Management Sciences (United States)

Private sector business freedom and human capital are the fundamental building blocks of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Business freedom provides entrepreneurs with the necessary space and opportunities, while human capital provides the knowledge and skills to make the most of these opportunities. Both factors are critical for economic growth, innovation and social welfare. The aim of this study is to determine the causality relationships between private sector job freedom, human capital and entrepreneurship for selected BRICS countries for the period 2002-2023 with the help of Emirmahmutoğlu and Köse (2011) causality test. According to the results of the analysis, unidirectional causality from entrepreneurship to private sector business freedom is determined for the panel. On the other hand, for the country level, unidirectional causality from entrepreneurship to private sector business freedom is found in Brazil, China, South Africa and Russia. Moreover, bidirectional causality was found between GIRSM and BSER at the panel level. At the country level, there is bidirectional causality between BSER and GIRSM for Brazil, China and South Africa, unidirectional causality from GIRSM to BSER for Russia, and no causality for India. Societies that want to encourage entrepreneurship should develop policies to increase business freedom and invest in education and development programs to strengthen human capital.

Purpose: Effective corporate governance is critical for safeguarding firms against scandals, fraud, and legal liabilities, while also enhancing organizational performance. This study aims to examine the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on firm performance, with particular emphasis on the moderating role of leverage. Design/Methodology: The study draws on panel data from non-financial firms in the cement and chemical sectors listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) over the period 2013–2020. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, pairwise correlation analysis, multicollinearity diagnostics (VIF), and fixed-effects regression models, employing STATA software to test the proposed relationships. Findings: The empirical results reveal that key corporate governance mechanisms—namely the number of board of directors, independent board members, female directors on the board, ownership concentration, number of board meetings, independent audit committee members, and number of audit committee meetings—have a significant relationship with firm performance. Moreover, leverage significantly moderates the relationship between firm performance and several governance mechanisms, including board size, board independence, female board representation, ownership concentration, audit committee composition, and audit committee meetings. Originality: This study contributes to the corporate governance literature by highlighting the conditional role of leverage in strengthening or altering the effectiveness of governance mechanisms on firm performance. The findings offer valuable insights for regulators, policymakers, and managers in the cement and chemical sectors, providing guidance for designing more effective corporate governance strategies to enhance firm performance in emerging markets.

Abstract The aim of the book chapter is to examine how the metaverse has reshaped marketing practices and consumer trends. It brings to light how immersive technologies are rewriting consumer experiences, interactions, and purchasing habits. The chapter’s approach is to examine case studies and real examples of data-driven personalization, interactive consumer interaction, and virtual brand presence in the metaverse. It evaluates how emerging technology, virtual worlds, and augmented reality (AR) influence marketing strategies. Whereas the chapter’s findings reveal that by creating experiences that enhance engagement with brands, the metaverse facilitates a shift in consumer practice. New tactics appropriate for virtual environments are called for as mainstream marketing methods fade. In order to remain relevant, companies need to leverage virtual engagement, tailoring, and interactivity. This chapter also presents the TAM to advise on how the real-world metaverse is navigating the evolving digital landscape for professionals, companies, and researchers. It gives brands a roadmap for adaptation to the metaverse-led market, ensuring sustained customer engagement and competitiveness.

Background Worldwide, including at regional and national levels, the demand for effective and competent employees in organizations continues to increase due to a dynamic global marketplace and heightened competition. The study aims to assess the relationship between Employee competence, Employee behavior, Organizational behavior, and organizational performance. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study, using the case study of OXFAM, was conducted to obtain information on the performance of NGOs regarding the variables. Quantitative methods, namely questionnaires, enabled the researcher to gather large-scale data in a relatively shorter time frame. Results 57% were males and 43% were females. There is a significant positive relationship between Employee competence and organizational performance (r = 0.696, P-value < 0.01). There is a significant positive relationship between Employee behavior and Organizational performance (r = 0.660, P-value < 0.01). There is a significant positive relationship between Employee competence and Organizational performance (r = 0.696, P-value <0.01) and between Organizational behavior and Organizational performance (r = 0.660, P-value < 0.01). R value (R= 0.567) represents a simple correlation between Employee competence, Organizational behavior, and Organizational performance. The value of R2 (0.322) shows that Employee competence and Organizational behavior account for 32.2% of the variation of Organizational performance. A change in employee competence increases organizational performance by 0.495 (Beta = 0.495). Conclusion Employee competency, organizational culture, and organizational behavior play a big role in the improvement of organizational performance. There is an overall positive effect on employee job performance (80%) resulting from possession of academic, leadership, communication, and problem-solving competencies at OXFAM. Recommendation The organizations should try to improve their Employee competency strategies by using employees with good values and norms who will be able to implement effective strategies for a better and improved organizational culture.

Current understanding of the basic characteristics that affect the perceived quality of cruise destinations remains lacking. In order to create a set of perceived destination quality (PDQ) variables, this study intends to investigate and verify cruise destination attributes in both reflective and formative terms. Data was gathered using a questionnaire survey as part of the study’s quantitative research technique. The study sample comprised 350 participants, with GSCA Pro software version 1.1.8 being used to analyze the data that was gathered. The research results confirmed the essential components of perceived destination quality (PDQ), which were composed of the following six important categories as first-order constructs: natural and well-known attractions, the variety of tourist services and culture, the quality of general tourist atmosphere, entertainment and recreation, the general environment, and accessibility. The 23 observed variables in this study, which comprised important reflective and formative components, were used to evaluate these constructs. The study’s findings can serve as a reference for executives, cruise tourism managers, and port destinations as they create policies and plans to grow cruise tourism in the destination region. Meanwhile, researchers may use these sets of variables for consideration in conjunction with other elements in subsequent studies.

