Search results

This study aims to delve into the intricate dynamics of customers’ pro-environmental behavior, examining the impact of external stimuli like hotel green practices (as contextual factors); internal stimuli, i.e. perceived consumer effectiveness, perceived environmental responsibility and pro-environmental self-identity (as individual factors); and social norms as social factors, on customers’ engagement in sustainable consumption (CEISC) and subsequent pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs).

An age-based quota sampling technique was used to gather data from customers visiting hotels in Pakistan. SmartPLS v.4 software was used to analyze the data, applying structural equation modeling and testing for the predictive powers of the model.

The results revealed the significant impact of both external and internal stimuli on customers’ PEBs, with higher impacts of hotel green practices and pro-environmental self-identity, underlining the complex nature of these influences. Results also revealed that social norms augment the influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on CEISC.

Hotels can enhance customer engagement by implementing green practices. In addition, leveraging social norms and tailoring communication strategies to highlight collective benefits can further amplify PEBs among guests.

This research provides a pioneering theoretical contribution by integrating the stimulus-organism-response model, the theory of planned behavior and the value-belief-norm theory in the realm of green consumerism in the hotel industry. It also addresses the potential gap linked to hotel green practices in leveraging customers’ PEBs in addition to their positive perceptions.

The durability of nanoparticles (NPs) is essential to retain their multifunctional properties on the surface of textile products. This study aims to propose a durable and compatible zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) formulation with good antibacterial, ultraviolet (UV) resistance and moisture management properties.

One-step synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was done through wet chemical technique and characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. Various formulations containing nanoparticles of ZnO along with optimized concentrations of binder, emulsifier nanoparticles and softener are developed and applied to polyester knitted fabric through the pad-dry-cure method. The treated polyester fabric is evaluated for its antibacterial and UV protection activity, moisture management properties, air permeability and durability.

Results show that the zinc oxide nanoparticles have a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a 60–70 nm particle size. FTIR and SEM analysis of nano-loaded polyester knitted fabric before washing and after 20 washes confirm the presence of zinc oxide nanoparticles which shows the durability of the optimized formulation. The treated samples have shown promising antibacterial and moisture management properties and are durable up to 20 washing cycles.

The incorporation of metal oxides into textile materials to enhance their antimicrobial properties has been the subject of considerable research, particularly about cotton and other natural fibers. These natural fibers possess polar sites that promote the effective attachment of metal oxide particles. In contrast, there has been limited investigation into the application of these metal oxides on polyester, a non-polar fiber. Although significant attention has been given to the size and shape of nanoparticles, there remains a notable lack of studies focusing on the impact of binder types and their concentrations on the durability of coated fabrics. This research aims to address the existing gap in knowledge by examining the effects of various binder types and concentrations, in conjunction with differing concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, on the functional properties and durability of nanoparticle-coated fabrics. The ultimate objective is to enhance the comfort and overall performance of these fabrics for the wearer.

This study tests the proprietary cost of reporting sustainability practices. It explores how market competition impacts the reporting of corporate sustainability information. Further, it examines whether the influence of market competition on sustainability reporting is affected by firm size.

It uses two samples of the UK FTSE 350 and German Frankfurt CDAX nonfinancial firms from 2010 to 2023. The sustainability reporting scores for UK and German firms are their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure scores based on the Bloomberg disclosure index. The Herfindahl–Hirschman index has been utilized to measure a firm’s degree of market competition.

The results reveal that reporting sustainability practices is a negative function of the degree of market competition. Specifically, companies in highly competitive industries disclose less information about their sustainability practices, suggesting that firms view sustainability reporting as a potential source of competitive disadvantage and, therefore, choose to limit such disclosures to maintain a strategic advantage over rivals. Further, the findings reveal a negative impact of market competition on sustainability reporting among small firms. However, this effect is weak or absent among medium and large firms. The results are more observable in the liberal market economy (i.e. the UK) than in the coordinated market economy (i.e. Germany).

It provides implications for policymakers and market participants to advocate for more significant policies that promote transparency and encourage companies to report their sustainability practices and performance, especially companies in highly competitive industries.

It provides the first evidence of how market competition influences corporate sustainability reporting, adding a deeper insight into another non-financial dimension of sustainability reporting. Likewise, it reflects the varying priorities of companies of different sizes in managing both competition and sustainability reporting. Besides, it is the first to explore this nexus in two distinct jurisdictions: the UK and Germany.

