Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences
Mission Statement Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS) is a peer reviewed journal started in 2008 with the mission of providing high quality scientific content to academic researchers and business practitioners. It focuses to provide intellectually stimulating forum where researchers can share their ideas, experiments, commerce related themes and topics in a friendly, supportive and thought provoking environment. The editorial board of PJCSS is committed to promote the journal as one of the leading and globally reputable essential reading in contemporary commerce during the next five years to come.
Enhancing Online Impulse Buying through Artificial Intelligence Stimuli and Social Stimuli in Generation Z: The Mediating Role of Brand Trust
The purpose of this research is to investigate and explain the extent to which artificial intelligence stimuli and social behavior determinants influence online impulse buying in Pakistan’s e-retail sector positioning brand trust as central pathway mechanism among generation Z. Drawing on the integrated Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), study specified three stimuli factors AI exposure, AI accuracy perception, and recommended product, while buying impulsiveness and subjective norms were incorporated as behavioral constructs to predict impulse buying behavior mediated by the brand trust. Data were collected from generation Z and broader adult cohort via cross-sectional Google Survey yielding 508 valid responses. Partial-Least-Square, structural equation modeling (SmartPLS-4.0) was used to test the hypothesized relationship of the variables. Findings of the study revealed AI accuracy perception and subjective norms exhibited strong mediating effect through brand trust on impulse buying as compared to AI exposure, recommended product, and buying impulsiveness. Overall, the model explained 57.0% effect on brand trust and 35.8% was recorded on impulse buying with satisfactory predictive relevance and effect size. AI accuracy perception and subjective norms are strong calibration with brand trust; where effect size indicates larger trust leads to influence impulse buying significantly.
AI recommendation accuracy, brand trust, online impulse buying, e-commerce, generation Z, subjective norms, consumer impulsiveness, Pakistan.
Copyright (c) 2026 Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (ISSN 1997-8553)
Digital Trade and Global Environmental Quality: The Moderating Role of Energy Justice
The potential of digital trade (DTE) and energy justice (EJ) to support environmental quality requires in-depth exploration because the environmental gains of DTE can be compromised in economies where EJ is not ensured. This study explores the environmental effects of DTE and EJ on ecological footprint (EF) utilizing panel data from 147 economies from 2005 to 2023. The empirical results are estimated using panel data estimators namely fixed effects, random effects, the system generalized method of moments (GMM) and the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR). The GMM estimates suggest that DTE exerts a positive and significant influence on the environment. However, the MMQR results demonstrate that the effect of DTE on EF varies in sign and magnitude across quantiles. The positive effect is observed in median and higher quantiles while the negative effect is noted in lower quantiles. Finally, the results suggest a moderating role of EJ in the environmental effect of DTE. That is, the interactive effect of DT with EJ exerts a significantly positive effect on environmental quality. This finding suggests that ensuring EJ in home economies strengthens the environmental benefits of digital trade integration. These findings offer important policy implications for advancing digitalization strategies along with ensuring EJ to promote global environmental sustainability.
Digital trade, energy justice, environmental quality, resource endowment, ecological footprint.
Board Characteristics, Firm Performance, and Institutional Ownership: Evidence from Listed Companies of Pakistan
This study endeavors to scrutinize the impact of board characteristics on firm performance directly as well as through the moderating influence of institutional ownership. Tobin’ Q and market-to-book ratio are the proxies of firm performance as dependent variable. The analytical approach involves unbalanced panel data comprising 883 firm year observations of 75 textile manufacturing firms listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange from 2012 – 2023 by using fixed effect regression and system GMM estimation techniques through STATA software. Notably, findings indicate that board size and female directors demonstrate significant positive influence, whereas, outside directors and director ownership shows significant negative influence on firm performance. Furthermore, findings also indicate that institutional ownership has a significant positive moderating influence on the relationship between board characteristics and firm performance. This contribution to the scholarly literature provides certain important theoretical insights and practical implications for practitioners and policy makers.
Board characteristics, ownership structure, institutional ownership, firm performance, Pakistan Stock Exchange.
