• Cultural Factors in International Mergers and Acquisitions: When and Where Culture Matters; The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management, Vol. 6, 2006.   Please contact the publisher for an electronic or hard copy of this article.

• The Strategic Value of Cross-cultural Expertise; Working papers, the Faculty Research Forum of the Washington Consortium of Business Schools, 2004.

• The Information Communication Technology (ICT) Penetration and Skills Gap Analysis (SGA). Co-authored; a report for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Egyptian government to assess the use of ICT in industries and educational systems and recommend policies and actions to respond to immediate inquiries for ICT skills covering the local, regional, and global markets. 2003.

Abstract: Existing studies on IM&As take mostly a finance or economic perspective, measuring the outcomes of IM&As in the short term while ignoring their long-term returns and non-financial factors. The present research is designed in response to this shortcoming, examining the effects of culture on the outcome of IM&As and the variation of these effects during the different phases of an IM&A. The research focuses on the international aspect of cultural differences—the differentiating factor between domestic mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and IM&As. It measures success from an organization’s internal perspective, comparing what the IM&A, at inception, was expected to achieve and what it achieved several years later. This approach is different from the standard one of measuring success based on market reaction to the IM&A—an external measure. This qualitative research is based on an interpretive approach, cutting across economic, international business, and behavioral theories. The significance of the study lies in its emphasis on national culture as a construct separate from organizational culture, in measuring the success or failure of an IM&A relative to its objectives, and in supporting reflexivity theory in economics.

Please contact the publisher for an electronic or hard copy of this article.

Abstract: The discussion of the relationship between culture and organization began with group dynamics and group behavior. It originated in anthropology and sociology before being included in management science and has gained more importance, both at the organizational and country levels. Researchers argue the relevancy of culture and its effect on organizational performance and socioeconomic development. The range of views about relevance is wide. Culture appears as irrelevant at one end of a spectrum and as crucial at the other end. The first group argues that technical, organizational, and management methods are most important and that managers should rely only on the best approaches—what has worked in developed countries and successful firms. The opposite view is that business is about actions, and interactions are affected by people’s values. In addition, this group posits that an organization is a subset of its environment and that the organizational culture is influenced by the social culture, which is widely varied among different societies. Therefore, they say, managers should consider culture and manage it. Researchers at the two opposite ends of the relevancy spectrum agree that, in today’s changing environment, companies should be culturally flexible and able to adapt to changes. However, they disagree on how to develop such flexibility. The first group sees a unique organizational culture as a barrier to flexibility and the opposite group sees it as the very source of flexibility. This article provides an overview of where, in business management, culture becomes important. It also makes an assessment of if and how cultural expertise could be considered a strategic value, including within the new “sense-and-respond” strategy of adaptive organizations.

Abstract: Under its Strategic Objective 17 (SO17) the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided its contract to operate and implement “Skills for Competitiveness Developed Initiative.” The initiative that is being implemented by “Partners for a Competitive Egypt- PfCE” project was crafted to respond to the challenges of global competitiveness and workforce development. It aimed to build private sector coalitions, develop global thinking, and promote Egyptian leadership and innovative public/private sector partnerships. A principal objective of PfCE project is to support the activities of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in implementing its National ICT Development Program as well as developing the IT Cluster in Egypt. The ICT Penetration and Skills Gap Analysis (SGA) study was developed to respond to the immediate inquiries for information of MCIT and USAID on the needs for ICT skills covering the local, regional, and global markets. The outputs of the study will help alleviate the need for basic information on skills required by various planning activities undertaken by USAID and the MCIT. The results of the assessment and the related recommendations will add to the continuity of the ICT workforce development. The study will help in selecting the educational and training interventions supported by USAID and MCIT. It will provide the ICT stakeholders with the basis for continued ICT human resource and workforce development plans for maximum growth of the ICT sector. It will also serve as a basis for expanding the use and adoption of ICT practices and applications by Egyptian industries with the purpose of raising productivity and increasing Egyptian products competitiveness.