bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food Security Issues in Malaysia: An Empirical Study on Farm Level Assessment
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , Siwar Chamhuri , Murad Wahid , bin Toriman Mohd Ekhwan
Published: February 2019

Climate change is proven to have had impacted the agricultural productivity, crop choice, and food security everywhere in the world. The nature, scale, frequency, and outcome of such impact differ significantly among countries, regions and areas within a country. This study is an effort to empirically investigate theses issues for Malaysia using both primary and secondary data collected from and relevant to the Integrated Agriculture Development Areas in the Northwest Selangor. The results reveal that climate change phenomenon such as natural disaster, drought, flood, pest attack, plant disease, and changing the time of crop cycle have adversely been impacting Malaysian agriculture and its productivity as well as profitability. Despite continuous increases of government subsidy as well as permission only for paddy production, the paddy planting area is decreasing as the agricultural farmers often experience adverse impacts of climatic variation. So, climate change phenomenon is also depressingly impacting the state of food security among the farmers. As climate change is universal and its existence is indefinite, the farmers need to adapt to and find ways to mitigate the damages of climatic variation in order for them to sustain agricultural productivity and attain food security
Initiatives and Challenges of Agricultural Crop Sector in East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Development Projects in Malaysia
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , Morshed Golam , Siwar Chamhuri , Murad Wahid
Published: February 2019

The share of agriculture to GDP is continuously declining in Malaysia, but agricultural sector is very crucial to ensure food security, employment generation, socioeconomic improvement, economic growth, poverty reduction, and overall achievement of vision 2020. The East Coast Economic Region (ECER) represents 34% of total national agricultural area, which has a good potentiality to improve productivity and reduce high poverty intensity in this area. Realizing the importance, Malaysian government has taken a large development project in the ECER region in 2006, but much is not known about the project due to limited number of study and unavailability of official performance report of the project. Hence this study is an attempt to explore one of the niche areas, which is agricultural crops sector. The major initiatives of agricultural crops sector include establishing three agro valleys as major vegetable and short-term crop growing areas. These involve organized modern farming methods in a sustainable manner to improve efficiency and productivity of agricultural production of paddy, vegetables, and fruits. The prospects of the project are also very much anticipative, because the size of domestic market has grown in recent years. But there are lots of challenges to meet the target of the project. Institutional supports, physical infrastructural supports like transportations, irrigations, and preservation facilities are not adequate in this area. To meet the target and to ensure the success of the projects, some more initiatives for improvements and proper management are also necessary. These include, for example, farmer‟s cooperative or institutional involvement for marketing the crops, financial supports and subsidies, cooperation among agents and departments, training to avoid environment degradations, and adaptation techniques to cope with adverse effects of climatic changes, etc. It is expected that the relevant government authority and agencies, especially the ECER project authority, will be highly benefited from the findings of the study
The Impacts of Interest Rate on Stock Market: Empirical Evidence from Dhaka Stock Exchange
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , Uddin Gazi Salah
Published: February 2019

Stock exchange and interest rate are two crucial factor of economic growth of a country. The impacts of interest rate on stock exchange provide important implications for monitory policy, risk management practices, financial securities valuation and government policy towards financial markets. This study seeks evidence supporting the existence of market efficiency on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) based on the daily general price index 1994 to 2005 and also shows empirical relationship between stock index and interest rate in Bangladesh based on monthly data from May 1992 to June 2004. Stationary of market return is tested and found DSE Index does not follow random walk model indicate DSE is not efficient in week form. The linear relationship between share price and interest rate, share price and growth of interest rate, growth of share price and interest rate, and growth of share price and growth of interest rate were determined through ordinary least-square (OLS) regression. For all of the cases, included and excluded outlier, it is found that Interest Rate has significant negative relationship with Share Price and Growth of Interest Rate also has significant negative relationship with Growth of Share Price. So if the interest rate is considerably controlled in Bangladesh than it will be the great benefit of Dhaka Stock Exchange through demand pull way of more investor in share market and supply pull way of more extensional investment of companies.
marcelina taboy_130316323_KP C
Authors: taboy marcelina maysefina
Published: February 2019

marcelina taboy_KP C_130316323
Economic Assessment for Harvesting Artisanal Giant Freshwater Prawn from the Sundarban Mangrove Ecosystem in Bangladesh
Authors: Shaha Biplab Kumar , Alam Md. Mahmudul , Islam H. M. Rakibul
Published: February 2019

