Department of Management Science
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Item Linking Team Communication to Agile Software Development Project Success: Mediating Role of Team Adaptability and Moderating Effect of Shared Goals(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Hadia Ahsan; CIIT/SP23-RPM-006/LHR; Dr. Imran Shafique; LHR TP 10111In order to accomplish the requirements of Agile software development, an environment characterized as being very flexible is required to be able to collaborate with team members effectively and to align the needs of all team members with the goals of the project. Although Agile methodologies have been adopted by many companies globally, there is little evidence of studies that investigate the impact of individual factors at the level of a team on the outcomes of an Agile project; especially within countries in the developing world. This study utilizes the Input–Process–Output (IPO) model to assess the relationship between the communication of a team and the success of the projects of an Agile software development process, in addition to assessing the mediating role of team adaptability and the moderating effects of shared goals. A Quantitative Research Design was used to collect the data from Professionals in Pakistan who work on Agile Software Development Teams, such as Project Managers, Scrum Masters, and Software Developers. Data collection occurred via a Structured Questionnaire. A PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model) was performed via the SmartPLS program to evaluate the direct, mediating and moderating relationships of the study variables. Results indicate that team communication among team members positively affects the success of Agile Software Development Projects. Results also indicate that Team Adaptability partially mediated the relationship between Team Communication and Agile Software Development Project Success. Therefore, team communication will increase Agile Software Development Project Success through enabling teams to adapt to the changes in project requirements. Also results indicate that Shared Goals significantly moderated the relationship between Team Communication and Agile Software Development Project Success. Thus, Higher Goal Alignment will strengthen Team Effectiveness and therefore produce better Agile Project Outcomes. Therefore, this study extends the use of the IPO model in Agile Project Management Literature through the inclusion of Communication, Adaptability, and Shared Goals. Additionally, the findings of this study offer valuable information to Project Managers and Organizations on the best ways to implement communication practices, encourage team adaptability, and establish shared goals to improve the success of Agile Software Development Projects.Item Employee’s Creative Self-Efficacy and Creative Performance at Projects: The Mediating Role of Innovative Work Behaviors and the Moderating Role of Organizational Support(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Noor E Iman; CIIT/FA23-RPM-005/LHR; Dr. Syed Muhammad Irfan; LHR TP 10112In present VUCA software industry, agile methodology is seen as an important and efficient methodology for delivering successful projects with innovative outcomes. The success of agile projects depends on multiple factors. It majorly depends on processes employed but it also depends on employees’ personal and organizational resources. Our research is rooted in Job Demands–Resources theory and it investigates how employees’ Creative Self-Efficacy (CSE) transforms into Innovative Work Behavior (IWB). CSE is described as employees’ creative confidence and IWB involves the process from idea generation to implementation. Further, the study investigates how IWB mediates the link among CSE and creative performance at projects and to what degree does Perceived Organizational Support (POS) moderates the relationship between CSE and IWB. For analysis, a quantitative survey design will be adopted, data will be collected in two phases to investigate proposed framework. The target population for the survey will be employees working at agile projects in software houses based in Lahore, Pakistan. The findings aim to show how employees’ personal and contextual resources work together to foster IWB leading to creative performance in agile projects. The findings will also offer practical insights for software houses looking forward to increase employees’ creativity and performance.Item Fostering Financial Inclusion through Islamic Microfinance: (A Case Study of Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance in Pakistan)(2025) Sana Maqbool; CIIT/SP24-RBA-013/LHR; Imran-ur-Rehman, Assistant Professor, 39; LHR TP 10092This study focuses on how Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM) has facilitated financial inclusion especially amongst the low-income, rural, and marginalized groups in Pakistan, who in most cases, do not have access to conventional banking systems. Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM) uses a Shariah compliant, no interest lending model (Qarz-e-Hasan), and uses a community-based model, where financial services and social welfare work together to reduce poverty, facilitate entrepreneurship, and strengthen households. The quantitative case study research design is used, and the secondary information sources include annual report and financial statements of Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM) between 2018 and 2025. The main areas of performance such as loan disbursement patterns, distribution of their sectors, women borrowers, recovery rates and financial ratios were evaluated to know how the financial institution like Akhuwat operated and creating it’s in financial inclusion. The results show that the number of loans decreased with time, but the sums of loans that have been disbursed have grown, and the loans are of bigger sizes with high impacts, especially those in the housing sector. Although Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM) experienced certain operational difficulties, it continued to have an exceptionally high recovery rates (more than 99%), which proved that its trust-based and socially cohesive model of lending works. There is also sign of financial liquidities and increase in operational costs over time but financial sustainability has been high with better capitalization and decrease in debt dependency. The analysis of the social capital which includes trust, networks, reciprocity and community norms is also significant to the realization of ethical and sustainable financial inclusion. In general, the practice of Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM) shows that Islamic Microfinance can be a replicated and sustainable model of financial inclusion as a way of filling the gaps left by the conventional finance, empowering the marginalized population, and promoting inclusive economic growth in Pakistan and other such contexts globally.Item The Role of Marketing in Elevating Bandana’s Customer Engagement(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Sheikh Umair Ali; FA23-RBA-024; Dr. Syed Nauman Ahmad Assistant Professor; LHR TP 10087Style Textile (Pvt.) Limited as a leading textile manufacturer in Pakistan, distinguished by its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and collaborative business relationships with global apparel companies such as Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Levi's, and Tom Tailor. The firm has established a strong reputation in the global textile industry, boasting vertically integrated supply chain and sophisticated manufacturing processes. However, in spite of its robust operational setup, Style Textile's in-house fashion accessory brand, Bandana, is facing extreme marketing challenges that undermine its market share and long-term survival. The Bandana brand is facing issues related to brand awareness in a competitive fashion accessories market. This lack of awareness has undermined the firm's ability to appeal to its target market, with the sales declining progressively. The reduction in revenue impacts not only financial performance but also production planning, inventory control, and broader supply chain operations—leading to inefficiencies firm-wide. Recent industry research shows that the Style textile business experienced a 15% decline in sales in 2024 due to inflationary pressures, changes in consumer preferences, and supply chain disruptions. The decline reflects the imperative need for Bandana to pursue strategic repositioning through focused marketing initiatives. To overcome these challenges, internal stakeholders were interviewed through semi-structured interviews to establish key issues and to gather actionable information. The primary hurdles include low brand visibility, poor customer targeting, poor digital marketing presence, and poor brand differentiation. This project lays out specific recommendations to revive the Bandana brand. Some of these recommendations include: the development of an integrated digital marketing plan; the reinforcement of brand identity and narrative; the enhancement of customer segmentation and targeting; the utilization of social media and influencer marketing; and the implementation of promotional campaigns to drive awareness and sales. Through the focus on marketing innovation and strategic brand creation, Bandana can regain customer interest, grow market share, and drive sustainable growth. In today's rapidly shifting consumer landscape, this welcoming of marketing-driven strategies is crucial to build enduring success—not just for Bandana, but for Style Textile as a unified brand.Item Impact of ESG on Firm’s Financial Performance: Evidence from Pakistan Oil and Gas Exploration(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Fatima Saleem; CIIT/SP24-RBA-003/LHR; Dr. Samya Tahir Lecturer; LHR TP 10088The article under research will explore the influence of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices on financial performance of oil and gas exploration companies in Pakistan, which is highly sensitive industry in terms of environmental conditions and regulations. Although there is increasing evidence in the rest of the world that ESG increases profitability and risk mitigates, there is a dearth of empirical studies in the case of Pakistan. To fill this gap, four large PSX-traded exploration firms Mari Petroleum, OGDCL, POL, and PPL were analyzed between 2022 and 2024. The analysis used quantitative descriptive correlation design and the only secondary data sources