Employee Well-Being During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Adaptability, Work-Family Conflict, and Organizational Response

Well-being has always been a topic of interest for individuals, organizations, and policy-makers. COVID-19 pandemic made it tremendously relevant as employees were forced to work from home due to the successive lockdowns that governments have implemented to curb the spread of the virus. This crisis has raised concerns about employees’ well-being due to the implementation of these tight measures. In the present study, we examined the direct and indirect effects of employees’ adaptability, work-family conflict, and organizational response on employees’ well-being through the mediating role of perceived stress. Data have been collected from 184 employees working in various organizations in Malaysia and analyzed using Smart-PLS Structural Equation Modeling with the bootstrapping procedure. The results indicated that organizational response, work-family conflict, and adaptability directly affect perceived stress and well-being, except for organizational response, which has no direct effect on well-being. Furthermore, it was found that perceived stress mediates the relationship of organizational response and work-family conflict with well-being but not adaptability

Agents of Socialization among Gulf Arab Youth

In the contemporary sense of the term, political socialization in the Arab Gulf is a recent phenomenon. The literature on the area has been essentially of a historical or journalistic nature. Empirical studies of social change, especially in the advent of the oil era, have only begun to appear. This paper will attempt to study some of the causes and consequences of these changes which are unique in many ways. (1) An empirical investigation of the process of socialization will seek to answer some specific questions : 1. What are the agents of socialization? 2. What role do they play in shaping the attitude of the citizen? 3. To what extent have these socialization agents changed and influenced Arab culture in the drive toward modernity? 4. What is the role of ,the state in promoting some agents over others? 5. Is there evidence of fragmentation in the state? 6. What are some of the orientations of the youth

Fuel Production Using Membrane Reactors

The constant increase in population has led to greater fossil fuel consumption, and subsequently a significant increase in greenhouse gases emission to the atmosphere. This presents a serious threat to the environment and impacts climate change to a great extent. Fossil fuel supplies are depleting fast, and the price of these fuels is also increasing due to their heightened demand. The environmental concerns regarding this are the increased emissions of harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and hydrocarbons. Here we review the alternative fuel technologies which are currently employed to aid the eradication of the current environmental problems. Most notably, this review will demonstrate how membrane reactors are implemented to improve and intensify the existing renewable fuel production processes. Furthermore, the advantages of membrane reactors when compared to the conventional ones, will be discussed; and the environmental benefits these particular reactors pose will also be highlighted. We will showcase how these membrane reactors have been applied successfully to improve biodiesel, hydrogen and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis processes. The application of membranes aids the increase in the conversion of desired products, whilst shifting the equilibrium of the reaction and reducing undesired by-products. Membrane reactors also overcome immiscibility issues that hinder conventional reactor processes. Moreover, they have also demonstrated a significant reduction in the separation and purification of impurities, as they couple them both in one step. This shows drastic economic and energy requirement reductions in the amount of wastewater treatment associated with conventional fuel production reactor

Can plastic waste management be a novel solution in combating the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)? A short research note

The year 2020 has been noted to be one of major calamity the world over, in which the majority of efforts in research and development have been dedicated towards combating the threat of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Ever since the announcement of COVID-19 as a pandemic, such efforts were dedicated towards the research of its spread and vaccination. Yet still, the world might reach a resolution via an environmental solution that various entities have overlooked, with a plethora of environmental benefits vis-à-vis waste management. In this short communication, the possibility of using plastic solid waste as a substrate to employ copper, and copper alloys and their nanocomposite nanopowders to be used as permanent surface protective coats, is presented. The fact that we present such materials to be of waste origin, is an added value advantage to their beneficial advantage of developing various commodities and products that could be used in our daily lives. Furthermore, the fact that such recyclable materials are susceptible to antiviral properties and chemicals, is an added value that we should not neglect

Would Demarketing Strategies Rationalize Household Food Waste Consumption?

The objective of this research was to explore the influence of demarketing strategies on rationalization of household food waste “HFW” in the Gaza Strip “GS”, Palestine. More specifically, this paper concentrated on better understanding of the nature and meaning of demarketing, as well as identifying the factors that drive demarketing and develop a HFW demarketing model. To gather primary data, an empirical research was conducted with 326 questionnaires from the Palestinian citizens in the GS. The findings indicate that there is a relationship between independent variables (product, price, place, and promotion) and the dependent variable (the customer’s behavioral intention towards rationalization of HFW) for a number of reasons that were investigated during the research. The paper then concluded with recommendations for future academic studies and policymakers in Palestine

The Effect of Political Instability and Institutional Weakness on Administrative Corruption

Although there is valuable literature on areas of corruption, such as political and corporate corruption, a limited number of papers have examined the determinants of administrative corruption. To the best of our knowledge, the multivariate impacts of political instability and institutional weakness on administrative corruption, and the interplay between these constructs, have not been examined using the partial least squares structural equation modeling method. The current study attempts to fill this gap by proposing and testing a model. We test a sample of 677 responses that reflect the perspective of the general public in Basra, Iraq. Findings reveal that the political instability and institutional weakness of public organizations positively impact administrative corruption, while political instability leads to institutional weakness. Institutional weakness mediates the effect of political instability on administrative corruption. Therefore, political instability is a crucial factor causing corruption since it has both direct and indirect effects on administrative corruption. The theoretical contributions, managerial implications, limitations, and recommendations for further research are provided

The effect of culture and organisational culture on administrative corruption

Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. There is extensive literature on corruption, such as political and corporate corruption, some of which examines factors influencing administrative corruption. However, to the best of our knowledge, the multivariate influences of culture and organisational culture on administrative corruption have not been tested using an integrative approach. This paper attempts to fill the gap by building and testing a comprehensive model. We test a sample of 677 responses that reflect the prospective view of the public in Basra, Iraq, using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. Our study finds that corrupt culture and weak organisational culture have direct effects on administrative corruption, while corrupt culture leads to weak organisational culture. The latter mediates the impact of corrupt culture on administrative corruption. The higher level of social class, the lower the impact of corrupt culture on administrative corruption