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Current research addresses the issue of brand loyalty while identifying its potential predictors. The research also examines the direct impact of brand credibility on brand loyalty and attitude toward brand and the direct impact of attitude toward brand and on brand loyalty respectively. Moreover, this research examines the mediating effect of attitude toward brand for the relationship of brand credibility and brand loyalty.

This is a cross-sectional research. Data is collected with the help of structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling technique is used for gathering the data from 220 Samsung users from Lahore, Pakistan.

Results indicate that brand credibility has a positive influence on attitude toward brand and brand loyalty respectively. Attitude toward brand partially intervenes the relation of brand credibility and brand loyalty.

There are some limitations of the current research. It includes only the customers of Samsung mobile. Data is collected from the customers of Lahore, Pakistan, only. This research can also be conducted among the customers of OPPO, Vivo and Apple and compare the results of current research with the results of OPPO, Vivo and Apple, which will provide the useful insights. This kind of research will also be conducted among the customers of other kinds of products like FMCGs, luxury items and even on the organizations of industrial products for generalizability. In future, customers of other cities of Pakistan like Karachi, Multan and Faisalabad may also be included for generalization.

This research provides a practical framework for the marketing department of Samsung mobiles and explains how brand credibility shape the brand loyalty through the path of attitude toward Samsung mobiles. So, Samsung mobiles can maintain current policies regarding brand credibility and attitude toward brand for attaining the better level of brand loyalty. Longitudinal research studies on these variables will also be helpful for the marketing department of Samsung for checking the level of propose relationships periodically and comparing it with previous results which will provide the true picture about propose relationships. If the value of propose relationships increases or remains at same level, then Samsung can maintain the current policies about these variables and if the value of these variables decreases, the Samsung will improve the current policies about these variables.

This research contributed in theory of reasoned action by proposing the brand credibility, attitude toward brand and brand loyalty in single model. Before this, these relations were explained separately. This research adds to the body of literature by checking the mediating effect of attitude toward brand for the relationship of brand credibility and brand loyalty.

Augmented reality (AR) adoption has boomed globally in recent years. The prospective of AR to seamlessly integrate digital information into the actual environment has proven to be a challenge for academics and industry, as they endeavor to understand and predict the influence on users' perceptions, adoption intentions and usage. This study investigates the factors affecting consumers’ behavioral intention to adopt AR technology in shopping malls by offering the mobile technology acceptance model (MTAM).

This conceptual framework is based on mobile self-efficacy, rewards, social influence and enjoyment of existing MTAM constructs. A self-administered questionnaire, constructed by measuring questions modified from previous research, elicited 311 usable responses from mobile respondents who had recently used AR technology in shopping malls. This analysis was performed using SmartPLS3.0.

Grounded on the findings of the study, it was found that, aside from factors such as mobile usefulness, ease of use and social influence, the remaining independent variables had the most significant impact on adopting AR technologies. Considering the limitations of this study, the paper concludes by discussing the significant implications and insinuating avenues for future research.

To better investigate mobile AR app adoption in Pakistan’s shopping malls, the researchers modified the newly proposed MTAM model by incorporating mobile self-efficacy theory, social influence, rewards and perceived enjoyment. However, the extended model has not been extensively studied in previous research. This study is the first to examine the variables that affect an individual’s intention to accept mobile AR apps by using a novel extended MTAM.

This study aims to examine whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities influence firm performance based on a longitudinal survey for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan. Empirical studies suggest that the SME sector plays an essential role in the economic development of Pakistan and can be considered the backbone of the economy.

The data for this study were collected from SMEs located in the cities of Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad in Pakistan. A well-designed questionnaire was administrated over 240 entrepreneurs to analyze and measure the impact of CSR on financial performance for a 12-month period. The authors used econometric analysis of the data using structural equation modeling.

Results reveal significant relationships between CSR and two determinants of firm performance, namely, employee commitment and corporate reputation.

Findings of the study are important for policymakers, entrepreneurs and other professionals in SMEs sectors both in under-developed and, with further application and exploration, in developing countries.

There is no single longitudinal study prior to this has been carried out on the relationships of CSR and firm performance in the SME sector in the context of the Pakistani economy. Hence, this study significantly fills an important gap in the research.

The restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to everything across the world. The global crisis hit every sphere of life. The mobility restrictive nature of the pandemic was a major blow to the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. For a country like Pakistan, with an unstable economy and struggling tourism, the pandemic served as ground zero. This chapter critically examines tourism dimensions in Pakistan and how it sustained the impact of various crises. It pays attention to the concepts of vulnerability, social and community resilience, and adaptive capacity to provide a theoretical understanding of the revival of tourism in Pakistan. It also considers the impact of COVID-led measures on the tourism industry and corresponding initiatives of the government. The chapter concludes by arguing that Pakistan should carefully monitor and assess the current debates on tourism policies and practices. The chapter suggests that the national tourism strategy should incorporate a mechanism that can address tourism in crises in addition to addressing the environmental, socio-cultural and economic impact of tourism.

This study aims to investigate the research productivity of library and information science (LIS) authors affiliated with the 22 countries of the Arab League. It also identifies the top countries, organizations, authors, journals, natures of collaboration, and frequently used keywords in LIS research in the Arab world.

Bibliometric methods were used to evaluate the research performance of the authors affiliated with library organizations in the Arab region. The Elsevier Scopus database was selected for data retrieval. A comprehensive search strategy was adopted to retrieve 863 publications contributed by LIS authors affiliated with the Arab countries. VOS viewer, Biblioshiny, BiblioAnalyitics, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel were used for data visualization and analysis.

This paper presents the dynamics and the state of the LIS research in the Arab region published between 1951 and 2021. The results of the study have highlighted an upward trend in the growth of the publications, especially in the past four years. The largest number of studies were published in the year 2020. The country-wise analysis ranked Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as the top LIS research producing countries with five and four researchers, respectively. The Kuwait University, the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University were the three most productive organizations. Academic libraries, social media, bibliometrics, information-seeking behavior, information literacy and knowledge management were identified as the major areas of interest for the researchers. Internet and open access were topics that had gained recent popularity, while the digital library, research data management, green librarianship, link data, cloud computing, library leadership, library automation and artificial intelligence were identified as areas requiring further attention. Furthermore, the single-author pattern was found to be the most preferred pattern.

The findings of this study would help prospective researchers in choosing the neglected areas of research that require further investigation. They would also help policymakers in identifying factors that need more attention and allocation of research funds.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive bibliometric study that presents a holistic picture of the LIS research in the Arab region.

This study aims to explore the status of collaborative research productivity, major library and information sciences (LIS) research trends and the level of research among the LIS academicians as principal authors in Pakistan during 1975–2021 (47 years).

A quantitative research method was adopted to collect the required data using bibliometric patterns. The data of all faculty members working in LIS schools of Pakistan was collected from the official website of their employers/institutions. Different strategies were used to acquire respondents’ bibliographic/publication records such as faculty members’/employers’ official websites and faculty members’ Google Scholar profiles; advanced searching techniques were also used to retrieve their bibliographic records.

The results revealed that a total of 74 regular faculty members comprising 78.38% males and 21.62% females are working in 12 LIS Pakistani schools. A total of 1,787 papers were produced by LIS faculty, among which 702 were written by Pakistani LIS faculty as principal authors during the selected period. The results revealed that 60.72% of the principal authors’ work was produced in collaboration. The collaboration between faculty members and other faculty was 81%, while two authors' work productivity was on the top. No attention has been given to produce research in collaboration with international/foreign LIS experts, especially from developed countries.

The findings of this study are useful for faculties to have a richer understanding of the various elements of collaboration at national as well as international levels, and then discover the ways to begin and maintain effective partnerships to research emerging trends in LIS.

This study is a unique bibliometric study that systematically and quantitatively combined the research productivity of LIS academicians in Pakistan and provided a holistic sketch of the literature produced on various themes of LIS during 1975–2021.

This study investigates economic sustainability through orientation and absorptive capacity.

The researchers developed a conceptual framework based on vigorous literature for this investigation. This study targeted managers from Pakistan's SME sector as respondents and employed cross-sectional data. In total, the authors based this study's findings on 192 valid cases.

The structural equation modeling (SEM) results highlight that innovation orientation (IO), customer orientation (CO), supplier orientation (SO), network orientation (NO) and absorptive capacity (AC) have significant effects on economic sustainability (ES). Moreover, this study's findings show that ES significantly predicts environmental sustainability (ENS). Finally, the results also demonstrate that ES and ENS positively and substantially affect financial performance (FP).

