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It has been witnessed that many incidents of crowd evacuation have resulted in catastrophic results, claiming lives of hundreds of people. Most of these incidents were a result of localized herding that eventually turned into global panic. Many crowd evacuation models have been proposed with different aspects of interests. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to bring together many of these aspects to study evacuation dynamics.

The proposed agent-based model, in a hypothetical physical environment, uses perception maps for routing decisions which are constructed from agents’ personal observations of the surroundings as well as information gathered through distant communication. Communication is governed by a trust model which measures the authenticity of the information being shared. Agents are of two types; emotional and rational. The trust model is combined with a game-theoretic model to resolve conflict of agents’ own type with that of types of agents in the neighborhood.

Evacuation dynamics in different environmental and exit strategies are evaluated on the basis of reduced herding and evacuation time. Using this integrated information sharing model, agents gain an overall view of the environment, sufficient to select the optimal path towards exits with respect to reduced herding and evacuation time.

The proposed model has been formulated and established using an agent-based simulation integrating important modeling aspects. The paper helps in understanding the interplay between technological and humanistic aspects in smart and pervasive environments.

Participatory wireless sensor networks (PWSN) is an emerging paradigm that leverages existing sensing and communication infrastructures for the sensing task. Various environmental phenomenon – P monitoring applications dealing with noise pollution, road traffic, requiring spatio-temporal data samples of P (to capture its variations and its profile construction) in the region of interest – can be enabled using PWSN. Because of irregular distribution and uncontrollable mobility of people (with mobile phones), and their willingness to participate, complete spatio-temporal (CST) coverage of P may not be ensured. Therefore, unobserved data values must be estimated for CST profile construction of P and presented in this paper.

In this paper, the estimation of these missing data samples both in spatial and temporal dimension is being discussed, and the paper shows that non-parametric technique – Kernel Regression – provides better estimation compared to parametric regression techniques in PWSN context for spatial estimation. Furthermore, the preliminary results for estimation in temporal dimension have been provided. The deterministic and stochastic approaches toward estimation in the context of PWSN have also been discussed.

For the task of spatial profile reconstruction, it is shown that non-parametric estimation technique (kernel regression) gives a better estimation of the unobserved data points. In case of temporal estimation, few preliminary techniques have been studied and have shown that further investigations are required to find out best estimation technique(s) which may approximate the missing observations (temporally) with considerably less error.

This study addresses the environmental informatics issues related to deterministic and stochastic approaches using PWSN.

There is a growing trend in online shopping in developing and underdeveloped economies. Measuring web retail service quality is vital to enhance and retain online customers for higher profits. As a result, it is essential to understand e-service quality and its relationship with other e-commerce-related variables identified as customer satisfaction, word-of-mouth (WOM), loyalty and repurchase intention. The main objective of this research is to validate the psychometric properties of E-TailQ and ES-Qual scales to measure e-service quality in the context of an emerging economy.

The study was administered by surveying online customers through a convenience sampling approach. The sample data consisted of 329 valid responses. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).

The results suggest that both the scales are valid, reliable and adequate and confirm the psychometric properties of E-TailQ and ES-Qual scales in an emerging economy context. There is a positive and significant relationship between latent variables (E-TailQ and ES-Qual) and customer outcome variables like satisfaction, loyalty, WOM and repurchase intention. Additionally, the coefficients of the E-TailQ scale have higher values than ES-Qual scales in all dimensions. The perceived quality proved to be a precedent of satisfaction to a lesser extent than other scales' constructs, and it proved to be a superior predictor of WOM for the E-TailQ scale and loyalty for the ES-Qual scale. Overall, when measured by the ES-Qual scale, perceived quality could explain much of the sample's satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intention compared to E-TailQ.

One of the significant limitations of this study is related to the data collection, as individual responses were collected at one particular point in time. Thus, it is impossible to verify the development of perceived service quality outcomes over a specific time. Another possible limitation is the selection of only two widely used scales, although other options are available in the literature. Finally, developing a new scale to address future challenges might be another alternative.

