This thesis looked at traffic crashes in the emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish the current situation in road safety and ways of improving it. A global overview of road safety literature revealed that standards of road safety vary widely by region. Key indicators like fatality rate and risk (Jacobs et al, 2000) were found to be higher in most neighbouring Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries (10-25 fatalities/100,000 pop., 3-5 fatalities/10,000 motor vehicles) than in the best-performing Western countries (6 fatalities/100,000 pop., 1 fatality/10,000 motor vehicles). Interventions and countermeasures to tackle specific road safety issues were reviewed from international studies. Countermeasures were chosen with consideration for the local situation in Dubai within the categories of Human, Environmental and Vehicle factors. Examples of selected measures include offending driver punishment (Human), Electronic Stability Control (Vehicle) and central barriers (Environment). These measures were mostly studied in different environments to those in Dubai so the aspect of knowledge transfer between areas of different cultural and environmental conditions was discussed. Data from real world injury crashes (as collected by Dubai Police and the Roads & Transport Authority) over twelve years (1995 2006) were subject to macroanalysis in SPSS to identify the main issues over the past decade. 18,142 crashes involving 30,942 casualties and 48,960 vehicles were analysed at the outset. The following issues were among the main concerns: - High proportion of fatal crashes out of all injury crashes (13.5% compared to 1.4% in the UK); - Most fatal crashes involved a single vehicle hitting a pedestrian; - Most injury crashes involved a single vehicle; - Inconsiderate driving was the most common crash cause cited by the police. Countermeasures found in the literature to counteract these problems were then suggested for application and the estimated savings from applying them were calculated. Savings were quantified as either reductions in casualties or injury crashes. Furthermore, cost savings for the calculated reductions were estimated using existing UK crash costs due to the scarcity of UAE crash cost estimates. Calculation of the estimated improvement in safety if these countermeasures were applied retrospectively meant a reduction of 4,634 injury crashes and 1,555 casualties over the 12-year period with an estimated cost saving of approximately £368 million or 2.7 billion Dirhams. To refine this method more detailed data on crashes were required and collected from the dedicated crash investigation team files in Dubai Police for 2006 and part of 2007. This new dataset (300 crashes) was put into a purpose-built database with over 140 fields and subject to microanalysis to more accurately match the problems and interventions. Six interventions were matched to individual cases in the database where they would have positively altered the outcome. This process was verified by independent crash experts and investigators. The benefits from these six countermeasures were then weighted to calculate the benefits for the whole crash population over a year. Examples of specific interventions included guardrails along the roadside; grade-separated crossing facilities for pedestrians; Electronic Stability Control and speed cameras. The estimated total reduction in crashes was 2,412 annually with calculated savings of £40 million or 280 million Dirhams. This was the first time this geographical area was studied in such depth and detail to allow the calculation of benefits from interventions matched to known road safety issues. Various limitations were encountered such as the unavailability of GIS basemaps and the continuously changing infrastructure and population of Dubai. Numerous areas of further work were identified. Such work areas include hospital studies for collecting injury data to compare with police data; changing vehicle standards so that they are better suited to local crash types; the calculation of crash and injury costs based on local figures; vehicle fleet analysis for comparing different vehicle segments and exposure; and improved data collection and storage methods.

Insider dealing on the basis of inside information has been identified as an action against the principle of equal access to information for all those who need such information to make investment decisions. This thesis examines the regulation of insider dealing in financial markets. It analyses in particular the problem of the regulation of insider dealing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the shortcomings of this regulation and how it can be improved. The primary objective of the thesis is to offer reasonable recommendations for the reform of insider dealing in the UAE. There have been controversies regarding whether insider dealing should be regulated, the basis of such regulation and the form in which the law should intervene. This thesis has attempted to provide its own approach to the problem of insider dealing. This approach forwards the proposition that allowing insider dealing on the basis of inside information is against the principle of equal access to information and it is detrimental to market transparency. Based on this proposition, the thesis investigates the shortcomings of the current regulation of insider dealing in the UAE. Following this the applied study, which consists of a questionnaire and interviews conducted in the UAE, provides a clearer picture of the current regulation in the country. The study aims at measuring opinions and attitudes of investors and other experts towards the basis and effectiveness of the regulation of insider dealing in local markets in the UAE. This is followed by a legal comparative study. This is both a ‘macro-comparison’ and a ‘micro-comparison’ between the regulation of insider dealing in the jurisdictions of the US, the UK and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The ‘macro-comparison’ draws conclusions from comparing the broader systems of regulation in the three jurisdictions. The ‘micro-comparison’ concentrates on a functional comparison between the specific rules related to insider dealing. The legal comparative study is combined with the information generated by the applied study. Together these provide solutions (represented as recommendations) for the reform of the UAE larger system of regulation, and amendments to the rules related to insider dealing.