Drivers and Barriers of ChatGPT Adoption in Higher Education: Insights from Multiple Theories
This study aims to discuss the driving forces and obstacles that influence the usage of ChatGPT among higher education postgraduate research scholars. The data analysis was conducted using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with the consideration of 436 valid responses which were collected from post graduate research scholars in Pakistan. The study relies on the behavioral reasoning theory (BRT), the technology acceptance model (TAM-2), and the theory of innovation resistance (IRT) to explain determinants that facilitate and hinder the use of technology. The findings confirmed that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and social influence (reason for) are positively related. Tradition, risk, and usage barriers (reasons against), on the other hand, have a negative relationship with the intention of the users to use ChatGPT. These results indicate that adoption drivers and resistance factors influence simultaneously the usage of ChatGPT in academic context. In addition to integrating three prominent theoretical perspectives on technology adoption and resistance, this study contributes to the literature on AI-based technology adoption and advances understanding of the behavioral mechanisms underlying ChatGPT usage. This study also has practical implications to the institutions of higher learning and policymakers on how to effectively and responsibly integrate the use of generative AI tools in higher learning institutions.
Behavioral reasoning theory, technology acceptance model, innovation resistance theory, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, attitude towards ChatGPT, intention to use ChatGPT.
The impact of Foreign Direct Investment, Institutional Quality, and Industrialization on Carbon Emissions: Evidence from High-Income and Upper-Middle-Income Countries
This study investigates the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), institutional quality, industrialization, and carbon emissions across 48 high-income and 37 upper-middle-income countries for the years 2002 to 2022 by employing panel quantile regression analysis using R software. The results show that inward FDI has increased pollution in high-income countries by the coefficient of 0.016 to 0.026 while it has reduced carbon emissions in upper-middle-income countries by the coefficient of -0.012 to 0.01. In outward FDI, although it is expected that upper-middle income countries will end up with low carbon emissions, the results show that carbon emissions increase in these countries by the coefficient of -0.025 to 0.08. Industrialization has significantly raised pollution in both groups, while institutional quality has a positive impact in high-income countries and a negative influence in upper-middle-income nations, implying the mixed impact of good governance in environmental management. The findings highlight the dual effect of FDI on carbon emissions, indicating that its environmental impact varies according to the extent of policy interventions, i.e. carbon taxation, environmental regulation, designed to balance economic growth with environmental protection. The results offer valuable insights for companies and policymakers seeking to align economic growth with environmental sustainability across different stages of economic development.
Foreign direct investment, carbon emissions, industrialization, institutional quality.
Digital Trade Integration and the Green Transition: The Moderating Role of Energy Equity in a Global Panel Analysis
In recent years, digital trade integration has emerged as a potentially important factor influencing the global green transition through the cross-border diffusion of renewable technologies and smart energy systems. Nevertheless, its usefulness in expediting the adoption of renewable energy is still unclear, especially at a time when the world is facing increasing electricity needs to support digital infrastructure and address long-range energy inequities. This study examines whether the environmental effects of digital trade integration depend on energy equity using a balanced panel of 71 economies from 2002 to 2023. The analysis employs several panel econometric techniques, including fixed effects, FMOLS, DOLS, System GMM, and the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test. The findings indicate (i) a Granger-causality relationship between digital trade integration and the green transition; (ii) a significant positive interaction effect, suggesting a “justice threshold” where higher energy equity strengthens the impact of digital trade on renewable energy adoption; and (iii) much stronger synergies in the middle and low-income economies, which supports a leapfrog hypothesis. These outcomes indicate that digital trade may speed up the adoption of renewable energy in case of fair access to energy. To ensure that the global green transition occurring in digital trade systems is inclusive and just, the paper can give viable policy suggestions to the implementation of energy equity.
Digital trade integration, energy equity, green transition, renewable energy, financial development, natural resource rents.
