The Journal is devoted to promoting rapid dissemination of original research papers in the relevant disciplines of particular importance. Southern Journal of Business is firmly established as the leading source of primary communication for business scientists investigating the studies in different disciplines of Business Administrations. SJB will be a peer-reviewed International Journal that will be bi-annually published by the University of Southern Punjab (USP), Multan (Pakistan). SJB will be purely an academic Journal and will cover both applied and theoretical issues in disciplines of Business Administration. Likely subscribers will be the Universities, Research Institutions and individual researchers.
University of Southern Punjab, Multan (USP)
The Influence of Overconfidence on Trading Frequency: The Mediating Role of Risk Perception and the Moderating Role of Financial Literacy
One of the most widespread and damaging behavioral biases in financial decision-making is overconfidence, but the effects of this bias on the trading behavior are understudied. This paper will explore the role of overconfidence on the frequency of trade among Pakistani retail investors, where risk perception will be one of the mediating variables, and financial literacy will be one of the moderating variables. Primary data was gathered on 350 retail investors, who actively trade at the Pakistan Stock Exchange using digital trading platforms, like CDC Access, Finja, and Sadapay in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, by using a quantitative cross-sectional research design. The analysis of data was done through SPSS and PROCESS Macro (Model 7) to analyze moderated mediation. The results demonstrate that overconfidence contributes a lot to trading frequency. This relationship is partly mediated by the risk perception, whereby more confident investors tend to perceive the less risky financial risks, and this in turn causes them to trade more often. Moreover, financial literacy has a significant moderating effect, with higher financial literacy resulting in a weaker mediation. These results have significant implications for financial regulators, brokerage firms, and investor education programs in emerging markets. Keywords: Overconfidence, Trading Frequency, Risk Perception, Financial Literacy, Moderated Mediation, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Retail Investors.
Copyright (c) 2026 Southern Journal of Business https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Adaptive Performance Unleashed: The Influence of Ethical Leadership and Goal Orientation through Creative Self-Efficacy
The present study seeks to investigate the influence of ethical leadership and goal orientation on adaptive performance, with self-efficacy serving as a mediating variable. Data were gathered from 65 women entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises in Pakistan. The subsequent study employed a descriptive technique as its research methodology. The proposed model was initially evaluated, followed by the execution of the measurement model and route analysis. The study investigates the considerable positive correlation between ethical leadership and adaptive performance, while also demonstrating the partial mediation of self-efficacy. The present study has examined the theoretical and practical implications for female entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The discussion also addressed specific research constraints at the conclusion.
Quality Management Synergy In Connection With Environmental Management Practices: A Study in Malaysian Perspective
Recent discussions support the fact that the degree and sophistication of environmental management activities are influenced by quality management in Scopus databases and ISI Web of Science. However, the need for research has been checked to quantitatively reflect this relationship, especially in Malaysian-based enterprises. The goal of this research is therefore to address this gap: Does quality management have a positive impact in Malaysian companies on the implementation of environmental practices? The questionnaire for this analytical stage of investigations was therefore established and was a self-administered e-survey of 209 companies of every size and industry in Malaysia. This questionnaire was based on the above-mentioned issues. This study is established on four variables: Quality management (QM), environmental management (EM), ISO 14001 certification (ISO 14001), and size of the company (SC). The findings have shown that QM is significantly related to the practices of environmental management. Furthermore, the ISO 14001 certification and size of the companies were checked due to the regulation towards EM practices. Up to now, a report to test the empirical significance between QM and EM in the organizations in Malaysia has been the first to reveal for empirical study.
Work Engagement as a Mediating Mechanism between Person–Organization Fit and Turnover Intention in the Malaysian Oil and Gas Sector
This paper has a double focus. Firstly, this paper investigates the effect of person-organization fit on Work Engagement (WE) and the effect of work engagement on the turnover intention (TI). Secondly, the role of WE as a mediator in the relationship between person-organization fit (P-O fit) and TI is examined. The data were collected using a cross-sectional online survey design via a snowball sampling technique. This research was carried out by 420 oil and gas (O&G) experts. Initial screening omitted 17 incomplete questionnaires. Consequently, for the final analysis of the data, 403 questionnaires were used. The hypothesized model was evaluated using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique using smart PLS 3.0 software. Results of the present research showed a positive relationship among person-organization fit, WE, and the expectation for TI. In particular, it was found that person-organization fit is a strong antecedent of work engagement, and work engagement has a negative association with TI of its employees. The association between person-organization fit and TI was also mediated by WE. Literature outcomes indicate that oil and gas companies need to be more vigilant towards person-organization fit in order to strengthen their WE to minimize TI. Ultimately, the results provide professionals and key stakeholders with strategic perspectives. So far, the mediatory role of WE between person, organization, firm, and TI has not received much attention. This research deals with this literature lacuna.
