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PurposeThis study is undertaken to examine the role of information and communication technology (ICT), e-service quality and e-information quality towards brand image of universities by concentrating on students’ e-learning, e-word of mouth and satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe target population was the students of public and private universities in Pakistan. Data collected using an e-questionnaire by 408 students were subjected to PLS-SEM for analysis.FindingsFindings revealed that ICT, e-service quality and e-information quality are positively contributed toward students' e-learning which ultimately leads to create positive e-word of mouth and students' satisfaction. Meanwhile, results also identified that e-word of mouth and students' satisfaction lead to generate a positive brand image of universities.Practical implicationsThis study has unique implications for universities to develop an e-learning platform to facilitate their students in this situation of COVID-19. It provides guidelines for educational institutions to implement the learning management system effectively with a view to facilitate the students with education.Originality/valueThis study has novel contribution in literature in the domain of digital learning. It is unique in a way to integrate the usage of technology with students' e-learning and satisfaction that ultimately create brand image of universities.

This research aims to investigate the role of Industry 4.0 in the production and service sector in Pakistan. It therefore considers five Industry 4.0 factors, namely big data, smart factory, cyber physical systems (CPS), Internet of things (IoT), and interoperability. In order to analyze the role of Industry 4.0, the textile industry is taken as a production industry, while the logistics industry is considered as a service industry. Both are facing various challenges in production and services causing below standard overall performance. To address this issue, a quantitative research approach with cross-sectional research design was selected. First hand data was collected through a survey questionnaire from a total of 224 employees of textile and logistics companies. Smart partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was preferred to analyze the collected data. Findings of the study revealed that Industry 4.0 has a key role in promoting the production and services sector in Pakistan, as it has a significant impact on the overall performance of the considered sectors. This research is one of the pioneer studies that examines the role of Industry 4.0 on the textile and logistics industry of Pakistan. Thus, this research also contributes in a practical dimension by explaining the implementation of Industry 4.0 for improving the performance of the textile and logistics industries.

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The prime objective of this study is to investigate the role of microfinance institutions towards women's self‐sustainability in Pakistan because women are the most vulnerable community in Pakistan and in the world, too. Due to various issues like gender discrimination, women's self‐sustainability is quite low, and this accounts for the negligible contribution of women in Pakistan's economy (up to 20 to 25%). In addressing this issue, the current study adopted a quantitative research approach and cross‐sectional research design. By using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from female clients of microfinance institutions during May 1, 2018 to August 30, 2018. SmartPLS 3 was utilized to analyse the data. The results of the inquiry revealed that microfinance institutions have an essential role to play in promoting women's self‐reliance. With the help of micro‐enterprises for women, services offered by microfinance institution such as micro‐credit, micro‐savings, micro‐insurance, micro‐training and social capital have a major role in developing women's self‐sustainability. However, an environmental disaster is one of the crucial factors, which limits the positive contribution of microfinance institutions towards women's self‐sustainability. Our thorough research and knowledge on the subject indicates that the current study is the pioneer study that has investigated microfinance institutions as major facilitators of women's self‐reliance but which has been limited by many factors such as environmental disasters. Hence, the current study appears salient for microfinance institutions, the government of Pakistan and other practitioners that desire to boost women's self‐sustainability.