Australia Awards – Pakistan

Development Impact and Linkages Plan

(application-stage) Template

Overview
Australia Awards Scholarships are long-term awards administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade. The Scholarships aim to contribute to the development needs of Australia's partner
countries in line with bilateral and regional priorities.

Australia Awards Scholarships offer more than just a qualification from a world class university – the
Program aims to provide the knowledge, skills and linkages/connections you need to achieve the
development outcomes you plan for your home country. This approach is referred to as ‘linkages’ and
we encourage you to learn more in this handy Linkages Guide for Scholars -
https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/australia-awards-linkages-guide-scholars.pdf

Why the Development Impact and Linkages Plan is so important

This Development Impact and Linkages Plan (DILP) is important because it

 records how you plan to contribute to the development of Pakistan when you return from your
studies

 makes you consider activities that you should undertake and prioritise during your time in Australia
to enable you to achieve your professional and personal objectives.

The DILP is a mandatory document for applicants from Pakistan and must be submitted in the Online
Australia Awards Scholarships Information System (OASIS) (oasis.dfat.gov.au) as part of your
application, on or before the application deadline.

Your DILP will be scored as part of the selection process, with particular attention paid to how well
your proposed study links to your long-term professional objectives, and how this will address a
development need/priority in Pakistan. A strong DILP will improve the likelihood of you being awarded
an Australia Award Scholarship.

If you are successful in your application, you can update your DILP at various points - during the Pre-
Departure Briefing/before leaving for Australia, at the Return Home Workshop in Australia, and during
the Reintegration Workshop upon your return to Pakistan. The Australia Awards Team will track your
progress as part of reporting and public diplomacy activities.

Guidance on completing the DILP

You are invited to reflect on your own professional goals in the context of the development needs
of your home country. An effective plan articulates clearly what development priorities you intend to
address, what knowledge and skills you expect to gain from your selected program of study in Australia,
and how you intend to apply these to achieve the outcomes you aspire to.

1
Personal Information
Name Muhammad Irfan Mehboob
OASIS Application ID AAS2651530

Proposed Study Preference 1 Preference 2

Program and University
Master of Data Science Master of Data Science
The University of Western Griffith University
Australia

Part 1. Preparing for an Australia Awards Scholarship

This section helps you to define your professional and personal goals as these relate to the
development of Pakistan. The questions in this section will also assist you to think about the activities,
in addition to your formal education, that can make your Australia Awards experience more relevant
and meaningful.

Identify up to two Priority Sector

priority sectors you
intend to work in after Climate Change
your Scholarship
The Empowerment of Women and Girls
(Tick [] those
identified). Water Security

Agriculture

Infrastructure

Inclusive Economic Development

Please describe your After completion of my Master in Data Science, I will come back home in
planned Pakistan and try my best to contribute in economic development of Pakistan. I
contribution to
have a startup plan, in which I will build my own E-commerce based project.
Pakistan’s
development after With the help of some colleagues, I will develop an E-commerce based website
your Scholarship. like Amazon and AliExpress. It will be a very good project and will contribute in
economic development of Pakistan. At present, there is no E-commerce
Word limit: 250 – 500 based platform available in Pakistan that provides its services outside the
country. This platform will help the local manufacturer and suppliers to sell their
products internationally. It will also provide an opportunity to international
sellers to sell their products in Pakistan. It will increase economic activity in
Pakistan. Now, the local manufacturer from different areas of Pakistan can sell
his goods and items in more efficient way and earn a reasonable profit. It will
help local industry to flourish and will boost local manufacturer financial
condition. It will be a remarkable project that will prove beneficial for economic
growth of Pakistan. Data Science will help me to observe the customer
behavior by analyzing the user’s previous history. With the help of Data Science
Algorithms and techniques, I will be able to extract some useful information
from users’ data and previous transactional history. With this information, I will
be able to show the items related to users’ interest and requirement on
individual basis. Each individual user will get the updates about the arrival of
new products, vouchers, and discounts on different items of his interest. Each
individual user, upon logging into his account will view the categories of
different products according’s to his need. With the help of Data Science, I will
be able to predict what a user likes or dislikes by analyzing previous user’s
history. Data Science tools will be very helpful to me to make my project more
responsive and robust. It will take care users’ needs and requirements and will
 act according’s to it. I think this project will be more beneficial to Pakistan’s
people and its economy. Data science can help e-commerce companies gain
insights into customer behavior, optimize their marketing campaigns, and
improve the customer experience.

