Page 19 - Aamir Rehman - Dubai & Co Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States-McGraw-Hill (2007)

Introducing Dubai & Co. 5

For the most part, this is because today’s senior executives received
their business education at a time when GCC markets had far less
economic significance. In fact, hardly any Harvard Business School
case studies before the 1990s even mentioned the Gulf economies.
With GCC economies—most prominently that of Dubai—now
emerging in the business headlines, however, global executives are
beginning to see the opportunity. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
and other GCC economies are in the news to stay, as the fundamen-
tal conditions supporting their growth are likely to remain for the
foreseeable future. Savvy corporations are therefore sharpening
their focus on the GCC opportunity and developing thoughtful
strategies to capitalize on those opportunities in order to bring
much-desired growth to their top and bottom lines.

A STRATEGIC GUIDE

This book is your strategic guide to the GCC. It will not only pro-
vide the needed basics on the GCC, but it also will deliver in-depth
explorations of a dynamic but sometimes misunderstood region
that is proving itself to be vital to global business success. It will
provide you with the market understanding and strategic insights
you need to both formulate an effective approach to the GCC and
integrate this region into your overall global strategy.
Dubai & Co. addresses the pressing issue of how global organ-
izations can most effectively tap into the economic opportunity and
promise of GCC markets. Throughout the book, I’ll answer
questions like:
● How are changes in the GCC business environment
creating opportunity for multinationals?
● What are the essentials that global managers must know
about the economies and private sectors in the GCC
markets?
● Under what circumstances should multinationals consider
distributorships or joint ventures with local GCC firms?
Under what conditions are acquisitions and direct, organic
entry advisable?
● To what degree should multinationals adjust their
marketing messages, product portfolios, and branding to
capture the market opportunity?