Journal of Social and Organizational Matters

Teacher Education Programs and Professional Competency Development: Implications for Effective Classroom Practice

Sadia Saleem, Iqra Zia, S. Fatima Rizwan — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The teacher education programs are important in determining professional competencies that are needed to practice effectively in the classroom in the modern educational contexts. With the current upheaval in the education systems across the world, following technological changes, services of professionally competent teachers, globalization, and competency-based education systems, the need to have professionally competent teachers has been heightened. This research article focuses on the correlation between teacher education programs and teacher professional competency development, including pedagogical knowledge, subject mastery, classroom management, assessment literacy, digital competence, inclusive practices, and reflective teaching. The research design it assumes is a mixed-method research which includes surveys, structured interviews, observation in classrooms, and a review of documents among the selected teacher training institutions and practicing teachers. Quantitative data were evaluated with the help of descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, and qualitative data were evaluated with the help of the thematic analysis. The results show that there is a positive correlation between the quality of teacher preparation programs and classroom performance of teachers which is significant. The programs with a high focus on practicum experiences, structured mentorship, reflective teaching, collaborative learning, and competency-based assessment showed greater results in the development of professional competencies. Nevertheless, the integration of technology, training of inclusive education, and the correspondence of theoretical courses and classroom realities were found to be deficient. The research findings conclude that teacher education needs to be changed to the models of content transmission to competency-based, practice-based models based on school contexts. It has policy suggestions of reinforcing school-university associations, incorporating online learning, increasing inclusive education courses, improving mentoring platforms, and setting competence-based examination criteria. The results have significant implications on policy makers, curriculum developers, teacher educators and accreditation institutions that want to improve classroom performance by introducing thorough teacher preparation reforms.

Digital Learning Initiatives by Punjab Education Foundation; Online Lesson Planning and Teachers Performance in Rural Areas of Punjab

Tahira Farooq, Misbah Malik — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of the study was to determine the usefulness of Online Lesson Planning (OLP) in the schools with the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) assistance. Online Lesson Planning is an online program that is meant to assist teachers in structuring and organizing their lessons in a systematic manner. The study population was a group of all teachers in PEF programs, including all partner schools. Of the 180 teachers, stratified sampling method was used to select them in order to represent them appropriately. The research instrument was a self-developed and validated questionnaire that was used to collect data among teachers. Pilot testing- This was done to ensure that the instrument was clear and effective. A panel of experts established the validity of the instrument and the reliability was evaluated by the use of Cronbach alpha reliability index, which had a value of 0.843 which implied that the instrument had acceptable internal consistency. The SPSS was used to analyze the data. The inferential statistical methods such as the Independent Sample t-test and One-Way ANOVA were used to compare the differences in the responses given by the teachers. The study results showed that Online Lesson Planning assists the teachers plan the lessons better, enhances the instruction process, and contributes to the improved classroom management. The findings also did not have significant difference in the perceptions that teachers had in gender and qualification. Based on the findings of the research it is suggested to conduct ongoing teacher education and make sure that digital materials are offered to improve the successful adoption of Online Lesson Planning in PEF schools.

Woman’s Empowerment Through Digital Leadership: Exploring How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Powered Tools Can Improve Managerial Decision-Making in Public Sectors of Pakistan

Hiba Syed, Ayaz Ul Haq, Aurangzeb Zulfiqar Khan — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies is transforming leadership practices and organizational decision-making processes. In this context, digital leadership has emerged as a critical capability that enables organizations to effectively integrate advanced technologies while promoting inclusive leadership environments. This study examines the role of digital leadership and artificial intelligence adoption in enhancing women’s empowerment and managerial decision-making in organizational contexts in Pakistan. A mixed-method research design was employed, combining quantitative survey data with qualitative insights to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. Primary data were collected from 273 women professionals through a structured questionnaire using purposive sampling. The proposed research model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that digital leadership significantly influences women’s empowerment, artificial intelligence adoption, and managerial decision-making. Furthermore, both women’s empowerment and AI adoption positively affect managerial decision-making, while AI adoption mediates the relationship between digital leadership and decision-making effectiveness. The findings highlight the importance of developing digital leadership capabilities and promoting access to AI technologies to empower women leaders and improve organizational decision-making processes. The study contributes to literature on digital leadership, technology adoption, and gender empowerment while offering practical insights for organizations seeking to promote inclusive and technology-driven leadership environments.

