The aim of the research was to evaluate the operational effectiveness and impact of joint leadership in construction projects in Abu Dhabi (AD). The research started with a thorough and critical review of literature on leadership and culture. The research took a quantitative approach and used a questionnaire to collect data. 145 questionnaires were sent to project managers in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and 90 responses (62%) were obtained. The data was analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics and used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The results of the research indicated that the majority of participants were leaders, and had different styles. Irrespective of leadership style, most expressed satisfaction with joint leadership of projects and stated that it does improve project success. The study also showed that culture has a significant impact on the types of leaders in UAE construction as well as the operations, durations, costs, and quality of construction projects. Moreover, participants stated that culture has an influence on the design of construction buildings and other facilities. It was however opined that the use of joint leadership in construction projects requires clear clauses in project contracts in respect of roles and responsibilities, as well as providing training for cultural awareness which can improve project efficiency. Most participants agreed that project success in UAE construction is a direct function of the leadership style used. The outcome of the research was used to improve the construction project process framework of Abu Dhabi Police taking into the consideration the findings from the questionnaire. The next step was to test the framework through a focus group. 12 professionals were involved from the original questionnaire survey. The focus group discussion generated additional qualitative descriptions concerning the reasons behind the study participants‘ perceptions on (a) the likelihood of joint leadership of projects in UAE, (b) the impact of the concept of the project managers in UAE construction, and (c) the influences of UAE culture on construction projects. The improved framework developed was validated by a survey which had 12 questions. This was distributed to 10 project managers and leaders. The results showed that the improved framework will: reduce communication time; improve the choice of joint leaders (two project managers) for the same project; help UAE culture to be communicated better in project designs; help project managers with no engineering background through training; increase internal stakeholders‘ understanding of joint leadership in AD police projects; increase the understanding of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) contract in AD police projects; assist AD police project managers‘ training to address effective and efficient leadership.

In the 21st century, family businesses around the world face significant challenges and plentiful opportunities. The growth and survival of family firms depends on their ability to address these challenges, capitalise on their strengths, and take advantage of the opportunities facing them. The family business literature is rich in the experiences of Americans, Koreans, Swedes and many other nationalities, cultures and religions around the world, but there is a paucity of documented evidence that relates to the Arab world. This study adds a new and important specific contribution to the literature by addressing the field of family businesses in the Arab world, and Abu Dhabi in particular. The thesis concentrates on large family firms which have their headquarters in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The main reason for this choice is pragmatic; the researcher has far greater access to the principals (CEO’s and Chairmen in particular) of Abu Dhabi based family firms than those headquartered elsewhere. This thesis identifies major themes which will influence the future development of family firms in Abu Dhabi in the medium term (taken to mean up to 2030, the period covered by the Abu Dhabi Vision). The research design chosen is an exploratory one. It does not seek to make predictions concerning the future of family firms in Abu Dhabi but attempts to explain the phenomenon of family firms in Abu Dhabi to the extent that explanation helps shed light on possible alternative strategies which such firms might need to adopt if they are to continue to prosper. The research relies heavily on expert interviews. Such a strategy is warranted by the dearth of published data of any sort. This research also makes a useful contribution to our understanding of family firms in general. By concentrating on a hitherto under-researched context, the study adds to our overall understanding by broadening the range of comparative studies of family firms which are available to other researchers.

