UAE National Culture & UAE National Management - Case Study Example

UAE National Culture & UAE National Management Student’s Name: Institution: Instructor’s Name: Date: Table of Contents Introduction 3 National Culture of the United Arabs Emirates 3 Geographical Location of UAE 4 Language and Symbolism of the UAE 4 Urbanization, the use of Space and Architecture of the UAE 5 Economy of UAE and the Stable Food 6 Social aspects of the UAE 8 Political Aspect of the UAE 9 The Social Perception of the Changing Programs of the UAE 9 The Roles of Gender in the UAE 10 Kinship, Marriage and Family Aspects of the UAE 11 The Etiquette Aspects of the UAE 11 Religious Aspect of the UAE 12 Celebrations and Appreciation of Arts in UAE 12 United Arab Emirates National Management 13 Conclusion 16 References 17 Introduction United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a nation that is well known because of its nature of wealth. Arabs are the major occupants of this nation and from the history, Arabs are wealthy because of their knowledge and the know how in utilizing the natural resources and creating wealth. UAE is a leading gold and diamond mining, and also oil production, since they are blessed with these endowments. The nation attracts quite a number of wealthy people worldwide because of their advanced technology on big hotels, big malls and many attraction sites. People travel to enjoy their holidays in the most expensive places, in this nation, and that earns them more foreign and enabling the nation to stabilize the economy. One question that has left people wondering is how they manage to create wealth and maintain their position as the wealthiest nation. Perhaps an insight of their national culture and national management strategies will help in understanding the nation better (Marcus 2013, 66). National Culture of the United Arabs Emirates The United Arab Emirates were formed in 1971 when they got independence from Britain. It has seven emirates namely; Dubai, Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah, Fujairah and Umm-al-Gawain. There are two main aspects that helped in shaping the emirate's culture. The first aspect was the practice of nomadic in the desert by a group of emirates called Bedouins who practiced farming in the oasis they formed a culture that has been seen as the mother of emirates culture. The second aspect was the culture formed from the sea by a group of emirates who resided at the ends of the sea and practiced trading of sea components like pearls. These two subcultures are known to be independent in terms of social, economic and political aspects. Geographical Location of UAE It is located in the Persian Gulf and covers about 83,600 square kilometers. It borders with countries such as Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The sizes of the emirates vary, and their capital cities are named after the name of each emirate. The area inside the United Arab Emirates is a desert place, and people use the oasis for farming and nomadic practices. The climate of the UAE is dry with high temperatures and due to that, the summer experiences humidity. The population of the UAE has risen since the discovery of oil and the activities that involved the commercial production of oil which led to the rise in population. The rise in population resulted from improved living standards characterized by food accessibility, good health facilities and the availability of cheap male dominated labor. There was rising in population of immigrants who flooded the nation in search of greener pastures and they mainly consisted of Asians, Iranians, Sri Lankans and the Philippines (Aldhuwaihi 2013, 57). Language and Symbolism of the UAE The official language used in the UAE is Arabic since most people are Arabs. The language used by the immigrants is Urdu, Filipino, Farsi and the use of English for the American immigrants. English, however, is the most common language used in commercial activities since the trading activities demand the use of a common language to all the traders. The national day among the Arabs is a symbol of all the experiences that led to the unity of UAE. They refer to their president as the father of the nation and their flag has four colors, green, red, black and white, and they respect these colors because it is a symbol of unity. There are other symbols, for example, coffee pot, date palm, pearling boat a camel and the Arabian horse. These symbols are used as a remembrance of those communities that managed the harsh conditions in forming the culture of the Arabs. They use these symbols to represent the benefits they enjoy as a result of patience during the harsh moments. This explains that the Arabs have a strong culture, and they are deeply rooted into their beliefs and also traditions, they respect their hard work, and they show gratitude to the aspects that contributed to their modern lives. Urbanization, the use of Space and Architecture of the UAE Before the formation of the Arab nation by subcultures in the year 1960, there were only small settlements that formed small towns. The discovery of oil as a natural resource marked the commencement of urbanization in the Arab world. There has been a massive transformation beginning of the change of buildings from mud houses to big and huge admirable buildings. The integrations of architectural designs and the use of technology resulted in these buildings. The small towns from way back are now big centers that the host many commercial activities globally. The small population of the Arabs forced them to shift from the desert condition places and they settled in the coastal regions and they established capital cities on the coast. Arabians are now used to the changes that involved their ways of living and also their buildings. The fast growth of cities in the UAE is a characteristic of urbanization and Abu Dhabi being rated the most developed city among the seven emirates. It is also a modern city globally. The buildings and the how they are designed describes the Arabs as creative, and they use technology to build skyscrapers, multistory buildings for the residents, big malls, boulevards and the super highways. The cities are composed of multi ethnic groups that have resulted in the segregation of the citizens of the UAE and the immigrants this describes the emergence of different cultural practices. The houses of the residents are also segregated, and you find that they live according to social class, powers and ethnic origin. It is seen that the result of urbanization has changed how Arabs live, and it has also attracted many immigrants. Tourists are attracted by the big buildings and luxurious hotels. The fact that its location lies in the desert also explains why tourist is attracted (Baumann 2013, 