Purpose Given the growing importance of religious tourism, the purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature around the area. Design/methodology/approach All papers with the term “religious tourism” have been searched via Emerald Insight from January 2006 to December 2017. The search was run in June 2017 for the last time and all early cite papers falling under the criteria were also included. This has ensured that key literature produced after the seminal work by Timothy and Olsen (Eds) (2006) has been reviewed. Certain exclusions apply which have been listed in the paper. Findings Key themes from the literature on religious tourism along with new developments and overlaps with other tourism sectors have been highlighted. Originality/value This paper reviews literature spanning more than a decade on religious tourism.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of interest free micro credit loans on the lives and business of the female borrowers. Design/methodology/approach Both primary and secondary data have been used. Case studies of four different female entrepreneurs have been included as part of the research. The observation was conducted over an extended period of time. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with four beneficiaries to know the role played by interest free micro credit loans in improving (or not!) their lives and businesses. Findings Interest free micro credit loans played a significant role in bringing a positive change in the lives of the borrowers. Clients mentioned that “zero interest rate” and “flexible repayment schedules” were the main reason for obtaining loans from this source. Further, they suggested that there is a need for training/workshops, feedback/monitoring, networking and online repayment system to make interest free micro credit loans more successful. Research limitations/implications The focus of the study is limited to only four female borrowers in Karachi. Future studies can include other cities and cross-gender comparisons for better understating. Practical implications This study will help microfinance organizations to assess the problems faced by the borrowers; it will also shed light on the motivations of borrowers. Originality/value Interest free micro credit loans were provided to women entrepreneurs in a social experiment and implications were observed.

Brand loyalty has been at the heart of marketing strategy as one of the key factors that drive revenues and success of a brand. Consumers' emotional connection with a brand is considered key to assess strength of loyalty for long-term sustainability of a brand. Affective certainty toward a brand as a result of brand experience can lead to brand loyalty. This paper investigates influence of emotional confidence and brand association on brand loyalty. Further, it investigates whether there is statistically significant difference between consumers having low emotional confidence and those showing high emotional confidence in terms of their brand loyalty. Data was collected outside fast-food restaurants across Karachi, using systematic sampling. Every fourth person exiting the restaurant was approached to fill a questionnaire (n = 252). The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that both brand association (β = .72 P < .001) and emotional confidence (β = .19 P < .001) have statistically significant influence on brand loyalty. The variance explained in brand loyalty was higher when emotional confidence was included in the model. Independent-samples test suggests statistically significant difference (t (250) = −6.99, P < .001) between consumers having low emotional confidence and those having high emotional confidence in terms of their brand loyalty. Consumers with higher emotional confidence showed higher brand loyalty.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper is based on a portion of the research undertaken as part of the author's doctorate study and aims to look at change and its management in the context of the offshore outsourcing of IT services. Design/methodology/approach -Two longitudinal case studies were conducted in a large multinational. The study looks at the scenario mainly from the viewpoint of the onshore IT front-line staff; some high level managers were also included. Offshore staff did not form part of the research. Findings -Change and its management form an important aspect of the process of offshore outsourcing of IT services; observing this aspect from the new service development point of view gives an in-depth picture of the issues involved. A pictorial representation of this process has been presented in this research. Originality/value -This paper looks at change and its management from the perspective of the offshore outsourcing of IT services in terms of new service development -previous studies have not focused on this area in this context.

Subject area Islamic Banking has been in the limelight since the recession of 2008. Although around for a long time, it is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. This case provides an introduction. Study level/applicability EMBA and/or MBA introduction to banking, senior semester undergraduate, specialization in Islamic Banking. Case overview This case is written in the form of an interview with Meezan Bank, one of the leading financial institutions in the Islamic banking sector. It is based on primary as well as secondary data obtained via interviews and documentary analysis. Expected learning outcomes This is an analytical case and not a decision-making one. The main theme of the case revolves around analysing what Islamic banking is, the challenges that Meezan has faced, the pros and cons of doing business this way and the future issues it can face. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 7: Management Science.