Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique profile picture

Associate Professor

Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique

Dr. Rafique is an Associate Professor at HBMSU with over 17 years of expertise in Sustainable Business Quality, Operations Management, and Supply Chain Management. A multiple award-winning researcher and educator, his work bridges industry and academia to advance sustainable production practices and smart learning, with publications in top-tier journals and a strong record of securing research grants and industry consultancies.

School of Business & Quality Management

Academic Biography

  • Sustainable Business Quality
  • Operations Management
  • Industrial Management
  • Smart Learning
  • Sustainable Production & Consumption
  • Ph.D. in Operations Management – Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia – Malaysia – 2017
  • Master's in Engineering Management – University of Greenwich – United Kingdom – 2011
  • Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering – University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila – Pakistan – 2007

Dr. Rafique, with over 17 years of expertise, is recognized for his outstanding research capabilities and contributions to academia in Sustainable Business Quality, Operations Management, Industrial Management, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, and Smart Learning. He holds a UK Master's degree and a PhD from a world top-150 university as per QS ranking, and his PhD work was awarded "Outstanding Achievement" by the Prime Minister of Malaysia in person. He is an authorized PhD supervisor and has published in top-tier journals such as Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, Industrial Management and Data Systems, and Sustainable Production & Consumption, earning the Best Researcher Award for 2021 and 2022 and the Best Research Project Award for 2023. He was also awarded the Best Teacher Award for 2023. As Director of the Sustainable Quality Operations & Industry 4.0 Lab, he secured a USD 50,000 HEC-NRPU grant and led a WWF-SDG12 consultancy for USD 10,000. He is a specialist in fostering industry-academia linkages.

Recent Publications

An overview of academic publications documenting research focus, methodological depth, and scholarly engagement.

