ME PoV Summer 2015 issue

About this issue

I am the first to confess that I am a control freak. And like any self-professed control freak–unable to trust or to delegate–would tell you, time is of the essence. Time management is your friend.

The plethora of books and resources that exist to help you manage everything from spatial to emotional intelligence points to one thing: you manage, you win.

This issue of Middle East Point of View is all about management, from social media to cyber risk via compliance risk and initial public offerings (IPOs).

The first of our series of articles is managing compliance risk. Mandy Green, in her article Managing compliance risk: where are you now?, surmises that although “managing compliance risk remains a high priority for organizations across the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region[…]the existence of Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC) policies continues to lag behind for organizations in the region,” although this lag “is expected to be addressed in the short-term as Middle East economies continue to integrate with the wider global community through inward and outward investment.”

Click the link on the left to access the Summer 2015 issue. Alternatively, you can read each article separately by clicking below.

Managing compliance risk

It is often said that the only constant is change; and when reflecting on the current Middle East regulatory landscape, this certainly holds true. With the tide of regulatory change expected to remain in the medium-term, can compliance officers in the region be confident that they are keeping up with the wave of change?

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The beat goes on

Despite lower oil prices, the forecast for construction projects awarded in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in 2015 is the highest on record. With construction generally considered as an economic barometer for the GCC, what does this tell us about the economic backdrop in the region?  

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Investing in Sub-Saharan Africa

Investors from the Middle East region are increasingly recognizing the significant opportunities that Africa offers for investors. In this article we explore the key investment themes and opportunities that are driving this and some of the challenges to be considered.

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Rise of the Eurosukuk market

A new debt capital market instrument has emerged, the so-called “corporate sukuk” which has seen steady growth in several parts of the world including the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the United States. The key differentiating factor of this asset class is a different risk and return profile investment that may also possibly have uncorrelated features to conventional financial market yields or risks. Just in time it seems, as David Sproul, UK Chief Executive of Deloitte, said “the low growth environment of the past five years, coupled with levels of consumer and government debt, mean the big business has to take a lead in driving a new era of wealth creation in the UK.”

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We’re going on an IPO!

Becoming a publicly listed company is a milestone in the life of any organization. The rewards for achieving such a development are undoubtedly very compelling, but the journey is also fraught with challenges that require a substantial commitment of time and resources on the part of the business, not only to aid in the transformation process but also to fulfill the expectations of external stakeholders once the company is listed. This article highlights certain Initial Public Offering (IPO) challenges to family businesses and how to mitigate them.

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The time is now

The world has transformed into a global village with people just one click away. Social media has become the essential factor in reshaping the globe–empowering youth, women, governments and entrepreneurs–while, most importantly, encouraging freedom of speech in our part of the world. But what of the risks associated with this exponential rise in the use of social media?

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Are you safe?

Your business growth strategies are at the heart of the cyber risks your organization faces. Most reports on cyber security revolve around a common theme: despite heightened attention the number of cyber incidents–and their associated costs–continues to rise. They typically point to the growing sophistication of hackers and other adversaries as a particularly intractable problem, and some deliberate over whether being secure is even possible in today’s rapidly evolving landscape of cyber-attacks.  

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Distinguishing fact from fact

A fact is a fact, they say. Or is it? Learning to differentiate between data, information and knowledge, says this author, is key to understanding Knowledge Management, which spurs organizations to achieve competitive advantage.

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Spread the risk

The Middle East is experiencing an ever more unstable geo-political climate that is challenging bank management to calculate the risks of long-term business service offerings, thus challenging the banking sector to enhance its performance management competencies through better management experience, stronger and efficient credit controls through a unified information technology system/platform and processes to better collate credit data, portfolio management and performance.

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