This study investigates the structural and symbolic foundations of Pattaya’s tourism identity using a mixed-methods approach that integrates thematic qualitative analysis with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). It examines relationships among Tourism DNA Constructs (TDC), Destination Infrastructure (DI), Destination Image (DIM), Tourist Experience Value (TEV), and Revisit Intention (RI), drawing on 442 international tourist surveys and 47 stakeholder interviews. Findings show that TDC significantly predicts DIM, which enhances TEV and ultimately influences RI. However, DI and DIM do not directly shape revisit intention, indicating that infrastructure and image alone do not generate loyalty unless mediated by experiential value. Thematic insights highlight the underutilization of cultural identity, limited communication of infrastructure benefits, and the need for soft-power activation and inclusive, participatory governance. These insights support shifting from infrastructure-led development toward identity-driven tourism planning. Accordingly, the study proposes six recommendations: curating cultural DNA assets, encouraging participatory branding, strengthening infrastructure storytelling, designing immersive experience packages, promoting ethical tourism behavior, and amplifying local voices in destination marketing. Theoretically, the study contributes to destination image and experience-value models by emphasizing TEV as a key mediator. Practically, it provides strategic guidance for repositioning Pattaya as a co-created, culturally enriched, and globally competitive destination.

In developing countries, tourism industries offers promising economic development with a positive outcome. However, the tourism industry is subjected to the certain limitation in terms of the inhabitants of the local and ecological community. It provides the hardship for the tourism in native people in emphasize of culture and environment as an important factor in ecotourism. The evolution of ecotourism engaged in the provision of environmental pollution-free. The concept of ecotourism is still an emerging concept in the provision of results and overall prospects of the environment. For this, it is necessary to evaluate the ecotourism potential and perception to evaluate the relationship between environmental conservation and ecotourism. This research aimed to evaluate ecotourism in India in terms of natural and cultural terms for evaluation of the relationship between ecotourism and conservation. The examination of ecotourism is based on an evaluation of the relationship between tourists’ perception and conservation agencies in India. The analysis of results revealed that there exists a positive relationship between ecotourism and environmental conservation in terms of conservation agencies and tourists perception. Also, it is identified that there is no significant difference lies between conservation agencies’ and tourists perception with the evaluation of the positive relationship between environmental conservation and ecotourism in India. Through analysis, the to improve energy conservation and ecotourism in India are suggested.

This study analyzed the impact of emotional intelligence on the conflict resolution effectiveness of HR practitioners in the major cities of Pakistan. The research also focused on the value of the various elements of emotional intelligence on the conflict resolution approach taken and the results achieved. Within the study, 150 HR practitioners completed emotional intelligence and conflict resolution effectiveness questionnaires, in addition to 20 senior professionals who were involved in semi-structured interviews. The five cities of Pakistan, i.e. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta, were the target sample cities of this research study. This research study lasted from January to April 2025. The results of the quantitative study showed the presence of positive correlations in the emotional intelligence elements of self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skills, and conflict resolution effectiveness, with the strongest and most significant resolution effectiveness correlation being empathy (r=0.782, p<0.001). The results of the qualitative findings showed the five self-regulated and emotionally intelligent HR professionals active, implemented and utilized the strategies of listening, emotional regulation, perspective-taking, collaborative problem-solving, relationship maintenance, and these strategies were linked with and formed successful outcomes in conflict resolution. Based on these findings, this research study showed that in the Pakistani context, emotional intelligence positively impacts the workplace conflict resolution skills of HR professionals and is thus, an important skill that they should possess to maintain workplace harmony.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for businesses worldwide, especially for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The pandemic has created new risks and uncertainties that SMEs must navigate to remain operational and competitive. To address these challenges, SMEs need to adopt innovative practices to survive and thrive. Recent studies have shown that data analytics is increasingly becoming a key factor in driving firm performance. Thus, this study aims to empirically assess the importance of data analytics in driving resilient performance. Essentially this paper elucidates the strategic role of data analytics as one of the key components of an artificial intelligence driven world, to drive sustainable firm performance. Methodology: The research employed a distinctive dataset of 450 SMEs in South Africa. Machine learning techniques, particularly Random Forest and Support Vector Regression (SVR), were utilised to model the influence of data analytics on SME performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. This approach facilitated a detailed examination of the correlation between data analytics adoption and organisational resilience during unprecedented circumstances. Results: Data analytics can help SMEs prioritize urgent matters, ultimately improving their performance. Thus, the study recommends analytics software. With the help of analytics software, SMEs can gain valuable insights into critical issues that require immediate attention. By embracing these data analytics solutions, SMEs can effectively leverage their data to generate valuable insights that support decision-making processes. Originality/Relevance: In the context of a developing country during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study addresses a substantial gaps in the literature by concentrating on the role of data analytics in the performance of SMEs. Although prior research has illustrated the significance of data analytics for SMEs in developed countries, this study offers new perspectives on its implementation and influence in South Africa. The use of advanced machine learning techniques to analyze a substantial dataset of SMEs adds methodological rigor to the research. Keywords: SMEs; Data Analytics; Risk; Performance