Pakistan
94 theses under this subject heading
From brain drain to brain gain: An insight in to human capital flight from Pakistan
Brain drain (BD), also known as Human Capital Flight (HCF) refers to migration of skilled and or educated from developing to developed countries. In actual the phenomenon is no more one way from the developing to developed, rather many developed countries are experiencing the same like from Eastern Europe to west and north. The term first coined by the British Royal Society during mid 20th century, then referred to the outflow of scientists and technologists to USA and Canada. The word brain refers to any special expertise and the drain refers to its exit in one direction and rate of exit is considered more than normal. The research on the subject has different social and economical aspects. The phenomenon has taken a new dimension in the last two decades referring it to brain gain, brain circulation, brain exchange etc where in, it's always used negative connotation is redirected towards its potential gains for the exporting countries.
Pakistan kamu sektöründe olmayan verimlilik
Governments all over the world are responsible to manage the public resources in the most efficient and effective way in order to benefit the public to its maximum. The role of the Public Sector thus gets importance not only for the smooth running of government but also for the welfare provided to the public. Unfortunately, Pakistan after its independence is suffering from political instability, poverty, lawlessness, injustice, social and economic disparities. The same effects reflect on the Public Sector of Pakistan which is inefficient and non-productive mainly due to political interferences, lack of transparency, low wages and large unskilled workforce. Thus instead of contributing to the economy, the Pakistan's Public Sector has become a burden on the economy where government is spending the money to keep the Public Sector's enterprises running. This paper will endeavour to find the underlying reasons for the non-productivity of the Public Sector and to suggest some recommendations in order to make it productive.
A comparative analysis of Afghanistan's and Pakistan's processes of state-building
This thesis is a historical and theoretical study of Afghanistan and Pakistan processes of State-Building. In this research, based on the European pioneer model of state building, I am presenting a comparative analysis of Afghanistan and Pakistan state-building processes. The European pioneer states in state buildinghave experienced some trends during the process. Industrialization, Capitalism, Organized Crimes, Nationalism and modernization are the observable trends in European State-Building process. In this thesis, I am taking these trends of European State-Building Process and apply them on Afghanistan's and Pakistan' processes of State-Building. This study paves the way toward better understanding of the attempts of different Afghan and Pakistani governments geared toward the two countries' State-Building process. Throughout my research, I found out that Afghanistan and Pakistan failed to successfully implement these trends in their State-Building process and thus still lag behind to function as a modern state (Nation-state). The thesis continues to answer the question of "if Afghanistan and Pakistan are not Nation-States, then what state organization they best fit in?" I find out that Pakistan fits better in category of a Military-State and Afghanistan fits best into the category of a Tribal-State. The reasons would be the frequent military domination of Pakistani affair by its military and domination of Afghanistan politics by the dominant ethnic group of Pushtons. At the end, I argue that Afghanistan and Pakistan along with other states needs to continue in their struggle to embrace the notion of nation-statehood, since nation-statehood responses to the issue of international peace, democratic values and economic development. Keywords: State Building, Nation Building, Industrialization, Capitalism, Organized Crimes, Modernization, Nation State, Tribal State, Military State
Assessing human security through human development in pakistan: Applying Maslow's theory of hierarchical needs
Human Security has gained much of the importance in the recent times due to its crucial links with development particularly talking about sustainable development. Assessing Human security through the human development index will prove beneficial as it undertakes the three most important spheres of human life i.e. health, education and Gross National Income per Capita. Although, Human development index has added few other indicators during the last few years. But the focus of my thesis would be specifically on health, education and Gross National Income indicators. Additionally, my thesis has also assessed the human satisfaction through utilizing Maslow's Theory of Hierarchical Needs keeping in contexts with the human development index. My thesis has explored the major aspects of human development index as a tool to view the human security conditions in Pakistan. Pakistan misses some of the eminent milestones to achieve during the last few decades in the context of human development such as decreasing child mortality rates or increasing primary/secondary enrolment ratios to name some of the factors. In this regard, my thesis will also provide rationales to consider human security aspects while planning policies specifically 'freedom from fear' element. Human security is not only a concept to be studied in curriculums. Rather it is a strategy to be instigated in the state policies and meant to be implemented for better future prospects. Moreover, my thesis has also assessed that the country is struggling in the initial levels of Maslow's theory of Hierarchical needs. Maslow's Theory has provided a framework for the state policy makers to focus on achieving the highest level of human satisfaction, i.e. self-actualization needs. Under-utilization of resources (allocated budget) and policies is a major threat to the population at large whether in health, education or any field of humanity. Furthermore, the countries who has implemented human security in the state policies has progressed rapidly in ensuring wellbeing of its people. Therefore, human security is a unique aspect to deal with the current distressing situation in order to enhance the living conditions of population at large.
USA drone strikes and its effects on Afghanistan and Pakistan's security
Following the terrorist attacks in 9/11, the Bush Administration declared global war on terrorism that was a multidimensional military campaign and the aim was to destroy Al-Qaeda and other affiliated group that was threaten the US as well as world security. As a result, the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001, in order to capture and kill high-level Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders including Osama Bin Laden, who was considered to be responsible for 9/11 attacks. The US invasion has forced key Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders to leave Afghanistan and settle in FATA (Federally Administrated Tribal Areas) in Pakistan. The stateless nature of FATA has facilitated Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants to reorganize, recover, reunite and form their ideal dominion. In order to kill top Al-Qaeda and Taliban members the Bush administration introduced drone campaign of target killing in FATA of Pakistan as well as in some parts of Afghanistan. In fact, the target killing campaign was not limited to Afghanistan and Pakistan; it encompassed other countries, such as Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Libya. The US drone attacks have raised moral and legal issues by resulting in high levels of civilian casualties in targeted countries. This thesis claims that in some occasions drone attacks have violated international humanitarian laws (IHL) and international laws in Afghanistan in particular in Pakistan by causing legal, moral and sovereignty problems. Keywords: The US drone position under international laws.
