The critique of reform proposals for ISDS : solutions to existing and future problems

Addressing wide ranging dissatisfactions regarding the current Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system, the UNCITRAL working group III (WGIII) members are working continuously to put forward necessary reforms to the system which may take couple of more years. Considering their works till to date, the proposals might bring great improvement to the current system and will also add significant qualities. However, still, they did not put forward elaborate proposals on some of the important matters for an effective and sustainable dispute settlement system. Moreover, they might follow little bit the similar track of the WTO which is in crisis itself

Inclusive Entrepreneurship Model for Person with Disabilities: A Critical Reflection

Persons with Disabilities are one of the marginalized communities that struggle economically and socially. Entrepreneurship has been considered one of the best options; however, PWDs are struggling in their business journey. The study investigates factors of the inclusive entrepreneurship model of Persons with Disabilities through their reflection. A focus group semi-structured interview was conducted with ten selected PWDs based on their entrepreneurship experience. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Findings show that psychological issues and social discrimination are major entrepreneurship obstacles. Therefore, entrepreneurship programs for PWDs should be more disabled-friendly and focus on their physical and emotional needs

Hospital Service Quality and Patient Satisfaction: A Moderating Role of Trustworthiness

 The aim of the present study is to determine the effects of hospital service qualities on patient satisfaction in the healthcare sector of Pakistan. By using the non-probability sampling, 292 sample was gathered. Emotional exhaustion, organizational citizenship behavior, hospital and nurses facilities were used as predictors and trustworthiness was used as a moderator. The results from structural equation modeling revealed that hospital facilities quality and OCB have been found positively significant while nursing service quality and emotional exhaustion have been found insignificant in relation with patient satisfaction. Moreover, trustworthiness does not moderates any relationship in the structural model. The study concluded that the staff allocated is manifesting form of behavioral citizenship structured by cultural decorum and locally acceptable norms. Alongside citizenship, high quality miscellaneous supportive provisions comprising of sufficient backup equipment, medical apparatus and tools as well as the regular maintenance of utilities stand as considerable satisfaction determining aspects for patients. The cognitive dimensions in the form of trust structuring attributes don’t really add much to the contributions of facilities and citizenship found in hospitals

FACTORS AFFECTING INVESTOR’S DECISION-MAKING IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN PAKISTAN

ABSTRACT   Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of financial literacy on the investment decisions of the SME’s investors in Pakistan

The Influence of Socio-Economics on Travel Behavior of Public Transportation in Malaysia

This paper explores the influence of socioeconomics on travel behavior among public transport commuters to increase modal share. A face-to-face survey was carried out, and 904 usable questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS. The findings showed that level of education strongly influences travel behavior while there is not much difference in gender, age, income, and occupation. However, the categories in the groups provide good information relating to travel behavior. Suggestions and recommendations are provided to help the public transport service provider setting more strategic plans to encourage more individual riders to switch to public transport and sustain existing users. Keywords: Socio-economics, travel behavior, public transport eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i17.283

Intellectual capital in Malaysian hotel industry: A case study of Malacca

Intellectual capital is recognised as a crucial strategic asset that provides organisations with a competitive edge and sustainable growth in a cutthroat business environment. There is an increasing comprehension that intellectual capital is critical to organisational performance, this is still an emerging area of inquiry in tourism industry in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was undertaken with the aim to demonstrate the impact of intellectual capital on the organisational performance of hotel industry operating in Malacca, Malaysia. Six components of intellectual capital were used in the study. A total of 193 individuals were involved in this study to test the proposed research hypotheses. The results of multiple regression analysis demonstrated that four out of seven research hypotheses were supported. This study will extend the understanding of the concept and applications of intellectual capital in hotel industry in Malaysia. Moreover, this study will be a milestone for the potential researchers to conduct their further studies in hotel industry

Antecedents and Mediating Role of Green Buying Behavior

Sustainability of the environment is one of the major issues both in developed and developing countries. There is an abundance of studies on green buying behavior. However, a few have studied the mediating role of green buying behavior. Thus, we have developed a new model that has five direct and three mediating relationships. This empirical research has used a snowball sampling technique for collecting the data. We distributed 400 questionnaires and received 377 valid responses. The study has used Smart PLS software for data analysis, including reliability, validity, and generating measurement and structural models. We found that green brands, green identification, and social influence are significant predictors of green buying behavior. Further, we find that the green brand image and green buying behavior promote green satisfaction. The results also suggest that green buying behavior mediates (1) green image and green satisfaction, (2) social influence and green buying behavior, (3) self-identification, and green satisfaction. We also found that consumers have a favorable attitude towards green buying behavior. However, there is a huge gap in consumers’ attitudes and actual buying behavior. Thus, marketers and practitioners need to develop strategies that would translate a favorable attitude toward actual buying behavior

Rearing the Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, on a Tapioca-Based Artificial Diet

The impact of a tapioca-based artificial diet on the developmental rate, life history parameters, and fertility was examined over five consecutive generations for the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a highly polyphagous pest of many agricultural crops. The study showed that when fed the tapioca-based artificial diet during larval stage, larval and pupal developmental period, percent pupating, pupal weight, emergence rate of male and female, longevity, fecundity and hatching were non-significantly different than that of the control agar-based artificial diet. Moreover, the cost to rear on tapioca-based diet approached 2.13 times less than the cost of rearing on the agar-based artificial diet. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and potential cost savings of the tapioca-based artificial diet for rearing H. armigera

Brand Experience and Mediating Roles of Brand Love, Brand Prestige and Brand Trust

The study has examined females’ attitude and behavior towards cosmetic beauty products. Based on the theory of super additive effects, social identity theory and triangulation theory of love, we have developed a new model that has six direct relationships and three mediating relationships. The questionnaire was adapted from the literature. It has 5 latent variables and 35 indicator variables based on the five point Likert scale. The data was collected from females of Karachi. The sample size for the study was 387 and the response rate was 95%. The results suggest that consumers positive experience with a brand promotes brand love, brand prestige and brand trust. The antecedents of brand love, brand prestige and brand trust also promote brand loyalty. In addition, brand love, brand prestige and brand trust have mediating effects on brand loyalty. This study was restricted to Karachi. Although Karachi is a metropolitan city, consumer attitude and behavior might be different in other cities of Pakistan.Keywords: Theory of super-additive effects, social identity theory, theory of love, brand love, brand prestige, brand trust, brand loyalty