SZABIST University Islamabad

"International Symposium on Business Analytics"-SZABIST Islamabad
2021-10-27
Transitioning Big Data to Big Impact in Business Economy
SZABIST in Collaboration with Florida Atlantic University organized “International Symposium on Business Analytics”

Introduction to Philanthropy
2021-10-25
The Social Sciences department in collaboration with Pakistan Center for Philanthropy launches a course on “Introduction to Philanthropy”. The course is exclusively designed where students will get hands-on experience by learning and working alongside the experts of the field.

The first session was arranged on 25th Oct 2021, where Dr. Naushin Mehmood (Head Research Unit PCP) delivered a lecture on the need for philanthropic work and ethics involved in it.

workshops on Business Research Project and Thesis/ Academic Research Project
2021-10-14
Faculty of Management Sciences organized on Oct 14, 2021.
The purpose of these workshops was to enhance the quality of research, improve collaboration with the industry to solve industry-related problems. Through a meaningful interactive session, the students identified the potentials of leveraging this expertise to face real-world challenges and provide a solution through impactful research in close collaboration with the industry besides making a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge.
The following faculty members were the trainers for these workshops;
Dr. Muhammad Saeed Shahbaz
Dr. Saqlain Raza
Dr. Iffat Rasool
Dr. Fatima Ashraf

An awareness session on Anti-Sexual Harassment, Use of Responsible Social Media, and Academic services
2021-10-11 08:00 - 2021-10-15 17:00 (Asia/Karachi)
Diligence and a sense of responsibility are some of the main core values embedded in our curriculum. An awareness session on Anti-Sexual Harassment, Use of Responsible Social Media, and Academic services were organized by Dr. Shumaila Zeb for the students. The main aim of the awareness session was to help and prepare the students to face the many opportunities and unknown dangers that are in today’s society. The awareness session ended up with a question-answer session and positive feedback from the students.

Digital Analytics in New Product Development-Workshop
2021-10-01
A workshop was arranged on Digital Analytics in New Product Development for students of the MBA program, and staff. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Danish Asdaque, arranged by Dr. Shazia Akhtar, PM MBA program. Mr. Danish shed light on the use of digital analytics for the purpose of innovative, and transformative product development.

Students, faculty members, and staff actively participated in the workshop, acknowledged the need for digital analytics in new product development in the rapidly evolving competitive market, and appreciated the speaker for his valuable insights. It ended with a certificate distribution ceremony for the participants as well as the organizers.

Legend actress Laila Zuberi joins SZABIST Media Department
2021-09-06
It is a great inclination for SZABIST University that a well renowned Artist “Ms Laila Zuberi” (Pakistani drama actress) is going to contribute her knowledge at Media science Department as a faculty for Fall-2021. She visited Media department today for a detailed meeting with Dr Wajid Zulqarnain (Head of Department) on the considered drama production course outline.

In addition to this, a special program session has been arranged at TV studio for a motivational discussion on “Scope and challenges in Pakistani Drama Industry” where she talked about a strong determination and motivation for the Pakistani young generation to carry a progressive revolution in drama industry. Her addition will encourage the students to have a diverse knowledge about the field work in future. Here is some glimpse of her visit:

Virtual Alumni Meet of MS Development Studies at SZABIST Islamabad
2021-09-03
The Executive Development Center organized a virtual alumni meet of MS Development Studies on 3rd September, 2021. The program manager, Dr. Abdul Razzak welcomed the participants and briefed them about the new initiatives that he is taking in MSDS program. The alumni also shared their experiences at SZABIST and how those experiences shaped their paths after graduation.

“Thesis Defense” (Media Department)
2021-09-01 - 2021-09-02
With massive inclinations, it is to apprise that Media Department has organized “Thesis Defense” on 1 and 2st September, 2021.Where, Honorable Head of Campus “Mr Khusro Pervez Khan” joined this event, where students presented their displayed research design campaigns such as: Clean green environment of Pakistan, Shaping the society, Social media campaigns, Life of Himalayan Nomads, Emerging media and other useful researches and short films on the core objectives to spread an affirmative awareness among Pakistani society. Head of Campus Mr Khusro Pervez Khan encouraged each student’s effort and shared significant opinions to the students for their future research appliance as a career. He also recommended tremendous internal resources to the students for the effectiveness of their research.

