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The tourism industry has been seriously suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis ever since its outbreak. Given this pandemic situation, the major aim of this study is to develop a conceptual framework that clearly explains the US international tourists’ post-pandemic travel behaviors by expanding the theory of planned behavior (TPB). By utilizing a quantitative process, the TPB was successfully broadened by incorporating the travelers’ perceived knowledge of COVID-19, and it has been deepened by integrating the psychological risk. Our theoretical framework sufficiently accounted for the US tourists’ post-pandemic travel intentions for safer international destinations. In addition, the perceived knowledge of COVID-19 contributed to boosting the prediction power for the intentions. The associations among the subjective norm, the attitude, and the intentions are under the significant influence of the tourists’ psychological risks regarding international traveling. The comparative criticality of the subjective norm is found. Overall, the findings of this study considerably enhanced our understanding of US overseas tourists’ post-pandemic travel decision-making processes and behaviors.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has evolved to unprecedented proportions. This research aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ship employees stuck at sea. Using an inductive qualitative approach, a synchronous online focus group was conducted with nine cruise ship employees who were stuck at sea during COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed that COVID-19 pandemic has managed to erase the feeling of joy from cruise ship employees who were stuck at sea while exposing weakness of cruise line companies such as poor human resource management leadership. Moreover, COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that it is of paramount importance that cruise line companies create a comprehensive strategy in assisting their employees who are experiencing an anxiety disorder and depression. The managerial implications are outlined.

This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on loss in decision-making, laziness, and privacy concerns among university students in Pakistan and China. Like other sectors, education also adopts AI technologies to address modern-day challenges. AI investment will grow to USD 253.82 million from 2021 to 2025. However, worryingly, researchers and institutions across the globe are praising the positive role of AI but ignoring its concerns. This study is based on qualitative methodology using PLS-Smart for the data analysis. Primary data was collected from 285 students from different universities in Pakistan and China. The purposive Sampling technique was used to draw the sample from the population. The data analysis findings show that AI significantly impacts the loss of human decision-making and makes humans lazy. It also impacts security and privacy. The findings show that 68.9% of laziness in humans, 68.6% in personal privacy and security issues, and 27.7% in the loss of decision-making are due to the impact of artificial intelligence in Pakistani and Chinese society. From this, it was observed that human laziness is the most affected area due to AI. However, this study argues that significant preventive measures are necessary before implementing AI technology in education. Accepting AI without addressing the major human concerns would be like summoning the devils. Concentrating on justified designing and deploying and using AI for education is recommended to address the issue.

Despite the issues that the hospitality industry encounters in retaining talented employees, little attention has been paid to the development of retention strategies, resulting in poor organizational performance and sustainable growth. The current study, therefore, aims to review and discuss the employee retention strategies in the hospitality industry in order to keep talented employees for a longer period of time. The study is based on past literature and peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2020. The databases Web Knowledge, Emerald, Google Scholar, and Science Direct were used to find the relevant papers using the key words such as “Hospitality Industry”, “employee retention”, “employee turnover”, and “employees”. The findings of this study suggest that employee retention is contingent on employee satisfaction, which is comprised of four factors: sustainable positive work environment; sustainable growth opportunities; sustainable & effective communication; and sustainable & effective recruitment and selection practices. The paper contributes to a comprehensive review of the literature on employee retention strategies in the hospitality context. The study proposes a model for the hospitality industry to revamp its recruitment and selection practices in order to retain its employees. Furthermore, the study provides a focused directions that will aid in the establishment of employee retention strategies and practices. It was concluded that satisfied employees are less likely to leave their current job, while unsatisfied employees are expected to leave their current job for a better career opportunity. Managerial implications were also discussed.

Heavy metal concentrations exceeding permissible limits threaten human life, plant life, and all other life forms. Different natural and anthropogenic activities emit toxic heavy metals in the soil, air, and water. Plants consume toxic heavy metals from their roots and foliar part inside the plant. Heavy metals may interfere with various aspects of the plants, such as biochemistry, bio-molecules, and physiological processes, which usually translate into morphological and anatomical changes. They use various strategies to deal with the toxic effects of heavy metal contamination. Some of these strategies include restricting heavy metals to the cell wall, vascular sequestration, and synthesis of various biochemical compounds, such as phyto-chelators and organic acids, to bind the free moving heavy metal ions so that the toxic effects are minimized. This review focuses on several aspects of genetics, molecular, and cell signaling levels, which integrate to produce a coordinated response to heavy metal toxicity and interpret the exact strategies behind the tolerance of heavy metals stress. It is suggested that various aspects of some model plant species must be thoroughly studied to comprehend the approaches of heavy metal tolerance to put that knowledge into practical use.

