Lebanese Companies Research Articles

The Impact of Culture on Employees’ Performance: The Case of Lebanese Companies

Organizational culture is well-documented in the literature for its impact on company performance and its role in creating competitive advantages for companies. Organizational culture has long been acknowledged as a significant aspect in the analysis of organizations in many situations. An organization's culture serves as an integrated way of controlling members' behavior and as a particular catalyst for the organization's growth and development culture is an essential part of every facet of organizational life. As a result, a company's culture shapes how people think, work, and feel about their job and the business as a whole. Sampled respondents were surveyed with the use of a survey tool. A questionnaire served as the tool. Using the instrument ensured that data was collected in a consistent manner. The six sections of the survey were designed to answer the research questions. The study's target demographic was the Premium Shopping Center's 500 workers. A study's sampling frame is a list of all the research population's components that will be taken into account throughout the investigation. There are 11 divisions within the corporation, with four of their divisions situated in Beirut. The list of 500 workers of Premium Shopping Center served as the study's sample frame. However, only 250 respondents answered the questionnaires. Likert scale questions were used for the closed-ended questions. To elicit even more information from the participants, open-ended questions were used. The research demonstrated that a cooperative work environment had a positive impact on performance because of the existence of a supportive work environment. The research found that psychological safety is fostered by helpful and trustworthy interpersonal interactions as well as supportive management.

The Impact of Performance Appraisals on Employee Productivity: The Case of the Lebanese Retail Sector

Employee motivation is an ongoing fight for organizations. Arousal, direction, and persistence of planned activity with a purpose are all characteristics of motivation. A company's workers are critical to its future development and success. In many ways, they represent a company's image. Employees are the most critical resource a business may utilize to complete its tasks since they are the most valuable, expensive, and inconsistent. The research focused on quantitative methodology for collecting data and for evaluating the impact of performance appraisals on the performance of employees in the workplace. Data from primary and secondary sources will be gathered and merged to provide a complete picture of the relationship between 360-degree performance evaluations and employee motivation. The survey had been distributed using google forms over a sample of 100 respondents in Lebanese Companies, and the data had been treated using SPSS statistical tool and the results had been displayed in the form of descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed a direct relationship between management by objectives, 360 degree appraisal, performance appraisal, and organizational performance.

The role of emotional intelligence and personality on the overall internal control effectiveness: applied on internal audit team member's behavior in Lebanese companies

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the influence of emotional intelligence (EI) on the perceived internal control performance in the Lebanese companies.Design/methodology/approachThe goal of this study is to decide whether there is a connection between “emotional intelligence” and perceived efficacy of “internal control” in Lebanese organizations. For the benefit and purpose of this research, a quantitative methodology will be applied. The data was collected by the use of self-directed and pre-coded questionnaires to test hypotheses made, making it a deductive research.FindingsThe findings showed that the personality traits of the members of the audit team play a key role in cultivating a control climate that is more conducive to effective control. Moreover, personality traits were key in boosting trust and openness in communication that can be seen as antecedents to having a system where all key auditing professionals within the organization can cooperate to boost the effectiveness of the internal control framework. These personality traits amplified the impact of the EI of audit manager on the overall effectiveness of the COSO framework, thus leading to improved efficiency of internal controls.Research limitations/implicationsThe exploratory aspect of this study have shown results that are general but create a basis for future comprehensive researches. This study was limited to a relatively small sample, due to the small size of Lebanon and due to the Pandemic that has limited our access to more data. This research did not regulate other relevant variables such as gender, experience, educational level and age. Nevertheless, the importance of the findings is they ascertain that internal control is not a rigid technical function that is primarily concerned with accounting and financial disciplines, rather it extends to organizational psychology and behavior.Practical implicationsThe practical implication of studying EM and personality in Lebanese organizations is to describe and understand how it affects the effectiveness of the internal control and thus the survival of the organization. When organizations are aware of such a strong impact, they will try to increase their maturity level in this regard and further seeks more efforts in tackling the EI aspect. As a summary, the practical implication of this paper is to understand how all those variables affect the effectiveness of the internal control and thus the survival of the organization.Social implicationsThe subject of this study consists of many human-related aspects such as personality and human behavior. Once these elements are combined with the internal control framework, it will have an added value at the social level by enhancing the behavior of people and their perception of others' emotions and oneself emotions, in addition to improving their performance which reflects on enhancing the overall organizational performance. Studying EI allows to understand and manage emotions in order to create positive social interactions. The benefits of EI are vast in terms of personal, academic and professional success.Originality/valueDue to the lack of research on this topic, this research will contribute to explore the field. Future studies will benefit from this analysis while using a larger sample. Future work should aim to include not only auditors but all staff of the company. Further research is required to decide whether the results of this analysis are generalized across various positions and industries and to determine whether EI is the only influential aspect involving a significant number of social interactions. In addition, this article can be used as a basis for the implementation of internal control with a COSO framework that involves the EQ of everyone in the organization.

