Search Results (24)

This study investigates the impact of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) on brand image within the automotive industry. It also examines how company reputation (CR) and product quality (PQ) mediate the relationship between CSR and brand image (BI). Utilizing a sample of 243 clients from the Pakistani automotive sector, data were collected through a survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS version 24.0. The results indicate that perceived CSR positively influences brand image, with both company reputation and product quality acting as significant mediators. This underscores the importance of CSR initiatives for enhancing brand image. The findings have significant implications for auto manufacturers, highlighting the need to integrate CSR into their strategic brand management to improve company reputation, product quality, and, ultimately, brand image. This study expands the conventional understanding of CSR’s impact on consumer perceptions and addresses a critical gap in the literature. Full article

The raw materials of cement contain radioactive elements that come from natural sources. Members of the decay chains of uranium, thorium, and potassium radioisotope ⁴⁰K are the primary sources of this radioactivity. The natural radionuclide concentration levels in cement differ greatly depending on different geographic areas. To estimate the radionuclides concentration in cement specimens from twelve diverse Pakistani companies, gamma-ray spectroscopy analysis was used in the study. ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K had activity concentration levels ranging from 18.08 to 43.18 Bq/kg, 16.73 to 23.53 Bq/kg, and 14.24 to 315.22 Bq/kg, respectively. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) threshold for the ²²⁶Ra was surpassed by five of the studied samples. The indoor and outdoor dose rates as well as different radiological health hazard indices were also examined. The Indoor Absorbed Dosage (D_in) for some of the samples exceeded the permissible limit. These samples also had a high Indoor Effective Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) factor, which makes them unsafe for interior construction purposes. The outdoor dosages as well as the hazard indices were well within the permitted ranges. The outdoor ELCR factor is low for all the cement brands, which makes them safe for exterior construction purposes. The findings were compared with published data from other countries around the globe. Finally, a thorough statistical analysis was performed and Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (r) exhibited a very strong correlation between the different outdoor and indoor radiological health hazard indices. Full article

This study examines the impact of the flight-to-liquidity (FTL) phenomenon on the excess stock return by applying the previously developed generalised method of moments (GMM) framework. For this purpose, we use the data covering the period from 2004 to 2018 for 122 public companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). This study uses six proxies to measure the expected and unexpected illiquidity. The empirical investigation reveals that expected and unexpected illiquidities greatly influence smaller firms more notably than larger ones, which induces FTL phenomena into the market. Moreover, a FTL phenomenon triggered the Pakistani equity market during the financial crisis, when a significant decline appeared and the less liquid stocks were strongly affected. The results reveal that FTL risk is priced in the Pakistan equity market, making large stocks relatively more attractive in times of dire liquidity. These findings further suggest that the market participants in the Pakistan equity market, including policymakers, regulators and investors, should not ignore FTL phenomena while designing their portfolios. Full article

Over the past two decades, significant progress has been observed in the energy sector. Solar power systems have emerged as a popular choice for both individuals and companies. Despite the country’s energy crisis and reliance on fossil fuels, the adoption rate of solar power systems in Pakistan remains slow. This research aims to develop a cost-effective model that can help consumers in Pakistan adopt solar power systems. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) served as the foundation for this research, which is used to understand and predict individuals’ acceptance of new technology. This study included an internet-based survey conducted among 200 respondents in the southern region of Pakistan. Deductive reasoning was used to analyse the data, and the structural equation model was utilised through SmartPLS 3 software to test the research hypothesis. The survey results revealed that effort expectancy and performance expectancy were not significantly associated with attitude towards use. However, all other factors, such as environmental belief, social influence, hedonic motivation, price value, and facilitating conditions used in the model, have positive and significant influences on the use of solar technology. The findings of this project also enable government and private sector organisations to optimise their planning and resources to promote environment-friendly energy, and they should work on significant factors such as cost, which is one of the most dominant indicators that can attract consumers to shift towards alternate energy resources. This study presents the first attempt to model the intention and behaviour of Pakistani consumers towards using solar technology with the help of UTAUT2. Full article

This article presents a comparative analysis of machine learning models for business failure prediction. Bankruptcy prediction is crucial in assessing financial risks and making informed decisions for investors and regulatory bodies. Since machine learning techniques have advanced, there has been much interest in predicting bankruptcy due to their capacity to handle complex data patterns and boost prediction accuracy. In this study, we evaluated the performance of various machine learning algorithms. We collect comprehensive data comprising financial indicators and company-specific attributes relevant to the Pakistani business landscape from 2016 through 2021. The analysis includes AdaBoost, decision trees, gradient boosting, logistic regressions, naive Bayes, random forests, and support vector machines. This comparative analysis provides insights into the most suitable model for accurate bankruptcy prediction in Pakistani companies. The results contribute to the financial literature by comparing machine learning models tailored to anticipate Pakistani stock market insolvency. These findings can assist financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and investors in making more informed decisions and effectively mitigating financial risks. Full article

