Introduction to Business in MENA

This module aims to analyse the current issues shaping the economic, business and institutional environments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and to analyse their implications for private and foreign investment, managerial decisions, and doing business in the region.

One objective is to analyse the various reforms undertaken in the region and assess their impact on the business environment. Another objective is to evaluate the main institutional obstacles to doing business in the region and how to design strategies to mitigate their impacts.

The module covers aspects of business-state relationships in the region, FDI and political risk, international and regional trade, family businesses, and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The module analyses the main features of the energy transition and the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition in clean technologies such as renewables and hydrogen.

The module is designed to be accessible to those with little prior knowledge of MENA.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

• To develop a comprehensive understanding of relevant and current business issues in the MENA region including but not limited to the economic and institutional environment, business-state relationship, FDI, trade, labour markets, family businesses, the energy transition and the challenges and opportunities that the recent transformations will present
• To develop students’ critical thinking in the rapidly changing business environment in MENA
• To develop students’ intellectual skills in understanding and synthesizing research reports in a critical manner and undertaking independent research projects and dissertation
• To equip students’ transferable knowledge and skills required to develop a career in business in the MENA region or covering the MENA region
• Develop the ability to create, evaluate and assess a range of managerial decision options in MENA settings
• Being able to research academic publications and review literature to articulate new and coherent perspectives critically
• Effectively using electronic information and library facilities to develop research skills to retrieve relevant information and analyse data from extensive sources
• Develop effective cultural intelligence necessary for relationship management in cross-cultural contexts
• Communicate and present research both in oral presentations and written form

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