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This paper examines and compares the role of social protection to promote inclusive growth in two countries (once related), Pakistan and Bangladesh, from 1984 to 2020, using annual time series data.

The study used principal component analysis to develop the index of social protection, inclusive growth and macroeconomic stability. It also employed co-integration with impulse response function and fully modified ordinary least squares test for long-run cointegration.

The key results highlighted that social protection positively promotes inclusive growth in both countries. However, Bangladesh attains a high position in achieving inclusive growth through the mechanism of welfare programs. Findings show that institutional quality, macroeconomic stability and globalization are the positive and significant drivers of inclusive growth in both countries. It also confirms that macroeconomic stability and globalization are contributing more to achieving inclusive growth in Bangladesh as compared to Pakistan.

Institutions and macroeconomic stability in both countries are critical toward providing a transparent system of welfare schemes to achieve inclusive growth. Shocks to social protection schemes in Pakistan are inconsistent for achieving inclusive growth as compared to Bangladesh.

The study extends the empirical measurement of social protection and inclusive growth while using protracted dimensions and indicators. It further examines and compares the dynamics of social protection programs for inclusive growth in two countries once related. For further originality and reliability, this study checks the robustness of long-run estimates by disaggregating the institutional quality and globalization into their key dimensions.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-07-2023-0548

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the effectiveness of cognitive and emotional appeals to mobilize resources in prosocial crowdfunding settings that combine the creation of economic and social value.

The authors quantitatively measure the effectiveness of cognitive and emotional appeals in the entrepreneurial narratives of 2,098 entrepreneurs from 55 countries shared via the Kiva platform by performing multiple regression analysis.

The findings suggest that using cognitive appeals can attract more resources than using emotional appeals. In fact, using affective language in general, and negative emotion words specifically, can be detrimental and attract fewer resources.

The authors contribute to the entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship literature by linking insights from the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion and motivational framing to understand resource mobilization in prosocial settings. This study demonstrates that cognitive and emotional appeals could lead to different outcomes in contexts where entrepreneurial narratives are all framed as “doing good” and individuals allocating resources are highly socially motivated.

This paper aims to contribute significantly to the empirical investigations on adopting Industry 4.0–circular economy in the Malaysian palm oil industry. The paper also aims to theorise and empirically assess a comprehensive model incorporating three aspects and 51 criteria.

A two-stage methodology is proposed using the fuzzy Delphi method and the fuzzy-based analytical network process. Twenty-seven criteria on adoptability of industry 4.0–circular economy were selected for the first-stage methodology, followed by identifying each criteria's intersection with the overall objectives.

The findings indicate that financial constraints, the lack of a collaborative I4.0–CE model, laws and policy, low management support and the training of dedicated employers in I4.0–CE-application are the top five criteria requiring critical attention from the POI.

The overall sustainability advantages of the POI are identified and discussed in depth to establish criteria for industry 4.0–circular economy applications.

This study fills the previous research gap by theoretically explaining POI's industry 4.0 adoption–circular economy from the perspective of two underpinning theories. Due to the pressure towards sustainability, the industry must be ready to adopt industry 4.0–circular economy applications, and resources must be managed appropriately and effectively by sharing and integrating. Advanced industry 4.0 technologies and pragmatic practices such as a circular economy are needed to achieve optimal sustainable development while retaining commercial success.

The research on entrepreneurial leadership (EL) and supply chain resilience (SCR) relationship is still in its exploration stage. Previous research indicates that EL is important for enhancing supply chain performance, including its resilience. However, the conditions through which EL affects SCR remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of EL on SCR in the context of SMEs, in addition to explore the combined moderating effects of big data analytics capability (BDAC) and environmental dynamism (ED) in the EL–SCR relationship.

Hierarchical regression analysis via PROCESS Macro was used to analyze the data collected from manufacturing SMEs in India.

The findings reveal that EL positively and significantly affects SCR. Importantly, BDAC actually positively moderates the EL–SCR relationship regardless of the level of dynamism of the business environment.

