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1 – 10 of 273
Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Mona Harb, Sophie Bloemeke, Sami Atallah and Sami Zoughaib

Using critical disaster studies and state theory, we assess the disaster aid platform named Lebanon Reconstruction, Reform and Recovery Framework (3RF) that was put in place by…

Abstract

Purpose

Using critical disaster studies and state theory, we assess the disaster aid platform named Lebanon Reconstruction, Reform and Recovery Framework (3RF) that was put in place by international donors in the aftermath of the Beirut Port Blast in August 2020, in order to examine the effectiveness of its inclusive decision-making architecture, as well as its institutional building and legislative reform efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the case study approaach and relies on two original data sets compiled by authors, using desk reviews of academic literature and secondary data, in addition to 24 semi-structured expert interviews and participant observation for two years.

Findings

The aid platform appears innovative, participatory and effectively functioning toward recovery and reform. However, in practice, the government dismisses CSOs, undermines reforms and dodges state building, whereas the 3RF is structured in incoherent ways and operates according to conflicting logics, generating inertia and pitfalls that hinder effective participatory governance, prevent institutional building, and delay the making of projects.

Research limitations/implications

The research contributes to critical scholarship as it addresses an important research gap concerning disaster aid platforms’ institutional design and governance that are under-studied in critical disaster studies and political studies. It also highlights the need for critical disaster studies to engage with state theory and vice-versa.

Practical implications

The research contributes to evaluations of disaster recovery processes and outcomes. It highlights the limits of disaster aid platforms’ claims for participatory decision-making, institutional-building and reforms.

Originality/value

The paper amplifies critical disaster studies, through the reflexive analysis of a case-study of an aid platform.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 4 April 2022

Sami Ullah, Abdul Sami, Tooba Ahmad and Tariq Mehmood

Technology parks (TPs) are used as a tool to improve economic outlook of the region through innovation generation. This study aims to evaluate the perception of tenants of TPs to…

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Abstract

Purpose

Technology parks (TPs) are used as a tool to improve economic outlook of the region through innovation generation. This study aims to evaluate the perception of tenants of TPs to determine the gap in the expectation and identify types of firms preferring to locate in a TP.

Design/methodology/approach

This is the first study in Pakistan to collect data about perceived benefits of TPs in Pakistan from the decision-makers of 110 tenant firms. The cluster analysis and lift ratios are used to draw statistical inferences.

Findings

The firms can be classified into three clusters – commercial-orientation firms, science and technology-oriented firms and young tech firms – with distinct needs for survival and growth in a TP. Moreover, TPs should not just be treated as property projects for providing support services, also knowledge sharing, training and development opportunities and proximity to hubs of knowledge and markets is vital to attract a variety of industry.

Originality/value

Academia and policymakers have been equally interested in the potential impacts of these innovation hubs. However, there have been lack of empirical evidence on how and what to offer the incumbents of these TPs. The government of Pakistan is trying to build more TPs for promoting business activities under CPEC. Therefore, it is extremely important to determine the needs of tenants of TPs for successful utilization of huge amount of public money to be invested in TPs.

Details

Innovation & Management Review, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2515-8961

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 February 2024

Sami Ullah, Tooba Ahmad, Mohit Kukreti, Abdul Sami and Muhammad Rehan Shaukat

Consumers and businesses are becoming increasingly conscious of sustainable business practices and are often willing to pay a premium for responsibly sourced and manufactured…

Abstract

Purpose

Consumers and businesses are becoming increasingly conscious of sustainable business practices and are often willing to pay a premium for responsibly sourced and manufactured products. Many countries and organizations have implemented regulations and standards for sustainability and companies face penalties or are barred from exporting for not meeting the requirements. Rooted in the resource-based view theory, this study aims to test a moderated mediation model to improve the sustainability performance of exporting firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Textile firms generating more than 25% of export revenues were targeted for this research. The data collected from 245 middle management-level employees were tested for reliability and validity. The structural equation modelling in AMOS 26 was used to test hypotheses.

Findings

Organizational readiness for green innovation (ORGI) has a direct positive effect on sustainability performance. The mediation analysis implies that ORGI translates into sustainability performance through improvement in green innovation performance. The moderating effect of knowledge integration highlights the importance of being prepared internally and actively seeking and incorporating external knowledge to improve green innovation performance.

Originality/value

The findings offer a solid foundation for informed decision-making, policy development and strategies to improve sustainability performance while aligning with the global nature of the textile industry and its inherent challenges. The proposed model and practical implications guide policymakers and managers of exporting firms to foster a culture of green innovation to leverage the effect of their readiness for green innovation on sustainability performance.

