Massey Research Online - Browsing by Author "Sajjad A"

Browsing by Author "Sajjad A"

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A systematic literature review on environmental sustainability issues of flexible packaging: potential pathways for academic research and managerial practice
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-04-15) Farrukh A; Mathrani S; Sajjad A; Tacker M; Apprich S; Krauter V
The purpose of this review is to investigate environmental sustainability issues of the flexible packaging (FP) segment of the packaging industry. Increasingly, waste and pollution caused by FP have become a significant challenge for global sustainable development. Prior research studies have examined a diverse set of environmental challenges associated with FP, albeit, in a fragmented way. There is a paucity of research exploring and synthesizing the environmental burden of FP in an integrated fashion. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify, synthesize, and analyze the environmental sustainability issues of FP utilizing the SCOPUS database. Based on an in-depth critical analysis of selected articles, this paper provides novel insights to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers for developing an improved understanding of environmental issues of the FP sector. This paper promotes academic scholarship and strengthens managerial practice in addressing the environmental sustainability challenges of FP.
Drivers for and barriers to circular economy transition in the textile industry: A developing economy perspective
(ERP Environment and John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2024-06-19) Farrukh A; Sajjad A
Increasingly, pressing sustainability issues including the rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rates, climate change-related vulnerabilities, and natural resource depletion have propelled companies to transition from a linear economy to a circular economy (CE). While circular business models are gaining currency in the manufacturing sector, empirical research on CE transition in the continuous process industry in developing economies is scarce. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to investigate the drivers and barriers of CE adoption in the textile industry of Pakistan. To this end, we utilized a qualitative methodology, and a total of twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with consultants and senior corporate managers working in the textile sector. Building on the natural resource-based view (NRBV) and institutional theory, the findings revealed various internal drivers (resource efficiency-related, organization-related, and research and innovation-related factors) and external drivers (market, regulatory, and societal factors) for CE transition. Additionally, the findings demonstrated internal barriers including behavioral, technical, and economic issues, and external issues such as customer and brand-related barriers, regulatory and policy-related barriers, as well as supply chain-related barriers hindering the adoption of CE. We argue that it is one of the early studies to utilize the NRBV and institutional theory to examine the drivers and barriers and provide novel insights into the CE transition in the textile process industry in a developing economy. The findings can assist academics, consultants, practitioners, and policymakers to understand and promote CE as a sustainable strategy in the textile process industry.
Editorial: Innovation and business strategy for sustainability
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2022-06-14) Stocker F; Sajjad A; Raziq MM; Pacheco LM; Stocker F; Sajjad A; Raziq MM; Pacheco LM
Hot management trends
(Cambridge University Press in association with Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, 2025-05-30) Ratten V; Nanere MG; Cunha MPE; Fujimoto Y; Intezari A; García-Fernández J; Dhakal S; Omri W; Saura JR; Lux A; Sajjad A; Lisboa A; D’Souza C; Ratten V; Nanere MG; Cunha MPE; Fujimoto Y; Intezari A; García-Fernández J; Subas D; Omri W; Saura JR; Lux A; Sajjad A; Lisboa A; D’Souza C
Management practices are constantly changing amid intense competitive global pressure. This can put a strain on managers in terms of adapting to new challenges that arise from rapid transformations. While there is an emphasis on timely transformations in order to increase efficiency and productivity gains, there can also be a relaxation when managers have reached their pinnacle and achieved their goals. The goal of this editorial is to focus on hot management trends which is an important topic given the ever shifting business environment. Well-known academics were asked to write about what they see as the main management trends affecting society at the current time period. They each have diverse views based on their area of expertise and thought processes. For the Journal of Management & Organization, it is critical that we look into management trends in order to inform practice but also to enrichen theory. It is exciting times with many things happening regarding management that makes it exciting to read about what may occur in the future.
