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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between uncertain political events and Pakistani Stock Markets from May 1999 to December 2011.

Using the mean-adjusted return model and event study methodology and by comparing the market efficiency between the two government style, i.e. autocratic and democratic, the authors determined that how uncertain political events are affecting Pakistani Stock Markets.

The empirical result shows that political events have an impact on the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) returns. Moreover, the paper derives from the results that the KSE is inefficient for a short span of time, after 15 days KSE absorbs the noisy information. The political situation in Pakistan was more stable in autocratic government structure than in democratic structure but it is difficult to state that the stock markets are more efficient in Autocracy because only few events took place during an autocratic regime and magnitude of events was not same in the autocratic and democratic government structure.

This study is unique in its nature as it examines the effect of multiple political events on stock market returns in Pakistan simultaneously and is expected to contribute significantly in the capital market literature of Pakistan in particular.

This study aims to investigate the effect of the copresence of ferrous (Fe²⁺) ions and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the activity of an amylase enzyme during the desizing of greige viscose fabric for potential industrial applications. The removal of starches is an essential step before processing the fabric for dyeing and finishing operations. The authors tend to accomplish it in eco-friendly and sustainable ways.

The experiments were designed under the Taguchi approach, and the results were analyzed using grey relational analysis to optimize the process. The textile properties of absorbency, reducing sugars, bending length, weight loss, Tegawa rating and tensile strength were assessed using the standard protocols. The control and optimized viscose specimens were investigated for certain surface chemical properties using advanced analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).

The results demonstrate that the Fe²⁺ concentration and process time were the main influencing factors in the amylolytic desizing of viscose fabric. The optimized process conditions were found to be 0.1 mm Fe²⁺ ions, 3 mm SDS, 80°C, 7 pH and 30 min process time. The copresence of Fe²⁺ ions and SDS promoted the biodesizing of viscose fabric. The SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, XRD and TGA results demonstrated that the sizing agent has efficiently been removed from the fabric surface.

The amylase desizing of viscose fabric in the presence of certain metal ions and surfactants is a significant subject as the enzyme may face them due to their prevalence in the water systems. This could also support the biodesizing and bioscouring operations to be done in one bath, thus making the textile pretreatment process both economical and environmentally sustainable.

The authors found no report on the biodesizing of viscose fabric in the copresence of Fe²⁺ ions and the SDS surfactant under statistical multiresponse optimization. The biodesized viscose fabric has been investigated using both conventional and analytical approaches.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the synergy between sectoral output, energy use and CO₂ emission with other factors for a panel of South Asian economies including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The analysis is done using annual panel data from 1980–2019 using dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), fully modified OLS (FMOLS) and Toda-Yamamoto techniques.

Empirical findings reveal the existence of a statistically significant long-run cointegrating relationship between energy use, sectoral output such as agricultural, industry and service gross domestic product (GDP), globalization, urbanization and CO₂ emission. DOLS and FMOLS result posits that in the case of the South Asian region agriculture GDP does not contribute to increasing CO₂ emission while service and industrial GDP is responsible for increasing CO₂ emission along with urban population, energy use and to some extent globalization. More remarkably, the contribution of the service GDP is greater than the other two sectoral outputs in increasing CO₂ emission with a feedback hypothesis.

As CO₂ emission is a global phenomenon with a cross-boundary effect, these empirical findings might contribute to formulating implementable energy and environmental policies to sustain growth, as well as to protect the environment in the regional context.

The study contributes to the literature by providing an empirical investigation of South Asia incorporating the contribution of sectoral output to understand the potential contribution of each sector on energy and emission. This is the first study on the South Asian context from the perspective of sectoral output, energy and emission.

Taking job demand-resource (JD-R) and self-determination perspective, the current study focused to see how basic need satisfaction (BNS) – as a personal demand – impacts work engagement directly and indirectly through personal resource (i.e. self-efficacy). Moreover, the aim was to test the dimension-wise impact of BNS, i.e. the need for autonomy, need for belongingness and need for competence in the aforementioned relationship.

