM) could serve as an appropriate antecedent. However, the previous studies did not include the sustainability dimension in HRM while analyzing the way HRM promotes the resilience (Kim et al., 2024). The paper seeks to close the existing gap by introducing socially responsible HRM (Diaz?Carrion et al., 2019) as a driver for promoting resilience. Therefore, the scientific problem is formulated by the question: which and how socially responsible HRM practices strengthen the employee resilience and organizational resilience. The research aim is to reveal socially responsible HRM practices that strengthen the employee resilience and organizational resilience.

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Research Topic Summary.

Large language model-enabled agent-based modelling introduces new possibilities for social science research by equipping agents with human-like decision-making and cognitive capabilities. Initiatives like generative agents (Park et al. 2023 etc.) lay the groundwork for applying these methods to public policy analysis and testing theoretical models commonly represented as directed acyclic graphs in fields like management. This research aims to leverage AI-developed frameworks to forecast public policy outcomes and dynamically simulate theoretical models in management studies.

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Research Topic Summary.

The PhD project investigates the extent and patterns of intelligent automation in Nordic–Baltic listed firms, using corporate reports and website texts as primary data. Intelligent automation is understood as AI-based or learning systems that support or execute business processes (e.g., forecasting, decision support, workflow automation, robotics, customer interaction). The core research question is how to measure the extent and configuration of intelligent automation from textual data and how these measures relate to firm characteristics and performance. The project will (1) review literature on intelligent automation and process digitalization to build a process taxonomy; (2) assemble a corpus of reports and key website sections for all NASDAQ Nordic–Baltic firms; (3) develop an NLP pipeline combining topic modeling and supervised classification to detect and classify descriptions of intelligent process support; and (4) aggregate findings into firm-level indices. Expected results are a process-based typology, an index of intelligent automation intensity, and evidence on how different automation profiles are associated with performance and strategic positioning.

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Research Topic Summary.

Work-related stress remains one of the most pressing issues in modern organizations, with serious implications for both individual well-being and organizational performance. On the one hand, the growing demands of the work environment and, on the other hand, personal ambitions create an ambiguous situation that could be described as the “Harm/Benefit Paradox” (Litchfield et al., 2016). The statement that “work can be harmful” (Litchfield et al., 2016) implies a situation without a way out, but this situation requires new insights. Recently, the Job Demands-Resources Theory has been rethought introducing several propositions from a job design perspective (Demerouti & Bakker, 2023). Although, a leader has long been argued to be a major factor in determining the stress levels of followers (Harms et al, 2017), however, leader behaviour can serve as a key resource that mitigates the impact of high job demands (work environment stressors) on employee stress as well (Lundqvist, et al., 2022; Demerouti & Bakker, 2007). Nevertheless, previous research has largely focused on either leader behaviour or work environment as independent contributors to employee stress (Bakker & Demerouti, 2020). Still, little attention has been paid to their interactive impact on employee stress. Research aims to investigate how leader behaviour influences employees' stress responses within varying work environments, focusing on the interplay between leadership style and work environment factors. Research objectives: 1) Explore how leader behaviour mitigates or amplifies the impact of work environment stressors (e.g., workload, role ambiguity, organisational culture, processes, and procedures) on employee stress. 2) Identify certain combinations of leader behaviour and work environment characteristics that reduce employee stress more effectively than others.

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Research Topic Summary.

Digital transformation creates great opportunities and new challenges for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their stakeholders. While many of the challenges posed by digital transformation are universal, NGOs are in a slightly more complex situation due to the diversity of their stakeholders, regulation, funding, and limited resources. Compared to other sectors, the NGO sector faces more political, social, economic, and cultural challenges as NGOs seek to target the most needy and vulnerable members of society. For this reason, the role of accountability of non-governmental organizations to society, which is fundamentally changed by technology, is certainly different from that in other sectors. And today, questions still arise about how digital transformation can facilitate and improve NGO operations and accountability? What new challenges does this entail? And can digital technologies help to reshape stakeholder relations and ensure equal attention to all stakeholders? Or, in contrast, only increases inequality and exclusion? This shows that the impact of digital technology on the operations and accountability of non-governmental organizations is complex, encompassing not only technological and organizational aspects but also ethical aspects. Thus, the objective of the dissertation would be to investigate the impact of digital transformation on NGO activity and accountability to different stakeholders.

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Research Topic Summary.

