M. Haneef, Jamil Abdo, Syed Ullah, S. Waqar, Fayaz Hussain and Ashraf Ali
This paper presents development of a laboratory scale setup for production of CNTs by arc discharge process in an argon gas environment. The main problem with existing lab scale…
Abstract
This paper presents development of a laboratory scale setup for production of CNTs by arc discharge process in an argon gas environment. The main problem with existing lab scale production is the cleaning of the chamber which is resolved in presented work by placing a circular metal sheet inside the chamber which is removed after the synthesis, thus allowing easy cleaning and recovery of the CNTs. The most noteworthy feature of the presented setup is its low cost, offering for the first time the synthesis of economical CNTs on small scale. In addition to offering better control over operating conditions, another unique feature of the developed setup is its capability to synthesize SWCNTs and MWCNTs with versatile range of diameters.
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Manzoor Hussain, Syed Uzma Kubravi and Fayaz Ahmad Loan
Social networking sites (SNS) have become popular destinations for college students all over the world. The minds of the college students have been steadily taking over by the…
Abstract
Purpose
Social networking sites (SNS) have become popular destinations for college students all over the world. The minds of the college students have been steadily taking over by the influence of social networking, and this can impact their ability for doing research. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to investigate the role of SNS in enhancing the research activities of the degree college students in the Srinagar district of Kashmir, J&K, India.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey method was used to conduct the study, and Cochran’s sampling formula was applied to select the sampling size. Data were collected with the aid of a well-designed and structured questionnaire using Google forms. Besides, the focus group discussions were conducted to get varied opinions.
Findings
The findings revealed that the majority of the students agree or strongly agree that SNS help them in interacting with researchers, reading research content, keeping them abreast of research articles, knowing research trends, developing research aptitude and facilitating logical thinking and reasoning. The study confirmed that SNS help in enhancing the research traits of college students. However, students have been cautioned to make proper and judicious use of SNS.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to the college students of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (India), and the results cannot be generalised across regions and countries.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study, being a part of PhD programme, is the original work of great value. It investigates the role of SNS in enhancing the research traits of college students and brings into light various hidden facts.
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Sobiya Manzoor, Syed Zameer Hussain, Tawheed Amin, Omar Bashir, Bazila Naseer, Abida Jabeen, Ufaq Fayaz, Naseh Nisar, Aarizoo Mushtaq, Monisa Yousouf, Zahida Naseem and Uzznain Khan
The purpose of this article was to highlight the various methods of extrusion technologies for encapsulation of bioactive components (BACs).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article was to highlight the various methods of extrusion technologies for encapsulation of bioactive components (BACs).
Design/methodology/approach
BACs provide numerous health-care benefits; however, downsides, including a strong effect of organoleptic properties by reason of the bitterness and acridity of a few components, and also a short shelf-life, limit their application in food. The food industry is still demanding complicated qualities from food ingredients, which were often impossible to obtain without encapsulation such as stability, delayed release, thermal protection and an acceptable sensory profile. Various techniques such as melt injection extrusion, hot-melt extrusion, electrostatic extrusion, co-extrusion and particles from gas-saturated solutions, could be used for maintaining these characteristics.
Findings
Extrusion technology has been well used for encapsulation of bioactive chemicals in an effort to avoid their numerous downsides and to boost their use in food. The count of BACs that could be encapsulated has risen owing to the extrusion technology just as form of encapsulation. Extrusion technique also aids in the devaluation of the fragment size of encapsulated BACs, allowing for greater application in the food business.
Originality/value
The study reported that encapsulating BACs makes them more stable in both the product itself and in the gastrointestinal tract, so using encapsulated BACs would result in a product with stronger preventive properties.
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Khalil Hussain, Muhammad Shahzeb Fayyaz, Amjad Shamim, Amir Zaib Abbasi, Sana Jawed Malik and Muhammad Farrukh Abid
This study aims to investigate consumer brand loyalty toward halal cosmetics using the theory of planned behavior through repurchase intention, which is primarily relying on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate consumer brand loyalty toward halal cosmetics using the theory of planned behavior through repurchase intention, which is primarily relying on the consumer’s attitude toward halal cosmetics. Important predictors such as trust on halal cosmetics, quality of halal cosmetics and religious beliefs of millennial Muslim female consumers shape consumer attitude.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study used the quantitative research design and deductive approach to collect the data from 275 halal cosmetics users in Pakistan by using a judgmental sampling approach.
Findings
Findings of the study provide useful insights for both theory and practice. The results support product quality, religious belief and trust on halal cosmetics as predictors of consumer’s attitude toward halal cosmetics that further develop consumers’ repurchase intention, which in turn enhances their overall brand loyalty. Besides, the findings also show that consumer repurchase intention has a mediating effect between consumer attitude toward halal cosmetics and consumer brand loyalty.
