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Supermarket promotions typically use a standard label, which displays the regular price, discounted price and discounted unit price. Visits to supermarkets across multiple countries found that none used a price label that also contains the regular (i.e. pre-discounted) unit price. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a dual unit-price label that includes the regular unit price as a reference price, and what underpins its efficacy in enhancing promotion attractiveness.

The authors executed four studies, supported by three supplemental studies. Study 1 established external validity through a natural instore experiment. Studies 2 and 3 tested the dual unit-price label with different pack sizes and assortment sizes, respectively. Finally, Study 4 tested the underpinning mechanism of the efficacy of the dual unit-price label.

In Study 1, daily sales records over four weeks showed that dual unit-price label promotions had larger sales volume than standard-label promotions. Study 2 showed a larger pack size, a heuristic cue for greater economy and increased preference for dual unit-price label promotions. Study 3 similarly found that the dual unit-price label was preferred more as cognitive load was increased by assortment size. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated the dual processing of the dual unit-price label, using a conscious preference measure (information provided) and an unconscious implicit attitude test.

Unit-price research has mainly considered a cognitive process. The authors demonstrated the importance of considering a heuristic process.

Supermarkets can use this simple and yet effective tool to improve promotion effectiveness.

This study demonstrates that the dual unit-price label is a new and easy tool to enhance sales promotions, which academic research and managerial practice had never considered previously.

Understanding the role of corporate strategies in sustainability has become a hot topic for scholarly research. Meanwhile, firms strive to innovate and shape their positive image in the contemporary business arena. Past research has ignored investigating whether and how sustainability-oriented corporate strategies could drive innovation and firm image among external stakeholders. To address the said research gap, this paper examines the path through which sustainability-oriented corporate strategy and environmental regulation improve green corporate image and green innovation capabilities (i.e. green process and product innovation).

This study adopted a quantitative survey-based method. The online survey was adopted to collect data from employees working at the managerial level in the equipment manufacturing sector. The data collected from 343 managers that was complete in all aspects was used for empirical analysis using structural equation modeling. Direct and indirect relations were evaluated.

The findings reveal that sustainability-oriented corporate strategy and environmental regulation drive green innovation and green corporate image. Findings further show that external knowledge adoption underpins these effects of sustainability-oriented corporate strategy and environmental regulation.

The study delivers theoretical and practical understandings of the importance of sustainability-oriented corporate strategies to green corporate image and green innovation capabilities.

This paper aims to explore the use and impact of social media, specifically Twitter (now X), in political mobilization in Pakistan. It focuses on the events followed by the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan as Pakistan’s prime minister in April 2022 and the protest campaign that ensued, facilitated through the strategic use of the Urdu hashtag #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور (translated as “imported-government unacceptable”) on Twitter, both within and outside Pakistan.

Using Web scraping, data from Twitter was extracted and analyzed between 2022 and 2023. By probing into user account profiles and interactions with this hashtag, this paper investigates the claims surrounding the hashtag’s popularity, by identifying suspicious accounts and their contributions in the trending of the hashtag.

Findings suggest that the claim of the hashtag's unprecedented success was overhyped, further suggesting that the popularity and impact of the social media campaign were exaggerated. Despite high engagement rates, the study indicates a discrepancy between perceived influence and actual impact on public sentiment and political mobilization.

This paper contributes to the literature on social media’s role in political mobilization and agenda-setting in the Pakistani context. More generally, understanding hashtag dynamics and their impact on shaping public opinion, may be beneficial to academics and practitioners in better understanding the role of digital platforms in the politics.

Islamic banks (IBs) place significant importance on their religious identity, prompting the utilization of impression management (IM) strategies to emphasize such identity. This paper aims to discuss the motivations behind using IM in the creation of religious identity by IBs, and to explore the use of religious symbols and language as a form of religious rhetoric. It is argued that to counteract the threats to their religious identity, IBs use IM techniques, predominantly through the inclusion of religious symbols and rhetoric.

