Yousuf Khan, Mohd. Azam Khan and Shadman Zafar
The primary purpose is to investigate the dynamic relationships among urbanization, energy use and environmental pollution in the context of India from 1971 to 2018. The paper…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose is to investigate the dynamic relationships among urbanization, energy use and environmental pollution in the context of India from 1971 to 2018. The paper also examines the validity of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in the present Indian context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag cointegration test (Shin et al., 2014) to investigate the dynamic relationship among the mentioned variables. The Wald test is also used to statistically check the presence of asymmetry. Additionally, the VECM test is applied to examine the causality among the variables.
Findings
This study documents that urbanization in India is good for environment in the long run, whereas energy consumption is bad for the environment. It also finds that positive and negative shocks of energy and urbanization exert asymmetric impacts on ecological footprint. Furthermore, the results could not validate the EKC hypothesis for India.
Practical implications
The outcome of the study suggests designing an environmental policy which considers the nonlinearity of the investigated relationships and bearing in mind the use of comprehensive indicator like ecological footprint is equally important to address the wide-ranging problem of the environment. Policy reorientation towards the production and consumption of green energy, investment in research and development, and use of efficient technology is very crucial to achieve sustainable outcomes in the long run.
Originality/value
In this study, the researchers use the ‘ecological footprint’ variable to obtain a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of environmental deterioration. The mentioned dynamic relationships are investigated using an improved methodology of the NARDL model, which assumes the asymmetric impact of the explanatory variables on the response variable. The novelty of this study lies in examining the non-linear impact of urbanization and energy on ecological footprint which is inadequately addressed in the context of Indian economy.
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The primary objective of the present study is to figure out the relative effectiveness of alternate public expenditure with regard to agricultural development particularly in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary objective of the present study is to figure out the relative effectiveness of alternate public expenditure with regard to agricultural development particularly in the context of input subsidies vis-a-vis investment. Besides, the authors also endeavour to test the applicability of crowding-out hypothesis in the present context.
Design/methodology/approach
Initially, unit root tests are applied for checking stationarity of the underlying data using Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Kwiatkowski–Phillips–Schmidt–Shin (KPSS) tests. Further, the highly celebrated autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model is applied on annual time series data for the period 1991–2020 to investigate the long-run and short-run impact of the said relationship.
Findings
The authors observe that public investment is more productive than input subsidies for overall agricultural development. Besides, the findings document the existence of crowding-in hypothesis, i.e. complementarity between public investment and private investment in case of the agricultural sector in India.
Research limitations/implications
The outcome of the research recommends to reprioritize state expenditure and reformulate agricultural policy regarding the public financing of agriculture. More to invest and less to subsidize seems a better policy intervention to achieve desirable outcomes from the Indian agriculture in the long run.
Originality/value
This study is novel in the sense that the subsidies vs investment debate is revisited in the current scenario of agricultural development so that resource allocation be optimized. To ensure robustness of the study, the authors specifically took four proxies of agricultural development, namely, productivity growth, private investment, food security and farmers’ income.
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Shadman Zafar, Haroon Rasool and Md. Tarique
The main objective of the present study is to figure out the effect of agricultural development on environmental pollution in the Indian context over the period 1970 to 2018. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of the present study is to figure out the effect of agricultural development on environmental pollution in the Indian context over the period 1970 to 2018. The study also tests the applicability of pollution haven hypothesis.
Design/methodology/approach
To begin with, the authors test the stationarity of the variables by using the DF-GLS and KPSS tests. To examine the relationship between agricultural development and carbon emissions, the study applies nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag cointegration test developed by Shin et al. (2014). The study also applies Wald test to test the asymmetry between agriculture and environmental pollution.
Findings
The findings of this study indicate that agricultural development in India is good for carbon mitigation in the long run whereas energy consumption degrades the environment. The findings document the existence of an asymmetric association between agricultural development and environmental pollution. Furthermore, the results did not find any presence of pollution haven hypothesis for India.
Originality/value
This is the only empirical work that assesses the contribution of agricultural sector to carbon mitigation in the Indian context. The novelty of the study is further ensured by the very nature that it is the first study that examines the effect of agricultural sector on environment in an asymmetric configuration.
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In 2017, companies woke up to realize that they were in the process of being disintermediated by West Coast technology players, from Google, Uber and Amazon to Facebook and Apple…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2017, companies woke up to realize that they were in the process of being disintermediated by West Coast technology players, from Google, Uber and Amazon to Facebook and Apple. Boardroom conversations were all about the need to make a play in technology, and CEOs, CHROs and heads of Talent all began recruiting Chief Digital Officers. However, newly minted Chief Digital Officers have found themselves in new, often strange, and overly ornamental and nonfunctional environments. This paper aims to discuss how to set a Chief Digital Officer up for success.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents interviews with over 100 senior Digital and Workforce Technology executives.
