Abstract The paper states that like many of its neighboring countries, the United Arab Emirates has made enormous efforts in recent years in an attempt to reduce dependence on the dominant public sector and to provide private investors a bigger role in the economy. The paper discusses the case study which determines whether the AbuDhabi stock market is efficient, what type of analysis mechanism is best suited for identifying investment opportunities, and its implications for investors and the state. The paper presents a critical review of the relevant, peer-reviewed, scholarly and organizational literature followed by an analysis of stock market performance in the region and what these findings suggest for the future. The paper provides a summary of the research and salient findings in the concluding chapter.
Outline:
Introduction
Review and Analysis
Methodology
Data Analysis
Results and Findings
Conclusion
From the Paper "In this regard, Schleifer emphasizes that, "The reason is that 'making money' in finance means making a superior return after an adjustment for risk. Showing that a particular strategy based on exploiting stale information on average earns a positive cash flow over some period of time is not, therefore, by itself evidence of market inefficiency" . In order to earn this profit, an investor may have to bear risk and his profit may just be a fair market compensation for risk-bearing; however, there is a problem in measuring the risk of a particular investment strategy and demands a model of the fair relationship between risk and return. For this purpose, one widely accepted model is the Capital Asset Pricing Model; however, this is not the only available alternative. "
Abstract This paper contends that the changing economic climate has had various impacts on the process of urban development in the United Arab Emirates' cities. The paper presents a research proposal to assess urban development options through a case study of urban projects in Dubai and AbuDhabi, such as Palm Island in Dubai and Lulua Island in AbuDhabi. The conceptual framework is the regulation theory.
Outline
Introduction
Objective
Findings of Importance
Methodology
Literature Review
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "Just twenty years ago Dubai was a small trading port. The nineteenth century witnessed growth in the village when the Bani Yas tribe, in the number of around 800 individuals settled in Dubai. By the first of the 20th century Dubai had begun to witness settlers coming from Baluchistan, Iran and India due to the fact that Dubai contained 350 shops and was gaining in prosperity by this time. Dubai was said to be a "natural haven" (History of Dubai Online) for those who left Lingah, on the Persian coast. The Indian population that had made Dubai their home were active merchants and the village gained a "cosmopolitan atmosphere as well as an air of tolerance" and this began to draw more foreigners to the region. During the 1930's approximately one-fourth of the population were not native citizens or the amount of 20,000 member of the population plus, 2,000 Persians and 1,000 Baluchis."
Abstract This paper explains that, to understand the importance of water resource management, environmentalists must understand the importance of the geography and political structure of AbuDhabi, one of seven Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), which is a feudal society with absolute power in the hands of the Sheikh and his ministers, located on the Arabian Peninsula. The author points out that the region has a fragile ecosystem, which already shows the effects from oil exploration, transportation and processing. The paper stresses that water is a precious commodity in the desert and every country in the region is actively investigating the options to make the best and most effective use of this commodity. Many charts, diagrams and illustrations.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Conventional and Unconventional Water Sources
Importance of Water Resource Management
From the Paper "Environmental protection groups and governments are constantly engaged in a struggle to critically identify the measures that can be taken to protect and save the environment. The need to develop a consistent tool that can be used universally by all countries is increasingly being stressed upon. One such tool is the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI). A product of the World Economic Forum, the ESI has been created to measure countries based on a wide-ranging and comprehensive set of factors that are designed to 'rank' to country. In reality, many of the issues and the concerns that are displayed in the ESI relate more to the concerns of the Western's more developed nations and many of the developing countries around the world feel pressurized to maintain standards that are not ideal for their situation."
Abstract This paper looks at the abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib. The writer discusses how social psychology may have made inevitable what happened between the prisoners and the soldiers at Abu Ghraib .
From the Paper "Currently several military trails are going on following the revelation of abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison. For example, Reserve Sgt. Gary Pittman went on trial for his involvement in the assault of an Iraqi POW, who later died. This paper examines the facts that led to this and other abuses at Abu Ghraib from the perspective of social psychology, in order to ask the question: Could social psychology have predicted ... "
Abstract This paper analyzes the biographical and ideological premise of Abu Hanifa's perception of Islamic law and religious beliefs. Abu Hanifa is responsible for creating laws that could be seen through modes of reasoning and logic, which had been unfounded in the initial stages of Islamic rule and expansion. In this legal perspective, the jurisprudence of Hanifa allows for certain variables to be either omitted or included in how Muslims and non-Muslims were judged under the law.
From the Paper "This history study will examine the life and legal ideology of the famous Imam Abu Hanifa. By realizing the scope of influence this great leader had in Muslim history, one can realize how he affected the written ideology of religious texts through the law. In this manner, Abu Hanifa became an innovator in organizing the laws and hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad. By realizing the scope of his life in dedication to Islam, the study will present his life and literary innovations in regards to his religious practice and piety. The biographical background of Abu Hanifa is important, since he was part of early interpretation of the various hadiths (prayers) and written text of the Koran."
