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Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19-related job insecurity on two types of employees’ behaviors: family undermining and withdrawal. This study also proposes emotional exhaustion as a mediator and symmetrical internal communication as a moderator in the relationship between COVID-19-related job insecurity and employees’ behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Using a time-lagged design, data were gathered from 193 employees working in Pakistan’s hospitality sector. Structural equation modeling in AMOS and PROCESS Macro were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results show that COVID-19-related job insecurity is positively related to family undermining and withdrawal behaviors, and these associations are mediated by emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, symmetrical internal communication weakens the positive influence of COVID-19-related job insecurity on emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the indirect impact of COVID-19-related job insecurity on employees’ behavioral outcomes via emotional exhaustion is stronger for employees with low symmetrical internal communication than for those with high levels of symmetrical internal communication. Practical implications Hospitality management needs to focus on transparent and horizontal communication patterns to reduce the ensuing negative behaviors from COVID-19-related job insecurity. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impact of COVID-19-related job insecurity on two types of employees’ behaviors: family undermining and withdrawal. This study also offers new insights via mediating mechanisms and moderators associated with the relationship between COVID-19-related job insecurity and employees’ behavioral reactions.

PurposeDrawing on the dual process model of ideology and prejudice, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether, how and when a supervisor's Machiavellianism leads to subordinates' perceptions of abusive supervision. In doing so, the authors also explore the mediating role of the supervisor's competitive world views and the moderating role of subordinates' performance on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical model was tested using three sources of data from supervisors, their subordinates and the organization. Hierarchical linear model analysis was run on supervisor and subordinate dyadic data for testing whether subordinates' performance moderated the mediated relationships or not.FindingsThe results suggest that the supervisors' competitive worldviews explain the positive link between their Machiavellianism and subordinates' perceptions of abusive supervision. The results highlight that the mediation effect of supervisors' competitive worldviews on the link between their Machiavellianism and their subordinates' perceptions of abusive supervision is more pronounced when subordinates' performance is low than when it is high.Research limitations/implicationsThis research contributes to the authors’ knowledge of the link between supervisors' Machiavellianism and abusive supervision, and how the toxic influence of their Machiavellianism is mediated by supervisors' competitive worldviews.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature on abusive supervision and personality by studying the role of personality as an antecedent of abusive supervision. Further, this study used subordinates' performance as a contextual variable for understanding abusive supervision.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the underlying cognitive mechanisms between interpersonal justice and creativity. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical model was tested through survey method in two distinct settings, i.e. student teams and organizational setting. Findings This study found evidence that interpersonal justice has an indirect relationship with creative behavior through two distinct paths of psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability in Study 1 and through psychological availability in Study 2. The results clarify and support the proposition in the justice literature that interpersonal fairness is relevant to creativity because of its relationship to risks associated with creativity, and that this affect holds when controlling for procedural, distributive and informational justice (Study 2). Research limitations/implications The results suggest that interpersonally fair supervision has a significant influence on employees’ creativity. Fair supervisory treatment adds value to the organization and contributes to the well-being of employees by directly influencing perceptions of psychological engagement factors of meaningfulness and availability of resources. Originality/value This study contributes to the justice, creativity and psychological engagement literatures by exploring the mechanisms linking organizational justice and creativity in a non-Western context.

PurposeThe authors investigated a psychological process that links characteristics of events related to the coronavirus disease (2019) COVID-19 pandemic (i.e. perceived novelty, disruptiveness and criticality) to compassion fatigue [(CF), a form of caregiver burnout] and subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nurses.Design/methodology/approachAdministering two online surveys (October and November 2020) resulted in matched data from 175 nurses responsible for patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsPerceived disruptiveness and criticality of COVID-19 events were positively associated with nurses' CF, which also mediated those characteristics' effects on PTSD instigated by COVID-19. Contrary to the authors' hypothesis, the perceived novelty of COVID-19 events was not significantly associated with CF nor was the indirect effect of perceived novelty on PTSD mediated by CF.Originality/valueThe authors extend event system theory by investigating the psychological processes linking event features and resultant outcomes while providing practical implications on preparations for future unexpected and potentially life-altering events.

