ME PoV Fall 2014 issue

Perspectives

ME PoV Fall 2014 issue

Past\Present - Future?

The fall 2014 issue tackles several hot topics: from finance transformation, GCC telecom operators, hotel industry in Dubai, to general councils, innovation and investments, and much more.

About this issue

I am the first to admit that I am a bit of a worrywart. And who can blame me? As we watch the news with foreboding and open newspapers with trepidation, as we worry about our children becoming social recluses in front of a media screen, who hasn’t wondered, with disquietude, “what is this world coming to?” 

“Today,” goes the saying, “is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” We worry about the future because we tend to fear what we do not know and are uneasy about what we cannot understand (Phablet you said?). But fear can sometimes paralyze us and keep us from reaching our future goals. 

Sometimes the future only looks scary, but turns out opportune. 

The articles in this issue cover the hospitality market in 2020 Dubai, Finance Transformation, emerging public sector regulatory services and project finance: and although they may not divine the future, they will certainly help us understand it. 

Click the link on the left to access the Fall 2014 issue. Alternatively, you can read each article separately by clicking below.

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Hotel economics

For many years investors in Dubai’s hotel sector have seen returns above other market norms. This ‘normalization’ of the market will actually be a good thing for the market.

Click here to read the full article.

The wizard of Od

Dorothy Gale lived on a farm and was swept away to a magical land on a journey full of turmoil and upheaval. But Dorothy ultimately returned home with a new vision, mission and goals.

Fear of change often leads organizations and employees into chaos and they focus on their new roles in a way that may affect their productivity. But, should the fear of change keep organizations from tweaking or redesigning their organizational structure?

Click here to read the full article.

An industry with line lives

After years of strong growth, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) telecom operators have slowly adapted to the new realities of their maturing markets. Rising oil prices contributed to sharp increases in the level of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, creating an attractive telecoms market. Between 2004 and 2007, GCC telecom

revenues grew 15 percent annually, with earnings margins hovering around 47 percent. Fueled by growing profits and healthy cash flow, GCC operators went on a buying spree across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, acquiring existing operators or licenses to launch their own networks.

Click here to read the full article.

Is there a lawyer in the house?

Over the last three decades, the role of the General Counsel (GC) in organizations has been gradually shifting from the old-school perspective of the policeman–called in sporadically to fix a situation–to the essential addition to any organization aiming at sustaining its growth, reputation, stability and compliance.

Click here to read the full article.

Proceed with Caution

During the previous Middle Eastern development boom, consumer confidence was high, investment was of a staggering scale and all aspects of economic life appeared to be on an upward trajectory. Reports of tickets, used simply to gain access to the offices of some of the major developers to purchase units, were exchanging hands for hard currency, and lavish launch events were held for virtually all new development projects. 

Forward to 2009/2010 and the picture is markedly different. The world economy is in crisis, the debt market is in turmoil and real estate development is on life support. The days of profligate spending, extravagant lifestyles and speculative development were ended virtually overnight. The causes of such failures are well documented, but ill-considered, highly leveraged and over-engineered developments were always likely to fail in a market as dynamic as this. 

Between 2009 and 2014, the number of cancelled developments in U.S. Dollar value alone is truly staggering, peaking at US$3.5 billion in the summer of 2011. This statistic applies only to the UAE but it could be extrapolated across the entire region and produce similarly startling results.

Click here to read the full article.

More than just a number

The finance industry, in the Middle East in particular, is going through a major transformation phase where Chief Finance Officers (CFOs) are constantly looking for ways to radically improve business performance.

Click here to read the full article.

Stronger Together

Joint ventures (JV) can be an efficient mechanism for participating partners to realize synergies when it comes to sharing large-scale investments, gaining access to technologies, entering new markets, or strengthening market position in general. 

However, creating a joint venture can be a complex process that is not without pitfalls and risks. Given that JV establishment is likely to be an essential driver of growth in the Middle East, this article considers why this is a favored strategy and how adopting a number of best practice principles can maximize the chance of a successful outcome.

Click here to read the full article.

On the road (map) again

Governments in the Middle East seeking to play a more important economic role on the global map have, over the last two decades, been looking to exert a more positive influence and building trust within their own citizens and other governments alike.  

As such, and in order to fulfil their strategic objectives, these governments have invested significantly in large transformation initiatives within the public sector, more specifically, in the modernization of Government through the development of next generation Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for public services (or what is more commonly referred to as e-Government) which has revitalized public administration, overhauled public management, fostered inclusive leadership and moved civil service towards higher efficiency, transparency and accountability.

Click here to read the full article.

Behavioral traps and innovation

There’s a well-documented disconnect between the decisions that people make about money and the assumptions that classical economists made about these choices. Generally, individuals are not rational creatures when making choices about how to invest their money. But less-than-ideal decisions are not the sole province of investors. The biases and emotions that cloud our judgment about money and stymie well-intended investment plans are the same forces that compromise the ways companies invest in innovation and organize innovation processes. As innovation climbs corporate agendas, the understanding of how it works and how it can be managed is struggling to keep pace.

Click here to read the full article.

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