A fleet of 10 helicopter taxis will be available nationwide from 2008 to transport Dubai executives from A-to-B in an effort to beat congestion.
Car Taxis (the company offering the service) are hoping to roll the service out to the rest of the UAE in 2009.
Hmm, do you think anyone would notice if my taxi expenses suddenly went up in 2008!
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
INSEAD opens up in Abu Dhabi
Insead, which already has two campuses in France and Singapore, has opened a centre for executive education and research in Abu Dhabi School Dean Frank Brown commented, “Our presence in the Middle East will be a tremendous advantage to Insead. The knowledge we build there will contribute to enriching our teaching and research activities to the benefit of all our participants. Thanks to the centre, we have an opportunity to have a huge impact on a region that is so important to the rest of the world for many different reasons.”
The new centre will offer both company specific and open enrolment programmes for executives, with a focus on the Middle East. Its inauguration ceremony was held in September at the Emirates Palace Auditorium. His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “INSEAD’s move into the GCC’s executive education and development sectors is a landmark development for the region’s local and expatriate business communities. It also serves as a vivid demonstration for the UAE’s growing importance as a global business centre, and is in line with Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming an internationally recognised venue for higher education and cultural destination.”
INSEAD’s first open enrolment programme for the region will be the Managing People in the Middle East programme, in April 2008. The INSEAD Global Leadership Centre is planning a study on the leadership characteristics of successful women and executives in the Middle East. There will also be a focus on the area of healthcare, with a collaborative research programme which aims to health sector research and promote thought leadership and provide top-tier health sector management education.
The new centre will offer both company specific and open enrolment programmes for executives, with a focus on the Middle East. Its inauguration ceremony was held in September at the Emirates Palace Auditorium. His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “INSEAD’s move into the GCC’s executive education and development sectors is a landmark development for the region’s local and expatriate business communities. It also serves as a vivid demonstration for the UAE’s growing importance as a global business centre, and is in line with Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming an internationally recognised venue for higher education and cultural destination.”
INSEAD’s first open enrolment programme for the region will be the Managing People in the Middle East programme, in April 2008. The INSEAD Global Leadership Centre is planning a study on the leadership characteristics of successful women and executives in the Middle East. There will also be a focus on the area of healthcare, with a collaborative research programme which aims to health sector research and promote thought leadership and provide top-tier health sector management education.
Friday, 23 November 2007
UK Taxes vs. Dubai Taxes
No brainer!
Live in the UK and pay Income Tax, Corporation Tax, VAT, Capital Gains Tax, National Insurance, Inheritance Tax, Stamp Duty and more.
OR
Live in Dubai and pay no Corporation Tax and no Income Tax.
Hmmmmm?
Live in the UK and pay Income Tax, Corporation Tax, VAT, Capital Gains Tax, National Insurance, Inheritance Tax, Stamp Duty and more.
OR
Live in Dubai and pay no Corporation Tax and no Income Tax.
Hmmmmm?
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Building Profits
Just been reading about Damac Holding, one of the UAE’s largest residential property developers. The company has 79 housing blocks under development, and typically sells 80% of the units in a given tower before it begins building. This means that it will have secured 40% of the total built value of the finished site, breaking even before it has started construction!
Think I might be in the wrong business!
Think I might be in the wrong business!
Saturday, 17 November 2007
DIFC week
DIFC week will run from 17-24 November 2007. There will be 100 speakers and 12 different events – as far as I can tell that works out at 8.3 speakers per event.
There will be a series of events which come under the grandiose bracket of “Financial Opportunities for the Third Millennium”; lectures on emerging markets, Islamic banking and carbon trading.
Some pretty impressive speakers have been signed up, including Steven Levitt, co-author of the bestselling “Freakonomics”. No doubt the cost to the organisers was astronomical, although I’m sure the Dubai International Financial Centre can afford it (see previous posts). You can view the programme for the week at http://www.difcweek.ae/uploads/pdf/DIFCWeek_Brochure.pdf. It’s not cheap, but if you work for a company with deep pockets then why not persuade/bully them into coming along?!
There will be a series of events which come under the grandiose bracket of “Financial Opportunities for the Third Millennium”; lectures on emerging markets, Islamic banking and carbon trading.
