International Journal of Economics & Management Sciences

This present study explored the concept of quality of life (QOL) marketing from the perspective of students. Furthermore, it generated qualitative data which will open doors for future research in the same area. This study adopts a qualitative approach, using in-depth face-to-face interviews. A total of twenty participants were selected from different faculties currently residing in Malaysia and Pakistan. Several procedures were applied to carry out a rigorous qualitative analysis (i.e., interview guide, audio/ video recording and field notes, prompt transcription, coding and tabulating the transcripts, direct quotes and rich data slices when presenting findings). The findings of this paper revealed that in milieu of consumption students believe that their quality of life enhance with the consumption of various products. Further, for most of the students a strong relationship with their families and loved ones is an important factor of their quality of life. Country-based population studies should be carried out in order to assess and monitor the quality of life in a standard way. Further given that this research is qualitative, there is a need to embark on empirical data gathering on the same topic. This study was conducted in Malaysia and Pakistan, where no study has been conducted to explore the quality of life marketing from student’s perspective. Moreover, Consumption, an important facet of marketing, was also explored for the first time in the QOL context.

The objective of this paper is to examine the financial performance of BIMB in the period between 2000 and 2009 and make comparative assessments of Malaysia’s interest free Islamic bank (BIMB) and the interest-based conventional commercial banks. The financial performance of banks is measured based on criteria such as profitability, liquidity, risk and solvency, and community involvement of the bank. The choice of this particular focus is justified by the fact that banks in Malaysia have experienced a significant increase in the number of Islamic banking activities, evident by the high growth rate of Islamic assets. This study evaluates intertemporal and interbank performance of the pioneer of Islamic banking in Malaysia, i.e. Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB or ‘the bank’), in profitability, liquidity, risk and solvency as well as community involvement for the period 2000-2009. Financial ratios are applied in measuring these performances. T-tests are used in determining their significance. The study found that while there are no significant difference in profitability during these two periods, BIMB is relatively more liquid and less risky as compared to conventional banks. On top of that, basic modes of Islamic banking, i.e. mudharabah and musyarakah, are not of significant financing portfolio for BIMB.

Not only money is the means of having economic exchanges, it also leaves influences on the national identity of people and the national authority of governments and therefore it can be used as a tool to strengthen national and political identity of different nations. In other words, the value of national currency can affect the perspectives of people towards their economic situation as well as the national identity of their country. If people always expect the devaluation of their currency, this will be a cause of concern for governmental authorities. Hence, it falls upon the governments to boost people’s confidence in their national currency by maintaining its value and thus preventing the phenomenon of “currency replacement”, i.e. taking refuge in foreign currencies. This article first attempt to investigate governments’ aim behind deleting zeroes from national currencies and then presents the conditions and requirements for this undertaking. Then, it will review the experiences of other countries and the history of removing zeroes from national currencies. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of removing zeros from national currency will be explored.

Empirical cross-country studies have yielded ambiguous results with respect to the impact of different exchange rate regimes on macroeconomic performance particularly on private domestic investment. This study extended this body of knowledge by carrying out an empirical analysis of the consequences of the foreign exchange rate reforms on the performances of private domestic investment in Nigeria. The ordinary least square multiple regression analytical method was used for the data analysis. Some statistical tools were employed to test the statistical significance of the variables. The analysis started with the test of stationarity and co-integration of Nigeria’s time series data. The empirical study found that the data were stationary and co integrated. The multiple regression results showed a significant but negative relationship between floating foreign exchange rate and private domestic investment in Nigeria. These results were robust to a number of econometric specifications. Our findings and conclusion support the need for the government to dump the floating exchange regime and adopt purchasing power parity which has been considered by researchers to be more appropriate in determining realistic exchange rate for naira and contribute positively to macroeconomic performances in Nigeria.

Caspian horse an ancient small breed, was lost for centuries, and only depicted on the walls of the ancient palace of Persepolis, It was rediscovered almost 35 years ago in the northern part of Iran. These few petite wild horses were the remnants of the Royal horses that had once pulled the chariots of Persian Kings and were beloved of the Royal families. This breed with many unique economic characteristics has been popular and beloved around the world in a very short time. This paper is concerned with the economic analysis of Caspian horse breeding and raising in the northern pastures of Iran, using Domestic Resource Cost (DRC) index. The DRC was evaluated for horses in different ages such as six month, twelve month and three yeas. The DRC was evaluated to be 0.16, 0.2, and 0.34 respectively. Since (DRC) values less than one indicates a significant comparative advantage for trade, therefore a relatively high advantage has been calculated. Sensitivity analysis with respect to price and exchange rate shows that given the fixed exchange rate, any price higher than $ 688.2 and assuming fixed price , any exchange rate higher than 1928 Rials , breeding and raising Caspian horse would be a profitable businesses.