The results obtained in the study will help managers assess customer satisfaction, the reputation of the business through WOM, and customer intentions for the repurchase that will lead to loyalty by emphasizing e-service quality. It will enable them to design strategies for improving business performance. The developed instrument will assist in identifying the gaps and describing how service quality can achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Several studies in the literature have used E-TailQ and ES-Qual scales to measure e-service quality in developed countries. Only a few studies addressed the validity of these widely used competing scales in an emerging economy like Pakistan. This study addresses the literature gap by addressing the reliability and validity of these scales and assesses the impact of e-commerce-related variables. Besides, the study reveals insights into the literature by addressing multiple dimensions of e-service quality and summarizes a deep understanding of each scale item that affects the perceived quality in a developing economy like Pakistan.

Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study seeks to investigate how job embeddedness (JE) and job frustration (JF) as serial mediators linking abusive supervision (AS) to project performance (PP) in the construction industry.

Data were gathered from 297 respondents working in six organizations involved in large-scale construction projects. The respondents were project managers, field engineers, consultants and civil engineers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for data analysis and hypothesis testing.

The study findings indicate that JE and JF mediate AS’s impact on PP. The findings further reveal that JE and JF serially mediated the linkage between AS and PP.

This manuscript contributes to the relevant knowledge by investigating the overlooked psychological mechanisms of JE and JF between the linkage of AS to PP. The results of this study hold significant implications for both theoretical research and management practices.

The purpose of the development of the paper is to construct probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) model and to improve some preliminary aggregation operators such as probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy averaging (PIVHFA) operator, probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy geometric (PIVHFG) operator, probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy weighted averaging (PIVHFWA) operator, probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy ordered weighted averaging (PIVHFOWA) operator, probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy weighted geometric (PIVHFWG) operator and probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy ordered weighted geometric (PIVHFOWG) operator to cope with multicriteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problems in an efficient manner.

(1) To design probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS model. (2) To improve some of the existing aggregation operators. (3) To propose the Hamming distance, Euclidean distance, Hausdorff distance and generalized distance between probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy sets (PIVHFSs).

The results of the proposed model are discussed in comparison with the aggregation-based method from the related literature and found the effectiveness of the proposed model and improved aggregation operators.

A case study concerning the healthcare facilities in public hospital is addressed.

The notion of the proposed distance measure is used as rational tool to extend TOPSIS model for probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy setting.

Based on the conservation of resources and emotional regulation theories, this research seeks to examine the relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior with a moderated mediation effect of emotional tolerance and psychological trauma.

A three-wave multi-sourced (dyad) data were collected from the professionals and respective supervisors of state-managed services sector organizations operating in Pakistan (n1 = 252, n2 = 126) selected through snowball sampling technique.

The results reflected that socially excluded employees indulge in work-deviant behaviors and psychological trauma perform a partial transmitting link. Further, an ability to be emotionally tolerant buffers the detrimental aspects effects of social rejection on psychological trauma but might not be an effective tool while one moves to the trauma stage. Further, the conditional effect confirms that a high level of emotional tolerance weakens the moderated mediation relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior via psychological trauma.

The present study provides guidelines to carefully identify and tackle the incidences of social rejection in the workplace and develop tolerance capabilities of employees to tackle the trauma and reduce work deviance.

This is a novel attempt to link the emotional regulation theory with the conservation of resources theory in order to minimize the deviance-related issues provoked by social rejection by introducing emotional tolerance as a coping mechanism which was paid less attention in the contemporary literature.

The study aims to examine the green finance customers' post-usage continuance behavior based on an extended social support theory (SST). Remarkably, this study explores five indirect predictors of green finance continuance behavior (GFCB) (i.e. environmental consciousness (EC), green bank marketing initiatives (GBMI), informational supports, emotional supports (EST) and psychological reactance) and a mediator (i.e. customer satisfaction).

In this study data were collected from 362 respondents from Bangladesh using a purposive sampling method with a structured self-administrative questionnaire and analyzed by partial least square structural equation and modeling using SMART PLS 3.0 software.

The results depict that the five predictors, i.e. information supports (ß = 0.367, t-statistics = 2.463, p < 0.001), EST (ß = 0.206, t-statistics = 2.315, p < 0.000), EC (ß = 0.324, t-statistics = 3.484, p < 0.000), GBMI (ß = 0.288, t-statistics = 2.028, p < 0.000), psychological reactance (ß = 0.126, t-statistics = 0.969, p < 0.052) influence GFCB while satisfaction is predicted by four predictors except psychological reactance (ß = 0.126, t-statistics = 0.969, p < 0.052). In addition, customer satisfaction (ß = 0.638, t-statistics = 6.317, p < 0.005) also has an impact on continuance behavior. Besides, the study understood that four predictors indirectly influence GFCB through satisfaction except psychological reactance ((ß = 0.080, t-statistics = 964, z = 0.958p < 0.338). Finally, the coefficient of determinations (R2) indicates that the five predictors explained 65.3% of changes in satisfaction, whereas 72.8% of changes are described by the five predictors and customer satisfactions.

