Joining the Conversation: Emerging Research Directions in the Middle East (1/2)

Wow! It was a wonderful caucus at the Academy of Management this week. We organised the caucus to, in essence, start to push MENA based research into the Academy (and highly rated journals). We also hoped it would act as a catalyst for new research collaborations - across institutions and internationally. We had scholars from numerous schools, representing almost as many countries as scholars!

Beginning our conversations...

Continuing...

Joining the conversation

I think the one common theme that emerged was that we, as management scholars doing research in and about the large Middle East/MENA region, need to join the conversation with our interesting research problems, stories and contributions to existing theories (and developing some of our own in new areas such as the possibilities of social media in education and more, entrepreneurship, the concept of Wasta, Islamic Finance/management/ethics, etc.)

We started the session welcoming the 17 or so scholars gathered and spoke a little of the progress made by regions and countries such as India, China and more recently Africa and Latin America as they continue their process of entering the mainstream of management scholarly research.

Misconceptions in the mainstream

For many Western based scholars, the Middle East is one big melting pot of people of are Arab and Muslim. For people from the Middle East we know that the term "Middle East" comprises of ancient and new countries, many religions, many languages and many different socio-economic and political contexts. In fact, most Western-based theorists tend to put all issues and research problems "in one cultural basket"... So we know we have a big job ahead of us, to find our voice in the larger academic community, and to help firms, organisations and government organisations understand their problems better and hopefully offer up some long-term solutions.

Areas of research interest

There were many research areas that the assembled scholars were currently working on and ideas given on how to best present our research at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting next year. In general the following main areas were mentioned, Culture/Context, Islamic banking/ethics/management/etc., Entrepreneurship, Management Education, Organisational Development and Innovation.

Each topic of course is worthy of a blog post (at least) to speak about past, current and future research. For now I will just provide a few notes that will be developed over the next few months (deadline for the Academy is early January) into special issues, workshops, symposiums and articles.

Culture/Context

There are a number of ways that were mentioned about using the rich and new "context" to do replication studies of existing theories, about doing special issues of journals, and developing the interesting stories that could have theoretical and practical implications to the wider academic and business community.

The point was made several times that MENA is not one culture and to better understand organisations and the socio-political challenges and problems then a better understanding of regional and individual country context in required.

Islamic banking/ethics/management/entrepreneurship

A large stream of emerging research is looking at the new norms, rules and implications of the application of Islamic principles to traditional Western concepts and ways of doing business. This does not just imply the application of Sharia law - but the application of cultural norms and new ways of doing in Western organisation operating in the region and for indigenous organisation.

Entrepreneurship

No, this wasn't just brought up by me :) Entrepreneurship is an important concept in many of the nations and regions of the Middle East - not just because of the huge youth population, and the alarming percentage of unemployed, but entrepreneurship is seen as a means to develop diversified economies, with enhanced opportunities for citizens and residents of the region.

Management Education

Developing case studies for use in the Middle Eastern classroom, developing case studies of wider interest for Western business schools, the use of new media in the classroom and to a wider audience and the emergence/impact of American and Western style business schools are all topics that are being researched. Of course, more needs to be done and there are many questions that need to be asked... and answered.

Organisational Development/HRM

Organisations, both new and more established, develop in processes that are not dissimilar, and yet are rich in new research problems. Human resource management is also an area of current research - in the Gulf in areas of Emiratisation/Saudisation/Qatarisation where many efforts are being made to include more of the local population into the active workforce - but also in more general areas such as managing in organisations with dozens (and more) languages, cultures, religions and ethnicities under one "roof". Under this theme I would also put leadership studies, in particular we have many researchers at Zayed University working on this and there are already interesting results being disseminated and published.

Innovation

Last, but not least is innovation. Regular readers will know this is a subject dear to my heart and we have published a chapter and an article on this. Innovation is at the heart of knowledge industries, which is where governments in the MENA region are targeting for growth. Innovation is also a founding block of entrepreneurship... In fact, there is a special issue being edited by one of our group - not just for the Middle East of course, but it is edited by researchers who are aware of the context of the region.

Special Issue on Technology Business Incubation Mechanisms is for the Journal Technovation - an important journal for innovation researchers.

About half way through this post I realized that I have material for at least two... so I will leave the advice we got from senior scholars at the meeting on how we, as scholars, can join the "conversation" on management research.