Implementing Total Quality management practices and Employee Performance: Sanita - Lebanon

The aim of the study is find out the impact of applying different total quality management (TQM) practices on the performance of employees in the Lebanese industrial sector. The implementation of total quality management in Lebanese companies is very narrow where few companies work to apply Total Quality Management elements and concepts in its operations. Sanita is a Lebanese company that has applied the principles of total quality management relatively in all of its operations, so it has a large share of its products in the Lebanese market. In this quantitative survey designed study, 160 self-administered questionnaires were distributed for employees working at different career level (Top level management / Middle level management / Supervisor / Operator /technician / other workers) in Sanita main branch (Halat -Lebanon) and Sanita factory (Zouk Mosbeh -Lebanon). The survey concluded various questions related to the dependent variable employee performance and the independent variable related to practices of total quality management (leadership, teamwork, training and education, empowerment, communication). Using the quantitative correlation Pearson test, a strong influence emerged for the implementation of TQM principles on the performance of employees at Sanita and its factories; thus accepting the main alternative hypothesis.

The Effect of the Chartered Accountant’s Work on the Sustainability of the Lebanese Companies

This article has been written with the aim of seeing the impact of the chartered accountant on the sustainability of Lebanese companies. In order to respond to this problem, we have presented a general vision of chartered accountants and the importance of their intervention in a company. Then we conducted interviews with fifty chartered accountants with large experience in different regions of the Lebanese territory in order to highlight the different missions they carried out in the Lebanese companies, their role in business continuity and development, how they faced their companies’ challenges, what added values they offered to them, which then led us to summarize the tasks chartered accountants saw necessary for the continuity of the companies. We also have visited twelve accounting firms and see the different stages of the accounts’ auditing. A questionnaire was prepared in order to collect all needed information. We distributed it to one hundred thirty companies in different regions with the aim of seeing the role played by the chartered accountants, the missions they carried out, the essential tasks to the companies’ sustainability as well as other questions enriching our study which we have presented in this article.

The components of intangible capital: An exploration of Lebanese companies

The contemporary economy has changed dramatically and moved from the industrial age to the information age, pushing businesses to embark into a predominantly intangible economy. Thus, and in addition to solid and liquid value, there is a gaseous value which is the intangible capital. This exploratory study of 14 Lebanese companies analyzed with the “Tropes” software focuses on the constituent elements of intangible capital, its place within these companies and its contribution to the creation of value. This work concludes a first proposal for the classification of the components of intangible capital.

An Assessment of Lebanese Companies’ Motivators to Adopt CSR Strategies

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its importance in companies around the globe have grown substantially in the past years. With the advent of globalization, managers in different contexts have been exposed to the notion of CSR and are being pressured to adopt CSR initiatives. This made organizations develop strategies to enhance managing their ways of working in a way that they can produce an overall positive impact on the surrounding environment. CSR helps the organization succeed in balancing its business goals and its impact on the environment. It is becoming vital for organizations to adopt environment-friendly ways of working, which not only lessens their negative impacts but also gives back to the community in general. However, despite CSR being a very significant issue, Lebanese companies, organizations and service industries are not quite embracing it as a fundamental part of their business plan. Failing to realize the authentic significance of CSR in the community and the low awareness levels about the topic will eventually have negative results on the companies themselves. Moreover, CSR is still a not well-comprehended term in Lebanese society as its benefits are vague and unclear. This research is an exploratory and quantitative study using a survey questionnaire distributed to a convenient sample of Lebanese managers and employees working in 5 different service industries in Lebanon. The purpose is to assess what motivates companies in Lebanon to adopt CSR strategies. Accordingly, the research also seeks to highlight people’s awareness about CSR which in turn forces these companies to engage in CSR activities that will lead to a win-win situation. The outcomes may serve as eye openers and may shed light on important facts to be considered for further research or policy planning.

Green supply chain management adoption in Lebanese manufacturing industries: an exploratory study

This paper bases itself on the dual factor theory to study the motivators, barriers and hygiene factors affecting the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) activities in Lebanese manufacturing industries. Out of 60 Lebanese companies that have already taken green initiatives, 37 were analysed. The paper reveals that GSCM adoption is positively correlated with marketing opportunities, market motivators and manpower's involvement. We also found that the external stakeholder's pressure and the lack of government support hinder the GSCM adoption. Moreover, ISO 14001 certified companies have shown a higher rate of adoption of GSCM.

