Journals of UMT (University of Management and Technology, Lahore)
Not a member yet
397 research outputs found
Sort by
Measuring Financial Stress for Emerging and Developed Countries
Full text linkThe current study adopted a comprehensive approach by developing monthly Financial Stress Indices (FSIs) for emerging and developed countries. The study built indices for 20 emerging economies at the country, aggregate, and region levels from January 1997 to December 2016. Similarly, the study constructed monthly FSIs at country and aggregate levels for 23 developed countries, covering the period from January 1993 to December 2016. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to develop these FSIs. The study determined that political risk is crucial in systemic Financial Stress (FS) in emerging countries, whereas financial and economic risk contribute significantly more to FS in developed countries. The study's unique contribution is the inclusion of political risks in constructing stress indices alongside economic and financial risks. It underscores the importance of promoting regional policy coordination and reducing domestic vulnerabilities to maintain financial stability
Multidimensional AI Readiness Framework for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in an Emerging Economy: Evidence from Pakistan
No full textArtificial Intelligence (AI) holds transformative potential for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), yet its adoption in emerging economies remains low due to context-specific barriers. Existing AI readiness models, predominantly derived from developed economies, overemphasize technological factors. To address this gap, this study developed a comprehensive, empirically-grounded framework that captures the crucial strategic, organizational, and regulatory challenges salient in resource-constrained contexts, explicitly elevating 'Regulatory' to a standalone dimension. Evidence was drawn from Pakistani SMEs. A qualitative, multiple-case study methodology was employed, drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with management across three SME sectors (manufacturing, services, and primary). Data was analyzed using NVivo-12 for thematic coding and cross-case analysis. The research culminates in a multidimensional AI readiness framework comprising five critical dimensions: (1) Strategic, (2) Technological, (3) Organizational, (4) Environmental, and (5) Regulatory. The findings revealed a significant AI readiness gap among Pakistani SMEs, characterized by a universal lack of regulatory guidance, varying levels of technological infrastructure, and a strong dependence on top management support. Across the three sectors, only one SME progressed beyond the initial AI readiness stage, while all three showed very low regulatory preparedness, indicating a severe readiness deficit. Technological maturity ranged from minimal digitization to partial AI experimentation, indicating a pronounced technology readiness gap across these sectors. The proposed framework would provide SME managers and policymakers with a practical diagnostic tool to systematically evaluate their organizational AI readiness. Furthermore, it would also provide clear levers for intervention. This highlights the need for strategic vision, skills development, and the creation of internal AI policies in the absence of robust national frameworks
Impact of Financial Independence and Societal Expectations on the Role Played by Women in Household Dynamics
No full textThis study analyses how societal issues and financial independence affect women's domestic relationships in Islamabad, Pakistan. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), the study evaluates how factors such as financial independence, societal expectancy, job discrimination, and financial decision-making affect dynamics in general, family roles, and decision-making of women. The results demonstrate how financial independence and sound financial judgment of women may greatly enhance household dynamics, highlighting their revolutionary potential. But more importantly, societal barriers that include occupational discrimination and demographic characteristics such as ageing, marital status, as well as educational attainment, all had no direct impact on household dynamics for women. These show the need for legislation, which removes structural obstacles of structural factors to women's empowerment in just family dynamics. Similarly, having economic independence is crucially important in just family dynamics
The dynamic relationship between international tourism and CO2 emissions: An empirical analysis
No full textThis paper scrutinizes the dynamic relationship between international tourism and CO2 emissions for the global countries spanning over the period 1990-2018. The study used panel econometric techniques as it accounts for heteroskedasticity and first order autocorrelation problem. Results from fixed effects (FE) and random effects (RE) model describe that international tourism significantly contributes to the level of CO2 emissions and energy consumption, urbanization, trade and foreign direct investment have long run relationship with CO2 emissions. This study uses energy consumption, urbanization, trade and foreign direct investment as control explanatory variables. The long run association between economic growth and CO2 emissions has been examined through using Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The long run estimates support EKC hypothesis. The study examined the impacts of international tourism on CO2 emissions across developed and developing countries. However, the empirical findings document that, for developed countries tourism leads to increase in carbon emissions while for developing countries tourism leads to reduction in carbon emissions. Finding of the study are important for policy makers and suggest that sustainable tourism management policies, environmental protection policies and lower emissions technology should be promoted in international tourism
Firm Innovation and Dividend Policy: Mediating and Moderating Role of Firm Financial Characteristics
