Top ten blog posts in 2013 (6-10)

As I mentioned in my "Lessons” of blogging post in May (you can read here, readers seem to like lists. As the final days of 2013 countdown I thought it might be interesting – for me as much as for you – to countdown the top ten blog posts of the year as rated by number of views. (I know this places a bias on posts published at the beginning of the year, but hey, the world of lists is full of biases!)

Number 10:

There are three article snapshot posts that made it in the top 10. Coming in at number 10 with 136 views is the post Article Snapshot: Business Opportunities in the UAE. The post provided an excerpt of an article I wrote for a newly launched online magazine in Canada – Canadian Business Strategist Magazine. It outlined the many untapped opportunities available to Canadian companies (or really any company) in health care, adventure and eco-tourism, metals, convenience stores, fashion and food and beverage.

Number 9:

The ninth most read blog post at 145 views was Male Youth Entrepreneurship in the UAE: a Research Project. The project was to study the motivators and deterrents of young men to become entrepreneurs and also looked at the lessons learned from two Emirati entrepreneurs interviewed by Yousef Al Shehhi. Yousef (now graduated) did a great job and he presented his findings at the MIT-Masdar Institute Forum on Entrepreneurship and Innovation  to great interest by researchers and the general public. 

Yousef and his poster 

Number 8:

Looking back at the numbers I was kind of surprised at number 8... The post Joining the Conversation: How to get our voices heard from the Middle East (2/2), with 149 views, is all about research and becoming a bigger part of the global management research community. As we approach the deadline for 2014 Academy of Management submissions I hope there will be more submissions from the Middle East in 2014 than 2013... I know many in the group photo below are working towards that goal!

Caucus participants AOM 2013

Number 7:

The second article snapshot is an article wrote in collaboration with researchers in Tunisia and Yemen. At 165 views, Entrepreneurs and their networks in MENA: an article and project using big data (and policy recommendations too!) was the results of a much larger grant project supported by the IRDC involving 14 MENA countries looking at the networks used by entrepreneurs. (I wrote about the five day workshop we had in 2012 starting in daily blog posts - day 1 here). Taha, Lotfi and I found that there was significant difference between entrepreneurs at various stages of venture development for network size and network diversity and that entrepreneurs with larger networks (number of advisers and more diverse (from different environments, e.g. private, work, professional advisers are more likely to launch their business in a short time. However, most entrepreneurs in the region have shallow and narrow networks... which leads us to our policy recommendations... 

The number of networks used by entrepreneurs in the MENA region

Number 6:

The third article snapshot - in a way a culmination of a project begun in August 2010 in the very room I am currently working in in Lorraine, Quebec - had 178 views. Article snapshot: “Technological innovation in the United Arab Emirates: process and challenges” is about the innovation process of an Emirati inventor and entrepreneur - Mariam Al Hallami, the first author, found that while the process used by the entrepreneur in the UAE is similar to that of entrepreneurs in the West, the lack of Industrial Research Centers puts a hamper scaling up inventions and innovations.

R&D expenditure - the MENA region needs to step up spending!

So that was 10 through 6... the top 5 will follow shortly....

Article Snapshot: Business Opportunities in the UAE

This blog post provides an excerpt of an article I wrote for a newly launched online magazine in Canada – Canadian Business Strategist Magazine. You can find the link to the article here: http://thecbsa.org/magazine/2013/02/business-opportunities/  (and if you should want to quote or cite these opinions, please cite the article, not the blog post)

Business Opportunities for Canadian Companies

As both a market in itself, and as a doorway to a larger regional market, the United Arab Emirates is a good place for Canadian entrepreneurs and established businesses to diversify their sales and operations. While the industries the Canadian government has identified are the established and known opportunities, there are many untapped opportunities in health care, adventure and eco-tourism, metals, convenience stores, fashion and food and beverage. Canadian firms have some distinct competitive advantages in these areas which will translate to business success.

Healthcare

The prevalence of obesity and diabetes amongst the Emirati population is very high – which ranks it among the top 10 and top 2 countries in the world respectively. There is universal healthcare provided for Emirati citizens and professional workers are usually provided with heath care from their employers. There are currently heavy investment in the area from well-known American brands such as the Cleveland Clinic and there is a growing demand for more specialised clinics, e.g. for obesity treatment; knee, hip and joint replacement; cardio-vascular and diabetic care. The pharmaceutical industry is also growing much higher than GDP and population – Reuters has estimated an annual growth rate in spending of nearly 10% – and spending in this industry expected to reach over $2.2 billion in 2014.

Adventure and Eco-Tourism

Dubai and Abu Dhabi now run two of the largest and fastest growing airlines in the world with Emirates and Etihad. Aggressive marketing, sales and collaborative projects have increased traffic and tourism in these cities. Millions of passengers transit through Abu Dhabi and Dubai – many taking advantage of short-term visas for shopping and relaxation at the five star luxury hotels. However, there are UNESCO World Heritage sites in Al Ain including sites from the iron age at Hili. Eco-tourism plays a very small role, and yet there are many opportunities in the unique heritage, ecological and cultural sites, as well as mountains, wadis and sand dunes for adventure seeking tourists.

Aluminum SME manufacturers

The UAE is a big player in the aluminum industry and is currently in the top 10 countries in the world, and once production is at full capacity it should take its place as the fifth largest producer after China, Russia, Canada and Australia. Relatively inexpensive electricity, a growing aerospace industry and the role as a regional and international hub provide an environment waiting for experts in aluminum manufacturing to partner with enterprising individuals and groups from the UAE.

Convenience Stores

In the UAE the convenience store industry is dominated by independently run and operated stores. Recent government regulations implemented in 2012 in Abu Dhabi have seen hundreds of these small stores close as they do not meet the new standards. In the capital of Abu Dhabi alone there were over 1,300 small shops in operation in 2012, and with the new standards and new investments needed by small shop owners, the need for future consolidation is evident.

Fashion and Food and Beverage

From the success of brands such as Second Cup and Tim Horton’s in food and beverage and the ever present fashion retail outlets such as Aldo, Spring and Garage – Canadian companies and brands have demonstrated that they have a distinct competitive advantage in the UAE. At the high end of the market, limited edition, unique quality brands are key selling points. In mid-range these same aspects are important – and fashion retailers such as H&M have implemented the “limited edition” clothing lines to great success in the region.

While first mover advantage is an important factor in the UAE – there is still room for established Western brands to make inroads in a market that looks for new, unique, consistent, good quality and fair priced coffee and fast food outlets. While there are some modifications to menus to account for local regulations for halal products, and as delivery is almost a necessity for fast food chains, walking into a Tim Horton’s or a Second Cup is much the same experience in Abu Dhabi or Cold Lake, Alberta.