Perhaps by raising awareness in the global academic community about research in the Middle East we can raise more regional and local awareness about the need for funding research... not just so that our universities can raise in the global ranks, or that local populations can increase their own research capacity, but for a better understanding of the context in which we live and work - our problems and hopefully to come up with a few solutions.

The gang is all here (I am represented by my ipad cover - I did that on purpose!)

Developing Emirati Leaders - a presentation at the AOM Annual Meeting 2013

Yesterday I attended the discussion paper session "Do Leaders Matter" as a participating author. It was a great session with great participants. Positive feedback and genuine interest shown by all to improve the presented papers and get them ready for publication in a journal.

The Chair (Gina Grandy; Mount Allison U in red), an author and attendees interested in leadership.

The Chair again, more authors and some more attendees. 

Of the four papers presented, ours was the only one to use qualitative methods... but that was OK :) The presented papers, associated authors and abstracts were (copied from the AOM Program website):

OMT: Bean Counter or Co-Leader? A Contingency Perspective on Leadership Delegation to the CFO
Author: Malte Schulmeyer; RWTH Aachen U.;
Author: Malte Brettel; RWTH Aachen U.;

Recently, scholars started to draw attention on forms of co-leadership. Studies so far focused on the CEO/COO duo. We use contingency and power theory to assess, for the first time, factors influencing the CFO’s co-leader role. Specifically, we argue that under conditions of high industry dynamism, organizational complexity, and limited personal experiences CEOs delegate leadership to the CFO which in turn increases CFO power due to higher influence on resource allocation and strategic decision making in the TMT. Using a 6-year pooled sample of 94 German firms we find evidence showing that the CEO’s experiences as well as complexity arising from the firm’s diversification strategy affect leadership delegation to the CFO and CFO power. In addition, we find a positive main effect of the presence of a powerful co-leader CFO on firm performance.


OMT: How Much Do Leaders Matter? Ownership and Governance as Constraints on CEO Discretion
Author: Jonathan Clark; Pennsylvania State U.;
Author: Chad Murphy; Pennsylvania State U.;
Author: Sara J. Singer; Harvard U.;

Leadership and strategic management research suggests that the extent to which CEOs influence performance largely depends on the presence or absence of certain factors. This research suggests that CEO effects may be constrained by the task at hand, subordinates, the organization itself or by the external environment. A fundamental source of constraint that has received little empirical attention is an organization’s ownership and governance structure—that is, who owns and monitors the organization. In this paper, we outline how different ownership and governance structures can constrain leader influence and empirically examine the extent to which leader effects depend on these structures. Examining organizations in the same industry, but with different ownership and governance structures, our results suggest that these structures are closely aligned with the degree to which CEOs influence firm performance. Our findings support the notion that leaders matter most when institutional logics are weak or ambiguous, contributing new insight into the organizational factors that can constrain leader discretion and limit CEO effects on firm performance.


OMT: The Impact of Founder CEOs on Firm Leadership and External Constituents
Author: Nikolaos Kavadis; Erasmus U. Rotterdam;

This paper draws from theory on authority and prior research on founder-CEOs to explain why founder-CEOs are inclined to centralize decision-making authority, and how they materialize such preference. Further, I propose that founder-CEOs have a positive effect to external constituents with whom they closely interact and the source of legitimacy of their authority become most apparent. Based on a panel of large, publicly-traded firms, the results support the paper’s model.

OMT: Developing a Leader-Apprentice Framework Using Grounded Theory in the United Arab Emirates
Author: Sarah Abdulla Alhaj; National Cybersecurity Authority (NCSA);
Author: Constance Van Horne; Zayed U.;

Using grounded theory, this article looks at the role lived-experiences play in developing leaders, as opposed to formal interventions, as well this study seeks to explore the underlying factors that enable young Emiratis to learn how to lead. The findings are illustrated in a Leader Apprenticeship Framework which consists of experiencing influential encounters, dealing and learning from difficult events, and transforming at the heels of a formal-training programme.

This was a discussion paper session, which means that each author (or team of authors) presents a paper that is not their own and suggests ways to improve it so that it will be ready to send to a journal. Often a conference is the first step to present research results to the wider academic community, to get feedback and constructive advice so that when the researcher returns home, he or she or they can work on the paper to improve the chances of publication. (Yes, it is a long process, but it is a process that has developed over centuries and it seems to work!)

