AKSOB organizes second LCIS2017 conference

Local and international experts discuss “Advancing Business Innovations, Competitiveness, and Progressiveness: the Role of ICT toward Smart Organizations”.

The second LCIS2017 conference, themed “Advancing Business Innovations, Competitiveness, and Progressiveness: the Role of ICT toward Smart Organizations”, took place on April 27 – 29, 2017 at LAU’s Beirut Campus and New York Academic Center. It was organized by the Department of Information Technology and Operations Management at the Adnan Kassar School of Business (represented by its chairperson Dr. Khodr Fakih), in partnership with the Lebanese Association for Information Systems (LAIS) and sponsored by Byblos Bank.

The conference organizing committee was composed of:

  • Dr. Abdul Nasser Kassar (Chair)
  • Dr. Abbas Tarhini and Dr. Manal Yunis (program co-Chairs)

Researchers and professional experts from 16 countries, which included France, USA, Germany, UK, UAE, Kuwait, KSA, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and several others, participated in the event. There was also a remarkable participation from various renowned Lebanese universities, such as USJ, BAU, AUB, and others. The experts’ interventions emphasized challenges and opportunities existing in our market today so as to set policies and strategies enabling organizations to achieve sustainable competitive advantage built on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) advancements and innovations.

Statements and keynote speeches were given by experts in various fields:

  • Dr. Wissam Shahin, Assistant Provost for Special External Projects, delivered the opening statement and highlighted the importance of information and cyber security.
  • Dr. George Aoun, President of the Lebanese Association for Information Systems (LAIS) and Dean of School of Business at Saint Joseph University (USJ) informed the audience about LAIS, its mission, and future plans.
  • Dr. Abbas Tarhini, President-Elect of the Middle East and North Africa - Association for Information Systems (MENA-AIS), highlighted the mission of AIS: advancing knowledge and promoting excellence in the practice and study of various business disciplines supported by information systems.
  • Dr. Munir Yehia, Chairman of the Near East Engineering and Development Services Company (NEEDS), talked about the “Digital Utility” Model for the transformation of the Utilities sector in the 21st century.
  • Dr. Zaher Zantout, Professor of Finance at the American University of Sharjah, emphasized the importance of FinTech, an emerging innovation in the financial services sector.
  • Dr. Wesley Palmer, Adjunct Professor of Management at Baruch College, addressed participants from LAU New York and reviewed challenges faced by entrepreneurs worldwide, specifically in developing countries.
  • Mr. Bassel Daou from the Central Bank of Lebanon listed innovation strategies followed by the bank to make it a smart organization.
  • Dr. Kai Koong, distinguished Professor and Foreign Expert in the School of Economics and Management at XIDIAN University, China, delivered a very important keynote speech which emphasized the importance of fostering innovation through building bridges between academia and industry, and challenged university faculty and administration to facilitate innovation through not only research funding, but also through innovation incubators meant to improve collaboration and accelerate innovation.

The conference offered participants publication opportunities in the Springer Book of Lecture Notes. Furthermore, two Special Issues of the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare and the International Journal of Services and Standards were announced, allowing participants to submit their papers for blind peer review and have the possibility of being published.

In the closing ceremony, attending universities and researchers were presented with participation recognition and best paper awards.

View photos of the conference here.