This research examined the psychosocial factors influencing physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake behaviour, intentions and health cognitions in secondary school children in the United Arab Emirates. Study 1 examined the prediction of Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) and Prototype/Willingness Model (Gibbons and Gerrard, 1995) on behaviour, intentions and cognitions in 536 secondary school students. Findings indicated that attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and prototype perceptions accounted for a significant proportion of behavioural intentions, after controlling for parental behaviour. Prototype variables, especially similarity, improved the predicting validity of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Some differences between age and gender were noted. Prototype similarity appeared to be the strongest predictor of behavioural intentions out of the prototype measures. Study 2 tested the effectiveness of an action planning intervention (Gollwitzer, 1993) and image intervention (Gibbons and Gerrard,1995) in 188 secondary school students. A longitudinal design was employed collecting data over 6 months measuring behaviour, behavioural interventions and components from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Prototype/Willingness Model. Participants in the action‐planning group were asked to form specific implementation intentions of physical activity and fruitand vegetable intake. Participants in the image group were asked to consider favourable behaviour specific prototype and describe them. Findings revealed no significant intervention effects on intentions or behaviour. Some significant effects were seen on health cognitions across time points and conditions. Study 3 explored knowledge, outcome expectations, facilitators and social modelling, drawing from Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986) by conducting 8 semistructured focus group interviews (N=40). Emerging themes were: ‘Knowledge of physical activity’, ‘Impact on health, wellbeing and physical appearance’, ‘Having fun together’, ‘Important role models’ ‘Knowledge of healthy eating’, ‘Physical and psychological rewards’, ‘Availability and appearance’ and ‘Sometimes yummy and sometimes yucky’. Findings highlighted enjoyment and social factors as strong influences of physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake. The overall findings provided some evidence for future implications and further quantitative and qualitative approaches were recommended to further establish the influential factors of children’s healthy eating and physical activity habits in the Middle East.

This thesis focuses on the international hotel industry as part of the global economy and examines the implications that the strategic management of human capital has within the five-star sector of the hotel industry in Dubai, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates, and an economy based on the service sector. It examines the macro environmental factors influencing the potential strategic directions of two recognized international five-star hotel brands and considers the challenges this creates for the alignment of strategy, and the implications this has for management of human capital(people) as a key determinant of success that enhances organisational outcomes. In selecting this area of research, the author has adopted a grounded theory approach to the generation of new knowledge, allowing the literature to be guided by concerns raised by hotel managers and industry consultants working in the context of Dubai. This approach led to the employment of a case study method, through which the key influences of organisational culture and ownership are considered. Two international hotel chains were identified to represent the two strategic modes of entry into the destination. The first case being a locally owned and managed chain with 7 hotels in Dubai. The second case is a European chain operating 6 hotel properties under management contract in Dubai, with 6 different owners from the Middle East. Both companies operate within the luxury five-star market that is so prevalent in Dubai. The hospitality industry, by definition, relies heavily on human capital, both as a resource and a capability that may allow for the development of competitive advantage. However, the dynamics of the Dubai hotel environment, the strength of the Arab cultural values and the organisational conditions that exist in Dubai present HR managers with a number of unique challenges, including high levels of pastoral care, and approaches to managing the workforce that may be at odds with traditional ‘Western’ ideals. This thesis adds to the existing debate on the value and utilisation of existing theoretical frameworks attached to the alignment of strategy and the implications for managing human capital in the face of globalisation and presents a model of their application in a city that is characterised by power and control, predictability and change aversion.

