UAE - Culture Smart!

Author: John Walsh
Publisher: Kuperard
ISBN: 1787029514
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Book Description
Full of people who aim to combine the ancient and the modern, the UAE is an extremely rewarding place to visit. Set on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Gulf, the country was once a poor desert land, a confederation of tribal sheikhdoms on the periphery of the Arab world, subsisting on pearl diving and fishing. It was a British protectorate until independence in 1971, after which seven of the sheikhdoms united to form a federation, the UAE. The discovery of oil in the 1950s transformed the country's fortunes, and the UAE today is a land of contrasts—embracing skyscrapers, high-tech communications, and luxury hotels, while conservative values and religion remain strong. The UAE is a major player in the shifting alliances of the Middle East and the war against radical Islam, simultaneously seeking a global leadership position while maintaining its social systems and slowly integrating women into public life without violating its core beliefs.

Culture Shock!

Author: Gina L. Crocetti
Publisher: Graphic Arts Books
ISBN: 9781558683006
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular Culture Shock! series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. Culture Shock! country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. Culture Shock! practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler.Each Culture Shock! title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

A Diamond in the Desert

Author: Jo Tatchell
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
ISBN: 0802196179
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 233

Book Description
Get a closer look at this glittering, oil-rich city in a “revealing travelogue through the capital of the United Arab Emirates” (Publishers Weekly). Jo Tatchell first arrived in the city of Abu Dhabi as a child in 1974, when the discovery of oil was quickly turning a small fishing town into a growing international community. Decades later, this Middle Eastern capital is a dizzying metropolis of ten-lane highways and overlapping languages, and its riches and emphasis on cultural development have thrust it into the international spotlight. Here, Tatchell returns to Abu Dhabi and explores the city and its contradictions: It is a tolerant melting-pot of cultures and faiths, but only a tiny percentage of its native residents are deemed eligible to vote by the ruling class, and the nation’s president holds absolute veto power over his advisory boards and councils. The Emirates boast one of the world’s highest GDP per capita, but the wealth inequality in its cities is staggering. Abu Dhabi’s royal family, worth an estimated $500 billion, lives off the sweat of the city’s migrant workers, who subject themselves to danger and poverty under barely observed labor laws. But now, the city is making an international splash with a showy investment in tourism, arts, and culture—perhaps signaling a change to a more open, tolerant state. As this sparkling city surges into the future, it devotes just as much energy to concealing its past. Tatchell looks not only at history and social issues—the ancient system of tribal organization, the condition of the city’s million foreign workers, the emergence of women in Emirati society, but also her own experiences as both a child and adult in this fascinating city that has radically changed—and in other ways, stayed the same.

Costa Rica - Culture Smart!

Author: Jane Koutnik
Publisher: Bravo Limited
ISBN: 1857336666
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 141

Book Description
Costa Rica is renowned for its tropical beauty, the warmth and charm of the "Ticos"—its people's own name for themselves—and its political stability. This "Switzerland of the Americas" is widely regarded as an oasis of democracy in turbulent Central America. Since the first edition of Culture Smart! Costa Rica was published in 2005, however, there have been some important changes and, with rapid economic development, some growing pains. Over the past few years there has been a movement of population to the towns of the Central Valley. Higher education is now the norm for young Ticos, and the middle class has expanded—but so has the gap between rich and poor. Tourism took a dive after the 2009 recession, and the national debt has grown, while the arrival of multinationals and significant Chinese investment has been welcomed. Unemployment has risen, people are prepared to go on strike more readily, and there is a general disillusionment with politicians. In the face of mounting difficulties the Ticos remain remarkably peaceable, relaxed, and fun-loving. Their enthusiasm for life is seen as much in their passion for soccer as in their demonstrations in support of human and political rights. Culture Smart! Costa Rica explores and explains the complex human realities of modern Costa Rican life. Armed with this information, you will be better equipped to understand your hosts and to enjoy your visit to this beguiling and beautiful country to the full.

City of Gold

Author: Jim Krane
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429918993
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 389

Book Description
Award-winning journalist Jim Krane charts the history of Dubai from its earliest days, considers the influence of the family who has ruled it since the nineteenth century, and looks at the effect of the global economic downturn on a place that many tout as a blueprint for a more stable Middle East The city of Dubai, one of the seven United Arab Emirates, is everything the Arab world isn't: a freewheeling capitalist oasis where the market rules and history is swept aside. Until the credit crunch knocked it flat, Dubai was the fastest-growing city in the world, with a roaring economy that outpaced China's while luring more tourists than all of India. It's one of the world's safest places, a stone's throw from its most dangerous. In City of Gold, Jim Krane, who reported for the AP from Dubai, brings us a boots-on-the-ground look at this fascinating place by walking its streets, talking to its business titans, its prostitutes, and the hard-bitten men who built its fanciful skyline. He delves into the city's history, paints an intimate portrait of the ruling Maktoum family, and ponders where the city is headed. Dubai literally came out of nowhere. It was a poor and dusty village in the 1960s. Now it's been transformed into the quintessential metropolis of the future through the vision of clever sheikhs, Western capitalists, and a river of investor money that poured in from around the globe. What has emerged is a tolerant and cosmopolitan city awash in architectural landmarks, luxury resorts, and Disnified kitsch. It's at once home to America's most prestigious companies and universities and a magnet for the Middle East's intelligentsia. Dubai's dream of capitalism has also created a deeply stratified city that is one of the world's worst polluters. Wild growth has clogged its streets and left its citizens a tiny minority in a sea of foreigners. Jim Krane considers all of this and casts a critical eye on the toll that the global economic downturn has taken. While many think Dubai's glory days have passed, insiders like Jim Krane who got to know the city and its creators firsthand realize there's much more to come in the City of Gold, a place that, in just a few years, has made itself known to nearly every person on earth.

