Entrepreneurship & Innovation - Africa Business School

Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Entrepreneurship at Africa Business School – E&I@ABS research activities are rooted in the knowledge that entrepreneurship and innovation drive regional and global economic development. Entrepreneurship now extends to corporate activities, applying creativity, innovation, and risk-taking, makes entrepreneurial thinkers integral to organizational success.

E&I@ABS also sees entrepreneurship as a means to free the population from social and economic constraints. Entrepreneurship allows individuals, especially the most deprived, to make their own way by breaking up perceived constraints. When this process takes place without taking advantage of others (enlightened self-interest), the advancement of entrepreneurship contributes to the establishment of fairer societies.

Thus, the research activities of the E&I cluster include new venture creation and corporation innovation and the uplifting of the underserved, all impacted by the “entrepreneurial mindset.” The ultimate objective of the E&I cluster is to produce original research that directly impacts and transforms individuals, organizations, and society.

E&I@ABS believes in the power of applied, multidisciplinary research to have impact in Morocco and throughout Africa. We integrate research activities with teaching and advisory services to address some of the most pressing issues in the region, including understanding the intricacies of entrepreneurial ecosystems, mindset challenges, inequalities, low youth-employment, and the struggles of early-stage startups on knowledge & technology.

Research Team

Abdel-Maoula CHAA

David HAYES

Bouchra RAHMOUNI

PhD & DBA candidates

Aissam Sigoul

Nisrine TAHRI

Ahmed Zahlan

Research projects and related publications

Moroccan and Africa Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Gender, Diversity, & Youth

High Growth / Scalable Startups

Africa is seen as the continent of “development and growth,” and entrepreneurial activities are the “economic engine” that will drive this growth. The E&I@ABS research cluster is fully engaged in studying entrepreneurial ecosystems: 1) Understanding their current state of effectiveness; 2) empowering stakeholders with new knowledge and tools to increase efficiency throughout the system and, 3) Positively impact the development and sustainability of new business ventures.

The entrepreneurial mindset in many parts of the MENA region is a big challenge. People are used to living within certain stereotypes. Global entrepreneurship monitors E&I@ABS’ research striving to understand and improve the current state of mind as a means to enhance individual and company success. As global economic forces continuously reshape the scope of entrepreneurship, it has never been more crucial to nurture and develop the entrepreneurial mindset, abilities and agility and nationally a culture of innovation.

E&I@ABS believes that entrepreneurship can initiate and orchestrate transformation processes that might influence the socioeconomic system in which it takes place. It seeks, to determine the means that make it possible to overcome institutional constraints that affect both the entrepreneurial choices as well as personal and social consequences of these. In this context, this research cluster understands that analyzing and addressing gender diversity issues are the key to unlocking the economic and societal potential of Morocco and the continent. To that end, it seeks to understand how these inequalities impact the individual, new ventures, corporate success as well as identify the factors that drive low levels of entrepreneurial activity amongst youth. Given the contemporary ever-evolving context, the cluster also aims to identify factors of resilience for nascent ventures being proactive about on what these entrepreneurs will eventually encounter. The goal of E&I@ABS is to understand and use this knowledge to promote a more inclusive view of entrepreneurship by : 1)providing early exposure to a less constraint by stereotypes mindset as well as trainingtraining; 2)making a practical contribution through increased human, financial, and capital investments into entrepreneurial activities; 3)lastly, by designing systems that would promote the development micro-venture.

In the MENA region, high-tech, early-stage startups struggle to secure seed investments and are hindered by regulations, a lack of R&D incentives and access to courses, expert advice . E&I@ABS is addressing these topics with its research in the field.

Current projects

Project Eureka

A 3-year interdisciplinary, applied research project that aims to understand and increase the impact of the Moroccan entrepreneurial ecosystem. The project is supported by the research and educational content development and implementation capabilities of the Africa Business School and the School of Collective Intelligence, field implementation expertise and logistics support from Impact for Development (a leading Moroccan NGO), and expertise from the Confederation Generale des Entreprises du Maroc (CGEM).

Project Asilah

In-the-field, applied research for the city of Asilah’s arts and culture community. The effort strives to understand the entrepreneurial readiness of the city’s entrepreneur residents and then to construct and implement a skills development framework designed to increase the community’s economic and social success. E&I@ABS to use the developed "best practice" set of tools to be used by other artist communities within Moroccan cities.

Group Concept Mapping to Understand the Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystems of Two Moroccan Regions: -Tanger, Tétouan, Al Hoceïma- & -Laâyoune, Sakia El Hamra-

This research explores regional entrepreneurial development. The study aims to identify the 1) actions entrepreneurs must implement to promote the development of their projects by taking into consideration their regional context and 2) activities and modes of governance that actors must implement towards companies, business networks, institutions, and entrepreneurs to support regional entrepreneurial development.

