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1 – 10 of 664P. Akhter, D. Mohammad, S.D. Orfi, N. Ahmad and K. Rehman
Iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world and is quite common in Pakistan. Iron deficiency anaemia may result from a low dietary intake, inadequate…
Abstract
Purpose
Iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world and is quite common in Pakistan. Iron deficiency anaemia may result from a low dietary intake, inadequate intestinal absorption, excessive blood loss, and/or increased needs. While iron overload is also responsible of number of diseases. The normal iron status of our body is usually maintained by controlling amount of iron absorbed from food. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adult male and female in the age from 19 to 50 years is 8 and 18mg, respectively. While RDA above 50 years is it for both genders i.e. 8mg (NIH, 2002). Nutritional status of dietary iron was estimated to combat the iron related diseases in Pakistani population.
Design/methodology/approach
Food samples were collected from major cities/districts of the country using market basket method. Daily diets were prepared and analyzed for iron contents using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS).
Findings
An average value of iron concentration was measured to be 52±15μg/g, which leads to an average daily dietary intake of 31±9.5mg/d, with a variation of 12 to 52mg/d. The estimated values of our daily iron intake are about 2 times higher than the recommended daily allowance set by international committee of radiological protection (ICRP) and US food and nutrition board (FNB). Apparently our diet seems enriched in iron contents. But its bioavailability may be low due to dietary composition. Major portion of our diet is based on plant food (71 per cent), followed by milk products (17 per cent) and other miscellaneous items, whereas consumption of animal food is only 5 per cent. This dietary composition and our food intake habits in the presence of iron inhibiters (i.e. phytate in plant food, tannin and polyphenols in tea and calcium) could be the leading cause of iron deficiency anemia among the Pakistani population.
Originality/value
Iron deficiency anemia is quiet common and cause of concern in Pakistan. The findings of the study indicate that bioavailability of iron to Pakistani population can be enhanced/improved with slight alterations/adjustments in dietary habits.
Rishi Kant Kumar and Amlendu Kumar Dubey
Family business has been widely discussed in the literature. Still, a holistic approach summarizing the family business concept in entrepreneurship is fragmented to date. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Family business has been widely discussed in the literature. Still, a holistic approach summarizing the family business concept in entrepreneurship is fragmented to date. This paper aims to explore the multimedia view of family business research in entrepreneurship and finds the key theme discussed by researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a systematic literature review on family business and its role in entrepreneurship have been conducted. The literature review consists of bibliometric and content analyzes. Bibliometric research offers quantitative insights, whereas content analysis provides the qualitative evaluation of the literature.
Findings
The findings suggest that recent research in this area focuses on exploring the role of women entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship in the family business. The literature also finds that because of the nature of family businesses, successors get the opportunity to use their family’s network, social status, financing and opportunity toward a well-developed market.
Research limitations/implications
This paper may help researchers and practitioners to identify the past and current research trends related to family business and entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
The concepts from network theory are applied for content analysis to identify and explore various family business and entrepreneurship literature sub-domains.
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Fadwa Hammouh, Sima Zein, Rula Amr, Hadeel Ghazzawi, Dina Muharib, Dalya Al Saad and Hadil Subih
The purpose of this paper aims to assess the intake of dietary selenium among Jordanian adults in Madaba Governorate.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper aims to assess the intake of dietary selenium among Jordanian adults in Madaba Governorate.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a cross-sectional study in Madaba Governorate. Convenience sampling was done at Madaba Governorate for this study. The subjects comprised 500 subjects (325 women and 175 men) aged from 18 to 60 years. A 24-h recall (24-HR) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) were used to estimate the selenium intake in the studied population.
Findings
Mean of dietary selenium was more than the recommended amount by at least 2.5-fold in both methods FFQ and 24-HR (p = 0.004), while no significant difference was observed in selenium consumption per day for women and men respectively using FFQ. The results indicated that selenium consumption is higher than the RDA among Madaba population. A moderate correlation was found between both methods for all subjects, women and men, respectively (p < 0.05).
Originality/value
The authors conclude that the selenium intake in Jordanian population is significantly above the RDA. However, future studies are required to correlate this high intake with health benefits and exclude toxic effects of Selenium.
