The Black Swan for Green Supply Chain Management in Pakistan

For the last few decades, the business practices have primarily been focusing on the green and sustainable practices that mainly focus on the preservation of the environment and correspond to corporate social responsibility. But the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has left unprecedented effects on the business world. Against this backdrop, the current study entails investigation of the antecedents and consequences of green supply chain management in the post-COVID-19 era. The term black swan stands true for the event. The term could be believed to be accurate as all aspects of the supply chain have been observed to be influenced by the swan (customers with panic/regulated buying, suppliers with hoarding, inventories witnessing bullwhip effects). The current study, therefore, offers a novel explanation by linking various actors of green supply chain management and how the interplay of those actors can influence the supply chain and overall firm performance post COVID-19.

Exploring the role of policy actors in the implementation of social distancing: a case of COVID-19 in Pakistan

Purpose: At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the absence of pharmaceutical agents meant that policy institutions had to intervene by providing nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). To satisfy this need, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued policy guidelines, such as NPIs, and the government of Pakistan released its own policy document that included social distancing (SD) as a containment measure. This study explores the policy actors and their role in implementing SD as an NPI in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted the constructs of Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to explore the implementation of SD as a complex and novel healthcare intervention under a qualitative study design. Data were collected through document analysis and interviews, and analysed under framework analysis protocols. Findings: The intervention actors (IAs), including healthcare providers, district management agents, and staff from other departments, were active in implementation in the local context. It was observed that healthcare providers integrated SD into their professional lives through a higher level of collective action and reflexive monitoring. However, the results suggest that more coherence and cognitive participation are required for integration. Originality/value: This novel research offers original and exclusive scenario narratives that satisfy the recent calls of the neo-implementation paradigm, and provides suggestions for managing the implementation impediments during the pandemic. The paper fills the implementation literature gap by exploring the normalisation process and designing a contextual framework for developing countries to implement guidelines for pandemics and healthcare crises. © 2023, Muhammad Fayyaz Nazir, Ellen Wayenberg and Shahzadah Fahed Qureshi.

Exploring the Impact of Remuneration on Advertising Value & Attitudes: A Perspective During the Covid-19 Crises

The study investigates the impact of an unexplored motivational construct i.e., remuneration, on consumers' attitudes towards social media advertising (CATSMA). It proposes that this underlying relationship is mediated by perceived social media advertising value (PSMAV). The research takes under consideration the pandemic era of Covid-19, where the dependency on digital transactions has accelerated. Consumer responses are undertaken virtually by the young and dynamic audience of Pakistan, who consume social media as a way of life. The research deploys a variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM), by using a partial least squares (PLS) approach in the form of SmartPLS 3. The results show that remuneration plays an instrumental role in enhancing the value of advertising and also developing desirable consumers' attitudes on social media. The findings also reveal that advertising value exerts a significant impact on users' evaluative criteria and also mediates the relationship between remuneration and underlying attitudes. This empirical research is one of the embryonic social media investigations undertaken in a Pakistani context, transforming through the covid crisis.

Impact of Vaccination on Symptomatology among COVID-19 Infection and Re-infection

Background: Present indications proposed strong bases that people suffered from SARS-CoV-2 infection are still susceptible to re-infection. Studies proposed that one of the COVID-19 viral vector vaccine and two genetic mRNA vaccines presented generous defense for COVID-19 infection as well as persisted effectively against mutated variants. Aim(s): To observe the impact of vaccination symptomatology among patients presented with COVID-19 infection for the first time and compared it with those of re-infected cases during 5th wave in Pakistan Methods: This descriptive study included a total of 248 patients were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Patients themselves or their attendants receiving reports from the counter of various laboratories were targeted. A verbal informed consent was taken before data collection. Following information about, job nature, side effects after vaccination, comorbidities, level of symptoms (i.e. mild, moderate and high) Results: A total 248 patients consisting of 52.0% females and 48.0% males with overall mean age of 35.96+/-17.94 years. A total of 37.5% patients were re-infected further proportion of male gender 46.2% and 29.5% were females. Proportion of re-infection in fully vaccinated group remained to be 35.5%, partially vaccinated as 43.9% and unvaccinated as 42.9%. ANOVA was applied to compare the severity of symptoms with full, partial and unvaccinated patients. Conclusion(s): Lack of discernable variations in protection against COVID-19 re-infection were observe through vaccination or prior infection. Ultimately trends show an enhancement in level of protection from re-infection was shown as prior infection alone, partial vaccination and full vaccination respectively. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of Non-Invasive Ventilation with Awake Prone in Covid-19 Related-Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome at Covid-19 Isolation Hospital Muzaffarabad

