Tag: (IBA)

Karachi, September 03, 2022 (PPI-OT):Centre for Business and Economic Research (CBER), Institute of Business Administration Karachi and Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, jointly organized a special webinar titled ‘Floods 2022: Situation, Response, Blind Spots, and Way Forward’. Dr. Junaid Alam Memon, Director CBER, moderated the webinar and set the context by introducing the speakers.

Dr. Fateh Marri, Vice Chancellor, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, provided the status for the current situation of the disaster and emphasized the loss of economic activity, future productions, missed opportunities, and the limited capacity of human resources. He stated that Pakistani universities are not only engaged in flood relief operations but are also committed to provide policy advises, technical assistance and setup a solution-oriented research agenda.

Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, highlighted that drainage is the main issue for Sindh province due to its location and it requires attention. He also suggested that while providing food items to affected households, the feed for their livestock may also be part of their relief package. He hoped that the farmers would be able to cultivate wheat if lands become ready otherwise oilseeds are to be planned. Dr. Mubarik Ahmed from TDAP confirmed that the agriculture losses to the country are tremendous, and among other crops, 80% of the cotton in Sindh and 100% of cotton crop in Baluchistan are affected.

He warned that the disaster would result in reduced export and increase our dependence on food and seed imports. Dr. Abdul Rehman, Pro Vice Chancellor, BUTIMs, Quetta talked about damages to cities and pointed towards increased incidences of domestic violence, child labor, and various forms of harassment that often slip from disaster response initiatives. Mr. Naseer Memon, Country Representative of Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Pakistan, pointed out that the encroachment in the rural and urban areas is the underlying cause of flood-induced disaster and held weak institutional capacity and lack of political will is responsible for that.

Dr. Shereen Narejo, Former Chairperson of Planning, and Development Department, Sindh, stated that the issue of population growth is often missed in climate discourse and emphasized that disaster is our collective problem and requires collective action. She urged that the society has to take required steps and academia and others have to play their due role. Mr. Fazullilah Qureshi, Former Federal Secretary, Planning Commission, pointed out that flood may be a national catastrophe but of different magnitude for different provinces and suggested that the Sindh is worst hit due to faulty projects such LBOD.

He said that a minimum amount of Rs. 400 billion should be allocated for flood recovery for Sindh by federal and provincial governments by reducing unnecessary expenditures. He also proposed to have an oversight body including government, academia and civil society for flood recovery works and funds management.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) informed that HEC has created a sizable research fund specifically to support evidence-based and solution-oriented research to address current and future natural disasters. He said that the higher education sector is fully aware of the situation and public and private sector universities are playing their role in relief work. The webinar was also attended by Dr. Qamar u Zaman, Vice Chancellor, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi; and Dr. Robina Wihaj, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations.

For more information, contact:
Executive, Communication and Public Affairs,
Institute of Business Administration Karachi (IBA)
Main Campus: University Road, Karachi – 75270, Pakistan
UAN: +92-21-111-422-422 (Ext. 269)
Fax: +92-21-99261508
Email: raza.lakhani@khi.iba.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iba.edu.pk

Karachi, September 03, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi organized a timely discussion on “The Current State of Pakistan’s Economy” by the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Dr. Miftah Ismail. The discussion was moderated by the Executive Director IBA, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi. The event was attended by IBA faculty, students, external guests, and media, and a full-house ensued on campus.

Dr. Zaidi welcomed everyone to the event and invited Dr. Ismail to lead the discussion on Pakistan’s economy. Dr. Ismail has been a Visiting Faculty member in the past at the IBA and is familiar with the institution. His speech primarily focused on the current economic macroeconomic challenges of Pakistan, and the policies and strategies that have been adopted to face these challenges.

He highlighted the most pressing issue facing the economy of Pakistan. These included the Current Account Deficit, unsustainable and non-inclusive growth, and the policy flaws that hinder the growth potential of Pakistan. Dr. Ismail further pointed out that going to the IMF was a hard political decision, but it was the last resort.

During his presentation, he also criticized some measures taken by previous governments which created challenges for the economy, pushing the country toward the brink of bankruptcy. He justified the IMF programme by stressing that it was only to save Pakistan that harsh measures were undertaken. He admitted that the inflation rate was the highest since the last four decades; and that his government understands how this has hurt the common man, but is hopeful that things will improve as he foresees electricity prices falling in the coming months.

He ended his presentation by talking about the damage in terms of life and infrastructure caused by the recent floods. He briefed the audience about how the government was redirecting funds from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) towards relief efforts undertaken by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

At the end of the presentation, Dr. Ismail highlighted some areas that need immediate attention, including the need for improving agricultural productivity; improving the current account balance by restricting imports and increasing the export base; improving quality of education; and improving economic governance. He further commented that the motto of his government is to “live within our means”.

Following the discussion on macroeconomic challenges, Dr. Zaidi asked Dr. Ismail to elaborate more on the measures taken by the government to improve tax to GDP ratio, and how it is planning to curb the inflation rate. Commenting on this, Dr. Ismail noted that they are trying to impose ad valorem tax on traders, which will provide relief to the small traders. This will give the government margin to reduce taxes on personal incomes in the future.

This was followed by a very lively Q and A session in which faculty and students asked some hard-hitting questions, criticizing the government’s lack of focus on improving human productivity, climate change, and the contradiction in governments’ policies favouring certain sectors, such as real estate. In the end, Dr. Ismail thanked IBA for providing an opportunity to present his views on the current state of Pakistan’s economy and noted the importance of such discussions to inform people of the steps taken towards fixing the economy.

