Razia Sultana

This study seeks to explore the gender-specific impact of post-9/11 terrorism acts in Pakistan, with a particular focus on the parents of the children killed in the terrorist attacks on Army Public School in Peshawar, in 2014. The paper dwells deep into exploring how the parents have been impacted and examines the many ways by which the victims have devised coping strategies in response to traumatic events. This study uses Galtung's structural violence theory as a theoretical framework to examine the psychological impact on the parents, with structural violence in this context referring to post-9/11 terrorism acts in Pakistan. This study adopted a sequential exploratory design. By using a stratified random sampling technique, a total of 216 participants were selected, comprising 133 Direct Victims and 83 Indirect Victims. Data collection involved a mixed method approach-both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Primary data was collected through structured interviews and a standardized questionnaire called Lieber's scale of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to measure the level of post-traumatic stress. Subsequent processing and tabulation followed by statistical examination to assess the psychological impact of post-9/11 terrorism in Peshawar. Finding indicates that the symptoms of PTSD were still evident among all participants even after nine years of terrorist attack. Participants who were directly exposed to trauma displayed more symptoms of psychological distress as compared to those who were indirectly exposed. The results also indicate a surprising and rather significant development in gender focused research with male parents exhibiting significantly high level of PTSD in comparison to women victims. Observations from the primary data showing men demonstrating higher level of PTSD, brings interesting propositions to gender research, where explorations around the social and psychological aspects of masculinity, and the multifaceted roles played by men around gender empowerment may prompt intriguing inquiries into gender research. Furthermore, it is recommended that future research must focus on factors that should not only identify the optimal timing for PTSD treatment, but also explore factors that can bring natural recovery. Moreover, the research also facilitates the policy recommendation for development work as well as those agencies including, the government, local and international aid organizations working in the areas affected by violence.

Body mass index (BMI) is a significant human health fitness gauge. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between BMI and reaction time of female university athletes, considering urban and rural community influences. A sample of 60 players (mean age = 20.45 ± 2.29 years) was selected from three leading women's universities in Lahore, Pakistan. reaction time was assessed through a ruler drop test. Data normality was examined using the Kolmogorov and Shapiro-Wilk tests. Pearson's correlation coefficients, trend lines, and independent samples t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results indicated mean reaction times were 0.164 ± 0.031 and 0.158 ± 0.026 seconds for urban and rural community athletes respectively. The average BMIs were 21.03 ± 1.77 and 19.64 ± 2.84 for urban and rural community athletes respectively. Rural players exhibited healthier BMIs, and overweight players displayed superior reaction time. There was a non-significant correlation between reaction time and BMI, explaining 3.9% of reaction time variability. Locality had a significant effect on BMI but not on reaction time. There was no significant association between reaction time and BMI was observed. However, locality significantly influenced BMI. Maintaining healthy BMIs and incorporating agility drills are recommended for optimal performance.

In the world, building excellent schools often relies on a certain school model. For example, models such as "Happy School", "Amazing School", "Cultural School", "Brand School", and "Student-Centered Schools" have been implemented quite successfully. The common purpose of these models is to create an excellent school; the core of these models is the core cultural values. Through studying the models, the article draws out the core cultural values to create an excellent school. Community culture, religious doctrines, laws, state management policies, and knowledge management are factors that influence school culture and are also mentioned. Based on that, a survey was conducted with 1,517 subjects including school managers, teachers, and parents of students at preschool, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels representing four different regions of Vietnam. The results show that school managers can express very well the school's vision and mission but have a vague perception of the essence of school culture and the specific approach to building school culture. In management, school principals lack creative measures in both approaching general culture and in creating core cultural values for the school; the influence of the impacting factors has not been effectively utilized; therefore, the results of building excellent schools are very limited. Solutions to build excellent schools by creating core cultural values are proposed in the context of Vietnam and can be referenced for countries with similar conditions.

This study explores the obstacles to marriage for persons with physical disabilities (visual or hearing) from the perspective of persons with physical disabilities. To achieve the study's objectives, a questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 544 people with physical disabilities (201 female and 343 male). The results indicated that the obstacles to marriage for persons with physical disabilities, according to the participants' perspectives, were of a moderate degree. The most impactful impediments were found to be economic, followed by social and psychological ones, and challenges pertaining to the type of impairment had the least effect. When it came to the sample's responses to the scale's sections on gender, academic standing, marital status, and the existence of a handicap in the family, the results did not reveal any statistically significant differences. However, statistically significant differences were observed based on the specialization variable, in favour of scientific colleges.

This study comprehensively assesses the influence of green finance on sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries from 1999-2023. The sub-Saharan African countries are considered most vulnerable to climate change due to their individual countries' geographical location, economic structure, population density, limited adaptive capacity to climate change, and social vulnerability. By examining the intricate linkages between green finance measured by financial development indicators, and institutional frameworks, technology, urbanization, and educational levels, the study aims to address environmental, social, and economic challenges and the trajectory of green development in sub-Saharan African countries. The pool mean group autoregressive distributed lags (PMG/ARDL) method was employed for its ability to rheostat endogeneity and serial autocorrelation, neglected by previous studies. The findings underscore the pivotal role of green finance, proxied by bank credit to the private sector, in promoting sustainable practices, through technological advancements and educational levels to increase investment in industries that prioritize sustainability, conservation, and biodiversity preservation. The negative nexus between foreign direct investment and the potential adverse consequences is associated with the influx of multinational corporations to sub-Saharan African countries, particularly due to lax environmental regulations linked to weak regulatory frameworks. In light of these findings, this study recommends aligning investments with sustainable development goals, enhancing regulatory oversight to improve environmental quality, and balancing economic growth and environmental stewardship through sustainable development strategies, given their countries' vulnerability to climate change.

