Proceedings of 11th Asian Business Research Conference
26-27 December, 2014, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-68-9
International Business Landscape of Saudi Arabia and
Dubai: A Comparative Study of Two Energy–Based
Economies
ABM Abdullah*, M. Saeed**, James Ondracek** and Andy Bertsch**
The scientific evidence of climate change, the global economic crisis, and the increasing
demand on global energy markets have collectively influenced an accelerated
development of renewable energy sources. The increased pressures of renewable
sources and the emergence of knowledge-based and innovation-based economies have,
at times, run counter to underlying cultural influences in energy producing nations. Saudi
Arabia and Dubai are two of the world’s largest producers of oil and gas. Although they
are both oil rich nations with similar heritage, their approach to participating in the world
energy markets, reliance on expatriates, investment in innovation and diversification are
dissimilar. We compare and contrast Saudi Arabia and Dubai’s approach and investment
in alternative and renewable energy sources and discuss the problems Saudi Arabia and
Dubai are having with global energy markets and how they are trying to reconcile them.
Our review includes manifested cultural differences (e.g., practices) that may suggest
underlying differences in values.
Key Words: Renewable energy, diversification, Saudi Arabia, Dubai
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*ABM Abdullah, Academic Portfolio, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia,
E-mail: abm.abdullah@unisa.edu.au
**M. Saeed, College of Business, Minot State University, Minot, ND 58707 USA, E-mail: saeed@minotstateu.edu
** James Ondracek, College of Business, Minot State University, Minot, ND 58707 USA,
E-mail: james.ondracek@minotstateu.edu
** Andy Bertsch, College of Business, Minot State University, Minot, ND 58707 USA,
E-mail: andy.bertsch@minotstateu.edu