Role of External Corporate Social Responsibility towards Task Performance: Unveiling Serial Mediation of Organizational Pride and Affective Commitment
The importance of CSR is undeniable—it serves as a powerful driver that boosts both employee performance and overall organizational success. Extensive research is found in literature on CSR and its several dynamics related to the performance. Therefore, the objective of the study is to investigate how employees’ external CSR perception influences the task performance of the employees. Based on the social identity theoretical lens, this study drives the research framework of CSR and performance with potential mediating effect of organizational pride and effective commitment. The data was collected from a sample of 372 employees working in private organizations of service sector. For data analysis, PLS-SEM was utilized which validates the hypothesized relationships between variables. The results of this study lend support for hypothesized model. Additionally, it is exhibited that organizational pride and affective commitment sequentially mediate the relationship between employee’s external CSR perception and task performance. The findings of this study contributed to the existing literature by explaining the CSR and task performance in the different context that has not been explored yet. Moreover, this study also discussed the robust theoretical contributions and practical implications of the results.
External CSR, task performance, organizational pride, affective commitment, service sector, Pakistan.
Equity Crowdfunding Success in Malaysia: The Role of Crowd Investors, Campaign Disclosure and Valuation Disclosure
This study examines the determinants of equity crowdfunding (ECF) campaign success in Malaysia through the lens of quality signaling theory and behavioral herding dynamics. Using a manually collected dataset of 335 completed campaigns launched on pitchIN, MyStartr, and AtaPlus between 2016 and 2025. The study investigates how firm-level and campaign-level signals influence fundraising outcomes in a regulated digital financing environment. Binary logistic regression is employed as the primary analytical method, with probit regression used for robustness testing. The findings show that the number of investors has a significant and positive relationship with campaign success, underscoring the importance of social proof and herding behavior in reducing information asymmetry. Valuation disclosure significantly increases the likelihood of success by enhancing transparency and investor confidence, while company age displays a negative effect, indicating investor preference for younger and growth-oriented ventures. In contrast, campaign duration and industry sector do not significant influence once credible signals are considered. The study contributes to the entrepreneurial finance literature by cooperatively modelling behavioral crowd signals and firm-level quality signals using real-market data from Malaysia, and offers practical insights for entrepreneurs, platform operators, and policymakers seeking to strengthen transparency, investor engagement, and digital financing effectiveness.
Equity crowdfunding, signaling theory, information asymmetry, campaign success, campaign duration, valuation disclosure, Malaysia.
Influence of Environmental Stimuli on Impulsive Buying Behavior in Online Livestream Commerce: The Moderating Role of Livestream Viewing Frequency and Livestream Shopping Experience
The impact of environmental factors on consumer impulsive buying behavior in the context of e-commerce live streaming: Role of celebrity endorsements and moderating effects of live streaming frequency and shopping experience This study examined the effect of environmental factors like perceived scarcity, perceived discount, time pressure, social pressure and celebrity endorsement on the emotional arousal of online consumers, which further affects their impulse buying. Additionally, the study shed light on the role of two emerging consumer behavioral variables, namely the frequency of watching live streaming videos and live streaming shopping experience. Based on a survey conducted from an online panel of 575 consumers, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for empirical verification. The results confirmed that the frequency of watching live streaming videos and live streaming shopping experience are significant moderators that decrease the influence of emotional arousal on impulse buying in a statistically significant manner. These results indicated the mediating role of emotional arousal towards the relationship between environmental factors and impulse buying, however consumers having a higher live streaming shopping experience and greater exposure to live streaming videos tend to be more rational, capable of learning and thereby refraining from their impulsive buying behavior. This contributes to a better understanding of how consumers learn to restrain their impulse buying in the era of e-commerce live streaming and sheds new light in the existing theories regarding online consumer behaviors in the livestream commerce context.
Impulsive buying, livestream viewing frequency, livestream shopping experience, e-commerce, emotional arousal, celebrity endorsement, social influence.
