The current coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has led the world toward severe socio-economic crisis and psychological distress. It has severely hit the economy; but the service sector, particularly the hospitality industry, is hard hit by it. It increases the sense of insecurity among the employees and their perception of being unemployed, adversely affecting their mental health. This research aims to contribute to the emerging debate by investigating the effect of economic crisis and non-employability on employees’ mental health through perceived job insecurity under the pandemic situation. It empirically examines the underlying framework by surveying 372 employees of the hospitality industry during COVID-19. Results indicate that perceived job insecurity mediates the relationship of fear of economic crisis, non-employability, and mental health. Furthermore, the contingency of fear of COVID-19 strengthens the indirect relationship of fear of economic crisis on mental health through perceived job insecurity. The findings will provide a new dimension to the managers to deal with the psychological factors associated with the employees’ mental health and add to the emerging literature of behavioral sciences. The study also highlights the increasing need for investment in the digital infrastructure and smart technologies for the hospitality industry.

We report a randomized, double-blind study, comparing the relative efficacy and tolerability of oral terbinafine, given for 1, 2 or 4 weeks, in tinea capitis. Of 161 evaluable patients, 53 were treated with terbinafine for 1 week, 51 for 2 weeks and 57 for 4 weeks. Isolated pathogens included Trichophyton violaceum (71.5%), T. tonsurans (14.9%), T. verrucosum (4.3%), Microsporum audouinii (4.3%), M. canis (2.5%), T. schoenleinii (1.9%) and T. mentagrophytes (0.6%). The final evaluation, at 12 weeks, showed cure rates of 73.6, 80.4 and 85.9%, in the respective groups. The adverse effects noted, were not drug related. In our opinion, terbinafine given for 1, 2 or 4 weeks, is equally effective for most cases of tinea capitis.

Start-ups are launched every day, and most of them will fail at the same pace. Worldwide unemployment has become a major concern due to the geometric increase in the population. However, job opportunities are not created at the same pace as the overall population, and jobless people are becoming a burden on the economy. This situation led to introduce a system that helps people become self-employed and gives dignity to their lives. Prior studies reported that many factors could motivate an individual to pursue entrepreneurial projects. However, there is still a gap in identifying a path that promotes entrepreneurial intention among young graduates. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to determine the effect of self-motivation, family support, peer influence, and institutional support on entrepreneurial intention through entrepreneurial skills, propensity to take risks, and innovativeness. Data were collected from 416 business students from six public and private sector universities in Pakistan. The results revealed that self-motivation, family support, peer influence, and institutional support positively and significantly affected entrepreneurial intention. The mediating role of entrepreneurial skills, a propensity to take risks, and innovativeness also enhances entrepreneurial intention among young graduates. A categorical analysis was conducted to explain the characteristics of the individuals motivated to launch start-ups. The results revealed a significant difference in the grouping variables of gender and education. The conceptual model provides more pronounced results in the case of male and post-graduate students. These findings may motivate young graduates to start new venture capital start-ups based on open business models. In this way, they can contribute to the complex and evolutionary economics that accelerate efficiency through technological innovation.

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