Lived Experiences of Women Entrepreneurs Regarding Socio-Cultural Constraints in Entrepreneurship in Southern Punjab, Pakistan
The research paper investigates the socio-cultural constraints faced by women entrepreneurs during startup and expansion of their entrepreneurial ventures in Ahmedpur East of District Bahawalpur through documenting their lived experiences. The research is primarily a multi-sited ethnography and utilizes qualitative research methods such as in-depth semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions on collecting primary data from a selective sample of 25 entrepreneurs ascertained through sampling technique. The study highlights gender-specific socio-cultural challenges such as social perceptions and biases, work-life balance, patronage of male family members, restricted mobility owing to Purdah and low recognition and payment of women's work etc. as prime reasons that hinder not only women participation as entrepreneurs but also inhibits their engagements and choices in entrepreneurship. Socio-cultural factors not only systematically impact women's social interactions and decision-making but transform into multiple other challenges that women fight and struggle with while making their space as entrepreneurs.
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Ahmedpur East, Entrepreneurship, Gender, Lived Experiences, Multi-Sited Ethnography, Socio-Cultural Challenges, Southern Punjab, Women Entrepreneur
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(1) Mehreen Raza
M. Phil Scholar, Department of Anthropology, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Inam Ullah Leghari
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
An Exploration of Public Engagement in Public Board Meetings
This study explores the purpose and role of public board meetings in the British National Health Service as an aftermath of public sector reforms. It deviates from the mainstream methodologies to study boards in action as it employs an ethnographic approach. Data has been collected through participant observation, in-depth semi-structured interviews from eighteen board members and members of the public, and documents in the form of board agenda and meeting minutes. Findings reveal that the purpose of the public board meetings is to manage their public image and to protect their reputation as rational actors and serve as a reporting function that excludes the public from active participation. Hence, this study asserts that public board meetings serve as a formal ritualized practice that performs board meetings. This study has practical implications as similar reforms have been introduced in other public organizations.
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Board Meetings, Public Sector, Ethnography, British NHS
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(1) Humera Manzoor
Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Studies, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Khushnood
Assistant Professor,Institute of Business Studies, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Rao Aamir Khan
Assistant Professor,Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan.
Religious Education: Teachers Perspective on Girls
This paper identifies and investigates the general perceptions of public sector teachers of both urban and rural localities regarding girl’s religious education. This research also explores the reasons for those perceptions through understanding the personal experiences of teachers with girls who were going to get religious education. To get the deep insight of the phenomena ethnographic method of research was used. In depth interviews were conducted with urban teachers group and rural teachers group. Five steps thematic analysis was conducted to find out the results.
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Madrasah education, Religious schools, Ethnography
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(1) Samreen Mehmood
PhD Scholar (Education), Department of Education, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Abdul Ghaffar
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Amir Zaman
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
Climate Change as A Catalyst for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness
Climate change is a profound phenomenon that influences our environment in ways that not only create new problems but also intensify the existing ones. Drawing from comprehensive research, this article explores how climate change fosters change in policies and practices to counter such risks. A mixed method approach was implemented for this study, the first phase includes a quantitative analysis of existing policies, and the second phase includes a qualitative analysis. For this research paper, only qualitative findings of research are presented and discussed. Thematic areas include the impact of climate change on natural disasters, socio-economic implications, resilient urban planning and infrastructure development, mainstreaming climate science into DRR and emergency preparedness, international collaboration and policy formulation, and community-based approaches and indigenous knowledge integration. Study shows complicated interdependencies and cause-and-effect interactions between climate parameters and natural disasters.
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Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR), Climate Change, Ethnography, Resilient Urban Planning, Sustainable Management, Green Climate Fund, Disaster Mitigation, Indigenous Knowledge Integration, Sendai Framewor
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(1) Mian Haris Farooq
PhD Scholar, Department of International Relations, Muslim Youth University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry
Associate Professor & Chairman, Department of Anthropology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
(3) Muhammad Fahim Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Muslim Youth University, Islamabad, Pakistan.