Impact of Credit Risk Management Practices on the Profitability, A Case of Askari Bank Limited

The paper is a study to check credit risk management efficiency of Askari Bank Limited (ABL), and to conclude how Credit Risk Management CRM practices are impacting to increase profitability of commercial banks. Credit risk management (CRM) is a separate department that needs procedures for monitoring and control of the credit risk exposures. For conducting this research, secondary data is collected from annual report of Askari Bank Ltd. The study discusses CRM in general and then it’s implication in context of Askari Bank. The impact of CRM on banks profitability is analysed using regression analysis in which Return on Assets (ROA) was dependent variable and Non-Performing Loan Ratio (NPLR), Loan Loss Provision ratio (LLPR) and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) were independent. The findings show that NPLR has negative impact whereas CAR and LLPR has positive impact on the ROA. Keywords: ABL, CRM Practice, ROA, NPLR, LLPR, CAR

The role of governance and political institutions for budget deficit for low and high income countries : a panel data analysis

This study has a major motivation to empirically find the fundamentals of budget deficit instability for the period 1984 to 2016 using panel data set of low and high income countries. All the countries included in the study are reported in the international monetary fund (IMF) Government financial statistic (GFS) and World Bank member countries.This study has tried to empirically evaluate the economic and political sources of budget deficit volatility. This study has tried to empirically evaluate the economic and political sources of budget deficit volatility. This study first estimate the regression model by considering the panel characteristics of the data set and estimate the fixed effects and random effects models. Finally Hausman test is used to make a decision for the best fit model. According to present study institutional variables are very important determinants of budget deficit, both in the regions of low and high income countries. The outcome indicates that the budget is more stable with the higher level of political stability. The Budget deficit has more fluctuations if higher level of corruption coexists. This study contributes to the literature for institutional setup and budget deficit and reached to the conclusion that to avoid high and unstable deficit attention should be diverted to improve institutional setup of the economy.peer-reviewe

Economic, political and institutional determinants of budget deficits volatility : a panel data analysis

This study has a major motivation to empirically find the fundamentals of budget deficit instability for the period 1984 to 2016 using panel data for South Asia and ASEAN countries. As main determinants the study has considered the role of institutions, governance variables like corruption, political instability, military in politics and conflicts. The economic data is collected from international financial statistics and world development indicators. The data on political variables are collected from International Country Risk Data Guide (ICRG). Panel data models like Fixed Effect and Random Effect Model are used to test the volatility of budget deficit. To make a comparison between results of panel data models and time series analysis this study also makes an arrangement analysing individual countries, using time series data. The results of panel data models and time series models of individual countries both confirm that corruption and political stability are important indicators of budget deficit. To avoid high and unstable deficit attention should be diverted to improve the institutional setup of the economy.peer-reviewe

SPINDLE CELL CARCINOMA OF LARYNX- A DISTINCT CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL ENTITY

Spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) is a variant of squamous cell carcinoma with biphasic components and more aggressive behaviour. Its rarity and histopathological pattern pose a diagnostic challenge. Early diagnosis and treatment result in a decrease in local and distant metastasis. Case 1 is a 71-year-old female presented with hoarseness of voice and dyspnoea for 2 years without any risk factors. Fibre-optic laryngoscopy (FOL) revealed smooth polyp hanging from anterior two-third of the left vocal cord. Microlaryngoscopic excision revealed SpCC followed by post-operative radiotherapy and is currentlyalive. Case 2 is a 72-year-old male presented with worsening stridor for 2 years post-excision of laryngeal nodule and history of smoking and hookah use for >20 years. He developed dysphonia after a few months with fixed hard level 3 nodes at the right side. FOL showed a polypoid mass extending from the left vocal cord into the supraglottis. Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the neck swelling confirmed the diagnosis of SpCC. Computerised tomography (CT) chest/abdomen showed distant metastasis. Palliative radiotherapy was given, but the patient died after 3 months due to locoregional failure. Case 3 is a 35-year-old male presented with a history of hoarseness for 3 years with no risk factors. FOL showed a 1.2-cm polypoid growth on the right vocal cord. Total laryngectomy was performed and histopathology showed SpCC. Radiotherapy was given and the patient is alive without disease with regular follow-ups. Smoking and alcohol are thought to be the contributing factors causing this disease. Biphasic nature of the tumour requires pathological sampling for diagnostic confirmation. Surgery combined with radiotherapy has a better survival outcome. SpCC is a rare tumour with a tendency for locoregionalrecurrence. Surgery should remain the mainstay of treatment followed by post-operative radiotherapy for a better control.Key words: Larynx, radiotherapy, spindle cell carcinom

