Ahmad Raza Bilal

Environmental pressures and competitive uncertainty increasingly require firms in emerging markets to translate sustainability‐oriented leadership into tangible competitive value. Drawing on the resource‐based view, this study examines how eco‐centric leadership influences competitive advantage through radical innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR), while considering organizational resilience as a boundary condition. Survey data from respondents in Pakistan's food manufacturing sector were analyzed using a hybrid partial least squares structural equation modeling–artificial neural network (PLS‐SEM–ANN) approach. The results reveal that eco‐centric leadership has a significant negative direct association with competitive advantage, whereas its indirect effects through radical innovation and CSR are positive and significant, indicating competitive or inconsistent mediation. Radical innovation emerges as the stronger mediating mechanism and the most important predictor of competitive advantage in the ANN analysis. Organizational resilience strengthens the positive relationship between radical innovation and competitive advantage but slightly weakens the CSR–competitive advantage relationship; both moderation effects are small. The study extends the resource‐based view by showing that eco‐centric leadership generates competitive value primarily through organizational resource‐conversion mechanisms rather than leadership orientation alone. For managers in emerging‐market firms, the findings highlight the strategic importance of translating environmental leadership priorities into innovation and responsible organizational practices while treating resilience as a complementary capability.

Green creativity is a key outcome of green HR management (G-HRM), fostering green work engagement and green service innovation in both service and manufacturing sectors. However, its implications in women-intensive industries in emerging markets remain unexplored. This study theorizes a unique blend of social exchange, job demand resources and ability motivation theories to examine the serial mediation of green work engagement and green service innovation between G-HRM and green creativity in women intrapreneurs. It also explores the moderating role of spiritual leadership in this relationship. Using SEM through SMART-PLS modelling, we analysed the sample of 250 women intrapreneurs from the five largest metropolitan cities in Punjab province. The results confirmed that green work engagement and green service innovation mediate the relationship between G-HRM and green creativity among women intrapreneurs, although the direct relationship was insignificant. Additionally, spiritual leadership significantly moderated the effect of G-HRM on green work engagement, enhancing the impact with greater support. These findings are particularly relevant for women-intensive industries, which comprise 20% of the workforce in Pakistan, and highlight the importance of fostering female employees’ creative potential at the intersection of employers and customers.

This study examines the influence of age on the investment decisions of women entrepreneurs, particularly in contexts where societal norms assign them primary responsibility for household responsibilities. The objective is to clarify the moderating role of age in the relationship between investment decision-making and behavioral biases. Data were collected from 260 women entrepreneurs operating small and medium-scale enterprises in Punjab, Pakistan, using a stratified sampling approach. Partial Least Square-Structural Equational Modeling(PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results show significant associations between overconfidence, anchoring, and availability biases and investment decision-making. However, the effect of representativeness bias depends on age as a moderator. The findings highlight the importance of age dynamics in understanding how behavioral biases shape investment decisions among female entrepreneurs in Pakistan. These insights can help policymakers design targeted interventions, such as specialized lending schemes and tax incentives, to support entrepreneurs across different age groups.

Purpose: The erratic growth of family-owned small businesses (F-OSBs) for an unprecedented period led to self-compassion among female descendant entrepreneurs. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between a female descendant entrepreneur's self-compassion and succession success by focusing on moderating the role of the predecessor-descendant entrepreneur relationship and a female-descendant entrepreneur's education. This study also compared the influence of the predecessor–descendant entrepreneur relationship and the descendant entrepreneur's education on the succession success of F-OSB. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 329 Malaysian female descendant entrepreneurs who had been designated as managing directors or chairmen in F-OSB was surveyed by deploying a purposive sampling technique. SmartPLS software was used with a complete bootstrapping technique to analyze the moderating effect. Findings: The results concluded that mindfulness, self-judgment, predecessor-descendant-entrepreneur relationship and education of female descendant-entrepreneurs have a positive relationship, while self-isolation has a negative association with the succession success of F-OSB. Originality/value: Exploring female entrepreneurship and succession, with a focus on performance mindfulness, in an emerging country.

