The Islamic banking sectors in Pakistan are experiencing a challenging phase of progress due to intense competition with conventional banks. The primary purpose of this study is to articulate the literature of Islamic banking in Pakistan by investigating the influence of the level of awareness, understanding and usage of Islamic banking products and services on the satisfaction level of its account holders. For achieving this objective, a sample of 400 respondents is chosen through purposive sampling technique from the target population from Islamic banks in Pakistan. The calculated results of PLS-SEM Bootstrapping and SPSS revealed a significant and positive influence of the awareness and understanding level of account holders of Islamic banks on their satisfaction levels. However, the Islamic bank usage by account holders has no impact on their satisfaction level due to the provision of less innovative products and services as compared to conventional banks. This study thus enhances the literature regarding the aforementioned aspects of customer satisfaction. It simultaneously draws an attention to the area that is suitable for the prosperity and progress of the Islamic banking system of Pakistan. The results of this study also give valuable information and helpful guidelines for Islamic banks to formulate innovative strategies of products and promotional policies to retain and attract potential customers. Though this study is broadening the scope of Islamic banking literature, it is not considering the scenario of conventional banks. Islamic banks can manage and enjoy the competitive edge if similar information about conventional banking is available for comparison purposes, which provides the scope of study in future research.
Purpose
This study aims at testing the relationship between corporate real estate (CRE) investment and firm performance of nonfinancial firms in the context of an underdeveloped market, Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a sample of 307 nonfinancial firms listed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2020. This study adopts a rigorous methodological approach and employs ordinary least square, fixed effect, generalized method of moments system regressions and the propensity score matching technique to account for potential heteroskedasticity, effects of unobserved variables and endogeneity.
Findings
This study finds that as the investment in CRE increases, the firm’s performance decreases. The findings are robust to alternative proxies of CRE investment and alternative methodologies. Furthermore, the findings hold for financially constrained and financially unconstrained firms, high- and low-growth firms and safe and financially distressed firms.
Research limitations/implications
This study extends the evidence about CRE investment in an underdeveloped market and suggests potential avenues for future research.
Practical implications
The findings of this study warrant investors, managers and directors be cautious about CRE investment in firms.
Originality/value
This study uses a new proxy of CRE investment, which is more inclined toward the asset management and financial perspective of CRE investment. Furthermore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the role of CRE investment in an underdeveloped market.
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is the most common genetic obesity syndrome. The clinical features of this condition include childhood obesity, hyperphagia, infantile hypotonia, hypogonadism, short stature, and characteristic facial features. The leading cause of morbidity and mortality in PWS is hyperphagia and resultant obesity. Here, we highlight the effectiveness of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists by reporting an interesting case of successful rapid weight loss in an adult with PWS using GLP-1 agonistsexenatide and liraglutide. To the best of our knowledge, this report presents the first clinical evidence supporting the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in the treatment of genetic obesity syndromes; our patient lost a total of 125 lbs on GLP-1 analog and continues to lose weight.
Hypereosinophilic syndrome, a rare condition, is characterized by eosinophilia with associated organ infiltration and organ failure. The most commonly involved sites include the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. Infiltration of eosinophils into the myocytes may result in congestive heart failure warranting the use of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The authors describe a case of a 76-year-old male with dyspnea and a consistently elevated eosinophil count. Initially diagnosed with adult-onset asthma, he failed to improve despite his adherence to recommended pharmacological treatment. The exacerbation of dyspnea combined with the signs of congestive heart failure led to the evaluation of LVAD therapy in this patient.
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