Impact of the Taliban reappearance on Afghanistan foreign policy on Pakistan during Hamid Karzai period
This thesis focuses on the foreign policy of Afghanistan towards Pakistan, especially in terms of the impact of the Taliban's reappearance on the foreign policy of Afghanistan towards Pakistan during Hamid Karzai's period. The main aspects behind the controversial relations with Pakistan, are further analyzed within the two phase. The thesis answers the questions of 'what impactful factors have determined Afghan foreign policy towards Pakistan' and 'how Islamic fundamentalism is used as a soft power instrument of Pakistan foreign policy towards Afghanistan'. Qualitative analysis is employed within this research on the basis of the political and historical developments in Afghanistan within the designated periods-from 1947 to 2001 and the latter being 2001 to 2014. This thesis consists of five main sections. First section gives a general framework on the study. Second chapter defines some key concepts like fundamentalism, soft power, Afghanistan's historical background and Afghanistan foreign policies doctrine. Third chapter presents historical background of Afghanistan's foreign policy toward Pakistan in consideration with the international developments such as bipolar era, Cold War and 9/11 events with a brief overview of the relations of the two countries in relation to Afghanistan's historical and political developments. Furthermore in this section it attempts to explain the main factors that have influenced the two nation's relations within both periods-the Durand Line and the Pashtunistan problem. However, in the following years, while maintaining the real problem, new problems emerged. Such new problems include the Taliban terrorist organization, India-Afghanistan relations, Transit issue problem and Water sharing problem. Fourth chapter presents the impact of Taliban reappearance as the most influential factors on Afghanistan's foreign policy on Pakistan in Hamid Karzai's period, especially in explaining the role of Taliban fundamentalist group as soft power in instrument of Pakistan's foreign policy toward Afghanistan. Furthermore, it attempts to explain the impact of what is termed as 'Pakistani double game' on the Afghanistan's peace process. It focuses on interesting phenomena played by both Pakistan and the international players within the region. Since Pakistan's establishment, the nation has exercised political intervention in the Afghanistan internal affairs, and thus, weakening the central government in Kabul as an approach in overcoming the controversial problems between the two nations. In order to solve and exercise control within the mentioned problems, Pakistan has been using fundamentalist groups such as Mujahedeen groups which had close ties to her and later on the Taliban. In conclusion, analysis on how the post reappearance of the Taliban served to worsen the two neighboring nations' already weak relations are provided. Pakistan's use of fundamentalism as a soft power in its foreign policy following the 9/11 September has further fragmented the weak relations with Afghanistan. Keywords: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, Fundamentalism, Pakistan, Soft Power, Taliban.
A study of Pakistan's political parties' control overstate resources and redistribution in the light ofpanama papers
The aim of the thesis is to analyze and summarize the existing theoretical and secondary work on corruption in Pakistan. Two of the major political parties' (PMLN and PPP) tenures will be discussed as they have ruled the country for about 30 years. Additionally, their control over the resources will be highlighted and how they have paved ways for corruption in every institution. The thesis begins with a brief overview of key definitions and conceptualization of corruption and then turns to a review of the causes of corruption in the light of theoretical framework. This is followed by the major corruption leaks known as 'Panama Papers' which caused a bustle in Pakistani politics as one of the prominent political parties' (PMLN) head and his family was named in those leaks that how they have been over the years money laundering to buy hidden off shore companies. The significant questions that are addressed in this thesis include the understanding of the connection between corruption and party rule, what condition along with the structure would result in corruption in the country and measures that are needed to be undertaken in order to eradicate party corruption first and then corruption on the mega level. The thesis ends with the main corruption events in the history of Pakistan followed by suggestions and recommendations that might help to reduce corruption. The thesis also addresses the important aspect of corruption and improper allocation of country's resources with regards to the most powerful political parties of Pakistan PPP and PMLN. It discusses the most important factors of corruption with regards to the parties' exercise within the parliament, election campaign, and overall control of the party over the resources of the country and its redistribution. Keywords: Corruption, Panama leaks, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim party, Pakistan people's party, State
Women in politics in islamic states: A case study of Afghanistan and Pakistan
The present thesis aims to determine the actual states of women in politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan and find out the factors that effect on women's political participation and restrict the level of participation. This thesis emphasizes that the equal participation of men and women in governmental process and political affairs is essential for reaching to the free and fair society. Through findings of this thesis the success of democracy is directly dependent on the equality based on gender, ethnic, creed, religion and so on. The research context of this thesis goes to Islamic states and particularly analyzing the status of women in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The traditional culture, patriarchy, misinterpretation of religion founded as the main obstacles of women deprivation of politics within these two Islamic democratic states, that these factors causes for the emergence of gender based violence, discrimination, rape and idea of behaving with women as the second gender. This thesis goes to analyze and find out the different interpretation of Islam and democracy perspectives regarding to women social and political activities. Through this thesis we found out that the level of women's political participation had been raised after 2000 in both countries, reforms 2000 in Pakistan and coming of new democratic regime along with international support caused for women to be more empowered and active in politics and persuaded women to get apart in political and social affairs of these two societies. Analyzing of historical circumstances of women in both countries, helped this thesis to be more serious in finding the actual position of women in two traditional societies, that are mostly influenced of patriarchal culture in case of women. The share of women in politics had been raised, but only in numbers, while still women who are direct or indirect involved in political affairs or legislative organs experiencing a symbolic role with no authority of decision making. This thesis found out that the women are still used as a tool for having more power in government and more seats in legislative body of government in Pakistan, and for getting more support of international community by government in Afghanistan. Along with the above factors that helped women to be involved in politics, the legal contexts of both countries motivated women to be aware of their rights and participate in elections as voters and as candidate, but there have never been a fully protected atmosphere for women to compete with male candidate of the elections. The reasons that are found in this thesis again goes to the deep rooted traditional culture and misconception of Islam. The recommendation of this thesis for empowering the women for their equal rights goes to combat for annihilation of traditional culture and establishing the a theory along with democratic aspects.
