Papers by Muhammad A Alam
This study proposes a synergized model of internal integration and argues that unless integration... more This study proposes a synergized model of internal integration and argues that unless integration practices are suitably aligned, they cannot fetch desired results. We examine the antecedents of internal integration in the Petroleum industry by focusing six precursors, i.e. job rotation, inter-departmental training, intra-organizational knowledge sharing, management commitment, supportive information technologies, and strategic consensus. A stratified sample comprising 234 managers from the petroleum firms operating in Pakistan participated in the study. Results indicate that, while individually these factors have significant effects on internal integration, jointly they exhibit trivial effects if not aligned. The proposed model is validated through covariance technique, and relevant methodological and theoretical extensions are discussed.
HCII, 2016
This study linked aircrew risk-taking behavior to aviation loss, and in this relationship it exam... more This study linked aircrew risk-taking behavior to aviation loss, and in this relationship it examined the moderating role of phase-of-flight. First, it developed a measurement model in view of prior accident causation theories and findings of 715 general aviation accidents in Pakistan over a period spanning 2000-2014. Later, it espoused this model for hypotheses testing using original data from 224 randomly chosen accidents and assessed the model through structural path analysis. Results indicated a positive relationship between air-crew risk-taking behavior and aviation loss, and significant moderating role of phase-of-flight.
The demographic structure plays a significant role in economic growth and development of a countr... more The demographic structure plays a significant role in economic growth and development of a country. The statistics of Crude Birth Rate (CBR), Crude Death Rate (CDR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Pakistan reveals that it is in the state of demographic transition. The expected influx of working age population provides a window of golden opportunity for economic growth. On the other hand, a dawdling response from administration manifests in the shape of unemployment, skill deficiency, and extremism. Let alone the underlying opportunities, weak policies and mishandling of future demographic structure may lead to untenable ferocity, crimes, and national instability.
This study investigates the relationship between internal integration and external integration, a... more This study investigates the relationship between internal integration and external integration, and in this relationship it measures the moderating role of Organization Culture. It takes into account externally focused organizational culture i.e. Market and Adhocracy culture. Cross-sectional data was collected from a stratified sample of 234 managers from petroleum firms operating in Pakistan. Results indicated significant relationship between internal and external integration (i.e. Customer and Supplier integration). The moderating role of Organization culture was investigated through multiple-group SEM, and it was found that internal integration in organizations that possess high levels of market and adhocracy culture lead to better external integration. Overall, results indicated that internal integration is a precondition for external integration, and the later can be effectively achieved if company focuses on external positioning and external environment. The study extends management theory and proffers worthwhile contribution to business practice in achieving external integration owing to suitable organizational culture.
Present study elucidates the probity of ant colony optimization metaheuristic in minimizing the m... more Present study elucidates the probity of ant colony optimization metaheuristic in minimizing the makespan by efficiently allocating jobs to workstations in general aviation maintenance. The metaheuristic technique is applied to real workplace problems in general aviation sector of Pakistan to resolve scheduling quandaries of XT-10 helicopters inspection in Burq Air Services (Pseudo names of organization and helicopter to keep anonymity). Secondary data for processing times of jobs at workstations was obtained from job cards and process sheets. Matlab codes were developed for reaching the optimal scheduling. Results indicated almost 25% improvement in efficiency, and proffered a customized yet efficient solution to scheduling problem in real aviation maintenance setup. The study posited that with the slight adjustment, the present model could be applied to other variants of job-shop, service industry, and similar areas of social sciences.
