The small and medium enterprises Act as catalyst for economic growth and development in Pakistan: Economic growth and development perspective

This paper explores the value of small and medium enterprises for the economic growth and development especially in Pakistan. Moreover, it assesses the usage of information technology in SMEs sector of Pakistan. According to the recent Census of Establishments conducted by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) there are about 3.2 million economic establishments in Pakistan. Out of these Small & Medium sized enterprises (SMEs) (with employment base up to 99) constitute 90% of all private enterprises employing approximately 78% of non-agriculture labor force1. SMEs contributed over 30% to GDP, 25% in export earnings besides sharing 35% in manufacturing value addition2. The paper suggests that SMEs act as a catalyst to economical growth and development where IT embedded in their operations, planning and decisions like Hong Kong, Denmark and USA. Many other societies also place great value on the small and medium enterprises and encourage their activity. In fact, wealth and a high majority of jobs are created by small & medium businesses in the world. As a result, many experienced business people, political leaders, economists, and educators believe that fostering a robust small and medium business culture will maximize individual and collective economic and social success on a local, national, and global scale. It is recommended that SMEs may be offered access to inexpensive capital, tax exemptions and management advice & experiences and IT infrastructure which further leads toward the economical growth & development. The economical growth and development in a country can brings happiness and prosperity to its nation

Pakistan's Foreign Policy: Initial Perspectives and Stages

Pakistan is a state like other states of the world. When it came out from the British net the initial stages were very tough for it. It was considered that it will rejoin India. But the administration of that time took sincere initiatives to manage the affairs gradually. Cold war started at that time between the Communist and Capitalist blocks. Newly established states joined one of them. Pakistan was also one of them. Its foreign policy principles, rules and regulations are highlighted in this paper. All these steps are discussed below gradually with the help of primary and secondary sources. It is concluded that Pakistan had no choice to join the capitalist block because of its financial position that forced it to take such decisions as compared to India. But security and sovereignty were never compromised in every era and at every stage

Bioactivity -guided isolation of antimicrobial agent from Coleus amboinicus Lour (Torbangun)

The leaves of Coleus amboinicus from Indonesia (CAL-I) and from Malaysia, Coleus aromaticus (CAT-M), Pogostemon cablin (PC-M), Coleus blumei–red leaves (CBR-M), Coleus amboinicus– (CAL-M) Coleus blumei –purple leaves (CBP-M) were collected from different localities, freeze dried and extracted with aqueous methanol. The biological activity in vitro, especially in relation to total phenolic & flavonoid contents, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were studied. Total phenolic content was determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method whilst antioxidant activity was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was determined by making use of macro dilution and disc diffusion methods on two gram positive bacteria, two gram negative bacteria and on fungus as well. Furthermore, the toxicity was also assessed for the extracts by performing acute toxicity test. The phenolic content among the six Lamiaceae leaves extract showed significant difference (p<0.05) in result ranging from 55.21 - 95.17 mg GAE/g of dried samples. Pogostemon cablin (PC-M) had the highest content of phenolic followed by C. blumei (CBP-M). There were significant differences (p<0.05) of IC50 value of six Lamiaceae leaves extract ranging from 10.5 – 34.1 µg/ml. Among the species studied, Coleus amboinicus (CAL-M) and Pogostemon cablin (PC-M) showed higher antioxidant activity compared to the other leaves extracts. All leaves extracts showed activity at least against one strain of bacteria and result showed significant difference (p<0.05) between activities on the microorganism studied. On the contrary, all of the leaves extracts were not effective against C. albicans. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of all leaves extracts ranged from 1.0–2.0 mg/ml in inhibiting the growth of S. aureus, E. Coli, P. aeruginosa and B.subtilis. The acute toxicity test using C. Blumei leaves extract showed that there was no mortality of animals recorded at the highest dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight. This study shows that the extracts can be used as antioxidant and antimicrobial agent without having the toxic effect

Physiological effects of dietary complex carbohydrates and its metabolites role in certain diseases

Carbohydrate is one of the basic and an important food nutrient consumed worldwide. Like-wise Pakistani foods contain more carbohydrates than any other food nutrient consumed. Sometimes, Pakistani foods are devoid of protein and may contain only carbohydrates and fats as the major nutrients of the diet e.g. eating chapati (wheat bread) with potato curry. Certain non-communicable diseases can be avoided with adoption of proper healthier food habits and eating foods according to the needs of the body. These diseases are obesity, coronary heart disease, colonic cancer and gastrointestinal disorders (diverticular disease, constipation, hiatal hernia and hemorrhoids). Therefore complex carbohydrate should be an important constituent of our daily meal and it can be adopted for the management of certain diseases provided that it is used in proper amounts. Consumption of certain complex carbohydrates is associated with lower body weight, reduced blood cholesterol, reduced blood glucose and an increased crypt cell proliferation. Therefore, it is necessary and utmost important to know the various types of carbohydrates to enable us to decide to include carbohydrates in our daily food according to our health requirements. Not necessarily all the community need to know but at least those who are associated with nutrition and health management must know the beneficial as well as the harmful effects of carbohydrates

To Examine the Application and Practicality of Aakers’ Brand Equity Model in Relation with Recurrent Purchases Decision for Imported Beauty Care products (A study of female customers’ of Pakistan)