Organizations focus on human resources to improve performance as a result of high global competition and a dynamic business environment. In today’s competitive environment, employee performance and job satisfaction are critical to the achievement of a company’s goals. Job satisfaction is an organization’s unnoticed success. Employee performance and job satisfaction are powerful tools that help in continuously developing and improving organizational performance to achieve strategic objectives. Job satisfaction is critical to the overall productivity of any given industry. Job satisfaction is important for both the employer and the employee. According to studies, employers greatly benefit from satisfied employees because they are more productive. One of the most important goals of a company is to maximize employee performance to achieve those goals. As a result, the focus of this study was on identifying the factors of job satisfaction and employee performance. It also evaluated the relationship between job satisfaction and employee performance in Pakistani construction projects. A detailed literature review was used to identify various factors, which were then shortlisted based on their relevance to the Pakistani construction industry by interviewing ten experienced practitioners. Totals of 11 job satisfaction and eight employee performance parameters were discovered. In total, 85 samples were collected as part of the data collection process via a questionnaire survey and statistically analyzed using multiple regression analysis. According to the results, all of the models have a high ability to compute the increase in employee performance criteria via the predicting variables. The overall models are significant because a value less than 0.05 indicates that they are. The study’s findings will assist practitioners in understanding the critical criteria that will increase employer satisfaction and improve performance. Full article

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve the environment, and reduce dependency on fossil fuels, the transition from fossil energy to renewable energy is deemed essential. Several companies around the globe, especially big conglomerates, were pioneers in the use of renewable energy. For sustainable growth, Pakistani businesses are growing increasingly interested in the use of green sources in manufacturing and economic activities. In recent years, there has been a growth in the number of companies that are eager to use renewable energies to produce products that correspond to green standards, therefore boosting their competitiveness. Yet, the selection of an appropriate energy source for any industrially complex project is not a simple task, as numerous qualitative and quantitative characteristics must be considered. To arrive at a feasible conclusion, this research provides a multi-criteria paradigm for sustainable energy selection in a single-valued neutrosophic environment. This work developed an innovative aggregation operators approach that interprets the input evaluation using single-valued neutrosophic numbers. For this, a “single-valued neutrosophic prioritized interactive weighted averaging operator and single-valued neutrosophic prioritized interactive weighted geometric operator” has been introduced. Several additional appealing features of these aggregation operators are also discussed. The application of the recommended operators for sustainable energy related to the industrial complex is discussed. A comparison analysis proves the empirical existence of the suggested methodology’s consistency and superiority. Full article

This study investigates the impact of an organization’s response to poaching on employee productivity while considering the mediating role of organizational agility, contributing to the sustainability literature. The study aimed to explore the impact of three responses toward poaching, including the constructive response (CR), defensive response (DR), and retaliatory response (RR), on employee productivity. The survey-based approach collected data from companies in the Pakistani service sector, an essential step toward understanding sustainable human resource practices in developing countries. Regression analysis was used to analyze the collected data, revealing significant relationships between predictor variables and employee productivity. Specifically, Model 1 found a significant negative relationship between CR and productivity, whereas DR showed a positive and significant association with productivity. The study also considered the unique characteristics of the Pakistani service sector to explain the observed negative and positive relationships between CR and DR, respectively, and employee productivity. Model 2 improved the model fit by introducing organizational agility as a predictor variable, demonstrating a positive and significant relationship between productivity and all four predictor variables. The study suggests that the positive relationship between organizational agility and productivity could be due to agile organizations being more adept at responding to changing market conditions and demands, resulting in improved overall performance. This study provides valuable insights into the impact of an organization’s response to poaching on employee productivity while considering the mediating role of organizational agility. It contributes to the sustainability literature. Full article

The perception in pair trading is to recognize that when two stocks move together, their prices will converge to a mean value in the future. However, finding the mean-reverted point at which the value of the pair will converge as well as the optimal boundaries of the trade is not easy, as uncertainty and model misspecifications may lead to losses. To cater to these problems, this study employed a novel entropic approach that utilizes entropy as a penalty function for the misspecification of the model. The use of entropy as a measure of risk in pair trading is a nascent idea, and this study utilized daily data for 64 companies listed on the PSX for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019 to compute their returns based on the entropic approach. The returns to these stocks were then evaluated and compared with the buy and hold strategy. The results show positive and significant returns from pair trading using an entropic approach. The entropic approach seems to have an edge to buy and hold, distance-based, and machine learning approaches in the context of the Pakistani market. Full article

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) sector is given a low-priority by the Pakistani Government, with the climate change agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being a priority-3 only, similar to other developing countries. Although sustained efforts have been made during the last decade to strengthen the SWM sector, all actions were focused on manual sweeping and waste collection without integrating waste treatment and disposal options. In this respect, the current model of SWM in the country was analyzed for efficient future planning to strengthen the sector waste management regime in line with the targets of Nationally Determined Contributors (NDCs) and SDGs. An assessment of the SWM sector was performed in eleven major cities of Pakistan, applying Waste-aware benchmarking indicators as strategic tools. The current study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of concerned local municipalities and Waste Management Companies (WMCs) along with interventions to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emission targets by 2030. Proposed interventions from the environment and economy perspective will generate revenue to cater for up to 29% of the operational costs, and this will be an important step towards 100% self-sufficiency in the SWM sector. Full article

