...Boespflug adam Private Equity and Strategy Consulting in the MENA Region “Promising investment sectors in the MENA region” The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region encompasses a diverse array of countries and economic activities, offering numerous opportunities for private equity investments. However, due to the global economic downturn that impacted the region in 2009 along with the Arab Spring that broke out in 2011, the overall performance of the MENA region and its investing scope were adversely impacted. The ongoing civil war in Syria that also affects Jordan and Lebanon, the insurgencies in Libya and Yemen and the overall spread of the terrorist group ISIS have participated in decreasing foreign direct investments over the last few years. Furthermore Egypt and Tunisia are still undergoing a fragile transition while Morocco and Jordan's liberalization reforms have yet to be fully implemented. In this context of general instability, investors are being extremely cautious and are now focused on markets where economic growth is driven by solid fundamentals and sectors that are resistant to the fluctuations in the global economic cycle. Investors are shifting towards defensive and less speculative sectors that offer turnaround and even high growth potential. The following report will investigate four of these sectors including healthcare, education, infrastructure and renewable energy. In order...
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...Aug. 3--The Middle East is identified in the top ten markets for confectionery products in the world, with a high per capita consumption of chocolate in particular. According to a recent study by TNS Media Intelligence, the total Middle East confectionery market is valued at US$ 113 billion, and the market has grown by 15 percent over the last three years, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar experiencing the largest growth at around 24 percent. Such growth is attributed to greater disposable income per capita, the influence of the region's enormous population of young consumers, and the traditional role of sweets in Arab culture. Despite fluctuations in the region's economy, over the next decade confectionery sales are forecast to increase by 15-20 percent. To capitalise on these favourable market trends, the co-located exhibitions, Sweets Middle East and the inaugural Sweet & SnackTec Middle East, will take place from 2 -- 4 November 2009 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). Bringing business partners together, the events will create new trading opportunities and promote growth and development in the region, as well as serve producers, suppliers, importers and exporters of the sweets, confectionery and snack industry from across the MENA region. Both exhibitions are co-organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the region's leading exhibitions organiser which portfolio includes Gulfood, and Koelnmesse, organiser of the leading international...
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...Engaging more effectively with China is a must for Turkey. Several factors have affected relations between the countries: first, a paradigm shift in the approach to bilateral economic ties; second, a sense of mutual understanding between the two governments on the Uighur issue; and third, increasing acquaintance and cultural affinity between the Turkish and Chinese people. But there is a further potential factor: the two countries’ involvement in the Middle East In February when Xi Jinping, vice president of the People’s Republic of China, visited Turkey, the grand meeting hall of one of İstanbul’s largest convention centers witnessed an historic moment. Xi entered the hall to great fanfare, and responded to a standing ovation from literally hundreds of Turkish business executives with the announcement of several trade and investment projects intended to strengthen economic linkages between Turkey and China. Xi’s visit was important not only because he is the presumptive heir to President Hu Jintao, and hence the person who is likely to lead China over the coming 10 years, but also because his visit produced concrete results, such as 28 business agreements with total worth of $1.4 billion signed in a single day, cementing the strategic partnership agreement inked between the two countries back in 2010, and providing clues to the path along which Turkish-Chinese relations are likely to progress under Xi’s tenure. For Turkey, engaging more effectively with the new global economic...
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...Solar Energy: The Present and Future of the Middle East Aalim Saleem The American University of Sharjah Dr. Victoria Amador November 22, 2015 Abstract Solar energy, a pure and limitless amount of energy, has been one of the rising and popular forms of power in the Middle East. A region that is solely dependent on oil and gas as a form of energy. Since oil and gas is non-renewable and also damages the environment severely, countries in the Middle East have turned to a different form of energy. solar energy has become its direct competitor in recent years. The different projects and prospects that each country in the Middle East is pushing towards is a clear example of how important solar energy has become to these countries. Increase in economy and the many advantages of having solar energy for the environment are two benefits that this source of power is capable of providing to these countries. A limitation of solar panels is an aspect that helps gives both sides to this research paper. Accordingly this research paper discusses how all these factors are benefiting the Middle East and hence should solar energy be the main source of energy in this region. Solar Energy: The Future and Present of the Middle East Solar energy is the energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. It is one of the most abundant and cleanest renewable energy sources available, since it’s directly obtained from the sun. Solar energy has been around since the time...