Workshop on E-Commerce Platforms-SZABIST Islamabad
2021-09-01
Entrepreneurship & Marketing Cluster organized a training workshop on E-Commerce platforms that took place on Sep 01, 2021, in Lab-1, Academic Block at SZABIST-Islamabad Campus. Dr. Amir Zaib Abbasi was the resource person for this workshop. The prime objective of this workshop was to train marketing faculty members on the use of digital tools for E-commerce. In addition, this workshop is specifically geared to understand the technical aspects of E-commerce. This training workshop helped out marketing faculty members to develop digital literacy skills and would further enable them to deliver top-of-the-line digital knowledge to their students.
The following marketing faculty members have participated in this training workshop;
1. DR. ARUSA KHALID
2. DR. SAQLAIN RAZA
3. SYED SHAHWAR HUSSAIN
4. MR. M NABEEL FAROOQ
5. MS. SAIMA SALEEM

Summer Foundation & Refresher Courses
2021-09-01
Dear Student,
Congratulations on your admission to SZABIST, Summer School.
The Executive Development Center is here to support you every step of the way in your academic journey and career development.
We hope you will excel in studies and make us proud with your best efforts and results.
We are honored to be a part of your journey and are here to help you along the way.
Congratulations, once again. We look forward to welcoming you to the SZABIST.
Best Regards,
Executive Development Center
SZABIST, Islamabad

Corporate Finesse Workshop-“Student Capability Building Session”
2021-08-17
The Executive Development Centre has organized a Corporate Finesse Workshop for Summer 2021 on “Student Capability Building Session” on Thursday, August 17, 2021, for graduating classes of Ms. Saima Saleem, Mr. Aziz Ahmed Chaudry, and Dr. Muhammad Khalil Khan. Mr. Haroon Amjad, Manager Talent Acquisition, PTCL was the guest speaker for the workshop.

The purpose of this workshop was to teach and train students in a practical procedure so that students are capable of choosing a career in consonance with their natural inclinations, aptitudes, and interests. Identify several hard and soft skills, along with their implications for career choice and job search. Become aware of their most important work-related values and how this will help them to target appropriate jobs and employers.

“Local and Foreign Degree Equivalence”
2021-08-16 08:00 - 17:00
With immense pleasure it is to share that an exclusive LIVE program session has been arranged by the Media Department and HEC collaboration on 13th August, 2021. A program designed for an intensive discussion on “Local and Foreign Degree Equivalence” and special guests participated online from the Higher education commission:
Dr. Shaista Sohail (Executive Director – Higher Education Commission)
Mr. Hidayat Ullah Khan (Director – Student Affairs Division)
Mr. Abid Wahab (Deputy Director Equivalence – Deeni Asnad)

Program discussion highlighted a relevant clause focused on the objective to determine equivalence and recognition of degrees, diplomas, and certificates awarded by Institutions within the country and abroad. Subjected conversation helped the local and foreign students to have a complete familiarity about degree equivalence principles designed by HEC.
Many viewers have participated and shared their queries in this LIVE interactive session. Also, this program has been broadcast LIVE from various platforms: SZABIST TV Studio, SZABIST Official Facebook Page, and HEC Web TV Channel.

Corporate Finesse Workshop
2021-08-12
The Executive Development Centre has organized a Corporate Finesse Workshop for Summer 2021 on “ Career Counseling” on Thursday, August 12, 2021 for graduate students. Maj Gen (R) Shaukat Iqbal was a guest speaker for the workshop who had elaborated on the importance of counseling sessions and added how counseling can be helpful in career development.
He explained that career development is built upon the choices and paths you take to surround you with the profession you want to pursue. Career development is not based on a single decision of choosing the field or major you are going to adhere to, instead, it is based on the different interests, financial status, and the different choices that will shape your future, leading towards different career paths. He also highlighted how Career counselors help you in figuring out the best-suited career path. Everyone, be it a student or alumni, should get themselves counseled. It is rather important to get counseling at the earliest stage to deliberately make the best decisions for the career.