This study aims to investigate the market reaction to dividend announcements and sharia compliance based on the Islamic stock indexes of Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan by scrutinising investors’ interpretations, behaviour (traditional, rational, religious or ethical) and preferences.

Event study methodology (ESM) was used to analyse 31 days around the event date. The research period spanned 2011–2018, during which 282 observed dividend announcements were tested using a t-test, and there were 4,960 cases of sharia compliance in the data panel.

Indonesian investors react to earnings surprises as bad news while bypassing dividend announcements, thus classifying their behaviour as rational. Meanwhile, investors in Malaysia and Pakistan respond to dividend announcements as bad news while bypassing earnings surprises, thus classifying their behaviour as traditional. Surprisingly, sharia compliance does not affect abnormal returns. These results imply that investors prefer a profit motive rather than sharia compliance.

To perpetrate positive reactions, companies need to increase earnings (Indonesia), nominal dividends (Malaysia) and delay dividend announcements (Pakistan). Also, tax regulators need to evaluate dividend tax and capital gains tax.

Investors cannot solely rely on Islamic stock lists, while regulators and firms must be transparent and accountable regarding sharia compliance ratio.

There is a dearth of research on market reaction in Islamic stock indexes. This study adheres to critical assumptions of ESM: controlling the confounding effects and ensuring market efficiency. These assumptions lead to the proposal of mandatory and advisory sharia compliance, evaluation of ratios using a staple scale and examination of differences in dividend tax rates. An extended tax preference theory is also proposed to contribute to the body of knowledge.

This study explores the complex interaction of environmental policies on corporate cash and capital investment decisions.

The study utilizes a 10-year dataset from 2010 to 2019, comprising publicly listed firms from 10 prominent Asian countries. The analysis was conducted by employing the System GMM.

The regression has revealed that most of the business investments are negatively affected by environmental regulation (ENR), while green innovation (GNI) is positively significant to investments. Moreover, we indicated that ENR raises the cash balance, while GNI tends to reduce it. There was a strong negative correlation found between cash reserves and investment; this implies a crowding-out effect: excess liquidity dilutes the propensity for capital expenditure. The findings emphasized cash balances as a moderator in the relationship between environmental policies and investments. More specifically, maintaining greater cash reserves is an insulating mechanism against the otherwise damaging impact of stringent ENR on corporate investment decisions and a protective measure for financial soundness against external environmental stress.

It is especially important considering the heterogeneous effects obtained across high-income, upper-middle-income and lower-middle-income countries, responding differentially to environmental policies. The results show support for a balanced integration of fiscal incentives, subsidies or tax credits, especially in lower-middle-income countries, to promote sustainable practices without imposing prohibitive compliance costs.

The current analysis supplements the new insights regarding the transformation channel of environmental policies into industrial investment and how cash holdings diversify this channel.

This study examines the impact of board co-option on environmental innovation and the moderating effect of firms’ industrial context, ESG compensation and environmental policy stringency (EPS) on this relationship. Finally, we examine the implications of the board co-option and eco-innovation nexus on the market value of firms.

This study employs the system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator on a longitudinal panel dataset of the US-listed firms to test the proposed hypotheses. The system GMM findings are substantiated using the entropy balancing method and difference-in-differences (DiD) estimations to better establish causality while addressing endogeneity concerns.

The findings provide evidence that board co-option has a negatively significant relationship with environmental innovation. Further analyses imply that the impact of board co-option on environmental innovation is positively significant among firms operating in environmentally sensitive industries, with ESG compensation for executives, and those operating in environments characterized by high environmental policy stringency. Taken together, these results suggest that industrial context, ESG compensation and environmental policy stringency moderate the impact of board co-option on environmental innovation. The results also reveal that more environmentally innovative firms attain greater market valuation when the board is co-opted.

This study is a novel attempt to contribute to the debate on board composition and its impact on corporate environmental innovation. It complements the existing literature on sustainability governance and accounting by providing an understanding of the impact of board co-option on corporate environmental innovation and highlights the role of regulatory pressure, industrial context and executive compensation structure in shaping this relationship. The findings offer valuable insights for academics, senior management and policymakers.

This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the cost of debt (CoD). In this CSR-CoD relationship, the significance of insider and institutional ownership is also examined.