Some pretty impressive speakers have been signed up, including Steven Levitt, co-author of the bestselling “Freakonomics”. No doubt the cost to the organisers was astronomical, although I’m sure the Dubai International Financial Centre can afford it (see previous posts). You can view the programme for the week at http://www.difcweek.ae/uploads/pdf/DIFCWeek_Brochure.pdf. It’s not cheap, but if you work for a company with deep pockets then why not persuade/bully them into coming along?!
Book Review - Saudi Arabia: Power, Legitimacy, and Survival
Reaction Paper - Tim Niblock, Saudi Arabia: Power, Legitimacy, and Survival (2006), Chapter. 3: Faisal and the New Polity, 1962–79
In this chapter, Niblock argues that ever-increasing oil revenues allowed the Saudi Arabian state to consolidate its political hegemony between 1962 and 1979. State income from oil skyrocketed due to increased levels of production and a rise in market value. This had a bilateral effect, reducing the establishment’s economic dependency on tribal and religious units whilst simultaneously facilitating a programme of social and economic development, characterised by the provision of public services and the modernisation of the Saudi industrial sector. These improvements, coupled with extensive administrative and legal reforms, brought the Saudi authorities closer to the people, and abolished the need for tribal and religious leaders to act as negotiators between the royal family and its subjects; “there was little room left for intermediaries”.
The depth of Niblock’s research is demonstrated by his extensive and instructive use of statistics. He states that, “in 1962, the government employed a total of 36,776 administrative and clerical personnel; by 1971 this had grown to 85,184 […] in 1979 the total number exceeds 250,000”. By incorporating a large segment of the population into the administrative infrastructure (26% of the labour force by 1979), the state effectively consumed and integrated much potential opposition, creating a “new middle class” in the process.
Administrative and industrial reform came at the expense of the agricultural industry. Reading Niblock’s research, it is striking how readily the establishment recognised the potential dangers of widespread rural opposition, embarking upon a process of sustained subsidisation which operated alongside a system whereby family members were granted employment by state bodies such as the National Guard. Niblock argues that, “public sector employment constituted an instrument through which potential opposition could be countered”.
The relationship between the state and its subjects became much closer and more direct as the administration continued to skilfully furnish its dependents with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Put simply, increased domestic expenditure was a small price to pay for continued political hegemony. Niblock manages to demonstrate this point using a range of statistical sources, without resorting to bold conjecture. Thus, this chapter remains convincing throughout.
In this chapter, Niblock argues that ever-increasing oil revenues allowed the Saudi Arabian state to consolidate its political hegemony between 1962 and 1979. State income from oil skyrocketed due to increased levels of production and a rise in market value. This had a bilateral effect, reducing the establishment’s economic dependency on tribal and religious units whilst simultaneously facilitating a programme of social and economic development, characterised by the provision of public services and the modernisation of the Saudi industrial sector. These improvements, coupled with extensive administrative and legal reforms, brought the Saudi authorities closer to the people, and abolished the need for tribal and religious leaders to act as negotiators between the royal family and its subjects; “there was little room left for intermediaries”.
The depth of Niblock’s research is demonstrated by his extensive and instructive use of statistics. He states that, “in 1962, the government employed a total of 36,776 administrative and clerical personnel; by 1971 this had grown to 85,184 […] in 1979 the total number exceeds 250,000”. By incorporating a large segment of the population into the administrative infrastructure (26% of the labour force by 1979), the state effectively consumed and integrated much potential opposition, creating a “new middle class” in the process.
Administrative and industrial reform came at the expense of the agricultural industry. Reading Niblock’s research, it is striking how readily the establishment recognised the potential dangers of widespread rural opposition, embarking upon a process of sustained subsidisation which operated alongside a system whereby family members were granted employment by state bodies such as the National Guard. Niblock argues that, “public sector employment constituted an instrument through which potential opposition could be countered”.
The relationship between the state and its subjects became much closer and more direct as the administration continued to skilfully furnish its dependents with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Put simply, increased domestic expenditure was a small price to pay for continued political hegemony. Niblock manages to demonstrate this point using a range of statistical sources, without resorting to bold conjecture. Thus, this chapter remains convincing throughout.
