Shaza's World

Senator will not oppose deal

2006-04-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Nowadays, Dubai is growing more and more. Many companies in Dubai are doing businesses in different countries around the world. The last deal that happened between Dubai and the United States faced many disagreements from different people. Many people thought that by allowing Dubai to purchase U.S ports, this would give them the chance to control important services which may lead to sabotage. Now, people have many concerns about the new deal that has been made between Dubai and the United States.

Issue: the issue in this article can be the new deal between Dubai and the United States. The deal that allows a Dubai owned company to purchase plants in U.S that make American military equipments. In United States, although the committee of foreign investments had reviewed the transactions of this deal and supported Bush to accept the deal after they made sure that such a deal would not affect the national security of the United States, but still some people may choose to be against such deals if any new information occur.

Interests: U.S senator Charles Schumer is considered one of the interests of this issue. Although he was against the last deal between the U.S and Dubai about the U.S ports, he did not oppose the new deal as he considered it to be different. He said that this deal involved products which may be harder to sabotage rather than services. Also, we can consider President Bush as an interest. Bush supports these kinds of deals with Dubai as long as they do not affect the national security of the United States.

Institutions: Institutions are arenas where competing interests contest issues. The community of foreign investments can be an institution. They had reviewed the transactions of the new deal and made sure that it will not affect the national security. Also, Gulf news can be another institution because they are reporting the most important deals between Dubai and the United States.

Information: many people like the U.S senator Charles Schumer believe that any deals with Dubai that have nothing to do with services would be acceptable. They think if Dubai controls products in the United States, this will affect the national security of the U.S. People do care a lot about the national security of the United States. On the other hand, President Bush accepted the deal and states that the company which Dubai wants to control manufactures precision-engineered parts for a variety of industries including aerospace, gas turbine and petrochemical companies.

No single body’ to monitor dhow safety in UAE

2006-04-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

The capsizing of a cruise boat in Bahrain that killed 57 passengers three weeks ago has raised many concerns about the dhow boats industry in Dubai and the safety of the boat trips they offer.

Issue: the main issue in this article is the safety of the boat trips offered by tourism companies in Dubai. Another issue was that there is no single body to monitor and control the dhow safety in Dubai. Also, concerns were raised by the way some dhow operations were run. As it is mentioned in the article, sometimes many dhows were crowded with many passengers with loud music which may make them lose the control. All these issues were raised after the accident that happened in Bahrain.

Interests: as illustrated in the article, one of the interests was the dhow industry. There are a huge number of dhows that are offering cruise trips to their passengers. All these dhows were trying to ensure their commitment to their passengers and that they follow all the regulations and all the strict safety measures. Passengers would be also one of the interests. Some tourists would be affected by accidents that happen in other countries and would avoid any cruise trips. Some passengers may ask for more safety rules and inspections in order to ensure protection.

Institutions: one of the institutions can be the gulf news that raised this issue to the public and make them aware of these issues around them. Also, the government bodies in UAE can be considered one of the institutions. These government bodies have the right to control the operations of the dhows and force them to follow some regulations and rules in order to ensure safety for the passengers. Moreover, one of the institutions can be the ministry of tourism in Dubai. As we know, cruise trips are one of the major things that attract tourists in Dubai. So the ministry of tourism would have so many concerns about the boats and their safety in order to ensure that the tourism in UAE won’t be affected by any accidents that happen in other countries.

Information: some of the information that many tourism companies try to state is that dhows undergo technical inspection annually in order to ensure their safety. Many companies also ensure that there are different departments that monitor dhow cruise operations in Dubai. On the other hand, many concerns have risen about the way that some dhows operations were running. Some said for example that many three-deck dhows crowded with passengers on many occasions with loud music and people dancing on board. Such these actions would make some people aware of these cruise boats.

The other Dubai Deal

2006-03-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

As illustrated in the article, Dubai firm has landed a huge contract with the U.S navy. The contract with the Navy is to provide shore services for vessels in the Middle East. The firm, Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), is an old British company that last January was sold to a Dubai government investment vehicle for $285 million.

The main issue in this article is that such non market activity might affect the national security of the United States. Since the husbanding contract provides the potential for mischief. Husbanding agents arrange everything from fuel to spare parts to fresh vegetables for vessels at ports of call. More critically, they often provide security, like erecting concrete barriers and what the military calls "force protection.” So the U.S navy is keeping closely guarded since it could be invaluable in the hands of terrorists.

Interests: in this article, the interests who have a stake in this issue are the U.S government that thinks that they are in danger of being attacked by extremist Muslim groups who started to control different businesses in the Unites States. Also, Dubai government which is very wealthy and need good investment opportunities where they can invest their cash in. Moreover, the firm, Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) which is an old British company that provides services to clients ranging from cruise ship operators to oil tankers to commercial cargo vessels.