He further added that students in Pakistan tend to face several difficulties while choosing a career path. That is large because of the lack of availability of career counselors in different institutes and colleges. Students in Pakistan tend to make decisions based on what their peers and elders recommend which makes them confused and puts them in a dilemma where they cannot think for themselves anymore. This leads to students picking the wrong career path and instead of feeling inspired and motivated towards their jobs or majors, rather they face difficulties and complications in comprehending the field that they have picked for themselves, which not only demotivates them but also extinguishes the fire of progression in them.

Although there has been a significant change in variations of jobs of different natures in the past few years, still the youth is not having access to the proper knowledge and still being in the mist of a guessing game of decisions, which leads a student towards apprehending the wrong career path that further leads towards the road of demotivation. As a result, they are not able to perform their best and even their lack of interest allows them to concentrate and be passionate about their selective field. He also explained how studying abroad can be a life-changing experience for students. He added that studying abroad can help launch your career and make you more competitive in the workforce. It gives the opportunity to show future and current employers that you have the open mind, resourcefulness, and drive needed to adapt to a different environment and opportunities available nationally / internationally for the students. He explained how studying abroad can be a life-changing experience for students. He also briefed students on how studying abroad can help to launch your career and make you more competitive in the workforce. It gives the opportunity to show future and current employers that you have the open mind, resourcefulness, and drive needed to adapt to a different environment. He also explained the strength, weakness, threats, and opportunities available in the market. Furthermore, he explained how the dynamics of the jobs are being changed both nationally and internationally. He also guided the students for better selection of their career keeping in view of vast experience in management. He further added how the world is changing its dynamic as per new world strategies.

Recruitment Drive of RNS Solutions
2021-08-11
Executive Development Center had arranged a Recruitment drive of RNS Solutions Private Limited on 11th August, 2021 at Auditorium, SZABIST, Islamabad. The recruitment drive started with a Company’s presentation followed by the interview.
The company discussed the Internship/job opportunities that are available for Management sciences & computer science students.

Tree Plantation Campaign-SZABIST Islamabad
2021-08-07
Trees not only contribute to the environment by providing oxygen but also, lowers the temperature, improve air quality, conserve water, preserve soil. Keeping in view the importance of trees the members of Social Responsibility Club of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology Islamabad performed tree plantation activity at SZABIST Islamabad Campus on 7th August 2021 so that an awareness for growing trees can be aroused among others.

Workshop by Photography Society at SZABIST Islamabad
2021-07-08
Photography workshops are fantastic way to improve your skills and try something new. In this regard, SZABIST Islamabad Photography Society arranged workshop on 8th July on the topic of “Basic Photography”. Certificates of participation were also distributed among the participants.

World Environment Day
2021-06-05
Social Responsibity Society SZABIST Islamabad joined hand with Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak. EPA). The activity was held on 5th June 2021 and was organized by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak. EPA)with partners to commemorate World Environment day. The caravan was started from zero point Islamabad at 11.30 am and concluded at D-chowk Islamabad at 5.00 pm. The member of Social Responsibity Society SZABIST Islamabad showed their presence and fully contributed in the activities.

World Environment Day 2021
2021-06-05
On Account of World Environment Day 2021, the students of BSSS 1 (Community Services) – SZABIST Islamabad campus joined hands under the guidance of Miss Sana Mukhtar (department of Social Sciences) to commemorate this day with the theme of “Ecosystem Restoration”. A total of 4 projects are completed.
First project “Clean Community is a Healthy Community” in district Duki – Balochistan is initiated by Dawood and Ehsan Ullah in collaboration of local political leadership and philanthropist. An awareness campaign followed by cleaning drive of streets and market areas has been run under this campaign. This was first ever campaign in the district which is led by the student of any university. By running this campaign, a precedent has been set for the local community, influential and duty bearers to support such environment related matters in remote district of Balochistan.
The second project was an online mass awareness campaign with title of “Pakeezgi”. The campaign is led by Fizza, Basma (Semester 1) and Ubaid Ali (Semester 7). The social media platform has been utilized to create mass awareness. This online campaign was widely appreciated by the online community.
Third Project “Plant trees for a better world” is implemented in Sector I-17 of Islamabad. This project is led by Nasir Ali. Plantation activity has been conducted in the area by involving local volunteers and the management of the housing society.
Fourth Project “Clean and Green Gilgit Baltistan” is run in Hunza – Gilgit Baltistan. This project is led by Salaar Baig, Sami Ahmed, Wajeeha Zahra and Rubina for preventing soil erosion and to keep environment clean of the areas. The forest department of Hunza have been partnered to run this initiative. A total of 200 plants have been planted with the support of volunteers, local community members and government line department.
The students of “Community Services” will continue and expand their “Environment Friendly” activities in future in collaboration with stakeholders to keep our earth clean, green and safe for humanity.