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Fore!
There are some great golf clubs here, offering brilliantly conceived and put together courses and world class facilities. Dubai Golf ‘s website will give you a good overview of what’s on offer, including the Emirates Golf Club, the Dubai Creek Golf Club or the Nad Al Sheba Club (http://www.dubaigolf.com/dgo/web/golf.html).
The Emirates Golf Club has been called ‘the Desert Miracle’ because it was the very first all grass course in the GCC region. Today the club is home to two complete championship courses called Majlis and Wadi, and as you might expect the club house is outstanding to look at out both inside and out. The club also great corporate and conferencing facilities.
The Dubai Creek Golf Club is located next to the water and incorporates a yacht club. The UK based “Golf World” magazine recently named the club’s course one of the top 100 in the world.
The Nad Al Sheba Club shares a site with the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. It is fully floodlit, handy for busy executives who want to squeeze a round in after work. Just be careful to land your ball on the right course!
The Emirates Golf Club has been called ‘the Desert Miracle’ because it was the very first all grass course in the GCC region. Today the club is home to two complete championship courses called Majlis and Wadi, and as you might expect the club house is outstanding to look at out both inside and out. The club also great corporate and conferencing facilities.
The Dubai Creek Golf Club is located next to the water and incorporates a yacht club. The UK based “Golf World” magazine recently named the club’s course one of the top 100 in the world.
The Nad Al Sheba Club shares a site with the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. It is fully floodlit, handy for busy executives who want to squeeze a round in after work. Just be careful to land your ball on the right course!
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Broken Record
“The Dubai Life” reports that UK advertising firm Ad-Air has created the world’s largest advertising banner at Dubai International Airport. The advertisement for Sorouh Real Estate measures 200 by 100 metres and covers 20,000 square metres, equal to three football pitches in sizes. It lies square in the middle of the main flight path, where it will be viewed by an estimated 14 million people over the next year. The site will be illuminated at night. A Guinness Book of World Records inspector has granted the ad official record status
Stephen Jones, managing director of Ad-Air Middle East told The Guardian “It is fitting that our first advertiser should be a real estate company, given the current explosion of property development in the region”.
Sorouh aims to fill the site with one million faces as part of a corporate charity initiative. The company will donate $1 to the UAE Red Crescent for every photograph uploaded free to www.sorouhfaces.com.
Ad-air has rights to 30 airports including London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare and Tokyo Narita. The price of the ads ranges from £40k to £80k per month depending on location.
Paul Jenkins, MD of Ad-Air said last month the advertisements would appear in “clutter-free environments and moments free of any other commercial messages”.
Check out some images at http://www.thedubailife.com/index.php/main/blog.
Stephen Jones, managing director of Ad-Air Middle East told The Guardian “It is fitting that our first advertiser should be a real estate company, given the current explosion of property development in the region”.
Sorouh aims to fill the site with one million faces as part of a corporate charity initiative. The company will donate $1 to the UAE Red Crescent for every photograph uploaded free to www.sorouhfaces.com.
Ad-air has rights to 30 airports including London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare and Tokyo Narita. The price of the ads ranges from £40k to £80k per month depending on location.
Paul Jenkins, MD of Ad-Air said last month the advertisements would appear in “clutter-free environments and moments free of any other commercial messages”.
Check out some images at http://www.thedubailife.com/index.php/main/blog.
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Exec-Appointments acquired by Financial Times
It was announced yesterday that the Exec-Appointments business has been acquired by The Financial Times (part of the FTSE 100 Pearson Group). I have copied the 'official' annoucement below, but this is obviously a fantastic leap forward for Exec-Appointments. We are now associated with the best business media brand in the world. It does feel great to now be part of a company with offices worldwide, and the capacity to help us accelerate our growth and expansion - and to sustain it. What's also important for me is that it really reaffirms our commitment to the Middle East, Asia and other key global locations.
FINANCIAL TIMES TARGETS ONLINE RECRUITMENT LEADERSHIP THROUGH ACQUISITION OF EXEC-APPOINTMENTS
The Financial Times has made a significant move towards securing online recruitment market leadership with the acquisition of leading online recruitment company, Exec-Appointments.
