Page 283 - Aamir Rehman - Dubai & Co Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States-McGraw-Hill (2007)

Getting Things Done: Operations Strategy and the GCC 265

an increasingly global presence. Just as established multinationals
are keen to access GCC markets, GCC firms are eager to make their
marks as truly world-class institutions.

KEY LESSONS

● The GCC’s infrastructure excellence facilitates business in the
Gulf states significantly and has been funded through
generous government spending over several decades.
● World-class infrastructure in the region makes for the
easy flow of people, the easy flow of goods, support for
industry and manufacturing, and strong business support
services.
● Shipping, port management, and logistics have become core
competencies of the region, as demonstrated by Dubai Ports
World’s rise to global leadership.
● Industrial parks and free zones with 100 percent foreign
ownership rights are attracting multinationals and
enabling them to serve the broader Middle East via the
Gulf.
● The GCC weekend does not correspond with the US,
European, and Asian weekends and is not even uniform in
the Gulf, creating coordination challenges.
● Bureaucracy in the region can be sizable, even with
deregulation. Managing compliance is a function in itself.
● The GCC’s infrastructure excellence nurtures firms in related
sectors, like Emirates Airlines, with the potential to be
world leaders in their industries.