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Impact of Recession on Medical Equipment Companies in UAE & KSA - Online DBA defense

14-12-2020

On 1 December 2020, Mr. Ahmed Sarhan successfully defended his DBA thesis titled Impact of Recession on Medical Equipment Companies in UAE & KSA - The path for a competitive advantage during recession.

"The DBA was a fascinating intellectual journey for me. Going through this journey, I faced challenges, disappointments, achievements, and thrills, but most importantly, on top of all the academic and personal gains I got, this program eventually guided me to achieve self-fulfillment." That is what Dr. Ahmed Sarhan stated after successfully defending his DBA thesis.

About Dr. Sarhan's research
The Middle East is known worldwide as one of the leading exporters of petrol, which is the primary source of their wealth. However, by 2014 the decrease in oil prices combined with the turbulence in the region's political situation resulted in a recessionary economy. Recession is indeed a crisis; however, if handled appropriately, companies can highly benefit from it via seizing the arising opportunities.

To be able to detect and seize such limited opportunities within the context of a recessionary economy, companies need to exhibit the proper attitude and required capabilities to leverage and reconfigure their resources to grasp such limited opportunities, thus providing the company with a competitive edge over its competitors.

The findings of this research demonstrated the positive collective impact of the entrepreneurial orientation, dynamic capabilities, and recession-resistant strategies constructs on the companies' ability to develop a competitive advantage during a recession.

The three constructs complemented each other, where the entrepreneurial orientation supported the company to develop and utilize its dynamic capabilities. The dynamic capabilities, especially the reconfiguration and leveraging dimensions, enabled the company to effectively formulate and implement a streamline recession-resistant strategy. With such a strategic direction, the company is able to handle the recession effectively and exhibit an enhanced ability to develop a competitive advantage.

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