Pakistan aile hukukunda muhâlea uygulaması
Pakistan'da evlenme, boşanma ve velayet gibi aile hukukunun belirli alanlarında İslam hukukunun hükümleri uygulanmaktadır. Ülkede mer'i bulunan boşanma kanununun uygulanmasındaki aksaklıklar ve tefrik haklarının sınırlı olması, kadınların boşanmaları konusunda mağduriyetlere sebep olmuştur. Bu mağduriyetlerin giderilerek kadınların boşanma haklarının genişletilmesi amacıyla muhâleaya başvurulmuştur. Ancak muhâleanın klasik uygulamasında evlilik tarafların anlaşmasıyla sonlandırılırken Pakistan'da bu işlem yargı yoluyla yapılmaktadır. Yani evlilik kadının talebi üzerine koca rızasına bakılmaksızın mahkeme tarafından sonlandırılmaktadır. Literatürde "Yargı Yoluyla Muhâlea" olarak adlandırılan bu işlemin şer'î meşruiyeti önemli tartışma konularından birisini oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, söz konusu uygulamanın gelişimi ve meşruiyeti hakkındaki tartışmalar ele alınmaktadır.
Current identity crisis in Pakistan; A clash of western interest and national identity discourse
The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection among identity crisis, regional and global power structure. The ultimate instinct of any state around the globe is survival, which is impossible without having a well-integrated society. National identity is one of the inevitable factors, playing the role of keeping people integrated within a nation state. It brings them together in the face of internal and external threats. There is a widespread understanding that, today identity crisis is one of the core problems of Pakistan due to a conflict of preferences between national interests and Western interests. While facing the worst identity crisis in contemporary times, the society, at large, is widely fragmented. The sole notion having the potential to give the essence of unity across different ethnic and linguistic groups in Pakistan is the "Muslim identity" of all varying groups. According to statistical data, the percentage of Muslim population in Pakistan is around 95-98%. Consequently, in Pakistan, the state has been valuing Islam to play the role of keeping the masses integrated and unified, until the 9/11/2001 incident. After the American invasion in Afghanistan, in response to 9/11 attacks, Pakistan, as a state, took a row back from its religion based national discourse giving rise to the problem of identity crisis across the country as well as across the globe. Resultantly, the state has failed to play its role to give a substitute idea of unity to its people rendering a more chaotic environment in external as well as internal affairs of the country.
Women empowerment through micro-entrepreneurship development in rural areas of Pakistan
Socio cultural and economic structures subordinate women to men in rural areas of Pakistan. Such oppressive structures can be changed by empowering women, and micro entrepreneurship is the key to achieve those goals. Women's empowerment is to stand against the patriarchy and break up the limitations in society. The present study is an attempt to investigate the economic, social, decision making, and legal empowerment of women through women's micro-entrepreneurship in rural areas of Pakistan. Women micro-entrepreneurs of the district Ghizer, Gilgit Baltistan are taken as a sample for the study. The study is significant because it attempts to measure and explore women's empowerment through micro-entrepreneurship development in rural areas of Pakistan. Furthermore, there is very scant coverage of Pakistan in women's empowerment through micro-entrepreneurship development research. The study is cross-sectional and exploratory in nature. The sample is comprised of 150 microentrepreneurs. Women's empowerment through micro-entrepreneurship is taken as a predictor variable while socio economic, decision making, and legal empowerment is taken as criterion. Indicators such as freedom to use earnings, contribution in financial matters, control over assets, quality of living standards, freedom of mobility, awareness, and freedom of decision making are used to measure women's empowerment. Quantitative data was collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25. Descriptive and multiple linear regression analysis was adopted for the final output. Quantitative data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistical procedures involving cross-tabulations and frequency distributions. KMO and Bartlett's test, ANOVA test, and multiple other tests were used to check the feasibility of the model. The results of the study revealed that women were empowered economically through micro-entrepreneurship, but they are lagging behind in the areas of legal empowerment, social empowerment, and decision-making empowerment. Keywords: Decision making empowerment, Legal empowerment, Microenterprises, Micro-entrepreneurship, Socio-Economic empowerment, Women's empowerment.
