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VISION 2030: FINAL REPORT
No full textIn the rapidly evolving economic landscape of Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030 stands as a pivotal national initiative designed to transform the Kingdom into a diversified, innovation-driven economy. This Experiential Learning Project (ELP), undertaken as part of the academic requirements at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, in close collaboration with Hilal Invest, delves into the strategic investment prospects presented by four major Saudi companies—Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group (HMG), United Electronics Company (eXtra), Leejam Sports Company, and Bahri (The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia).
The main objective of this ELP was to analyze and interpret how these companies are not only navigating but actively capitalizing on the multifaceted reforms embedded within Vision 2030. Employing a combination of top-down macroeconomic review, granular bottom-up equity research, and established valuation methodologies, we rigorously assessed each company\u27s alignment with Vision 2030, financial fundamentals, sectoral competitiveness, and growth potential.
Our research approach combined primary and secondary data analysis, comprehensive review of public filings, financial models, peer benchmarking, and, where feasible, informal stakeholder input. Challenges included data accessibility and adjusting for the unique economic dynamics of Saudi Arabia\u27s rapidly modernizing market. Throughout, strict ethical protocols were followed in data handling and analysis.
The economy of Saudi Arabia is transforming due to Vision 2030 and creating new competitive pressures and structural opportunities in consumer electronics, healthcare, wellness, and logistics.Down the line of a concentrated omnichannel approach, eXtra leads the clientele shift toward online purchasing and retailing financing. Despite its rapid expansion, which has strained its yields and margins, Leejam Sports can leverage on the increased need of fitness and health awareness. Being the logistics platform of the Kingdom, Bahri plays an essential role in the modernization of the trade, but it remains exposed to the global shipping trends.
Investors as well as governments can learn a great deal with regard to these findings. Vision 2030 is more than a strategy and is transforming the way industries are developing, competing, and attracting investment. What Hilal Invest and similar organizations can do is to be selective and flexible and still follow the long-term trends in the sector. Nevertheless, it is vital to be sensitive about dynamic policies, execution risks, and overall economic conditions. What is needed in an evolving Saudi economy is not just growth but prudent and accountable investing to ensure that the future of the economy is sound. But this ELP has been more than an academic exercise, this has been a learning experience by doing that honed our analysis, expanded our strategic thinking and readied us to face the challenges of the business world. It also taught us that there is more than just numbers and we need to look at the bigger scope of things and admire the complexity of making investment decisions in an evolving economy
Decoding the Casting Crème Gloss Consumer Journey
No full textThis Experiential Learning Project (ELP) investigates the behavioral and cultural barriers to first-time adoption of L’Oréal Paris Casting Crème Gloss (CCG) among Pakistani university students. The primary objective was to examine why, despite high awareness of hair coloring, actual product usage, especially for first-time users, remains low. Specifically, the project aimed to identify psychological, social, and cultural factors influencing trial intent, and to translate these insights into actionable marketing recommendations for L’Oréal Paris’s semi-permanent, ammonia-free hair color product.
To achieve these goals, a mixed-method research approach was adopted. Quantitatively, a structured survey was administered to 105 university students across Karachi, Islamabad, and other major urban centers. The data collected was analyzed through regression modeling to identify statistically significant predictors of trial intent. Respondents were scored across three core behavioral dimensions: awareness, consideration, and trial readiness. Qualitatively, key insights from ten focus group transcripts were incorporated to better contextualize cultural barriers such as parental disapproval, fear of hair damage, and misinformation around product usage.
The findings revealed that awareness was the most significant predictor of trial intent, followed by consideration (trust in brand, belief in product safety), while trial readiness (tutorial access, price sensitivity) was a weaker yet relevant enabler. Furthermore, the survey highlighted that 68% of participants had never colored their hair, and 79% preferred salons over at-home kits, signaling a strong need for education-led marketing. Among those who had tried CCG, the satisfaction rate was high, with ease of use, brand trust, and product gentleness ranking as top-valued features.
