Labour migration in the Arab Gulf states: patterns,trends and prospects

This paper presents an analysis of recent changes in the scale and characteristics of non-national migration to, and employment in, the 6 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. In 1985, the size of the workforce in the Gulf States was 7.1 million. Non-nationals comprised 68% (in Saudi Arabia) to almost 91% (in United Arab Emirates) of the workforce. 63% of the non-nationals were from Asia. Non-national Arab workers represented 30% of the total. In 1985, 36% of all migrant workers came from India and Pakistan. Almost 30% of the non-nationals were employed in services (financial, personal, and community), and almost 29% were in construction. Non-nationals dominate 3 sectors: construction, manufacturing, and utilities. Non-nationals account for a relatively low 55% of the oil sector. The phenomenal rate of growth in non-national workforces during the mid 1970s began to slow in the 1980s. Labor permit issues peaked in the late 1970s and again in 1983-84. The timing and scale of the decline varies by sending country and by destination, reflecting variations in the rate and extent of the economic slowdown in different GCC states, as well as relative wage rates, occupational composition, and organization of the various labor flows. For example, Indian case worker placements fell by 49% between 1983 and 1986, while the number of Filipinos placed fell by 15%. During the 1980s, most Gulf states have increased efforts to enforce labor and residence regulations, but the number of illegal workers has continued to grow. During the 1st half of the 1980s, demand for non-national labor increasingly turned towards new supplies in South and Southeast Asia, notably Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, an increasing share of Arab and South Asian workers were renewing their work permits, often on less favorable terms. The construction sector has had the greatest decline in new labor inflows; however, the service sector is still growing. Wage rates have fallen an average of 20-30%, and up to 45% since 1983. Since 1985, about 615,000 non-national workers have left. Southeast Asian labor has been most acutely affected by the sharp downturn in economic activity. By 1990, the non-national workforce should decline to 4.36 million, but then it will increase slowly. The number and share of Southeast Asians will rise.     

Usage of public restroom lounges as support systems by elderly females

The common stereotype of elderly men whiling their time away on park benches illustrates the important concept of public social spaces, that is, places which act as support systems serving to anchor a person's identity and providing physical and/or emotional support. This paper examines the usage of public places by a different segment of the population—elderly females in an urban setting. Eight ladies' restroom lounges in four large department stores and the elderly women spending time there were observed in a northern midwestern city. The findings suggest that for these elderly ladies, the restroom lounges were serving as public social spaces. The physical character of those lounges, their social context, and patterns of use by various females were examined.     

Benchmarking small companies on the internet

The World Wide Web offers tremendous opportunities to high growth SMEs, but successive research studies have shown that significant business benefits are not being realised. This paper reports the results of the first comprehensive study into web adoption and usage by SMEs in Northern Ireland. It confirms broader research into SME adoption and usage of the World Wide Web and suggests that, if SMEs are to realise the full potential of the Web, they must think globally, act strategically and learn from competitors.     

The Cloth of Field of Gold: Material Culture and Civic Power in Colonial Ibadan

The article focuses on a political controversy which occurred in Ibadan, a city in south-western Nigeria, during 1939. At face value, the contentious issue was a particular design of damask cloth. Ruth Watson suggests that the controversy was actually far more complex and argues that it cannot be understood unless one develops an historical reading of political culture in the city. This reading explores the cultural/symbolic meanings of political practices and how, at certain times, these practices served to generate material forms of civic power.     

The Federal Constitution as Viewed by the Newspapers of 1787

The purpose of this study was to describe a group of fifth grade students as they engaged in process drama during their social studies class. The author found that students who engaged in process drama learned to combine texts to understand and create new texts. As they became engaged in the material, students collaborated with each other and became leaders in class while honoring the cultures they studied in their social studies textbooks.     

Strategie- und Organisationsentwicklung in KMUs – von der Abstraktion zur Konkretisierung

Despite the importance of strategic measures for organizational development in small and medium sized companies, it often remains quite difficult to integrate such activities. Access to consultancy and continuing education on offer in this field is being impeded by lack of resources, such as time, personnel and finance, as well as by the abstract nature of the theme itself and the lack of familiarity with this learning and counseling situation. Three fields of tension are focused on: Teaching and learning as a management of contradictions, strategy between myth and reality, and the role that tools play in working with strategies. Against the backdrop of the experiences in a project that combined elements of research, counseling and continuing education the article points out challenges for institutions promoting economic development, for entrepreneurs, and for researchers or consultants in such a context.     

Developing Responsive Preventative Practices: Key Messages from Children's and Families’ Experiences of the Children's Fund

As part of the prevention and social inclusion agenda, the Children's Fund, set up in 2000, has developed preventative services for children at risk of social exclusion. Drawing on a large qualitative dataset of interviews conducted in 2004/05 with children, young people and their parents/carers who accessed Children Fund services, this article analyses key practices and approaches valued by children and parents. These included: specialist support tailored to individual support needs, family‐oriented approaches, trusting relationships with service providers, multi‐agency approaches and sustainability of services. Finally, the article draws out key lessons for the future development of preventative services.