Research 1
Running Head: QATARIZATION
“Barriers of Qatarization and Keys of Success in Semi-Governmental and the Private
Sector”
Research 2
Abstract
This research dissertation is related to the “Qatarization Program” that is aimed on the
nationalization of the Qatari nationals by increasing their proportion in the Semi-Governmental
and the Private sector. With the help of this research dissertation, I am going to describe the
barriers of Qatarization and key of success in the mentioned two of the sectors. Barriers and key
success factors are discussed through ‘Literature Review’ that is based on the research study and
discussions on Qatarization program. After discussing the barriers and key of success in the
Semi-Government and Private sector, I am going to explain the organization, RasGas Petroleum
Company that is working for the promotion of ‘Qatarization Program’ developed the by Qatar
Government.
It has been found that Qatarization process although has been implemented with much
enthusiasm still needs a lot in order to realize its full benefits. There is need for doing certain
ground work to make the program successful. The dissertation highlighted the need to tackle the
key barriers of the Qatarization Program. It emphasized on formulation of new programs for the
educational institutes as well as colleges to prepare a professional workforce among Qatari
nationals. It asks for the support of oil and gas companies involved in the program to get directly
in such programs for creating a skilled workforce. The government on their part should actively
promote the Quality Qatarization efforts. It should assist Qatari population and organization in
their development programs.
Research 3
Table of Contents
1. Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..2
2. Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………4
3. Chapter 1: Overview, introduction and aims and objectives…………………………..5
4. Chapter 2: Research methodology…………………………………………………….10
5. Chapter 3: Literature review………………………………………………………….14
6. Chapter 4: The research setting e.g. the organization under study……………………33
7. Chapter 5: Results, analysis and findings……………………………………………..44
8. Chapter 6: Discussion – designing an improvement to the situation…………………50
9. Chapter 7: Recommendations/conclusions……………………………………………58
10. Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………62
11. Appendix B…………………………………………………………………………….64
Research 4
Acknowledgements
I am deeply obligated to many people for the productive culmination of this research
dissertation. I wish to give thanks to the supervisor of my thesis in the previous University, from
where I commenced this research. Words can not be sufficient to evince my sense of
appreciation and liability to all the people, who made this research dissertation on ‘Qatarization
Program’ a victorious one. I am particularly helpful to the Moshe Dayan Center, RasGas and
RAND Qatar policy institute, with the help of which, I was able to describe the barriers and key
of success of ‘Qatarziation Program’ that are the main part of my dissertation dissertation.
Research 5
Chapter 1: Introduction, Overview & Aims & Objectives
Introduction
Qatarization is the strategic initiative taken by the Government of Qatar which aimed at
increasing the number of Qatari nationals employed in the country. This process has been
applied by various companies in the Semi-Governmental and the Private sector. In this process,
the companies in Qatar have implemented various programmers through which they are trying to
achieve industry-wide targets of ensuring that nearly 50% of positions in the Energy and Industry
sector in Qatar are under Qatari nationals. Under this process, many Qatari nationals, who are
mostly foreign educated; especially in the United States, are coming back home to take up
important posts, which were held by foreign nationals. The Government of Qatar through these
initiatives aims at increasing the Qatari nationals in the key position in the oil and energy sector
of the company (What is Qatarization, 2009).
In the past years, the Government in Qatar has been trying to enhance its control over the
administration of its ‘Foreign Manpower Programs’. Through this idea, the Government aims at
controlling the influx of foreign workers in the country. The Government also has in fact made
strict ‘entry and immigration rules and regulations’ to keep a check on increase in the foreign
nationals’ employment in the country (Mission Statement, 2009)
This strategic planning of Qatarization was started by His Highness the Emir, Sheikh
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2000. The first industry- wide plan was initiated through the
Minister of Energy and Industry, H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah. The main objective of
this plan was to attain 50 per cent national work force in the local oil and gas sector by May
2005. Through this program, the Government of Qatar reaffirmed human resource, as its top
priority as far as the political, economic and social agenda is concerned. The aim of this program
Research 6
is to increase employment opportunities for the Qatar nationals and reduce unemployment. This
program of Qatar administration is aimed at ascertaining employment stability in this region. The
Government seeks to ensure that growing youth population of the country has ample
employment opportunities. The Government in the first phase of this Qatarization process had
targeted oil, gas and petrochemical industries. The plan kicked off on 1 June, 2000.It was a five
year rolling plan. The time period for this phase was kept till May 2005 (What is Qatarization,
2009).
Overview of the plan
A brief overview of the ‘Qatarization Program’ is discussed below.
Aim of the Program
The main objective of this plan of the Qatar Government is to enhance the percentage of
the nationals in those sectors, which are heavily depended on expatriate employees. This process
of Qatarization follows a structured pattern of recruitment, training, coaching and career
development. This plan is an important part of the Government’s strategic plan for development.
Through this program, the Government wants to ensure that the key positions in the main sectors
of the economy are held by Qatar nationals (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).
Industry-wide Plan
This plan is an industry wide program, which covers various industries. The main focus
of this plan is to target the operating and non-operating organizations in Qatar’s energy and
industry sector. This would be a five year rolling program. Quality Qatarization is kept as the
main focus of the program (Successful nationalization, 2007).
Implementation of the plan
A target of five years is kept for the implementation of the plan.
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New Plan
This plan of the Qatar Government is not new to the industries. According to this plan,
various specific activities have been designed to assist the organizations in meeting the man
power requirement, as per the Qatarization target. Various Committees and teams are formed
under this program to study, handle and enforce various activities designed, in order to help an
organization in their Qatarization plans (Successful nationalization, 2007).
Strategic Focus
Through this plan, the main emphasis would be on ‘Quality Qatarization’. This would be
achieved by focusing on the key, sensitive positions through implementation of performance-
based training and development. The main feature of this training and development plan is that it
is not time based. This program requires support and commitment of the staff at all levels
(Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).
Training
The new people taken through this program are trained by the Qatar Petroleum’s
Corporate Training Center. This Corporate Training Center helps in coordinating the basic
training with the support of a number of training programs (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009)..
Qatari Development
Through this agenda, the new recruits, join the organization in the capacity of Senior
Staff or Junior Staff levels, which is contingent upon their qualifications or whether they are
employees as a direct hire, or to a place where they would be required in future A tailor made
program is then prepared for the employee depending upon the position the person would be
hired for in future (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).
.
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Qatarization Target
The target of this plan is to 50 percent for the organizations in energy and industry sector.
The focus of the program is the key positions, which are related to an organization’s business
plans. The Government wants to ensure that the companies should have at least 50 per cent in
their permanent positions (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).
Support
The companies are expected to provide all the necessary flexibility and support at each
level so that they are able to achieve the target (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).
Key Activities
A number of activities have to be performed by the corporations participating in this
program of Qatar Government.
Monitor, Review and Update
This ambitious plan also has a provision of a six-month and annual update and an annual
review, which would be done by H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, who is the Deputy
Premier, Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar. The ‘Strategic Qatarization Plan’ involves
Steering Committee, which overviews the whole process. It supported by two committees, which
are involved in recruitment and training and development program (Successful nationalization,
2007).
Beside this, the organizations themselves are also involved in evaluation, reviews and
updating their own company plans regarding Qatarization. The updating of the industry-wide
Plan is done annually with the support of the ‘Qatarization Steering Committee’ in cooperation
with Qatarization Unit. The development of the Qatari workforce, through proper education and
Research 9
training, is now a primary national objective designed to enhance the development of the
country.
Mission of the Qatarization Plan
The plan of the Government focuses on the development of the workforce of Qatar
people by providing them with proper education and training. Through this plan, the
administration wants to ensure development of the Qatar nation. With the changing technology
in the fast era of globalization, the national workforce development is an important priority for
the Government of Qatar. The development of the workforce of the country is an important issue
surrounding the country’s development program. The economic growth of the country is highly
dependent on the country’s workforce (Mission Statement, 2009)
The success of this program of Qatar Government is heavily dependent on the individual
ownership and resource mobilization. The organization participating in this program is required
to provide full commitment and support of its Employees and Managers. The Strategic
Qatarization Plan in addition, also requires collaboration and coordination of Government
Ministries and Institutions with the Energy & Industry Sector. The expatriates are seen more as a
partner in this plan of Qatarization and their support is vital for the success. These expatriates,
who have worked favorably with this program, are an important part of the workforce (Strategic
Qatarization Plan, 2009).
These expatriates, who are performing extraordinarily, would be employed in the new
business developments and expansions of the Energy and Industry Sector. The Government
through this program calls for all the citizens of the Qatar that are seeking development and
advancement and are eligible according to the set criteria of employment in the Energy and
Industry Sector (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).
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Benefits of Qatarization:
Barriers to Qatarization:
The Qatarization program has not been able to achieve the desired level of success because of
many barriers encountered in the implementation phase. Some of these hurdles are posed by
inefficiencies on part of the government to play full role and take initiatives to make the program
a success; while others are because of the lack of resources and lack of skills possessed by the
Qatari nationals; other factors such as the acceptability on part of the private and semi-
government organizations in Qatar for the Qatari nationals in their workforce also plays a role to
the extent of the success of the Qatarization program.
One of the main barriers lying in front of the success of Qatarization program is the lack of skill
base and trained workforce in the Qatari nationals. They lack proper vocational training and
technological skills which are very essential if they wish to be a part of the workforce at the
private and semi-governmental organizations.
Another factor which acts as a hurdle in the successful implementation of the Qatarization
program is the lack of interest and initiatives exhibited by the Qatar government. The reason
behind this disinterest is that such programs are initiated without any proper long-term vision and
planning. The officials and other stakeholders in such programs just take a step to start the
program but take no interest in proper implementation and success of such plans. The required
measures are not taken because of lack of performance evaluation during the process of
implementation. This results in a form of stagnant situation where the required resources for the
desired success are not made available. Related to this factor, the lack of organization of
Research 11
investments for promoting such programs, and the lack of consensus in decision-making while
allocation of resources also pose barriers to the attainment of the desired objectives of the
Qatarization program. Besides, there are several cultural, social and political factors which act as
hurdles such as lack of cooperation among the officials of the departments involved in the
implementation process, the language, lack of technical skills and practical and advanced
knowledge among the Qatari nationals, the teaching style and the content of the curriculum
taught at the Qatari educational institutes, the lack of leadership skills and the inability or
hesitation to take initiatives by the Qatari nationals, and the lack of work ethics and morale
possessed by the Qatari nationals.
Research 12
Aims and Objectives
The research project is on the ‘Barriers of Qatarization’ and ‘Keys of Success in the
Semi-Governmental and the Private Sector’. Through this project, the Qatarization initiative of
the Government would be critically analyzed. This research dissertation mainly focuses on the
various barriers facing this strategic initiative taken by the Government of Qatar. Besides this, it
also looks at the various factors affecting the success of this Qatarization process in the Semi-
Governmental and the Private Sector.
The various aims and objectives of this research dissertation are discussed below:
The dissertation elaborates upon the various barriers or hurdles, which are creating
problem for this plan of the Government.
The document looks at many factors, which affect the success of this Qatarization process
in the Semi-Governmental and the Private Sector.
The dissertation studies the implementation of the process, as well at the changes and
success rate of this program in the organization.
The dissertation looks at the various problems surrounding this process of Qatarization.
The dissertation researches the process of Qatarization and its significance in the context
of the country development plan. It looks at the current and relevant literature regarding this
subject. The dissertation presents a methodological approach towards looking at this research
problem.
This research also looks at the current scenario of this process and its implementation in Qatar.