Identify up to five Machine Learning

technical skills you
need to enhance or Data Visualization
acquire during your
Scholarship to Cloud Computing
achieve your planned
development Big Data Technologies
contributions.
Deep Learning

Which of these Career & self-development

competencies1 do
you need to Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continuous
strengthen during personal and professional learning, navigation of career opportunities,
your Scholarship to and networking to build relationships
achieve your planned
development Communication
contributions?
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and
perspectives
Tick [ ] those that
are applicable; Critical thinking

Identify and respond to needs based on an understanding of the

situation and logical analysis of relevant information

Equity & inclusion

Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required

to equitably engage and include people from different cultures

Leadership

Recognise and capitalise on personal and team strengths to achieve

organisational goals.

Professionalism

Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and

demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger
community and workplace

Teamwork

1Based on Competencies for a Career-Ready Workforce (National Association of Colleges and

Employers, 2021).
 Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively
toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and
shared responsibilities

Technology

Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance

efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals

Briefly elaborate on Career and Self-Development are key factors in an IT Industry to

selected competencies grow. So, Career and Self-Development both are done through
you have ticked. continual learning, knowing your strengths and weaknesses,
navigating career opportunities, and networking to build
relationships within and outside of your organization.
Communication plays an important role in any work environment
including IT industry. Communication skill of a person should be
very good so that a person can communicate his views, ideas
and experiences properly. Through critical thinking we can
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of
situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Leadership is also a great quality and a person with good
leadership skills can understand how unite all the team members
in a project or workplace. He knows the strength and weakness
of his team members and behaves according. He responds or
acts according’s to the situation arise. Professionalism is also a
very good attitude and it is very necessary for an employee to
demonstrate excellent performance in his field. Without
professionalism, a person or a company cannot achieve their
desired goals and targets. Teamwork is also very necessary in a
work an environment and all members of a team should work
together to achieve their desired targets. It is not possible for a
company to achieve their targets without teamwork. All members
of a team should work hard day and night to accomplish their task
on estimated time period. And in e-commerce, teamwork is a very
important factor to grow and for smooth delivery of different tasks.
Technology is also a key factor in progress and development of
an IT industry. In e-commerce industry involvement of technology
is crucial. AI and Machine Learning algorithms analyze customer
data to suggest relevant products, improving engagement and
sales. Machine learning helps businesses dynamically adjust
pricing based on demand and competition. Chatbots and virtual
assistants powered by AI provide instant support and enhance
customer satisfaction. Mobile apps and platforms enable users to
shop on the go, expanding the reach of e-commerce businesses.
`
In addition to your Internships (online and in-person)
formal degree, what
other learning Grants to attend workshops, seminars, and trainings
opportunities would
you want to explore Research-related grants (editing, publication, paper presentation)
or initiate in Australia
to achieve your Membership in professional bodies/organisations (for example,
learning and Engineers Australia)
professional
objectives? Access to mentors and leadership coaches
Tick [] those that are Invitation/access to networking events
applicable
Membership in community and volunteer organisations

Part-time employment

Others (please specify)

