Logistics outsourcing - 3PL & 4PL : A Survey on Pakistani manufacturing and exporting companies

Background:                 The development of recent means of transportation, information has increased opportunities for global business and it is very common that the companies involved in global business often need to outsource logistic function, as they cannot perform global logistics on their own. The need of service effectiveness for companies and operations efficiency from logistics service providers involves the minimization of the uncertainties associated with logistics outsourcing, therefore risks reduction measures must be implemented using logistics outsourcing. Research questions:     ­-    How do the Pakistani manufacturing and exporting companies currently outsource their logistics function in their downstream supply chain? -           What benefits they seek with respect to 3PL and 4PL? -           What factors they consider for outsourcing logistics? Purpose:                       To investigate the current logistics outsourcing situation of the Pakistani Manufacturing and Exporting Companies. What logistics functions they outsource, and the focus of the study is downstream supply chain. To study application of logistics outsourcing concepts i.e. 3PL and 4PL, services provided by these providers, and what benefits companies seek. What factors are important for them for logistics outsourcing and what fectors they consider for logistics outsourcing, what factors among these are important for them, who make the decision for logistics outsourcing? Method:                        The empirical data and the conclusions made from it are based on quantitative facts and figures collected through an e-survey. Results are drawn from responses of manufacturing companies that all outsource logistics. This thesis is written from a positivistic perspective with a deductive approach. Conclusions:                 The current logistics outsourcing situation in Pakistan is found to be uneven companies majorly concerned in textile manufacturing and are not in knowledge of the newer logistics outsourcing 4PL. Downstream supply chain is followed by cross-docking shipments. Cost factor is not that much important for companies but the timely delivery is more important

Environmental Risk Assessment in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Mountains of Northern Pakistan: Palas Valley, Kohistan

Forest cover in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) mountains of northern Pakistan has changed dramatically due to community dynamics such as population growth, household dynamics, and intensive economic activity for people’s livelihoods. Demographic development is one of the major factors influencing forest cover change in a previously sparsely populated environment. An abrupt upsurge in population exerts adverse effects on the local natural resources, specifically forests. The present research shows an increase in population from 1980 to 2017, the development of human settlements, and a long-term decline in forest cover. This study was conducted in the Palas valley in the HKH mountains using GIS and remote sensing (RS) technology. Analysis of the changes between 1980, 2000, and 2017 was done using ArcGIS and the maximum likelihood algorithm for supervised classification of Landsat MSS TM ETM+ and Sentinel 2A satellite images. We used Euclidean distances and buffer analysis techniques to identify that most changes occurred within 1 to 3 km of the settlement’s proximity in each period. We also found changes in forest cover to be much greater near settlements than elsewhere in the study area. According to the findings of the study, population explosion and other socio-economic factors have imposed excessive pressure on vegetation cover, resulting in the loss of 17,076 ha of forests in the remote Palas valley

Biosynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Leaf Extract of Prosopis juliflora as Potential Photocatalyst for the Treatment of Paper Mill Effluent

This paper reports on the manufacture of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from Prosopis juliflora leaf extracts. Various methods of characterization were used, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope TEM. ZnO NPs has a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred orientation of 101 planes, according to XRD. The functional groups found in ZnO NPs isolated from leaves are responsible for the FT-IR peaks that correspond to them. The morphology of the produced nanoparticles is a sphere-like form, as shown in the SEM pictures. TEM examination revealed ZnO NPs with a size of 50–55 nm. These ZnO NPs were used to remediate pollutants in paper mill effluents, and they were able to remove 86% of the organic pollutants from the sample at 0.05 mg/L dose and reduce 89% of the organic pollutants during a 5-h reflex time. Meanwhile, for the photocatalysis of paper mill effluents, it has been noted that COD was removed by 74.30%, 63.23%, and 57.96% for the first, second, and third cycles, respectively

Simulated CSM-CROPGRO-cotton yield under projected future climate by SimCLIM for southern Punjab, Pakistan

Climate change is widely affecting the agriculture sector in Pakistan with an estimated annual loss of up to 16 billion dollars by the end of 21st century (GOP, 2015). Southern Punjab is famous for producing more cotton than the entire province of Sindh in Pakistan but here the climatic variations largely affect the cotton production. The present research was carried out in Vehari, an arid area of Southern Punjab, Pakistan, to determine the intensity of the climatic impacts on the projected agricultural production of cotton in southern Punjab for 2025 and 2050 using SimCLIM(climate model) with CSM (crop simulation model)-CROPGRO-Cotton by comparing with observed data (2013 and 2014).The integrated assessment model (IAM) SimCLIM uses a statistical approach for regional downscaling. Scenarios for two general circulation models (GCMs) (BCC-CSM1-1 and MIR005) and three greenhouse gas concentration pathways (RCP-8.5, 6.0, 4.5) were developed. The three levels of phosphorous (0, 57, and 114 kg ha(-1)) were applied to find the yield output of cotton cultivars (MNH-886 and FH-142) for the prediction of development and yield with different GCMs. The model predicted that FH-142 would give a higher percentage yield than MNH-886 for 2025 and 2050; the lowest percentage yield would be for MNH-886 at maturity for three RCPs. The lowest percentage change in the yield was projected for MNH-886 by RCP-8.5 ( - 0.77) and ( - 0.85) for 2025 and 2050, respectively. Farmers might have to apply a moderate level of phosphorous (57 kg P ha(-1))to avoid the potential threat of climate change. Both the cultivars MNH-886 and FH-142 are suitable for 57 kg P ha(-1), but cultivar FH-142 performed better when compared to MNH-886 for GCM and three RCPs