This ethnographic case study explored the insights and experiences of a small selection of working graduates from Dubai Women's College. Based on a literature review and a preliminary study, the following themes were identified and employed as stimuli for discussion: the balance between work and family responsibilities, gender issues in the workplace, issues of power relationships for women, coping with restrictions in an Arabic Islamic environment, reasons for work, and sources of influence and satisfaction. The research utilized feminist post-structural theory to collect the data and then analyze and interpret the comments made by the women. Self-reflexivity and transparency of the positionality of the researcher were critical in this research that relied on an unstructured personal interview approach. The research resulted in a rich description of the thoughts and concerns of five diverse women. Through discourse analysis, the dominant socio-cultural discourses in the areas of gender, marriage, kinship, ethnicity, meritocracy, materialism and religion that women interact with in this cultural environment were identified. The extent to which the women take up, disrupt and challenge these discourses was also explored with a view to suggest ways to 'better' women's lives. Implications of this study include an agenda for increased emancipation of women by greater freedom of choice through self awareness and the development of potential strategies to support empowerment.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the urban development in Dubai by means of the fourquadrant model, presented by DiPasquale and Wheaton, which represents the market for real estate use and assets. The focus is on factors such as economic growth, access to oil, population growth and the incentive of the government to promote developments in Dubai, to study how they affect the real estate market. It is observed how all these factors contribute to the expansion of the construction sector and thereby the stock of space. However, because Dubai's economy is independent of the oil sector, access to oil is solely assumed to contribute to a higher amount of disposable capital and therefore does not have any upward pressure on the rent and the price level as the remaining factors.

Diss. Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2009.

The anticipated increase in competition among airports means that there is now a greater need for strategic thinking in the airport business industry. In order to succeed, airport management will have to implement new strategic initiatives and identify their key competitive strengths. While many airports are now more active in following strategic directions, there is some deficiency and inconsistency in the literature in this regard. This research relates the theories of strategic management to the case of airports in order to explore the issue of whether the airport business industry is able to apply the different strategies adopted by other industries in order to achieve growth. The research provides an in-depth analysis into the strategies that Dubai International Airport has pursued. This carefully selected case study involves the collection of qualitative data through conducting semi-structured interviews as a primary source of information. Data collected are applied to different well-known business tools including the PESTEL Analysis, the Five Forces Model and the Resource-based View (RBV) of the firm. The research found that there are some strategic differences between the airport industry and other industries. While it is possible for airports to adopt certain strategies, some strategic theories are not very practicable for airports. While Dubai International Airport is not considered very different from other airports, there are some differentiated characteristics in its ownership and management that led it to outperform its rivals. The research proposes that there are a number of key success factors derived from four core areas that led Dubai International Airport to obtain strategic strengths over other airports. These four areas include: General Condition, Competitive Situation, Resource Acquisition and Strategic Direction. These areas are also classified as No Control, Least Control, Some Control and Most Control, respectively. This thesis contributes to the development of a best practice conceptual model that can help airport managers understand and improve their key competitive strengths and success factors.

As cities continue to compete for regional and global primacy, governments around the world have drawn upon a series of entrepreneurial tactics to secure investment. Along with city branding initiatives aimed at producing positive images of the city, governments increasingly seek to generate revenue through the corporate sponsorship of public place names, or what I term toponymic branding. Drawing upon government documents and 15 semi-structured interviews, this study examines how the neoliberalization of place through city and toponymic branding is currently reshaping the geographies of urban governance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), by considering two case studies: the naming of the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) and the Dubai Metro Naming Rights Initiative. In addition to semi-structured interviews conducted in situ, this research draws upon a variety of web-based marketing materials designed to promote the Burj Khalifa as an icon of Dubai and the Dubai Metro Naming Rights Initiative as a cutting-edge tool to increase revenue generation for the Government of Dubai. This thesis suggests that, despite efforts to maximize profits through city and toponymic branding campaigns, the renaming of the Burj Khalifa undercuts previous positive associations stakeholders held with the “tallest building in the world,” the city, and its brand. This study also demonstrates that, through the Dubai Metro Naming Rights Initiative, the Government of Dubai has used toponymic branding as a political tool to foster relationships with members of the business community. In doing so, the current research contributes to critical toponymic and urban geographic scholarship by examining the political economy of toponymic branding as a strategy of neoliberal urbanism in Dubai. / Graduate / 0366 / msotou@uvic.ca

After the discovery of oil, many Arab Gulf States failed to diversify and expand their economies beyond the oil sector. Resource curse theory contends these states, also known as rentier states, exhibited slower economic development than other states due to their dependency on oil. Dubai has been classified as a rentier state, however, it has achieved significant economic growth and political stability. Kuwait and Qatar were selected as case studies to compare and contrast with Dubai. Dubai s growth can be attributed to its rulers decisions prior to and after the discovery of oil and the growing role of the merchant class in the state. Therefore, the resource curse theory alone cannot address the development of Arab Gulf states.