Practical implications
The current study helps in advancing practitioners’ understanding of female consumers’ brand loyalty in the halal cosmetics context. This study is considered to be greatly helpful for managers to gain knowledge about how repurchase intention and brand loyalty of millennial Muslim female consumers can be developed in the halal cosmetics segment, especially in the case of Pakistan.
Originality/value
Brand loyalty has been investigated by previous studies through different predictors and antecedents. This study contributes to the literature of brand loyalty by empirically examining and validating the different antecedents of consumer attitude that are accountable for creating consumer brand loyalty in the domain of halal cosmetics within the Pakistani cultural context. The current study also enhances the previous scholarly understanding on halal cosmetics by investigating the mediating role of consumer repurchase intention of halal cosmetics that further extends the discussion for both theory and practice.
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Muhammad Shahzeb Fayyaz, Amir Zaib Abbasi, Khurram Altaf, Nasser Alqahtani and Ding Hooi Ting
This study investigates two important research questions. First, does YouTube advertising create value for customers to activate their inspired-by state (motivation), or does…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates two important research questions. First, does YouTube advertising create value for customers to activate their inspired-by state (motivation), or does customer engagement in advertised brands have a mediating role? Second, does the inspired-by state influence customers’ inspired-to state (action) to purchase the advertised brand?
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs Ducoffe’s advertising value model to investigate how customers’ engagement mediates perceived advertising value and their inspired-by state. The authors split customer inspiration into two primary states: inspired-by (i.e. the early interest in taking action) and inspired-to (i.e. the intention to act), demonstrating that the latter is positively influenced by the former. The study employs SmartPLS V3.2.9 to analyze survey data from 360 respondents in Pakistan – an emerging market.
Findings
This study found that informativeness, entertainment, creativity and incentives exerted a significant positive impact on perceived advertising value. The perceived advertising value of YouTube ads fails to influence customers’ inspired-by state directly; however, customer engagement positively mediates the relationship between the perceived advertising value of YouTube and customers’ inspired-by state. Finally, the customers’ inspired-by state is successfully converted into an inspired-to state.
Practical implications
This study has numerous practical implications for advertisers and marketers seeking to optimize social media advertising and marketing performance.
Social implications
YouTube ads shape consumer behavior, empowering informed choices; authentic engagement transforms the advertising landscape.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the perceived advertising value of YouTube ads for eliciting customers’ inspired-by state, assessing the mediating role of customer engagement as a mechanism. Moreover, the authors examine the role of customers’ inspired-by state as a predictor of the inspired-to state.
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Abbas Ali Chandio, Yuansheng Jiang, Feng Wei and Xu Guangshun
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of short-term loan (STL) vs long-term loan (LTL) on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of short-term loan (STL) vs long-term loan (LTL) on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
The econometric estimation is based on cross-sectional data collected in 2016 from 18 villages in three districts, i.e. Shikarpur, Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh, Pakistan. The sample data set consist of 180 wheat farmers. The collected data were analyzed through different econometric techniques like Cobb–Douglas production function and Instrumental variables (two-stage least squares) approach.
Findings
This study reconfirmed that agricultural credit has a positive and highly significant effect on wheat productivity, while the short-term loan has a stronger effect on wheat productivity than the long-term loan. The reasons behind the phenomenon may be the significantly higher usage of agricultural inputs like seeds of improved variety and fertilizers which can be transformed into the wheat yield in the same year. However, the LTL users have significantly higher investments in land preparation, irrigation and plant protection, which may lead to higher wheat production in the coming years.
Research limitations/implications
In the present study, only those wheat farmers were considered who obtained agricultural loans from formal financial institutions like Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and Khushhali Bank. However, in the rural areas of Sindh, Pakistan, a considerable proportion of small-scale farmers take credit from informal financial channels. Therefore future researchers should consider the informal credits as well.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to examine the effects of agricultural credit on wheat productivity of small farms in Sindh, Pakistan. This paper will be an important addition to the emerging literature regarding effects of credit studies.
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Ahmad Raza Bilal and Tehreem Fatima
This study aims to extend the much-held strategic entrepreneurial orientation stance and conceptualized it as a psychological disposition of small- and medium-scale enterprises…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to extend the much-held strategic entrepreneurial orientation stance and conceptualized it as a psychological disposition of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) owners. Based on this notion, the authors theorized that individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) is a precursor of success in manufacturing sector SMEs. Building on the credo of action regulation, the authors clarified the IEO and SMEs’ success association by introducing exploration activities as a conduit. Further, the authors posited that entrepreneurial alertness augments the nexus of IEO, exploration activities and SMEs success.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-wave survey was done by drawing a cluster-based sample of 389 SME owners in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan. The mediation and moderation analysis were done by PROCESS macro that uses bootstrapping with 5,000 draws to calculate the indirect (Model 4), conditional and conditional indirect effects (Model 7) at a 95% confidence interval.
Findings
The results offered empirical support to the conjectured association among IEO and SMEs’ success mediated by exploration activities. Moreover, the conditional direct (between IEO and exploration activities) and indirect impact (among IEO and SMEs’ success mediated by exploration activities) of entrepreneurial alertness was substantiated.
