Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies

Al Ain Dairy: managing demand and supply

Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan
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 Al Ain Dairy: managing demand and supply
Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan
Melodena Stephens
Balakrishnan is an
Associate Professor
of Marketing in the
Faculty of Business and
Management, University of
Wollongong in Dubai,
Dubai, United Arab
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Emirates.
This case was written by
Dr Melodena Stephens
Balakrishnan. It was prepared
using company information and
interviews and its intention was
to provide material for class
discussion through publication.
The author does not intend to
illustrate either effective or
ineffective handling of a
managerial situation. The
author may have disguised
certain names and other
identifying information to
protect confidentiality.
Case Courtesy of UOWD
Business Case Study Centre
and AIB-MENA.
Disclaimer. This case is written
solely for educational purposes
and is not intended to represent
successful or unsuccessful
managerial decision making.
The author/s may have
disguised names; financial and
other recognizable information
to protect confidentiality.
Copyright q Balakrishnan
2011.
DOI 10.1108/20450621111192807
Kingston Fernandez, Head of Sales, Al Ain Diary was looking at the proposed sales plan for the
next two years. He was planning a target that would exceed his current sales value. The prediction
of sales volume is difficult and challenging to master for especially in the Ultra Fresh business.
Projections are commonly made on the historic behaviour of natural market growth. By taking into
consideration the present economic conditions as well as market stability it is possible to make a
detailed calculation of market growth. The market expansion of reputed hyper market chains,
development of more community areas and residential complexes are also key factors that is
taken into consideration when projecting sales volumes. Al Ain Dairy, a 30 year old pioneer
company in the cow and camel milk category is one of the industry leaders in United Arabs
Emirates (UAE). The company was poised for growth as demand was exceeding production
capacity. They had invested millions to significantly increase the production capacity and to
strengthen the future production security and were still operating at 100% capacity. Newer
markets were being considered like Oman which meant more demand. The potential world
market for camel milk alone is US$D 10 billion (Detrie, 2010). How was Kingston going to
accurately predict sales volumes to ensure their customers are not disappointed?
1.1 Al Ain Dairy: poised for growth[1]
Al Ain Dairy initially began in 1981 to cater to the local UAE markets demand for fresh milk.
Their vision is to be recognized as the preferred choice of dairy products of households in
the Emirates through milk and juice innovation and the offering of a wide variety of
high-quality safe products at affordable prices. As the UAE economy grew so did its
population and consumer demand for both cow and camel milk as well as other dairy and
juice products. Figure 1 shows key milestones Al Ain Dairy achieved from 1981 to 2010.
Al Ain had three farms and over the last three generations had developed successful
husbandry techniques so that they were no longer reliant on importing livestock to
strengthen their herd. The original Holstein Friesian breed of cow was originally imported into
the Middle East and great care had to be taken to ensure that this breed, which was used to
grazing on the green hills of Europe, would integrate sufficiently to UAE weather conditions
as well as maintain the high-volume production they are favoured for. Al Ain Dairy had
worked hard to develop successful husbandry techniques that enabled the farm to be
completely sustainable in terms of breeding. So much so, they steadily increased their
livestock count on a yearly basis and have managed to maintain 5,000 heads of cattle from
its original count of just 200. Al Ain Dairy also had a camel herd with 2,500 heads and are fast
become recognised as experts in the field of camel breeding and camel milk production.
Al Ain Dairy sources 70 per cent of the milk from its own farms and 30 per cent from ten local
independent farms. The Al Ain farm currently produces 210,000 L of milk and up to 80,000 L
of juice per day. The fruit concentrates for their deserts and juice variants are imported.
The factory was currently running two shifts a day and managed 40 different types of
product and 110 stock keeping units (SKUs). In 2011, they were expecting five new
products to be launched and a similar number of new products to be launched in 2012.
For example, in 2011, coinciding with Ramadan, they launched the cardamom milk and date
milk variants in 500 and 250 mL. Managing profits in the fresh dairy business is a difficult
VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011, pp. 1-8, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2045-0621 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 1
 Figure 1 Al Ains new brand campaign
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challenge since expiry levels are always fluctuating, based on climatic conditions, seasonal
changes, market conditions and economic swings. In the ultra-fresh business, inventory
management is critical as raw material prices fluctuated based on seasons and supply
and demand is conditional on many factors.
The organization is in the process of revitalizing it brand strategy which will aid in market
penetration and facilitate expansion. Kingston is actively working with Ms April Dawn Hobbs,
the PR and Marketing Manager, to execute a broad marketing and PR campaign and to
fine-tune various business development channels based on sale volume projections. April
says, It is a very exciting time at Al Ain Dairy. Following three decades of continued growth

