April 2012
13 posts
Full coffers encourage bold strategies
At a time when bankers in Britain are being praised for achieving smaller-than-expected losses, Qatari banks are making the kind of percentage gains that their European counterparts can only dream of. Confidence is high and the outlook is bright.
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Year-end 2011 saw International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) post a 25% rise in net profits to $157.4 million (QR573 million), compared to $125.8m...
Benefit from a stimulated workforce
Employee engagement is a topic worth discussing in today’s workplace. Leading organisations recognise the vested interest they have in actively measuring, monitoring and maximising the level of engagement amongst their employees is essential for overall performance. Bayt.com’s poll on reward programmes and employee engagement in the Middle East (November, 2011) showed that 77% of...
Converting your Company to Islam
Bank Sarasin, one of the only Swiss private banks to offer the full-spectrum of Sharia-compliant wealth management products and services, launched its third Islamic Wealth Management Report in February. In its 2012 Report, “The path to corporate transformation - converting a company to Islam”, Bank Sarasin reviews the complexities of converting a business to Islam, a topic which is...
Back to the future
When it comes to retirement planning, most expats drag their heels over saving for what can all too often seem like a distant imaginary event - particularly nowadays, as many of us are fitter, healthier and have the potential to work longer into our sixties. Couple this with the fact that few of us are blessed with a natural inclination to save for the long term and thus the ever widening black...
Globalisation and the Economic Crisis: How will...
In the year 1500, Western Europe represented 15% of the World’s GDP. In 1950, the proportion reached 55% for the Western Europe and the United States taken together. This decreased to 43% in 2000 and to 40% in 2010. A process of rebalancing was taking effect.
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Large populations were drawn out of poverty. Some frictions did occur in the West but the apparition of a vast number of...
Ehealth: Governments and Telecom Companies need to...
Technology has improved many products and services over the past decade, yet health care remains a stubbornly analog industry.
[[MORE]] This must change. The digitisation of health services through new information technologies-broadly known as “eHealth”-has the potential to dramatically improve the health-care experience for patients. These programmes can also deliver benefits to...
Are Organisations Making The Most Of Their...
“Our people are our most important assets.” We often hear this in mission statements, company brochures, or talks of executives. The question remains, however: how are such “assets” being valued and managed in our organisations? In earlier articles in Qatar Today, we made the case that employee engagement is critical for organisational success and the bottom line. ...
How to enhance your financial security
Although we have seen an improvement in investor sentiment since the beginning of the year, with a second bailout package for Greece seemingly imminent and amid better-than-expected economic data from the US, the current financial landscape is still one of potential pitfalls.
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As such, ensuring a degree of financial security has arguably never been as important as it is today. With...
Vodafone: We are a serious business
“It’s not all play at Vodafone Qatar as we try to solve our network issues,” says Richard Daly, the new CEO at Vodafone to Sindhu Nair, in his first interview with the local media after taking the role. “We are in a serious business here and we take our responsibility quite gravely.”
[[MORE]] When my colleague lucidly portrayed the Vodafone Qatar office interiors in...
Reality Check: Closer to a Knowledge-based...
There’s no doubt that Qatar is working tirelessly to achieve it knowledge-based economy. The word ‘knowledge’ is mentioned more times than any other in the 2011-2016 National Vision. Education City is populated with some of the world’s most decorated universities. But does all this necessarily mean that Qatar will achieve their vision? Does a will mean there’ll be a...
Only the Brave and Bold Survive a Triathlon
The third Abu Dhabi International Triathlon was held on March 3, when athletes young and old, nimble and stiff, from all over the region and world took to the water, their bikes and their trainers, and finished what they set their minds to a few short weeks or months ago. It’s a test of mind as much as body, whether you are an elite professional athlete or an age-grouper with a point to...
Compromising our children's future?
The Supreme Council of Education’s (SEC) surprise decision to switch the language of instruction for some key disciplines from English to Arabic at Qatar University (QU) last year caused waves of discontent and bemusement around the campus. With what is perceived as a well-established and respected institution through-out the region, could the SEC be about to bring it back 15 years with a...