In another blog post I will provide a snap-shot of our article (but I can send you a copy if you email me).... I have many notes to go over with Sarah when I get back to Abu Dhabi, and en'shallah we find the time to get it ready for a journal.

The Academy of Management Meeting is not just about getting a line on your CV, it is about the research process and making our research in academia more robust - and hopefully more helpful to one another and for the communities we belong to.

#AOM2013 Tweetup!

Yesterday was the first Academy of Management tweetup I have attended (although the third organized I believe). Last year I was tweeting, but maybe like many tweeters, too shy to actually attend.

This year I used smile and courage and went... and was the first to arrive! To a room full of food and free beverages. Now for any of you who have visited the Disney Resort complex, you will know that this in itself is a reason to celebrate for all academics (even as an assistant professor I seem drawn to the lure of free food at these things- but at Disney there is no nearby 7-11 to get a 99 cent hot dog - more like a 20$ sandwich!).

Needless to say it was great meeting people I have only "read" or tweeted with... we even had a skyped-in tweep from Denmark - ‏@bogers who I heard is one of the most active #AOM2013 hashtag users!

A nice thing is that on the way to the tweetup (I tweeted I was going) @FidaAfiouni followed me - so I knew there was going to be someone to talk to right away! (and I was right and she is a super nice professor of HRM from AUB)

I met @jendinger who has a super interesting trajectory and is now doing her PhD in the area of disaster relief and the use of crowd funding - and @EmeraldBizMgt who took this great photo!

Photo taken by @EmeraldBizMgt

The tweetup passed quickly, but there was more talking than tweeting!

I realized I got more backsides than front-sides - but I was assured by @entrep_thinking that I captured his best side :)

In fact, we were doing so much talking the bartender was without much business (but I seemed to always have a bottle of water beside me - so I shouldn't complain he had time to deliver!

Empty "open" bar! A never-before-seen phenomena at the AOM!

There were several other people that it was so great to see - and I few I didn't get a chance to meet. @thomroulet congratulations again on finishing your PhD and the new job!

@AOMConnect deserves a special thanks for organizing, double checking wireless connection and skyping in our fellow #AOM2013 tweep. The session was great and I am already looking forward to next year!

Photo credit @AOMConnect

AOM Caucus preview: Emerging Research Directions in the Middle East - Developing Meaningful and Relevant Research Topics

The Academy of Management Annual Meeting is fast approaching! As I catch up reading some super interesting papers that are going to be presented, preparing my own presentation on Emirati Leadership Development, first author a wonderfully brilliant Zayed University Alumni Sarah Al Haj (blog post to follow in the coming days), and sending out email invitations to the caucus we have organised - I thought it would be a good idea to actually write about what the caucus is about!

First, if you are interested in attending and you are registered for the AOM Meeting, we will see you on Tuesday, Aug 13 2013 1:15PM - 2:45PM at WDW Swan Resort in Teal.

Second, we organised this session to talk about (and raise interest in) management research in, on and about the Middle East, where we work and where our students will be future leaders (en'shallah). We would also like to be a catalyst for new research collaborations - across institutions and internationally.

The Middle East is one of world’s fastest-growing regions and perhaps no other region has attracted so much attention and caused so much concern. For AOM members the ongoing economic and social transformations and changes provide research opportunities for scholars based and interested in the region, additionally, in line with the theme of the Conference “Capitalism in Question”, the Middle East provides a rich research context in which capitalism has always been in question by governments and the general population.

(Please note we define Middle East as a cluster of countries including:  (in alphabetical order): Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.)

This first caucus project aims at promoting interest within the AOM for management research within the Middle East and to foster collaborations across regions and universities. It is hoped that this interest will grow and eventually lead to the formation of the AOM Middle East Initiative.

The sheer intensity of changes occurring in the Middle East underline the importance of the complex intersection of history, culture, politics, and religion as they relate to economic development and technological progress in this strategically vital region, such transitions offer management scholars an unprecedented quasi-experimental setting in which to examine theories and frameworks (Zahra, 2011). As recently scholars began to acknowledge the segregation of knowledge created outside the mainstream and the possible contributions of newcomers to existing theory (Barney & Zhang, 2009; Tsui, 2009). DeNisi (2010) suggests that management as a discipline may be on the verge of an important transformation. This is due in part to the rapidly increasing complexity of the field. Most of this complexity, he argues, comes from the increasing globalization and diversity of the Academy of Management.

