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The authors aim to investigate which social media posts' characteristics result in higher stakeholder engagement in the European context.

The authors apply chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) method to categorize social media posts based on their engagement levels. The authors conduct analysis on the tweets published in 2019 by companies that draw up and publish a sustainability report on Global Reporting (www.globalreporting.org). The final sample is based on 3,045 tweets from 173 firms of different industries and countries.

The authors find that tweet characteristics, such as content type, industry type and country of a firm, significantly influence stakeholder engagement rate.

The findings are useful for practitioners and stakeholders. Firm management should consider the most important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concerning their business activities for engaging stakeholders and contributing to sustainable development.

The authors consider stakeholder theory and contribute to stakeholder engagement and sustainability debate. For this purpose, the authors focus on firms' communication of SDGs through social media. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which considers the SDGs’ communication to determine the most significant SDGs resulting in higher stakeholder engagement.

This study aims to develop a model based on the financial variables for better accuracy of financial distress prediction on the sample of private French, Spanish and Italian firms. Thus, firms in financial difficulties could timely request for troubled debt restructuring (TDR) to continue business.

This study used a sample of 312 distressed and 312 non-distressed firms. It includes 60 French, 21 Spanish and 231 Italian firms in both distressed and non-distressed groups. The data are extracted from the ORBIS database. First, the authors develop a new model by replacing a ratio in the original Z”-Score model specifically for financial distress prediction and estimate its coefficients based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Second, using the modified Z”-Score model, the authors develop a firm TDR probability index for distressed and non-distressed firms based on the logistic regression model.

The new model (modified Z”-Score), specifically for financial distress prediction, represents higher prediction accuracy. Moreover, the firm TDR probability index accurately depicts the probabilities trend for both groups of distressed and non-distressed firms.

The findings of this study are conclusive. However, the sample size is small. Therefore, further studies could extend the application of the prediction model developed in this study to all the EU countries.

This study has important practical implications. This study responds to the EU directive call by developing the financial distress prediction model to allow debtors to do timely debt restructuring and thus continue their businesses. Therefore, this study could be useful for practitioners and firm stakeholders, such as banks and other creditors, and investors.

This study significantly contributes to the literature in several ways. First, this study develops a model for predicting financial distress based on the argument that corporate bankruptcy and financial distress are distinct events. However, the original Z”-Score model is intended for failure prediction. Moreover, the recent literature suggests modifying and extending the prediction models. Second, the new model is tested using a sample of firms from three countries that share similarities in their TDR laws.

The authors examine the impact of credit, liquidity and operational risks on the financial performance of commercial banks of South Asia.

Data are extracted from DataStream of 76 commercial banks of four countries, i.e. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for the period 2009–2018. The generalized method of moments (GMM) is used to analyze the results.

All three risks are significantly associated with financial performance. The authors find that Z-score positively affects the bank performance, whereas the nonperforming loans (NPLs) ratio has a negative impact on financial performance of bank. Liquidity risk analyses show the current and loan-to-deposit (LTD) ratios positively and negatively, respectively, affect financial performance. While operational risk positively affects financial performance. The authors further present the significant effects of joint occurrence of credit and liquidity risks on financial performance.

For managing credit risk, banking management should ensure the policies for granting loans and timely reimbursement of the loan installments from customers. Bank managers should regularly monitor the liquidity position by maintaining the necessary levels of loans and deposits. Management should retain a healthy capital charge to meet operational risks.

Credit, liquidity and operational risks are considered the most important categories of risk which are faced by financial institutions. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which investigates the impact of these risks on banks’ financial performance in selected South Asian countries. The results of this study have relevance and probable generalizability about the impact of risks on the performance of banks in emerging markets.

Innovation has become a necessity for the information technology (IT) sector, especially during COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how knowledge sharing affects employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB). Specifically, the study examined occupational self-efficacy (as mediating mechanism) and entrepreneurial leadership (as boundary condition) to encourage IWB.

The study used social media platforms to collect data from 270 employees working in the IT sector through “google forms” on convenience basis between March and August, 2021. The study applied structural equation modeling in two stages to examine the measurement model (for uni-dimensionality) and the structural model (for hypotheses testing).

The study noted that knowledge sharing positively affects employees’ IWB and occupational self-efficacy positively explains this association. In addition, employees’ perception of entrepreneurial leadership strengthens the association between knowledge sharing and IWB.

The study collected data from a developing country during COVID-19 by using a cross-sectional design that may restrict causality. However, the findings suggest the management not only encourages knowledge sharing environment but also engages employees in various training that motivate them to experiment with new ideas and techniques.