This research analyzes the impact of economic expansion, non-renewable energy consumption (NonREC), financial sector improvement, and carbon releases in Ghana. The study used yearly data from 1971 to 2014 and applied the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) method to examine the data. The NARDL approach facilitated the differentiation of variables into favorable and unfavorable adjustments by examining the short-and long-run effects. The results indicated that all the independent variables exhibited short-term asymmetries, while economic growth presented long-term asymmetry. Negative adjustments in economic expansion led to a decline in carbon releases in the long run but an increase in the short run. favorable and unfavorable adjustments in NonREC positively and negatively impact carbon releases in both the short and long term. Additionally, negative adjustments in financial development positively affected carbon releases in the long run. The cumulative dynamic multipliers graphs and impulse response function graphs illustrate the same impact pattern of the independent variables on carbon releases, confirming the findings' robustness. The study suggests implementing environmental policies in Ghana that promote renewable sources of energy and energy-conserving innovations to reduce environmental degradation. The findings recommend that the decision-maker prioritize effective environmental strategies like a green economy, renewable energy use, and energy-saving technologies. By adopting clean energy and implementing advanced technologies, sustainable economic growth can be achieved while preserving the environment and the ecosystem.

Numerous research, economic theories, and real-life examples suggest that political variables significantly impact foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow. This research proposes to assess the impact of political factors of FDI inflow in Pakistan by applying the autoregressive distributed lag model simultaneous integration (ARDL) technique from 1990 to 2017. The dependent indicator is FDI, while the regressors are government effectiveness, regulatory quality, and political stability. The empirical evidence recommends that all political variables are significant in the short run and long run as they have an immense effect on FDI inflow in Pakistan. These outcomes will help policymakers devise a strategy to ensure that economic growth and policies for such political factors help boost FDI inflows to the host economy.

This study examines the multilateral behaviour of Thailand, an awkward power, through the lens of the regional group formation (RGF) theory, using the formations of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) as examples. The RGF theory postulates that states establish smaller regional multilaterals to secure exclusive leadership and international recognition. However, Thailand's regional multilateralism and its manoeuvring in launching the ACD and the ACMECS unveiled deviation in multilateral behaviour. Specifically, Thailand's leadership in the ACMECS formation is consistent with the hypothetical explanation, whereas its bridging role in the ACD, inviting major Asian powers as founding members, deviates from the expected scenario derived from the theory. This discrepancy questions the applicability of the RGF theory to smaller powers, especially awkward ones, implicitly suggesting that their multilateral behaviour appears to be multifaceted. The study recommends theoretical refinement to better explain the behavioural nuances of non-major powers in regional multilateralism.

In the history of humankind, lunar eclipse has always captured attention and imagination of human beings. This study is an anthropological attempt to describe prevailing perceptions and myths about lunar eclipse and resultant religious and cultural practices in some of the rural areas of Central Punjab, Pakistan. For this purpose, qualitative research techniques of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions have been used to understand and untangle the strings of indigenous perpetuations about a celestial phenomenon. The research findings showed multiple sets of socio-cultural and religious beliefs and practices which have been followed through generations that demonstrate the richness of culture and mythological value of local verbal tales. Perceptions include fear of God, remembering the day of judgment, good or bad luck, and occurrence of disease. Practices include praying, charity, taking certain precautions to avoid the disease, and doing some religious and cultural rituals. Some unique folktales are also narrated by the respondents of the locale which have specific socio-cultural meanings for them. The paper describes all these perceptions and practices in two main parts: socio-cultural perceptions and practices and religious perceptions and practices.

This research article explores the relationship between smartphone usage and job performance among professionals working in the leading electronic media channels in Pakistan. Furthermore, it also examines how gender, education, and age act as moderators in the relationship between smartphone usage and job performance. For this purpose, a survey was carried out involving professionals belonging to the electronic media industry in Pakistan. The findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between their smartphone usage and job performance. The results also showed that the gender of employees did not moderate this relationship, while the education and the age were found to be significant moderators. The study will help the media owners in devising the policies and strategies to facilitate their workers in easy utilization of smartphones for work related tasks.

This study aims to reveal the effect of dramatic treatment elements and their ability to attract audiences to historical dramas. The study employed a quantitative approach as descriptive research, by the collection of quantifiable data for statistical analysis using SPSS. The study conducted multiple linear regression analyses to identify the effects of variables on the attractiveness of historical drama. The study concluded that the combined effect of content, dramatic structure, accuracy of information, educational level, and watching the drama factors on the attractiveness of historical drama to viewers is 61.1%. This means that the attractiveness of the dramatic work is influenced by the following factors: content 34.8%, dramatic structure 19.7%, accuracy of information 23.4%, educational level 8.7%, and watching drama 8.7%. Therefore, increase in interest in these elements leads to heightened attractiveness of the dramatic work, consequently encouraging viewers to continue watching the drama. This article makes a valuable academic contribution by providing scientific insights that aid in understanding the appeal of certain series and movies to audiences, as well as identifying weaknesses in attracting viewers to other works. Furthermore, it offers guidance to producers and scriptwriters in enhancing the overall performance of their dramas.