THE IMPACT OF BEHAVIORAL FACTORS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES REGARDING INDIVIDUAL INVESTOR’S DECISION MAKING: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN’S STOCK MARKET

The behavioural biases impact the decision-making of individual investor in the stock market, hence, modern finance theories presumed that investor does not make a rational decision. This research paper aims to examine the impact of behavioral factors on environmental issues regarding individual investor’s decision-making in the Stock Market of Pakistan. The data was collected from five provinces of Pakistan through adapted questionnaires; a sample size of 421 individual investors of the Pakistan stock market. This study applied the Structural Equation Model (SEM) using SmartPLS to analyze the influence of individual investor’s behavioural factors on environmental issues. This study finding showed that overconfidence, loss aversion, mental accounting, and herding biases of individual investors positively affect investment decisions on environmental issues. This study attempts to fulfill the gap by analyzing behavioral factors and environmental issues in the Pakistan stock market. However, the current study contributes to the existing literature on behavioral finance and environmental issues in the Pakistan stock market. Furthermore, the current study will be useful for financial professionals, regulatory authorities, or investment advisors, academia as well as practitioners

National Defense in the Light of Literature

Defense of a country is always considered a national duty for all citizens because a country with strong defense guarantees a safe and secure nation. After the establishment of Pakistan, it was targeted by the enemy on various occasions, but Pakistan Army defeated the enemy every time by defending the country strongly. While the army showed the essence of its bravery, the authors, poets and writers also participated in these wars and wrote songs, poems and literature for the country. By means of writing these pieces of literature, the defense of the country was also made successful through strengthening patriotism and love for the homeland. This article throws light on the literature written to build national harmony with special reference to Urdu language

International Trade and Exchange Rate Behavior

Exchange rate is one of the factors that affect exports and imports of any country. Current study is an effort to present empirical evidence on the relationship between exchange rate and trade (exports & imports) with reference to Pakistan. Annual data of real exchange rate, imports, and exports has been collected, for the period 1967 to 2014, from World Bank’s and State Bank of Pakistan’s websites. Johannsen Cointegration technique and VECM (Vector Error Correction Model) are applied to find long run relationship among the variables. Study findings indicate significant and long run relationship between real exchange rate and trade (exports & imports).  Results reveal that higher the rate of exchange of Pakistani rupee against US dollar, higher would be the exports.

A Comparison of Selected Biomechanical Parameters of Spike Serves between Intervarsity and Intercollegiate Volleyball Players

The purpose of this study was to compare the selected biomechanical parameters of spike service between intervarsity and intercollegiate level volleyball players. Twelve (6 Intervarsity and 6 Intercollegiate level) male volleyball players were selected as the subjects for this study from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. The mean age, height, body weight, arm length and leg length of intervarsity players were 22.25 years (SD 0.94), 178.33 cm (1.06), 69.67kg (1.29), 59.74 cm (1.05) and 87.74 (1.73) respectively, whereas intercollegiate players were 21.92 years (SD 0.66), 173.56 cm (1.65), 67.50 kg (1.38), 57.17 (1.25) and 86.32 (1.83) respectively. All subjects were right-handed volleyball players. The players were allowed to have warm-up and trials. Each subject was asked to do the spike service. Five services were recorded from one side of the body with a high speed camcorder (Canon Legria HF S10) operating at 1/2000 with a frame rate of 60 frames per second. Data were collected from the movement onset until the ball crosses the net (successful). The camcorder was placed on a tripod at the height of 6 feet on the right angle of the subjects at a distance of 12 meters away to the side-line. Recorded data were digitized with the help of Silicon Coach Pro7 motion analysis software. The selected kinematics variables were ball height, jump height, hand velocity and ball velocity. The other segmental angles were also be studied in this study those were ankle angle, knee angle, hip angle, shoulder angle, elbow angle and wrist angle. The t-test was used for statistical analysis of the data by using SPSS-18 version software. The results revealed that insignificant difference exits between intervarsity and intercollegiate level male volleyball players in the spike serve performance

Hyperforin: A lead for antidepressants

Depression is a complex but treatable disorder if diagnosed appropriately. However, despite the advances in the understanding of the molecular basis of this disorder and the vast range of medication, psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy, very safe and effective drug to treat this disease is still being sought. Several studies suggest that St.John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) has phloroglucinol derivative, hyperforin, exhibiting antidepressant activity. This bioactive component can be exploited to create a major shift in the safer treatment of depression. Keywords: Hypericum perforatum L., St. John's wort, Antidepressant, Hyperfori