Harvesting Giant Freshwater Prawn, Golda (Macrobrachium rosenbergii de Man 1879) in the Sundarnbans mangrove forest plays an important role in the economy of the country as well as the livelihood of local community. The study focused the economic assessment of small-scale artisanal Golda fishery. Overall the Hookline gear showed the best performance in terms of economic return. However, it was found to withstand a shock from 20% decrease in market prices or 30% fall in catch rate in terms of Return on investment, payback period and Benefit-cost ratio. Operating cost and fixed cost for Hookline fishery was the lowest and Khathijal was the highest. No significant variation (P<0.05) observed in the mean catch rate per trip boat-1 among the gears studied. Total revenue earned after completion a trip varied considerably between BDT 1,307 to 1,562. Yearly, total net revenue reached at the maximum by Hookline (BDT 38,506), followed by Chandijal (BDT 38,377) and the minimum by Khalpata (BDT 33,885). The findings of this study are supposed to be helpful for policy makers in improving the current status of Golda fishery and relevant human livelihood as well as conserving the Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem.
Rainfall Variation and Changing Pattern of Agricultural Cycle
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , bin Toriman Mohd Ekhwan , Siwar Chamhuri , Talib Basri
Published: February 2019

The decision of crop selection and the output of agricultural production are highly determined by the environmental factors, especially rainfall and water availability. In the tropical area, particularly in Malaysia, influences of these exogenous variables are so high that overall agricultural productions are now vulnerable. Crops are affected through rainfall in two different ways-high and low rainfalls. Avoiding the problem of low rainfall is nearly possible through irrigation, but over rainfall at the end of crop cycle causes destructive damages of the output. Approach: This study uses descriptive statistics to analyze the fact and uses unit root test to measure the predictability of rainfall. The raw data is taken from 8 stations from 1980 to 2007. Results: Shifting crop cycle is also not fruitful due to un-predictive changes of rainfall. All combination of crop cycle is also affected in a similar way. Government subsidy in agricultural sector is remarkably increasing, but farmers are not able to cope properly with the environmental changes, especially for the cash crops and seasonal crops production. Conclusion: Under this circumstance, in the short run, adaptation approaches should be followed in farmer level and policy level. In the long run, technological advancement will play the most crucial role to solve the problem.
Non-Institutional Factors Affecting Microentrepreneurship Development in Bangladesh
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , Hossain Mohammad Muntasir
Published: February 2019

The magnitude of microentrepreneurial activities plays a decisive role in the economic development of the rural livelihoods, especially in third world countries. Microentrepreneurship has always been considered as a proven instrument to fight poverty in an effective manner. As a consequence, poverty alleviation through rural centric microentrepreneurship development has been focused for more than the last thirty five years in Bangladesh. However, despite such initiatives, the state of microentrepreneurship in Bangladesh has not yet reached to a satisfactory level. There are a number of prevailing factors that thwart the development of microentrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Among all the factors, non-institutions encompassing various political, economic, social, cultural, technological, environmental and personal factors are affecting the scopes of operating these economic activities to a significant extent. This paper attempts to identify the key non-institutional barriers that hinder the development of microentrepreneurship in Bangladesh, and suggests a composite policy measure to overcome such encumbrances.
Review Paper - The Development of Digital Economy in Indonesia
Authors: Harli Janet Faustine
Published: February 2019

Review paper atas penelitian yang ditulis oleh Ahmad Zafrullah Tayibnapis, Lucia E. Wuryaningsih, Radita Gora (2018) mengungkapkan di era milenial, gaya hidup masyarakat Indonesia telah berubah mengikuti perkembangan tekonologi dan mereka lebih cenderung untuk berbelanja melalui media online karena kemudahan yang ditawarkan seperti cepat, praktis, dan murah.
REVIEW JURNAL "Indonesia's Efforts to Achieve Globally Competitive Human Resources"
Authors: Fernanda Violita
Published: February 2019

Ekonomi Sumber Daya Manusia (ESDM)
Review Paper
Authors: wibisono shinta
Published: February 2019

Saat ini dunia telah memasuki era industri 4.0 yang didasarkan pada teknologi baru dan mampu mengubah seluruh rantai dan manajemen di setiap cabang industri, termasuk industri keuangan yang dikenal sebagai teknologi keuangan dan perbankan digital. Layanan keuangan berbasis teknologi tampaknya berkembang pesat di Indonesia, ditandai dengan munculnya perusahaan pemula, seperti sistem pembayaran dan layanan transfer uang, tabungan dan pinjaman, asuransi, penyedia layanan informasi keuangan, pasar modal, crowdfunding, dan manajemen kekayaan.
Pemahaman kuantitatif dasar dan penerapannya dalam mengkaji keterkatian antara bentuk dan makna
Authors: Rajeg Gede Primahadi Wijaya , Rajeg I Made
Published: February 2019

Accepted paper for publication in Linguistik Indonesia (http://ojs.linguistik-indonesia.org/index.php/linguistik_indonesia). The uploaded paper reflects the resubmitted and revised version after peer-review; we still need to wait for the typeset version sent by the journal editorial board. The paper introduces the basics of significance testing with chi-square test, the accompanying effect size measure with cramer's v, and visualisation technique using association plot with vcd R package in exploring association between two categorical variables (i.e. MORPHOSYNTACTIC WORD FORMS with the root *panas* 'hot', especially the deadjectival verbs, and their (NON-)METAPHORICAL usages/meanings).
Review The Development of Digital Economy in Indonesia
Authors: Lie Edwin Laurencia
Published: February 2019