93). Their buildings have been designed to portray the Arab-Islamic design which enables one to differentiate between the buildings of the immigrants and those of the citizens. The settings of the urban buildings are also designed in a manner that they all have a common design representing nationality. They also preserve their national cultures through renovating old palaces, forts, mosques and marketplaces. They have also planted date palm trees around the streets and along the cities. This is a high significance of how the Arabs preserve their culture, and they also appreciate their culture by building images in the streets of their cities. Economy of UAE and the Stable Food On the economic aspect of UAE, they have the highest income in the world because of their oil production. They have managed to employ their citizens and also the immigrants who are well paid. They have also established many industries for oil production, which adds the national income. Due to the decline in the prices of oil globally, the Arab government has resorted to alternative of diversifying its economy by focusing on expansion of industrial sectors, commercial activities, free trade areas, farming, fishing, communications and travel and tourism. Due to the above diversifications, the country has reduced its dependence on oil production and thus lowering the risk of economic downfall. There are also a rising number of Arabs who operate on their own businesses by participating in commercial activities of trading; this earns the government more revenue in the form of taxes. Also, expansion of industries attracts establishment of social amenities and banking institutions which have greatly improved the economic development. UAE is known for its high distribution of crude oil globally this has enabled its trade membership in the organization of petroleum exporting countries. There is availability of labor with a few of the citizens forming the total labor required. Most of the citizens of the UAE work in the public sector because they benefit, and they perform jobs such as police, education, army and the civil services. Immigrants benefit also because they are employed according to their level of education. They are employed to work in both private and public organizations to perform technical, manual and professional jobs. In the early 1960s, the major food for the Arabs included meat from their animals such as camels, goats and sheep. Other main foods were rice, dates, fish, bread and yogurt. Since the beginning of modernization, there have been changes in the diet, and they have adopted the use of imported foods and also the supermarkets in the big malls sale variety of convenience foods which have changed their diet. They regard lunch as the main meal of the day and it is taken at two o’clock. They take their meals traditionally with the use of their hands. The emirates have taboos especially the Muslims, who do not consume pork, and they do not drink alcohol; therefore, these products are rarely found because they go against their taboos. The Arabs are also friendly and welcoming, and they treat their visitors with hospitality. They feel good when they interact with other people and they welcome their visitors with coffee, and they pass the incense to the visitors. The population of immigrants has also led to established restaurants where ethnic foods are offered. Social aspects of the UAE The social aspects of the emirates are classified into two, the citizens of the UAE and the immigrants. The nationals are further classified into four, social aspects. The first is the sheikhly which is regarded as the ruling family because it consists of members who hold higher positions in the political sector. They have the power, prestige and a lot of wealth. The second division is the merchants who practice international trade and commercial activities within the nation, they are known for selling consumer goods at the international level. The third division comprises of the rising class of the middle who have acquired wealth due to their profession and have benefited from the government. The last fourth group comprises of the low income earners who are the nomads and the farmers from the oasis. From the social difference that exists in this government, it explains that one is identified by their social class and also by their statuses. This is seen in almost all the social lives of different nations because there is a difference in classes depending on many aspects such as celebrity, income, wealth and level of education. For the immigrants, there are categorized according to how much income they get from working in the UAE government. The first group consists of those immigrants that receive high income due to their professions and, therefore; they have contracts with the government developments. The second consists of middle income earners as teachers and technicians and the third group comprises the low income earners due to their unskilled and semi-skilled job requirements. The symbol of social appreciation is seen in male attire which is a national dress code that involves traditional clothing of long dress and a white robe tied at the waist and also white attire worn on the head and a black rope. The men keep a short beard. Women, on the other hand, have a national dress code that consists of a long dress with a piece of cloth to cover their head. Political Aspect of the UAE The government of the UAE comprises of many organs such as the president and the deputy president, the council of the Supreme, the cabinet and the judiciary. The council of the supreme has executive and legislative powers, and they comprise all the rulers from each emirate. Formation of the cabinet considers the ministers from families that rule the emirates. Hereditary form of leadership is practiced in each emirate of the UAE. The members who come from the families that rule are known to take high positions in political fields. The political aspect of UAE has been seen to maintain its traditional form of leadership, but it has been able to keep up with the changing social and economic aspects. The most ruling families lead the other Arabs in appreciating their cultures (Edger 2013, 147). The Social Perception of the Changing Programs of the UAE Due to developments in the government and the results of urbanization, there have been changes in the social welfare of the Arabs which involves good quality products and services, ease of access to the health care facilities and education systems. There is also an improvement in amenities such as sufficient water supply and power and hence improved security and affordable houses for lower income earners. There is a distribution of wealth that results from oil production to the population of the Arabs and