Identifying Key Success Factors of Business Education System: Implications for Practitioner Organizations and School Management

This research focuses to identify the factors which are considered to be crucial for success of a business school from both academicians’ and practitioner’s perspective. The researcher has tried to find factors that were considered important from both stand points.  The factors which have so far not been taken in considerations were also identified. This intercourse aims to explore measures which are used to ascertain the quality and of a business schools. It mainly focuses to get a detailed understanding of all the criteria along with a critical analysis of the challenges associated with them. The practitioners were also involved to enquire the effects of these factors in terms of quality in the business graduates. Three set of questioners for business school management, alumni and business executives, were used to collect the data. This study will provide new approach to the management edification system. The results are going to be beneficial towards enhancing the quality of Management edification process. Keywords: Business Edification, Management Schools, Education and Industry Linkages, Success Factors

Selection of a Survey Research Instrument: Impediments of Personality Inventory in Non-English Speaking Countries like Pakistan.

This paper aims to share the experiences of using two empirically-related yet conceptually distinct instruments i.e., Goldberg’s IP-IP and Costa and McCrae’s NEO-PI-R to measure the respondent’s personality factors and facets. This research paper presents findings on six methodological issues i.e., sampling, validity, reliability, data collection, screening confirmatory factor analyses. For validity concerns both instruments reached to obsolescence as these were developed ages ago and not updated with pace of human development. For replication in non-English countries Goldberg’s IP-IP has edge over Costa & McCrae’s NEO-PI-R for three counts; (a) it has less words and relatively simple syntax made it really easy for participant with linguistic barriers; (b) shows no sign of US cultural specificity in terms of places, slang or implicit meanings made it closer to participants in a non-English speaking country like Pakistan and (c) it takes less than half time to complete the survey. For reliability issues NEO-PI-R represented better results. For both instruments consistency might be compromised while replicating these instruments in non English speaking country. IP-IP does not provide any guideline for data screening while NEO-PI-R provides a very detailed data screening process. During factor analyses it was revealed both instruments replicated five factor model at both levels i.e., first order factor analyses resulting in facets and second order factor analyses provided the factors but during the NEO-PI-R factor analyses it was observed that a large number of items were dropped out from the analyses that raised the question of item validity in non-English speaking countries. Keywords: Goldberg’s IP-IP, Costa & McCrae’s NEO-PI-R, Research Instrument, personality Inventory

Public Opinion towards Advertising: Factor Analytic Findings From Pakistan

This study aims to investigate the public opinion about advertising in Pakistan. A survey of respondents studying at various universities was conducted [N = 575]. This study uses Polly and Mittal (1993) model of beliefs and attitudes towards advertising. The data was collected from SEC A and B classes through survey method using quota sampling technique. The public opinion was first analyzed using Factor Analysis and resulted in seven opinion categories  i.e., a) Skeptic; b)  Ecstatic; c) Sarcastic; d) Trendy; e) Rationalist; f) Dogmatic; and g) Sagacious. These opinions were finally summarized into two schools of thoughts i.e., a) Sanguine; and b) Antagonist. This piece of research will provide tremendous opportunities to marketers in understanding consumers and their attitudes towards advertising in Pakistan. Advertisement is a ubiquitous part of modern life and previous research shows that consumers around the globe hold a negative view of advertising (Shavitt, lowrey & Hafner, 1998). Consumers are deluged by advertisements and media in a variety of ways every day. In an era where communication with customer is considered critical, it becomes crucial to assess the attitudes and confidence of general public towards advertisement (O’Guinn, Allen, and Semenik, 1998: Krugman, Reid, Dunn, and Barban, 1994). Keywords: Public opinion, advertising, Factor Analyti

Industry-School Interface: Following Professional Education Model to Impart Pragmatic Business Edification

This intercourse aims to identify means by which the business education system can be aided to effectively meet the needs of the business-operating environment. Despite of the popularity of business and management education critics have been talking about business education to be less relevant to business needs. This study focuses on exploring the modes of exchange of knowledge between business schools and industry to facilitate practical learning. It mainly aims to get a holistic view of the extent to which an industry and school collaboration based system can ensure pragmatism in business education along with promises, issues and challenges such industry school interface can offer. The data collection for this hypothesized model will be collected from business executives, business school management and alumni. This intercourse will offer new insight into the business education system. The study results will be valuable towards bringing improvements to the existing business education system. Keywords: Business Education, Management, School - Industry Interface, Pragmatism, Industr

Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here: Nexus between Toxic Leadership, Crisis Communication, and Resilience in COVID-19 Tourism

Sustainable travel has been redefined by the pandemic, as tourism destinations continue their struggle to stay resilient and vibrant. The COVID-19 crisis has fueled a lackluster performance and declined tourism growth worldwide while imposing serious threats to employees’ resilience across the globe. However, little is known about the interaction between the global tourism crisis and employees’ resilience in toxic leadership environments. To augment the existing understanding of the way employee resilience unfolds to respond to a crisis under toxic leadership, we draw on predictive research involving the UAE tourism industry. The UAE’s economy was forced to shrink largely due to its long-lasting dependency on inbound tourism. Hence, the study data were collected from 412 employees working in the hospitality and tourism industry in the UAE. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the impact of toxic leadership on crisis communication and employees’ resilience in the UAE’s tourism industry. The results showed that both employee resilience and crisis communication are negatively influenced by toxic leadership in COVID-19 tourism. Furthermore, crisis communication positively influences employee resilience, and significantly mediates its relationship with toxic leadership. Interestingly, the findings suggest that the toxic work culture constantly blurs the lines of communication, and, ultimately, the contagious behavior of toxic leaders overwhelms the resilience of employees while they respond to a crisis. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are not confined to toxic leadership; however, the strategies to nurture crisis communication and employee resilience for sustainable tourism are presented in an evolutionary perspective based on the conservation of resources theory

Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here: Nexus between Toxic Leadership, Crisis Communication, and Resilience in COVID-19 Tourism

Sustainable travel has been redefined by the pandemic, as tourism destinations continue their struggle to stay resilient and vibrant. The COVID-19 crisis has fueled a lackluster performance and declined tourism growth worldwide while imposing serious threats to employees’ resilience across the globe. However, little is known about the interaction between the global tourism crisis and employees’ resilience in toxic leadership environments. To augment the existing understanding of the way employee resilience unfolds to respond to a crisis under toxic leadership, we draw on predictive research involving the UAE tourism industry. The UAE’s economy was forced to shrink largely due to its long-lasting dependency on inbound tourism. Hence, the study data were collected from 412 employees working in the hospitality and tourism industry in the UAE. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the impact of toxic leadership on crisis communication and employees’ resilience in the UAE’s tourism industry. The results showed that both employee resilience and crisis communication are negatively influenced by toxic leadership in COVID-19 tourism. Furthermore, crisis communication positively influences employee resilience, and significantly mediates its relationship with toxic leadership. Interestingly, the findings suggest that the toxic work culture constantly blurs the lines of communication, and, ultimately, the contagious behavior of toxic leaders overwhelms the resilience of employees while they respond to a crisis. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are not confined to toxic leadership; however, the strategies to nurture crisis communication and employee resilience for sustainable tourism are presented in an evolutionary perspective based on the conservation of resources theory

At the end of the world, turn left: examining toxic leadership, team silence and success in mega construction projects

PURPOSE: Failures in both followership and leadership become inevitable as mega construction projects are directed and controlled by toxic leaders. Consequently, team member's desire for knowledge hoarding silence is triggered and goal alignment between the leader and team members suddenly fades away to realize success in mega projects. Considering the growing importance of these rarely examined constructs and fragmented literature on toxic leadership (TL), team silence and mega project success (PS) in the global construction industry, the present study aimed to examine the effects of TL and project team member's silence (PTMS) on the success of mega construction projects. Moreover, the mediating influence of PTMS to link TL and mega construction PS has also been explored. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Drawing on survey data of 326 project professionals directly associated with mega construction projects worth US$62bn under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the conceptual model was tested with covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) using Mplus program. Scales were adapted from previous research to measure TL (with its five-dimensions including abusive supervision, authoritarian leadership, self-promotion, narcissism and unpredictability), PS (with its three-dimensions including project management success, project ownership success and project investment success) and project team members' silence. Reflective–formative second order assessments were specifically applied to measure the multi-dimensional nature of TL and PS, respectively. FINDINGS: Mplus estimations revealed that TL negatively influences PS, besides forcing a culture of silence among project team members. Interestingly, the relationship between TL and PS is also negatively mediated by the PTMS. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The present study's findings are derived from data of project professionals (N = 326) to examine success in megaprojects under the CPEC. Hence, these findings may be re-validated through future studies on similar megaprojects (e.g. China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) worth US$8tn) that may also be predicated by TL tendencies, silent cultures and high-stakes involved to seize PS. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Policymakers, construction practitioners and other key stakeholders (e.g. departmental heads/supervisors) can take advantage of this new evidence to better interpret the success paradox in mega projects, and to reduce the spread and long-term damage of TL on team members and eventually create opportunities for PS. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The present study's novelty is manifested within this first empirical evidence on TL that breeds team silence in underperforming mega projects. Notably, present study offers alarming evidence on mega projects that can be easily derailed from success, as they continue to suffer from team silence and TL

