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Abstract-Blended learning has emerged as one of the solutions to address the various needs of Higher EducationInstitutions around the world. Blended Learning is the combination of traditional classroom and online endeavour. It provides advantages of both face to face learning and e-learning. The main purpose of this study is to assess the adaptation level of blended learning in teaching process at Higher Education Institutions. This study carried out mixed method approach by using explanatory sequential model. Teachers of general public universities were included as the sample for this study. Questionnaire and interview techniques were used as data gathering tools. The main findings of this study showed that teachers have a positive perception for technology usage in teaching process. Most of the teachers possessed expertise in the use of different software and equipped with internet skills. The study concluded that in blended learning implementation, universities are still at awareness level and a lot of efforts are required for effective implementation of blended learning. It is recommended that the universities' administration should provide an extra computing infrastructure (e.g. servers, bandwidth, and storage capacity) to run the courses in blended format. We recommend that in strategic plan of the universities the blended learning should be well defined and highlighted.

This paper analyses the impact of managerial ownership upon firm performance in the Shariah-compliant firms of Pakistan. Agency theory that suggests involving managers as part of firm's ownership can help firms reduce the agency cost, has widely been applied in the corporate setup of conventional finance, however, there is growing need of academic research to find out the role and application of this theory in the Shariah-compliant organizations. All around the Muslim world, there is the rise of Shariah-compliant firms; however, little work has been done to critically evaluate such important concepts based on agency theory, it is, therefore, an optimistic approach to familiarise the idea of firm performance with the relationship of managerial ownership under Agency Theory in such organizations. In order to better understand the acceptability and adaptability of Agency Theory, the objective of this study is to examine the impact of managerial ownership upon firm performance in Shariah-compliant firms of Pakistan for the first time. This paper is based upon panel data and regression models applied to the sample of 68 Shariah-compliant firms listed on Pakistan’s Karachi Stock Exchange covering five years from 2009 to 2013. This paper tests the firm performance through two different dependent variables Tobin’s Q and ROA by regressing through OLS, Fixed effect (FE) and Random effect(RE) methods. Both models are proved empirically significant. The robust results confirm that managerial ownership (MO) has a positive and strong impact upon firm performance (Q)/ (ROA) in the Shariah-compliant firms of Pakistan. The outcomes may provide a good understanding and help in making a better decision regarding investment on the ethical grounds. It proves that more concentrated managerial ownership produces the higher firm profits. It can be also inferred that the increased proportion of managerial ownership tends to align with the interests of owners and thus help to reduce the agency conflict in our sample of Shariah-compliant firms in Pakistan. Moreover, Size (LNTA) has a positive relationship with firm performance (Q)/ (ROA) viewing that the Shariah-compliant firms depend on retained earnings. It may be due to the restricted criterion on the leverage for Shariah-compliant firms by the board of Shariah compliance. Leverage (DAR) is negatively and significantly correlated with profitability and growth (GROW) is positively and significantly correlated with firm performance (Q). In the developing and Muslim world, this study may reserve a unique place due to its virgin attempt and highlight the ignored aspect in the body of literature. These findings are of great benefit to investment managers, and Shariah cautious and other ethical investors regarding investment and portfolio related decisions.

The Kingdome of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and its growth objective is to be a major player in the global economy and moving toward a knowledge-based economy. To achieve its objectives, the private sector in various fields in KSA needs to be in line with country's ambitious goal; Knowledge Management (KM) handling and readiness for the foreseen customer demand need to be in line with goals. This study presents a critical review to evaluate existing KM practice in the private sector in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to see the readiness of this sector to play an integral role of knowledge-based economy and support nation's growth strategy. The paper will examine current states in term of how knowledge management is practiced in the country. This paper addressed various aspects of knowledge management ranges from the need of implementing knowledge management systems to the added value by deploying such systems. In addition, the review was discuss if the private sector is heading in the right direction, and coherent with KSA strategic goal by examining a sample of four major firms in private sector. The outcome of the sample reflected that the private sector is harmonized with KSA objective.

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