Understanding and Promotion of Civic Behavior Among Students in the Light of Sīrah

Civic behavior reflects the values related to individual’s attitude towards family, peer group, and neighborhood and includes the way one behaves in the society and community as a whole. The purpose of the present study is to describe what civic behavior is, its characteristics, its status in the Hadith, and the way forward for improvement of the civic behavior as guided by Sīrah of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). Study implies that truthfulness, mercifulness, polite talk, helping others, respect for others, caring and sharing and promise-keeping, loyalty, sympathy, honesty, kindness, brotherhood, cooperation, fairness and unity are the core qualities that make the individual a civilized and active citizen and our Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is the embodiment of all these virtues. Descriptive approach was followed to explain and analyze the concept. First the concept of civic behavior was interpreted, then its importance and characteristics were discussed. After that it was explored in the light of the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The findings highlight that the civic behavior in its best form was preached and practiced by the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions. Each dimension was interpreted in the light of the Quran and the Sīrah. It was concluded that Sīrah of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is an immaculate source of guidance and inspiration for not only Muslims but also for the whole mankind in acquiring the core values and abilities that determine the Civic behavior of an individual which ultimately results into a well-organized, peaceful and civilized society The study suggests that civic behavior of the citizens has significant impact on the formation and development of a peaceful society. It is recommended that civic behavior as reflected in the life of and practiced by the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) should be promoted and practiced for achieving a civilized social setup.

Social Capital As a Determinant of Individuals Entrepreneurial Engagement: A Moderated Mediation Model

Entrepreneurial activity is essential to ensure the economic stability of any country. The rate of entrepreneurial activity is high in developed countries, yet remains lower in developing nations. This research was conducted to examine the factors affecting the entrepreneurial behaviors of individuals in the developing country of Pakistan. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter that presents an overview of this study, discusses the background of the research problem, and develops the research questions. Moreover, it highlights the ways in which this study enriches the existing literature. This study aimed to evaluate the direct effects of social capital on entrepreneurial attitude (EA) and the mediating effects of self-efficacy and social norms in this relationship. Moreover, this study examined the moderating effect of gender on entrepreneurial intention (EI) via self-efficacy and social norms. Chapter 2 reviews the existing literature, while highlighting the gap in the research. This study is unique in the way it analyzes the multi-mediation effect on EI, which further leads to entrepreneurial behavior. The literature affirms that EI followed by EA further leads toward entrepreneurial behavior. However, this study evaluates the direct and indirect effects of social capital on building both EA and EI. Moreover, the literature asserts that social norms are more associated with women, while self-efficacy is more associated with men. This study observes the effect of these associations on EI with the mediating role of EA. Further, this study is conducted in Pakistan, which represents the South Asian context. The hypothetical model presented in this study is tested in this developing country, which differentiates the results of this study from those found in developed country contexts. Moreover, this study exhibits the research model based on the hypotheses presented in this study. The theoretical model of this study is based on the theory of planned behavior with incorporation of gender schema theory. Moreover, it caters the existing literature on the behavioral determinants. This study posits that social capital affects the EA of individuals on the basis of role modeling and motivation, which causes individuals to believe in themselves and increases their self-efficacy. Thus, this study examines the moderation and mediation effects together. Chapter 3 presents the research methodology followed in this study. As a descriptive study, the data were collected through a questionnaire with graduate and undergraduate students of management and business studies from different universities in Pakistan. In this longitudinal study, a positivism paradigm was applied. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for the model testing. We used the test of moderation by applying the process (Bolin, 2014) to test the moderation effect of gender. Chapter 4 presents the data analysis. To validate the measurement tool in the South Asian context, we used confirmatory factor analysis in AMOS. The results depicted that all the variables were reliable, and established convergent and discriminant validity. Following this, to test the theoretical model of the study, the direct and indirect effects were examined through SEM. The findings of the study revealed that social capital affects EA and EI via the mediation of self-efficacy and social norms. EI leads toward entrepreneurial behavior. In addition, the findings indicate that gender moderates the effects of social norms and selfefficacy on both EA and EI. Chapter 5 presents the conclusion and recommendations, which comprises the discussion, research implications, research limitations, and conclusion. The results demonstrate that social capital more significantly affects EA when it is linked with the social norms and selfefficacy of individuals. In addition, social norms are more associated with female individuals, while self-efficacy affects both genders equally. Moreover, EA moderates the effect of social capital on EI in such a way that it is higher among male individuals. These findings offer practical implications to policymakers.