Purpose of the Study: The significance of creativity and performance in the workplace has been illustrated on various occasions. This study aims to find out if there is a link between transformative leadership, organizational innovation, psychological issues such as hindrance and challenge stressors, and employee creativity and employee performance. There is still a lack of awareness of the factors that influence employee performance in small and medium businesses (SMEs) in Pakistan. Pakistan’s SMEs have struggled to survive in their early years, with an initial failure rate of 90 percent to 95 percent. Methodology: The relationship between hindrance and challenge stressors, organizational innovation, transformational leadership, employee creativity, and their effect on overall employee performance is established through employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). In this study, constructs were developed from existing theories, hypotheses were generated, data were collected from 424 SME employees, and SEM analysis was conducted to prove the suggested hypothesis. The employees of SMEs are the research study’s unit of analysis. Findings: The findings of this study demonstrated that challenge stressors, transformational leadership, and employee creativity all had positive and significant effects on employee performance. Originality/Value: This is one of the first studies to study and extends existing understanding of psychological research in this manner and following correlations in a developing country, Pakistan: the links between transformational leadership and employees’ perception of creativity and performance along with organizational innovation and work stressors. Based on theoretical considerations, a model is proposed, and hypotheses are established and explored. The findings of this study can help businesses increase employee performance by informing employee performance improvement methods. Business executives might learn more about how to engage and motivate employees to improve their performance.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the concept of brand equity and willingness to buy second-hand products in the automobile context. The customer-based brand equity model is used as a theoretical lens to examine after-sales services, brand credibility and brand loyalty as drivers of brand equity and willingness to buy the second-hand product. Design/methodology/approach: A survey questionnaire based on convenience sampling is used to collect the data from the car owners. A total of 433 survey responses were used to empirically test the measures and propositions by using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: The findings suggest that after-sales services are a key factor in developing brand credibility and brand loyalty. Results are also in support of the positive and significant impact of brand credibility and brand loyalty on brand equity and willingness to buy second-hand products. Originality/value: Brand equity represents a differential response and preference to marketing efforts that a product obtains as a result of its brand identification. Although practitioners are actively engaged to position themselves as a unique, attractive and strong brand, little is known about the equity of the brand in the case of second-hand products. This study provides an alternate branding view to the academic scholars and to the marketing manager as this study explicitly probes into the effect of after-sales services in developing brand credibility, brand loyalty, brand equity and wiliness to buy second-hand product as an outcome.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, business activities have become more electronic, and cell phones have become an important way to do business. An enormous amount of research has been done on how people are using mobile payments. This study aims to examine how user’s perception of risk influences their decision to continue using mobile payment services. Despite the benefits associated with payments there are still challenges that hinder its widespread acceptance. This study discusses these challenges with entrepreneurial perspective that entrepreneurial thinking here means not only noticing how popular mobile payment services are, but also figuring out what the problems are and using them as a starting point to come up with new ideas that could change the industry. The study utilizes the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model along, with the confirmation acceptance model to analyze the factors that impact users continued intention to use payments and validate the conceptual model. To collect data for this research a quantitative approach is employed through a survey distributed among mobile payment users. The survey adopts convenience sampling techniques to gather responses from participants, across regions of Pakistan. Data collection spanned over a two-month period involving a total of 460 respondents. The study employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the relationship between confirmation, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and continuous intention to use mobile payment services. There was a positive relationship between the dependent and independent factors, which meant that all of the hypotheses were valid. Additionally, SPSS analysis showed that perceived risk weakens the connection between confirmation, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and continuous intention. The findings of this research contribute to the business literature and put forth crucial guidelines for the management of entrepreneurial mindsets.

Introduction: The study was aimed to examine the predictive associations amid consumer solidarity and brand loyalty through direct relationships and indirect relationship under mediating role of consumer sentiments, and moderation of Gaza supportive marketing strategies. Methodology: The study adopted primary research design, in which close-ended and structured data was collected using 5-points Likert scale from a sample of 300 consumers of brands supporting the Gaza cause. The data was analysed for direct and indirect relationships using the PLS-SEM approach. Results: The study discovers that positive significant relationship between consumer solidarity and brand loyalty is significant (β = 0.360, p < 0.001). Further, consumer sentiments are also positively and significantly related with consumer solidarity (β = 0.483, p < 0.001). Also, the predictive relationship between consumer sentiments and brand loyalty is statistically significant and positive (β = 0.250, p = 0.002). The study also finds that the brand loyalty has a positive correlation with the supportive marketing strategies (β = 0.460, p < 0.001). Lastly, the association of supportive marketing strategies and solidarity of consumers (β = 0.273, p = 0.003) has also been confirmed as a moderating factor. The statistically and significant indirect predictive relationship through consumer sentiments (β = 0.334, p = 0.024), with a significant direct relationship, indicates a partial mediation of consumer sentiments. Originality and Theoretical Contributions: This paper is novel because it focuses on the interaction of consumer solidarity and consumer sentiments in shaping brand loyalty for brands supporting Gaza, a long-standing moral crisis. Theoretically, it contributes to the value-emotion-behaviour framework. Value-motivated solidarity triggers emotional reactions that predict persistent brand loyalty in ethically-sensitive consumption.

Test anxiety is a common issue in educational environments and is often associated with decreased academic performance. This study examines the complex relationship between test anxiety, patience, and academic achievement among university students in Gujrat City, Pakistan. The results show a significant negative correlation between test anxiety and academic performance, validating the theory that increased anxiety levels impede academic success. Patience, on the other hand, shows a positive correlation with academic performance, albeit moderately weak. Importantly, patience appears to be a key moderating factor, lessening the negative impact of test anxiety on academic results. The study found no significant gender differences in these variables. This research highlights the importance of custom interventions and individualized support services to reduce the harmful effects of test anxiety, thereby enhancing students' overall wellbeing. Interestingly, the study also found that patience demonstrated a positive correlation with academic performance, albeit a moderately weak one. This suggests that students who exhibit higher levels of patience may perform better academically. Patience, in this context, can be understood as the ability to tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting upset or annoyed. It is a crucial skill that can help students manage their stress levels, stay focused, and persevere in the face of academic challenges. Moreover, the study revealed that patience serves as a crucial moderating factor, mitigating the adverse impact of test anxiety on academic outcomes. This finding is particularly noteworthy as it suggests that interventions aimed at enhancing students' patience could potentially alleviate the detrimental effects of test anxiety and improve academic performance. The findings of this study underscore the importance of tailored interventions and personalized support services in educational settings. By addressing the issue of test anxiety and promoting patience, educators can help students improve their academic performance and overall wellbeing. Such interventions could include stress management workshops, mindfulness training, and one-on-one counseling services.