The Socio-Economic Implications of Decline in Artisanal Fishing and its Effect on Women: A Case Study of Shams Pir Island, Karachi

Artisanal fishing is carried out in the coastal villages of Karachi. Through centuries, these fishing villages have maintained their traditional practices of fishing. Shams Pir Island is in vicinity of Karachi coast. The main occupation of islanders is artisanal fishing which is extremely threatened by various factors. Historically, in coastal communities of Karachi, women were part of fishing and its related activities. With the decline in traditional fishing methods, females have been withdrawn from fishing work. Implications of this process have been drastic for fishing households such as increased poverty, unemployment, environmental degradation etc. The research is conducted to highlight these problems especially from gender perspective. It is exclusively based on females of Shams Pir Island. Female’s socio-economic conditions, family status, perceptions on different contemporary issues pertaining to the endangered livelihood of their family and its relation with environmental changes is investigated in particular. In total, sixty women representing fishing households, few community leaders and representatives of fisher folk’s NGO were interviewed. The results emphasized the livelihood issues of females and their perceptions on environment and climate change. The vulnerabilities of females in fishing communities have been discussed in detail. ______

Development of Productitive Enhancement Framework for Private Sector Autom Otive Manufacturing Industry of Pakistan

Organizational productivity is one of the basic tools to gauge its competitiveness. Research has proven that methodologies for gauging productivity are lacking in industries globally, and mostly non-standard tools are used to measure and evaluate productivity. In Pakistan specifically, not enough efforts have been put in place to gauge and enhance the productivity of manufacturing industry. This research is focused on identifying the prevalent status of productivity in automotive industry of Pakistan and then suggesting a productivity enhancement framework. This mixed methodology research has been conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Sequential explanatory design in combination with sequential exploratory design was used as suggested by Creswell [106]. Quantitative research was conducted by carrying out productivity analysis of the industry using secondary data from sample companies. Authentic government sources, such as Engineering Development Board and two national level associations i.e. Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) and Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers of Pakistan (PAAPAM) were consulted for data collection. Secondary data for ten years covering FY 2000-2010 for two major automotive manufacturing firms was gathered. Total Productivity and all partial productivities were computed using methodology proposed by Sumanth [4], while Total Factor Productivity (TFP) was computed using Cobb-Douglas production function. Results gathered showed low productivity status of the industry as compared to that of international industry. In order to develop a productivity enhancement framework, qualitative research was conducted by collecting primary data through qualitative interviews from top management of 26 automotive manufacturing companies. A total of 40 interviews were conducted on the basis of theoretical saturation and theoretical sampling. Open ended questions used for survey were compiled from the internationally published literature for validity and reliability requirements. Using explanatory and descriptive study, role of technology in productivity enhancement of the industry was examined. Findings of this research have been used to develop a productivity enhancement framework for the industry. Developed framework was compared with the framework of 6 different countries, including USA, UK, Sweden, India, China and Thailand [33], [36], [37], [44], [45]. Comparison resulted in emergence of the finalized productivity enhancement framework of the industry. This framework was then implemented in one of the major auto parts manufacturing companies of Pakistan for its validation. Results of the implementation not only validated the model but also depicted that there is an immediate need to implement these concepts for productivity enhancement. The cost- effective solutions suggested in this model and its cross cultural comparisons also show that this model can be used for manufacturing industries in general in the developing countries.