Entrepreneurship Education has evolved to the point that it is not about ‘can we teach individuals and students to be entrepreneurial at least in spirit’, but ‘where, how, and when do impart the knowledge’? The dilemma for entrepreneurship educators is too much a good thing. The field is still arguing among themselves regarding who is an entrepreneur, and what is entrepreneurship. Can one say that a steadily growing small business is no different from a high tech firm struggling to grow?

As more and more individuals decide to focus their career on creating the next “Google” rather than striving for the corner office, educators must firmly take hold of the steering wheel and drive the next generation of entrepreneurs to greater heights while ensuring that humanity does not suffer. (Read more…)

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The success of the Humane Entrepreneurship model, intended to reshape the way entrepreneurs and employees interact, centers on empathy. In order to understand why empathy is so important to this model, it is necessary to dig a little deeper into the “humane” vs enterprise mindset. The humane (or employee) side seeks empowerment, engagement, equality, ethics, in a holistic ecosystem. The enterprise (employer) side on the other hand would like employees to show enthusiasm, enlightenment, excellence, envisioning, and experimentation. What would bridge the gap in the difference in mindsets is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share in the feelings of others. It isn’t clear that the developers of these AI-robots have built in emotions into their functionality. A lack of empathy between AI robots and humans could create a serious hostile environment

The challenge for entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, and employees, is to consider the Humane Entrepreneurship model very carefully, specifically, ensuring entrepreneurship is coupled with the foundation on empathy. It is imperative that whatever direction the 4th Industrial Revolution goes, empathy must remain at the core of any new economic paradigm that emerges (read more…)

READ THE ICSB GAZETTE – July 29 Edition

I am honored and privileged to serve as the first Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim President of ICSB. ICSB is a 64 year old movement, a catalyst of positive change and it is our duty to make sure that we promote social justice and economic empowerment to all sectors of society.

As President of ICSB, I take over the leadership from President Geralyn Franklin and the excellent work she has done.  In line of the recommendations of the 2030 Visioning Committee chaired by Dr. Zulma Quiñones, ICSB Past President and a WWF, we are working on a new comprehensive business model for ICSB which will increase our footprint, impact, add value proposition to our members and work further with our affiliates and partners! Get ready for a new ICSB! 

the ICSB Gazette article I written as president of ICSB focuses on the intersection of Entrepreneurship and Peace. In the Middle East, we have suffered for years from political and social instability. The region went through a series of wars dating to as early as World War I. Most recently, social inequalities, lack of education and high youth unemployment lead to a wave of social unrest, branded “The Arab Spring”.

Entrepreneurship is a path forward that can resolve conflicts. A pair of researchers with Stanford University found via crunching economic and war data, that the more trading partners a country has, the less likely it will be to engage in a war.

I hope you enjoy the ICSB Gazette Article.

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The importance of Micro, Small and Medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in national economies is well known, as well as is their global impact, since, by number, they dominate the world business stage. When Argentina, with the support of ICSB, decided to present a resolution in the United Nations establishing June 27th as MSMEs Day, our idea was to showcase the importance of these enterprises in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

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