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This paper aims to examine the role of corporate governance (CG) in the earnings management (EM) of affiliated companies in family business groups (FBGs) listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), using principal–principal agency theory.

The sample of 327 nonfinancial firms of the PSX, consisting of 187 group-affiliated firms and 140 nonaffiliated firms has been used in this study for the period of 2010 to 2019. The study uses different regression models for analysis, with robustness tests of various alternative measures of EM and FBG affiliation. In addition, endogeneity is controlled with the propensity score matching method.

The findings show that EM is less prevalent in affiliated firms compared to nonaffiliated companies. The results show a negative and significant relationship between FBGs affiliated firms and EM. Moreover, the results also show a positive relationship between EM and the interaction term of the CG index and group affiliation. It refers to the fact that effective governance cannot reduce EM in affiliated companies of FBGs as well as in the nonfinancial companies of the PSX. In addition, the quality of CG is higher in affiliated companies compared to its counterpart in nonaffiliated firms. The findings support the principal–principal agency theory that CG cannot mitigate the expropriating behavior of controlling shareholders against minority shareholders by reducing EM in emerging markets due to the ownership concentration phenomenon.

This research study has implications for small investors, government agencies and regulators. The findings of the study show that CG code should make it mandatory for companies to reveal information about their complex ownership structure and ownership information about affiliated companies and directors. Furthermore, it is suggested to revisit the code of CG in the Pakistani context of principal–principal conflict instead of the agent–principal explanation of agency theory based on Anglo–Saxon countries.

This research study has contributed to the CG and FBG literature in relation to EM in idiosyncratic settings of Pakistan. One of the prime contributions of the paper is the development of a comprehensive CG index. This research study used detailed, manually collected novel data on affiliated firms of FBGs in Pakistan.

In 2016, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) initiated Saudi Vision 2030, an ambitious plan to lessen the country's dependency on fossil fuels and increase economic diversification. The Vision 2030 framework strives to establish a thriving economy, a vibrant society and an ambitious nation. This study aims to investigate the role of green service innovation (SI) and green work engagement (WE) in mediating the nexus between green human resource management (HRM) and green creativity (GC) under conditional role of spiritual leadership (SL).

A survey was done of 300 female intrapreneurs working in the organization within Saudi Arabia. This study has collected data via stratified random sampling technique. The framework was tested using PLS-SEM software.

The findings reveal that WE fully intervenes the nexus between green HRM and GC. Moreover, SL positively moderates the nexus between green HRM and SI.

Thus, based on findings, it is recommended that female intrapreneurs prioritize environmentally responsible operations to gain and sustain competitive edge over rivals in Saudi competitive market.

The post-pandemic era has shifted most industries, businesses and consumers online, increasing the demand for electronic devices, mainly laptops. Additionally, most non-Western countries inhabit highly religious but cash-strapped individuals, making them a potential market for second-hand laptops. With this in mind, this study aims to explore the effects of lenient return policy (LRP) and religiosity on consumer confidence in retailer (CCR), consumer well-being and purchase intention.

This paper conducted a between-subjects field experiment comparing two return policy conditions (cash return vs. other return) with a sample of 222 participants. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships, and multigroup analysis (MGA) was employed to assess the experimental effects based on the return policy conditions. The moderating effects of religiosity were also examined. All analyses were conducted using SmartPLS software.

The results confirm that an LRP positively predicts consumer confidence in retailer, well-being and purchase intention. Religiosity had a moderating effect on LRP outcomes. Additionally, the experiment confirmed that consumers experienced better well-being and were more likely to purchase if offered full cashback.

Retailers of second-hand shopping products should offer LRP (full cashback) to foster consumer confidence, well-being and purchase intention. Additionally, for highly religious consumers, aligning return policies with religious principles should further enhance consumer well-being and purchase intention.

This study is among the earliest to investigate the impact of LRP on CCR and well-being. Moreover, a novel attempt is made to explore the moderating effects of religiosity on LRP outcomes. Likewise, a field experiment to validate the greater effects of cashback on consumer well-being and purchase intention adds to the novelty of this study.

In the purview of stress–turnover relationship, the present study aims to explore the endogenous and exogenous aspects of stress and employees' turnover intentions. Further, it also intends to evaluate the mediating role of perceived employee's exploitation between stressors and employee turnover intentions. For that matter, antecedents of stressors were identified and classified into endogenous and exogenous stressors: endogenous stressors relate to the employees' negative psychological contact within an organization and exogenous stressors are various macro-economic factors which have a considerable influence on employees' workplace behavior.