Originality/value
The authors added to the sprouting body of knowledge in the field of entrepreneurial orientation by focusing on its individual-level psychological conception. The authors have unlocked the interplay between IEO and SMEs’ success via the role of action characteristics of exploration activities and entrepreneurial alertness based on the action regulation tenet. Thus, the authors made a novel contribution by linking the micro-level entrepreneurial orientation and actions with macro-level SMEs' success.
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Likun Ni, Sayed Fayaz Ahmad, Ghadeer Alsanie, Na Lan, Muhammad Irshad, Rima H. Bin Saeed, Ahmad Bani Ahmad and Yasser Khan
This study aims to find out the role of green curriculum (GC) in making a green generation (GG) and ensuring sustainability. The study considers the green curriculum a key factor…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to find out the role of green curriculum (GC) in making a green generation (GG) and ensuring sustainability. The study considers the green curriculum a key factor for understanding environmental values orientation (EVO) and adopting pro-environmental behaviors (Pr-EnB) for social, economic, human and environmental sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is quantitative and cross-sectional. Partial least square-structural equation modeling was used to test the research model and data which was collected through a questionnaire survey from university faculty and students in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China.
Findings
The findings show that the GC has significant positive effects on EVO and pro-environmental behavior. However, it has no significant effect on social sustainability. There is a positive significant effect of pro-environmental behavior on economic, environmental, human and social sustainability. Whereas, environmental orientation has no significant effect on economic sustainability but significantly influences environmental, human and social sustainability. GC has no significant effect on economic, environmental and human sustainability. However, when considering the combined effects of GC and environmental values orientation or pro-environmental behavior, significant positive effects were found on economic, environmental, human and social sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The result suggests that implementing a GC positively influences environmental orientation, pro-environmental behavior and various dimensions of sustainability.
Practical implications
These results have implications for educational institutions and policymakers aiming to promote sustainability through green curriculum and help in the attainment of sustainable development goals.
Originality/value
The study fulfills an essential need to obtain sustainability and sustainable development goals through education.
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Muhammad Nouman, Ijaz Ahmad, Muhammad Fahad Siddiqi, Farman Ullah Khan, Mohammad Fayaz and Idrees Ali Shah
The financial policies of the modern world corporations and their investment decisions are generally considered as interrelated because the agency problems, associated with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The financial policies of the modern world corporations and their investment decisions are generally considered as interrelated because the agency problems, associated with the debt level and its maturity structure, give rise to incentives for overinvestment or underinvestment. The present study empirically investigates the linkage between debt maturity structure and firm investment in a financially constrained environment, using Pakistan as a case study, to determine how the institutional environment in which firms operate affect these decisions and their linkage.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis is carried in a panel data setting using panel regression models as the baseline methods. Moreover, generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimators are used, coupled with the instrumental variables approach, for robustness and improving the efficiency and consistency of estimates.
Findings
Results suggest that firms rely more on short financing in Pakistan. Thus, given the capital structure which is characterized by higher proportion of short-term financing, the higher level of leverage is less likely to cause underinvestment problem. However, the underinvestment problem do persists in the firms that have higher portion of long-term debt. These findings imply that the debt-overhang problem may persist even in the financially constrained environments where attractive investment opportunities are limited, and long-term financing is difficult to acquire.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by revealing how corporate investment and financing decisions and their linkage is influenced by the institutional environment of the less developed countries which is characterized by underdeveloped financial markets, inefficient legal system and weak investor protection system.
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Jawad Khan, Imran Saeed, Muhammad Fayaz, Muhammad Zada and Dawood Jan
This study aims to assess the nexus between perceived overqualification (POQ), anger, knowledge hiding, cyberloafing and harmonious passion (HP).
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the nexus between perceived overqualification (POQ), anger, knowledge hiding, cyberloafing and harmonious passion (HP).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors obtained 264 responses from two public traded firms in Pakistan using a supervisor-subordinated nested design and a multi-time data collecting strategy using convenience sampling.
Findings
The study results indicate that POQ positively affects knowledge hiding and cyberloafing. The authors also found anger as a potential mediator in the direct association between POQ and cyberloafing. In addition, the findings suggest that the association between POQ, knowledge hiding and cyberloafing will be weak when individuals exhibit HP towards their job roles. The results of this research, when considered as a whole, provided support for all of the hypothesised direct and indirect linkages, which has important ramifications for both theory and practise.
Research limitations/implications
This study has both theoretical and practical implications. Grounded on equity theory and relative deprivation theory, this paper asserts that HP should be used to decrease POQ affect. According to the authors, pro-environment employee actions may help build a pro-environment workplace culture as well as a pro-environment sense of responsibility, both of which can help to achieve significant pro-environment results.
Originality/value
This study builds on and fills in the gaps left by earlier research to better aid organisational researchers, practitioners and stakeholders in understanding how POQ, rage, information concealing, cyberloafing and harmonic passion interact with one another.