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The global COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly overwhelmed our societies, shocked the global economy and disturbed normal business operations. While such impacts of COVID-19 are becoming clearer, the effects of the disease on business operations are more common. This study mainly focuses on identifying the factors that affect the smooth operation of businesses during a pandemic situation.

Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to rate the result index. A total of 40 professionals and experts of different businesses were listed on stock exchanges, and asked to rank the key variables with relative indices and weighting methods.

The results of the AHP successfully assigned weighting scores to all key important factors during the COVID-19 pandemic situation that businesses should focus on, with economic factors receiving the highest score of 60%. Likewise, the other factors that impact values for business operations are reported as social (22%), legal (12.2%), technological (5.16%) and political (0.57%). The results of this study also match with the current policies adopted by different government and nongovernment agencies like the guidelines of the World Health Organization and some most recent research results.

In the hectic and growing environment under COVID-19 pandemic, more contributions are not enough, and it is helpful for the whole business industry and society by stipulating more views. This study aims to overview the global impacts and challenges of COVID-19 pandemic on business operations.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the community’s view of power outages and their effect on sustainable community development. This research has three aims. This project will first investigate how a blackout affects a community’s ability to live sustainably.

A survey questionnaire was developed that included 22 factors from the literature. The questionnaire was distributed to diversified segments of society from different regions of Pakistan and examined critical factors affecting sustainable community development. A total of 349 (77%) responses were received.

The study results confirm that power failure negatively affects the sustainable life of a community. This study found that the reduced production of large manufacturing, decrease leisure and comfort, reduced public administrative efficiency, loss of educational opportunities and increased use of traditional energy sources are the most important factors for sustainable community development. Findings also suggest that policymakers and practitioners in public organizations need to ensure that projects are completed in a timely manner to meet growing community needs.

The purpose of this research is to address knowledge gaps related to power outages and sustainable community development. The major impact of power disruptions on communities was previously disregarded in development discourse. Participants in these discussions recognize communities as genuine stakeholders and acknowledge that power outages can have a substantial impact on their economic and social development. However, previous studies have neglected to address this phenomenon.

The purpose of this paper financial technology (FinTech) revolutions are promptly remodelling the worldwide financial industry and facilitating financial inclusion initiatives with the aid of micro-finance institutions. Such hi-tech modifications are anticipated to sell the stableness of the financial system and lessen its predominant actors’ risk-taking behaviour. However, there needs to be more practical proof to guide the effect of financial inclusion based on financial technology on the risky behaviour of South Asia micro-finance institutes.

Therefore, the authors industrialised a fresh index to calculate financial inclusion based on financial technology and empirically measure its position in decreasing the risk-taking approach of micro-finance institutes. The use of numerous robustness examinations endorsed the rationality of the authors’ outcomes.

Z-scoring or standard scoring outcomes of FinInc support the extant studies displaying its incredible connection with economic stability, which interprets as a terrible courting with risky behaviour of micro-finance institutes. Consequently, the authors highlighted the significance of the universality and openness of financial technology solutions in minimising risk of micro-finance institutes. Moreover, the authors concluded that financial technology is greater related to small-size micro-finance institutes.

This study currently focusing South Asia, which has not been explored before, and it is the first time to research financial inclusion with Fintech in this area.

The purpose of this study was to find out the perception of prospective teachers and teacher educators regarding the curriculum ideologies. The student–teachers and teacher educators from a public university of Pakistan participated in the study.

The current study has employed quantitative approach and used descriptive survey research design. The data was collected through the convenience sampling techniques. The data was collected through a questionnaire developed by Schiro in 2008. The questionnaire consisting of six parts and each part contains four statements on the curriculum ideologies of Scholar Academy, Social efficacy learner centered and social reconstruction ideology. The population of study comprised of 200 Prospective teachers of education department of a public sector University of Sindh, Pakistan. The data was collected by using 4-point Likert scale. The likert scale was ranging from the first priority to least priority. The reliability statistics was computed through Cronbach alpha α = 0.763. The data was analyzed through Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 23.0 and mean and percentages were computed in this study.

The findings of the study revealed that most of the prospective teachers as well faculty members are following the scholar academy ideology to align with national goals of curriculum. The prospective teachers and faculty members believe that knowledge should be transferred from the institutions to the learners rather than the knowledge can be disseminated from the other sources as per the new dimensions for updated curriculum.

The current study suggests curriculum ideology awareness programs should be given to prospective teachers and faculty members before their induction. The study also recommends that a survey study can be conducted from teachers and teacher educators before designing the national curriculum of Pakistan because majority of participants believed that knowledge can only be transferred from institutions.