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PAGE 2 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011
 in the dairy industry we are now poised for further growth and development that will enable
the company to proceed to new levels in production and consumer choice. We look forward
to increased brand presence in the coming year with what will be considered to be quite an
aggressive marketing campaign. We are firmly setting our sights on more diverse market
segments and to securing an increased market share from our local and international
competitors. We will find new ways to fully engage with our consumers in the coming year.
All of our efforts will be firmly focussed on achieving this and to developing the brand in
accordance with the vision and mission of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating
Officer (see Figure 1 for example of current branding and promotion campaigns).
In 2011, only two companies in the UAE produce camel milk Al Ain Diary and the Emirates
Industry for Camel Milk. Recently, there has been a strong global increase in demand for
camel milk and there is no doubt that Al Ain Dairy was actively preparing for this increase in
national consumption through the significant investment in state of the art camel milking
parlour to facilitate increased production. Al Ain Dairy has been highly active in the
supporting the UAE camel milk market and has been increasingly asked to contribute its
expertise and experience to the wider GCC market. Estimates show there is a tremendous
demand for camel milk worldwide because of its health properties (Detrie, 2010). As a result
of this exposure Al Ain Dairy is poised for further growth and plan to develop a wide range of
camel milk products for the local a new potential national market.
The ultra-fresh business demands the highest of safety standards. Al Ain Dairy has been
awarded the ISO 22000:2005 certificate for its efforts to control food safety hazards.
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The certification ensures Al Ain Dairy now complies with the international Codex Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. This means a new system approach
rather than product approach, backed by better planning and improved documentation,
which enables easy identification of food safety hazards and aides in implementing control
measures. For the last three decades Al Ain Dairy has successfully led the way in terms of
technology in order to maintain its policy for achieving excellence, quality and safety in all
aspects of its operations and have worked hard with the best possible global technology
partners to achieve this. Al Ain Dairy plans to make further investment that will be phased in
the coming year and will concentrate efforts on further quality and safety award standard
achievements.
Al Ain Dairy is also working on reducing its carbon footprint through a number of strategically
planned initiatives and to integrating a policy of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
throughout its corporate culture. Al Ain Dairy are in the planning stage of some fairly
ambitious sustainability projects that will demonstrate its long-term commitment to the
environment, to food security and to the UAEs sustainability to feed itself and to the
consumers who really care about this topic Al Ain Dairy will also through actions and deeds
demonstrate that it is also a good corporate citizen. They already recycle water and use it to
irrigate their many acres of land at the farm and for other non-commercial purposes. Table I
shows key milestones Al Ain Dairy achievements.

1.2 Factors affecting demand

Milk is sold in the following SKUs 1 gallon, 2 L, 1 L, 12 L, 250 mL, 200 mL. The larger two
sizes of milk and 500 mL size are staple best sellers particularly in summer as they are mostly
consumed by families. The one shot packs (500, 200 and 150 mL) are normally consumed
by bachelors, school children and are bought as impulse products. Volumes fluctuate
slightly in the cooler months where volumes increase in summer, which begins around April
in the UAE and the temperatures can soar as high as 508C, which pushes the demand up for
one-shot milk and juice products by 30-40 per cent. On the other hand, high temperatures
affect cow milk production volumes, which generally decrease by around 5 per cent. This is
a global trend, experienced the world over during the summer months but more so in the
soaring temperatures of UAE and the Middle East. At this stage, when demand exceeds
supply for fresh milk, Al Ain Diary outsources it milk supply. They source fresh milk from the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is transported by refrigerated trucks by land; but this milk is
expensive and can increase input price by up to 30 per cent. The challenge going forward is

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VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES PAGE 3
 Table I Al Ain Diarys key milestones (1981-2010)
Year Milestone

