Understanding students’ activities in Wi-Fi coffee shops in Aceh: A survey and narrative interview report

This study attempts to investigate and comprehend more in-depth information about students' daily lives in the Wi-Fi coffee shops, specifically in Aceh, a province of Indonesia. The study explores how the wireless Internet in coffee shops relates to college students' activities. The surveys of 619 students were conducted as a preliminary report. An in-depth phenomenological interview was employed to collect data from three university students who regularly spent many waking hours in coffee shops. Findings from the preliminary survey revealed that more male students visited coffee shops than women, with an average time of more than three hours daily. Accessing information through the Internet was not the primary purpose of visiting the coffee shops by most students instead of gaming, meeting up with friends for a chat, and enjoying the coffee. Qualitative interviews reported that students often visited coffee shops for various purposes, including completing homework, meetings with friends, and finding freelance online market jobs. Wi-Fi coffee shops are essential for those who do not have Internet access at home, particularly young people and recent transplants with low incomes but high educational capital. Although the Internet in coffee shops can have both negative and positive effects on students, if users or students can access these facilities rightly, they will acquire many benefits to support their education and future career. However, if misused, it may negatively affect their lives. Suppose the Internet in the coffee shop is used properly for educational purposes. In that case, it will push for greener and healthier information practices for students who may favor low-tech environments or lack personal infrastructure or resources

Strategic Management Model with Lens of Knowledge Management and Competitive Intelligence: A Review Approach

Purpose: First purpose of this study is to discuss the synergic and separate use of knowledge and intelligence, via knowledge management and competitive intelligence, in each stage of strategic management process. Second purpose is to discuss the implications of each stage of strategic management process for knowledge management and competitive intelligence and vice versa. Methodology/Design/Approach: A systematic literature review was performed within timeframe of 2000 to 2016. Extracted information from reviewed studies was synthesized and integrated in strategic management model of Fred David. Findings: A strategic management model with lens of knowledge management and competitive intelligence is proposed. Each stage of knowledge management process has implications for knowledge management and competitive intelligence and vice versa. In addition, synergic and separate use of knowledge and intelligence results in effective decision making leading to competitive advantage. Research Limitations: Learning curve of knowledge management and competitive intelligence and being limited to use of Fred David model are among key limitations. Practical Implications: Experts of knowledge management, competitive intelligence, and strategic management can use this study to gain competitive advantage based on knowledge and information resources. Organizations should have knowledge management function as well as competitive intelligence to support the strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation. Social Implications: Readers can take a view that how they can manage their knowledge and information resources from a strategic perspective? Originality/Value:. This study proposes a strategic management model with lens of knowledge management and competitive intelligence. Model discusses the ways for synergic and separate use of knowledge and intelligence in each stage of strategic management, leading to competitive advantage. In addition it discusses the holistic and integrated implications of knowledge management and competitive intelligence for each stage of strategic management process and vice vers

Solutions for the Power Distribution System of Karachi Electric (K- Electric) to Prevent Deaths in Rainy Season

Karachi is the metropolitan city of Pakistan. In rainy or flood season many deaths occurred due to electric shock. For the prevention, we suggest here to K-Electric (Karachi Electric Supply Distribution company) to control death casualties due to electric shock in rainy season. In suggestion paper providing some suggestions to the big power supplier of Karachi (K-Electric) about safety, maintenance, and monitoring for the prevention from deaths occur in metropolitan city due to electric shock. Those deaths occur due to faults in electric pole and touch the fallen live wire. When people touch the pole, they got electric shock in rainy and storm condition due to these electric faults occur in this condition provides enough loss to humans in the form to lose their lives. For the prevention or overcome the loss of life and danger here are giving some suggestions, if do work on following safety, maintenance and monitoring system then get the control on that loss will occur in heavy rain or flood

Determinants of Banks Profitability: A Comparative Study of Islamic Verses Non Islamic, Foreign Verses Local, and Public Verses Private Banks in Pakistan

This study examines the determinants of banks profitability in Pakistan. The main objectives of the study are to determine the factors that influence banks profitability in Pakistan and to make recommendations for management decision making and policy objectives. A panel data of 25 banks (commercial, Islamic, foreign and local banks) in Pakistan was analyzed over period of 2006-2015, using panel data regression method to estimate common, fixed and random effect regression models. The two key measures of profitability (dependent variables) analyzed in this study comprised of ROA and Return ROE. The bank-specific factors were incorporated into the regression models, were Credit risk, Expenses Management, Deposits to total assets, non-interest income and size. The results for the ROA model indicate that size and deposit to total assets of bank is positively significant to bank profitability while credit risk, expenses management and non interest income are negatively affect the profitability. Moreover the results of ROE model indicates that credit risk and NII are negatively significant and Size is positively significant with banks profitability. This study also indicates the comparison between Islamic verses non Islamic, Foreign verses local, and public verses private banks which shows there different results on banks profitability

