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This research paper attempts to empirically examine the relationship between the performance of the banking industry and foreign direct investment (FDI), thereby helping the readers contemplate one of the least explored areas of the existing literature associated with the idiosyncratic characteristics of FDI resulting from its interaction with the efficient banking performance of the host country. The study has focused on the economy of Bangladesh because of its significant amount of FDI inflows from the rest of the world and its adoption of many liberalization policies, especially in the banking sector and in the areas of international business and trade.

The study, to produce unbiased estimates, employed the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model for analyzing the time series data collected from reliable sources.

The key outcomes of the study reveal that the sound performance of the banking industry appears to be counterproductive for FDI inflows, which is a bit unconventional insight. In the context of Bangladesh, trade openness, inflation rate and infrastructural development seem to be the dominant factors behind the rising inflows of FDI. Market size appears to be an insignificant determinant of FDI inflows.

This is a unique study because of its focus on the unexplored area in the literature.

This paper empirically examines the impact of terrorism on the insurance–growth relationship in the context of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, thereby attempting to address the unexplored area in the relevant literature.

The study considered MENA as it has been one of the terribly affected zones in the world during the study period. Panel data for the period (2002–2017) are sourced from reliable sources for 14 member economies of the MENA region.

After employing the suitable econometric procedures on the panel data, the results indicate that terrorism appears to have detrimental impact on the observed positive relationship between insurance and economic growth. In addition, trade openness seems to be the main driving force behind economic growth of the selected MENA countries. Surprisingly, the study suggests a negative association between the growth of physical capital and economic growth. Human capital has played a positive but insignificant role in improving economic growth as it is insignificant in majority of the specifications. The growth of labor force has although positively but insignificantly influenced economic growth. Finally, the results demonstrate that government expenditures and high inflation are harmful for growth.

The study investigated the impact of terrorism on the insurance–growth relationship for the first time, and hence policymakers of the MENA region are expected to be benefited enormously from the findings of the study.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship of information-seeking anxiety (ISA) with socio-academic variables of business students in the digital environment.

A cross-sectional survey using a questionnaire was conducted. The questionnaire, composed of 47 items of Information Seeking Anxiety Scale along with certain socio-academic variables, was administered personally among business students by visiting their classrooms at the Lahore School of Economics, Pakistan. The received 283 responses were analyzed by applying descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, t-test and one-way analysis of variance.

The results revealed that a large majority of business students were less comfortable in information seeking and experienced anxiety from mild to moderate levels. There were only a few respondents who faced either low or severe levels of ISA. In relationship testing, the students’ socio-academic variables such as program type, gender, school background, geographical background, information communication technology skills and English language competence did not appear to be the predictors of their ISA.

The results of this study should carefully be used while making generalizations for all the business students in Pakistan and abroad as this research collected data from the business students of a single university in Pakistan.

These results have greater implications for the future directions of information literacy as creating awareness and building capacity for skills about the information search process will help in reducing ISA. These findings provided a pragmatic insight that can be used as a guide by information professionals, especially those engaged in information services, to develop a need-based curriculum of information literacy which would ultimately help in the alleviation of anxiety and combating its effects on students’ academic performance.

This study address specifically ISA of business students that would make a worthy contribution to the existing research on ISA as, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such study has appeared so far.

This study aims to investigate and compare the characteristics of three topologies of moving-magnet linear oscillating actuator (LOA) based on their mover position. Positive aspects and consequences of every topology are demonstrated. Three topologies of axially magnetized moving-magnet LOA; outer mover, inner mover (IM) and dual stator (DS) are designed and examined. Due to its characteristically high thrust density and more mechanical strength, axially magnetized tubular permanent magnets (PMs) are used in these topologies.

