This paper investigates listed firm efficiency on Pakistan Stock Exchange by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The reason for application and calculation of the DEA score is to know how much the firms are efficient in utilizing their resources to be converted into output (sales/Net Income). An optimization technique (DEA) that helps calculate efficiencies of firm’s decision making Units (DMU’s) by taking different inputs and outputs variables. This paper uses DEA in measuring efficiency of 136 Pakistani firms listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Using secondary data set of 136 firms for the period 2008-2017, efficiency measurements are calculated by using financial ratios and financial indicators as input and output variables. Results show that some of the firms are efficient in utilizing their available resources in an efficient way to convert it into output, while some are inconsistent in efficiently utilizing their resources (inputs) to get the desired outputs.

Firm's business activities are focused on profit making. The cultural, technological, organizational, financial and operational challenges followed by different risks like market or credit risks make it difficult for firms to focus on their sole aim of earning profit. Previous studies have highlighted that market risk and credit risks have a significant influence on firm's performance. However, prediction of credit risk from market risk has not been explored in Pakistan which this paper attempts by investigating the impact of market risk on credit risk of the following period. For this study, a panel data of 30 manufacturing firms was collected through random sampling technique from period 2005 to 2016. A regression model was estimated in Generalized Method of Momments and used a Hausman test to select fixed or random effects. Results of this study show that firms have 30% more current liabilities as compared to current assets and experience volatility in stock prices which increases the credit risks. However, research findings shows that firms have reasonable growth opportunities and profitability they can be used to reduce stock volatility and attain confidence of creditors in firms. The increase in leverage due to creditor's confidence in firm indicates a decrease in credit risk. Overall the study shows the significantly negative impact of market risk on credit risk of the subsequent time period which specifies market risk may foresee credit risk of the following period and gives a new understanding for investors and policymakers to curb risks in investment decisions.

This paper aims to analyze the institutional framework in Pakistan for disaster management and specific disaster management policies. This paper is also designed to develop an in-depth understanding of the key challenges that the communities of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan face in the wake of constantly reoccurring disasters. House-hold survey, observations and key informant interviews were conducted to analyze the preparedness, both at community and organizational levels. The findings point out that disaster management policies and mechanisms regarding preparedness are not implemented by both federal and state authorities at local level. Further, the local communities of AJK, Pakistan are susceptible to different kind of hazards related to disasters. The paper reveals that available federal/state mechanism of disasters do not meet the needs of community. All of the stakeholders including federal government institutions, state government institutions and local communities are not prepared. Thus, communities are continuously getting affected by natural disasters. The paper suggests that there is a dire need to improve the coordination between state and national agencies. Further, there is need to enhance community preparedness specifically in AJK, Pakistan to upgrade community's defensive and awareness mechanism to safeguard citizens' lives in response to seismic emergency.

Language and advertising are interconnected and play a significant role in communicating a message directly or indirectly. Direct roles concern buying decisions of the consumers while indirect roles establish a lasting relation of consumer with the brand. This research studies the language of copywriting of advertising focusing its role in developing consumer-brand relationship. The research uses mix of quantitative and qualitative methods based on the framework of Laswells model of communication. The study uses content analysis for examination of the language of print advertisements and the consumer brand relationship. Survey is used as method of data collection from magazines including Akhbar e Jahan and MAG published by Jang group of newspapers. The study finds that figurative language style is used more in Pakistani print advertisements in comparison to literal language. Moreover, the results prove that the copy writing of print advertisements does play a significant role in developing consumer-brand relationship.

The study investigated family interference with work conflict (FIW) among female teachers based on selected demographic variables and its impact on their job performance; with job performance as the dependent variable and FIW the independent variable. The data was gathered from 295 female teachers from fifteen FEF girls’ degree colleges across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through a survey questionnaire of 42 closed-end items on five-point Likert scale. Of the total 295 teachers, 220 respondents including 177 married and 43 unmarried returned the questionnaire. The findings divulged that the teachers faced FIW with different magnitude based on various demographic factors and has an adverse impact on their job performance. The findings are useful for researchers, policy makers, teacher and employers as they give an insight into the female teachers’ problems in their efforts of balancing their roles in family and work domains.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a strategic game-changer development projects both for China and Pakistan with varying interests.For the successful implementation of CPEC, various cooperation mechanisms were signed between China and Pakistan. This cooperation mechanism has been perceived differently by different stakeholders. The mechanism of cooperation seems like a complex phenomenon due to the interest articulation and contradictions of the capitalist model of cooperation. Moreover, cooperation also needs adaptation to produce and reproduce capital in the case ofCPEC related projects. An attempt has been made in this paper to explore the mechanisms of cooperation on CPEC.Who is benefiting from this cooperation? And how this cooperation mechanism is being translated into a project of game-changer.' In a capitalist structure, the control over means of production and private ownership creates a nature of competition protected by existing institutional arrangements to strengthen a structure of profiteering.Cooperation is totally opposite to competition, and primarily it depends on the socialistic principle of sharing and caring.