Investigating sustainability tensions and resolution strategies in the plastic food packaging industry – A paradox theory approach
(ERP Environment and John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 2024-05) Farrukh A; Sajjad A
Increasing food waste, natural resource depletion, and climate change issues have forced plastic food packaging (PFP) companies to align their business strategies with sustainability aspects. At the same time, however, companies operating in the food packaging industry continue to face tensions while pursuing divergent sustainability goals simultaneously. Drawing on paradox theory, this study aims to examine paradoxical sustainability tensions in the PFP industry and propose potential resolution strategies to resolve diverse tensions arising from addressing competing social, economic, and environmental concerns simultaneously. To this end, we employed a qualitative research methodology and interviewed fifteen senior corporate managers and consultants in the PFP industry. Based on the empirical data, we develop categories of sustainability tensions related to operations and supply chain, recycling, and external stakeholders associated with performing, organizing, learning, and belonging paradoxes. Further, we propose resolution strategies including multi-stakeholder collaboration, research and innovation, circular economy, and use of integrated business strategies which are aligned with the acceptance, spatial separation, temporal separation, and synthesis approaches of the paradox theory. To the best of our knowledge, it is one of the early studies that embrace a paradox lens to investigate the sustainability tensions and resolution strategies in the PFP industry. Further, the study results could guide practitioners and policymakers in the PFP industry to comprehend underlying paradoxical sustainability tensions and promote resolution strategies to address divergent yet desirable economic, social, and environmental considerations simultaneously.
Project managers’ competencies in international development projects: a Delphi study
(SAGE Publications Inc, 2021-11-18) Bashir R; Sajjad A; Bashir S; Latif KF; Attiq S
Project Managers’ (PMs) competencies are critical issues for international development projects (IDPs), and the success of IDPs is largely dependent on how prudently and effectively a PM manages the IDPs operations. So far, the topic of PMs Competencies is mainly explored in the private sector context using a survey-based research approach, and very few attempts have been made to examine the competencies of PMs in the IDPs sector. Accordingly, this study examines the PMs’ competencies at each phase of the project life cycle (Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing) by drawing on the sample of 15 PMs from the IDPs’ sector by employing a Delphi method, which enables aggregation of experts’ opinions in a more structured and systematic manner. Findings of this study proposed five of the most critical competencies within each phase of the project life cycle and ranked based on their relative importance, for example, leadership, communication, planning, innovation, motivation, etc. The findings contribute to emerging literature and bring new insights on project managers’ competencies in the IDPs sector.
Sustainability in the wake of crisis: Transforming climate change-induced disasters into drivers of renewable energy innovation in business
(Elsevier BV, 2024-12) Rastegar H; Sajjad A; Eweje G; Kazunori K
This study examines how climate change-induced disasters affect renewable energy innovation in United States-based firms. To this end, we utilized the behavioral theory of the firm and the threat rigidity model to investigate strategic decision-making in the context of environmental crises. We employed a difference-in-differences approach combined with meta-analysis. Further, we analyzed data from 2013 to 2018 and found a significant increase in renewable energy innovation following climatological disasters, marked by an effect size of 0.74. However, firms exceeding their aspiration levels exhibit a smaller impact, reducing the effect on renewable energy innovation by 0.273 units. Additionally, firms with a frequent history of climatological disasters showed a decrease in renewable energy innovation, with an effect size of -0.349. Our research contributes to green innovation literature, particularly to renewable energy innovation discourse under climate challenges. It extends the behavioral theory of the firm to contexts of climatic uncertainty and applies the threat rigidity model to determine organizational adaptation. The study introduces a novel moderator: the firm's history of natural disasters, linking firm age with disaster frequency and severity. These insights are vital for enhancing strategic decision-making in the business and policy-making contexts, amidst the growing climate change challenges.