Purpose of the Study: This paper explores suppression and conflicts projected through the linguistic choices used by the characters in Moth Smoke. The chief argument of the study is to analyze as to how the less powerful are suppressed through language and how far such discourses give rise to conflicts and cause an imbalance in society. Methodology: The study uses Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a methodological and theoretical framework. The role of CDA is to expose the evils constructed in a piece of literature. It provides the essential tools for analyzing social evils and injustices. As the novel is replete with social inequalities and injustices, CDA is proper for the critical investigation of the evils understudy. Principal Findings: Most of the time, the powerful strive to control the institutions while the powerless have no access to basic needs. The study explored the themes of suppression of the powerless strata of society. It also explored the theme of conflict due to the unequal distribution of wealth and privileges in society. Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke (2000) depicts the Pakistani society constructing the distinction between the two classes described in the novel. Application of the Study: This research will help teachers and students who wish to analyze literary pieces objectively. This research is helpful to bring to light the suppression of the powerless by the powerful, power exercise, and conflict between the two social groups through the use of language. Novelty/Originality of the Study: Hamid’s Moth Smoke has been analyzed from many perspectives, but the current study explores suppression, conflict, and power abuse from the standpoint of CDA. The study is not descriptive but critical as well as explanatory, which makes it original and unique.

Javed Ihsas is a prominent contemporary Pashto poet, critic, and columnist. He writes poetry with the new spirit and style of the modern critical theories of literature and philosophy. In his verses, we can observe the elements of Modernism and Post-modernism as well. In this study, we explored the post-modernist elements in his poetry, especially in his Pashto poetic collection titled Ayina. The word 'Ayina' is a Pashto word that means 'The Mirror'. The very title of the collection gives a symbolic representation in the sense that it depicts a realistic picture of society. This study is an attempt to examine the Post-modernist elements in his poetry by using a post-modernist approach. The poet touches on the elements of post-modernism in his poetry such as the element of social construction; the notion that ideas, politics, and language are socially constructed, consumerism, postponement, etc. This study explores the post-modernist elements in Javed Ihsas’ poetry which are will prove a beacon light for the young poets.

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine frontline employees' self-monitoring personality as an antecedent of their emotional exhaustion and how supervisor-rated performance mediates this relationship. In addition, the authors explored the moderating role of perceived competitive climate on the indirect relationship between self-monitoring and emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachTwo hundred and thirty-seven frontline employees and their immediate supervisors working in hospitality organizations responded to the survey using time lagged research design. Measurement model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis to assess the distinctiveness of study constructs, and proposed moderated mediation model was tested using Process macro.FindingsResults show that high self-monitoring leads to high supervisor-rated performance, and this relationship is stronger in highly competitive work climate. The supervisor-rated performance was negatively related to emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the interaction effects of self-monitoring and perceived competitive climate on frontline employees' performance and emotional exhaustion, particularly in the frontline jobs. Supervisor-rated performance has not been previously theorized or researched as an underlying mechanism of the effect of self-monitoring on emotional exhaustion.

Objective: Consumption of crude natural products like plants and herbs for mitigation or treatment of illnesses usually accompanied with inconsistent therapeutic effects because of poor solubility and low bioavailability of active phytochemical(s) in addition to product instability. To overcome all of above mentioned drawback ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaf was formulated as standardised solid dosage form. Methods: Different types of materials as an adsorbent, surfactant and other necessary excipients were tested to be use in formulation of Moringa granules utilising wet granulation method. The formulated Moringa granules was then evaluated for organoleptic properties and physical characteristics, in vitro dissolution test, compatibility, drug content, heavy metal tests and microbial limit tests. Additionally, the in vivo anti-inflammatory against Carrageenan-induced paw oedema and anti-arthritic activity against CFA-induced arthritis were also assessed. Results: 95% ethanol extract of M. oleifera leaves was successfully formulated as standardised granules for oral administration utilising simple and low-cost techniques. Dissolution rate for the marker compounds was increased by an average of 1.076 fold. Animal groups given the prepared Moringa granules showed an improvement in the anti-inflammatory activity and the anti-arthritic activity compared to animal groups given crude extract at the same dose level. Additionally, all the treatment groups showed a significant difference at P

Drawing on conservation of resource theory, this study proposes the relationship between university students' perceived techno-overload, burnout, and academic performance, while also hypothesizing the mitigating influence of peer support and ICT personnel support on the aforementioned relationships. Through multiple moderated regression analyses and conditional process analysis, our hypotheses were tested on a sample of 261 university students. Results indicate that techno-overload has a positive effect on students’ burnout which negatively affects their academic performance. Based on three-way moderated mediation analysis, the direct effect of techno-overload on burnout and indirect effect on academic performance are strongest in low peer and ICT personnel support conditions while the negative effect of techno-overload on students’ academic performance is weakened in the presence of high support (both peer and ICT personnel). This study highlights the importance of multiple sources of support for students’ academic performance considering the unavoidable nature of techno-overload that the majority of students are facing with the advent of the COVID pandemic.

The study employed the theoretical approach of indigenization by Kachru in Ahmed Ali’s Twilight in Delhi. Indigenization is one of the fundamental components of decolonization adopted by post-colonial linguists to familiarize a local language in a race against the dominant language of colonizers (Kilickaya, 2009). Through this tool of indigenization, post-colonial writers and more specifically, Ahmed Ali represented the native culture, flora, and fauna of the sub-continent in the selected work to bring about a reconciliatory approach between the languages of the colonizer (English) with the language of inhabitants of the sub-content (Urdu). Therefore, the novelist indigenized the English language by weaving and embedding indigenous figures of speech, local terminologies, idioms, proverbs, and translation of compacted concepts of English and Urdu languages into each other in an endeavor to combat with the western thought. Hence, the article delves into the novel to unfold the multicultural reconciliatory approach that is possible only at the time when the voices of the indigenous language and culture are accommodated by the dominant language and culture of the colonizers. Arguably, the portrayal of reconciliation of the two languages and cultures in the sub-continent during the rule of the British in the novel may introduce a more pluralistic approach to survive in the modern world of globalization. The findings may help reach a better understanding between an indigenous language and an international language in the same culture in which local culture and language get equal manifestation.

This paper aims at analyzing Shadad Zeest Hashmi’s poem ‘You are chained’ with a special focus on the foreground. The tools of foregrounding i.e. parallelism and deviation are surfaced that attract the attention of the reader for hidden messages related to the socio-political scenario of Pakistan, Kashmir, and India. Thus the miserable plight of the Kashmiris is encompassed through stylistic devices which are peculiar to Hashmi’s poetry. Foregrounding is the tool through which one can analyze a piece of literature having so many deviations and code-switching. The main aim of the study is to bring to the fore the local poets writing in English. The research is based on this intention to strike the attention of new researchers to criticize as well as to appreciate our local poets for their encouragement. On the other hand, research on Pakistani literature in English is an emerging area of investigation that is why, it is hoped, that this paper will prove to be an encouraging step ahead for future scholars.

This critical discourse study explores power and gender issues discursively constructed in Bapsi Sidhwa’s The Pakistani Bride. The study aims to examine gender issues in the tribal patriarchal social system in Pakistan. The novel understudy critically explored the abuse of power in a patriarchal society. Lazar’s concept of Feminist critical discourse analysis and Fairclough’s approach to critical discourse analysis has been chosen to examine the main issues faced by women in remote areas of Pakistan. Fairclough’s (1989) model has been adopted as a method for the analysis of the selected excerpts taken from the text of the novel. The analysis of the text has been made on the ground to explore women's marginalization, patriarchal hegemony, and power exercise in Pakistan’s remote areas.

Foreign language anxiety is a distinct variable particular to language learning and it has debilitative effects on the learning and production of language. The current study aims to explore the perspectives of Pakistani postgraduate non-major English language students specifically regarding classroom-related factors that may contribute to their speaking anxiety (SA). A questionnaire was administered to 170 students and aiming to find a more comprehensive explanation of their SA, 20 students were interviewed. Quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS while exploratory content analysis was followed to analyze the qualitative data. Findings highlight several classroom-related sources of SA namely; a formal classroom environment, oral tests, fear of negative evaluation, large classrooms, fear of being put on the spot, short time granted to formulate answers, and unfamiliarity among classmates. The last four sources of SA have not been mentioned earlier in the field of SA. Implications and recommendations are offered for language teachers and material designers. Finally, recommendations for future studies are given.

The aim of the study is to explore the role of dialogic teaching, based on Bakhtin's concept of 'Dialogism', in developing critical thinking among students of intermediate level in District Bannu. The experimental research design was used in the study. Data was collected from the pre and post-tests of an experimental study, which was carried out on the 12th grade class of a public sector college. For this purpose, a pretest-posttest control group design was selected. In this design, the control group and treatment group were administered pre and posttests, but treatment was provided to the treatment group only. The test was designed to assess the critical thinking of the treatment group. The data from an experimental study was analyzed through paired sample t-test. The mean value of the difference between post-test and pretest of the treatment group is 7.16129, which indicates that the performance of the treatment group improved significantly, proving the positive role of dialogic teaching.