An empirical exploratory study, using content analysis, was conducted on the annual reports of the largest IBs for the year 2022. The analyses involved a total of 39 banks based on a filtered list from The Banker’s Top Islamic Financial Institutions of 2022. A manual content analysis was undertaken to extract religious symbols, images and contents.

The findings reveal the use of IM techniques that emphasize the religious identity of these banks. Notably, IBs consistently reaffirm their commitment to Sharia compliance and disclose their contributions to Zakah. In addition, the analysis reveals the incorporation of Quranic verses, religious iconographic images and other religious rhetoric statements in the annual reports of many IBs.

The analysis concludes that the assertion by IBs that their guiding principles are rooted in Islamic values are supported by the religious terminology and imagery embedded in their annual reports. Alongside mere religious symbolism, the terms and images are integral part of the corporate identity of the Islamic that not only sends persuasive signals to stakeholders but also help build an impression on the activities of the IBs.

IM has been a key objective and strategy of companies. This study aimed at exploring whether and how IBs used religious symbolism as an integral part of IM and corporate identity.

The usage of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants facilitates seamless communication, offering instant responses to inquiries and enhancing customer satisfaction. In Japan, the hospitality industry is at the forefront of this AI-driven transformation and through collaborations with technology companies, hotels are deploying AI-powered concierge services, smart room automation, and language translation systems to cater to diverse guest needs. The integration of AI in Japan's tourism sector not only enhances operational efficiency but also showcases the country's commitment to innovation and delivering exceptional customer experiences. As Japan embraces AI in its hospitality industry, it navigates the delicate balance between leveraging technology and preserving human interaction and by combining the efficiency and accuracy of AI with the warmth and personal touch of human hospitality, Japan aims to redefine the future of tourism. Moreover, AI streamlines operations by automating repetitive tasks, optimising resource allocation, and improving efficiency in areas such as reservation management, inventory control, and demand forecasting. However, along with these benefits, there are significant challenges to consider. Privacy concerns arise as AI systems collect and process personal data, necessitating robust security measures to protect sensitive information. Ethical considerations must also be addressed, as the use of AI raises questions about transparency, bias, and accountability. Furthermore, while AI enhances efficiency, there is a concern about losing the human touch that has long been a hallmark of the hospitality industry. Balancing the benefits of AI with maintaining personalised and authentic guest experiences becomes a crucial challenge.

Inspired by the neoclassical economic theory and endogenous growth theories, where former studies suggest that the economic growth of a country can be observed through the combination of three factors. Those three factors include capital, the number of labour forces (human capital) and technology. This research was initiated to study the impact of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector on the socioeconomic and employment growth of TVET trainers in Pakistan, which is also supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In this study, quantitative research methods and survey research design have been used. Data were collected using an adapted survey questionnaire from 520 participants. The participants of this study were TVET trainers from different skill-based organizations. Whereas, the collected data was analysed using SPSS 27.0, and the Spearman correlation was used to analyse the relationship and strength of association between the constructs.

Findings of this study indicate that the skill-based education through the TVET sector has a highly positive impact on TVET trainers’ employment, socioeconomic growth of vocational trainers and quality standards of living of the TVET trainers. Whereas, the findings also revealed that this skill-based education has a relatively weak relationship with the traditional content-based education as compared to other targeted variables in the skill development sector which influence the socioeconomic growth of the TVET trainers in Pakistan and similar contexts.

This study highlights that the TVET has a significant impact on the socioeconomic growth and development of TVET trainers in the context of Pakistan. From the results, international agencies, economists, politicians and policymakers in Pakistan will get some valuable insights to develop policies accordingly which will promote TVET in the country and make a significant contribution to the socioeconomic growth of TVET trainers in particular and the country in general.

This study also promotes the economical sustainability and value creation among vocational education trainers in TVET and skill-based organizations to further strengthen their professional development and growth in Pakistan.