Current projects

Project Infinity

A collaborative, applied research effort led by the UM6P Digital Learning Lab and E&I@ABS, Project Infinity involves documenting the history of Moroccan entrepreneurship to preserve its heritage and to extract "teachable moments" from the various ABS business domains. The outcome of the project is the development of creative content that can be delivered in innovative ways.

Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Intention to Launch in Undergraduate Students

This research offers insights into previously unexplored variables that impact the central relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intentions to launch, where self-efficacy is generally listed as the primary driver of intentions in the extant literature. The research results will help to reframe what is important to include in entrepreneurship education and how to best deliver educational content.

Recent publications

Hayes, D.W., Subhan, Z., Herzog, L. “Assessing and Understanding Entrepreneurial Profiles of Undergraduate Students: Implications of Heterogeneity for Entrepreneurship Education.” Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Entrepreneurship Education.

Hayes, D., Richmond, B. “Using an Online Assessment to Examine Entrepreneurship Student Traits and to Measure and Improve the Impact of Entrepreneurship Education.” Whitney Press, Candler, NC: Journal of Entrepreneurship Education.

Chaar, AM.; Mesny, A. “Du Liban à Chypre, en passant par Dubaï et l’Inde : l’aventure papetière de la PME MEPCO et de son dirigeant”, Revue Internationale des Cas en Gestion, 2018.

Works in process

Hayes, D.W., Subhan, Z. “Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Intention to Launch in Undergraduate Students: Moderating and Mediating Effects of Entrepreneurial Personality Traits and Skills.”

Current projects

Entrepreneurial Readiness: A Career Development Framework for Moroccan Females

This study assesses Moroccan women’s entrepreneurial preparedness as it relates to the design and implementation of career development education, in the context of increasing the entrepreneurial success of Moroccan women and female participation in the field.

Mission Popcorn

This interdisciplinary effort aims to instill and nurture a “creator and innovator” mindset in global youth. Mission Popcorn is a book currently in print and authored by Dr. Benoit Aubert of ABS. The current work involves repositioning the marketing-focused writing to be a lesson in mindset and entrepreneurial skills development, and new venture creation.

Resilience of Moroccan Women’s Cooperatives to Extreme Crisis

Extreme crises are bound to multiply in the future. Their manifestation can damage the operations of any organization. Despite unfavorable conditions, some companies manage to absorb the shock and even develop. This study aims to determine how women's cooperatives in Morocco can withstand the blows of extreme crises and transform to adapt to the new situation.

Recent publications

Hayes, D.W., Lekchiri, S. “Entrepreneurial Readiness: A Career Development Framework for Moroccan Females,” Interdisciplinary working paper, published in the Academy of Human Resource Development 2021 Conference Proceedings.

Chaar, AM.; Mangalagiu, D. “Sustainable transition in post-conflict countries: A neo-institutional view of the Multi-Level Perspective”, Climate Change, 2019.

Badran, J.; Kharrouby, A.; Chaar, AM. “The last breath of glassblowing?”, Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 2019.

Chaar, AM. “De l’intermédiation financière à l’intermédiation économique : le cas de la finance islamique”, in Laramée, JP. (ed), La finance autrement, 2015.

Works in process

Chaar, AM; Shamieh, S.; Jayawarna, D. “The resilience of women-led micro-ventures in disruptive contexts, the case of Lebanon” (in progress).

Chaar, AM.; Shamieh, S.; Khoury, A. “Managing hybrid public organizations, the case of Al Karantina hospital in Lebanon” (in progress) .

Current projects

Project Eureka

This applied research project will help to uncover the inefficiencies in the Moroccan entrepreneurial ecosystem that hinder the high growth potential of scalable startups and their sustainable development. From this knowledge, best practice policies can be developed to materialize improvements within the system.

Artificial Intelligence Innovation in Moroccan Healthcare Startups

A project that compares the US and Moroccan factors that impact Artificial Intelligence innovation in healthcare startups' sustainable development. The goal of the research is to develop a framework to improve the conditions for new venture formation, sustainable growth.

Recent publications

Hayes, D.W., Subhan, Z., Lakatos, J.P. “Encompass Software: Getting started, the first months, and fueling growth.” Whitney Press, Candler, NC: Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies.

Hayes, D.W., Subhan, Z., Brooksbank, R. “Encompass Software: Entrepreneurial Managing Growth.” Institute for Global Business Research, Candler, NC: Global Business Pedagogy.

Submitted for publication

Zahlan, A., Prakash Ranjan, R., Hayes, D. “Artificial Intelligence Innovation in Healthcare: A Review and Lessons.” Submitted to Technological Forecasting & Social Change