1981 Al Ain Dairy farm was established, commencing operations with a herd of 200 imported Friesian cows. Later this year, the milk
processing plant was inaugurated to supply consumers in the UAE with locally produced fresh milk and yoghurt products
1985 Increased its herd to 500 milking cows and a second farm was opened at Seih Al Dai
1988 Third farm commissioned at Seih Al Sulimat and an additional 500 heads of cattle were added to the herd
1990s Period of rapid expansion and growth of the dairy industry as a whole in the UAE. Al Ain Dairy led the way by constructing a
new dairy processing plant which allowed volume expansion and an increased variety of new products
1996 Merger of Al Ain Dairy Farm with Al Ain Poultry Farm and the formation of a new company Al Ain Farms for Livestock
Production. Under the directives of the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, almost 54% of the shares of the new
company were given to 7,600 low-income UAE citizens
2001 A new processing plant came into operation, boasting a state-of-the-art technology and a capacity for production of up to
100,000 L of milk per day. Al Ain Dairy also began to implement a series of product and hygiene safety measures, culminating
in the award of the HACCP certification. Al Ain Dairy became a founder member of the UAE Dairy Association. After many
years of charitable activities and donations, Al Ain Dairy also formally implemented the Al Ain Dairy in Society CSR
initiative
2002 First dairy to introduce recyclable PET packaging across its range of milk and fresh fruit juice products
2003 Takes full control over operational logistics and the distribution network was undertaken by Al Ain Dairy, allowing the dairy to
deliver directly from the dairy to all major retailers and consumers throughout the UAE
2004 Inaugurates a new state of the art dairy farm and corporate headquarters at the Al Foha site. With an increased herd of cattle,
the new efficient farm allowed the dairy to yield the highest output in comparison to any other farm in the country. Al Ain Dairy
was also the proud recipient of a certificate of appreciation from the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence award
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2005 AI Ain Dairy launched its first Farm Fresh convenience store, which quickly expanded to four shops in Al Ain area with the
proposition of offering the full range of Al Ain Dairy and Al Ain Poultry products to the nation. May 2005 also saw Al Ain Dairy
achieve one of the highest commercial accolades in the UAE, by again winning the prestigious Sheikh Khalifa Excellence
award
2007 In order to facilitate the distribution of Al Ain Dairy products in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, a sales and distribution hub
was opened in Dubai to store a variety of fresh products to be distributed throughout the Emirates
2008 Al Ain Dairy becomes the first dairy farm in the GCC to install the BactoScan system. In terms of performance and operations
efficiency, the machine was a revolutionary step in elevating bacteria-testing processes to the highest international
standards
2009 Al Ain Farms for Livestock Production was awarded the prestigious Emirates Quality Mark Award by the Emirates Authority for
Standardization and Metrology; a testament to the companys continuous efforts to provide customers with quality products
that meet the highest national and international standards
2010 Al Ain Dairy receives the ISO 22000 (Food and Safety) Certification from SGS making it the first UAE Dairy to win this
accolade
2011 Al Ain Dairy makes significant investment in its plant and machinery by investing in new state of the art British milking
technology. The introduction of the new camel milking parlour strengthens its future camel milk production security as the
company braces itself to meet the fast increase in demand nationally. For camel milk. Al Ain Dairy steps up its investment into
research and development to develop new product ranges to meet growing consumer demands and tastes. Al Ain Dairy now
boasts cow herd of over 5,000 and camel herd of 2,500

to find a way to increase production during the summer months so that sales are not
affected. This gap between demand and supply create massive challenges for Al Ain Dairy.
Profitability is affected when the demand is not correctly managed since low supply will
result in customer buying competitor products and excess supply will lead to a loss of sales
and therefore wastage.

Refreshing fruit juices are in demand consistently all year but Al Ain Dairy experience an
increase in demand during the summer periods. Input raw material costs are subject to
fluctuation due to the seasonal fluctuations in demand for the fruit pulp concentrate that is
imported to make up its fruit juice variants. The pulp for the juice production is imported from
the highest quality sources in the USA, India and Thailand. Long-life juices (small pack
sizes) are often consumed as a snack and are a favourite with children for their packed
lunches. The product itself can be sensitive to high temperatures, so Al Ain Dairy factors this
into their research and development (R&D) of new variants and its associated packaging.

