Charitha Sasika Hettiarachchi, Nanfei Sun, Trang Minh Quynh Le and Naveed Saleem
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed many challenges in almost all sectors around the globe. Because of the pandemic, government entities responsible for managing health-care resources…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed many challenges in almost all sectors around the globe. Because of the pandemic, government entities responsible for managing health-care resources face challenges in managing and distributing their limited and valuable health resources. In addition, severe outbreaks may occur in a small or large geographical area. Therefore, county-level preparation is crucial for officials and organizations who manage such disease outbreaks. However, most COVID-19-related research projects have focused on either state- or country-level. Only a few studies have considered county-level preparations, such as identifying high-risk counties of a particular state to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to prioritize counties in a state based on their COVID-19-related risks to manage the COVID outbreak effectively.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, the authors use a systematic hybrid approach that uses a clustering technique to group counties that share similar COVID conditions and use a multi-criteria decision-making approach – the analytic hierarchy process – to rank clusters with respect to the severity of the pandemic. The clustering was performed using two methods, k-means and fuzzy c-means, but only one of them was used at a time during the experiment.
Findings
The results of this study indicate that the proposed approach can effectively identify and rank the most vulnerable counties in a particular state. Hence, state health resources managing entities can identify counties in desperate need of more attention before they allocate their resources and better prepare those counties before another surge.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to use both an unsupervised learning approach and the analytic hierarchy process to identify and rank state counties in accordance with the severity of COVID-19.
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Choon Sen Seah, Yin Xia Loh, Mohammad Falahat, Wing Son Loh and Ahmad Najmi Amerhaider Nuar
The exponential rise of digital payments has underscored the critical importance of digital payment security, particularly in payment gateway systems. This chapter delves into the…
Abstract
The exponential rise of digital payments has underscored the critical importance of digital payment security, particularly in payment gateway systems. This chapter delves into the vulnerabilities within these systems and proposes a comprehensive security enhancement framework to address them. Recent security breaches, such as those at SONY and Ontario’s birth registry, have emphasised the urgent need for improved protective measures. The proposed framework integrates advanced technologies like data encryption, next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), unified threat management (UTM), network traffic analysis, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). It aims not only to defend against current cyber threats but also to remain adaptable to future vulnerabilities, ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of transactional data. Moreover, aligning with regulatory standards such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is crucial for building trust and ensuring security in the digital transaction ecosystem. This chapter also highlights the importance of balancing security measures with user experience and advocates for user education and user-centric security solutions. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are proposed for real-time fraud detection and maintaining immutable transaction records, offering innovative solutions to contemporary security challenges. Empirical analysis supports the efficacy of the proposed framework, showing improvements in data loss prevention, user satisfaction, and fraud mitigation. This framework, termed ‘Guardians of Trust’, represents a paradigm shift in payment gateway security, providing a scalable and forward-looking model that balances robust security protocols with user experience and compliance considerations. This chapter contributes significantly to the academic discourse on digital payment security.
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Naveed Saleem and Abbas N. Azad
Brain drain inflicts serious economic and social hardships on developing countries. Consequently, these countries resort to such measures as governmental regulations and economic…
Abstract
Brain drain inflicts serious economic and social hardships on developing countries. Consequently, these countries resort to such measures as governmental regulations and economic incentives, which aim to slow down emigration of their skilled professionals. However, these measures prove generally ineffective. Furthermore, predictive research on brain drain finds only further increase in, rather than any decline of, the exodus of skilled professionals from developing countries, which exacerbates the brain drain problem. This paper advocates the use of expert systems to alleviate the scarcity of expertise caused by brain drain. The use of expert systems for this purpose appears logical, because these systems have been successfully used to combat similar problems in developed countries.
Abbas N. Azad, Alton S. Erdem and Naveed Saleem
Information technology can play a strategic role at micro as well as at macro — organizational and national‐levels. Developed countries have extensively benefitted from this…
Abstract
Information technology can play a strategic role at micro as well as at macro — organizational and national‐levels. Developed countries have extensively benefitted from this technology at both levels. Can developing countries duplicate this experience with the technology and thereby foster healthy economic environment within their boundaries and strengthen their abilities to compete in the global markets? This paper addresses this issue. The paper evaluates the prevalent applications of information technology in developing countries, deliberates the potential of the technology, and presents a framework for realizing this potential. The framework proposes strategies to assure smooth and accelerated diffusion of technology in organizations. Importantly, the framework points out the factors, unique to developing countries, that must be addressed in technology planning and implementation. Ignoring these factors may result in failed systems and continued technological disadvantage.
