The universities in Pakistan have recently started replacing their old legacy systems with ERP systems which are commonly used in business organizations to gain a competitive edge over competitors. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has implemented ERPs systems at eight different Universities in Pakistan. HEC has invested a huge amount of money to facilitate the integration, customization, and implementation of ERP systems in these universities. Previous studies have mainly focused on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and risk factors of ERP systems. This study intends to empirically measure the support of ERP systems in teaching processes. DeLone and McLean model of Information Systems (IS) success is one of the most commonly used models cited in IS literature. In this study, the DeLone and McLean model was applied at a University level analysis to access the impact of ERP in higher educational institutions and their support in the improvement of academic processes. Hypotheses were tested on the research model using empirical data collected from 230 respondents, including students and faculty at two selected universities, with the use of a questionnaire. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. The model was empirically tested and the findings showed that use and user satisfaction affected most net benefits. Information quality, system quality, and service quality accounted for 42.6% effect in use. Whereas, information quality, system quality, service quality, and use accounted for 46.5% variance in user satisfaction.

This study employs a novel biodiversity risk measure, developed through textual analysis, to examine how biodiversity risk affects socially responsible investment (SRI) and commodity markets. Biodiversity-related financial risks, arising from ecosystem degradation, represent an emerging and underexplored dimension of market risk, particularly for investors seeking sustainability-aligned portfolios. Our analysis reveals that both SRI equity and commodity indices consistently exhibit negative time-varying correlations with biodiversity risk, with correlations as low as -0.62 for the FTSE4Good US 100 and -0.53 for the FTSE4Good Global 100. Similarly, commodities like silver, gold, crude oil, and wheat also show negative correlations with biodiversity risk. These findings indicate that neither asset class serves as a reliable hedge against biodiversity-related shocks. Furthermore, biodiversity risk has a significant long-term spillover effect on SRI equity and commodity market returns. As biodiversity risk increases, it strengthens the connectedness between these markets, thereby amplifying the transmission of risk across them. These findings highlight the need for new risk management strategies and regulatory frameworks that account for biodiversity risk, opening new research pathways in finance and environmental sustainability.

Biodiversity plays a crucial role in green and sustainable business; however, it has received less attention than climate change. In recent times, there has been a call for greater biodiversity reporting. However, there are contrasting views on the benefits of firms' biodiversity reporting. Although biodiversity reporting can enhance public perception of firms' environmental performance, it could potentially expose them to greater regulatory scrutiny and reputational risks. Uncertainty surrounding climate policy adds to the complexity of the trade‐off of biodiversity reporting. Motivated by this debate, we test two competing hypotheses on the effect of climate policy uncertainty (CPU) on biodiversity reporting: (1) CPU drives greater biodiversity reporting ( CPU‐driven biodiversity reporting enhancement hypothesis ) versus (2) CPU drives less biodiversity reporting ( CPU‐driven biodiversity reporting restraint hypothesis ). We explore the effect of CPU on the company's biodiversity reporting for the US firm from 2002 to 2018. Consistent with legitimacy and signaling theories, we find that CPU improves the extent of biodiversity reporting by 18.7%, supporting the CPU‐driven biodiversity reporting enhancement hypothesis . The results show that firms are proactive in managing biodiversity risks related to regulatory uncertainty. Doing so can generate various benefits for firms, including improved reputation as well as signaling firms' preparedness to comply with upcoming biodiversity reporting regulations.

This study aims to measure the impact of an intervention, the Community Investment Fund (CIF), on the socio-economic life of rural women. CIF is a community-managed fund aimed at improving the living standards of women by empowering them to undertake income-generating projects to become financially more stable and self-governed in the Khairpur, Shikarpur, Kandhkot-Kashmore and Jacobabad districts of Sindh, Pakistan. This study used a quasi-experimental design approach that involved two groups, i.e., the treatment group (beneficiaries) and control group (non-beneficiaries). The sample size of this study was 708 respondents including the treatment and control group. The results of comparison of mean indicate that there is a significant difference between treatment and control group in terms of socio-demographic variables (including monthly income and consumption, saving amount, total asset value, an asset purchased value and household diet) and women empowerment’s indicators, thereby suggesting that CIF has resulted in women empowerment. Concerning the results of the poverty scorecard, the higher graduation of beneficiaries (treatment group) asserts that the intervention of CIF has also a positive impact on targeted beneficiaries. In particular, the findings indicate that 72% of beneficiaries (treatment group) have graduated from one poverty band to another higher band compared to 59.4% of non-beneficiaries (control group) in poverty score. In addition, the findings of the logistic regression analysis confirmed that participation in the CIF program empowers women beneficiaries. This study will support policymakers to further improve CIF so that it can become more effective and sustainable.