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Muhammad Ahsan Naveed, A. Hussain, K. Islam and P. Akhter
Organic solar cells have potential as an alternative to conventional inorganic solar cell due to low processing cost, flexibility and easy fabrication technique.The goal of this…
Abstract
Organic solar cells have potential as an alternative to conventional inorganic solar cell due to low processing cost, flexibility and easy fabrication technique.
The goal of this paper is to study the characteristics of the CuPc and PCBM based organic solar cell by introducing a thin layer of Ag at the interface of donor (CuPc) and Acceptor (PCBM), their photovoltaic and optical properties were investigated. The heterojunction solar cells with and without silver inter layer were fabricated through thermal deposition in HR vacuum. The OPV solar cells were characterized using current-voltage graphs, absorbance spectrum and Impedance spectroscopy. Impedance spectroscopy was taken to identify the traps using series resistance, parallel resistance, and Impedance spectrums under different frequencies. Optical behaviors of these devices have been investigated with absorbance spectrum.
Introducing Ag to interfacing point produced traps and these traps causes to decreased Voc, Isc, FF, and efficiency. The effect of silver layer at donor acceptor interface was studied.
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Murad A. Mithani and Ipek Kocoglu
The proposed theoretical model offers a systematic approach to synthesize the fragmented research on organizational crisis, disasters and extreme events.
Abstract
Purpose
The proposed theoretical model offers a systematic approach to synthesize the fragmented research on organizational crisis, disasters and extreme events.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper offers a theoretical model of organizational responses to extreme threats.
Findings
The paper explains that organizations choose between hypervigilance (freeze), exit (flight), growth (fight) and dormancy (fright) when faced with extreme threats. The authors explain how the choice between these responses are informed by the interplay between slack and routines.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s theoretical model contributes by explaining the nature of organizational responses to extreme threats and how the two underlying mechanisms, slack and routines, determine heterogeneity between organizations.
Practical implications
The authors advance four key managerial considerations: the need to distinguish between discrete and chronic threats, the critical role of hypervigilance in the face of extreme threats, the distinction between resources and routines during threat mitigation, and the recognition that organizational exit may sometimes be the most effective means for survival.
Originality/value
The novelty of this paper pertains to the authors’ use of the comparative developmental approach to incorporate insights from the study of individual responses to life-threatening events to explain organizational responses to extreme threats.
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Perveen Akhter and M.K. Rahman
Selenium deficiency in combination with iodine also has profound effect in the generation of thyroid related diseases and on neonatal growth and its survival. In Pakistan…
Abstract
Purpose
Selenium deficiency in combination with iodine also has profound effect in the generation of thyroid related diseases and on neonatal growth and its survival. In Pakistan, occurrence of thyroid related diseases are common. Low levels of iodine in food have been established and published estimates are available, but data on selenium intake levels were scarce. The purpose of this paper is to generate baseline analytical data on dietary intake of selenium to investigate its impact on occurrence of thyroid related diseases in Pakistani population.
Design/methodology/approach
Food samples were collected from major cities/districts of the country using market basket method. Daily diets were prepared and analyzed by using neutron activation analysis.
Findings
Measured levels varied from 51 to 453ng/g with geometric mean value (GM) × geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 163 × 1.6ng/g. This leads to daily intake variation from 31 to 270 μg/d with GM × GSD value of 97 × 1.6 μg/d. The measured levels were compared with reported values of other countries and recommended estimated safe and adequate daily dietary intake (ESADDI) range of 50‐200 μg/d for adults. The estimated selenium levels are adequate and safe as per international standard.
Originality/value
The paper provides baseline data and indicates that Pakistani diet contains sufficient amount of selenium and may not be cause of concern for thyroid related diseases in our country.
Nuno Fernandes Crespo, Cátia Fernandes Crespo and Maria Calado
The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to examine the relevance of specific strategic orientations for family businesses in the context of an intense crisis such as the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to examine the relevance of specific strategic orientations for family businesses in the context of an intense crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) to investigate the role of a family adaptability in surviving the crisis; and 3) to assess how proactive strategic responses connected with marketing or retrenchment responses connected with reducing costs relate to the expected survival of the crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
The method adopted is a quantitative research approach. The theoretical framework uses a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for the data collected from an online survey of a sample of 544 family businesses in the accommodation industry.
