Editorial

Citation

Pounder, J. and Clarke, M. (2008), "Editorial", Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, Vol. 1 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebs.2008.34901aaa.001

Editorial

Listening to the recent speech of US President, George Bush, in Abu Dhabi as part of state tour of the Middle East one was struck by the huge symbolic – with references to the “cradle of civilization” and “the holy land” – as well as strategic significance attached to the region. Indeed, within the context of increasing globalization, the Middle East, which has been a crossroads of trade, travel and ideas long before the term globalization came into vogue, is critical to any understanding of our contemporary world. However, in recent years, as home to much of the world's oil reserves, and hence central to global energy issues, as well as unwitting host to the conflicts that have in many ways become the litmus test of east-west relations, including the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and more recently the US-led invasion of Iraq, the region has assumed a significance that far outweighs its geographical size or population. Yet, the picture of the Middle East should not be dominated by crisis, for it is also a region that has gone through – and continues to experience – startling change, progress and development in recent years, changes wrought by industrialization, urbanization, modernization and globalization. It is also a region where, in common with many others, concern is regularly expressed for the well being and preservation of local cultures and identities in the face of these forces. This complex array of developments and issues provide the dynamic context for the lively debate and discussion we wish to foment in education, business and society.

With this in mind, we have selected papers for the first issue that focus on specific challenges confronting players in education, business and society in the Middle East. In the field of education, Tristan Bunnel presents the challenges facing the International Baccalaureate Organization as it attempts to meet its desired aims in a Middle Eastern context. In business, four critical areas that have implications for society as a whole are addressed. First, Monica Gallant and Jim Pounder discuss the opportunities for, and barriers to, female Emirati employment in the UAE. Also, in a UAE setting, Mohamed Behery and Robert Patton explore the relationship between performance appraisal, culture and associated organizational outcomes. Departing from a UAE context, Rami Alasadi and Ahmed Abdelrahim examine the factors likely to determine the success (or failure) of small business enterprises in Syria. Finally, Chris Dixon offers a perspective designed to draw closer the management and education arenas in the Middle East thus enabling the one to inform the other and vice-versa. The editors would like to draw readers' attention to the Brett Bowman, Richard Matzopoulos and Len Lerer contribution in which the authors argue for a coordinated research-based strategy that advances international best-practice in public health, health services and health promotion. The specific context is the UAE but the argument holds good for the Middle East in general.

We hope this new journal will provide a forum for academics, scholars and professionals to analyze the issues within, and the interrelations between, the education and business sectors as well as how these sectors individually and collectively shape and are shaped by society in the Middle East.

Jim Pounder and Matthew Clarke