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This paper aims to investigate relationship conflicts and creative idea endorsement to develop the understanding of managerial reactions towards ideas of those who develop relationship conflicts with managers/supervisors at work. Taking a contingency perspective, the authors also investigated role subordinates’ political skills and implementation instrumentality play in determining supervisors’ endorsement of subordinates’ creative ideas.

The authors used two sources of data collected from 243 subordinates and their respective 41 supervisors of a multinational software company operating in an emerging economy (Pakistan) and analyzed the hypothesized model with Mplus using random coefficient modeling.

With this research, the authors contributed to management literature by investigating how the effects of relationship conflicts on creative idea endorsement depend on subordinates’ political skills and implementation instrumentality. They postulate a negative relationship between relationship conflict and creative ideas endorsement and predict that this negative relationship is augmented by subordinates’ implementation instrumentality but attenuated by subordinates’ political skills. They also give directions to decision makers in organizations that they must inform the managers/supervisors about negative effects of their relationship conflict with their subordinates and train supervisors and subordinates about reducing their relationship conflicts with each other for mutual benefits.

Organizations should take a relationship perspective when creating an environment for creativity: an environment based on mutual trust and respect so that exchange relationships can foster. With this research, the authors extended the list of potential detriment associated with relationship conflicts, that is the endorsement of creative ideas by supervisors. The authors also extended creativity literature by investigating social relationships for selection-focused creativity (idea endorsement) instead of variance-focused creativity (idea generation).

The purpose of this paper is to examine the non-linear impact of defence spending on economic growth for the USA, the UK and Russia by using quarterly frequency from 1992 to 2014.

The unit root property is tested by ADF and PP unit root test. Further, BDS test is applied to test the linear independence. To verify the results of BDS test, we apply short and long-run symmetry test. The cointegration non-linear relationship is examined by NARDL approach. Further, Multipliers predict the speed of adjustments by considering the nonlinearity.

The short and long-run symmetry test confirms the existence of asymmetry in all countries. Further, asymmetric cointegration is confirmed through Wald statistics of Pesaran and Banerjee for all countries. The long-run asymmetric coefficient predicts negative and significant impact of defence spending on economic growth for the USA and the UK, but, these impacts were positive and significant in the case of Russia. The multiplier effect of defence spending on economic growth confirms the findings of NARDL model.

This study contributes in existing literature by applying newly developed non-linear ARDL approach, including a Wald test for long and short-run symmetry, asymmetric cointegration and asymmetric long run parameters in case of the USA, the UK and Russia.

To explore the fusion of dust particles and of polymers in a viscous liquid is the main purpose of this article. Newtonian fluid as a base fluid is considered and the mutual presence of polymers and dusty bodies is investigated. It discusses the steady laminar flow and heat transportation of a polymeric dusty liquid induced by a uniformly heated, penetrable and stretchable surface inside the boundary layer.

The mathematical system incorporates separate equations of energy and momentum for dusty bodies and for fluid. The classical Oldroyd-B model is chosen for exploring polymer presence. For the fluid phase, this model adds another stress to the conservation law of momentum. Appropriate similarity variables are introduced to transform the system of partial differential equations (PDEs) into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The problem is solved by introducing a numerical iterative procedure which turned out to be fastly converging.

Expeditious changes inside the boundary layer cause polymers to deform. No changes outside the boundary layer are noticed on account of polymer stretching. The dependence of heat transfer rate and skin friction on the parameter of polymer concentration and Weissenberg number is analyzed and displayed graphically against interaction parameters for temperature and velocity, dust particles’ mass concentration, Eckert and Prandtl numbers. Combining effects of polymers and dust particles cause skin friction to decrease and heat transfer rate to increase. Increasing values of interaction parameter for velocity, dust particles’ mass concentration and Eckert number reduces the drag coefficient and local Nusselt number. On the other hand, the Prandtl number and interaction parameter of temperature magnify the heat flux at the wall.

This article studies the infinite extensibility of polymers. FENE and FENE-P models can be used to investigate the polymer presence in dusty fluids in the future.

In this article, the authors’ aim is to study the combined presence of polymers and dusty bodies. Keeping the existing literature in view, this type of fusion is not studied yet. Polymer inclusion in a viscous dusty fluid is studied and the behavior of fluid flow and heat transportation is investigated within the boundary layer over a permeable linearly stretching sheet.

The paper aims to systematically collect and review the literature on work from home (WFH) and libraries. Another objective of the review is to identify the services professionals offered while WFH, tools used, challenges and opportunities in this connection.

The study consulted four databases, namely, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts, to collect and review the literature on the topic. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline was used to select the eligible studies for this review. A total of 27 studies out of 1,571 were considered eligible for the study. The authors also consulted Boynton and Greenhalgh (2004) guide for assessing the quality of the reviewed research. All types of studies and except books were selected for the review. However, the researchers did not apply the time limitation.