Sustainability leadership: An integrative review and conceptual synthesis
(ERP Environment and John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 2024-05) Sajjad A; Eweje G; Raziq MM
Over the past few decades, scholars have extensively investigated the topic of leadership, contributing to the development of diverse leadership theories and contemporary managerial practice. However, the emergence and renewed focus on societal grand challenges warrant an alternative approach to leadership such as sustainability leadership. Despite the critical importance of sustainability leadership in addressing these global concerns, scholarly research in this field of inquiry, by and large, remained scant and fragmented, lacking conceptual coherence and theoretical integration. While the existing literature provides insights into sustainability leadership characteristics, competencies, behaviors, and actions, it failed to integrate a holistic understanding of how these aspects are connected and affect each other. Accordingly, the purpose of this review paper is to provide conceptual synthesis and critical appraisal of the extant literature on sustainability leadership. Drawing on a systems theory perspective on paradox, we developed an integrative multi-level sustainability leadership framework, which demonstrates the linkages between individual-level mechanisms (micro), organizational-level mechanisms (meso), and societal context (macro). The framework explicates the key underlying mechanisms of sustainability leadership functioning embedded in paradoxical tensions to address complex and multi-faceted sustainability issues. The paper concludes by offering implications for research and managerial practice, and avenues for future research.
The COVID-19 pandemic: female workers’ social sustainability in global supply chains
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-11-14) Sajjad A; Eweje G; Appolloni A
This review article investigates the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on female workers in the global supply chain context. To this end, we reviewed and critically examined emerging scholarly literature as well as policy documents and reports published by international development organizations concerning female workers’ social sustainability, livelihood, and health and wellbeing issues in global supply chain operations. Thus, this article focuses on female workers’ issues in emerging and developing economies where the ongoing pandemic continues to devastate and create multidimensional social and economic challenges for the wellbeing and social sustainability of female workers. Our analysis suggests that female workers are facing serious socioeconomic challenges that continue to affect their wellbeing, mental health, and livelihoods. Accordingly, it is imperative that international development organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), trade associations, governments, and most importantly the corporate sector not only consider individual responsibility for promoting female workforce social sustainability in global supply chains but also actively collaborate to address pressing social sustainability issues vis à vis female workers. Building on these findings, the implications for future research, practice, and policies are discussed.
The impact of environmental policy on renewable energy innovation: A systematic literature review and research directions
(ERP Environment and John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2024-01-03) Rastegar H; Eweje G; Sajjad A
Renewable energy innovations are imperative to tackle the climate change crisis. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of environmental policies in promoting renewable energy innovations. To bridge this gap, we have adopted a systematic literature review process covering the period from 2005 to 2023. We identified and analysed 29 articles in our final sample. Further, we employ two levels of analysis (individual-policy and policy-mix levels) for analysing the extant research. Our findings show that fiscal incentives and emissions trading policies such as the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS) consistently promote renewable energy innovations. In contrast, the effectiveness of feed-in tariffs and quotas in supporting renewable energy innovations varies, reflecting diverse impacts across distinct regions and renewable energy technologies. Our analysis also suggests that combinations of various policy types can enhance innovation more effectively than individual policies. We contribute to the extant literature by developing a classificatory analysis of the effect of environmental policies on renewable energy innovations. Our review also provides research directions for future scholarship.
The Impact of Supervisory Communication Apprehension on Subordinates’ Job Performance: An Empirical Study in Pakistan
(Korea Distribution Science Association, 2022-02-28) Asad M; Aizaz Zafar M; Sajjad A
The impact of supervisory communication apprehension (SCA) on subordinates' job performance was investigated in this study. We also examined the impact of task-related uncertainty in mediating the relationship between SCA and subordinate work performance, as well as the role of information-seeking behavior in moderating the relationship between task-related uncertainty and subordinate job performance. A sample of subordinates and their supervisors from public and private sector enterprises in Pakistan were used in the study. The concept of communication apprehension is not limited to a single organization or industry, and the conditions suggest that apprehensive supervisors are likely to exist in different organizations and industries in Pakistan, including banks, telecommunications, and development sector organizations. Company directors and leaders of human resources departments were contacted to reach out to possible respondents. SmartPLS software was used to evaluate the data using a structural equation modeling technique which is commonly used in explanatory studies (Atta et al., 2021). We found evidence to support ideas predicting the association between SCA and subordinate job performance, as well as the mediating role of task-related ambiguity in the relationship. Furthermore, the findings show that information-seeking activity has a moderating effect on the link between task-related ambiguity and subordinate job performance. This is one of the first studies to look at major mediating and moderating mechanisms in the link between SCA and subordinate job performance.

Browsing by Author "Sajjad A"

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