Going Beyond Uniplex Ties: Aan Analysis of Multiple Network Ties on Job Satisfaction

Multiple networks are overlooked in previous research studies and not much attention is given to the occurrences of such relational ties. By imprinting the concept of social ledger, the paper suggests that multiple networks can exist in combination of both positive and negative ties i.e. potential benefits and liabilities can be derived within a social relation. The study explores to identify how multiple friendship-hindrance network centrality (indgree and outdegree) affect an employee’s job satisfaction level. A sociometric and traditional questionnaire is used to collect data from 131 employees at the Quetta head office of a premier telecommunication company. Data is analyzed using UCINET VI and SPSS software. The finding indicates that indegree centrality of friendship-hindrance network is negatively associated with job satisfaction. The consequence of these ties is due to the interplay of social and instrumental relation which commonly operates in today working environment. Therefore, the study proposed that negative repercussions should be handled in a productive and optimal manner so that the impediments may not impel the positives of a relationship

The Impact of Working Capital Management on Firm Profitability and Fixed Investment in Pakistan

The research is done with a purpose of increasing knowledge about the importance of working capital management. The research investigates impact of working capital management on the profitability of the firms along with the impact of the same on the fixed capital investment of the firm. The research also finds out the interrelationship of fixed capital investment and the profitability because the ultimate goal of the firms is to achieve maximum profitability at the lowest level of risk. The research has thoroughly examined impact of variables involved through ratio analysis and tools like regression and correlation. The data was gathered from Karachi Stock Exchange. The data gathering was archival and panel data was used as a method to extract the needed information. The 20 companies are selected from KSE-30 index because they were considered the best performing stocks in the market. The remaining 10 companies fall in the Banking sector which has a totally different perspective of debt and equity situation, thus, commercial banks are eliminated from the KSE-30 companies in this research. The results of the study shows that the working capital management does not affect the profitability of the firms in isolation, but there is a slight impact of managing the current assets and current liabilities. These should be accompanied by other variables as well to ensure profitability. The fixed capital investment has an extremely low, in fact negligible impact on profitability. The effect of working capital management varies among industries

Effect of screening and management of diabetes during pregnancy on stillbirths

Background:Diabetes during pregnancy is associated with significant risk of complications to the mother, fetus and newborn. We reviewed the potential impact of early detection and control of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy on stillbirths for possible inclusion in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Methods: A systematic literature search up to July 2010 was done to identify all published randomized controlled trials and observational studies. A standardized data abstraction sheet was employed and data were abstracted by two independent authors. Meta-analyses were performed with different sub-group analyses. The analyses were graded according to the CHERG rules using the adapted GRADE criteria and recommendations made after assessing the overall quality of the studies included in the meta-analyses. Results: A total of 70 studies were selected for data extraction including fourteen intervention studies and fifty six observational studies. No randomized controlled trials were identified evaluating early detection of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy versus standard screening (glucose challenge test between 24(th) to 28(th) week of gestation) in pregnancy. Intensive management of gestational diabetes (including specialized dietary advice, increased monitoring and tailored dietary therapy) during pregnancy (3 studies: 3791 participants) versus conventional management (dietary advice and insulin as required) was associated with a non-significant reduction in the risk of stillbirths (RR 0.20, 95% CI: 0.03-1.10) (\u27moderate\u27 quality evidence). Optimal control of serum blood glucose versus sub-optimal control was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of perinatal mortality (2 studies, 5286 participants: RR=0.40, 95% CI 0.25-0.63), but not stillbirths (3 studies, 2469 participants: RR=0.51, 95% CI 0.14-1.88). Preconception care of diabetes (information about need for optimization of glycemic control before pregnancy, assessment of diabetes complications, review of dietary habits, intensification of capillary blood glucose self-monitoring and optimization of insulin therapy) versus none (3 studies: 910 participants) was associated with a reduction in perinatal mortality (RR=0.29, 95% CI 0.14 -0.60). Using the Delphi process for estimating effect size of optimal diabetes recognition and management yielded a median effect size of 10% reduction in stillbirths. Conclusion: Diabetes, especially pre-gestational diabetes with its attendant vascular complications, is a significant risk factor for stillbirth and perinatal death. Our review highlights the fact that very few studies of adequate quality are available that can provide estimates of the effect of screening for aid management of diabetes in pregnancy on stillbirth risk. Using the Delphi process we recommend a conservative 10% reduction in the risk of stillbirths, as a point estimate for inclusion in the LiST

The Impact of Working Capital Management on Firm Profitability and Fixed Investment in Pakistan