  1. Shams, H., Ab Rahman, M. Nizam, Hishamuddin, H., & Rafique, M. Zeeshan (2025). A Circular Consumption Behavior Model for Addressing and Reducing Product Demand and Disposal. Resources, 14(9), 148. (Quartile-Q2)
  2. Rafique, M. Z., (2024) Policy innovation and the sustainable quality management 4.0 framework for integrating sustainable services. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development (Quartile-Q2)
  3. Amjad, M. S., Rafique, M. Z., Khan, M.A., Bokhari, S.F., Khan, A. (2024).   Blue Ocean 4.0 for Sustainability– Harnessing Blue Ocean Strategy through industry 4.0. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management (Quartile-Q1, ISI-IF-5.2)
  4. Ijaz, T., Ahmed, A., Qazalbash, A, R., Rafique, M. Z., Khan, M.A., Hadika, S., (2024) Development of a Green Manufacturing Implementation based on Life Cycle Assessment. Sustainable Environmental Research (Quartile-Q1, IF 6.3)
  5. Waqas, A., Hassan.M,, Masud, S., Samra.F., Zeeshan., Nawar.M., Rafique, M. Z.,.Tahir.N(2025) Socio-economic benefits and policy implications of generating sustainable energy from municipal solid wastes. Energy and climate Change (Quartile-Q2, ISI- IF-1.2)
  6. Ghoushchi, S. H, Ab Rahman, M.N.,  Soltanzadeh, M., Rafique, M. Z., Hernadewita, H., Marangalo, F.H.,   Assessing sustainable transportation system to address climate change based on MCDM methods in an uncertainty environment. Sustainability (Quartile-Q2, ISI- IF-3.251)
  7. Ijaz, T., Ismaeel, Haider, Rafique, M. Z., Jamshaid, H., Production Optimization through Integration of Lean, Life Cycle Assessment & Industry 4.0. Journal Kejuruteraan (ISI, Volume 35(3), May 2023
  8. Zakariah, H., Muhamed, A. A., Halif, M. M., Leuveano, A. C., Rafique, M. Z., & Muhamed, A. (2023). Green Business Practices and the Success of Malaysia’s Halal Food Companies. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(1), 272 – 285
  9. Khan, M.A, Bokhari, S.F.B., Khan, A., Amjad, M.S., Butt, A.M., Rafique, M.Z. Clean and sustainable transportation through electric vehicles - a user survey of three-wheeler vehicles in Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Quartile-Q1ISI-IF-4.3,)
  10. Rafique, M. Z., Haider, M., Raheem, A., Rahman. M.N.A, & Amjad, M, S., (2022). Essential Elements for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) adoption for Industry 4.0 Smart Manufacturing in context of Technology- Organization-Environment (TOE) framework – A Review. Journal Kejuruteraan (Journal of Engineering) (ISI, Volume 34, Jan 2022)
  11. Rafique, M. Z., Ab Rahman, Raheem, A., Herdi, C.H.A., M. N., Saibani, N., Arsad, N., Mahmood, W.H.W., & Amjad, M. S (2022). A Systematic Planning Scheme for Deployment of Technology Combined Lean Implementation Framework. Journal Kejuruteraan (Journal of Engineering) (ISI- Accepted-Under Publishing- Volume 34, Jan 2022
  12. Sadiq, S., Amjad, S., Rafique, M. Z., Hussain, S., Yasmeen, U., Khan, M.A., (2021) An Integrated Framework for Lean Manufacturing in Relation with Blue Ocean Manufacturing- A Case Study. Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 279, January 2021 (Quartile-Q1, ISI- IF -9.297)
  13. Amjad, M, S., Rafique, M. Z., Khan, M. A., (2021). Leveraging Optimized and Cleaner Production through Industry 4.0. Sustainable Production & Consumption, Volume 26, April 2021, 2021 (Quartile-Q1, ISI- IF-5.032)
  14. Amjad, M, S., Rafique, M. Z., Khan, M. A., (2021). "Modern Divulge in Production Optimization: An Implementation Framework of LARG Manufacturing with Industry 4.0". International journal of Lean Six Sigma. Volume 12, Number 5, 2021(Quartile-Q1, ISI- IF-3.329)
  15. Hussain, Amjad., Jamil, Mohsin., Farooq, M.U., Asim, M., Rafique.M.Z., Pruncu, Catalin., (2021). Project Managers Personality and Project Success: Moderating Role of External Environmental Factors. Sustainability.13, 9477, 2021 (Quartile-Q1, ISI- IF-3.251)
  16. Amjad, M, S., Rafique, M. Z., Hussain., S., Khan, M. A., (2020). A New Vision of LARG Manufacturing – A Trail towards Industry 4.0. CIRP journal of Manufacturing Science & Technology, 31 (2020) (Quartile-Q1, ISI- IF -3.602)
  17. Zaheer, S., Amjad, M.S., Rafique, M.Z., Khan, M. A., (2020). A K chart based implementation framework to attain Lean & Agile Manufacturing. International Journal of Production Management & Engineering, Volume 8, No 2 2020. (Quartile-Q4, ISI)
  18. Rafique, M. Z., Qureshi, H., Malkana, U., Haider, M., Atif, M., (2020). A Lean- Agile- Resilient- Green (LARG) Implementation and Technology Utilization- A New Vision in Technology Adoption. Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering & Technology, Volume 39, Issue 4, 2020 (ISI)
  19. Amjad, M.S., Rafique, M.Z., Rahman, M.N., Zaheer, M. A., Haider, M., (2020). Research aspects for methodology design. International Journal of Recent Technology & Engineering, Volume 8, Issue 5, 2020, 1987-1991 (Scopus)
  20. Rafique, M. Z., Ab Rahman, M. N., Saibani, N., Arshad, N., (2020). A Trail to Milieu Research Methodology for Application of Implementation Frameworks. Journal Kejuruteraan (Journal of Engineering) 32(4), 2020 (ISI)
  21. Rafique, M. Z., Qureshi, H., Malkana, U., Haider, M., Atif, M., (2020). A Lean-Green-Agile and Resilient Combination towards Sustainable Manufacturing- A Review. Technical Journal, UET Taxila, Volume 25, Number (1), 2020
  22. Maqbool, Y., Rafique, M.Z., Amjad, M., Ali, H., Javed, S., Amjad, Khan, M. A., S., Mumtaz, S., Haider, M., Atif, M., (2019). An Implementation Framework to Attain 6R Based Sustainable Lean Implementation- A Case Study. IEEE Access, Volume 7, 2019, 117561-117579 (Quartile-Q1, ISI- IF-4.1,Published)
  23. Rafique, M. Z., Ab Rahman, M. N., Saibani, N., Arshad, N., (2019). A Systematic Review of Lean Implementation Approaches- A Proposed Technology Combined Lean Implementation Framework. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence (Quartile-Q1, ISI-IF-1.3-Q2)
  24. Darus, Z., Ab Rahman, M.N., Rafique M. Z., (2019). A Framework for Six-Sigma Implementation in Rubber Manufacturing Industry-An Innovation between DMAIC Cycle and Quality Improvement Tools. Journal Kejuruteraan- Journal of Engineering (ISI), 31 (2), 2019.
  25. Adeel, M. Mansoor, Rafique, M. Z., Usman, M., Mumtaz, S., Haider, M., & Ayub, M., (2019). Problems and Barriers Affecting TPM, Engineering, Technology & Applied Sciences Research (ISI) 9(5), 4818-4823
  26. Rafique, M.Z., Mumtaz, S., Ab Rahman, M.N., Mugal, I.A., Khan, M. A., and Anwar. M.S., (2019), Wastes in lean production systems. International Journal of Innovative Technology & Exploring Engineering- 8(8), 1823-1827 (Scopus)
  27. Rasool, A., Ahmad, I,.Hanif, M.S., Rafique M. Z., A., Zaheer, M.A., Ilyas, A.,(2019) Design of Fins as Heat Sink for 80watt Cob-Led Canopy Light. International Journal of Innovative Technology & Exploring Engineering- 8(8), 375-379 (Scopus)
  28. Rafique, M. Z., Ab Rahman, M. N., Saibani, N., Arshad, N., (2019). A Study on RFID technology Combined Lean Implementation in Malaysian Automotive Industry. International Journal of Engineering and Technology (UAE), 8(1.2), pp.164-168
  29. Rafique, M. Z., Ilyas, A., Hayat,K., Hussain,I., (2018). The Role of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) as an Integrated Approach in Lean Manufacturing. Pakistan Journal of Engineering and Technology (Pak-JET- HEC Recognized) 1(1), pp.35-39
  30. Rafique, M. Z., Ab Rahman, M. N., Saibani, N., Arshad, N., & Saadat, W., (2016). RFID impacts on barriers affecting lean manufacturing. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116 (8), 1585-1616 (Quartile-Q1, ISI-IF-1.2-)
  31. Ab Rahman, M.N., Saibani, N., D.A. Wahab, Rafique M. Z., (2016) Relationship between critical success factor in the training service quality in UKM. Journal Partanika (ISI)
  32. Rafique, M. Z., Ab Rahman, M.N., Saibani, N., Arsad, N., Mughal, I.A., Hanif, S. and Zafar, M., (2016). Quality check for customer benefit in bus transport system through statistical control charts and gauge R & R. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 11(1), pp.101-104 (Scopus)
  33. Rafique, M. Z., Ab Rahman, M. N., Saibani, N., Arsad, N., Khatak, B. K., & Ghauri, M. F. (2015). Quality improvements & increase in electricity generation through anaerobic digestion in rural areas; a feasibility report. Jurnal Teknologi, 74 (10), 127-130 (ISI & Scopus)