Doing Business in the Middle East

Author: Donna Marsh
Publisher: Robinson
ISBN: 1472135679
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description
This new and updated book is necessary reading for all professionals working in the Middle East and North Africa, it includes: - The practical impact of Islam on business - Safety and security in the region - Business etiquette - Political and social do's and don'ts The practicalities of doing business in the MEA region are covered in detail, from the initial visit to establishing productive working relationships, including opening an office in the region. It also focuses on issues of particular importance to all businesswomen, and for men who might be working with Arab and Muslim women.

The United Arab Emirates

Author: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317603095
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Book Description
Led by Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE has become deeply embedded in the contemporary system of international power, politics, and policy-making. Only an independent state since 1971, the seven emirates that constitute the UAE represent not only the most successful Arab federal experiment but also the most durable. However, the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath underscored the continuing imbalance between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the five northern emirates. Meanwhile, the post-2011 security crackdown revealed the acute sensitivity of officials in Abu Dhabi to social inequalities and economic disparities across the federation. The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics, and Policymaking charts the various processes of state formation and political and economic development that have enabled the UAE to emerge as a significant regional power and major player in the post Arab Spring reordering of Middle East and North African Politics, as well as the closest partner of the US in military and security affairs in the region. It also explores the seamier underside of that growth in terms of the condition of migrant workers, recent interventions in Libya and Yemen, and, latterly, one of the highest rates of political prisoners per capita in the world. The book concludes with a discussion of the likely policy challenges that the UAE will face in coming years, especially as it moves towards its fiftieth anniversary in 2021. Providing a comprehensive and accessible assessment of the UAE, this book will be a vital resource for students and scholars of International Relations and Middle East Studies, as well as non-specialists with an interest in the United Arab Emirates and its global position.

Tourism, Culture and Heritage in a Smart Economy

Author: Vicky Katsoni
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319477323
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 502

Book Description
This book explores the ways in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer a powerful tool for the development of smart tourism. Numerous examples are presented from across the entire spectrum of cultural and heritage tourism, including art, innovations in museum interpretation and collections management, cross-cultural visions, gastronomy, film tourism, dark tourism, sports tourism, and wine tourism. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the smart destinations concept and a knowledge economy driven by innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. New modes of tourism management are described, and tourism products, services, and strategies for the stimulation of economic innovation and promotion of knowledge transfer are outlined. The potential of diverse emerging ICTs in this context is clearly explained, covering location-based services, internet of things, smart cities, mobile services, gamification, digital collections and the virtual visitor, social media, social networking, and augmented reality. The book is edited in collaboration with the International Association of Cultural and Digital Tourism (IACuDiT) and includes the proceedings of the Third International Conference on Cultural and Digital Tourism.

United Arab Emirates

Author: Peyton Rogers
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781723156915
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 130

Book Description
Are you or someone you know contemplating or making plans to move to the UAE? If you or someone you know would like to avoid the pitfalls, silly mistakes, and challenges that many expats face when moving abroad then this book is for you! Here are the facts, tips, and steps you should take if you are planning to move to the UAE in one easy to read travel guide! Get your questions answered and learn: What important documents do you need to take with you? What kinds of residency programs are available? What educational opportunities are available? Where are the best places to stay? What kinds of jobs are available? You will also learn: How to save money on travel, accommodations, and shipping costs. What are the common things you will need to get used to when living in the UAE? What are the exciting things to do for fun and leisure? Unlike most travel and country guides, this book is written in an engaging, informative, and enjoyable tone that makes this book a fun and easy read.

From Rags to Riches

Author: Mohammed Al-Fahim
Publisher: I. B. Tauris
ISBN: 9781860642333
Category : Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Born in 1948, in Abu Dhabi, the author knew dreadful poverty for years before fabulous oil wealth transformed his country forever. He grew up in the ruler's palace, barefoot like his playmates, now senior figures in the United Arab Emirates." "This is a vivid eye-witness account of the total transformation within only 30 years of a Bedouin society into a country with the world's highest per capita income. He speaks with great frankness about his own life and career and about the role of the British in his country."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved