MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2000 |
Session 1
12:30–2:30 pm |
Firm Competitiveness: Why and How Does It Matter?
This session sets the scene for the rest of the workshop. It highlights the importance of international competitiveness and emphasizes how firms are the agents of competitiveness while the role of government is confined to the provision of a conducive business environment. |
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Opening Remarks: |
Samiha Fawzy
Cairo University and ECES, Egypt |
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Chair: |
Taher Helmy
Chairman, ECES and Partner, Baker & McKenzie Law Firm |
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Speakers: |
H.E. Youssef Boutross Ghali
Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Egypt
Sanjaya Lall
Professor of Economics, Oxford University, UK
Jay Ganatra
Chairman and Managing Director, General Motors, Egypt
Galal El-Zorba
Chairman of Nile Clothing, and Vice-Chairman of ECES |
Session 2
4:00–6:00 pm |
Institutional Reform: Pressing Issues for Firm Competitiveness
Efficient institutions are critical to promoting market specialization and reducing uncertainty and transaction costs. This session starts by highlighting the institutions that most impede firms' competitiveness in MENA countries and then presents best practice in institutional reform by focusing on two main areas: legal and judicial systems and logistics of trade. |
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Chair: |
Motaz El-Alfi
CEO, Americana Group |
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Speakers: |
Institutions, Firm Competitiveness and Growth
Ibrahim Shihata
World Bank and ECES, Egypt
Which Institutions Impede Firm Competitiveness in MENA?
Andrew Stone
World Bank
Dispute Resolution and Firm Competitiveness in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia
Jeffrey Nugent
University of Southern California
Reforming MENA Ports: Best Practice
Paul Kimberly
Electronic Commerce Consultants, Australia |
TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2000 |
Session 3
11:00–1:00 pm |
Corporate Governance and Firms' Competitiveness
The key to competitiveness is not limited to simply ensuring a conducive business environment, transparent and accountable corporate governance is also required. This session highlights the essential corporate governance principles and practices that are necessary for competitive firms. |
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Chair: |
Ahmed Galal
Executive Director, ECES |
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Speakers: |
Corporate Governance: Emerging Issues and Lessons from East Asia
Magdi Iskander
World Bank
Corporate Governance: Transparency Between Government and Business
John D. Sullivan
Center for International Private Enterprise, USA
Coping with Competitive Pressures
Sabry El Shabrawy
Member, The Shura Consultative Council
The Role of the Financial Sector in Corporate Governance: The Egyptian Case
Mahmoud Mohieldin and Ziad Bahaa Eldin
Ministry of Economy, Egypt |
Session 4
3:00–5:00 pm |
Strategies for Firm Competitiveness
Recent global and regional changes have established new rules for developing and maintaining firms' competitiveness. This session addresses the following questions: What are the most important business rules affecting firms' sustainability? How can firms cope with these changes? What are the best techniques and strategies for managing smooth and successful changes? |
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Chair: |
Sherif Dellawar
Member of the Alexandria Business Association (tbc) |
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Speakers: |
Global Rules for Business
John Page and Dorsati Madani
World Bank
Global Competition and the Peripheral Player
Taïeb Hafsy
Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, Canada
Firm Strategies in a Global Economy: Case Studies from Egypt and Jordan
Jeremy Coleman
Center for Middle East Competitive Strategy, UK
Penetrating New Markets: A Real Life Story
Mahmoud El Afifi
Chairman, The International Co. for Agricultural Development (Farm Frites) |
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2000 |
Session 5
11:00–1:00 pm |
How Can SMEs in MENA be an Engine for Growth?
Based on the fact that small and medium enterprises dominate (numerically) the private sector in most MENA countries, it is unrealistic to target competitiveness without considering their contribution. This session investigates how these productive units can help in the process and how they can be an engine for growth and competitiveness in the MENA region. |
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Chair: |
Toni Wagner
Deputy Mission Director, Cairo Mission, USAID (tbc) |
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Speakers: |
Competitiveness of SMEs and Support Services
Antoine Mansour
ESCWA, Lebanon
Beyond Credit: A Taxonomy of SMEs and Financing Methods for Arab Countries
Mahmoud El-Gamal
Rice University, Houston
Bridging the Skills Gap: Interaction between University and Industry
Marcel Boyer & Gamal Atallah
CIRANO & Université de Montreal, Canada
Non-Financial Services for Developing SMEs: Case Study from Egypt
Salama Fahmy
Field Director: Egypt/Canada, Small and Medium Business Support Project |
Session 6
2:45–4:45 pm |
Tourism Competitiveness
Tourism is one of the three service industries, along with information technology and telecommunications, that will drive the world economy in the 21st century. This session addresses the following question: How can the diverse and rich tourism sectors in MENA countries increase their modest share in the world market for tourism and promote economic growth in the region? |
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Chair: |
H.E. Mamdouh El-Beltagui
Minister of Tourism, Egypt |
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Speakers: |
The Competitive Position of the Tourism Industry in MENA
Sahar Tohamy
Senior Economist, ECES
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: The Tourism Cluster
Gaith Zureikat
Member of Competitiveness Team, Ministry of Planning, Jordan
The Competitiveness Position of the Tourism Cluster in Palestine
Mohamed M. Nasr
Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
The Tourism Cluster in Tunisia
Mohamed Bechri
Professor, University of Tunisia |
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Globalization has become an irreversible, universally-dominant trend, and in an open and liberalized world, increasing firm competitiveness has become a major challenge. This workshop addresses how a firm can create and sustain a competitive position in both domestic and international markets. The sessions provide a forum for policymakers, businesspeople and experts to discuss various issues related to firms' competitiveness.