Muhammad Usman Arshad, Fahad Najeeb Khan, Muhammad Ishfaq, Muhammad Nadir Shabbir and Syed Mehmood Raza Shah
This study aims to explore the firm's specific, opacity and economy-specific variables to explain the variation in South Asian market returns and indicate that how the difference…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the firm's specific, opacity and economy-specific variables to explain the variation in South Asian market returns and indicate that how the difference in adoption of accounting standards refers to the effect of the movement in stock returns.
Design/methodology/approach
Following the scope of the study, factor analysis, fixed effect, Driscoll and Kraay standard errors (DKSE) and Panel Corrected standard error (PCSE) models have been inducted to determine the influence of firm-specific, opacity and economy-specific variables on stock returns. The sample of study comprises 1,885 firms from five countries located in the South Asia region with the period 2005–2018. To ensure the reliability of data, firm-specific data have been collected from DataStream International, while an international country risk guide was used to compile the data for economy-specific variables.
Findings
This study concluded that firm-specific variables showed a consistent and significant association with stock return except for beta, accrual and momentum while earning aggressiveness was the only factor in opacity measure to capture the variation in stock return. The implementation of international accounting standards seemed to be significant and proves to be helpful to enhance the quality of accounting information.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this study comprised the estimation error by avoiding the firm's observations with negative equity in case of earning opacity and majority (more than 50%) of the observation belongs to a single market as India out of final sample which leads to having biasedness in findings.
Practical implications
This study helps the investors to consider the firms with smaller market capitalization and lower book to market ratio and avoid the momentum strategy under firm specific factors. Moreover, earning aggressiveness under opacity domain capture the variation in stock return and must be considered while investing funds.
Originality/value
The influence of adoption of international accounting standards along with firm and economy specific variable in South Asian Equity Markets return was the major contribution. Moreover, the inclusion of DKSE and PCSE models to examine the relevance of the financial and economic informational environment was also considered as a part of major contribution of this study.
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Syed Mehmood Raza Shah, Qiang Fu, Ghulam Abbas and Muhammad Usman Arshad
Wealth Management Products (WMPs) are the largest and most crucial component of China's Shadow banking, which are off the balance sheet and considered as a substitute for…
Abstract
Purpose
Wealth Management Products (WMPs) are the largest and most crucial component of China's Shadow banking, which are off the balance sheet and considered as a substitute for deposits. Commercial banks in China are involved in the issuance of WMPs mainly to; evade the regulatory restrictions, move non-performing loans away from the balance sheet, chase the profits and take advantage of yield spread (the difference between WMPs yield and deposit rate).
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors investigate what bank related characteristics and needs; influenced and prompted the issuance of WMPs. By using a quarterly panel data from 2010 to 2019, this study performed the fixed effects approach favored by the Hausman specification test, and a feasible generalized least square (FGLS) estimation method is employed to deal with any issues of heteroscedasticity and auto-correlation.
Findings
This study found that there is a positive and significant association between the non-performing loan ratio and the issuance of WMPs. Moreover, profitability and spread were found to play an essential role in the issuance of WMPs. The findings of this study suggest that WMPs are issued for multi-purpose, and off the balance sheet status of these products makes them very lucrative for regulated Chinese commercial banks.
Research limitations/implications
Non-guaranteed WMPs are considered as an item of shadow banking in China, as banks do not consolidate this type of WMPs into their balance sheet; due to that reason, there is no individual bank data available for the amount of WMPs. The authors use the number of WMPs issued by banks as a proxy for the bank's exposure to the WMPs business.
Practical implications
From a regulatory perspective, this study helps regulators to understand the risk associated with the issuance of WMPs; by providing empirical evidence that Chinese banks issue WMPs to hide the actual risk of non-performing loans, and this practice could mislead the regulators to evaluate the bank credit risk and loan quality. This study also identifies that Chinese banks issue WMPs for multi-purpose; this can help potential investors to understand the dynamics of WMPs issuance.
Originality/value
This research is innovative in its orientation because it is designed to investigate the less explored wealth management products (WMPs) issued by Chinese banks. This study's content includes not only innovation but also contributes to the existing literature on the shadow banking sector in terms of regulatory arbitrage. Moreover, the inclusion of FGLS estimation models, ten years of quarterly data, and the top 30 Chinese banks (covers 70% of the total Chinese commercial banking system's assets) make this research more comprehensive and significant.