First Elements about the Problems of the Cohabitation of Generations within Companies in Lebanon

In Lebanon, the global unemployment rate affects 25% of the working population (figures from the Ministry of Labor 2014 cited by Ghosn, 2015). Young people aged from 20 to 29 are rather excluded from work in the country with an unemployment rate of 42% in 2012 (Ghosn, 2015). The youth unemployment rate was 32.8% (20-24 years) and 21.6% (25-29 years) according to the latest known statistics in Lebanon (CAS Report 2009, p.22). In 2016, the unemployment rate among young Lebanese is the highest among the Arab countries with 30% of unemployed (Belga, 2016). The nature of intergenerational relations in Lebanese companies is slightly studied till now. Our work will highlight the main factors explaining the oppositions or exchanges between young and older in companies in Lebanon. We conduct a quantitative study using questionnaire administered to the CEOs of engineering and food industry firms. Our two samples consist of 147 engineering firms and 150 food industry firms. Concerning intergenerational oppositions, the results show that older employees criticize young people for their weak attachment to the company and to the work in the sector of engineering. For their part, young people holders of higher diplomas than seniors accuse them of incompetence at work and vice versa in the food industry. Concerning intergenerational exchanges, older people are helping young people experiencing difficulties in the workplace and the existence of shared moments between older and young people has been noted as positive in the food industry sector.

The corporate governance and social responsibility nexus in the Lebanese banking industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the contrasting views of banks and banking authorities in Lebanon regarding the corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) nexus. Design/methodology/approach Using survey responses collected from the managers of five Lebanese banks and banking authorities, the authors conduct a qualitative comparative study of the opinions on CG, CSR and CG–CSR nexus. Findings The findings of this paper reveal that while a CG culture is well-instituted by the authorities and that some forms of CSR are already practiced by banks, disagreements exist between the Lebanese banks and banking authorities in defining the CG–CSR nexus. While CG is viewed as an all-encompassing concept by the banking authorities, most banks ascribe to the paradigm that CG is component of CSR. Research limitations/implications The sample of this paper consists of large banks that have clear CG and CSR agendas. The results, therefore, cannot be generalized for the wider population of Lebanese companies that are characterized by family ownership and non-separation of ownership and control. Practical implications This paper informs both managers and policymakers on the differing views of the CSR–CG nexus while also contributing to informing the policy dialogue. Theoretically, this paper sheds light on the CG–CSR nexus in a developing country context. Originality/value There is a paucity of research on the CG–CSR nexus in the context of developing countries and for the banking sector in specific. This paper aims to address the gap in the literature by providing an in-depth qualitative examination of the CG, CSR and the CG–CSR nexus in the context of the Lebanese banking sector.

Boardroom diversity and its effect on social performance

In this paper, we are trying to analyse if the boardroom diversity in the Lebanese companies would affect the corporate social performance. In a sample of 41 Lebanese firms, our results showed the effects of the specific variables that formulated the diversity of/in boards. The research question is: was there any significant relationship between each of the following: gender, age, board size, outside directors, serving as board members and the corporate social performance, in the Lebanese organisations. The findings of this research showed that there was no significant relationship between the independent variables; age, gender, outside directors, board size and dependent variable; corporate social performance. Theoretical/academic implication is: the board of directors that unfortunately still were single handedly employed by the owner families, unless it was a worldwide company. The results showed that most Lebanese organisations were family businesses, performing corporate social performance regardless of the board diversity.

Impact of family involvement in ownership management and direction on financial performance of the Lebanese firms

The aim of this study is to better understand how family involvement in ownership management and direction affects the financial performance of the Lebanese companies. In order to authenticate our hypotheses, we collected primary data by using a quantitative method. In fact, we performed an inquiry by surveying 75 Lebanese companies through a questionnaire formed by closed and semi-open questions and modulators. While finishing the empirical study, we concluded that family involvement in ownership and management has a positive relationship with the financial performance of the Lebanese company. Moreover, issues like entrenchment and asymmetric altruism did not prove to have a significant relationship with the financial performance. The essential reason to the results previously stated is that family managers in Lebanon act as stewards by considering the success of the company as their own, rather than agents seeking to achieve their personal benefit on the expense of the company.

