Counterfeit Forum

The First Arab Consumer and Brand Protection Forum (www.arabworldprotect.com) will be held from Oct. 19 —21, in Jeddah, with the support of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, according to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. The Arab League and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry are organizing the forum in association with Hemaya Universal, a private sector organization pioneering brand protection and anti-counterfeiting operations in the Arab World. The secretary general said the forum would propose recommendations to protect consumers in the Arab World and Arab economies from the ill effects of piracy and counterfeiting. Dr. Mohammed ibn Ibrahim Al-Tuwaijri, assistant secretary general of the Arab League for economic affairs, issued a call at the press conference for the Arab World private sector to participate in the forum. The forum has the support of international institutions in the forefront of the anti-piracy cause, including the World Customs Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization.

Emaar Industries

Emaar Industries & Investments’ CEO Dr. Ahmad Khayyat has commented on the GCC’s corporate governance advancements and highlighted the potential for the region to act as a global benchmark. Emaar Industries & Investments (EII) is the leading private joint stock company aimed at capitalizing on the growth potential of the manufacturing sector in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Dr. Ahmad Khayyat’s comments come on the back of last week’s research study conducted by a leading global asset manager, which concluded that “emerging markets are still lagging behind practices” in more developed economies. However, Dr. Khayyat is adamant that the region is on course to raise the standard of corporate governance in emerging markets. “Despite the concerns regarding corporate governance in emerging markets this region is developing at a rapid rate on a number of levels. For example, Emaar Industries & Investments has ensured that not only within our organization but throughout all of our subsidiaries, there must be an elevated standard when it comes to transparency, accountability and business conduct,” says Dr. Khayyat.

Bonyan

Bonyan International Investment Group, a real estate company of Dubai, has announced the launch of its “Eye of Ajman” project, an AED3.5 billion community development spread over 6.27 million sq. ft. and comprising 109 multi-purpose plots. Located along Emirates Road in the Al-Hamidiyah area, the development is Bonyan’s first project in Ajman will comprise residential, office, hospitality and retail plots. The project is an accessible community development, which comprises well-appointed plots to provide an outstanding site for mixed-use developments, with a strategically outlined network of roads to facilitate smooth traffic within the city. The developer has allocated plots to accommodate the construction of projects that vary from (G+5P+17) to (G+9P+60), and adequate planning has been undertaken to ensure that all plots enjoy stunning lake and gardens views with ample parking spaces allocated to residents and visitors alike.

Gulf Companies

Finding the flexibility in business operations, and injecting your organization with innovation, are the only ways left for Gulf companies to differentiate themselves from countries like India and China, according to Edward de Bono, a foremost creative thinker. “It’s no longer good enough for organizations to find better ways of following the same old routines,” said de Bono. “What is needed is a new degree of flexibility, a system that’s open to innovation and suggestion, not merely a repetition of the methods of the past. “The old efficiencies and standards of excellence still apply. The problem is that our organizations are no longer able to compete with the emerging giants of India and China, where they are able to do these things better, at a lower cost.” De Bono will be teaching some of his patented lateral thinking techniques in person during an exclusive one-day event in Bahrain, entitled Maximizing Creativity and Lateral Thinking to Deliver Strategic Success, on June 1. During a similar event recently, participants came up with 21,000 new ideas during the day.

Siemens

By creating the new design study “Gigaset Eco Visions,” Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices (SHC) has taken a further step in realizing their vision of stylish and environmental-friendly cordless phones of superior quality. The first two concept phones out of this series, “Solar” and “Leaf”, were introduced at the Gigaset Press Day 2008 in Windsor. The phones have been engineered to be eco-friendly in terms of design, technology, materials, and characteristics throughout the entire product lifecycle — from manufacturing to recycling. The Gigaset Eco Visions design study is a direct result of SHC’s environmental excellence strategy and strives to create environmental-friendly, yet stylish cordless phones to make “eco” both accessible and desirable for consumers. Gigaset Eco Visions give ECO DECT shape using futuristic, yet existing technology.

Ford

The quality of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand vehicles soared to the top of the charts equaling that of Toyota and Honda, according to the first quarter 2008 US Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study conducted by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. The study shows Ford’s domestic (US) brands improved 8 percent versus last year with a combined average of 1,284 things-gone-wrong (TGW) per 1,000 vehicles during the first three months of ownership. This performance is statistically equivalent to the 1,250 TGW level of Honda and Toyota. “Last year we tied with Toyota, and this year our quality performance is as good as industry-leading Honda’s too,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. “Our world-class quality is one of the most important aspects of our turnaround in North America.

OQYANA

OQYANA World First, the first fully master-planned elite island community of the “The World” development of Dubai, has unveiled the final master plan of its $5 billion groundbreaking project, during the recent Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2008. A large-scale model of OQYANA World First, which covers the continent of Australasia, was showcased at the event, emphasizing the new lifestyle and engineering features of the final master plan. Among the latest additions include a Yacht Club & Dive Centre, a Reef Lagoon, an Outdoor Performing Art Center, a Waterfront Promenade with central canal for outside dining venues and boutique shopping, a state-of-the-art ferry terminal, and an iconic hotel with a private beach.