The research is done with a purpose of increasing knowledge about the importance of working capital management. The research investigates impact of working capital management on the profitability of the firms along with the impact of the same on the fixed capital investment of the firm. The research also finds out the interrelationship of fixed capital investment and the profitability because the ultimate goal of the firms is to achieve maximum profitability at the lowest level of risk. The research has thoroughly examined impact of variables involved through ratio analysis and tools like regression and correlation. The data was gathered from Karachi Stock Exchange. The data gathering was archival and panel data was used as a method to extract the needed information. The 20 companies are selected from KSE-30 index because they were considered the best performing stocks in the market. The remaining 10 companies fall in the Banking sector which has a totally different perspective of debt and equity situation, thus, commercial banks are eliminated from the KSE-30 companies in this research. The results of the study shows that the working capital management does not affect the profitability of the firms in isolation, but there is a slight impact of managing the current assets and current liabilities. These should be accompanied by other variables as well to ensure profitability. The fixed capital investment has an extremely low, in fact negligible impact on profitability. The effect of working capital management varies among industries

Process Matching: Performance Trade-Off Between Summary and Full-Length Descriptions

Business process models are used by modeling experts to concisely depict the workflow of an organization that plays a pivotal role in the development of ERP systems. A growing number of organizations also maintain the textual process descriptions of these process models as the descriptions are understandable across the board. A recent study has revealed that these textual descriptions can also be used for an accurate process model search. However, the use of textual descriptions is a resource-intensive task due to the sheer size of the descriptions. To that end, in this paper, we have proposed an approach that relies on the use of summary textual descriptions, instead of full-length descriptions, to enhance the performance of process matching. To evaluate the proposed approach, we have used four diverse text summarization techniques, including a state-of-the-art deep learning based technique, for generating summary descriptions, and seven text-matching techniques for finding relevant process specifications. Our empirical study has established that the Vector Space Model is the most effective technique for process matching. Furthermore, the use of Lingo generated summaries, at a compression rate of 50 %, can achieve a higher efficiency as well as effectiveness than the full-length textual process descriptions

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding dengue fever among adults of high and low socioeconomic groups

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the knowledge, attitudes and practices of selected adult population in Pakistan regarding Dengue Fever.METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted among selected communities with different socio-economic backgrounds in Karachi, Pakistan. A sample size of 440 adults (aged 18 years and above) were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices about dengue fever. A composite scoring system, based on the answers given in the questionnaire, was used to establish the level of awareness in the population. The division of the higher and lower socio-economic groups was based on their income and locality; both these variables were determined as a part of our survey.RESULTS: Data from 400 respondents (244 males, 156 females) was used for primary analysis. About thirty five percent of the sample had adequate knowledge about dengue fever and its vector. Knowledge had significant associations with education (p = 0.004) and socioeconomic status (p = 0.02). The high socioeconomic group showed better preventive practices.CONCLUSION: Knowledge of dengue is inadequate in the low socioeconomic class. Better preventive practices against the vector are prevalent in the high socioeconomic group. Hence, a greater focus should be accorded to the low socioeconomic areas in future health campaigns

Exploring the Nexus; Stock Market, T. Bills, Inflation, Interest Rate and Exchange Rate

The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between Karachi stock exchange and macroeconomic variables i.e. inflation rate, exchange rate, treasury bills and interest rate. Monthly time series data from January 2005 to December 2010 have been used to investigate the causal association among macroeconomic indicators and Karachi stock market. The co-integration test and Granger Casualty have been applied to drive the short and long-term investigation. The results found bi directional Granger causality among KSE and exchange rate and One way Granger causality exists among KSE and interest rate, no Granger causality found among KSE and inflation rate and KSE and treasury bills. Which means performance of macro-economic variable somehow affects the stock index; moreover, stock prices in Pakistan do not reflect the macro-economic condition of the country. This study emphasizes on the crash of macro-economic indicators on the capital market performance of developing countries. The performance of capital markets of developing countries calculated by these macro-economic indicators

Effect of Terrorist Attack of December 16, 2014 on Academic Performance of School Children of Peshawar

The purpose of study was to determine the effect of traumatic events of December 16, 2014 on level of trauma of the children of Peshawar and the effect of traumatic experience their academics performance. Total sample consisted of two hundred (N=200) students with age range of 14-16 years (M=14.59, SD=1.128). Data was collected from the students of Army Public School and College System. Warsak road Peshawar and other three Schools on Warsak road included, Peshawar Public School, Peshawar Model School for Girls and Warsak Model School. Random sampling technique was used to recruit the study participant. Demographic information sheet, the Impact of Event Scale- Revised, Self-constructed questionnaire for measuring the Academic Performance of the students before and after traumatic experience of the students. Result showed that the terrorist attack effect the mental health of the students, students reported significant effect on their academic performance