Another factor affecting demand is the season of Ramadan. This is the holy month of fasting
for Muslims. It is a time of abstaining, fasting and charity. Muslims will not eat anything from
sunrise to sunset. Typically during this month, the first week will see a heavy demand for milk

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PAGE 4 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011
 (increasing demand by 22 per cent). This demand sharply tapers off during the second
week. Market figures for consumer demand during this period show that acidic juices do not
do well but sales juices rich in sugar soar. Milk products like yogurt and laban (local
buttermilk) are in always demand (up to 10-15 per cent) and are a Ramadan favourite as they
are also used in cooking. Each year, Ramadan moves backwards by about 11 days
depending on the moon; thus, over the next two years Ramadan falls during summer. During
summer, many expat families go back to their home country which helps to naturally manage
demand (when production traditionally tapers) especially as a majority families come from
the Indian subcontinent.

The UAE market which has a size of 8.26 million residents and the main nationalities are
Indian, Pakistani and Arab expatriates (Khaleej Times, 2011; National Bureau of Statistics,
2011) of which 78 per cent is urbanized. The 2008 economic downturn affected sales with
many companies and Al Ain Dairy was not immune to the economic crisis with the company
experiencing a 15-20 per cent drop in sales in the quarter litre and half litre milk and juice
packs category. This drop was felt largely in part due to the departure of huge sections of the
expat community and consumers from the traditionally low income groups such as
construction workers. The year 2011, experienced another economic downturn with USA
Debt being downgraded to AA from AAA by Standards and Poor (Appelbaum and Dash,
2011), however, sales at Al Ain Dairy have been consistent across the entire Al Ain Dairy
family of product as they work hard to position the brand on the supermarket shelves in an
increasingly challenging market. Summer consumption volumes are also affected by
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economic conditions and the political stability of the region. In 2011, with the political
instability affecting the MENA region resulting in the Arab uprising, families from those
affected countries continued to remain in the UAE causing a subtle shift in populous adding
to pressure on demand.

The shelf life of milk as determined by Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority[2] is five days,
20 days for juice and eight days for yogurt. After the expiry date, the products are brought
back to Al Ain Diary where they are disposed of in an economically friendly way keeping the
strictness adherence to food safety. Profitability is also affected when the supply exceeds
demand as it leads to wastage. Managing the sales cycle to maximise sales and minimise
loss and wastage is, therefore, a huge challenge for the head of sales.

The UAE has the highest production cost for milk as there are no government subsidies.
In addition to this, the selling prices are fixed from the UAE Ministry and the average SKU
size needs to be stringently met and maintained. This presents substantial challenges to
both marketing and sales when it comes to positioning this local brand against multi-national
brands such Al Marai[3], a global brand from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which receives
subsidies from the government and is available in the local market.

Further, the livestock are fed on the highest quality of imported fodder from Europe, North
and South America, with a fluctuating cost that is can be volatile. The welfare of their
livestock is an absolute priority at all times, since a happy cow is one that produces more
milk. Al Ain Dairy works hard to ensure their livestock are comfortable, cool, lazy and happy.
Since cows are sensitive to heat, Al Ain Dairy installed a specially designed cooling system.

Cows are creatures of habit and maintaining livestock presents many additional challenges
since they are highly sensitive to changes in routine and to changes in their human tenders.
Managing personnel becomes an important part of dairy farming. As Pat ODwyer, the Farms
Manager[4] reinforced how critical it was to maintain routine for cows as they are milked four
times in a day, and this routine had to be repeated at the same time, every day, throughout
the year. Camels produce 1/5th the milk production of cows and are more sensitive than
cows to any external milking stimuli and, therefore, it is a critical challenge to find a way to
increase milk production in camels. Al Ain Diary was working with British technology partner
Fullwood Limited a global company that specializes in designing and manufacturing milking
equipment for the worldwide market for the last 70 years, to install their new state of the art
milking parlour for the camels.