This study extends the existing literature on knowledge sharing and IWB by exploring occupational self-efficacy as mediating mechanism and entrepreneurial leadership as a boundary condition.

Annually, hundreds of drilling crew suffer from major injuries during performing oil and gas drilling operation because of the deficiency of an adequate hazard safety management system for real-time decision-making in hazardous conditions. According to previous studies, there is a sheer industrial need for an effective industrial safety management decision support system for accident prevention at oil and gas drilling sites at both drilling domains. Therefore, this paper aims to focus on the design and development of knowledge base decision support system (KBDSS) for the prevention of hazardous activities at Middle Eastern and South Asian origins’ onshore and offshore oil and gas industries during drilling operations.

In this study, data were gathered from safety and health professionals from targeted oil and gas industries in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan through quantitative and qualitative approaches. Based on identified data, KBDSSs (HAZFO Expert 1.0) were systematically developed and designed by adopting Database Development Life Cycle and Waterfall Software Development Life Cycle models. MySQL and Visual Studio 2015 software were used for developing and designing knowledge base and graphical user interface of the system.

KBDSS (HAZFO Expert 1.0) for accident prevention at onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling industries based on identified potential hazards and their suitable controlling measures aligned with international safety standards and regulations. HAZFO Expert 1.0 is a novel KBDSS that covers all onshore and offshore drilling operations with three and nine outputs, respectively, to achieve the current trend of Industry Revolution 4.0 and Industrial IoTs for workforce safety.

This industrial safety management system (HAZFO Expert 1.0) will be efficiently used for the identification and elimination of potential hazards associated with drilling activities at onshore and offshore drilling sites with an appropriate hazard controlling strategy.

Moreover, the developed KBDS system is unique in terms of its architecture and is dynamic in nature because it provides HAZFO Expert 1.0 data management and insertion application for authorized users. This is the first KBDSS which covers both drilling domains in Malaysian, Saudi Arabian and Pakistani industries.

Every year, hundreds of people have died and thousands have been injured because of insufficient management of well control at oil and gas drilling and production sites. Major causes which have been reported in previous studies included uncontrollable blowouts and failure of blowout preventers because of insufficient safety practices. These onshore and offshore blowout disasters not only harm the work force but also critically affect the environment and marine life. In this research paper, a detailed quantitative survey and qualitative risk assessments (RA) have been carried out for assessing the potentially hazardous activities associated with well control along with their appropriate controls and risk reduction factors and mitigating measures in Middle East and south East Asian countries.

The sequential explanatory research design has been adopted in this study. Whereas, descriptive statistical approach has been used for the quantitative data analysis of this study. While, in-depth interview approach has been used for qualitative data collection. Similarly, what-if analysis method has been adopted in this study for the identification of effective safety and health risk mitigating factors because it provides in-depth information from health and safety environment experts.

The cumulative quantitative results based on the response from Saudi Arabian drilling industry have indicated that the well control operation is highly hazardous then Malaysian and Pakistani oil and gas industries. Likewise, findings from what-if analysis approach demonstrate that the drilling crewmembers have repetitively faced life threatening hazards which occur (safety and chemical) during well control onshore and offshore operation because of oil base mud, confined space at site, pinch points and falling during working on blow out preventers. According to the overall result, respondents have highly recommended engineering and administrative hazard controlling factors as most suitable for the elimination of safety and chemical hazards during well control activities.

Besides, the developed methodological framework for the identification of suitable hazard controls can also be effectively used for potential hazards reorganization and identification of suitable hazard controls for other drilling and production industries and regions for accident prevention and safety and health management.

This is a first comparative research study which has been carried out in Malaysian, Saudi Arabian and Pakistani onshore and offshore oil and gas industries for well control health and safety management and reorganization of most effective hazards mitigating factors at drilling sites.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of perceived organizational support on employees’ performance in information technology (IT) firms in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Organizational support is critical as it ensures support given by the organization to workers and to complete one’s job proficiently and effectively.

Data were collected from IT firm employees through a self-administered questionnaire survey where a total of 400 questionnaires were distributed, i.e. 200 in each country’s IT firms. A total of 383 completed questionnaires were received (190 from Pakistan and the remaining 183 from Saudi Arabia) representing a response rate of 95%. The hypothesis was tested using confirmatory factor analyzes and direct relations were confirmed using AMOS v24.

The results indicate that perceived organizational support and affective commitment have a significant positive impact on employee performance. Findings of the study show that perceived organizational support and affective commitment directly and significantly correlated (r = 0.439**; p < 0.05) (r = 0.489**; p < 0.05) with employee performance. On other hand, results of structural equation modeling indicate that perceived organizational support and affective commitment have a significant and positive impact (ß = 0.284; p < 0.01) and (ß = 0.370; p < 0.01) on employees’ performance. Moreover, affective commitment partially mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support and employee performance.