Perkembangan ekonomi di Indonesia turut berkembang sesuai dengan perkembangan fintech di Indonesia. Perkembangan fintech memberikan dampak terutama pada sektor keuangan dan perbankan. Fintech juga memberikan dampak pada usaha UMKM yang memberikan efisiensi kinerja. Walaupun fintech tidak diterapkan sepenuhnya,
Development of Tourism and Creative Industry in Indonesia - Gracia Febriana G / 130216021 (KP-D)
Authors: Febriana Gracia
Published: February 2019

Tourism and creative economy in Indonesia can develop properly if there is a good synergy among all stakeholders to contribute to GDP, employment, and foreign exchange reserves. Telecommunication networks and e-tourism support is necessary for tourism marketing and electronic ticketing. Tour operators in the country, direct flights, visa-free, and the organization of MICE in the tourist destinations are very effective to attract foreigners who travel on business and have a very large multiplier to boost tourism and creative economy in Indonesia.
Pelaksanaan Pemenuhan Hak Anak Didik Pemasyarakatan Yang Masih Berstatus Pelajar Untuk Mengikuti Ujian Nasional
Authors: Julaiddin
Published: February 2019

Anak merupakan aset generasi mendatang yang sangat berharga. Dapat dikatakan bahwa baik buruknya hari depan sebuah bangsa ditentukan oleh tangan-tangan pengembannya dan selayaknya mendapatkan perhatian khusus dari pemerintah, dalam rangka pemenuhan pendidikan untuk mewujudkan sumber daya manusia yang berkualitas dan berkarakter. Hak untuk mendapatkan pendidikan tetap berlaku walaupun seorang anak sedang menjalani masa pemidanaan yang diputuskan oleh pengadilan. Anak didik mempunyai hak-hak yang harus dilindungi dan diayomi. Mengenai pemahaman arti penting hak anak atas pendidikan harus dikembalikan pada prinsip-prinsip dasar pemenuhan hak anak yaitu non diskriminasi, hidup, tumbuh dan berkembang, kepentingan terbaik bagi anak dan turut berpartisipasi.Metode Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian skripsi ini adalah menggunakan pendekatan yuridis normatif sebagai pendekatan utama yang didukung oleh pendekatan yuridis empiris. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan pembahasan, maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa: Pertama, Pelaksanaan pemenuhan hak anak didik di Lembaga Permasyarakatan dilaksanakan melalui program Kejar (Kelompok Belajar) Paket A yaitu setara dengan SD, paket B yaitu setara dengan SMP, paket C yaitu setara dengan SMA, bekerjasama dengan Dinas Pendidikan Nasional Kota Padang dalam rangka pemberantasan buta huruf dan pemenuhuan kebutuhan atas fasilitas ijazah. Untuk pembelajaran sehari-hari telah ditentukan oleh pihak Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Anak seperti pendidikan umum berupa pendidikan agama/rohani, pendidikan jasmani, pendidikan kesenian, pembinaan ketrampilan, dan pendidikan umum. Melalui proses bimbingan tahap awal, bimbingan tahap lanjutan, bimbingan tahap akhir, Kedua, Kendala-kendala yang dihadapi dalam pemenuhan Hak Anak Didik di Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Klas IIA Padang, yaitu: Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Klas IIA Padang bukan Lembaga Pemasyarakatan khusus untuk anak, keterbatasan penyediaan sarana, kurangnya motivasi para narapidana anak untuk melakukan dan mengikuti pelajaran, kurangnya tenaga pendidik, kurangnya suplay anggaran untuk pendidikan, kurangnya pengawalan terhadap narapidana, rendahnya kepedulian masyarakat dan pemerintah daerah baik propinsi maupun Kota/Kabupaten. Upaya-upaya yang dilakukan, yaitu: memberikan narapidana pendidikan secara khusus, meminta dukungan keluarga untuk mengembalikan rasa percaya diri narapidana, memberikan kesempatan kepada anak pidana untuk dapat membantu para pegawai di Lembaga Pemasyarakatan sehingga mereka dapat belajar beraktivitas yang positif, dan menghilangkan kebosanan selama menjalani masa pidananya.
Exploring the Potential of Nipa Palm for Ecosystem Restoration and Climate Change Mitigation, Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and Renewable Energy
Authors: ZSL KS
Published: February 2019

Nypa fruiticans, commonly known as Nipa Palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In Indonesia, nipa palm covers about 700,000 ha, while, in South Sumatra, the Nipa Palm is a natural component of mangrove forests and covers extensive areas along the coast, estuaries, and riparian zones of rivers. About half of the natural nipa palm ecosystem in South Sumatra has been disturbed by human activities and requires restoration. Since Nipa Palm can be used to produce nipa palm sugar, natural nipa palm forests have the potential to generate sustainable rural livelihoods for those living in the lowland zone. More recently, nipa palm has been identified as a potential source of renewable energy. The sugar rich sap can be used to produce ethanol, a biofuel. Because of this potential, the KELOLA Sendang Project is exploring the potential of nipa palm for ecosystem restoration and climate change mitigation, sustainable rural livelihoods and renewable energy.
Co-evolutionary analysis of the immune and nervous systems may reveal novel diagnosis and treatment options for mental health and neurodegenerative disorders
Authors: Cunha Catarina
Published: February 2019