Findings
This paper makes three main findings. First, family businesses that invest in operational marketing actions as a strategic response to the crisis have a high expectation of surviving the crisis. Second, family businesses that reduce their operational and labor costs as a strategic response have a low expectation of surviving the crisis. Third, the family business’s adaptability is also fundamental to their expectation of survival.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to identify the possible reactions of family businesses to the COVID-19 crisis. the authors show that there are proactive or retrenchment strategic responses, and the authors relate those responses to the expectancy of surviving the crisis. This is also the first study to examine the relevance of family adaptability as a measure of the resilience of family businesses and, therefore, as a determinant of the expectation of surviving the crisis.
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Library services to meet the needs of ethnicminority groups are described, along with theguidelines within which librarians operate inthe development of multicultural…
Abstract
Library services to meet the needs of ethnic minority groups are described, along with the guidelines within which librarians operate in the development of multicultural library services. The needs of ethnic minority groups are identified and the ways in which these needs can be met by the public library are demonstrated.
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Elias Kurta, Nadine H. Kammerlander and Christopher Khoury
This study aims to extend the research in the field of external investments in family firms. It contributes to the literature by analyzing the drivers of the family firm…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to extend the research in the field of external investments in family firms. It contributes to the literature by analyzing the drivers of the family firm owner-managers selling a minority stake to a strategic investor. This type of external investment might be of great interest to family firms because the family firm owner-managers can secure control over the firm and preserve socioemotional wealth while simultaneously generating additional financing and gaining strategic and managerial know-how. Likewise, minority investments in family firms might also be of high interest to strategic investors, thus enabling close collaborations (e.g. in R&D, purchasing and sales) with minor equity investments.
Design/methodology/approach
This study tests the hypotheses using a vignette study leveraging 327 observations from family firm owner-managers.
Findings
Based on the socioemotional wealth perspective, this study hypothesizes that the degree of family prominence, the degree of employee orientation and pure family management influence the willingness to sell. In addition, this study hypothesizes that the moderating effect of a below-average financial performance weakens the abovementioned direct effects. This study finds support for most hypotheses.
Originality/value
This study extends the research in the field of external investments in family firms. It contributes to the literature by analyzing the drivers of the family firm owner-managers selling a minority stake to a strategic investor.
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Isuru Koswatte, Chandrika Fernando and Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena
Higher educational institutes (HEIs) are experiencing a significant shift towards online education, which has been fast-forwarded with the global pandemic of COVID-19. The forced…
Abstract
Purpose
Higher educational institutes (HEIs) are experiencing a significant shift towards online education, which has been fast-forwarded with the global pandemic of COVID-19. The forced shift has also exposed many vulnerabilities in online education, especially assessments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential dark side of the digital transformation of examinations through the lens of university students.
Design/methodology/approach
This study involves a sample of 127 university students from the fields of business and science, technology, education and management (STEM) and the key factors affecting student perception were assessed quantitatively to explore the interrelationships.
Findings
Results revealed that both business and STEM students have a similar impression of the use of online examinations, and the majority still have mixed feelings about them as a replacement for physical examinations. The regrouping of the factors revealed two key dimensions, trustworthiness and apprehensible education, as key areas of student perception in the context of online examinations.
Research limitations/implications
This study aims to strengthen the understanding of Kolb’s experiential learning mechanism through a discussion on the importance of abstract conceptualization as opposed to concrete experience in the establishment of the online assessment and learning space. Practically speaking, increasing investment in internet infrastructure and forming strategic alliances with important parties, like internet providers, to create uninterrupted network coverage, are an effective place to start if one wants to make sure that the process of moving to online learning is becoming more and more accepted by educators, students, and the general public.
Originality/value
The online transition to higher education has seen expedited growth since the pandemic and has not given much room for many HEIs globally to adjust. The procedures and techniques implemented take a Western lens, and less attention is given to the emerging context and its context-specific characteristics in such implementation. This study takes the theoretical lens of Kolb and proposes the key learnings for a successful online transition to assessment in emerging contexts.
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