Inter-Class Indigenous Case Study Writing Competition
2021-06-04
The SZABIST Islamabad Inter-Class Indigenous Case Study Writing Competition for MBA Program Students.
The indigenous case study writing competition was held on 4thjune 2021 for the MBA program students at SZABIST-Islamabad, mentored by Dr. ShaziaAkhtar(Associate Professor and Program Manager of MBA-SZABIST Islamabad) and Dr. Fatima Ashraf(Assistant Professor-SZABIST Islamabad). One of its kind, the competition was orchestrated by Ali RazaSaleem (MBA-72) and hosted by M. UsamaUsmani (MBA-36)
The session started with welcome remarks by M. UsmanUsmani, who welcomed all the audience, distinguished academicians, and honorable Event Judge Mr. Muhammad Kashif(Assistant Professor – GIFT University). He implored the external audience to feel at home. Following the welcoming remarks, opening-briefing was given by the Program manager of MBA Dr. ShaziaAkhtar. In total, twelve groups comprising of 45+ students of the MBA, MSMS, and Ph.D. programs participated and presented remarkable analyses on their respected case studies. Out of those groups, the team of TalhaQureshi (MBA-72), AshjaaTanveer (MBA-72), Zahra Aslam (MBA-72), Ali RazaSaleem (MBA-72), and MaheenJaved (MBA-72) won the competition and held the first position. The second position holders were the groups of Maria Akhtar (MSMS)-Team Lead and AfiaZafar (MBA-36)-Team. Furthermore, the third position holders were the groups of Ali Ashiq (Ph.D. program)-Team Lead and AsadRaza (MBA-36)-Team. The event came to an end by the closing remarks of prestigious Event Judge, Mr. Muhammad Kashif (Assistant Professor-GIFT University) where he stated, after careful evaluation of the case study writing and presentations, that there has been tremendous improvement in the in-depth analysis of cases, critical evaluation of scenarios, solution-oriented approaches, theoretical-practical linkages, and presentation skills. Furthermore, he thankedDr. ShaziaAkhtar(Associate Professor and Program Manager of MBA-SZABIST Islamabad) for making him a part of this competition and appreciated the event organizer, Ali RazaSaleem(MBA-72), for designing an even better-organized event where presenters kept their time and everything concluded effectively in an efficient manner. ). It is pertinent to highlight that Case Study Pedagogy is an important part of an MBA program; therefore, lots of focus has been given to the critical writing of business cases and their presentation to accelerate experiential learning, based on case analysis. The case study competition is an endeavor in this direction and, hopefully, we will be able to create a healthy research culture and our indigenous case studies will be published in international journals of repute.

Digital Excellence
2021-06-02
A webinar was arranged for the students in the Management Sciences department today 2nd June, 2021 on the topic of, ‘Digital Excellence’. The areas of Search Engine Optimization, Freelancing, Blogging, and E-Business were covered in the webinar. Many students and colleagues participated to avail this opportunity. Mr. Fakhar Zaman an SEO expert was the resource person, while Dr. Muhammad Shafiq, Assistant Professor SZABIST was the moderator of the event.

Click here to watch Video

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rMy95OzHRQsn_ypvAqOhk1yOUYBC3kcc/view

“The House of Free Books”
2021-06-01 08:00 - 2021-06-10 17:00
A small library was established by Community services students SS-1 as part of their final project “The House of Free Books”. The main purpose was to provide free story books and reading material for the street children of the community “Mera Abadi” F-11/2-Islamabad. The children are getting non formal education in the center led by SPARC (Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child). The project was successfully implemented by group leader “Areeba Haq” and group members “Arooba, Alishwa, Iqra, Naima, Saleha, Shaista, Shahbaz with the support and guidance from the management of SPARC.