Institutions: Institutions are arenas where competing interests contest issues. For example, Time Magazine is the only media outlet reporting on this latest Dubai deal. They were criticising the Unites States government whether they should or should not allow to be owned or controlled by foreign governments. Although that U.S government thinks that Arab countries are terrorists, but still many businesses are taking place between the United States and Arab countries.

Information: the information that all the interests and the institutions know about the issue. In this case, although the U.S government is worried about their national security, but for a fact, they know that such these businesses that are controlled by Dubai will be done effectively. In addition, they all know that Dubai is trustworthy as many businesses that went successfully were controlled by them. Also, according to a statement issued by the firm declared that "ISS has undergone rigorous external security checks" and has "comprehensive internal policies on security." So the U.S government should not be concerned about their national security.

In my opinion, Dubai nowadays is one of the leading countries that can control different businesses effectively. So other countries like United States should give them the opportunity to incorporate with them without getting worried about their national security.

Al Maya Group Expansion

2006-03-22T03:34:00.000-08:00

Dubai-based Al Maya Group is investing Dh40 million in an expansion involving the setting up of eight new supermarkets and at least two fashion retail stores in the next 12 months. The company, which split with Al Maya Lal's Group three years ago, currently operates 30 retail outlets including 15 supermarkets. The company which along with Lal's and Choithram once controlled the UAE's organised retail sector, is resisting the hypermarket sector for the time being.

The business mission of Al Maya Group was to expand among other supermarkets and not to compete with other Hypermarkets like Carrefour and Giant. They are focusing on the neighborhood retail outlets because they believe that customers need many super markets that are close to their houses.

One the other hand, the way that Al Maya Group chooses to compete through, falls under product-market scope which is an element of core strategy. They planned to expand by opening different new stores including many super markets. Also, part of their global expansion, they opened the first British Home stores on Poland.

Al Maya Group’s core competencies come from their ability to operate well in the super market sector which is growing nowadays. They used the opportunity of the large growth in the retail sector by opening different supermarkets in different areas.

Al Maya Group decided to reach their customers through fulfillment and support. With traffic growing and high gasoline prices increasing by 30 per cent, Al Maya Group feels that the segment of retail stores of the market will only grow. Most of the people will spare themselves the inconvenience of driving to hypermarkets where parking is a problem, for a few bucks. As a grow number of consumers are buying from those neighbourhood retail outlets, that’s means they are convenient and no need to enter the hyper market race.

In my opinion, Al Maya group is doing a good job by focusing on the neighbourhood retail outlets. People in these days do not have time to spend hours and stuck in the traffic just to get few things from hypermarkets. People are becoming more convenient by having super markets close to their houses.

Dubai Ports World Deal: Zim chief backs Dubai Ports World deal

2006-03-09T03:13:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, many headlines in different newspapers are discussing the agreement that would give Dubai Ports World the control on six key ports in the U.S. some people are supporting the agreement and have strong relations with the company. On the other hand, some people think that the agreement would threaten the national security in these ports. Would the request to the UAE to distance itself from the Arab boycott against Israel be a precondition for approval of the Ports management agreement?

As discussed in the article, the main issue is to assess the potential risk to national security that the deal with Dubai Port World poses. Since the controversy is going on between the US government, then the issue that Dubai World Ports is facing is related to its non- market environment.

The deal with Dubai Ports World has been associated with different interest groups. For example, the groups who are with the agreement in United States, Hilary Clinton who is leading a campaign against the deal, Ofer, the chairman of Zim Integrated Shipping Services who was supporting the agreement and Dubai Ports World.

The American government was concerned about the national security. The information that they had is that Dubai Ports World was controlled by Dubai’s government which is part of the Middle East, and for U.S, it is all about terrorism.
On the other hand, the information that Dubai World Ports had is that Dubai is a U.S ally and they have many relations between the United States. Also, as United States has monetary bases in UAE, they should not have concerns about their national security if Dubai World Ports have control on their ports in the United States.

The agreement with Dubai Ports World is valuable. Such a business between UAE and United States would give Dubai a good opportunity to expand in different countries and to be well known by others especially in the United States.

As illustrated in the article, Bush administration has now called on the UAE to distance itself from the Arab boycott against Israel. So in my opinion, things are not only a matter of national security to the United States, but also a matter of politics.

The New School: how a poor job market is affecting how business schools

2006-02-16T04:52:00.000-08:00

Many fresh graduates think that getting the master’s degree immediately after graduating is much better than looking for a job. Is it a good step that all students should take after graduating? Or students should change their way of thinking toward their future career?

