Perceived Organizational Politics and Employee Morale: Mediating Role of Social Exchange Perceptions in Pakistani Organizations

Politics in organizations is an important aspect of organizational life which has been an interesting research area since last four decades. However, it is still deprived of practical approach due to its inconclusive studies and fragmented arguments. In politicized organizations, morale and motivation of employees depend mostly on their type of exchange relationships. The study in hand is another effort to view these exchange perceptions as intervening between the relationship of perceptions of organizational politics and morale of employees. As a part of larger study, data was collected through self administered questionnaire distributed among master of business administration students who were completing their management degree as part time along with their jobs during day time. All the Pakistani business schools were included in this study and surveys were distributed to 2000 employees during their classes and participation was voluntary ensuring anonymity and compliance with ethical considerations. Overall, 2000 questionnaires were distributed among which 1163 useable surveys were returned after screening and cleaning for unengaged response, left over pages and missing critical information. Thus response rate was 58%. Results of regression analysis indicated that social exchange perceptions was partial mediators in the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and employee morale  and about 70% of the total effect was mediated by these perceptions which was an important indicator for understanding organizational life. Practical policy implications have also been discussed in discussion sections along with limitation of the study and guidelines for future research

Perceived Organizational Politics and Employee Morale: Mediating Role of Social Exchange Perceptions in Pakistani Organizations

Politics in organizations is an important aspect of organizational life which has been an interesting research area since last four decades. However, it is still deprived of practical approach due to its inconclusive studies and fragmented arguments. In politicized organizations, morale and motivation of employees depend mostly on their type of exchange relationships. The study in hand is another effort to view these exchange perceptions as intervening between the relationship of perceptions of organizational politics and morale of employees. As a part of larger study, data was collected through self administered questionnaire distributed among master of business administration students who were completing their management degree as part time along with their jobs during day time. All the Pakistani business schools were included in this study and surveys were distributed to 2000 employees during their classes and participation was voluntary ensuring anonymity and compliance with ethical considerations. Overall, 2000 questionnaires were distributed among which 1163 useable surveys were returned after screening and cleaning for unengaged response, left over pages and missing critical information. Thus response rate was 58%. Results of regression analysis indicated that social exchange perceptions was partial mediators in the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and employee morale  and about 70% of the total effect was mediated by these perceptions which was an important indicator for understanding organizational life. Practical policy implications have also been discussed in discussion sections along with limitation of the study and guidelines for future research

Developing Multiple Intelligences through Different Learning Styles: An Integrated Approach to Learner-centered Pedagogy

The present paper deals with the theoretical underpinnings of various learning styles by Carl Jung and the different types of intelligences by Howard Gardner. The purpose of this paper is to integrate various learning styles with different types of intelligences. The main concern here is to understand how each learning style could be incorporated with every intelligence so as to make the pedagogy a learner-centered approach

Teaching the English Language to Slow Learners: A Comprehensive Study

Slow learners are poor at achieving academic skills and are often ignored by teachers. Slow learners lag behind other students in academics and in the areas of social, emotional, and psychological well-being. The present study aims to find out the English language teachers' perspective on teaching the English language to slow learners and how far they feel the need to modify the present curriculum on the basis of learners' ability. To serve the desired purpose, 20 teachers working at the Faculty of Arts and Women’s College, Department of English, Aligarh Muslim University, have been selected as study subjects. The researchers have used a five-point Likert scale to determine their perspectives. The findings aim to identify slow learners and help them critically evaluate their learning, gain confidence and develop strategies that facilitate them to overcome fear.

Mini-craniotomy under local anesthesia for chronic subdural hematoma: An effective choice for elderly patients and for patients in a resource-strained environment

Background: Mini-craniotomy for chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is associated with lower rates of recurrence. However, the procedure is performed mostly with the patient under general anesthesia (GA) and therefore frequently requires an intensive care unit (ICU) facility, especially in the elderly population. Because of the unavailability of ICU beds, and to avoid GA, we started to perform this procedure with the patient under local anesthesia (LA).Materials and methods: This was a retrospective medical chart review conducted in the section of Neurosurgery at the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The study duration was 1 year. We included patients aged 55 years or older undergoing surgery for CSDH. Clinical characteristics, hospital stay, and recurrence rates were compared between 2 groups, local versus general anesthesia.Results: Thirty-five patients underwent mini-craniotomy for CSDH in the study period. Sixteen patients underwent mini-craniotomy under LA versus 19 patients for GA. Median age for the LA group was 67 years compared with 70 years in the GA group. Four patients from the LA group experienced postoperative complications versus 7 from the GA group. Only one patient in the LA group required an ICU bed in the postoperative period. There was no recurrence in LA group. The overall recurrence was 2.86%.Conclusions: Mini-craniotomy for CSDH under LA is an equally effective procedure compared with mini-craniotomy under GA. In addition, it minimizes the risks of GA in the elderly population and obviates the need of a postoperative ICU bed. It also reduces operative time and hospital stay as compared with GA

A Study on The Use of Smartphone Applications in English Language Learning with Special Reference to Covid-19 Pandemic