The Spillover Impact of Green HRM on Non-Green Outcomes in Logistics Industry: Mediating Role of Organization Pride and Moderating Role of Ethical Leadership Style and Psychological Empowerment
This study examines the direct and indirect effects of green human resource management (GHRM) on job satisfaction, with organizational pride as a mediator and ethical leadership and psychological empowerment as moderators. Data were collected in three waves from 308 respondents in Pakistan’s logistics industry, with hypotheses tested using PLS-SEM through SmartPLS. Findings reveal that GHRM positively influences employee job satisfaction, with organizational pride playing a significant mediating role. Ethical leadership further strengthens the GHRM-job satisfaction link by amplifying the positive effects of organizational pride, while psychological empowerment enhances the pride-satisfaction relationship, underscoring the importance of an empowering workplace culture. This research contributes to GHRM literature by addressing its less-discussed non-green outcomes, particularly in the logistics sector. By integrating organizational pride, ethical leadership, and psychological empowerment, the study provides a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing GHRM’s effectiveness. These insights help organizations balance sustainability goals with employee-centric approaches, offering actionable strategies to benchmark practices and gain a competitive edge in fostering both environmental responsibility and employee well-being. For policy makers, the findings suggest that promoting GHRM frameworks in logistic industries, particularly in the vulnerable developing countries not only advances environmental goals but also improves employees’ well-being.
Green HRM, job satisfaction, ethical leadership style, organizational pride, psychological empowerment, social exchange theory, logistic industry, Pakistan.
The Load Capacity Curve Hypothesis: Natural Resource Rent, Financial Inclusion, and the Pathways to Global Environmental Sustainability
The load capacity factor (LCF) hypothesis extends the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework by incorporating both the demand and supply sides of natural resources. This study investigates the LCF hypothesis and the environmental impacts of the natural resources, financial inclusion, population density, and energy consumption on LCF globally and across income groups. The Driscoll-Kraay standard error approach is employed on the panel data from 1995 to 2021. For robustness analysis, the system GMM estimation approach is also utilized. The results reveal the validity of the LCF hypothesis. Natural resource rent negatively affects LCF across all panels except the low-income group, where an insignificant relationship is observed. Financial inclusion reveals mixed findings; it improves LCF in high-income and high-middle-income economies whereas reducing LCF in low-middle-income economies. Comparatively, financial inclusion measures reflect mixed effects. An increase in domestic credit and bank branches leads to environmental degradation by reducing LCF across all panels. The proliferation of ATMs tends to improve LCF in global, high-income, and upper-middle-income economies, whereas diminishing it in low-middle-income and low-income economies. This research suggests the importance of developing an inclusive financial system, along with adopting cleaner energy technologies to improve the load capacity of the planet.
Energy consumption, natural resource rent, financial inclusion, load capacity factor.
Copyright (c) 2025 Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (ISSN 1997-8553)
Do Institutional Investors Mitigate Costly Restructuring? Dynamic Evidence from the Globe
This research aims to comprehensively examine the impacts of various levels of the life cycle stages of firms (LCSF) on restructuring charges and to investigate the impact of institutional ownership on the correlation between LCSF and restructuring charges. This study employs panel data that is run using a two-step system GMM. The dataset covers the years 2000 to 2023 and consists of 7,570 observations of firm-year of non-utility and non-financial companies. The results show that the charges of restructuring have the propensity to rise (or fall) as a firm moves to either growth or maturity (or introduction or decline) stage. Also, under institutional ownership, a firm changing to growth or maturity (or introduction or decline) stage leads to a significant increase (or minor decrease) in restructuring charges. The information on the correlation between LCSF and restructuring charges will assist the investors in forecasting the alterations in the restructuring costs as firms cross the various stages of their life cycles. Moreover, the effects of institutional ownership on this relationship will be useful in informing investors on how to best invest in stocks. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has investigated the effects of LCSF on restructuring charges and the moderating effect of institutional ownership in the relationship. This research paper is aimed at filling this gap and offering new information.
Restructuring charges, firm life cycle stages, institutional ownership, large firms, and small firms
Building Customer Citizenship Behavior through Corporate Social Responsibility, Perceived Value, and Perceived Service Quality: The Mediating Effect of Corporate Reputation
This paper focuses on examining the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR), perceived value, and perceived service quality on corporate reputation and customer citizenship behavior (CCB) in the airline industry. It further aimed to verify the mediating effect of corporate reputation among the aforementioned variables. This study adopted a quantitative research approach and a convenience sampling technique for data collection. Specifically, required data were collected through an online survey from 346 Airline passengers in the UAE. After data collection, partial least square structural equation modeling through SmartPLS 4 was used for analyzing the data. The findings showed that corporate reputation positively affects CCB. The analysis further revealed that CSR, perceived service quality and perceived value have positive effects on also corporate reputation as well as CCB. Finally, it was verified that corporate reputation mediates the link among the stated factors and customer citizenship behavior. These results enrich our knowledge about the factors that affect CCB in the airline industry. In addition, taking-into account the small number of studies that have been conducted previously about this topic in the Arab region, this article adds to the prevalent literature by investigating the influence of the selected factors on corporate reputation and customer citizenship behavior with empirical insights from the UAE.