Imran Anwar, Naveed Yasin, Mohd Tariq Jamal, Muhammad Haroon Rashid and Imran Saleem
This study aims to investigate how work overload, resulting from full-time telecommuting, aggravates telecommuting accounting professionals’ burnout via the mediation of work…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how work overload, resulting from full-time telecommuting, aggravates telecommuting accounting professionals’ burnout via the mediation of work exhaustion. Further, the study also tests the conditional moderation effect of psychological capital on the association between work exhaustion and burnout, proposing that it becomes least severe for employees who perceive a high level of psychological capital.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted using a sample of 322 employees from Big Four accounting firms, and the measurement model was established using confirmatory factor analysis. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and model-14 in the PROCESS Macro for SPSS.
Findings
The results confirmed that work overload directly and indirectly (via the mediation of work exhaustion) aggravates employees’ burnout. However, psychological capital negatively conditions the mediating effect of work exhaustion on burnout such that the aggravating effect of work overload on burnout, via the mediation of work exhaustion, gets least severe (insignificant) for those employees who perceive a high level of psychological capital.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature on work overload-induced “work exhaustion burnout” association and offers suggestions for implications.
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Sundas Nisar, Naveed R. Khan and Mustafa Rehman Khan
The purpose of this study was to determine how environmentally specific transformational leadership (ETFL), green training (GT) and psychological green climate (PGC) affect…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine how environmentally specific transformational leadership (ETFL), green training (GT) and psychological green climate (PGC) affect environmental passion (EP) of employees which leads to pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs).
Design/methodology/approach
The context of the study was set in textile industry of Pakistan which holds a promising future in the international markets as an emerging export-based industry. Using purposive sampling technique, cross-sectional self-report data were collected from the employees of textile exporting firms (n = 239) of Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested using PLS-SEM.
Findings
The findings revealed that ETFL and PGC act as important predictors of EP, whereas GT plays no role in influencing EP. EP predicts green behavioral intention (GBI) of employees, in turn, GBI predicts employees' PEBs. Further, mediation analyses revealed that EP and GBI sequentially mediated the link between PGC and PEBs.
Research limitations/implications
The present study is not free from its limitations. First, the study adopted cross-sectional design that prevents the causal inferences which the researcher can make from the population. Second, the present study adopted purposive sampling technique which is a non-probability sampling technique. Third, the constructs of this study were assessed with self-report measures which are associated with social desirability bias (Podsakoff and Organ, 1986) or common-method variance (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Hence, this research suggests on the future direction of research based on these limitations.
Practical implications
As per the results of this study, it is also suggested that managers may focus more on the overall organizational and psychological climate rather than on leadership styles alone. While conducting training, the leaders must pay close attention to training objectives to ensure that they do not lead to counterproductive behaviors.
Originality/value
This research adds to the literature in the area of PEBs at micro-level by focusing on how and why employees engage in PEBs.
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Saif Ullah, Mehwish Jabeen, Muhammad Farooq and Asad Afzal Hamayun
The relationship between idiosyncratic risk and stock return has been debated for decades; this study reexamined this relationship in the Pakistani stock market by using the…
Abstract
Purpose
The relationship between idiosyncratic risk and stock return has been debated for decades; this study reexamined this relationship in the Pakistani stock market by using the quantile regression approach along with the prospect theory.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study is quantitative, and secondary data obtained from an emerging market are used. The quantile regression method allows the estimates of idiosyncratic risk to vary across the entire distribution of stock returns, i.e. the dependent variable. In this study, the standard deviation of regression residuals from the Fama and French three-factor model was used to measure idiosyncratic risk. Convenience sampling is employed; the sample consists of 82 firms listed on the KSE-100 index, with 820 annual observations for the ten years from 2011 to 2020. After computing results by using quantile regression, the study's findings, ordinary least squares (OLS) and least sum of absolute deviation (LAD) regression techniques are also compared.
Findings
The quantile regression estimation results indicate that idiosyncratic risk is positively correlated with stock returns and that this relationship is contingent on whether prices are rising or falling. Consistent with the prospect theory, the finding suggests that stock investors tend to avoid risk when they anticipate a loss but are more willing to take risks when they anticipate a profit. The results of the OLS and LAD regressions indicate that the method typically employed in previous studies does not adequately describe the relationship between idiosyncratic risk and stock return at extreme points or across the entire distribution of stock return.