The research also takes in studies, the impact of this process in one of the organization in Qatar,
implementing the process. The document finds out the various solutions, which can be applied to
improve this initiative of Qatar’s Government.
Research 13
Research 14
Chapter 2: Research methodology
Research methods
The research methodology selected for this dissertation was questionnaire method. This is
the crucial part of overall research, wherein various inferences are gathered about the main
aspects of research topics and key issues that are of importance. This method includes placing a
series of different questions, which are based on the main aspects of the issue or topic. In this
research, key topic is qatarization, so the questionnaire was based on the qatarization program.
With the help of this research method, it became easy to analyze the efficiency of the
qatarization program and its performance in the last years. Questionnaire format was kept as
simple and easy as possible so as to assist the target population to answer the questions without
any difficulty. Major aim of this questionnaire was to gather information about the progress and
influence of qatarization program in Qatar. Responses obtained after the questionnaire method
were also bias free, which is advantageous from research point of view (Marczyk, DeMatteo &
Festinger, 2005).
The situation at Ras Gas was studied through going through periodicals, websites, annual
reports, magazines etc. Various kinds of information were collected on the qatarization initiative
taken by the Ras Gas Management through the sources mentioned above. The employee’s at the
organization were questioned through the research survey which involved taking their response
from the questionnaire. For this research on qatarization, questionnaire methodology of research
was mainly employed. This questionnaire developed was sent to 50 people of Ras Gas as target
population. The questionnaire format formulated this research basically consisted of close ended
questions. The reason for choosing this format was that it was easy to administer. It assisted in
analyzing the critical aspects and overview of the private organization regarding the qatarization
Research 15
policy and programs. This research method followed a sequential series of well structured
questions that are related or appropriate for the research purpose. Questions of this research
method probed and analyzed the initiatives taken by the government of Qatar to realize the stated
goals and objectives of qatarization program (Mackey, Susan & Gass 2005). The questionnaire
probes the basic problems and issues faced by the people that are actually affected by this
process. It asks for their opinion regarding the various barriers which are influencing the plan.
The views regarding the implementation of this plan are also looked through this survey. The
basic factors relating to the success of this program are also considered through this survey. Thus
it can be seen that the basis of the survey has been the research objectives developed for this
dissertation.
The questionnaire format adopted for this research is given below:
1. Do you think this is so early to develop qatarization?
a)Yes
b) No
c) can’t say
2. What is the ratio of its likely success in future?
a) 20-40-%
b) 40-60%
c) 60-80%
d) 80-100%
Research 16
3. Is this plan of government helpful for Qatari nationals?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Can’t say
4. Are Qatari nationals trained enough for private sector jobs?
a) Yes
b) No
5. What is ratio of Qatari nationals in private sector jobs?
a) 25-45%
b) 45-65%
c) 65-85%
6. Are the policies appropriate for set targets of qatarization?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Can’t say
7. Do you think the resources used by government of Qatar are adequate?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Can’t say
8. Are the initiatives taken by Qatar enough for the attainment of qatarization goals and
objectives?
a) Yes
b) No
Research 17
9. Are Qatari nationals benefited from the program of qatarization?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Can’t say
The questionnaire was sent to 50 people working for Ras Gas. Their response were collected
and reported. The results of this survey would be discussed in the results and finding section. The
survey assisted in identifying the issues considered essential by the respondents. Apart from this,
the results of questionnaire rendered an overview about the impact of qatarization on the Qatari
nationals. This questionnaire helped in analyzing the opinion of the professionals of this well
known private organization. Apart from this, questionnaire also assisted in performing the
research related to qatarization in an easy and successful manner.
Research 18
Chapter 3: Literature review
Literature Review
“Qatarization” is the policy developed to improve the overall conditions in Qatari
nationals in the Governmental departments and divisions, all over the world. According to this
research, there are numerous barriers, which are identified in the execution of this policy (What
is Qatarization, 2009). In Qatar, the indisposition of most nationals to work in manual
occupations, along with the lack of satisfactory vocational training and technological education,
play as a major barrier in the implementation of policy of qatarization. Qatar has attained a
remarkable and tremendous growth in the economic segment. Main policy of Qatar is to
strengthen its economy towards a ‘knowledge based’ economy (World Bank, 2007). By
developing the human resources of Qatar through competent knowledge, the Government wants
to attain success in the private sector (Labor, nd).
Qatar has previously implemented various ‘knowledge economy projects’ and measures
in the direction of Qatarization, which reflect the initiatives taken by this country to attain the
stated goals and objectives of this mentioned program. There is a key barrier in the program of
Qatarization, which lies in the fact, which states that most of these projects and measures are
initiated without any long term vision, along with some inputs or efforts from the chief
stakeholders. According to the data and study, it is inferred that Qatar has received a
groundbreaking growth economically in the last five years, which encouraged or fostered this
nation to adopt programs like ‘Qatarization’ for taking part in the Semi-Governmental and
Private sector, in order to make the nation more advanced (The state Of Qatar, nd).
Qatar has developed various measures to improve its position in the private sector.
According to the data, most of the Qatar organizations are building new activities to strengthen
Research 19
their information technology sector, so as to gain the advantage of new emerging technologies
and trends in the field of IT. Qatar authorities are developing new reforms for the employers to
improve the conditions of their workforce by giving them fuller benefits and wages. According
to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s forecasts, financial system of Qatar is anticipated to
continue high executing, in terms of monetary growth at approximately 9 % in real terms.
Unremitting rapid elaboration of Qatar’s ‘Liquefied Natural Gas’ (LNG) industry is resulting in
the steep increase in volume of export, which plays a key role in the attainment of goals and
objectives of Qatarization (TradeArabia, 2010).
New oil capacity of Qatar is also imparting in the maximization of exports volumes
(GCC-Power, 2010). According to the estimates, output of affiliated condensates will also blow
up and there will be corroborated development in other gas based industrial ventures, for
instance; projects under development, arrived at culmination remarkably in the petrochemical
sectors, which reflects the increasing probability of Qatar in improving its position in the oath of
privatization and attaining the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization program (Qatar, nd).
Lack of strategic intent among the Qatar nationals is also the main hurdle in the
attainment of goals and objectives of Qatarization. Improper development of programs and
practices for the economic development by the authorities of Qatar is also considered to be a
major difficulty in the direction of Qatarization (Toffler, 2010). Poor decision making of the
Authoritative people of Qatari nation also plays as a barricade in path of qatarization program,
which restricts Qatar to attain the affirmed aims and objectives of the plan. According to the
study, the demographic and socio-economic policies of Qatar are also major difficulties for
Qatarization (Turning Qatar into a Competitive Knowledge- Based Economy, 2007).
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According to the research, the investments made by Qatar are largely unorganized,
without a nationwide vision for the future of Qatar and are often intemperately depending on
foreign power and skills, which is also a key obstruction in the path of Qatarization program for
the nation. Lack of consensus decision making in the development of programs and investments
regarding the nation’s welfare is also a form of barrier, which restricts Qatar organizations to
perform their role in the Qatarization successfully, for the accomplishment of certain goals
(Kellermanns, 2005).
According to the research, Psychological overview of the people can also said to be a
barricade, which came in the path of Qatarization. Cultural, social and political issues are also
the key barriers, which usually come in the path of qatarization. Lack of corporation among the
higher departments of the nation is also a factor, which restricts to perform well in qatarization
program. Language is also a barrier of qatarization, as different nations have different languages,
which come in the path of qatarization (RasGas Magazine Issue 12). Lack of technical know-
how in Qatari organizations is also an obstacle for the program of qatarization.
Lack of practical and advanced knowledge among the citizens of Qatar is also a key
barrier for the program of qatarization, as without having proper knowledge about the
international business; it is not possible for the Qatari nationals to occupy a higher position in the
large sized private corporations and semiprivate sector. Poor decision making of the higher
authority individuals of Qatar is also a form of hurdle in the path of qatarization. Out-dated
teaching style of the teaching workforce of Qatar is also a hurdle for the qatarization program
and restricts Qatar to position its nationals at higher hierarchy in the multinationals across the
world (Qatarization, 2006).
Research 21
According to the research, lack of adequate scholarship programs and plans for the poor
students, who are talented and deserving candidates for the higher positions, is also a barrier in
the path of Qatarization of Qatari nationals. Lack of strategic intent in the scholarship programs
also serves as an obstacle for the program of Qatarization. Lack of employment initiatives in
Qatar is again a form of obstacle, which restricts the attainment of stated goals and objectives of
Qatarization (Gibbs, 2010).
Lack of leadership skills among the citizens of Qatar is an obstacle for Qatar in its path of
Qatarization. Incompatibility in the technological innovations is also a form of barrier for the
program of Qatarization. Lack of cooperation among the citizens also plays as a barrier for Qatar
in its path of Qatarization to increase the number of Qatari nationals in multinational
corporations at higher position. Students of Qatar are not implemented with required skills and
competent knowledge needed to face the competition at global level. Tools and techniques used
by the educational institutes are not as efficient as required by the multinational organizations to
compete in the global market in a successful manner and due to this factor; most of the students
fail to attain higher positions in private sector.
According to the research, knowledge gap that exists between the Qatari nationals and
other countries nationals is a key barrier, which restricts the path of Qatarization in a vital
manner. Teaching methodology used in the educational institutes is not very effective, which
plays as an obstacle for the attainment of stated goals and objectives of Qatarization. Self-centric
attitude of citizens in Qatar is also a major cause that comes in the path of Qatarization.
According to Winckler, lack of technical know-how is a main barrier in the implementation of
Qatarization policy (Winckler, 2000).
Research 22
Increasing globalization is also a barrier in the path of Qatarization, as it poses challenges
through competition to the students of less developed countries like Arabian nations. Complexity
of course is also a form of barrier that restricts Qatar from increasing employment opportunities
for Qatari nationals in semi-government as well as private sector. Lack of work ethics in the
corporations of Qatar is also a form of barrier in the path of Qatarization. Citizens of Qatar do
not have proper knowledge about the values and assumptions about the cultural issues and
aspects. According to the research, lack of motivation among the workforce of Qatar also serves
as a barrier for the program of Qatarization. Lack of bonuses, incentives and slow promotions are
also major barriers in the direction of Qatarization.
According to the study, it is revealed that most of the citizens do not have the clear
knowledge about the organizational culture and their practices, which further prove for them as a
major challenge in adjusting in different work cultures. Due to lack of organizational culture,
most of the citizens of Qatar feel frustrated in other nations, as a result their motivational as well
as confidence level gets affected, which also serves as a barrier for Qatar in its path of
Qatarization program.
According to the survey, it can be inferred that women population do not receive similar
treatment from the educational institutes as like of males, so this behavior of discrimination is
also a form of barrier in the direction of Qatarization program. Lack of exposure to the female
students in the educational institutes is also a form of barrier, which restricts the program of
Qatarization. Lack of motivation among the female citizens of Qatar for the private sector jobs is
also a major cause that comes in the path of Qatarization (Towards Qatar’s National Strategy
Issues and Challenges).
Research 23
Apart from this, lack of concern for the female citizens in Qatar is also a barrier in the
direction of Qatarization. Poor status of women in the society of Qatar is also a major barrier that
restricts Qatar to attain the set targets in an effective manner. Lack of enthusiasm among the
female citizens is a barrier that inhibits Qatar to attain the stated goals and objectives of
Qatarization program. Lack of proper knowledge among the citizens about the key requirements
and qualification to work successfully in the private energy sector is a barrier for the Qatarization
program (AME, 2007).
According to the study, it is anticipated that Qatar can take the advantage of numerous
success factors to strengthen its position in the Semi-Governmental and Private sectors, for
instance, Qatar has high macroeconomic stability and growth and a high political permanency.