Contemporary policy intervention planning, formulation, and evaluation take place in an increasingly complex environment that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (Rath et al., 2021), characterized by the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) acronym. There are numerous interrelated factors at play in this environment, the dynamics of which make it impossible to assess the impact of policy using traditional impact assessment methods based on direct causality assumptions. Based on complexity and systems theories (Richmond, 1993; Sargut et al., 2011; Skyttner, 2005), impact assessment should also include elements of adaptation and cyclicality, which can help explain the processes taking place in reality and model projections for the future. In order to implement policies effectively, it is important to create an empirically tested, future-oriented methodology that integrates policies adapted to the VUCA environment (e.g., education, environmental protection/ climate change mitigation, healthcare - the fields that are characterized by complexity and impact manifestation in the long-term perspective) that would allow for the generation of evidence-based insights and recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of ongoing reforms.

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Research Topic Summary.

Mindfulness is gaining increasing attention in the project management community. Scientific research shows that awareness is an important factor that enables changes and innovations created by projects, increases flexibility, resilience, adaptability and effectiveness of teams. This leads to the successful involvement of project stakeholders in the creation of social value (Daniel et al., 2023; Stuart-Edwards et al., 2023). Scientific problem: How does the project manager's mindfulness strengthen the involvement of project stakeholders? How does the involvement of project stakeholders affect the creation of the project's social value? The goal is to theoretically substantiate and empirically verify the links between the mindfulness of the project manager and the involvement of project stakeholders from the point of view of creating the social value of the project. Objectives: 1.To perform an analysis of the social concept of project value and involvement of project stakeholders, to identify the factors determining involvement and connections with the creation of project value. 2.To define the concept of mindfulness in project management, identifying the components of awareness relevant to the project manager and their connections with the involvement of the project's stakeholders, creating the social value of the project. 3.After evaluating the role of the project manager's mindfulness of the involvement of interested parties in creating the social value of the project, a conceptual model for compiling the results of theoretical and empirical research, which includes the links between the project manager's mindfulness, the involvement of stakeholders and the created social value of the project. 4.To prepare the research methodology and to perform the substantiation of the conceptual model of the connections between the mindfulness of the project manager, the involvement of stakeholders and the created social value of the project.

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Research Topic Summary.

In recent years, the shift from traditional sustainability toward regenerative economic principles has become increasingly important. Regenerative ecosystems focus not only on reducing environmental harm but on actively restoring ecological vitality and long-term system health. Yet current measurement practices and ESG frameworks remain rooted in conventional sustainability logic and fail to capture the complexity of regenerative processes. Standardized ESG metrics overlook sector-specific material flows, resource dependencies, and differentiated impacts across value chains. These limitations mean that ESG systems insufficiently represent key regenerative dynamics such as system renewal, ecological feedback loops, biodiversity restoration, and cross-scale socio-ecological interactions. This creates a scientific gap: no validated multi-level indicators exist to assess regenerative capacity at organizational, value-chain, or ecosystem levels. Without such indicators, organizations cannot evaluate their regenerative contribution, and policymakers and researchers lack reliable benchmarking tools. This research aims to develop a scientifically grounded, empirically validated performance measurement system reflecting sectoral characteristics and ecosystem processes. The study will include a systematic literature review, analysis of existing ESG metrics, multi-case studies, co-development of indicators with experts, and validation using qualitative and quantitative methods. Expected outcomes include an operationalizable framework integrating system regeneration principles, sector-specific resource dynamics, and ecosystem impacts. The results will advance regenerative performance measurement and support the development of more precise, context-sensitive ESG standards.

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Research Topic Summary.

European Green Deal initiatives have made a significant impact to the enhancement of social, economic and environmental performance and implementation of transformational changes in industrial enterprises at the level of the supply chain. In response, stakeholders in supply chains must implement sustainable business models and innovations. Stakeholder engagement helps create value in supply chain, adopt sustainability – oriented innovation and sustainability performance. The aim of this research is to analyse stakeholder engagement mechanisms and their links with sustainability-oriented innovation and value creation in the supply chain to enhance sustainability performance. The research contributes to the accumulation of knowledge at the intersection of Sustainability – Oriented Innovation, Stakeholders and Ecosystems theories. The main result of this research is the creation and validation of the model of stakeholder engagement in global supply chains, which reveals the assumptions for the collaboration and implementation of sustainability - oriented innovations, and the impact of various variables on the sustainability performance in order to create value in the ecosystem. Mixed methods will be used to achieve the aim of the dissertation; surveys, multiple cases and expert studies, analysis of secondary data will be conducted.