the immigrants. The Arabs view modernization as the turning point of their lives since they have transformed greatly. One fact still remains that the Arabs will not transform their culture as shown by the respect they have on the cultural heritage programs. They have embraced modernization and have retained their own culture. The social aspect has experienced minimal changes, but this is because the changes are positive for them. The Roles of Gender in the UAE There have been changes in the roles of both women and men, whereby due to the impacts of urbanization, women have been able to access education up to the tertiary levels. This has been an improvement and from the research it has been discovered that girls perform much better than boys in schools. Women who participate in the labor sector are few; this is due to the option of marriage that women choose other than being employed despite higher employment rates. The society of the Arabs always regards the roles of a woman as those of being housewives and raising children. They have conservative cultures that forbid the mixing of male and female in their work areas and, therefore, women will work in places where there are fellow women dominated. Although men and women should have equality in their rights, men are given the first priorities when it comes to employment opportunities. This has resulted in a low number of females working, especially in the government sectors. Women are also not allowed to participate in any political and religious activities of leadership, and this field has always been dominated by men. This is an aspect that has always led to a disparity in gender, and you find that the government is always male dominated because the women are not given their rights. Kinship, Marriage and Family Aspects of the UAE Arabs are known for organizing or rather arranging of marriages. For example, the family of a man will arrange for a hand in marriage with a woman from the family that is known or their family friends. Due to the changes in social life, there is freedom for one to choose their marriage partners but most do prefer organized marriages. These emirates despise the marriage that results from the fusion of immigrants and the nationals. The Islamic culture allows a man to have a maximum of four wives, but you find that most men do have only one wife. Most families of the Arabs are nuclear families despite the government encouraging extended families. In their homes the husband is the head while the wife is responsible for managing the activities of the house. The kinship ties in the Arab communities are highly regarded and families who live close together as neighbors form a king. The Etiquette Aspects of the UAE Since Islam is the most dominant in the UAE, they have a common Islam greeting. Men greet each other with the shake of hands while women do the same by a kiss on the cheek. They forbid the shaking of hands between men and women, especially in public. They ask about the welfare of each other before continuing with conversations. They also do not use first names to refer to the elders, and when the young ones are being addressed, they always listen and ask fewer questions. When visiting their homes, the visitors are required to remove their shoes before entering the house. Arabs also respect any written words and they do not erase Arabic words whether in newspaper or in the walls because they believe there are religious contents in words. When the Arabs are communicating, they speak with moral tones of high integrity and they avoid using words that could provoke the immigrants. They are also punctual and make up for the time lost due to failure of being punctual, this aspect of time cautious has helped in contribution of economic development. Religious Aspect of the UAE The most practiced religion is Islamic. They have sharia law that deals with matters affecting their ways of life, such as divorce, marriage, inheritance, economic and political aspects. The emirates tolerate other religious practices, and this favors the immigrants who are allowed to have their own ways of religious practices. The Muslims are known to hold prayers five times in one day. They remove their shoes when entering the mosque and the mosques are divided such that there is no mixing between men and women. The way these Arabs practice their religion and the respect they give to their supreme god explains how they value their practices and also places them in a respectable standard. Their religious practices are unique and they give teaching lessons to the young so that they grow to know their religion. Celebrations and Appreciation of Arts in UAE Second December is a national day in the UAE, and it is the most celebrated day that involves the decoration of cities. First January is also another day of celebration, but the citizens do not participate in the celebration. The government gives support to the book writers and painters, the actors and the folk dancers. On the literature aspect, storytelling is the most practiced culture with the reciting of poetry. Women are forbidden to participate in performances (Lane 2014, 77). Understanding the culture of the Arabs has helped in identifying aspects that are highly regarded in this nation. They are very conservatives and thus women are the victims of male chauvinism because there is male domination. Arabs also are deeply rooted in their cultures, and it is portrayed by their respect on celebrations, symbolic images and also the preservation of cultural heritage. They appreciate their culture and they are friendly. The treatment of the immigrants also shows how these Arabs are social, and the freedom of worship given to them also shows how they do not interfere with the religion of other cultures. The Arabs are known to live in peace and harmony together through respecting their government decisions. United Arab Emirates National Management The national management of the UAE is based on the managerial aspects which are planning, organizing, controlling, directing and staffing. The management level of the government has enabled its success in the economy. They have to employ tactical managers with exceptional qualities and experiences in their field; this has greatly contributed to good performance in their industries, organizations and their trading businesses. The management ranges from information technology, communications, consultation services, financial management, operations management and customer service management. Companies that deal with management and consultation services have opened offices in the UAE so that they can provide good managerial services and also provide consultations to the organizations and expanding industries. By doing so, the government is able to spend minimal on