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The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, this study examined the relationships of work alienation with explorative learning and exploitative learning. Second, the study tested the role of emotional exhaustion as a mediator of the relationships of work alienation with explorative learning and exploitative learning. Job Demands-Resources model was used as the underlying theoretical foundation to establish these relationships. Two-source time-lagged data were collected from 225 middle-level managers and their 222 immediate supervisors in 87 Pakistani firms spanning different industries. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping were used to test the hypothesized relationships,. The study revealed that work alienation is negatively related to both explorative learning and exploitative learning. Moreover, the study also established emotional exhaustion as a mechanism underlying the relationships work alienation with explorative learning and exploitative learning by showing that work alienation enhances emotional exhaustion, which, in turn, negatively influences both explorative learning and exploitative learning. By conceptualizing and providing empirical evidence of the negative relationships of work alienation with explorative learning and exploitative learning, both directly and via emotional exhaustion, the study signified some of the important but largely ignored dynamics of the employment relationship within the current regime of organizational structures. The findings suggest that the managers' sensed estrangement from work and work context need to be addressed, as it can exhaust them emotionally and hinder their search and acquisition of new knowledge and competencies.

The main aim of the study was to empirically investigate the mediating role of organizational commitment (OC) and person–organization fit (POF) between the causal relationship of supportive work environment (SWE) and employee retention (ER). One thousand questionnaires were sent to the targeted population included employees of all chains of multinational fast-food brands (restaurants) in Lahore, Pakistan. The restaurants were selected from clusters by using a cluster sampling technique. Questionnaires were comprised of multiple items adopted from former studies to obtain responses using quantitative methodology. For statistical analysis and to test the proposed hypothesis, the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed through Smart PLS 2.0 M3 software. The study’s findings elucidated that SWE has a positive and significant association with ER. In addition, OC and POF acted as mediators between the relationship of a SWE and ER. This study presented implications for human resource (HR) practitioners that they should endure developing mechanisms for imparting a SWE to foster healthy exchange relationships with people, which in turn will result in ER. This article significantly contributed to the extant literature on the relationship of the SWE and ER while highlighting the critical factors to be noticed for retaining key employees. This study also explicated the limitations and scope for further research.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is emerging as a relevant subject in the business world and in the field of management research. Therefore, the current study incorporates classifications often used in organizational level CSR research that distinguish social responsibility relevant to its focus (internal and external), in proposing diverse routes that link various CSR practices (ie, internal and external) to employees' choice of emotional labor strategy (ie, via perceived organizational support and perceived external prestige). Data were collected from front-line employees of banks operating in Pakistan. Due to the study's focus on front-line employees, other personnel were excluded for data collection. We collected data through a self-administered questionnaire. The structural equation model (SEM) was employed on 376 valid responses using Smart-PLS3 to test the study hypotheses. After the analysis, we found satisfactory results for the fitness of both measurement and satisfactory models. Moreover, the results strongly support our proposed theoretical framework, and all proposed hypotheses were accepted. This study confirms that the perception of external prestige is a strong predictor of employees' emotions and relevant behaviors. Moreover, this study discusses under the light of social exchange theory that perceived organizational support strongly predicts employees' emotional labor, which diminishes the myth that prestige is the only factor to influence employees' emotions in the workplace. Moreover, this study negates the findings of Anwar et al that perceived external prestige does not have a significant negative effect on surface acting. It provides an insight not only for managers and researchers but also for society, especially in an Eastern workplace setting like Pakistan's banking sector.

The research explores key factors impacting enterprise operational sustainability and the ability to transcend adversity during different stages of a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study draws from the Theory of Crisis Management Teams, the Stakeholder Theory, and the Distributed Cognition Theory to build an “Enterprise Effectiveness and Sustainability Model during Pandemic.” Existing theoretical background joint with contemporary success case studies helped to identify the essential aspects and strategies enterprises should employ to survive and thrive during crisis and post-crisis. We have conceptualized an innovative approach to COVID-19 from the perspective of organizational characteristics, operations, digital transformation, and financial planning. The findings suggest that enterprises having distributed leadership, workforce and adaptive culture sustain business operations during a pandemic. Furthermore, resilient enterprises allow for more informed and decentralized decision-making. Prosperous organizations leverage Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) and integrate Intranet, social media, and online communication platforms into their daily business routines, as this helps to establish trust and build bonds with employees, stakeholders, and customers during and post-crisis. Finally, balancing between the stockpiling of resources and resiliency is crucial in anticipation of a crisis. Therefore, we conclude that enterprises with financial contingency plans sustain their business operations during a pandemic.

The increase of social media (SM) has led to continuous deviations in how day-to-day entrepreneurial activities can be carried out. Additionally, studies devoted to SM entrepreneurship and SM are relatively limited and fragmented in their focus. However there is growing interest from scholars, practitioners and academia for upcoming studies and exploration within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) context. This research explores the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on SM adoption and SME performance in developing countries. We employed the resource-based view (RBV) as the foundation for developing the conceptual framework The present study employed a closed-ended questionnaire to collect data from SMEs located in Pakistan. Partial-least-squares-structural equation-modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized for the analysis of 423 responses. The results proved a direct positive link between EO–SMEs performance, EO–SM adoption, SM adoption–SMEs performance, innovation capabilities (IC), and SME performance. Partial mediation was found between EO and SME performance, and the significant moderation effect of IC was found between SM adoption and SME performance. This paper has implications for practitioners and researchers regarding SM adoption in the SMEs. It builds an empirical, multi-dimensional hypothesized model, including mediating and moderating roles affecting the relationships.