Theories regarding the co-evolution of the immune system and neuronal network have been discussed throughout science history, but only recently research has shown evidence of the immune system modulating the neuronal circuitry of social behavior directly. Targeting the communication of the two systems would be an important novel approach that holds the potential for discoveries and development of precise diagnosis and treatments, and possibly even prevention of illnesses such as Parkinson, Alzheimer, and autism. We hypothesize, that there are 3 ways for the system to be dysregulated in pathologies: 1) the neuronal network is mal-functioning by default and derails the immune system, 2) basically vice versa and both, 3) the immune system gets triggered too early too much or chronically (inflammation, pollution, stress, etc), which then leads to aberrations of the central nervous system and its behavioral responses, however, even in this scenario some organisms cope with chronic stressors, displaying resilience, and others don’t. We hypothesize, that downregulation or blockage of immune-neuronal network communication would be an important target for treatment or even prevention of various illnesses, including neurological and mental health disorders. We will discuss various mechanisms supporting this co-evolution hypothesis, including cytokines modulating behavior and neurotransmitters modifying immune responses, and novel targets that could be potentially utilized for novel treatment development. In the light of fast increasing rate of mental health and neurological illnesses, we need to establish the risk level in individuals for aberrant immune-neuronal system/communication-related disorders development, which will play an important role in sustaining stable public health and therefore also a steady economy. In the future, the development of novel screening and analyzing technology will lead to cost-effectiveness, enabling us to utilize these individualized preventive screenings as broadly applied tools.
How Efficiency Shapes Human Language, TICS 2019
Authors: Gibson Edward , Futrell Richard , Piantadosi Steven T. , Dautriche Isabelle , Mahowald Kyle , Bergen Leon , Levy Roger Philip
Published: February 2019

Cognitive science applies diverse tools and perspectives to study human language. Recently, an exciting body of work has examined linguistic phenomena through the lens of efficiency in usage: what otherwise puzzling features of language find explanation in formal accounts of how language might be optimized for communication and learning? Here, we review studies that deploy formal tools from probability and information theory to understand how and why language works the way that it does, focusing on phenomena ranging from the lexicon through syntax. These studies show how apervasive pressure for efficiency guides the forms of natural language and indicate that a rich future for language research lies in connecting linguistics to cognitive psychology and mathematical theories of communication and inference.
Implementaciones de Formalismos Quasi-Estocásticos en el Modelamiento de Sistemas No-Lineales en Circuitos de Moliendas de Minerales
Authors: Nieto Chaupis Huber , Tisza Contreras Juan
Published: February 2019

Interesantes estudios han aparecido en los últimos años en lo que concierne la identificación de la fenomenología de las variables esenciales que están involucradas en aquellos sistemas complejos que son del tipo MIMO y que su entedimiento resulta clave para identificar los sitemas en circuitos de molienda así como también plantear un robusto esquema de control. En este reporte nos centramos en la cuestión de modelar la fenomenología de la dinámica de la molienda de bolas enfatizando la variable que determina el tamaño de la particula que es de enorme interés en facilidades mineras.
Solución de problemas de asignación de personal mediante la estrategia de ramificar y acotar
Authors: Cortez Vasquez Augusto
Published: February 2019

La solución de muchos problemas puede representarse mediante arboles, por lo que resolver tales problemas se convierte en problemas de arboles. Existen muchas estrtegias basadas en técnicas de arboles de búsqueda. El presente artículo presenta la estrategia de ramificar-y-acotar que es considerada una de las mas eficientes. Esta técnica sugiere que ante un problema pueden existir soluciones factibles, sin embargo muchas de estas soluciones suelen ser no óptimas, por tanto es necesario acotar el estacio de solución. Se presenta como caso práctico el problema de asignación de personal resuelto con esta estrategia
Sistema experto para la toma de decisiones bursátiles
Authors: Loayza Jaqui Raul Mario
Published: February 2019

En el presente trabajo se realiza un análisis técnico que nos permite obsevar en forma esquemática todo el proceso de manipulación que está teniendo lugar en el mercado de valores y de sus diferentes empresas. En segundo lugar, ofrece disciplina para la roma de decisiones, ya que existen reglas claras que pueden seguir para minimizar los riesgos y aumentar los beneficios. En tercer lugar se presenta un modelo propuesto "SEDBURS", alternativo de inversión, que será determinado por el experto humano.
Planificación en la rehabilitación y reforzamiento de estructuras existentes: consideraciones para mejorar los resultados
Authors: Sánchez Llatas María Esther
Published: February 2019