Corporate social responsibility, perceived service quality, perceived value, corporate reputation, customer citizenship behavior, airline industry.
The Impact of Netflix’s AI Powered Recommendation System on Consumers’ Behavioral Intentions
Current studies primarily focus on the recommender systems (RSs) through the algorithmic accuracy, and which insufficient to fully measure accurately the practical effectiveness of the RSs and understand user experience. There is an urge examine the dynamic interactions on the critical user context of "beyond accuracy" features such as diversity, novelty, and serendipity to understand RS’s value creation mechanism holistically. The aim of the study is to explore the multidimensional effects of key features (Stimuli) of artificial intelligence (AI)-RSs on consumer behavior (Response) based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theoretical framework which is a gap in the literature. The study was modeled four key features of RSs (accuracy, diversity, novelty, serendipity) as stimuli, user engagement, satisfaction, and perceived risk as organism (mediating constructs), and behavioral intentions as the response. Data was collected from 437 participants, and analyses were conducted using the covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) by AMOS 24.0 and SPSS 25.0 statistical programs. The findings explains that the empirical assumptions of the S-O-R model were met to a high degree, successfully explaining 61% of the variance in behavioral intentions. Specifically, satisfaction and engagement have strongest positive effects on behavioral intentions. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of AI-RSs should no longer be evaluated solely through algorithmic accuracy, but rather through the dynamics of user-centered value creation (satisfaction, engagement, and risk management). Furthermore, serendipity have the strongest direct effect on engagement, highlighting the importance of “beyond-accuracy objectives” that trigger curiosity. Accuracy and diversity significantly and negatively reduce risk, demonstrating a critical role in increasing system trustworthiness. Contrary to the accuracy-diversity trade-off problem, a strong positive relationship exists between accuracy and diversity, suggesting that these multiple goals reinforce each other in the context of user perception. These results provide important theoretical and practical consequences for the design of multi-objective recommender systems (MORS).
AI-Powered Recommendation Systems, Accuracy, Novelty, Diversity, Serendipity, Engagement, Satisfaction, Perceived Risk, Netflix viewers, Türkiye.
Estimation of Parameters of the Beta-Extreme Value Distribution
In this research paper The Beta Extreme Value Type (III) distribution which is developed by Zafar and Aleem (2007) is considered and parameters are estimated by using moments of the Beta-Extreme Value (Type III) Distribution when the parameters ‘m’ & ‘n’ are real and moments of the Beta-Extreme Value (Type III) Distribution when the parameters ‘m’ & ‘n’ are integers and then a Comparison between rth moments about origin when parameters are ‘m’ & ‘n’ are real and when parameters are ‘m’ & ‘n’ are integers. At the end second method, method of Maximum Likelihood is used to estimate the unknown parameters of the Beta Extreme Value Type (III) distribution.