The present study discusses the social persuasion advertisers use to implicitly communicate society's sociocultural norms through visual communication in advertisements, specifically in Pakistan. For instance, the research explores how advertisers, as cultural brokers, represent women by challenging established sociocultural norms by utilising persuasive strategies through visual communication in Pakistani ads. The research comes under the qualitative content analysis paradigm; the data were collected, identified, interpreted, and analysed, focusing on the cultural values/norms represented through women's dressing and sexually devised postures in Pakistani society. Moreover, the research employed the constant comparison method for the data analysis. Findings indicate that Pakistani advertisers represent women mainly in a stereotypical manner. However, when they deviate from representing her in a non-stereotypical way, they go far beyond the set norms to persuade them quickly. For instance, they found representing women as a posture of sexual appeal to persuade ordinary people's minds by employing social neuro-persuasion challenging the Pakistani established sociocultural beliefs, norms, or values. These advertisers seem to deviate from traditional ideologies because they minutely know the sensual, desirous nature of most Pakistani men. Henceforth, they represent women as an alluring tool of persuasion  .

The present study explores the challenges and issues faced in the implementation of the BS program offered in government colleges and public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The responsibilities of colleges and universities are highlighted in view of National Education Policies. The research shows how and why the BS education system was initiated in Higher Education Institutions and what measures were taken for its successful implementation. The research methodology used was exploratory in nature, employing a mixed method approach for triangulation. The target population of the study was 65 randomly selected government colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sampled through the Convenience Sampling Technique. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and a questionnaire from 127 faculty members of government colleges. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The findings of the study highlight the importance of academic autonomy for the government colleges to enable them to grow in knowledge and research. Recommendations such as bringing innovation to higher education, initiating research journals, strengthening of the Higher Education Academy of Research & Training (HEART) and implementing a rationalization policy in transfer rules at the directorate level, are made in light of the findings  .

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in stock market investment intentions. Researchers are therefore becoming more and more eager to look into the factors that influence investors in general, and individual investors in particular to engage in stock market activities. Under the assumption of the theory of planned behavior this study looked at investor's intentions to invest in the stock market. The study primarily focusses on the impact of financial knowledge, personality traits, subjective norms, attitude, and financial selfefficacy on the stock market investment intentions of individual investors. To gather information from individual investors, the study used a cross-sectional research approach, on the population sample of 298 individuals. The data is collected from the Pakistani investors, from three big cities, i.e. Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, also considered as business centers of the country. The respondents include both the salaried workers and business owners. The findings indicate that attitude and financial self-efficacy were significant mediators for investors' investment decisions. The results imply that people with a favorable outlook on investing in the stock market, risk-taking and innovative personalities, and financial expertise are more likely make investments. Those who have a mindset towards investing and financial selfefficacy also have more intentions  .

This research used to action research that result from the implementation of a training course to promote the lesson study process for lecturers at the higher education in the Lao PDR. This study aimed to evaluate cognitive effectiveness, ability in lesson plan design, and skills in lesson study in lecturers' professional development at Souphanouvong University, Lao PDR. This paper focuses on the relevancy assessment, implementation, and evaluation of the lesson study skills in lecturers' professional development as the subsequent study. The researchers employed action research, a three-step process adopted for lesson study, encompassing planning, four days of training, implementing teaching and observation in the classroom, and finally evaluating its effectiveness as a reflection of lesson study skills, which was a portion of lecturers' professional development. 56 lecturers from six faculties were used as a sample for training, and 10 lecturers who voluntarily participated were used in the application. Testing, an assessment form for the ability to design lesson plans, a lesson study skills assessment form, and the teaching record book were research tools. The mean, standard deviation, and t-test were applied to statistical analysis. The findings were: 1) the cognitive effectiveness of the lesson study process was significantly improved over criteria on a double percentage at a level of .05; 2) the design ability of the lesson plan was at a high level; and 3) the lesson study skills for the lecturers' professional development results were at good levels. This is the first application of the lesson study process in the context of higher education in Laos. Lesson study was an approach that assisted lecturers to increase professional competency to be true "teacher professionals" in the future  .

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners face various challenges when writing, including mechanics such as spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. If the mechanics are incorrect, understanding a text can be difficult, and the meaning can be distorted. Moreover, understanding how EFL students and instructors perceive these errors is vital for enhancing language instruction and providing targeted feedback. This study explored the perceptions of EFL students and instructors regarding mechanical errors in paragraph writing employing a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative surveys. According to the findings, instructors and students had different opinions about mechanical errors. Male and female EFL learners also differed in their perceptions. Their perspectives on spelling and punctuation diverged. Students thought their spelling issues were the most severe, but their instructors believed that punctuation was the biggest problem, including commas and full stops. Furthermore, EFL instructors provided potential reasons and suggested strategies to address these issues. The results offer practical implications for curriculum development, instructional design, and instructor training in EFL contexts  .