La construcción en nuestro país en los ´últimos años ha alcanzado un gran desarrollo, pero no siempre se construyen nuevas edificaciones. En muchos casos se adaptan estructuras existentes a nuevas necesidades y se requiere su rehabilitación y reforzamiento de manera adecuada. Para ello se debe hacer una adecuada planificación del procedimiento a seguir, que por supuesto varía según la estructura que va a ser objeto de rehabilitación. De acuerdo al presente enfoque se pretende dar algunas consideraciones que pueden tomarse en cuenta desde la concepción de un proyecto, para poder prolongar su vida útil con un adecuado mantenimiento y dar pautas de procedimientos de rehabilitación posteriores a fin de contemplar todos los aspectos y no encontrar situaciones nuevas durante el mismo proceso de rehabilitación
Nuevas aplicaciones de la ósmosis inversa
Authors: Cabezas Oruna Juvenal
Published: February 2019

La Ósmosis Inversa es una tecnología· de membranas relativamente nueva que, por su sencillez, ha desplazado a otras tecnologías en el tratamiento de aguas y mezclas gaseosas en la industria. Su éxito ha originado una continua investigación y desarrollo que ha traído numerosas aplicaciones principalmente en la industria, así como en la medicina, en la bíotecnología, en el procesamiento de alimentos y en el tratamiento de efluentes. En este artículo se revisa a la ósmosis como origen tecnológico de la ósmosis inversa, luego se trata sobre las características de la ósmosis inversa poniendo énfasis en las membranas como elemento central de esta tecnología; se continúa con la disposición de equipos en una planta típica y se proporciona información técnica sobre rendimientos de proceso. A continuación se presenta una amplia lista de aplicaciones de la ósmosis inversa y, como caso de aplicación, se efectúa una reseña técnica sobre la Unidad Minera Cerro Lindo de laempresaMilpo, ubicada en Chincha a 1860 msnm y a 60 kilómetros de la costa, que ante la falta de agua en la zona de la mina está desalinizando agua de mar en una playa de Chincha y lleva el agua desalada a sus operaciones mediante una tubería de acero.
Modelación numérica con el código FEFLOW-FMH3 para la Interpretación hidrogeológica en las masas geológicas del derrumbe 5 del talud derecho del embalse Tablachaca
Authors: Gonzales Linares César , Mogrovejo Gutiérrez Ruben Esaú , Veliz Francia Gisel
Published: February 2019

El río Mantaro es parte de la gran hoya del Atlántico, geográficamente se ubica en la parte central de la sierra peruana drena las aguas de una de las cuencas más importantes del país, con una superficie de 36 600 km2. En su parte media se encuentra el embalse Tablachaca, principal elemento de cabecera de las Centrales Hidroeléctricas del Mantaro, que producen poco más del 30% de la energía eléctrica que consume el país; regula en forma diaria y semanal la disponibilidad de los recursos hídricos para la generación de potencia y energía de las Centrales SAM y RON del Complejo Mantaro. A pesar de la estratégica ubicación de la cuenca con saltos interesantes de niveles topográficos y la existencia de recursos hídricos, la geología regional es inestable, conformando laderas activas con riesgo de colapso; en el entorno de la ubicación del embalse se ha determinado varios lugares críticos que pueden originar derrumbes sobre el reservaría y el curso fluvial, el más preocupante por su cercanía a la presa es el denominado "derrumbe cinco" que ha merecido numerosos estudios por más de 30 años, en la actualidadha sido reforzado para estabilizarlo con estructuras especiales, sin embargo la existencia de un flujo sub superficial desde la ladera hacia el reservaría ha servido para diseñar galerías filtrantes de drenaje, cuyos registros de aforos son datos importantes que han sirve para realizar una modelación matemática con datos reales que permiten realizar ajustes de consistencia, sensibilidad, precisión y la búsqueda de la convergencia.
Impact of Personality Traits on Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students
Authors: Ahmed Ishfaq , Ramzan Muhammad , Usman Muhammad
Published: February 2019

In the hard times when educated persons can not get a job, self employment is referred as the solution. But entrepreneurship is not the function that might be outcome of simple efforts. It requires a regular and permanent attitude as part of personality. This research aims to study the impact of personal traits on entrepreneurial intentions of university students. Two individual personality traits were taken as predictor of entrepreneurial intentions, locus of control and self efficacy. Data was collected from the sample size of 276 university students. All of the students were in the final semesters of their studies. Results show strong relation between personal traits and entrepreneurial intentions. However some demographic characteristics like gender were insignificant with the intentions to become entrepreneurs, but prior experience, family exposure to business and entrepreneurial education have significant relation with intentions to become an entrepreneur.
Central Banking and Monetary Management in Islamic Financial Environment
Authors: Hanif Muhammad Nadim , Shaikh Salman Ahmed
Published: February 2019