Copyright (c) 2008 Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (ISSN 1997-8553)
Burnout in Customer Service Representatives
The purpose and aim of this research was to (1) identify the factors that contributes towards job burnout in sales service representative (2) What are the relationships of these factors (3) To empirically test the relationships of the determinants relating to burnout in customer service representatives. Based on literature survey six different variables related to burnout were identified. The variables were (1) Emotional exhaustion.(2) Reduced personal accomplishment.(3) Job induced tension.(4) Job satisfaction.(5) Workload (6) Job satisfaction. Each of the variables contained 3 sub-variables. Five different hypotheses were developed and tested through techniques such as Z-test, F-test and regression analysis. The questionnaire administered for the study contained 15 questions including personal data. The subject was Moblink company customers sales service representative in Karachi.The valid sample size was 98 drawn through multi-cluster technique. Techniques such as measure of dispersion and measure of central tendencies were used for analyzing the data. Regression, Z-test, and F-test were used for testing the developed hypothesis. According to the respondents’ opinions, the reduced personal accomplishment had a high rating with a mean of 3.75 and job induced tension has the lowest mean of 3.58. The standard deviation of respondents’ opinions was highest for dimension depersonalization and least for dimension work load. This indicates that there is a high polarization of the respondents’ opinions on the dimension depersonalization moral and least on the dimension work load. The Skew nesses for all the dimensions were in negative except the determinants emotional exhaustion and workload. This indicates that the majority of respondents’ opinions on all the dimensions were below the mean except in the case of emotional exhaustion and workload. Five hypotheses were developed and tested: a) The hypothesis relating to low level of burnout in customers service representative was rejected. b) The hypothesis relating to no significant difference in the burnout levels of younger age group and older age group was accepted. c) The hypothesis relating to higher level of burnout in the single customers sales representatives as compared to married ones was accepted. d) Alternative hypothesis of relationship between independent variable “Job satisfaction” and dependent variable “Burnout”” was accepted. e) Alternative hypothesis of relationship between independent variable “Work load” and dependent variable “Burnout”” was accepted.
Education, Underemployment, and Job Satisfaction
Education is an effective vehicle for producing the required skills to maintain economic growth. The benefits of education range from human to economic, social and cultural. In Pakistan, there is significant rise in the average level of education, but over time, more and more workers incapable to use their educational background on the job. Supply of labor may have outstripped the demand of labor in some professions, and high qualified peoples taking job on low positions. Such underemployment/overeducation has not been fully explored in Pakistan. The theme of paper is “underemployment symbolizes an inefficient usage of human resources and lost output for society”. The research is based on case study on clerical workers of SNGPL. By comparing their educational backgrounds with their nature of job, this paper examines the impact of overeducation on job satisfaction. Our results show that underemployment/overeducation is correlated with higher level of job dissatisfaction, reduced job involvement, impaired co-worker relationship, and more emphasis on future aspirations.
Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL), Job satisfaction, Underemployment, overeducated clerical workers.
Growth and Efficiency of Small Scale Industry and its Impact on Economic Development of Sindh
The purpose of this study is to analyze the growth, efficiency, causes of sickness of small scale industry, emergence of entrepreneur and competencies of entrepreneurs at Larkana estate area of Sindh Province. The study examines the educational background of the entrepreneurs of small scale industry who are the helm of affairs and its impact on the growth of sales of the every year. Strong evidence emerges that owners of small industrial units are family concern and having a low educational background, lack of managerial knowledge and conservation-oriented attitude results in under utilization of capacity and low growth of units established every year. This research paper provides a survey of the theoretical and empirical literature relating to promote the small scale industry in the Larkana region. This study indicates effective policy measures to promote the small scale industry particularly in Larkana region and generally in Pakistan.
Small scale industry, Skilled entrepreneurs, Sindh, Larkana.
Dynamic Supply Response Analysis of Pakistani Rice Growers
Alternative specifications of model of supply response of Pakistani rice growers and their economic implications are considered in terms of the existences and nature of production lags, and the choice between expected price and gross returns as the preferred explanatory of producer's response to changing economic condition. The analysis indicates that there are lags which are due primarily to the difficulties and cost of rapid adjustment rather than to the time required to revise expectations. The statistical results were similar for the alternative specification of gross margins and prices as the economic decision available. However, the price elasticities derived using the gross margins specification were about a third of those using the prices specification. The gross margin specification yielded additional information in the form of yield and input cost elasticities.
Supply response analysis, Rice growers, Pakistan.
Problems and Challenges in Human Resource Management: A Case of Large Organization in Pakistan
This paper critically analyzes the work culture for a mainstream financial organization operating within Pakistan, while drawing a specific example to elucidate certain dilemmas that impede the potential growth for the financial sector and its constituent workforce, besides hampering the performance of the organizations. The case study is related to an organization in financial sector which conducts a Management Trainee Program with the purpose to select, train and develop a high-potential pool of talent into future leaders and fore-runners of the organization. This paper critically analyzes several inherent problems that face the successful implementation of the trainee program under the frameworks of various theories of organizational management. To solve these problems, this article presents a detailed diagnosis of the management shortcomings to improve the firm‟s corporate culture, work ethics and employee handling strategy and mechanism. Recommendations are also made to minimize the problems and maximize the success of the Management Trainee Program in the case study organization.
