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As our world becomes increasingly more technology driven and global competition continues to intensify, the technology resource components available to a firm will be required to become more sophisticated in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage. Higher levels of sophistication are achieved through technological innovation that is effectively managed. But, to effectively manage technological innovation, we must first come to a clearer understanding of the resource components of technology. This paper describes the way various people perceive the meaning of technology, discusses the confusion that exists, and suggests a construct for classifying the components of technology to mitigate the confusion. Finally, a framework for benchmarking and technology assessment is presented to suggest a way for a firm to better manage its technology component sophistication level for global competition.

Pakistan is quite often described as a failing state. Some scholars have described it as a “failed state.” Without indulging into its controversial part, let us see the state of affairs in Pakistan first. Pakistan has been under a mixed spell of military rule and controlled democracy. President Pervez Musharraf has learnt from the legacy of military rule of his predecessors that the best bet to remain in power is to blame democratic leaders for their failure to govern the country in the interest of the people. Musharraf had grabbed power through a bloodless military coup by dislodging the democratically elected government of Nawaz Sharif in October 1999 under a similar alibi. Even after the lapse of more than 8 years of his rule, there has been no change in terms of poverty eradication, economic development, living standards, or internal security. On the contrary, things have taken on a much uglier shape.

The use of Twitter by political parties and politicians has been well studied in developed countries. However, there is a lack of empirical work, which has examined the use of Twitter in developing countries. This study aims to explore the information-sharing patterns of Pakistani politicians through Twitter accounts during the pre-election campaign of 2018.

Data of three weeks of the official party accounts and the politicians running for prime minister were analysed. The mixed-methods approach has been used to analyse quantitative and qualitative data retrieved through Twitonomy.

It was found that the most active Twitter account belonged to the winning party. The prominent Twitter account functions were a call to vote, promotional Tweets, promises and Tweeting about party developments. The present study provides evidence that there is a difference between the Tweeting behaviour of established and emerging parties. The emerging party heavily posted about changing traditional norms/culture/practices.

The study contributed to existing knowledge and has practical implications for politicians, citizens and social media planners.

The present study was designed carefully and based on empirical research. The study is unique in its nature to fill the research and knowledge gap by adding a variety of Twitter functions used by politicians.

Different leadership styles are used to make innovations in organizations. So, a sound system of social exchanges has always been a need in this dynamic and technological world to challenge organizational problems. Drawing on the social exchange theory, this study aims to empirically investigate the mediating relationship of a set of social exchanges, e.g. leader-member exchange (L.M.X.), knowledge sharing behavior (K.S.B.) and voice behavior (V.B.), between transformational leadership (T.L) and innovative work behavior (I.W.B). Particularly, it explores the best social exchange behavior between T.L and I.W.B that plays a highly constructive role in the innovativeness of the hospitality industry in Pakistan.

The study targeted 403 frontline employees from hotels situated near Swat Valley, Pakistan. The study used a quantitative approach by using a convenient sampling technique. Structural equation modeling was run by using Smart partial least square 3.3.3 to test the proposed model.

The research supported that T.L significantly influenced I.W.B via a L.M.X., K.S.B. and V.B. T.L did not directly and significantly influence I.W.B so, there were full mediations between T.L and I.W.B. Specifically, knowledge-sharing behavior played a highly constructive role in innovativeness.

The study targeted frontline employees from one place, Swat valley; however, data collection from different tourist places may generalize the results based on social exchanges and innovative behavior. A dyadic interaction between top-level and middle-level management may closely trace the innovative ideas among the employees.

The study found knowledge sharing to be a highly effective mechanism that supports employee innovation more than a L.M.X. and V.B. As a result, the managers should establish a sound system of knowledge sharing, which means a knowledge economy so that employees innovativeness can be boosted and promoted.

The present study was the first study in the hotel industry of Pakistan that reveals a highly effective mediating mechanism: K.S.B., which exists with T.L to increase workers’ innovativeness highly.

In view of the paradox of soaring malnutrition prevalence in an agrarian economy like Pakistan, political and economic pundits are of the opinion that Pakistan may face acute shortage of food in future if its political managers do not take holistic approach to address the issue. The form of government system is one such dimension of this approach. Pakistan has witnessed different forms of government system. The purpose of this paper is to assess the food availability situation under different regimes in Pakistan since 1972.

The paper uses log‐lin growth model to make out if form of the government may affect the level of food availability in Pakistan.

The data indicate lot of variations between different regimes. Over the years consistent and positive public policies for demographic management brought down the population growth rate. It was expected that positive demographic development coupled with supplementary policies will provide space to ensure sufficient food and standard nutrition to the people but this variable also could not contribute according to expectations. Prevailing inequity in society along with inconsistent policies and mismanagement of resources are generally quoted as the main reasons for this misfortune. However, the paper demonstrates that vertical power structure and absence of inclusive political system is an additional reason of continuing food deprivation in Pakistan.

For the purpose of this analysis the authors use the food balance sheet data of Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, and hence assume all limitations of this database.

This paper points out another reason to have inclusive form of the government in Pakistan: to reduce food deprivation.

This paper is the first of its kind to assess the availability of food to the citizens of Pakistan under different regimes.

This study empirically and theoretically aims to explore the consequences of top management’s dark personality traits (DPT) on organizational injustice, e.g. organizational procedural justice (OPJ), organizational interactional justice (OIJ) and organizational distributive justice (ODJ) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB).

A study was conducted to examine the influence of DPT on CWB among the contractual employees of the land revenue department, Pakistan. The quantitative method was employed using a convenient sampling approach. A designed survey questionnaire was distributed among 1,240 land revenue officials in 13 districts of Pakistan.