Details

Journal of Asia Business Studies, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1558-7894

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 June 2023

Muhammad Hasnain and Sami Ullah

This paper aims to examine the role of Open Artificial Intelligence application (ChatGPT) to identify challenges faced by developers working on React.js libraries.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the role of Open Artificial Intelligence application (ChatGPT) to identify challenges faced by developers working on React.js libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

Scopus and Google Scholar databases were searched for the literature. In addition, ChatGPT application was accessed to extract contents regarding its potential role in identifying challenges and their solutions for developers.

Findings

This paper found that ChatGPT has potential in identifying challenges, faced by learners and developers. ChatGPT enables developers to navigate the projects’ libraries and overcome steep learning curve issue. ChatGPT excels in helping the developers by presenting a range of valuable strengths. These include offering tutorials and document support, providing comprehensive programming challenges solutions, assisting with the configuration and adding in debugging process of React.js application.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first articles presenting the potential role of ChatGPT in identifying and offering solutions to the challenges of learners and programmers about React.js.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 July 2023

Muhammad Sami Ur Rehman, Muhammad Tariq Shafiq, Fahim Ullah and Khaled Galal Ahmed

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current construction progress monitoring (CPM) process in relation to the contractual obligations, how project management teams…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current construction progress monitoring (CPM) process in relation to the contractual obligations, how project management teams carry out this activity in the field and why teams continue to adopt the current method. The study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current monitoring process and its effectiveness, identify any shortcomings and propose recommendations for improvements that can lead to better project outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 construction management practitioners to explore their views on contractual requirements, traditional progress monitoring practices and advanced monitoring methods. Thematic analysis was used to identify existing processes, practices and incentives for advanced monitoring.

Findings

Standard construction contracts mandate current progress monitoring practices, which often rely on manual, document-centric and labor-intensive methods, leading to slow and erroneous progress reporting and project delays. Key barriers to adopting advanced tools include rigid contractual clauses, lack of incentives and the absence of reliable automated tools. A holistic automated approach that covers the entire CPM process, from planning to claim management, is needed as a viable alternative to traditional practices.

Research limitations/implications

The study's findings can inform researchers, stakeholders and decision-makers about the existing monitoring practices and contribute to enhancing project management practices.

Originality/value

The study identified contractually mandated progress monitoring processes, traditional methods of collecting, transferring, analyzing and dispensing progress-related information and potential incentives and points of departure towards technologically advanced methods.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 13 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 August 2023

Roswitha Skare

The purpose of this study is to show that the neo-documentary – or complimentary – approach in Library and Information Science by no means is conservative, but highly necessary…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to show that the neo-documentary – or complimentary – approach in Library and Information Science by no means is conservative, but highly necessary also in today's digitized media landscape. An example from a digitized photo archive is chosen to demonstrate the importance of a complimentary analysis that considers both material aspects as well as social and mental ones.

Design/methodology/approach

By taking Jenna Hartel's description of the neo-documentary turn as point of departure, the paper focuses on one case, the portrait of Johannes Abrahamsen Motka taken by Sophus Tromholt in 1883 and discusses different versions of the photograph from glass plate negatives to digitized versions in different contexts and media.

Findings

Many of the same paratextual elements can be found in different versions, also the digitized ones, to help the viewer to establish a historical context, but the images exhibited today are nevertheless no longer the same ones taken by Tromholt at the end of the 19th century. Not only have the material properties changed, but also – and probably even more important in most cases – the social and mental aspects. More re-contextualization is needed for today's audiences to recognize and understand a historical photograph taken in a colonial context. Focusing on document's material elements is not novel within the LIS-field, but the so-called neo-documentary turn was also a reaction on political and technological developments during the 1980s and 1990s. The increased focus on understanding a document in a complimentary way has demonstrated its impact during the last decades and is, at the same time, still work in progress.

Research limitations/implications

As a scholar in the humanities the author can only relate to and therefore analyze what the author can experience and observe on screen level.

Originality/value

In providing a case study, this article illustrates the necessity of employing a complimentary approach when analyzing documents. This also implicates the claim that the neo-documentary turn – or complimentary as it rather should be called – by no means is a conservative one, but a highly necessary one in today's digitized media landscape.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 January 2023

Sami Ullah, Tooba Ahmad, Tariq Mehmood and Abdul Sami

Science and technology parks (STP) are established to facilitate innovation and the rapid development of cutting-edge technologies. The innovation performance of tenants is the…

Abstract

Purpose

Science and technology parks (STP) are established to facilitate innovation and the rapid development of cutting-edge technologies. The innovation performance of tenants is the primary feature of all successful STPs globally. The purpose of this study is to investigate firms’ innovation and economic performance at the National Science and Technology Park (NSTP), Islamabad, Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

The CDM (the acronym of the three authors’ names, Crépon, Duguet and Mairesse) model following a two-stage approach was used to analyze the survey data of 105 tenants. The innovation performance of tenants was estimated through probit regression at Stage 1, and the economic performance of tenants given their innovation performance was examined at Stage II using Tobit regression and the Heckman model.

