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This study investigates the mediating role of brand love in two important relationships: first, corporate social responsibility (CSR)–word-of-mouth (WoM) intentions and second, corporate ability (CA)–WoM relationships.

Data were collected with a sample of 359 respondents, and partial least squares-based structural equation modeling was utilized for data analysis.

The research reveals interesting findings as brand love fully mediates the CSR–WoM relationship, whilst it partially mediates the CA–WoM relationship.

The results demonstrate that cellular service firms should strive to create brand love. This is because CSR investments can be diligently translated into WoM intentions through brand love.

The proposal and validation of brand love as a mediator in CSR–WoM and CA–WoM relationships in the cellular service context of a South Asian market is the key contribution of this research.

This study aims to highlight important marketing strategies within the context of a highly competitive emerging market with few points of difference because of service homogeneity. Drawing upon the social identity and self-expansion theories, this research explores the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and discounts and packages offers (DPO) as determinants of purchase intentions. The understudied mediating role of brand love is investigated in the CSR–purchase intentions and DPO–purchase intentions relationships, with relationship age as a moderating variable for the two relationships.

Data from 359 valid responses from customers of cellular service firms in Pakistan were analyzed using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling.

The findings show that brand love partially (albeit a weaker relationship) mediates the CSR–purchase intentions relationship. Brand love also partially (albeit a stronger relationship) mediates the DPO–purchase intentions relationship. The moderating role of relationship age is not established.

Cellular firms in emerging markets experience high volatility. Therefore, understanding of the volatile behavior alongside devising strategies is of the utmost importance. This research shows that customers continue their business with the firms they love. Interestingly, the non-significance of relationship age as a moderator for both CSR–purchase intentions and DPO–purchase intentions indicates that garnering customers' purchase intentions with respect to relationship age will be very difficult for cellular firms under fierce competition. CSR and DPO should be strategically used to increase brand love to boost purchase intentions.

This study makes two important contributions to the literature of emerging markets. The first contribution of this research is the proposal and validation of brand love as a mediating variable in CSR–purchase intentions and DPO–purchase intentions relationships. Evaluation of the moderating role of relationship age in CSR–purchase intentions and DPO–purchase intentions relationships is the second contribution.

Architectural theorists have a long tradition of acknowledging the centrality of building users to architectural production. This article contributes to the discourse on architecture, actor–network theory (ANT), and users by proposing a typology of user translations ranging from supporting to tinkering to adjusting to resisting.

The research utilises an ANT-inspired ethnography of sustainable lighting scripts at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). It comprises semi-structured interviews with MIST designers and students, and site visits and participant observation to understand how the users interpret the scripts and how they interact and change them on a daily basis.

There is a shared understanding that users do not simply receive architectural designs but interpret and change them to suit their preferences. The findings reveal the multiple ways that users interpret and respond to the assumptions of designers and in the process, recast the relations between themselves and their material surroundings.

The research contributes to acknowledging the centrality of users to architectural design processes and the interpretation of design scripts, addressing the limitation in current literature in demonstrating the diversity of ways that users react to such scripts. The research suggests that user actions have significant implications on long-term building performance. It accordingly points to the need for devising multiple means of user involvement in the design process and allowing greater flexibility in design scripts to improve the alignment with user preferences.

This study aims to examine the extent to which information asymmetry affects investment efficiency and whether the presence of blockholders moderate this relationship.

We employ the data of firms listed on the Malaysian stock exchange for the period 2010–2018, to compose our sample. Our final sample includes the 100 largest non-financial firms based on market capitalization. Collectively, these 100 companies contribute 84.2% to the total market capitalization (MYR 1,730bn) which is representative of the whole market. The ordinary least squares regressions were used as the main estimation technique. The system generalized method of moments, two-stage least squares and propensity score matching were also used, to address potential endogeneity concerns.

We document a positively significant association of information asymmetry with investment inefficiency. These results imply that information asymmetry reduces investment efficiency and enhances sub-optimal investments. We also document that blockholders negatively moderate the relationship of information asymmetry with investment inefficiency. Further analyses show that investment inefficiency is higher in low-growth firms than in high-growth firms because of higher information asymmetry.

We focus on Malaysia, which is a predominantly common-law Anglo-Saxon country. Graff (2008) documented that the investors are treated differently across legal systems and there are differences between the continental European and Anglo-Saxon countries. La Porta et al. (1999) documented that investors tend to have more legal protection in Anglo-Saxon countries. Therefore, our results may not be generalized to countries with different legal systems.

