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The paper researches the actions taken by United Arab Emirates (UAE) industry stakeholders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate impact, ensure continuity and target growth. More specifically, the focus is to investigate innovations adopted across hotel brands, both, local and international, and the UAE Government's policies that have created an enabling ecosystem for such innovations.

Using an exploratory analysis technique, the paper provides a socio-economic, scientific and economic overview of the UAE and then proceeds to highlight the zeitgeist in the context of the hospitality and tourism industry. The impact of COVID on the industry is discussed and stakeholder feedback is solicited and analyzed to gauge the variety of innovations adopted to address the pandemic induced challenges.

A key finding of this research indicates that proactive government policies have enabled the hospitality and tourism industry to stay viable and perform better than their counterparts in most destinations. The “innovate or perish” mindset spurred by the pandemic is evident in the variety of innovations adopted by hotel brands in the UAE. Another key finding is that digital transformation, operational efficiency and sustainability are the innovation drivers in hospitality.

Using the UAE as a case in point, the study highlights the importance of an innovation mindset which the hospitality and tourism industry needs to embrace in order to tide over the crisis triggered by the pandemic.

The key to preventing employees from engaging in deceptive knowledge hiding is fostering a responsible environment. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study aims to explore the factors that inhibit deceptive knowledge hiding and to construct potential pathways for enhancing individual moral cognition. This study further analyzes the moderating effect of leader–follower value congruence on these relationships.

Using data from 341 full-time employees in various service industries in China, this study conducted path analysis, the product-of-coefficients method and bootstrapping to test the hypotheses through a three-stage, time-lagged survey.

The empirical results show that responsible leadership is negatively associated with employees’ deceptive knowledge hiding. Employee moral reflectiveness mediates this relationship, whereas leader–follower value congruence moderates the indirect effect of responsible leadership on deceptive knowledge hiding through moral reflectiveness.

First, this study extends field research by introducing positive leadership factors to reduce deceptive knowledge hiding, whereas prior studies focused mainly on negative leadership antecedents. Second, this study sheds light on the underlying moral cognitive mechanisms and explains how responsible leadership can prevent implicit unethical behavior. Third, it reveals how leader–follower value congruence can enhance the impact of responsible leadership on moral reflectiveness, offering novel insights into the role of value-based fit in reducing deceptive knowledge hiding.

This study investigates the impact of managerial ability and auditor report readability on the cost of debt and corporate liquidity in Omani-listed industrial companies.

The study uses data from the S&P Capital IQ database and audited annual reports published on Muscat Securities Market. The sample consists of 35 firms (175 firm-year observations) from 2015 to 2019. Managerial ability is measured using the data envelopment analysis proposed by Demerjian et al. (2012a, b). Auditor report readability is measured as a log of the auditor report digital file size proposed by Loughran and McDonald (2014).

This study finds that a company's managerial ability reduces the cost of debt lending support to upper echelons and agency theory. Highly able managers of industrial companies are associated with increased corporate liquidity consistent with the precautionary motive of holding cash. In addition, less-readable auditor reports contribute to higher debt costs and reduce corporate liquidity.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, few studies have explored the influence of managerial ability and auditor reporting readability on firms' financial policy. For industrial-sector firms, this study demonstrates the managerial ability and readability of auditor readability as significant determinants of the cost of debt and corporate liquidity, especially during periods of uncertainty. Thus, the findings can be generalized to other non-financial sector firms in the country and the Middle East.

This study aims to empirically explore the influence of managerial ability on crash risk and the moderating effect of financial constraints on this interrelationship.

Using a sample of listed corporations in the Egyptian Stock Exchange during 2018–2021, the authors test the hypotheses by using the measures and methods well established in prior literature. The authors also conduct multiple robustness analyses to ensure the validity of the empirical results.

The findings suggest that managerial ability can effectively inhibit crash risk. In addition, the authors report that financial constraints significantly dampen this relationship. Thus, financial restrictions play a striking role in hampering the managerial ability to prevent stock crashes. Furthermore, the authors document that the moderating role of severe financing constraints is more prominent during the Covid-19 pandemic period.

The originality of this study stems from the following considerations. First, this study enriches relevant studies on crash risk by providing evidence from one of the emerging markets in the Middle East; thereby, contrasting with those in developed economies. Second, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study investigating the moderating impact of financing constraints on the managerial ability and crash risk nexus. Therefore, this work adds value to the extant knowledge by scrutinizing this important issue and providing novel empirical evidence.

Islamic attributes and activities need to be developed in compliance with the halal concept to attract potential Muslim tourists and ensure the success of halal tourism. Although the literature shows that many factors can influence the success of halal tourism, a complete picture of the success factors of halal tourism in a city is still very limited. As such, this explorative study aims to examine stakeholders’ perspectives regarding the antecedents of halal tourism success and the benefits of halal tourism for the city.

Qualitative system dynamics modeling was used for this study, and Makassar (a successful halal tourism city) was considered as the basis for the study. A causal loop diagram (CLD) of halal tourism was developed using the group model building technique to elicit stakeholders’ knowledge and assumptions. Network analysis and feedback loop analysis were used to identify the driving factors of successful halal tourism.

Two factors need to be taken into account by halal tourism stakeholders in the city: support from the central and local government and improving and maintaining potential tourists’ perceptions of the city. There are four benefits of halal tourism success for the city: an increase in the number of micro-, small- and medium-sized halal businesses in the city, increased support from the central and local government to further develop halal tourism infrastructure in the city, increased word-of-mouth promotion of Makassar as a tourism destination and a decrease in the price of halal tourism components (e.g. food and accommodation).