These factors are sufficient for Qatar and its organizations to prove themselves at the global
platform in a credible manner. Economic surplus is another key of success to improve the
position of Qatar in the Semi-Governmental and Private sector (RAND Qatar Policy Institute).
Apart from this, Qatar has previously invested intemperately in health, education,
infrastructure and construction projects, which will help confirm high growth levels. Rapidly
growing population of the consumers in Qatar also plays as a key of success in improving the
position of Qatar in the Semi-Governmental and Private sectors. Qatar should establish a
sustainable ‘knowledge economy’ by diversifying its economy and must be less contingent upon
importing skills and knowledge, in order to improve its position in these two sectors (Wikipedia,
2010). In order to attain the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization program, Qatar should
focus its consideration on key pillars of the economy. These are as follow:
Economic incentives and Institutional regime: This pillar is a key of success for Qatar to
attain the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization, as it fosters the extensive and effective use
Research 24
of local, as well as, global cognition in the economy, which encourages entrepreneurship and that
allows & supports associated social transformations in Qatar in a credible manner that is
essential to improve the position in the program.
Society of Flexible and Skilled People: By offering quality education, life- long learning
and jobs to all the people of Qatar, it is possible for Qatar to improve its position in the Semi-
Governmental and Private sectors.
Dynamic Infrastructure and Telecommunication Structure: By developing a dynamic
infrastructure and telecommunication structure, it is possible for Qatar to offer efficient services
and tools to all the people, which further will assist this country to actualize the stated goals and
objectives of Qatarization (Turning Qatar into a Competitive Knowledge- Based Economy,
2007).
Efficient Innovation System: By developing an efficient innovation system, which
consists of Firms, Scientific Universities, Research Centers, which have the ability to tap into
and add to attain knowledge at the global level; it will be easy for Qatar to attain the stated goals
and objectives of Qatarization program in a significant manner. According to the research,
having an innovative system is a boon for the country, in order to meet the local needs of their
consumers in a competitive manner, as compared to other countries.
Apart from this, development pattern of Qatar also serves as a key of success in its
participation in the Semi-Governmental and Private sector. ‘Knowledge Assessment
Methodology’ is also a factor of success for Qatar, as it assists to benchmark the position of
Qatar in comparison to others in the global economy. With the help of this knowledge
assessment methodology (KAM), it is possible for Qatar to assess the extent of development of
Research 25
other nations in an effective manner. By maintaining the innovation level, Qatar can contribute a
lot to its program of Qatarization.
By leveraging the technological know how, Qatar can handle different forms of barriers
and perform successfully in the Semi-Governmental and Private sector program. According to
the research, informative communication technology can prove to be one of the main success
factors for attaining the aims of Qatarization. Integration with ‘E-education’ by Qatar can also
prove to be a positive aspect for the attainment of the Qatarization goals. According to the
research, by strengthening the cyber security, Qatar can improve its position in the semi-
governmental and private sector in a significant manner. Human capital is also a key of success
to perform better the semi-governmental and private sector.
E-business is also a key success factor, which can assist Qatari nationals to perform better
in the program of Qatarization. By increasing awareness, trust and skills in the environment, it
can be possible for Qatar to actualize the goals and objectives of Qatarization. E-governance is
also a key factor for improvement in the Qatarization. Gas and oil corporations of Qatari
nationals can also play as a key of success in their semi-governmental and private sector
initiatives and projects by providing them adequate know-how and assistance. Technical
knowledge and capital investment in IOC is also a key of success for Qatari nationals to perform
well in the semi-governmental and private sector for the major projects and initiatives.
Apart from this, by providing training and employing Qatari nationals, it is possible to
lead out the program of Qatarization in a successful manner. Education is also a key success
factor for Qatari nationals in the semi-governmental and private sector projects. According to the
research, by providing proper education and learning to the citizens of the Qatar, it is possible for
the nation to increase its involvement in semi-governmental and private sector in a credible
Research 26
manner. Specific knowledge and skills is also a factor of success to increase the employment
opportunities in the semi-governmental and private sector. Quality education is a key factor to
increase the employment of the citizens in the semi-governmental and private sector. Integration
of small and large sized educational institution is also a key of success, which imparts Qatar to
increase its probability of employment in the semi-governmental and private sector (Jensen,
2009).
Training and learning is another key factor to foster the participation of Qatari nationals
in Qatarization program of increasing the employment in the energy and industry sector. By
implementing proper labor market strategy, it is possible to improve the number of citizens in the
semi-governmental and private sector in a profound manner, so this factor also plays the success
factor for the Qatari nationals. Social friendly environment is also a key of success to increase
the participation in the program of Qatarization. Competent and skilled human resource is also a
key to increase the employment in the private and semi-governmental sector (The Pioneer,
2008).
Enhanced knowledge and proficiency also serves as a key of success for the qatarization
program, as this will assist in increasing the number of Qatari nationals at the higher positions
and designation in the semi-governmental as well as private corporations across the world.
Advancement in the technical education is also a key of success for the successful attainment of
Qatarization goals and objectives. Innovative practices also assist Qatar to increase the number
or ratio of the Qatari nationals in the private and semiprivate sector at renowned positions.
Up-gradation of existing educational system of Qatar is the main key of success to
actualize the goals and objectives of Qatarization in a timely and effective manner. By giving
students the practical knowledge and pouring them with the required skills, it is possible for
Research 27
Qatar to maximize a considerable proportion of the Qatari nationals in the semi-governmental
and private sector in a potent manner. By making heavy investment in the research initiatives
taken by the educational institutes, it is possible for Qatar to actualize the stated goals and
objectives of Qatarization. According to the research, by strengthening the existing pattern of
education run by the educational institutes, Qatar can make it possible to increase Qatari
nationals at multinational enterprises in a profound manner.
By setting some strategic roles for the educational leaders, it is possible for Qatar to
maximize the proportion of Qatari nationals in the semi-governmental and private sector in a
significant manner. Educational goals can also play as a key of success for the path of
Qatarization. By changing the old patterns of educational institutes, it is possible for Qatar to
improve the conditions of the Qatari nationals in the multinationals as a part of Qatarization. By
developing some measures in the direction of increasing the participation of the Qatari nationals,
it is possible for Qatar to increase the number of their nationals in the multinational organizations
in a significant manner (Qatarization).
According to the research, by conducting a research on the educational institutes and their
activities, it is also possible to increase the number of Qatari nationals in the semi-government
and private sector in a credible manner. By increasing the virtual classes in the educational
institutes, it is possible for the country to maximize the number of their nationals in the
multinational corporations across the world. Apart from this, by motivating the educational
leaders towards the development of some benchmarks for the students, the nation can increase
the employment opportunities for their citizens at international level in a significant manner.
According to Augustine and Crop, it is essential for Qatar to start some new scholarship
programs in order to provide assistance to the incapable students. Qatar should take initiatives to
Research 28
stated goals and objectives of Qatarization can be achieved. Qatar should provide best class
education to the students in order to develop an in-depth knowledge about the key issues and
topics related to the international aspects.
In order to fulfill the stated purposes of Qatarization, Qatar should change the study
pattern of the students by including current issues of international level. By developing social
programs, it is possible for Qatar to attain the goals and objectives of Qatarization. By
encouraging the cultural identity among the students during the course of their educational
practices, it can be possible for Qatar to increase the participation of Qatari nationals in the semi-
governmental and private sector (Qatar Petroluem, Qatarization, nd). According to the research,
high-tech quality education is a key of success to perform in the Qatarization program in an
effective manner.
By increasing the participation in the curriculum activities of the students, it is also
possible for Qatar to enhance the confidence of the students in the well known multinational
corporations at significant level. By increasing the participation of the students in the
international level programs and activities, Qatar can increase the knowledge base of the
students, which is required to face the competition posed by the other students of more advanced
countries at global level and this will assist Qatar to increase the employment opportunities in
semi-government and private sector. According to the national report for the vision of Qatar
2030, investment in capital building is another key of success to attain the stated targets of
Qatarization, as this will foster or enhance the development of pioneering and motivated
workforce (Qatar National Vision 2030).
Harmonization and coordination is another key of success that is capable to attain the
stated targets of Qatarization program in a profound manner. Enhanced communication skills are
Research 29
also a means of success for the program of Qatarization. According to the research, proficiency
in communication skills is also a factor, which plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of
Qatarization program. Stakeholder engagement can also assist Qatar to increase the employment
opportunity for the Qatari nationals in semi-government and private sector (an ambitious plan,
RasGas, nd). By increasing the resources required by the educational institutes, it can be possible
for Qatar to increase job opportunities in the government and energy sector in a significant
manner.
According to research, Qatar should increase development programs for the Qatari
nationals to enhance their critical skills required to perform at global platform, which will further
assist in increasing the probability of capturing employment in governmental as well as private
sector. Planning and decision making skills are also a key of success to attain the stated targets of
Qatarization program in a timely manner (Strategic Qatarization Plan). By implementing
brainstorming practices in the educational institutes, it is possible for Qatar to increase the
employment opportunities in the semi-government and private sector in a weighty manner.
By increasing the involvement of students in general discussions, it is possible for Qatar
to increase the employment opportunities in the semi-government and private sector. Active
participation of the students in the decision making and innovative practices is also a key of
success to increase the employment opportunities in the semi-government and private sector.
According to research, by providing training to the workforce about the changing and innovative
technologies of working, it is helpful for the nation to attain the stated goals and objectives of
Qatarization program.
By sponsoring different programs for the workforce and labor of Qatar, it is possible for
Qatar to meet the unmet needs of these workforces, which are necessary to face the challenges
Research 30
posed by the increasing globalization. A groundbreaking strategic plan is also a key of success to
perform well in the program of Qatarization. By pouring the educational institutes with adequate
sources that are essential to guide and educate the students in a right way is also a solution for
increasing the job opportunities in the semi-government and private energy sector in a
considerable manner (Energy & Industry Sector Celebrates Qatarization Milestone, Qatarization,
2006). Apart from this, good strategies are also the important factors that will assist Qatar to
increase the chances for its labor force to capture jobs in the semi-government and private sector.
According to the study of Qatar, it is inferred that implementation practices in this
country are not as effective as required by the increasing globalization. By improving the
knowledge of cultural barriers, it is possible for Qatar to grip a groundbreaking part of Qatari
nationals in the government and private sector. To increase the ratio of Qatari nationals in private
sector, Qatar can open some professional courses in the existing study blueprint; which will
further attend the Qatari nationals to gain an in-sight about the benefits of working in private
sector. By heightening the concern level of the Qatari nationals about the private sector and
benefits offered by it, it is possible for Qatar to lure the attention of the workforce to take
initiatory for working in semi-government and private sector. In order to tempt Qatari nationals
for working in government and private energy sector, Qatar can make it compulsory for the
educational institutes to develop a counseling department that counsel the students about the
private sectors and its welfares.
According to research with an in-depth knowledge about the social, political, legal,
technological and cultural barriers, it is possible for Qatar to increase job opportunities for Qatari
nationals in the government as well as private sector. An in-depth knowledge about the current
affairs of the developed and advanced countries can impart the students of Qatar to crack the
Research 31
competition posed by the students of other more advanced countries, which will further assist
Qatar to maximize the jobs in government and private energy sector. Apart from this, by making
the selection pattern of the higher educational institutes, it is also possible for Qatar to maximize
the number of professions, who further can place themselves at higher positions in the
multinational organizations.
