University of Dubai concludes Entrepreneurship and Business Plan Development workshop

Dubai, UAE (June 23, 2011) - The Center for Management & Professional Development (CMPD) at the University of Dubai (UD), a prestigious university in the UAE established by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has concluded the "Entrepreneurship and Business Plan Development" workshop for 19 women entrepreneurs who successfully trained on business management skills.

A ceremony felicitating the participants was held recently at the Dubai Chamber with three of the participants receiving awards for the best business plans. The three month training is part of Joint Venture for Finance & Entrepreneurship (JVFE), which was established in January 2005 as a joint venture between UD and the Citi Foundation.  The JVFE aims at addressing the entrepreneurial qualifications of women through specialized and focused workshops.

Dr. Omar Hefni, President of UD, said: "JVFE has proven to be a unique proposition designed to address UAE's labor market need for the right talent, and to enhance entrepreneurial skills. The Entrepreneurship & business plan preparation workshop has opened doors for not only Emiratis but also expatriate women who have now got closer to realizing their dreams of a small start up. This initiative is an evidence of the city foundation's social response to the communities in which they operate."

Usha Saraf, Manager, CMPD at University of Dubai said: "I can proudly say that this is a one of a kind program being delivered in this region. Although it is the seventh consecutive year, the content of the program has evolved considerably with every passing year making it more relevant, practical and hands-on with full applied content. The rigor of the program demands that participants as well as the trainers (who are industry practitioners) are pushed to yield results and the quality of the individual business plans submitted speak for itself. It is extremely rewarding to be instrumental in enabling the women to realize their potential and in turn contributing directly to the economy of the country."

The program covered topics such as screening of business ideas, understanding the industry and competition, elements of marketing and understanding how consumers buy, importance of cash management, product pricing, various marketing dimensions, how to do simple market research, cash flow management, financial planning, business plan development, putting the plan to work, and looking at ethical and legal concerns as well as the regulatory environment. 

This year's program expanded its training activities to cover further workshops on how to Become A Highly Effective Women Leader and how to Effectively Use Social Media as a Marketing Tool, among other topics.  These enable entrepreneurs to develop essential management and life skills, and to access the greater women entrepreneur network in the UAE.

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About the University of Dubai
The University of Dubai was established in 1997 by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry to address skill and qualification gaps in the workforce and to support the government's human resources development programs in the private and public sectors.   Degree programs offered by the University of Dubai are recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research in the UAE.  The degree programs in the College of Business Administration are: Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting, Finance and Banking, Management, Marketing, Human Resources Management, Entrepreneurship Management, Supply Chain & Logistics Management and Business Economics.University of Dubai launched MBA in 2010 to prepare business leaders and professionals for successful careers in organizations. MBA with Dual concentrations in Leadership & Human Resources Management, Finance & Accounting, Operations & Logistics Management, and International Business and Marketing.  The College of Information Technology offers the degree of Bachelor of Science in Computing & Information Systems with concentrations in Enterprise Information Systems, Information Systems Security and Electronic & Mobile Commerce. The College of Business Administration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and only 5% of business schools worldwide hold this prestigious international accreditation and the US is the first private university in UAE to earn such accreditation in 2009 .In addition, the Computing and Information Systems program offered by the College of Information Technology is accredited internationally by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the USA and the UD is also the only university in the ME to earn such accreditation.  These two international accreditations position the University of Dubai as the first private university recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to earn such accreditations. For more information, visit our website: www.ud.ac.ae or call +971 4 224 2472 Ex. 606/609.

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© Press Release 2011