Technology and education are essential concepts in the current world. The societies of the world are heading towards technology and education very rapidly. Both the concepts indicate the hasty development taking place everywhere. The progress in the field of technology and education can be taken as a sign of growth in a particular society. The present study aims at explaining the use of smartphone applications to improve English language skills and translation and vocabulary improvement. This paper also seeks to demonstrate the significant role played by smartphone applications amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the present study, it has been demonstrated that smartphone applications aid in improving language skills, translation, and enriching vocabulary. Moreover, smartphone applications have been used virally amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They have a significant role in online teaching and learning. They act as a personal teacher who works 24/7

Navigating Research Enthusiasm in Medical Students Towards Clinically Impactful Articles

Learning medical research is an integral part of the development of a holistic physician. Though, not all physicians become clinician-scientists, those who do become enjoy significant privileges over their clinician-only counterparts, mainly in terms of faster career progression and higher employability. Though, to produce more well-rounded clinician-scientists, academic physicians and medical scientists need to make themselves available and be willing to work with and mentor medical students. Besides, a curriculum reform is warranted where students should be encouraged to start learning and conducting research in their first year of medical school. To make the process even easier and help scale these ideas, students should be encouraged to replicate previous highly cited studies, as they can provide a walkthrough for students to follow, thereby necessitating lesser supervision while maintaining the clinical impact that can be made with their time and effort

Improving the stiffness of multilayer 3D woven composites by the integration of shape memory alloys (SMAs) into structures

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are capable of shape-retaining and stress generation when activated. SMA wires are embedded in laminated composites for improving the properties of the composites. Laminated composites have low through-the-thickness properties and poor delamination resistance. 3D composites are well known for having higher through-the-thickness properties. In 3D woven composites, a set of yarn is in through-the-thickness direction that improves through-the- thickness properties and provides resistance to delamination of layers. As in multilayer 3D woven structures, yarns are distributed from in-plane to through-the-thickness direction, so in-plane properties are reduced with the same number of yarns compared to 2D laminated composites. In this research, SMA wires are embedded into different types of 3D woven structures for utilising stress generation property of SMA wires for improving in-plane properties, specifically stiffness of the composites. Three types of 3D orthogonal interlocking composites: layer-to-layer, through-the-thickness, and modified multilayer interlock structures are fabricated with and without SMA wires. From the tensile test, results show that embedding SMA wires into structures significantly improves the stiffness of the structures due to the stress-induced martensite phase of SMA wire when subjected to load. When these SMA wires are activated, stresses are generated by SMA wires due to phase transformation from martensite to austenite that further gives remarkable higher values of stiffness. This results in a composite structure that has higher in-plane properties due to embedded SMA wire and through-the-thickness properties due to 3D structure of composite reinforcement. The interlocking pattern in the through-the-thickness direction of 3D structures was also found to have an effect on the extent of the improvement in stiffness

Correlation of red cell distribution width with inflammatory markers and its prognostic value in patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease

Background. Recent studies have shown red blood cell distribution width (RDW) as a marker for severity and prognosis in coronary artery disease patients. Other studies have also correlated RDW with diabetes mellitus and inflammation. However, such correlation and prognosis in patients with concomitant coronary artery disease and diabetes after percutaneous intervention remains unclear. Material and methods. Our study group comprised of 730 subjects including 700 patients (cases) and 30 normal subjects (control group). Patients who presented with coronary artery disease were divided into diabetic and non-diabetic groups. All patients had RDW measured at admission and percutaneous intervention was done. Follow-up for adverse events was carried out between 6 to 12 months. Results. RDW was elevated in patients as compared to control group (p < 0.05). RDW correlated well with inflammatory markers including erythrocyte sedimen­tation rate, C-reactive protein, HbA1c, white blood cells and troponin. RDW was higher with more severe atherosclerosis based on SYNTAX and Gensini scores (p < 0.05). Prognosis was found to be worse in patients with high RDW as well as in diabetics. Conclusions. RDW has positive correlation with other inflammatory marker. It may be used as a marker in determining the severity and prognosis in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease

Students’ perceptions of the role of pharmacists in the healthcare system in Lahore, Pakistan

Purpose: To explore the role of pharmacists in the healthcare system of Lahore, Pakistan; and to determine association between students’ socio-demographic indicators and the likelihood of consulting with a pharmacist.Methods: In this exploratory study, data were collected from 589 students at a private sector university in Lahore, Pakistan, using a convenient sampling design. Information was collected using a semistructured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (i.e., mean, standard deviation, percentages) and chi square were employed.Results: Of 621 questionnaires, a total of 589 were returned, giving a response rate of 94.85 %. The results showed that 289 students (49.06 %) have interacted with pharmacists; however, the majority of the students (98.64 %) agreed there is a strong need for pharmacists who can provide guidance on medication safety. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant association between family system (x2 (1) = 4.046, p = 0.004), age of family head (x2 (1) = 11.755, p = 0.001), education level of family head (x2 (1) = 10.473, p = 0.001), and consulting a pharmacist.Conclusion: There are important roles for pharmacists to play in order to improve the healthcare system of Lahore, Pakistan. Some social demographics affect the likelihood that a person will seek professional counseling from a pharmacist.Keywords: Medication safety, Healthcare system, Pharmacist consultation, Students’ perceptio