Daily Times

Lahore: A book titled “Human Capital, Innovation, and Disruptive Digital Technology: A Multi-Dimensional Perspective” written by veteran international and national economists as well as management sciences academics was launched in Lahore on Thursday.

Minister for Higher Education Punjab Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz, Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir, Vice Chancellors of various universities and dignitaries from civil society were among those who graced the book launch ceremony held in a local hotel of Lahore.

The book has been authored by renowned economists and management sciences academics including the Vice Chancellor University of Sargodha Prof. Dr. Qaiser Abbas, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz of Beijing Institute of China and Prof. Dr. Shujaat Mubarak of Institute of Business Management Karachi.

The book discussed the role of human capital in the context of technological development, innovation, resilience, and ambidextrous behavior. The book also provided a thorough analysis of the role of human capital in industry, firm internationalization, and organizational ambidexterity while keeping contemporary business dynamics in mind. It also outlined strategies for firms to improve their human capital readiness, which forms the basis of this new economy.

Addressing the ceremony, Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz congratulated the authors on writing a valuable book for the students of economics and management sciences and stressed on business organizations to make full use of it. He was of the view that the book offered a diverse view of human capital and its multifaceted role and applications in an organization.

“Pakistan has very low capital and GDP as it relies heavily on traditional technology. But the world is changing along modern lines, and we need to introduce new ideas into our economy” said by the PHEC Chairman Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir. He went on to say that China has registered 0.6 million patents by 2021. He emphasized economists, especially students using modern technology and introducing innovative ideas to elevate the current annual income which is extremely low.

The author and the Vice Chancellor UoS, Prof. Dr. Qaiser Abbas informed the attendees that the book has been written by keeping in view the post COVID-19 economic challenges. He highlighted the changing role of human capital and social development that led to the necessity of a new paradigm of economic growth. He termed the book very useful for management officers, researchers, academicians and those interested in the dimensions and development of human capital.

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz, another author dedicated the book to those students and teachers who use new technology to bring new development and want to innovate to uplift economy of Pakistan. He discussed a chapter devoted to exploring the evolution of human capital and its various definitions and dimensions.

The ceremony was also addressed by Prof. Dr. Shujaat Mubarak, well-known media and civil society’s representatives.