For the purpose of this study, this study choses private school teachers as respondents working in the economically depressed state of India. Thus, data for the present study has been collected from 628 private school teachers of J&K (India) which were randomly selected. In order to ensure valid and reliable statistical inferences from the study, data collected has been validated using confirmatory factor analysis and hypothesis testing has been carried out through structural equation modeling.

It was found that both types of stressors were contributing negatively toward employee's psychological state resulting in undesirable employee organizational relationships manifested as turnover intentions among employees. Moreover, perceived employee's exploitation was found to intensify the relationship of employee turnover as a dependent variable regressed on endogenous, exogenous and occupational stress by fully mediating the stress–turnover intricacies.

The implications of the study include the identification of employees' stressor needs in order to gauge the understanding of the mechanism by which employees react to their environment and develop attitudes toward their jobs. The present study includes a small sample size obtained from private educational institutions only. Therefore, there is a need to take a geographically diverse sample that is inevitable for universal inferences and validity.

Very little research has been conducted to explore endogenous, exogenous and unique stressors such as economic stress and perceived external opportunities which constitute the overall stress. Moreover, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which tests the model empirically that examines the effect of stress–turnover relationship through perceived employee's exploitation in the teaching and educational sector.

Sustainability is essential to the ongoing operations of banks, though it is much less clear how Islamic corporate governance (ICG) promotes economic sustainability (ES) and thereby prevents bankruptcy. To explore the unexplored, this study aims to examine the efficacy of ICG in preventing bankruptcy and enhancing the ES of Islamic banks operating in Pakistan.

The current study measures ES through Altman's Z-score to analyze the level of the industry's stability and consequently examines the effect of ICG on the ES of Islamic banks in Pakistan for the post-financial-crises period. Using the country-level data, this study utilized a fixed-effect model and two-stage least squares (2SLS) techniques on balanced panel data spanning from 2009 to 2020 to provide empirical evidence.

The empirical results unveiled that board size and meetings have a significant positive influence on the ES while managerial ownership demonstrated an unfavorable effect on ES. Interestingly, the insignificant effect of women directors became significant with the inclusion of controlled variables. Overall, the findings indicate that ICG is an efficient tool for promoting ES in Islamic banks and preventing them from the negative effects of emerging crises.

The findings provide concrete insights for policymakers, regulators and other concerned stakeholders to execute a sturdy corporate governance system that not only oversees the economic, social and ethical aspects but also provides measures to alleviate the impacts of potential risks like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examining the role of ICG in alleviating bankruptcy risk is an informative and useful endeavor for all social actors.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first efforts to provide evidence-based insights on the role of ICG in preventing bankruptcy and offers a potential research direction for ES.

This chapter employs a single case study of Safeer (pseudonym) (25 years old) who has been part of the tribal conflict involving the Rind clan against another Rind clan and the Lashari tribe in the Dadu district of Sindh, Pakistan. It investigates how youth, in the name of tribal honor, actively resist rival tribes, serving as potential actors during conflicts. Safeer actively engaged in numerous tribal conflicts during broad daylight. Not only due to tribal conflicts but also out of fear of the police, Safeer led a conscious and vigilant life from childhood to protect himself and his extended clan members, reflecting a shared sentiment among the youth of his clan. Safeer’s case provides insight into the prevailing perception of youth across more than eight tribal districts in Sindh, excessively affected by conflict consequences yet actively resisting and challenging atrocities. He, like many others in his clan, felt compelled to seek revenge for the murder of an innocent clan member. Safeer’s perspective also highlights the police’s incompetence and the public’s lack of trust in formal justice (especially courts), as a major cause leading young individuals into tribal clashes. Safeer’s case extends beyond an individual narrative, illustrating a broader political landscape in the vast geography of Sindh. It reflects the adversity and resilience of rural youth facing immense challenges, including declining agricultural activities due to reduced irrigation water, rising agricultural input prices, inflation, unemployment, and a shrinking small-scale industrial base in rural Sindh.

This research aims to examine how health consciousness, social identity, self-identity, trust and willingness to pay premium impact individuals’ intention to make green purchases, which in turn influences organic purchasing behavior. Additionally, the study tried to examine the moderating effect of willingness to pay premium.

Utilizing a purposive sampling approach, a questionnaire survey was used to gather information from 452 customers in India. The conceptual model was assessed, and the research hypotheses were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The results of this study showed that the intention to make green purchases is strongly influenced by consumers health consciousness, social identity and trust. However, self-identity did not influence consumers green purchase intention. Furthermore, the moderating effect of willingness to pay premium was significant, except for self-identity, in the relationship of health consciousness, willingness to pay premium social identity and trust with green purchase intention.

