The emerging competitiveness in the external environment and persistent need for adaptation have led organizations to recognize the essence of successful readiness to change. While individual and organizational outcomes of readiness to change have been discussed in the existing literature, a lack of clarity exists regarding how individuals embrace readiness for change. Using the social exchange theory, this empirical research examines the impact of perceived organizational support and human relations climate on individual readiness for change. The research also incorporates the intervening role of employee participation and leadership excellence for understanding the indirect effects. Hypotheses regarding the relationship between the key variables were tested through a structural equation model on a sample consisting of 284 respondents from managerial‐level employees in organizations from Pakistan. The findings suggested a positive impact of human relations climate on readiness to change. In addition to the direct effects, indirect effects via employee participation and leadership excellence were found to be significant on readiness to change. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications of the study along with suggestions for improvement are also elaborated.

Purpose – Owing to recent technological advancements and the growing use of virtual communication tools, particularly during and after the COVID-19 period, this research has investigated the usefulness of immersive technologies in the hospitality industry. Moreover, this research has obtained a deep and comprehensive understanding of how the metaverse can pose challenges and opportunities for employers and users in the tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach – We utilized an exploratory qualitative approach and conducted interviews with fifteen industry experts who were actively involved in Morocco’s tourism and hospitality sector. Based on the use of a thematic analysis approach, the findings have been presented. Findings – The findings suggest that the metaverse has provided numerous benefits for promoting tourist destinations through immersive and personalized virtual experiences. However, it has also presented challenges related to cost, security, data protection, and accessibility. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of the possibilities offered by immersive technologies in the field of hospitality and will serve as a foundation for further research in this ever-evolving domain. Originality/value – Extensive research has examined the metaverse’s theoretical applications in tourism and hospitality. However, empirical validation remains scarce. This study addresses this gap, being one of the first in North Africa to leverage qualitative methods for in-depth exploration. We validate theoretical propositions and provide unique insights into the metaverse’s impact on both tourism employers and users. Our analysis informs recommendations for successful hotel adoption, particularly in emerging economies facing a spectrum of opportunities and challenges.

While the literature develops an adequate understanding of various socio-cultural and psychological factors that contribute to expatriates’ adjustment, limited work exists regarding interdependencies between these two dimensions of adjustment, particularly in the Asian context. Using the theoretical lens of the anxiety uncertainty management (AUM) model, this research examined the various socio-cultural and psychological factors that affect expatriates’ adjustment, and the integration of these factors during adjustment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 55 Chinese top management expatriates working in Pakistan, and were analyzed using thematic analysis in NVivo. Based on the findings, an AUM model of expatriates’ adjustment is proposed, which illustrates how top management expatriates may go through a four-stage process of adjustment. The various socio-cultural and psychological factors, some identified from the literature and others through fieldwork, that play a role in expatriates’ adjustment at each stage, and the integration of these factors, is discussed.

Purpose: This article examines the impact of expatriates' interaction adjustment and conducive work environment (i.e. trust, shared vision and intercultural communication) on the development of a common social identity between expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs) using the social identity theory (SIT). It also investigates whether increased trust, shared vision and intercultural communication mediate the relationship between expatriates' interaction adjustment and development of a common social identity.Design/methodology/approach: Dyadic data were collected from 93 Chinese expatriates and 239 Pakistani HCNs using a three-wave time-lag design. A multilevel model was estimated using Bayesian estimation technique in the Mplus software.Findings: Empirical evidence suggests an inverse relationship between expatriates' interaction adjustment and the development of a common social identity between expatriates and HCNs. Further, trust and intercultural communication led to a positive impact on the group memberships between expatriates and HCNs. However, no support was found regarding the mediating role of trust, shared vision and intercultural communication in this empirical research.Originality/value: The existing literature focuses mainly on change experiences of expatriates during international assignments. However, the current study goes beyond this and investigates the individualized change experiences of HCNs. Further, empirical evidence in this research found a negative relationship between expatriates' interaction adjustment and the development of a common social identity between expatriates and HCNs, which needs to be examined further.

The antecedents of expatriates’ adjustment have received considerable attention in the international business research in the recent years. However, there has been a limited understanding regarding the outcomes of expatriates’ adjustment on host country nationals (HCNs). Thus, examining the existing literature and analyzing it using social identity theory, we hypothesized an inverse curvilinear relationship between expatriates’ interaction adjustment and development of trust, shared vision and intercultural communication in HCNs. We tested our hypotheses by conducting a multilevel regression analysis on dyadic data collected from Chinese expatriates and Pakistani HCNs. The findings confirm an inverse U-shape relationship between expatriates’ interaction adjustment and trust, and between expatriates’ interaction adjustment and intercultural communication. In contrast to the focus of existing literature on static changes, our findings highlight a dynamic nature of social change experiences by suggesting that too much adjustment of expatriates negatively impacts work relationships between expatriates and HCNs in the long-run. Based on the empirical findings, we offer insights to HR professionals and suggest managing expatriates’ adjustment to an optimal level in a host unit where expatriates and HCNs can develop an adequate level of trust and intercultural communication with each other.