PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the reasons why the employment of Emirati females in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not currently realizing its potential.Design/methodology/approachA literature‐based study that employs a framework adapted to predict the incidence of the employment of female nationals in the UAE. This gives rise to an analysis of reasons why this employment is not achieving the predicted level.FindingsThe study indicates that cultural factors are largely responsible for inhibiting the level of employment of Emirati females in the UAE.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper presents a focused literature study and does not contain the first‐hand accounts of Emirati females both employed and not employed. It does, however, provide the basis for obtaining such first‐hand accounts in future studies.Practical implicationsThe study indicates that in a rapidly developing economy such as that of the UAE, cultural mores may take some time to catch up with the speed of economic development. Government leaders need to be aware of the need for cultural adaptation to take place before their plans for development can be fully realized using nationals as the driving force for these plans.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the few attempting to assess the effects of culture of the incidence of employment of female nationals in the UAE.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has estimated that Canadian households waste 85 kg of food per person annually. Food waste has become an increasingly common focus for policy, regulation, interventions, and awareness-raising efforts in Canada. However, there is still a relative dearth of data to inform such decision-making processes or to provide narratives to contextualize behavior change efforts. In this paper, we describe the results of an uncommonly detailed observational study of household food waste. A total of 94 families with young children living in Guelph, Ontario chose to participate in this study. Over the course of multiple weeks, we collected data on their food purchases, food consumption, and waste generation. All three streams of waste (garbage, recycling, and organic waste) were audited and the food type, degree of avoidability, and weight of each individual component of the organic waste stream was recorded. Using this highly granular data set, we found that the average household in our study generated approximately 2.98 kg of avoidable food waste per week. This estimate was then contextualized in terms of economic losses (dollar value), nutritional losses (calories, vitamins, and minerals) and environmental impacts (global warming potential, land, and water usage). In short, weekly avoidable food waste per household was calculated to be equivalent to $18.01, 3,366 calories, and 23.3 kg of CO2. These multiple valuation frameworks, which are based in detailed observations of family food behaviors rather than estimations derived from system-wide data, will enable more informed and urgent conversations about policy, programming, and interventions in order to reduce the volume of wasted food at the consumer level.

Drawing upon the scant literature on women's entrepreneurship in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this paper explores the motivations of women business owners in the country based on 10 in-depth interviews. Considering the patriarchal socio-cultural environmental context associated with the Middle East, a number of surprising dynamics are highlighted in the specific case of the UAE. Growing numbers of women graduates and businesses are observed, which suggests that the historical silence among this group is gradually being broken and that changes in government policies and the socio-cultural environment are the key drivers behind this evolution. The paper will benefit both scholars and government agencies interested in the dynamics of women's entrepreneurship in the UAE and, by extension, the Arab world.

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PurposePreparing today's students for success and eventual leadership in the new global marketplace is one of the most important responsibilities in education today. This study seeks to represent the first, in‐depth analysis of future entrepreneurs and to show that its results indicate that the investment in entrepreneurship education is valuable.Design/methodology/approachA primary survey was conducted among first‐year Business Studies students from Australia, Portugal, Finland, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, the UK and the UAE. There were a total of 860 students, of whom 510 were female respondents. A five‐point Likert scale was used for each question and mean scores were generated from the ranks.FindingsResults indicated that the majority of students possessed entrepreneurial attitudes. Furthermore, both student characteristics and entrepreneurial experience were found to be associated with certain entrepreneurial attitudes. The results show that the young female students in Dubai are positive regarding the role that universities can play in fostering their interest towards entrepreneurship, for their education and as the incubator for their new venture.Practical implicationsSignificant scope was found for promotion of entrepreneurship in the education system in the United Arab Emirates. Emirati female students showed a high inclination to become entrepreneurs, provided that they undertook a specialized entrepreneurial Business Program. This research shows that students have a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship and it provides evidence, which urges action to advance entrepreneurship education globally.Originality/valueBoth academia and practitioners have increased their efforts in promoting an entrepreneurial mindset within society. However, only a few studies have investigated entrepreneurial attitudes among students. This research shows that students have a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship and it provides evidence which urges action to advance entrepreneurship education globally.