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In a modern business scenario, firms have implemented customer-centric approaches to enable customer relationship management (CRM) to trigger business excellence. Business strategies are modernizing business marketing operations that mainly focused on the retention of profitable customers. The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of marketing strategies (MS), information technology support (IT-S) and knowledge sharing (KS) in the effect of CRM in the pharmaceutical sector of Punjab, Pakistan.

Data were collected from the field force of national and international pharmaceuticals companies (N = 263) through a convenience sampling technique. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to examine data in SmartPLS 3.2.6.

The results indicated that IT-S and KS mediate the relationship between MS and CRM. More specifically, MS positively develops CRM through IT-S and KS.

This research contributes to the existing literature of pharmaceuticals by disclosing the field-force (medical representatives) specific role in developing CRM performance between pharmaceuticals firms and health-care physicians that are mainly based on knowledge advancement and influence these firms to adopt customer-centric business approaches to gain a competitive advantage to drive firm profitability.

This study aims to examine the impact of corporate governance on the speed of adjustment (SOA) of capital structure in a developing market, Pakistan.

The study's sample includes 173 non-financial enterprises that were listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) between 2011 and 2020. The capital structure of the sample companies is determined by the ratio of total debt to total debt plus the market value of equity. Corporate governance is measured by board size, independence, CEO duality, management ownership, blockholders ownership and institutional ownership. A two-step difference GMM model was used to achieve the study's objectives.

Through applying the reduced form model approach, we discovered that corporate governance variables have a considerable negative impact on the speed of targeted leverage adjustment in sample firms. Additionally, to check the robustness of results, the two-stage technique used to examine this corporate governance-SOA relationship. Furthermore, we discovered that smaller enterprises modify their capital structure more than larger firms. Furthermore, corporations prioritize short-term debt adjustment above long-term debt adjustment.

The study's findings provide further information to company managers and investors on the relationship between corporate governance quality and the pace of adjustment towards targeted leverage across Pakistani enterprises. Furthermore, this study adds new information from growing countries such as Pakistan to the existing literature, which can help regulatory authorities and policymakers improve the quality of corporate governance. It is commonly known that improving the quality of corporate governance practices improves the firm's capital structure, which benefits all stakeholders.

In the context of developing economies, the academic literature lacks research that examine the impact of corporate governance on dynamic capital structure decisions. This study intends to fill this gap.

This study aims to model the important flow response quantities over a shrinking wedge with the help of response surface methodology (RSM) and an artificial neural network (ANN). An ANN simulation for optimal thermal transport of incompressible viscous fluid under the impact of the magnetic effect (MHD) over a shrinking wedge with sensitivity analysis and optimization with RSM has yet not been investigated. This effort is devoted to filling the gap in existing literature.

A statistical experimental design is a setup with RSM using a central composite design (CCD). This setup involves the combination of values of input parameters such as porosity, shrinking and magnetic effect. The responses of skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number are required against each parameter combination of the experimental design, which is computed by solving the simplified form of the governing equations using bvp4c (a built-in technique in MATLAB). An empirical model for Cf_x and Nu_x using RSM and ANN adopting the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm based on trained neural networks (LMA-TNN) is attained. The empirical model for skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number using RSM has 99.96% and 99.99% coefficients of determination, respectively.

The values of these matrices show the goodness of fit for these quantities. The authors compared the results obtained from bvp4c, RSM and ANN and found them all to be in good agreement. A sensitivity analysis is performed, which shows that Cf_x as well as Nu_x are most affected by porosity. However, they are least affected by magnetic parameters.

This study aims to simulate ANN and sensitivity analysis for optimal thermal transport of magnetic viscous fluid over shrinking wedge.

This study aims to investigate the impact of dividend policy on a firm’s participation in corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related activities in the context of Pakistani firms. Furthermore, the role of the board governance mechanism in dividend policy-CSR is investigated.