Abstract This paper examines the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq, where discipline and military standards were disregarded by US military soldiers, who beat, humiliated, and tortured prisoners. The paper points out that the US did not start to reevaluate the standards and conditions of their prisons until more cases of prisoner mistreatment throughout prisons in Iraq started to surface. The American Army started to set new standards to enforce throughout its units since it could no longer place the blame on "a few bad apples." The paper argues that, while this might seem like a change for the better, the United States Army was already in the possession of the resources needed to prevent such an occurrence. The paper concludes that the events that took place at Abu Ghraib and other prisons could have been avoided with the presence of proper leadership, supervision, and enforcement of basic military standards.
From the Paper "During times of war, strong leadership and positive role models are essential in keeping order and focus in a group of people. Good leaders take charge, allot tasks, and enable others to cooperate to complete a project. In order to sustain their status and continuation of the group, soldiers take part in collective observational learning. This prevents corruption through negative reinforcement and strengthens camaraderie through mutual positive reinforcement. In my beast squad, my platoon sergeant was always present, setting examples for New Cadets to follow. My squad leader imitated his actions, always treating us fairly, and disciplined us when we needed it. In the case of Abu Ghraib, the presence of a positive role model was needed to prevent the distortion of military standards. The presence of a good leader would have allowed the soldiers in the prison unit to instill within themselves competence, loyalty, and honor to the tasks they were assigned. Furthermore, if Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick II was a good leader, he would have instated the military standards in accordance with the Geneva Convention that he and his staff were trained in, and he would have felt the moral obligation to stop the mistreatment of prisoners. The soldiers tasked with guarding the prisoners would not have been free to abuse detainees had Staff Sergeant Frederick II followed his training and enforced orders."
Abstract This paper compares the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib to that seen in Philip Zimbardo's landmark psychological experiment into group behavior and the effects of differential power. The paper relates that Zimbardo's experiment demonstrated that even ordinary citizens without any previous history or known predisposition toward violence or abusive behavior have the potential to become cruelly abusive under circumstances that combine authority, unsupervised autonomy, and authoritative control over others. The paper then looks at how, in many ways, the real-life abuses at Abu Ghraib paralleled Zimbardo's previous observations of human behavior during his 1971 experiment at Stanford.
From the Paper "The degree of abuse at Abu Ghraib was much worse than observed in the 1971 Stanford experiment, even after factoring in the fundamental differences between real life situations and controlled experiment. If anything, the fact that ordinary civilian students proved capable of such conduct on other civilians, even without the psychological stresses of a wartime combat zone and genuinely hostile prisoners, suggests that the risk of similar abuse in genuine wartime situations is much higher. "
Abstract Using polling data from the Israeli and American publics from the early 1980s, along with newspapers too, this paper studies how public support for the 2003 Iraq War and the 1982-1983 Lebanon invasion rebounded, despite the Abu Ghraib and Sabra and Shatila incidents.
From the Paper "The United States of America, scholars might someday say, happened upon the invasion of the Mesopotamian state of Iraq while searching for international terrorist groups in all of the wrong places. This is stated glibly because it is a very long and complex story. For the purpose of this study, it is only necessary to understand that having conquered Iraq, terminated its central government, and unwittingly facilitated the decline of civil society, the United States began detaining and interrogating petty criminals, former Ba'th party officials, violent insurgents, and frankly any other suspicious persons within the country's borders in March of 2003."
Abstract This paper provides a textual reading of a poem by one of Arabia's most celebrated wine song poets, Abu Nuwas. It focuses on the elements of Nuwas' poetry that are most reflective of Arabic wine songs as well as those elements uniquely his own, including his focus on the joys of urban life, wine and drinking, and lust for adolescent boys.
From the Paper " Philip F Kennedy maintains that Abu Nuwas is considered by most literary historians to be the finest wine poet of the Arabic tradition. Nuwas, a homosexual, devotes many of his wine songs to subjects relating to love lust and sexuality..."
Abstract This paper explains that the atrocities associated with the once American controlled Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq have been represented visually through a series of oft repeated photographs taken by American guards at the prison. The author points out that these images are of frequently naked, hooded Iraqi prisoners being publicly shamed and tortured by America soldiers, often shown smiling and referring to the spectacle with what can only be described as glee. The paper states that these pictures have left a lasting mark on the face of the war and on the image of the United States all over the world.
From the Paper "Another issue associated with these grave deeds and their photographic record is the obvious and frequent utilization of nudity as a manner to debase prisoners. The guards are shown fully uniformed (in a show of power over the prisoners) while prisoners, except for the covering of their faces are debased in scenes of immorality completely incongruent with their faith and their pride, yet interestingly congruent with the world view (as it applies to Islam) as it relates to hatred of western freedoms, including the manner in which the west freely depicts nudity and objectifies the body."
Abstract This paper provides an overview of the variety of ways globalization has impacted the economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), its social systems, and its culture. The paper also explains how the impact of globalization has been both positive and negative and details how it has affected the role and position of women in UAE society.
