International Collaboration by Rensselaer Lally School Professors Leverages Entrepreneurship and Innovation to Transform Developing Countries

	Academic collaborators from Rensselaer, Tunisia, and Libya, working on a second entrepreneurship book for developing countries, stand together outside the Rensselaer Lally School of Management and Technology. (From left to right): Jeffrey Durgee, associate professor of marketing in the Rensselaer Lally School; Naoufel Ben Rayana, professor of entrepreneurship and management at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (IHEC) in Tunisia and co-founder and CEO of Radio Express FM; Pier Abetti, clinical professor in the Lally School; Ahmed Jallala, Libyan professor; Iftekhar Hasan, previously the Cary L. Wellington Professor of Finance, and co-director of the International Center for Financial Research Technology at Rensselaer; and Marouane El Abassi, professor and director of the master’s program in technology management at the IHEC.

The fundamental building blocks of entrepreneurship and innovation can provide opportunities for job creation, economic development, leadership, problem-solving, and new products and services. A collaboration of both Rensselaer and international professors takes these principles to the next level, transcends borders, and provides the tools and strategies needed for successful new enterprises and job creation in emerging markets. This collaboration is a strong reflection of the commitment to global reach and global impact of the Rensselaer community.

Last year, this team of management professors from the Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Institut des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (IHEC) — The Institute of Advanced Business Studies in Tunisia — released the publication Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Maghreb. The book, written in Arabic, English, and French, provides current and aspiring entrepreneurs in the area known as Maghreb – specifically Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco – with practical resources, planning, and case studies.

The team has come together again, recently meeting at the Rensselaer Lally School of Management and Technology, to work together on another book.  This book is based on similar fundamentals of the Maghreb book, but focuses on principles, implementation, and value of entrepreneurship and innovation for those living in Libya.

The academic team is led by Pier Abetti, a longtime faculty member in the Lally School for nearly 30 years. In addition to Abetti, other Lally School faculty involved in the initiative include Jeffrey Durgee, associate professor of marketing in the Lally School; and Iftekhar Hasan, who was previously the Cary L. Wellington Professor of Finance, and co-director of the International Center for Financial Research Technology at Rensselaer.

“Given the recent political and economic issues Libya has faced, the book will focus on the role entrepreneurship can have in that country’s economic recovery and growth,” said Pier Abetti, clinical professor in the Lally School.

IHEC professors include Marouane El Abassi, professor and director of the master’s program in technology management; and Naoufel Ben Rayana, professor of entrepreneurship and management, who also now serves as co-founder and CEO of Radio Express FM, Tunisia’s first independent FM radio station and a recruitment website. Joining them for this new book is Libyan professor, Ahmed Jallala.

“We have today an entrepreneurial way to think, to transform things,” said Marouane El Abassi, professor and director of the master’s program in technology management at the IHEC.  “All of us have come together connected by this idea and we are trying to help and provide change.”

The Libya entrepreneurship book is expected to be published in the next year and will be written in English and Arabic.

Published – July 5, 2012