GCC countries

This paper maps in broad terms the present and future demand for migrant workers in the GCC countries , particularly those from Asian countries of origin, by highlighting key trends as well as the complex government challenges, constraints, and responses in a globalized world. Part II broadly explores future sectoral demand for migrant workers in light of economic, demographic and labour market trends. Part III presents the policy consequences of projected GCC skill requirements. Part IV examines the migration governance issues that will emerge as a result of this shift towards greater skills training and recognition. Part V offers some recommendations for governments of countries of origin and destination in the short- and long-term.

The commercial banks are working on innovative ways to achieve profits instead of traditional methods, and hedging of systemic risks by using financial derivatives because of the uncertainty and high volatility in the global and domestic financial markets especially in Golf Cooperation Council " GCC " countries. In this paper we investigated the effect of financial derivatives use on the performance of commercial banks in the " GCC " countries, where the study included nineteen banks distributed among the countries (Bahrain, Emirate, Qatar and Saudi) during the period 2000-2013, using the regression model with unbalanced panel data. We concluded the acceptance of dual fixed effects model shows that the relationship varies from one bank to another, due to the different characteristics of each bank and each country. That the use of derivatives is working on the reduction of no systemic risks, which improves the performance of commercial banks especially in the crisis period.

Scholars of oil-based rentierism otherwise dubbed as 'the oil curse', claim that the political systems of such countries and their leaderships cannot be taken as serious development focused agents. In a similar contention, proponents of western-style democracy support the idea that 'sheikhdom' leadership based on patriarchic inheritance is destructive to development, while yet another section of scholars claims that Islam, as a faith, is in general anti-development. In order to broaden the debate on this subject, this study uses the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a case of a country that has achieved a tremendous success in various development areas and contrary to the old view of the three types of critics mentioned here. Introduction The United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the youngest state in the Middle East after gaining independence from the UK in 1971 and creating in 1972 a federation of seven small emirates. It has an average population of about 5 million, including a large number of expatriates who also constitute the majority of the workforce in the country. However, the International Monetary Fund had projected the population of the UAE to reach up to six million by 2015, increasing from 5.4 million in 2010, and that an increase in the number of expatriate population, considered over 80 per cent of the country's workforce, comprises the main growth drivers within the various areas of the country's economic development (IMF, 2011). The island city of Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. Although it is the seat of the federal government, Abu Dhabi, as an emirate, is also composed of several regions which make it the largest among its federated sister emirates. With most of the oil and gas produced in the country extracted within the geographical boundary of the island, Abu Dhabi is indeed the richest individual emirate, making the UAE the second largest oil exporting country in the Middle East with a high concentration in the petrochemical industry. Despite Abu Dhabi's natural wealth, many people around the world think of Dubai as the capital of the country. This perception reigns due to Dubai's drastic measures in commercializing its potential in the areas of tourism, real estate, and the maritime business, particularly offering free port facilities for goods destined to other countries in the region and far beyond the Gulf region. As such, Dubai enjoys being the commercial hub of the country and possibly of the entire Gulf region. An attractive policy of short-stay tourist visa system has contributed massively towards Dubai's popularity at the global scene with numerous academic, industrial, commercial as well as professional seminars, workshops, conferences and other high profile celebrity events held in the emirate. The UAE is sometimes lumped together with its Gulf neighbors when the discussion is about political environment and structure of the states in the region. For instance, it is common to hear terms like Gulf Arab States or Arab Gulf States or the Persian Gulf Arab States, referring to the six Arab nations that formed in 1981 the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, The Sultanate of Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The grouping up, though providing descriptive similarities, seems to undermine the internal differences the countries have in their social and political structures, leadership selection and even compositions and constitutions of the states (Aartun, 2001). The similarity may be drawn from the patrimonial inheritance of the rulership and other traditional hierarchical factors relating to the patrilineal ascension to the crown. But the distinctness of the UAE from its sister neighbours becomes clear when some consideration is given to the function of the first adjective in the country's name 'United', which symbolizes the federal type of government which the UAE embraces, unlike the other Gulf states. Secondly, the UAE, though a Muslim state, does not have tendencies of adherence to Islamic conservatism as a national political guideline or constitution (Bill & Springborg, 2000). It practices a modest quality of Islam which complies with the principles of the sharia while at the same time harmonizing it with the modern doctrines of contemporary socioeconomic systems. This is to argue that it has opted to adhere to both the principles of the Federation and of the Islamic doctrine, fulfilling simultaneously the requirements of a

The Arab world has engaged in public relations for thousands of years, and the public relations literature provides multiple examples extending from ancient times. However, modern public relations is much more vaguely defined. This is partly because the research surrounding public relations practice in the Middle East remains sparse, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.


This book presents a clear picture of contemporary PR practice in this region, providing a background on the evolution of public relations in each GCC country. It shows how environmental factors (historical, cultural, socio-political, and economic) influence practice in the region. It also contributes to public relations scholarship, education, and practice worldwide by providing new perspectives to those unfamiliar with its practice in this region.

Every government is seeking to provide the best services to its country to achieve efficiency and accepted performance. This goal could be achieved by improving the service performance of the entire sectors in society. Revealing key elements of e-government factors and skills that would affect the success of e-Government is the study priority goal. Hence, the purpose of this research is to investigate and explore the factors that drive the e-government implementation and adoption that would affect the government performance as well as the success in Sultanate of Oman. Thus, the study outcomes should be the guidance to conduct e-government projects in Sultanate of Oman to reduce and eliminate as much as possible the failure possibilities. The study should also provide roadmaps and guidelines for future researchers and policy makers on the project in general and focused in citizen's determinants for e-government services that would enhance the Citizen-government relationship.