included in the analysis were annual reports, sustainability disclosures, governance statements, and 2023 ESG Disclosure Guidelines of SECP. The measurement of ESG performance was through a standardized scoring rubric (1-5) measured on the basis of environmental, social and governance indicators whereas financial performance was determined by Earnings Per Share (EPS), Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Net Profit Margin (NPM). The SPSS was used to develop 12 observations (4 companies train x 3 years) and descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression models and assumptions testing were applied. Findings demonstrated significant improvement of the ESG disclosures in the firms in 2024 but there was weak positive but statistically insignificant relationship between ESG and all the four financial indicators and all the hypotheses were rejected. Such results indicate that the benefits of ESG in the exploration industry in Pakistan might not be evident in the short run as financial performance is largely affected by external circumstances, i.e. oil prices in the world economy, costs of doing business and changes in regulations. It is concluded that despite the rise of ESG usage and its importance in the long-term sustainability, legitimacy, and trust by stakeholders, the quantitative effect of ESG remains not prominent in the three-year horizon, which requires a deeper implementation of ESG, better quality of reporting, and more extended assessment of its effects in the future studies.Item A Literature Driven Analysis of Barriers and Enablers of Digital Adoption in Pakistani SMEs(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Adeela Riaz; SP24-RBA-019; Dr. Syed Nauman Ahmad; LHR TP 10096Since this is a literature-based qualitative study, this paper examines the drivers of digital adoption among Pakistani SMEs. The research creates gaps because the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Technology Organization Environment (TOE), and Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) have been incorporated into the study. It provides a holistic explanation of the issues of digital adoption. The published literature on the topic (2021-2025) has been reviewed thematically to disclose that there are three groups of major determinants: • Behavioral factors (TAM): The ones that have a significant impact on the intentions to adopt are the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived managerial awareness. • Organizational/technological preparedness (TOE): low digital skills, inadequate infrastructure, and finances are barriers to the adoption. • Environmental/resource/pressures (RDT): environmental pressures on the competitor, customer expectations, government support, and dependence on external vendors are factors that impact the adoption decision. • This has been mentioned as one of the significant gaps where there are no Pakistani studies that incorporate TAM, TOE, and RDT, and thus, a requirement to incorporate the structures of these in the forthcoming research. The project suggests capacity-building initiatives, improved organizational planning, and policy support to enhance SME digital preparedness. Overall, the study provides a systematic context for research on SME transformation in the digital age and paves the way for future phases of empirical research.Item Predictive Analytics for Reverse Logistics: Forecasting Return Volumes in E-Commerce(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Malaika Fareed; CIIT/FA24-RBA-032/LHR; Dr. Syed M Irfan; LHR TP 10107The returns increase the logistics, warehousing, and customer service strain besides increasing the operating costs. It explores the potential of prediction analytics to improve the efficiency of reverse logistics, based on the case Study of Call Courier, in the Pakistani e-commerce industry. The project aims at knowing and predicting the trends of the product returns in order to aid in enhanced operation planning, cost control and customer satisfaction. First Chapter indicates high rate of expansion of the e-commerce and the ensuing problems to deal with products returns. The role of the reverse logistics, which deals with the processing of the returned goods, is now the very important part of the supply chain management because the returns rates directly influence the profitability and the use of resources. The issue this research will seek to solve is the absence of proper forecasting models that could forecast product returns and their business impacts on the logistics companies such as Call Courier. Quantitative research methodology is adopted, which is based on a ten-year synthetic dataset of the shipment operations of Call Courier. The variables in the data were the shipment identifiers, geographic characteristics, cash-on-delivery (COD) behavior, cost measures, and the return flags. The dataset was subjected to data preprocessing and feature engineering to clean, standardize the dataset and add time-based and distance-based features. The descriptive analytics indicated that the rates of returns were more in non-metro and remote locations, which was attributed primarily to failures in delivering and COD non-collection but in metro regions, there was higher success in delivery.Item The Role of Marketing in Elevating bandana's Customer Engagement: Enhancing Retail Efficiency in Pakistan (Strategies for Merchandise Planning & Loss prevention at Metro Cash and carry).