This study aims to achieve two research objectives: (1) to examine the disparities in democratic attitudes and political participation between urban and rural areas in Thailand, and (2) to formulate policy recommendations aimed at mitigating political polarization between urban and rural areas in the country. It utilized a survey methodology, drawing data from the 7th World Values Survey, with a representative sample of Thai citizens from both urban and rural regions. The study analyzed four independent variables-place of residence, gender, socioeconomic status, and education level-alongside two categories of dependent variables, namely democratic attitudes and political participation. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, encompassing a range of descriptive statistics as well as hierarchical linear and logistic regression analyses. The findings indicate that rural residents in Thailand tend to exhibit stronger democratic values than their urban counterparts. However, they also display lower levels of political participation. To enhance democracy in Thailand, it is imperative to create an environment conducive to political engagement, particularly in rural communities that often feel marginalized and resentful due to policies that appear to favor urban elites. Addressing this divide is crucial for the stability and development of Thailand's democratic system  .

Considering the post-COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigates how faculty members in higher education in Somalia are handling the shift from traditional classroom instruction to e-learning. The study looks at how factors like perceived usefulness (PU), attitude (ATT), behavioural intention (BI), and actual usage (AU) impact lecturers' acceptance of e-learning through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A descriptive and cross-sectional design was used in the investigation. The information was gathered by surveying three hundred and seventy-five (375) lecturers from seven different Mogadishu universities. The study used a non-random, purposive sample. The results of the study showed that most of the factors influencing lecturers' adaptation to e-learning were significant, except for three exogenous variables: Perceived Teaching Self-Efficacy (PTSE), institutional support for lecturers (ISL), and digital tool access (DTA). These variables did not significantly impact perceived usefulness (PU), as their p-values were higher than 0.05.On the other hand, all the other hypotheses had p-values lower than 0.05, which means that the lecturers in the Benadir region, Somalia, were satisfied with the e-learning adaptation. To investigate the hypotheses of elearning and digital resource adoption, the study used SPSS 26.0 and SmartPLS-4's Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Based on the findings, the researchers advised instructors to receive technology and pedagogy training and institutions to fund infrastructure development 

This paper conducts a review and appraisal of discourse surrounding tribalism, which is deeply entrenched in Nigerian politics at different levels of government as the polity of the country has often experienced significant tension along tribal/ethnic lines. Using digital media data, with specific focus on discourses produced during the 2023 general elections in the country, this study reviews and analyses the discourse of tribalism in Nigerian political communication. In an election heavily contested by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the People's Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP), with candidates representing three major ethnic groups in Nigeria involving Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo respectively, the entrenched nature of the tribalism mindset in the country was fully exposed. Although tribalism in Nigerian politics has been in existence for a long time, it was only recently witnessed on a large scale on social media given that it is the first time that three popular presidential candidates have emerged from the country's three most popular ethnic groups. Through a multimodal discourse analysis, the study reveals instances of tribalist discourse in the country vis-à-vis the social context and implications for the democracy, national cohesion, and the development of the country  .

Previous literature presents a gap to study the mediating mechanism in the relationship between use of social media to perform a job and employees' productivity. Based on the transactional stress and coping model, we conducted the present research to assess the serial mediation of information overload and ambiguity intolerance for this relationship. Using adapted research questionnaires, we used an online data collection technique to collect data from a sample of 232 employees working with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Results obtained through structural equation modeling, indicate significant serial mediation of information overload and ambiguity intolerance in the relationship between use of social media and overall employees' productivity. We also found that use of social media is positively related to information overload and ambiguity intolerance and negatively related to employees' overall productivity. The study has contributed to the literature by identifying situational, psychological, and behavioral consequences of use of social media at work. Research has discussed several implications for organizations and researchers  .

The current study attempts to investigate perceptions of EFL learners towards faceto-face vs. online learning focusing on differences and challenges in communication. The study used a mixed-method design to explain and thoroughly explore the issue. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed in the first phase, and qualitative data were collected and analyzed in the second phase. Quantitative findings reveal that most of the participants think that it is easier to communicate in a face-to-face learning class as opposed to an online learning mode. In all four variables-time management, motivation, ease and flexibility, and use of technology, the mean score for face-to-face learning is higher than for online learning. Though qualitative findings exhibit that the participants perceive both modes of learning as challenging, most of them think that communication in online learning has more challenges than in face-to-face mode of learning. The participants also proclaim that the low quality of the internet and little interaction are two significant issues in online communication which, they think, have no solutions. The study concludes that learners are satisfied with face-to-face learning as communication can be accomplished with little or no interruption. The findings of the current study suggest important implications for future research  .

Through the analysis of the Colombian case (2012-2021), which includes mapping 211 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working for peace, we propose a mixed conceptual framework that allows for the conceptualization of CSOs based on fundamental and complementary attributes. As a result of the intersection of these attributes, we propose four ideal-typical forms: (1) CSOs for the culture of peace and democratic strengthening, (2) CSOs for democratic strengthening based on membership in a vulnerable group within the conflict context, (3) CSOs for comprehensive development as a means to pacify society, (4) CSOs for the development of a group and/or territory affected by the conflict, based on belonging to that group or area. Although as ideal abstractions overlapping is possible, the results show that 166 of the studied CSOs work around the democratic cause. Specifically, 97 of them related to culture of peace, and 69 based on belonging to vulnerable groups. On the other hand, 64 of the observed CSOs work for development. Here it is possible to distinguish between CSOs that emerge around the agenda (39 out of 64) and those that organize themselves around a sense of belonging or identity (25 out of 64).

