The Luxury Touch: Four principles to deliver customer satisfaction year after year
Dec,2007
The relationship between quality of service and the luxury touch is often noticed, but its significance is rarely understood. A recent Booz Allen Hamilton study suggests that with luxury brands, the excellence of the underlying product is merely a starting point.

The Moose on the Table: Opening Up Authentic Communication
Dec,2007
Imagine a team meeting around a conference-room table. People are reviewing progress and making plans. Charts are reviewed, slides are projected, documents are handed out and calculations are made. Now imagine that standing in the middle of the conference-room table is a great big moose.

Making it Click: Fancy a Career in Online Hotel Marketing?
Dec,2007
If you’ve always loved computers and the internet, have worked in the travel industry and have a flair for the creative and a passion for marketing, then a career in online marketing and distribution in a hotel may be just the thing for you!

Express Yourself: Bringing your Presentation to Life
Dec,2007
Whether you are an investor, entrepreneur, employee, self-employed or unemployed, the ability to present yourself and your ideas powerfully has never been more important than in today’s dynamic information age. Speaking well can influence other’s views, close a deal, motivate your team, enhance your business and elevate your reputation.

Write it Right: Business Writing Tips for Busy Professionals
Dec,2007
Effective business writing skills can help you win that million dollar contract, earn a promotion, resolve a dispute, or generate a significant increase in new business leads. Poor business writing, on the other hand, can never be undone; it can cause you to lose business to your competition and even cost you your job.

Preparing for the Worst: Insurance and Business Continuity - Part 3: Personnel Insurance
Dec,2007
Insurance is rarely highlighted in business continuity plans, but, after any disaster, inevitably the question is raised, "Are we insured?" Like any well-formulated business continuity plan, insurance must be given detailed advance consideration. In this series of articles, insurance risk consultant John Sloan discusses the principal types of insurance affecting business continuity.

Locking the Door: Strengthening IT Security
Dec,2007
The Information Week 10th Annual Global Information Security Survey was released recently and many government agencies, companies and security professionals seem surprised that data loss and theft continue to take a back seat to other types of security breaches when it comes to applying resources and dollars for protection efforts.

In the Economic Sector: Printing Money
Dec,2007
Practically everyone in the world can identify a piece of US currency. It reads, “In Ithaca We Trust” – right? No, you’re thinking. It reads: “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust.” Everyone knows that. So what does “Ithaca” have to do with anything?

Dubai-Real Estate Sector: Delays and Demand to Sustain Fundamentally Sound Market
Oct,2007
2006 was originally widely anticipated to be the first year to witness the delivery of a sizable number of residential properties in Dubai. However, the actual handover of properties remained well below both general expectations and our forecast for 2006. Deliveries during 2006 are estimated at ca. 14,000 units against our original expectation of ca. 40,000 residential units.

Qatar Economic & Strategic Outlook: Gross Domestic Product & Public Finance
Sep,2007
According to recently released preliminary estimates by the Statistics Department of the Planning Council's General Secretariat, Qatar's gross domestic product (GDP) rose to a record high of QR191.9bn (US$52.7bn) in 2006 at current prices as against QR154.5bn (US$42.4bn) recorded in the previous year.

Qatar Economic & Strategic Outlook: Doha Securities Market Performance
Sep,2007
In 2006, Qatari stock market continued its southward ride which started from last quarter of 2005. The Global DSM Index posted a yearly fall of 37.5% in 2006 and ended the year at 487.16 points. The DSM general index witnessed a decline of 35.5% to end the year at 7,133 points.

Qatar Economic & Strategic Outlook: Banking Sector
Sep,2007
Qatari banking sector is in the midst of change and becoming more challenging. The sector has been witnessing entry of new banks – one each in Islamic banking and conventional banking segments. In the Islamic Banking segment, Al Rayan Bank has already raised the funds from the primary market in 2006.

Qatar Economic & Strategic Outlook: Current Account & Monetary Policy
Sep,2007
Qatar has been enjoying strong trade surplus over the several years with the main revenues for the country coming from exports of oil and LNG.

Qatar Economic & Strategic Outlook: Macroeconomic Profile
Sep,2007
Qatar has posted one more year of unparalleled economic growth which has been reinforced with proactive macroeconomic initiatives. By achieving a nominal GDP growth of 24.2% 2006, its GDP per capita reached to a record level of $62,914 which places Qatar among the wealthiest countries in the world.

Qatar Economic & Strategic Outlook: Real Estate, Construction & Housing
Sep,2007
The emergence of Qatar as an industrial hub augurs well for the industrial property segment as well.

Bahrain Economic & Strategic Outlook -Real Estate & Infrastructure Sectors
Jul,2007
Over the years, the Bahraini real estate sector has emerged as one of the most active and lucrative sectors due to the growing demand for residential, investment and commercial property. Laws have been passed allowing nationals from other GCC countries to own property in Bahrain.