This research expands the existing body of knowledge on EL and SCR within the context of developing countries. The findings offer useful insights for SME managers and decision-makers, who are anticipated to consider the adoption of BDAC in their firms. This has implications that with BDAC adoption, it is anticipated that SMEs will be able to take advantage of the full potential of EL to enhance their SCR regardless of the level of dynamism of the business environment.

In the context of the environmental degradation challenge in manufacturing firms, greening the supply chain (SC) is the most widely endorsed method to mitigate the adverse repercussions of climate change. Based on organizational learning and resource dependence theories, the aim of this research is to know how green supply chain external integration (GSCEI) and green supply chain internal integration (GSCII) influence ambidextrous green innovation (AGI). It also examines the mediating roles of green absorptive capacity (GAC) and green knowledge integration capability (GKIC), as well as the moderating role of green technology dynamism (GTD).

To assess the hypothesized model, data were obtained with 386 questionnaires from managers employed in manufacturing firms in Pakistan applying a cross-sectional approach. A partial least square structural equation modeling technique was implemented to evaluate the data.

The results revealed that GSCEI and GSCII substantially impact AGI. Moreover, GAC and GKIC serve as mediators between GSCEI and AGI. GAC and GKIC also intervene in the relationship between GSCII and AGI. GTD was significant as a moderator for the correlation between GSCEI and AGI. However, it does not moderate the relationship between GSCII and AGI.

This research offers significant comprehension and an innovative approach for manufacturing organizations to curb environmental corrosion by stimulating AGI through green SC integration. It suggests to practitioners that integrating internal knowledge with external partners expands communication and collaboration to ensure that resources connected with environmental preservation flow smoothly.

This research is a valuable addition to the field, as it explores for the first time the missing link among the studied constructs. It opened the black box of how knowledge-related capabilities facilitate knowledge resources to elicit AGI, an area that has not yet been explored.

The purpose of study is to examine the dual nature of the branches for the problem of Darcy–Forchheimer porous medium flow of rotating nanofluid on a linearly stretching/shrinking surface under the field of magnetic influence. The dual nature of the branches confronts the uniqueness and existence theorem, moreover, mathematically it is a great achievement. For engineering purposes, this study applied a linear stability test on the multiple branches to determine which solution is physically reliable (stable).

Nanofluid model has been developed with the help of Buongiorno model. The partial differential equations in space coordinates for the law of conservation of mass, momentum and energy have been transformed into ordinary differential equations by introducing the similarity variables. Two numerical techniques, namely, the shooting method in Maple software and the three-stage Lobatto IIIA method in Matlab software, have been used to find multiple branches and to accomplish stability analysis, respectively.

The parametric investigation has been executed to find the multiple branches and explore the effects on skin friction, Sherwood number, Nusselt number, concentration and temperature profiles. The findings exhibited the presence of dual branches only in the case of a shrinking sheet.

The originality of work is a determination of multiple branches and the performance of the stability analysis of the branches. It has also been confirmed that such a study has not yet been considered in the previous literature.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial orientation and total quality management on quality performance of pharmaceutical manufacturers in Pakistan. It also investigates the mediating role played by total quality management in the EO-QP relationship.

A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 115 pharmaceutical manufacturers in Pakistan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data.

The results show entrepreneurial orientation that and total quality management positively and significantly affect quality performance. Moreover, the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on quality performance is partially mediated by total quality management.

The study uses cross-sectional data. Therefore, the long-term effect of entrepreneurial orientation and total quality management on quality performance could not be determined. Moreover, quality performance has been measured based on perceptual data, which may be prone to biases, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), quality performance (QP), total quality management (TQM).

The study is unique in providing empirical evidence linking entrepreneurial orientation with quality performance through the mediating role of total quality management. Quality performance is vital in the pharmaceutical industry; thus, the study makes a valuable contribution by identifying a new mechanism to achieve it. Moreover, although both entrepreneurial orientation and total quality management are very important, only a few studies have so far investigated their interrelationship. By providing evidence from a new cultural and industrial context, the study makes a valuable contribution to an under-researched yet important area.