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Waseem Arshad, Muhammad Adnan Hanif, Muhammad Usman Bhutta, Riaz Ahmad Mufti, Samiur Rahman Shah, Muhammad Usman Abdullah and Muhammad Huzaifa Najeeb
This paper aims to present a technique that has been developed to study the wear in the camshaft and tappet. The engine manufacturers use the most suitable materials, lubrication…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a technique that has been developed to study the wear in the camshaft and tappet. The engine manufacturers use the most suitable materials, lubrication additives and surface coatings to minimize friction in all the components of the engine. Reduced friction results in less wear of critical engine components. The researchers are constantly trying to find an improved lubrication formula which reduces the wear and friction coefficient at a considerably low price. In this regard, the cam follower interface is of much importance because most of the wear occurs in this interface.
Design/methodology/approach
The tappets and the cam lobes are analyzed to determine wear. A two-dimensional optical surface profilometer is used to measure the tappet wear, and a high-resolution linear variable differential transformer is used for the measurement of cam lobes. Tests are conducted on Mercedes Benz engine OM 646 under constant camshaft speed, constant inlet lubricant temperature and constant lubricant pressure to study the oil rheology on cam tappet wear.
Findings
The results show that the wear occurs on the cam tappet interface, which is almost a linear phenomenon, and it increases with use.
Originality/value
Customized jigs were made to measure wear of camshaft and tappet.
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Muhammad Usman Shahid, Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem and Husnain Arshad
The construction industry struggles in environmental and economic performance due to waste generation. Several studies have measured this waste in the construction industry of…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry struggles in environmental and economic performance due to waste generation. Several studies have measured this waste in the construction industry of developing countries like India, Brazil, China, Nigeria and Iran, and proposed strategies to enhance the overall efficiency. But no such work exists in Pakistan's context. The construction industry of Pakistan contributes significantly to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). And with several mega projects in progress to overcome the energy crises and improve the infrastructure of the country, the absence of proper waste management policies and plans calls for empirical research. Therefore, this study quantifies and benchmarks material waste in the local context, its impact on project cost and the effect of multiple subcontracting arrangements on waste generation. It also proposes a conceptual waste management plan (WMP) for local conditions which can be generalized for developing countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a mixed research approach by leveraging Saunders's research onion model. To benchmark the current wastage practices, quantitative data of material waste in the Pakistani construction industry are gathered through document review of accounting systems, inventory and payment records of 40 completed building projects. Using the data, the waste rate of different materials is measured along with their impact on cost. Additionally, the role of subcontracting arrangements in waste generation is also investigated. Also, semi-structured interviews are conducted with project managers of high- and low-performing construction organizations to propose a conceptual WMP for the local industry and developing countries.
Findings
The highest wasteful materials by quantity are wood, sand and concrete blocks, and those by cost are wood, bricks and steel. By quantity, 123% more material was used on average than the actual productive work. Also, the labor only (L-O) subcontracting arrangement causes maximum waste. Moreover, the difference between the highest (155%) and lowest wasting company (104%) is 51%, highlighting the proactive and resistive waste management culture and approach by the worst- and best-performing companies. Further, the impact of waste quantities is more than 2% of the project cost. Finally, a conceptual model consisting of measures at the project, industry and national levels is also proposed as a guide for developing countries.
Practical implications
The findings of this benchmarking study can help improve the project planning, execution and monitoring, and control practices by providing a better understanding of the material waste potential. This will help economize the construction industry and improve its sustainability.
Originality/value
This is the first benchmarking study that quantitatively measures material waste in the construction industry of Pakistan. It highlights that costly as well as sustainability-implicating materials are frequently wasted in the local construction projects. Also, this study correlates the wastage with subcontracting arrangements. Additionally, an original conceptual WMP is proposed that could help the industry improve its performance. The findings could help the construction professionals identify the loopholes in their material management practices and not only save money but also ensure better sustainability.
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Arshad Mahmood, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Usman Talat, Chuanmin Shuai and James C. Hyatt
The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the influence mechanisms of specific HR practices variables – salary, job stability and job enrichment – upon employee…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the influence mechanisms of specific HR practices variables – salary, job stability and job enrichment – upon employee commitment, through the mediating role of job satisfaction, in a developing country context. Crucially, these indicate employee commitment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzed three specific HR practices with a sample of 263 employees in the banking industry of Pakistan. A structural equation modeling methodology is adopted.
Findings
The findings indicate that remuneration strategies were positively related to job satisfaction and employee commitment. Regarding the intervening impact of job satisfaction, this study found that it mediates only for non-monetary strategies between job satisfaction and employee commitment.
Research limitations/implications
A key limitation is that this is a cross-sectional study, perhaps not generalizable over longitudinal approaches. Another limit is posed by the developing country context of this study, perhaps not applicable to some developed countries.