According to research, an in-depth knowledge about the workforce diversity issues is also
a key of success for the citizens of Qatar to capture a large portion of higher position jobs in the
semi-government and private sector. Knowledge management (KM) can also be proved as a
solution for the program of Qatarization in a profound manner. Apart from this, strategic
knowledge about the operations and activities of private sector is also a key of success for Qatar
in its plan of Qatarization. By adorning heavily in the educational practices as well as programs,
it is possible for Qatar to increment the number of Qatari nationals in semi-government and
private sector in a potent mode.
Categorization of the key topics related to the international issues is also a factor that
makes it possible for Qatar to increase the employment opportunities in private and semi-
government sector. Focusing on capacity building is also helpful for Qatar to place the workforce
at higher positions in the semi-government and private sector. Qatarization program or policy is
based on the grounds to maximize the proportion of women and men in the government and
private sector equally and in order to realize this goal; Qatar can keep a check on those
educational institutes, which discriminate among the female and male students. Apart from this,
by implementing some fair policies for the women participations, it is possible for Qatar to
increase the number of female employees in the private and semi-government sector in an
effective manner.
Research 32
By taking initiatives for the female workforce of Qatar it is possible to increase a
considerable proportion of female and male employees in the multinational energy sector in a
profound manner. By counseling the female population of Qatar in the family planning matter
due to which they are unable to concentrate on career opportunities, it is possible for Qatar to
maximize an equal proportion in the higher positioned jobs at multinationals. Apart from this, by
increasing the involvement of female population in the career advancement activities, it is
possible for Qatar to attain the stated goals of Qatarization program. According to the research,
by implementing the policies developed for Qatarization program in a strict manner, it is possible
for Qatar to handle with the obstacles and attain the stated goals and objectives of this program
in a timely mode (Qatarization, 2006).
By reducing the reliance on expatriate workers, it is possible for Qatar to place Qatari
nationals in semi-government and private energy sector. Open discussion on the key issues faced
by the female population of Qatar is also a key of success to increase the proportion of female
employees in the private oil and gas sector in an insightful manner. According to the research, by
counseling the female population in the matter of social issues, it is possible for Qatar to attain
the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization program. Effective implementation of the
developed policies and plans in timely manner is also a key of success to actualize the targets of
Qatarization program in a significant manner. By strictly following all the measures and
amendments developed for changes in the educational institutes is also helpful for attaining the
goals of Qatarization program.
In the article by Information and communication technologies “Qatar: Leveraging
Technology to Create a Knowledge-Based Economy in the Middle East” by Hessa Al-Jaber and
Soumitra Dutta, talks about the current change in nation technological environment with respect
Research 33
to the process of Qatarization. In this nation, the technological revolution is happening with the
collaboration from the Government’s economic reforms. The main focus of this technological
initiative taken by the Government is to make a basic platform for a competitive economy, where
there is full availability to the social services and establishing a ‘knowledge- based’ society. One
of the basic aims of Qatarization process is creation of information based economy, which can be
made possible through variety of information technology reforms (Dutta & Jaber, 2008).
These reforms taken by the information and communication technology community is
supposed to produce a multiplier effect, affecting all sectors. This would work in combination
with the political reforms, which would ultimately help the country to become a fully developed
nation. The various programs initiated by the information and communication technology
committee have started to have an impact upon the development of the country. In 2007–2008, in
Networked Readiness Index (NRI) the country achieved 32nd position. The national Qatarization
plans in its full force are helping this movement. Various initiatives have been taken in many
fronts. Various policy reforms have been started along with programs to address security
concerns (Al-jaber & Dutta, 2007).
The information and communication technology’s initiatives have been taken in various
fields like health care, education, e-government and infrastructure. There have been steps taken
to deregulation the telecommunications sector. In today’s date Qatar has one of the best
penetration rates in telecommunications sector, which consist of both mobile and fixed line, as
well as, the Internet in this region. The company economy is well suitable for these initiatives.
The country has a very small population, which has high per capita income amounting to more
than US$67,000 (U.S. State Department, 2010).
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According to this report, there are various hurdles, which have to be overcome if this
initiative of the government has to be successful. These hurdles are dearth of trained workers,
various social norms, misconceptions regarding technology and various problems of
Governmental and Agency coordination. But these issues are not very powerful deterrents.
According to the article, strong leadership, courage and conviction would help in make these
initiatives a success and it would result in making Qatar a powerful nation on ‘technological
scenario’. This article provides information regarding how this transformation of Qatar in
knowledge- based economy and a top notch nation in technology-driven excellence in this region
has been taking place. It talks about the vision and framework of this entire plan.
The Information and communication strategy from the starting reflected a very powerful
Qatarization influence. The Information and communication technology is highly committed to
capacity building in local talent. It also has taken steps to ensure reduction in dependence
towards the foreign nationals. The country’s growing population of young engineers would help
to ensure that this plan is a success in the long run. Various steps like the Awareness
/Community/ Environment (ACE) consist of variety of long term lobbying initiatives (Al-jaber &
Dutta, 2007).
One of such initiatives under this program is to overcoming the present information and
communication technology skill shortage by legal provisions. There are various steps taken to
ensure that the nationality-based immigration laws are shifted to skill-based ones. There would
be focused awareness campaigns like plans for strengthening e-banking services by organization
in coordination with the commercial banks. These initiatives would help in the overall
development of the Qatarization plan.
Research 35
In the report by Dahlia Shaham, “Foreign Labor in the Arab Gulf: Challenges to
Nationalization” talks about the current immigration laws and foreign nationals in the Arab
region. The Author provides information regarding the problems faced by the Gulf Cooperation
Council. The inflation rates in these countries are rising, as oil prices are increasing. In view of
various problems faced by the Gulf countries, one of the pressing issues is of limitation of the
residency visa for the foreign nationals. Regulation of labor market, especially, the foreign
nationals is a cause of concern for these nations. This has a major influence on the economy, as
well as, the politics of these states (Shaham, 2009).
This issue is major linked to the various ups and downs in the economic and political
development in the countries. These issues also relate to the financial surpluses and acute
shortage of human capital. In this dissertation, this concern of the gulf nations has been
discussed. The writer also talks about various factors behind these issues and various attempts of
the Government to regulate the labor market. The SGC’s (Small Gulf Countries) which consist
of The Kingdom of Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar are currently most
affected by this problem (Shaham, 2009).
Due to similar nature of their traditions, territory and population size, political systems
origins, as well as, the economic growth has resulted in creation of similar market trends in these
countries. These countries in the last few years have increasingly become aware of various
deficiencies related to the sponsorship system and the various socio economic problems formed
by the growing dependence on the foreign labor. All these nations have shown their inclination
to reform this present system followed in the labor markets. These nations are growing
concerned with the dominance of the foreign nationals; especially, which are skilled in the
private market, as well as, the lack of ability of the nationals to enter those markets. Therefore, it
Research 36
has led to adoption of policies like “Emiratization, Qatarization, Kuwaitization and
Bahrainization” which are aimed at enhancing the participation of the locals in the private sector
of the economy (Shaham, 2009).
These ‘Labor Nationalization Projects’ have adopted various measures, which can be basically
divided in two strategies. The first strategy consists of ‘Direct Policies’, which are aimed to
increase the national population in the private sector. The second strategy consists of ‘Indirect
Policies’, which are aimed at elevating the costs of foreign labor, so that a level- playing field
can be established among the expatriates and locals (Shaham, 2009).
A long term approach in this direction of enhancing the local workforce presence in the
private sector is of reforming the education and training policies. The traditional administrative
system would not be able to impart this, therefore, public and private collaboration have been
called by the Government to achieve better success rate. The Qatarization process consists of the
‘Quota System’ in collaboration with various training initiatives. The goal of this process is to
achieve 50 percent, as far as the local employment in the energy sector is concerned within five
years. The leading companies in the energy sector have been roped in to collaborate with the
Governmental strategy. These companies help in various processes like locating, training and
employing the nationals of Qatar (Shaham, 2009).
The main challenge in this process of reforming the labor markets has been of ‘Effective
Governance and Implementation’. The various problems faced by these reforms are widely
accepted illegal workforce, lack of transparency in the policies and distribution of information.
In addition to that, there are problems relating to work force, problems in transparency and
decrees and lack of laws, which has created an environment, which has made the implementation
of these policies difficult for the Government.
Research 37
According to a report in the online Qatar, most of the private organizations are in state of
shock at the government directive which was issued by Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to
make 20 percent of their workforce consisting of nationals. According to member of Qatar
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI), this directive is very challenging and too early as
the companies are already facing inflation and other related problems. Most of the private
businessmen are not too enthusiastic about this move of the government. A major reason for their
dissatisfaction is the fact that most of the departments and ministries of the government have
majority of foreign nationals working for them (Qatarization drive takes private firms by
surprise, 2008).
In government hospitals, most of the female secretaries are foreigners. Some of the
nationals are dissatisfied as they feel that there is not enough labor to fill the 20 percent quota.
There is acute shortage of local people in many industries. In addition, the local population
would not accept the rules and terms of employment which are issued to the foreign nationals.
For example, the local population won’t get ready to work in double shifts and as hard as the
foreign nationals. According to them, the decision is ill timed.
Summary of Literature Review
The main points of this process covered through literature review are summarized in this
passage. The qatarization process is basically an effort taken by the Qatari government to
improve the participation of Qatari nationals in private and government organizations. There are
various problems that affect the success of this program. Inadequate vocational training and
technological education is hindering the growth of the plan. Most of the projects under this plan
have been implemented without having a long term vision. The country in the last few years has
registered a thumping growth rate which is a major reason behind the initialization of this
Research 38
program. The program has been suffering due to absence of strategic intent among the Qatari
nationals.
Lack of development of programs as well as practices for economic development is
resulting in difficulties for the program. Poor decision making by the authorities is also affecting
the implementation process in addition to its demographic and socio-economic policies. The
nation has a long way to go till it reduces its dependence on foreign power and skills. Other than
this there are hosts of cultural, social and political issues that are affecting this process. Outdated
training methods, lack of coordination as well as practical and advanced knowledge along with
poor leadership are also some of the reasons.
Research 39
Chapter 3: Research Setting
RasGas Company Limited
For this research analysis of a company which has applied the process of Qatarization in
its operations has been taken. The company under study is RasGas Company Limited. The
organization is a joint stock company which was formed as a result of coming together of two
major oil companies i.e. Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil. Qatar Petroleum owns 70 percent
stake in the company while the Exxon Mobil’s stake is 30 per cent. The company is considered
to be a top notch company in the field of integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry all
around the world. The company has one of the best world class facilities for the purpose of
extraction, processing, storage and export of liquefied natural gas.
The organization has signed many agreements in order to provide its customers located all
around the world with LNG supply. The company’s customers are in Korea, Spain, India,
Taiwan, Belgium, Italy and the United States of America. The organization presently has five
LNG trains which have production capacity of nearly 20.7 million tones per annum (Mta). With
the completion of its seventh train in 2009, it is expected that its production capacity would reach
37 Mta. RasGas serves as the operating firm on the behalf of both the parties. The human
resource department of the company is responsible for management and supervision of the
design, construction and operation of various units (Human Resources Report: Personal
Achievement - National Success, 2009).
The terms of this agreement are given in the ‘Services Agreement for Operation and
Maintenance’ which was ratified in 2002. The company has currently a staff of more than 1400
workers which are operating in various projects. The company took the responsibility on the
behalf of Ras Laffan, Ras Laffan (II) and Qatargas in 2003 to manage and monitor the designing,
Research 40
construction and operation of a helium facility. The Central Helium Recovery unit (HeRu)
project is involved in extraction of helium from RasGas and Qatargas LNG trains. This project
has made the country of Qatar among the top 10 provider of helium around the globe. The
company also has a successful drilling program. Additionally, it is involved in management and
supervision of Qatargas (II)’s drilling program (Qatarization, 2009).
