No abstract

The information communication technology (ICT) and networking are playing a significant role in supporting and empowering women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. We focused on four core factors that greatly influence women entrepreneurs and studied them through structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 22 software. Our results show that family support positively affects the success of women entrepreneurs. Besides, the education level and knowledge of ICT and networking are empowering women entrepreneurs. We also conclude that networking relations through ICT tools positively aid women entrepreneurs in case where face to face meetings are not possible. The educated women can effectively use ICT and networking tools to become a successful entrepreneur. This work provides important understanding about the role of ICT and networking tools in empowering women entrepreneurs of Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 affected business in Pakistan and micro-entrepreneurs started struggling. ICT facilitates economic competitiveness and help in sustaining long-term economic growth during and after pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This article investigates the impact of information communication technology (ICT) on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), social networking (SN) and facilitation to micro-entrepreneurs, during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. METHOD: We used Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in this work. The original TAM constructs of ease of use and usefulness were tested, and TAM was extended to ICT to study the further outcomes. Data sets were collected online from 398 microentrepreneurs and further analysed by using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). RESULTS: The results indicate that survival of micro-entrepreneurs can be achieved through ICT as it is a strong variable which affects social capital building, bridging and self-efficacy, both directly and indirectly. The entrepreneurial activity can be increased through ICT and entrepreneurs can sustain the implications of lock-downs. CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that ICT usage by micro-entrepreneurs during COVID-19 pandemic was influenced by micro-entrepreneurs’ perceptions, of ease of use and usefulness. ICT had direct influence on entrepreneurial self-efficacy and social networking. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are also given.

Drawing on consumer socialization theory, this research investigates the impact of egoism, sense of belonging, and internet usage on young Chinese consumers' electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Normative and informative internet mediates the relationship between internet usage and eWOM. Furthermore, the role of TAM factors was explored in the structured model. A total of 876 Chinese consumers participated in the online survey. Structure equation modeling was adopted in the data analysis stage. The findings suggest that egoism, sense of belonging, and internet usage have positive influences on electronic word of mouth. Two factors of TAM (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) significantly moderates the relationship between egoism, sense of belonging, and e-WOM. Finally, informative and normative internet significantly mediates the relationship between internet usage and e-WOM. This study provides deeper understanding of young Chinese consumers' internet usage behavior. Implications for academicians and managers are discussed.

This article pinpoints the essential factors influencing hospital information system (HIS) acceptance. The principal HIS users are physicians, who play a preeminent role in healthcare services. Gleaned from hospital physicians in Pakistan, questionnaire data help evaluate HIS acceptance. The critical factors affecting it are assessed through structural equation modeling (SEM), using a partial least squares (PLS) software. The results show that human compatibility, organizational support and HIS quality positively affect both HIS perceived usefulness and HIS perceived ease of use. Subsequently, these two intermediate factors positively affect hospital information system acceptance. Despite its limitations, the study not only contributes theoretically, but also yields both future-research directions and practical policymaking guidelines, so that healthcare providers deliver what HIS users need.