LOAs are designed and optimized using parametric sweep, in term of design parameters and output parameters like thrust force, stroke and operating resonance frequency of the LOA. All the pros and cons of each topology are investigated and compared. Output parameters of the LOAs are compared using same size of the investigated LOAs. Mover mass, which plays a vital role in resonant operation, is analyzed for IM and DS designs. Investigated LOAs are compared with conventional designs of LOA for compressor in refrigeration system with regards of motor constant, stroke and thrust per PM mass.

This paper analyzes three topologies of moving-magnet LOAs. The basic difference between investigated LOAs is the radius of tubular-shaped mover from its central axis. All the design parameters are compared and concluded that thrust per PM mass of IMLOA is maximum. OMLOA provides maximum motor constant of value 180 N/A. DSLOA provides thrust force with motor constant 120 N/A and required intermediate materials of PMs. All the three designs give the best results in terms of motor constant and thrust per PM mass, compared to conventional designs of LOA.

This paper determines the impact of mover position from its central axis in a tubular-shaped moving-magnet LOA. This work is carried out in correspondence of latest papers of LOA.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between exploitative leadership (EL) and employee green innovative behavior (GIB) in the hospitality sector organizations of Pakistan. The relationship between EL and GIB is mediated by emotional exhaustion (EE). Perceived organizational support (POS) is used as a moderator between EL and EE.

The study used convenience and purposive sampling techniques from the population, and the data collected on the structured questionnaire were analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS. The data analysis involved the assessment of the measurement model and structural model.

The results of the data analysis show that EL has a significant and negative influence on employee GIB, and EE mediates the relationship, meaning EE caused by EL lowers GIB. The moderating effect of perceived organization support between EL and EE also lowers the effects of EL and diminishes EE leading to increased GIB.

The findings of the study suggest that organizations in the hospitality sector like hotels and resorts need to focus on the POS to curb EE in employees due to EL to accelerate positive attitudes at work. Investments of resources in this avenue can enhance employee engagement and improve organizational performance while contributing to environmentally sustainable goals.

The originality of the study lies in the findings that in the presence of higher perceived organization support, the negative effects of EL are mitigated, and this leads to the replenishment of the emotional resources of employees, which allows them to engage in GIBs. GIB is a term that is being researched by the scholars in the hospitality industry of Pakistan. Conservation of natural resources is only possible through individual efforts, especially the efforts of individuals whose livelihoods depend on environmentally related industries, such as hospitality.

Based on transformative service research (TSR), the study explores the mechanisms by which a firm's information transparency influences a retail investor's perceived financial well-being (PFW). It proposes a model exploring the mediating roles of the investor's financial risk tolerance (RT) and financial self-efficacy (FSE) in the relationship between a firm's information transparency and the consumer's PFW.

A survey was conducted by including a sample of 310 retail investors from Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) to test the proposed hypotheses. Data analysis was based on a series of multiple regressions, moderation and serial mediation analyses.

The findings show that a firm's information transparency harnesses investors' PFW. Information transparency also positively affects investors' RT toward the firm and their FSE while dealing with financial challenges.

The findings call for a deeper understanding of financial services' interventions and their underlying mechanisms to improve consumer’s financial well-being (FWB). On a methodology level, future studies could apply a mixed-method approach and SEM to explore new avenues for predicting investors' FWB.

Besides validating TSR, the study has several implications for listed firms to adopt more transparent information reporting practices to improve investors' PFW. Accordingly, regulators should take initiatives to compel firms to comply with higher standards of information transparency.

The proposed model explores a concrete mechanism that helps listed firms to strengthen investors' PFW via information transparency.

The study was designed to examine the predictors of information literacy self-efficacy skills (IL skills) of medical students.

The study was quantitative in nature and was carried out by using survey research method. Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) and Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale for medical students (ILSES-M) were used to collect the data. Data was collected randomly from 223 out of 526 undergraduate medical students on proportionally random basis according to the number of students available in each year. PLS-SEM analysis was run with the help of SmartPLS 3.2.