C hanges in ownership, governance, and objectives of stock exchanges significantly impact on stoc... more C hanges in ownership, governance, and objectives of stock exchanges significantly impact on stock market growth indicators such as number of listed companies, number of transactions in equity market, stock index, and market capitalization. A stock exchange is a place that facilitates brokers and traders to buy and sell stocks, bonds, and other securities. It also provides opportunities for raising capital through initial public offerings and secondary markets for trading mature securities. A stock exchange is not only a market facilitator for investors but, with the collaboration of the securities exchange commission of a country, also plays a vital role in regulating authorities to keep a check on insider trading, window dressing, and market abuse. Typically, stock exchanges were mutual organizations instead of profit-making organizations. Aggarwal & Dahiya (2002) defined a mutual organization as the type of organization that guarantees the protection of monopoly power and charges rent to brokers. Traditionally, stock exchanges were considered as 'the club of the brokers' and only provided services to brokers who were assumed to be associates or members of mutual stock exchanges and, hence, enjoyed the right of ownership and the power of decision making in the mutual governance structure of stock exchanges (Akhtar, 2002). In such a structure, one member had one vote and the values of the stock exchange were enhanced by limiting the general public's access. But globalization-due to advances in technology, the spread of information, and modern ways of stock trading-led to more-integrated Demutualization, owing to a change in ownership from guarantee limited to public limited, leads to better stock market growth. It proffers superior governance by keeping in view the interests of all stakeholders as well as shareholders, leading to stock market growth and stability. Changes in objectives of stock exchanges (from not-for-profit to profit-oriented organizations) also lead to better growth decisions. Changes in governance structures of stock exchanges (from autocratic to democratic) lead to better stock market growth. This study finds democratic governance structures to be more rewarding for stock market growth.
The integration of work ethic theories with religious beliefs and Hofstede's national culture typ... more The integration of work ethic theories with religious beliefs and Hofstede's national culture typology implies that Islamic work ethics peculiarly support social symbiosis and collectivism. On the contrary, present globalized workplace is pragmatically driven by individualism. To sort out these concerns, this cross-cultural study links Islamic work ethics to individualism at globalized workplace and examines the moderating influence of employee religiosity and nationality. A stratified sample of 307 employees from leading multinational corporations operating in United States, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Pakistan participated in the study. The study found a strong positive relationship between Islamic work ethics and individualism, and no significant interaction effect of employee nationality and religiosity was observed. Together, the findings suggest that Islamic work ethics advocate a great deal of individualism, and can benefit the multinational corporations in managing their diversified workforce with a view to get maximum advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization.
Technological progress in aviation sector is a source of increasing productivity, yet it is also ... more Technological progress in aviation sector is a source of increasing productivity, yet it is also a cause of stress. This study aimed to elucidate the linkage between techno-stress and crew productivity and examine the interaction effect of role-overload and equity-sensitivity in this relationship. The study explored three factors of techno-stress i.e. techno-complexity, techno-uncertainty and techno-overload, and found that their negative relationship with crew productivity got stronger when the crew was more role-overloaded and when the crew was more equity-sensitive. Respondents (N ¼ 203) randomly chosen from aviation sector in Pakistan participated in the study. Together, the findings suggested role-equity analogous to fulcrum that can leverage crew productivity in aviation industry.
Cockpit learning is an essential feature of flying profession, but it may be hampered by power di... more Cockpit learning is an essential feature of flying profession, but it may be hampered by power distance in the cockpit due to captain/co-pilot subordination. Speaking-up to the captain may be difficult for some co-pilots but not speaking-up resulted in numerous aircraft accidents. This research examines cockpit learning among airline pilots and assumes that power distance reduces cockpit learning whereas pilot's interdependence and pilot's inclination towards teamwork can counter balance it. The study develops a short cockpit-learning-scale and validates it through a stratified sample of 231 pilots chosen from British Airways, Pakistan International Airline and Saudi Arabian Airline. Data analysis indicated a strong negative influence of power distance on cockpit learning, and significant interaction effect of pilot's interdependence and pilot's inclination towards teamwork. Together, the findings suggest that pilot's interdependence and inclination towards teamwork significantly minimize the negative influence of power distance on cockpit learning.
Purpose – The current study aims to examine the relationship between Islamic spirituality (IS),
I... more Purpose – The current study aims to examine the relationship between Islamic spirituality (IS),
Islamic social responsibility (ISR) and workplace deviance (WD).
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 400 Muslim employees of 9 business
groups in Pakistan from manufacturing and services industry. The structure equation modeling was
used to test the hypotheses, and the proposed model was assessed through renowned model fit indices.
Findings – The findings revealed that IS and ISR help curtail WD. The study also provides empirical
support to the hypotheses that employees with high levels of IS and social responsibility will tend to
avoid deviant behavior at workplace.
