COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IN EMERGING MARKET: A STUDY ON CORPORATE SECTOR OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Abstract

The paper examines the competitive advantage and strategic management of the corporate sector in Pakistan with particular reference to formulation, maintenance, and exploitation of competitive strengths in the light of international and domestic pressures in an emerging market context. The business environment in emerging economies such as Pakistan is quite distinctive as it is marked by rapid industrialization, the shifting regulatory policies, technological application, and stiff competition. The question explored in this research is how well corporate bodies in the Pakistani context have adapted strategic management practices such as resource-based strategies, market orientation, innovation and human capital development to ensure and sustain a competitive advantage. In examining the firm-level strategies, this paper is an attempt to identify the major factors, which determine organizational performance and long- term sustainability in the current volatile economic environment. The study also highlights the interaction of both global and local contexts, especially of how Pakistani companies adjust their strategies in order to manage risks like political instability, variable markets and scarce institutional support. The results speak to the literature on strategic management in emerging markets because they give an insight on how companies create resiliencies, become innovative and differentiated in such a competitive nature. The paper also highlights how leadership, organizational culture, and digital transformation are affecting the establishment of competitive advantage and hence has valuable practical insights that may apply to managers, policy-makers, or researchers. The ultimate objective of the research is to fill the gap between the theory and practice of strategic management in emergent markets, and develop the corporate sector of Pakistan as one of the case studies in discussing the issue of sustainable competitiveness in the global economy.