2nd International Conference on Business and Technological Trends
(ICBTT-2021)
February 4-5, 2021
The International Conference on Business and Technological Trends (ICBTT) is hosted annually to promote new dynamics in the field of business and technology. The conference brings together industry experts, academicians and research scholars to shed light on the emerging business trends and how technology can be incorporated into them to accelerate the economic impact. RTS (Research Training Solution) conducted the first ICBTT at the American College of Dubai, UAE, in Jan 2020, and collaborating partners were the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP), Jinnah University for Women, Karachi and Emerald Publishers.
Being mindful of the ongoing pandemic situation, the format of 2nd ICBTT was decided to be hybrid. Accordingly, it was hosted jointly on February 3-4, 2021, by Research Training Solutions (RTS) and the American College of Dubai, UAE, in collaboration with the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP); Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Benazir Abad; Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Institute of Technology (KASBIT), Karachi; University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore; Pakistan Study Center, University of Sindh; Emerald Publishers; tbc (the brand consultants), Karachi and Michal & Parkins, Dubai.
The theme of the 2nd ICBTT was selected, “Technological Diversity and Inclusion in Business Innovation”, to understand the impact of diversity and inclusion on organizational processes. Businesses all around the globe are now incorporating the latest technological trends for influencing processes, improving outcomes and gaining better insights.
Speakers from the University of Aveiro, Portugal; Canadian University, Dubai; Al Ain University, Dubai; Nottingham Trent University, UK; International Balkan University, Macedonia; Al Dar University, Dubai; Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi; Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur; NED University, Karachi; Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro; University of Loralai, Balochistan; University of Karachi; Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Benazirabad and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Dubai participated in 2nd ICBTT.
The two-day conference entailed various exciting sessions such as insightful panel discussions, keynote speeches, research paper presentations, and post-conference workshops. Dr Nawaz Ahmad, Conference Director, initiated the inaugural session and Research fellow, University of Aveiro, Portugal, followed by a welcome speech from Prof Dr Hasan Wahbah, President American College Dubai and Guest of honour Prof Dr Amanat Ali Jalbani, Vice-Chancellor Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Benazirabad. Thanks to participating scholars and collaborating institutions, the vote of thanks to participating institutions was delivered by the Conference Convener Prof Dr Tariq Raheem Soomro, Dean CCSIS, SMIEEE, IoBM, Karachi.
Right after the inaugural, the three keynote speeches were delivered by Prof Helena Nobre, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Dr Raza Ali Khan, NED University, Karachi and Dr Suresh Kumar, Institute of Business Administration Sukkur, respectively.
To understand the importance of technological inclusion, diversity, and their overall impact on the businesses, a panel discussion revolved around two aspects shaping our world, i.e. business and technology. A group of impactful panellists were engaged in a meaningful discussion that explored how businesses are continuously evolving in the light of emerging technologies.
Dr Tariq Raheem Soomro, Dean CCSIS, SMIEEE, IoBM, Karachi moderated the panel discussion, and the panellists included Dr Muhammad Nawaz Brohi, Vice President, Bath Spa University, UAE; Dr Naeem Zafar, Dean, ALDAR University, UAE; Dr Reyaz Ahmad, Al Ain University, UAE; Dr Nawaz Ahmad, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Dr Shajara Ul Durar, Nottingham Trent University, UK; Dr Syed Fayaz Ahmed, IoBM, Karachi; and Dr Abdul Raziq, University of Loralai, Balochistan.
The ICBTT’s call for papers was launched globally. A total of 103 research papers were received from Pakistan, UAE, India, Nigeria, Australia, Macedonia, Portugal and the United Kingdom. These papers then went through a double-blind peer-review process, out of which 54 papers were selected (acceptance rate 52%) for presentation based on their originality, applicability of ideas and contribution to the respective fields. These papers were selected after the peer review by the experts of respective fields and then were divided according to the themes. Finally, papers were presented in nine parallel sessions chaired by Prof Dr Dilshad Zafar, Jinnah University for Women Karachi; Dr Irfan Khan, Jinnah University for Women Karachi; Dr Adnan Pitafi, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro; Dr Fatima Beena, American College of Dubai; Dr Syed Fayaz Ahmad, IoBM, Karachi; Dr Zahid Channa, SBBU-SBA, Pakistan; Dr Salman Bashir, SBBU-SBA, Pakistan; Dr Aamir F. Shamsi, SZABIST, Karachi, Pakistan; Dr Maria Dos Santos, ISCTE-Institute University of Lisbon- DINÂMIA´CET, Portugal and Dr Muhammad Tariq, IoBM, Karachi, Pakistan.
The day started with three keynote speakers; Dr Arabella Bhutto, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan; Syed Azfar Hussain, National Incubation Center, Karachi, Pakistan and Dr Liza Alili Sulejmani, International Balkan University, Macedonia, followed by a couple of workshops.
The first workshop was named “Theory of Constraint: Throughput Accounting”, conducted by Mr Afzal Adamjee (Assistant Professor, Textile Institute of Pakistan). The second workshop was named “Global Research Visibility and Platforms” by Dr Nawaz Ahmad (Research fellow, University of Aveiro, Portugal). The rationale behind conducting these workshops was to help increase the understanding of the research basics of the participants and enlighten them about the platforms through which they can enhance their visibility.
The conference was the hallmark of great collaboration between different countries around the world. The industry experts, academia and other experts from Portugal, Dubai, Pakistan and UK put a way forward for exploring new horizons in the business and technological innovation domain. ICBTT aims to increase such scholarly collaborations in the near future and help bring new insights from the experts on a single platform to facilitate participants.
At the end of the conference, the concluding remarks were shared by Prof Dr Hasan Wahbah, President American College Dubai, Prof Dr Amanat Ali Jalbani, VC SBBU-SBA, Pakistan; Prof Dr Tariq Raheem Soomro, Conference Convener and Dean CCSIS, SMIEEE, IoBM, Karachi and Dr Nawaz Ahmad, Conference Director and Research Fellow, University of Aveiro, Portugal. They thanked all participants and guests for gracing the conference with their presence and contributing through meaningful insights. They also thanked the partner institutions Emerald Publishing, Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP), KASBIT, University of Management and Technology (UMT), Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU), Pakistan and Pakistan Study Center, University of Sindh, Jamshoro. The 3rd ICBTT will be held in Turkey in collaboration with Istanbul Gelisim University, Istanbul, Turkey.