The Economic Impact -- An Overview
Impact of Globalization on the Social System of the UAE
Role of Women in the Wake of Globalization and Liberalization
Cultural Impact of Globalization
From the Paper "The Arab world has long been the source of oil and natural gas to the entire world. In being so the emirate has thrived for long as a world leader and a conglomerate of oil rich nations. Globalization has on its part been a source of extensive influence in many different spheres; economically, socially, politically, culturally or militarily. Largely a desert dominated topography, the nations of the United Arab Emirates have thrived on oil and energy related foreign trade that has bolstered their economic and political status across the globe and has placed them on par with superpowers of the world as in the likes of the United States, The United Kingdom, and The European Union and so on. The vast and untapped potential hidden in the expanses of the desert hemisphere has long been the focal point of observation and interest of many a western nation who wanted to play a dominant role in exerting its presence in the region."
Abstract This paper discusses strategic planning in healthcare as it relates to the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), a healthcare facility situated in AbuDhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The writer explains that the syntax of strategic planning generally refers to a multitude of processes and methodologies used to collect and analyze data in order to assist the management in taking the most effective decisions for the company. The writer looks at the aims of SKMC and analyzes its operation and costs. The writer notes that SKMC is the largest most modern healthcare facility in the United Arab Emirates and it has contributed significantly to improving the lifestyle and health of the citizens. However, the writer concludes that in dealing with the problems characteristic to new hospitals, mainly the lack of specialized personnel, SKMC has to overcome the shortage of nursing staff.
From the Paper "Specialized economists have developed a step-by-step scheme for strategic planning which, if correctly applied, would insure the successful outcome of the process. In this order of ideas, however the sources on the matter vary, the most agreed scheme includes the following steps: developing a situational analysis that describes the company and its current problems needing to be solved; stating the company's vision, mission and objectives to be reached; elaborating the SWOT analysis to identify internal and external factors that influence the company and finally, proposing justified solutions to the problems encountered and means of achieving the company's goals."
Abstract This paper explains that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven sheikdoms, which has proven to be remarkably politically stable and is one of the most developed countries in the world. The author describes the size, topography, population and climate of the area and stresses that one of the important aspects of the UAE governmental strategy is the emphasis on the cooperation between the federal and local authorities in terms of project implementation. The paper also points out that there are still concerns about the actual existence of a functional democracy and the respect for human rights in this country.
Table of Contents:
Economic Characteristics
Geography
Political
From the Paper "Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was named Vice President and assumed the position of Prime Minister in January 2006. Their programs included the encouragement of public participation in the government, especially by introducing direct elections to the Federal National Council, the national government . Previously, the National Assembly was formed by the appointment of its 40 members by the emirate rulers and acted as a consultative body overall. At present, half of the members will be voted in office, with only the remainder 20 being actually named into the Council by the rulers."
Tags: consumerism, abudhabi, dubai federation, human rights
Abstract The paper explores how a minority of the current generation of British Muslims, mainly children and grandchildren of Muslim Asian immigrants to Britain after World War II, turned to Islamic extremism. The paper discusses how Britain has become a breeding ground for Islamic terrorism and identifies the powerful influence of the fundamentalist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri and his contemporaries on these young Muslims. The paper shows how Abu Hamza poisoned young minds and took advantage of young people who were often homeless and aimless. The paper makes it clear that Abu Hamza and his associates are by all accounts the extreme end of the spectrum of Muslim society.
Outline:
Introduction
The Spread of Islam Across Europe
The Influence of Hazma
Accommodation of Islam in Europe
Islamic Extremism in Europe Hearing
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "Humayun Ansari writes in the work entitled: "The Infidel Within: Muslims in Britain Since 1800" that "since the Second World War Muslims have migrated to Britain in much larger number than before 1945..." (2004) The post-1945 migration is divided into two groups according to Ansari with the first phase being workers from less-developed countries and the second phase starting with the oil crisis of 1974-74. The Muslim workers were willing to take jobs that other immigrant workers found to be "undesirable" and that paid very low wages."
Abstract This paper is a discussion of black activist, author, and self-described political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal, author of "Live from Death Row". The paper looks at how Abu-Jamal, who is awaiting execution for a crime he insists he did not commit, has written scathingly about racism in America and the particular racism of the death penalty.
From the Paper "Abu-Jamal's writings convey the deep-rooted rage of many blacks in America who believe that justice is not color-blind but instead discriminates against black men, especially when their victims are white. Abu-Jamal is a powerful writer, though his writings are targeted to an almost exclusively black audience and his interest seems focused principally on inspiring his audience to political action. His fury, and the perspective that he represents, is almost diametrically opposed to the moderate, mainstream voices of civil rights activism most closely associated with the late Martin Luther King Jr. His writings are worth studying for the understanding they give of the ways that civil rights has failed many blacks in America and the suggestion that racism continues to be a powerful social issue."