The caucus will provide a gathering place for concerned AOM members to meet, discuss common research interests and discuss future collaborations. The caucus will be organised as follows:

1. Interested AOM members in research in the Middle East will be invited to provide a one slide research idea “pitch” to be circulated amongst caucus attendees prior to the AOM 2013 Meeting

a. Ideas can come from researchers in the regions with unique data opportunities or from researchers looking to test their theories in a new and dynamic context

2. The Caucus will begin with a brief presentation of the “AOM Middle East” initiative and the current streams of research most popular in the region

3. Following, interested researchers will “pitch” their ideas in maximum five minute presentation

4. Following the “pitches” researchers will then begin informal discussions

It is hoped that this caucus will be the first in a yearly series of such events to build and nurture a research community in the Middle East – one based on rich and dynamic collaborations with other regions and the growth of a vibrant research community based in this dynamic, turbulent and understudied region.

Of course I will be writing a blog post with some of the conclusions... and if you are interested in the presentation and are unable to attend please email and I will send it after the conference.

Hope to see you in Orlando!

Chapter snapshot "Teaching international management in the UAE: Issues and Avenues for Solutions"

This blog post is a snapshot of a chapter I wrote with Kevin Schoepp (also at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi). If you would like to cite this chapter please use the following:

Schoepp, K. & Van Horne, C. 2013. "Teaching international management in the UAE: Issues and Avenues for Solutions", inThe Routledge Companion to International Management Education edited by Denise Tsang, Hamid H. Kazeroony, Guy Ellis, Taylor & Francis.

You can find it here: Chapter 14 Shoepp and Van Horne 2013

I was invited to be part of a Professional Development Workshop for the Academy of Management Meeting of 2010 (yes, this book and chapter has been a long time in development - but that is the research process for you!). I presented my experiences teaching in the Middle East (of course with the focus on Abu Dhabi and the UAE) and offered to write a chapter for a book being edited by a great team of international researchers, Hamid, Denise and Guy.

As I was outlining the presentation into a chapter though I felt something was missing - so I turned to a colleague (Kevin, a fellow Canadian!) who had done the field work for his thesis while at Zayed University, especially looking at the retention of professors (why they stayed, why they left). After a productive meeting we decided to collaborate and the chapter turned into something I think the two of us are very proud of - and part of a book that presents a useful resource for professors and administrators alike.

As the title suggests, we looked at the challenges Kevin had seen in his research and then I wrote of the ways in which I and other professors I admire, worked to overcome them. The particular challenges that professors face with their students surround language, lack of preparedness, motivation, culture and religion, and the gender issue. Classroom solutions that have been implemented successfully to overcome these obstacles are then provided. The importance of being culturally aware, contextualizing topics, and providing opportunities for active engagement in the learning process are key.

Issues and Solutions

Language

In the UAE, students are required to study in English, so higher education is a public system comprised almost completely of second language learners, and in most cases second language learners with limited proficiency. In fact, in 2009 UAE-based examinees ranked 2nd last internationally on the International English Language Testing System, one of the leading English language proficiency exams in the world (IELTS 2009).

This seems grim, but there are ways for professors teaching in the "Majors" or content university courses can combat this. Besides not using idioms in the lecture hall (a particular pet peeve of mine as I tried to erase idioms from my vocabulary after 9 years in Quebec City), learning by doing is what seems to work best, yes there needs to be reading, but it has to be contextualized. For example, case studies need to be written about Just Falafel and not IBM. Also, hands on projects to make the theory come alive is an important tool to combat an oral culture and weaker than desired average English skills.

Also content needs to be marked and NOT just English (many people will argue with me on this, but in the workplace the goal is to communicate and get stuff done, 100% grammatically correct English is not used by most anglophones and should NOT be the main criteria for marking assignments).

Lack of preparedness

One thing that strikes many Western trained professors is the lack of at home work that most (not all of course) that most university students do (or rather not do). However, this lack of "knowing how to learn" goes back to their days in primary and high school. The methods of instruction and the quality of the teachers. This is changing of course with massive investments in education on the part of the Emirates.

In the UAE, business studies are the most popular choice for undergraduates and represent nearly half the student population in the Bachelor’s program at Zayed University. However, the choice of a business education does not mean that there is an overwhelming interest in business, especially international business. There is a general lack of engagement in current events and business which makes providing “real life” examples at times difficult. One solution has been to create links between what is important to them and the importance of knowing about the world around them. 

