Enhancing the Role of SMEs in the Arab World—Some Key Considerations

Stepanyan, Vahram; Abajyan, Gohar; Ndoye, Anta; Alnasaa, Marwa

doi:10.5089/9781513522760.007

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…The importance of SMEs to GDP in MENA economies consists of four to 40 per cent, highlighting either the opportunities for higher position for SMEs in such regions and their also major role in another. It is projected that SMEs contribute for 80-90 % of MENA-region businesses (Stepanyan, Abajyan, Ndoye, & Alnasaa, 2019). In the MENA countries, about % (MSME Country Measures, 2014), and intensity (entity per 1,000 people) given more weight to micro-enterprises (Gonzales et al, 2014).…”

Section: The Importance Of Smes For Economic Mena Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small and Medium Enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Otman¹

2021

IJBM

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In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are now widely recognized as engines of economic development. This paper discusses the importance of SMEs in the MENA economic area and identifies the challenges and barriers facing SMEs in MENA countries. In addition, this study analyses the effects of two 'black swan' Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) phenomena and a decline in oil prices on the economy of MENA in 2020. The current study found that the most significant challenges were identified as lack of access to finance, lack of managerial expertise, inefficiencies of government, lack of a well-trained workforce, inadequate infrastructure, corruption and bureaucratic obstacles. Among these challenges, the lack of access to finance appears to be the major challenge and suggests that future research is required to identify the role of Islamic finance models in the financing of SMEs in MENA countries. This research provides all stakeholders with policy implications intended for enhancing the different features of SME improvement in the MENA region and generally in developing countries.

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Section: The Importance Of Smes For Economic Mena Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small and Medium Enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Otman¹

2021

IJBM

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“…While drawing upon the dynamic capabilities’ theory, the findings of this research immensely address the issues as to the current management practices associated with organizational learning capabilities, OI and FP within SMEs in emerging economies, such as the UAE. According to Stepanyan et al (2019), the private sector investment in the Arab region is the second lowest worldwide. SMEs are a cornerstone of Arab economies, including the UAE, accounting for over 90% of all enterprises and offering a major source of new job creations (Stepanyan et al , 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Stepanyan et al (2019), the private sector investment in the Arab region is the second lowest worldwide. SMEs are a cornerstone of Arab economies, including the UAE, accounting for over 90% of all enterprises and offering a major source of new job creations (Stepanyan et al , 2019). Since SMEs are growing in emerging countries, their competitiveness has been immense, requiring them to be more innovative.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open innovation in SMEs: a dynamic capabilities perspective

Al Nuaimi,

Singh,

Ahmad

2023

JKM

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Purpose This study aims to examine the relationships between organizational learning capabilities, open innovation and firm performance (FP) in the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach Data collected from 384 manufacturing SMEs operating across the seven emirates of the UAE were statistically analyzed using SmartPLS 3 to examine the hypotheses of this study. Findings The results show that organizational learning capabilities positively influences both inbound and outbound dimensions of open innovation (OI). Inbound open innovation (IP) practice positively impacted both market effectiveness and profitability, while outbound open innovation (OP) practice only affected profitability. Findings further confirmed the mediating role of IP practice on the relationships of organizational learning capabilities with market effectiveness and profitability. In contrast, OP practice did not mediate the relationships of organizational learning capabilities with market effectiveness and profitability. Originality/value To the best of the authors knowledge, this is among the first study contributing to the extant innovation literature in terms of investigations into the significant and complex interrelations of organizational learning capabilities, OI and FP in a single study, demonstrating various theoretical implications in the context of manufacturing SMEs in emerging countries. Overall, the findings of this study confirmed that the owners/managers of the UAE’s manufacturing SMEs need to be acquainted with the need of creating a working environment fostering organizational learning processes and capabilities to enhance IP and OP activities, thereby improving their market effectiveness and profitability.

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“…A key constraint for SMEs is their lack of financial resources, which constitute the main difference between large-and small-scale organisations; large organisations will likely have greater financial resources and are thus able to invest capital to adopt technological advancements and take on greater challenges and risks (Ghobakhloo & Ching, 2019;Masood & Sonntag, 2020;Rauch et al, 2019;Vrchota et al, 2019). Moreover, it has been reported that limited access to finance is an even greater constraint for SME development in the Arab region (Stepanyan et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%