Paper short abstract:

The paper is based on post-doctoral research on Nordic companies in the Arabian Gulf. Highlighting Norwegian and Emirate cases, the paper approaches oil as catalyst for identities, visions and perceptions that frame ideas of business success, development and sustainable futures.

Paper long abstract:

The paper is based on ongoing post-doctoral research on Nordic companies as they move to the Arabian Gulf to establish business in energy and sustainability sectors. Highlighting Norwegian and Emirate cases, the paper approaches oil as catalyst for identities, visions and perceptions that frame ideas of business success, development and sustainable futures for societies at large and the national economies alike.

Before 1971,the UAE did not exist as a country on the world map and its history, culture and people were known to few. Since the discovery of oil in the 1960s,the country's impressive oil and gas revenues have enabled them to build ultramodern infrastructure,to construct high level of welfare, to increase population and to attract entrepreneurs from all over the world. With sustainability challenges increasing rapidly, however, the UAE has started to focus on diversification of the economy, investing substantially in cleaner energy sources. Diversification of the UAE economy and energy mix present good opportunities for Norwegian technologies, along with the possibilities in the oil and gas sector. While clean energy is the promised future, the UAE alike Norway continues to accelerate the development of the oil and gas sector — the financial life-lines of their economies — that plays a crucial role in realizing countries' overall development agenda. Despite its relatively small size, the UAE houses most of the Norwegian companies in the Gulf, from Norway alone more than 200 companies are present in the UAE, mostly in the oil and gas sector.