The outcomes are not generalized, as the researcher analyzed working employees in the IT firms in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The relationship between perceived organizational support and employees’ performance may be checked in a longitudinal study. If all items are considered because of the ambiguity of human feeling and acknowledgment, it is hard to precisely assess employees’ performance and their needs. This research proposes a straightforward and handy model that supports managers to feature the most powerful factors in building up their employees’ performance.

This study proposes managers to give chances to proficient advancement, improved occupation and satisfying the necessities identified through deference, mindfulness and endorsement. Furthermore, they ought to make more good working conditions, for example, preparing chances to support workers in their wants for self-improvement and accomplishment. The research additionally recommends recording the unmistakable standard operation procedure to clarify the understanding of the employees. In addition, managers ought to invest sensible energy with their front-line employees through socialization and training. These efforts could limit fatigue work, enhance organizational duty and performance.

This study aims to examine knowledge sharing as an explanatory variable between entrepreneurial leadership and employee creativity. The authors further examined the moderating role of creative self-efficacy between knowledge sharing and employee creativity.

The authors collected data from 307 employees and their immediate supervisors working in IT-based organizations.

The authors noted that entrepreneurial leaders positively affect employees’ creativity and knowledge sharing positively explains this association. The authors further noted individuals high in creative self-efficacy strengthen the association between knowledge sharing and employee creativity.

The authors used a cross-sectional design to collect data that may restrict causality. Still, the study suggests management learn, develop and implement entrepreneurial skills that foster knowledge sharing to enhance creativity. In addition, hiring individuals with creative self-efficacy would further encourage creativity.

Drawing upon social exchange theory, the authors are first to examine knowledge sharing as a mediating mechanism between entrepreneurial leadership and employee creativity. In addition, the authors examined creative self-efficacy as a conditional variable on the association between knowledge sharing and employee creativity.

This case study aims to be taught at an MBA level. Students who are majoring in the supply chain would benefit the most from this case study. This case study has elements of logistics management, supply chain management, supply chain strategies, warehouse and logistics and responsible supply chain. The learning outcome of this case study could be seen if the students identify the gaps in the real market setting and come up with strategies that would connect and/or fill the areas missing. Teaching objective 1: students should be able to identify unstable demand scenarios and learn how demand collaboration could be implemented in that setting. Teaching objective 2: students should identify how a transparent and interconnected supply chain, both upstream and downstream, can be created. Teaching objective 3: students should be able to understand the role of a responsible supply chain and to define the role and responsibility of each party. Teaching objective 4: students should be able to learn the dynamics of safety stocks, reorder points and incorporate that in warehouse management decisions.

Based in Lahore, Pakistan, Total Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd is a company that supplies medical equipment and provides solutions in the health-care industry. This case explores the supply chain issues faced by Tallat Mehmood, who is the Managing Director of the company, during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2021. Oxygen cylinders have become the need of the hour as more and more patients need oxygen. The supply of medical gases across Pakistan has become a logistical issue, causing hospital reserves to be drained without timely replenishment. Increasing the number of beds in hospitals, with limited oxygen outlets, has increased the demand for oxygen cylinders. Operating under unstable demand and not being able to meet it has caused Tallat to realize that the company is out of its comfort zone and is not responding well to the environment. The company needs to redesign the supply chain as well as collaborate with the supplier and buyer to provide better levels of service.

Masters level supply chain courses.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and logistics.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of e-service quality and e-trust on customer e-satisfaction and, subsequently, on customer e-loyalty towards a website in the online shopping environment of Pakistan.

The research employed a quantitative approach and utilised structural equation modelling to investigate the relationship between e-service quality and e-trust on consumers’ e-satisfaction and e-loyalty. The data were collected from 250 individuals who actively use online shopping websites to purchase products in Pakistan.

The findings revealed that e-service quality and e-trust offered on e-commerce websites significantly impacted customer e-loyalty. However, it was found that both e-service quality and e-trust do not have a significant impact on customer e-satisfaction. In addition, the findings showed that customer e-satisfaction positively impacts e-loyalty.

Overall, these findings emphasise the importance of e-service quality, e-trust and customer e-satisfaction and their role in cultivating customer loyalty within the context of the online shopping environment in Pakistan.

This study contributes to the existing literature on online shopping in Pakistan by exploring the factors influencing consumer behaviour in this context. The findings add to the academic understanding of consumer behaviour and provide valuable insights for e-commerce businesses in Pakistan.