AI-Driven Purchase Intention in Pakistan’s E-Commerce: The Roles of Personalization, Anthropomorphism, Usefulness, Transparency, Trust, and AI Anxiety

Muhammad Basit Ali, Syeda Fatima Sunela — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence is getting involved more and more with e-commerce, changing the way customers search for products, receive recommendations, interact with digital platforms, and make purchasing calls. Although the adoption of AI-enabled tools like focused recommendations, chatbots, automated facilitation, and transparent digital communication has been growing rapidly, there is a lack of understanding about consumer purchase intention in AI-mediated shopping conditions, especially in emerging markets such as Pakistan. The current study investigates how sales intention is influenced in the context of Pakistan’s e-commerce sector by perceived personalization, perceived anthropomorphism, perceived usefulness, and perceived transparency. It also explores the mediating influence of trust and the moderating role of AI anxiety in these relationships. The study depends on the S-O-R framework and follows a quantitative research design with a deductive approach and positivist philosophy. The data for the AI-enabled e-commerce element in Pakistan is then gathered from customers with experience of online buying. Using SmartPLS 4, the proposed model is tested with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), The findings also demonstrate how perceived personalization, perceived technology usage and humanization have a strong positive impact on consumers' purchase intention; however, it has no significant effect from anthropomorphism Found results further state that trust significantly mediates between perceived personalization and consumer purchase intention whilst failing to do so between perceived transparency and purchase intentions. In addition, AI anxiety significantly weakens the positive effect of proposed personalization and perceived usefulness on purchase intention and has no moderating effect between perceived anthropomorphism and perception of transparency. In an emerging-market context, this study adds to the literature by introducing an integrated AI-commerce framework that discusses consumer purchase intention using cognitive as well as psychological routes. For e-commerce companies, it provides actionable steps to design the kind of AI that consumers will find not only useful and personalized, but also transparent, trustworthy, and psychologically acceptable. So, in summary, the study finds that AI adds value to digital commerce not because it is sophisticated but rather because it is relevant and reliable, and consumer-centric.

Digital Marketing Strategies and Consumer Purchase Behavior: Examining the Mediating Role of Brand Awareness

Haider Ali, Zameer Zahid, Inam Ullah Khan — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The blistering development of digital platforms has radically redefined the way brands reach consumers and it becomes crucial to comprehend which marketing tactics actually influence buying behavior. The present study examines how social media marketing, online advertising, and influencer marketing can impact consumer purchase behavior with brand awareness as a mediating variable. Based on a survey of 300 participants and evaluated with the help of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), all three digital marketing strategies showed considerable positive impact on brand awareness and consumer purchase behavior. Each relationship was entirely mediated by the brand awareness; it bears out the significance of the brand awareness as the mechanism which digital marketing is transformed into purchase action. Its results provide a useful application to marketing practitioners planning the integrated digital campaigns and offer theoretical contribution to the accumulating body of knowledge relating digital strategy to consumer decision-making.

Impact of Social Media Misinformation on Public Trust in CPEC: A Study on Sargodha University Students

Waqar Ahmad, Danish Sarwar, Ali Hassan — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The China-Pakistan financial hall CPEC is a very essential mission of China's Belt and avenue assignment (BRI), it goals to decorate connectivity and monetary cooperation between China and Pakistan. It became initiated in 2015, it includes infrastructure, power, and industrial projects. It has numerous key additives consist of highways, railways, and the improvement of Gwadar Port. CPEC ambitions to improve Pakistan's infrastructure, decorate electricity production, and create monetary possibilities whilst offering China with a shorter exchange course to the middle East and Africa. Although geopolitical and financial challenges, CPEC remains a very important of China and Pakistani relations, fostering regional trade and development. Throughout my research I measured several indicators such as social media usage, misinformation, public trust and the use of free digital services that influence public perception on CPEC. I collected 300 responses from students of university of Sargodha, Pakistan through closed ended questionnaire survey. Their responses played an important role to understand the real time scenario.

