Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the relational capabilities developed by small and medium-sized suppliers in relationships with larger customers and to explore the influences of these relational capabilities on value co-creation and innovation. Design/methodology/approach -The paper presents a framework to evaluate the types of relational capabilities developed by small and medium-sized suppliers that enable them to manage in relationships with larger customers in the context of changing relationship requirements in the organic food sector. The methodology employed involves in-depth case studies of small and medium-sized UK organic food suppliers working in relationships with large retail supermarket customers. Findings -The findings suggest that the identified set of relational capabilities may be employed by small and medium-sized suppliers to enable them to inform and support innovation and the implementation of initiatives to create value in the eyes of their current and potential customers and concomitantly enhance their position as preferred suppliers.Research limitations/implications -The findings were based on a small number of case studies of small UK organic food suppliers. Therefore, there is scope for future studies to explore the issues addressed in the paper in wider relationship, network and country settings. Originality/value -The research is among the first to offer a conceptual framework and an empirical contribution linking relational capabilities, value co-creation and innovation in small and medium-sized suppliers.

Purpose Drawing from resource-based theory, the authors aim to study how and under what conditions small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) capitalise on their proactive entrepreneurial behaviour (PEB) to achieve new product development (NPD) performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors’ data were drawn from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 401 UK-based SMEs in the manufacturing sector. Findings The authors identify an upward curvilinear relationship between PEB and NPD performance. Taking a step further, the authors propose and confirm that this curvilinear association arises from, in part, SMEs’ innovation capability, which in turn translates into NPD performance. The authors also find that this upward curvilinear relationship between PEB and innovation capability flips to a downward curvilinear relationship when firms pursue a customer and competitor orientation. Originality/value This paper looks beyond the linear relationship that exists among entrepreneurial behaviour, market orientation and innovation outcomes.

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Internal branding refers to an organization's attempts to persuade its staff to buy-in to the organization's brand value and transform it into a reality. Drawing from self-determination theory and leadership theory, we seek to develop a deeper understanding of the process of internal branding in the nonprofit sector. More specifically, we propose and examine the mediating effects of the staff's emotional brand attachment, staff service involvement and the moderating effect of charismatic leadership on the brand orientation behaviour-organizational performance relationship using data obtained from the representatives of 301 UK nonprofit organizations. On a general level, the findings suggest that staff emotional brand attachment and staff service involvement are linked to brand orientation and organizational performance. Moreover, charismatic leadership increases the strength of this linkage. All of these findings extend the literature on internal branding.

The performance of banks and their effects on the global economy has been of interest to politicians, academicians, businesses and the general public especially in connection with the 2008/09 credit crisis. In particular, the extent to which the bank stock prices affected the national stock market indices in different countries before and during the crisis is unclear. It is also not clear whether the national stock markets of countries at different levels of economic development reacted differently to the crisis. This paper contributes to filling these gaps. It uses regression and correlation analytical techniques in the analysis of the impact and behaviour respectively. The results suggest that the behaviour of most of the stock market indices was similar regardless of the level of economic development. The mean stock market indices were statistically significantly higher before than during the credit crisis. Bank share prices were generally negatively correlated comparing the period before and during the crisis. Some countries were characterised by a few powerful banks that determined the course of the respective national stock market index. This has implications on policy and reveals the intervention points in regulating the performance of stock markets and stabilizing the financial sector.