RIS ID
38284
Abstract
Purpose: Business, Management and Accounting (BMA) papers published from the MENA region, account for less than 1% of the total papers published. As nations in MENA try and compete on the national competitive index, there is a tendency to adopt performance appraisal criteria from more established research nations. MENA accounts for 6% of world population, and has one of the world's highest growth rates at 3%. Since over 1/3 of the population is under 15, if factors that hider and encourage research are identified, the research output can be increased. Design/Methodology/Approach: Since there is very little information from this region, the research was exploratory in nature. Interviews with academics, officers in charge or research grants, publishers and senior managers from industry using and conducting research were used as a basis to identify research barriers and methods to overcome barriers. This was triangulated with secondary data from existing academic research, industry and NGO reports and research seminars and discussions. Findings: The barriers and strategies to overcome research can be classified into three categories based on key stakeholders: the government (or policy makers); the industry or market conditions; the institutions. Strategies at the individual academic level are also identified whoch may overcome more macroenvironmental limitations. Research Limitations: Since the available data on MENA is low, findings from other regions are extrapolated to the MENA context. Secondly findings from Science were extrapolated to the social science context which accounts for just 8.8% of total research published. The interviews were all conducted in UAE though the people concerned have a strong contextual knowledge on the MENA region which is considered a "regional block". Originality: This paper is the first of its kind in this region that consolidates many aspects and helps new researchers manage and improve research productivity. The paper is of value to any researcher but especially to policy makers, academics, promotion boards and universities that have doctoral programs. Paper Type: Conceptual Paper Keywords: Publication; research output; promotion criteria; relevance gap; MENA
Publication Details
Balakrishnan, M. Stephens. 2013, 'Methods to increase research output: some tips looking at the MENA region', International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 215-239.