Thesis (MCur (Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Nursing Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Patient safety remains one of the biggest challenges to healthcare organizations. With the escalation in health care costs due to medical errors, many organizations are adopting a number of strategies like the keeping of electronic medical records, the use of medication bar coding, instituting protocol for common procedures and checklists. Although each of these interventions has had a positive impact, problems of preventable medical errors still persist in many health care organizations throughout the world. In order to combat this, a small but increasing number of organizations are trying out basic technology as a low cost solution for patient safety in order to adopt this culture. Approval was given to the researcher to conduct an assessment of the safety culture in a specialized obstetric and gynecology operating room setting in Abu Dhabi. The aim of the study was to explore the patient safety culture and the contributing factors influencing patient safety in the operating room, as part of the preparations for accreditation by the Joint Commission International. A quantitative descriptive survey as research design was implemented for this purpose. In May 2010 the researcher surveyed the entire population of operating room staff, i.e. 250 participants, following a pilot study consisting of 10% of the total sample. The popular hospital wide survey questionnaire of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was adjusted and used to assess the safety culture among the operating room staff. The survey measured four common dimensions of patient safety, namely an overall perception and grade of patient safety, and the frequency and number of events reported. Further sub-dimensions were also measured in terms of leadership support, team work, and communication. A total of 118 completed questionnaires were received, which represents a 52% response rate. All of the participants had direct interaction or contact with patients. The composite overall score for the perception of safety was 48%. Although findings of the survey indicate that the operating room has patient safety problems, the findings also show much positive strength in the operating room and the organization as a whole. The positive composite scores are reflected in the findings of 74% for hospital management support for patient safety, 70% for teamwork within the units, and 61% for teamwork across hospital units, and 60% for feedback and communication regarding medical errors. The implications of the survey findings were taken into consideration in order for the organization to comply with the requirements for the Joint Commission International’s recertification with the focus on staff education and improving safety standards. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:Pasiëntbeveiliging bly een van de grootste uitdagings vir gesondheidsorganisasies. Met die toename in onkoste vir gesondheidsorg vanweë mediese misstappe, pas baie organisasies ’n aantal strategieë toe, soos die byhou van elektroniese mediese rekords, die aanbring van strepieskodes op medisyne, die daarstelling van protokolle vir algemene prosedures en kontrolelyste. Alhoewel elkeen van hierdie intervensies ’n positiewe impak gehad het, bestaan probleme vanweë mediese misstappe nog steeds in vele gesondheidsorg organisasies dwarsoor die wêreld. Om dit te voorkom, probeer ’n klein, maar toenemende aantal organisasies om ‚n kultuur van basiese tegnologie as ’n lae-koste oplossing vir pasiëntbeveiliging te kweek. Toestemming is aan die navorser gegee om ’n assessering te doen van die veiligheidskultuur in ’n gespesialiseerde verloskundige en ginekologiese operasiesaal in Abu Dhabi. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die pasiëntveiligheidskultuur te ondersoek, asook die bydraende faktore wat pasiëntbeveiliging in die operasiesaal beïnvloed as deel van die voorbereiding vir akkreditasie deur die Gesamentlike Kommissie Internasionaal (GKI). ’n Kwantitatiewe, beskrywende opname as navorsingsontwerp is toegepas vir hierdie doel. Gedurende Mei 2010 het die navorser ’n opname van die totale populasie van die operasiesaalpersoneel gedoen, naamlik 250 deelnemers, na ’n loodsondersoek wat 10% van die totale steekproef uitgemaak het. Die bekende Agentskap vir Gesondheidsnavorsing en Kwaliteit (AGNK) se hospitaalwye opnamevraelys is aangepas en gebruik om die veiligheidskultuur in die operasiesaal te assesseer. Die opname het vier algemene dimensies van pasiëntveiligheid gemeet, naamlik ’n algemene persepsie en gradering van pasiëntveiligheid, as ook die frekwensie en die aantal ongunstige gebeure wat plaasvind. ’n Totaal van 118 voltooide vraelyste is ontvang wat ’n 52% responskoers verteenwoordig. Al die deelnemers het direkte interaksie of kontak met pasiënte. Die samegestelde algehele telling van persepsie van veiligheid is 48%. Alhoewel bevindinge van die opname aandui dat die operasiesaal pasiëntveiligheidsprobleme het, wys bevindinge ook baie positiewe aspekte in die operasiesaal en die organisasie as ’n geheel uit. Die positiewe samegestelde telling word gereflekteer in die bevindinge van 74% vir ondersteuning vanaf die hospitaalbestuur vir pasiëntbeveiliging, 70% vir spanwerk binne die eenhede, 61% vir spanwerk dwarsoor die hospitaaleenhede en 60% vir terugvoering en kommunikasie ten opsigte van mediese misstappe. Die implikasies van die opname se bevindinge is in ag geneem ten einde die organisasie in staat te stel om te voldoen aan die Gesamentlike Kommissie Internasionaal se hersertifisering met die fokus op personeelopleiding en verbetering van veiligheidstandaarde.