The findings of the study revealed that three subconstructs for emotional intelligence (EI), that is, self-emotions appraisal, others-emotion appraisal, use of emotions, had a statistically significant positive impact (p < 0.05) on information literacy (IL) self-efficacy of the medical students. The findings further confirm that English language proficiency and frequency of attended IL instruction sessions also have a significant positive impact on IL self-efficacy of medical students.

The exploration of EI in relation to IL is comparatively a novel area. The study observed the influence of EI level on IL self-efficacy of medical students. The study will be a significant contribution to the IL literature. The results may help the information professionals/librarians, particularly those who are engaged in teaching and designing IL programs.

Information literacy (IL) is essential to prepare lifelong learners and a creative workforce in the digital information landscape. This study aims to investigate the effect of IL on the lifelong learning and creativity of medical students in Pakistan.

Survey research design, along with a questionnaire, was used to collect data from students, recruited through a stratified convenient sampling process, from the medical colleges with permission from competent authorities. The administration of the questionnaire was done personally, and a total of 500 responses were received. The data were analyzed by applying descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results indicated that these medical students perceived themselves as information literate in basic IL skills. Furthermore, the IL skills appeared to have a direct, statistically significant, but positive effect on their lifelong learning and creativity.

The research outcomes may inform academia, particularly associated with medical education, to initiate IL instruction programs for medical students to develop IL capabilities.

This research would be an invaluable contribution to the existing IL literature because of the dearth of empirical studies examining the interrelationships between IL, lifelong learning and creativity.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons (for and against) affecting owners' attitudes and intentions to use digital marketing (DM) strategies in tourism and hospitality (T&H) small and medium enterprises (SMEs), by employing the behavioral reasoning theory (BRT).

A survey method was used to collect data from 306 T&H (SMEs) owners and analyze the data through partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

The study results indicate that reasons significantly affect owners' attitudes and intentions to use DM in T&H (SMEs). The “RF” was as follows: perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), and trust in DM professionals” and the “RA” technological anxiety, usage barriers (UB), and perceived complexity (PC) effect on owners’ attitudes and intentions to use DM. Also, it indicates that openness to change value significantly affects the “RF” insignificant with “RA” and attitude.

The findings of this study emphasize that if owners/managers, governments, and policymakers overcome the “RA” that discourages and raises the knowledge about the “RF” in the adoption of DM, then the usage intention of DM strategies can rise in T&H (SMEs).

This study is the first to investigate the reasons (for and against) the owner’s attitude and intention to use DM in T&H (SMEs) by utilizing behavioral reasoning theory (BRT), technology acceptance model (TAM), and innovation resistance theory (IRT).

In this digital age, the rapid technological innovation and adoption, with the increasing use of big data analytics, has raised concerns about the ability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to sustain the competition and innovation performance (IP). To narrow the research gap, this paper investigates the role of big data analytics capability (BDAC) in moderating the relationship between digital innovation (DI) and SME innovation performance.

This research has been carried forward through a detailed theory and literature analysis. Data were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models using a two-stage approach in smartPLS-4.

Results highlight that digital service capability (DSC) significantly mediates the relationship between DI and IP. Additionally, value co-creation (VCC) directly affects digital transformation (DT), while DI has a stronger effect on DSC than IP. Furthermore, BDAC significantly moderates the relation between DSC → IP and DT → IP, whereas it has a detrimental effect on the relation between DI and IP. In addition to that, VCC, DSC, DT, DI and BDAC have a direct, significant and positive effect on IP.

This research was motivated by the practical relevance of supporting SMEs in adopting DT and the resource-based view (RBV) and technology acceptance model (TAM). This study shows that all direct and indirect measures significantly affect innovation performance, including BDAC as moderator. These findings refresh the perspective on what DT, DI, VCC, DSC and BDAC can bring to a firm's innovation performance.

This paper has contributed to DT by empirically validating a theoretical argument that suggests the acceptance and adoption of new technology. This paper aims to fill theoretical gaps in understanding BDAC and DT by incorporating the RBV and TAM theories on BDAC and DT.