This is one of the few studies which specifies the impact of the skilled-based education and training sector on the socioeconomic growth and development of TVET trainers in Pakistan, particularly in rural contexts or less privileged areas.

This study investigates the behavior of viscous hybrid ferromagnetic fluids flowing through plain elastic sheets with the magnetic polarization effect. It examines flow in a porous medium using Stefan blowing and utilizes a versatile hybrid ferrofluid containing MnZnFe₂O₄ and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in the C2H2F4 base fluid, offering potential real-world applications. The study focuses on steady, laminar and viscous incompressible flow, analyzing heat and mass transfer aspects, including thermal radiation, Brownian motion, thermophoresis and viscous dissipation with convective boundary condition.

The governing expression of the flow model is addressed with pertinent non-dimensional transformations, and the finite element method solves the obtained system of ordinary differential equations.

The variations in fluid velocity, temperature and concentration profiles against all the physical parameters are analyzed through their graphical view. The association of these parameters with local surface friction coefficient, Nusselt number and Sherwood number is examined with the numerical data in a table.

This work extends previous research on ferrofluid flow, investigating unexplored parameters and offering valuable insights with potential engineering, industrial and medical implications. It introduces a novel approach that uses mathematical simplification techniques and the finite element method for the solution.

This paper aims to examine the impact of corruption on bank stability and bank profitability separately for Islamic banks as well as conventional banks. Moreover, it also investigates whether the existence of Islamicity and corruption in the environment can moderate the Islamic banks-stability and Islamic banks-profitability relationships.

Sample of the study consists 136 banks comprising 70 Islamic and 66 conventional banks over the period 2015–2021 from nine countries with dual banking systems. Panel data fixed effect estimator with year effects is used to estimate the results.

Results of the study show that Islamicity is positively and corruption is negatively related to bank stability as well as bank profitability. Further, it is found that the effect of corruption is significantly different between Islamic and conventional banks, wherein conventional banks are more adversely affected than Islamic banks. However, an insignificant difference between Islamic and conventional banks is observed in the case of Islamicity.

The study provides theoretical and practical implications. On theoretical side, the study presents Islamicity as more reliable measure of religiosity based on Islamic values that can help in control of corruption by moderating corruption-bank stability nexus especially in dual banking economies which have high share of Muslim population. On practical side, the study recommends policy and operational measures for mitigating corruption aiming bank stability.

The results of this study contribute to the corruption-finance, religion-finance and dual banking literature. This study suggests that regulators and bank management must consider corruption and Islamicity while formulating their policies for better bank performance/stability.

This paper aims to introduce the concept of Islamic locus of control (ILoC) and explores its influence on individual behavior within organizational contexts. It aims to integrate Islamic values into the traditional understanding of LoC and investigate how ILoC affects motivation, responsibility and resilience among Muslim individuals in the workplace.

Using a conceptual approach, this paper draws from Islamic sources such as the Qur’an and Hadith, as well as literature on psychology, human resource management and Islamic theology. It synthesizes relevant theories and concepts to develop a comprehensive understanding of ILoC and its significance in organizational settings.

ILoC encompasses key dimensions including ikhtiyar (effort), tawakkul (reliance on Allah) and qadr (Divine Decree), which shape individuals’ perceptions of control and action within organizations. Individuals with a high ILoC are expected to exhibit greater motivation, responsibility and resilience, while also maintaining acceptance of Allah’s decree.

Future research should focus on developing valid measurement instruments for assessing ILoC and conducting empirical studies to test its impact on organizational outcomes.

Understanding and fostering a supportive environment for individuals with a high ILoC can enhance motivation, responsibility and overall productivity within Islamic organizations.

Promoting an environment that respects and integrates religious beliefs can contribute to social cohesion and harmony within diverse organizational settings.

This paper contributes to the existing literature by introducing the novel concept of ILoC and offering insights into its implications for organizational behavior within Islamic contexts. It bridges the gap between psychology, human resource management and Islamic theology, providing a unique perspective on how religious beliefs influence individual behavior in the workplace.