Based upon Asker’s renowned conceptual framework of brand equity, this study is employing Linear Regression analysis to investigate the causal relationships amongst all the dimensions of brand equity and recurrent purchase decision of females for imported beauty care products. In this study, responses of 211 actual customers from Pakistan have been used based upon Purposive sampling technique. Research findings demonstrates, Brand Quality, Brand Loyalty and Brand Association are the significant dimensions while having recurrent purchase decision about any imported beauty care product  whereas Brand Awareness has found weaker support for the same. Significantly, this study is important for all worldwide manufacturers of beauty care products whose products are available in local market of Pakistan and it can appear as a source of female consumers’ insight about brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand association and brand quality which they may keep in mind while selecting their important beauty care products. Keywords: Brand Quality, Brand Association, Brand Loyalty, Brand Awareness, Re-current purchase, Beauty care product

The Relationship between Product Nature and Supply Chain Strategy; An empirical evidence

Abstract The purpose of the paper is to explore the relationship between the nature of product and respective supply chain strategy of the firms operation in manufacturing sector. The relationship is investigated by using the fishers model as conceptual framework. Data was collected through questionnaire-based self-administered survey. The results of the survey were analysed by testing the fishers model related to Supply Chain Strategy and product characteristics. The results of the study indicated that there is a significant relationship between nature of the product and supply chain strategy in manufacturing sector of Pakistan. The practical implication can be derived by the policy makers and practitioners of the supply chain strategy domain that characteristics of the product can have an impact of the decision to device supply chain strategy. Furthermore, this study is conducted in special context of underdeveloped country like Pakistan. Therefore, results of this study enhanced the existing literature on underdeveloped economies

Facial antibioma formation: A case report.

Odontogenic infections are associated with a variety of microorganisms. Antibiotics are commonly used for the management of various dental infections and have a proven role in decreasing morbidity and mortality caused by infectious diseases. The frequent and over usage of antibiotics has been associated with a number of consequences such as the selection of drug resistant strains, and the formation of antibiomas. Antibiomas are characterized by the formation of a localized pathology surrounded by thick fibrous tissues in response to long term antibiotics use. An established antibioma is characterized by a tough fibrous swelling accompanied by painful or painless swelling, intermittent fever and constitutional symptoms. In this article, we are reporting the case of a facial antibioma formed due to prolonged use of antibiotics prescribed for a residual periapical infection following endodontic treatment. In addition, the association of using antibiotics in this context is discussed

Deficient intakes of energy and macronutrients in Pakistani female students assessed by composite samples method

The main purpose of the study was to compare the energy and macronutrients intakes by composite sample method. Duplicate food samples for seven days i.e., breakfast, lunch and dinner and whatever else ate during the week were analyzed for macronutrients consumption. Twenty female students were registered from the female hostel of the NWFP, Agricultural University Peshawar Pakistan. Age, weight, height and skin folds of the students were recorded on the day of the registration. From the anthropometry Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) was determined. The composite food samples were analyzed for protein, carbohydrates and fats. The energy values were determined by multiplying the daily eaten protein, carbohydrates and fats with 4, 4 and 9, respectively. The mean values of energy and macronutrients intakes were compared with the norms as appropriate. The energy and protein intakes were lower by -29.34% and protein intake was higher by 42.65% compared with American Dietetic Association (ADA). Similarly, compared to the WHO/FAO values the energy was lower -30.57 and protein was higher by 43.29, respectively. The energy contribution was higher from protein by 151% and lower from carbohydrates and fats by -28.35 and 23.43%, respectively. This study suggests that students are having deficient or imbalance energy intakes from macronutrients and are at the risk of malnutrition

Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Potential of Brassica

The edible parts of Brassica plants are a rich source of phytochemical compounds which possess strong antioxidant potential. These plants contain a variety of phytochemical compound including phenolics, polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids (zeaxanthin, lutein, β-carotene), alkaloids, phytosterols chlorophyll, glucosinolates, terpenoids, and glycosides. These plants possess strong antioxidant potential in terms of metal reducing, metal chelating, lipid reducing and free radical scavenging activities. These also have a positive effect on the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase. Among various species of genus Brassica studied for their phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity, Brassica oleracea leaves, florets and seeds have better phytochemical and antioxidant profile. Brassica juncea, Brassica napus, Brassica rapa and Brassica nigra are also the phytochemical and antioxidant rich species of genus Brassica. The phytochemical profile and antioxidant potential of Brassica plants make them the preferable candidates for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications

Nutritional and other causes of hypertension in district Lakki Marwat, NWFP, Pakistan

This study was designed to identify the causes of hypertension in District Lakki Marwat, North West Frontier Province (NWFP)-Pakistan. Eight hundred individuals in the age range of 21 - 60 years (81 % male and 19 % female) from the urban & rural areas were randomly selected. A voters list was obtained from the Assistant Election Commissioner’s Office and every 7th person was randomly selected as a study case in each of the selected areas. The height, weight, blood pressure, socio- economic, demographic and nutritional information was recorded on questionnaire. The data was compiled and assessed for nutritional status, hypertension and other factors for any possible association. None of the respondents was in the category of optimal blood pressure. In the categories of optimal blood pressure, normal blood pressure, high normal blood pressure, hypertension stage 1, hypertension stage 2 and hypertension stage 3 on overall basis the percentages were 0.00, 71.75, 14.65, 4.87, 3.87 & 4.62 respectively, for the urban area the percentages were 0.00, 70.84, 12.85, 7.52, 4.07 & 4.70 respectively and for the rural area the percentages were 0.00, 72.34, 15.80, 3.11, 3.95 & 4.78 respectively. The association of the hypertension was significant with the different variables i.e. basal metabolic index (BMI), socioeconomic status (job and family responsibilities, social problems & enmity), nutritional habit (particularly excessive saturated fat & salt intake), smoking and lack of knowledge about the hypertension. This study suggests that the causes of hypertension are due to poor dietary habits, social and economic problems in the District Lakki Marwat, North West Frontier Province (NWFP)-Pakista