460th publication on sea change in communication

Read and comment on the 460th publication published in the leading English Daily of Central India,The Hitavada,dated 23rd February 2010.Technology has taken the world by the storm.Communication is therefore no exception.Communication all over the world be it at the personal and professional arena has undergone a sea change.The day of having stale records of communication is a passe.Fresh and real life communication cutting across borders have given a new dimension to the world of communication.Networking so as to establish relationships both for official and personal reasons are now being built at the global level without knowing the other person on a one to one basis by meeting him/her in person.The article has projected some of the moves made by yours truly,which I am sure can be refined by getting your valuable comments and suggestions.

International Conference @ SCAS,Sur, Sultanate of Oman

The international conference(Snaps in http://picasaweb.google.com/maniisonline/InternationalConferenceSCASSurSultanateOfOman#) on 21st and 22nd of February 2010,titled,Managing in the new world order:Strategies for sustainable business development,held in Sur College of Applied Sciences, Sur,Sultanate of Oman was an apt one considering the turmoil in the global economy.The welcome address by Dr. Hamad Bin Ali Al Alawi,Dean, Sur College of Applied Sciences rightly initiated the proceedings by throwing light on the diverse challenges the global economy was facing in light of the downturn being witnessed all around, with variable impact.The industries starting from services based ones to those in the manufacturing, and even the knowledge sectors are learning the lessons from the fast changes brought in the business cycle.Prof. Subash Chandra Sharma, Symposium Director was spot on while referring to the threats faced by the modern day economies and the comparable shift in the organizations functions and strategies globally in light of the burning issues like recession, climate change, novel expectations by the stakeholders and the like.These issues which were insignificant or even non-existent even a decade ago has come back to haunt organizations of all stature and sector, culminating in the revision of the approaches adopted towards various elements related to the success of an organization. Dr. Bruce Cronin,Head, Department of International Business, University of Greenwich Business School, London was focusing on the alterations brought in the strategies crafted by organizations during and after the slowdown/recession/meltdown,and the latent opportunities emanating from the emerging world and how this moment of crisis can be metamorphosed into an opportunity.There are economies globally which had a varying impact on their bottom-lines especially because the drivers in different economies were sometimes as different as chalk and cheese.That does not veer away the fact that in a connected world, where everything is accessible at the click of the mouse, it was imperative on the part of the decision makers to forecast and analyze the consequences of such incidents happening in a different part of the globe.The key note speaker,Prof. L.S. Rathore,former Vice Chancellor,Jodhpur University,India rightly pointed out how the solid fundamentals of the economy of the Sultanate and high domestic consumption driven economies in China and India have had a minimal impact on their economies, apart from being the rescuer-in-chief for the world economy at large.Prof. Rathore also emphasised on the visionary approach of His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos bin Said in ideating and implementing an alternate economic model as the non-renewable energy based model is fast eroding was commensurate with the expectations of the august audience comprising of academics, industry executives,research associates,academic administrators from different parts of the globe.It was therefore expected for the individual paper presenters to touch upon a wide array of topics in business and management which was soothing to the minds and ears especially when the world was groping in the dark pertaining to the handling of the after-effects of the recession, biggest since the great depression.The conference deliberations stimulated the closed group interactions amongst the visiting faculties and head of the department,head of the section,Business Studies Department of Ibra College of Technology. They tried to decipher and brainstorm the source and cause of the present recession,the future of the global economy in particular and Omani economy in general, the importance of the blending of concepts like Islamic banking with the shaken and disintegrated investment banking and financial management approaches,the shift from socialistic to capitalistic to a neo-capitalistic cum socialistic model of economy where resources would be shared equally amongst the haves and haves-nots,comparison of Dubai economy which is loosing its sheen globally vis-a-vis that of the careful, solid and futuristic approach adopted by economies like that of the Sultanate continued on and on so as to find remedies to the problems emanating globally, in light of the topsy-turvy global business environment.
The recent news published in The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/Serious-resentment-brewing-among-Chinese-as-rich-become-richer-Survey/articleshow/5600007.cms)has now offered a new food for thought for the conference audience as it says all is not well even with the major guiding force during this hour of crisis-CHINA!
One should indeed compliment the Ministry of Higher Education, Sur College of Applied Sciences and sponsors OMIFCO, Qalhat LNG, Oman LNG and Al-Ghubrah Power & Desalination Company to plan and execute such a fantastic and timely symposium!!!
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458th publication on networking and its importance

Published in The Hitavada,dated 9th February 2010,leading English Daily of Central India.

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457th publication on "Entrepreneurship in Oman

Sultanate of Oman is one of those economies which were least affected by the recession which the world is recovering from.The strong fundamentals coupled with a vibrant economy,makes it the ideal ground for entrepreneurship to flourish.The article published in leading knowledge portal of Oman,www.knowledgeoman.com throws light on few of the aspects pertaining to entrepreneurship in Oman.
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Some Management Learning's from the Arab World

Management training in qualitative subjects like Marketing Management, Organizational Behaviour, Entrepreneurship, Management of Diversity to name a few, in the Arab World has given many new insights about the subjects in particular and imparting of training in general.Training in marketing management enables one to understand the importance of ethics while indulging in marketing, as the stakeholders are always willing to know whether the offering being presented were part of an ethical process or not starting from its manufacturing till the time it is delivered at their door step.The slightest doubt in the mind of the customer and even other stakeholders may lead to the reduction of their confidence level, culminating in direct and indirect losses for the concerned company.A glimpse across organizations like Oman Air, PDO, Sohar Aluminium, Bank Muscat to name a few from the Sultanate of Oman would show that ethics is strongly incorporated into the cultural fabric of the organization. This definitely has to do with the strong and rich Omani Culture which also emphasizes on ethics as a prime factor, even if that means taking a backseat in the profit related aspect momentarily. As far as Entrepreneurship is concerned, yours truly was completely moved by the backup and support provided by the administrators in bodies like Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry,when he was privy to a seminar where experts from Knowledge Oasis Muscat and Shell sponsored Intilaaqah Oman, which nurtures entrepreneurship all across the globe as part of the Shell funded Live WIRE program dwelt on aspects of starting an enterprise and managing it ethically with a profit motive.Even while training the budding professionals the details of business management,from engineering, business studies and information technology, coupled with the opportunities created by the leadership of the countries, one can strongly feel that there are plethora of opportunities to be grabbed.Organizational Behaviour gave important perspectives pertaining to the cosmopolitan yet strongly embedded local Arabian culture led organizations, where integrity and honesty is given the prime importance.The cosmopolitan aspect of these companies would make one understand how employees from different background which entails ethnicity,language,dress sense, food habits, joins hands in shaping up the organizational culture commensurate with the vision and mission of the company.This aspect also provides valuable lessons for the management of diversity, which is a very big challenge for organizations globally as they are into cross border deals, establishing relationships with stakeholders from all over the world.The other factors which are crucial are the importance of maintaining the cultural sensitivity of people working in the organizations which is observed in abundance across the organizations present in the Arab World.

The learning from other countries like the UAE would follow subsequently in another post.