The study’s sample consists of 115 nonfinancial Pakistan Stock Exchange-listed firms from 2010 to 2021. A multidimensional financial method is used to assess the firm’s CSR engagement, and dividend policy is assessed using the dividend payout ratio and dividend yield. The authors used the fixed effect model and the random effect model to fulfill the study’s objectives. Furthermore, the system-generalized method of moment estimation technique is used to test the robustness of the result. In addition, the authors perform reverse causality analysis and investigate the effect of financial constraints on the dividend policy–CSR relationship.

The authors find that dividend policy has a significant positive impact on CSR. The authors also find that dividend policy is significantly positively associated with components of CSR, i.e. donation, employee welfare and research and development. Furthermore, the authors find that the board governance mechanism strengthens this positive relationship between dividend policy and CSR.

The government and authorities must mandate or at least encourage enterprises to pay dividends as doing so not only keeps shareholders happy but also encourages firms to make CSR initiatives to balance stakeholders. Furthermore, the regulator should take steps to strengthen the board governance structure as it strengthens the positive dividend policy–CSR relationship.

Although little previous research has focused on the CSR-dividend policy link, the authors believe that this is the first study to look at the influence of dividend policy on CSR and the moderating impact of board governance mechanisms in an emerging country, namely, Pakistan.

A company’s dividend policy is determined not just by its strategy but also by the qualities of its managers, particularly overconfidence. As a result, the purpose of this study is to explore the impact of CEO overconfidence on dividend policy using the dividend payout ratio and dividend yield ratio.

The study’s sample includes 170 non-financial enterprises listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange between 2011 and 2022. Furthermore, we used corporate governance and firm-specific factors as control variables. The fixed effect model based on the Hausman test result and dynamic system GMM estimation technique was employed in the analysis. Furthermore, the dividend dummy variable and alternative proxies of dividend payments are used to ensure the results are robust.

The findings indicate that CEOs’ overconfidence positively impacts dividend payout and dividend yield ratios. Further analysis reveals that board size and remuneration committee significantly impact dividend payment among corporate governance control variables, while block holding has a negative effect. Among firm-specific control variables, the results suggest that firm size, profitability, and market-to-book ratio are significantly positively associated. In contrast, the coefficient of variation and debt ratio are inversely associated with dividend payments.

Managerial overconfidence benefits shareholders by increasing dividend payouts, but firms may struggle in the long run if they do not have adequate retained earnings to meet capital requirements. Dividends and retained earnings must be balanced to make enough funds available for long-term investment in capital-intensive projects.

Although little previous research has focused on the managerial overconfidence-dividend policy relationship, the authors believe this is the first study to test this relationship generally in emerging markets, particularly Pakistan.

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of corporate governance proxies by ownership structure on financial constraints for a sample of 215 non-financial Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) listed firms between 2010 and 2018.

The dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator is used to determine the influence of ownership structure on financial constraints. The ownership structure of sample enterprises is measured using seven variables: managerial, family, institutional, foreign, associated, presence of block holder, and concentrated ownership, while financial limitations are determined using the KZ Index. The WW Index is used to assess the robustness of the results. In addition, for robustness, we also used OLS and FE.

Based on the system GMM results, it was discovered that firm ownership structure has a significant impact on the likelihood of financial constraints. In the case of Pakistan, the results show that institutional ownership, foreign ownership, and the presence of a block holder in the ownership structure have a significant negative impact on financial constraints, whereas family ownership and ownership concentration have a significant positive impact. This finding remains true when financial constraints are measured using the WW Index.

The findings of the study provide business managers and investors with more information regarding the relationship between corporate governance quality and the degree of financial constraint in Pakistani firms. Furthermore, this study contributes new information from emerging nations like Pakistan to the existing literature, which will help regulatory bodies and policymakers build long-term corporate governance solutions to manage financial constraints. It is well established that improving the quality of corporate governance practices improves capital market efficiency and lowers the likelihood of financial constraints.

The study adds to the body of existing work on corporate governance and the possibility of financial constraints, with a focus on Pakistan. The findings show that when projecting company financial constraints, regulators should pay special attention to the quality of corporate governance, specifically ownership structure.

