Search results

Financial literacy is a crucial element of financial decision-making, exerting significant influence on the behaviour of individual investors, while making budgetary, house financing, stock investing and retirement planning decisions. So, the purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between financial literacy and behavioural biases of individual investors in Pakistan.

In this research paper, a sample of 300 observations was obtained through questionnaires from individual investors residing in Lahore and invested in Pakistan Stock Exchange. The data obtained, was passed through Cronbach’s Alpha and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The hypothesis developed for the research was tested by Pearson’s Chi-square and Ordinal Regression Analysis.

The hypothesis testing of the research concluded that there is a negative association between financial literacy and behavioural biases of individual investors. So, it means; with an increase in level of financial literacy, the likelihood of investor facing behavioural biases reduces. It also appeared that male respondents have more financial literacy than female respondents

Previous studies in the field of finance, identified different factors causing the financial behaviour of individual investor of Pakistan, and also focused on level of financial literacy in Pakistan, but these studies have not emphasized the crucial relationship between financial literacy and behavioural biases of individual investors. Thus, the unique empirical analysis developed in this paper has accentuated the financial literacy as a factor that mitigates behavioural biases of individual investor.

E-government websites/portals are effective modes of communication between governments and citizens. The information quality (IQ) of these websites/portals is of vital importance and, hence, is worth assessing, to ensure their effectiveness. This study aims to assess the IQ dimensions of e-government websites/portals in Pakistan and also evaluate the most significant IQ indicators.

This study used a quantitative research method based on a survey. The data were collected from a sample of young citizens, and a questionnaire was adopted from a previous study by Kandari, et al. (2011) with minor changes to reflect the local context.

The findings revealed that out of 20 IQ indicators, 14 were rated 4 or 5 on a five-point Likert scale, indicating a reasonably high IQ for Pakistani e-government websites/portals. Value-added, “accessibility” and “objectivity” were the top three indicators, while timeliness, ease of operation and advertisement were the least rated indicators, suggesting that these need to be addressed. The findings of the study also revealed that IQ indicators are not affected by the different age groups of citizens.

The focus of this study was limited to university students to understand their perceptions about IQ indicators of e-government websites in Pakistan, and the results can only be generalized to young Pakistani citizens and the developing countries with a similar context.

This study could provide some guidance to policy makers and websites designers in the development of e-government websites according to users’ needs and identifying the ways to regularly maintain and update these websites.

This study provides an understanding of the IQ of Pakistani e-government websites from the citizens’ perspective. It attempts to fill that gap and produce findings that could assist in making informed policy decisions.

This study aims to explore the perceived challenges and prospects of linked data (LD) technology along with the skills required among library professionals to take LD initiatives in Pakistani libraries.

A qualitative research design with the phenomenology approach was used to meet the objectives of the study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews from 18 senior libraries and information science (LIS) professionals who were well versed with technology. This sample consisted of informants who provided rich and privileged information about the topic and had been involved in the implementation of new technologies in libraries. Qualitative data analysis software NVivo was used to analyze data and to create themes.

Results indicated that LIS professionals should have advanced technical skills to adopt LD technology in their libraries. Respondents opined that the visibility of library resources and services should be increased on the Web for a wider audience. Findings identified the following challenges in the implementation of LD initiatives in the information environment: MARC standards, low level of awareness, lack of skills among professionals, privacy issues and time barrier. Moreover, information professionals have been contending uncertainties to implement emergent technologies in libraries. However, they are still willing to adopt LD technologies, though these initiatives are at an infancy level in libraries.

Findings may be helpful and supportive for professional associations to design training content and for library schools for offering advanced technology courses.

This study will contribute to LIS literature especially in the context of developing countries. It will enhance library professionals’ awareness regarding the significance of LD initiatives in libraries.

This study aims to present a broad discussion of Linked Data (LD) and Semantic Web technologies, specifically their potential application in information environments such as libraries. It aims to explore library professionals’ conception about barriers to implement LD in libraries and strategies to take advantage of this technology.

It is a qualitative study and uses phenomenology to explore library professionals’ common conceptions regarding the implementation of LD technology in libraries. Data were collected through interviews with the experts who are professionals and researchers, immersed with technology, actively involved in LD initiatives and/or are advocates of its implementation in libraries. Data were analyzed through NVivo software.