Company’s Qatarization Initiative
The company has shown its full commitment towards the Qatar government’s plan of
Qatarization. The company has in fact developed its personal Qatarization program which is
named as Taqteer. The government of Qatar in the year 2000 announced the plans to Qatarize 50
per cent of the nation’s companies in its oil, gas and petrochemical industries by May 2005. The
main purpose of this plan of the government was to enhance the number of nationals working in
those industries which are heavily dependent on the expatriate population. The company follows
a well developed system of recruitment, training, coaching and career development. The
country’s development plan highly depends on this ambitious plan of Qatarization. This plan
would help the Qatari men and women to take up higher positions in the top companies of the oil
and energy sector (Human Resources Report: Personal Achievement - National Success,2009).
The company RasGas has shown commitment for this government’s initiative. The
company’s Qatarization plan Taqteer is aimed at recruiting and retaining quality national
workforce. The company, through this plan aim at meeting the targets set according to Qatar
Petroleum Strategic Qatarization plan. The company has continued the development of this plan
which is aimed at meeting various needs of the company as well the country’s labor force. The
company’s Qatarization plan has evolved to a great deal since its conception. The focus of the
plan has been shifted to recruitment of Qatari nationals and making them into professionals who
Research 41
are highly skilled and competent enough to tackle any kind of challenge from simple
recruitment.
The organization took several initiatives in the year 2006 for implementing the “Quality
Qatarization” plan. One of the major steps in this direction was the creation of the National
Development Team. The aim of this team is to evaluate the performance of the company in order
to meet the Qatarization targets and formulate various initiatives which support the Quality
Qatarization process. Another measure taken in this respect is a long term plan which hopes to
attract the labor force in the country. This initiative was the formulation of the University
Advisory Committee (UAC).
Through this initiative of establishing the University Advisory Committee, the company along
with the providers of Higher Education as well as research institutions has come together.
Through this they have rendering career opportunities for Qatari students that are actively
participating in various recruitment fairs. They are also involved in developing the summer
internship programs. Another major step in this direction is the Graduate Development
Programme. This program of the company is directed at the development of junior national
employees. Through this initiative the company wants to prepare the trainees for the important
positions in the firm. The RasGas National Technical Club, which was formed in the year 2005,
is also aimed at developing the Qatari population (Qatarization, 2009).
The company has also created a Learning Attachment Programme, which works in
coordination with various major projects of the company. This program is aimed at providing the
employees with exposure to its international operations. Under this initiative in 2006, three
projects were undertaken in Houston and Tokyo. Nearly 30 youngsters of Qatar participated in
this project. Other such developments initiated under this program are listed below:
Research 42
Competency manuals/technical ladders for the labor force of Qatar in every discipline
ExxonMobil Exchange Program
RasGas Vocational Training Centre
Scholarship Program
Educational sponsorship
Development of English language skills in employees
Mentoring
Human resource initiatives taken by the company under this Plan
The company under its ‘Quality Qatarization plan has adopted various educational and
vocational initiatives. This includes collaboration with a number of local and international
institutions. The company considers its highly skilled, motivated and multicultural workforce to
be its greatest strength in order in such a competitive scenario. The company has its human
resources recruiters from nearly 30 countries of the world. The manpower at RasGas provides it
with a variety of expertise and abundance of ideas and experience. These three characteristics
form the basis of the best business practices in the industry (Human Resources Report: Personal
Achievement - National Success, 2009).
The various challenges of the strategic Qatarization plan of the government have been
embraced by the company. The company has very successfully managed to implement the
Qatarization process in its operations. The company achieved success with the highest level of
Qatarization among the various participating companies under this program. The various aspects
of its Qatarization plan are discussed further.
Quality Qatarization
Research 43
The company has shown a great deal of commitment and support for this quantization
plan of the government. The company has even taken a step ahead by envisioning the quality of
Qatarization plan. The company has focused on recruiting quality workforce with this
Qatarization plan. The company has focused on the recruitment of the Qatari nationals and also
has given the necessary training, development and mentoring so that they can enhance their skills
and can be developed to the level of world-class professionalism.
Success through quality
The company is aiming to achieve success through its continual focus on quality. The
company within the span of three successive periods has registered astounding success with the
Qatarization plan. The company is considered to be the leading initiators among the energy
sector companies. The company has not only recruited Qatari nationals to its workforce but has
been successful in maintaining high standards and quality to this process of Qatarization.
Focus on competency
The top priority of the management and staff at RasGas is to formulate and enforce
development program focused on competency. The company has various career development
plans running which focuses on employees’ development. Quality Qatarization is just like other
career development plans followed in the country. This career development program has various
features like education, experience and personal development (Human Resources Report:
Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).
The company has tied up with several key institutes in order to provide necessary training
and education to its employees. RasGas has entered into partnerships with five local and
international educational and vocational institutions. A brief description of the partnership is
discussed below:
Research 44
QP Vocational Training Centre
The company has tied up with Qatar Petroleum’s Vocational Training Centre (QP-VTC),
based in Ras Laffan Industrial City. The institution has designed two main plans to support the
training high-school graduates so that they can be developed into competent, skilled process
operators or maintenance technicians. The two programs are Technical Preparation Program and
Qatari Trainee Operator Progression System.
Technical Preparation Program
The Technical Preparation Program or the TPP is involved in graduation of maintenance
technicians. This program has been developed in collaboration with the College of the North
Atlantic (CNA) based in Canada. In the RasGas Vocational Training Centre, the students are
given theoretical knowledge. These trainees then move to Canadian facilities in CNA where they
are given specialized training. The specialized training is given in instrumentation, electrical or
mechanical streams (Human Resources Report: Personal Achievement - National Success,
2009).
Qatari Trainee Operator Progression System (Q-TOPS)
Qatari Petroleum Vocational Training Centre (QP-VTC) also provides the Qatari Trainee
Operator Progression System. The students enrolled in this program are trained to become
process operators. This program is co-venture between RasGas and Qatar Petroleum. In the
beginning, the training is carried out for technical level 2, then it progresses towards technical
level 1 and finally these trainees are given permanent position of full field operators.
The main focus of both these program is on completeness and competency. Both of these
programs are carried out by committed shift trainers. The time period for this training consist of
both classroom courses as well as practical exposure which basically consist of on-the-job
Research 45
training which is conducted in the plant and company’s environment (Human Resources Report:
Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).
Qatar University
The company has also tied up with Qatar University. This university was formed with the
aim of bringing high-quality education throughout the nation. The University has adopted such
curricula, technology and teaching methods that suit the country’s changing work environment.
The university is continuously reviewed by its administration which is dedicated for
improvement in the colleges and various programs offered by it. The University also has various
strategic cooperation plans with various domestic, regional and international educational bodies
for the purpose of exchanging knowledge and experiences. It is actively involved in the
developing skilled and highly qualified employees for RasGas as well as the entire energy sector
(Human Resources Report: Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).
College of the North Atlantic – Qatar
The company has also formed partnership with College of the North Atlantic – Qatar
(CNA-Q). The college which was started in the year 2002 offers a variety of development
program for the employees of the company. The college combines Canadian curriculum with the
industry expertise. This helps in giving the employees right skills suited for their jobs in the
energy sector.
The college also provides certain custom-made programs with its Corporate Training
Department. This program has helped RasGas to meet its staffing needs as per the Qatarization
process. In addition, the college also has variety of other business and technology programs
which has benefited the company to a great deal. These programs include business studies,
engineering technology and information technology courses.
Research 46
Texas A & M – Qatar
The company has also collaborated with Texas A & M University – Qatar (TAMUQ) for
developing its workforce to meet its Qatarization efforts. It has been producing world-class
engineers. With the well reputed faculty, the company is poised to help the nation in meeting the
demand for engineers in oil and gas sector of Qatar. This university was made part of Qatar’s
Education City in the year 2003. It offers bachelor’s degrees in chemical, mechanical, electrical
and petroleum engineering. The college does not want to develop any plans for its postgraduate
program as it wants to solely focus on graduating engineers (Human Resources Report: Personal
Achievement - National Success, 2009).
This commitment has helped the college to become a leading force in engineering
education. The college has been providing high-quality education to Qatari people. The TAMUQ
has been continuously providing energy companies of the nation with the required human
resource that can take up the future challenges. It has been committed to provide competent,
dynamic and qualified students graduated from its premises that can contribute to the nation’s
development.
Qatar Aeronautical College
The company has also tied up with Qatar Aeronautical College (QAC). This college has
helped to a great deal in the company’s Qatarization process. The college has been providing
special intensive English language courses to its trainees so that they can follow the current
business and technical developments happening all around the world. The aim of this special
course is to help the Qatari population to get over the language barriers which exist within the
company’s multilingual environment. The company partnership with Qatar Aeronautical College
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is highly valued as the company considers proper and internal communication as a prerequisite
for the corporate success.
The company’s collaboration with various local, regional and international technical
institutions would assist in preparing a national workforce which would help in the sustainable
economic development of local communities, Qatar as well as the entire gulf region.
In-House experience
The company has also developed certain internal development programs in additional to
its external academic and vocational training collaborations. These internal programs are helpful
to the company in developing its employee’s competencies. The various career development
program of the company has helped in optimization of the work experience. These programs are
aimed at employees’ future development. The company apart from developing its employees’
career also pays attention to their personal and social development (Human Resources Report:
Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).
Company’s Success
The company has registered astounding success as far as the Qatarization process is
concerned. The company achieved the target of more than 50 percent Qatarization well before its
set target of May 2005. This industry contributes to nearly 50 per cent of the Qatar’s national
budget. The company has the responsibility of managing the nation’s LNG production.
Therefore, the Qatarization process is a top priority for the company. The company not only has
to meet its production requirement but also the Qatarization objectives (Human Resources
Report: Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).
The recruitment and training programs offered by the company have not only helped the
nation’s Qatarization plan but also enriched the company’s workforce. The company now has
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employees who are career-oriented and committed for long-term. These people believe that the
company represents their aspirations for sustainable development in the society. This has helped
the company to consolidate its commitment towards the Qatarization process.
In the report in RasGas magazine in 2005, the implementation of this strategic
collaboration of government and the private companies under the Qatarization process has been
discussed. The company has welcomed and embraced various challenges and strategies of the
Qatarization plan. In 2005 the company achieved highest level under Qatarization among other
participating countries process having a national workforce of over 50 percent working in their
company.
The company was the first company in the nation to achieve the target under Qatarization
process which was set by Qatar Petroleum (QP) Strategic Qatarization plan. The Strategic
Qatarization plan was conceived by H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, and was
under the guidance of H.E. Abdulla Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, who is the nation’s Second Deputy
Premier and also the Minister for Energy and Industry. On December 2004, the company
achieved Qatarization of 53.1 per cent against the set target and time of May 2005 and 51.4 per
cent respectively. In the company nearly 27.9 per cent of the permanent post in the company is
occupied by Qatari nationals (RasGas, 2005).
The company has adopted a brand new strategy to enforce this plan in their company.
The company has shifted its focus from simple recruitment toward promoting “Quality
Qatarization” in their organization. The company by focusing on this strategy has taken various
initiatives to ensure “Quality Qatarization”. Under this the company’s national employees are
rendered requisite training and development as well as mentoring to sharpen their skills and also
to ensure that there is world class professionalism standards followed in their working. The
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company has been a trendsetter of sort as far as this process is concerned as they have not only
achieved the required rate but also maintained quality in the adoption of the process (RasGas,
2005).