Impact of Geopolitical Risk Perception (Iran–USA–Israel Conflict) on Investment Intention: Mediation by Loss Aversion and Moderation by Nationalistic Sentiment
The study focuses on the effects of the perception of the geopolitical risk in the event of the Iran-USA-Israel dispute on the intention of individual investors, in the surroundings of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the mediating variable being the level of loss aversion and nationalistic sentiment being the moderating variable. Out of the behavioral finance theory and prospect theory (Kahneman and Tversky, 1979), our hypothesis is that the impressions of a higher geopolitical risk will reduce investment intention, as a part of which can be accounted by loss aversion. Besides, the nationalistic sentiment serves as a mediating factor to the relationship that exaggerates or cushions the perception of risk on investment decisions. The proposed study will involve a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with the aid of Smart Pls 4 to test the stated hypotheses, as well as primary data (750 combined responses of 312 individual investors in Karachi in the period between March 2026 and April 2026). The results indicate the negative direct impact of the perception of geopolitical risk on investment intention ( = -0.431, ). The indirect 38.7-percent effect (2 = -0.272, p < 0.001) is one of the intermediaries of this relationship. It is mediated by the nationalistic sentiment (= 0.163, p =, 0.01) in the following manner: between investors who strongly agree with the view that concerns the Pakistan neutrality, there is no as sharp negative influence of perceiving geopolitical risk on the intention to invest in Pakistan. The intention to invest estimate under the model has a fluctuation of 52.4 percent (R 2 = 0.524). The study would contribute to the growing literature on behavioral finance in emerging marketplaces and would have practical implication to the policy makers in the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), which undertakes the financial advisory service providers as well as investors who are exposed to crises created by geopolitical factors.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Effective Conflict Management within Multinational Teams
Multinational​‍​‌‍​‍‌ teams are the primary lifeline of global organizations but at the same time the very diversity which makes such teams valuable can also lead to conflicts. In most cases, communication styles, cultural norms, and expectations vary among the members that they end up having misunderstandings with each other. This research is about how emotional intelligence can be a tool for such teams to overcome these difficulties and become more productive. The research is based on Goleman's emotional intelligence model and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. The study implemented a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data was obtained from a survey of 150 professionals who were part of 30 multinational teams. The surveyed persons were asked about their emotional intelligence and how their teams resolve conflicts effectively. Fifteen team leaders were interviewed in a semi-structured manner to get an understanding of the real-life situations of conflict where they can see emotionally intelligent behavior. The findings demonstrate the strong positive correlation between the overall emotional intelligence of the team and the use of the collaborative conflict-management styles (p < 0.01). eams that showed higher empathy and self-regulation were better at easing tension, understanding different viewpoints, and working toward shared solutions. Teams with lower emotional intelligence tended to rely on avoidance or competition, which weakened trust and led to poorer results. Overall, the study suggests that emotional intelligence helps teams turn conflict into a productive process rather than a setback. The results point to the value of including emotional intelligence training and assessment in leadership and team-building programs, especially for organizations working with culturally diverse groups.
Copyright (c) 2025 Southern Journal of Business https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Open Innovation Paradigms and Firm Performance: An Empirical Analysis of the High-Tech Sector
Within the context of a global and competitive knowledge economy, the open innovation paradigm has developed into a key strategy for companies trying to achieve a sustained competitive advantage. Though some literature has established its theoretical potential, an empirical understanding of how different open innovation modes affect firm performance, especially in the fast-changing high tech sectors, is still underdeveloped. The present study investigates two of the most discussed open innovation paradigms: inbound (external knowledge sourcing) and outbound (external commercialization of internal ideas) and firm performance, through the financial (return on assets, revenue growth) and innovation (patenting, successful new products) performance. Using a five-year longitudinal dataset of 250 high-tech companies, we demonstrate the existence of unobserved firm heterogeneity by using a fixed effects panel regression. Our study shows a strong statistically positive correlation between the practice of inbound open innovation and both dimensions, confirming the association of integrating external knowledge with innovation and financial performance. However, outbound open innovation practice reveals a different relationship with firm performance. Its positive association with innovation performance is quite strong while the relationship with short-term financial performance is, in some model specifications, statistically non-significant and slightly negative. This is an indication of a potential trade-off between the commercialization of knowledge and competitive advantage erosion. The findings also show that absorptive capacity is a vital moderating influence that enhances the beneficial impact of inbound practices. The research adds to the literature on strategic management by furnishing strong evidence from a large-scale study that articulates the performance consequences of diverse strategies of open innovation and provides high-tech managers with the information needed to fine-tune their innovation strategies to compete in a sophisticated environment.
