Impact of Social Media Opinion Leaders Influencers on Individual Consumption Decisions of Visually Conspicuous Products

Social media has completely altered how businesses engage with their customers. Social media influencers have become an essential marketing tool for many industries. The consumption of conspicuous products is growing in today's era. Therefore, most people prefer luxury products as a status symbol, ignoring what brands offer. Consequently, brands spend considerable resources on social media to promote their products and reach a wider audience. However, little research is available on how social media affects customer behavior and how to measure social media effectiveness. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the influence of social media influencers on customer attitudes, behaviors, and purchase intentions toward the consumption of conspicuous products in Pakistan. The study also examined the mediating effect of brand image on consumer attitude and purchase intention.   The study used Smart PLS 4 for data analysis on a data set of 200 respondents. The result indicates that social media influencer positively affects brand image, consumer attitude and purchase intention. The findings also reveal that brand image mediates (i) social media influencer and customer attitude and (ii) social media influencer and purchase intention. This research contributes to the current reservoir of knowledge by providing insights into the factors that make social media influencers successful in promoting conspicuous products. The study findings can benefit conspicuous/luxury brands in selecting suitable social media influencers and marketing strategies that enhance their brand image

Dynamics Of Workplace environment with The Mediating Role of Motivations in the Telecom Sector of the Emerging Economy

This study examines the impact of “workplace environment and reward systems on motivation and employee performance.” It also examines the mediating role of motivation and moderating role of communication in the telecom sector of Karachi, Pakistan. Based on the self-administered questionnaire, we collected 418 responses from the telecom sector employees. This research is quantitative, and the approach is deductive. Using Smart PLS for analysis, we found workplace environment and reward systems affect motivation. The workplace environment and reward system promote employee performance. Motivation has a mediating effect on (i) the workplace environment and employees’ performance and (ii) the reward system and employee performance. The study did not find support for the moderating effect of internal communication on motivation and employee performance

A Moderated Model: Task Ambiguity and Task Complexity Moderating Servant Leadership and Employees Turnover Intention

Apart from contributing towards GDP and employment generation, SMEs face the challenges of retaining talented employees. Besides other factors, the type of leadership, task ambiguity, and complexity affect employees’ attitudes toward work and organizations. Given its importance, the study examines the effect of “servant leadership, task ambiguity, and complexity” on turnover intention. It also examines the moderating roles of “ambiguity and complexity on turnover intentions” in SMEs in Karachi. We collected a sample of 252 from local SMEs in Karachi. The study found servant leadership negatively affects turnover intention. Task ambiguity and task complexity positively affect turnover intention. Task ambiguity insignificantly moderates “servant leadership and turnover intention. Task complexity significantly moderate servant leadership and turnover intention.  Due to a lack of job description and direction, employees often get confused, adversely affecting their motivation, well-being, and productivity. We suggest leaders delegate jobs by aligning employees’ characteristics, skills, and job requirements. They must be clear about what they expect from the employees by communicating verbally and in writing. Firms must arrange seminars, workshops, and counseling sessions on leadership styles. Such sessions may improve leaders’ attitudes and behaviors toward employees

Spirituality Matters: A Structural Analysis of Workplace Spirituality and its Outcome

SMEs world over significantly contributes to employment generation and economic activities. But in SMEs, specifically in Pakistan, employees have a high turnover intention and low morale resulting in low job and organizational performance. Researchers believe that spirituality in the workplace can address these issues. Thus, this study aims to examine the effect of spirituality on job satisfaction, organizational performance, loneliness, and turnover intention. It also examines the mediating roles of loneliness and work values. The study collected a sample of 415 SME employees in Karachi. We found that workplace spirituality positively affects job satisfaction, loneliness, and turnover intention. Our results related to the effect of spirituality on turnover intention and loneliness contradicts the past literature. However, we found that loneliness mediates workplace spirituality and turnover intentions. Our results also support the moderating effect of work values on workplace spirituality and job satisfaction. A lack of social values may promote loneliness and unhappiness at work in SMEs and other business entities

Behavior Biases and Investor Investment Decisions in Pakistan Foreign Exchange Market

Many investors in developing countries, including Pakistan, make incorrect decisions due to behavioral biases. Thus, this study examines the relationship between behavioral biases and investment decisions and the moderating role of “financial literacy on investment decisions.” Using a predeveloped questionnaire, we collected 419 responses by focusing on the respondents who trade extensively in the foreign exchange market. The data analysis includes descriptive analysis, correlation, reliability, validity, and hypotheses testing using Smart PLS. The study found herding bias, overconfidence, and representativeness significantly affect the investment decision. Risk tolerance insignificantly affects investment decisions. We also found that financial literacy has a moderating effect on investment decisions. The study recommends that policymakers arrange seminars and workshops for investors on financial literacy. Such measures may reduce the investors’ decisions based on behavioral biases

