International Journal of Emerging Business and Economic Trends

Tourists Giving Back: Tourists’ Pro-Sustainable Behavior through Exchange Relationships

Saima Munawar, Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik, Syed Muhammad Fahim — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to assess the comparative effect of the dimensions of destination personality on tourists’ pro-sustainable behavior through the lens of Social Exchange Theory in the context of domestic leisure tourism in Pakistan. This study employed a deductive-quantitative design and collected data from 635 domestic tourists using purposive sampling. The findings indicate that the dimensions of sincerity, excitement, and sophistication have a significant positive influence on tourists' pro-sustainable behavior, whereas competence and ruggedness do not. This study is novel in its assessment of the comparative effects of destination personality dimensions, as these findings can help destination management organizations identify the personality aspects that can yield sustainable behaviour.

Role of Commercial Banks in Agricultural Development: Evidence From Pakistan

Jameel Ahmed khan — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper discusses the role of commercial banks in the development of the agricultural sector in Pakistan especially, the role that institutional credit among others plays in agricultural productivity. Based on the annual time-series between 2000 and 2024, the study investigates the correlation between institutional credit, labor per hectare of land being cultivated, water supply on farms, level of crop intensiveness, policy rates and the value of agricultural GDP per hectare (AGDP). In pursuit of capturing the long-term and the short-term dynamics, the study used quantitative technique, namely the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and another is the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression. The results show that institutional credit has a statistically significant and positive effect on AGDP, which reiterates the importance of official credit tools as an effective means to promote output in agriculture. Conversely, water availability, agricultural labor, per acre are negatively associated with AGDP, whereas the crop intensity and policy rates give mixed results. Policy implications of the results include the following: First, policymakers ought to make it easier to access institutional credit, manage water resources, and overcome labor inefficiency to enhance sustainable and inclusive agricultural growth.

Exploring Employees’ Satisfaction with their Perceived Career Anchors: A Study from PTCL, Pakistan

Samar Batool Shah, Sehrish Bukhari, Mubeena Soomro — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This qualitative inductive study explores the effects of career anchors on individuals' career selection decisions and their perceived satisfaction with their chosen careers at Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). It investigates the factors that shape career anchors in Pakistan and explores the factors driving employees’ satisfaction with their career selection decisions. Doing so identifies factors that influence an individual’s decision to choose a particular career. A sample of 14 employees from the telecom company, PTCL, was selected from lower-, middle-, and top-level management. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, followed by thematic coding and analysis using the Grounded Theory approach. This study identifies factors that help individuals select a career path, focusing on the factors affecting career choice. For the organization, it would be helpful in designing the reward system for employees and placement policies, thereby better fulfilling employees' needs and preferences. The findings would contribute to the existing limited literature on career selection and career planning in the Pakistani context.

Space Exploration and Capital Structure: An Evolving Financial Paradigm

Shumaila Meer Perhiar, Muhammad Shaban Khan — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The paper analyzes the determinants of capital structure (CAP) for 87 firms globally involved in tourism and outer space from 2010 to 2023. The data is collected from the Wall Street Journal Website for dependent and independent firm-level variables and from the World Development Indicators (WDI) for macroeconomic variables. The model of pooled ordinary least squares (POLS) and panel data estimation, implemented via feasible generalized least squares (FGLS), is used to examine the capital structure behavior of businesses involved in space exploration and space travel worldwide. The results obtained using size (SIZE) and current assets (CAS) positively affect capital structure (CAP). Inflation (INF), with a positive interaction, helped companies obtain funds at low cost and increase capital. Exchange rate (EXR) has a negative impact on cash flow and leverage effects. The study highlights capital structure, regulations, and decision-making for commercializing space tourism and exploration. The paper's originality lies in the authors' exploration of the determinants of capital structure in the outer space travel and exploration industry, working across the world. The sector is a niche market but a relatively less-studied one in finance, focusing on the edge of borderline economies. Using a contextual approach, the research provides fresh insights into how firms manage financing amid firm-level and macroeconomic variables.

Women's Economic Empowerment in the Light of Islam: A Pathway to Achieve Sustainable Development

Misbah Rahman, Muhammad Ashraf, Saeeda Shaikh — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Economic empowerment is a fundamental element of gender equality and is also necessary for the social and economic advancement of any nation. Islamic teachings on economic empowerment for women are derived from the Quran and the Hadith, which are the sayings and acts of Prophet Muhammad Allah (ﷺ) did not create men and women to be subservient to one another. Islam has upheld women's rights and gender equality in all spheres of life. Sustainable development relies heavily on empowering women, a point that Islamic teachings emphasize. The primary objective of this study is to examine how Islam upholds women's rights. This study looks at the important role that women play within the framework established by the Quran; pursuing sustainable development leads to economic emancipation. The case studies on women's economic rights underscore the prospects and challenges that Islamic societies may face when leveraging women's potential to build a fair and enduring future. Given that only secondary data were utilized, the study is purely qualitative. An analytical method was also used in this investigation. The Holy Quran, several books, papers, journals, and the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) Sunnah have been systematically reviewed. A thorough review has revealed that Islam guarantees women's rights, dignity, and status rather than depriving them of them. However, women are unable to exercise their rights due to a lack of proper Islamic education and knowledge.

