Lahore, April 07, 2023 (PPI-OT): The post-pandemic world has witnessed tremendous changes in the business environment and processes both locally and on a global level. To address these challenges, the Lahore Business School (LBS) organised the 4th International Conference on Business and Management under the theme: ‘Future challenges and opportunities under the new normal’. The conference was envisioned by Dr Rabeeya Raoof (Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences) as a means to bridge the academia-industry gap, which would facilitate the creation of new opportunities in the job market. The conference was held over a period of four days, starting with pre-conference trainings and a CEO forum, followed by two days encompassing keynote speakers, panel discussions, and parallel research sessions.
Pre-Conference Trainings
LBS organised pre-conference trainings aimed at different subjects that were in need of attention. These trainings were provided by renowned local and international academicians. These trainings began on March 17, 2023. Dr Imran Hameed (Professor at the Lahore School of Economics) provided training on multi-level modelling through M-Plus: Concepts and Applications, while Dr Ghulam Ali Arian (from LUMS) gave training on state-of-the-art
meta-analysis: dos and don’ts. Simultaneously, Dr Marco De Sisto (from RMIT) provided training on ‘Publishing in Mainstream Journals’.
CEO Forum
As part of the international conference, LBS also hosted a CEO Forum to provide an opportunity for liaison between academia and industry. The purpose of this event was to discuss the perspectives of industry experts on different topics relevant to the theme of the conference and provide the academicians and students with the opportunity to subsequently ask questions that would provide them with insight into the industry mind-set. It had two panel discussions: one on ‘Cultivating Talent of the New Generation’ and the other on
‘Operate with Purpose: Role of CSR in Building Up the Nation’.
Conference Day 1
The opening ceremony was initiated with the introduction and aim of the conference by the organisers. Dr Farooq Bajwa (the Head of the Centre for Research Excellence and the Conference Chair) gave his welcome note to the national and foreign dignitaries, stating that this was the 4th international conference held under the banner of Lahore Business School and that it was being held after a gap of a few years due to the pandemic of COVID-19.
It was followed by the welcome note of Prof Dr Khuram Shahzad (Head of Business School), who emphasised that the challenges under the new normal are enormous and cannot be solved individually. To ensure their resolution, there is need to collaborate with the international community to come up with solutions that could help us not only minimise the challenges but also positively utilise the opportunities as well, he said. Later, by Dr Raoof and Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf (Rector, UOL) shared their views with the attendees. Mr Awais Raoof (Chairman, BoG) also welcomed all the national and international dignitaries for joining the international conference at the University of Lahore.
Afterwards, Dr Carolina Serrano Archimi (Aix-Marseille University, France) emphasised that business schools are an important element in supporting the community as they produce entrepreneurs who can change the trajectory of the economic crisis around the world. Dr Marco De Sisto (RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia) explained four stages that can lead to adaptation by organisations through different strategies. Then, panel discussion 1 began, which was based on “Revisiting Higher Education with Industry Collaborations”. Later on, Dr Ishrat Hussain (the former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan) highlighted different effects of the pandemic that hit globally. His talk was followed by a second panel discussion on “SDG Roadmaps for Universities: Challenges under the New Normal”.
Conference Day 2
The conference day two had four keynote speeches and one panel discussion on the
‘Importance of Research in the Contemporary Business Environment’. During his keynote speech, Dr Ibrahim Alsedrah, a behavioural finance analyst and academician, explained that the art of financing is related to human psychology and how an individual’s mind-set affects their way of thinking when it comes to investing. Dr Helga Foure Joopen (Professor at ESC,
Clermont Business School, France) discussed the impact of COVID-19 on business organisations, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Dr Shajara Ul Durar emphasised that we need to create innovative approaches that instil empathy as a part of them so that human-centred solutions may be applied. Dr Arshian Sharif gave a brief message to the upcoming researchers: aim big but start from the bottom. He suggested that they should focus on publishing their research work on any platform as a start and work towards impact factor journals. He also iterated that in today’s time there is a need to work on topics related to sustainable development. The conference ended with a closing ceremony in which the best research papers were given awards.
For more information, contact:
The University of Lahore
1 – KM Defence Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-111-865-865, +92-42-35322501 +92-42-35321761
Email: info@uol.edu.pk
Website: www.uol.edu.pk