Universities play a critical role in educating students for their successful career. However, in higher educational institutes major focus is given on their academic achievement and psychological factors like academic stress are ignored. The aim of this quantitative study was to investigate predictive relationship between academic resilience and stress of the university students. Convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from 738 northern area university students in Pakistan. Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) having 6 items developed by Smith et al., (2008) was used to measure perceived resilience of university students, freely available on internet for academic research. During data collection respondents were asked to assess themselves on a 6-point Likert scale on both scales. Tools were validated by experts and reliability was established using Cronbach's alpha (0.813). For data analysis, the gathered information was organized and summarized in Excel. Following that, it was analysed using SPSS version 22. To find the effect of perceived resilience stress of the university students regression model was used. Before analysis assumptions of regression model as given by Field (2013) and Laerd (2018) were considered. Findings of this research revealed that perceived resilience scores had a great significant negative effect on stress of university students. The present study highlighted the influence of psychological constructs resilience on reducing stress of university students which ultimately affect their academic performance. In the light of results of current study, it can be recommended that through workshops, seminars, and orientation sessions how university teachers can be motivated to enhance their capacity for teaching and learning using resilience abilities  .

The aim of this study is to critically analyze the components of the speech given by Imran Khan, the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, 2019. Van Dijk's (1997) Political Discourse Analysis framework was employed to examine how politicians persuade their audience, propagate their ideologies, and construct in-group and out-group divisions in their speeches. The study sought to achieve its objectives by analyzing both macro and micro structures in the speech and exploring the underlying agenda behind the utilization of these discourse structures. The qualitative data consisted of the English transcript of the speech, totaling approximately 2,577 words. NVIVO software and Dijk's Political Discourse Analysis framework were employed for the analysis of the speech. The findings of the study revealed that the macro elements in the speech provided an overview of national, regional, and global issues such as climate change, money laundering, Islamophobia, and the Kashmir conflict. Through the use of microstructural elements, the speaker effectively expressed his ideological and political beliefs regarding these aforementioned issues. In summary, this research examined Imran Khan's UNGA speech through the lens of discourse structures, shedding light on the macro and micro elements utilized by the speaker to convey his perspective on various socio-political topics  .

Afghanistan provides a significant geographical linkage for the regions of the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Asia; therefore, its stability is utmost important for regional as well as broader global accord. The two and half decades of the US military engagement inside Afghanistan had a qualified success as far as peace and stability goals were concerned. The Doha talks focused on the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and the internal dialogues among the Afghan stakeholders. Here, the United States, China and Pakistan's stakes inside Afghanistan became very significant in the context of counterterrorism and peace. However, the policies of these three significant powers diverge over major elements of security and peace in the region. This paper attempts to explore such divergence and convergence in the multinational peace building approach in Afghanistan. A mixed methodology approach is used to investigate such divergence and convergence in the multinational approach to Afghanistan in the region. The findings of the paper suggest that the two major powers, the US and China are strategically involved in countering each other's influence and retaining their dominance in Central Asian region, including Afghanistan. For Pakistan on the other hand, the major adversary to contain and confine in the region is India. The paper argues that the three nations can benefit on a common ground if a multilateral approach to peace building is carried out prudently for the sake of a long-term peace and stability in the region  .

The Dutch disease phenomenon has been related to foreign inflows into emerging economies in particular, including foreign aid, migrant's remittances, and foreign direct investment. A surge in these inflows is expected to yield a rise in the real exchange rate. Recipient countries have seen a decline in industry as a result of the rise in the non-marketable sector and the slump in the marketable sector. This study empirically investigates the mechanisms of real exchange rate adjustments to migrant remittances, ODA, and FDI toward emerging economies. For the analysis covering the years 2001-2020, dynamic panel data approaches, difference GMM and system GMM, are used to investigate the incidence of Dutch Disease in 84 emerging economies. Numerous econometric studies have shown that Dutch Disease does exist in emerging economies. The Dutch Disease theory is supported by an expanded study that has included the empirical analysis of both industrial (marketable) and service (nonmarketable) sectors  .

There is limited academic research specifically focused on prophetic leadership and its implication for the success of modern business organizations. At the same time, prophetic leadership can play a crucial role in providing vision, guidance, and inspiration to employees and stakeholders to focus on long-term sustainable success. Therefore, this study aims to map the concept of prophetic leadership and its related outcomes within organizations. Also, by considering the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) model, this study offers the comprehensive principles and practices associated with prophetic leadership to achieve longterm success. This study includes the term "prophetic leadership" as a reference in "Article title, Abstract and Keywords" based on the Scopus database (from 1979-July 2023). One hundred forty-eight documents are found in the collected data. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis is applied using VOSviewer to analyze the data. In addition, VOSviewer software is utilized in this study to explore the most prolific authors and potential research avenues. The gist of the findings shows that prophetic leadership brings a unique set of qualities and values that can greatly benefit modern business organizations. Prophetic leadership, for instance, prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) indeed provides a clear vision, promotes ethical decision-making, fosters transparency, empowers followers, and develops a mission that encompasses various aspects of life, including spirituality, morality, governance, and social justice, to create the long-term success in this world and the hereafter  .

