The current business environment is confronted with a variety of challenges especially on account of global crisis, neck bending competition etc. These challenges offer equal opportunities to the business academics and business practitioners alike to delve deep into several causal factors in order to come forward with valued contributions for the resolution. It is in this context that the Business and Financial Studies Deptt. Kashmir University organizes 3 –Day National Level Conference 21 – 23 sept, 2012.
        The theme of the conference is “Issue in Business, Management and Finance (CIBMF)”. The conference is spread over eleven technical sessions  relating to different business areas like  banking, tourism, organization behavior ,business ethics and corporate governance, FDI, international trade and global economy; micro finance and financial inclusion; entrepreneurship; HRM; accounting and finance; marketing .
      The conference has received around 180 full length research papers including 70 from eminent academics from outside the state. The participation maintains a right academic-industry balance. The alumni of the department serving different segments of society within and outside the state are specially invited to enrich the deliberations.
           The schedule of activities in the technical sessions has already been uploaded on the DBFS website so that paper presenters come fully prepared as regards their research findings enabling to generate sufficient debate and discussion in the technical sessions.
                           The banking sector offers strategic opportunities towards achieving comparative advantage. Technology plays an added role to manage business risk, improve productivity and enhance profitability.  The conference offers solutions to the global financial recession in the Islamic perspective as the technical session on Banking is comfortably divided into two segments viz, Islamic oriented contributions and other conventional themes and case studies.
       The significance of business ethics and corporate governance in contemporary times can hardly be afforded to ignore. The business scams and corporate frauds have put added responsibility on boards. Through various board committees’ accountability has been fixed as the objective is to ensure free and fair management of corporate affairs in order to protect the interests of all stakeholders. The session on this sub- theme will be abuzz as the academic input is quite rich in content.
          The conference offers sufficient space for deliberating upon current issues in accounting and finance. Accounting has made a significant shift from rule based to principle based mechanism. Forensic accounting, creative accounting, critical accounting, sustainability accounting, carbon credit accounting and so on are the subjects of interest for academic accountants. Similarly financial experts are now more interested in behavioral finance, portfolio management, stakeholder value creation and so forth. Thus it is expected that this session will be highly volatile as the academics, practioners and professionals debate a variety of issues in the interest of common investors, industry and entrepreneurs.
             The concept of micro finance and financial inclusion has taken a practical shape especially in the countries where the banks have now started their functions in un banking geographical areas. All kudos to Prof Mohmmad Younis and Gramin Bank of Bengladesh. Here also in our state the banks have widened their canvass of operations to include all those who were excluded until now for one or the other reason. The business session provides a good number of empirical studies to share the findings based on first hand data.
               The small and micro enterprises play a very important role in the economic development of a country. Entrepreneurship development has gained added significance as the entrepreneurs are primarily creative, innovative and they are not shy of risk. They exhibit courage to be risk oriented rather than risk averse. All the branches of entrepreneurship are emerging now very fast. Services of people are required in government sector, public or private sector, or in social sector. But educated youth opting for entrepreneurship are quite independent to run their ventures. This business session has a special essence keeping in view the concrete resolution of critical issues to ensure hassle free business operations of SMEs in reality.
          The difference between business and other organizations is quite apparent. In business organizations people mostly perform towards achieving group goals. Based on their drive, zest and enthusiasm it can be assessed that they are self motivated and marching towards achieving goals to realize vision. It is 80:20 performance syndrome. Conversely, in other organizations people with some exceptions work for attaining their individual welfare. They generally are un-moved and are made to perform. The aforesaid syndrome operates in reversal order here. Perhaps it is in this context that the conference has two technical sessions devoted to organizational behavior because of overwhelming response of paper subscribers.
              Lastly all the paper writers deserve appreciation because of the fact that they spared some time to think on a particular issue. They carved a niche by way of differentiation. The organizers equally deserve all appreciation for the sincere efforts they have put in.

DR Nazir Ahmad Gilkar is principal of SP College & can be mailed @gilkarna@rediffmail.com

Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
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