Business analytics in managerial decision-making in emerging economies: evidence from Pakistan

Page No. : 1-20

Abstract

Purpose: Firms in emerging economies are increasingly investing in business analytics (BA) capabilities to strengthen their decision-making processes and move toward more evidence-based organizational governance. While a growing body of literature documents the operational and strategic benefits of BA in mature market contexts, its application in complex top management decisions in emerging economies, such as Pakistan, remains considerably underexplored. Grounded in the resource-based view of the firm, this study investigates top management perceptions of the adoption and use of BA when making decisions concerning the firm's resource base in a Pakistani corporate environment. Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews to gather in-depth perceptions from 15 top managers employed in large Pakistani firms. Participants were drawn from firms with significant decision-making responsibilities spanning multiple industries, enabling a rich and contextually grounded understanding of BA use. Findings: The findings reveal that top managers in Pakistan primarily rely on BA output to monitor business performance against established targets and to guide short-term corrective measures. For more complex, future-oriented strategic decisions, top managers supplement BA-derived knowledge with non-analytical knowledge sources, including stakeholder consultations, industry expert opinions, and contextual judgments shaped by local market dynamics. Furthermore, both individual-level and organizational-level expectations regarding BA significantly shape how and why top managers choose to engage with it. Originality/value: This study contributes to the emerging literature on business analytics value in developing economies by documenting the purposes and rationales underlying top management ’sBA use in Pakistan. It advances the resource-based view discourse by demonstrating how top managers in a high-uncertainty, relationship-intensive business environment navigate the boundaries between analytics-driven and experience-driven decision-making.