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

Abstract

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. 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. 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. 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.