No full textThis study aims to investigate the mediating and moderating effect of firm financial characteristics in the relationship between firm innovation, stock trading volume, and dividend policy. For data analysis, quantitative methodology was used based on a secondary data set of 82 firms of the manufacturing sector listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Data was collected for the period 2014-2023. The selected company’s financial ratios provided the key quantitative metrics for analysis. The mediation analysis revealed a significant positive effect of firm performance in the relationship between firm innovation, stock trading volume, and dividend policy (measured through dividend payout), confirming hypotheses 1, 2, 5, and 6. Likewise, the moderating effect of firm size in the relationship between firm innovation, stock trading volume, and dividend payout was also found to be significant and positive, supporting hypotheses 3 and 4. Previous studies primarily focused on innovation in IT firms, leaving innovation in the manufacturing sector largely unexplored. This paper makes two key contributions. Firstly, it examines manufacturing firms engaged in innovation. Secondly, it addresses this gap by analyzing the firms’ unique characteristics through firm innovation and trading volume factors overlooked in prior research. By doing so, this study provides updated evidence, enhancing the robustness of the existing findings
How Political Competition and Political Institutions Influence Inflation: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries
No full textThe study empirically explores the impact of political competition and political institutions on inflation rates in emerging economies, taking into account political institutions' moderating role. This study examined data from 57 developing countries spanning 2000 to 2018.The empirical analysis was performed using a two-step System Generalized Method of Moments (system-GMM) estimation technique. The analysis yields two key findings. In a democratic regime, effective competition among politicians lowers inflation. However, the effect of political competition on inflation is conditional on political institutions. Nations with strong institutional structure and balanced competition are associated with better inflation performance
Influence of Supply Chain Agility on Profitability: Evidence from Pakistan
No full textPurpose – This study aims to explore the influence of factors associated with the supply chain agility (SCA) on the profitability of the textile industry. After reviewing the available theoretical foundations in the relevant field, the influencing factors were found including SPD, responsiveness, competence and flexibility to impact on organizational profitability.
Research Design & Methodology – The study utilized quantitative design by using an adapted questionnaire (having 30 items and 5 constructs including Responsiveness (RSP), Speed (SPD), Flexibility (FLEX), Competence (COMP), and Profitability ( PROF) to collect data from the target population. The gathered data was then analyzed by employing regression test on Smart PLS.
Findings- The results suggested a negative and significant relationship between speed and profitability. This means that speedy processes actually decrease profitability. Moreover, this study found a positive and moderate effect of flexibility on profitability. Others two i.e. competence and responsiveness doesn’t seems to have a significant effect of profitability
Implications – The study implies that speed is negatively effecting the production of textile industry. Therefore textile companies should focus more on quality of production.
 
Analyzing Global Economic Disparities and Growth
No full textThe current study aimed to analyse global economic disparities through the lens of international classification systems, such as those of the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Countries are grouped into developed, emerging, developing, and least developed economies based on indicators, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, GDP adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), industrialization level, and human development indices. The research highlighted how such classifications reveal structural imbalances in global wealth, production, and living standards. Using 2022–2023 data, the study compared economic performance across major regional and institutional groups including the European Union (EU), the Group of Seven (G7), and fuel-exporting nations to identify key patterns of inequality and growth potential. Findings showed substantial variation in income distribution and productivity, underscoring the importance of targeted policy, investment, and development strategies. These insights contribute to a clearer understanding of how global classifications inform sustainable growth and international cooperation
Potential Challenges in Logistics Outsourcing and their Impact on Supply Chain Management
Full text linkLogistics outsourcing is one of the common practices of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) and has proven to be effective to build competitive advantages in organizations. The academic literature has contributed to the effectiveness of logistics outsourcing in SCM. However, few studies have addressed the potential challenges faced in effective implementation of the relationship. Therefore, the current study aimed to address the challenges involved in logistics outsourcing and investigated the extent to which these challenges effect supply chain performance. The results revealed that challenges of warehousing, outsourcing inefficiency, and accountability significantly affect supply chain performance of food industries in Karachi. However, loss of control and security and track and trace gaps does not have a significant effect on supply chain performance. This indicates that industries should have a special focus on the challenges of warehousing, efficiency of outsourcing, and accountability in logistics outsourcing
Impact of Paradoxical Leader Behavior (PLB) on Employees’ In-Role and Extra-Role Performance in the Hospitality Industry: Moderating Role of Psychological Capital
Full text linkThis study aims to examine the direct association between paradoxical leader behavior and the followers’ in-role and extra-role performance in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, this study also analyzes the moderating role of psychological capital. Data was collected through a questionnaire from supervisors and their immediate frontline employees working in the hospitality industry (specifically operating in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan). The results of multilevel path analysis demonstrated that paradoxical leader behavior (PLB) is positively associated with in-role and extra-role performance of frontline employees. Moreover, the followers’ psychological capital moderates the relationship between PLB and the followers’ in-role and extra-role performance, such that the relationship was determined to be stronger when the followers’ psychological capital was higher. The findings of this study extend our understanding of the construct of PLB and how it is related with the followers’ performance outcomes