Prolonged lockdown as a part of the community mitigation steps to control the spread of the corona virus has led to massive work reorganization throughout the world. Companies as well as individuals are attempting to adjust to this new world of work. Organizations have shifted substantial parts of their work for certain sets of jobs to a "work from home (WFH)" format. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between WFH) work engagement and perceived employee happiness. WFH work engagement was hypothesized to be influenced by WFH autonomy, WFH convenience, and WFH psychosocial safety. All of the constructs were adapted from established scales. Convenience sampling was used for data collection as, under the circumstances, this was the only viable method. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used for data analysis. Results from this study indicate that WFH work engagement was able to predict a 23.9% variance in perceived happiness, while exogenous constructs, such as WFH autonomy, WFH convenience, and WFH psychosocial safety, were able to predict a 25.2% variance in WFH work engagement. Further f2 effect size (0.313) between WFH work engagement and happiness indicates high effect size. In order to assess the predictive relevance of the model, a blindfolding procedure was used to obtain Q2 values. Q2 values greater than zero indicate that the model has predictive relevance.
Purpose Prolonged closure of educational institutions prompted authorities to adopt online teaching as an alternative method to impart education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the readiness on the part of teachers to switch/adopt online teaching as a part of their pedagogy. Also, this study analyses relationship between perceived stress (PS) and readiness to change (RTC)/adopt.
Design/methodology/approach All the constructs were adapted from established scales, exploratory factor analysis confirmed item loadings on the appropriate constructs. Convenience sampling was used for data collection; owing to COVID-19 this appeared to be the only viable method. Partial least square structural equation modelling was used for analysis of data.
Findings Results from this study indicate that 32.2% variance in RTC is accounted for by exogenous constructs perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and autonomy (AUT). Although f2 effect size pointed towards non-significance of AUT in predicting RTC (path coefficients were found to be significant for all the exogenous constructs). Also, RTC accounted for 32.6% variance in PS. To assess the predictive relevance of the model, blindfolding procedure was used to obtain Q2 values (Q2PS = 0.231; Q2RTC = 0.243). Positive Q2 values provide support for the model's predictive relevance.
Research limitations/implications Data were collected from teachers employed in urban public schools. A complete picture can be obtained by involving teachers from rural public and state-run schools.
Practical implications Teachers' readiness to adopt online teaching as a part of their pedagogy may act as a starting point for the policymakers to design properly structured training programs for teachers that minimise stress levels.
Social implications If not handled properly, the society may end with either loss of learning to one generation or a major chunk of stressed-out teaching populations or both.
Originality/value To the best of the author's knowledge, this study is probably the first one focusing on sudden shift to online teaching and PS.
In a country whose economy is strong, the number of vehicles on the roads is bound to increase. The increasing number of vehicles on the roads should be considered as a necessary evil. The problem of automobile pollution seriously harms the air quality and ultimately becomes a serious threat to human life. An attempt has been made to highlight the various measures taken by the government for pollution control and the commendable effort of the judiciary through this research paper. In addition, new emission standards, problems related to their implementation and future roadmap with alternative fuels and changes needed for better control of automobile pollution hazard are also discussed.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan had historically consisted of multifaceted junctures under the rubric of populism which had found existence in religion and civil-military relations, influencing the political discourse in the country. The architect of an independent Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, popularly revered to as 'Quaid-i-Azam' played a critical role in inaugurating the social contract recognised in the 'Two Nation theory' as a differential principle between the Hindu and Muslim civilizations, hostile to each other, with a lack of common co-existence values to be shared under the aegis of a unified nation. The two-nation theory made the Islamic ideology central to the existence of Pakistan, making the Quranic teachings and Sunnah important for the ruling dispensation to be legitimized (Majid, 2014). Though himself a non-sectarian practicing Muslim with a staunch belief in justice for all sects of Islam and religions (Awan, 2020), Md. Ali Jinnah's promotion of the two-nation theory led to the division of India into two separate countries, ultimately leading to the first interval in populism as an antagonistic principle in an independent Pakistan.
