The Export Growth of Pakistan: A Decomposition Analysis

The Constant Market Share Analysis of export growth is used here to capture the world trade effect, the commodity composition effect, the market distribution effect and the competitiveness effect for the periods: 1984-85–1988-89 and 1988-89–1992-93. The results show that Pakistan has maintained her export share in the world market. The market distribution and competitiveness of Pakistani exports have improved significantly between the two periods under study. However, the concentration of Pakistani exports into traditional commodities, whose world demand remained sluggish, has offset the positive contribution of effective market distribution and improved competitive strengths to a large extent. A restructuring of exports (from traditional to non-traditional), an increase in the variety of exports, search for new fast growing markets and an improvement in the economic and political environment are suggested to enhance the export growth of Pakistan in future.

On Overinvoicing of Exports in Pakistan

Whereas the policy incentives were designed to promote exports from Pakistan, the incentive system instead led to illicit export practices, i.e., export overinvoicing due to the weaknesses of implementation. Such practices resulted in a significant financial loss to the country and undermined the effectiveness of the export-promoting policy. This paper has determined the presence of overinvoicing of exports in Pakistan and the geographic and product-wise patterns in export overinvoicing. The paper has applied the ‘partner-country data comparison’ technique. Empirical findings confirm the strong presence of export overinvoicing across trading partner countries and products. This conclusion is further supported by the evidence of a significant difference between the duty-drawback rate and the premium on foreign exchange in the kerb market. Convincing presence of export overinvoicing is the basis for a set of policy recommendations made in the paper.

The Export Growth of Pakistan: A Decomposition Analysis

The Constant Market Share Analysis of export growth is used here to capture the world trade effect, the commodity composition effect, the market distribution effect and the competitiveness effect for the periods: 1984-85–1988-89 and 1988-89–1992-93. The results show that Pakistan has maintained her export share in the world market. The market distribution and competitiveness of Pakistani exports have improved significantly between the two periods under study. However, the concentration of Pakistani exports into traditional commodities, whose world demand remained sluggish, has offset the positive contribution of effective market distribution and improved competitive strengths to a large extent. A restructuring of exports (from traditional to non-traditional), an increase in the variety of exports, search for new fast growing markets and an improvement in the economic and political environment are suggested to enhance the export growth of Pakistan in future

On Overinvoicing of Exports in Pakistan

Whereas the policy incentives were designed to promote exports from Pakistan, the incentive system instead led to illicit export practices, i.e., export overinvoicing due to the weaknesses of implementation. Such practices resulted in a significant financial loss to the country and undermined the effectiveness of the export-promoting policy. This paper has determined the presence of overinvoicing of exports in Pakistan and the geographic and product-wise patterns in export overinvoicing. The paper has applied the ‘partner-country data comparison’ technique. Empirical findings confirm the strong presence of export overinvoicing across trading partner countries and products. This conclusion is further supported by the evidence of a significant difference between the duty-drawback rate and the premium on foreign exchange in the kerb market. Convincing presence of export overinvoicing is the basis for a set of policy recommendations made in the paper

Role of Customer Participation in Technology Innovation in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): A Qualitative Study on Value Co-Creation and Co-Destruction

Bringing innovation to organizations is not only considered to be a growth strategy but also a way to survive in the current technological era. Technological innovation involves customer participation and engagementfor value co-creation and co-destruction, which raises new challenges in theory and practice. It becomes more challenging in the service industry, specifically the education sector. Limited literature is available regardingdifferent roles played by the participating customers during technology innovation. Therefore, an empirical study was needed to explore the role(s) of customer participation in the entire process of co-creation, the drivers for customers’ positive engagement, and the reasons behind the negative engagement of customers while participating in technology innovation process. The negative engagement of the customers not only hinders the success of the co-creation process, rather it also causes co-destruction from multiple aspects. The current study followed the qualitative method to explore the phenomenon of value co-creation and co-destruction. In order to perform this task, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with the representatives of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) firms and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of Pakistan. The collected qualitative data was sorted in Nvivo 13 and thematic analysis wasperformed. The study concluded with the identification of multiple roles/dimensions of customer participation to foster or hinder the cocreation process. The major beneficiaries of the study include ICT firms and HEIs which need to re-assess their business processes. The study also contributes to the evolving theory of value co creation, while engaging the actors (customers)

Parents Involvement at University Level Education: Students Perception in Under Developing Country

The study aimed to explore the students perception about need of parents involvement at University level. Major objective of the study was to find out students views about the importance of parents’ involvement at university level and to find out the influence of parents in subject selection for the study. The population of the study composed of all students of Master level studying at National University of Modern Languages Islamabad. 40 male and 40 female students were selected as well as 20 students out of 80 were randomly selected for interview. Data were analyzed according to objectives of the study. After completing data collection, quantitative data were analysed by using SPSS 16.0 for statistical analysis. On the other hand qualitative data were analyzed by coding, describing, classifying and identifying themes and interpretation was done by providing meaning through explanations. Findings of the study revealed that majority of the students’ were in the favour of parents’ involvement at university level but not much influence of parents’ in subject selection of students. The present study was an attempt to catch the attention of educational institutions towards the importance of parent’s involvement at university level