The study examined Israeli digital diplomacy's strategic use of social media platforms, particularly Facebook, to engage with the Arab public in neighboring countries. The study focused on the 'Israel Speaks Arabic' Facebook page, a project by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Facebook. The study aims to analyze the content themes presented to Arab Face bookers, the different media formats employed, and the Arab countries targeted. The methodology involved qualitative data analysis from three pivotal periods in 2019 and 2020. This process was executed by collecting and examining posts published on the 'Israel Speaks Arabic' page to understand their content and significance. The study's results highlighted the page's use of a humaninterest framework to emphasise peace and coexistence themes. The portrayal of Arab Palestinians in the 1948 territories served as an illustration of a peaceful society. Additionally, the page underscored its positive ties with Egypt, a neighboring country, demonstrating the potential for harmonious relationships with the rest of the Arab world. This strategic approach emphasizes the significance of digital diplomacy in fostering better international relationships  .

This research article addresses the question "What are the impacts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the economy of Pakistan". Here a matter of concern is whether the IMF program has an overall positive impact on the growth of the economy of Pakistan or has just increased the debt burden. Positive impacts include solving the issue of balance of payment, stabilizing the foreign exchange reservoirs, bringing improvement in its exports, and providing money for imports. The negative impacts included the devaluation of Pakistani currency, increased burden of foreign debt, increased excise duties, discouraged investment, and dictate Pakistan in controlling the stock exchange. A qualitative research approach is utilized to examine the impacts of the IMF on the economy of Pakistan. It has been observed from the study that IMF has both positive and negative impacts on the economy of Pakistan. This study explores and analyses in detail the impacts of IMF loans on economic stabilization processes in Pakistan  .

This study describes difficulties Iraqi graduate students encounter while answering Verbal Reasoning Measure (VRM) questions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Participants thought aloud while answering questions from three VRM subsections: Reading Comprehension (RC), Text Completion (TC), and Sentence Equivalence (SE). Data were collected via audio recordings, from seven Iraqi graduate students, and transcribed orthographically, coded, and analyzed. The analysis yielded several themes: Difficulties related to the structure of the question and/or the meaning of its answers, the content is pertinent to USA culture and history, SE is the most difficult part followed by TC, and RC is time consuming. These findings are consistent with previous research results that the structure of the GRE VRM questions and/or the answers are difficult to understand, SE items were much harder than TC and RC items due to their unfamiliar content and vague meanings, and RC is time consuming for international graduate students. Pedagogical implications were identified and recommendations for ETS and students were suggested. 

With the evolution of the global landscape towards remote work, the working conditions of such arrangements tend to pique the interest of researchers. This framework seeks to assess the role of psychological well-being as a mediator between job demands, social support, family-work conflict, and work engagement by combining Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Boundary theory. Quantitative designs utilizing cross-sectional studies have been conducted. A total of 315 Malaysian employees with remote working experience were recruited as respondents via homogeneous sampling. The COPSOQ II was used to assess job demands and social support, the WAFCS to assess work-family conflict, and the WHO-5 to assess psychological well-being. The Hayes Process Macro Version 4 was employed for hypothesis testing. The results indicate that job demands and social support are significant predictors of work engagement, but work-family conflict is not. For mediation analyses, it was found that psychological well-being mediates the relationship between job demands, social support, work-family conflict, and work engagement. This study offers empirical support for the conceptual framework of JD-R model, COR theory, and boundary theory as a means of predicting work engagement in remote work settings. HR professionals and organizations considering the implementation of work-from-home policies can gain valuable insights from this study, which can be used to develop policies and procedures that promote employee engagement, productivity, and well-being  .

Pakistan is among the most protectionist economies of the world and highly protective trade regimes thus calls for an investigation of the determinants of this protectionism. The current study intends to examine the macroeconomic determinants of protectionism in the case of Pakistan employing the Granger Causality test and Impulse Response Function covering a time period from 1988-2018. The results of the Granger Causality test reveal that unemployment & GDP Granger cause the tariff rate and there exists a unidirectional relationship between these two variables with the tariff rate. Contrary to this, the tariff rate is granger caused by the trade balance. Terms of the trade is found to have a bidirectional association with the tariff rate, while there is no evidence of a causal relationship between the tariff rate and inflation. The results of Impulse Response functions reveal that an increase in unemployment and a higher TOT, both are found to be positively associated with an increased level of protectionism. However, a higher level of GDP or economic growth leads to reduce the protectionism thereby reducing the tariff rate. The results of the study are quite pertinent in identifying the core factors inducing a high level of protectionism in Pakistan  .

With the evolution of the global landscape towards remote work, the working conditions of such arrangements tend to pique the interest of researchers. This framework seeks to assess the role of psychological well-being as a mediator between job demands, social support, family-work conflict, and work engagement by combining Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Boundary theory. Quantitative designs utilizing cross-sectional studies have been conducted. A total of 315 Malaysian employees with remote working experience were recruited as respondents via homogeneous sampling. The COPSOQ II was used to assess job demands and social support, the WAFCS to assess work-family conflict, and the WHO-5 to assess psychological well-being. The Hayes Process Macro Version 4 was employed for hypothesis testing. The results indicate that job demands and social support are significant predictors of work engagement, but work-family conflict is not. For mediation analyses, it was found that psychological well-being mediates the relationship between job demands, social support, work-family conflict, and work engagement. This study offers empirical support for the conceptual framework of JD-R model, COR theory, and boundary theory as a means of predicting work engagement in remote work settings. HR professionals and organizations considering the implementation of work-from-home policies can gain valuable insights from this study, which can be used to develop policies and procedures that promote employee engagement, productivity, and well-being  .