Findings

The findings suggest that compatibility of innovation with the existing competitive advantage of a firm increases the innovation performance of firms, whereas collaboration of firms with NUST for research and development has only a marginal effect on innovation performance. However, the tenant’s business and social networking were weak, possibly due to the short time spent on NSTP.

Originality/value

These STPs are expected to be hubs of technology development and transfer by fostering open innovation through internal and external collaborations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to estimate the innovation performance of tenants at NSTP, the first fully integrated STP in Pakistan. Despite shortcomings, the innovation and economic performance of NSTP tenants warrant further public policy support to inculcate open innovation culture.

Article
Publication date: 25 April 2022

Mina Sami and Wael Abdallah

This study aims to dissect firm knowledge into two main types: internal firm knowledge (knowledge workers) and external firm knowledge (relational knowledge with other firms)…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to dissect firm knowledge into two main types: internal firm knowledge (knowledge workers) and external firm knowledge (relational knowledge with other firms). This study aims to investigate how each type affects the productivity of the firms. This study also examines how this effect differs among Egyptian firms in the agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use firm-level data in Egypt on the sectoral level. The properties of instrumental variables regression using two-stage least-squares estimation are adopted to overcome endogeneity and omitted variable bias in the empirical estimations.

Findings

The study’s findings reveal that the effects of internal and external knowledge on the firm productivity are sector-specific; knowledge-workers and relational knowledge are two times more effective for agriculture than manufacturing and service firms; external knowledge plays a vital role in increasing productivity relative to internal knowledge for the manufacturing sector; finally, internal and external knowledge has the same effect on the service firms.

Originality/value

This research adds to the body knowledge-based theory of the firm by examining the effects of internal and external knowledge on the firms’ productivity. In particular, the paper differentiates this effect across three sectors: agriculture, manufacturing and services. This paper also suggests a novel empirical methodology to address endogeneity and omitted variable bias in this literature of firm knowledge and productivity.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 72 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 April 2024

Nadia Assidi, Ridha Nouira, Sami Saafi, Walid Abdelfattah and Sami Ben Mim

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the shadow economy on three sustainable development indicators while considering the moderating effect of the governance…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the shadow economy on three sustainable development indicators while considering the moderating effect of the governance quality, and to highlight the non-linearity of the considered relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 82 countries covering the period from 1996 to 2017. The dynamic first-differenced generalized method of moments (FD-GMM) panel threshold model is implemented to control for non-linearity.

Findings

The shadow economy hinders sustainable development in countries with low-governance quality, while the opposite result holds in countries with high-governance quality. The critical thresholds triggering the switch from one regime to another vary across the sustainable development indicators. Boosting growth requires enhancing the legal system and the economic dimension of governance, while promoting environmental quality requires the implementation and enforcement of specific environment-friendly regulations.

Originality/value

The study addresses non-linearity and the moderating effect of governance quality. The use of six governance indicators allows to gauge the ability of each governance dimension to curb the negative effects of the shadow economy. Considering the three objectives of sustainable development allows to identify specific policy recommendations for each of them.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2023

Sami Ullah, Tooba Ahmad, Bei Lyu, Abdul Sami, Mohit Kukreti and A. Yvaz

Green innovation, particularly in manufacturing firms, is one of the most advocated methods to curb the effects of climate change. This study aims to investigate the impact of the…

Abstract

Purpose

Green innovation, particularly in manufacturing firms, is one of the most advocated methods to curb the effects of climate change. This study aims to investigate the impact of the integration of green customers and suppliers on the green innovation performance of food manufacturing firms in Pakistan. The institutional and resource-based view theories determine the moderating role of regulatory pressure and the mediating role of green knowledge integration capability (GKIC).

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from 511 middle management-level employees of food manufacturing firms in Pakistan. The questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity. Hierarchical regression is used to test the proposed hypothesis.

Findings

A marginal improvement in integration with green customers can increase the green innovation performance (GIP) of a firm by 23.6%. Green supplier integration can improve the GIP by 14.2%, whereas the GKIC mediates the relationship between Green Customers Integration (GCI) and GIP but not for green suppliers integration (GSI). The moderating effect of regulatory pressure was significant for the relationship between GCI and GIP but insignificant for GSI.

Originality/value

Food manufacturing accounts for approximately 16% of global green house gases (GHG) emissions. Sustainable development goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without a significant decrease in GHG emissions by food manufacturing companies. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate firms' green innovation performance in this sector. The findings of this study can help policymakers develop policies for achieving SDGs.

Details

International Journal of Innovation Science, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-2223

Keywords

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