This empirical study has given thoughtful insights to investigate the curriculum ideologies with new dimensions for those who are studying in teacher education courses and for their mentors. So, this study has contributed new knowledge in the context of Sindh, Pakistan specifically in the domain of curriculum ideologies and frameworks.

This study aims to explore the impact of financial technology (fintech) and behavioral intention on financial inclusion, specifically focusing on the role of digital marketing as a mediator.

Using a quantitative research design, this study collected data from 638 respondents in the province of Punjab, Pakistan to investigate the relationship between variables.

The results indicate that both behavioral intention and fintech have a positive and favorable effect on financial inclusion. Furthermore, the study reveals that digital marketing acts as a mediating factor between financial inclusion and both behavioral intention and fintech. These findings underscore the significance of using effective digital marketing strategies to facilitate financial inclusion through fintech platforms. Policymakers should prioritize the adoption of fintech innovations and supportive regulatory frameworks while implementing comprehensive digital marketing strategies to promote financial inclusion.

This research contributes to the existing body of literature by presenting empirical evidence that highlights the interconnectedness of fintech, behavioral intention, digital marketing and financial inclusion. By harnessing the potential of fintech and digital marketing, financial institutions can bridge the gap between underserved populations and formal financial services, thereby promoting economic growth and reducing inequality.

This paper investigates gender disparity in investment decisions within the popular American TV show Shark Tank.

The research uses a comprehensive dataset of 925 pitches from 14 seasons and 316 episodes, covering August 2009 to May 2023.

Contrary to previous studies, the findings indicate that female entrepreneurs do n'ot face discrimination in terms of their pitching success rates, regardless of their industry affiliation. However, the authors did observe that female entrepreneurs tend to receive lower valuations, both self-assessed and in final deals. This suggests a self-imposed gender gap in venture capital and angel investing, likely stemming from lower entrepreneurial aspirations among women.

To tackle this issue, the authors propose promoting female venture capital by increasing the representation of female entrepreneurs and business angels on Shark Tank. Such role models can inspire aspiring women in these fields. Additionally, the authors believe that mixed-gender founder teams, comprising both men and women, can play a significant role in developing promising startups with viable business models.

This research paper aims to explore the link between financial innovation (FINV), green finance (GRF) and sustainability performance (SUSP) with the overarching objective of driving sustainable growth. The purpose is to understand how the integration of FINV and GRF can contribute to improved SUSP for businesses and organizations.

The study adopts a survey-based approach, synthesizing existing scholarly works, empirical studies and industry reports. It examines the theoretical foundations and empirical evidence to understand the relationship between FINV, GRF and SUSP.

The findings highlight a positive relationship between GRF and SUSP. GRF acts as a catalyst for FINV by providing the necessary financial resources and incentives for organizations to invest in sustainable technologies and practices. It enables businesses to enhance their SUSP by adopting environmentally friendly processes, reducing carbon emissions and promoting resource efficiency. The integration of FINV and GRF fosters sustainable growth by aligning economic, environmental and social objectives.

This research paper contributes to the existing literature by offering a comprehensive examination of the link between FINV, GRF and SUSP. It consolidates and synthesizes previous studies, providing a holistic view of the topic. The paper also presents practical implications for businesses and policymakers, emphasizing the need for strategic integration of GRF and FINV to drive sustainable growth. The identification of future research directions adds originality to the study, guiding scholars and practitioners toward areas of further investigation.

The national mathematics curriculum of Pakistan has emphasized on improving content knowledge, reasoning abilities and problem-solving skills of students about thinking, communicating and solving mathematics (national mathematics curriculum of Pakistan, 2006). Whereas, there is a need to understand the point of view of teachers about the challenges they face in achieving the goals of national mathematics curriculum. This will help leading teacher training institutions to revisit their math teacher continuous professional development (CPD) programs and facilitate school leadership in improving the quality of math education in rural schools of the province. However, the purpose of this research study is to figure out the challenges that teachers are facing while achieving the goals of the national curriculum by teaching mathematics at the primary level in educational institutes of Pakistan.

In this research study qualitative research approaches have been utilized, in which focus group discussions (FGDs) were used as data collection techniques. Furthermore, thematic analysis of the data led toward the development of four overarching themes such as teachers' knowledge about mathematics curriculum, challenges relating to mathematics content and pedagogy, difficulties in developing conceptual understanding and designing lesson plans to address students' diversity.