History of the politics of agitation and protest indicate that political agitation has always been converted from any point to the issue of provincial autonomy in Pakistan. The case of Pakistan Tehrik-E-Insaf (PTI), on alleged rigging after the general elections of 2013 also suggests that the protest after general elections 2018 would at last be transformed from rigging to demanding the redressal of provincial grievances over devolution of power under 18th amendment. Since, provincial governments including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) had continuously been registering grievances about the transfer of liabilities without transferring corresponding assets and resources to provinces. In current scenario under the slogan of 'New-Pakistan' the registering of complaints by political leadership against federation though the card of provincial autonomy would have more and prolonged potential and attraction for the general public rather than merely protest on rigging. Therefore, the biggest challenge for the government in new Pakistan would be addressing the provincial issues. Because sooner or later the protest led by opposition political parties over rigging in 2018 elections would be transformed within one year into the protest for provincial issues. In the backdrop, this study highlights the challenges for newly established government of PTI in-terms of center-province relations over provincial autonomy. Further, conventional approach of federalism (extreme centralized federalism) still prevails in Pakistan which ultimately poses impediments to center-provinces virtuous working relations. That’s why it would be significant to investigate that on what issues working relation between federal and provincial governments may potentially be deteriorate. Political and economic measures have also been suggested in this study for PTI government to address the regional grievances and disparity in New-Pakistan.

Drawing on empowerment literature and intrinsic motivation, this study examines the relationship of empowering leadership and employee outcomes (service performance and organizational citizenship behavior; OCB), along with mediating role of employee engagement. Based upon data of 970 officer level employees working in banking industry of Pakistan, hierarchical regression results demonstrated that empowering leadership behavior is positively related to employee service performance and OCB. Further, the results also reveal employee engagement partially mediated the relationships between empowering leadership and employee behavioral outcomes.

The history of Pak-Afghan relations is dominated more by conflicts then by cooperation since emergence of Pakistan. In the ongoing pattern of peace process, it is proposed that Pakistan should pave the way to bring the Taliban on negotiation table for peace and stability in Afghanistan. The recent steps taken in the form of different Confidence Building Measures show flurry of diplomatic relationship in the emerging cordiality between the two countries. Diverse civil society groups of Pakistan are of the view that the drawdown of US forces from Afghanistan will ultimately create a power vacuum and plunge the country again into yet another civil war. Pakistan’s efforts to use its influence to bring the Taliban on table talk will smooth the way for peace, stability and prosperity of Afghanistan as well as security of the entire region. Keeping in view the geographical proximity of the two countries, Pakistan’s own vital interests are attached to peace and stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan took cognizance of this very fact and played highly constructive role in facilitating dialogue process in Afghanistan and improving bilateral ties of the two countries.

There are multiple challenges to CPEC,and one amongst many is developmental-ism. In developmental-ism, the idea of development is imposed on the masses without their consent.This paper is an attempt to analyze selected challenges to CPEC along with developmental-ism. The socialization o fdevelopment plans and infrastructure with a social cause tocreates multiple challenges and opportunities. The questions whether a CPEC being a development plan can meet emerging challenges in politics and development? How does CPEC address these challenges? The present study explains the various challenges related to CPEC as a game-changer developmental project. The major challenges are strategic impacts of CPEC on Pakistan, profit rate charged by China on loans regarding CPEC, its effects on Pakistan's balance of payment, environmental issues, security costs, regional and international impacts, etc. The internal and external challenges are also shaping potential threats to mount pressure on the development projects of CPEC, which cause undermine the economic interests of different actors in the region