The aim of this paper has twofold: (1) to explain and compare the financial evolution of Islamic and conventional banking sector in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) to explore the key success factors that might affect Islamic and conventional banks performance before and mainly during COVID-19 pandemic period.

Orbis Bank Focus database and annual financial reports are used to collect financial information of Islamic and conventional banks in GCC countries over four years: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Descriptive statistics, T-test, multiple regression, and 2SLS and GMM models are employed to analyze the financial structure and performance of Islamic and conventional banks before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Results of this study reveal that (1) there is a significant difference between Islamic banks and conventional banks during the crisis of COVID-19, where the conventional banks have presented a higher level of financial performance and financial liquidity than their Islamic counterparts, (2) conventional banks have revealed higher capacity to manage their financial risk during the crisis period, and (3) a high level of non-performing loan, high inflation rate and high percentage of non-important cost have a negative impact on the financial performance of Islamic banks mainly during the pandemic period of COVID-19. However, the result indicates that a high level of liquidity risk increased the performance of Islamic banks but this impact falls sharply during the pandemic period.

This study provides information that supports investors, regulators and executive managers in GCC countries. A well-structured balance sheet would improve the financial performance and risk management of the banking sector in GCC countries, especially in times of crisis and pandemics.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale for the measurement of service quality at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the pharmaceutical supply chain and to study the impact of service quality on doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior. Doctors from two major states of South India were selected for the study. A doctor perceived service quality scale with three dimensions having eight items was developed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the pharmaceutical context. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to show the relationship between service quality, satisfaction and prescribing behavior. The critical factors of service quality were identified, and a model was developed showing the relationship between service quality, doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior which has not been explored in any research. This model will be helpful in further development of new concepts and for analyzing the reasons for the failure of doctors in providing quality service. 

A total of 200 doctors from three major cities of South India were selected. A doctor perceived service quality scale with three dimensions having eight items was developed through CFA using Parasuraman Service quality scale (Parasuraman, 1985, 1986, 1988) as the basis in the pharmaceutical context after focus group discussions with company experts, retailers, doctors and academicians. SEM technique was used to examine the impact of service quality on doctor’s satisfaction and prescribing behavior.

There is no universal set of dimensions and items that determine service quality in manufacturing industries, especially at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the pharmaceutical supply chain though service quality plays a very important role in affecting the performance of manufacturing industries. The critical factors affecting the quality of service for a pharmaceutical company at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the supply chain were identified, and its impact on doctor’s satisfaction and their prescribing behavior were studied.

This research contributes to the development of service quality scale for measuring service quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing company, especially with reference to manufacturer–doctor interface of the supply chain which was not thoroughly explored earlier. A model was developed showing the positive relationship between service quality and doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior in pharmaceutical supply chain which is a new concept not proved experimentally.

The study is very useful for the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to identify the service quality factors affecting doctor’s satisfaction and their prescribing behavior thereby leading to development of new measures for improving the performance of the pharmaceutical supply chain. This study can lead to identification of problems involved in pharmaceutical supply chain and also leads to generation of new ideas and development of new concepts for influencing doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior which in turn can help in providing better health.

This study actually has a direct impact on the society. If factors affecting doctor’s satisfaction and prescribing behavior are identified automatically, the end consumer, i.e. patient, can be satisfied in a better way, and better medical care can be provided. If doctor’s problems are identified, then better solutions can be provided to patients; this in turn has a lot of positive impact on the pharmaceutical company and society in general.

This research will act as a base for generating ideas relating to how quality service provided by a company will have an impact on doctor’s satisfaction and his prescribing behavior in pharmaceutical supply chain .To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind of the conceptual aspects of service quality, satisfaction and loyalty explained in terms of pharmaceutical supply chain as service quality, doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior and proved experimentally.