Purpose: This paper investigates the mediating role of employee awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) in the relationship between technological turbulence and knowledge hiding, with a focus on the moderating impact of change leadership. Design/methodology/approach: The survey study adopted a quantitative approach to propose and test a model based on predictors of knowledge hidings. The survey approach received 320 respondent firms in the hotel management sector. The structural and measurement model was calculated using SmartPLS. Findings: Employee AI awareness mediates the relationship between technological turbulence and knowledge hiding. Change leadership significantly moderates this relationship, reducing knowledge hiding by promoting innovative discussions and collaboration. High employee AI awareness can lead to knowledge hiding due to perceived threats to job security, but effective leadership mitigates this by fostering a collaborative environment. Originality/value: The study highlights the importance of effective leadership in reducing knowledge hiding and emphasizes the need for a collaborative environment where employees view external partnerships as opportunities for learning and acquiring AI knowledge.

The study aims to address the critical area of training and development within private educational small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan. It seeks to develop and standardize training and development process in private sector educational SMEs and establish a structured approach to training with the purpose of unlocking the full potential of the workforce, advancing educators’ professional growth and propelling organizational progress. This study employs a meticulous three-phase approach. It begins with insightful interviews with school principals to investigate existing training practices. The subsequent phase involves formulating a comprehensive training and development policy, outlining purpose, scope, responsibilities, procedures and budget allocation. This policy undergoes participatory refinement to cater to specific SME needs. In the third phase, experimental design was adopted. Two groups, the experiment group and the control group, were formulated to check the effectiveness of proposed processes. Rigorous statistical analysis, employing paired sample t-tests, unequivocally demonstrates a significant elevation in mean scores post-implementation of standardized training and development process. These findings affirm the efficacy of the policy in enhancing the effectiveness of training and development activities in private sector educational SMEs. The research highlights profound implications. By establishing a structured approach to training and development, educational SMEs can not only advance educators’ professional growth but also propel organizational progress and enhance education quality. It will provide a structured and step-by-step process to boost the work quality of staff. The study emphasizes the need for consistent implementation. This research marks a substantial stride in revolutionizing how human capital is cultivated in private sector educational SMEs. It positions them to exert a transformative impact on Pakistan’s educational landscape, furthering the journey toward excellence. The study suggests avenues for future research, including the adaptation of this model to diverse educational contexts and an assessment of its scalability.

Purpose: Despite noted instances of organizational cronyism in public sector Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), there is a lack of empirical evidence on its detrimental outcomes. The present investigation tested the impact of organizational cronyism on knowledge hiding via the mediating role of moral disengagement and moderating role of egoistic climate.Design/methodology/approach: A multi-stage random sample was drawn from the 312 teaching faculty working in HEIs of Lahore, Pakistan in three waves. M-plus was used to validate a longitudinal moderated mediation model based on Structural Equation Modeling.Findings: The results showed that organizational cronyism leads to knowledge hiding. In addition, it was substantiated that moral disengagement acts as a mediator in the relationship between organizational cronyism and knowledge hiding. The strengthening impact of an egoistic climate was found in the direct and indirect association between organizational cronyism, moral disengagement, and knowledge hiding.Originality/value: There is a dearth of research on the consequences of organizational cronyism and the understanding of the factors that underlie this association is limited. This research has bridged this gap by investigating the role of moral disengagement and egoistic climate in linking organizational cronyism and knowledge-hiding by building on social exchange and social cognitive theory.

Purpose: The combination of action and process has remained the attention of the psychology of entrepreneurship research. Moreover, special attention has also been paid to the whens and hows of entrepreneurial psychological training. Keeping this in view the current study has tested the impact of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) training on small business entrepreneurial career resilience. Using action regulation theory (ART), a serial mediation model of IEO behaviour and entrepreneurial career adaptability is hypothesised.Design/methodology/approach: This study used a longitudinal randomised controlled field experiment in which the data were collected at four points. A total of 546 small business owners from Lahore, Pakistan, participated in this research (training group = 265, control group = 281). The data were analysed using ANCOVAs and PROCESS Model 6.Findings: The research has found that IEO training impacts the entrepreneurial career resilience of small business owners through the development of IEO behaviour and career adaptability.Originality/value: This experimental inquiry is a novel attempt to extend the career-related outcomes of IEO training (career resilience) based on ART through the mediating role of IEO behaviour and career adaptability. In addition, it has tested the IEO training in the developing country of Pakistan, which is a relevant context for enhancing its socio-economic growth.