Comparative Analysis of Municipal Powers in Karachi

This study aims to draw a comparative analysis of the powers of local governments in Karachi. The subject of local government structure and its authority has become more important in the current local scenario. The findings of the study reveal that in past successive civilian governments in Pakistan did not pay attention to developing a solid local government system and instead preferred controlling districts and tehsils through the bureaucracy, with the absence of democracy and accountability at the local level. Instead of using this third tier of the government for the delivery of swift and better municipal services, they always made an effort to keep them weakened through legislation at different levels. The situation has now got worst in the biggest city and economic hub of Pakistan where people are deprived of basic facilities due to a handicapped system. The Mayor of the biggest city of Pakistan felt powerless as the provincial government through the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 deprived the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation of its main functions. The local bodies will have to be given the authority and essential powers. Only then these institutions can be made capable of providing basic services to the people.

Investigating the Impact of Knowledge Management on Innovation: A Study of The Banks of Faisalabad

Banking industry is considered the most crucial financial intermediary in service sector in any state. The concept of knowledge management has been around for past many decades but its true potential has been realised in recent times. Despite of so much attention to this concept, its perfect description and explanation is still far from complete. As Knowledge Management (KM) practices have benefitted many business organizations from various industries, its adaptation to the banking institutions is still unrealised. Ever growing global competition has introduced a new world order, 'Innovate or Die'. Constant innovation is an enormous challenge for modern organizations. Many of the organizations look for concepts and practices to enable themselves to develop and maintain sustainable competitive advantages over others. Knowledge management (KM) philosophy has gained importance in the business world as one of the critical enablers for innovation activities. This study was conducted with the objective to investigate the impact of various dimensions of KM; knowledge acquisition, knowledge dissemination and responsiveness to knowledge on innovation in the banks of Faisalabad. The author used Structure equation modelling (SEM) technique to develop a model among three endogenous KM factors and one exogenous factor innovation and attempted to study this relationship with authentic empirical evidence and a firm belief that KM philosophy, if implemented in its true spirit, may improve the organization's ability to innovate and perform effectively. One of the major findings of the study was the significant effect of all three dimension of KM on innovation. The empirical evidence acquired through test results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and structural model showed that all factors support innovation activities but on a different proportion. The results of the study indicated that responsiveness to knowledge has the most favorable effect on innovation, in comparison to other dimensions of KM. Knowledge gives best results when it is shared and used purposefully. Knowledge must be put in use through processes, routines and systems to promote innovation. Innovation is a result of active use of knowledge and idle knowledge is of no help for innovation.