Discussion during Employer Appreciation Luncheon on Campus

Dubai, January 26, 2017. Dr. Assad Farah, Associate Professor of Management at the American University in Dubai (AUD), recently presented Strategic Human Resources: The Link Between HR and Organizational Performance, during a luncheon organized by AUD Career Services, hosting Human Resources representatives from both local and international companies based in the UAE.

Dr. Farah explained that people were prime contributors to the creation of competitive advantage in today’s organizations, commenting that as people were the direct receptors of Human Resource policies, it was important to look at HR as a strategic function.

He went on to compare Administrative HR with Strategic HR, explaining that the former was a function that primarily dealt with personnel administration with the purpose of controlling people’s behaviors, and that the later was a strategic system that positively influenced people’s behavior with the goal of enhancing organizational performance.

According to Dr. Farah, the implementation of a strategic HR system requires an understanding of the HR performance link. He explained that first HR policies needed to be designed in line with employee needs, but that it was the way these policies were implemented in practice that really mattered. “Positive perceptions of HR practices mean that those practices are projecting trust, care for wellbeing and fairness from the organization towards its people. Such perceptions often translate in enhancing attitudes, and employee attitudes in turn, have a direct influence on their discretionary behavior at work, a prime contributor to organizational performance.”

Dr. Farah finally stressed that research demonstrated that a proper implementation of a strategic HR system generally lead to positive employee reactions and consequently, higher organizational performance.

Director of the Office of Student Retention and Success Mrs. Tala Makhlouf commented, “throughout the year, we liaise with regional and multinational companies, creating a business network to offer employment and internship opportunities for our students and alumni. We hosted this event not only to personally thank our most strategic partners for their continuous support, but to initiate discussions between academia and HR officers in the UAE on improving organizational performance, ultimately leading to the improvement of the jobs available to our graduates.”

Thanks to the efforts of the Career Services team at AUD, and through a series of activities and events held during the semester, the AUD student community and companies are brought together with the aim of a mutually beneficial collaboration, ensuring that the university’s talent is employed by the market leaders.

“Our efforts have certainly paid off, as our students were recently voted among the 150 most employable in the world1,” boosts Makhlouf proudly. “It is our goal to couple our graduates with companies who implement strategic HR policies, as this is how competitive advantage is developed.”

AUD thanks the following strategic partners for their continuous support and for joining the luncheon: Arla Foods, Azadea Group, Boeing, Chalhoub Group, Choueiri Group, Coca Cola, Dior, DU, Emerson, Expo2020, General Electric, Golin, Huawei, InternsME, J. Walter Thompson, Keller Grundbau, KPMG, L'Oreal, Mashreq Bank, PwC, SEL Middle East FZCO, Tanmyah, TECOM Group, and Unilever.

About AUD
The American University in Dubai (AUD) is a private, non-sectarian institution of higher learning founded in 1995. It serves UAE nationals and international students who seek world-class career-oriented education. AUD, as an international institution of higher education, encourages global understanding by providing an atmosphere of cultural diversity and opportunities for an international education.

AUD is officially licensed by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The Ministry has accredited the university’s programs in International Studies, Business Administration (both undergraduate and graduate), Communication and Information Studies, Engineering, Architecture, Visual Communication and Interior Design, Education (graduate), and Construction Management (graduate), in addition to a Certificate program in Middle Eastern Studies.

AUD is permitted by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

AUD is accredited in the USA by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges (COC) to award Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.   

AUD is approved to operate by the State of Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (NPEC).

AUD has received specialized accreditation for its Bachelor’s of Business Administration (B.B.A.), and Master’s of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree programs in business through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE).

The university’s undergraduate majors in Marketing Communications and Advertising have been accredited by the International Advertising Association (IAA) in New York.

The Civil, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Programs of AUD’s School of Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

 The Bachelor of Communication and Information Studies program, with majors in (1) Digital Production and Storytelling and (2) Journalism is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC).

The interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).

For more information, please visit www.aud.edu  

For more information, please contact
Marketing Communications Office
American University in Dubai
T. +971 4 318 3105
E. marcom@aud.edu
1 http://aud.edu/news_events/en/view/1467/archive/

© Press Release 2017