The educational system of Pakistan, especially the one prevailing in business management schools, is heavily inspired and derived from western concepts. The textbooks and reading material is written by professionals from the west who do not have the slightest idea of the market conditions dominant outside of their country. Whether the textbooks are related to marketing, accounting, finance, human resource or computer science, the concepts may be adopted by students in Pakistan. However, the examples mentioned, and the facts and evidence provided do not relate to the Pakistani market or its mindset. The concepts and their explanation do provide information to the students but does not translate the market conditions in Pakistan. Even if the concepts of marketing, management, accounting, and human resource are similar across the world, their application and implication are different. A concept of human resource followed in the US may not translate into the exact manner in the Pakistani context and vice versa. These course books do have widespread topics and information, their shortcoming is they discuss marketing campaigns, economic conditions, personal preferences, group influences, the purchasing power of those living in the West. So how can Pakistani students, when studying textbooks written by Western writers understand the Pakistani market? After all, the psychographic, demographic, behavioural segmentation along with consumer attitudes are poles apart as compared to the Pakistani segmentation and psyche. There are three main reasons why textbooks written by western professionals do not assist Pakistani students It is unfortunate that graduates from Pakistan’s business schools enter the professional world by acquiring knowledge not entirely relevant to their own market. Take for instance ‘Principles of Marketing’, written by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong. This is a widely followed textbook in all business management schools across Pakistan. However, despite the inclusion of information related to marketing, the examples in this book are irrelevant to the Pakistani mindset. For instance, Kotler and Armstrong when explaining customer equity cited examples of Cadillac and BMW, two car brands only a handful of people can own in Pakistan. This example is irrelevant for it does not relate to the students from Pakistan’s metropolis for their purchasing power will permit them to buy these cars. When explaining the market environment, consumer market, business market, products, services, retailing, wholesaling, advertising, public relations, direct and online marketing and methods to create a competitive advantage, Philip and Kotler give examples of US companies and brands working in their specific geographical location serving a market different from that of the Pakistani market. There are three main reasons why textbooks written by western professionals do not assist Pakistani students. First, they are written by those who have no interaction with the Pakistani market. They may conduct primary research on the Pakistani market, but they include information related to their own market. Second, these textbooks are written for a specific geographical market. While the US has trade and commerce links with other countries, this does not necessarily mean their textbooks impart regional or global knowledge to their students. This is where Pakistani students suffer for, they are compelled to study case studies and best practices of the US-based brands. Third, these textbooks are written in the past, therefore, the information they provide pertains to the information that was credible before and now new information may have taken its place. It is imperative for Pakistani universities to make students learn concepts, theories and best practices prevailing in the Pakistani market. Corporate professionals, gurus, and industry experts must join hands to provide information to university students about the latest happenings from the Pakistani perspective that showcase the origin, history, evolution and present-day scenario of Pakistan’s industrial landscape. The Pakistani-based content written by professionals and experts of Pakistan will provide first-hand and in-depth information on how various sectors of the country and various departments of organizations are being operated. Case studies of Pakistani brands or foreign brands working in Pakistan will open up to students insights and information they were unaware of. The need of the hour is to provide students access to localized information regarding the many subjects, major courses and electives they study during the bachelors and master’s program. Furthermore, the corporate culture of Pakistan and the US/Europe is poles apart. How businesses are managed in both these countries along with their laws, advertising, managerial aspects are different. This is why US-based textbooks would never do justice to the students of Pakistan. The problem arises when the graduates enter the job market and cannot create similarity with their job description and how they are supposed to complete a job with what they have studied in class. Here again, the concepts remain the same, but their application and implication vary widely compelling students to learn practices, principles, and processes of their job, the market and the industry from scratch. The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist Published in Daily Times, March 24th 2019.