Border Conflicts in South Asia: China and United States’ Interests

Kiran Rasool, Bilal Bin Liaqat, Adnan Nawaz, Imran Wakil — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The relationship between China and the US has a big impact on tensions in the region, especially when it comes to conflicts with neighboring countries like India and Pakistan. China's main goals are to protect its economic and security interests, which include big infrastructure projects, claims to certain territories, and its strong ties to Pakistan. By doing these projects, like the Belt and Road plan, China is changing the balance of power in the area and increasing its influence. On the other hand, the US is mainly involved in the region through defense cooperation and strategic alliances, with the main goal of keeping the region stable and balancing out China's growing power. The increasing military and technological cooperation between the US and India is also having an indirect impact on border tensions, especially in the context of the competition between China and India. This complex situation is making the region more unstable and prone to conflicts. The US and China have different approaches to the region, with China focusing on economic and security interests, and the US focusing on defense cooperation and regional stability. This difference in approach is affecting the balance of power in the region and making it harder to resolve conflicts. The condition with sanctuary in the region has been prejudiced by US policies concerning Afghanistan and Pakistan. That thing of the article suggests that rather than directly causing border disputes, the actions of China and the US usually heighten existing tensions by strengthening alliances, increasing militarization, and creating distrust among local actors. This essay sets out to give a real overview of the border conflicts between the USA and China in South Asia. By examining recent events and policy shifts, this study brings to light how local matters and global power struggles are intertwined, making it tougher to resolve conflicts. To craft better strategies for peace and stability in South Asia, understanding these external factors is pretty much essential.

Understanding the Link Between Financial Crime and Public Values: A Panel Data Analysis

Asad Ali, Mian Sajid Nazir, Yaamina Salman — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines whether the religious values, ethical inclination, and post-materialistic values of the public influence the incidence of money laundering across countries. The research questions are addressed through quantitative analysis of secondary data obtained from the Basel Institute of Governance and the World Values Survey. The dataset covers 54 countries over an 11-year period, and a panel data model is employed for regression analysis. Based on Wald’s F test, the LM test, and the Hausman tests, the random effects model is selected. The findings indicate that both religious and ethical values significantly affect money laundering risk. Contrary to the theoretical postulates of the VBN framework, higher religio-ethical values are associated with an increased risk of money laundering. These results are consistent with existing literature, which highlights how grey areas in religion and ethics can be used to rationalise illicit financial behaviour, and also documents instances of religious institutions being involved in such activities. In contrast, post-materialistic values are found to have no significant impact on money laundering. The study suggests that post-materialistic values, embedded in secular-liberal philosophies, may encourage individualistic behaviour that overlooks the consequences of financially complex crimes. At the same time, religio-ethical values that ostensibly promote collective good may be reinterpreted to justify individualistic goals. Using the VBN lens, the study identifies a disconnect in the theorised value–behaviour chain, arising from conflicting values and their reinterpretation. From a policy perspective, the promotion of ethical and religious values alone is insufficient to combat money laundering; greater emphasis is needed on institutional frameworks, transparency, and stringent policy implementation.

Reverent Republicanism: An Ethical Framework for Human Development and Global Peace

Saad Malook — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article presents an account of reverent republicanism that underpins an ethical framework comprising five moral and political values to foster human development and global peace. Republicanism, as a political theory, envisions a society in which citizens are not subject to humiliation, exploitation, oppression, discrimination, or exclusion by the government or by others. The key argument of reverent republicanism as an ethical framework proclaims that all citizens are owed self-respect, dignity, equal status, freedom, and fraternity, and no one is subject to humiliation, exploitation, oppression, discrimination, or exclusion, irrespective of their racial, cultural, religious, national, or linguistic disparities, because every human person has human worth with distinctive potentials for bringing about the common good – human development and global peace. Reverence comprises a myriad of ethical values – self-respect, dignity, equal status, freedom, and fraternity – that recognise the value of human beings regardless of their identity, race, culture, nationality, or religion. Reverent republicanism envisages a reverent government and a reverent society, meaning neither government nor civil society uses arbitrary power to oppress or dominate others, while both enshrine reverence in their conduct. In this account of republicanism, reverence as a moral and political value plays a key role in protecting and nurturing infinite human potential – creativity and rationality – so fostering human capital for peaceful coexistence. Lack of reverence leads to hubris and arrogance, thwarting the development of human potential and peaceful coexistence in society. Thus, reverent republicanism not only fosters human potential but also helps resolve conflicts, which ultimately lead to peaceful coexistence in the world.

Corporate Governance and Vulnerability of Minority Shareholders: An Analytical Study

Ali Raza Laghari, Shabana Kausar, Muhammad Nouman Jatoi — Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study reviews the corporate governance in Pakistan with more focus on the issues of minority shareholders. Due to various flaws including weak regulatory framework, dominancy of the majority shareholder and inadequate enforcement mechanism minority shareholder feel themselves unsecure with regard to their investment. To run the affairs of corporate sector a system of rules, practices and processes is called as corporate governance. A framework balancing the interests of the company’s stake holders and helping to build trust in the business environment is established under the corporate governance. Enhancing the trust of investors, accountability, fairness and transparency in the affairs should be essence of the corporate governance. Doctrinal methodology has been applied in this research paper which was sufficient and satisfying to reach a conclusion. In this regard relevant laws, regulations and judicial decision were analyzed and in pursuance of this gaps and inconsistencies have been identified. It appeared that there are various flaws in the corporate governance in Pakistan consequently increasing dominancy of the majority shareholders and reducing the trust of minority shareholders. There is immediate need that Government should pay attention to this and take appropriate measure. In view of the discussion and result for the development of corporate governance and economic growth certain recommendations based on a set of reforms has been suggested.

