Muhammad Zubair Tariq, a marketing lecturer at the University of Sargodha, has been awarded the 2025 Outstanding Academic Research Paper Award by Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU), China, marking a major academic milestone for Pakistan. He was the sole recipient in the Business and Management category among international scholars.
The award-winning research explores how customer mindsets influence value co-creation with humanoid service robots in retail environments. The study finds that customers with growth mindsets show higher engagement and perceive robots more positively, while fixed mindsets limit interaction and value creation.
Published in a top-tier Q1 journal, the research draws on survey data from Chinese retail consumers and highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in service industries. The Pakistan Institute of China Studies congratulated Tariq, stating that the achievement reflects Pakistan’s rising global research footprint and strengthening academic ties with Chinese institutions.
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