Can Post-Vaccine ‘Vaxication’ Rejuvenate Global Tourism? Nexus between COVID-19 Branded Destination Safety, Travel Shaming, Incentives and the Rise of Vaxication Travel

Vaxication (i.e., post-vaccination travel) and branding destinations for COVID-19 safety have emerged as the cornerstones to fully rebound global tourism. Numerous destination brands are now stimulating tourism demand through realigned travel incentives specifically for fully vaccinated travelers. However, there is growing fear and incidents of travel shaming across destinations, especially due to the recent outbreaks of the highly contagious COVID-19 ‘delta and omicron’ variants. Addressing this critical research gap, the present study makes pioneering efforts to empirically examine the effects of COVID-19 branded destination safety (CBDS) on vaxication intentions, under the moderating influence of travel shaming and travel incentives. Drawing on study data from 560 fully-vaccinated residents from Hawaii, United States and structural equation modeling (SEM) with Mplus, the evidence suggests that the positive impact of CBDS on vaxication intention can be further strengthened by travel incentives, or weakened when travel shaming picks up more momentum. Besides the validation of newly developed scales, the study offers strategic insights based on dominant theories (e.g., theory of planned behavior and protection motivation theory) to interpret the changing tourism demand, and to transform the emerging challenges into opportunities through and beyond the pandemic

Missing Link in ‘New-Normal’ for Higher-Education: Nexus between Online Experiential Marketing, Perceived-Harm, Social-Distancing Concern and University Brand Evangelism in China

Chinese universities were the first to experience the massive shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted higher education globally. Despite extensive research on higher education in the ‘new normal’, empirical evidence on the potential role of online experiential marketing and university brand evangelism is still little to none. To address this critical research gap, the present study is the first to explore university brand evangelism in China and how it is influenced by online experiential marketing. In addition, the moderating effects of perceived harm and social distancing concern on the relationship between online experiential marketing and university brand evangelism were also tested. Based on a sample of university students in China (N = 242) and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the findings revealed that online experiential marketing (including sense, feel, think, act, and relate dimensions) significantly magnifies university brand evangelism in China. Interestingly, this relationship becomes more strengthened when the Chinese students have a high intensity of perceived harm of COVID-19 and social distancing concerns. These novel findings provide new insights to both policymakers and marketers globally about the powerful medium of online experiential marketing to successfully promote university brands (during and after the global pandemic) using university brand evangelism more strategically

Can Post-Vaccine ‘Vaxication’ Rejuvenate Global Tourism? Nexus between COVID-19 Branded Destination Safety, Travel Shaming, Incentives and the Rise of Vaxication Travel

Vaxication (i.e., post-vaccination travel) and branding destinations for COVID-19 safety have emerged as the cornerstones to fully rebound global tourism. Numerous destination brands are now stimulating tourism demand through realigned travel incentives specifically for fully vaccinated travelers. However, there is growing fear and incidents of travel shaming across destinations, especially due to the recent outbreaks of the highly contagious COVID-19 ‘delta and omicron’ variants. Addressing this critical research gap, the present study makes pioneering efforts to empirically examine the effects of COVID-19 branded destination safety (CBDS) on vaxication intentions, under the moderating influence of travel shaming and travel incentives. Drawing on study data from 560 fully-vaccinated residents from Hawaii, United States and structural equation modeling (SEM) with Mplus, the evidence suggests that the positive impact of CBDS on vaxication intention can be further strengthened by travel incentives, or weakened when travel shaming picks up more momentum. Besides the validation of newly developed scales, the study offers strategic insights based on dominant theories (e.g., theory of planned behavior and protection motivation theory) to interpret the changing tourism demand, and to transform the emerging challenges into opportunities through and beyond the pandemic