Background: Despite its widespread usage, invasive positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) has a dismal track record in COVID-19 patients with SARDS. Currently, there is a paucity of evidence supporting the usefulness of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in the treatment of severe ARDS, as well as a significant risk of aerosol formation in patients with COVID-19 infection. Objective(s): This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of NIPPV administration to COVID-19 patients. Method(s): The trial included 130 participants with moderate tosevere ARDS based to the Berlin criteria (PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 200mmHg, GCS > 13, respiratory breathing index (RBI) of 105, and no systemic issues). They were treated with NIPPV with awake proaning up to 12 hours per day at a hospital in Muzaffarabad. The addition of a heat and moisture exchanger (HME) and viral/bacterial filters to the expiratory limb of the ventilator circuit represented a minor improvement. Result(s): In an average of six days, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio indicates that the severity of ARDS has improved from moderate/severe to mild in 64 percent of patients. 36 percent of individuals who had a defined airway experienced IPPV or failure of NIV. During the study period, 1 % the of healthcare workers (HCW) were infected with COVID19. The delivery of NIPPV was associated with claustrophobia, nasal crusting, aspiration, and barotrauma (0.7 percent). Conclusion(s): In selected patients, NIV with awake proaning up to 12 hours per day can be employed to give respiratory support without the need for IPPV, hence eliminating the need for IPPV in those patients. However, larger-scale investigations are required to validate our findings. Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

Impact of health-related internet use on disease management behavior of chronic patients: Mediating role of perceived credibility of online information

During the last two decades, Internet use has increased in all parts of the world. Although, the trend of actively using the Internet for seeking health-related information was already on the rise, it accelerated soon after the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the increased use of the Internet for health decisions, serious concerns have been raised due to fake or misinformation. This study aims to determine the impact of Internet use for gathering health-related information on the disease management behavior of patients and to identify the mediating role of perceived credibility of online information. The study surveyed 200 chronic disease patients with diabetes and hypertension from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, Pakistan. It is concluded that overall health-related Internet use has a positive impact on the disease management behavior of chronic disease patients. The study further confirms the mediating role of the perceived credibility of online information. Patients who are frequent users of the Internet for health information, who perceive online information more credible, reported better disease management behavior as compared to the less frequent users and those who perceive online information less credible.

Willingness of Medical Students to Volunteer for Assisting Frontline Doctors During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To assess the willingness of medical students to volunteer for assisting frontline doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted from 12th June 2020 to 20th July 2020 on medical students of Rawalpindi Medical University. Materials and Methods: An online survey was conducted among 282 undergraduate medical students selected via convenience sampling. SPSS version 25 was used for analysis. Results: More than half of the participants (52.1%) were unwilling to volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of those who wanted to volunteer preferred to do so by providing indirect healthcare via telemedicine. The most popular reason for preferring to volunteer was an ethical inclination to help the frontline workforce. The main barriers towards volunteering included the possibility of being vectors for viral transmission, consuming personal protective equipment that healthcare personnel needed, and contracting COVID-19. No significant association was found between gender (p=0.567), age group (p=0.793), year of study (p=0.911), or boarder/non-boarder status (p=0.243), and willingness to volunteer. Conclusion: The majority of medical students were unwilling to volunteer for assisting frontline doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Islamic International Medical College, Riphah International University. All rights reserved.

A Healthcare System for COVID19 Classification Using Multi-Type Classical Features Selection

The coronavirus (COVID19), also known as the novel coronavirus, first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. After that, it quickly spread throughout the world and became a disease. It has significantly impacted our everyday lives, the national and international economies, and public health. However, early diagnosis is critical for prompt treatment and reducing trauma in the healthcare system. Clinical radiologists primarily use chest X-rays, and computerized tomography (CT) scans to test for pneumonia infection. We used Chest CT scans to predict COVID19 pneumonia and healthy scans in this study. We proposed a joint framework for prediction based on classical feature fusion and PSO-based optimization. We begin by extracting standard features such as discrete wavelet transforms (DWT), discrete cosine transforms (DCT), and dominant rotated local binary patterns (DRLBP). In addition, we extracted Shanon Entropy and Kurtosis features. In the following step, a Max-Covariance-based maximization approach for feature fusion is proposed. The fused features are optimized in the preliminary phase using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and the ELM fitness function. For final prediction, PSO is used to obtain robust features, which are then implanted in a Support Vector Data Description (SVDD) classifier. The experiment is carried out using available COVID19 Chest CT Scans and scans from healthy patients. These images are from the Radiopaedia website. For the proposed scheme, the fusion and selection process accuracy is 88.6% and 93.1%, respectively. A detailed analysis is conducted, which supports the proposed system efficiency. © 2023 Tech Science Press. All rights reserved.

Impact of the project manager's transformational leadership, influenced by mediation of self-leadership and moderation of empowerment, on project success