Finally, this study highlights the social and managerial implications for the implementers of the green finance industry. It is recommended to emphasize green finance practice as it plays a crucial role in promoting environmental protection, ensuring social equity and driving economic growth. The green banking service providers, industry analysts, green consumers and respective government authorities can generalize green finance activities as an essential aspect of sustainable development to equalize the economic growth with a view to protecting environmental collapse and promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture and other environmentally friendly activities.

The study will enormously contribute to the existing literature validating the proposed holistic framework applying SST along with EC, GBMI and psychological reactance in green finance continuance behavior.

This study aims to investigate the determinants of localised corporate social responsibility (LCSR) activities in Pakistan. The present study explores factors influencing the corporate sector to promote the welfare of local areas where the company has located its manufacturing plants.

The authors selected 100 companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Data were collected from the companies’ financial reports issued from 2012 to 2017 (N = 700). The authors analysed the data using fixed- and random-effects regression models to test the factors influencing LCSR activities.

The findings indicate that directors’ ancestry significantly enhances LCSR. This implies that boards with a greater number of directors whose names indicate their relevant ancestry are more likely to engage in LCSR. Moreover, environmental-protection activity by the corporate sector promotes LCSR initiatives. However, Pakistan’s corporate sectors are not promoting the essential aspects of their workers’ welfare, e.g. health and education.

The present study was limited to the directors’ ancestry, environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR), CSR for factory workers and donation. Other factors, such as culture and language, may play an important role in determining LCSR.

The results suggest that the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan should emphasise the importance of LCSR to develop rural areas and devise meaningful policy for CSR. These findings provide substantial evidence that regulators and policymakers should encourage the inclusion of LCSR by firms listed on the stock exchange to increase environmental protection through CSR policy.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the determinants of LCSR. Moreover, the present study investigates for the first time the influence of directors’ ancestry on rural development in any of Asia’s developing countries, including Pakistan. The findings of this study contribute theoretically and empirically to the literature.

This study aims to present a qualitative analysis of how higher education institutions (HEIs) faculties manage knowledge to facilitate the learning and engagement of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This study uses a qualitative research design to collect responses from 39 HEI faculties to understand how they manage knowledge to facilitate learning in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Data collection tools comprised a set of predetermined questions, soliciting written responses.

Coding of the collected data confirmed that there was a knowledge management process in HEIs for enabling higher education of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A total of six themes emerged, clarifying the knowledge management process. The four components of this process were creation, storage, sharing and use. In addition to the four process-related themes, two other themes that emerged were barriers to knowledge creation and supportive culture. This covers the relevant aspects of the set-up around the knowledge management process in HEIs trying to improve the higher education of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

There is a need to improve the education of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which requires effective knowledge management. This paper reveals details of the steps in the knowledge management process relevant to this aim. This is a unique contribution, providing a basis for future research and the introduction of required knowledge management practices by HEIs dedicated to providing high-quality education to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In the modern business world, the main focus of the organizations is to improve the quality of the products and minimize the wastage of raw material. Keeping in view the green theory and improve the efficiency of the organization, the focus of the current study is to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and green innovation (GI), and examine how TQM practices can facilitate firms to achieve GI objectives. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is also an important factor for organizations, and this study also focuses on the mediating role of CSR between the relationship of TQM and GI.

This is an empirical study. Data were gathered from the top management of 355 SMEs working in Pakistan through a questionnaire survey; the PLS-SEM approach was used to analyse the data.

Results of the study show that TQM has significant impacts on two aspects of GI namely green product innovation and green process innovation. Moreover, results also reveal that CSR partially mediates the relationship between TQM and GI.

This study is limited to manufacturing SMEs and future research should test this model on non-manufacturing sector too. The findings of the study provide significant roadmap to the management of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms that how they can reduce wastage and improve the product and process innovation in their organizations through TQM and CSR.

This study contributes to bridging research gaps in the literature and advances how TQM, directly and indirectly, help firms improve green innovation via mediating roles of CSR.