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Benefits of co-curricular activities (CA) are numerous, including self-confidence, communication skills and good physical health. So far, little importance has been given to study the relationship of co-curricular activities and exam performance in Pakistan. Consequently students are living in an environment where they have little idea of how co-curricular activities affect their exam performance or grades. They only give importance to their studies in order to achieve higher grades in exam. This research study examined the role of co-curricular activities and exam performance of students at different levels of class attendance. Secondary data (co-curricular participation data, attendance of 10th class and grades in 10th class board exams) of 636 students through multistage purposive sampling was collected from thirty high schools of Lahore. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that co-curricular activities have positive impact on student's exam performance. Sobel test of mediation showed that attendance partially mediated the association of involvement in cocurricular or non-classroom activities with exam performance. Participation in co-curricular activities improves class attendance of students which then play an important role in achieving high grades in exams. "Independent sample t-test" showed that students who were involved in co-curricular or nonclass room activities had better grades or exam performance from those students who were not part of these activities. When both male and female students participated in non-classroom activities then female students had higher average exam grades.

This study aims to explore the role of social cohesion, media, higher education, empowerment, and interfaith harmony in good governance of the public universities in Pakistan. Primary data was collected from the public sector universities in Pakistan. Data analysis was conducted by using SPSS and Mplus software. Results confirm that social cohesion, media, higher education, empowerment, and interfaith harmony have a significant influence on good governance in public universities in Pakistan. Data was collected from public sector universities in Pakistan. Hence, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to universities in other countries. The inclusion of civil society, social cohesion, media, higher education, empowerment, and interfaith harmony in university structures and functions can resolve issues in the higher education sector. This can be done through building awareness and monitoring university's activities and performance for good governance in higher education sector. The article extends stakeholder theory of corporate governance by inquiring important stakeholders such as civil society and cohesion, media, higher education, gender empowerment and interfaith harmony and their role in improving university governance. Policies can be revised in this context to maximize sustainability by achieving a harmonious balance among these factors. The study also highlights that key variables ensure good corporate governance as per stakeholder's approach in the context of higher education sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the effect of entrepreneurial leadership (EL), competencies (ECs) and intentions (EIs) on enterprise performance (EP) via entrepreneurial resilience (ER) and risk-taking propensity (RTP). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 403 early-stage small and medium enterprise (SME) owners in Pakistan at two-time intervals and were analyzed using AMOS 22. Findings: All predictors (i.e. EIs, EL and ECs) positively affected EP and ER, except for EL and ER. Furthermore, RTP and ER were serially mediated in linking EIs and ECs with EP but could not establish a link between EL and EP. Research limitations/implications: The findings reveal that the Pakistani government and business owners must focus on SMEs' sustained development and prioritize ECs. Originality/value: This paper is unique in nature, as understanding EIs, EL and ECs in a holistic framework has never been tested before in relation to EP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CPEC has been declared as one of the key projects under the One Belt One Road plan of China. Estimates reflect that this project would aid in the economic growth of the entire region, affecting a population of over 4 billion across more than 60 countries. In the context of Pakistan, opportunities linked with CPEC are estimated to be up to $62 billion. CPEC is likely to result in a high number of employment opportunities ranging from 600,000 to 1,000,000 between 2015 and 2030. In order to cater to the needs associated with these projects, a well-equipped and skilled workforce is required. For that matter, major attention is required to address issues related to Human Resource Development (HRD) that must be in line with the historical perspective of HRD. Nevertheless, not just CPEC, a national level HRD policy that covers the analysis of current and required workforce and the knowledge, skills, and abilities they require is of great significance. A policy that integrates the HRD with national development goals is of dire significance. Moreover, this study contributes to highlighting and addressing challenges and opportunities related to HRD in the light of historical perspective of CPEC and HRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the formal and actual human resource management (HRM) autonomy, financial and policy autonomy of the state owned enterprises (SOEs) of Pakistan and points out the differences that exist between them. It identifies the reasons behind the lack of autonomy of SOEs and proposes multiple recommendations though which this gap can be bridged. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected to carry out this study. Quantitative data was collected from 40 randomly selected SOEs using a close-ended questionnaire while 20 semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect qualitative data. Descriptive statistics was used to see the number of SOEs having different levels of HRM, financial and policy autonomy. It was found that a very less number of SOEs were completely autonomous in different aspects of HRM, financial management, policy formulation and its implementation. Excessive political intervention, dependence on government for resources and poor performance of SOEs along with numerous other reasons were identified as causes behind this lack of autonomy. Multiple recommendations have also been proposed to overcome this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workforce Diversity is an undeniable challenge in the field of public administration. It is vital to do a systematic literature review to identify the gaps in context of South Asia, notably Pakistan. The current research reviews 83 research articles of last 45 years by addressing the following question: How research on workforce diversity has developed over time in the field of public administration? The two studies are noted from South Asia: Pakistan and India. The researchers tried to examine the dimensions, antecedents and consequences of workforce diversity in context of public administration. Moreover, the relationship of workforce diversity with other variables: mediators and moderators used in the researches are also studied. The aim of the study is to identify the trends of workforce diversity worldwide and by following the foot prints of developed countries, how South Asia can benefit by supporting equality and accepting differences. The current research has valuable implications for public organizations in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the age of globalization and technology, service sector is the engine for growth as it contributes two-third to global economies. Service sector plays a vital role for economic progress, contributing 59.6 % in Pakistan's Gross domestic product (GDP). This study focuses on the factors affecting service sector's contribution to GDP in Pakistan. For this purpose, Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag method has been used for data analysis. This paper has taken time series data for dependent and independent variables for the time period of 1990-2017. Factors like, foreign direct investment, trade in services effects the service sector's contribution (% GDP) significantly and positively whereas, employment in services and population growth shows a negative effect. Household consumption and Government expenditure depicts insignificant effects for long-run. Pakistan's dependency structure has been increasing over the last few years, more and more people are getting employed for low-skilled jobs. Trade barriers and small export base is a hindrance for growth in services. Policy makers need to address issues and reform policies that could increase the contribution of service sector. There is a progressive scope for this sector to grow and bring benefits to the whole economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study is about female nursing staff whose mission is to provide professional care to ailing patients, but who are also vulnerable to bullying, harassment, and even assault while they perform their duties. Objectives: The study attempts to describe the level of perceived workplace security among the nurses and investigate relationship between theoretically identified predictors and the perceived workplace security of nurses working in public hospitals in Lahore city. Study Design: Factors such as civility in co-worker behavior, clarity of norms of communication with co-workers, integrity and trust of the leaders, awareness of law and legal procedure related to harassment at work place and physical settings characteristics-including transparency and privacy at the workplace-were modeled through a cross-sectional research design as contributing towards workplace security of female nurses. Study Period: Oct 2015 to May, 2016. Methods: Multi-stage probability sampling was used to collect data from 317 respondents working in five public sector hospitals in Lahore city during first quarter of 2016. Zero-order correlation and multiple regression methods were used to analyze the data. Findings: Results showed that civility (B=.071, p<.000) in co-worker behavior, integrity (B=.185, p<.000) and trust of leaders (B=.059, p<.000) is the most potent factor influencing perceived workplace security of female nurses. Moreover, clear norms of communication (B=.169, p<.000) and privacy (B=.133, p<.000) at workplace also significantly influence their perceived workplace security. Transparency (B=.017, p>.05) in physical settings and awareness (B=-.014, p>.05)of law and legal procedures were found to be insignificant. Conclusion: It was concluded that setting clear work norms and leadership development in the areas of integrity and trust can play a substantial role in improving perception of workplace security in female nursing staff. Awareness of laws regarding harassment among nurses need to be increased through formal and concerted effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization as the greatest influential prodigy of the present time is extensively arguable for its constructive and detrimental outcomes. This study differentiate between economic, cultural and political globalization and contends that process of globalization is mostly directed and acknowledged by the developed nations to achieve their desired goals, whereby South Asian nations are precipitated into this process. The case of Pakistan has been taken to study the impact of globalization on education policies by using dependency paradigm. By using content analysis, the study asserts that various international organizations demonstrate the globalization process complicated the education policy formation process. Given this context, the study tries to explain the courses through which globalization influences the educational policies in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]