Gomal University Journal of Research

THE IMPACT OF SHARIAH GOVERNANCE, RISK MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL INNOVATION UPON PERFORMANCE: ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY AS MEDIATOR

Muhammad Mohsen Liaqat — 2025-03-24

This study examined the impact of Shariah governance, risk management, and financial innovation on performance of Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) in Pakistan, with a specific focus on mediating role of organizational agility. A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected through structured questionnaire from 300 managers of Islamic banks across Pakistan. The findings, analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), revealed that Shariah governance and risk management had a significant effect upon IFI performance, while financial innovation exhibited moderate yet positive impact. Moreover, organizational agility partially mediated relationships, indicating that agility played crucial role in enhancing effectiveness of governance, risk management & innovation in driving performance. These results offer valued insights for policymakers and Islamic financial institutions, emphasizing the need for robust Shariah governance frameworks, proactive risk management strategies & continuous financial innovation to sustain and enhance institutional performance. This study donates to literature by integrating organizational agility as mediator, offering novel perspective on how Shariah governance, risk management, and financial innovation collectively enhance performance of Islamic financial institutions.

IMPACT OF PROACTIVE PERSONALITY ON CAREER SUCCESS WITH MEDIATION AND MODERATION MODELS

Muzafar Iqbal — 2025-03-24

The purpose of this research was to explain and investigate the consequences of the employee empowerment, proactive personality, career self efficacy and then relate it to career success. In this scenario there is a moderating role of employee empowerment between proactive personality and career self efficacy and mediating role of career self efficacy between proactive personality and career success. his topic is quite interesting as it ties the psychological traits to professional development and success, with a focus on understanding both the direct and indirect pathways that lead to career success. The research was based on primary data; a questionnaire was developed to collect the data from the banking sector employees. In this drive, total 230 accurate questionnaires received were further tested for CFA in oder toe xtract desired information and reaching the cocnlusion. The results showed that employee empowerment has positive moderating effect on proactive personality & career self efficacy and the outcome of this relation leads to career success. This research helps to know that if the employees are empowered then they are proactive in their personality and have a career self efficacy for attaining the desired outcomes by using their skills and knowledge in diverse circumstances. These factors in employees have a significant effect on their way to get achievement in their professional career.

THE NEXUS AMONG INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY, FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT, AND POVERTY IN SELECTED WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Adekunle Aribatise — 2025-03-24

This study examines how institutions moderate the contribution of financial development to alleviating or spurring poverty in ten West African countries for period 1986–2021, using the dynamic panel threshold regression analysis. On an ordinal scale of 10, study found that the institutional quality threshold estimate was 3.75. The results of threshold estimation validate institutional component's nonlinearity. The study found that, in the selected West African countries, there is threshold value of institutional quality (3.75) below which financial development will have negative impact on poverty reduction as well as a value above which financial development will positively impact poverty. This is indicated by the negative coefficients of institutional quality index and financial development, which were -0.284 and -1.480 prior to threshold and positive, 0.320 & 5.089 after threshold. Study concludes that institutions must continuously maintain an institutional quality index above 3.75 before they are strong enough to prevent rent-seeking, opportunism, sharp practices, and corruption that hinder the financial sector's ability to finance financial intermediation & ultimately alleviate poverty. As a result, all parties involved including organizations in West African nations must make concerted effort to build political structures, bureaucratic standards, regulatory frameworks, law and order, and corruption prevention in order to reform and improve the quality of institutions.

WHEN DEDICATION BECOMES OBSESSION: INVESTIGATING WORKAHOLISM AMID EMBEDDED EMPLOYEES IN PAKISTAN’S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Samrah Shariq — 2025-03-24

The study aims to examine whether organizational embeddedness contributes to workaholism among employees in Pakistan’s manufacturing sector. While embeddedness enhances retention, commitment, and productivity, its impact on employee well-being remains a concern. Strong workplace attachment can lead to excessive work involvement, blurring boundaries between professional and personal life, ultimately fostering workaholism. To explore relationship, data was collected from 411 employees in the manufacturing organizations in Karachi, Pakistan, using an adopted questionnaire & convenience sampling. The findings indicate that while embeddedness strengthens organizational ties, it also has unintended consequences. The higher level of embeddedness is positively associated with workaholism, suggesting that deeply embedded that employees are likely to overwork, prioritize their jobs over their personal lives and struggle with work-life balance. The results of study have important implications for organizations & managers. To counteract this, organizations should execute plans that balance embeddedness with employees’ well-being. Promoting work-life balance, encouraging flexible work arrangements, and setting clear after-hours work boundaries can help prevent workaholism. By adopting a holistic and positive approach, managers can leverage the benefits of embeddedness while ensuring a healthier, more sustainable workforce for desired outcomes.

THE DIGITAL DISTRACTERS: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA DECLINE RELIGIOUS PRACTICES AMONG STUDENTS AT HIGHER LEVEL

Fakhra Sattar — 2025-03-24

This study investigates the relationship between fall in conventional beliefs and the rise in internet use. Social media platforms have aided in the decrease of traditional and group religious activities by encouraging an individualistic and instantaneous culture. The data were collected from different programs of M.phil and PhD students the sample size for population in 255 in which men is this 87 men & 168 women who participated in social media decreasing prayers using a statistical descriptive design. The social- demographic records are offered and analyzed first and then records relating to analyze questions is likewise offered and analyzed in terms of findings received from the field. The research applied descriptive and inferential statistics that include mean, standard deviation, frequency and chi-square. The people are accepting more secular perspectives and questioning their religious beliefs as a result of how frequently they interact with a diverse spectrum of people and ideas on social media. Using quantitative data from questionnaires paper needs to investigate underlying causes of this trend in order to determine whether technological interaction has altered the landscape of faith. The study underlines the need for religious groups to adapt and develop new ways to communicate with those who subscribe in digital age by investigating the links between religious and online interaction.

