Only a few studies have been conducted on job stress and transformational leadership (TL), particularly in the environment of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to overcome this gap and attempts to explore the impact of pandemic job stress (PJS) and TL on employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB) through knowledge sharing (KNS), while focusing on the importance of innovations for organizational survival and growth. The data were collected from 357 faculty members of higher education institutions in Pakistan and analyzed using the partial least squares estimation, a structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results demonstrate that PJS positively impacts employees’ IWB, negating the negative relationship between job stress and IWB found in previous studies. Moreover, this study found a positive impact of TL and KNS on IWB. KNS also moderates the relationship between PJS and IWB while partially mediating the relationship between TL and IWB. Lastly, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Supply chain management firms are gradually pressurized to incorporate social sustainability practices to address social issues. Though, the researchers emphasized on different dimensions of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), i.e., social, environmental and economic but fewer considered the social aspect of sustainability. The purpose of this research is to take into account the social dimension of sustainability into manufacturing industries. The social dimension of sustainability as compared to other sustainable, has severe adverse impact across supply chains. In order to demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of social sustainability in supply chain management, a sample of 53 practitioners of Pakistani manufacturing companies has been selected to prioritize and evaluate the SCSS criteria by applying a decision-making multi-criteria method called the best worst method (BWM). The criteria of the study are ranked according to their average weight achieved through BWM. The criterion employment practices has been chosen as the most significant criterion while cultural values criterion is considered as least important. The results of this study are helpful for industry managers, practitioners and decision-makers to take the decisions for the implementation of social criteria to enhance the social sustainability that lead to sustainable development.

The present study aimed to assess and compare the ability to remediate synthetic textile and industrial wastewaters by Fenton treatment, a biological system and sequential treatments using Aspergillus niger (A. niger). All studied treatments were found to be effective in decolorization of the effluents under study. Fenton treatment followed by A. niger showed excellent potential for the maximum decolorization of the synthetic and industrial effluents under study. The effectiveness of sequential treatment was evaluated by water quality parameters such as total organic carbon (TOC), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) before and after each treatment. The results indicated that A. niger is an effective candidate for detoxification of textile wastewaters.

Azo dyes are the main group of dyes used in different industrial applications. These dyes are highly toxic for aquatic life, so their removal is of utmost importance before they can be disposed of in a main water body. The present study focused on degrading/mineralizing the synthetic reactive dye wastewater. Initial experiments were done with four indigenous white rot fungi. P. chrysosporium (PC) showed more potential toward degradation of synthetic dye wastewater than other three fungal strains, so it was selected for further optimization of different fermentation parameters. Maximum decolorization (84.8%) of reactive dye wastewater was obtained at pH 5, inoculum size 4 mL, and 30ºC. After optimizing experimental parameters, the effects of different nutritional factors like carbon and nitrogen sources were also studied. Decolorization of synthetic dye wastewater was increased from 84.8 to 89.2%, when rice bran was used as an additional carbon source. However, no increase in decolorization of synthetic dye wastewater was observed in the presence of nitrogen supplements. The screened fungal strain decolorized the wastewater up to 90%. The effect of different nutritional factors enhanced the degradation capability of the fungal strain under study. UV-visible and FTIR analyses confirmed the degradation of synthetic dye wastewater into simpler, non-toxic products.

Purpose: Innovations are imperative for organizational growth and sustainability. This study focuses on the employees' innovative behavior, a source of organizational innovations, which has received substantial attention from the researchers. Based on the psychological empowerment theory, the study exposes the effect of the various dimensions of public service motivation (PSM) on employees' innovative behavior (IB) in public sector institutions especially in the context of developing countries such as Pakistan. Moreover, the study also investigates the mediating role of psychological empowerment (PSE) between the dimensions of PSM and IB.Design/methodology/approach: This study used the cross-sectional research design. By using random sampling, the adapted survey questionnaires were used to collect data from 346 faculty members of public sector universities located in provincial capitals of Pakistan. A partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) tool was used to assess the proposed hypotheses through SMART-PLS software.Findings: Results revealed that attraction to policymaking (APM), compassion (COM), self-sacrifice (SS) have a significant impact on employees' PSE and their innovative behavior, while the relationship of commitment to the public interest (CPI) with PSE and IB was found insignificant. Moreover, PSE partially mediated the relationship between PSM dimensions and employees' IB.Originality/value: There was a scarcity of research on IB especially in public sector institutions such as academia. This study theoretically contributed to the literature by providing a refined picture in assessing the proposed relationship of the constructs. This is also one of the original studies that examine the relationship between the dimensions of PSM and IB.