This study aims to examine the impact of shared leadership and emergent leadership on team performance, with the moderating role of trust by employing Adaptive theory. To understand this, we conducted a cross-sectional study. Rooted within positivist philosophy, we employed quantitative method. Data was collected via questionnaire from 252 individuals from software and IT sector employees of Pakistan. Sample adequacy tests were applied before conducting multi-variate analysis. Using SPSS, we ran regression analysis and process macro for moderation analysis. The Harman test is applied to enquire about any existence of common method biases. Findings indicate that shared and emergent leadership are the key drivers of agile team performance. When leadership functions as a team process, it instills a sense of collective identity, increasing engagement and yield enhanced levels of team performance. Moreover, trust did not moderate the relationship between leadership styles and team performance. This study enhances our understanding of the differences between the interchangeably used leadership styles and their contribution to team performance in a digital setting  .

This study attempts to find out the possible opportunities for the investors of Pakistan Islamic market to maximize the benefits of divergence. Dow Jones Islamic market returns (DJIMR) of four different regions named as Dow Jones Islamic Americas, Dow Jones Islamic European, Dow Jones Islamic Asian Pacific and Dow Jones Islamic Middle East and North Africa Regions across the Pakistan Karachi Meezan Index-30 have been used to capture the approach of diversification benefits. According to objectives, Multivariate GARCH-Dynamic Conditional Correlation (DCC) model is applied and it is suggested that local investors of Pakistan should prefer to invest in Asian pacific region, then to Americas region and further Middle East and North Africa region and least preference should be given to European region to maximize benefits from diversification. In order to capture the change in diversification benefits during various stock holding horizons, Continuous wavelet transformation-CWT is applied and results have indicated insignificant relationship/correlation between two markets (local and international markets of all regions) for short period of holdings rather medium and long term holdings period. Indeed, this study has focused on advance concept of incorporating the role of stock holding horizons while determining the benefits of diversification which has greater implications in the field of portfolio diversification  .

This study attempts to find out the possible opportunities for the investors of Pakistan Islamic market to maximize the benefits of divergence. Dow Jones Islamic market returns (DJIMR) of four different regions named as Dow Jones Islamic Americas, Dow Jones Islamic European, Dow Jones Islamic Asian Pacific and Dow Jones Islamic Middle East and North Africa Regions across the Pakistan Karachi Meezan Index-30 have been used to capture the approach of diversification benefits. According to objectives, Multivariate GARCH-Dynamic Conditional Correlation (DCC) model is applied and it is suggested that local investors of Pakistan should prefer to invest in Asian pacific region, then to Americas region and further Middle East and North Africa region and least preference should be given to European region to maximize benefits from diversification. In order to capture the change in diversification benefits during various stock holding horizons, Continuous wavelet transformation-CWT is applied and results have indicated insignificant relationship/correlation between two markets (local and international markets of all regions) for short period of holdings rather medium and long term holdings period. Indeed, this study has focused on advance concept of incorporating the role of stock holding horizons while determining the benefits of diversification which has greater implications in the field of portfolio diversification  .

Bank-specific risks along with corporate governance mechanisms are an important consideration for measuring bank performance. Therefore, this study aims to explore the role of credit and liquidity risk along with bank governance for the performance of banks. The present study included a sample of 116 banks operating within Asian emerging nations, spanning the period from 2012 to 2022. It utilizes static and dynamic panel methods for testing the main hypothesis and for confirming robustness. This study finds that credit risk (Z-score, Non-performing loans), liquidity risk (Current ratio, Loan to deposit ratio) and corporate governance (Board size and CEO duality) significantly influence the performance of banks in Asian emerging economies. Banking management should maintain procedures for loan granting and timely repayment of loan instalments from consumers to control credit risk. Managers of banks should keep a close eye on their banks' liquidity conditions and implement appropriate governance systems to help them operate and earn better  .

For countries to remain competitive in the global knowledge economy, digital transformation of education is becoming increasingly important. As a developing nation, Vietnam recognizes this importance and is adopting policies to integrate digital technology into its education system. This study investigates how teachers in Vietnam are prepared for digital transformation in education using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. An online survey involved 403 teachers across 22 Vietnamese provinces. Its purpose was to understand their readiness and perspectives on digital tech integration in education. The collected data underwent descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. The findings revealed that teachers in Vietnam demonstrated a moderate degree of readiness to integrate digital transformation into their teaching practices, along with a moderate level of acceptance of its implementation (mean = 3.67 and 3.65, respectively). The survey indicated teachers' positive views on digital education transformation (average rating: 3.28) and its user-friendliness (average rating: 3.42). Preparedness, usefulness perception, and ease of use affected 86.1% of teachers' digital transformation acceptance. As a result, it is possible to assume that Vietnamese teachers intend to implement digital transformation in their teaching. Based on the data gathered, the study concludes that targeted interventions and support are critical to assisting Vietnamese teachers in overcoming the challenges of digital transformation in education. Possible interventions encompass better tech access, enhanced training, fostering innovation in classrooms, and professional development. The study's insights can shape education policies and practices, and enrich literature on digital transformation in developing nations  .