This research is a time-lagged survey in which three-wave data of 398 white-collar employees were collected from the service and manufacturing sector of Pakistan through convenience sampling. Each wave of data collection was two months apart. The matched responses yielded an overall response rate of 66.33%. The collected responses were duly analysed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Results of the study confirmed all direct and indirect hypotheses encompassing the impact of the combined BNS construct on work engagement via self-efficacy. Nonetheless, in the dimension-wise analysis, the indirect impact of the need for job autonomy on work engagement was not validated. This depicted that the need for competence and relatedness are more important predictors of work engagement through the self-efficacy path.

It has been observed that prior research on work engagement was mainly focused on the role of job demands (JDs) and personal resources; however, the role of personal demands along with personal resources has little been discussed. The authors tested the total as well as the specific impact of each component of basic need on work engagement making it possible to examine the total predicting role of basic need satisfaction and the specific contribution of satisfaction of each need on work engagement.

The pandemic's health and social issues have significantly altered the character and manner of teaching and learning in higher education across the country. The use of technology to replace or integrate face-to-face learning with online learning has become a necessary requirement for promoting and continuing learning processes. Furthermore, integrating technology is a goal of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) to make teaching and learning more innovative and sophisticated. This paper is based on a systematic review grounded in a synthesis of research papers and documents analyzing the current status of teachers' pedagogy through online learning modes in the context of Pakistan.

Through content analyses of academic studies in higher education and reflection on the online teaching experiences, this study discusses how students' learning is associated with teachers' teaching approaches in the modern era of digitalization and innovation.

The review and analysis suggest that online teaching is not viewed as an innovative phenomenon; rather, teachers simply teach their traditionally designed face-to-face courses through the use of technology. The paper suggests that transforming teachers' pedagogical insight to make online learning sustainable is an urgent need for higher education.

The analysis provides a basis for consideration of teacher learning and quality education (SDG #4) to fulfill the nation’s agenda for sustainable development. The analysis helps educators and administrators in higher education institutions reflect on their policies and practices that have short- and long-term effects on students' learning outcomes.

Previous investigations into the connection between strategic orientation (SO) and firm performance (FP) have generated inconsistent outcomes. The authors aim to reconcile and explain these varying results through the application of a mediated moderation model. The purpose of this paper is to explore how SO and strategic flexibility (SF) could create the possibility of improving FP. The indirect effect of SO was also tested in this study. Furthermore, by using the moderated mediation model, the authors also investigated the moderating role of strategic human resource management (SHRM).

This study adopted the empirical research method, collecting data through questionnaires by a two-wave and multi-source data collection approach. The sample consisted of 188 firms from Shandong and Fujian Province in China. SPSS was used to test the research hypotheses.

This study examines how and when SO enhances FP by considering SF as a critical mediator and SHRM as an important contingency of the mediation effect. The results revealed that SO positively affects SF and FP in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, the mediating role of SF between the relationships of SO and FP was also confirmed. Moreover, SHRM strengthens the connection between SO, SR and FP.

This study contributes to the SO literature by revealing how firms translate their SO-based strategies into positive FP through SF and when this indirect effect is most effective.

The development of green economy is of academic and policy importance to governments and policymakers worldwide. In the light of the necessity of renewable energy to sustain green economic growth, this study aims to examine the relationship between renewable energy consumption and green economic growth, controlling for the impact of trade openness for Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries over the period 1990-2015, within a multivariate panel data framework.

To investigate the long-run relationship between variables, panel cointegration tests are performed. Panel Granger causality based on vector error correction models is adopted to understand the short- and long-run dynamics of the data. Furthermore, ordinary least square (OLS), dynamic OLS and fully modified OLS methods are used to confirm the long-run elasticity of green growth for renewable energy consumption and trade openness. Moreover, system generalized method of moment is applied to eliminate serial correlation, heteroscedasticity and endogeneity problems. The authors used the panel Granger causality test developed by Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) to infer the directionality of the causal relationship, allowing for both the cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity.

The results suggest that renewable energy consumption and trade openness exert positive effects on green economic growth. The results of long-run estimates of green economic growth reveal that the long-run elasticity of green economic growth for trade openness is much greater than for renewable energy consumption. The estimated results of the Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) test reveal bidirectional causality between green economic growth and renewable energy consumption, providing support for the feedback hypothesis.