The research sample consists of 145 non-financial companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange between 2010 and 2021. The level of a firm’s participation in CSR-related activities is measured through multidimensional financial methodology, whereas CoD is the ratio of interest expenses to average interest-bearing debt outstanding.

The result of fixed effect model, based on the Hausman test, demonstrates that CSR has a negative impact on CoD, which supports the risk mitigation hypothesis and the stakeholder’s perspective of CSR. Insider ownership has an insignificant effect on CoD, confirming the management entrenchment hypothesis; nevertheless, institutional ownership has a significant positive impact on CoD, supporting the shareholder’s conflict argument. Finally, insider and institutional ownership interaction has no statistically significant effect on the CSR-CoD connection, favoring neither corporate governance’s complementing nor substitutive impacts. The results are subject to robustness by using various economic methodologies and alternative measurements of CSR.

The study’s findings will assist regulatory authorities, investors, financial analysts and other stakeholders in better understanding the CSR-CoD relationship and the role of insider and institutional ownership in that relationship.

The literature contains very little research on the impact of CSR on COD. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in an emerging market to experimentally assess this relationship and analyze the impact of insider and institutional ownership in this relationship.

This paper aims to examine a range of factors that may influence the intention of ultra-micro-SMEs in Indonesia in choosing the type of microfinance facilities in the case of getting better offerings.

Drawing from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework, religious elements factors include religious leader endorsements, religiosity and Sharia compliance, whereas socially/commercially driven factors include social and rational sociodemographic indicators. Data was obtained from 319 ultra-micro-SMEs in emerging economies such as Indonesia, and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the survey data.

The findings reveal that commercial aspects, as rational variables, have a negative influence on the intention to switch from Islamic to conventional microfinancing. On the contrary, social influence from peers and family positively influences the intention to switch from Islamic to conventional microfinancing. Religious aspects, however, have no influence on the intention to switch or actual switching behavior from Islamic to conventional. Intention to switch was shown to positively influence actual switching behavior as per the prediction of the TPB.

There is a lack of research on the choice or behavior of ultra-micro-SMEs when deciding whether to use Islamic or conventional microfinance. This study enriches the literature by providing empirical evidence on the factors affecting this choice-making.

Drawing on the symbolic interaction theory, this research examines leader–member exchange (LMX) and employee’s happiness at work (HAW) with mediation of self-esteem (SE) and moderation of organizational embeddedness (OE).

The study uses data collected from a sample of 246 employees working in fast moving consumer goods companies (FMCGs) and applied SmartPLS to analyze the proposed model.

Findings reveal that LMX predicts HAW. Whereas, the follower’s SE fully transmitted the effect of LMX on employee’s HAW. Moreover, OE moderated the relationship between LMX and HAW.

Leaders should consider quality LMX interactions with their employees in prevailing global crises. LMX can improve the relationship with team members and boost their SE resulting in HAW. Furthermore, organizations should promote such practices which may enhance their employees' OE for enhanced workplace happiness.

The study is among the very few works which apply symbolic interaction as an overarching framework to explain the employees' HAW.

Knowledge sabotage is an emerging challenge for today’s managers because every second individual is found to be involved in such behaviors. Therefore, to understand the antecedents and consequences of knowledge sabotage, this study aims to investigate the trustful climate toward knowledge-sharing climate through knowledge sabotage. It further investigates the conditional role of destructive personality types in the relationship between trustful climate and knowledge sabotage.

In this quantitative study, the data from 307 employees and their immediate supervisors working in the IT sector of Pakistan were collected on convenience basis. Furthermore, structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression techniques were applied to test the hypotheses.

The findings revealed that individuals’ perception of a trustful climate positively contributes to knowledge-sharing climate, and knowledge sabotage intervenes this relationship. Furthermore, the dark triad (psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism) was noted to moderate the association between trustful climate and knowledge sabotage such that the dark triad strengthens this negative association.

This study suggests using peer/colleagues’ rated scales to measure destructive personality. However, the findings suggest managers involve employees in the decision-making process and work on their skills to develop their trust in organizations and involve knowledge sharing. Conversely, managers are suggested to arrange training/workshops for individuals to understand and overcome their negative personality traits.

Contributing to the novel literature on the most extreme form of counterproductive behavior in the field of knowledge management (i.e. knowledge sabotage), this study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first of its kind that empirically investigates the conditional role of destructive personalities toward knowledge sabotage in the presence of trustful climate.