The resulting CLD shows the interlinkage between political, societal and economical factors that could influence the success of halal tourism development. In particular, the findings show how governments and tourism stakeholders need to promote halal tourism socialization in the community and improve the public perception of this type of tourism. Therefore, the findings can help destination stakeholders and tourism developers in other cities develop halal tourism potential.

Surgery is predominantly a masculine profession worldwide and has largely excluded women in leadership positions. This paper aims to examine the representation of women surgeons in leadership positions in Pakistan.

Data were drawn from larger qualitative research examining the experiences of women surgeons in Pakistani hospitals. The data comprises in-depth interviews with ten doctors working in the Rawalpindi and Islamabad cities. The participants were selected by using the purposive sampling method and data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

This study included participants from diverse surgical specialties from different stages of their career with two having leadership experience. Based on participants’ perspectives several factors are responsible for this exclusion of women in leadership positions. The most prominent among these were long working hours for surgical leaders, greater responsibilities assigned to leadership positions, gender stereotypes and work–family conflict. Due to masculine hegemony, women were considered less capable and they were expected to have masculine traits to work as successful leaders. Interestingly, some participants had internalized such stereotypes and showed a lack of interest and lack of capabilities for surgical leadership as evident from their narratives.

The findings of this paper are drawn from the perspectives of ten women surgeons working in Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities of Pakistan who were selected using a convenient sampling method. Hence, the results cannot be generalized to the larger population of women surgeons working in other cities of the country. Nevertheless, this study is unique in the sense that it provides useful insight into the experiences of the women surgeons and their perspectives on surgical leadership in Pakistani hospitals. Academically, it contributes to the global debates on surgical leadership by providing empirical evidence from Pakistan.

This paper contributes to the larger debates on the under-representation of women in leadership positions in surgery by unveiling the experiences of female surgeons from Pakistan. It calls for the need for structural changes in health management and policy to accommodate women surgeons. Organizational efforts could minimize some hurdles and encourage more women to take on more formal leadership roles. The authors also call for an increasing number of women in surgery to pave the way for creating new leadership opportunities.

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is still at a growing stage in developing economies, so this research aims to examine a novel causal link between CSR (disclosure and expenditure) and competitive advantage (CA), by including competitive intensity (CI) as a moderator.

The panel data of non-financial firms were collected for eight years (2013–2020). This study used distinct proxies of CA, including adjusted firm return on assets and adjusted firm Tobin's q, and a third proxy used to discover the combined validity of the findings. The CSR disclosure was measured by developing an index, while the amount of CSR expenditure was collected from firms' annual reports.

The empirical results of Arellano–Bond estimator showed that CSR disclosure and expenditure have a positive and significant impact on CA. This relationship is also tested with CI as a moderator, the results of moderation showed that CI strengthens the relationship between studied variables.

This research tries to bridge the gap between CSR and CA through CI. It is also an addition to the existing literature by addressing the issue of CA generated from CSR activities. This study also explores the area of CA with three different types of proxies with the moderating effect of CI.

The learning objectives of this case study based on Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956) will be to analyze the procurement process and identify the parameters for the procurement of services; evaluate the potential risks and challenges associated with relying on a single vendor for critical services; apply the four-stage model of crisis management to the breach of contract by Fresh Bites Catering; examine how adopting sustainable procurement practices, such as diversifying suppliers and establishing contingency plans, can mitigate these risks and ensure business continuity; and analyze the dynamics, roles and potential conflicts between the principal (Multan University) and agent (Fresh Bites Catering) using the principal–agent theory (PAT).

This case study explores the challenges and implications of sustainable procurement within the context of Multan University’s cafeteria services. It delves into the sudden contract breach by Fresh Bites Catering, a long-time partner responsible for providing central cafeteria services, and examines the resulting operational crisis faced by the university. This case study highlights key procurement processes, including vendor selection, contract management and adherence to sustainability principles, as well as the risks associated with single-vendor dependency. By applying frameworks such as the PAT, the four-stage model of crisis management and sustainable procurement practices, this case study encourages students to critically assess the failures in contract enforcement, risk mitigation and service continuity. Additionally, it stimulates discussion on the benefits of robust risk management strategies, multi-vendor approaches and clear contract terms to prevent future disruptions in essential services. This case study serves as a valuable tool for understanding how procurement strategies influence organizational performance and long-term sustainability in higher education institutions.

This is a decision-making case and can be taught in Master of Business Administration courses in purchase and supply management and operations management. This case study is mainly written to make students understand and analyze the potential risks of a single vendor, the benefits of diversifying suppliers and sustainable procurement.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and logistics.

Organizations encourage green creativity among their employees to reduce environmental pollution and attain sustainable development. Green, inclusive leadership can produce positive outcomes and influence employees' green innovation. However, green inclusive leadership and green creativity are empirically less examined in the sustainability literature. Therefore, this study theorized a conceptual model based on the organizational creativity theory to explore the influence of green inclusive leadership on employees’ green creativity. It also aimed to explore the intermediating effect of green passion and green absorptive capacity on the relationship between green inclusive leadership and green creativity.

Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire-based survey from 540 employees of a manufacturing enterprise in China. The hypotheses were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique.

The findings reveal that green inclusive leadership positively and significantly influences employees' green creativity. Moreover, the results show that green passion and green absorptive capacity play positive mediating roles in the relationship between green inclusive leadership and green creativity.

This study offers practical implications for Chinese manufacturing enterprises, where green inclusive leadership is essential to enhance green passion, green absorptive capacity and green creativity among employees.

Drawing upon the organizational creativity theory, this research study is novel because it is one of the few empirical research studies to explore green inclusive leadership and green creativity in Chinese manufacturing enterprises. It further establishes the positive mediating role of green passion and green absorptive capacity in the relationship between green inclusive leadership and green creativity.