This paper provides strong evidence of the contribution of renewable energy consumption on green economy for a wide range of countries. Despite the costs of establishing renewable energy facilities, it is evident that these facilities contribute to the green growth of an economy. Governments and public authorities should promote the consumption of renewable energy and should have a support policy to promote an active renewable energy market. Furthermore, the regulators must constitute an efficient regulatory framework to favor the renewable energy consumption.

Many countries focus on increasing their GDP without taking the environmental impacts of the growth process into account. This paper shows that renewable energy consumption points to the fact that countries can still increase their economic growth with minimal damage to environment. Despite the costs of adopting renewable energy technologies, there is still room for economic growth.

This paper provides evidence on the contribution of renewable energy consumption on green economic growth for a wide range of countries. The paper focuses on the impact of renewable energy on economic growth by taking environmental degradation into consideration on a wide scale of countries.

This paper aimed to examine the sources of information and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The COVID-19 pandemic affected at a large level of all social institutions including the healthcare system of the countries.

The study was conducted in Pakistan by using an online survey technique. The rationale to opt for this method was based on the country’s lockdown situations, social distancing and the care of the respondents. A total of 847 individuals from different parts of the Punjab province participated in the study. An attitudinal scale was administered, which consisted of statements to measure (dis)agreement among the individuals on current situations of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ethical considerations and confidentiality of the respondents were opted by describing the purpose of research on the first page of the questionnaire.

The study findings revealed that peer group, signs and symptoms of COVID-19 pandemic and causes and consequences of COVID-19 pandemic had favourable positive effects on the use of PPE by individuals through the mediation of fear of infection during COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the study findings were interpreted as per the effects of current situations of COVID-19 on the sources of information and the use of PPE by individuals.

This study focused on an important gap in the research on COVID-19 pandemic in the country in terms of mass media, health practitioners, peer group, fear of infection and use of PPE.

This study aims to present a sustainable approach in the natural dyeing of cellulose fabric followed by nanosilver finishing through a green crosslinker of citric acid for potential antibacterial surgical gown fabrication.

The nanosilver finish was reproduced using the chemical reduction method. The fabric dyeing was performed on a lab-scale dyeing machine, whereas silver nano-finishing through a pad-dry-cure approach. Citric acid was used as an eco-friendly crosslinker. The specimens were characterized for antibacterial activity, surface chemical, textile, color properties and finish release trend.

The results demonstrated the successful application of curcumin dye followed by silver nano-finishing. The resultant fabric exhibited appropriate textile, dyeing performance indicators, hydrophobic behavior and sustainable broad-spectrum antibacterial activity.

The prepared nanosilver-finished/curcumin-treated fabric expressed desirable properties for potential applications in the fabrication of surgical gowns.

The authors found no reports on an extensive examination of nanosilver finishing on the color parameters of curcumin-dyed cellulose fabric while retaining its textile and comfort properties for possible surgical gown fabrication.

The purpose of this study is to apply silver nanoparticles on the cellulosic fabric via a green cross-linking approach to obtain antibacterial textiles. The cellulosic fabrics may provide an ideal enclave for microbial growth due to their biodegradable nature and retention of certain nutrients and moisture usually required for microbial colonization. The application of antibacterial finish on the textile surfaces is usually done via synthetic cross-linkers, which, however, may cause toxic effects and halt the biodegradation process.

Herein, we incorporated citrate moieties on the cellulosic fabric as eco-friendly crosslinkers for the durable and effective application of nanosilver finish. The nanosilver finish was then applied on the citrate-treated cellulosic fabric under the pad-dry-cure method and characterized the specimens for physicochemical, textile and antibacterial properties.

The results expressed that the as-prepared silver particles possessed spherical morphology with their average size in the nano range and zeta potential being −40 ± 5 mV. The results of advanced analytical characterization demonstrated the successful application of nanosilver on the cellulosic surface with appropriate dispersibility.

The nanosilver-treated fabric exhibited appropriate textile and comfort and durable broad-spectrum antibacterial activity.

The treated cellulosic fabric expressed that the cross-linking, crystalline behavior, surface chemistry, roughness and amphiphilicity could affect some of its comfort and textile properties yet be in the acceptable range for potential applications in medical textiles and environmental sectors.