Originality/value – This study proposed IS and ISR as two possible stimuli that can help reduce
employee deviant behavior at workplace. The findings of the present study revealed that IS, as well as
ISR, is inversely related to WD. The present results augmented the existing body of knowledge
regarding workplace spirituality in the field of organization behavior and further enriched the WD
theory by offering new empirical relationships from an Islamic perspective.
This study elucidates the falsity of business research in relying on either respondents or inform... more This study elucidates the falsity of business research in relying on either respondents or informants alone for data collection, and argues that with the biased data, business research cannot provide unbiased solutions. We compare 400 reports (200 respondents and 200 informants) on the workplace deviance and assess the goodness of both the techniques. Analysis of variance and posthoc (descriptive discriminant analysis) indicate significant disparities between the two approaches across all items. In the informant's role, people tend to overreport, whereas in the respondent's part they underreport an undesirable behavior. Further, we find that conventional techniques for assessing the construct's validity and common-method bias neither assures realistic measurement nor eliminate the response bias. Drawing on the theory of psychological projection, we propose a hybrid approach that curtails some of the main biases in data and measurement. Qualitative confirmation through informal interviews with managers in the investigated firms validates the proposed method.
Conference Presentations by Muhammad A Alam
Openness needs to be institutionalized as deep value in public management to enable the creation ... more Openness needs to be institutionalized as deep value in public management to enable the creation of inclusive innovation ecosystems. While much innovation research speaks to ecosystems in which multiple cross-national and cross-sector players complement each other to materialize complex value proposition, the concept is largely obscure in public management. This mixed method research reflects on seven wind energy start-ups in Pakistan to demonstrate how openness in public management enacts inclusive ecosystems, and how it creates a low-cost advantage for renewable energy projects in energy-poor countries. Our cost analyses and interviews with managers in the investigated projects reveal that openness endows public management with a new capacity to reduce the start-up cost of energy projects. We offer policy recommendations around
Open innovation constitutes a significant portion of management literature, detailing the 'What' ... more Open innovation constitutes a significant portion of management literature, detailing the 'What' and 'Why' part of openness in innovation. Nevertheless, it does not elaborate sufficiently the process of 'How' firms adopt openness in innovation to create inclusive ecosystems. We use a grounded interpretive approach to theorize the process of openness in innovation at the macro-level following three rounds of 54 in-depth interviews with managers in the Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID), Australia. A confirmatory follow-up survey validates our model. We synthesize the social, ethical, and strategic dimensions of openness to understand their interplay in enacting inclusive innovation ecosystems. Our resulting five-phase framework advances innovation theory and provides management practice with a new strategic lens that emphasizes the ethical virtues of openness as a sustainable source of open innovation advantage in ecosystems. ,
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Papers by Muhammad A Alam
Islamic social responsibility (ISR) and workplace deviance (WD).
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 400 Muslim employees of 9 business
groups in Pakistan from manufacturing and services industry. The structure equation modeling was
used to test the hypotheses, and the proposed model was assessed through renowned model fit indices.
Findings – The findings revealed that IS and ISR help curtail WD. The study also provides empirical
support to the hypotheses that employees with high levels of IS and social responsibility will tend to
avoid deviant behavior at workplace.
Originality/value – This study proposed IS and ISR as two possible stimuli that can help reduce
employee deviant behavior at workplace. The findings of the present study revealed that IS, as well as
ISR, is inversely related to WD. The present results augmented the existing body of knowledge
regarding workplace spirituality in the field of organization behavior and further enriched the WD
theory by offering new empirical relationships from an Islamic perspective.
Conference Presentations by Muhammad A Alam
Islamic social responsibility (ISR) and workplace deviance (WD).
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 400 Muslim employees of 9 business
groups in Pakistan from manufacturing and services industry. The structure equation modeling was
used to test the hypotheses, and the proposed model was assessed through renowned model fit indices.
Findings – The findings revealed that IS and ISR help curtail WD. The study also provides empirical
support to the hypotheses that employees with high levels of IS and social responsibility will tend to
avoid deviant behavior at workplace.
Originality/value – This study proposed IS and ISR as two possible stimuli that can help reduce
employee deviant behavior at workplace. The findings of the present study revealed that IS, as well as
ISR, is inversely related to WD. The present results augmented the existing body of knowledge
regarding workplace spirituality in the field of organization behavior and further enriched the WD
theory by offering new empirical relationships from an Islamic perspective.