Antecedents to Change and Moderating Role of Organizational Culture

In the prevailing era of technology diffusion and globalization, firms worldwide are changing their work process, policies, and procedures for growth and sustainability. However, implementing change management is challenging for organizations as they receive resistance from the employees. Many factors promote resistance to change, including job security, uncertainty, and losing rewards and benefits. Banks' employees believe in following conventional practices and often have negative attitudes toward organizational change. Given its importance, we identified the antecedents that positively or negatively affect attitude toward change. The study focused on the leading banks in Karachi. Based on purposeful sampling, we collected a sample of 387 employees of local banks. The study found affective commitment insignificantly affects job satisfaction. Job stress negatively affects job satisfaction, and social influence stimulates job satisfaction. Job stress negatively affects attitudes toward change, but job satisfaction and social influence positively affect attitudes toward change. The study also documents that organizational culture insignificantly moderates affective commitment and job satisfaction. The study recommends that organizations implementing change management must share the change management programs with all the stakeholders. Additionally, organizations must find out why employees are against change management. By addressing employees' concerns about change management, organizations may face little resistance from them.

Antecedents to Intention to Adopt Mobile Learning: A Moderating Model

Due to the availability of technology, most of the population worldwide has mobile access. Most mobile users use it for making calls or sending messages to friends and family members and are reluctant to use other advanced features such as accessing web pages and social forums. This study has extended the UTAT model to examine the factors (i.e., performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence) that affect attitudes toward mobile learning. Also, the study examines the moderating roles of perceived risk. The study collected 355 responses from SMEs’ employees in Karachi using a self-administered questionnaire. We used Smart PLS for data analysis and found that “performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social expectancy significantly affect mobile learning.” However, the effect of effort expectancy is negative. Also, the study results support the moderating roles of perceived risk. Based on the results, we suggest that SMEs must motivate employees to make more efforts to use mobile for learning. Many consumers are still concerned about the risk elements of using mobile for learning. Policymakers and managers must counsel employees that the risk factors have reduced considerably due to technological advancements. However, they may not share their information with non-reputable web pages and unknown numbers

Antecedents to Employee Engagement and Moderating Role of Climate for Innovation and Mediating Role of Employee Psychological Wellbeing

Employee engagement is necessary for the growth and sustainability of firms. Many past studies have used different antecedents of employee engagement, including commitment, psychological well-being, and other organizational-related outcomes. However, a few studies have examined the moderating effect of climate for innovation on ESMU and EE. Given its importance, we have developed a conceptual framework that examines the impact of ESMU, EPWB, and EC on EE and the effect of ESMU on EPW. The study also examined the moderating effect of CFI on ESMU and EE. The study has focused on Pakistan's textile sector; employment generation and contribution towards GDP are significantly higher than in other industries. Based on the data collected from the targeted textile sector and using smart PLS, we found the study supports all the hypotheses, aligning with the past literature. The study also documents employee SMU, EPWB, and EC promote EE. Employee SMU promotes EPWB. EPWB mediates ESMU and EE. CFI   moderates ESMU and EE. The study increased the generalizability of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1977), as our results support all the proposed hypotheses. We recommend firms must focus on creating an innovative environment. Employees suggest new ideas about new business processes and innovation in such an environment. New ideas may not always result in innovative products but may increase employee involvement and engagement. Many leading firms have made a policy in which all the employees have to give new ideas perpetually, producing good results. Textile firms in Pakistan may adopt and implement this policy. Therefore, we recommend firms must focus on creating an innovative environment. Employees suggest new ideas about new business processes and innovation in such an environment.  

The The Impact of Green Human Resource Management on the Triple Bottom Lines of Sustainability Performance

The concern for a green environment in the last few years has increased significantly, due to which firms worldwide spend considerable resources on corporate social responsibility. GHRM is a new concept that involves all the stakeholders for a sustainable environment. Given its importance, we have focused on the textile sector of Pakistan because it contributes significantly to economic development and environmental decay. The study collected 565 responses non-randomly from the targeted textile sectors of Karachi. Given its importance, we tested a model with five articulated hypotheses and found green recruitment and selection and green empowerment significantly affect environmental performance. But we found an inverse association between training and development and environmental performance. Perhaps, employees in the textile sectors feel the training in their entities is not relevant to environmental sustainability. We also found an insignificant association between green empowerment and environmental performance. Most of the textile units in Pakistan are family owned, and they often do not empower the employees in decision-making. Green knowledge theoretically should enhance the association between green recruitment and selection, but we found it does not. The results suggest that the textile sector in Pakistan need to focus on this aspect to increase the employees’ green knowledge

The Relationship between Organizational Identification and Whistleblowing: Moderating Roles of Perceived Ethical Climate & Proactive Personality

Organizational whistleblowing is a preventive tool to reduce the risks of malpractice and irregularities. If a firm finds out about irregularities early, it could save from a bigger loss. Given its importance, the study has extended the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine the impact of organizational identification and empowerment on whistleblowing behavior. The study also examines the moderating roles of ethical climate and proactive personality on whistleblowing behavior. The study focused on the leading banks of Pakistan and collected responses from 427 employees non[1]randomly. We found that organization identification and empowerment significantly affect whistleblowing behavior. Our results suggest that ethical climate moderates organization Identification and whistleblowing behavior. However, contrary to past studies, our study did not support the moderating effect of proactive personality on organization identification and whistleblowing behavior