Human resource management, management trainee program, problems, challenges, motivation.
Working Capital Approaches and Firm’s Returns in Pakistan
This study investigates the relationship between the aggressive/conservative working capital policies for seventeen industrial groups of public limited companies listed at Karachi Stock Exchange for a period of 1998-2003. The ordinary least square regression model has been used to investigate into the relationship of working capital approaches and the returns of firms. The study found significant differences among their working capital investment and financing policies across different industries. Moreover, these significant differences are remarkably stable over the period of six years. The aggressive investment working capital policies are accompanied by aggressive working capital financing policies. Finally, we found a negative relationship between the profitability measures of firms and degree of aggressiveness of working capital investment and financing policies. The study would contribute a better understanding of working capital management policies in an emerging market like Pakistan.
Working capital, Aggressive working capital policy, Aggressive financing policy.
Determinants of Corporate Philanthropy in Pakistan
The importance of corporate philanthropy and its related philosophy of corporate social responsibility have captured the attention of researchers and humanitarian groups in WTO era. Corporate donations have been considered as a critical tool to improve corporate image in a highly competitive environment. This paper explores the determinants of corporate donations based on LSE-25 index companies over the five year period 2002-06. Multiple regression techniques have been used for gauging the determinants of corporate philanthropy after collecting data from audited financial reports of companies. The study is a pioneering attempt in measuring the determinants of philanthropy in corporate sector of Pakistan.
corporate philanthropy, charitable contributions, LSE-25, corporate donations.
Analysis of Trade Before and After the WTO: A Case Study of South Asia
Trade stimulates economic growth as well as create employment. The basic principles (of the WTO) make the system economically more efficient and cut the production and marketing costs. It gives consumers more choice, and a broader range of qualities to choose from. These are the basic benefits of world trading given by the WTO (WTO 2003). A number of studies have explained implications of the WTO with reference to developed and developing countries. How much trade has been increased by nations after the implementation of the WTO remained an ambiguous estimation. The increase in trade can result into benefits of the WTO. Generally, it is taken that developing economies have taken lesser tranche of the global trading. By applying the before-after approach we have tried to estimate that how much trade is increased in South Asian counties. How much the agriculture and industrial sectors were contributing in boosting the trade of the nations before the WTO and how it is doing after the WTO. It concluded that trade of the South Asian nations has not been increased up to the expectations that results in to low gaining of benefits from world trade.
Exports, Imports, International Trade, South Asia, WTO, Agriculture, Industry.
Copyright (c) 2009 Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (ISSN 1997-8553)
Reliability and Quantile Analysis of Pareto Distribution
This paper presents the reliability and Quantile analysis of the Pareto distribution. The main interests are in the relationship between and various percentiles lives that describe the spread of the values in a set of data. Here these quantiles models are presented graphically and mathematically.
Pareto distribution, Quantile analysis, percentile life
Faith and Reason: A Synthesis in Pakistani Society
The basic objectives of this paper are to build a general level of understanding towards the need for synthesizing and harmonizing religious, scientific and philosophical thoughts as they are developed and practiced in Pakistan or in other words, bringing the Islamic and western incliners close to each other and also in outlining some practical methodological ways through which this process of integration can be put on track leading towards a forward looking and modern Pakistani society while retaining its core and basic fabric of faith and religion. The paper has three sections, the first section highlights the needs and reasons for synthesis in relation to various segments of our society and also point out the potential adverse consequences of not undertaking and building an integrative view. The second section suggests some ways, measures and methods of achieving the above mentioned thought of integration across the society and focuses on some of the collective and institutional level endeavors and commitments required to actualize this integration. The third section of this paper issues some warnings regarding the process of integration and its possible undesirable repercussions on the society, in light of some of the earlier such attempts. The research draws some practical steps which need to be undertaken in the Pakistani society for creating a synthesis between Faith and Reason.
