Wednesday, 29 February, 2012

Dr. Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Management, UOWD presented the second volume of the case study book series "Actions and Insights: Middle East North Africa" to the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, HE Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi in the presence of the Undersecretary Abdulla A. Al Saleh at the Ministry of Foreign Trade in Abu Dhabi.The first book in the series was launched in May 2011 by Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade at the University of Wollongong in Dubai.The new book carries an article about ‘Managing in Uncertain Times’ which is also the theme of the book. The 12 cases have been edited by Dr. Balakrishnan; Dr. Ian Michael and Dr. Tim Rogmans of Zayed University; and Immanuel Azaad Moonesar, Institutional Research Officer, UOWD.The cases document a range of situations. Readers get an insight into how Abraaj Capital Limited was creating an entrepreneurship ecosystem through the 3-day event “Celebration of Entrepreneurship”. The process of helping to manage preventable blindness in developing countries is explained in the case on Noor Dubai Foundation.The way a UAE-based airline managed its reputation during the disruption caused in air travel in Europe by the Eyjafjallajökull Iceland Volcano is analysed in the Etihad Airways case. The complexities of sales forecasting in the perishable food business is highlighted in the Al Ain Diary case. The process of building a strong value-based UAE brand in the international marketplace is documented in the Jumeirah Group case.The country-of-origin effect and local market insights are explored in the Haier case. The process of creating a research culture is discussed in the UOWD case. The Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) case looks at the foresight the company had into building human capital within the region. The Sharjah Football Club (UAE) looks at the challenges of sports marketing which would be an important point for discussion with the Qatar FIFA World Cup.The book was published through the funding generated through AIB-MENA and is in partnership with the UOWD Business Case Centre. The project was realized through the generosity of the sponsors like Al Ain Dairy, Abraaj Capital Ltd., Jumeriah Group, Zayed University, Dubai Convention Bureau (DTCM), AL Arif Sons Travel, and Al Sharif Chartered Accountants.The book is published by Emerald Publishing Group and each individual case is available online on the Emerald Emerging Market Case Studies website (including a free sample case on Abraaj Capital Ltd.). The book series is available through Amazon.com. The cases are being used in classes across the world and many of the AIB-MENA cases are the most downloaded cases in the Emerald Emerging Market Case Studies Collection.