Shah Khusro, Aftab Alam and Shah Khalid
Social question and answer (SQA) site is one of the factors that boosted up and popularized the vision of social web. It enables community members to post highly valued answers to…
Abstract
Purpose
Social question and answer (SQA) site is one of the factors that boosted up and popularized the vision of social web. It enables community members to post highly valued answers to globally asked questions and information seekers to grab intellectual information in a contextual, concise, and meaningful format at the cost of investing a few minutes. The purpose of this paper is to present a common architecture, history, and a comprehensive review of such sites.
Design/methodology/approach
A critical and analytical investigation of the state-of-the-art SQA sites and relevant literature has been carried out with the intention to explore the noticeable features of such sites.
Findings
By studying relevant literature, and analysing a number of existing systems, a number of research challenges are identified and a generic architecture of SQA sites is contributed.
Practical implications
The review contributes a comprehensive knowledge about SQA systems and aims to be helpful to new researchers who want to get a broad picture of SQA systems on a single platform. The domain is in its infancy and requires tremendous efforts from the research community to explore its salient aspects with respect to the human world.
Originality/value
The study inspects SQA sites on a large scale and makes an original contribution by presenting a comprehensive review, future research challenges, and a generic architecture of SQA sites.
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Muhammad Aftab Alam and Kashif Mateen Ansari
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an open innovation strategy of public management in the energy sector enables the creation of innovation ecosystems and how it…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an open innovation strategy of public management in the energy sector enables the creation of innovation ecosystems and how it reduces the cost of wind energy projects in energy-poor countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This research study reflects on seven wind energy startups (WESs) in Pakistan using quantitative and qualitative data following a sequential mixed-methods approach. First, it draws from growing literature on innovation and renewable energy management to conceptualize an open innovation ecosystem model around WESs. It then tests this model using cost analyses of wind projects and identifies possible cost-saving strategies. Finally, follow-up interviews with managers in investigated projects cross check study findings and validate the model.
Findings
Three noteworthy findings can help policymakers in developing countries to effectively meet the future energy challenges and get benefit from international funding opportunities: by protecting lenders on approved terms rather than offering sovereign guarantee to operating firms; by letting the government take control of the initial development phase; and by giving off-take guarantees to the manufacturers.
Practical implications
It offers policy recommendations to energy sector managers about guarantees, financing, regulators, governmental control, tariffs and transfer of technology that can significantly curtail outlays.
Originality/value
Results suggest that adopting an open innovation ecosystem model can potentially save around 6 per cent ($4-$7m) in the overall cost of a 50 MW wind energy project.
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Omar Khalid Bhatti, Muhammad Aftab Alam, Arif Hassan and Mohamed Sulaiman
The current study aims to examine the relationship between Islamic spirituality (IS), Islamic social responsibility (ISR) and workplace deviance (WD).
Abstract
Purpose
The current study aims to examine the relationship between Islamic spirituality (IS), Islamic social responsibility (ISR) and workplace deviance (WD).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 400 Muslim employees of 9 business groups in Pakistan from manufacturing and services industry. The structure equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses, and the proposed model was assessed through renowned model fit indices.
Findings
The findings revealed that IS and ISR help curtail WD. The study also provides empirical support to the hypotheses that employees with high levels of IS and social responsibility will tend to avoid deviant behavior at workplace.
Originality/value
This study proposed IS and ISR as two possible stimuli that can help reduce employee deviant behavior at workplace. The findings of the present study revealed that IS, as well as ISR, is inversely related to WD. The present results augmented the existing body of knowledge regarding workplace spirituality in the field of organization behavior and further enriched the WD theory by offering new empirical relationships from an Islamic perspective.
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Mohd Adeel Shamsi and Aftab Alam
The purpose of this paper is to present critical barriers and obstacles faced by Information Technology (IT) industry in the implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as the business…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present critical barriers and obstacles faced by Information Technology (IT) industry in the implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as the business improvement methodology.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles, master and doctoral theses, paradigmatic books with managerial impact and survey reports was used to identify distinct barriers. An empirical survey, using 400 self-administered questionnaires, was then conducted. Data about 11 LSS barriers from 256 usable questionnaires, with a response rate of 64 per cent, were collected and analyzed by means of statistical data analysis software.
