Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Lebanese Healthcare

In a world that is swiftly evolving, working life conditions are continuously changing too; this chapter will deal with changing environment and its impact on our lives; it will cover the historical background of healthcare in Lebanon, the entrepreneurial factors affecting the Lebanese hospitals stressing on the working life needs especially the skills needed to learn new things which will provide a better ability to adapt to changing working environments. This chapter also stresses on the role of core competences among entrepreneurs in special fields of social and health care. The healthcare industry has experienced a worldwide growth and proliferation of innovation aimed at improving our lives, its quality and providing better treatment in addition to creating a good working environment enhancing employee performance and self-satisfaction.

Developing Blue Ocean Strategy in Construction Industries Using an Improved Model of Kano

Blue ocean strategy includes a consistent pattern of strategic thinking in the creation of new markets in various industries. This chapter examines how to create a blue ocean and its role in improving the construction industry. This is library research alongwith case study. It has been prepared based on information gathered from articles published in international journals and referring to large and reputable builder companies. In the concept of strategy, “Blue Ocean” is referred to two overall scope of blue and red ocean. In this chapter, we used the Kano method for evaluation and selection of the features in the construction industry and then, through a four-step approach, it was decided what features should be removed, innovated, enhanced or improved. Finally, using improved hybrid model of Kano and the pillars of the blue ocean strategy, we concluded that economic factors and psychological factors that impact on the consumers need investment and more attention.

Empowerment Against All Odds

The number of women-owned businesses worldwide has increased significantly, a development that extends to other parts of the world, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This region's cultural and socioeconomic idiosyncrasies offer unique perspectives on women entrepreneurship. This article provides a critical overview over the situation of female entrepreneurship in the region, which takes into consideration challenges and opportunities on the level of the individual entrepreneurs, as well as on the macro environmental level. We finally discuss constructive solutions in order to increase the number of women business founders.

Cooperative Entrepreneurship in the Middle East

Socio-cultural characteristics as defined by Hofstede lay out the basis for understanding entrepreneurial characteristics within a given society. Masculinity, collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance are related to competitive behavior, then cooperative versus competitive dilemmas are analyzed in the cultural setting of Middle Eastern entrepreneurial activity. The purpose is to prove that a relationship exists between culture, and entrepreneurial attitudes. Among Middle Eastern countries, Lebanon is found to go against generally acceptable relationships between cooperation and entrepreneurial autonomy. Furthermore, risk avoidance in Lebanon presents a major discrepancy factor with entrepreneurial culture in general.

Entrepreneurial Innovation in Islamic Banking

Instruments of Islamic finance have recently reemerged as an innovative tool for entrepreneurial transactions. Purpose of this chapter is to: a) define Islamic banking Product; b) compare with nearest western banking equivalent; c) highlight advantages and disadvantages of product; d) state future progression of banking towards convergence or divergence between Islamic and Western banking; and e) finally evaluate the role of client focus and customer driven performance in the future trends of entrepreneurial Islamic funding. This chapter highlights the concept of Islamic Banking. Business is slowly adopting Islamic banking as a rival market to western fractional reserve banking from the perspective of delivering customer value. This synopsis covers 19 instruments of Islamic banking by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each one to that of conventional banking. Interestingly, the comparative methods result in several findings including the fact that banks must be completely devoted to providing customers with excellent service standards, and must also cater for customers‘ needs and demands. In addition, if Islamic services are desired, then the ones who cater for those needs will survive. Whereas western banks have a higher chance to penetrate the Islamic banking sector, Islamic banks can't provide any conventional banking services due to Sharia'a rules that prohibit fixed or floating payment or acceptance of specific interest or fees for any service.This chapter also concludes with a contrast between Islamic and western banking from a customer perspective.

Accelerating Entrepreneurship in MENA Region

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is at a turning point in its development. How MENA region addresses the employment needs of its rapidly increasing population of young people will determine whether the MENA region will become a region characterized by stable, knowledge-based economies that have a dynamic working middle class. Entrepreneurship is considered vital to drive this transition of MENA region. Increased entrepreneurial activities will not only spur job growth but also generate ideas, attract investment and inspire future entrepreneurs to follow footsteps of successful entrepreneurs. This chapter explores the entrepreneurial ecosystem of MENA region. The chapter discusses various challenges and provides specific recommendations to boost entrepreneurial activities in MENA region.

Corporate Innovation and Intrapreneurship in the Middle East

Corporate Intrapreneurship (CIP) is still viewed in many cases in the Arab region as a western concept that does not apply to the Middle East. Whereas Corporate Intrapreneurship (CIP) has been an area of increased interest in the United States and in Europe in the last few decades, stimulated mainly by the hope that it will revitalize and regenerate the manufacturing industry, among others, in these countries, especially in the face of increased competition, in the Middle East CIP is still a somewhat new and sometimes vague concept with little understanding to its benefits and uses. The objective of this chapter is to link intrapreneurship to the well-developed literature on entrepreneurship, to develop a model that will allow us to incorporate those factors that are critical to the intrapreneurial zone of an organization.

Succession Challenges Facing Family Businesses in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study is to examine how succession planning is carried out in family-owned businesses in Saudi Arabia. The study adopts a qualitative methodology which involves semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The major findings of the research is that most of the family businesses in Saudi Arabia do not have a proper succession plan due mainly to socio-cultural issues such as mistrust and conflict of interest between the older and the younger members of the family and also subservience of women in the society generally. The implications of the study are discussed including a paradigm shift where women are encouraged and given the opportunity to get involved in the running of their family businesses.

The Lebanese Way

Within this diverse and often unstable environment, the social phenomenon of entrepreneurship has emerged. Although this concept is found in many segments of society and individuals, it is often linked to the small business venture, and this environment is where our research will take place. Defining the term presents some challenges because it is more of an activity encompassing a wide range of character traits and skills than just a static concept. Additionally, the Lebanese context may share in the collective nature of a definition, but will also offer unique displays of entrepreneurship that may differ from other societies.

Critical Review of Entrepreneurship in Oman

Entrepreneurship has assumed super importance for accelerating economic growth both in developed and developing countries. It promotes capital formation and creates wealth in country. It is hope and dreams of millions of individuals around the world. It reduces unemployment and poverty and it is a pathway to prosper. The word entrepreneur is of French origin and literally means the person that takes between – the middlemen; in a more free translation, the individual who pursues a commercial activity. In spite of various studies, defining entrepreneurship is still a major dispute among researchers and the word entrepreneur still has no common meaning among the academic community. So, espousing a very broad definition for entrepreneurship that incorporates business owners and self-employed individuals and adopting a grounded theory approach with in depth literature review of published documents and data, the core of this chapter is to review critically entrepreneurship in the Middle East with specific focus on Oman.