Volume 3 Number 1 2020

Abstract

1. This study seeks to explore the divisions of power and class conflict
   in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner through Marxist perspective. The
   novel follows the journey of two childhood companions, Amir and Hassan
   where the political and economic conditions of their country shaped their
   lives and relationship. Marxism is the political and economic theory mainly
   based on Karl Marx’s assertions, who believed that class divisions within a
   society always tend to lead to a proletariat revolt which eventually leads to
   a classless society where everyone holds an equal share in the economy and
   power. The present study adopts a Qualitative research design using
   content analysis. Analysis of various lines from the text led to the findings
   that The Kite Runnerreflects Marxists perspective of class conflict and
   division of power which leads ultimately to various changes in society.
   Besides, the findings of this paper also reflect that The Kite Runner remains
   relevant today because of its insight into Afghan culture and the history of
   the Taliban.
2. In recent years, the eLearning industry in Pakistan has been
   engaged in the design and development of digital content resources(DCR)
   to support the teaching and learning of school mathematics. However, little
   effort has been made to examine the current knowledge and skills of high
   school mathematics teachers for the use of DCR. In contrast, a growing
   interest of international scholars is noticeable in the field of "Resources for
   Mathematics Teachers" which also includes digital content resources.
   Various theoretical, methodological and conceptual frameworks have
   emerged with this concern. This paper examined recent studies for the use
   of DCR in mathematics education and identified frameworks such as TPACK
   (technological pedagogical and content knowledge), PTK (pedagogical
   technological knowledge), Instrumental Genesis, and MDKT (mathematical
   digital knowledge for teaching) that can be used by national (Pakistan) and
   international researchers as a lens to study the knowledge and skills of high
   school mathematics teachers for the use of DCR.
3. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the concept which is now
   widely accepted in the developed world. In Pakistan, corporate sector is
   providing good examples of CSR activities but in the SME sector, this concept
   has not been matured yet.
   OBJECTIVE
   The main objectives of the study are to know the perceptions of CSR
   among SMEs owners of Karachi and to determine the reality of CSR practices
   in SMEs.
   RESULTS
   Results showed that there was a lack of awareness about the
   concept of CSR in the SME sector. Many business owners practice charity and
   philanthropic activities but do not count them as CSR activities due to
   unawareness. Absence of guidelines for CSR especially for SMEs and
   misconception about the disclosure of CSR activities, lack of support from
   SMEDA and government were the major barriers responsible for the absence
   CSR practices in SMEs.
   CONCLUSION
   Chamber of Commerce, SMEDA, government and non-governmental
   organizations should play their role in creating and raising awareness of CSR
   among the SMEs. Also, these entites should facilite SMEs in terms of
   acquiring permissions, technical support, subsidies and tax rebates in order
   raise CSR practices.
4. The proliferation of internet has bought an irreversible shift in the
   mode of communication by influencing consumers to move from orthodox
   means of communication to newer version of online communication.
   However, means of communication can vary and so is their impact. The
   purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of newly introduced
   communication mode known as electronic word of mouth (eWOM) which is
   an extended version of word of mouth (WOM). This study uncovered some
   important dimensions in which Internet-based feedback mechanisms differ
   from traditional word-of-mouth networks and surveys the most important
   issues related to their design, evaluation, and use. It was found that among
   all platforms, SNS (social networking sites) are considered the utmost
   influential base. A total of 35 research paper were identified initially out of
   which 31 were selected after initial screening. Articles were selected
   pertaining to period 2000-2020 .The result of the study illustrates that
   eWOM platforms are very effective in building customer relationship
   whereas, social networking sites are considered most influential of all as
   they create a buzz among present and prospective customers.
5. The fundamental focus of the current study is to comprehend and
   examine the influence of human resource management practices (HRM)
   practices on organizational effectiveness at Abbas Steel Group (AGS), Karachi.
   The HRM practices considered for this research include recruitment &
   selection, training & development, performance appraisal, compensation &
   benefits, and career development. Adopting the deductive approach,
   primary data were gathered via an adopted questionnaire floated among
   184 employees at Abbas Steel Group. The data collected for the research
   were further processed using Pearson’s Correlation and Regression Analysis
   tools with the help of SPSS V23 software. The research indicates that all
   predictors have a positive relationship with organizational effectiveness. On
   the other side, training & development, as well as compensation & benefits
   have a substantial influence on organizational effectiveness while recruitment
   & selection, performance appraisal, and career development have an
   insignificant impact on organizational effectiveness. The findings of the
   study are considered quite helpful for the human resource department of
   ASG in the understanding influence of existing HRM practices. Other
   employers and industries may also seek guidance for the study and further
   improve their HRM practices.
6. The motive of this research is to find out that is there any impact of
   financial leverage on firms’ profitability which is the banking sector. It has
   been noticed that limited researches are available in the banking sector of
   Pakistan. Convenient sampling technique is used to identify the impact of
   firms’ profitability on the data gathered from annual reports of 10 private
   banks from 2007 – 2016. Eviews system is used to regress the model. From
   the outcome, we determined that there is a significant relationship between
   ROA, ROE with Leverages which means that financial leverages have a
   significant impact on firms’ profitability.