Practical implications
From an HR perspective, managing salary structure is an ongoing issue. The proposed model suggests the use of specific practices about satisfaction and commitment as intermediate steps to manage employee commitment.
Originality/value
The research offers a unique understanding from the developing country context of Pakistan. This provides a novel study conducted to examine employee commitment using the high-performance work practices model.
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Muhammad Usman, Qaiser Mehmood, Usman Ghani and Zulqurnain Ali
This study aims to examine how positive supervisory support plays a role in attenuating employees’ knowledge-hiding behavior via the underlying mechanism of psychological…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how positive supervisory support plays a role in attenuating employees’ knowledge-hiding behavior via the underlying mechanism of psychological ownership and workplace thriving. Integrating the social information processing perspective and conservation of resource theory, this study suggests that due to the mediating role of employee psychological ownership and workplace thriving, positive supervisor support may negatively affect knowledge-hiding behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses were tested with multiwave three-round survey data collected among 432 individuals in various Pakistani hotels.
Findings
This study found that supervisory support attenuated knowledge-hiding behavior by enhancing psychological ownership and workplace thriving serially. As expected, the supportive conduct of the supervisor positively influenced psychological ownership which, in turn, helped workplace thriving and eventually influenced employees’ knowledge hiding.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the extant body of knowledge on knowledge hiding by highlighting a significant antecedent that supervisory support may be instrumental in discouraging knowledge hiding. Furthermore, this study detailed an underlying serial mediating mechanism in the shape of psychological ownership and workplace thriving that connects supervisory support with reduced knowledge hiding.
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Rehan Zahid, Masjuki Hj. Hassan, Abdullah Alabdulkarem, Mahendra Varman, Md. Abul Kalam, Riaz Ahmad Mufti, Nurin Wahidah Mohd Zulkifli, Mubashir Gulzar, Muhammad Usman Bhutta, Mian Ashfaq Ali, Usman Abdullah and Robiah H. Yunus
There is a continuous drive in automotive sector to shift from conventional lubricants to environmental friendly ones without adversely affecting critical tribological performance…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a continuous drive in automotive sector to shift from conventional lubricants to environmental friendly ones without adversely affecting critical tribological performance parameters. Because of their favorable tribological properties, chemically modified vegetable oils such as palm trimethylolpropane ester (TMP) are one of the potential candidates for the said role. To prove the suitability of TMP for applications involving boundary-lubrication regime such as cam/tappet interface of direct acting valve train system, a logical step forward is to investigate their compatibility with conventional lubricant additives.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, extreme pressure and tribological characteristics of TMP, formulated with glycerol mono-oleate (GMO), molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) and zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), has been investigated using four-ball wear tester and valve train test rig. For comparison, additive-free and formulated versions of polyalphaolefin (PAO) were used as reference. Moreover, various surface characterization techniques were deployed to investigate mechanisms responsible for a particular tribological behavior.
Findings
In additive-free form, TMP demonstrated better extreme pressure characteristics compared to PAO and lubricant additives which are actually optimized for conventional base-oils such as PAO, are also proved to be compatible with TMP to some extent, especially ZDDP. During cylinder head tests, additive-free TMP proved to be more effective compared to PAO in reducing friction of cam/tappet interface, but opposite behavior was seen when formulated lubricants were used. Therefore, there is a need to synthesize specialized friction modifiers, anti-wear and extreme pressure additives for TMP before using it as engine lubricant base-oil.
Originality/value
In this study, additive-free and formulated versions of bio-lubricant are tested for cam/tappet interface of direct acting valve train system of commercial passenger car diesel engine for the very test time. Another important aspect of this research was comparison of important tribological performance parameters (friction torque, wear, rotational speed of tappet) of TMP-based lubricants with conventional lubricant base oil, that is, PAO and its formulated version.
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XiaoYu Xu, Syed Muhammad Usman Tayyab, Qingdan Jia and Kuang Wu
Combining the coping theory and social support theory, this study aims to reveal users' coping strategies for mobile fitness app (MFA) engagement and fitness intentions with a…
Abstract
Purpose
Combining the coping theory and social support theory, this study aims to reveal users' coping strategies for mobile fitness app (MFA) engagement and fitness intentions with a rigorous and comprehensive hybrid research approach.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-stage hybrid research design was employed in this study. In the first stage, this study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the associations between coping resources and coping outcomes. A post hoc analysis was conducted in the second stage to unveil the reasons behind the insignificant or weak linkages. In the third stage, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) technique was applied to explore the various configurations of coping resources that lead to the coping outcomes.
