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ABSTRACTHow are exports shaped by digitalization? Scholars debate a global digital divide that impacts internationalization. The pandemic disrupted exports, so the pandemic provides opportunity to examine digitalization as a tool for recovery of exports. Analysis of 47 sampled countries shows that wealth, especially in the West, facilitated early digitalization, but that other regions are catching up, externally enabled by resilience in the pandemic. Analysis of 7073 businesses sampled representatively in several countries shows that early digitalization and especially recent digitalization in businesses form capabilities promoting their exports. Findings contribute to accounting for eco-systemic embeddedness of digitalization shaping exporting.KEYWORDS: DigitalizationpandemicexportGlobal Entrepreneurship Monitor Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a desire to include more people in entrepreneurship, especially women, youth, and unemployed. The question here is, how are gender, age, and occupation affecting entry, including entry pulled by opportunity and pushed by necessity? The study analyses a large representative sample of adults around MENA, surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Analyses show in detail how occupations depend on gender and age, and show the potential for turning intention into upstarts, especially in disadvantaged segments. Policies for entrepreneurship in MENA may utilise some of the findings. Notably, the study shows that inclusion of women, youth, and unemployed may be potentially be considerably enhanced through policies. These disadvantaged segments frequently intend to become entrepreneurs, but they tend not to enact their vocational intents.
A business may adopt a strategy for sustainability and may implement its strategy in its practice. Our question is, how are strategy and practice coupled and shaped by entrepreneurs and businesses embedded in national eco-systems in the Middle East and North Africa and around the world? Businesses were randomly sampled and surveyed in 2021, and national conditions were assessed by experts in ten countries in the Middle East and North Africa and in Spain and other countries around the world, as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Strategy and practice are found to have a loose coupling but are tighter in the Middle East and North Africa than in Spain. Strategy is promoted by support from businesses and governments, but support depends on national wealth. Strategy and practice by entrepreneurs and businesses are promoted by the entrepreneurs’ human and social capital and the value of making a difference in the world and continuing a family tradition. Findings contribute to understanding business engagement with sustainability, specifically in the Middle East and North Africa, as compared to Spain and in a global perspective.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a desire to include more people in entrepreneurship, especially women, youth, and unemployed. The question here is, how are gender, age, and occupation affecting entry, including entry pulled by opportunity and pushed by necessity? The study analyses a large representative sample of adults around MENA, surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Analyses show in detail how occupations depend on gender and age, and show the potential for turning intention into upstarts, especially in disadvantaged segments. Policies for entrepreneurship in MENA may utilise some of the findings. Notably, the study shows that inclusion of women, youth, and unemployed may be potentially be considerably enhanced through policies. These disadvantaged segments frequently intend to become entrepreneurs, but they tend not to enact their vocational intents.
Entrepreneurial-minded people perceive business opportunities, take risks in starting a venture and have confidence in their ability to run it. How is the entrepreneurial mindset shaped by gender roles across the social context of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the temporal context of the pandemic? We analyse mindsets of a globally representative sample of people surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor in 35 countries before or shortly after the pandemic started in 2020. Analyses go beyond reconfirming the gender gap in mindset by finding that people's entrepreneurial mindset is shaped by institutions in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and that women's mindset is especially promoted by support for women's entrepreneurship. The pandemic has caused similar declines in the perception of opportunities and risk willingness for women and men. The findings contribute to women's entrepreneurship, specifically concerning how the mindset is shaped by gender roles, which are formed in ecosystemic and temporal contexts.
Family business has recently gained research attention, particularly in specific contexts. We extend the existing literature by exploring the urban and rural context of family business, focusing on a sample of 3935 family and non-family businesses in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. Family businesses are known to be more self-reliant than non-family businesses. Therefore, we expect them to thrive in a rural environment, where institutions are less elaborate, resources fewer, and networks sparser than in urban eco-systems, which are expected to be better for non-family businesses. We find that businesses governed by families are more frequently seen in rural areas than cities and those governed by non-family more often in urban than rural areas - and this pattern is remarkably similar in the three countries studied here, suggesting that it may well be generalisable globally.
Family business has recently gained research attention, particularly in specific contexts. We extend the existing literature by exploring the urban and rural context of family business, focusing on a sample of 3935 family and non-family businesses in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. Family businesses are known to be more self-reliant than non-family businesses. Therefore, we expect them to thrive in a rural environment, where institutions are less elaborate, resources fewer, and networks sparser than in urban eco-systems, which are expected to be better for non-family businesses. We find that businesses governed by families are more frequently seen in rural areas than cities and those governed by non-family more often in urban than rural areas - and this pattern is remarkably similar in the three countries studied here, suggesting that it may well be generalisable globally.
La via de Desarrollo Sostenible con la que Marruecos pretende comprometerse y cuya finalidad es acoplar sinergias entre los componentes ecologicos, sociales, economicos y culturales del desarrollo requiere tener en cuenta el enfoque de genero. Sin embargo, Marruecos, al igual que los demas paises del Magreb, cuenta con la tasa de actividad femenina mas baja del mundo (menos del 30% segun el ultimo informe de la Alta Comision de Planificacion). Por otra parte, la actividad empresarial femenina marroqui sigue siendo debil, como lo demuestra el bajo porcentaje de mujeres empresarias: apenas unas 6.000, es decir el 0,5% segun la AFEM (Asociacion de Mujeres Empresarias de Marruecos). Por lo tanto, la cuestion leitmotiv seria: Como desarrollar una estrategia eficaz para mejorar el estado del empresariado femenino en Marruecos y favorecer un acceso equitativo al mercado laboral?
Organizational resilience issues have increased dramatically over the past two decades. Resilience, not only becomes a recurring theme in business, but also an academic literature has emerged around this concept. Nonetheless, we know little about the factors that determine organizational resilience in times of health crisis. This question is linked to the sheer scale of the current covid-19 crisis, which has caused major disruption in the national economy and all around the world. Thus, this article aims to highlight the mechanisms that underpin the capacity of resilience to maintain businesses survival.
The new GEM 2024/2025 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report: Navigating Challenges, Driving Change shows that while women continue to demonstrate resilience and innovation, they still face persistent barriers that constrain their full participation in entrepreneurship. Drawing on data from 161,528 adults across 51 countries, key report findings include: • Women were 47% more likely than men to close a business for family or personal reasons, highlighting ongoing tensions between entrepreneurship and caregiving responsibilities. • One in ten women compared to one in eight men started new businesses in 2024. • Among startups bringing new innovations to market, women were at parity with men or higher in 18 of 51 countries. • Women’s startup rates were up in 19 of the 47 countries participating in both 2023 and 2024 surveys, most notably in Jordan and Morocco where rates have doubled. • Women were less than half as likely as men to be active in the internet technology sector (ICT) and 11% less likely to see the benefits of AI for their business.
