GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON
INNOVATIONS IN BUSINESS
Opportunities and Challenges of Emerging Markets
February 22-23, 2016 Lahore, Pakistan
About The Global Conference on Innovations in Business
The Global Conference on Innovations in Business is an international conference that explores innovative
business practices from around the globe. This conference has been held at various universities in the United
Kingdom, including the University of London, City University, University of Greenwich, and the University
of East London. This conference is being held with the University of Central Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan.
Conference Theme: Opportunities and Challenges in Emerging Markets
The theme of this conference is on Opportunities and Challenges in Emerging Markets. Already countries like
the N11, MINTS and the BRICS are making major impact on business around the globe. Emerging economies
present numerous opportunities for business as these economies are growing rapidly. However, these
economies also pose numerous challenges. Therefore, this conference will explore and address these issues.
While the theme of the event focuses on emerging markets, papers focusing on other parts of the world are
also welcome.
Conference Sub-Themes
1. International Marketing & Business: This area will address international and global marketing issues.
The focus and emphasis will be on cross cultural marketing, marketing to the bottom of the pyramid,
branding and social media in developing economies, etc. Globalization and the spread of technology have
made doing business across international boundaries much easier. This has had an impact on business
strategies, the organization and the structures of businesses, as well as on strategic management as a whole.
2. Public Policy and Governance: Public policy and governance are of critical importance to the progress
of all nations, and this is especially true of those in the developing world. The conference aims to bring
forth contemporary issues faced by governments and business organizations in formulating, implementing
assessing and evaluation of good governance practices and how governments can come forward in
facilitating the process through effective and evidence based public policies. The conference will welcome
papers in the area of competition policy, industrial or sectoral policy, intellectual property rights policy,
corporate governance, research and development policy, and other related areas. Papers with developing
countries perspective shall be given preference.
3. Investing in People: Employees play a critical role in organizations. Up to 80 percent of an organization’s
costs are associated with employees. This has the effect of focusing managerial attention on the
effectiveness of the way people are managed. One of the important differences between human resources
and all other resources is the variation among human resources, but also individual as a human resource.
The conference will bring together leading academics, researchers and scholars. Topics of interest for
submission include, but are not limited to: Human Resource Management; best practices to manage Human
Capital; Knowledge management initiatives; strategic human resource management; human behavior in
organizations; human resource planning; and employee motivation.
4. Financial Challenges for Emerging Economies: The financial crisis in 2008 highlighted the challenges
associated with global financial integration and emphasized the importance of macro financial linkages
and challenged pre-crisis financial stability regimes. The conference aims to provide a thorough overview
of the evolving macroeconomic and financial framework, and the policy options that exist within it, in the
context of emerging markets. This conference also reviews the unique risks facing emerging markets and
proposes the policy toolkit available to address these risks. In addition, this conference also explores the
need for coordination between monetary policies and macro prudential regulation, with an eye on the
challenges faced by emerging economies as they cope with this coordination in the current global
economic climate.
5. The Impact of Technology in the Workplace Organizations have made significant changes in their daily
work routines as a result of new and advanced Information Technology (IT). IT makes it possible for
knowledge workers to work from virtual offices and communicate with businesses and individuals from
anywhere and at any time across the globe. Flexible work schedules are introduced by companies because
so many duties and responsibilities can be accomplished by using IT tools. This year’s conference subtheme provides an opportunity for IT/IS researchers – including academics and practitioner researchers –
to discuss the impact of IT in the workplace, and on other practice contexts. Submissions are encouraged
that present theoretical or applied research with results that demonstrate one or more of the following
themes: The role of IT in achieving operational excellence, IT misuse at the workplace, methods for
assessing social, technical, ethical and other impacts of it/is, theoretical perspectives on unintended
consequences and intervention approaches, social media and the new workplace, mobile technology and
emerging work practices, and contemporary issues related to IT/IS.
6. Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Leadership: Innovation is seen as a strong factor for the promotion
of economic development through entrepreneurial initiatives. Sectoral evidences show that innovation
helps corporations to stronghold their competitive market positions and eventually becoming a market
leader. The conference welcomes contemporary evidence based research and case studies related to the
area.
Keynote Speakers
1. Professor Stephen Osborne, University of Edinburgh. Professor Osborne is the Chair of Public
Management and Deputy Dean of the Business School. Roles and responsibilities Deputy Dean of the
Business School, Director of the Centre for Service Excellence in the School, and Co-Director of the EU
FP7 Programme 'Learning from Innovation in Public Sector Environments' (LIPSE). Background:
Fourteen years as an officer and manager in local government prior to academic career, which began in
1990. Research interests: Partnership, Public Management Reform, Third Sector, Services Management,
Public Policy, Innovation and Change Group membership: Executive Team, School Office, Accounts
and Facilities and Strategy. Stephen is supervising 5 PhD students.
2. Professor Rajneesh Narula is the John H. Dunning Chair of International Business Regulation at the
Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK. His research and consulting have focused on the role
of multinational firms in development, innovation and industrial policy, R&D alliances and outsourcing.