A Diachronic Corpus Analysis of English Vocabulary: The Role of Social Media in Shaping Lexical and Semantic Shifts in Language

Marvee Kalwar, Maria Bhutto, Rafique Ahmed — Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This research examines the lexical and semantic transformation of the diachronic corpus influenced by swift usage of social media particularly in post pandemic era (2020-2024). The research investigates that how evolution, dissemination and spread of new lexical items is fastened by frequent use of social media platforms. This study utilizes the mixed method approach combining quantitative meta level frequency analysis of lexical shifts and qualitative thematic and comparative analysis in order to analyse the semantic change in language. The findings of the study reveal that new lexicons are evolved more frequently because of the swift usage of digital media and post pandemic effects of COVID-19. The new words are spread and become popular by both factors. For instance, “doom scrolling”, “quarantine”, “viral” and “social distancing” are some examples of evolved lexicons. Moreover, the study demonstrates a notable change in the meaning of existing words, such as “viral” and “friend” reflecting the impact of social media and cultural effect on semantic shift. Furthermore, the study contributes in the field of linguistic, teaching and communication strategies by providing comprehensive understanding of language as dynamic and adaptive system. It shows the importance of diachronic studies to investigate the rapidly evolving language in the age of digitalisation.

Social Media Marketing and Purchase Intention: Multi-Mediating Engagement, Brand Equity, eWOM, and Trust

Ayesha Tariq, Inam Ullah Khan, Faris Khan, Numan Shehzad, Maryam . — Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This research examines the role of social media marketing (SMM) in influencing consumer purchase intention (CPI) based on a multi-mediation framework which includes consumer engagement (CE), brand awareness (BA), brand loyalty (BL), brand equity (BE), electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), and customer trust (CT). The study uses 19 hypotheses to test the claims, and the hypotheses are based on a sample of 450 respondents who are Pakistan-based. Findings affirm that SMM completely mediates the associations between the six antecedents and CPI. The antecedents to CPI only have indirect paths (via SMM). The model has a high percentage of variance explained in CPI (58.6) and in SMM (62.9), which validates this strong explanatory power. Results provide practical information to marketers in the up-and-coming digital economies.

Anti-Dumping Laws and Pakistan’s Textile Exports: Legal, Economic, and Policy Implications under the WTO Framework

Muhammad Asif Sarwar Chaudhary — Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The backbone of Pakistan’s export economy, the textile sector of the country, has been consistently targeted by AD measures exerted by the global north, more specifically, indulging in the liberalization of the textile sector across the globe under the WTO’s framework. This research offers a cohesive political, financial, and legal policy framework analysis of the execution of AD regulations regarding textile sector imports of Pakistan, drawing on quantitative literature from focal cases entailing bed linen, cotton yarn, and unbleached fabric. This study also depicts that while anti-dumping actions are legally justified as solutions against unfair business practices, their real-world application frequently depicts methodological and procedural prejudices that operate as disguised protectionism. Based on the WTO Agreement on Anti-Dumping Practices as a benchmark of assessment, this research mainly investigates the identification of causation benchmarks, margins of dumping, and injury evaluation, demonstrating the discretionary space exploited by appraising bodies in importing regions. The examination indicates that AD measures impose indirect and direct costs on Pakistan’s exporters at a significant level, optimize economic risk, distort pricing methods, and discourage industrial optimization investment in the longer run. Such actions exhibit adverse implications on independent policy formulation, export earnings, and stability of foreign exchange at the macroeconomic level. This research further analyzes the institutional and legal response of Pakistan at the domestic level, detecting anomalies in the infrastructure of data, legal capabilities, and preventive governance of trade. It shows that robust resistance to AD protectionism needs a multi-dimensional framework encompassing proactive engagement, amalgamation of business policy and competition, and organizational strengthening within the WTO, and joint action with the global south. The results show that without optimized preparedness and practical reforms of AD disciplines at the domestic level, such actions will continue to undermine the growth objectives of the trading systems at the multi-lateral level.