Originality/value
These empirical findings shed new light on the relationship between idiosyncratic risk and stock return in Pakistani stock market literature.
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Asfandyar Khan, Ahsan Nazir, Abdur Rehman, Maryam Naveed, Munir Ashraf, Kashif Iqbal, Abdul Basit and Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood
This review deals with the pros and cons of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on human beings and the role of textile clothing and the chemicals used for textiles to protect from their…
Abstract
Purpose
This review deals with the pros and cons of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on human beings and the role of textile clothing and the chemicals used for textiles to protect from their harmful effects.
Design/methodology/approach
UV radiation (UVR) which has further divided into UVA, UVB, and UVC. Almost 100% of UVC and major portion of UVB are bounced back to stratosphere by ozone layer while UVA enters the earth atmosphere. Excessive exposure of solar or artificial UVR exhibit potential risks to human health. UVR is a major carcinogen and excessive exposure of solar radiation in sunlight can cause cancer in the lip, skin squamous cell, basal cell and cutaneous melanoma, particularly in people with the fair skin.
Findings
This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the harmful effects of UVR on human skin, factors affecting UV irradiance and factors affecting UV protection offered by textile clothing.
Originality/value
Effect of fiber properties, yarn properties, fabric construction, fabric treatments and laundering has been reviewed along with the identification of gaps in the reported research. A comparison of inorganic and organic UV absorbers has also been given along with different testing and evaluation methods for UV protective clothing.
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Naveed Iqbal Chaudhry, Usama Ilyas and Amer Sohail
Neglected communities, such as transgender individuals in developing nations like Pakistan, face substantial barriers to economic participation due to diverse economic and social…
Abstract
Purpose
Neglected communities, such as transgender individuals in developing nations like Pakistan, face substantial barriers to economic participation due to diverse economic and social conditions. This study aims to explore the role of inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems in enhancing entrepreneurial intentions among these communities, emphasizing the mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating effect of entrepreneurial education.
Design/methodology/approach
Using social cognitive theory and the theory of planned behavior, the research adopts a questionnaire survey methodology with a sample size of 308 to gather data from transgender individuals engaged in or interested in entrepreneurship. The analysis was conducted using AMOS and SPSS software.
Findings
The results show that inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems directly enhance psychological capital but do not significantly affect entrepreneurial intentions unless psychological capital acts as a mediator. Entrepreneurial education does not illustrate a significant moderating effect on the connection between inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and entrepreneurial intentions.
Originality/value
These findings highlight the significance of psychological resources in transforming environmental supports into entrepreneurial action, proposing significant insights for policymakers and educators to foster more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems aligned with sustainable development goals. This study contributes to the discussion on entrepreneurship among underserved populations and demonstrates the vital role of personalized educational and environmental supports in developing economic participation.
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Naveed Imran and Maryiam Javed
Particular attention is given to the viscous damping force parameter, stiffness parameter, rigidity parameter, and Brinkman number and plotted their graph for thermal…
Abstract
Purpose
Particular attention is given to the viscous damping force parameter, stiffness parameter, rigidity parameter, and Brinkman number and plotted their graph for thermal distribution, momentum profile and concentration profile.
Design/methodology/approach
In the field of engineering, biologically inspired propulsion systems are getting the utmost importance. Keeping in view their developmental progress, the present study was made. The theoretical analysis explores the effect of heat and mass transfer on non-Newtonian Sisko fluid with slip effects and transverse magnetic field in symmetric compliant channel. Using low Reynolds number, so that the authors neglect inertial forces and for keeping the pressure constant during the flow, channel height is used largely as compared to the ratio of wavelength. The governing equations of fluid flow problem are solved using the perturbation analysis.
Findings
Results are considered for thickening, thinning and viscous nature of fluid models. It is found that the velocity distribution profile is boosted for increasing values of the Sisko fluid parameter and porous effect, while thermal profile is reducing for Brinkman number (viscous dissipation effects) for all cases. Moreover, shear-thicken and shear-thinning behavior of non-Newtonian Sisko fluid is also explained through the graphs.
Originality/value
Hear-thicken and shear-thinning behavior of non-Newtonian Sisko fluid is also explained through the graphs.