For more information, contact:
Executive, Communication and Public Affairs,
Institute of Business Administration Karachi (IBA)
Main Campus: University Road, Karachi – 75270, Pakistan
UAN: +92-21-111-422-422 (Ext. 269)
Fax: +92-21-99261508
Email: raza.lakhani@khi.iba.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iba.edu.pk

Karachi, August 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):Two of the finest higher educational institutions of Pakistan, the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi and the Aga Khan University (AKU) are coming together to take the quality of higher education to the next level.

In a meeting held at the IBA Karachi, Main Campus, the heads of both institutes, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA Karachi, and Dr. Suleiman Shahabuddin, President AKU, discussed various avenues where their respective organizations can play major roles to create positive societal impact through their collaborative efforts.

Dr. Zaidi and Dr. Shahabuddin discussed the means of collaboration which includes research opportunities for faculty and students, along with enhancing cooperation in student trainings and developmental projects. Dr. Zaidi emphasized on the importance of the academic engagement between IBA and AKU and was keen to see the positive contributions through the various projects both the institutions will partake in.

Elated by the upcoming collaboration, Dr. Shahabuddin said, “I am delighted to see the partnership between my alma mater, IBA and Aga Khan University growing in education, research and capacity building. We look forward to working together to increase our impact in these areas.” The IBA team members included the Dean, School of Business Studies, Dr. Abdullah Zafar Sheikh and Dean, School of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dr. Shakeel Khoja and other members of the faculty and staff.

For more information, contact:
Executive, Communication and Public Affairs,
Institute of Business Administration Karachi (IBA)
Main Campus: University Road, Karachi – 75270, Pakistan
UAN: +92-21-111-422-422 (Ext. 269)
Fax: +92-21-99261508
Email: raza.lakhani@khi.iba.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iba.edu.pk

Karachi, August 20, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi and the National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) signed an MoU to establish a fund to support the education of deserving students. The agreement was signed by Executive Director, IBA Karachi, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, and CEO, NCCPL, Mr. Muhammad Lukman. Participants included Mr. Imran Ahmed Khan, Chief Operating Officer, NCCPL, and Ms. Malahat Awan, Director, Alumni Communications and Resource Mobilization (ARC), IBA.

The funds will be used to set up the NCCPL Endowment Fund at IBA. The funds will provide financial assistance to the students struggling to defray their educational liabilities. NCCPL has provided PKR 3 million and plans to scale up the size of the funds in the coming months.

CEO, NCCPL, Mr. Muhammad Lukman praised the role of IBA in producing quality graduates for the corporate world. He said, “It’s high time that industries should be moving parallel with education sector and I believe that these institutes will be the leading front in providing first class individuals who will play a crucial role for our economy in coming years. IBA has impressively contributed in Pakistan not only just in quality education but catering to demanding industrial requirements across research and individual talent provision. Likewise, NCCPL has always actively contributed towards community development and will continue to strive for the betterment of the local economy through such initiatives under the umbrella of corporate social responsibility.”

Executive Director, IBA Karachi, Dr. Akbar Zaidi, on the occasion, said, “It is good to see NCCPL coming forward and playing their role in the development of knowledge economy. The funds will help us in our mission of imparting quality education to students irrespective of their ability to pay.”

For more information, contact:
Executive, Communication and Public Affairs,
Institute of Business Administration Karachi (IBA)
Main Campus: University Road, Karachi – 75270, Pakistan
UAN: +92-21-111-422-422 (Ext. 269)
Fax: +92-21-99261508
Email: raza.lakhani@khi.iba.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iba.edu.pk

Karachi, August 20, 2022 (PPI-OT):School of Business Studies (SBS) and AACSB Review and Execution Committee (AREC) team organized a faculty engagement activity at the IBA Main Campus for the SBS faculty. The daylong session consisted of a Rubrics workshop and a faculty team building activity.

The purpose of the Rubrics workshop was to equip the SBS faculty with the knowledge to create rubrics for different assessments. Dr. Rameez Khalid, Associate Professor and Director CEE, led the workshop, followed by an interactive exercise for the faculty to help them create their own Assessment rubrics using the Holistic or Analytical Rubric Template.

The workshop was then followed by a fun faculty engagement activity designed by Mr. Syed Atif Murtaza, Lecturer, Department of Marketing. The aim of the session was to close the AACSB gaps and focus on the important theme of faculty engagement. The session was facilitated by the Accreditation Office.

For more information, contact:
Executive, Communication and Public Affairs,
Institute of Business Administration Karachi (IBA)
Main Campus: University Road, Karachi – 75270, Pakistan
UAN: +92-21-111-422-422 (Ext. 269)
Fax: +92-21-99261508
Email: raza.lakhani@khi.iba.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iba.edu.pk

Karachi, July 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) signed an MoU at the IBA City Campus. The agreement was signed by Malahat Awan, Director, Alumni Communications and Resource Mobilization (ARC), IBA and Jamal Nasir, Chief Human Resources Officer, HBL. Other participants included Danish Imtiaz, Senior Manager, Career Development Center, IBA; Shiraz Ahmed, Senior Executive, Career Development Center, IBA; and Nadia Rana, Head Diversity, HBL.

The purpose of this MoU is to provide mutual support in bridging the gap between academia and industry. In accordance with the MoU, the bank will work with the IBA on a collective strategy to update and design course content and provide input on a range of subjects. The bank will also explore trainings at our Centers of Excellence for their executives, participate in talent hunt drives, experiential learning programs (ELP), career fairs, and other such initiatives.

For more information, contact:
Executive, Communication and Public Affairs,
Institute of Business Administration Karachi (IBA)
Main Campus: University Road, Karachi – 75270, Pakistan
UAN: +92-21-111-422-422 (Ext. 269)
Fax: +92-21-99261508
Email: raza.lakhani@khi.iba.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iba.edu.pk