Industry
The industry of trade and logistics is one of the fastest-growing areas of the UAE economy at present. Indeed, according to a recent report, a consistent rise in the domain of trade and logistics has been witnessed in the UAE over the past few years (United Arab Emirates – Market overview, 2017). The specified phenomenon can be attributed to the increase in the number of opportunities for multicultural collaboration. In the context of the contemporary globalized economy, the UAE is viewed as an international logistics hub (Sundarakani, 2017). Therefore, the industry of trade and logistics has been experiencing continuous growth over the past few years, with new opportunities emerging for the companies operating in the specified environment regularly.
Organization
The UAE Ministry of Economy (ME) views the management of key economic processes and transactions in the environment of the state, as well as the active promotion of economic growth, as its key mission. With the emergence of the global market, where interactions between international organizations can occur, the UAE ME has gained a range of opportunities for further growth, yet it has also faced significant challenges that may hamper its further progress.
Much to its credit, the UAE ME has been using the most innovative, state-of-the-art approaches to maintain the quality of its services high (Jayaraman, Colapinto, Torre, & Malik, 2015). According to a recent report, the performance rates in the organization have been growing due to the application of innovative technology (Mondal, Hawila, Kennedy, & Mezhera, 2016). As shown in the graph below, the focus on quality management and the exploration of opportunities for international partnerships has had a significant effect on the UAE trade and logistics industry (see Fig. 1).
Key Quality Processes
Auditing can be deemed as one of the essential processes that occur in the context of the organization. The recent improvements made to the auditing processes allow attracting foreign investors and creating the environment for consistent progress. It should be borne in mind, though, that the rise in quality standards will require increased commitment rates among the staff member. The use of bi- and multilateral levels of quality analysis contribute to a significant enhancement of the outcome efficacy (United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy, 2017). As a result, the services delivered by the UAE ME remain consistently good.
Quality Process Analysis
At present, the lack of a coherent quality assurance mechanism seems to be the primary area of concern for the UAE ME. The specified problem is linked directly to the HR issues faced by the organization, especially as far as the promotion of engagement and loyalty among the employees of the UAE ME is concerned.
Indeed, a closer look at the framework deployed at the organization will reveal that, while being rather effective, the tools utilized by the organization are not used systematically; instead, they seem to be incorporated into the UAE ME’s framework in a rather incoherent and chaotic manner. While one must give the UAE ME credit for applying the latest state-of-the-art approaches for managing quality processes, the lack of understanding of how these strategies can be incorporated into the context of the organization and, therefore, become part and parcel of its philosophy is truly glaring.
It would be wrong to insist that the UAE ME has been failing to deliver the products of the required quality to the UAE population. Quite on the contrary, the management of key trade-related processes within the state has been executed rather successfully. That being said, the current approach needs enhancement so that the UAE ME could define the amount of control that it needs to exert in the realm of the UAE economy. As a result, the process of controlling trade-associated issues will become less rigid and, thus, lead to greater flexibility for the organizations operating in the environment of the UAE economy. Consequently, a significant rise in economic growth rates is expected.
Recommendations
It is suggested that a shift in the leadership framework and the tools for motivating the staff members should be viewed as the key direction in which the UAE MA should improve. The importance of maintaining quality standards high should not be forgotten, either. It is also strongly recommended that the principles of the Total Quality Management (TQM) framework should be deployed at the organization. While it would be wrong to claim that the identified approach is brand-new, it creates the foundation for the further promotion of the consistent improvement in the context of a company. In other words, positive change is viewed as part and parcel of a company’s development and the key catalyst for its economic growth. Therefore, the TQM framework must be deployed into the environment of the UAE ME realm (Pyzdek & Keller, 2014).
Furthermore, the incorporation of the iSixSigma principles as the tools for the further promotion of change in the context of the organization should be deemed as a necessity. With the adoption of the said framework, particularly the DMAIC tool, one will be able to exert control over the alterations that will occur to the environment of the organization. As a result, more rigid supervision of corporate processes, in general, and the ones that are linked directly to the quality management, in particular, will become a possibility (Pyzdek & Keller, 2014).
A change in the current value system of the organization, however, should be viewed as the most important step toward maintaining the quality of the provided services at the required level. By shifting toward the idea of providing the consistent support to staff members, as well as giving them an opportunity to engage in the consistent professional growth and acquire new knowledge and skills, the UAE ME will be able to invest in its staff and, thus, promote a steep rise in job satisfaction levels (Munir & Rahman, 2016). Consequently, the overall performance level and, thus, the quality of the end product, will rise significantly.
Conclusion
By creating the environment in which its staff members will feel inclined to contribute to the organization’s growth, UAE MA will be able to retain its quality standards and continue managing economic processes in the UAE market. At present, it is essential for the UAE ME to focus on creating opportunities for the professional growth of its staff. For this purpose, the DMAIC framework should be deployed to ensure that the process of a continuous change should be launched in the environment of the organization.
The promotion of the TQM framework should also be viewed as an important step toward improving the quality of the services provided by the organization. By using the specified tool, one will be able to create the philosophy of continuous improvement in the organization, thus, compelling its members to engage in the [process of continuous and unceasing knowledge acquisition. As a result, the UAE ME will invest in the consistent professional growth of its employees, therefore, improving the quality of its services massively.
References
Augustine, B. D. (2017). UAE GDP expected to grow in excess of 3.5 per cent in 2017-2020.Gulf News. Web.
Jayaraman, R., Colapinto, C., La Torre, D., & Malik, T. (2015). Multi-criteria model for sustainable development using goal programming applied to the United Arab Emirates. Energy Policy, 87, 447-454.
Mondal, M. A. H., Hawila, D., Kennedy, S., & Mezher, T. (2016). The GCC countries RE-readiness: Strengths and gaps for development of renewable energy technologies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54, 1114-1128.
Munir, R. I. S., & Rahman, R. A. (2016). Determining dimensions of job satisfaction using factor analysis. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37, 488-496.
Pyzdek, T., & Keller, P. (2014). The Six Sigma handbook (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Sundarakani, B. (2017). Transforming Dubai logistics corridor into a global logistics hub. Asian Journal of Management Cases, 14(2), 115-136.
United Arab Emirates – Market overview. (2017). Web.
United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy. (2017). Actions. Web.