Effect of social media marketing on customer's online purchase intention: An empirical study in Pakistan
Over the last several years, social media has been more popular, and it has emerged as the most important instrument for activities such as social networking, content sharing, and internet access. A wide variety of possibilities for businesses such as internet marketing to thrive are made possible by the reliability, consistency, and instantaneous nature of social media platforms. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a phrase that describes marketing activities that take place on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Now, businesses can reach out to targeted consumers in a more straightforward, effective, and time-efficient manner. With the increasing use of social media, companies are changing the way they engage with their consumers and prospects. It was because of this event that the need for this thesis arose, which will examine in more depth the effect of social media marketing actions and efforts on customers' online purchase intentions. Specific to Pakistan's ready to-wear fashion sector, the goal of this study is to determine the effect of social media marketing activities and efforts on purchase intention in an industry where online trust is greatly required. Various marketing actions and initiatives have been described in the literature as a result of previous research studies that have shown the effectiveness of social media marketing. To conduct an empirical evaluation of the effects of social media marketing activities and efforts on purchase intention, this study conducted a questionnaire survey on 260 social media users for data analysis. According to the findings of this study, two factors: having an entertaining content as a social media marketing effort and electronic word of mouth have a favorable but small impact on customer purchase intention. Other three factors; being interactive, trendy and customization have a positive effect on customer purchase intention. People often become fans of a specific brand when they are considering purchasing its goods or when they have had a positive personal encounter with a particular product or brand. Research found that customers become fans or followers of a company when they truly enjoy its goods or the brand as a whole, and they want to be a part of the community in which that brand is headquartered. The followers are mostly individuals who have previously consumed and used the brand's goods or services, making it easier for the business to interact with them. If the company's marketers, customer service representatives, stores, and other employees provide excellent service to these clients, the connection with them may be lengthy and solid, and the consumers can become very loyal to the brand. Also shown is that online trust is proven to be a moderating variable between social media marketing activities and efforts, as well as online purchase intention. Key Words: Social Media Marketing, Purchase Intention, Online Trust, Pakistan, Ready to Wear Fashion Industry
The impact of supply chain management practices on the overall performance of the fan industry
According to UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) and TRTA (Trade-Related Technical Assistance Program), Pakistan's contribution to global fan trade is barely 1.3 %. The industry has experienced rapid expansion in recent years, but it is plagued by low productivity, outdated equipment, and a lack of knowledge. Because these institutions are opposed to change, Pakistan's fan business cannot compete with its overseas counterparts. Supply chain management methods have been shown in studies to increase a firm's overall performance by boosting competitive advantage and more efficient production. Supply chain management at the top level could improve results and improve organizational performance. The objective of this thesis is to explore the effects of supply chain management strategies on the performance of the organization of fan manufacturing SMEs in Pakistan. A questionnaire was given to 120 different fan manufacturing companies for data collection purposes, with an 83.33 percent response rate. The findings suggest that strategic supplier partnerships and supply chain management methods improve organizational performance. These findings show that many SMEs in the fan manufacturing industry are aware of supply-chain strategies to manage and employ them to improve their companies' performance. It is the first research in Pakistan about the influence of supply chain management practices on the organizational performance of fan manufacturing SMEs, to the best of my knowledge. As a result, this research is contributing to the field of supply chain management. Furthermore, it serves as a foundation for Pakistan's industrial sector, particularly the fan industry, in terms of supply chain management.
Factors affecting online purchase intention of clothing in Pakistan
The study aims to analyze the effect of trust and perceived risk with moderating role of brand awareness and mediating role of attitude on intention to purchase online. The positivist approach is used for data collection. Questionnaires were distributed among approximately 215 individuals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The convenience sampling technique is used for data collection. Our findings show that increased trust leads to a positive attitude ultimately leading to increased online purchase intentions of clothing. The more brand has awareness in consumers more will be trusted an e-brand. Perceived risk plays a significant but negative role in online purchasing intentions towards a product. If consumers have a higher perceived risk towards an e-brand, consumers will be more hesitant towards purchasing such a brand. Perceived risk creates a negative attitude towards any e-brand ultimately creating a negative purchase intention toward such brand. In Pakistan specifically in Islamabad, Females make more e-purchases than men. The significance of this model is supported by the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behaviour. This research is useful for the clothing industry in Pakistan. This will help them understand consumer intentions to purchase online and what factors are affecting the re-purchase intentions positively as well as negatively. This research can also help academic practitioners. Such a study is not being performed before in Islamabad, Pakistan. This study adds value to the growing online clothing businesses. It will help add value to the growing literature especially, on online purchase intentions towards clothes and the impact of perceived risk and trust directly and with mediation (attitude) and moderation (brand awareness) of variables. Keywords- Online purchase intention, Perceived risk, Trust, Positive Attitude, Brand awareness, E-apparel industry, Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Planned Behavior
Impact of Amazon's marketing mix strategy in enhancing its supply chain performance
This study has been interrogated to analyze the influence of Amazon's MM strategy including product, price, placement, and promotion strategy on SCP in the clothing sector of Pakistan. As discussed, the study adopted a quantitative method approach inculcating both the literature review as well as the empirical analysis to gather a better understanding of limitations and advantages. The statistical and empirical analysis assessed the influence of Amazon's MM strategy on SCP using SPSS for indicating reliability analysis and correlation matrix and regression analysis. Moreover, this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of Amazon's MM strategy, encompassing, product, price, placement, and promotion strategies. The objective is to compile enough information on the relationship of these variables in accordance with SCP. Furthermore, the findings and recommendations of this research will be considered valuable for organizations, brands, researchers, institutions, and practitioners in the area of marketing and management.