The paper begins with the context in which Dalit culture and resistance emerges and the way brahmanical social order tries to maintain their status quo through established cultural inequalities with the dominance of power and knowledge. By invoking different claims of dominant epistemologies re-articulated by Dalit intellectuals and locating the cultural past of Dalit humiliation, this paper examines the anti-caste discourse and the Dalit cultural resistance from the colonial and postcolonial time. With an attempt to bring in the intersections of Dalit and cultural studies, the paper argues that by challenging brahmanical cultural knowledge production, Dalits can reclaim power and knowledge in relation with the 'politics of difference'. The Dalit aesthetic decenters the cultural production and circulation of the hitherto grand narratives. Further, it attempts to de-brahmanize the established disciplinary space by bringing the discourse of Dalit experience of caste and humiliation into mainstream academia. Lastly, drawing from the interdisciplinary context, the paper has elaborated the possibility of the making of a field of Dalit Cultural Studies as a step forward- a newer way for the cultural resistance of the oppressed.
PurposeThe current research has dual motives. Firstly, this study aims to evaluate the effect of gamification on the behavioural intention (BI) of the young female consumers to use online websites for making purchases. Secondly, it examines the role of social interaction and perceived enjoyment (PE) – two antecedents that are considered to have an impact on the female buying behaviour in e-commerce.Design/methodology/approachA model is developed based on the technology acceptance model. The conceptual framework is augmented with additional constructs such as gamification, PE and social interaction. Data from a survey of 898 female respondents from India was collected to assess the proposed framework. The study uses partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to empirically validate the model.FindingsGamification exhibits a favourable influence on BI of young female consumers. Gamification also has a favourable and an indirect influence on BI through social interaction and PE. Although, gamification has a significant influence on perceived usefulness, the latter has no impact on the BI. The BI of using an online shopping website is directly associated with the buying intention. The online retailers need to offer an enjoyable and interactive experience to the female consumers so that the influence of gamification is sustainable.Originality/valueThe current research enlarges the ambit of gamification in the e-commerce segment, an area where empirical research is sparse. It highlights the significance of social interaction and PE as mediators. To the best of the author's knowledge, gamification's influence on female online buying behaviour has never been analysed before and hence different segmentation and marketing strategies are required to cater to their unique needs.
Despite the introduction of mechanical circulatory assist systems in India two decades ago, there has not been their wide usage due to two main reasons: (1) economic-financial unaffordability and (2) lack of social support. There have been a number of significant steps taken by the government and by the media for augmenting awareness for organ donation. A sizeable donor pool in India falls into the category of marginal donors, due to a variety of reasons like geographical distances, lack of rapid transport, suboptimal donor management due to the lack of resources, and trained manpower in hospitals where donor harvest is done. Consequently, the usage of the heart as a donor organ is less than 20% in India. There is a lack of statistical data regarding the usage of heterotopic heart transplants, due to the absence of a registry, since the procedure is rarely performed, and comparative results are difficult to obtain due to different subsets of both donors and the recipients. The original papers by Barnard and Cooper cannot be extrapolated in the modern context, as these publications were in the pre-cyclosporin era. Orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) is a well-established and commonly utilized procedure for patients with end-stage heart failure. Heterotopic heart transplantation (HHT) is a surgical procedure that allows the graft to be connected to the native heart in a parallel fashion to provide a kind of biological biventricular or univentricular (left ventricular support). It was performed first in human beings by Barnard in 1974 [S, J., 49:, Afr, Med, 1975, 303–12].
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to examine the female consumer's intention to shop online. The rising number of female online shoppers has compelled the analysts and online vendors to believe that understanding the attitude and behaviour of the female consumers is very crucial for their growth.
Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model is proposed that expands the theory of reasoned action (TRA) with three additional constructs, namely, trust, convenience and customer service. The proposed model is examined with the help of questionnaire responses collected from 909 online shoppers from India.
Findings The paper empirically shows that there is a significant influence of attitude, convenience, customer service and subjective norm on the female consumer's intention to buy online. Customer service acts as the most crucial factor in influencing the attitude of female consumers towards online shopping. The paper also points out that trust does not directly affect the female's intention to shop online but indirectly influences it through attitude.
Practical implications The paper has significant implications for practitioners. First, the results advocate that convenience and customer service are the vital antecedents to both behavioural intention and behavioural attitude. Second, the paper also showcases that trust influences behavioural intention indirectly through attitude, stressing the need for the online retailers to develop consumers' trust in online shopping.
Originality/value The paper examines TRA framework in the context of female online shopping, while earlier studies have concentrated completely on efficiency-based software tools like word processing, spreadsheets, etc. The integration of the three constructs – trust, convenience and customer service – in the TRA framework has not been studied in the past. The interaction effect of the different elements of customer services on the female consumer behaviour has never been examined in the previous research works.