Based on these insights, the project recommends a three-pronged marketing strategy focused on: (1) increasing awareness through peer-led influencer content and campus activations, (2) strengthening consideration through product education and trust-building testimonials, and (3) enabling trial with first-time user kits, university discount codes, and simplified tutorials. The proposed strategy positions Casting Crème Gloss not only as a beauty product, but as a confidence-building first step toward self-expression for young, cautious users
Create Brand Love for Candi amongst the Youth via Establishing its unique Khaas Mithaas Credentials
No full textTowards the end of January, a project, by the name of Experiential Learning Project was undertaken at the Continental Biscuits Pakistan (CBL), one of the leading players in the Pakistani confectionary business. The project’s scope was the Candi Brand of CBL. The main objective of this project was to devise a strategy that enables the resonance of Candì with friendship while at the same time increasing the love youth has for the Candì brand.
Along with the main task of devising a strategy for establishing Candì’s resonance with friendship amongst youth, the supplementary tasks to aid in the main task were exploring the attitudes towards friendship of the target audience, exploring the association of slogan “Khaas Mithas” with the sweetness of friendship, and the attitude towards its product attributes. All these led to rich insights helping in the main task. The research design encompassed qualitative research (focus groups and interviews) as well as the quantitative research (survey forms).
The findings due to this research were various but the major ones included the discovery that Candì has a very loyal customer base. Candì’s brand association with friendship is almost non-existent but at the same time Candì’s brand association with its product features of sweetness and crunchiness is very strong. Based on these insights, we were able to come up with a new strategy that will foster the Candi’s association with friendship – the main goal of this project. The strategy, to put it as simply as possible, is to explicitly link the product features of Candi with the friendship in branded communication and advertisements
Outlining of a Business Process Management and Business Process Evaluation Framework for Small to Medium Sized Manufacturers
No full textThis project aims to develop a tailored Business Process Management (BPM) and Evaluation (BPE) framework for Small and Medium Manufacturers (SMMs) to address key challenges such as outdated operations, weak cash flow, and limited digital adoption. The proposed platform integrates core business functions—finance, HR, inventory, compliance—while offering tools for risk assessment, analytics, and performance tracking. Aligned with SDGs like Decent Work (SDG 8) and Industry Innovation (SDG 9), the project promotes sustainable growth, operational efficiency, and ethical business practices through digital transformation
The Impact of Discounts and Incentives on Consumer Behavior
No full textWe conducted this ELP in collaboration with Foodpanda’s Data Analytics and FP&A teams. The goal of this project is to evaluate the impact caused by discounts, promotions, and vouchers on the behavior of the customer. The aim of this project is to increase dependence on data-driven strategies in the food delivery industry to increase order frequency, reduce discount burn, and improve user retention.
We analyze the order-placement behavior of digital and cash-paying customers based on transaction data of one of the most popular food delivery platforms. The aim is to determine the effect of payment modes on average order value, ordering frequency and use of discounts. Following extensive data cleaning and transformation, it was observed that digital customers tend to spend higher per order, apply vouchers more often and exhibit higher variances in ordering quantity. Such tendencies were corroborated with visualizations that are easy to interpret such as KDE plots, box plots and bar charts. There were more cash customers, but the digital customers demonstrated high-value behavior. The report suggests the best practices and suggestions specifically on where to run promotions, and how to intelligently use discounts to increase platform profitability and enjoyability overall.