Continuous growth in Islamic finance calls for an in-depth study of the framework in which the monetary policy maker (i.e., the central bank) performs its functions. Central banks in Muslim countries are using various instruments for monetary policy purpose including interest rate. As a result, Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs) are facing issues in benchmarking the price of financial instruments. Acceptable solution to benchmarking lies in the presence of a real economic activity in the base of any proposal and its feasibility for business performance when put against conventional banking. This paper presents empirical evidence of statistical equivalence of nominal GDP growth rate and official interest rate for ‘advanced,’ ‘all,’ and some Muslim countries. We propose nominal GDP growth rate as benchmark for pricing domestic financial transactions of IFIs as well as for pricing external bilateral/multilateral loans. The paper also suggests nominal income targeting as monetary policy regime and provides a liquidity management mechanism for banking system in Islamic financial environment.
Intermediation Cost and Non-Performing Financing: A Case Study of Pakistan
Authors: Ali Azam
Published: February 2019

The instinct of bankers is to keep the borrowers alive through recycling and renewals of bad loans into loans, a window dressing exercise; or worse yet, advancing additional fresh loans to effectively insolvent borrowers to tide over what is  perceived as cash flow problems and forthcoming illiquidity, thereby getting deeper into financial distress. In this sense, insolvency occurs first, illiquidity follows later. Increase in the intermediation costs lead to increase in Non-performing  Loans (NPLs). The intermediation cost reflects the operating efficiency of banks. If credit risk is not managed properly it  eventually shows up in NPLs, or the concentration of banking credit in a few sectors of the economy, or in a few  segment of borrowers, or a rising proportion of riskier loans in its portfolio during times of rapid expansion of banking  credit. This paper studies intermediation costs in credit markets within a dynamic Stiglitz and Weiss (1981) framework.  The theoretical predictions of our model gains support by Pakistani banks’ quarterly data for the period 2007-09. Data suggests that an increase in intermediation costs results in an increase in NPLs. Analyses show that, if intermediation cost is administered properly, it ultimately lowers NPLs. We argue that minimization of intermediation costs improves  financial soundness.
A Study of Transformational Leadership in Bhutto’s Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West
Authors: Malbari Naheed P , Laghari Javaid
Published: February 2019

This paper is a qualitative study on Benazir Bhutto‟s “Reconciliation” and whether she can be assessed by her book as a transformational leader. Due to a dearth of formal leadership study of Eastern Muslim political leaders as well as their writings, this paper analyzes one such popular democratic leader. As transformational leadership has been of particular importance toresearchers in recent years, this study has used Bass‟s analysis of Parameshwar‟s 2006 study as a premise of the paper. Four aspects of transformational leadership namely as leaders developing „transcendental higher purposes and went beyond the ordinary by 1) exposing unresolved, disturbing human rights problems, 2) untangling false interpretations of the world; 3) breaking out of conventional solutions; and 4) making use of transcendental metaphors, have been used. The construct of Bhutto, challenging prevailing norms and notions of democracy, democratization and extremism in existence both within the Muslim world and the West has been reviewed keeping in mind the leadership premise.
Assessment of Internal Quality Management and Its Contribution towards Higher Education Excellence
Authors: Abro Zahida , Rashidi Muhammad Zaki
Published: February 2019

Educational institutes are valuable assets of any nation. Education in general and higher education (HE) in particular is very important for socioeconomic growth of a country. Higher Education has different dimensions; it supplies human recourses, enhances scientific and technological advancement, provide new opportunities for research and development. Quality is an essentially required element at tertiary level educational institutions all over the world to promote excellence and bring the best practices. Universities have become more competitive and students and parents are in less compromising mood. They evaluate universities from different perspectives like fee structure, faculty, infrastructure and environment etc. The increasing demand of the stake holders has posed further challenges for the institutions to bring changes in the program designs, curricula, and adopt best practices available in that domain. This study attempts to evaluate the contribution of internal management policies to the higher education excellence. The study is cross-sectional and quantitative in nature. A structured survey is conducted to capture the perception of faculty and students' perception studying at post-graduate and PhD levels at Karachi. This survey has been considered as a quality lens through which effects of quality management has been analyzed. The data is collected by using quota sampling from private sector universities only, owing to the varied nature of internal management of these universities. The measurement tool is based on five-point Likert scale and comprises of two major subscales; quality management activities (QMA) and attention to quality aspects (AQA) taken as independent scales; whereas higher education excellence (HE) is considered as dependent variable. The data are coded and analyzed through SPSS software. It is concluded that overall perception of teachers and students for internal quality management and its contribution towards higher education excellence is positive. However, this varies among students and faculty while a variation is also found among various universities considered under this study.
Role of Demand and Supply Shocks in Driving Inflation: Case Study of Pakistan
Authors: Hasan Khan Mahmood ul , Hanif Muhammad Nadeem
Published: February 2019

