Aspects Hindering the Development and Survival of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Pakistan: Stability Perspective

This article intends to explore aspects that are hindering the development and survival of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan. A survey was developed to collect statistics from 226 SME owners and staff in selected Punjab Provinces in Pakistan. Some statistical approaches accompanied the results of the survey to examine the elements hindering the development of SMEs in Pakistan. The results of the research indicate that the expected constraints, including lack of management knowledge, corruption, decaying infrastructure, absence of financial funds, and inadequate earnings are hindering SME development and survival in Pakistan. Considering the elements hindering the development will help legislators, federal and local concerns, NGOs, shareholders, policymakers, and others to create well-structured policies and plans that will aggressively promote the efficiency and stability of SMEs in Pakistan. The significance of this research derives from the reality that few studies have been conducted about the development and survival of SMEs in Pakistan with a stability perspective

Is Economic Freedom a Moderator of the Relationship Between Bank Capital and Profitability?

The study uses the GMM and panel OLS framework on the data of the US banks over the period ‎from 2002 to 2019 to reveal the moderating role of economic freedom on the ‎relationship between bank capital and ‎profitability. The overall findings show that ‎economic freedom and bank capital positively influence ‎banks' profitability. The results reveal that economic freedom positively (negatively) moderates the relationship between risk-based (traditional) capital ratio. Furthermore, the results also find heterogeneity in the relationship across different market conditions (before and after crisis) and bank characteristics (well or undercapitalized, high and low liquid banks).  The results ‎remain robust for ‎alternative methodology and proxies. The heterogeneity of findings has ‎implications for ‎policymakers in banking for the improvement of the financial system

DIVIDEND POLICY ATTRIBUTES AND ITS IMPACT ON FIRM PROFITABILITY

The objective of the study was to analyze the impact of dividend policy on firm profitability. Dividend paying firms from three industrial sectors namely cement, automobile and sugar were selected for the period 2010-2020. Out of the total 74 dividend paying firms in these three industrial sectors only 33 were selected for which data was available for the entire study period. Fixed effects model is used to measure the impact of dividend policy from firm profitability. Findings of the study revealed that both attributes of dividend policy namely DPR and DY has a significant positive impact on all three proxies of firm profitability (ROA, ROE, EPS) except for DPR impact on EPS in Model III where the impact is also positive but insignificant

Harnessing the Potential of Blockchain in DevOps: A Framework for Distributed Integration and Development

As the use of DevOps practices continues to grow, organizations are seeking ways to improve collaboration, speed up development cycles, and increase security, transparency, and traceability. Blockchain technology has the potential to support these goals by providing a secure, decentralized platform for distributed integration and development. In this paper, we propose a framework for distributed DevOps that utilizes the benefits of blockchain technology that can eliminate the shortcomings of DevOps. We demonstrate the feasibility and potential benefits of the proposed framework that involves developing and deploying applications in a distributed environment. We present a benchmark result demonstrating the effectiveness of our framework in a real-world scenario, highlighting its ability to improve collaboration, reduce costs, and enhance the security of the DevOps pipeline. Conclusively, our research contributes to the growing body of literature on the intersection of blockchain and DevOps, providing a practical framework for organizations looking to leverage blockchain technology to improve their development processes.Comment: pages 10, figures

Urdu Poetry Generated by Using Deep Learning Techniques

This study provides Urdu poetry generated using different deep-learning techniques and algorithms. The data was collected through the Rekhta website, containing 1341 text files with several couplets. The data on poetry was not from any specific genre or poet. Instead, it was a collection of mixed Urdu poems and Ghazals. Different deep learning techniques, such as the model applied Long Short-term Memory Networks (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), have been used. Natural Language Processing (NLP) may be used in machine learning to understand, analyze, and generate a language humans may use and understand. Much work has been done on generating poetry for different languages using different techniques. The collection and use of data were also different for different researchers. The primary purpose of this project is to provide a model that generates Urdu poems by using data completely, not by sampling data. Also, this may generate poems in pure Urdu, not Roman Urdu, as in the base paper. The results have shown good accuracy in the poems generated by the model.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Infectious disease (COVID-19)-related uncertainty and the safe-haven features of bonds markets

Purpose: This study aims to examine the hedge, diversifier and safe-haven properties of bonds against infectious disease-related equity market volatility (IDEMV), like COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: The authors apply wavelet coherence methodology on the daily data of IDEMV and bond market (US, UK, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, China and Europe) indices from 1 January 2000 to 14 February 2021. Findings: The results show no significant co-movement between these bond indices and IDEMV, thus confirming that they serve as a hedge against IDEMV. However, during the turbulent period like COVID-19, the authors find that the US, UK, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, China and European bond markets act as safe-haven against IDEMV, whereas the UK, US, Japan and Canadian bond markets demonstrate an in-phase and positive co-movement with IDEMV during COVID-19, suggesting their role as a diversifier. Research limitations/implications: The study findings are important for investors and portfolio managers regarding risk management, portfolio diversification and investment strategies. Originality/value: The authors contribute to the fast growing body of work on the financial impacts of COVID-19 as well as to ongoing consideration of whether a bond is a safe-haven investment

Library Services and Facilities in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan: Satisfaction of Patrons

This paper attempted to examine the academic library facilities and satisfaction of university library patrons at higher education institution in Pakistan. It is evident that library staff has also been trying their best level to facilitate the library users through different procedures in global south and global north. A quantitative study design had been opted to conduct a cross-sectional survey from two public sector university students of BS (4 years) programme. A structured questionnaire had been administered to measure the response 1275 library patrons sampled through proportionate random sampling technique. A pilot testing had been done to check the reliability of the questionnaire that ranged from .702 to .798 (overall .889 for 66 items). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis had been employed to draw results and conclusions. The study findings showed that university library patrons had been satisfied with the services and facilities provided by library including circulation services, article indexing, compilation of bibliographies, new arrival displays, library references, inter-library loans, selected topic/content references, library orientations, and library automation

Are ESG Stocks Safe-Haven during COVID-19?

This study contributes to the debate on safe-haven characteristics of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) stocks during COVID-19 pandemic. Using wavelet coherence framework on four major ESG stock indices from global and emerging stock markets, and two proxies of COVID-19 fear over the period from February 5th, 2020, to March 18th, 2021, we find a strong and positive co-movement between health fear index of COVID-19 and returns on ESG stocks suggesting the existence of safe-haven properties in ESG stocks. However, we also observe a negative co-movement between stock market base proxy of COVID-19 and returns on ESG indices, suggesting that safe-haven properties of ESG stocks are contingent upon the proxy of COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings are of particular interest for the investors and asset managers who may use ESG stocks to diversify their portfolios during health crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic

Tourism demand in Bangladesh: Gravity model analysis

This study analyzes the factors influencing tourism demand in Bangladesh following tourism potential of the country. The study estimates tourism demand in the form of tourist arrival (TA) based on key economic factors like distance, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, population, Consumer Price Index (CPI) and exchange rate. The paper applies Rodrigue\u27s modified Gravity model through GLS regression analysis based on 4-year panel data from 2009-2012 of 30 origin countries. In considering the absolute purpose of tourism, the basic log-linear model has been revised with the actual volume of TA instead of government recorded gross TA. Derived log-linear equation indicates that TA is positively correlated with GDP per capita and population and negatively associated with distance, exchange rate, and CPI. Thus, the study findings direct to potential market for Bangladeshi tourism resulting from short distance, higher GDP per capita of origin country and lower inflation rate reflected through CPI in Bangladesh