Green Entrepreneurial Intentions among Female Students: An Empirical Study at the University of Larkano

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Green entrepreneurial intentions aim to safeguard the environment and promote sustainability. Therefore, there is a trend to focus on business practices that help build an eco-friendly culture and involve women in these activities to achieve sustainability goals. This study concentrates on analyzing the regression outcomes of green entrepreneurial environmental awareness, self-efficacy, motivation, and orientation on green entrepreneurial intention among female entrepreneurship students at the University of Larkano. The results from 108 female students with green entrepreneurial intentions are regressed to prominently demonstrate the influence of green entrepreneurial orientation, environmental awareness, entrepreneurial motivation, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Findings from female students who studied entrepreneurship subjects over a five-year period (2019 to 2024) show a positive and significant relationship between green entrepreneurial orientation, self-efficacy, environmental awareness, and entrepreneurial intentions, except for entrepreneurial motivation, which does not significantly stimulate green entrepreneurial intentions. However, green entrepreneurial motivation exhibited mixed effects, partially aligning with previous research. This study fills a gap in the literature by highlighting the unique contributions of female entrepreneurship students to green entrepreneurship intentions. It offers policymakers, educators, and stakeholders valuable insights to promote green entrepreneurship.

From Green Hiring to Green Habits: Examining Green Transformational Leadership Mediation Between Green Talent Management and Sustainable Business Performance in the Software Industry of Pakistan

Sahar Khan, Syeda Nazneen Waseem — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the growing pressure on the software industry in Pakistan and how it can achieve growth while aligning with environmental sustainability initiatives, but there is little empirical data on how green human resource practices in business translate into sustainable business performance. This paper builds on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, which focuses on the impact of Green Talent Management (GTM), which has two parts: Green Hard Talent Management (GHTM) (e.g., green recruitment, selection, training, performance appraisal, and rewards) and Green Soft Talent Management (GSTM) (e.g., values-based development, employee engagement, green commitment, and empowerment) on the Sustainable Business Performance (SBP) in the software industry of Pakistan. The mediated model suggests that Green Transformational Leadership (GTL) is a behavioral and motivational process that links Green Hard Talent Management and Green Soft Talent Management to Sustainable Business Performance, and that the controlled variables Work Environment and Organizational Culture affect sustainable business performance. Based on survey data collected from employees and managers in software companies in Pakistan and estimated using structural equation modeling, the framework hypothesizes that GTM facilitates the relationship between SBP and the development of green capabilities, promotes green abilities among employees, and motivates and creates opportunities at the workplace. The research provides a theoretical contribution by synthesizing RBV and AMO to find the relationship between GTM and sustainable business performance and sheds light on the mediating role of green transformational leadership by translating sustainability results. In practice, the findings should help software companies in Pakistan design a balanced green hard and soft talent system and a transformational green leadership, which can enhance sustainable performance in the long run.

Dilemma of Selecting Celebrity Endorsers: A Systematic Literature Review

Shah Rafi Uddin Hamdani, Sadaf Nawaz, Besime Fekri Ziberi — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to assess whether a local celebrity or an international celebrity is best suited for product/service endorsements in developing and developed countries. The technique used is a systematic literature review. Using 8 keywords, 114 articles were selected; 32 were rejected after the abstract screening. Around 19 articles could not be accessed, and after applying the year bracket (2012-2022), 40 articles were finalized for the study. Celebrity endorsement is a marketing strategy that has delivered results worldwide. However, when this strategy is used in developing countries, marketers should go for local endorsers, as populations are mostly nationalistic and ethnocentric and respond more favorably to local celebrities. On the other hand, populations in developed countries are indifferent to the fact whether a local or international celebrity is used. Furthermore, they respond favorably to those campaigns in which the endorser is credible, attractive, and is congruent with the product/service. The year bracket can be expanded to include more literature, and the research methodology can be changed to online or email interviews with marketers in developing/developed countries for deeper insights. The number of countries can be increased as well. Brand Managers/Global brand managers should use local endorsers in developing countries, as it is more fruitful and cost-effective. In developed countries, use endorsers who are more credible, attractive, and congruent with the product/service.