Firm size has remained a major area of investigation for researchers from a long time. This study aims at examining impact of different measures of firm size (total assets, total sales, market capitalization and number of employees) on seven important practices of corporate finance which are financial policy, dividend policy, investment policy, diversification, firm performance, compensation and incentives and board structure (corporate governance). Moreover, this study also examines the sensitivity of different proxies of firm size on these practices of corporate finance. Data from BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have been analysed. Overall results supported the hypotheses. Study concludes that different proxies of firm size are differently related to practices of corporate finance based on sign, significance and R 2 . All proxies capture different aspects of firm size and have different implications for corporate finance. Thus, this study confirms "measurement effect" in "size effect". Unfortunately, this means that many of past studies may not be robust and are biased. Researchers thus need to be careful when selecting any proxy of firm size for their research keeping in mind the scope and context of their work. Choosing a proxy thus is a theoretical and empirical question.

PurposeThe bulk of the current research on authentic leadership focuses on the examination of its consequences. Little attention has been paid to the predictors of authentic leadership. We examined how the Big Five personality traits can predict an authentic leadership style.Design/methodology/approachUsing multisource time-lagged data from 305 leader–subordinate dyads, we examined how the Big Five traits (extraversion, agreeableness, consciousness, openness to experience and neuroticism) are related to authentic leadership. While leader personality was measured through self-reports, we measured authentic leadership style through subordinate reported data.FindingsWe found good support for the proposed hypotheses. While extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience were positively related to authentic leadership style, neuroticism was negatively related to it.Practical implicationsThe findings support the trait view of leadership, suggesting that the personality traits of a leader can predict his/her authentic leadership style. These findings hold promise for managers in that they can use personality inventories and tests in the selection and evaluation process to select and train potential authentic leaders.Originality/valueWe proposed a unique idea and tested it using leader–subordinate dyadic data that are time-lagged to test our hypotheses.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the underlying mechanism through which knowledge hoarding is triggered among ostracized employees at workplace. Drawing on conservation of resource theory, the study investigates the mediating role of defensive silence in this relationship. Further, the study also examines the moderating role of experiential avoidance between workplace ostracism and defensive silence. Using multi-layered and convenient sampling technique, data were collected from 225 employees working in the hospitality industry in Pakistan. The results revealed that workplace ostracism significantly influences employees’ knowledge hoarding behavior both directly and through defensive silence. Furthermore, contrary to the expectation, the combined effect of workplace ostracism and experiential avoidance on defensive silence was found insignificant, which we have discussed. The study provides insights for managers to break the knowledge hoarding cycle and create new models for interaction and knowledge sharing among employees at workplace.

Purpose Drawing on conservation of resource theory, this study aims to examine the impact of work-study conflict (WSC) on workplace outcomes (job performance, job satisfaction, burnout and turnover intention). The study also investigated whether these relationships were contingent on the level of supervisor support at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected in two-time lags from 752 studying professionals (non-traditional students) through a convenient sampling technique. Findings Results showed that WSC enhances burnout and turnover intention but has no significant direct relationship with job performance and job satisfaction. It was also found that the relationships between WSC and workplace outcomes, i.e. job performance, job satisfaction and burnout were conditional on the level of supervisor support. Originality/value The research contributes to WSC literature by being the first to empirically investigate the direct and interactive effects of WSC and supervisor support on important workplace outcomes of those adults who were primarily working and then decided to study further for career development rather than on full-time students.