For years we have talked about the Middle East and we have seen great business opportunities, but now we have concerns. Is it time to invest in the Middle East?
The Italian SMEs look with attention to rich markets, in particular to “oil market”, but oil has lost its luster and BRENT is around 30 $ and oil investment are decreasing.
Good news arrive from Iran, a new strategic market after the end of embargo, but the fight between Shiites and Sunnis is a real new risk not only in Siria, but everywhere for the terroristic actions of the ISIS.
In the North Africa, an important piece of the Arabian world, close to Europe, after Arabian Spring, we have the ISIS just across Sicily Channel and last terrific history of the young Italian researcher, Giulio Regeni, is not a good new for democracy, freedom and business too.
All this is, from a business prospect, a very dynamic situation, where is very difficult to have long term forecast. But now business decisions are not focused on long term but the effective new strategy is based on flexibility, virtualization and diversification with a light but effective field presence.
With this approach there are not significant reason to stop the internalization process, essential action to give a new prospective to European enterprises.
More colture, more “intelligence”, more organization are necessary to guarantee this flexible strategy and SME needs specialized human resources, a new managers generation with a open mind vision, ready to change and be changed, able to work in a flexible structure where new enterprises aggregation can permit to create and customize the right catalogue and prices, expected by a new customer.
This is a first reflection to open a new discussion about this crucial topic on Middle east area.