This paper identifies the main impediments to investment and industrial productivity in Punjab, which have led to a decline in growth. This is done by analyzing the impediments and constraints to productivity and investment using the World Bank’s 2007 Investment Climate Assessment (ICA) data at the level of Punjab’s seven main industrial zones. This is followed by an analysis of a pilot survey of 100 firms conducted in the Lahore district. Almost 71 percent of the firms surveyed declared electricity to be the most important constraint and macroeconomic stability was ranked as the second-most important constraint. An inadequate workforce, access to raw materials, and corruption were ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

This article identifies constraints and barriers to growth for small firms in Pakistan, a survey of the existing literature and through in-depth interviews with a sub-sample of firms in two important SME sectors, that is electrical fans and sporting goods. Policy recommendations for the SME sector include addressing problems in contract enforcement (such through alternative dispute settlement mechanisms), promoting R & D through linkages with academia locally and research institutions globally, simplifying of the tax regime to encourage transparency, resolving the energy crisis and rationalize power tariffs, increasing the availability of credit to SMEs (allowing alternative forms of collateral). In addition, more detailed recommendations specific to the fan and sporting goods sectors are also offered.

In October 2013, Mahboob Ali Shah Manager Financial Services Planning Telenor Pakistan (TP) needed to make decisions on the future of Mobile Accounts Sales officers (MASOs). TP had two businesses, i.e., GSM (96 per cent revenue contribution in TP 2012 sales) and financial services offering (4 per cent revenue contribution in TP 2012 sales) under the brand name of EasyPaisa. TP launched EasyPaisa in 2009 with a view to reach out to the unbanked segment (60 million people). By 2012, EasyPaisa had a brand awareness of 80 per cent with the largest footprint of 36,000 EasyPaisa shops. Mobile accounts (MAs) were introduced in 2010 which could be operated only by Telenor sim and; hence, offered a great opportunity for TP to attract and retain customers for continual usage of its complete offerings. TP developed an elaborate go to market strategy (direct as well as indirect) to reach its customers effectively. Territory Sales Supervisors (TSS) has been the focal contact point between TP and their franchises since the launch of GSM services in 2005; however, as TP increased their offerings in the realm of financial services and offered diverse services such as MAs it became difficult for TSS to focus on MA and other financial services products whereas ironically MA contributed only (5 per cent) in KPI of TSS. At the same time, selling of MAs required different selling process as opposed to selling GSM services to franchisees and subsequently to retailers. Due to this change in the selling process, highly successful TSS had not been able to achieve sales targets for MA. In order to achieve corporate objectives for MA sales, Mahboob needed to make a choice from among different possible options for MASO’s expansion to achieve this year’s target of 350,000 MA, out of which until now he could achieve only 224,000.