The research identified that libraries provided various services, including Mystery Box, live chat and 24-hour service, using different tools, including MS Teams, Zoom and Google Meet, while WFH. The study shared different challenges and opportunities identified from the reviewed literature, for libraries.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review conducted to systematically collect and review the literature produced on WFH in terms of libraries regarding offered services, tools used to serve the users, challenges and opportunities. The review filled the literature gap and shared implications for library professionals and related stakeholders.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the tannase-assisted extraction of tea stem pigment from waste tea stem, after which the stability of the purified pigment was determined and analyzed.

The extracting process was optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM) approach. Material-liquid ratio, temperature and time were chosen as variables and the absorbance as a response. The stability of the tea stem pigment at the different conditions was tested and analyzed.

The optimized extraction technology was as follows: material-liquid ratio 1:20 g/ml, temperature 50°C and time 60 min. The stability test results showed that tea stem pigment was sensitive to oxidants, but the reducing agents did not affect it. The tea stem pigment was unstable under strong acid and strong alkali and was most stable at pH 6. The light stability was poor. Tea stem pigment would form flocculent precipitation under the action of Fe²⁺ or Fe³⁺ and be relatively stable in Cu²⁺ and Na²⁺ solutions. The tea stem pigment was relatively stable at 60°C and below.

No comprehensive and systematic study reports have been conducted on the extraction of pigment from discarded tea stem, and researchers have not used statistical analysis to optimize the process of tannase-assisted tea stem pigment extraction using RSM. Additionally, there is a lack of special reports on the systematic study of the stability of pigment extracted from tea stem.

Analyzing and reducing entropy generation is useful for enhancing the thermodynamic performance of engineering systems. This study aims to explore how polymers and nanoparticles in the presence of Lorentz forces influence the fluid behavior and heat transfer characteristics to lessen energy loss and entropy generation.

The dispersion model is initially used to examine the behavior of polymer additives over a magnetized surface. The governing system of partial differential equations (PDEs) is subsequently reduced through the utilization of similarity transformation techniques. Entropy analysis is primarily performed through the implementation of numerical computations on a non-Newtonian polymeric FENE-P model.

The numerical simulations conducted in the presence of Lorentz forces provide significant insights into the consequences of adding polymers to the base fluid. The findings suggest that such an approach minimizes entropy in the flow region. Through the utilization of polymer-MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) interactions, it is feasible to reduce energy loss and improve the efficiency of the system.

This study’s primary motivation and novelty lie in examining the significance of polymer additives as agents that reduce entropy generation on a magnetic surface. The author looks at how nanofluids affect the development of entropy and the loss of irreversibility. To do this, the author uses the Lorentz force, the Soret effect and the Dufour effect to minimize entropy. The findings contribute to fluid mechanics and thermodynamics by providing valuable insights for engineering systems to increase energy efficiency and conserve resources.

Business process (BP) reengineering is defined as reinventing BPs either structurally or technically to achieve dramatic improvements in performance. In any business process reengineering (BPR) project, process modeling is used to reason about problems found in existing (as-is) process and helps to design target (to-be) process. BP model notation is a widely accepted standard for process modeling. “Expressiveness” and “missing formal semantics” are two problems reported to its modeling practices. In existing studies, solutions to these problems are also proposed but still have certain limitations. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

In proposed methodology, a meta-model is formally defined that is composed of commonly used modeling elements and their well-formedness rules to check for syntactic and structural correctness of process models. Proposed solution also check semantics of process models and allows to compare as-is and to-be process models for gap identification which is another important aspect of BPR. To achieve the first goal, Z specification is used to provide formal specifications of modeling constructs and their rules and Z3 (an SMT solver) is used for comparisons and verifying properties.

Proposed method addresses both “expressiveness” and “missing formal semantics” of BPR models. The results of its evaluation clearly indicate that using formally specified meta-model, BPR model is syntactically and structurally correct. Moreover, formal modeling of BPs in Z3 helped to compare processes and to check control flow properties.

Although the proposed method is tested on an example that is widely used in BPR literature, the example is only covering modeling elements which are part of the proposed subset and are reported in literature as frequently used modeling elements. A separate detailed study is required to test it on more complex systems.

Specifying process models using Z specification and Z3 solver requires certain expertise.

The proposed method adds value to BPR body of knowledge as it proposes a method to ensure structural and syntactic correctness of models, highlighting the importance of verifying run time properties and providing a direction toward comparing process models for gap analysis.

This study aims to examine the impact of employees' satisfaction with human resource management (HRM) practices (i.e. training satisfaction, performance appraisal satisfaction and pay satisfaction) on work engagement and subsequently employee turnover intentions. The mediating role of work engagement between employee satisfaction with HRM practices and turnover intentions is also assessed.

Data were collected from Malaysian oil and gas (O&G) professionals. A total of 442 useable questionnaires were obtained for the final data analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed to test the hypothesised relationships.

