This spring there was considerable commotion in Lebanese economic and financial circles as rumors surfaced that the country’s largest bank was engaged in scenario exercises about moving its corporate head office to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The question of the advantages and disadvantages of such a significant relocation decision motivated Philip Karam, who studies economics at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada, to execute research from the viewpoint of what advantages a move could provide to the bank and how the Lebanese government could incentivize the bank to remain in the country. Executive attained access to the research paper, of which we bring you a shortened version. We note that the paper does not address questions such as employment and job creation. We also acknowledge that Bank Audi, which recently increased its footprint in Lebanon by taking up additional office space in