The company has laid a continuous importance to the competency level. The company is
highly committed in its implementation of competency based development programs for its staff
and management. The company has treated this process like any other successful career
development program. Just like that, the quality Qatarization process has various conventional
and unconventional facets associated with it like education, experience and personal
development. The company in this process has formed collaborations with five important local
and international educational as well as vocational institutions. This has been done to make sure
that the employees acquire the needed educational background as well as training to make their
careers a success.
The company has been achieving a lot of success in this field due to the
continuous emphasis on quality under the Qatarization plan of the government. The involvement
of various training and vocational institutes in order to built a skilled and competent workforce
has helped the company in its preparation for long term successes. As a result, the company has
attained the highest level in this Qatarization process.
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Chapter 5: Results, analysis and findings
Results, Analysis and Findings
This is the key part of research that is based on Qatarization. Results of the research are
analyzed on the basis of the responses given by the respondents. These are as follow:
People are not happy: After the questionnaire, it is identified that people of private sector are not
happy with the Qatarization program, as it is too early for the private sector professionals to
think about the hiring of Qatari nationals in their organization. According to the professionals, it
is not easy to realize such kind of program in a short time period. Around 55 percent of the
people surveyed believed that it was too early to develop this kind of program. Only 23 percent
did not go with this opinion, while the rest 23 percent failed to express any definite opinion for
this question, as presented in the graph below.
Yes No Can't say0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%55%
23% 22%
Do you think this is so early to develop Qatarization?
Management of private organizations and semi-government corporations said that there are lots
of higher positions in their company that are occupied with the foreigners in a significant manner
and to occupy such positions, it is necessary to have some quality skills and proficiency in the
communication skills, but Qatari nationals are not qualified enough for these type of positions.
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This is the reason why only 23 percent of the people surveyed gave this opinion that the
development of the Qatarization program is not too early, and is on time according to the needs.
Policies are not effective: Policies made by Qatar are not as effective as required for the
successful administration of Qatarization program. As presented in the graph below, around 67
percent of the people surveyed agreed that the present policies are not appropriate for the set
targets. Only 12 percent answered in favor of the question by stating that the policies are
appropriate and will help in achieving the set targets for Qatarization, while about 21 percent
said that they cannot say anything definite about the appropriateness of the policies.
Yes No Can't say0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
12%
67%
21%
Are the policies appropriate for set targets of Qatarization?
According to the people of private organizations, the policies developed for the Qatarization
program are not well structured in order to attain the stated goals and objectives in an effective
manner. According to the responses of the respondents, plans and policies of Qatar are not
implemented in a strict manner, as there are various loopholes exist in the ways of policy
implementation.
Resources are not adequate: According to the responses, resources required for the policy
implementation are also not adequate which is the main issue or weakness of this Qatarization
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program. According to 61 percent of the respondents, the government of Qatar has not
adequately the resources. The rest 39 percent believe that government is providing the required
resources for the Qatarization program, as depicted in the graph below.
Yes No0%
10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
39%
61%
Do you think the resources used by government of Qatar are adequate?
Resource allocation is also not appropriate, as it requires proper resources for the implementation
of the policies and plans to realize the target of Qatarization program in a timely manner. Even
good plans can fail if they are not supported by providing the required resource base. So, this
survey result shows that there is lack of interest on part of the government as they are not
providing the adequate resources for the program.
Initiatives are not effective: According to the responses, initiatives taken by the government of
Qatar are also not effective and appropriate, as they are not focused on the main objective of the
qatarization program that is aimed to increase or place the workforce of Qatar in semi-
government and private sector. An overwhelming majority of 77 percent of the respondents
believed that the initiatives taken by the Qatar government are not enough for the attainment of
qatarization goals and objectives as shown in the graph below. Only 33 percent of the
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respondents believed that government is taking the required initiatives for proper implementation
of the qatarization program.
Yes No0%
10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
23%
77%
Are the initiatives taken by Qatar enough for the attainment of
Qatarization goals and objectives?
So, the majority believes that the initiatives are not properly managed or administered by Qatar
government and authorities, which is again a loophole on government’s part in showing full
responsibility to achieve the set targets for the program.
Lack of benefits: According to the responses of the people, Qatari nationals are not benefited
from the program of Qatarization in a fuller manner. Only 28 percent of the employees believed
that the Qatari nationals are benefited from this program; 11 percent failed to express any
definite answer when asked about the benefits reaped by Qatari nationals from the Qatarization
program. As the following graphs shows, a high proportion, i.e. around 61 percent respondents
expressed that there are no benefits to the Qatari nationals from the development of this program
which depicts that the program has not been able to be implemented in a successful way.
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Yes No Can't say0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
28%
61%
11%
Are Qatari nationals benefited from the program of Qatarization?
As there is lack of trained workers as per the skill set required at semi-government and private
sector organizations, the proportion of Qatari nationals in these organizations is also low in
numbers. According to the responses gathered from another question as depicted in the following
graph, around 71 percent of the respondents believed that the ratio of Qatari nationals in private
sector jobs is 25-45 %. About 21 percent believed this proportion to be between 45-65 % while
only 8 percent were of the view that this ratio is high and ranges between 65-85 %.
25-45% 45-65% 65-85%0%
10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80% 71%
21%
8%
What is ratio of Qatari nationals in private sector jobs?
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In another survey question, the respondents were asked if the Qatarization program proved of
any help for the Qatari nationals. In response to this question, around 39 percent of the
respondents believed that this program is helpful to Qatari nationals, 55 percent negated its
helpfulness, while the rest 6 percent said that they cannot say anything sure about this, as
presented in the following graph.
Yes No Can't say0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
39%
55%
6%
Is this plan of government helpful for Qatari nationals?
Qatari nationals are not receiving full benefits of this plan of Qatari government, as they are not
trained and qualified for the position entitled in the semi-government and private sector. As
shown in the graph below, only 35 percent of the people surveyed believed that Qatari nationals
are trained enough for private sector jobs, while the rest 65 percent were of the view that there is
lack of skills in the Qatari nationals as they are not well equipped with the required skills for
performing jobs efficiently and effectively in the semi-government and private sector
organizations.
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Yes No0%
10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
35%
65%
Are Qatari nationals trained enough for private sector jobs?
As the program of Qatarization is developed to increase employment opportunities for the Qatari
nationals in private sector, but the citizens of Qatar are not poured with the spark and enthusiasm
required to carry out the job of such kind.
Probability of failure: According to the responses, it is not compulsory to attain the stated goals
and objectives of Qatarization program in a pre-planned time period. Rules and regulations set
by the government of Qatar for Qatarization program are not clearly followed by the institutes
and other related organizations in a sincere manner. In answer to the question where people
were asked to predict the ratio of its likely success in future, the highest response was noted for
the category 20-40 % wherein 69 percent of the respondents agreed, as portrayed in the graph
below. About 20 percent answered that the success ratio will range between 40-60 %, 8 percent
believed it to be between 60-80 %, while the rest few 3 percent expressed high belief in its
success by stating that the probability of its success is 80-100 %.
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20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 80-100%0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%69%
20%
8%3%
What is the ratio of its likely success in future?
Analysis
Findings of the research are assessed on the basis of the literature review and
questionnaire conducted to collect information from the target population. These are as follow:
Literature review: On the basis of literature review performed for various articles and
researches, it is inferred that Qatarization is the main program of Qatar in its mission to make the
citizens more advanced and techno savvy by placing them at well known private organizations
with a high level position. According to the literature review, it is inferred that there are various
obstacles or barrier in the path of Qatarization. It is inferred that plans and strategies developed
by Qatar government are not executed by the responsible or accountable personnel in an
effective manner. Qatari nationals are not exposed enough to the changing trends occurring in
the global market, due to which they are not hired in the private and semi-government sector.
According to the literature review, Qatari nationals are not educated according to the standards
of the global level, which restricts to grab the opportunities offered by global platform. There are
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language barriers exist between the Qatari nationals and other nation’s citizens that also came in
the path of Qatarization in a vital manner.
On the basis of literature review, it can be inferred that Qatari nationals have lack of
critical thinking and leadership skills required to attain a position in the semi-government and
private sector. Qatari nationals are not educated about the cultural barriers existed between their
nation and other nations. According to the literature review, educational institutes do not provide
quality education to the students of Qatar in order to develop an in-depth knowledge about the
key aspects of the global business environment. As per the literature review, if the educational
institutes provide quality and standard based education to the students, it is possible to maximize
the chances for Qatari nationals to grab the jobs offered by private sector. On the basis of
literature review, it can be inferred that it is possible for Qatar to attain the targets of Qatarization
program by allocating and utilizing the resources in a keen manner.
Questionnaire: According to the responses given by the people of private organizations, it
can be inferred that it is not possible to attain the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization
program. Most of the people think that the program is too early started by the government of
Qatar. Professionals of private sector organizations think that the resources and strategies used
by the Qatar government are not developed according to set targets and standards. It can be
inferred that people are not trained effectively by the educational institutes. According to the
response of the people, Qatari nationals are not provided fuller benefits of the Qatarization
program, as most of them do not have proper knowledge about the targets of the Qatarization
program. Apart from this, it can be inferred that without proper implementation, there are less
chances for the Qatarization program to succeed in future. It can be seen that the results of the
survey of the employees of Ras Gas confirms the views expressed in the literature review. The
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views expressed in literature review regarding the success and hurdle of the program seems to
match in the survey. As seen in the literature review most of the respondents believed that people
are not getting the benefits that they should have received.
Findings
From the above analysis of the research that is conducted on Qatarization program, it is
inferred that Qatar has to change its existing pattern of education in order to provide quality
education to them that is required to occupy higher position in the semi-government and private
sector. In order to attain stated the goals and objectives of the Qatarization program, Qatar
should adopt some quality practices. Qatar should regulate the educational institutes and instruct
them to open some virtual classes that will assist the students of Qatar to gain an in-depth
knowledge about the key areas such as planning, organizing, leading, controlling and directing.
Qatar should decide a benchmark for different educational institutes in order to measure
the performance of these institutes that whether they are adopting the proven technologies to
educate the students or not. To handle with the barriers, Qatar should conduct a research on the
educational institutes that whether they are following the rules and regulations set by the
education department within their premises or simply running them just to make profit. Qatar
should also impose some forces upon those institutes that are not performing well according to
the set benchmark in order to ameliorate the quality of education offered by them to the students
of Qatar. As it is admitted that most of the students of Qatar can’t make it possible to yield
higher education due to the deficiency of resources, so in order to figure out these problems,
Qatar should launch some scholarship programs for these kinds of students.
To realize the stated targets of Qatarization program, it is essential to have knowledge
about the changes taking place in private sector in order to keep the pace of advancement steady.
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Qatar should motivate the citizens of Qatar by developing some programs that are aimed to
foster or encourage them to pursue for private sector instead of focusing much on simply
government sector. Qatar should also make amendments in the tools and resources used by the
management of educational institutes to run their business. Qatar should enrich the educational
institutes by providing them required resources that are necessary to gain an in-sight about the
major aspects of quality and standard based education.
Qatar should take some initiatives, in order to make it possible for the female population
of the country to occupy similar jobs in the private and Semi-Governmental sector. Qatar should
change the policy regarding the allocation of the resources, which further will also assist in
completing the functions in an effective manner. The nation should take initiatives in the
direction of implementation of the policies that are made for the ‘Qatarization Program’ by
analyzing the accepted timeline for the implementation and after it, Qatar should analyze if there
is any gap existing between the accepted date and the date of completion, which further will led a
hand in solving out the delay in the goal attainment procedure.