According to the article “The New School: how a poor job market is affecting how business schools”, employers said that students who are thinking of attaining their M.B.A straight after graduating are doing a big mistake. Most of the students think that a second degree like M.B.A would be a resume enhancer, but students should learn more about the business field that they are interested in. Employers in these days are looking for fresh graduates who have the ability to perform well and play an important role in their jobs, or they would be interested in students who go to a top business school aiming to get a Masters degree in order to specialize in one of the business fields that requires a Masters degree and not just because they are not finding a good job.

To satisfy many students, many business schools should change and enhance their programs in order to better prepare fresh graduates for the competitive work environment they are going to face. Also, business schools should always be able to meet the changing needs of employers. Business schools should be valuable by making students ready to add a value for the firm that they are going to work in and make them ready to face all the difficulties that the firm might face in the future. In addition, business schools should be well organized in order to choose the best students that have the best qualifications to be professional business people in the future.

Many communities are working to help students and fresh graduates in finding good jobs. The article mentioned the Fuqua community as an example. This community has organized many campaigns and has contracted with many company recruiters to provide students with good jobs and build good relationships that would help in the future.

Students should always think carefully about their future career before taking any serious step. A high percentage of the employers encourage students to enter the business field and get experience as much as they can before thinking of getting M.B.A or any other Masters degree. The business field always need people who have the experience and the ability to add value to the firm and the customers.

Danish boycott

2006-02-08T02:50:00.000-08:00

Recently, people started talking about the offensive cartoons that was published by the Danish media. Many messages and e-mails were encouraging Muslims to boycott all Danish Products until they receive an apology from the Danish authorities.
According to the article “Effect of Danish Boycott Patchy”, people in Saudi Arabia had strong reactions against the controversial cartoons, published in the Danish and Norwegian media that was depicting the Prophet Mohammed. In Jeddah, many supermarkets showed that Danish products have been withdrawn and customers stopped buying Danish products.

As I think, Buyers have a Bargaining Power. When they decided to boycott Danish Products, they forced the percentage of sales to decrease which will affect the percentage of the Danish profits in the long run. For example, when customers stop buying Danish products, supermarkets will stop also importing more products which will have a great effect on the producers. In addition to that, Danish products were standard and undifferentiated, so Buyers have no problems in finding other alternatives and stop purchasing Danish products.

On the other hand, this article illustrates one of Hamel’s concepts which is Customer Interface and that’s through the Relationship Dynamics. As I think, there was an interaction between the customers and Saudi Dairy and Foodstuff Companies. After the stock price of SADAFCO declined, they tried to clarify to the customers that they are 100% Saudi company and they do not import or sell any products from Denmark. They assured that they produce all their products in local factories and get all the raw materials from local markets. Another example might be the relation between the customers and the producer (Denmark). Producers should also look for the satisfaction of their customers and in this case, they might have to give their apology for the customers in order to convince them to buy again Danish products. Otherwise, customers will continue boycotting and start looking for other products from other producers.

Moreover, the article shows another concept which is Strategic resources. Through core processes, supermarkets in Jeddah added value to their customers by removing all Danish products from their shelves. They are trying to be loyal to their customers by encourage them to boycott all Danish products.

Danish authorities should pay more attention to the risks that they may face if customers continue their boycotting to Danish products. They should take a quick action and give an apology to all people in order to save their economy.

The real cost of Google

2006-02-01T03:52:00.000-08:00

The article “The Real Cost of Google's Sellout to China” illustrates one of Porter’s forces which is “Barrier to entry” through the Chinese government policies. This article mentioned that although Google was defending the privacy of its users in the U.S marketplace, they actively helped the Chinese government in barring access to many websites that they feel might threaten their authoritarian government. Google was forced to accept all those restrictions due to many reasons. According to the article, the Chinese government has put many policies and barriers for Google to be entered by users in China if they do not accept their demands. Google has been badly hampered by the filters placed on access to it, they slow its search speeds in order to make undependable and make people search through other websites. As China is the second largest internet market, Google did not want to lose their users there; therefore they caved to the Chinese government pressure and followed the regulations in order to be able to penetrate the market at a competitive advantage.

In my opinion, Google should keep their ethical standards and keep on calling for the first Amendment instead of looking for Profit in China. Google should always protect the privacy of their users everywhere and if a communist country like China wants to put restrictions, Google should make an agreement with them only on some of the sites like pornography that they believe would protect the children. They should give users the freedom to get knowledge in different fields.

test post

2006-01-22T07:15:00.000-08:00

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