Use of new media (Twitter and Facebook) as a tool for raising political polarization among university students in Pakistan after the 2018 general elections
This thesis objects to evaluate the effect of political utilization of new media on political polarization among Pakistani university students and to ascertain the connection between New media use and political polarization. The theoretical framework of the thesis mainly relies on uses and gratification theory. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs are used as a mixed methodology for this thesis. Students at the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the University of Punjab were the population chosen to conduct survey and semi-structured interviews. To conduct the survey stratified random sampling was utilized and a sample of 354 students was drawn using Selvin's formula. While 5 students were selected randomly to conduct semi-structured interviews. Descriptive analysis using SPSS software was done to analyze the quantitative data collected through the survey while the qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the study proved that the utilization of new media platforms for political purposes plays an important role in raising political polarization among university students in Pakistan.
Media literacy policy in Pakistan
Media literacy is a multidisciplinary narrative which has been defined differently by different scholars and researchers. Over the time, it has been explicated in many ways and incorporated distinct techniques. Media literacy is not something bizarre rather its multifarious and diversified in nature. Since the early 19th century, the debate of media literacy started in different parts of the wold and the prime focus was print literacy and film literacy. In contemporary era, new ICTs have transformed the whole landscape of media and communication around the globe. The access to internet is much easier than ever before. McLuhan's global village is well connected and taking both social and professional life to cyber space. Advancement in communication technology is changing learning patterns too. Intentionally and unintentionally, we are exposed to excessive information online. On one hand, cyber crimes, cyber bullying, online gambling, internet pornography and violent video games are effecting the internet users. On the other hand, media manipulation, fake news, propaganda, privacy, online harassment, security and data mining are some other challenges of this domain. Traditional pedagogy is lacking in creating critical thinking and democratization of education system to meet the goals of today's media mediated world. That leads to the need of media literacy. Critical media literacy can help to bring educational and social reforms. This study focus on media literacy policy for Pakistan. A media literacy policy for Pakistan could stimulate other South Asian and developing countries to take a step. As far as Pakistan is concern, media is not just watch dog rather act as a third party in almost all affairs. The constitution of Pakistan gives right to information, right to education and freedom of expression but practically, how far it's true is also discussed. Pakistani media and education system both are reviewed. For data collection, in-depth interview method has been used. For that educationists, media practitioners and media teachers were contacted. It emphasizes that critical media literacy can enable both adults and kids to decode media messages rightly, no matter if it's conventional or new media. This study identifies the need of media literacy policy in Pakistan as well as purposes the basic framework for such a policy.
Linking national business system with firm level innovation: The mediating role of intellectual capital and absorptive capacity
As business becomes more fast-paced in the early of 21st century, organizational success relies ever increasingly on innovation. Firm's capability to innovate, however can be influenced by a range factors that reside at different analytical levels. In recent years, institutionalists are increasingly trying to explore the impact of macro-level institutions on micro-level (i.e. firm) phenomena. A large body of research in this field, however, has failed to delineate clear mechanisms to explain such linkages. Therefore, this study develops an integrated model with the aim to explore the link between national business system and innovation output at firm level through examining the mediating role of intellectual capital and absorptive capacity in a developing country context. To test the research hypotheses, this study has followed positivist philosophical research tradition and has applied quantitative research methodology. This approach statistically tests theories to determine effects or outcomes of the study and facilitates to generalize such outcomes to the overall population. The research design of this study bears the qualities of the cross-sectional survey research. Target respondents of the survey were set as primarily owner/ managers and in case that this criterion was not met; senior managers and managers were set as secondary respondents. This study followed snowball-sampling method consistent with the loosely coupled sampling frame and key informants methodology. In order to consider a firm as a part of sample, this study has set two relatively simple criteria. First, it was specified that sample firms should be driven from knowledge intensive industries in order to observe a variance in the dependent variable, the innovation output. Second, firms to be included in the sample should be driven by the population of private and local firms in order to concentrate our attention in dominant economic actors of the Pakistani setting. Prior to the data collection, current study engages in an extensive scale development effort to collect representative data about the national institutions and business system of the Pakistani setting, complemented by relevant validity and reliability tests. To do so, this study followed established guidelines and close attention was paid to item wording, structure of the statements, item meaning, item scaling, and appropriate numbers of items so that respondents can understand the statements without any difficulty and confusion which normally result from 'double barreled' items. Likewise, scaling is an important aspect in scale development activity. The research espoused a Likert-type scale that is the best known and widely used in behavioral research tradition. Next, this study has created an initial pool of items that would tap into each construct's domain and considering the centrality of societal institutions and business systems scales, their items, and other constructs' items were reviewed by subject matter experts (SMEs) to assess the face and content validity. Prior to this, SMEs were briefed about the conceptualizations of all constructs. Based on their feedback, all items of each construct were included in the initial scale and sent to fifteen businesses executives for further identification of any ambiguity or difficulty that might hamper filling the questionnaire out. Furthermore, they were asked to provide suggestions for improvement or any other changes that they deemed necessary. Minor improvements were suggested in wordings of several items, which were adjusted after consulting with the SMEs. After developing a preliminary version of the scales including cover letter and guidelines, it was decided to launch a pilot study to ensure the reliability and usability of scales. The objective of pretesting was to minimize those errors that can be problematic during final data collection, and these errors generally become apparent due to a poor research design or use of ambiguous wording in the questionnaire. Out of 60 distributed questionnaires, 35 filled questionnaires were received back. Two were having substantial missing data, with the omission of these two, remaining 33 were of use. After