Findings
The emergence of the Chief Digital Officer is fast tracking the evolution of old industries as they compete in a tech-first world. However, without creating a proper support function, many CEOs, CHROs and Heads of Talent will find themselves cleaning up a mess rather than basking in the sun of a digital transformation. Being able to spot what type of workplace IT executive fits your company, along with having the right expectations and support in place for them to be successful, will allow you to have happy, more engaged and more productive employees for years to come.
Originality/value
If you plan to operate in a world of digital innovation and in the process hire a Chief Digital Officer, here are the things you need to know to ensure this executive’s success.
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Muhammad Aqeel, Ammar Ahmed and Tanvir Akhtar
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of psychological problems (stress, anxiety, depression) between hearing impairment (HI) and tinnitus in tinnitus…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of psychological problems (stress, anxiety, depression) between hearing impairment (HI) and tinnitus in tinnitus patients. Sample comprised of 110 patients (male, n=70; female, n=40).
Design/methodology/approach
The purposive sampling technique was used based on correlational design. Two scales, tinnitus handicap inventory developed by Newman et al. (1996), and depression, anxiety and stress scale developed by Lovibond and Lovibond (1995), were employed to assess tinnitus, anxiety, stress and depression among tinnitus patients.
Findings
The study revealed that tinnitus was positively significant correlated with depression (r=0.55, p<0.001), anxiety (r=0.63, p<0.001), stress (r=0.54, p<0.001) and hearing loss (r=0.81, p<0.001). The results also revealed that hearing loss was positively significant predictor for tinnitus (β=20.72, p<0.001). Further, it was revealed that tinnitus was positively significant predicted by anxiety (β=2.62, p<0.001), stress (β=2.33, p<0.001) and depression (β=2.71, p<0.001); the interaction between psychological symptoms and hearing loss was negatively significant predictor for stress (β=−0.51, p<0.001), anxiety (β=−0.57, p<0.001) and depression (β=−0.62, p<0.001). Moreover, it was revealed that female tinnitus patients were more predisposed to stress, anxiety and depression as compared to male tinnitus patients. Results also elaborated that those tinnitus patient who had profound HI were less inclined toward psychological problems as compared to those tinnitus patients who had mild to moderate level of HI. This study would be helpful for the clinical setting to tackle the psychological problems of tinnitus patients.
Research limitations/implications
This study consisted on population from urban cities of Pakistan; therefore, the findings cannot be generalized on overall population. In future, descriptive as well as experimental studies will be beneficial to describe the mechanism of tinnitus across gender in detail. Native tool for measuring gender-related problems would be effective in future as it integrates cultural aspects as well.
Originality/value
There is a consensus across researchers that tinnitus is one of the most important biological problem which initiates various other psychological problem (Minen et al., 2014; Vogel et al., 2014). Numerous studies have been conducted to find out the relationship of tinnitus with various psychological and biological factors (Boi et al., 2012; Li et al., 2014; Marciano et al., 2003; McCormack et al., 2015; Møller et al., 2010; Udupi et al., 2013; Zöger et al., 2006).
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Tuba Fayyaz, Muhammad Imran Qadeer, Muhammad Irfan, Fareeha Amjad, Tamseel Fatima and Shahida Husnain
Phytochemicals are known for their iron chelation ability with no side effects. Lignans and polyphenols in flaxseed have iron-chelating and antioxidant abilities. Therefore, this…
Abstract
Purpose
Phytochemicals are known for their iron chelation ability with no side effects. Lignans and polyphenols in flaxseed have iron-chelating and antioxidant abilities. Therefore, this study aims to assess the ability of flaxseed to reduce iron overload and minimize its negative health effects.
Design/methodology/approach
A randomized control trial was conducted. A total of 96 patients were enrolled in this study and randomized into three groups: two intervention groups had 3 or 7 g of whole flaxseed and a control group took a placebo (gram seeds). Interventions were administered for 12 weeks. A hematological profile, ferritin quantification in serum, and liver function tests were performed to evaluate the effects of flaxseed.
Findings
It was observed that flaxseed with synthetic iron chelators caused a significant reduction in ferritin levels compared with synthetic chelators. The pre-transfusion hemoglobin level was also improved in the intervention group. A significant reduction (p value 0.0003) in ferritin levels among intervention groups indicated that flaxseed reduced the iron overload. It can be concluded that flaxseed reduced iron overload in thalassemia major patients with no side effects and may reduce iron overload solely when taken in adequate quantity.
Originality/value
Although the study targets a non-specific protein-ferritin for the evaluation of iron-overload, the initial ferritin value and reduction in these levels indicate the efficacy of ferritin for reducing iron overload in thalassemia major patients. Moreover, this is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, that demonstrates the iron-chelation ability of flaxseed in thalassemia major patients, suggesting the use of flaxseed for iron chelation.