Generally, inflation refers to a reduction in purchasing power per unit of money and is considered a consequence of negative trends in monetary activity. As a number of factors may lead to inflation in an economy, this study attempts to measure the relative significance of structural shocks in explaining infiation. Monthly time series data is used on key macroeconomic variables of Pakistan from July 1992 to June 2011, and structural vector auto-regressions (SVAR) to understand the role ofsupply and demand shocks as key drivers of infiation. Long- run restrictions according to standard aggregate demand and aggregate supply framework are employed to identify structural shocks in the system. The results indicate that inflation follows a sluggish time path in response to supply shock as compared to demand shock of nominal nature. Specifically, around 75 percent oflong-run impact ofsupply shock on inflation is realized over a period of one year horizon as compared with 90 percent for demand shock. In terms of relative significance, supply side disturbances explain 48 percent of variation in inflation over the estimation period. Within demand side, nominal shocks are relatively more important than the real demand shock. The share ofreal demand shock was around 10 percent, while the reaming 42 percent was attributed to nominal shock. These results suggest that in addition to monetary factors, supply side disturbances should be taken into account for better understanding of and 'handle' on infiation in Pakistan.
Divinity on Sale: Investigating Religious Symbolism in Commercials
Authors: Memon Muhammad Awais , Ur Rahman Mustaghis
Published: February 2019

This research study explores the practice of using religious symbolism and holy iconography in marketing messages and promotional communications. To incite a desire in audience for purchase of certain items, religion is being used as a tool to convert possible audiences into buyers and consumers. This reveals current standing of creed and religion in our society which requires a thorough analysis of the implications of using religious symbolism for commercial purposes. To this end, the study investigates relationship between religion, sacred imagery and attitude of consumers towards religious iconography. After collecting data from sample of 150 undergraduate and graduate students various relationships were tested and it was found that significant relationship exists between religious symbolism and customer preference for commercials.
Evaluating Customer Buying Experience at Chase Up
Authors: Mujahid M. Saeed , Humayun Syed
Published: February 2019

With the changing market trends and mushrooming of mega shopping stores and malls, customers shopping experience has also been changed to a greater extent. Mega malls and retail stores now offer consumer goods in attractive prices and hence mounting culture of consumerism. In this lieu, this study intends to explore the factors impacting upon the customer shopping experience in a mega retail store. Data was collected from the customers of Chase-Up mall by using the self-administered questionnaire. Queries were developed on a likert scale. The questionnaire contains 25 problem-related questions and 9 questions were incorporated to get the personal ,information of the customers. The means for all the variables are more than 3 at the scale of 5, which prove that the respondents are somewhat satisfied with the performance of Chase Up. With the increasing competition in the city, Chase Up is highly pressed to improve itself. The value of more than 4 is what Chase Up looks for. There is a sizeable group which does not intend to revisit. Chase Up must consider it important information and find the ways to curtail the customer drain. The mall must look for the reasons as to why such a large portion of the sample turns out to have no intention of revisiting. Different stores of Chase Up are found to be performing equally well. The hypotheses of cross difference were found to be insignificant for any of the variables considered. This means that Chase Up is required to find out the reasons of their underperformance and subsequently search a similar firm with better performance to set as a  benchmark. This benchmarking will enable Chase Up to fill the gap in the identified areas and improve the overall performance of the mall.
Maritime History of Muslims in the Indian Ocean
Authors: Afzal Nasreen , Azeem Muhammad
Published: February 2019

The history of Muslims in the subcontinent surrounds a number of myths and fallacies about their seafaring activities. In this context, one of the commonly held assumptions is that the Muslim history has no account related to maritime affairs; rather Muslims had been reluctant to naval activities and they mostly confined themselves to the land routes for their travelling and trading activities.Owing to this delusion, their contributions to maritime culture and civilization have been either distorted or completely disregarded in several accounts. To rectifysuch historical fallacies, this paper explores and highlights the maritime activities of Muslims in the Indian Ocean. It traces the historical origin of the maritime affairs in the Indian Ocean during the pre-Muslim era in general and during reign of Muslims in particular. Historical facts and available literature reveal that Muslims had a long and traditional association with Indian Ocean. Being ‘merchants’, Muslims have contributed a lot in shaping the maritime culture of this region that is evident in the historical records. Arguably, the study can open new areas of discussions about the role of Muslims in maritime affairs with specific reference to the Indian Ocean.
Exploring Association of OD Values with Organizational Perceived Effectiveness: Case of Small and Medium Enterprises
Authors: Razzaque Khan Muhammad Kashif , A. Syed Nadeem
Published: February 2019

A value culture always plays a significant role in organization development. Although the contemporary business organizations are gradually realizing the importance of these values in enhancing organization effectiveness, most of the organizations in Pakistan are still in dire need to adapt the values of openness, trust, authenticity and empowerment, collaboration and continuous organization learning in order to enhance organizational effectiveness and efficiency to survive or compete. Especially, the SME sector which constitutes a considerable part of Pakistani economy where majority of the firms have not been able to realize their full potential, the absence of value culture is constantly giving rise to low employee morale and less productivity and declining firms’ performance. Using goal theory of organization effectiveness, this study explores the association of four important OD values: employee empowerment, open communications, employee collaboration and continuous learning on the perceived effectiveness taking the case of 20 small and medium enterprises located in Karachi. A hypothetic-deductive approach is adapted to obtain the findings. The results support that open communication, employee collaboration and continuous organization learning are significantly associated with the perceived goal achievement levels of the firms. A positive but statistically insignificant association is observed in case of employee empowerment. The regression analysis indicates that the selected four OD values significantly contribute to the perceived organizational effectiveness on the given four important goals of the firm. The findings of this study do not only contribute to the organizational development, but would also help the government and the concerned authorities to devise strategies to develop and reinforce the value system in SMEs to deal with effectiveness and productivity issues in this major sector
Retention Issues in Banking Industry of Pakistan: A Case Study of Habib Metro and Soneri Bank
Authors: Rashidi Amin Anwer , Rahman Mustaghis ur
Published: February 2019