Exploring the Multiple Benefits of CSR on Organizational Performance: Case of Lebanon

Companies around the globe are recognizing the importance of engaging in Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) that is crucial to their survival and growth. It is evident that when anorganization integrates appropriate CSR practices in its strategy that embed the societal andenvironmental concerns, these practices undoubtedly bring tangible benefits to the business alongwith a sustainable competitive advantage.
 In Lebanon, there is a consistent need for the Lebanese community to live in a safe, clean andhealthy environment. Companies can no longer act as isolated entities that can run separately fromthe society and the environment in which they operate and with which they interact, disregardingthe impact of their activities on the economy, the society, and the environment; these companies areassuming and acknowledging their responsibility not only towards shareholders through profitmaximization but also towards all stakeholders through enhancing the welfare of the society andadopting environmentally-based behavior.However, there exists a substantial lack of awareness of CSR among Lebanese companies. Thecurrent practices in Lebanon have suffered from the lack of responsible behavior towards theemployees, the economy, the society, and the environment. Consequently, the current researchaddresses the urgent managers’ need to understand what CSR is and assess the multiple benefits ofits programs, and how they may help and end up in a win-win situation if CSR is implementedadequately.
 This research is exploratory in nature and uses a survey questionnaire distributed to a convenientsample of Lebanese managers and employees working in Lebanon. The purpose is to assess theknowledge and the implementation of CSR programs at selected number of Lebanese firms. Thisresearch attempts to define the gap between the existing socio-economic and environmentalproblems and the responsiveness levels of Lebanese firms to such problems.

Export problems experienced by high‐ and low‐performing manufacturing companies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the perception of export problems differentiating high‐performing export manufacturing companies from low‐performing ones in the context of two developing countries: Turkey and Lebanon.Design/methodology/approachThe paper focuses on the above objectives and aims at shedding light on them by testing some hypotheses. A structured questionnaire was applied to 144 Turkish companies and 71 Lebanese companies through the mail. The response rate was 20 percent for the Turkish sample and 23 percent for the Lebanese.FindingsSome differences were identified between high‐ and low‐performing Turkish and Lebanese manufacturing companies regarding the perception of export problems. The differences were grouped and discussed under internal and external export problems. Highlighted effects of such internal export problems were insufficient production capacity, packaging, and exporting being difficult and costly; and external problems were the imposition of high‐tariff/non‐tariff barriers by foreign countries.Originality/valueWhilst some of the literature has focused on company export barriers, there is a lack of studies investigating the effects of those problems on export performance, especially in developing countries. It is hoped that the paper's findings will help managers and policy makers to improve company and, thereby, country performance.

Environmental accounting in developing countries: the Lebanese case

Lebanon has strong environmental laws with enforcement policies, but their implementation was rare due to the political instability and conflict in Lebanon that caused social and economical instability and reduced the law enforcement power of the government resulting in discretionary application of environmental management systems. The paper reports the extent of application of environmental management systems by Lebanese companies, the type of environmental costs reported, and the use of environmental accounting systems by the companies observed in this study. Suggestions and recommendations to improve the adoption of environmental accounting and reporting by companies are given by the researchers.

The management of technological innovation in Lebanese industry

Technology and innovation are two important elements in improving efficiency, productivity and competitiveness in organisations. Therefore, what differentiates successful organisations from others is their management of technology and innovation. The objective of this paper is to investigate how Lebanese firms in different economic sectors manage technology and innovation. Information was collected through a survey questionnaire. Forty Lebanese companies operating in the financial, manufacturing, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), food and software technology sectors were surveyed. The collected data were analysed in order to identify the different technology management strategies across each sector and in the country as a whole. The results reflect on the level of appreciation and importance of technology management and innovation in Lebanese firms. The paper concludes with recommendations on the steps that need to be carried out by the different sectors, including the government, private and education sectors (Technology Triangle), to improve the management of technology and innovation in Lebanon.

The transformation of Lebanese firms from ISO 9000 certified to TQM.

Over the past decade, the most effective method of implementing a quality system has been ISO 9000 certification. Lebanese companies have recently followed the same path of adopting and improving their status in quality systems. The overwhelming belief is that ISO 9000 is, by itself, not enough. It is a first stepping-stone in the road to business excellence, but ISO 9000 does not guarantee an improvement in the product or service being offered. All indications are that Total Quality Management (TQM) is the method for improving quality as a whole. This improvement is, of course, entirely reliant on the proper implementation and understanding of the scope and underlying objectives. The relatively new adoption of TQM as an effective tool in the struggle to achieve substantial improvements in quality is made clear in the results of a survey that are presented in this article. Recommendations as how to make the transition between ISO 9000 and TQM are made, and a discussion is provided of the need for organizational change, both internal and external, within companies in the Lebanese market. The aim of this work is to present a clear representation of what is actually occurring within the Lebanese domestic market with regards to the understanding the TQM philosophy.