The current study aims to investigate the impact of firm performance on chief executive officer (CEO) remuneration in the context of an emerging market, i.e. Pakistan. Further, the interactive effect of financial constraints is investigated in the pay–performance relationship.

The study's sample includes 173 non-financial firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. This study covers the years 2010–2019. The CEO compensation of the sample firms is measured in terms of salary and bonuses, perquisites and stock options paid to the CEO, whereas firm profitability is measured by return on assets, return on equity, Tobin's Q (Q) and earnings per share. The KZ Index measures the degree of financial constraint. The fixed effect model (FEM) and system GMM estimation techniques were used to conclude the study's findings. In addition, to test the robustness of the results, the authors computed the level of financial constraints using the WW Index.

The findings show that firm performance has a significant positive impact on CEO compensation in all profitability measures except Tobin's Q. Further financial constraints have a significant negative impact on CEO compensation. The interactive variables of FC with all profitability measures have a significant negative impact on CEO compensation.

This study examines the relationship between firm performance and CEO compensation. Furthermore, the current study expanded the analysis by incorporating the role of financial constraints in the pay–performance relationship, which has not previously been tested, particularly in the context of an emerging market.

Low-power consumption has become an important issue that cannot be ignored in System-on-Chip (SoC) design. The key challenge encountered by system design is how to maintain balance between the estimation accuracy and speed. This paper aims at demonstrating an accurate and fast power estimation technique.

The methodology adopted in the paper is to use input patterns with the predefined statistical characteristics which helps to analyze the average power consumption of the different intellectual-property (IP) cores and the interconnects/buses in SoC design. Similarly the paper has implemented Genetic algorithm (GA) to generate sequences of input signals during the power estimation procedure.

The GA concurrently optimizes the input signal characteristics that influence the final solution of the pattern. In addition to that, a Monte-Carlo zero-delay simulation is also performed for individual IP core and bus at high-level. By the simple addition of these cores/buses, power is predicted by a novel macro-model function. In experiments, the average error is estimated at 13.84%.

To present the research findings with clarity and to avoid complexities, the paper does not consider delay factors like glitches, jitter etc. in the power model.

The proposed methodology allowed accurate power/energy analysis of practical applications mapped onto Network-on-Chip (NoC) based Multiprocessors SoC platform. It enables the performance analysis of different design alternatives under the load imposed by complex applications.

This paper is an original contribution and the results demonstrate that our novel technique could be implemented to achieve fast and accurate power estimation in the early stage of any SoC design.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Customer-relations management (CRM) plays a critical role in enhancing business performance. Organizations can attain this goal by adopting customer-centric business strategies whereby representatives exploit IT capabilities to share knowledge with clients. This enables identification of products and services best suited to meet their requirements.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

This paper aims to explore the use and impact of social media, specifically Twitter (now X), in political mobilization in Pakistan. It focuses on the events followed by the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan as Pakistan’s prime minister in April 2022 and the protest campaign that ensued, facilitated through the strategic use of the Urdu hashtag #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور (translated as “imported-government unacceptable”) on Twitter, both within and outside Pakistan.

Using Web scraping, data from Twitter was extracted and analyzed between 2022 and 2023. By probing into user account profiles and interactions with this hashtag, this paper investigates the claims surrounding the hashtag’s popularity, by identifying suspicious accounts and their contributions in the trending of the hashtag.

Findings suggest that the claim of the hashtag's unprecedented success was overhyped, further suggesting that the popularity and impact of the social media campaign were exaggerated. Despite high engagement rates, the study indicates a discrepancy between perceived influence and actual impact on public sentiment and political mobilization.

This paper contributes to the literature on social media’s role in political mobilization and agenda-setting in the Pakistani context. More generally, understanding hashtag dynamics and their impact on shaping public opinion, may be beneficial to academics and practitioners in better understanding the role of digital platforms in the politics.