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The study aims to investigate students' attitudes toward using technology for micro-credential programs (MCPs) and their behavioral intention toward using MCPs for learning and enhancing their skills. The study also intends to investigate the moderating influence of labor market conditions (LMC).

A closed-ended questionnaire is employed to collect data from 474 participants through a convenience sample, from the university students in Karachi. Two theoretical frameworks are used in the study: technology acceptance model (TAM) and self-determination theory (SDT). The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique is used to analyze data.

Findings reveal significant and positive relationships between all variables, except controlled motivation (CM) and perceived challenges. Moreover, the moderation results ascertain that the labor market does not moderate the relationship between attitude toward using technology for MCPs and students' behavioral intention toward using MCPs for learning.

The study seeks to understand students' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward using technology for MCPs. Also, the moderating effect of LMC is highlighted in understanding the impact of the attitude to use technology (AT) for MCPs and behavioral intentions in higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan. The study highlights intuitive practical implications for students of HEIs, universities and digital credential program providers.

This study examines the importance of financial inclusion and financial literacy in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 01) of reducing poverty within Asia. It highlights the significance of fostering financial inclusion and spreading financial literacy for economic prosperity in the region. Despite the progress made in combating poverty and enhancing financial commodities, challenges persist, particularly regarding insufficient accessibility to basic financial amenities and a lack of knowledge in handling finances. However, a substantial portion of the Asian population lacks access to the financial literacy skills necessary for utilizing financial facilities and achieving financial inclusion. It reviews the current situation of financial inclusion and financial literacy in the region, explores the factors influencing these concepts, and highlights government initiatives aimed at fostering financial inclusion and literacy. Asia, with its diverse cultural and socioeconomic contexts, presents unique challenges and opportunities for promoting financial literacy and inclusion. The region’s growing population, emerging economies, and increasing middle-class underscore the importance of these factors. Ensuring that individuals have access to financial services and the knowledge and skills to manage their finances effectively can support economic development and poverty reduction, and create an inclusive and equitable society. By addressing the challenges of limited access to financial amenities and promoting financial literacy among the population, it is possible to foster economic growth, reduce poverty, and create more inclusive societies.

The purpose of this study is to improve the mechanical properties and reduce the stiffness/harshness of fabric associated with the pigment dyeing of textiles.

The fabric was pigment dyed with the addition of three different softeners and binders. The fabric was then analyzed to have improved textile properties by measuring tear strength, bending length, crocking and washing fastness tests.

The conventional route of pigment dyeing (without any softener) imparted poor mechanical and rubbing fastness. The softener-added recipe provided better mechanical, rubbing and washing fastness, and the stiffness values were oppressed as well.

Because of reduced stiffness, increased fastness and mechanical properties, the use of softener with pigment dyeing can improve the market values and satisfaction of the dyed fabrics. The finished product would also have better life and endurance. The process can be modified easily to have a better end-product with a negligible cost addition in industrial process, as softeners are cheap and used in low (10-20 g/l) in industrial settings without affecting the required shades.

This is the first report, to the best of the author’s knowledge, on the optimization of pigment dyeing of PC fabric with the addition of Helizarin and perapret softeners in dyeing bath.

Recognising the significance of international trade in economic growth, this research explores the drivers of exports in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries from 2008 to 2021. The study employs the export demand model and the augmented exports supply model and utilises pooled time-series data. This study questions whether export supply decisions are based on traditional trade model factors, emerging trading realities or macroeconomic variables. The model based on fixed effects evaluates the connection between exports and their possible drivers. Traditional export supply models suggest determinants like production capacity, variable cost and relative pricing influencing South Asian export supply performance substantially. Changes in trade, for example, have a substantial impact on export supply, demonstrating that the trade liberalisation procedure promotes growth in exports, compression in imports and technological advancement. The worsening state of the energy industry and growing levels of corruption have proved to be significant deterrents to export supply decisions. The results verify foreign direct investment's positive and medium influence on the expansion of exports. Other variables, however, such as GDP and its growth, Official Development Assistance (ODA), development expenditure, indirect taxation, labour supply and the exchange rate of currencies, have a positive impact on the flow of exports. Furthermore, the data corroborate the notion that increased savings have a significant beneficial influence on the flow of exports. The study proposes that concerned governments examine their export policies and adopt new policies adapted in accordance with changing circumstances with the goal of increasing and enhancing the performance of exports.

This study aims at product development in Syariah banking, using the theory of Pyramid of Maslahah. Product development are important aspects of Islamic banking to realize Maqasid Al Shariah and to better serve the real economy.

To understand the needs of the customers, this study uses qualitative approaches and collects primary data from semi-structured interviews of 25 banking customers in Indonesia.

The study found that the group of respondents who have similar characteristics in age, marital status and number of kids tend to have similar financial needs. Some of the needs that have not been fulfilled by Sharia banking are the needs for investment in banking products, the needs for pension plan products and the needs for travelling-related financial products.

This study proposed that Islamic banking should provide financial products that cater to three needs of the society, including the needs for necessities/essentials (daruriyat), the needs of complementary requirements (hajiyyat) and the needs for beautifications or embellishments (tahsiniyat), to be able to better serve the real economy.

