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Branding activities provide space to create internal culture, processes and a kind of organizational system which allows employees to use their abilities to their maximum. Internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of an organization increase employee commitment, which ultimately enhances employee retention. There is a need to explore internal branding in relation to internal CSR for the sake of managing employee retention. Therefore, the study empirically examines the underlying associations among internal branding, employee retention and internal CSR. The data are collected from higher education institutions operating in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The sample size was 377 faculties belonging to both private and public sector higher education institutions. The analysis is based on variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that the internal branding practices have a significant impact on employee’s intention to stay within the organization, and intrasample analysis suggests few comprehensible variations with respect to private and public academic institutions. The research article also provides insights to faculty, academic entrepreneurs and marketers, especially those belonging to developing countries and facing issues of branding and employee retention.

The empirical study was undertaken to explore the determinants of non-performing loans (NPLs) of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector held by the commercial banks. Stratified sampling technique was used to collect primary data through well-structured survey questionnaire from credit analysts / bankers of 42 branches of 9 commercial banks, operating in the district of Lahore (Pakistan), for 2014-2015. Selective descriptive analysis and Pearson chi-square technique were used to illustrate and evaluate the significance of different variables affecting NPLs. Branch age, duration of the loan, and credit policy were found to be significant determinants of NPLs. The study proposes that bank-specific and SME-specific microeconomic variables directly influence NPLs, while macroeconomic factors act as intermediary variables. The results elaborate various origins of NPLs and suggest that they are primarily instigated by the loan sanctioning procedure of the financial institution. The paper also underlines the risk management practices adopted by the bank at branch level to averse the risk of loan default. Empirical investigation of bank-specific microeconomic factors of NPLs with respect to Pakistan’s economy is the novelty of the study. Broader strategic policy implications are provided for credit analysts and entrepreneurs.

The aim of this paper was to outline the factors that provoke the knowledge sharing intents of employees and contribute toward knowledge sharing processes that result in a better rate of innovation implementation by the organizations. This research follows a holistic approach to study ‘Knowledge Sharing’. Referring to the holistic approach, this study examined the relationship between knowledge sharing enablers, processes, and outcomes. Organizational level factors (Top Management Support, Organizational Rewards) and technology linked factors (Information and Communication Technology use) were studied to show their relationship to knowledge sharing processes (knowledge donating, knowledge collecting) and how knowledge sharing processes relate to innovation efficiency in organizations in Pakistan. Data were collected from employees of Lahore based organizations irrespective of their area of functioning and level of hierarchy in the organization. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypotheses using AMOS 20. The findings of the study indicate that top management support is very important in determining the knowledge sharing behavior of employees. However, organizational rewards and ICT use does not support employees in knowledge sharing activities. Finally, knowledge sharing processes are strongly related to organization innovation efficiency. This study provides guidelines to managers and organizations for establishing a knowledge sharing culture for innovative performance in the long run.