For example, female Emirati students are very interested in designer handbags and shoes (not exclusively, they just seem to on average have an expert knowledge of this). To be an effective professor, examples are best when they come from the fashion industry. For male students, I have found that teaching strategy or management is best done through soccer, and I often use Manchester City (Abu Dhabi's team). This requires extra effort on the part of the professor, but if our goal is to teach, then the effort is worth it.

Motivation

As the top tier of a rentier state, Emiratis have been able to expect a high level of wealth and prosperity regardless of educational attainment, and with men - traditionally males not interested in an education have been able to turn to high paying jobs in the police or military (Ridge 2009). There has not been until quite recently any external motivation for pursuing an education.

Table 1 outlines the ARCS model of motivation and some of the strategies used in the classroom.

Table 1 The ARCS Model (adapted from Keller, 1987)
ARCS	Related aspects	Management Classroom Strategies
Attention	Perceptual arousal	·         Various projects throughout the semester ·         Mixture inside/outside the classroom activities ·         Use traditions, culture and local companies
	Inquiry arousal
	Variability
Relevance	Goal orientation	·         Provide “bonus” marks in addition to regular credit ·         Use traditions, culture and local organizations
	Motive matching
	Familiarity
Confidence	Learning requirements	·         Provide clear direction, split assignments up into smaller parts ·         Use both individual and group
	Success opportunities
	Personal control
Satisfaction	Intrinsic reinforcement	·         Treat all students equally, regardless of social status ·         Reward with class trips and outside classroom activities
	Extrinsic rewards
	Equity

 

Gender

Although not normally a consideration in Western institutions, teaching across gender boundaries was mentioned numerous times because the public institutions are gender segregated. Though often not a problem, it remained an issue in the minds of the faculty nonetheless. Interestingly in a society which separates the genders in educational settings, faculty often preferred to teach across gender boundaries.

  

The aspects of culture religion and gender are interrelated in the Gulf region. First though, the issues concerning gender are often the first to be noticed in the lecture hall. Dress, is the first thing that is noticed when walking on the campus. Female students nearly all wear long black abayas (a long robe-like dress), which at first glance could look like a uniform. However, abayas are often tailored and express the individuality of the wearer. The same can be said for the males, who wear the traditional kandora (an ankle length long-sleeved garment). These are mainly white and look very similar one to another. However, these too are often different with regards to stitching, the cute, the tailoring and the accessories. A closer look is required to see the difference and then it is possible to see the differences at a glance.

Culture and religion

Of course respect for culture and religion is paramount to success for a professor in this region and the influence of culture and religion are very strong in the class. In fact, many concepts can be “taught” through the perspective of religion. For example, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a new concept in the Middle East, however, that does not mean that philanthropy is non-existent. In fact, philanthropy is a large part of the culture through the religious principle of Zakat, where a portion of wealth is given to the poor each year.

A basic understanding of the Muslim faith is helpful to effective teaching. Not only does it show respect, but it demonstrates a willingness to learn, which in turn is a powerful motivator for students to learn. Knowing the basics will help in knowing the right questions to ask when started discussions and bringing up new concepts and ideas.

I think what both Kevin and I wanted to demonstrate with this chapter that, although there are challenges and unfamiliar issues for the Western trained professor, facing these challenges can be a rewarding experience - and in the end will only make us better professors. 

Working on this chapter with such great researchers from close to home to across oceans was a joy. Thank you Kevin (co-author extraordinaire!), Hamid, Denise and Guy (wonderful international team of editors) for bringing this project to fruition. Research and publishing the results of research is not a linear process, but having great team mates makes the process quite bearable indeed!

Thinking of Strategy by Looking at the Past: 1960s Farewell Arabia Assignment

A few weeks ago (yes, I am a horrible marker and put it off as long as possible, even when I am curious as to what students think) we watched a video in class (above to watch) call Farewell Arabia. It documents the first years of Sheikh Zayed's reign as the ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (before the UAE was the UAE).

The assignment was to watch the video, watch what strategic tactics (or tools or methods or habits) were used by Sheikh Zayed and write a one page mini-essay of how they could be modernized - or if modernization was necessary! Most of the students had seen the video before (I have seen it several times before of course, I used it when I taught Leadership and in previous Strategy classes we just watched it and had discussions).