Financial needs and the life cycle approach can be used for product development in banking industry. However, this approach has not been widely used for consideration in the development of Sharia banking products in Indonesia. This study provides some novelty in Islamic banking customer behavior, especially in understanding financial needs based on the theory of Pyramid of Maslahah.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the recurrent amnesties to black money holders (BMHs) in Bangladesh have not benefited the national economy, rather have increased corruption and money laundering, and that offering further opportunity to whiten back money as recommended by the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh will do more harm than good.

This research relies on both primary and secondary materials adopting an archival analysis of the existing literature.

The major findings include the following: the recurrent amnesties to BMHs have damaging impacts on corruption and money laundering in Bangladesh; the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh’s recommendation to provide further opportunity to legalise black money is flawed, ill thought-out and misjudgement of the futility of the amnesties offered to date; and the black money problem could be better addressed through using educational, preventive and punitive measures that have been specifically formulated in this paper.

This research does not examine the flaws that may remain in the provisions of existing laws; rather it gives emphasis to the enforcement of the law in place. Legal flaws thus can be a subject matter of another endeavour.

As implications, it is expected that this research will encourage the concerned authorities in Bangladesh to stop offering amnesties to BMHs for good. Also, other countries facing a similar problem can learn from the experience of Bangladesh presented, and specific recommendations submitted, in this paper, in dealing with black money, corruption and money laundering.

It is expected that if the recommendations furnished in this paper are implemented, corruption in, and money laundering from, Bangladesh will reduce. This reduction will facilitate ensuring fairness in the society in many respects, deter criminal activities associated with black money and enable honest taxpayers to buy their homes in a level-playing filed.

This paper presents original research in terms of analysis of materials and the recommendations submitted to deal with corruption, black money and money laundering.

The current study probes the multi-dimensional link between total quality management (TQM) and knowledge management (KM) and investigates how different TQM's dimensions impacts KM processes and how this nexus impacts organizational performance (operational and financial performance) by considering KM as an intermediating variable between TQM and organizational performance.

Six TQM practices are taken from “Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award”, namely leadership, customer focus, strategic planning, human resource management, process management and information and analysis; KM processes include knowledge creation, acquisition, sharing and application and organizational performance comprises operational and financial performance. The researcher put together data from different sized services and manufacturing firms, from small, to medium and large firms located in the United Kingdom (UK).

The results suggested that a positive correlation existed between TQM, KM and organizational performance. KM is also shown to have quite a strong and positive influence on firm operational and financial performance and partially mediates the relationship between TQM and corporate performance. Dimensional analysis indicates that leadership, strategic planning, customer focus and HRM have a significant positive impact on all KM process, while mixed results have been found for process management and information and analysis. The contextual analysis indicates that except for knowledge creation, TQM plays an equally significant role for the majority of manufacturing establishments and services firms.

The present research makes a significant contribution to the scarce literature on the relationship between TQM and KM (mainly at dimensional level), particularly in the context of the UK, and provides a detailed understanding of the relations between different TQM and KM dimensions, and how their relationship impacts on the operational and financial performance of different sizes of manufacturing and services firms.

Highlights

1. Total quality management (TQM) enhances firms' knowledge management (KM) capabilities

2. KM partially mediates the relationship between TQM and firms' performance

3. Leadership, customer focus and process management indicated insignificant impact on knowledge creation

4. TQM and KM are equally important for all sizes manufacturing and services firms

Total quality management (TQM) enhances firms' knowledge management (KM) capabilities

KM partially mediates the relationship between TQM and firms' performance

Leadership, customer focus and process management indicated insignificant impact on knowledge creation

TQM and KM are equally important for all sizes manufacturing and services firms

Perception of organizational politics is one of the key factors of the organization's performance. Based on the principles of Game Theory, this study aims to examine the impact of management's and employee's politics within an organization on the psychological and organizational stress levels of workers, followed by their task and contextual performance.

Following the non-probability convenience sampling technique, the data was collected from the managerial and non-managerial staff of public, private and semi-government services organizations in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Abbottabad and Karachi cities in Pakistan.

The structural analyses indicate that organizational politics is a major cause of stress among workers and has a significant positive impact on the psychological and organizational stress of workers. Moreover, both organizational politics and job stress hinder workers' performance.

The findings of the current research provide valuable insights into the management of firms about the destructive role of politics with a special focus on psychological and organizational stress, followed by job and contextual performance, particularly in the context of Pakistan. It also proposes strategies to counter this issue, improving worker's performance. Furthermore, the findings also suggest whether management or employees are more involved in organizational politics.

Based on the principles of the human capital theory, this study investigates the role of the quality management system (QMS) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing successful employability attributes among graduates. Considering industry as a prominent stakeholder in academia, the authors took industry–academia collaboration as the mediating variable.

Using the European Foundation for Quality Management model, the author analyzed how QMS in public HEIs located in London, the United Kingdom (UK), impacts business management, computer science and engineering students' employability. Following the nonprobability convenience sampling technique, this study included data from 324 local and international students.

The structural analysis identified QMS as a significant factor in enhancing students' employability, and industry–academia collaboration is found to act as a partial mediator in this relationship.

The management of HEIs in developing countries can take valuable guidelines from this study and integrate QMS in their institutions in developing their students' employability, as it is being done by HEIs in the UK.