Purpose: Gender bias and stereotypes are universal issues in today’s society. This study presents a comprehensive review of women’s leadership based on bibliometric analysis. The feminist approach to leadership is helpful in many ways, and it could be the type of leadership needed in the challenging world of academia. Women present unique characteristics and traits, particularly their motherly approach to leadership.Design/methodology/approach: A review of the literature based on bibliometric analysis by mapping the knowledge structure of the subject is conferred by uncovering the past, present and future trends based on three bibliometric analyses.Findings: The finding suggests that gender equality, stereotypes and barriers in women’s leadership are at the forefront of the subject in HEIs. The overall system, mindset and willingness for institutional transformation are needed to change the mindset of accepting women as leaders of HEIs.Research limitations/implications: This study brought the significant idea of increasing women’s empowerment in HEIs, eventually strengthening institutional leadership’s capability towards advanced education.Originality/value: This study would present a crucial foundation in women’s empowerment, particularly from the HEIs perspective and from the generic women’s leadership literature.

Background: With the increasing demand for sustainability in traditional human resource management (HRM), firms in developing countries struggle to meet both efficiency and sustainability needs. In response to this deficiency, the present study proposes a sustainable human resource management (SHRM) model focusing on the interaction of SHRM pillars with the perceived barriers and paradoxical views among human resource (HR) managers. Objective: This paper employs an exploratory qualitative case study of how SHRM is perceived from the perspective of HR managers and their paradoxical views and barriers during the process. Methods: Drawing on paradox theory and derive the data from four semi-structured interviews. The study engaged with a qualitative research tool using ATLAS.ti 24. Results: The study found that the four pillars of SHRM are dominantly present, namely, socially responsible human resource management, green human resource management, triple bottom line, and common good human resource management, while another pillar of SHRM, namely, triple bottom line found a weak balance between planet, profit, and people, which significantly shows an efficiency-substance paradox. Other paradoxes were identified, namely, the efficiency-responsibility paradox and the present-future paradox. Conclusions: We present an integrated model of interaction between pillars, barriers, and paradoxes of SHRM practices to guide HR managers in decision-making, planning, and evaluation. The study implies that although firms have demonstrated SHRM practices, external and internal support is certainly needed to fully assist them in managing SHRM and their paradoxical views and concerns.

This paper investigates the adoption of Industry 4.0 in developing countries, emphasizing the unique challenges these economies face compared to advanced nations. Despite the global spread of digital technologies such as automation, big data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT), adoption in resource-constrained contexts remains limited due to inadequate infrastructure, financial restrictions, skill gaps, and organizational resistance. To address these issues, the study employs a bibliometric methodology, analyzing 398 journal articles indexed in Web of Science through co-word and bibliographic coupling techniques. This approach enables the mapping of dominant themes, influential research clusters, and key gaps in the literature. The results highlight five thematic areas: global technological developments, sustainability integration, adoption barriers, implementation practices, and strategies for overcoming obstacles. Findings indicate that while challenges are considerable, Industry 4.0 can enhance productivity, stimulate Innovation, and support sustainability by strengthening supply chains and promoting efficient resource use. The study also reveals that transformative benefits can only be realized when supportive policies, international collaboration, private-sector participation, and workforce development are followed in a coordinated manner. The research contributes to theory by linking Industry 4.0 adoption to sustainability frameworks such as the Circular Economy and the Sustainable Development Goals. It also offers practical guidance for policymakers, SMEs, and managers on designing context-sensitive strategies tailored to developing economies. By providing a structured overview of challenges and opportunities, the study lays a foundation for future empirical research and offers actionable insights for advancing sustainable industrial transformation.

Online customer reviews (OCRs) play a pivotal role in shaping consumer behavior in the e-commerce landscape, particularly in China, where digital platforms dominate retail. This study explores the influence of OCRs on brand attitudes and repurchase intentions through a qualitative approach, utilizing in-depth interviews with e-commerce consumers. The findings reveal that the credibility and trustworthiness of OCRs, shaped by factors such as verified purchases, visual evidence, and detailed content, significantly impact consumer perceptions of brands. Positive reviews enhance trust and loyalty, while negative reviews have a stronger deterrent effect on repurchase intentions, particularly when corroborated by multiple sources. Emotional engagement with OCRs emerged as a critical mechanism, with relatable and detailed reviews resonating more profoundly with consumers. Cultural factors, including collectivist values and the integration of social media with e-commerce platforms, amplify the influence of OCRs by fostering community validation and social proof. The study highlights the importance of active review management for brands, emphasizing strategies such as encouraging authentic and detailed reviews, addressing negative feedback constructively, and leveraging social media to build trust and loyalty. These findings offer valuable insights for e-commerce businesses aiming to enhance customer engagement and drive repeat purchases in a competitive digital market. Future research is recommended to explore the integration of advanced technologies, such as AI, to further optimize the effectiveness of OCRs.

The literature on Industry 4.0 adoption has predominantly focused on large enterprises in developed economies, with limited empirical evidence from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies, where organizational preparedness and resource constraints hinder technology incorporation. This study investigates the role of awareness, challenges, perceived benefits, and readiness in the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and their contribution to industrial sustainability among manufacturing SMEs in Pakistan. The objectives are to assess the relative influence of these factors on adoption status and to provide strategic recommendations for enhancing sustainable production and competitiveness. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed, and data were collected through an online survey of 200 SME managers in the manufacturing sector. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS to examine relationships between variables. The results indicate that awareness and understanding significantly influence the adoption of Industry 4.0, whereas challenges and perceived benefits show lower direct effects on adoption. The overall regression model explains 49.1% of the variance in adoption status, highlighting awareness as the primary driver. The findings emphasize the potential of Industry 4.0 to improve operational efficiency, optimize resource utilization, and support sustainable manufacturing in SMEs. The study offers actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders by identifying low-cost, high-impact interventions such as targeted awareness campaigns, capacity building, and institutional support systems to accelerate digital transformation in developing economies.