Identify Australian Organization/Expert Nature of Partnership
experts and
organisations that Unisys Work / Contractual Partnership
you plan to
partner/work with SAP Work / Contractual Partnership
during your
Scholarship.
VMware Work / Contractual Partnership
Part 2. Planning to be a leader for development
Using the template below, outline how you will use your Australia Awards experience – technical skills,
competencies, networks, linkages – to contribute to development in your home country.
Make sure that your plan or proposed activities are practical, doable, and something that you can
influence. You also need to reflect on the risks and challenges associated with your plan and the
resources and support you will gather to implement your proposal.
Title
Provide a title for your proposed activity. E-commerce Based Project
Implementation Period or Duration After completing my Master in Data Science, I will start work
on this project with some colleagues, and will try to complete
When will you implement your proposed
its prototype within 6 to 8 months.
activity? For how long?
Rationale and Intended Outcomes At present, in Pakistan there is no E-commerce based
platform that provide an opportunity to local manufacturer
Explain
and suppliers to sell their products outside Pakistan. So, I
- the specific problem you are decided to make a project like Amazon and AliExpress that
addressing will contribute in economic development of Pakistan. It also
- why your proposed activities/tasks provides local manufacturers and suppliers an exposure of
are important international market. Now, local shopkeeper can also sell his
- how your Australia Awards goods and products in an international market without too
experience can help you achieve much cost. After creating an account on this platform, user
your plan. can get too many benefits in terms of functionalities.
Describe what you will achieve by On this E-commerce platform, user can create his own store
implementing your proposal. and sell their products to international customers very easily
without any trouble. After completing my master in Data
Describe the change or changes
Science, I will be able to extract some useful information
which will result from your
from client transactional history. With the help of Data
proposal/activities.
Science tools and techniques, I can get some useful
Maximum length: 500 words information to understand the behavior of customers that
what types of products they want to buy. So, the users will
view desired products when they will log in their accounts.
So, by using data Science tools and algorithms, I can make
my E-commerce project more responsive and user friendly.
I can understand the users mind in better way that what
users like and dislike. It will help me to increase the efficiency
of my project and will result in increase of overall profit at the
end. Data Science will help me to make my project more
profitable to sellers and they can earn reasonable profit by
selling their products at this platform. Sellers can maximize
his profit by using some special functions provided by the e-
commerce platform. So, Master of Data Science will help me
lot to make my project more reliable to local sellers and
manufacturers. It will cause an economic development and
progress in Pakistan that will provide an opportunity of
different job activities to local residents. Data science can
help e-commerce companies gain insights into customer
behavior, optimize their marketing campaigns, and improve
the customer experience.