This research combined global climate, crop and economic models to examine the economic impact of climate change-induced loss of agricultural productivity in Pakistan. Previous studies conducted systematic model inter-comparisons, but results varied widely due to differences in model approaches, research scenarios and input data. This paper extends that analysis in the case of Pakistan by taking yield decline output of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) for CERES-Wheat, CERES-Rice and Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) crop models as an input in the global economic model to evaluate the economic effects of climate change-induced loss of crop production by 2050. Results showed that climate change-induced loss of wheat and rice crop production by 2050 is 19.5 billion dollars on Pakistan’s Real Gross Domestic Product coupled with an increase in commodity prices followed by a notable decrease in domestic private consumption. However, the decline in the crops’ production not only affects the economic agents involved in the agriculture sector of the country, but it also has a multiplier effect on industrial and business sectors. A huge rise in commodity prices will create a great challenge for the livelihood of the whole country, especially for urban households. It is recommended that the government should have a sound agricultural policy that can play a role in influencing its ability to adapt successfully to climate change as adaption is necessary for high production and net returns of the farm output.

PurposeThis study seeks to examine the role of knowledge-oriented leadership in the health sector to achieve team outcomes in the Covid-19 context. Drawing from the leader–member exchange (LMX), social cognitive and social identity theory, the present study develops a model linking knowledge-oriented leadership and team performance through the underlying psychological mechanisms of team efficacy, team cohesion, team commitment and team collaboration.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing quantitative data methodology, data were obtained from the pharmaceutical employees (health sector) of Pakistan during the pandemic. The partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings support the hypothesis that knowledge-oriented leadership significantly influences team outcomes. The study also verified that team collaboration effectively mediates the relationship between knowledge-oriented leadership and team performance.Originality/valueThe study is unique in the sense that it explores the newly established leader behavior (knowledge-oriented leadership) in understanding team outcomes in the health sector. The study concludes by making significant implications to overcome the challenges raised by Covid-19 pandemic.

PurposeThis research designed, optimized and tested a context-specific scale to evaluate public sector employees' pension choices.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed the scale using a comprehensive process of interviews and focus groups with experts across academia and finance. The authors used the refined scale to collect data from 564 faculty members in public sector universities following a multistage systematic cluster sampling technique. The findings revealed diversity in choice across different socio-economic and demographic variables.FindingsThe results revealed that items related to the defined benefit pension system explain most of the data variance and are preferred widely. This is followed by a preference for monetizing pension benefits and a defined contribution system. These findings indicated the need for flexible pension plans.Practical implicationsTherefore, the progressive movement towards monetization and the shift from defined benefit to a defined contribution pension system due to economic pressures must be accurately calculated and introduced where it is suitable.Originality/valueAlthough the theory of introducing a defined contribution pension system and monetization system is appealing, its practical implementation may not be encouraging for all employees.

PurposeThis study examines the impact of network embeddedness (NE) on innovation performance in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and analyses absorptive capacity as mediator and openness as moderator.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 209 employees of SMEs using a convenient sampling technique. Partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS was used to analyze the various constructs.FindingsThe results exhibit a positive and significant relationship in NE and absorptive capacity. Also, this study found a positive and significant relationship in absorptive capacity and innovation performance. Moreover, absorptive capacity has a positive and significant mediation role in the relationship between NE and innovation performance. Also, openness positively moderated the relationship of NE and absorptive capacity.Practical implicationsSMEs should try to implement the functions of NE, such as interaction with other firms in higher frequency, developing trust among all parties, clear alliance among the partners to enhance innovation performance. Similarly, SMEs should focus on absorptive capacity and openness to enrich innovation performance.Originality/valueThis study adds in the current literature of the chosen constructs and empirically contributes the effects in the manufacturing industry of Jiangsu Province, China.

The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, we examined the relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance and tested the role of affective commitment foci - namely, affective coworker commitment, affective supervisor commitment, and affective organizational commitment - as parallel mediators in the relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance. Second, we tested the moderating role of culture on the interrelationships between workplace romance, affective commitment foci, and employee job performance. A two-wave (3-month interval) survey data were collected from 312 paramedics - 162 and 150 from Pakistani and Chinese public-sector hospitals, respectively. The first and second waves of data collection took place in January and May 2017, respectively. Structural equation modeling (SEM), bootstrapping technique, and multigroup analysis were used to test the interrelationships between workplace romance, affective commitment foci, and employee job performance and to examine the cross-cultural differences in these interrelations. Results obtained using SEM show that workplace romance positively influences employee performance. Importantly, the study revealed that the three foci of affective commitment - namely, coworker affective commitment, supervisor affective commitment, and organizational affective commitment - as parallel mediators fully mediate the relationship between workplace romance and employee performance. Moreover, national culture moderates the indirect relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance, where workplace romance is stronger for the Chinese data sample. It is concluded that workplace romance is positively related to employee job performance and that affective commitment foci fully mediate the positive relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance. Moreover, culture moderates the indirect relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance. The study contributes to theory and practice by studying an essential but largely ignored aspect of the workplace and portraying it as a constructive influence on employee job performance and their affective commitment to coworkers, supervisor, and organization.