He has published over a 100 articles and chapters in books on these themes. He is currently Editor-inChief of Multinational Business Review. He holds honorary appointments at UNU-MERIT, Norwegian
School of Business and Oxford University. He regularly acts as a consultant and advisor to the European
Commission, UNIDO, UNCTAD and the OECD, and a variety of other international organisations. Prof.
Narula was Editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Development Research from 2009-2013. He
obtained his BEng (Electrical Engineering, with Honors) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Nigeria,
his MBA is from Rutgers University Graduate School of Management, and his Doctorate is in
Management from Rutgers University, USA. He is the author or editor of nine books, including
Globalization and Technology (Polity Press), Multinationals and Industrial Competitiveness (with John
Dunning, Edward Elgar), Understanding FDI-assisted Economic Development (with Sanjaya Lall,
Routledge), Multinationals on the Periphery (with Gabriel Benito, Palgrave).
3. Naubahar Sharif is an Associate Professor in the Division of Social Science at the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology (HKUST). With a Ph.D. from Cornell University in ‘Science and Technology
Studies’ (2005), he subsequently completed the Executive Education Program in Innovation and Economic
Development at Harvard University in 2011. He has published in leading innovation-studies-related
academic journals, including ‘Research Policy’, ‘Science, Technology and Human Values’, and ‘Science
and Public Policy’.Naubahar was part of a six-member HKUST team that consulted for the Innovation and
Technology Commission (ITC) in HK from 2006 to 2010 on a project to develop indicators for measuring
innovative activity in Hong Kong. In terms of teaching, Naubahar is a winner of the School of Humanities
and Social Sciences ‘Best Teacher Award’ (2008), and has been a shortlisted candidate for the universitywide Michael Gale Award for Distinguished Teaching (2014 and 2015). At HKUST, Naubahar has
voluntarily developed new courses at both the UG and PG levels, and in his capacity as UG and Curriculum
Chair, he regularly mentors junior and visiting faculty members in the Division of Social Science and
speaks to the broader HKUST community on teaching-related issues.
4. Sultan Chowdhury is a faculty member at the University of Hull, UK. Mr. Chowdhury has earned a
Master of Commerce in General Management, from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh and an MA,
in Marketing Practice, University of Bradford, United Kingdom.
Types of Papers
The conference welcomes papers from academics, researchers as well as practitioners. Therefore the following
types of papers would be welcome:
A. Research Papers: These include academic research papers. We welcome papers that follow all types of
research methodologies including qualitative and quantitative.
B. Doctoral Research: Doctoral students will have an opportunity to share their research and get feedback.
Doctoral research at all stages will be considered for the conference in the doctoral event.
C. Industry Case Studies: Industry professionals are welcome to share their knowledge in the form of case
studies.
Journal Publications
Select papers from the conference will be considered for publication in international journals. The sponsoring
journals for this conference are: International Journal of Online Marketing, Journal of Islamic Marketing, and
the International Journal of Innovations in Business. All of the papers will be published in the conference
proceedings, which has an ISSN number from the British Library.
Location
The conference is being organized by the University of Central Punjab in Lahore. Lahore is the cultural capital
of South Asia. Lahore is the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab, the second largest metropolitan
area in the country and an important historical centre in South Asia. With a rich history dating back over a
millennium, Lahore is a main cultural centre of the Punjab region and Pakistan. One of the most densely
populated cities in the world, Lahore remains an economic, political, transportation, entertainment, and
educational hub. It is referred to as the "Mughal City of Gardens” due to the historic presence of gardens in
and around the city dating back to the Mughal period. Lahore is known for its historical sites, amazing food,
and rich culture.
The conference will be held partially at the UCP campus and partially at the Pearl Continental Hotel.
About the University of Central Punjab
The University of Central Punjab (UCP) is one of the leading universities in Pakistan. The business school is
ranked among the top 10 in the country, and the university as a whole has one of the highest rankings for
research. UCP is a member of the Punjab Group of Colleges, which has over 250,000 students. UCP has a
modern campus with great facilities for the 8,000+ students and staff.
Conference Committee
Dr. Muhammad Zafarullah (ProRector of UCP) – Chairperson
Dr. Zafar Iqbal Jadoon (Dean UCP Business School) – Convener
Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Dogar (Director Research of UCP) – Conference Secretary
Dr. Ammar Rashid – Member
Dr. Nasir Malik – Member
Dr. Bilal Mirza – Member
Dr. Osman Khan – Member
Key Dates
Abstract Submission:
Notification of Abstract Decision:
Paper Submission:
Early Bird Registration (20% Discount):
Last Date for Registration:
Conference Dates:
October 30, 2015
November 15, 2015
December 31, 2015
November 30, 2015
January 29, 2016
February 22-23, 2016
Conference Registration Fee:
International Participant:
National Participant:
Pakistani Students:
US$200
10,000 (Pak Rupees)
5,000 (Pak Rupees)
Note: The registration fee will cover conference material, tea and lunch. Participants are advised
to make their own traveling, boarding and lodging arrangements and will bear these expenses.
Contact Us:
For conference related queries, please contact:
Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Dogar – Conference Secretary (nadeem.dogar@ucp.edu.pk)
Dr. Bilal Mirza – Conference Coordinator (bilal.mirza@ucp.edu.pk)
Dr. Osman Khan – International Research Coordinator (o.khan@cibmp.org)