Post by classmate Sean Crossley
The first presentation, titled “Marketing Strategies for Fast Moving Consumer Goods in the MENA Region” was given by a representative of Proctor and Gamble’s Corporate Communications department in the Arabia Peninsula, Mr. Alex Malouf. Mr. Malouf was a very engaging speaker and focused on the general concept of branding and marketing as well as specifics from Proctor and Gamble. He indicated that the main concept of branding is to get a consumer to try a product whereas brand building is targeted at getting consumers to keep using a product over time. P&G has 26, billion dollar brands so it is extremely important for their company to build a strong brand framework to communicate P&G products to its consumers. Malouf mentioned that P&G is currently undergoing a couple of product spin-offs (ex: Duracell) so that the company can focus on its core markets. He also discussed the importance of sustainability and how P&G continuously tries to find ways to recycle its waste and defective products. Recycling actually serves as a profit center for P&G. P&G recycles its defective unused Pampers by selling the cloth materials to farmers to retain water and also by selling the plastic components of the diapers to the oil and gas industry. Malouf indicated that when introducing a product and brand to a new region, it is important to breakdown the “who”, to understand the culture of that area and to localize the product and find an appropriate local brand ambassador. With respect to the MEAN region, Malouf mentioned that the MENA society is very engrained in habits and customs which requires companies to be very patient while introducing a new product.
The second speaker was Dr. Sawsan A.S. Al Madhi, Director General at the Friends of Cancer Patient Society. Dr. Sawsan gave us an overview of healthcare management in the UAE indicating that the health service in the UAE is comprehensive, fully funded by the government and that there are two type of laws concerning health care: federal laws and specific laws for the Emirates. The federal law is administered by the Ministry of Health and the specific laws are under different jurisdictions of the Emirates; examples include Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD), Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Sharjah Health Authority (SHA). The overall health in the UAE is quite good with most of the normal health statistics being close to those of 1st world, developed countries. There is easy access to clean water in urban/rural areas, life expectancy is 76.8 and people die more of non-communicable diseases (hear disease, cancer, diabetes) than anything else. Dr. Sawsan gave us an overview of the health authorities and cited the strengths and weaknesses of each. She indicated that although the health system in UAE has been quite success for all of its constituents; the main health challenge facing the UAE is the supply of specialized surgery and other health centers.
After these lectures, our class departed the AUE for a buffet lunch at the InterContinental in Dubai-Festival City. The President of the AUE, Profesor Muthanna G. Abdul Razzaq, joined us for a few minutes, thanked us for our partnership with the AUE and presented us with gold, AUE pins. Following our scrumptious lunch, our entire class chartered a private yacht for 3 hours to tour the Marina district. Among the sights were the skyline of the Marina district and the famous Burj Al Arab. Definitely an incredible way to end the day!
On Wednesday morning, our class departed for a full day at Al Ain, the second largest city in Abu Dhabi. We first ventured to the camel market, where locals participate in trading live camels. Unfortunately, when our bus arrived to the camel market, we were told that we were not allowed to enter and although our professor made several attempts to negotiate our way into the camel market, we were told by the guards of the camel market that there were new rules in place that prohibited us from visiting. We found this strange as there were clear signs for “tourist entry” but we had no other choice but to turn around.
We next ventured up Jebel Hafeet, a very high mountain in Al Ain. We made two stops for photos and sightseeing: one in the middle of the trek up the mountain and one at the very top of the mountain. When we reached the top of the mountain we saw impressive views of Al Ain and many, many miles of barren desert as well. After our tour of Jebel Hafeet, our class went to the base of Jebel Hafeet where the hot springs were located. The hot springs were actually divided into two buildings; one for males and one for females and basically served as a bath house/pool for the locals. Some of us paid 15 durhams to enter but only spent about 10-15 minutes inside of the hot springs as the water was very warm.
When we returned to Abidos, the rest of our evening was open. Some of us visited the Souks again to buy gold, daggers, pashminas, try on our fitted suits and dress shirts etc. while others went to the Global Village. The Global Village is a large theme park attraction for tourists and locals alike in UAE and is considered to be the Disney Epcot of the Middle East. It features exhibitions of over 75 different countries and has many different kinds of restaurants, shops, and carnival-like rides for visitors.
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