(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) MUHAMMAD HAMZA KHAN; CIIT/FA24-RBA-040/LHR; Dr. Syed Nauman Ahmad Assistant Professor; LHR TP 10089The retail store market in Pakistan is a dynamic and rapidly evolving sector, playing a crucial role in the country's economic landscape. Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable shift in consumer behaviour, driven by factors such as urbanization, increasing disposable income, and changing lifestyles. As a result, the retail sector has witnessed significant growth and transformation. One of the notable trends in the Pakistani retail market is the increasing prominence of modern retail formats. Traditional markets and small, independent stores still hold their ground, but the rise of supermarkets, hypermarkets, and shopping malls is reshaping the way people shop. These modern formats provide consumers with a one-stop shopping experience, offering a wide range of products under a single roof. This trend is particularly evident in urban centres, where consumers appreciate the convenience and variety offered by these larger establishments. E-commerce has also emerged as a powerful force in the Pakistani retail landscape. With the increasing penetration of the internet and growing digital literacy, consumers are turning to online platforms for their shopping needs. This shift in consumer behaviour has prompted traditional retailers to adopt Omni channel strategies, integrating both physical stores and online platforms to enhance the overall shopping experience. The government's efforts to promote digitalization and financial inclusion have further fuelled the growth of e-commerce in the country.Item Perceived Inflation and Brand Switching Intention: Examining the Mediating Role of Brand Trust in Pakistan’s Branded Clothing Market(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Muhammad Arham; SP24-RBA-022; Dr. Tahira Umair; LHR TP 10097This study examines the impact of perceived inflation in the consumer’s switching brand intention in the branded clothing market of Pakistan and investigates that weather brand trust mediates the relation between perceived inflation and switching brand intention. Quantitative method is used in this study and data was collected cross sectionally from individuals throw structured questionnaire. 191 responses collected from consumers of branded clothing in Pakistan. For testing the sample, we use SPSS (Process Macro v4.3) and run some analysis like reliability, correlation, regression and mediation. This sample is consisted from adult consumers who purchases branded cloths regularly and it is selected through snowball sampling. The results of this study reveals that there is a strong and statistically significant direct effect of perceived inflation on switching brand intention. However, brand trust does not significantly mediate the relationship, as the indirect effect was statistically insignificant. So, the finding suggests that in the inflationary periods the factors like brand trust does not work accordingly.Item Bridging the Readiness Gap through Supply Chain Innovation: Evaluating and Enhancing NGO Educational Networks in Pakistan’s Urban Man-Machine Ecosystem(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) MUBBASHAR ALI; CIIT/SP24-RBA-031/LHR; Dr. Rana Nadir Idrees; LHR TP 10099This study explore the approaches of the best education-based NGOs in Pakistan to optimize the supply chain system, which will enable the young generation to become active citizens of a man-machine socio-economic society emerging. Since more than 60 percent of the Pakistani population is composed of people of an age below 30 years, the delivery of digital resources, contemporary curriculum, education of teachers and technological facilities on education networks should be efficient. The study thoroughly assesses the supply chain practices of NGOs based on education in the Pakistani cities key to a qualitative structure, which is designed on the basis of in-depth interviews of 25 employees and through the examination of strategic plans, curriculum guidelines, and internet-based learning programs. It identified five areas of focus namely, Digital Readiness (DR), Conceptual Readiness (CR), Curriculum Innovation (CI), Youth Empowerment (YE), and NGO-Technology Integration (NTI). The results state the severe gap between rural and urban infrastructure, fragmented activities within NGOs, and ineffectiveness of the provision and combination of online education services. The research advocates the establishment of an integrated, NGO-based digital education supply chain system, solidified collaboration between the state and non-state in support of the technological inclusion, and the launching of built-to-scale innovation pre-planned labs that could benefit the young generation. The purpose of these recommendations is to improve the efficiency of the targeted population education sector NGO activities and to facilitate closure of the digital and conceptual preparedness-related gap taking place among young generation in Pakistan because of a fast socio-economic evolution.