LAHORE - A ceremony to recognise the active participation of some 90 students from countries 15 highly reputed educational institutions in successfully conducting the CSFs Executive Opinion Survey in Pakistan was held at a local hotel on Saturday. The educational institutions include the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), Kinnaird College, Lahore, Punjab University and Government College Lahore University. The speakers at the ceremony appreciated the students performance to conduct this study and said the survey would reflect the voice of the business community in the coming Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010 which is due in Oct. They said the 2009-2010 survey started with a series of workshops conducted by CFS in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi in February 2009 to educate students and share information on the World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness Report which presents a countrys ranking. Daud Sharif, Chief Operating Officer CSF, addressing the ceremony said that as part of capacity building, CSF engaged students from all over Pakistan to help conduct the survey as volunteers. He said the Executive Opinion Survey, The Voice of the Business Community is a major component of The Global Competitiveness Report and provided the key ingredient that turns the report into a representative annual measure of a nations economic environment and its ability to achieve sustained growth. The survey gathers valuable information on a broad range of variables for which hard data sources are scare or nonexistent, he added. He said that high-level business executives operating in Pakistan was surveyed to capture their opinion on the business environment in which they operate. He told the audience that the survey was facilitated and assisted by Federation of Pakistani Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), the Lahore Chambers of Commerce, Karachi Chambers of Commerce, Faisalabad Chambers of Commerce and the Pakistan Business Council. Rehmatullah Javed, Chairman of the Competitiveness Committee of the FPCCI in his address noted: It is an excellent opportunity for students to get an insight into the real business world and how chief executive officers function and give direction to their businesses. Mian Amer Mehmood, District Nazim who was the chief guest of the ceremony appreciated the efforts of CSF for striving for the betterment of the countrys economy. It is to be noted that the Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is the country partner institute of WEF in Pakistan. CSF was launched in 2006 to reposition Pakistans economy on a more competitive global footing. The Global Competitiveness Report has been the World Economic Forums flagship publication since 1979 and is widely recognized as the worlds leading cross-country comparator of factors affecting economics competitiveness and growth. Its coverage has expanded each year, now extending to 134 countries. A sample of company executives from a cross the private sector were asked to complete this important. Each executive sampled asked to complete the survey to insure that Pakistan has accurate data in the Global Competiveness Report. The World Economic Forum every year issues its Global Competitiveness Report in Oct, which is the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of national economies, used by governments, academics and business leaders. The World Economic Forums rankings give a holistic view of the economies in comparison with each other.