Balancing the Vision of the UAE and an International Approach to Business at ADU

Interview with Professor Barry O’Mahony, Dean of ADU’s School of Business

Professor O’Mahony, we’re delighted you could join us for this Special Issue of UniNews letter to discuss the customization of busi ness education in light of local contexts. We always ask our esteemed leaders to begin by introducing themselves to our readership, and explaining—in your case—your teach ing/research background and how you came to your current position as Dean of the College of Business at Abu Dhabi University (ADU)?

I’m delighted with the opportunity to introduce myself to UniNewsletter readers and to share my background and insights. My academic journey was nontraditional in that before joining academia, I had a career in the hospi tality industry which involved working interna tionally—including in Australia—where I was a member of a leadership team that established three new luxury hotels. I built on this experience at university, embracing services management as my specialization and later my area of research focus. My first role as Dean was in the UAE in 2016 followed by two years as Chief Academic Officer, at École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland. Coming back to the UAE in 2020 as Dean of the College of Business at Abu Dhabi University was a pleasure for me because I understood the culture, the vibrancy and the welcoming environment of the UAE.

As someone with global business experience who is keenly attuned to the local context of the UAE, how does ADU balance global business principles with the unique needs of the local market and broader MENA region?

ADU was launched in 2003 by a group of eminent UAE business professionals, so the local market perspective was well understood. There was also a strong understanding of the UAE vision, and this was embedded within the University. Today ADU and our College of Busi- ness continue to reflect the needs of the local market in our key strategic priorities. Our Advisory Board is also comprised of local, regional and international business professionals. In the classroom, we use Harvard style case studies that are adapted to local business challenges. Many of these emanate from our students’ masters and doctoral dissertations and are published internationally. At the same time, the University was an early adopter of international accreditations. For example, the College of Business was among the first in the UAE to gain AACSB accreditation, and is still the only Business School in the country that has been accredited with EQUIS by the European Foundation for Management Development. This places us among the top 1% of business schools globally but also provides us with access to global benchmarking and best practices in teaching, learning and assessment.

And what role do partnerships with local businesses play in shaping aspects of the business curriculum at ADU, and how do these partnerships help students gain a global perspective?

We have strong relationships with reputable local businesses that provide us with exceptional support that ranges from the provision of industry data for our research, to laboratories, sponsorship for college initiatives and scholarships for our students. Thanks to industry support, for example, one of our students is currently studying in a partner program at University College Dublin fully funded by a local business.

With the increasing push for sustainability and social responsibility in global business, how are these principles taught in a way that resonates with local market needs and policies?

In terms of technology, what particular strategies or tools have you found to be most effective in customizing global business education to meet the evolving demands of the local market?

Firstly, we have embedded sustainability and social responsibility principles into all our business programs. This involves ensuring that each program has sustainability related program learning outcomes and students’ knowledge and understanding of these outcomes is assessed. In research more than 60% of our publications focus on sustainability challenges. The outcomes of this research are reflected in our teaching, and faculty regularly update their courses based on their research findings. ADU was also deeply involved in COP28 in 2023, where we hosted several high-level panel discussions on both local and global sustainability challenges. The College of Business is also a member of UNPRME, which is a global body, and we are committed to their mission “…to transform management education and develop the responsible decision-makers of tomorrow to advance sustainable development.”

How does ADU approach teaching global business practices in a way that respects and incorporates local cultural values?

In addition to the tailored curriculum content we develop, we are mindful of local traditions and laws as well as the religious context. Using the American style curriculum allows us to teach our students about Islamic and Arabic culture and traditions so that all are aware of the cultural environment regardless of their high school curriculum. Our approach to learning also recognizes that different cultures have distinct learning styles and preferences, and it is important to adapt our teaching and assessment approaches to ensure they are respectful in content and fair for everyone. For example, we moderate all assessments to reflect a local understanding while also recognizing that many students’ first language is not English.

We use technology extensively to enhance learning by developing content and support materials to induct students and to aid transition to the university. We have a raft of “how to” support videos, for example, that explain university processes and steer students towards our support services. We constantly monitor local and global skills requirements not only for the major changes brought on by the exploding artificial intelligence environment, but also in terms of international standards in business practices and future job growth. The World Economic Forum, for example, annually reports on what is predicted in terms of future jobs. Over the last few years this has moved from a technology focus, especially on data science and artificial intelligence, to a stronger emphasis on human factors and related areas such as the caring economy, which I think was brought to the fore during the COVID pandemic. We are now seeing more focus on green transition, which is a key element in the UAE vision as one of the few regional signatories to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. So, it would be fair to say that this global phenomenon has led to local leadership where the UAE is at the forefront of this technological revolution. Thus, on this issue, the demands of the global and local markets coincide.

Thank you, Professor O’Mahony, for your valuable insights. Lastly, what are your hopes for graduates of the school of Business at ADU? How do you hope their training at ADU will have prepared them to take on the global business world, while also retaining the nuances of practicing business in the UAE?

Our hopes for our graduates are that they will leave us as globally competent, responsible leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset that can adapt to an ever-changing world and a dynamic employment market. This will be achieved by providing contextualized learning, built on cutting edge pedagogic scholarship that melds theoretical concepts with industry insights, enriched by participation in one or more of our student exchange opportunities, joint programs or study tours at leading international partner universities. Their confidence will be reinforced by our global reputation where our College of Business is now ranked 101-125 in the world in the subject ranking in Business and Economics by Times Higher Education.