Purpose: In times of crisis and volatility, especially in the Covid-19 scenario, project organisations are facing multifaceted threats. Project organisations are inclining towards flatter organisational structures. Employees are demanding more decision-making authority due to the changing working scenario. Despite the advancement in project management, a hard skill side, project organisations are still struggling to achieve successful projects. The project manager's leadership, employee self-leadership and soft skills are presented as the solution to these aggravated problems. This article attempts to determine whether a transformational leadership style can influence project success, directly and indirectly through employee self-leadership. Design/methodology/approach: The author raises the hypothesis, supported by social cognitive theory, that transformational leadership impacts project success directly and indirectly through self-leadership. Data were collected from 289 project team members in the IT sector, and the proposed relationships were assessed through Partial least squares structural equation modelling PLS-SEM. Findings: Results show that a project manager's transformational leadership behaviour and employee self-leadership positively impact project success. Additionally, self-leadership mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and project success. Lastly, empowerment demonstrated significant moderation for self-leadership and project success, and for transformational leadership and project success. Research limitations/implications: In this study, one obvious methodological limitation is a cross-sectional design. Future research can be performed while adopting a longitudinal research design. Another conceptual limitation of the model is that the authors did not include all transformational leadership dimensions, which can be considered for future studies while replicating this research model. Another future front can be by examining other leadership styles. Another research limitation may be the single source data collection, a future study may be conducted by several sources for data collection to adequately test both of the leadership styles at different hierarchies and for project success. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the literature by finding that, in crises, a project manager's transformational leadership style enhances project success. In practice, project managers are needed to adopt transformational behaviour and encourage employee self-leadership and empowerment. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Exploring the Barriers to Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Case of Pakistani Students from HEIs Higher Education Institutions

The main objective of this study is to explore various barriers preventing students in Pakistani universities from learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying a qualitative research design, twelve (12) in-depth interviews were conducted with business school students, selected at undergraduate and graduate levels from six (06) universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. With thematic analysis, various themes emerged from the interview data. Based on the findings, students who live in rural areas are more affected by online le arning during the COVID-19 pandemic than students in urban areas due to identified barriers and, most importantly, lack of technology infrastructure. The findings of this study will be helpful for policy makers including government and educational community to conduct and deliver smooth online education in the country during the pandemic.

Severity of Disease and Outcomes in Vaccinated and Non Vaccinated Covid patients in District Muzaffarabad AJK

Aim: Covid infection after first and second dose of vaccination was assessed in comparison to unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2 infection patients. Methodology: Patients were divided into two groups: Those who had not got any immunizations and those who had received vaccines that were prescribed. Individuals who have taken second dose of either the mRNA vaccine or the viral vector vaccine and have a positive COVID-19 within 14 days of receiving their second dose are deemed fully immunised. Results: Among 180 patients, the males were 75% and 25% was females. In our study, 16.7% (30/180) patients still suffered from COVID-19 despite of the fact that they were vaccinated, but the ratio of immune patients was greater i.e. 83.3% (150/180).The severity of the symptoms in vaccinated patients was much lesser and in some cases almost nil. 144/180 (80%) patients did not suffer from any severe symptoms after vaccination. 33/180 (18.3%) patients showed moderate symptoms while 3/180 (1.7%) showed severe symptoms. In the analysis of severity of symptoms of non vaccinated patients, 70% (126/180) showed severe symptoms, 25% (45/180) showed moderate and 5% (9/180) patients showed low symptoms. Conclusion: People without vaccination have more severe symptoms whereas COVID patients with vaccination had a reduced mortality rate and milder symptoms.

Assessment of Mortality and Morbidity in Covid patients with Previous Pulmonary Pathology of SKZH/CMH and Covid Isolation Hospital Muzaffarabad, AJK

Aim: To study the severity of symptoms, rates of mortality and morbidity in COVID patients with and without previous pulmonary pathology. Methodology: The cohort study consisted of 244 patients and nearly all the individuals had underlying diseases. Data collection forms included demographic data, medical history, history of exposure to infection, symptoms, signs, laboratory findings, HRCT results, treatment measures especially history of corticosteroid use, and duration of illness. Results: In 244 patients, 180 patients were having the pulmonary pathology and other 64 were having no pulmonary pathology. 77.2% (139/180) of the patients showed severe symptoms in the previous pulmonary pathology while 21.8% (10/64) showed severe symptoms in the group with no pulmonary pathology. 16.1% (29/180) patients died because of COVID and were also having pulmonary pathology. While 10.9% (7/64) patients died in the group having no pulmonary pathology. Conclusion: In this study, 16.1% patients died of COVID with pulmonary pathology. While 10.9% patients died having no pulmonary pathology. 77.2% of the patients showed severe symptoms with previous pulmonary pathology while 21.8% showed severe symptoms with no pulmonary pathology.

Coronaviruses and COVID-19 - complications and lessons learned for the future. (Special Issue: Coronaviruses and COVID-19- Past, Present, and Future.)

Despite the earlier two Coronavirus outbreaks, this appearance of the third Coronavirus outbreak has brought several complications and now emerged as a human-health related pandemic issue. The wide geographical spread and transmissibility of newly emerged novel-Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) raised serious concerns about the future trajectory of the 2019-nCoV/COVID-19 outbreak. Herein, we have briefly covered some important aspects of the 2019-nCoV/COVID-19 outbreak to highlight the need to learn lessons for a safer future. First, an epidemiological comparison of respiratory viral infections with particular reference to 2019-nCoV is given with relevant examples. Following that, considering the earlier two Coronavirus outbreaks, the emergence of another new 2019-nCoV is given. Finally, the lesson learned, so far, and key concerns for pandemic impact assessment at large and COVID-19, in particular, are discussed for future considerations.