Research
October, 2019
It’s showtime! Leisure and entertainment in the GCC
GCC governments have opportunities to strengthen the leisure and entertainment (L&E) sector’s contribution to economic growth by boosting demand and consequently increasing returns. The Ideation Center has identified three priorities for GCC governments following in-depth research into the L&E supply and plans and a survey of consumers’ views.
January, 2019
Putting GCC cities in the loop
GCC countries need to replace the prevalent linear economic model of “take, make, use, waste,” which has been to the detriment of the region economically, environmentally, and socially. Instead, GCC countries should adopt in a holistic manner the circular economy model, which optimizes the consumption of finite resources, maximizes product utilization, and recovers by-products and waste.
December, 2018
Scaling up MENA SMEs: How a handful of firms can fast-forward economic growth
Governments in the Middle East and North Africa should focus on scale-ups, small- and medium-sized enterprises with proven business models. Policymakers should improve their scale-ups ecosystems across four growth pillars: business fundamentals, business propellers, demand creators, and country readiness.
September, 2018
Beyond bricks: Building a high impact research ecosystem in the GCC
GCC countries need to foster their research ecosystems to produce high-quality research that can lead to innovation and that can inform public policy. They must improve research capabilities and the quality of output, create national research frameworks, invest in building their local talent, fund research on a performance basis, encourage research in high-priority socioeconomic sectors through collaboration with enterprises, and establish an effective intellectual property framework.
February, 2018
Triggering change in the GCC through behavioral insights
In the past few years, the term, “behavioral insights” has been used more widely to describe a new approach to policy design.
Behavioral science incorporates insights from economics, psychology, sociology, and neurology to understand what makes people tick, and on this basis, it launches interventions that improve their responsiveness to public policies, without restricting their freedom of choice
October, 2017
Empowering the GCC digital workforce
Strategy& together with LinkedIn analyzed the GCC digital job market and found that there are too few digital professionals, their skills are insufficient, and most are expatriates. GCC governments should partner with technology players, educational institutions, the private sector, and entrepreneurs to launch initiatives that grow the digital job market.
October, 2017
Inforgraphic: The dynamics of the digital job market in the GCC
Strategy& together with LinkedIn analyzed the GCC digital job market and found that there are too few digital professionals, their skills are insufficient, and most are expatriates. GCC governments should partner with technology players, educational institutions, the private sector, and entrepreneurs to launch initiatives that grow the digital job market.
September, 2017
Embracing sharing: Managing the disruption of the sharing economy in the GCC
GCC countries should take a differentiated approach to the sharing economy to balance its rewards and risks, based on each country’s socioeconomic priorities. They need a clear operating, legal, and tax framework for each sharing economy sector. Taking into account its cross-sectoral implications will facilitate the development of local and regional platforms within national digitization plans.
March, 2017
From traditional to impact philanthropy: Creating a legacy for GCC family businesses
GCC family philanthropies could maximize the impact of their charitable giving and create a legacy of philanthropy around their family by adopting a more modern approach like leading global family-owned philanthropic institutions. To do so, they will need to institutionalize their philanthropic involvement, introduce innovative financing tools, and implement impact measurement.
March, 2017
GCC governments need to strengthen their consumer protection policies. The task is magnified by the rise of e-commerce and the sharing ...
January, 2017
Private-sector participation in the GCC: Building foundations for success
The governments of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have decided to change their economic development model. The state-led approach which relied upon natural resources successfully raised incomes from developing...
January, 2017
Safeguarding children in the GCC: A framework for the education sector
For quality learning to take place at the primary and secondary school levels, countries need to have robust protection frameworks for children. Children, society’s most vulnerable members, need to...
December, 2016
Preparing for the digital era: The state of digitalization in GCC businesses
Executives in the GCC are excited by digital. They recognize its benefits, such as stronger customer orientation and increased efficiency.
September, 2016
How GCC companies can become global competitors
Following a period of growth, globally and locally, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) companies must now focus on capabilities if they want to maintain their growth and improve their positioning.
September, 2016
Drilling for new sources of growth
The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council recognize the urgent need to diversify their economies away from dependence on oil and gas. As diversification is complex, they should keep in mind three key principles: upgrading local enterprises to be world-class, leapfrogging to advanced digitization, and building a skilled labor force.
July, 2016
GCC governments must articulate strategy; transform government services’ cost structure; build the necessary capabilities; and reorganize government’s operating model. This is enabled by digital transformation and national talent development.
May, 2016
Why are 4 billion people without the internet?
Three obstacles to extending the reach of the Web — and thereby reducing poverty in developing countries — can be fixed.
May, 2016
Achieving universal Internet access requires changes in the three interdependent markets that make the Internet work.
May, 2016
How to use cybersecurity to gain a competitive advantage
The security of barriers is based not just on keeping people out, but on watching people who come in. For further insights, read “Safety in the Cloud.”
April, 2016
Simplify, digitize, consolidate — or else
The telecommunications industry has enabled its business customers to digitize their activities, but has lagged in its own efforts to move in the same direction. If telecom operators are to catch up, they must radically lower their networking costs, simplify their product offerings, and devise better customer experiences. Then they must settle on their digital strategy and develop a much wider range of digital services. Finally, they need to engage more fully in the ongoing consolidation of their industry.
February, 2016
Will you be mine in the digital world?
As they look to enhance digital capabilities through mergers and acquisitions, traditional companies have to heed a new set of dating rules.
October, 2015
Political stability and safety are prerequisites for tourism, which is why countries must make plans to recover their reputations after incidents of political unrest. Countries need crisis management and perception management. Once a negative event occurs, countries should incentivize tourism, whether from domestic or international sources. Countries should also develop crisis-immune tourism products.
April, 2015
Telecom companies face increased competition and rising network costs, which are reducing their gross earnings. Instead of responding with cost-cutting, they should undertake a comprehensive product profitability and simplification exercise. At that point they can restructure market-facing and back-end operations and infrastructure, which will lay the foundations for improved profitability.
December, 2014
Leveraging an untapped talent pool
GCC family businesses can leverage a critical source of competitive advantage: the women of the family. Business leaders and governments should encourage the region’s high level of female education and training, the gradual growth in women’s labour participation and entrepreneurship, and women’s involvement in family firms’ governance and succession plans.
September, 2014
The digital revolution is questioning existing regulatory frameworks and forcing regulators to respond. Regulators have to grapple with these disruptive forces in a manner that will foster both innovation and fairness. The three key areas for regulators to look at, and that require a focus on digitization, are market efficiency, scarcity management, and safeguarding customer welfare.