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Research Topic Summary.

As digitalization of work and global mobility continue to grow, it is crucial to understand how the use of technology impacts the well-being of international employees – individuals legally employed abroad. This study aims to explore how different global work contexts – such as international business travel, digital nomads, and remote work – affect employees' well-being. The study is expected to reveal the mechanisms of technology's impact and offer practical recommendations for both employees and organizations on how to use technology in a healthy and sustainable way on a global scale, with the goal of improving the working conditions of international employees and reducing their technostress.

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Research Topic Summary.

This research project intends to investigate how emotional appeals and message framing strategies in charity advertising influence consumer emotional and behavioral responses, while also accounting for emotional fatigue and charity type. The research addresses the urgent need for effective communication strategies in the non-profit sector, particularly in the context of digital media saturation and fluctuating public trust. Although emotional appeals and framing techniques are widely used in charitable campaigns, their interaction effects remain underexplored, and little is known about how emotional fatigue moderates these effects across different charity contexts (e.g., humanitarian, environmental, animal welfare). The inclusion of emotional fatigue as a moderating factor is innovative, offering critical insights into how audiences process emotionally charged messages in overstimulated environments. The project employs a complex 3×2×2 between-subjects experimental design to test how different emotional appeals (e.g., hope vs. sadness), framing strategies (e.g., gain vs. loss), and charity types affect consumers’ emotional response (e.g., empathy) and intention to donate, considering emotional fatigue. In result, the novel conceptual frameworks and empirically validated models will be developed, helping to identify psychological mechanisms behind donation behavior. Expected outcomes also include original research methodology (incl. experimental stimuli, validated survey tools) and actionable recommendations for nonprofit marketers. The project contributes to the development of more sustainable and psychologically informed fundraising strategies, supporting ethical communication and long-term civic engagement in Lithuania and beyond.

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Research Topic Summary.

Climate change is a pressing global concern, with 77% of EU citizens identifying it as a serious issue and 22% viewing it as the top global challenge. While consumer pro-environmental awareness is growing, it often fails to lead to sustainable behaviour. Nudging, a subtle strategy to influence behaviour without limiting choice, can bridge this gap through techniques like default options, framing, and social proof, encouraging sustainable decisions. Consumer responses to nudging can be influenced by moral foundations, alongside curiosity and scepticism. While curiosity promotes engagement and reduces scepticism, mistrust related to greenwashing can hinder sustainable behaviour. This doctoral research will investigate emotional and behavioural responses to sustainability-related nudges and explore the role of moral foundations, curiosity, and scepticism. Using traditional and neuromarketing methods, it will seek to uncover psychological mechanisms and provide insights for effective strategies to advance sustainability.

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Research Topic Summary.

Rapidly emerging agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems—autonomous, adaptive agents capable of independently making decisions, planning, and coordinating tasks—offer new opportunities to strengthen value-based healthcare by optimizing processes, increasing patient engagement, and enabling ecosystem-level innovation. However, their integration remains poorly understood: innovation processes are fragmented, accountability is unclear, data governance capabilities are limited, and existing models of human–AI collaboration are not suited to autonomous, continuously learning agentic systems. There is a lack of empirical and theoretical insight into how humans and agentic AI co-create value, how such systems reshape organizational dynamics, and which governance and safety mechanisms are necessary for their responsible integration. Therefore, this PhD research investigates how humans and agentic AI systems collaborate to create value in healthcare, and what sociotechnical and governance mechanisms support their safe and effective deployment. The aim is to develop and empirically ground a multi-level model of human–agentic AI collaboration within a value-based healthcare ecosystem. Using a mixed-methods approach—including a systematic review, qualitative real-world case studies of AI agent deployment, sociotechnical ecosystem analysis, and expert Delphi—the study will examine interaction patterns, value flows, accountability structures, and governance requirements. Expected outcomes include a conceptual model of human–agentic AI collaboration, extensions of innovation and value-co-creation theories for autonomous systems, and tailored digital health technology assessment guidelines suitable for continuously learning AI. Practically, the research will provide healthcare organizations and policymakers with actionable recommendations for safe, ethical, and value-driven implementation of agentic AI in healthcare ecosystems.