Modeling the Impact of Supply Chain Resilience Configurations on Operational Performance: A System Dynamics Approach
In response to the current global unrest, this study proposes a new system dynamics simulation model to capture the effects of multiple configurations of supply chain resilience (SCRES) on a firm’s operational performance. Instead of using a static, siloed approach to the analysis, this study models system resilience as the dynamic interplay of a system of interconnected building capacities for system \flexibility, \redudancy, \agility, \and \collaboration\ and agility. The simulation attempts to model important feedback loops and non-linear interactions associated with a multi-echelon supply chain and recurring external shocks, such as demand shocks or supply interruptions. The operational performance of the supply chain is modeled as a weighted index of costs, service level, and recovery time. The simulation model is informed by data obtained of a recent manufacturing case study and demonstrates that the best operational performance of a SCRES system is not obtained by the maximizing one building capability of the system. Rather, \the \optimal \performance is spirited by synergistic configurations of several system building capacities. The best collaborative long-term performance is obtained by a \balanced \investment in agility and collaboration to the exclusion of excess reliance on system building redundancy, which stabilizes the system at a very high operational price. The model also identifies SCRES as a non-linear system of collaborative trade, demonstrating that strategic collaboration with critical supply chain partners forms a positive feedback cycle that reduces system building costs of inventory buffers by promoting overall system SCRES. This research is a contribution to operation management theory by offering a comprehensive and dynamic perspective to understand SCRES as a configurational system as opposed to a collection of distinct practices. The outcomes of this research can serve as practical guidelines for managers on how to best use their scarce resources by suggesting a portfolio approach which focuses on adaptive capabilities rather than static redundancies for building a resilient operation.
Managing the Meta-Verse Brand Experience: A Framework for Consumer Engagement, Digital Ownership, and Community Building in Immersive Environments
While the nascent metaverse allows businesses to interact and engage with consumers in a fully immersive and persistent three-dimensional space as opposed to the traditional two-dimensional space, there is currently little guidance on how businesses should approach this unique environment. For this reason, this thesis develops the first strategic framework for managing metaverse brand experiences. In this framework, the three main pillars are defined as non-institutional social community formation, interactive consumer participation, and digitally verified ownership. The emotional imprinting model is constructed to emotionally hold the consumers' attention. To determine which immersive facilitative co-creation activities elicit emotions as compared to traditional media, a behaviour analytics approach is used. The primary data for this quantitative study is collected from the early adopters and users of Decentralized Web (Web3) social platforms such as the Decentralized World (Meta) and Roblox. The transformational properties of blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in providing digitally verified ownership are analyzed, especially regarding users' perceived values towards the brand and their loyalty towards the brand. The study describes ownership as the primary social motivator for the users to govern, sustain, and autonomously form social communities around their brand in the metaverse. The framework allows businesses to fully embrace the metaverse as a space for world-building rather than merely a set of tools for advertising. Most outcomes show that achieving success within the metaverse requires more than the mere mere duplication of assets in the real world, and instead concentrates on the construction of participative, user-created ecosystems with sustainable intrinsic value. This study builds on literature in marketing by combining models of consumer engagement within the real world with those in the virtual world and giving real-world managers useful tools to better manage the distribution of business resources and the capture of business value in virtual spaces.
An Econometric Analysis of the Causal Relationship between R&D Intensity and Firm Valuation in the Technology Sector
Employing an econometric modeling strategy, this paper aims to explore, in the context of the technology industry, the impact of R&D intensity in the form of expenditure to revenue ratio on the valuation of (R&D) expenditure, represented by Tobin's Q. This relationship is often assumed to be positive; however, establishing a causal relationship is complicated by the presence of endogeneity (i.e. reverse causality, omitted variable bias, etc.). In this regard, we estimate R&D and valuation in technology sector firms using the dynamic panel GMM on a balanced panel of publicly traded technology companies for the years 2013-2023. This technique effectively accounts for the unobserved firm-level heterogeneity and the valuation of firms' metrics. As a result, there is a clear and sound positive causal relationship whereby a 1% augmentation in R&D expenditure intensity increases the valuation of a firm by approximately 0.15%. Furthermore, to a certain (very high) extent, this relationship is non-linear and characterized by a diminishing return on R&D. In firms with high/strong intellectual property portfolio, particularly patent citations, the market impact of R&D valuation is greater. This work provides a resource-based and innovation literature perspective; the positive valuation of R&D investment clearly identifies the mechanism of value-creation R&D resource allocation. Analysts have seen value in these for corporate strategists in capital allocation decisions, and for those investors trying to understand the worth of intangible assets in high-tech companies.
