Managing Middle Eastern management

Citation

Yeo, R.K. and Svensson, G. (2010), "Managing Middle Eastern management", European Business Review, Vol. 22 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.2010.05422baa.001

Managing Middle Eastern management

Article Type: Guest editorial From: European Business Review, Volume 22, Issue 2

The Middle East provides a fertile ground for multidisciplinary research given the unique industrial landscape of petroleum and chemical business opportunities that governs the region. This has brought about a massive scale of globalization as foreign trade and investments begin to flourish in this part of the world. Underlying the richness of “oil and gas” that appears to propel businesses that take on an international outlook, an increasing number of organizations in this region have begun to reconstruct their strategic profiles in order to create opportunities for long-term competitive advantage. With the influx of and considerable dependence on foreign talents and labor, many of the organizational contexts offer a unique and cross-cultural platform on which many diverse ideas and practices germinate.

As some would argue, it is often not easy for emerging organizations to strike a balance between preserving their organizational values/identity and embracing the innovativeness of forefront business practices as fuelled by internationalization. To a large extent, many such organizations are confronted by the paradox of being forward thinking yet remaining inward looking. This tussle cuts across a variety of areas and issues in the Middle East. If more in-depth and enduring research into the organizational dynamics and paradigms of the Middle Eastern management culture were given due emphasis, the impact on the implications for practice and policy – even theory – would be enormous for business research worldwide. This is especially so for the European business environment as many organizations look to the Middle East to seek collaborations and investments, and vice versa.

It is with this perspective that this special issue contains articles that explore, uncover and reveal the different types of dilemmas and mindsets that make the Middle Eastern management practices so unique. This special issue contains the articles as follows.

The first article is entitled “Training interventions: fulfilling managerial ends or proliferating invaluable means for employees? Some evidence from Iran” and is co-authored by Ebrahim Soltani (University of Kent, UK), Adrian Wilkinson (Griffith University, Australia), and Ying-Ying Liao (University of Kent, UK). This article assesses the current state of employee training practices and its impact on employee turnover through a sample of Iranian-based organizations.

The second article is entitled “Knowledge sharing through inter-organizational knowledge networks: challenges and opportunities in the United Arab Emirates” and is co-authored by Norita Ahmad and Abdelkader Daghfous (both American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)). This article analyses the business sector in the UAE based on the level of involvement in knowledge sharing activities with external sources, internal organizational innovations and the barriers and benefits of joining knowledge networks.

The third article is entitled “FDI knowledge spillovers and host government policies: the Iranian experience” and is co-authored by Marco Ferretti and Adele Parmentola (both Università degli studi di Napoli Parthenope, Italy). This article analyses the influence of the host government policies on foreign direct investments knowledge spillovers.

The fourth article is entitled “Theory versus practice: perspectives of Middle Eastern financial managers” and is co-authored by Abdelaziz Chazi (American University of Sharjah, UAE), Paulo Renato Soares Terra (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) and Fernando Caputo Zanella (United Arab Emirates University, UAE). This article surveys financial managers in the Arab Gulf region about a broad set of financial decisions and contrasts their answers with prescriptions of both financial theory and practice of their North American and European peers.

The fifth article is entitled “Weak signalling of bond ratings in Israel” and is authored by Yaffa Machnes (Bar-Ilan University, Israel). This article analyses why firms with average quality debt have not changed their tactics and consent to publishing their grade which would then differentiate an average quality debt from a riskier one.

The sixth article is entitled “Entrepreneurs and trade names: evidence from the United Arab Emirates” and is authored by Baker Ahmad Alserhan (United Arab Emirates University, UAE). This article aims to classify the problems associated with the various types of trade names, identify Arab entrepreneurs' approaches to naming, and to construct a model that enables entrepreneurs to develop optimal names.

The last article is entitled “Cross-cultural differences and Italian firms' internationalization in Algeria: exploring assertiveness and performance orientation” and is co-authored by Francesco Calza (Università degli Studi di Napoli Parthenope, Italy), Nadir Aliane (Université de Boumerdès, Algeria) and Chiara Cannavale (Università degli Sudi di Napoli Parthenope, Italy). This article aims to investigate the impact of cross-cultural differences on Italian firms' internationalization in Algeria, and to determine if performance orientation and assertiveness are perceived by Italian managers of local subsidiaries as important cultural dimensions.

We truly wish that you – the reader of European Business Review (EBR) – will find the seven contributions of this special issue of great intellectual interest and stimulation. We also hope that both scholars and practitioners will find them valuable.

To help maintain the academic rigour and integrity of EBR, we are indeed fortunate to have partnered with 22 outstanding scholars who have helped us in the double-blind reviewing process. The sheer diversity of these scholars' academic affiliations proves that EBR is truly a journal of international appeal, whose scholarly works are subject to the scrutiny of reviewers that represent contexts that are wider than the Middle Eastern region on which our special issue's theme is based. We acknowledge and appreciate the reviewers' time, effort and contribution that have made this special issue a success. Names are arranged in alphabetical order:

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  Behery, Mohamed. College of Business Administration, University of Dubai, UAE

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  Corkindale, David. International Graduate School of Business, University of South Australia, Australia

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  Delorme, Michel. Organisational Behaviour and Strategy, Kuwait-Maastricht Business School, Kuwait

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  Dymock, Darryl. School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Australia

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  Fullerton, Ronald. Department of Management, The American University in Cairo, Egypt

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  George, Beverly. Department of Management, University of Texas at Arlington, USA

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  Gold, Jeff. Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK

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  Kassim, Norizan Mohd. College of Business and Economics, Qatar University, Qatar

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  Kee, Daisy. Faculty of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

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  Kunnanatt, James Thomas. College of Business and Economics, United Arab Emirates University, UAE

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  Matthiessen, Christian Wichmann. Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

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  Md Taib, Fauziah. School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

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  Mouakket, Samar. Faculty of Business Administration, University of Sharjah, UAE

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  Nowland, John. School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

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  Othman, Radiah. Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

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  Parnell, John A. School of Business Administration, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, USA

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  Rahman, Kaleel. School of Business Administration, American University in Dubai, UAE

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  Rao, C.P. Department of Management and Marketing, Kuwait University, Kuwait

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  Strate, Merwyn. School of Business Administration, American University in Dubai, UAE

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  Vel, Prakash K. Faculty of Business and Management, University of Wollongong in Dubai, UAE

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  Vignali, Claudio. Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK

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  Wasti, Nazli. Department of Business Administration, Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Forthcoming special issues programmed in EBR during 2010 are: “Business ethics – through time and across context” (Co-Editor Professor Gael McDonald of Unitec, New Zealand); and “Anatomy of value and value-driven processes in business organizations” (Co-Editor Professor Aron O'Cass of University of Newcastle, Australia).

Welcome to the thought-provoking and challenging world of EBR!

EBR can be found at: www.emeraldinsight.com

Roland K. Yeo, Göran SvenssonCo-Editors