This paper deals with the critical exploration of Power in the Pashtun society depicted in Hamid Khan’s Badmash. The story was published in The Journal of the English Literary Club Department of English, University of Peshawar, Pakistan, and session 1982-1983. The story portrays the realistic picture of the Pashtun society where there is the rule of the powerful. Those who commit crimes and murders can grab every lucrative opportunity. They get very influential. This badly affects the younger generation as they are negatively influenced. Hamid Khan has a critical eye on the evils prevailed in the society. The researchers used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as the tool for critical investigation of the selected lines, passages, or excerpts which contain power exercise in every shape such as power through language, wealth, or through bodily strength. In this regard, Fairclough’s (1989) Three Dimensional Model (TDM) of CDA has been adopted for the analysis of the text.

The concept of evil is foregrounded in most of the poems of Khan. This paper focuses on the theme of evil in its variant shapes that are foregrounded in Khan’s poetry. For this purpose, both the collections of Khan, “Velvet of Loss” and “Pale Leaf (Three Voices)” are used for the data under study. Only those poems are selected that bear the foregrounded theme of evil. The poems that foreground the evil are Octopus, I Won’t Talk, The Dawn, The City, In a Café, Labyrinth, Nostalgia, Nemesis, Eclipsed Moon, Space-Scape, and Inertia. The presence of evil that negatively shapes the human condition is indirectly projected for making the reader taking interest which, in turn, compels them to become conscious of their plight in the present and terrifying dangers in the future. This consciousness, ultimately, leads to the reformation of society. In this regard, Khan can be taken as a great reformer of the society who carries a sense of sympathy and empathy through his terse and stenographic style. Lastly, this paper will guide local researchers for furthering research in the area of Pakistani Literature in English. In this regard, local voices will be analyzed for local issues and problems.

No doubt, the importance of English cannot be denied, but at the same time, mother tongue has also due importance concerning one's culture and understanding basic concepts at schools at primary level. This paper is an attempt to prove the importance of mother tongue as a medium of instruction at the primary level in District Bannu. The data were collected from students’ focal groups of fifty classrooms from ten schools. Two questions were asked in each subject from the focus groups to check their concept of the subject. Similarly, among the teachers, thirty respondents were interviewed in the Parents-Teachers Meeting (PTM) to find out their views about the efficacy of mother tongue instructions at the primary level. In this connection, parents were also interviewed. The results showed that among the students whose concept was clear, eighty percent of students were those who were taught in their mother tongue whereas twenty percent of students were those who were taught in English. Again, among the thirty teachers, eighty-five percent felt comfortable with teaching in the mother tongue whereas fifteen percent of teachers showed positive inclination towards teaching in a second language. Lastly, parents also felt at ease with the mother tongue instructions as they conveyed that their children go to school with zeal. Thus, mother tongue instruction proved helpful at the primary level. This study will also prove helpful to other researchers in the future for conducting similar studies in other districts.

This paper is an attempt to explore powerlessness in the discourses of Mohsin Hamid’s novel Moth Smoke (2000)' from the perspective of Fairclough's Three Dimension Model (TDM). The main issue of the paper is to examine the communicative process as to how and why the powerless are made to feel inferior. It is a common practice in today's society that in social gatherings a man always wants to show higher which in most of the cases is exercised through language. As analyzing texts through CDA carries objectivity, so the text understudy yielded the theme of powerlessness projected through the word choice of the writer. Through the analysis of the selected discourse, two-class have been found i.e. the upper class and the lower class. They are represented as powerful and powerless respectively. The elites enjoy a luxurious life but the poor often turn to be criminals. Because of this scenario, Fairclough's approach to CDA is quite an appropriate perspective to explore such social issues enacted in the society.

This paper analyses the parallel words that occur in various poems of Hamid Khan in the collection, “Velvet of Loss”. These words are: night, bird, dream, dawn, life, mist, dusk, and hope. The analysis of the words is based on foregrounding that is subcategorized as deviation and parallelism. Here, for the sake of brevity and restrictions of the space, only parallelism is taken into consideration and that too is delimited to the frequency of the above mentioned words in various poems of the entire collection, “Velvet of Loss”. These words are tabulated with the page numbers of the book and frequency of repetition. Moreover, these words are also shown in the 3-D pi-chart so that their frequency could be highlighted in percentage as well. This is done in order to make it reader-friendly. In addition, the words are contextualized and taken into consideration with reference to the time frames of past, present and future. Lastly, the socio-cultural implications that are foregrounded are also mentioned. This article will lead other researchers to novel directions to probe into Pakistani poetry in English. This will add to their methods of objective analysis.