A knowledgeable person can deal with problems in a confident and flexible manner. This statement is certainly applicable in the area of health where an adequate knowledge helps clients to avoid complications. This study was conducted to explore the perceptions of ischemic heart disease patients and their families regarding the content and format of health education they need, before discharge from the hospital. A non-experimental survey study was conducted in the coronary care unit (ccu) of three governmental hospitals in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A convenient sample of one hundred and twelve (112) participants consisting of eighty (80) patients and thirty two (32) relatives, were selected over a three month period. A self-report approach was used to collect data and a questionnaire in the form of five point Likert scale, was developed with appropriate content matching the study purpose. Reliability was tested by test- retest for nine (9) patients not participating in the sample. A panel of experts tested its validity. The confidentiality of the participants was carefully considered. The study has revealed that patients and their families indicate a strong need for health education. Most of the sample prefers health education during the hospital stay by the doctor, although nurses and different health service members were also seen as being important. The respondents perceived the health education function as increasing their confidence in dealing with the disease, while reducing their readmission and anxiety. They preferred a member of the family to attend the session. They wanted comprehensive health education addressing a wide range of topics. Since the study result agreed with other previous research results, it confirmed that people's perceptions about the need for information is similar in the UAE and everywhere else in the world. / Thesis (M.Cur.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Crime and other kinds of anti-social behaviour are viewed as serious social problems. These issues exist in all countries, but they are especially prevalent within the UAE, a country that recently has undergone rapid social changes within a short period of time. There is a vital need to identify appropriate preventive programmes suitable to the surrounding culture, as well as factors that could lead to effective solutions. Because there is a deficiency of research on crime prevention within Arab countries, this study focuses explicitly on the prevention of juvenile delinquency in the UAE. It considers processes of implementing effective crime prevention strategies, approaches, and programmes. This study uses qualitative methods, in the form of document analyses and semi-structured interviews. The first element of data-gathering is an exploration of the context of juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime prevention in Abu Dhabi, something which has not comprehensively been done before. The second part concentrates on participants from the Abu Dhabi Police force and other organisations involved in preventive work in the area of juvenile delinquency, in order to obtain extensive and detailed information about the dynamics of juvenile crime and potential strategies of prevention. The findings of this research offer several recommendations that could help to implement successful prevention strategies in the Middle East in general and in the UAE in particular. This study identifies and explains critical risk factors, and explores the cultural considerations that must be taken into account when designing and implementing prevention programmes. It identifies several requirements that should be considered for the formation of partnerships in the prevention of juvenile crime. It includes some important recommendations for the Abu Dhabi Police force for its future development and improvement. It also contains some general recommendations for the Government of the United Arab Emirates. Further research directions are also suggested, in light of this study’s findings and its potential limitations.

<p>In response to the rapidly growing global environmental problems many call for changes in how individuals should deal with the environment. An important aspect of moving towards an environmentally sustainable world is to promote pro-environmental consumer behavior. Against this background, the purpose of this study is to conduct a literature review to identify social and psychological factors that influence environmental behavior and use these as a basis for an empirical study in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for analyzing current behavioral patterns between population groups. The findings suggest that willingness to sacrifice for the environment, perceived behavioral control of environmental problems and the feeling of responsibility of environmental problems are significantly positively related to environmental behavior in Abu Dhabi. It was evaluated that younger age groups, very low and very high income groups, people from developing nations and low education groups are performing worse in environmental behavior than older age groups, middle income groups, people from developed nations and high education groups. Furthermore, it was concluded that the general level of environmental behavior is low. This is ascribed to a lack of facilities supporting environmental behavior in Abu Dhabi, and a lack of environmental values in the country. Policies aimed at promoting environmental behavior should aim at changing the attitudes and values regarding the environment of the society. Such policies should be tailored for specific population segments.</p>