Webinar: Career and Skills Development in a post-Covid work environment
2021-06-01
Webinar on ‘Career and Skills Development in a post-Covid work environment’
Department of Management Sciences, SZABIST Islamabad

The Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted organizations and brought fundamental implications for career and skills development as it accelerates the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Future business and HR managers need to think differently about the skills and talents they need to acquire to adjust to the new-normal work environment that has redefined future career success.

To guide our future work force for their career and skills development for success in a post-Covid work environment, a webinar on ‘Career and Skills Development in a post-Covid work environment’ was arranged for students of BBA. BSAF, MBA. Mr. Ijaz Ahmed, a seasoned HR expert and certified trainer shared his valuable insights on the subject. Mr. Ijaz’s last appointment was as the Chief Human Resource Officer at Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited (KMBL), the largest and awarded the best microfinance Bank in the country. He possesses a vast depth of experience and expertise across many areas of HR, while his professional competencies include change & culture management, business process improvement, policies & procedures, stakeholder management, strategic HR and customer-centric approach. Approximately 90 participants comprising majorly of students and some faculty members attended the webinar

Date: June 1, 2021 at 1030 am – 1145 am.
Mode: Google meet.
Moderator: Dr. Fatima Ashraf
Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, SZABIST Islamabad
Speaker: Mr. Ijaz Ahmed
HR Expert and Certified Trainer

Webinar on Transformational Change during COVID 19
2021-05-30
SZABIST Islamabad conducted online webinar on Sunday 30th May 2021 on the topic “The recent COVID-19 lockdown has forced the organizations globally to change. In this regard, the question arises: How could the transformation take place especially in Pakistan?” for the MBA Change Management Day and Evening Spring 2021.Dr Mubarik HussainCEO Quantum Mechanics (Pvt)Ltd, CEO Brains in Brain and Entrepreneur and Academician graced the occasion with his appearance. Dr IffatRasool Assistant Professor of Management Sciences department Moderated the session. The guest speaker shed the light on factors responsible for transformational change during the COVID 19 in Pakistan and answered the questions of audience related to the subject.

Mastering Quantitative Data Analysis using SPSS Software
2021-05-25 18:00 - 20:00

Identification of Contemporary Themes in HR Research
2021-05-25 13:30 - 16:30
The HR Plex at SZABIST, Islamabad highlights the role of the HR function and of HR and OB research in motivating, inspiring and adopting change in the rapidly evolving workplace. It arranges research workshops, panel discussions, mock interview sessions, and guest lectures to provide undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to engage in experiential experiences.
On Wednesday, May 26th, 2021, the HR Plex arranged a panel discussion among experts from the academia and the corporate sector in order to discuss recent themes in HR and OB research, the challenges stemming from the new normal of work and the possibility of shifting towards alternate work arrangement (WFH/ partial WFO arrangements) in the near future.
The online panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Shazia Akhter and organized by Ms. Sundas Azeem. The discussion panel included Dr. Muhammad Abbas (FAST-NUCES, Islamabad) and Dr. Tasneem Fatima (International Islamic University, Islamabad) from the academia, and Mr. Amjad Iqbal (PTCL & Ufone), Mr. Haroon Kanth (Teradata, Pakistan), and Mr. Danish Nadeem (S&P Global) from the corporate sector.
Mr. Amjad Iqbal discussed the initial response to the COVID-19 WFH arrangement at his employing organization. He also emphasized the need of structured communication and of the need to channel information through the right channels in times that involve speculations, invoke anxiety, and demand changes to the work setting. He also emphasized the need to study and develop individual resilience and to re-structure work accordingly.
Dr. Muhammad Abbas emphasized the need to study individual differences in response to changing work settings, work-family conflict, productivity and management facilitation and flexibility that add to productivity while working from home. He also highlighted the relevance of research on E-HRM.
Mr. Haroon Kanth discussed the role of analytics and digitization during COVID’19. According to Mr. Haroon, there is a need to focus on business continuity plans for businesses in Pakistan. He added: “If we want to have a global impact we need to act and think globally, we can no longer think locally and create an impact globally.”
Dr. Tasneem Fatima further added on to the topics of new research in human resource. According to her, new avenues in research should emphasize include changes in organizational behavior and human resource planning. The new norm is working from home and this has resulted in many new opportunities for people to work globally now.
Mr. Danish Raja highlighted the need for a paradigm shift among individual employees, teams as well as management, in acknowledging the changes demanded by the new work arrangement. He highlighted the importance of a change in corporate practices as well as of the need to bring about a cultural change within organizations.
The discussion ended with the conclusion that in addition to studying the themes identified during the discussion, developing trust among the academia and the corporate sector is essential in order to address the challenges of the new normal of work.