The research will help producers and marketers refine food and marketing tactics to promote a favorable perception of organic food products.

This study is pioneering in (1) investigating the moderating impact of willingness to pay premium (WLPP) in the relationship of health consciousness, social identity, self-identity and trust with green purchase intention and (2) investigating the influence of consumer identities on green purchase intention in the Indian context.

The extant literature underlines the inadequacies of legal and policy frameworks addressing the safety and health concerns of sandstone mineworkers in India. Notably, Rajasthan, a state renowned for its extractive industries, mirrors these concerns. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to critically evaluate the relevant legal and policy landscape, with an emphasis on the recent central statute: the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code of 2020 (OSHWCC). Given that the Code subsumes the key legislation pertaining to the safety and health of mineworkers, an in-depth critical analysis is essential to forge suitable policy interventions to address continued gross violations of human rights.

The critical analysis of legal and policy frameworks on silicosis in sandstone mineworkers is based on a comprehensive reading of existing literature. The literature includes relevant laws, case law, reports of the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission and National Human Rights Commission, publicly available data and key scholarly contributions in the field.

Although the OSHWCC has made some changes to the existing regulatory architecture of mines in India, it has failed to safeguard the safety and health of mineworkers. Notably, the vast majority of mines in India – constituting approximately 90%, which are informal, seasonal and small-scale – remain beyond the jurisdiction of this Code. In Rajasthan, there are specific policies on silicosis, but these policies are poorly implemented. There is a serious shortage of doctors to diagnose silicosis cases, leading to under-diagnosis. The compensation for silicosis victims is insufficient; the distribution mechanism is complex and often delayed.

The central and many state governments have not established the regulatory institutions envisaged under the OSHWCC 2020; therefore, the working of the regulatory institutions could not be critically examined.

The paper critically evaluates laws and policies pertaining to silicosis in sandstone mineworkers, with a special emphasis on the state of Rajasthan. It offers a comprehensive critique of the OSHWCC of 2020, which has not received much attention from previous studies.

The purpose of this study is to focus on Pakistan’s food manufacturing enterprises and explore the knowledge and implications of green innovation, green intellectual capital (GIC) and green human resource management (GHRM) in achieving environmental performance and competitive advantage.

Using a quantitative approach, this research adopted a cross-sectional survey design to facilitate an objective and precise evaluation of the proposed relationships. The demographic comprised managers and supervisors from food manufacturing enterprises in Lahore, Pakistan. Through purposive sampling, 281 respondents were selected, ensuring representation from food enterprises.

This study explores that GIC is vital for implementing sustainable technologies in Pakistan’s food sectors. GIC and human resource management are identified as accelerators for green innovation, potentially providing an enhanced environmental performance and competitive edge.

By recognizing the potential of green practices as strategic resources, managers in the Pakistani food sector invest in fostering intangible resources and GIC. This approach leads to sustainable market dominance and efficient operations through continuous green innovation and effective stakeholder communication.

This research offers a consolidated view of the function of GIC in encouraging green innovations in Pakistan’s food enterprises, emphasizing the importance of GHRM procedures and sustainable business methods. This study also provides insights into the strategic management of green projects from a managerial perspective, emphasizing the need for alignment with company strategy and stakeholder communication.

This study aims to explore how intersecting identities shape experiences of workplace discrimination faced by Muslim employees in Catalonia, Spain. We seek to understand the interplay of religion, ethnicity, gender and age in their employment experiences in order to improve managerial practices.

The research employs a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with 39 diverse Muslim employees in Catalonia through convenience and snowball sampling to support an intersectional analysis.

Findings reveal that Muslim employees navigate a workplace environment where their experiences of discrimination are shaped by intersecting identities including religion, age, gender and ethnicity which become salient at various stages of their careers, prompted by HRM practices such as recruitment, selection and promotion. Their experiences as recipients of these practices illuminate the complex ways in which intersecting identities shape the experiences of discrimination. The study reveals the hiding of their religious identity, giving up on traditional career paths, seeking social support from other Muslims and emphasizing privileged identities, to deal with discrimination.

This study deepens understanding of the complexity of religious identity in minorities and explores its role in workplace discrimination. In particular, the research sheds light on the psychological impact in the form of feelings of guilt and shame which arise from coping strategies such as concealing religious markers which are adopted by these employees in response to organizational and managerial practices. Lastly, the paper stresses the need for intersectional approaches in order to improve effectiveness of HR policies and managerial practices.