tO Obese or not to be oBese.... ?!?!

John Chilton in his post about Eamarati Waistlines, showed a parallel trend between the children of the desert and Americans. The Americans' been growing for the last 150 years not only due to increased incomes but also because of falling food prices. This fall was noted as being more than or considerably relative to other goods, especially processed foods, he concluded that "No doubt the same factors have been at work on Emirati waistlines since the 1970s."

But being in Dubai I would differ a bit to the observation. The growing Emarati waistline has largely been due to the increased income of this cherished creed and not the fall in prices. The Nationals only make up a small percentage of the popullation and are provided many subsidized benefits from the Government. A look at the article from Khaleej Times points this fact out, specially the last few sections.

This also brings me to another important point which hit me hard in business specially in the area of rent. The jumps witnessed in rents were multiples of four, and sometimes five, defying any set records of predictable inflation rates. Inflation in any part of the world can be a problem to tackle, but in Dubai it hit small, medium and startup businesses harder. Its trends were not set and it dawned as a new teethaing pain whcih the masses had to and are breaing. So watch out mates and do educate yourselves on inflation, its impact and predictiable effects in middle east.

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Setting UP iN Dubai (1)

A growing city with its many hustle and bustle still offers a fertile playing ground to all in the business world. It offers opprounities to the business gurus who want to expand, to the movers and shakers who either want to consolidate the region operations or expand across it. But sure is becoming a little tough for the young guns who want to start up. As the blog focuses on the younger entrepreneurs so with this series I will try to layout the facts and figures and walk through different steps and process. A very good starting point as always is to get acquainted with the terrain. An official source would the Dubai Department of Economic Development.

A lof of other sources can be found easily through google. Usually the processes in the government departments are very smooth as long as you got the cash. Liscence processing is very fast. More time though, is spent on the ground work as deciding the structure of the company, identifying the local sponsor, renting office etc.

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MENAFN.COM News Story-Arbitration will help attract more foreign investment to Dubai

Arbitration will help attract more foreign investment to Dubai
Khaleej Times - 25/08/2006
Fast and reliable resolution of commercial disputes via arbitration outside the court system can attract more foreign investment into Dubai, according to a senior UAE judge.

The economic boom recently witnessed by the UAE in general, and Dubai in particular, makes arbitration one of the basic necessities to cater to the needs of complex commercial transactions between major international companies and local enterprises, says Counsel Hussein Mohamad Al Jehazi, Chief Justice of the Sharjah Federal Court of Appeal and head of the Court's First Civil and Commercial Department.

The significant increase in maritime contractual relationships and disputes arising from multilateral construction and banking contracts, require an arbitration process.

'Disputes that may arise from such transactions require the facilitation and streamlining of regulations instead of complex, time-consuming court proceedings. By doing this, we can attract more foreign businessmen and investors, who would otherwise refrain from investing in Dubai,' Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) journal quoted him as saying.

Arbitration has become an important method of resolving commercial disputes and its significance has increased in the UAE. When investing in foreign trade there should be no international commercial contract that lacks an arbitration clause.

These clauses are often used to resolve disputes quickly outside the court system and avoid expensive and lengthy litigation proceedings, according to Al Jehazi. Arbitration has gained momentum as a result of a legislative boom that has manifested itself in the enactment of laws, statutes and regulations that govern commercial arbitration. Additionally, the accession to regional and international conventions on commercial arbitration has prompted enhancements to procedures.

The UAE established arbitration centres to provide reliable arbitration services both for local and international clients. Arbitration has become the major tool for businessmen worldwide when it comes to resolving commercial disputes.

One of the most prominent centres in the region dealing in arbitration is DIAC. As an international entity, it has been selected as a centre used as an alternative to court litigation in several prominent cases both globally and domestically.

DIAC, which boasts specialised arbitrators, with rich experience in the resolution of commercial disputes doubled its dispute solving capacity in 2004 and tripled it last year, according to Dr Hussam Al Talhuni, director of the DIAC.

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Top Arab executives being wooed back to Middle East

Top Arab executives being wooed back to Middle East
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/08/23/10062095.html
08/23/2006 07:42 PM By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter

Dubai: Flourishing economies make the Gulf region a fertile ground to woo back top Arab executives working in the West, according to executive search firms.
There are a variety of high-profile jobs being created in places like Dubai, the firms say, and senior positions at large corporations in sectors like finance and banking could be particularly attractive to talented Arab expatriates in the West.
Currently, Dubai-based Ingram Consultancy says it does 40 per cent of its executive search recruitment from the Middle East. A decade ago, a mere 10 per cent came from the domestic market.
The movement of Arab talent back to the region is part of a wider trend as the Dubai brand develops globally.
"There is a big attraction to a lot of people to come and work in Dubai. As the brand Dubai works externally it is a relatively easy sell to senior candidates externally. It is not just the zero-tax, it is the whole lifestyle that Dubai offers," said Brian Hamill, chief executive officer of London-listed Imprint PLC. To expand into the growing executive search market in the GCC, Imprint recently acquired Ingram Consultancy for Dh35 million.
Hamill said most of his clients, more than one-third of them in the finance sector, are "talking about Dubai at the moment."
"Our business is basically based in Europe with three Asian offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong and Singapore. We see Dubai as a centre of our Middle Eastern and Indian business," he said.
"There is a big repatriation of Middle Eastern money back to the Middle East and I think that coupled with all the economic initiatives of Dubai, and also the region as a whole, it makes the city a very interesting place for international recruitment businesses. Business here is very strong domestically," Hamill told Gulf News.
Richard Ingram, head of Ingram Consultancy, said international executive search firms can spot and bring back Arab talent to the region.
"We are highly active in our head-hunting business in sourcing senior Emirati executives into senior positions," he said.
"In Dubai's case, there may be Emiratis who are outside the UAE at the moment and would look to return into an economy that is much more developed than it was when they left," he added. Magdy Al Zain, managing director of Boyden Middle East, another Dubai-based recruitment consultancy said economic buoyancy in the Gulf is attracting Arabic-speaking executives with Western experience.
"The trend is present across the GCC. There are big opportunities in the finance and banking sectors in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Given the right package, there is a willingness among Arab expatriates in the West to return to the region," Al Zain added.

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Luxury property warning

The International Institute of Finance is warning GCC countries that there may not be enough tourists and speculators to make luxury property developments viable, the Times reports. The IIF notes high volatility in asset markets, and says the possibility of further falls in equity or real estate cannot be ruled out. It also criticised skill mismatches and unrealistic expectations of pay and conditions by GCC nationals for unemployment issues.
Courtesy http://www.ameinfo.com/

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"Hope is like a road in the country; there wasn't ever a road, but when many
people walk on it, the road comes into existence."-Lin Yutang. With this quote I intend to set the theme of this blog. I am a young entrepreneur and am finding the university of 'Hard Knocks' to be the best Alma Mater. This is an effort to bring the others enrollees and alumni together to learn, teach and share; share experiences to lessen the knocks and maximize the successes.
In this rollar coaster ride of life what might be a better playing ground than a growing city like Dubai, with its teething pains, unlimited opportunities, unforseen tiwists and dips, breaking the fragile and building the strong icons of tomorrow. Dubai is not alone in this strife but is closely followed by other countries of the Middle East. Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi, Oman and the North African Countries all are rising to the challenge and greaing up to becoming highly streamlined and competitive economies of tomorrow.
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion, you must set yourself on fire first."-Leach, Reggie

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