Qatar should implement some professional courses in the existing pattern of education,
which will help the students to gain knowledge about the main concepts of management tools
and techniques that are considered essential to place the citizens of Qatar in the Semi-
Governmental and Private sector. Qatar should appoint some professional teachers in the
educational institutes, so as in to enrich the students of Qatar with the zeal that required in facing
the competition at global level. Qatar should arouse the élan of the workforce to take
participation in the competitive tests and debates held at international level for securing job in
both the sectors.
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Qatar should make the citizens aware of the benefits for working in the private sector
such as increased goodwill, exposure through global platform, knowledge enhancement and
personal recognition. Moreover, it should instruct the educational institutions and colleges to
include some ‘Personality Development Programs’ to improve the personality and heighten the
confidence level of the Qatari nationals in a significant manner.
Chapter 6: Discussion
Designing an Improvement to the Situation
The Qatarization process started in June 2005. The purpose of this Qatarization process
was to provide employment opportunities for Qatari youth, as well as, place Qatari into those
sectors of the economy, which are heavily dependant on the foreign nationals. The aim of this
Qatarization plan was to place quality, competent Qatari in nearly 50 percent of the prominent
positions in the oil and energy position. Currently, more than 4,000 Qataris are working in the
nation’s Qatari Energy and Industry Sector. This number is equivalent to nearly 18 percent. The
target of the Government is to reach the figure of 6000, which is equal to 25 percent. The
literature review provides important information regarding the Qatarization process. Some of the
important facts are discussed in this section along with the comparison of the key findings of this
research process. The main highlights of the literature review and the results obtained through
this research are further discussed in the process.
Barriers & Challenges to the Policy
According to the literature review, the Government of Qatar is facing increasing
pressures from the labor markets in the country, which have resulted in creating various
Research 62
economic, social and political challenges. The finding of the research also suggests the same.
The employees in the survey think that it is too early for the government to start with such an
ambitious plan without looking into the ground work necessary. They think that there is need to
have a better planning and support system for such a plan.
As discussed in the literature review challenges for the Government are basically three
dimensional. The first part of this problem is that the segmented labor market in the country is
inefficient, as well as, registers low productivity. These people are costlier in comparison to the
foreign labor. Earlier, the companies employed these foreign nationals, as it resulted in saving
costs for the company. The import of these workers was much cheaper than investing in capital
and technology. The decreasing productivity of the workers is a growing concern (Energy &
Industry Sector 1st Annual Strategic Qatarization Plan Review Meeting Held, 2005).
The productivity has decreased by 25-35 percent in the last ten years. There increased
tendency is seen in both national and the foreign workers towards short term employment.
Second aspect of this labor problem is high population growth and growing unemployment,
which has increased the pressure on state’s budget. The third problem confronted by the
Government is of the risks that loom over decrease in the revenues of the country’s revenues
(Wilson, 2007).
According to the results of the survey most of the people from private sectors are not very
happy with the current program as they believe it is too early and very ambitious step taken by
the government.
Majority of people who were surveyed believed that there is high need of introduction of
quality skills and technical profieecency in order to achieve success for this kind of plan. The
literature review section highlights how implementation of Qatarization processes are
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accompanied by incentives like reduced labor transaction fees and waiving of various financial
requirements. The data on evaluation of the success of this quota system are not very consistent.
The employers of many organizations have this complain that the local population is not able to
meet the demands of the companies. In addition, the local population does not have necessary
motivational level and skills.
Most of the respondents surveyed believed that this process won’t achieve much success.
The reason for such low hopes on the long term success of the plan has been discussed in the
literature review. The main problem that comes with the enforcement of this program is that this
system pays more focus on ‘short- term quantity’ than ‘long -term quality’ of employment
(Qatarization benefits 7954 nationals, 2009).
The employers are now resorting to other means to get away with the system. They are
searching for loopholes in this nationalization of labor force policy. The companies often fulfill
the quota demand by recruiting locals for the cheapest price possible. Then they use the various
benefits provided by the Government in hiring more skilled foreign nationals. These companies
sometimes create “ghost companies”, which are registered in other sectors, which do not have
these quota systems like construction. These companies import foreign workers and use them
illegally in the sector where quotas are restrictive.
The results of the survey points out the lack of resources required for proper
implementation of the program. This fact has been also affirmed by the literature review. The
various exceptions of the Free Economic Zones have also contributed in putting hurdles for the
effective enforcement of this quota policy. The various hurdles can be summed down in
following. There are inadequate numbers of qualified and skilled Qatari in High school, as well
as, University graduates. There is disparity in availability of tertiary education output and the
Research 64
labor market requirements. There is problem of employee retention after training Qatari
nationals.
The career development program and motivation incentives show a lot of ambiguities.
Not only this, but also, there is an increased competition from the other sectors in Qatar, as well
as, the GCC countries. The other problem associated with this process is the huge wage
indifference in these countries. The foreign workers are paid low wages based on the competitive
compensation, as it amounts to the average wages paid in their home countries. But these wages
are not adequate according to the GCC standards (Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).
Improvement Approach
The response of the people indicate that the Qatari nationals are yet to receive benefit
from this program, therefore there is an urgent need to bring an improvement approach. A more
comprehensive approach, which can be taken to improve the current situation as given in
literature review, is discussed further. The education and training policies can be used for
strategically increasing the presence of local labor force in the private companies of the country.
The traditional Governmental education system and institutions are insufficient to do so. The
Government must take steps to improve the present education system. There should be reforms
followed in the edification system. There should be active collaboration between public and
private companies. The nation should learn from the success of Bahrain, which established
various ‘joint public’ and ‘private training institutes’, which render vocational training, as well
as, work placement services to the private companies. Bahrain experienced success with this
collaboration. But these methods are not mutually exclusive.
The reason for putting this quota system is that the Government wants to make the
companies responsible for identifying, training and maintaining local nationals. The Government
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should also take equal participation in such process and not entirely leave it on the employer.
The “Qatarization” project should be ideally combined with ‘Professional Training Program’.
The leading companies should be provided with incentives and Government support in
implementing this process. There should be focus on long- term development of employees;
instead of achievement of short -term objectives. The companies should attach various programs
like identifying and training, with the employment of Qatari nationals in association with
administration (E-Learning, 2009). According to the results only a small percentage of people
believed that the Qatari people are trained enough for private jobs.
In addition, the country should do away with the system of sponsorship, as their neighbor
Bahrain. This would increase the costs associated with the foreign labors, especially, the non-
skilled ones. The country can also introduce a tax system for the companies, who employ foreign
nationals, which would aim at increasing costs of foreign labors, should also be gradually
increased.
The countries are also reluctant to impose restriction that would stop the supply of cheap
foreign workforce. A major reason for this can be the fact that they rely heavily on the energy
reserves. The country feels that they would lose their competitive advantage, which they have
obtained by providing the private firms with a ‘tax free’ cheap labor. The country feels to
preserve its competitive advantage, while pursuing the nationalization of the labor force policy.
This has lead to attempts to align the labor policy within the competitive advantage that these
countries have through following norms of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The countries in this region should try to equate the benchmarks followed for foreign
employment followed across the region, which allows better enforcement of such nationalization
policies. This would put an end to the competitive race between these countries, which compete
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for foreign investments by cutting down their labor costs. Till now, the member countries of this
region have failed in their attempts to take any step in this direction, despite of various
discussions and declarations (Qatarization drive takes private firms by surprise, 2008).
These nations of the GCC have so far, failed in their attempts to go beyond issuing of
statement in this regard. There is an immediate need to reconcile such attempts, in order to
strengthen the nationalization policy followed by these countries. The policy of time limitation of
the stay of foreign nationals is a right step in this direction of nationalization of labor force. The
nation can follow the example of Bahrain and the UAE that have made a proposal for a “3+3
law”. According to this, the stay of the non- skilled foreign labor is limited to six years. But this
policy alone would not help to increase the employment opportunities for the skilled workers.
According to certain Analysts, this policy is just an extension of the old labor policy and would
help in rotation of the foreign workforce (Qatarization drive takes private firms by surprise,
2008). The people surveyed also believed that the government policies are inadequate to achieve
qatarization goals and objectives.
These countries are heavily dependant on the foreign labor and due to this, there is an
increased threat to the local unemployment. The country should not follow a policy, which is
adverse to its goal of enhancing the employment of their nationals. The countries are reluctant to
risk their competitiveness through increasing the costs of the foreign labor. The main challenge,
in order to reform their labor market is to bring effective governance and enforcement in the
policy of nationalization. The various problems like the prevalent socially accepted workforce
illegality, transparency problems, information dissemination, as well as, the scarcity of law has
made environment, where it is difficult to enforce laws and rules.
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There are various challenges for the government to confront like granting of amnesties to
illegal labor, requirement for cracking down on abusive employers, needs to mend the loopholes
in the system etc. The challenges for the Government cannot come over in short time. The
Government has to be sincerely committed towards this program. The results of the survey also
affirm this fact as most of the people believed that the present initiatives are not enough to meet
the set targets of the programs. There is an urgent need on the part of the administration to put a
sincere and continuous effort, in order to change public and private companies’ perception about
this issue (Qatarization drive takes private firms by surprise, 2008).
The focus of the nationalization process of labor force as indicated in the literature review
is discussed further in this passage. Through this nationalization process, the Government seeks
to enhance the national labor force participation in the major sectors, which were earlier heavily
reliant on the foreign nationals. The participation of national workforce includes females of the
country too. The company is currently facing a huge problem of unemployed growing youth
population. With this program, the Government seeks to increase the employment opportunities
for the country’s youth population. The country through this nationalization of workforce
employed in the oil and energy sector, wants to shift the employment trend to the private sector
from the public sector.
This country of Qatar wants to link this policy of Qatarization with the economic
diversification of the country. The country sensing the various dangerous consequences of the
heavy dependence on the foreign labor is seeking to provide the Qatari nationals with bigger role
and participation in those sectors through this policy. The Government wants to make the
nationals play an important part in management of these companies in the oil and energy sector.
Keys to Success in Public and Private Sector
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In this passage, the necessary features of this program of Qatari Government to
nationalize the workforce, which would ensure success in private and public companies are
discussed. The policies of this program of Qatar’s Government should be designed in the manner
that they should focus on particular aspects of the labor market. In order to remove the loopholes
which the respondents surveyed believed is the major draw back calls for improvement of the
whole process. The policy should be designed in the manner that they link all the aspects in a
complimentary way. The policies should bring some kind of incentive effects upon the main
beneficiaries of this program that is Qatari nationals. It is very important to ensure that the
companies participating in this program should get some kind of incentive too.
This is important, as the reaction of the private companies towards this policy is not very
encouraging. In order to involve them fully, the Government must provide some kind of benefit
to the participating companies. The policies of this program of nationalization of workforce
should be such that they should be consistence with the economic objectives of the program that
are clearly defined. The economic objectives of the program should be downsizing of the public
sector, economic diversification etc. Education system for the labor force should be an integral
part of this program of the Government. Proper education and training is very important, as far
as, the long- term aspects of this policy are concerned (Qatarization, 2009).
The policies of this program should be designed in a way, which should guarantee that
there is a proper distribution of skill and talent in the national workforce. The recognition of this
fact is very important for the success of this policy. The policies of this program should
recognize the need for proper skill distribution of occupations in the country. Human capital
development should be an important aspect of this policy. The success of this policy depends
upon the proper human resource development of the country’s people. There should be adequate
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steps taken for education and training of these nationals. These education and training program
should be designed in conjugation with the needs of the labor market in the country.
The economic vision of the country should be given due importance in the program. The
policies of this program should be such that the economic vision of the country is consistent with
it. The policies designed under this program should not have the following discussed features.