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VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES PAGE 5
 One way of managing supply and demand is by controlling the supply chain and distribution
channels by monitoring the buying habits of consumers. Before the mall culture existed in
the UAE, consumers purchased their milk from smaller retail outlets. Now consumers have
shifted in a big way towards malls and hypermarkets. Al Ain Dairy knows that traditionally the
main household shopping purchase is often made immediately following month end salary
transfer and is generally made at hypermarkets. As the month progresses and there is strain
on cash flow once more, most purchases are made via smaller retail outlets in favour of credit
lines available to them there. For Al Ain Dairy, the supply of those needs has to be tailored
accordingly. Al Ain Dairy meets the needs of both hypermarkets as well as smaller retail
outlets according to the demand and fluctuations of such demand during the sales cycle.
Long-life milk is a bulk commodity, the sales of which only fluctuate during the Holy Month of
Ramadan when demand. During winter when production increases, Al Ain Dairy converts its
fresh milk to long-life milk in order to prepare for the increase in demand come the summer.
Currently in the UAE, Al Ain Diary has 6,000 customers hypermarkets, petrol bunks,
smaller supermarkets and some key accounts. Al Ain Diary enjoys the highest numeric
distribution values which can be broadly divided as the fresh milk and fresh juice category
which has a market share of 60 per cent for milk and 40-45 per cent for juices. There is
always a strong preference in this market for fresh milk. Al Ain Dairy has a 38 per cent market
share in the UAE in 2010 (Yousef, 2010). About 70 per cent of the camel milk is consumed by
a single customer and this product is much in demand. The United Nations (UN) Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) say that the potential world market for camel milk is around
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US$10 billion (Dh36.7bn).

Since 1992, Al Ain Dairy has mainly focused on three major categories of dairy and juice and
dessert products:
(1) Dairy products: all types of milks, laban (a popular regional yogurt based drink), stirred
yoghurts, set yoghurts, drinking yoghurts and camel milk. These are produced in
various forms of full fat and low fat.
(2) Juice products: pasteurized juices with various flavours including orange, mango, apple
and mixed fruits.
(3) Chilled dairy desserts: this is a newly developed product range which includes various
flavours of layered stirred yoghurts as well as chilled desserts such as custard cre`me
and cre`me caramel.
Table II lists the various SKUs they have and their retail price. The target audience is mostly
mothers from 20 to 40s as well as young children for juices and flavoured milk and teenagers
and young adults for their morning drink including the Cappuccino or Morning Drink
(a muesli-based yogurt drink).
The UN FAO say that the potential world market for camel milk is around US$10 billion
(Dh36.7bn). Al Ain Dairy meets 56 per cent of the UAEs dairy demand (in 2009) and holds
38 per cent of the market share according to the latest AC Nielson market report (Yousef,
2010). Al Ain Dairy currently controls 14 per cent of the juice market. The fresh milk and fresh
laban is priced at AED 5/L, Camel milk is AED 9/L; flavoured milk is AED 5.50/L and Long-life
milk (UHT) is AED.3.50/L. Small-size desserts and juices begin at AED 1.00.

1.3 Future sales plans

For Kingston, the challenge is to plan sales over the next two years to ensure continued
growth through the management of key accounts like the hypermarkets and large retail
chains. It is the job of marketing to ensure the brand has a strong presence in the market.
Kingston is also concerned with minimizing wastage and the strict management of the
supply chain and distribution channels. He firmly focuses on the numeric distribution
ensuring blanket coverage of the market. Kingston stays on top of wastage and distribution
and says Availability of the right product in the right place at the right time and at the right
price is essential for running a healthy and profitable dairy business he continues,
Our customer is king namely the retailers who are responsible for a massive volume in

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PAGE 6 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011
 Table II SKU and retail price
Product Sizes Flavours

Desserts 125 mL, 100 mL Vanilla dessert, cre`me caramel, fruits of the forest, chocolate custard,
vanilla custard
Life style products 500 mL, 250 mL Raspberry drinking yoghurt, peach apricot yoghurt, strawberry
yoghurt, fruit of the forest yoghurt
Health drinks 250 mL Cranberry apple, peach apricot, blackberry apple
Benecol 500 mL, 100 gm Plain
Long-life juice 1 L, 200 mL Pineapple juice, mango nectar, orange, apple, cocktail nectar
Juice 2 L, 1 L, 500 mL, 250 mL, 200 mL Mixed fruit, apple, red orange, carrot, mango, guava juice (2 L not
available), pineapple (2 L not available), fresh lemon mint (2 L and 200 mL
unavailable)
Flavored yoghurt 380 gm, 150 gm, 100 gm Strawberry yoghurt, fruit of the forest, yoghurt, peach apricot yoghurt
Low fat yogurt 400 g, 170 g Plain
Full cream yogurt 4 kg, 2 kg, 1 kg, 400 g, 170 g Plain
Al Ain Up (yogurt drink) 225 mL(pack), 250 mL Plain
Laban low fat 1 L, 500 mL Plain
Laban full cream 2 L, 1 L, 500 mL, 250 mL Plain
Milk 1 L, 250 mL Flavored banana, strawberry and chocolate milk, rose milk (only 500 mL)
Milk full cream vitamin A 2 L, 1 L, 250 mL, 200 mL Plain
and D added
Fresh milk double cream 1 L, 500 mL Plain
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Calcium rich low fat milk 1L Plain