Findings
The challenges of “part-time involvement in Lean Six Sigma projects”, “time consuming”, “staff turnover in middle of project”, “difficulty in data collection” and “difficulty in identifying project scope” emerged as the most critical barriers in the context of IT industry. This research work advocates the development of a strategy for addressing the most critical barrier instead of focusing on all for successful implementation.
Originality/value
This paper will prove to be a fantastic resource for many researchers and practitioners who are engaged in research and applications of LSS in the IT industry. Moreover, the scarcity of literature specific to LSS in IT industry will be addressed to some extent.
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Tabassum Ali, Aftab Alam and Jabir Ali
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the market structure and level of competition in health and wellness food products by type, category, prime positioning and distribution…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the market structure and level of competition in health and wellness food products by type, category, prime positioning and distribution networks in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is conducted using secondary data from Euromonitor International. Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) has been calculated for analyzing the market trends in terms of type, category and prime positioning and market competition has been analyzed using Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). Analysis of variance has been used for analyzing the statistical difference in market competition.
Findings
Consumer purchase behavior for food is significantly changing across the world and consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the health enhancing properties of food. With growing incidences of problems like obesity, diabetes, coronary heart diseases and foodborne diseases, consumers are becoming aware of the role of food in ensuring health and well-being. There have been significant structural changes in the health and wellness food market compositions and India has huge market potential for health and wellness food products with a market size of Rs. 435 billion in 2013 and growing at a significantly high annual growth rate of about 13.8 percent during 2002-2013. HHI results clearly indicate that there is significant competition in the health and wellness food market with average HHI of 0.19. However, the structure of market competition shows a varied trend across the types, categories, prime-positioning and distribution channels of health and wellness food products.
Practical implications
Results of the study provide a better understanding of temporal as well as intra-category changes in market size of health and wellness food products and the competitiveness of the health and wellness food market, providing valuable insights to the companies involved in producing and marketing of health and wellness food products in India.
Originality/value
Health and wellness food market is an emerging area for the marketer and there are limited analysis on market structure and competition.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine, with a specific reference to the Indian economy, the interface between the World Trade Organization (WTO)/General Agreement on Trade in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine, with a specific reference to the Indian economy, the interface between the World Trade Organization (WTO)/General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) disciplines and aviation services; the challenges to the incorporation of air services regimes into the world trade treaty; and the alternative routes for the liberalization of air services markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts the doctrinal approach to legal research in analyzing literature on the integration of air services into the multi-lateral trading system. The paper takes a critical look at the current state of the aviation industry, the rationales and routes for liberalization, as well as the challenges facing it.
Findings
The paper reveals the state of the Indian aviation market and its preparedness for integration into the global market system. The merit of a gradual approach is examined.
Research limitations/implications
The WTO framework offers the traditional route for the liberalization of trade. However, since the inception of air travel, air traffic rights have been traded between countries on a bilateral basis, involving concepts of sovereignty over national airspace. The paper offers some ideas on how the two can be integrated.
Originality/value
The research draws on recent events in the Indian aviation sector. It is of importance, especially to other emerging economies with similar social-economic indicators. It objectively questions the rationales for liberalization or globalization and its merits.
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Senda Belhaj Slimene, Hela Borgi and Hakim Ben Othman
The study aims to investigate the relationship between E-government and corruption. It also examines the moderator role of national culture through Hofstede’s dimensions on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to investigate the relationship between E-government and corruption. It also examines the moderator role of national culture through Hofstede’s dimensions on the association between E-government and corruption.
Design/methodology/approach
In addition to panel regression techniques, the authors use the random forest method to assess the order of importance of all significant variables in determining corruption. The sample of this study consists of 55 countries during 2008–2020 period.
Findings
The results show that E-government is negatively correlated with corruption. The authors also find that both economic and cultural variables play an important role in determining corruption. However, religion has no impact on corruption. The results can potentially assist regulators and policy-makers when trying to control corruption as they should take into consideration the cultural background of citizens when making rules and procedures that aim at reducing corruption.
