Living in a global village part 2

As I continue my trip, my next stop was the city of Sharjah in United Arab Emirates. Although my trip was very short, I could tell the country is well on its way to become a regional hub for trade and tourism. I have heard so much about Dubai, but I knew very little about the city of Sharjah which is only 20-30km from Dubai. The city airport is a hub for German Airlines “Lufthansa” cargo operation in the Middle East and Africa, the airlines is using the airport as a link of its cargo operation between Europe and Middle East and Africa. The city also had a free-trade zone where foreign companies can setup operation with relatively simple setup procedures.

I was expecting driving in the city would be an adventure, but I was pleased by my driving experience, yes the traffic was heavy, but the flow of traffic was systematic and orderly. The city is also a host of a very large expatriate community from Asia, Middle East and Europe. My first impression of the city was positive and as a global manager, the city is worth another visit to explore business opportunities further.

My next stop was the city of Dubai, due to the official visit of President George Bush to the city; most of the roads were blocked. The next day, very heavy rain hit the city where again the roads were flooded and closed. I wasn’t able to see much of Dubai unfortunately, but again the city is worth a visit for it offers ample business opportunities.

Now I am in India, the country with many cultures, languages and religions. All that we hear about the economic awakening of India is mainly true, although the country has a long way to go; it’s moving rather rapidly with its modernization plans. I have visited India more than 20 years ago; today’s India is much different than what I saw 20 years ago. Someone my suggest that any country would change in 20 years time, that’s not always true, I have been to places where nothing changed dramatically over 20 years. India is not unique in its plans for modernizations, the real challenge is, how many countries will realize their modernizations plans.