Based on the study findings, it is elucidated that lack of awareness and skills among information professionals along with non-compatibility of traditional machine-readable cataloging-based standards with LD are some barriers that are creating hindrance in the implementation of LD. Findings also show that LD technology applications in Pakistan are at infancy level and facing legal, ethical and technical challenges. information communication technology skills of library professionals, designing new library management systems, structured data, standards, frameworks and training sessions, workshops, seminars and conferences are proposed strategies to implement LD in libraries in the perspective of a developing country.

This study has a few limitations; first, its focus is on prospects and perceptions of information professionals instead of LD practices in libraries. Second, sample is limited to information professionals immersed in technology and actively involved in LD initiatives and/or are advocates of its implementation in libraries, as Pakistan is a developing country and limited numbers of information professionals familiar and use LD technology. Finally, the results of this study are based on information professionals’ perceptions, so there is a need to measure actual application of LD technology with assessments.

The findings of the study are helpful for the library professionals, teachers and system designers. The library professionals may know the need for LD in the libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the socio-economic factors that will affect women’s empowerment from an Islamic perspective (the Tawhidi epistemological approach) and the impact of women’s empowerment on reducing family poverty.

Using a quantitative approach to see the relationship between research variables with structural equation model-partial least squares as the analysis tool.

In general, socio-economic variables had direct and indirect effects on reducing family poverty. In addition, the variable of women’s empowerment in an Islamic perspective can strengthen the influence of socio-economic variables on the alleviation of family poverty.

The limitation of this research lies in the use of religiosity as an indicator with some constraints and the inclusion of all the necessary dimensions of a Muslim family. Additionally, because of the scope of the present research, the results may not be applicable in different areas, especially countries with distinctive characteristics such as having Muslims as the major population. On the other hand, the results of this research may provide comprehensive indicators of empowered Muslim women which enable the correlation between the socio-economic factors and women’s empowerment and how women’s empowerment can contribute to the alleviation of family poverty from the perspective of Islam.

This research provides new insights into the variable of women’s empowerment measured using the Islamic paradigm (Tawhidi epistemology) and includes religiosity as a variable that directly and indirectly influences the reduction of family poverty.

The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent evidence can be found for the presence of the Marshall–Lerner (ML) condition regarding the trade balances of Egypt. The theoretical basis of the ML is presented and then tested using Egyptian trade data from 1965 to 2017.

The data are analysed via standard ordinary least squares models subject to the constraints imposed by economic theory, specifically ML theory, in which the coefficients represent elasticities. A range of tests are undertaken to establish the validity of the models and the model results including multicollinearity, unit root and co-integration in order to avoid spurious regressions.

The export model strongly suggests that real exports of Egyptian goods and services are elastic with respect to changes in the real effective exchange rate (REER), with a coefficient weight of −1.64 and is significant at 1%. However, for the import model the coefficient weight of the REER −1.17 and is significant at 1%. This result contradicts ML theory, where an increase in the REER makes imports cheaper and thus causes them to increase.

The limitations of the study are two in particular, the first is that the frequency of the data employed is annual, not monthly or even quarterly, which means that the sample size would have been larger, and the estimated parameters could have been more accurate in forecasting the future behaviour of exports and imports. There could be several other indicators that might have clear impacts on exports and imports. In other words, it is possible that a model with consumer spending and government spending as well as terms of trade, inflation, interest rate spread and taxes is going to capture more of the variation that occurs in Egypt's trade balance components.

The results suggest that the Egypt-International Monetary Fund plan (depreciation) is likely to have a positive effect on the economy. However, this does not mean that the deficit of the trade balance is going to change into a surplus once the policies of the plan are fully applied, but it does mean the deficit will reduce. Only in the long run is the trade balance likely to record a sustainable surplus. But the latter will heavily depend on the structure of exports and imports and maintaining price stability, both of which are key government policy areas.

The paper builds on previous theoretical and empirical work in this field and in particular is focussed on Egypt. There are extremely few analyses of the ML condition regarding Egypt. This paper provides new information on this and can also be utilized by researchers to further develop the analysis and method through identification of other potentially relevant variables within a single country ML study.