Through the pages chicken scratch (I say that with love of course) there was wisdom, pride and a deep understanding of the importance of maintaining the past and their heritage in building the future.

There were clear themes of how they understood that Sheikh Zayed worked at achieving his ambitious vision for the Emirate and later the country. They were, his clear vision, balance, strong communication skills, development of education, healthcare and infrastructure and the importance of heritage, culture and religion.

Clear vision

The first was that they all saw that the clear vision of what could and would be was the guiding light in all the decisions that were made. Also this vision was clearly communicated to citizens and to the experts that were brought in to advice, educate and build.

Balance

They saw and heard about the difficult balancing act of maintaining and holding on to the past and developing for a better, more prosperous future. This balance led to tolerance, gathering information from a variety of sources and making decisions with care and love.

Strong communication skills

Each student spoke of the daily meeting or majalis where really anyone could come and speak with Sheikh Zayed, to air grievances, ask for assistance and for any reason really. These are still held today and also twitter is used by many Sheikhs today to communicate ideas, decisions and hopes for the future with citizens, residents and the twitter sphere in general. Of course communication is more about listening than speaking - and my students made this clear to me.

Developing education, healthcare and infrastructure

Many students talked about the ways in which education (for both boys and girls) was a priority right from the beginning - of course it still is and now there are universities in the country and many scholarship opportunities for going to the best universities in the world for graduate and post-graduate degrees. Healthcare is also still a priority - and while the old traditions seem to be losing ground to modern medicine, there is still many wise women and men who practice the old ways. Ports, airports, highways and linking the people within the country and linking the country to the outside world are still priorities - and decisions in the past (and now) are made for decades in the future, not for next year.

Heritage, culture and religion

Above all, the students said that Sheikh Zayed was a Muslim and also a man of the desert, and with a strong love of tradition, poetry, and the old ways. The students all expressed the fears of too much modernization and losing the old traditions - and it all goes back to balance doesn't it?

Yes, this semester has really focused on traditions, traditional industries and looking at the past to help us build the strategies of the future. This semester is not done yet - I am not sure what will be next, but you are sure to hear about it shortly after I experience it.

Ajman Arabian Sand Stables: another adventure in learning strategy through experience

*Updated* here is a video of the after dinner traditional singing: Video

You must think we do nothing but field trips! This semester has been field trip full - but really they are done without missing classes, believe me (or ask the students) there are plenty of boring ppt presentations they need to suffer through and reading and writing and thinking!

Yesterday we went to Ajman, one of the smaller Northern Emirates, to visit a horse ranch. Of course, nothing is as simple as that and the following narrative through photographs will introduce you to another glimpse of the wonderful Emirati culture.

For regular readers I know you are beginning to see patterns in the strategic fundamentals of these traditional industries - if not, no worries I have and intend to spend some time writing this summer about it. Most likely academic writing, but maybe some blog writing too!

Without further blah, blah, blah here is the story!

Canadian water, Canadian timbits, excellent driver :)

Arriving in Ajman, didn't recognize my students dressed in Western clothing!

Ajman has lots of green and smells very fresh :)

The BEST legaimat I have ever tasted, thank you to all the Moms who are spoiling us with delicious food!

Emirati donut hole vs. Canadian legaimat!

I need the recipe for this! Seriously wanted to bring the leftovers home!!!!

We couldn't go from the house to the farm like normal people - I  rode in the dune buggy through the dunes. Sand EVERYWHERE - scary, but I even rode back so it wasn't that bad :)

Stuck (yes, there is a theme of getting stuck in the sand on these trips!)

No tow rope - so they used what was on hand - or on their heads!

This is sooooooooooo not going to work!!!!!!!!

Push!

Go this way - turn turn!

More digging, sun setting! 

Yippee!

Thomas - might have bucked me off because I scared him when he scared me!

The gang!

Horse feed!

Saddles...

The stables

Wow - pretty horse!

Hay from the US - the hay from Sudan gives the horses worms!!!!

Tack - the farm (like the camel farm) is so well organised! 

wonderful moment - camel rancher talking to horse rancher about medicines, traditional and Western!

Where we were!

I bet she is wondering when we are leaving....

Preparing the bbq! (Yes, no trip is complete without a diet busting meal or two or three!)

Yousef reciting one of his poems...

Soooooooo yummy!

And the oud and drum come out after the meal to cap a wonderful trip!