The Impact of Stock Market Performance on Foreign Portfolio Investment in China

The research is aimed at investigating the impact of stock market performance and inflation on foreign portfolio investment (FPI) in China. For this purpose, time series quarterly data from 2007Q1 to 2015Q4 is used. On the basis of stationarity results, ARDL model is used to examine the impact of the stock market prices and inflation on FPI. The results show that there is significant positive impact of stock market performance on the FPI, whereas inflation is found to be negatively associated with the FPI. The study also reveals that some historical events like Asian financial crisis of 2008, and the Shanghai Composite Stock Index crash of 2015, significantly affected the foreign portfolio investment in China. The investors should consider these two factors while investing in foreign financial markets. Keywords: Stock Market Performance, Inflation, FPI, China JEL Classifications: F21, G11, O16, P4

The online communities of practices and faculty members’ professional development: A critical literature review

Following the success of online communities of practices (Online CoPs) in the business sector for the profes-sional development of employees, the idea of fostering the online cultivation of CoPs in educational institutions for the professional development of faculty members has been researched and practiced. Although this topic has not achieved maturity in the literature, this study is based on contingency theory/perspective views that the fundamen-tals of educational institutions are different from the fundamentals of business organisations. This means the research and implementation of Online CoPs with regard to educational institutions are unique and thus different from those of business organisations. Consequently, this study aimed to highlight the research gaps regarding the methodolog-ical approaches, the limited scope and conceptualisation of online CoPs, the limitations of theoretical foundations underlying CoPs, and the benefits and barriers of online CoPs in educational institutions. A critical semi-structured review methodology was employed. The findings expose the critical theoretical limitations and highlight the distinc-tive barriers and benefits of using online CoPs. Four promising research avenues are successively elaborated for the contingency-based theory development of online CoPs and provide grounds for their implementation in educational institutions

Impact of Corporate Governance Measures on Earnings Quality: Evidence from Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of corporate governance on earnings quality of the manufacturing firms listed on Karachi Stock Exchange. Whereas, earning quality of the firm has been addressed by earnings management and discretionary accruals used to measure the level of earnings management. In this study Jones Model has been used to calculate discretionary accruals. Moreover, we had used four characteristics to capture the effect of corporate governance like audit quality, CEO duality, board size and gender diversity and two control variables firm size and leverage. Findings of the study disclose significant negative impact of audit quality and board size on earnings management, while the relationship between firm size and earnings management is positively significant. Keywords: Earnings Management, Corporate Governance, Pakista

Macroeconomic factors and foreign portfolio investment volatility: A case of South Asian countries

Macroeconomic factors play a pivotal role in attracting foreign investment in the country. This study investigates the relationship between macroeconomic factors and foreign portfolio investment volatility in South Asian countries. The monthly data is collected for the period ranging from 2000 to 2012 for four Asian countries i.e. China, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka because monthly data is ideal for measuring portfolio investment volatility. For measuring volatility in foreign portfolio investment, GARCH (1,1) is used because shocks are responded quickly by this model. The results reveal that there exists significant relationship between macroeconomic factors and foreign portfolio investment volatility. Thus, less volatility in international portfolio flows is associated with high interest rate, currency depreciation, foreign direct investment, lower inflation, and higher GDP growth rate of the host country. Thus findings of this study suggest that foreign portfolio investors focus on stable macroeconomic environment of country

The Extreme Value Theory as a Risk Modeling Tool for the Non-Performing Loans

The study proposes that the Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) is a rare event. Consequently, this study proposes that the classes of time series modeling and macroeconomic approaches are not appropriate for the risk modeling and assessment of NPLs. Consequently, this study proposes Extreme Value Theory (EVT) as an alternative tool for the risk modeling and assessment of NPL. The data of Asian countries for the 28 quarters (2010-2016) available on the World Bank website is accessed for testing the proposition with the use of analysis techniques. It was found that extreme value theory could be the most suitable tool for the risk assessment of non-performing loans. Moreover, the study ranks the Asian countries concerning the risk of NPLs. Finally, the study discusses the implications for the financial institutions for NPLs and policymakers