These characteristics of the policies can place obstacles in the path of the success of workforce
nationalization. The policies should not bring upon any sort of labor market distortions in the
country (Successful nationalization, 2007).
These policies like the ‘quota’ and ‘target system’ promote such distortion in the labor
market, which has a very negative impact upon the productivity. The policies should not try to
increase the cost of employment, as it can possibly hamper the competitive advantage, which has
been held by the Qatar nation. Policies should not be such that they aim at picking the winner.
The policies of this program should not be such that they restrict the entry of best talent across
the world in the company, as doing so, can result in loss of certain advantage to the country
(Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).
The role of necessary condition, which facilitates the successful implementation of the
nationalization of work force policy of the Government, cannot be ruled out. The necessary
conditions for the successful implementation of these policies are discussed further in the
passage. There should be presence of all the data, concerning every aspect of the labor market
present in the country. This is necessary because overlooking certain aspects of the labor markets
can hinder the successful implementation of the program.
The Qatar Government should take care to avoid those policies, which worsen the
distortion of the labor market in the country. The Government should clearly understand the fact
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that the proper distribution of talent is very important in any country. The policies should be such
that they focus on improvement of the human capital of the nation. This necessary so that the
national labor force becomes attractive for the employers in the private sector of the country and
they can utilize them in a better way. All these aspects call for the need of a plan, for
comprehensive development of the national labor force (Successful nationalization, 2007).
This can be done with active collaboration with the universities and vocational institutes.
These universities and vocational institutes would help in producing graduates that have
necessary education and skill set to work in the targeted sectors. In addition, there should be
formulation of a national level vocational education and training system for the population of the
country. The education and training system should be made complimentary to each other. These
programs should be strongly linked with the requirement of the labor workforce of the country
(Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).
The policy designed for the country should include the three main stakeholders and their
interest. The three main stakeholder of this process are the employer that includes both private
and public companies; the Government and the Education providers, which include Universities
and providers of vocational education and training. The policies should be designed in a manner
that makes the labor market more ‘efficient’. The policies and program should provide rewards
for the success achieved in this program.
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Chapter7: Recommendations & Conclusions
Recommendations
On the analysis of the research results and findings, it is derived that there are some areas,
which are not yet identified fully, so there is a need to do some extensive study, in order to
handle the key barriers and capitalize the opportunities offered by Qatarization Program. As
indicated by the discussion, Qatar should establish some new programs for the educational
institutes and colleges to motivate their students for the professional courses; and this would
increase their enthusiasms for the private sector. This will help in increasing the proportion of
trained workers and improving their skill set, as according to the current perception derived from
the surve, 65 percent people believe that the Qatari nationals are not well trained for the private
sector jobs. Qatar should reward those oil and gas companies that are performing well in the
direction of the program, in order to encourage for raising the standards of the performance from
being better to best (Qatar Foundation News).
It is recommended through the results of the survey and literature analysis that the
Government of Qatar to promote ‘Quality Qatarization’ by implementing quality practices within
the educational institutes and colleges, as 77 percent respondents believed that the government is
unable to take the required initiatives for achieving the set targets for the Qatarization program.
Qatar should also assist those organizations that are working for the attainment of stated goals
and objectives of Qatarization Program. It should investigate that whether, the Qatari nationals
are satisfied with the program of Qatarization and after it, the changes should be made in the
existing program to avoid any sort of lacking in future. Lack of English language competence in
interpersonal communication is the main barrier of Qatarization program, so it is recommended
to make English as an official language in the oil and gas sector. To overcome the English
Research 72
language barrier, it is also recommended to develop some extensive English language training
program for Qatari nationals. Qatar should also promote relationship between the industry and
universities & the colleges too (Strategic Qatarization Plan).
The discussion also points towards the lack of training responsible for failure of this
program. To combat this hurdle, Qatar should train Qatari nationals to perform the higher
responsibilities and duties of high level positions in the private and Semi-Governmental sector.
The nation should implement some changes in the learning patterns existing in higher
educational institutes, in order to flourish the skills of Qatari nationals to realize the stated goals
and objectives of Qatarization Program. It should also make changes in the existing patterns of
resource allocation of the educational institutes. Besides this, it should develop some innovative
practices and programs to foster knowledge among the Qatari nationals about the operations and
activities of oil and gas organizations of the private sector. This requires some resources to be
invested in the learning programs in order to improve upon the knowledge and skill base of the
Qatari nationals, which will in turn help in reducing the current belief according to which 61
percent people believe that government is not providing the required resources as presented in
the survey results.
Nationalization of the workforce is an important issue pertaining to this problem as
indicated in the discussion; therefore certain step should be taken in this direction. Qatar should
focus on the nationalization of the labor force by considering their importance for the
development and economic growth of the country at the global level, which further will assist the
country to attain the stated aims of Qatarization Program. According to the survey results, a high
proportion of 71 percent believe that the ratio of Qatari nationals is 25-45 percent in the private
sector organizations. This proportion will be improved by nationalization of the workforce. Qatar
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should analyze the policies developed for the nationalization of its labor force to realize the
vision of ‘Qatarization’ in an effective manner, as 67 percent of the survey respondents believed
that the current government policies are not appropriate for realization of the set objectives for
the Qatarization program. It ought to analyze all the social, cultural, technological and political
factors that are responsible for the delay of the attainment of Qatarization targets.
The Country should take some corrective measures, in order to enhance the majority of
skilled labor in the country, so as to place them in the oil and gas industry in a significant
manner. Apart from this, Qatar should develop programs, which are aimed at augmenting the
staffing and planning skills among the workforce, which too will provide aid in attaining a
suitable match between their qualifications with the job requirements of private sector in a
credible manner. Qatar should also make changes in the training patterns executed by the
training institutes to train the fresher about the personality development.
Qatar should hire some professionals for the educational institutes, in order to guide the
students to take participation in the private sector job vacancies. Apart from this, Qatar should
take the help of educational leaders and experts in developing new strategies to improve the
knowledge of Qatari nationals. It should regulate the educational institutes to start some evening
classes for group discussion and case study methodology, which further will aid in developing
critical problem solving skills that is required to confront the challenges posed by the
international level competitions. Qatar should provide scholarship to the needy students to make
it possible for them to continue their higher studies without any hurdle (World Bank, 2004).
Qatar should make changes in the wage system that is considered as the most essential
factor among the labor force of Qatar. Moreover, it should put pressure upon the oil and gas
companies to change their wage policy and make them more attractive, in order to lure the
Research 74
attention of workforce for ‘Semi-Governmental and Private Sector’ to maximize the proportion
of Qatari nationals in these sectors. The nation should also set some standards for the wage
policies to motivate the labor force and attract them for the private sector jobs, to be able to
attain the targets of nationalization program that is a main part of Qatarization Plan. According to
the survey results, 55 percent respondents believed that this programs is of no benefit for the
Qatari nationals, but acting upon the mentioned recommendations will help in improving this
perception and increasing the benefits sought by the Qatari nationals.
Conclusion
On the basis of above research that is conducted on ‘Qatarization Program’ aimed to
increase the proportion of Qatari nationals in the oil and gas sector, it is concluded that the
initiatives taken by Qatar are effective, but are not implemented properly by the accountable
personnel with full devotion and dedication. In order to minimize the impact of barriers and
attain the stated targets of Qatarization Program, it is essential for the nation to allocate required
capital in the educational institutes. It is also essential for Qatar to make differentiation between
those institutes that are performing well in the direction of attaining stated targets of the
mentioned program. And the country should strengthen the activities of those organizations,
which are working for the attainment of Qatarization goals (Marcel, 2006).
It is essential for Qatar to study the educational patterns of more developed nations to
make changes in their educational pattern according to the standards, to enhance quality
education. It is necessary for the nation to make a checklist for the educational institutes, which
are adopting “e-learning” within their education courses. To promote Qatari nationals in the
private and the Semi-Governmental sector, it is crucial for Qatar to motivate the people for the
private sector jobs, which further will assist in placing them at higher positions. It is also
Research 75
indispensable to make the recruitment process of the educational institutes austere, regarding the
teaching workforce, as without their proficiency in their specialized field, it is not possible for
students to gain quality education.
Qatar should reward the mentors and leaders, who have trained the Qatari nationals in
developing competent skills and quality education. Besides this, it should make changes in the
policy development regarding the educational practices, which will lend a hand to the students to
gain in-sight about the negotiation skills required to deal with the private sector in context of
salary matters that is considered as the major motivating factor by the Qatari nationals. The
nation should encourage Qatari nationals to take part in the international quizzes held on the
global issues, which will aid them to acquire knowledge about the pertinent facts and figures
related to the developed nations and their economy.
Realization of the Research objective
The dissertation focused on four research objectives on the basis of which the entire
analysis was done. The first research objective was to look at the various hurdles that are
creating problems for the successful implementation of this program. The literature review
which looks at the various previous researches and articles written regarding this subject, brings
out the various problems plaguing this issue. The main problem is inadequate resources, lack of
coverage, inadequate training and improper implementation. Besides, there are various loopholes
which do not allow the successful implementation of this program. The dissertation has been
successful in bringing out pointing out the various problems faced by this program.
The second research objective was to look at various factors which affect the success of
this Qatarization process in the Semi-Governmental and the Private Sector. The literature review
identifies various success factors by looking at its implementation in various Semi-Governmental
Research 76
as well as Private Sector companies. The success factors are looked by making a comparison
between those companies where it is been successfully implemented and where it is not. In
addition, the available literature on various nations where this process has reaped large benefits
is also looked upon. This helps in identification of the critical factors affecting this process which
are highlighted in the discussion as well as recommendation section.
The third researches objective was to study the implementation of the process, as well at
the changes and success rate of this program in the organization. This research objective has
been looked after by studying the implementation of this process in an organization. Here the
organization was Ras Gas, where this process has been successfully implemented. The fourth
research objective was to looks at various problems surrounding this process of Qatarization
which has been clearly brought out through the survey as well as the literature review.
This dissertation has pointed out the various barriers which are currently creating
problem in the way of its successful implementation. The dissertation brings out the purpose and
objectives of this process as well as its long term perspectives. It highlights the various benefits
that can be achieved if this process is successfully implemented. The dissertation by the
identification of the various critical factors affecting the process tries to identify a solution for
this problem. Overall the dissertation provides rich knowledge regarding the various problems
and purposed solutions.
Research 77
Contribution to the research
The research has proved to be very fruitful and an amazing learning experience for me.
Not only it has helped in augmenting my understanding over the research but also has helped me
to gain various new insights over the events in Gulf nations. But throughout it was not an easy
journey. Initially I faced a number of problems as I was novice in this field. But later with
guidance from my instructors and friends, I was able to complete the research in a proper
manner. I learnt various details regarding the data collection process and how to analyze them. I
made certain contributions to the data collection process by developing the questionnaire. I was
thoroughly involved in dispatching them and collecting the responses. Later on I had analyzed it
too. I gained knowledge how to segregate and review the data from literature available. I
researched numerous books, journals, websites and articles to get credible sources for the
completion of the literature review section. Overall my contribution to the research has been
significant.
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Appendix A
Figure 1: (Source: E learning, 2009)
Figure 2: (Source: E learning, 2009)
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Foreign Vs Native Population
Figure 3: (Source: Gulf States: Labor Policies, Financial Crisis and Security Concerns, 2009)
Figure 4: (Source: World Bank, 2004)
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Figure 5: (Source: World Bank, 2004)
Appendix B
RISK RATINGS Current Current Previous Previous Rating Score Rating ScoreOverall assessment B 37 B 37Labour market risk C 50 C 50
(c) Economist Intelligence Unit 2006
Figure 6: (Source: Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).
Research 81
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