This paper traces the benefits of international accounting standards and their contribution to harmonization in business practice. The author measured and valued the effects of international standards on the business economic environments. There was shown that uniform management accounting standards will increase market liquidity and division of labour, decrease transaction costs for investors, lower cost of capital, and facilitate international capital formation and flow. Reduced costs will also result in more cross-listings and cross-border investments. This survey contains information on how local, national accounting rules differ from International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on incorporating recognition, measurement, and disclosure rules. To analyze business adoption decision my sample consists of Budapest Exchange Trade (BET) companies who compulsory adopted international financial reporting standards in Hungary, from 2007. In this research the pre-adoption examination period is in year of 2006 and the post-adoption is in year of 2007. In the scientific research methodology the author assigned that the Balance Sheet indexes deteriorated especially regarding solvency and prosperity after adaptation of IFRS. Earnings management reduced after the post-adoption period. Business management has more value relevance in the IFRS adopted enterprises.

This paper investigates the structural change, technological innovations and performance of agriculture in Pakistan from historical perspectives. We used data spanning from1948-2008. The data shows that land reforms introduced in Pakistan have not made any significant increase in the cultivated area. Only slight change has occurred in the early seventies. However, they seem to have induced conversion of large into small farms. As such, the proportion of area under small farms has increased and the ratio of tenancy to ownership has decreased to some extent. Modern input had the increasing trend in early seventies. The use of modern varieties of rice and wheat has increased more in Punjab and Sindh than in other provinces. Similarly, the use of fertilizer and pesticides has also increased overtime. The credit extension in input subsidies has also increased in the same period. The data also show that the application of new verities of seeds (Irri rice and HYV wheat) and improvement in agricultural technology are key source of land productivity growth in Pakistan.

Linear programming technique is relevant in optimization of resource allocation and achieving efficiency in production planning particularly in achieving increased agricultural productivity. The growing fisheries sub-sector among arable crop farmers in Ohafia Agricultural Zone necessitated the development of a prototype LP model for the semi-commercial farmers in the area. A circle was selected from each of the three blocks within Ohafia Agricultural Zone using a sampling frame from the Zonal Office of the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). Thirty respondents were randomly selected to develop optimum enterprise combination and to carry out the investigation on maximization of gross returns from semi-commercial agriculture in the Zone. Major arable crops undertaken by farmers who combine their crop farming with fishery enterprise were identified. A list of these farmers derived from the zonal office of Agricultural Development Programme in Ohafia formed the sampling frame. With the assistance of the three extension officers in the chosen zone, a cost route approach was used to generate data from the production season to the marketing of products. A Linear programming technique was applied to determine the optimum enterprise combination using 2009/2010 farm data. Out of the twelve production activities, made up of ten cropping activities and two fish enterprises, only two – one for crop and livestock enterprises respectively is recommended by the model for farmers to achieve a gross income of N342,763.30. This will help in enhancing food security among rural farmers in study area in particular and the country in general.

Our objective is to analyze the working of an interest free economic system. We will first present the model of interest free financial system as developed by Uzair, Siddiqui and Ahmed. Later we will discuss the implications of our work for the model of Islamic financial system as developed by the above authors. The discussion will be followed by comments on the feasibility of the model. Since the process of islimization is apparently going on for several years, specially in the direction of interest free financial system, any discussion on Islamic financial system would be incomplete without the mention of the experience of these financial institutions .we will therefore give a brief description of these efforts in general and in particular Pakistan’s experience would be discussed at length. Our main concern in case of Pakistan bank, a financial institution that has introduced various Islamic financial schemes. The article concludes with a brief outline of some unresolved issues and suggestions for resolving these issues.

The purpose of this study is to find out whether the fiscal policy measures – especially public expenditure – have been able to fulfill the envisaged objective set by the Government. Although several other policy changes have taken place in the economy – exchange rate devaluation, import liberalization, changes in minimum wages, money supply and price reform , it is assumed that the pre-fiscal income distribution has captured these changes and an estimation of the fiscal incidence should be able to indicate the extent to which the government has been able to effect redistribution of income through the tax-expenditure apparatus alone and in what direction . it is fully realized that taxes and public expenditure do alter the market prices of output and factors through inter-relationships of various economic agents and markets in the long run which feed back into the pre-fiscal income distribution pattern but if one is concerned with short-run first order gross effects of the fiscal policy then the proposed study can be illuminating. These effects are spelled out in the section on theoretical and conceptual issues.

Since things changed promptly in this new economy, the concern is not only on how much you acquainted with, but also how promptly you can apply and capture what you have learnt. In various ways, knowledge sharing is visualized as an academic institutions\' natural activity. The academics number of conferences, seminars, workshops and publications is far exceeding any other signifying the eagerness, profession and kindness of academics to share knowledge. This paper presents a brief review on the significance to explore key ideas for higher education research. The paper summarized knowledge sharing technologies that can help to create, capture, organize access and use the intellectual assets of the organizations. In addition, this study presents a brief review about knowledge management and sharing in Institutions of Higher Learning, reasons for applying knowledge management principles in Institutions of Higher Learning.