ISLAMABAD (APP) - The International Islamic University (IIU) on Saturday organized one-day research conference titled "Applied Business Research Conference: Transforming Information into Knowledge". Organized by the Research and Development Forum of the Graduate School of Management, IIU, the conference would highlight the academic research carried out at universities in Pakistan and the various disciplines related to business management, said a statement issued here today. Former Rector IIU, Dr. Manzoor Ahmad in the opening session said that modern challenges should be met without a research culture. He discussed the global financial crisis and discussed the importance of morality in the field of business on account of the global financial crisis. The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Ijaz Shafi Gilani, Chairman of Gallup Survey Pakistan. He said that great scholars and researchers do not necessarily have the highest degrees but their research speaks for itself. The organizing team included Dr. Shahbaz S. Gill, Conference Chair, Dr. Javed Iqbal, Conference Co-chair, Dr. Farooq Hussain, Program Chair, Ms. Asma Asrar Qureshi, Conference Coordinator, Imran M. Qureshi, Proceedings Editor and Shahid Nawaz Khan Conference Secretary, all from the Graduate School of Management at International Islamic University Islamabad. Six focused sessions were also held which covered the areas of marketing, finance, human resources and IT/MIS. One hundred and thirty eight papers were received and from these 98 were selected for presentation. These papers were submitted by four countries Pakistan, India, Sri-lanka and Saudia Arabia. In Pakistan 40 institutions of higher learning were represented from almost all parts of the country. The closing session was chaired by the President IIU, Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui who appreciated the efforts of the organizing team for providing an opportunity to discuss these topics.