In response to the rapidly growing global environmental problems many call for changes in how individuals should deal with the environment. An important aspect of moving towards an environmentally sustainable world is to promote pro-environmental consumer behavior. Against this background, the purpose of this study is to conduct a literature review to identify social and psychological factors that influence environmental behavior and use these as a basis for an empirical study in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for analyzing current behavioral patterns between population groups. The findings suggest that willingness to sacrifice for the environment, perceived behavioral control of environmental problems and the feeling of responsibility of environmental problems are significantly positively related to environmental behavior in Abu Dhabi. It was evaluated that younger age groups, very low and very high income groups, people from developing nations and low education groups are performing worse in environmental behavior than older age groups, middle income groups, people from developed nations and high education groups. Furthermore, it was concluded that the general level of environmental behavior is low. This is ascribed to a lack of facilities supporting environmental behavior in Abu Dhabi, and a lack of environmental values in the country. Policies aimed at promoting environmental behavior should aim at changing the attitudes and values regarding the environment of the society. Such policies should be tailored for specific population segments.

Since the inception of the Masdar Initiative in 2006, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has invested a considerable amount of resources to promote renewable sources of energy like solar and wind. With an aim of achieving 7% of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020, there is much that the emirate needs to do in order to reduce its reliance on hydrocarbons while still planning capacity for future electricity demand. This report explores the effectiveness of a smart grid infrastructure as a mechanism to afford the flexibility and functionality required to incorporate renewable energy sources into the electric grid, as well as leveraging a real-time data network to attain reductions in peak demand consumption. Specific regulatory structures that exist in Abu Dhabi's electric and telecommunications markets are evaluated to understand the role they will play in dealing with interoperability standards, privacy concerns, and consumer participation issues that influence the effective integration of smart grid into Abu Dhabi's energy future. / text

Emirate of Abu Dhabi is located in an arid region, where the main source of fresh water is desalination plants. The vulnerability of desalination plants renders planning for an alternative source of freshwater essential. In this study the feasibility of aquifer storage and recovery in the Liwa area, in Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was investigated. Based on operational data collected from the pilot project, the model was set up and calibrated. The calibrated model was used to study the affect of various operational parameters, namely storage duration, pumping rate, screen location, multiple cycle operation and periodic recharge, as well as some aquifer characteristics factors: dispersion and salinity profile. This study can be utilized to optimize the operation of the Liwa ASR project. / text

Fear of global, social and environmental catastrophes has led to most developed and developing economies to embrace sustainability as a desirable public policy goal. Therefore, the Abu Dhabi government has made public commitments to transform along a more sustainable trajectory and assigned the public sector the collective responsibility of leading this transformation. Henceforth, public sector organisations have to embrace sustainable practices, re-orient their activities to achieve wider societal sustainable outcomes and govern others to act more sustainably. However, little is known about how public sector organisations are responding to this encouragement in the Abu Dhabi. The aim of this research is to explore how Abu Dhabi public sector organisation is embedding sustainability strategies for improved competitiveness. Given the relatively new and unexplored nature of the research problem, qualitative research method was adopted to collect and analyse data. Semi-structured interviews with 60 professionals were used to collect data which was then analysed using content analysis for inference and conclusion. The study concluded that the concept of sustainability is perceived as a distinct concept. It is suggests that an organisation wide awareness-raising training programme on the concept of sustainability needs to be to developed and deployed. Also, there is a need for cross-sector collaboration to capture and share best and worst practices related to transformative change towards sustainability. The lack of leadership skills for successful deployment of sustainability initiatives is one of the most important challenges for organisation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and deliver a bespoke training framework to address, improve and measure the effectiveness of leadership skills for driving change towards sustainability. Green technology has enormous potential to enable Abu Dhabi public sector organisation to meet its sustainability goals. It is recommended that future research on mobile applications for sustainability should focus on user readiness aspects, as well as organisation readiness for adoption and usage patterns of mobile devices. Overall, it is evident from the empirical findings that the outlook of improved sustainability initiatives efforts from the Abu Dhabi public sector organisation is quite promising at present. A strategic framework for transformative change towards sustainability was developed and validated. It is recommended to explore the level of embeddedness of sustainability initiatives in the public sector between developed and developing countries. This should lead to a generation of benchmark data and best practices in addressing global sustainability issues.