Exec-Appointments is a well-established brand which focuses on the high-earning executive sector and has a major presence in online recruitment. With a successful core product (exec-appointments.com) - which focuses on senior management and which boasts the highest proportion of c-suite, director and senior manager visitors and highest average income visitors to any UK online job site – and two specialist products targeting MBAs and Non-Executive Directors, Exec-Appointments is an ideal vehicle through which the Financial Times can develop the non-print side of its recruitment business.
Synergies between the two businesses made the choice of Exec-Appointments a clear winner. The Financial Times’ global presence, brand and strength in finance markets and jobs complements Exec-Appointments’ strength in non-finance jobs and products and its successful business provides not only a respected reputation and core clientele but also an established technology platform from which the new business can develop. FT Conferences will bring added impetus to Exec-Appointments’ specialist conference and seminar activity.
John Ridding, CEO of the Financial Times, notes: “Online recruitment is a key growth area and while the Financial Times is highly successful in print-based recruitment, this acquisition will allow us to crack the burgeoning web-based sector. We can extend the business into Asia and the US and seriously upgrade our recruitment and training offering to both customers and advertisers.”
“Exec-Appointments’ specialist arms, MBA-Direct.com and Non-Execs.com will be of particular interest to our customers and advertisers and we’ve been aware that we needed to upgrade our general online recruitment offering. With no clear leader in the sector, we believe that Exec-Appointments will rapidly step into the breach.”
Exec-Appointments CEO, Betty Thayer adds: “Although Exec-Appointments has been extremely successful and has established itself as a major player in UK and Middle East online recruitment, joining with the Financial Times will allow UK and international expansion. We have particular strengths in specialist knowledge and customer service which we can now roll out to a wider audience and, in particular, develop the financial sector part of the business. We believe the new offering will increase our appeal to larger corporate clients as well as giving us the opportunity to develop new products, both for Financial Times audiences and for Exec-Appointments customers.”
FINANCIAL TIMES TARGETS ONLINE RECRUITMENT LEADERSHIP THROUGH ACQUISITION OF EXEC-APPOINTMENTS
The Financial Times has made a significant move towards securing online recruitment market leadership with the acquisition of leading online recruitment company, Exec-Appointments.
Exec-Appointments is a well-established brand which focuses on the high-earning executive sector and has a major presence in online recruitment. With a successful core product (exec-appointments.com) - which focuses on senior management and which boasts the highest proportion of c-suite, director and senior manager visitors and highest average income visitors to any UK online job site – and two specialist products targeting MBAs and Non-Executive Directors, Exec-Appointments is an ideal vehicle through which the Financial Times can develop the non-print side of its recruitment business.
Synergies between the two businesses made the choice of Exec-Appointments a clear winner. The Financial Times’ global presence, brand and strength in finance markets and jobs complements Exec-Appointments’ strength in non-finance jobs and products and its successful business provides not only a respected reputation and core clientele but also an established technology platform from which the new business can develop. FT Conferences will bring added impetus to Exec-Appointments’ specialist conference and seminar activity.
John Ridding, CEO of the Financial Times, notes: “Online recruitment is a key growth area and while the Financial Times is highly successful in print-based recruitment, this acquisition will allow us to crack the burgeoning web-based sector. We can extend the business into Asia and the US and seriously upgrade our recruitment and training offering to both customers and advertisers.”
“Exec-Appointments’ specialist arms, MBA-Direct.com and Non-Execs.com will be of particular interest to our customers and advertisers and we’ve been aware that we needed to upgrade our general online recruitment offering. With no clear leader in the sector, we believe that Exec-Appointments will rapidly step into the breach.”
Exec-Appointments CEO, Betty Thayer adds: “Although Exec-Appointments has been extremely successful and has established itself as a major player in UK and Middle East online recruitment, joining with the Financial Times will allow UK and international expansion. We have particular strengths in specialist knowledge and customer service which we can now roll out to a wider audience and, in particular, develop the financial sector part of the business. We believe the new offering will increase our appeal to larger corporate clients as well as giving us the opportunity to develop new products, both for Financial Times audiences and for Exec-Appointments customers.”
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