The results supported that dark DPT directly, significantly and positively affects CWB. In addition, DPT, except for psychopathy (PSY), significantly and negatively affects OPJ, OIJ and ODJ. Meanwhile, OIJ and OPJ strengthen the negative relationship between CWB and Machiavellianism and narcissism (NAR); however, PSY failed directly to affect OPJ, OIP and ODJ indirectly failed to capture CWB.

Top management/government should pay attention to fair dealings among the contractual employees. Consequently, they would prefer to do well in the workplace. Particularly, top management should avoid practicing DPT, which has ultimate results in CWB.

Public managers should avoid DPT because they are not compatible with public needs. Managers with DPT negatively affect their employees' productivity behaviors. Therefore, managers should focus on positive personality traits to enhance employees' productivity via organizational justice.

This study is unique in the land revenue department of Pakistan, where unfair dealings are being practiced among contractual employees. Surprisingly, CWB is the ultimate consequence of both DPT and top management's dishonest dealings (e.g. organizational injustices).

This study aims to use an authentic leadership style to explore that whether male or female leadership of private academic institutions highly influences affective organizational commitment and tacit knowledge sharing among the library teachers. Additionally, this study encompasses the trust of library teachers and justifies whether the trust under male or female leadership highly moderates the effect on tacit knowledge sharing.

By using structural equation modeling, this study tests two leadership models (e.g. male and female leadership models). Using a convenient sampling approach, the researcher collects data from library teachers of private academic institutions in district Sheikhupura, Pakistan through face-to-face interaction. The study administered 650 survey questionnaires among the library teachers; however, 403 questionnaires were answered validly and reliably. The response rate was 62%.

The study found the direct and indirect effect of authentic leadership on affective organizational commitment and tacit knowledge sharing however, male authentic leadership influence on affective organizational commitment and tacit knowledge sharing was quite higher than female authentic leadership. Resultantly, the library teachers were more committed to sharing tacit knowledge under male leadership than female. Nevertheless, the moderating role of trust was found in female leadership but not in male leadership. Simply, the library teachers under male leadership were hesitant to trust others, so the chain of sharing hidden ideas and image of libraries was not found in male leadership.

Private academic institutions need authentic leaders to shape the knowledge economy of libraries and the structure of the academic institutions. For this reason, this study provides practical implications for managers that male leadership should be hired in academic institutions because it has a higher influence on librarians’ commitment and tacit knowledge sharing among peers as compare to female leadership.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study that differentiates the capabilities and skills of male and female authentic leadership in private academic institutions. Further, it suggests hiring male leaders in these institutions.

Drawing from social exchange theory, this paper aims to examine the role of five mediating mechanisms between the relationships of critical constructs of frontline employees’ performance, and both transformational leadership and proactive personality to find out which mediating mechanism highly boosts frontline performance in 3-star hotels, Pakistan.

By testing parallel mediating linkages, this study used a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique using partial least square-SEM. This empirical investigation used a quota sampling technique to collect data from the frontline employees of 3-star hotels from the top five big cities of Pakistan. The study administered online survey questionnaires among 500 frontline workers in 3-star hotels.

The results of the study supported a substantial direct influence of transformational leadership and proactive personality on employees’ performance. Nevertheless, it was observed in the findings of this investigation, significant mediating relationships between frontline employees’ performance and the key constructs of transformational leadership and proactive personality. However, the construct of work engagement was not found to have a significant mediating relationship between front-line employees’ performance and both constructs of transformational leadership and proactive personality. Moreover, leader-member exchange was identified as the highest mediating mechanism among the five. It is noteworthy, the results of this study highlighted that the notion of leader-member exchange is extremely embedded in transformational leadership to enhance the frontline performance than proactive personality.

The empirical evidence of this study insinuates that the management may establish a system of collaborative learning and social exchange between leaders and followers. This approach might be the essence to improve the work outcomes of frontline employees specifically within the 3-star hotels and hospitality organizations at large.

This study contributes to novel findings particularly to determine the five mediating mechanisms, i.e. work engagement, job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, organizational commitment and leader-member exchange between frontline employees’ performance and the constructs of transformational leadership and proactive personality. It might be noteworthy, the empirical and anecdotal pieces of evidence of this study indicated a social exchange system within transformational leadership optimizes the frontline employees’ performance that ultimately contributes to the overall organizational outcomes.

This study aims to empirically investigate the pathway to value co-creation intentions through social media marketing, social support and COVID-19 perception in the tourism context with a specific focus on Couchsurfing community.

A survey was conducted from foreign and domestic travellers who used Couchsurfing platform for their recent travel, and were approached using an online survey (n = 229) and structural equation modelling used for hypothesis testing.

The findings indicate that value co-creation intentions follow a pathway through social media marketing and social support. Moreover, Couchsurfing community social support mechanisms play a crucial role in value co-creation intentions.

This study significantly contributes by taking Couchsurfing as a social networking application that provides both informational and functional support to the hardcore and active tourism and hospitality community.

The question of civilian supremacy over managing state affairs has been revisiting Pakistan time and again; the case is the same these days. Assuming its strategic location at the crossroads of Middle East-Central South Asia, the country has a lot of potential not only to prosper and progress, but it can play a pivotal role in restoring peace and stability in the region.

Pakistan's civilian leadership has mostly supported the concept of peaceful coexistence with all neighboring countries, but the theory of animosity propagated by Pakistan's army with its neighbor, especially India, has kept the world's sixth most populous nation in a state of war ever since its inception. This chapter discuses the perpetual conflict between the civil-military approaches and how it is effecting regional peace.