Entries Tagged 'Issue 5 March 2008' ↓

The queue of people to see Des Vertannes at the Etihad booth at the World Air Cargo Event in Bahrain last month, resembled the queue outside Don Corleone’s office in ‘The Godfather Part 1′.

Des Vertannes, Executive Vice President, Etihad Crystal Cargo

It seemed every congress exhibitor and visitor was waiting to meet him, eager to pay his or her respects and talk business.

While he is far less frightful than Don Corleone – and will likely never make anyone sleep with the fishes – Vertannes does share on thing with the ‘Godfather’ – a commitment to family and community.

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I need to buy a car. I have been looking for months, and still can’t decide which model to go for. Do I purchase the tiny Peugot… or the monstrous Prado? My conscience tells me I should go for the small car to save gas and reduce my carbon footprint. But i just don’t care enough. I want to drive down Shaikh Zayed Road sitting four feet above ground. I want to feel powerful when I roll up to the hotel valet. And, when the parking lot is full, I want to drive on the curb and park wherever I like.

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Three ways it can

Sceptics would argue the concept of being carbon neutral is a myth. An additional cost. A phase. A new buzzword. A marketing ploy. It’s time to wake up. Global warming is a reality. It affects each and every one of us and if we don’t act responsibly, there won’t be any winners – we all lose.

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This is an age-old conundrum in management- do happy workers perform better?

Decades of research and empirical evidence have been unable to establish a strong link between psychological well being, intrinsic job satisfaction and manager’s performance.

Recently,using a unique methodology, fresh empirical evidence and a definitive analysis of previous theory and research, researchers have started supporting the original ‘happy productive worker’ thesis.

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Daimler’s Society and Technology Research Group, based in Berlin (Germany), Palo Alto (California) and Kyoto (Japan), investigates issues relating to futurology, mobility, and innovation.

KS: Your colleague Stefan Carsten has identified two growth scenarios for India. Do you have any predictions for the Middle East?

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As society demands higher environmental standards from the corporate sector, the drive towards a greener supply chain gains momentum.

In a recent survey by consulting firm McKinsey & Co., of 391 CEOs of companies around the globe, 95 per cent of respondents acknowledged that society now has higher expectations of how companies will meet their ‘public responsibilities’ than five years ago, and more than half said those expectations will rise further in the next five years.

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Not too many people first understood the concept of self-storage. But having soon caught on, facilities in the emirate are now full up to capacity.

Step into the Sentinel Self Storage office and you forget you’re in Al Quoz, one of Dubai’s grubbiest industrial areas. You are greeted by white leather couches, fine wood finishing, an espresso machine, and Manager Rita Soueidan.

“Usually when you think of storage, you think of just shelving units,” says Soueidan. “But when a client comes in here and they see that the warehouse is neat and clean, of course, they’re going to want to store their items here.”

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Most products sold at the retailing end of the supply chain are packed into plastic bags. Cheap and easy to carry, they are the world’s most visible form of pollution and are now under attack by environmentalists and supermarket groups.

Shoppers at Geant Hypermarket in Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai will soon be asked to pay for their plastic bags or to bring their own.

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The best way to describe Dubai Maritime City is, perhaps, as a five-star shipyard. This prestigious new development is set to be ‘the symbolic paradigm for all things maritime.

It’s hard to believe Dubai was once a small fishing village, growing in the 19^th century with help from pearl diving and the sea trade. In the 20th century, the emirate focused mostly on industries such as oil and gas, tourism, and manufacturing, seemingly leaving its maritime past behind.

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Developed yet emerging, conservative yet enterprising, Saudi Arabia’s transport industry is very much at a crossroads. Robin Lyndhurst reflects on the new impetus within the Kingdom’s logistics industry and outlines the projects coming up designed to cement its reputation as the premier powerhouse of the GCC

You may have struggled to buy a red rose in Riyadh this Valentine’s Day, but there’s no denying the Kingdom is blooming, particularly in the logistics arena. Macro economic cities, major rail projects and ambitious new port developments are all coming up on the horizon in the GCC’s largest and richest market, with more than SR50 billion worth of transport projects now on the table.

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