reviewing the comments of respondents regarding item wording, sentence structure, and level of difficulty or confusion in understanding the language used in the questionnaire, few suggestions about changing some words and sentence structure for several items, which we incorporated in the final survey. Additionally, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out to examine the factor structure and internal consistency (reliability) of the scales. The coefficient alpha for each construct achieved the threshold value of 0.70. However, it is suggested that these results should be treated with extra caution because EFA needs relatively larger sample size, particularly in the case of unclear factor pattern. Accordingly, these results were considered as indicative of main study data patterns, rather than final. Therefore, no items were deleted merely based on these findings. Target population of this study is firm from knowledge intensive industries including textile, pharmaceutical, engineering, information technology, electrical/electronics, and automotive/automobile. In order to reduce potential variation caused by the macro-level factors, extensive effort was put to collect data in a short interval between the months of April, 2016 and October, 2016. Research assistants, who were postgraduate students, collected the data with face-to-face and on-site visits. They were adequately trained about the purpose of the research and theoretical nature of constructs prior to the data collection. Researchers made visits to the companies with one month interval after the initial visit in cases that the data were not collected within the first round. Out of 1,235 distributed questionnaires, 228 questionnaires collected back with 18.46% response rate. Out of these, 14 questionnaires dropped out due to a large amount of missing data, thus 214 usable questionnaires were included for further data analysis. Before testing the hypotheses of study, several data cleaning methods such as missing data analysis, outliers' detection and assessment of normality were applied to obtain precise results. After cleaning the data, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied. Lastly, reliability and validity of each scale was tested. The results of all these tests were found satisfactory to proceed the main analysis of the study. The overall theoretical model was tested by structural equations using partial least squares approach. This approach is suitable for small sample size studies and does not require data normality as needed in covariance-based SEM approaches. The results of fit and quality indices of the model achieve the set criteria, thus confirming a high predictive power of the model. The results of path coefficients of the relationship between latent variables were obtained after controlling firm age, firm size, export, R&D budget, firm type (family or non-family), and affiliation with business group. Firm size significantly influences both the radical and incremental innovation. These results are obtained after controlling firm age, firm size, export, R&D budget, firm type (family or non-family), and affiliation with business group. Almost, all variables have nonsignificant impact on both types of innovation output, except business group application on incremental innovation. In addition to this, R&D budget and firm size have insignificant negative impact on radical innovation. Export has insignificant negative impact on both radical and incremental innovation output. The results exhibit strong support for the mediating role of repository (intellectual capital) and enabling (absorptive capacity) cognitive factors in the association of macro and meso level institutional characteristics and firm-level innovation. Thus, this study significantly extends the literature about the national business systems approach by providing a clear-cut mechanism about how abstract institutional templates constituted at the societal and business system level are translated into actionable sets by the help of aforementioned cognitive factors. Moreover, hypotheses on direct links between the study constructs were also supported, thereby indicating variables reside at different analytical levels are closely linked in a topdown manner. In addition, the particular characteristics of the Pakistani setting also reflect themselves in the empirical results. First, the fragmented and informal nature of the dominant societal institutions necessitated the use of non-ownership based control and coordination mechanisms alongside with ownership based control and coordination mechanisms. Thus, it can be argued that the owners pragmatically resort to any means necessary to control and coordinate the economic resources of their firms by engaging in relationships with a variety of stakeholders including the state, competitors, employees, financial organizations and the community. Although, theoretical discussions in the NBS approach suggest that there are only few possible NBS typologies because of the interdependencies between different institutional templates, the Pakistani setting seems to exhibit the characteristics of a hybrid model. Pakistan's business model generally displays relatively higher levels of direct ownership control and coordination characteristics, lower levels of non-ownership based coordination and control characteristics, and relatively tighter levels of interdependence between employer-employee relations. The implication of present research is to contribute institutional theory and to elaborate how NBS theory could be used in developing countries. It particularly demonstrates how the Pakistani business system influences firm level innovation outputs and offers guidelines for management in designing successful innovation related policies and practices in Pakistan. Moreover, this study pinpoints for managers how knowledge management activities inside the firms and grasping outside knowledge can enhance innovation output that can lead them to stay ahead of competitors. Although constraints exist in the form of lack of resources or access to the resources, yet firms can manage such constraints by developing network ties be more innovative.
How far the COVID-19 pandemic affects the hedonic and utilitarian aspects of consumer behavior": A case study of Pakistani citizens
Consumer behavior is the behavior of the consumers which can be varied with many factors. The use of utilitarian and hedonic approach has the potential to improve many aspects of the consumer buying intention and its impact with various variables. However, despite its potential benefits, the use of utilitarian and hedonic approach is not without its challenges and limitations, including data privacy and ethical considerations. The aim of this dissertation project is to explore the use of utilitarian and hedonic approach and to evaluate its impact in COVID-19 times and how certain variables such as fear of lockdown, shortage of daily life items, peer buying and impulsive purchase pattern have impacted the consumer behavior. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both a literature review and empirical analysis, to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits and limitations. The empirical analysis evaluates the impact of utilitarian and hedonic approach on consumer behavior using a SPSS analysis. The study also identifies key challenges and limitations using utilitarian and hedonic approach, including the factors such as fear of lockdown, shortage of daily life items, peer buying and impulsive purchase pattern and consumer behavior. This study contributes to the development of a deeper understanding of the role of utilitarian and hedonic approach and its potential to get the information on the relationship for above said variables with consumer behavior. The findings and recommendations of the study will be valuable for organizations, researchers, and practitioners in the field of marketing and business management.
