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The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between digital competence and the capability to innovate in the service sector and examine if this relationship is mediated by human capital in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.

Using a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 188 service sector professionals in the United Arab Emirates. Data were analyzed using partial least square-based structural equation modeling.

The findings of partial least square based structural equation modeling analysis indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between digital competence and the capacity to innovate in the service sector, which is partially mediated by human capital.

This study contributes to knowledge by offering an understanding of the relationship between digital competence and innovation capability, especially in uncertain situations. This study also notes the importance of human capital as a strategic resource for innovation.

The success rate of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the service industries is dismally poor, and most organisations discontinue LSS initiatives prematurely. This paper aims to identify the LSS barriers (LSSBs) and analyse their interaction via a hierarchical model developed by using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and Fuzzy Matriced Impacts Croise’s Multiplication Appliqué à un Classement (MICMAC). These allow the LSS execution and implementation to be much more effective and avoid the high cost of implementation.

A structural review of the literature and interviews with experts and professionals from the service industries in the UAE supplied data wherewith to identify LSSBs. Sixteen LSSBs were determined and analysed using ISM and the MICMAC approach to discover the strong drivers and highly dependent barriers. The Fuzzy set was included in the MICMAC analysis to obtain a more precise output and create an effective hierarchical model of the barriers.

The research findings suggest that the top barriers to LSS implementation in service industries are lack of top management commitment, lack of customer focus, resistance to change management and lack of alignment between the LSS and organisational strategy. A deeper analysis using the Fuzzy-MICMAC approach categorises these barriers on the basis of their driving power and dependency.

The relationships between paired LSSBs were obtained through an experts’ interpretations of limited numbers in one country. Conducting a large-scale survey with a more comprehensive demographic or deep focus in one service industry might deepen our understanding of the interactions of LSSBs and models.

The developed ISM that model suggests that the dependencies and relationships among the barriers must be accurately determined so as to remove the collaborative effect of barriers on the implementation process is at the earliest opportunity. This would improve service companies’ competitive advantage and profitability, drive out waste and reduce the cost associated with poor quality. Similarly, academicians may advocate ways in various issues can contribute to improve LSSBs for amended LSS implementation now that business services are booming in the fourth industrial revolution.

The structural model was developed holistically on the basis of the inputs from practitioners and academicians to ensure its practical validity. Though the model has theoretical foundations, its practical applicability is a key factor in its development, so this approach was helpful for practitioner wanted to focus on removing the key dominant barriers and be able to deploy LSS concepts smoothly in service industries. The results support the proposition that top management is a crucial factor for LSS project implementation, whatever the complexity of the research methodology and the nature of the service industries.

This purpose of this study was to examine the impact of social and organisational capital on service innovation capability among service firms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To test the proposed research model, data were collected using a cross-sectional questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 188 private and public service sector managers in the UAE. Partial least square-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the research model's validity and reliability and to test the research hypothesis.

The empirical evidence indicates that during this pandemic the relationship between social capital and service innovation capability was fully mediated by strategic environmental scanning, while partially mediating the relationship between organisational capital and service innovation capability.

Managers in service organisations must be proactive during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, they should emphasise effective environmental scanning and the tracking of customer preferences to provide customised services that are valued and meet the emerging requirements of their customers. Prioritising investment in organisational capital to enhance innovation capacity is also recommended.

This study is the first to examine strategic environmental scanning as a mediator between social and organisational capital and service innovation capacity during a pandemic. There were significant differences between the findings of our study and previous studies: the authors found that, during crises, management priorities change, and businesses become more reliant on organisational capital to develop service innovation capability.

Smart city services (SCS) in contrast with other technology-based services, demand significant interaction and collaboration between the users and the service providers. This study examines the SCS delivery-channel characteristics and the users' personal (behavioral and demographic) characteristics that influence their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the services, as well as their intention to adopt (i.e. continue using) the SCS-delivery channels.

A quantitative study using a structured questionnaire was conducted for this paper. The data-collection method was administered by emailing the survey to a list of 2,350 city/urban residents who are members of the two largest universities in the greater Dubai metropolis. A total of 600 completed responses (26 percent) were received back, while 580 useable responses (25 percent) were analyzed for this paper.

Our initial findings suggest that contrary to popular belief, it is not only SCS channel factors that influence user satisfaction and continuance intention. SCS users' personal characteristics (such as their user innovativeness and control-seeking behavior) are also pivotal in determining their satisfaction and intention to continue or not continue using the SCS-delivery channels.

The paper argues that both SCS channel factors and SCS users' personal characteristics jointly influence the users' experience of the services and therefore jointly determine their satisfaction with the service as well as their SCS usage continuance intention. The result of our research gives important insights into users' behaviors toward the emerging SCS channels in general, and it will be of great value to architects and designers of Smart City technologies around the world.

The paper argues that both SCS channel factors and SCS users' personal (behavioral and demographic) characteristics jointly influence the users' trials of the services, and therefore jointly determine their satisfaction with the service as well as their SCS usage continuance intention. The result of our research gives important insights into users' behavioral intentions toward the emerging SCS channels in general; and it will be of great value to architects and designers of Smart City technologies around the world.

This paper is one of the first few studies focused on investigating the antecedents of SCS usage behaviors in the Middle Eastern region.

Despite evidence largely confirming gender-based differences in service quality perceptions in healthcare, little research has considered patients’ expectations. This study aims to examine the gender-based differences in both the affective and cognitive components of customers’ service quality expectations.

Data were collected through random sampling from three outpatient hospitals in the UAE. Hypothesized relationships between the cognitive and affective components (moderated by gender) were tested by means of CFA and ANOVA.

The results indicate that the differences between male and female expectations of overall service quality as a singular construct were not statistically significant, except for the empathy dimension. However, when measured as affective and cognitive, the results confirm that significant differences do exist between male and female patients.

The research was limited to the UAE. However, identifying gender differences in patients’ expectations would enable healthcare providers to engage and manage patients’ expectations.

This paper provides theoretical and practical implications on how the male and female are different in the cognitive and affective components of service quality expectations.

The purpose of this paper is to study the role of slack (both moderating and mediating) to stimulate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) factors and innovation outcomes relative to gaining competitive industry advantages.

The research methodology includes a multi-item scale questionnaire completed in three waves between 2016 and 2017, and later analysed in 2018. A final response rate of 29.5 per cent was obtained, representing 190 organisations from both manufacturing and service industries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the multi-collinearity, moderation and mediation analysis.

Analysis confirmed that factors such as continuous improvement (CI), human resource management (HRM) and information measurement (IM) were positively linked to innovation. However, when slack was introduced as a moderator, innovation outcomes were stimulated through HRM and IM. The results indicate that slack acts as a full mediator for management leadership but only partially mediates supplier quality, IM, CI, HRM and process management.

In terms of geographical coverage, research was limited to the UAE. Organisations striving for excellence through innovation may benefit from the outcomes, as they help in understanding the relationship between TQM and innovation moderated and/or mediated by slack. This could also lead businesses to develop new strategies that harmonise TQM policies with “rationale” slack policies, thus, promoting innovation.

This study is the first to examine the use of slack to stimulate the relationship between TQM factors and innovation outcomes. Using slack as a mediator can help in understanding when TQM might influence innovation, while slack as a moderator could invert the relationship between the two.