This study's findings help SMEs continue sustainable business practices by avoiding adverse environmental effects and ongoing climate changes. This study's findings contribute also to the manufacture of eco-friendly environmental products to reduce the contamination of the environment. Financial institutions and policymakers would boost SME owners' capacity and the obtainability of financial resources to improve Pakistani SMEs’ sustainable economic and environmental performance.

This study's findings help to enrich environmental and economic sustainability and, more significantly, for developing countries.

The present study aims to identify and evaluate the socioeconomic barriers to effective COVID-19 pandemic transmission control in Pakistan.

The study identifies multiple socio-economic barriers through an extensive literature review. The preliminary analysis unveiled 15 socio-economic barriers. Nine experts were contacted to collect data and finalize the most prominent barriers to COVID-19 transmission control using the DELPHI method. The Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to process and interpret the data collected and a cause–effect relationship was established among the barriers.

The finalized barriers to effective COVID-19 pandemic transmission control were evaluated using DEMATEL which grouped criteria into two grouped criteria – cause and effect. The DEMATEL analysis shows that poor safety culture, lack of strategy and goal setting, lack of resources, late realization and recognition of the pandemic problem and lack of expertise and capacity in disaster and risk management fall into the cause group. These factors are critical as they directly affect the remaining barriers identified in the study.

Despite the collective global efforts, the national economies have been struggling to completely control COVID-19 transmission control. Pakistan’s economy has been facing the third wave of the pandemic. It is mandatory to identify the barriers and evaluate them to develop a comprehensive strategy ensuring that there would be no fourth wave. The study identifies and evaluates the barriers to COVID-19 transmission control in Pakistan using the integrated DELPHI-DEMATEL framework. The findings would help the government, experts and strategists to develop a comprehensive disaster and risk management strategy.

The purpose of this research paper is to predict sustainability-driven entrepreneurship intention among university students in the developing market (Pakistan).

The target population of this study was university students in Pakistan. According to UNDP (2017) report, Pakistan has the largest youth population. More than 64% of the total population (210 million) is below 30 years of age. If trained properly, this huge chunk of the population could become a source of intellectual capital for the development of the nation. The quota based on age sampling technique was used to collect the data from university students in Karachi because more than 64% of the Pakistan population is below 30 years of age.

The findings reveal that university entrepreneurial support has a strong influence on attitude toward sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial self-efficacy.

The role of university entrepreneurial support, environmental concern and students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy are vital factors in sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. This study enriches the literature of green entrepreneurship helping to understand university students’ intention for sustainable entrepreneurship. The outcome of this study would help strategists and environmental academicians to guide university students regarding the launch of sustainable ventures.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to explore the effects of environmental concern on entrepreneurial intention among university students in the context of a developing country – Pakistan.

The textile sector is moving towards new technologies, where the application of nanotechnology is offering fabrics with multifunctional properties making fabric odourless, hydrophobic, durable and self-cleaning. This aim of this research is to investigate self-cleaning ability of denim fabric with the application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized naturally. The primary focus of this investigation is achieving sustainability mark through green synthesis of ZnO NPs.

In this analysis, ZnO NPs being one of the metal oxides exhibiting self-cleaning, UV-protective and anti-microbial properties were synthesized naturally using Azadirachta Indica leaves. The prepared NPs were characterized by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses confirming their size and crystalline structure. Different formulations were investigated with varying concentration of zinc oxide and auxiliaries onto the denim fabric using pad-dry-cure application technique.

XRD analysis confirmed the successful green synthesis of ZnO NPs. SEM analysis revealed the homogeneous and hexagonal wurtzite NPs deposition on the denim fabric. It was ascertained that with 5% ZnO NPs and 7% Binder concentrations, the formulation resulted in a smooth and even layer on the denim fabric maintaining the appearance and feel at the same time offers appreciable grading (Grade 4) against the stringent stains of Ketchup, Coffee, Grape and Orange Juice with insignificant change in tensile strength.

In this study, self-cleaning attributes of denim fabric with zinc oxide nano formulations of different composition was studied to achieve promising functional properties in a single step not studied earlier.