Originality/value
The current study uses random forests model, which allows the regression of variables based on the construction of a multitude of decision trees. The main contribution of using this model compared to the other regression models used in prior studies is to extract the relative importance of each significant variable. More precisely, it evaluates the rank of importance for each significant variable that drives corruption rather than merely identifying variables that drive corruption regardless of their relative importance.
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Rashida Bello Anka and Amjad Shamim
This study aims to investigate the impact of customer willingness to adopt self-service technologies (SST) in the Nigerian fuel station context. Specifically, it explores the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of customer willingness to adopt self-service technologies (SST) in the Nigerian fuel station context. Specifically, it explores the interplay between corruption mitigation at fuel stations, customer trust and customer intimacy in shaping the attitudes towards SST adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
The research employs a quantitative approach; partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) software was conducted using an online survey sample of 233 participants from Nigeria.
Findings
The research reveals that customer willingness to use SST positively correlates with customer trust, corruption mitigation and customer intimacy when introduced at fuel stations. However, as anticipated by the study, corruption mitigation at fuel stations and customer trust significantly mediate the relationship between willingness to use SST and customer intimacy. This suggests that an increase in customers’ willingness to use SST at a fuel station not only enhances the chances of mitigating corruption but also strengthens customer trust.
Originality/value
This study contributes to both academic understanding and practical implications. It advances the literature on technology adoption by exploring the unique context of Nigerian fuel stations. The study’s originality lies in its examination of these dynamics within a specific cultural and operational setting, presenting valuable knowledge for both researchers and fuel station managers seeking to improve customer experiences and service quality.
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Ahmad Saifalddin Abu-Alhaija, Raja Nerina Raja Yusof, Haslinda Hashim and Norsiah Jaharuddin
This paper aims to examine the influence of religious orientation on viewers’ loyalty, viewers’ satisfaction and perceived content quality; to examine the influences of perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the influence of religious orientation on viewers’ loyalty, viewers’ satisfaction and perceived content quality; to examine the influences of perceived content quality and viewers’ satisfaction on viewers’ loyalty; and to examine the mediating roles of perceived content quality and viewers’ satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
A set of questionnaires was distributed to 750 respondents in Jordan using convenience sampling. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The following are the findings: religious orientation has a direct positive influence on viewer’s loyalty, viewer’s satisfaction and perceived content quality; perceived content quality has a positive influence on viewer’s satisfaction; viewer’s satisfaction has positive influence on viewer’s loyalty; perceived content quality does not have any direct influence on viewer’s loyalty; perceived content quality has partial mediation role in the relationship between religious orientation and viewer’s satisfaction, while viewer’s satisfaction has full mediation role in the relationship between perceived content quality and viewer’s loyalty.
Originality/value
It is different from the previous studies that mostly focussed on religious commitment and religiosity as the important predictors of customer’s loyalty, and this study emphasised on the influence of religious orientation (the motivational approach of religion) as one of the religious dimensions that can affect customer’s loyalty model. The selected approach may provide additional insights into the existing loyalty models.
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Muhammad Hamid Shahbaz, Sajjad Ahmad and Shahab Alam Malik
This study aims to explore green practices within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their implications for determining environmental performance. Targeting SMEs in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore green practices within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their implications for determining environmental performance. Targeting SMEs in Pakistan, the study examines the influence of green intellectual capital (GIC), innovation and creativity on environmental performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive survey addressed top, middle, and lower-level managerial perspectives. A sample of 243 respondents was statistically selected, and the survey questionnaire was used to measure the key constructs of the study. Using a 5-point Likert scale, the study captured the respondents' insights regarding green practices. Data analysis was executed using SPSS for descriptive tests and Smart-PLS 4 for advanced structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
GIC significantly enhances green innovation within SMEs, leading to improved environmental performance. Green creativity is a crucial moderator, indicating that SMEs have higher creative approaches to counter environmental challenges. These findings accentuate the importance of fostering an environment that stimulates green creativity to uplift GIC in achieving environmental performance.
Originality/value
The study offers a profound understanding of how SMEs in Pakistan leverage GIC to elevate their environmental performance, thereby providing strategic insights for businesses aiming for sustainable growth.