Camelait camel milk 1 L, 500 mL, 250 mL Plain
Skimmed milk 1L Plain
Low-fat milk 1 L, 500 mL, 250 mL Plain
Long-life milk 1L Plain
Flavoured long-life milk 200 mL Strawberry and chocolate

turnover of our products. We also give priority to our consumers the people who buy our
products and who are very brand loyal to Al Ain Dairy. We are close to our consumers and
listen to what they have to say about our products. This ensures that we stay ahead of the
competition and keep on track with our research and development into new products that
keeps pace customer demand and taste. Thats why we claim Al Ain Dairy is Close to You.
Mr Shashi Menon, Chief Operating Officer of Al Ain Dairy has made his future operational
objectives clear. He comments, Al Ain Dairy continues to pursue its vision to be recognised
as the preferred choice of dairy and fruit juice products by households in the Emirates. Our
mission is also to maintain the tradition of excellence we started 3 decades ago. To maintain
excellence in customer service, to lead the dairy industry in milk innovation and to offer
consumers a wide variety of high quality safe products at affordable prices. To create
accurate sales forecast, recap the key points Kingston needs to consider and incorporate in
demand projections.

Notes
1. For background on Al Ain Dairy, read Balakrishnan (2011).
Keywords: 2. Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, available at: www.adfca.ae/english/pages/home.aspx
Retail/sales management,
Supply chain management 3. Al Marai is the largest integrated dairy food company in the world. More information is available at:
www.almarai.com
and forecasting,
Marketing strategy, 4. Pat manages all cows, the calf house, young stock, dry cows, milking parlour, health and welfare, as
International business well as breeding and feeding of the cows.

Additional reading
Appelbaum, B.A. and Dash, E. (2011), S & P downgrades debt rating of US for the first
time, New York Times, August 5, available at: www.nytimes.com/2011/08/06/business/
us-debt-downgraded-by-sp.html?_r 1

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VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES PAGE 7
 Balakrishnan, M.S. (2011), Al Ain Diary: market expansion, Emerald Emerging Markets
Case Study, available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/case_studies.htm?articleid 1917122&
showpdf
Detrie, M. (2010), Europe may soon get taste of camels milk, The National, July 5,
available at: www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/europe-may-soon-get-taste-of-camels-
milk
Khaleej Times (2011), UAE population up by 65% in four years, Khaleej Times, available
at: www.uaeinteract.com/docs/UAE_population_up_by_65_in_four_years/45002.htm
National Bureau of Statistics (2011), available at: www.uaestatistics.gov.ae/ReportPDF/
Population%20Estimates%202006%20-%202010.pdf
Yousef, D.K. (2010), Al Ain Dairy eyes regional exports, Gulf News, July 16, available at:
www.gulfnews.com/business/opinion/al-ain-dairy-eyes-regional-exports-1.654961.

About the author

Dr Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan is an Associate Professor of Marketing and the MBA
Program Director in the Faculty of Business and Management, University of Wollongong in
Dubai. She is the Founder and Chair of the Academy of International Business Middle East
North Africa Chapter. She is a Regional Editor for Emeralds Emerging Markets Case Study
Collection and the Editor for the book series Actions and Insight. The first book: Actions and
Insights: Business Cases from UAE was published in December 2010. Dr Stephens
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Balakrishnan won the UOWD Teaching Excellence Award in 2009. Her areas of research are
place branding and development (multimarket studies), crisis management, service marketing
and customer relationship management. She has published and won multiple competitive
research grants in these areas of research. She was a finalist in the ITC Staff Awards Australia
(2010) Exceptional Leadership by a Female Staff Member. Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan
can be contacted at: melodenabalakrishnan@uowdubai.ac.ae

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PAGE 8 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES VOL. 1 NO. 4 2011