This article aims to evaluate sustainable supply chain risks using a novel fuzzy VIKOR–CRITIC technique. The research contributions of this study are twofold. First and foremost, this is the first attempt to integrate the fuzzy VIKOR approach with the CRITIC method in order to eradicate the inadequacies of the VIKOR method. Second, this is the first study to look at the sustainable supply chain risk management in Pakistan’s logistics industry. Four logistics companies were chosen for the study, and thirty criteria were established and divided into four categories using acquired data and literature studies. According to the findings, organizational risks are the most important to consider, whereas environmental hazards have the least influence. Supply delays, freight rate/oil price fluctuations, bankruptcy, and natural catastrophe are the four most important criteria in these categories. Limited suppliers, cargo tracking, IT system failure, and international politics are the four least significant criteria in the four risk categories. The findings are useful for the logistics industry operating in CPEC for risk mitigation and sustainable operation. The research may be used as a guideline for risk identification and management by practitioners and decision-makers in Pakistani logistics organizations. Full article

CSR Reporting is an essential mechanism for ensuring the transparency and accountability of companies towards sustainability performance. To further promote that sustainable development agenda, CSR-related regulations and policies have emerged worldwide, including in Pakistan. Therefore this study assesses the quality of corporate social responsibility in annual reports issued by firms listed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange. This study has operationalized the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) principles for examining the quality of CSR disclosures. The paper sample comprised 540 annual reports of 90 financial or non-financial companies from the years 2012 to 2017. Content analysis is performed to look for six quality principles and measures, i.e., balance, comparability, accuracy, clarity, reliability, and timeliness. Results suggested that most Pakistani firms provide precise and on-time information and put less emphasis on the balance of information and comparable information. Moreover, this study also highlighted that organizations should implement the GRI principle for disclosing qualitative CSR report. Full article

Owing to the novelty and dynamism of mobile phone shopping behavior of adults within the context of contemporary social, technological, and market norms necessitated the need to study this phenomenon frequently. In the same league, there is a pressing need to empirically examine the mobile shopping behavior of young adults in Pakistan. This paper examines the factors influencing mobile phone shopping behavior within the context of young adults in Pakistan. First, a questionnaire-based survey consisting of a five-point Likert scale was conducted. A total of 416 respondents provided their complete responses. Then, we employed the structural equation modeling (SEM) model using AMOS 24 to empirically test the hypothesized model. The empirical results revealed that price and attractiveness positively influence mobile phone buying behavior among young adults in Pakistan. On the other hand, Service Encounter, Convenience, Avoidance of Core Service Failure, and Response have negative but statistically insignificant influences on mobile phone buying behavior in Pakistan. This finding revealed that the mobile shopping behavior of young Pakistani adults is predominantly influenced by the price of mobile phones and their attractiveness. Therefore, it is highly recommended that companies need to offer affordable mobile phone prices. Additionally, the attractiveness of the mobile phone needs to be maintained at competitive prices. Full article

The role of family owners in the internal control environment is characterized by contradictory theoretical arguments i.e., entrenchment and alignment behavior. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the behavior exhibited by family owners concerning the internal control environment in an underdeveloped regulatory setting. The study collected both primary and secondary data to use a multivariate regression research design to investigate the impact of family owners and CEOs on the internal control quality and disclosure of enterprises. The results of the current study demonstrated that family owners and family CEO have a negative impact on the internal control quality and disclosure, which validates the entrenchment behavior exhibited by family owners in the Pakistani setting. The results of the current study imply that policymakers should promote strict policy initiatives regarding the effectiveness of internal controls and their reporting so that companies are compelled to have better engagement in internal control practices for the protection of minority shareholders. Full article

Over the past few years, sustainable supply chain initiatives (SSCIs) have grabbed attention in the domestic, as well as global, marketplace of the food sector. Nowadays, the success of the entire food supply chain depends on the prosperity of farms, local communities, trader processors, and agro-based industries. Despite its importance, food processing industries (FPIs) are encountering various hurdles in achieving sustainable business goals due to the sheer number of potential barriers. Due to this reason, stakeholders are continuously pressuring the management of FPIs to embrace sustainable food processing activities. In light of this, the present study aims to apply a hybrid fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (F-AHP) framework, based on fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (F-TOPSIS), for analyzing the barriers and prioritizing the possible pathways in adopting the SSCIs for the development of FPIs. Based on the extensive review of literature and panel consultation with experienced experts, a total of seven main barriers, forty-two sub barriers, and five possible pathways as strategic tools were finalized and ranked. An empirical case investigation of a Pakistani-based food processing company has been taken to check the practical application of the proposed framework along with sensitivity analysis. The findings of this study reveal that the lack of sustainable outsourcing factors were found as the top-ranked barrier in implementing SSCIs, and the possible pathway to overcome this barrier is the appropriate management of the procurement cycle. The major contribution of this study is to establish a barriers prioritization framework and suggest possible pathways to overcome these barriers for the successful implementation of SSCIs. Finally, the theoretical, managerial, and policy implications are provided as a way forward for the concerned stakeholders and policymakers. Full article