Pakistan talibanı'nın oluşumu: İç ve dış dinamikler
Asya kıtasında önemli bir kavşak noktası olan Güney Asya bölgesi tarih, kültür ve siyaset açısından her zaman hareketli bir bölge olmuştur. Hint Alt kıtasının parçalanması, Afgan Harbi ve ABD'nin Afganistan'a müdahalesi sonrasında oluşan olumlu ve olumsuz bütün siyasi sonuçların etkisi günümüzde de bu coğrafyada görülmektedir. Pakistan Talibanı (Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan) tüm bu siyasi olayların sonucu olarak ortaya çıkmış bir terör örgütüdür. Bu terör örgütü, son dönemde Pakistan'da kurulan terör örgütleri içerisinde en etkili ve agresif olanıdır. Bu araştırmada, Pakistan Talibanı'nın ortaya çıkmasında rol oynayan iç ve dış faktörler incelenmiştir. Metot olarak vaka incelemesi (case study) kullanılmıştır. Pakistan Talibanı'nın oluşumu ve gelişimi süreçlerinin ele alındığı vaka çalışmasında detaylı tarihsel açıklama (Historical Explanation) yaklaşımı izlenmektedir. İlk bölümde Pakistan'ın genel durumuna dair bilgiler verildikten sonra ikinci bölümde Pakistan Talibanı'nın oluşumu ve özellikleri anlatılmıştır. Üçüncü bölümde Pakistan Talibanı'nın ortaya çıkmasına neden olan iç dinamikler ele alınmıştır. Peştunistan meselesi, Pakistan'da yaşanan doğal afetler, Cihadi retorik ve İslamizasyon politikası ve Pakistan Ordusu'nun 11 Eylül sonrası yaptığı askeri faaliyetler bu terör örgütünün oluşmasında rol oynayan iç dinamiklerdir. Pakistan Talibanı'nın kurulmasında iç faktörlerin yanında dış faktörler de etkili olmuştur. Çalışmanın dördüncü bölümde ise bu dış dinamikler ele alınmıştır. İran-Suudi Arabistan rekabeti, Afgan Harbi ve Taliban'ın Afganistan'da aktör olarak ortaya çıkması, El Kaide'nin Afganistan'daki etkisi, 11 Eylül sonrası ABD'nin Afganistan'a müdahalesi Pakistan Taliban'ını ortaya çıkartan dış dinamiklerdir. Pakistan Talibanı tarafından gerçekleştirilen terör saldırıları Pakistan'da ciddi ekonomik, sosyal ve politik sorunların ortaya çıkmasına neden olmuştur. Siviller ve güvenlik güçleri bu saldırılarda yaralanmış ve hayatını kaybetmiştir. Pakistan Talibanı'nın Pakistan'a vermiş olduğu zarar oldukça yüksektir. Son on yılda, 55.000 Pakistan vatandaşı Pakistan Taliban'ı tarafından yapılan saldırılarda hayatını kaybetmiştir. Ayrıca saldırıların mali zararı da bir hayli yüksektir. Pakistan bu saldırılardan ötürü 103 milyar dolarlık mali zarara uğramıştır. 1979 yılında Sovyetler Birliği'nin Afganistan'ı işgal etmesinin ardından Afganistan kaynaklı sorunların Pakistan üzerinde oluşturduğu yük, Pakistan Talibanı'nın ortaya çıkmasıyla giderek artan bir hale gelmiştir.
Pakistan Devleti'nin kuruluşu
İngilizlerin Hint alt kıtada uyguladıkları sistemin işleyişi ve gelişimi Pakistan Devleti'nin kuruluş sürecinde önemli rol oynamıştır. Ticaret amacıyla alt kıtaya gelen İngilizler ilerleyen süreçte yavaş ve sistemli bir şekilde bölgenin yönetim mekanizmasını ele geçirmişlerdir. Bölgenin hâkimiyetini ele geçiren İngilizler kendi düzen ve sistemlerini kurarken zamanla ahalinin manevi değerlerini de değiştiren kanunlar da yapmaya başlamışlardır. Bölgenin hâkim iki dini grubu olan Hindu ve Müslüman geleneklerinin değiştirilmeye çalışılması ahalide büyük endişeye ve tepkiye yol açmıştır. Nitekim bu arada özellikle artan milliyetçilik hareketleri, teknolojik gelişmeler ve eğitimin artması Hint milliyetçisi lider bir grubun ortaya çıkmasını sağlamıştır. Hint alt kıtasında İngiliz emperyalizmine karşı başlayan bağımsızlık süreci, İngiliz hükümetinin uygulamaları nedeniyle yerini bir süre sonra Hindu ve Müslüman çatışmasına bırakmıştır. Özellikle İngilizler, Hindistan'ın farklı bölgelerinde farklı yönetim yapıları oluşturarak yerel kimlikleri ve bölgesel ayrımları güçlendirmişlerdir. Aynı zamanda yönetim, ekonomi gibi devletin üst kademelerinde Hindu kesime daha fazla yer verilirken, bazı eyaletlerde Müslüman kesime daha fazla söz hakkı verilmiştir. Hindu ve Müslümanlar arasındaki gerilim ve çatışmayı arttıran gelişmeler olmuştur. Hindistan Kongre Partisinin sadece Hindu haklarını dile getiren bir parti hüviyetinde olması, Müslüman Birliği Partisinin sadece Müslümanların haklarını savunan bir parti hüviyetinde olması, Bengal'in bölünmesi hadisesi, ayrı seçmenlerin ortaya çıkması, bunların en önemlileridir. Artan bu çatışmalar İngilizlere karşı verilen bağımsızlık sürecinin beraberinde din temelli iki devletin kurulmasına da neden olmuştur. Müslümanların Hindistan'da azınlık olması ve siyasi temsil konusundaki endişeleri, Müslüman liderlerin Pakistan'ın kurulması talebini güçlendirdi. Bilhassa daha önce iktidarı İngilizlere kaptırmış olmaları şimdi ise Hindulara kaptırma korkusu onları bir araya getirmede etkin rol oynamıştır. Müslümanlar, İslami kimliklerini ve haklarını korumak için çeşitli hareketler başlattılar. Özellikle başlangıçta cemaatler etrafında birleşen Müslüman ahali daha sonra Müslüman Birliği Partisi öncülüğünde bağımsızlık sürecini sürdürmüştür. Önde gelen Müslüman liderlerin, özellikle Muhammad Ali Cinnah'ın liderliği altında, Pakistan fikrini savunmaları ve mücadele