Banking Crisis: Empirical Evidence of Iranian Bankers
It is generally understood that well functioning banks and financial institutions help promote economic growth. That’s why Iranian government is trying to play active role to promote economic growth through well established banking and financial system. This survey shows that after interference of Iranian government in banking sector the going concern of Iranian banks became sustainable. However, the interference raises higher level of inflation in Iranian economy.
Bank crisis, Survival, Inflation, and Iran.
Application of Endogenous Growth Model to the Economy of Pakistan: A Cointegration Approach
During the last few decades, governments of developing countries have increasingly viewed foreign direct investment (FDIs) as a catalyst for economic growth. This study investigates the impact of FDI on economic growth of Pakistan by using Endogenous Growth Model. Out of a number of variables affecting economic growth, few have been taken into our model e.g. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Domestic Savings, Employed Labour Force, Capital Formation, Human Capital Index and Balance of Trade. The study examines the causality among economic Growth and all variables mentioned above over the period 1972-2005 using Johansen‟s maximum likelihood co-integration test and multivariate Granger causality test developed by Yamamoto and Toda (1995). The results of Granger causality indicated that in the short run, economic growth is caused by FDIs, domestic savings, human capital index, employed labour force and balance of trade.
Foreign Direct Investment, Economic Growth, Causality, Human Capital Index.
Empirically Testing the Mediating Effect of Distributive Justice in the Relationship between Adequacy of Benefits and Personal Outcomes
This study was conducted to examine the effect of adequacy of benefits and distributive justice on personal outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction and organizational commitment) using 583 usable questionnaires gathered from Malaysian public institutions of higher learning (PLEARNINGINSTITUTE sector). The outcomes of step-wise regression analysis showed that the inclusion of distributive justice in the analysis has increased the effect of adequacy of benefits on both job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Furthermore, the findings of this study confirm that distributive justice do act as a partial mediating variable in the benefits program models of the organizational sector sample. In addition, implications and limitations, as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Adequacy of Benefits, Distributive Justice, Personal Outcomes.
Evaluation of Shortest Paths in Road Network
Optimization is a key factor in almost all the topics of operations research / management science and economics. The road networks can be optimized within different constraints like time, distance, cost and traffic running on the roads. This study is based on optimization of real road network by means of distances. Two main objectives are pursued in this research: 1) road distances among different routes are composed in detail; 2) two standard algorithms (Dijkstra and Floyd-Warshall algoritms) are applied to optimize/minimize these distances for both single-source and all-pairs shortest path problems.
Shortest Path, Dijkstra Algorithm, Floyd-Warshall Algorithm, Road Networks
Comparing Standards of Business Ethics in USA, China, Jamaica and Pakistan
As the business organizations are expanding at a rapid pace, so is the circulation of human resources the world over. Managers and workers are required to work in different socio economic environments which, at times, may not be similar to those of their home countries. It is imperative therefore for business organizations and individuals to acquire in depth knowledge about the culture and business ethics prevailing in the country of interest. A number of scholars have undertaken research studies to compare the standards of Business Ethics of different countries but such a research on “the Standards of Business Ethics” has been carried out for the first time in Pakistan. Interestingly, either such studies have been carried out in developed countries like Europe, America and Far East or the researchers have been from these countries. The conduct of such a study in Pakistan by a Pakistani would be the first of its nature. Some of the internationally accepted norms have been used as scenarios and respondents have been asked to indicate possibility of their reaction to take action. They have also been asked to give rationale of their decision. An effort has been made in this study, to compare the standards of business ethics of Pakistani business professionals with those of other countries of the world. This would help adjudge differences and similarities of well-established universal norms and ethics prevailing in the world business community. It is expected that this and more such studies would help researchers and business professionals develop good and desirable business practices in Pakistan.Comparing and enhancing awareness about standards of business ethics in Pakistan is the main objective of this research. It is expected that this humble effort would encourage many more researchers to dive deep into the ocean of business ethics.
Business Ethics, Ethical Standards, Social Ethics, Morality in Business, Business Norms