STRATEGIC FACTORS IN SMART CITY DEVELOPMENT: SURVEY EVIDENCE FROM PRIVATE SECTOR OF UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.

The development of smart cities is an area of great strategic relevance. However, it has received scant attention in the literature. This study seeks to enrich literature by providing survey evidence related to the role of private sector in building up smart cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Interestingly, the UAE has been making incessant efforts to transform its cities by using smart technologies with astonishing speed. Empirical evidence gathered through a survey exercise indicates that smart human capital development and smart Management Information System have positive effect on competitiveness and sustainability of living conditions. Smart performance indicators have positive effect on sustainability. Further, strategic planning has very strong direct positive effect on smart performance indicators. However, the SEM model used in this study shows insignificant relationship between smart performance indicators and competitiveness. It also reveals insignificant relationship between strategic planning on one hand, and smart human capital development and Smart MIS on the other. The relationships revealed in this study would be of interest to decision makers in the UAE and elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]