The findings indicate that training satisfaction and performance appraisal satisfaction are the key drivers of employee engagement at work. Work engagement in turn has a negative impact on employee turnover intentions. Furthermore, work engagement mediates the relationship between employees' satisfaction with HRM practices (i.e. training satisfaction and performance appraisal satisfaction) and turnover intentions. Nevertheless, it did not have any mediating effect on pay satisfaction and turnover intention.

Training plans should be designed to make the relevant jobs more attractive and fulfilling, thus increasing employees' level of work engagement. Besides, ensuring that the appraisal system is fair is pivotal to work engagement. Work engagement will cultivate a strong sense of emotional attachment between employees and employers, thus reducing the turnover intention of Malaysian O&G professionals.

To date, little has been done on employees' satisfaction with HRM practices with respect to their attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. The present study enhances our understanding of the importance of employees' satisfaction with HRM practices and its relation to employees' work engagement and turnover intentions.

Organizations worldwide are integrating sustainability into their operations to reduce the damage they do to the environment and to earn a better reputation in society. Scholars have acknowledged the role of environmental transformational leadership (ETL) in creating pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). The manufacturing sector has shown interest in accepting an environmental management system (EMS) and fostering a mechanism for what is called perceived support organizational support for the environment (POSE). Voluntary PEBs taking the form of organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment (OCBE) increasingly interests researchers because it is important for the success of the EMS in the manufacturing sector. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of the EMS and POSE in the relationship between ETL and OCBE within ISO14001-certified Malaysian manufacturing firms.

A quantitative design was used based on a positivist approach. The data of 216 manufacturing firms were targeted using random probability sampling via a survey questionnaire. Later, the data were analyzed through the structural equation modeling (SEM) method using the SmartPLS 3.3.3 software.

Research findings confirmed a significant direct positive relationship between ETL and OCBE. Also, they confirmed the mediating role of the EMS and POSE in the relationship between ETL and OCBE among ISO14001-certified Malaysian manufacturing firms.

This research has vital ramifications for both managers and organizations. Manufacturing firms should modify the traditional OCB towards pro-environmental OCBE using key antecedents, e.g. ETL, EMS and POSE.

The study analyzed the impact of ETL on OCBE through the mediating role of PSOE and the EMS. Here the focus is on the impact of OCBE key antecedents, i.e. ETL, EMS and POSE in predicting OCBE among ISO14001-certified Malaysian manufacturing firms.

This study aims to assess the quality of care among adult oncology patients in tertiary care hospitals in Karachi by using an international standard of quality of care and to identify domains where improvement is needed.

This is a cross-sectional study carried out at two tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan, belonging to private and public sector, respectively, between February and April 2018. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a modified questionnaire having five-point Likert scale questions regarding satisfaction of patients with doctors, nursing staff, information provided and the hospital standards. SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis, and the results were expressed using mean, frequencies, percentages and p-values.

The authors approached 415 patients, out of which 389 patients agreed to participate in the study. For both hospitals, the lowest mean scores were for sections pertaining to satisfaction with psychosocial support and information provided. The mean satisfaction score of patients from the private hospital were found to be significantly higher as compared to patients from the public hospital for all domains of patient care (p-value < 0.01 using t-test for two independent samples). The data showed an increasing trend of “satisfied” responses as the household income increased.

A comparative study should be conducted with the aim of pinpointing the differences in areas in which there is a significant difference in positive satisfaction levels between private and public sectors. Similar research could also be expanded adding other variables that affect quality of care such as doctor's approach to their patients, time given during each consultation and patient's understanding of doctor's knowledge. Further studies can be done to bridge the gaps between what a doctor views as standard care and what the patient knows will help them receive a more holistic approach to care.

Assessing the quality of care helps determine gaps in care and allocating health resources accordingly. In clinical practice, emphasis needs to be given on increased duration and improved quality of patient counselling to improve the low satisfaction levels of patients regarding the psychosocial support. Addressing patients' concerns should be made part of clinical teaching from an undergraduate level. As far as patient access to doctors of the specific speciality is concerned, hospital managements should adopt systems to ensure continuum of care and come up with mechanisms to bridge the discrepancy between a patient's needs and doctor availability.

After being identified as a major deficiency, training doctors in the sensitivities of the population and demographics, especially with respect to socio-economic statuses, can aid in enhancing patient satisfaction to the treatment. Implementation of patient-centred care leads to greater satisfaction with care, which, in turn, increases a patient's self efficacy in managing important aspects of their care and improves health care-related quality of life.

Cancer patients have long-term exposure to the hospital environment. A patient's satisfaction with the quality of care is an important determinant in patient compliance to the treatment protocol and required hospital visits. There is a dearth of research on the outpatient quality of care in the oncology departments in Karachi. This study provides an overview of the quality of care available to cancer patients in Karachi both in public and private sectors. The results of our study identify the gaps in the quality of care being provided to the patients in a developing country like Pakistan, which can be used to improve the quality of care, leading to better patient outcomes.