An important implication of our findings is that stakeholders may encourage the presence of blockholders and give them a voice to weaken the positive relationship between information asymmetry and investment inefficiency.

This study contributes to the contingency literature by investigating the moderating effect of an important governance mechanism, i.e. the presence of blockholders on information asymmetry-investment efficiency nexus. Despite being important, this moderating effect has been largely overlooked in the literature. Our study contributes by providing an understanding of how blockholders can influence investment decisions, offering insights for academics, investors and policymakers focused on improving the efficacy of investment decisions and governance structure.

The objective of this study was to look closely at how domestic violence is represented in Pakistani drama serials to see if portrayals are reinforcing stereotypical and/or patriarchal values, or breaking the rigid norms.

With the help of dispositive analysis within the critical discourse approach, the prominent and non-dominant discourses about domestic violence were identified and discussed. Episodes from two popular drama serials, Kaisa Yeh Naseeban and Khaas, released in 2019, were watched with special focus on texts on domestic violence alongside objects and actions.

Analysis showed that both drama serials gave importance to socio-systemic and liberal humanist instrumentalism discourses, which describe domestic violence as a result of social structures and that abuse is used to assert control, respectively. However, some instances were noted where patriarchal values were encouraged.

As media has become a powerful tool of influence and awareness in the recent times, it is imperative that the content watched on it by millions of people be studied and analyzed. It is claimed that Pakistani drama serials with wide following and that are made on social issues around women aim to raise awareness and empower them. Domestic violence is a prevalent issue in Pakistan, and no research till date has examined representation of domestic violence on Pakistani popular media, which may influence response to domestic violence, which this paper aims to do.

Project information is widely and thoroughly exchanged within construction projects. However, the risk management process exhibits deficiencies in coordination and visibility, particularly in developing countries. Practitioners in developing countries often engage in Project Risk Management (PRiM) using practices that inadvertently hinder project success, frequently resulting in suboptimal outcomes. Therefore, this research explores practices within Project Integration Management (PIM) and Project Communication Management (PCmM) that could enhance PRiM and improve managerial proficiency to achieve project success in developing countries.

The PIM, PCmM and PRiM processes were explored from the literature; the data was gathered initially by close-ended interviews conducted with a panel of twelve experts followed by a well-structured questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed via AMOS to analyze the data and construct a model representing the intricate relationships between the processes. Additionally, the validity and reliability of the method were inspected.

The data analysis confirmed that PIM and PCmM were correlated according to contractors and consultants in the Jordanian construction industry. Furthermore, both have a positive influence on the PRiM. In addition, a 13-step process was developed to apply extra processes and practices to ensure better implementation of the PRiM in developing countries.

The literature highlights that integration and communication management influence project performance. However, there is a lack of research utilizing practices from these knowledge areas to achieve better project risk management implementation. This research highlights two of the most underrated knowledge areas in project management. Therefore, a framework was devised, comprising processes that practitioners should take into account during the planning phase leading to efficient PRiM to enhance their managerial proficiency.

Fear of COVID-19 is one of the pivotal components that have generated higher levels of stress, obsessions and anxiety among the adult population, thus creating numerous mental health issues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychological well-being based on COVID-19-related fear, obsessions and anxiety during the pandemic situation.

The current study aimed to evaluate the relationship between COVID-19-related fear, obsessions, anxiety, stress and well-being among adult populations. Additionally, the aim was to see the impact of COVID-19-related fear, obsessions, anxiety and stress on well-being. This was a cross-sectional study based on nonclinical sample of (n = 250) adults; data was obtained via online questionnaire survey method and analysis was performed by using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS-22).

The authors’ findings based on descriptive statistics showed that COVID-19-related fear and obsessions were positively associated with COVID anxiety and stress and negatively associated with well-being. COVID anxiety was positively associated with stress and negatively associated with well-being. Moreover, perceived stress is negatively associated with well-being. The results additionally provide the outcome/conclusion that COVID-related anxiety significantly negatively predicted the psychological well-being. Overall the model explained 24% of the variance in psychological well-being. Females scored significantly high in COVID-19-related anxiety and obsessions as compared to males.