Activity and Tasks An e-commerce project leveraging data analytics could

involve customer segmentation, personalized
List the activities and tasks that you will
recommendations, inventory management optimization, and
implement in your home country using
analyzing customer behavior. Activities include collecting
your Australia Awards experience.
and cleaning data, performing exploratory data analysis
These activities and tasks must be (EDA), building predictive models, and visualizing
practical, doable and within your own insights. The more detailed steps are given below:
capacity.
1. Data Collection and Preparation:
Maximum length: 500 words
 Data Collection: Gather data from various sources
like website analytics, CRM systems, social media,
and customer feedback.
 Data Cleaning: Ensure data accuracy,
completeness, and consistency.
 Data Transformation: Prepare data for analysis
by cleaning, transforming, and aggregating it.
2. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA):
  Descriptive Statistics: Calculate summary
statistics for key metrics (e.g., sales, customer
lifetime value, conversion rates).
 Data Visualization: Use charts and graphs to
identify trends, patterns, and anomalies.
 Correlation Analysis: Explore relationships
between different variables.
3. Predictive Analytics and Modeling:
 Customer Segmentation: Group customers
based on similar characteristics (e.g.,
demographics, purchasing habits).
 Recommendation Systems: Develop algorithms
to suggest products or services based on customer
preferences.
 Demand Forecasting: Predict future sales and
optimize inventory levels.
 Churn Prediction: Identify customers at risk of
leaving and develop retention strategies.
 Price Optimization: Determine optimal pricing
strategies to maximize revenue.
 Fraud Detection: Identify and prevent fraudulent
transactions.
4. Visualization and Reporting:
 Dashboard Development: Create interactive
dashboards to visualize key metrics and trends.
 Report Generation: Generate reports
summarizing findings and insights.
 Communication: Present findings and
recommendations to stakeholders.
5. Actionable Insights:
 Personalized Marketing: Target customers with
tailored messages and offers.
 Website Optimization: Improve website design
and user experience based on data analysis.
 Inventory Management: Optimize stock levels to
minimize costs and maximize sales.
 Customer Service: Improve customer service
based on feedback analysis.
 Product Development: Identify new product
opportunities based on customer needs and
preferences.
Measure of Success Because, I am already working on this e-commerce project
and I have almost completed 30 to 40 percent of its task.
How will you know if your
Now I will use Data Science tools and techniques to make it
proposal/activity has been a success?
more efficient and user friendly. I hope, I will complete it on
What evidence will you have about time and it will be a good platform for local manufacturer to
this? sell their products outside Pakistan without too much cost. It
will be a more reliable and user-friendly to its clients.
Output My e-commerce project will provide an opportunity for local
manufacturer and suppliers to sell their products to an
What output/s (tangible
international market without any trouble. It will be a reliable
accomplishments) will result from your
and user-friendly platform where users can buy and sell
proposed activities?
products outside Pakistan in more convenient way. Now,
local manufacturers from Pakistan can sell different kinds of
products to different parts of world easily without too much
cost. Here user can register yourself on this platform in
couple of minutes and his account will activate within an hour
after verification without any hesitation. So, a beginner can
maintain his account and sell his products without any
external help.
Direct Beneficiaries of the Proposed Local sellers, manufacturer and Suppliers in Pakistan
Activities
Residents of Pakistan
Who will directly benefit from your
activities? Economy of Pakistan
Partners Partner Area of Collaboration
Identify potential partners for your Example: Ministry of Example: Venue
activity. Education
National Logistics
Corporation (NLC),
Crystal Shipping Logistics and Delivery
Logistics, DMK
Logistics
(Albaraka Islamic
Bank, Bank Alfalah Financial Inclusion and Payment
Limited, Asian Infrastructure
Development Bank)
Netsol, Ovex
Technology and Innovation
Technologies, Arbisoft
Resources Required Resource or Support Source
Required
Specify the resources (financial,
materials/equipment) and support Logistics and Delivery National Logistics Corporation
(circulars, executive orders) you need to (NLC), Crystal Shipping Logistics.
implement your plan. Identify where
these resources and support will come Financial Inclusion `Albaraka Islamic Bank, Bank
from. Alfalah Limited, Asian
Development Bank
You should not assume that the
resources will be provided through Regulatory and Legal Securities & Exchange
Australia Awards Framework Commission of Pakistan (SECP)

Challenges and Risks Risk or Challenge Mitigating Actions

Identify up to three major challenges Trust and Security Anti-malware software,
and risks associated with the proposed Concerns vulnerability scanning, secure
activity. For each one, identify actions to firewalls, HTTPS protocol,
minimise the risk or address the payment gateway security, multi-
challenge. layer security, data backups, and
staying updated on e-commerce
threats, Strict Company Policies,
Customer Care Service
 Climate change is increasingly Payment and Logistics Secure Payment Gateways,
impacting on countries’ capacity for Infrastructure Fraud Prevention, Compliance
development. Please consider how your with Regulations, Diverse
proposed activities would be affected Payment Options, Inventory
by: Management, Delivery
Management Software, Third-
- Extreme weather events
Party Logistics (3PL).
- Food insecurity
- Water scarcity Competition with Tailored Marketing &
- Increased disease Traditional Retail Recommendations,
- Loss of or damage to infrastructure Customization Options, Superior
- Reduced public funding Customer Support, Emphasize
- Forced migration Community Ties, Offer Local
Delivery, In-Store Pickup,
Seamless Integration, Consistent
Brand Identity/

Submitted by Endorsed by (if applicable)

Muhammad Irfan Mehboob

Name and Signature of Nominating
Applicant’s Name & Signature Organisation (include seal, if appropriate)

If any clarification is required, please contact [email protected].