Impact of Organizational Structure, Leadership Style and Job Characteristics in Linking Psychological Empowerment among Indonesian Bank Employees
The main objective of the current study is to examine the factors affecting the psychological empowerment (PE) of Indonesian bank managers. In particular, the aim of this research is to investigate the effect of organization structure (OS), transformational leadership (TL) and job characteristics (JC) on the psychological empowerment of bank employees. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed by randomly selecting bank managers in Indonesia through cluster sampling. PLS-SEM was used to analyze the hypotheses. The path coefficient results showed a positive and statistically significant relationship between OS, TL, JC, and PE. The proposed model is of vital importance when providing guidelines for employee development. Organizational policymakers and practitioners can adopt these recommendations to improve their organization.
Influencing Team Communication, Transformational Leadership, Team Creativity and Trust on Task Performance: A Study of Educational Sector in Pakistan
In order to encourage staff and students to face further challenges and to ensure that educational institutions remain relevant in a competitive global context, higher education needs the best leaders and a collaborative environment. An empirical study has examined the influence of transformational leadership (TL) and team communication (TC) on task performance (TP). A quantitative analysis validated the proposed model and explained the comprehensive association between predictors and behavioral outcomes. Data were gathered from students of master programs with a sample of 280 from Punjab University of Pakistan. The partial least square (PLS) analysis method was used to analyze the data. The findings showed that to assess high TP, team perception of TL significantly impacted TC and Team Trust (TT). Furthermore, TC significantly impacted TT, while TT positively impacted team creativity (TCR), which improved TP.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Transforming Multan's Green Businesses towards a Sustainable Future
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognized as a game-changer driving sustainability goals in green businesses. Artificial Intelligence adoption is studied to identify transformations that improve sustainability in the green business sector of Multan, Pakistan. The latest news about environmental degradation and climate change impacts escalating pressure on businesses to adopt sustainable procedures that reduce their ecological impact. As the new partner, AI assists businesses in reaching efficiency while enhancing operational control and revealing environmentally friendly breakthroughs across value chain activities. The research examines how AI technologies (shell out machine learning algorithms, data analytics, automation, etc.) work in Multan's green business sector. The study investigates AI's impact on sustainability measures, which include energy reduction, waste removal, carbon reduction, and financial cost optimization. Research data collection involved qualitative and quantitative methods, analysing how Multan-based green businesses employed AI technology and the related difficulties and advantageous results. The research findings demonstrate that AI substantially improves business operations and environmental sustainability because companies now base their decisions on data to reduce waste and minimize their energy consumption. The global expansion of AI remains obstructed because of economic barriers, professional shortages, and insufficient infrastructure. The study recommends practical solutions to address existing barriers so businesses in Multan can use AI to develop their green operations into sustainable practices. The study delivers beneficial recommendations for governing bodies, business executives, and academic researchers committed to advancing sustainable AI processes in growing economies worldwide.
Green HRM and Ethical Leadership: Building a Culture of Sustainability through Transformational Leadership
This research examines the effect of Green HRM on green behavior of employees in public hospitals in Pakistan with green transformational leadership as a mediator. Data collected from 380 participants using PLS-SEM, the findings verify that Green HRM has a significant effect on green behavior both directly and indirectly. The findings validate Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and highlight the influence of leadership on promoting sustainability. This study provides real-world insights for applying green practices to HRM and leadership in healthcare.
Impact of Financial Statement Fraud, Accounting Profit, Cash Flow, and Financial Decision on Stock Returns
The study analyzes the impact of financial factors on stock returns in Pakistan’s Cement industry from 2010 to 2020, using secondary data from annual reports and official company websites. The findings reveal that while cash flow has a negative but insignificant effect on stock returns, financial decisions and accounting profits both show a positive and significant influence, indicating that sound financial management and profitability attract investors and enhance returns. Conversely, financial statement fraud has a significant negative impact, highlighting the importance of transparency and ethical practices. The study concludes that investors should focus on companies with strong profits and operating cash flows while being cautious of risky financing practices that may misrepresent a firm's financial health.