The study’s primary objective is to advance the environmental management research field by examining the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental and financial performance while considering the mediating effect of sustainable development and green innovation. In addition, the study also analyzes the moderating effect of green innovation actions and green innovation strategies. Employees in the manufacturing sector in Pakistan completed a self-administered survey. Data gathered from 497 employees was analyzed using the structural analysis. The study results show that corporate social responsibility to the environment (CSREM), corporate social responsibility to employees (CSREM), to the community (CSRCO), and to the consumers (CSRCO) positively influences environmental performance (EVP) and financial performance (FP). Environmental sustainable development (ESD) and green innovation (GI) mediate the relationship between CSR, environmental, and firm financial performance. Green innovation strategies (GINS) and green innovation actions (GINAs) moderate the relationship between a firm’s environmental and financial aspects. The study deepens the understanding of CSR through an integrated model of mediator and moderator variables. It attempts to boost the firms’ performance (i.e., environmental, and financial) by applying the concept of green innovation and sustainable development. This study brings significant results for manufacturing firms, managers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, practitioners, employees, and other stakeholders. The study’s outcomes make the stakeholders adopt CSR consideration to achieve ecological and financial harmony in developing economies.

The purpose of this study tried to identify the significance of the experience economy in the luxury cruise industry. To achieve this purpose, this study suggested that four dimensions of the experience economy including education, entertainment, esthetics, and escapism positively affect brand prestige. In addition, it was proposed that brand prestige plays an important role in the formation of the following three outcome variables: social value, brand attachment, and brand loyalty. Data were collected from 312 luxury cruise passengers via an online company’s system in the U.S. The data analysis results showed that all four dimensions of the experience economy have a positive influence on brand prestige, which in turn positively affects social value, brand attachment, and brand loyalty. Both theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed.

Bacteriophages infect and replicate inside a bacterial host as well as serve as natural bio-control agents. Phages were once viewed as nuisances that caused fermentation failures with cheese-making and other industrial processes, which lead to economic losses, but phages are now increasingly being observed as being promising antimicrobials that can fight against spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Pathogen-free meals that fulfil industry requirements without synthetic additives are always in demand in the food sector. This study introduces the readers to the history, sources, and biology of bacteriophages, which include their host ranges, absorption mechanisms, lytic profiles, lysogenic profiles, and the influence of external factors on the growth of phages. Phages and their derivatives have emerged as antimicrobial agents, biodetectors, and biofilm controllers, which have been comprehensively discussed in addition to their potential applications in the food and gastrointestinal tract, and they are a feasible and safe option for preventing, treating, and/or eradicating contaminants in various foods and food processing environments. Furthermore, phages and phage-derived lytic proteins can be considered potential antimicrobials in the traditional farm-to-fork context, which include phage-based mixtures and commercially available phage products. This paper concludes with some potential safety concerns that need to be addressed to enable bacteriophage use efficiently.

This paper seeks to examine the influence of sustainable supply chain strategy (SSCS) on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) by considering the mediating role of blockchain technology (BCT) adoption and the moderating role of Digital Transformation (DT) and sustainable supply chain practices (SSCP). Drawing upon the resource-based view theory, we empirically tested our model using a sample of 331 hotel and resort managers, and a quantitative approach was used. The results revealed that BCT adoption mediates the relationship between SSCS and SCA. They further explain that DT significantly moderates the relationship between the SSCS and BCT adoption, whereas SSCP significantly moderates the relationship between the BCT adoption and SCA. All research objectives are successfully obtained. As a result, firms must not only adopt sustainable strategies, but also adopt advanced technologies and transformative practices in order to maintain a competitive advantage in today’s dynamic market landscape. The findings of this study hold significant implications for both theory and practice, providing strategic insights for organizations seeking to improve their competitive positioning by embracing sustainable strategies and technologies.

This research investigates the impact of supportive supervisors on doctoral students’ research productivity, with parallel mediation effects of academic engagement and academic psychological capital as two mediators. Data has been collected through an online survey from international doctoral students (N = 415) studying in six research-oriented universities in mainland China. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural modeling were used in the analysis and mediation analysis conducted by adopting the 04 Model in PROCESS. The results indicated that a supportive supervisor is positively related to research productivity. Student psychological factors—academic engagement and academic psychological capital—partially mediate the relationship between supportive supervisors and research productivity. The findings suggest that the supervisor’s supportive behavior is essential for encouraging students’ academic engagement and academic psychological capital. Furthermore, students are more productive, and their engagement and psychological resources are increased under supportive supervision, which ultimately significantly increases their research productivity.