Multi-sectoral Growth in Education, Health, and Industry

Over the last few decades, United Arab Emirates has merged as one of the fastest-growing nations in the world. With its policy of very affordable taxes, the country has been able to attract huge foreign investments as well as being able to become a regional center for trade and business. The success has been possible due to its vast oil resource, open market economy policy, and rational management in both state and institutional levels leading to limited disputes between businesses. As such, to cope with the challenges of the rapid development witnessed in the country, there has risen the need for professional expertise in public relations.

Accordingly, the paper evaluates the growth of public relations in the United Arab Emirates and areas that it may need to improve, Public relations started to experience growth in the nineteen seventies when the country started experiencing growth in all sectors of the economy. In this period, the county experienced exponential growth in primary education, vocational education, higher education, health, communication, and industrial sector.

This followed the expansion in the oil market and the government’s emphasis on the importance of the general population becoming literate. To take advantage of the exponential growth in the country, numerous international public relations firms such as Pan Gulf PR and Gulf hill opened up branches in the country. In the dawn of 19805, United Arab Emirates was experiencing a big expansion in its public relations with up to 63 percent of government departments and other institutions in the country having public rations department In the nineties, the country became an international media center with media organizations such as CNBC, CNN, and Infiniti setting up broadcast facilities in the country thereby poising the country for international attention.

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Moreover, in the field of telephony, the number of fixed lines expanded to over 1.1 million, mobile lines rose to over 33 million, and a number of internet subscribers rose to about three hundred thousand users.

Resultantly, to improve public relations, the country enacted numerous polices geared towards increased press freedom and reduced censorship. Moreover, with increased competition in all sectors of the economy, private, public sector, and commercial service organizations realized the importance of public relations needed to guarantee them success in the country Among those that drew large success from strong public relations include Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Emirates Airlines. According to Kirat (2006), there are numerous pillars resulting to the growth of PR in United Arab Emirates. Kirat notes that with the rapid growth in higher education in the country, numerous universities are now offering education and training in Public relations. As such, there has been an increase in number of public relations professionals available in the country to help cope with the rapid development in the nation.

However, Badran et al. (2003) notes that the courses heavily lean towards mass media, new technologies, and advertising. As such, Taylor (2001) notes that the country needs to undertake deep research into the field in order to address ethical issues in PR professionals as it imperative in the future growth of the field.  The second pillar in the growth of PR in the country has been the high level of professionalism in the county In 2001, PR firms in the country formed the Middle East Public Relations (MEPRA) in a move to complement the growth of PR industry in the country.As of 2012, MEPRA’s website boasted of almost a hundred member PR agencies in the country. Out of the one hundred members, 22 were registered agency members. As former MEPRA chairman noted, the agency helped create awareness in the field of PR thereby raising the level of professionalism and ensuring adherence to the PR code of conduct.

High level of economic development driven mostly by the private sector also forms another pillar revolutionizing public relations in the country. According to a 2006 World Trade Organization repot on UAE trade practice and polices, UAE economy is generally liberal thereby promoting private property and free movement of goods. Consequently, Kirat (2006) notes that most of the private agencies in the country used own in—house PR department or outsourced the services from Public relations multinationals The result was proliferation of public relations agencies in the country leading to growth of public relations in the country.

Concurring with Kirat remarks, Rebecca Hill, former MEPRA CEO, maintains that since 2006, the demand for PR professionals in the country was in its highest with a wide range of nationalities and skills vying for the positions.  But despite the rapid growth in the country, one main issue still hamper the growth of PR in the country. According to Taylor (2001), media will continue to pose PR professionals in the country as the state continue to dominate media ownership and content notes that United Arab Emirates government continues to own and control most of the broadcast and print media. Resultantly, the control levelled on content by the government makes it more difficult for PR to comment on matters such as national security, public policy, and affairs of the ruling family.