Findings
The results in the three stages verify and compensate each other. The SEM results confirm the presence of two coping strategies in MFA, highlighting the importance of the intertwining of the strategies, and the post hoc analysis unveils the mediating role of positive affect. Moreover, the fsQCA results reinforce and complement the SEM findings by revealing eight alternative configurations that are sufficient for leading to users' MFA engagement and fitness intention.
Originality/value
This study offers a prominent methodological paradigm by demonstrating the application of multi-analysis in exploring users' coping strategies. In addition, the study also advances the understanding of the complexity of the mechanism that determines users' behavioral decisions by presenting a comprehensive interpretation.
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Muhammad Hussnain Siddique, Muhammad Usman Qamar, Sumreen Hayat, Bilal Aslam, Habibullah Nadeem, Sabir Hussain, Muhammad Saqalein, Javeria Saeed and Saima Muzammil
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence and antibiograms of bacteria isolated from various fresh fruit juices at a local market in Faisalabad.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence and antibiograms of bacteria isolated from various fresh fruit juices at a local market in Faisalabad.
Design/methodology/approach
Fresh fruit juice samples (n=125) were randomly collected using aseptic technique. Each sample (10 mL) was serially diluted with 90 mL of sterile peptone water, from 1×10−1 to 1×10−5. Each dilution was then used to inoculate nutrient agar by surface spread plating. Aerobic colony counts (ACCs) were determined by colony counting. The isolates were sub-cultured on blood and MacConkey agar. Preliminary identification was achieved on the basis of colony morphology and culture characteristic, and confirmed by API® 20E, 20NE, and API® Staph testing. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay, per CLSI 2015 guidelines.
Findings
The mean ACC ranged from 2.0×106 CFU/mL to 4.93×106 CFU/mL, with the highest ACC determined for orange juice. Overall, 153 polymicrobial were identified in 125 samples; 103 of these were Gram-negative rods (GNR) and 28 were Gram-positive cocci (GPC). Escherichia coli (n=38), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=32) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=24) were the predominant GNR; Staphylococcus aureus (n=28) was the predominant GPC. Antibiogram analysis revealed that all GNR were resistant to ampicillin. However, most E. coli isolates were resistant to ceftazidime (72.4 percent of isolates), and ceftriaxone and cefepime (68.9 percent), while most K. pneumoniae isolates were resistant to cefepime (72 percent) and ceftriaxone (64 percent). All S. aureus isolates were resistant to penicillin, while most (64 percent) were resistant to piperacillin; the most effective drugs against bacteria were vancomycin and imipenem.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that the local government regulatory food and public health authorities should take immediate emergency measures. Appropriate surveillance studies and periodic monitoring of food items should be regularly performed to safeguard public health.
Originality/value
The current study revealed the prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in freshly prepared fruit juices sold by local street vendors.
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Usman Aftab, Muhammad Usman Hassan, Fahim Ullah, Abdur Rehman Nasir and Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem
This study aims to address the key issues concerning supplier selection in traditional construction procurement by proposing an innovative, novel, state-of-the-art prototype…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to address the key issues concerning supplier selection in traditional construction procurement by proposing an innovative, novel, state-of-the-art prototype plugin building information modelling – supplier search and ranking (BIM-SSR) and an associated conceptual framework. It enhances building information modelling (BIM) capabilities through web crawling and analytical hierarchy processes (AHP). It uses the World Wide Web to procure construction material suppliers.
Design/methodology/approach
Prevalent issues in traditional procurement of material suppliers have been identified through a rigorous literature review. Field experts vetted these issues. A framework has been presented to address these issues based on integrated web crawling and AHP as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. A BIM prototype (BIM-SSR) has been developed using Python and plugged into Autodesk Revit to automate the search and evaluation of material suppliers based on precise material specifications from the BIM design. The BIM-SSR prototype is tested through a case study and validated by field professionals for its efficiency in tackling the identified issues.
Findings
Thirteen key issues have been identified concerning traditional construction procurement pertinent to supplier selection. Best-value procurement was encouraged by identifying supplier selection criteria such as cost, delivery time, experience, compliance with quality management standards, warranties, and claim period. The presented BIM-SSR prototype has an efficiency of 80%–95% in addressing the issues identified in this study and 97.5% effectiveness in improving the overall procurement management process.
Originality/value
The BIM-SSR prototype developed in this study is a novel and innovative addition to the body of knowledge that has been integrated into Autodesk Revit as a Plugin. Automation of supplier search and selection through digital technologies, including web crawling and integration of traditionally accepted MCDM methods such as AHP in BIM, is another innovation in the current study. Overall, this study presents a holistic, innovative system, from conceptual design to practical implementation and demonstration. This is one of the steps to help the traditional construction procurement process evolve into a more modern and digital procurement.