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This research shows the link of corporate governance (CG) with diverse facets of cash management in family-oriented firms. Panel model is utilized for the year 2009 to 2021. The research depicts that level of cash holding is negatively affected due to CG. The finding of the study is supported by flexibility hypothesis to protect their selves from external monitoring mangers hold more cash due to agency conflict. The result further shows positive relationship of CG with "value of cash holding" in family-oriented firms and has 0.192 extra marginal values for one rupee extra investment in family-oriented firms under good governance compared to non-family-oriented firms. The research further postulates that proper governance decreases spending of excess cash (ECash) on internal investment and corporate diversification in family-oriented firms. Alternatively, good-governed family-oriented firms increase spending of ECash on dividend compared to rival firms. ECash under good governance positively affects performance indicates family-oriented firms having better CG uses ECash efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sectors or industries characterized by limited or no use of technology to innovate are called lowtechnology (LT) sectors. They are usually dominated by small firms. Identifying a dearth of academic and practitioner work, this paper helps explain how institutions within a small-firm sector and interactions of these firms with institutions influence the occurrence or non-occurrence of LT innovation. Marble sector firms primarily located in north-west Pakistan have been selected for this purpose. Advocating the need for critical realism that has been an often ignored paradigm in management research, this paper offers a unique perspective on the paradigm's fundamental tenets which are events, objects, mechanisms and causal powers through an extensive and robust qualitative analysis using case study methodology. Findings reveal strong normative and cognitive institutions but weak regulative institutions with varying levels of consistencies or otherwise in terms of small firms' interactions with these institutions. Interestingly, cognitive institutions emerge as the main barrier to LT innovation which is a key contribution of this paper along with a hard to find critical realist perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An entrepreneur conceptualizes and rationalizes the creation of the new enterprise through the use of inductive analogical or metaphorical reasoning. Such reasoning sets the stage for commercialization of the enterprise and helps clarify its purpose and justification particularly in the face of adverse environmental contexts. After providing a review of literature on creation of a new enterprise, sensemaking and inductive reasoning, we use a narrative case study methodology to present the story of a small enterprise located in Peshawar Pakistan. Through the perspective of a female entrepreneur interpretations and details of her work, her struggles and her views about her enterprise are provided. By presenting this case we argue that inductive reasoning by the entrepreneur is shaped by three determinants. These include conceptualizing the opportunity through a narrative on the wider norms and values of the society and the entrepreneur's role within the society. Secondly, rationalizing the opportunity through a narration of personal life and events before and after the enterprise was created. Thirdly, using analogies or metaphors in the form of drivers influencing the new enterprise and how the entrepreneur has or is managing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islamic banks are not allowed to charge interest; however, they use interest-based benchmarks as a pricing reference, due in part to the absence of stable and dependable alternatives. Though, benchmarking interest rate in Islamic banking does not violate the Shariah rulings. However, it is usually argued that benchmarking interest rate violates the basic philosophy of Islamic banking and finance. Moreover, it exposes Islamic banks to the problems of conventional banks, particularly the interest rate risk. The present study investigates the long term and short association among interest rate and financing of the overall Islamic banking industry of Pakistan via different modes. Findings of the study reveal invariably strong links between the Islamic and the conventional banking systems in Pakistan. These findings suggest that paradoxical as it may seem, the financing of Islamic banks operating within a dual banking system are vulnerable to interest rate risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on entrepreneurial sensemaking with an emphasis on cognitive mechanisms utilized by entrepreneurs during business opportunity development. More specifically the focus is to find out how an individual entrepreneur may assign meaning to important cues derived from innumerable unending events, interpret these cues and then take actions as per interpretations of these cues and events. These cues can be cognitively conceptualized as drivers and barriers through which the entrepreneur makes sense of his or her enterprise and the opportunities it may offer. Using a narrative case study approach this paper relies on inductive reasoning of a single female entrepreneur. A three-tiered and six-dimensional framework of entrepreneurial sensemaking has been presented. The cognitive mechanisms employed by the entrepreneur were presented in the form of cues, events and their interpretations by the entrepreneur resulting in a unique perspective on sensemaking. This paper is particularly useful because even though the use of sensemaking in entrepreneurship research has been well-recognized there is a general lack of empirical work on how an entrepreneur uses socially situated cognitive mechanisms to proceed further in terms of offering a better understanding of his or her new enterprise to others within any social or cultural setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations and industries characterized by highly competitive environments need organizational factors that foster voice behavior amongst their employees. Two critical factors amongst these are leader openness to voice and availability of open communication opportunity. A lack of leader openness to voice and a lack of open communication opportunity may lead to low levels of affective commitment. This influences employees' cognitive decision to engage in defensive silence, which also results in low levels of affective commitment. However, less consideration has been given to empirically explore these mechanisms while providing sound theoretical underpinnings, and using robust quantitative techniques. This paper presents a mediated model of defensive silence using the competitive banking sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan as the context. The research aimed to understand how these organizational factors, being the predictors of defensive silence, influence the conscious decision process of employees and as a consequence lead to low levels of affective commitment. The data for the paper were gathered from a sample of 1236 bankers from 258 branches of 8 commercial banks within 12 districts of the province. Reliability of the data instrument was measured through Cronbach alpha using SPSS 24. However, convergent and discriminant validity were established through confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 18. Moreover, structural equation modeling was used for mediation analysis along with structural path diagram and model fit indices. The results show that the hypothesized mediated models regarding the mediating role of defensive silence between organizational factors and affective commitment were supported, thus extending theory to new empirical context. The paper concludes with a discussion on implications of these findings and recommendations for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]