THE ROLE OF REMITTANCES IN PAKISTAN ECONOMIC GROWTH: TRENDS, IMPACT, AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Sidra Shafiq — 2025-03-24

This study provides a comprehensive empirical analysis of role of remittances in driving the economic growth in Pakistan context. Specifically, it examines relationship amid Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), foreign remittances, unemployment rate, literacy rate and real exchange rates. The analysis uses time series data spanning from 1980 to 2024. Various econometric models and statistical techniques are employed to conduct the study. First, stationarity of the variables is tested using unit root tests. Upon determining stationarity, the Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bound Testing approach is thus applied to assess cointegration. The study then estimates both long-run and short-run relationship, with the Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) used to analyze short-run dynamics. The findings found that the foreign remittances significantly subsidize to economic growth. The increased remittance inflows enhance the household well-being by improving healthcare, education, living standards, purchasing power, investment levels & employment opportunities and potential policy measures to further leverage these remittances for the economic growth. These factors collectively boost the output production and revenue generation, ultimately leading to higher GDP along with sustained economic growth.

THE UNSPOKEN BURDENS: OVERCOMMITMENT, DEFENSIVE SILENCE, AND FREE- RIDING IN ACADEMIA

Maham Zahid — 2025-03-24

The present study aims to find out the relationship between over commitment, defensive silence and free riding in university faculty. The topic appears to delve into the complex and unacknowledged challenges faced by individuals working in the academic environments. It was hypothesized that there were likely to be relationship between over commitment, the defensive silence and free riding. A sample of 218 teachers was taken from both private and public sectors. Sample was calculated via G-Power (Faul, 2009) as data was collected by using purposive sampling technique. The over commitment scale, defensive silence scale and free riding scale was used as assessment measures. Data was analyzed by SPSS. Reliability analysis, correlation, regression analysis was used to assess the data. Correlation analysis showed significant relationship between defensive silence and free riding but showed no relationship between over commitment and free riding and defensive silence was found significant predictors of free riding. Additional independent sample t-test and ANOVA was used to find the mean differences. Thus, the results provide important and significant information in reaching the desired conclusion and making decision, The result is discussed in the light of prior literature. The findings will be beneficial for the betterment of academic professional environment in the universities.

EXPLORING THE GENDER REPRESENTATION IN TEXTBOOKS OF BALOCHISTAN AT SECONDARY LEVEL: AN EXAMINATION

Laiba Khan — 2025-03-24

One of human right that is essential to the fulfilment of all other rights is education. It empowers people, encourages the personal liberty, and makes a substantial contribution to general growth. In contrast, textbooks are vital to the educational process because they act as guide for knowledge transfer from more experienced people (teachers) to students and as medium of change. The depiction of gender in Balochistan secondary school textbooks is critically examined in this study, with an emphasis on locating and evaluating gender biases in the course materials. Gender representation in the curriculum was investigated using exploratory research design & qualitative content analysis were used as research approach. Text in context approach was considered to explore gender representation in the study. Research shows stark imbalance and gap between male and female representations, with males being portrayed as intelligent, capable, and in leadership roles and women mostly restricted to caring for the home and children. Additionally, this study demonstrates how these stereotyped narratives influence that how society views and thinks, and how they uphold established gender standards that limits chances for young students. Thus, the data collected highlights the pressing need for curricular changes that result in a more equitable and inclusive gender representation, guaranteeing that the male and female students are equally represented in the instructional materials.

PREVALENCE OF LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS WITH RELATION TO OCCUPATION: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF CHEFS IN MULTAN

Fakhar Zaman — 2025-03-24

The term lateral epicondylitis describes discomfort in the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, which develops due to overuse of forearm's extensor muscles. The intense discomfort experienced can affect the daily activities. A cross- sectional study was conducted in which 111 people from eighteen kitchens were recruited. In this linking, Cozen’s test was used to confirm the diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis as well as the Patient Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire was used to collect subjective data. The mean age of subjects was 34.02±6.507 years and pain prevalence was 47.6%. Half of the population had mild pain or disability, and 43.2% had moderate pain/disability. A small percentage (5.4%) were unable to work due to severe pain. These findings demonstrated that cooks between the ages of 25 and 30 had a high prevalence of lateral epicondylitis. his study could provide valuable insights into how repetitive motions and physical demands in certain professions, such as chefs, can lead to such conditions and involved in occupations like cooking. In this regard, the crux of chef's job involves repetitive bending and straightening movements at elbow, that increases prevalence of lateral epicondylitis. When designing preventive strategies, long workdays are crucial physical aspect that should be considered.

EXAMINING THE EFFECT OF AI TOOLS ON CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

Kainat Asghr — 2025-03-24

This study investigates the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tools in problem-solving skills in higher education students. The integration of AI in higher education has remodeled knowledge view, and AI- tool has developed as an encouraging tool for promoting real-world problem-solving skills in students. Study investigates how AI-based stimulation may promote critical thinking, logical reasoning abilities and examines its effectiveness in improving problem-solving skills. Descriptive statistics were analysed using SPSS. A stratified sampling method was used to collect the data from 300- university students 42% male and 58% female who were majoring in computer science, social science, languages, and sciences. The results involve educators seeking to merge AI-tools into their education practices to improve student- learning results. Educators may include AI-help in their education practices to improve students' logical abilities. Higher education institutions should invest in AI-powered learning platforms, tools to support student- learning outcomes. The findings offer valued observations for educators & institutions exploring to influence of AI-based stimulation to improve student-education outcomes. The study shows how artificial intelligence (AI)-tools play role to helps students in university students in critical thinking as well as problem solving skills.