The main purpose of this study is to test (1) the influence of work-life balance (WLB) on employee performance (EP), (2) the potential mediating effect of job satisfaction (JS), and (3) the moderating effect of affective commitment (AC) in these relationships. The collected data from 146 employees of a plywood manufacturing company in Indonesia via a selfadministered questionnaire survey are subjected to analysis employing the smartPLS-SEM technique. Also, the mediatedmoderated procedure recommended by Hayes (2013) is applied to examine the relationships among investigated variables. The results showed that WLB has a significant effect on both EP and JS. Also, AC positively affects EP. Furthermore, the mediational analysis indicated that JS mediates the link between WLB and EP. Moreover, the moderation analysis revealed that AC fails to moderate the effects of WLB and JS on EP * .

Education is deliberated comprehensively as a gadget for growing financial development, authorizing people, valuing individual incomes, and humanizing a satisfying and elastic atmosphere that concretes the way for a well-off economy. It also offers suggestions gearing the new generations to contract with the contests of markets in the future. Deprived of a vigorous education curriculum, neither economic nor social development is conceivable in Pakistan. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of curriculum of higher education for fostering the economic development and find out relationship between curriculum and economic development. The subjects of this research were university students and sample of 600 university students were selected via stratified and simple random procedure. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics frequency percentage and correlation on SPSS version 28.0. The results exposed the low indications that the Pakistani curriculum is teaching the techniques of financial learning, financial intelligence to its youth. The results found that participants were incapable to capitalize and grasp businesses in the global market to revel in financial independence. Positive descriptions for educational institutes entails to update their curriculum with acquaint practical courses for youth with boosted job scenarios in the marketplace. A robust positive correlation between financial knowledge and job opportunities as an apprise in the curriculum with modern-day mandatory subjects can resulted to enhance opportunities for graduates in the job market  .

This study is a case-study research that explores the anatomy of Myanmar's border security governance using the Myawaddy Township as an exploratory case study. To explore how the Burmese borderlands, represented by Myawaddy, have been governed, the policy-regime approach is adopted as a conceptual framework to illustrate the idiosyncrasies, including relevant parties and their interactions. It was found that the following actors are involved in the security governance of borderlands: ethnic armed organisation, local bureaucratic agencies, Border Guard Forces (BGFs) and foreign interest groups. Prima facie, civil government agencies have performed their duties of overseeing border activities; however, they appear to have only de jure authority, serving as soft infrastructures for the lawful border economy. Contrarily, Karen BGF leaders, appointed by the Tatmadaw (i.e. Myanmar armed forces), have held de facto authority, controlling and benefiting from the border's shadow economy-which is marked by gambling businesses-as well as from running protection rackets. Still, the BGF units in Myawaddy have retained a considerable degree of autonomy without necessarily following the Tatmadaw's order. In a nutshell, border security governance in Myanmar's Myawaddy consists of several governing modes existing in parallel and, hence, it is prismatic in nature  .

This empirical work is based on the partial phased findings of a colossal PhD work done with core objective of highlighting the role of TV web channels in representation of dilemma-oriented aspects, pertaining child sexual abuse reporting and such news' psychosocial impact on media consumers. The research strategy was mainly exploratory and was based on qualitative research design. This was targeted that major stakeholders in child sexual abuse news, need to be consulted in order to shed light on the menace of child sexual abuse's media reporting as this is being catastrophized due to misrepresentation of overexaggerated aspects of abuse. Those professional reporters, news framers and news producers (15 from each category) who reported that they have been reporting on such matters in past five years or more were targeted as potential participants' of current research. Interview protocol guide was employed in this regard. The findings revealed that sexual abuse news content stakeholders reported that they had limited skills, technical insight, personal emotional issues, emotional exhaustion and burnout, limited insight regarding experts in dealing sensitive matters and diffusion of responsibilities due to which such news content was handled by them inapt ways. They also reported as having individual, familial, contextual and cultural factors that caused them hurdles. The emerging themes revealed that relevant education paucity not only stand out as foundational deficit rather also makes us turn into debilitated state of dismay. Furthermore, lack of relevant training in framing of such sensational news, fear of consequences and professional burn out are emerged as other main themes  .

This study aims to provide evidence from an economic experiment that explores the effect of different financial information sources on people's trust and investment decisions. Research participants consisted of 128 individuals aged between 18 and 30. An experiment design divided participants into three treatment groups and a control group. The participants in each treatment group were assigned to receive different presentations of financial information, namely, an official styled fact sheet (T1), a post on social media (T2), and inperson advising (T3). The study measured the level of participants' trust and investment in each treatment and compared it with the control group. The findings demonstrated that participants in T1 trusted their information and made significant investment, while those in T2 did not trust and invest. The participants in T3 trusted their information but did not decide to invest. These results suggest that traditional channels remain essential in communicating financial information, and financial institutions must take this into account when considering their communication strategies  .

This study aims to provide evidence from an economic experiment that explores the effect of different financial information sources on people's trust and investment decisions. Research participants consisted of 128 individuals aged between 18 and 30. An experiment design divided participants into three treatment groups and a control group. The participants in each treatment group were assigned to receive different presentations of financial information, namely, an official styled fact sheet (T1), a post on social media (T2), and inperson advising (T3). The study measured the level of participants' trust and investment in each treatment and compared it with the control group. The findings demonstrated that participants in T1 trusted their information and made significant investment, while those in T2 did not trust and invest. The participants in T3 trusted their information but did not decide to invest. These results suggest that traditional channels remain essential in communicating financial information, and financial institutions must take this into account when considering their communication strategies  .