Our methodology included a survey to collect additional behavioral insights from the users of Foodpanda within the age group of 20-26. responses gathered from the survey provided further clarity on payment method behavior, discount preference, motivational triggers and how to gain back churned customers. The survey revealed that the majority of the users would order more if given better discounts. The most preferred discounts were vouchers and restaurant-specific deals. Cash on delivery is still the dominant payment method, though many respondents showed willingness to shift to digital options if incentivized
Our team conducted an analysis of historical customer data throughout Pakistan to study behavioral patterns segmented by subscriber type, payment method, day of the week, and geographic location. The data included GMV that is user paid amount, payment method, geographic location, revenue erosion, marketing burn, subscriber type, customer code, and day of the week
Is PPP leadership capable of resolving long-standing issues, asks ex-PM
No full textFormer Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi addressed a public Q&A session titled “Nazuk Mor Aur New Directions” at IBA Karachi, engaging with students and faculty on pressing national issues. Abbasi criticized the Sindh government’s failure to provide basic services in Karachi, specifically citing Baldia Town’s lack of water for years. He questioned the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) capacity to resolve long-standing public concerns and highlighted the need for action on the canal dispute through the Council of Common Interests. The session, moderated by Dr. Akbar Zaidi and Aliya Naqvi, also touched on governance, political accountability, and economic stability, with Abbasi warning that neglecting farmers could damage the economy. His remarks, laced with both candor and sarcasm, emphasized the need for responsible leadership, institutional reform, and public engagement
اسکواش چیمپئن شپ میں میڈل جیتنے والی علی سسٹرز کے اعزاز میں تقریب
No full textآئی بی اے کراچی میں آسٹریلین جونیئر اوپن اسکواش چیمپئن شپ میں دو گولڈ اور ایک سلور میڈل جیتنے والی علی سسٹرز (مہوش، ماہ نور اور سحرش) کے اعزاز میں ایک خصوصی تقریب کا انعقاد کیا گیا۔ تینوں بہنیں اپنے والد اور کوچ عارف علی کے ہمراہ شریک ہوئیں۔ اس موقع پر علی سسٹرز نے اپنی کامیابیوں اور تجربات کا اظہار کیا۔ آئی بی اے نے قومی خواتین کھلاڑیوں کی حوصلہ افزائی اور معاونت جاری رکھنے کی یقین دہانی کروائی۔ تقریب میں ڈاکٹر ندا اسلم، علی اکبر، جمشید عیسیٰ، ڈاکٹر سحر اعوان، ڈاکٹر ثنا تو سیف اور ڈاکٹر عظیمہ خان بھی شریک تھے۔ یہ اسکواش کی تاریخ کا تیسرا موقع ہے جب تین سگی بہنوں نے ایک ہی وقت میں انٹرنیشنل پلاٹینیم کیٹیگری چیمپئن شپ کے فائنل تک رسائی حاصل کی
Exploring Beta Anomaly in the Pakistan Equity Market
No full textThis study investigates the presence of the beta anomaly in the Pakistan equity market, by empirically testing the efficacy of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) in explaining the risk-return dynamics within the Pakistani equity market. Utilizing the Fama-MacBeth (1973) methodology, the monthly returns of 90 actively traded stocks are analyzed from January 2005 to December 2020, distributing stocks into beta-sorted portfolios, that are dynamically updated each month and returns are calculated using both equal-weighed and value-weighted methods. The study reveals a non-linear and complex relationship between beta and returns, significantly impacted by idiosyncratic volatility, underscoring the presence of a beta anomaly. When controlled for size, the anomaly persists across large-cap and small-cap stocks, indicating that market inefficiencies drive the phenomenon. These findings contribute to the discourse on asset pricing in Pakistan, by integrating idiosyncratic volatility into the beta anomaly framework, proving returns are impacted by unsystematic risk. Future research should explore alternative risk factors such as leverage, liquidity, and momentum, and examine how idiosyncratic volatility interacts with market cycles to develop more effective investment strategies. Investors should adopt multi-factor asset pricing models to make informed investment decisions
Examining the Impact of COVID-19 Infection Severity on Adolescent Cognitive Functioning
No full textThis study investigates the potential influence of COVID-19 infection severity on cognitive functioning in adolescents (ages 18-19), exploring the moderating role of socioeconomic status (SES). It was hypothesized that adolescents diagnosed with a symptomatic COVID-19 infection will show decreased cognitive functioning compared to those who were diagnosed with an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection. To investigate this, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey was utilized which contained three scales: COVID-19 Severity, Cognitive Assessment Questionnaire and Socioeconomic Status. The participants were recruited using convenience sampling from A level colleges and undergraduate universities in Karachi, Pakistan, out of which 99 respondents were eligible to take part in the study. The data collected was analyzed using independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s Correlation and a hierarchical regression analysis. The results yielded that there was a positive correlation between COVID-19 severity and these cognitive functioning scores, indicating that greater infection severity was associated with poorer cognitive functioning. However, socioeconomic status did not significantly moderate this relationship. The decline in cognitive functioning after contracting COVID-19 in a symptomatic form can have implications for academic performance, social interactions, and overall well-being for adolescents. The results of this study bring to attention the need to consider the potential long-term cognitive impact COVID-19 through longitudinal studies and investigating the relationship between infection severity and cognitive functioning in other age groups
US Education Fair
No full texthttps://ir.iba.edu.pk/career-development-center-gallery/1022/thumbnail.jp