UAE HRM The Urbanest company is expanding into the UAE. This is the first time that the company has entered into a Muslim country. As such, HRM plans need to be adjusted to deal with this reality. This will provide some unique challenges. However, given the friendly history of the UAE's acceptance of foreign companies, the penetration of the company into this environment should be able to occur successfully.

Cultural Basis-

Before any other issues are considered, the factor of Muslim religion and culture need to be factored in. The company has always prided itself upon accommodating its operations to student needs in ways that traditional university facilities could or would not. This is specifically a point that the company has advertised in press releases to potential student tenants in the UAE ("U-rooms.com partners with," 2010). Before any of our other questions are to be answered, the company must very proactively communicate and actuate its support for and accommodation to the needs of the Muslim faithful.

On what basis should Urbanest compete in the UAE? (price, service, niche etc.). What do you suggest the mission and vision should be for Urbanest in Dubai?

Some issues represent commonalities with the companies residential facilities in other countries. The customer as in many countries comes first and people universally want their needs to be met satisfactorily. For this reason, customer service needs to be pursued as the best angle to capture and dominate the market in terms of customer brand name loyalty. For instance, the company in a press release to students promised increased measures to guard private information and to keep it secure ("The legal stuff," 2012).

What services should be provided in the UAE Urbanest community?

Certainly, the company needs to concentrate their efforts on the central services that it provides such as property management services. Other functions such as security, event planning, etc. can be outsourced to competent providers.

What is your recommended organization structure?

In free zones in the UAE, the company can use any organizational structure it wishes, including the retention of its present limited structure under UK law. Outside of the free zones the company has to set up an limited leasing company (LLC) that is 51% owned by local nationals and with 51% of the board made up of local nationals ("Registration of foreign," 2011).

Provide job descriptions for the most senior role and for one other role.

Site Housing Manager: The site manager will make sure that all contractual obligations that Urbanest has with local contractors are fulfilled. They will be responsible to make sure that all local safety regulations, laws, ecological regulations, etc. are fulfilled.

Provide the person specification for one of the roles you have described.

They are also responsible for making sure that all of the employee code of conduct recommendations are fulfilled. The site housing manager is responsible for the health and welfare of the student residents of the dorms.

Produce a sample roster for one week showing how you will cover the functions you believe are required.

Sample Duty Roster for Site Housing Manager

Daily Facility Inspection

Monday

Daily Department Head Meeting

Tuesday

New Dormitory Building Appraisal

Wednesday

Planning Meeting for Second Facility

Thursday

Meeting With Local University Officials

Friday

What approaches to recruitment do you recommend and why? What timetable do you recommend from recruitment and selection?

How will you select the team members and on what basis?

HRM is particularly interested in the retention of key personnel. Urbanest is interested in hiring employees who will be with the company for the long-term. It is unlikely that local hires will seek to quit. Now that the recession has loosened its grip, it is easier to retain key personnel. This will particularly help in the case Urbanest employees who are brought in from the U.K. Or Australia to get operations off the ground (Kapur, 2011). Those employee's who come from overseas operations to work in the U.A.E. should sign a contract to stay in the UAE for at least one year. Bonuses and incentives should be provided to keep people in positions for assignment extension. Those who leave their positions early should do so for reasons of death in the family, major illness, emergency, etc.

What are the requirements and obligations under UAE law that must be considered by Urbanest when opening in the UAE?

The UAE as a union of different countries has set up a set of free zones to promote trade and investment. This began with the Jebel Ali Free Zone and they have begun in other areas of the emirates as well. It would probably be well to...

Even though the process for foreign companies is very smooth and friendly, this will keep the company on the right side of laws and regulations in the UAE ("Business set up," 2003).
In general the UAE emirate of Dubai has led the way in promoting business in the union.

Include a draft induction/orientation plan for the new team. This may provide an example for followon expansion for the company, whose first affiliate is an LLC format. If the company locates in the future in Dubai, their most recent law paves a path for free zone-registered firms to begin operations in the mainland outside the boundaries of the free zone. This would give employees of free zone firms may be given permission by the Dubai Economic Department to work outside of the free zone. This would be dependent upon executive council conditions and coordination with the Ministry of Labour and also the immigration authorities. This gives a company the chance to set up shop with less red tape and allow the company to own its facilities here 100% in order to ensure that the company has the ability to control factors onsite to the fullest extent. Local hires could still be used to keep down costs. Of course, local employees must be paid social security, and have unemployment insurance, etc. (Broomhall, 2011).

Outside of the free zones, foreign companies intending to register a presence in the UAE have to ascertain that the activity intended to be practised by them can be performed by a foreign company. tend to have the structure of an LLC where 51% owned by local companies. General contracting, company representations, general trading and commercial agencies are restricted to wholly-owned national companies. In such a case, the management of the company is done by local nationals. The majority any board of directors has to be composed of UAE nationals ("Registration of foreign," 2011).

Consider the compensation to be paid. How should these levels be set and what elements of compensation will need to be included?

The current exchange rate for an Arab Emirate dinar is .27 to the dollar ("The money converter," 2011). The following chart is a sample of salaries for local nationals ("Salaries and wages," 2012).

Common Job Description

Payment in AEDs

Accountant

3,000-15,000

Dormitory Cafeteria Cook (depending on skill)

1,000-10,000

Receptionist, bilingual

10,000-15,000

Line Server for Cafeteria

1000-5000

Maid

700-2000

What standards of performance should be set, in each department and how should these be monitored and maintained?

Urbanest needs to have a standard code of conduct. Dorm employees need to have codes of conduct similar to teachers in a classroom. This is why the HRM department has decided to model the Urbanest UAE's code of contact upon that of a local campus of a university in the Muslim federation. In the code of conduct, employees will be expected to respect Islamic behavior and practices and values in the Urbanest dormitory residences. Employees will not knowingly behave in a manner that was contrary to Islamic values in the workplace. Urbanest employees are not to knowingly exhibit disrespect for UAE culture and customs and are to dress is a professional manner that does not violate professional business and is in concert with local UAE traditions. At the same time, Urbanest employee's will exhibit tolerance to others based upon the grounds of gender, age, race, ethnic, or national origin

. Employees who engage in conduct that constitutes extremism or cultural indoctrination is forbidden. Conversation about sensitive issues such as religion or politics that is not related to work is forbidden. Violation of these rules will result in punishment or separation from employment

("Policy statement professional," 2011).

How will you ensure that the workforce reflects the diversity of the customer base? Include a draft policy and suggest actions to achieve this.

As mentioned above, if the company uses a local LLC model, then it is mandated that the local workforce be made up of 51% local nationals. Of course, this would allow the company employee pool to immediately reflect the complexion of the local customer base ("Registration of foreign," 2011).. Additionally, the company should look at the fact that the local population, for a Middle Eastern society, has a very liberal society that has accommodated itself to Western society. Dubai as usual leads the pack Although a Muslim country. It has adapted to an extent that would be seen as inappropriate in any other Muslim countries are a present reality in Dubai ("Insurance companies in," 2012).

What else should the Urbanest team consider when planning the HR activities in Dubai to launch its business? In particular, how else can the business evoke the required behaviors in…