Mastering the Art of Trading Future in PMEX
2021-05-21
A seminar was arranged by Dr. Hassan Raza Assistant Professor SZABIST Islamabad for the BSAF Risk management. The students were informed about the working of the Pakistan Mercantile Exchange Limited (PMEX). The resources person was Irfan Kasana senior Manager PMEX. Guest speaker shed light on the role of PMEX which is the country’s first and only demutualized commodity futures exchange, licensed and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). Based on sophisticated multi-dimensional infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology, PMEX offers a complete suite of services i.e. trading, clearing & settlement, custody as well as back office, all under one roof.

International Webinar on “The Effects of COVID-19 on Global Trade: Positive Vs Negative"
2021-04-23 15:00 - 16:00
It is the era of globalization, rapid technological changes and economic shifts. This rapidly changing environment gives us several intimidations beside opportunities like the widespread of COVID-19. This pandemic not only destroy our organizations but economies and even our lives. It is pertinent to discuss its positive and negative impact globally with relevant experts. SZABIST-ISLAMABAD is persistently arranging endeavours to provide international exposure to our valuable students.
In continuation an International Webinar was held with numerous participants from multiple countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Pakistan and etc. The guest speaker Mej. Log. Ts. Chang Kah Loon (President, the Society of Logisticians, Malaysia (LogM) and Director, AK Shipping, Malaysia) bejewelled the occasion. Dr. Muhammad Saeed Shahbaz (Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, SZABIST Islamabad moderate the event. Special thanks to Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan (Head of Management Sciences Department) for his valuable partaking, cooperation and coordination for making this event successful.

Guest Lecture on “AGILE/SCRUM in Project Management"
2021-04-23 11:00 - 12:00
The MSPM program of SZABIST aims to furnish the students with real industrial exposure beside the formal knowledge. In continuation a guest session was organized on 23rd of April 2021. The guest speaker Mr. Muhammad Kashif Siddiqui (CGEIT, COBIT, PMP, CISA, Vice-President JS Bank) graced the occasion and teach the student about the latest IT practices in project management and how these tools and techniques are helping in real life. Dr. Muhammad Saeed Shahbaz make all the necessary arrangement and moderate the session.

Convocation 2021
2021-04-20
Graduation ceremony is one special day in students’ lives. They look forward to it for years to celebrate their achievement, efforts, and excitement on feeling extra special.
This year, Covid-19 has transformed things by posing different challenges. Notwithstanding the uncalled for restrictions, which have plagued the world alike, we have organized an E-Convocation to celebrate this momentous occasion for the Class of 2020.
We enthusiastically look forward to celebrating this virtual ceremony on 20 April 2021 together with online presence a host of people including the graduating students along with their parents and friends; university management, staff, and faculty; our keynote speakers; the proud valedictorian; and the wider audience.
Be part of this memorable day and multiply the joy and sense of accomplishment of our graduating students. Join us on our social media platforms to share the celebrations.

Session on Neuroscience and Behavior
2021-04-13
Guest Speaker Session on Neuroscience and Behavior
A guest speaker session was held on Saturday March 13, 2021 for the class of BBA 2 Human Behavior Spring 2021. A prominent Psychologist Ms Sana Mukhtar was invited by the faculty member Dr. Iffat Rasool. Ms Sana Mukhtar has extensive experience of working with national and international organizations as a psychologist. The Guest Speaker shared her knowledge and experience related to behavioral concerns of human beings and answered the queries of the audience.