etmeleri, bağımsızlık sürecini hızlandırdı. Nitekim bu arada Hindu ve Müslüman topluluklar arasındaki gerilim ve çatışmalar iki toplum arasındaki ayrılığı derinleştirdi ve Pakistan'ın kuruşunu hızlandırdı. Pakistan Devleti'nin kuruluşu, Hindistan'da yaşayan Müslümanların dini ve kültürel kimliklerini koruma ve İslami yasalar altında bir devlet oluşturma arzusunun bir sonucudur. Müslümanların dini kimliğini ve kültürlerini koruma çabalarının bir sonucu olarak başlatılan istiklal mücadelesi II. Dünya Savaşı'nın da verdiği ortamdan istifade ile hızlanmıştır. II. Dünya savaşı İngiliz sömürge idaresinin zayıflamasına ve bağımsızlığın kaçınılmaz hale gelmesine katkıda bulunmuştur. Nitekim 15 Ağustos 1947 tarihinde İngiliz himayesinde sınırlar, askeri ve maddi kaynaklara kadar onların belirlediği ölçüler neticesinde Pakistan ve Hindistan devleti kuruldu.
Trade and economic relations between Turkey and Afghanistan in the post-war era: 2001-2013
This study investigates the trade and economic relations between Turkey and Afghanistan during 2001-2013 and analyzes the current positions of Turkish investment in Afghanistan. The study consists of three chapters. The first chapter gives information about the economic and political situation of Afghanistan before and after 2001, and analyzes main economic indicators of Afghanistan. Furthermore, the chapter briefly states the political situation and its impact on the economic and social indicators. It also describes the socio-economic development, employment situation, agriculture, education, health, women's economic empowerment and mineral resources of Afghanistan. The second chapter illustrates the economic relations between Afghanistan and Turkey. In this chapter, three most important topics are summarized, namely the history of relations between Afghanistan and Turkey, Turkey's assistance on socio- economic field and trade relations between Afghanistan and Turkey. The third chapter is the most important section of the study. It examines the Turkish investments in Afghanistan in terms of challenges and opportunities and gives useful information about the main investment opportunities in Afghanistan. The chapter finally analyzes the current position of Turkish investments and highlights the challenges to strengthen the trade cooperation in Afghanistan by SWOT analysis.
Using ordinary least squares to measure the impact of the factors affecting underground economy: a comparison between Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Turkey
Shadow economy is a source of concern since it distorts policy framework of a country and weakens the government. Previous studies have mainly focused on shadow economies of developed countries and have measured its size. This study sheds light on developing countries which are in dire need of policies that tackle this issue and identifies the reasons as to why these countries have large shadow economies in the first place. Using secondary data from 2000-2013 and applying Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model, this study tests the impact of tax revenue, unemployment rate, Index of Economic Freedom, population and GDP growth rates, inflation and internet users on the shadow economies of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Turkey in absolute and comparative dimensions. In the first part of the study, the concept and significance of underground economy along with the objectives of this study are discussed, the second part of the study comprises literature review. The third, fourth and fifth parts of the study use OLS to estimate the impact of aforementioned variables on the size of shadow economy. It has been found that Index of Economic Freedom has the most significant impact on all the countries. Wider tax base and a simple tax system will facilitate Bangladesh, India and Pakistan while greater transparency in the usage of ICT will enable Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey to reduce the size of their shadow economies.
Pakistan'da e-ticaret sektöründe lojistik için maliyet azaltma optimizasyonu
An immersed and rapid progression in the e-commerce industry in Pakistan has been witnessed over the last few years, firms have aligned their resources to explore the strategies that lead to success and even allows the firms to gain a competitive advantage. Even though it has been acknowledged that the agile supply chain and logistics play a significant role in the success but it is associated with cost. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship of logistics with cost-minimizing strategies opted by the e-commerce firms in Pakistan. For a better and deeper understanding, the study is designed to be qualitative and the primary data has been gathered by the one to one detailed interviews. Analysis has been done by using the approach of nature phenomenological. Results indicate that the optimization of logistics allows the firm to minimize the cost. This paper concludes on the managerial implications and directions for future research