information technology since they have consultants who give the government advices concerning the adoption of information technology. The government, therefore, is able to choose the best form of managing financial institutions by use of technology. This has enabled the government to locate the flow of funds and, therefore, correct deviations that occur in the form of overspending or corruption. Using the best management tool in the finance sector has enabled the success of the emirates. New offices are opened yearly in each city of the emirates; example Dubai and Abu Dhabi are known for having several offices that can accommodate more managerial services. The purpose of creating more management option is to be able to manage the flow of businesses in these cities. Since there are a lot of Arab owned businesses, they also need managers to help them with aspects of decision making and implementation which will result to the expansion of businesses. These enterprises also demand highly skilled consultants, especially the Europeans who will advise the Arabs on how to run their businesses. The national management is, therefore, a step towards utilizing the available resources and diversification, which has resulted in stability, in the national economy. The financial services in the UAE, for example, banks and other monetary institutions, are expanding gradually due to the increase numbers of businesses owned by both the nationals and the immigrants. There is good service provisions at these institutions as a result of good management skills employed. The rising number of these institutions has an impact on the government monetary and fiscal policies, and this requires national management that ensures skillful regulation on the flow of money. Regulation of money circulation is a way of ensuring that the government does not overspend because it will lead to deficits in the balance of payment. National management through regulating the money will ensure Arabs and the immigrants develop ideas and innovations of expanding their businesses and also diversify into their production. Also, the aspect of managing oil production by engaging in international trade to earn the country foreign income has enabled wealth creation. The growth of industries and many companies is an indication of large market development in the UAE. When there is the concentration of companies in the Arab country, the demand for management also increases. The management roles will be that of regulating the prices in the markets and ensuring that there is a healthy competition. Also, the companies should be managed by developing rules and regulations that determine the operations of these companies. There should be a consideration of the environment and the operations of the companies so that the resulting relationship will be a positive impact of the companies on the environment. The national management initiatives have focused on the use of technology to access government services. The government of the UAE has managed to influence the nation to adopt the use of smart phones in accessing the services provided by the government. This is a step in national management, and since it has not been approved, it is predicted to improve the service provision by the government. The government also uses management control systems that have contributed to high performance in different sectors of the economy. Integration of technology and the skills of employed managers have been of great help to the government of the Arabs because it has prevented over exploitation of resources by ensuring maximum production and elimination of wastes. The management styles of the Arabs involve the manager being at the top and assigning responsibilities to the subordinates and employees. The management ethics should follow those of the etiquettes on how to interact with the Arabs. Through clear managerial and leadership skills, there have been good management practices ranging from local management to the national management. The Arabs employ managers who will lead them towards achieving the goals and will ensure there is maximum utilization of company resources. The managers are supposed to maintain the image of the government by ensuring proper management etiquette to avoid critics from the immigrants which will spoil the government’s image. Therefore, the means of communication and the used and the policy's interpretation matters to the managers. There is a relationship between the national management and the international trade. The trading of oil to other countries has always been successful because of the way the government has employed its managerial aspects. It is known that the trading of oil has had a positive impact on the government by creating wealth and transforming the livelihoods of the Arabs. There are activities that involve determining prices of oil and also determining the income earned from oil production. Before that the government needs to determine whether the cost of producing and exporting oil is more than the income generated this aspect requires decision making by the management unit. It is through those decisions on planning and controlling that the production of oil has led to wealth creation in the United Arab Emirates. Conclusion In conclusion, the national management of the united Arabs emirates portrays a good managerial system that has enabled it to succeed in all areas pertaining the economy. The political aspect also has been through appropriate management because of the good political stability in the nation that fosters peace with other nations. The social aspect also is under appropriate management so that there is a balance between the three aspects. The growing success of the government through diversification of economic sectors and the participation in international trade implies the good management practices. UAE is a role model for countries that want to integrate socio-economic and political aspects in their strive to achieve their national goals. References Aldhuwaihi, Abdullah. The influence of organisational culture on job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover intention: a study on the banking sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Diss. Victoria University, 2013. Baumann, Lars. The impact of national culture on project management in the Middle East. Diss. © Lars Baumann, 2013. Edger, Chris. International Multi-unit Leadership: Developing Local Leaders in International Multi-site Operations. Gower Publishing, Ltd., 2013. Lane, Henry W., and Martha Maznevski. International Management Behavior: Global and Sustainable Leadership. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. Marcus, Aaron. "Cross-cultural user-experience design." SIGGRAPH Asia 2013 Courses. ACM, 2013. Read More