Stable Isotope Techniques to Address Coastal Marine Pollution

Stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C), sulfur (δ34S), oxygen (δ18O), hydrogen (δ2H), nitrogen (δ15N), and radioactive isotope of hydrogen (tritium) have been applied in combination with conventional techniques (chemical) to investigate Karachi coastal water pollution due to Layari and Malir rivers, which mainly carry the domestic and industrial wastewater of Karachi Metropolitan. Heavy metal contents of the Manora Channel and southeast coastal waters were higher than the Swedish guidelines for the quality of seawater. By contrast, heavy metal concentrations in coastal sediments were found to be significantly higher than that of seawater. Mn and Ni contents in sediments of entire coast (Manora Channel, southeast and northwest coast) were above USEPA guidelines except at Buleji site, whereas Cr, Zn, and Cu levels only in Manora Channel sediments were higher than USEPA guidelines. The higher heavy metal contents of Manora Channel water and sediments can be attributed to an influx of a major portion of untreated industrial and/or domestic wastewater. Layari and Malir river water was observed to be depleted in δ13C(TDIC)and δ34S, which showed heavy influx of sewage into these rivers. Manora Channel water was also depleted in δ13CTDIC and δ34S during low tide environment, showing a large-scale domestic wastewater mixing with seawater. Southeast coastal water was found to be slightly enriched in δ13C(TDIC) and δ34S and exhibited mixing of relatively small quantity of sewage with the seawater as compared to the Manora Channel. δ13C(TDIC) and δ34S contents of northwest coastal water were close to the values meant for normal seawater. δ13C and δ15N contents of Karachi coastal seaweed ranged from -31.1‰ to -4.9‰ PDB and from 6.1‰ to 17.8‰ air, respectively. The average δ15N values (10.2‰ air) of Ulva spp. collected from nonpolluted northwest coast was higher as compared to the average δ15N contents (8.0‰ air) of Ulva from the Manora Channel, suggesting that nitrogen isotopic ratios of Ulva spp. could be a good indicator of sewage pollution. The results of a two-component isotope mass balance equation using δ13C and δ34S values for Layari and Malir rivers and coastal water indicated that tide conditions and distance of sampling site from the pollution source were the main factors to control the transport and dissemination of Layari river pollution into the Manora Channel. High tide environment slowed down the Layari river water mixing with seawater coupled with a gradual decrease in pollution levels from the Layari River outfall zone to the Manora Lighthouse

IN VITRO EVALUATION OF SUN PROTECTION FACTOR (SPF) OF A CREAM FORMULATION PREPARED FROM EXTRACTS OF MUSA ACCUMINATA (L.), PSIDIUM GUJAVA (L.) AND PYRUS COMMUNIS (L.)

Objectives: Use of phytoconstituents, especially obtained from fruits extract with high content of flavonoids has gained considerable importancein personal care products such as creams and lotions. Finding new results and data through experiments will be helpful for both researchers andindustry on the subject. The purpose of this study was to evaluate in-vitro sunscreen activity of a cream formulation containing the fruit extract ofMusa accuminata, Psidium gujava and Pyrus communis based on their flavonoid contents.Methods: Extraction of fruits to include maximum quantity of flavonoids was carried out using solvent system comprising of methanol (35%),ethanol (35%), and distilled water (30%). The cream was formulated and tested for the physicochemical parameters such as color, odor, pH andspreadability. While total flavonoid content was determined by aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The in-vitro sun protection factor (SPF) ofcream formulation and commercially available sunscreen was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometric method.Results: The total flavonoid content of cream formulation was found to be 45.81±8.49 and expressed in terms of standard quercetin equivalentμg/g. The SPF value for the cream formulation was recorded as 3.90, whereas commercially available sunscreen it was 12.26, indicating that creamformulation has photoprotective activity and may be used to develop a good cosmetic formulation and to explore its commercial viability.Conclusion: Use of phytoconstituents, especially those obtained from fruits extract with high content of flavonoids has gained considerableimportance in personal care products such as creams and lotions. Finding new results and data through experiments will be helpful for bothresearchers and industry on the subject. The proposed spectrophotometric method is simple and rapid for SPF determination. Due to the high costand time consumption relating to in vivo SPF determination andsome ethical issues for the volunteers, the in vitro method is gaining more importance.Keywords: Antioxidants, Formulation, In-vitro sun protection factor, Photoprotection, Fruit extract, Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.Â

Organizational Determinants as a Barrier of Balanced Scorecard Adoption for Performance Measurement in Pakistan

The prime objective of this study was to identify the status of Balanced Scorecard (BSC) adoption in Pakistan and to what extent different organizational factors serve as barrier in the strategic adoption of BSC as administrative tool to measure performance of organizations. Different organizational theories, strategic adoption, innovation diffusion theory and general system theory were reviewed and to develop theoretical framework these theories were considered as starting point. The literature related to these theories aided in the development of four hypotheses. All organizations of Pakistan irrespective of type, nature and location were selected to test the hypotheses. These organizations were selected by systematic random sampling and a sample of 287 was calculated from a sampling frame taken from Karachi Stock Exchange. After pretesting the adapted instrument was furthermore validated through Cronbach alpha and factor analysis. The impact of different factors as barrier was tested through correlation and regression analysis. It was found through analysis that all four organizational factors were very strong barriers in the adoption of BSC. The salient nature of organizational factors supporting the resource based view in organization for strategic decision for adoption. Keywords: Organizational Performance, Balance Scorecard, organizational barriers