Every growing organization considers its human resource as the most precious and critical asset. Hence the importance of retention management in the organizations is very important. The world of banking has changed radically since last decade. In banks, employees are required to be smarter, safer, better trained, more thoughtful and more aware and engaged in order to meet the expectations of customers, colleagues, regulators and stakeholders. This study is an attempt to investigate the retention issues in private banks of Pakistan and to identify the key contributor in overall retention management among job satisfaction, empowerment, training and development, career development and planning and organization image. The study revealed that among factors used in the study, career development and organization image were key contributors which helps in increasing the retention in the two private banks. The study further revealed that there are many other factors which are explaining the retention issues and need to be explored. Questionnaires among the staff members posted at Head Office of both banks were distributed and 15% of the total population of Head Office were submitted their responses. In the end it is found that the more HR practices are in place, the more the bank employee are competent, satisfied, and have sufficient role clarity in their job and will have no intention to leave the organization. This paper concludes that if the commercial banks in developing countries like Pakistan are able to successfully implement HR practices, they could achieve the maximum contribution of their employees, although, at present, the economic and political environment within which HR practices operate is not that conducive
Pakistan’s Participation in the War on Terror and US Concerns: An Analysis
Authors: Abbasi Ishrat Afshan
Published: February 2019

Pakistan was selected as a frontline state in the US-led war against terrorism for two, fundamental reasons: at instant, the US wanted to isolate Afghanistan and Taliban breaking its alliance with Pakistan and the second reason was Pakistan’s geostrategic position to make this war favorable for US from several perspectives. Whereas for Pakistan this participation was based on a three-pronged strategy: firstly, to avoid the wrath of the US; secondly, to make the best use of this opportunity for economic benefits; and thirdly, to thwart all Indian propagandas to postulate Pakistan as a sponsor of extremism and terrorism. This article explores the backdrop of Pakistan’s major interests in the war on terror and the ground realities related to its participation. It also discusses the major concerns of the US regarding Pakistan’s performance in this war. In addition, this article addresses the questions about weaknesses and loopholes of this war due to which Pakistan is still entangled in this endless action beyond the decade.
Emotional Intelligence as a Leadership Skill at University Level in Pakistan
Authors: Aziz Fakhra
Published: February 2019

Emotional intelligence leadership skills are necessary for effective and successful leadership.In today’s innovative and demanding era, leadership plays a vital role in the success of any organization and emotional intelligence and leadership skills are key traits for successful Heads of departments because they have to handle the problems related to department, teachers and other staff. In Pakistan, education sector is under crises due to quality issue. In this context, this descriptive study attempts to measure and compare the emotional intelligence as leadership skill of heads in universities which leads to improving quality administration. Sample of 100 university heads is selected by purposive sampling technique. Among them 50 heads were men and 50 heads were women. A questionnaire Emotional intelligence scale for Leaders (EISL) was designed, aiming to measure and compare emotional intelligence leadership skills of male and female Heads at university level. Data was analyzed by using SPSS 17.00 version. In bivariate analysis association of each attribute category is tested with other attribute by using Pearson chi-square test at 5% level of significance. Kendall's Tau is computed to measure the strength of significance of association of the ordinal categorical attributes. Mann-Whitney test was used to test the equality of the average ranks of responses between male and female heads. It is concluded that all heads of departments have significant level of emotional intelligence and further men have comparatively more emotional intelligence than womem.
Shadow of Conventional Financial Industry on Islamic Banking: The Case against Market Competition and Concept of Risk in Islamic Financial Industry
Authors: Javaid Omar
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this study is to explore why Islamic financial institutions are seen following the footsteps of conventional financial system in terms of product formulations, while ignoring equity-based investments and contributing in distributive justice in the economy. The study focuses on two factors (1) how competition with conventional banks in the same market, for the same customers and investors eventually forces Islamic banks to deliver the same output like conventional banks; and (2) the concept of risk, how it is evaluated and mitigated in Islamic banks and how this concept sets a tone and direction of Islamic banks. The nature of study is conceptual and uses the "maqasid-ul-shariah" framework as a criterion to evaluate the outcome of the two stated factors. This comparison clearly highlights the incoherence between the outcomes of the stated factors with the ideals of Islamic economics. The study also suggests various policy recommendations which may bring the necessary changes in the long run or at least start a thought process among the key stakeholders. Future studies would be required to work out a more comprehensive and concrete strategy. The nature of problem explored in this study has not been explored in any study as yet. Therefore, this study contributes in highlighting two key issues, previously unexplored, hindering the movement of Islamic financial institutions toward their ideological goals.