Purpose: University life is a critical time when students start thinking about their careers in the future. Emotions and confidence are important factors in the career decision-making process. This process of choosing a specific direction towards a career often opens students to many uncertain situations, leading them to stress and anxiety. Emotional intelligence and generalized self-efficacy facilitate students in effective career decision-making by coping with difficulties during academia. The present study aimed to find the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on career decision-making (CDM) and generalized self-efficacy (GSE) among university students in China. Patients and Methods: The study included 310 undergraduate students from different universities of China. A cross-sectional research design was used and a convenient sampling technique was utilized. For the present study, Wong and Law emotional intelligence, generalized self-efficacy, and career decision-making difficulties scales were utilized. Results: Findings of the study show that there is a significant relationship between EI, GSE, and career decision-making difficulties. Results revealed a significant positive relationship of GSE with emotional intelligence. GSE has a significant negative relationship with career decision-making difficulties. Moreover, EI has a significant negative relationship with career decision-making difficulties. Conclusion: The study will help students to utilize emotional intelligence skills during academic and vocational life. For future research, qualitative studies would be conducted to better explore the underlying causes behind career decision-making difficulties.

This research aims to examine the mediating role of the use of the e-commerce and moderating influence of entrepreneurial competencies on the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study data were collected via a structured questionnaire comprised of a seven-point Likert scale from practitioners serving at the top and middle-level positions in Pakistani SMEs. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was applied on 250 useable returned questionnaires. The results showed that the association between the use of e-commerce and firm performance is positively significant. Moreover, the use of e-commerce mediates the positive association between technological readiness, adoption cost, and firm performance. However, the moderating role of entrepreneurial competencies does not appear as significant between the use of e-commerce and manufacturing SMEs’ performance. The present study is the first to explore entrepreneurial competencies as a moderator between e-commerce adoption and firm performance. The empirical outcomes of this research provide useful theoretical and practical implications for the managers and practitioners to understand the underlying factors for the successful implementation of e-commerce in the SME sector to enhance firm performance.

Accelerating demand for energy and its consumption has become a credible threat to the sustainable ecosystem due to the exploitation of scarce natural resources and environmental hazards. The adoption of renewable energy sources for sustainable development has been gaining traction among researchers and practitioners alike. Considering its hot climate, Pakistan has a huge potential to meet its energy requirements by tapping into renewable energy resources, especially through the use of solar photovoltaic (SPV) technologies. However, the adoption rate of this technology remains still quite scant among consumers. In this regard, the present research explores the factors that affect households’ purchase intention of SPV technology in Pakistan. The study has developed a comprehensive research framework by decomposing the technology acceptance model (DTAM) into second-order sub-constructs. Afterward, Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data by decomposing perceived usefulness (PU) into social, economic, and environmental usefulness and perceived ease of use (PEOU) into discomfort and insecurity and to assess their cumulative effects on consumer attitude. Moreover, the moderating role of policy and propaganda was also investigated. Empirical results assert that PU and PEOU positively and significantly shape the consumer attitude toward SPV adoption. Subsequently, consumer attitude has a positive and significant impact on the actual purchase intention of SPV technology. Furthermore, the moderating role of governmental policy and propaganda between the consumer attitude and actual purchase intention was also confirmed. The policy implications of these results are discussed. Finally, the limitations and future directions of the research are also elaborated.

Extant empirical studies have predominantly focused on the nexus between working capital management (WCM) and corporate profitability. While there is a dearth of literature on the nexus between WCM and a firm’s risk, the present study examines Pakistani-listed firms coming from 12 diverse industrial segments to observe this association for a time span of ten years (2005–2014). To ensure robustness, we employed a System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) regression estimation to investigate the influence of WCM on the operational and market risk for firms. Empirical testing revealed that higher working capital levels were associated with lower volatility in firms’ stock price, which shows that shareholders prefer a conservative working capital policy. Moreover, firms with better cash positions were subject to lesser stock market volatility. In contrast, excess working capital and a larger net trade cycle were associated with increased volatility in the operating income. Besides, firms with lower working capital levels relative to their respective industry experienced fewer fluctuations in their operating profits. Our findings assert that short-term financial management has important ramifications for firms’ operating and market fundamentals. Practical implications are discussed for corporate managers and relevant stakeholders.