The overall findings of this research study suggested that the majority of teachers are facing difficulties in mathematics content teaching such as decimal fraction, unitary method, measurement principles, practical geometry and data handling. Moreover, teachers are also facing challenges and difficulties in developing hands-on and minds-on activities in the teaching of mathematical concepts to the students of primary level in educational institutes of Pakistan.

This research study will facilitate the teachers and stakeholders to address the problematic issues in the domain of content delivery of mathematics. Whereas, this study recommends educating teachers about national mathematics curriculum and to develop a CPD framework for mathematics teachers for the enhancement of their pedagogical content knowledge. The study also recommends orientating school heads about the different aspects of math curriculum so that they can mentor math teachers in achieving math curriculum goals.

This is the first research study of its nature, which targets and highlights the teacher's perceptions toward the achieving the goals of national mathematics curriculum of Pakistan and addressing the pedagogical challenges faced in mathematics teachers. There is a dearth of studies in mathematics education in Sindh province. The issue is of immense importance, the findings will help teachers to improve mathematics instructions at primary level.

The purpose of this article is to present the idea of a T-spherical hesitant fuzzy set associated with probability and to develop an extended multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) method under probabilistic T-spherical hesitant fuzzy (Pt-SHF) settings.

The authors define some basic operational laws for Pt-SHF sets (Pt-SHFSs) and a comparison method of two probabilistic T-spherical hesitant fuzzy numbers (Pt-SHFNs) is proposed. Moreover, some Pt-SHF aggregation operators and the multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) method are established under Pt-SHF scenario to solve group decision making problems.

The developed Pt-SHF MABAC method for multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) can overcome the drawbacks of conventional MABAC method and limitations for decision makers, which they face while providing their assessment concerning any object.

Clearly, this paper is devoted to MABAC method, MAGDM and probabilistic T-spherical hesitant fuzzy set theory.

The approach established can be used in a variety of scenarios, including decision making, engineering, and economics. An explanatory example is illustrated which shows the superiority and effectiveness of our proposed technique.

If a T-spherical fuzzy MAGDM problem under the probabilistic scenario needs to be evaluated, the involvement of probabilities in fuzzy system will be lost because of no information. This work fills a gap in literature by establishing the notion of probabilistic t-spherical hesitant fuzzy set to deal with the ambiguity, uncertainty in decision making problems.

This study aims to identify the developer’s objectives, current state-of-the-art techniques, challenges and performance evaluation metrics, and presents outlines of a knowledge-based application programming interfaces (API) recommendation system for the developers. Moreover, the current study intends to classify current state-of-the-art techniques supporting automated API recommendations.

In this study, the authors have performed a systematic literature review of studies, which have been published between the years 2004–2021 to achieve the targeted research objective. Subsequently, the authors performed the analysis of 35 primary studies.

The outcomes of this study are: (1) devising a thematic taxonomy based on the identified developers’ challenges, where mashup-oriented APIs and time-consuming process are frequently encountered challenges by the developers; (2) categorizing current state-of-the-art API recommendation techniques (i.e. clustering techniques, data preprocessing techniques, similarity measurements techniques and ranking techniques); (3) designing a taxonomy based on the identified objectives, where accuracy is the most targeted objective in API recommendation context; (4) identifying a list of evaluation metrics employed to assess the performance of the proposed techniques; (5) performing a SWOT analysis on the selected studies; (6) based on the developer’s challenges, objectives and SWOT analysis, presenting outlines of a recommendation system for the developers and (7) delineating several future research dimensions in API recommendations context.

This study provides complete guidance to the new researcher in the context of API recommendations. Also, the researcher can target these objectives (accuracy, response time, method recommendation, compatibility, user requirement-based API, automatic service recommendation and API location) in the future. Moreover, the developers can overcome the identified challenges (including mashup-oriented API, Time-consuming process, learn how to use the API, integrated problem, API method usage location and limited usage of code) in the future by proposing a framework or recommendation system. Furthermore, the classification of current state-of-the-art API recommendation techniques also helps the researchers who wish to work in the future in the context of API recommendation.

This study not only facilitates the researcher but also facilitates the practitioners in several ways. The current study guides the developer in minimizing the development time in terms of selecting relevant APIs rather than following traditional manual selection. Moreover, this study facilitates integrating APIs in a project. Thus, the recommendation system saves the time for developers, and increases their productivity.

API recommendation remains an active area of research in web and mobile-based applications development. The authors believe that this study acts as a useful tool for the interested researchers and practitioners as it will contribute to the body of knowledge in API recommendations context.