A distinctive feature of this study is the understanding of COVID-19-related fear, obsessions, anxiety, stress and well-being among adult populations, and the findings are highlighting the need for psychological and social interventions for this specific population; therefore, immediate attention is needed by the clinical health professionals dealing with mental health issues.

There is a vital need to explore and develop psychological interventions aiming at the negative consequences being faced by the adult populations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impending second wave that will expose individuals to various mental health issues evolving because of the health crisis.

The purpose of this investigation is to identify, evaluate, integrate and summarize relevant and qualified papers through conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) on the application of recommender systems (RSs) to suggest a scholarly publication venue for researcher's paper.

To identify the relevant papers published up to August 11, 2018, an SLR study on four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore and ScienceDirect) was conducted. We pursued the guidelines presented by Kitchenham and Charters (2007) for performing SLRs in software engineering. The papers were analyzed based on data sources, RSs classes, techniques/methods/algorithms, datasets, evaluation methodologies and metrics, as well as future directions.

A total of 32 papers were identified. The most data sources exploited in these papers were textual (title/abstract/keywords) and co-authorship data. The RS classes in the selected papers were almost equally used. DBLP was the main dataset utilized. Cosine similarity, social network analysis (SNA) and term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF–IDF) algorithm were frequently used. In terms of evaluation methodologies, 24 papers applied only offline evaluations. Furthermore, precision, accuracy and recall metrics were the popular performance metrics. In the reviewed papers, “use more datasets” and “new algorithms” were frequently mentioned in the future work part as well as conclusions.

Given that a review study has not been conducted in this area, this paper can provide an insight into the current status in this area and may also contribute to future research in this field.

This study aims to provide insights into the public–private partnerships (PPP) concept and its performance measurement in the health-care sector, identifying and refining critical success factors, including the perceived quality of health care, as evidenced by patient satisfaction and policy requirements for successful PPP implementation.

This theoretical study explores the existing literature on the relationship between service quality and patient satisfaction, to propose a culture-specific conceptual model interlinking the drivers of patient satisfaction with PPP. The in-depth theoretical research focuses on the qualitative performance indicators of PPPs, as well as their corresponding peripheral factors.

The research presents theoretical evidence that the concept of patient satisfaction can only be viewed through a multifactor perspective that incorporates demographics of patients, perceived service quality factors and emotions. It is found that significant improvements in service quality and patient satisfaction do, indeed, emphasize the effective role of PPP in hospitals.

The theoretical model is based on a comprehensive set of both cognitive and affective determinants. And considering these, as well as their causes, effects and interrelations, sets the foundations for testing and for further research to develop. Moreover, the outcomes of this study can be used as a theoretical base for the development of a PPP qualitative performance measurement framework.

This study attempts to fill the gap in knowledge on service quality and patient satisfaction as qualitative indicators for hospital performance after and toward PPP, while setting explicit factors and opening clear research avenues for further studies to follow.

Heavy metals constitute one of the most hazardous substances that could be accumulated in biota coming from human activities such as agricultural and industrial wastes. This paper aims to study the levels of some of the most common heavy metals in muscles of the fish caught in the Karun River (Ahvaz, Iran) and to assess the health risks associated with their consumption.

In present study, the concentrations of three heavy metals (Pb, Cd and Cu) in the muscle of highly consumed fish species Ctenopharyngodon Idella (Cyprinidae) collected from three selected markets (Khoram Kooshk, Ahvaz-e Qadim and Padad Shahr; total number of samples was 45) in Ahvaz city and human health risk associated with their consumption were detected by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).

The results indicated that the highest and lowest accumulated metal concentrations were related to Cu (20.36 ± 0.84) and Cd (0.53 ± 0.02), respectively. In addition, the mean difference for Pb and Cu across two pairwise of sampling sites were significant (Ahvaz-e Qadim and Khoram Kooshk, P for Pb = 0.025, P for Cu = 0.033; Ahvaz-e Qadim and Padad Shahr, p for Pb = 0.018, p for Cu = 0.039). The estimated daily intake of all metals in muscles of fish in this study were below the legal limit, and mean differences were not statistically significant among the sampling sites, except for Cu (Ahvaz-e Qadim and Khoram Kooshk, p = 0.048; Ahvaz-e Qadim and Padad Shahr, p = 0.041). Target hazard quotient values were also all below 1.

It can be concluded that the fishes from Ahvaz city markets are comparatively clean and do not constitute a risk for human health.