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...Vicente Zarate Professor Foster English 100 November 21, 2013 “Desalination of Seawater” Water is extremely essential to every human in this world. The scarcity of water has increased in the past decades due to the overpopulation of humans. Today, we found ourselves in a critical stage where most people have not realized the consequences for the future generations. The government is investing economic resources to find innovative methods to produce fresh water. The process that removes salt from sea waters is the desalination of sea waters to breed freshwater. This process of converting seawater to clean water has caused an answer too many countries. Countries from the Middle East where there is a massive crisis of clean water, they are recurring to this cost-effective process to the solution of the water crisis. Humans cannot drink salty water, but saline water can be made into freshwater, which people need every day to live. The process is called desalination, and as the lack of fresh water grow more countries will use it to provide drinking water. Fresh water will be in short supply in some part of the United States and the world. As the population continues to grow, the lack of fresh water will appear more frequently. In many desert regions of the world including United States, the drought of fresh water resources has been critical, and it will be increasingly influential in the future. The water problem needs to be considered seriously as fossil energy resources...
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...1) What was the purpose of the essay? In your response, explore the deeper meaning of this question. The goal is not just to complete the assignment but instead to convey a message. What do you plan to accomplish with this essay? What do you hope the reader takes away from this argument? Inform readers of the advantages of alternative energy. I plan to successfully argue why alternative fuels are better than gasoline products. I hope the reader takes away how alternative energy could help preserve oil and possibly assist in driving down the cost of gasoline. 2) What did you learn from completing this assignment? Did you experience a new understanding of the topic? Did you change your perspective after completing the research? I learned how to affectively apply the Toulmin method in an essay. I experienced a better understanding of the topic from employing the Toulmin method. Yes, because originally I knew little about alternative energy and its affects. 3) What difficulties did you encounter during the research, writing, or editing phases of the assignment? I encountered the most trouble writing the essay. This is the first time I’ve wrote an essay that used this writing method. I feel like writing using the Toulmin method is very beneficial for me once I felt I understood it. 4) What did you enjoy about this assignment? I enjoyed the articles that I found on the topic that I chose. This assignment really helped me better understand how alternative energy is incorporated...
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...Managerial Leadership Case Analysis: British Airways (“BA”) Task 1 – BA SWOT analysis for the past (2003) Strengths | Weaknesses | CEO leadership | Low staff morale | Business class | Company image | Frequent flyer program | High debt | Cash liquidity | Lack of staff training programs | Innovation | Hierarchical management | Opportunities | Threats | Expansion into Middle East | Increase of aviation fuel prices | Alliance with other airlines | War in Iraq | Develop the workforce | Increase of debt interest rates | Improve customer satisfaction | Union strikes | Task 2- BA SWOT analysis for the present (2011) Strengths | Weaknesses | CEO leadership | Company image | First and business class | Hierarchical management | Frequent flyer program | Use of liquidity for new fleet | Innovation | | Grouped resources (IAG) | | Opportunities | Threats | Alliance with other airlines | Increase of aviation fuel prices | Expansion into growth markets | War in Iraq | Develop the work force | North Africa & Middle East uprising | Improve customer satisfaction | Union strikes | | Weather conditions (ash cloud & snow) | Task 3 – Comparison of past and present situation of British Airways Strengths The ex-CEO, Eddington and present CEO Willie Walsh, are both highly experienced in the aviation industry but quite different in their leadership style. For example Eddington is seen as a theory Y leader, fostering potential...
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...Americas, the Middle East and Africa. Our worldwide connections enable us to offer our customers a truly global perspective built upon local knowledge and expertise. HSBC sponsors sports which represent our core values and allow us to connect with local communities at a grass roots level HSBC Key Facts * Founded in 1865 * Headquartered in London * Around 6,600 offices in 80 countries and territories within HSBC's international network * One of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world * Listed on the London, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Bermuda stock exchanges. Our objective is to become the world’s leading international bank. Our strategy is aligned to two long-term trends: * The world economy is becoming ever more connected, with growth in world trade and cross-border capital flows continuing to outstrip growth in average gross domestic product. Over the next decade we expect 35 markets to generate 90 per cent of world trade growth with a similar degree of concentration in cross-border capital flows. * Of the world’s top 30 economies, we expect those in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa to increase in size approximately four-fold by 2050, benefiting from demographics and urbanisation. By this time they will be larger than those of Europe and North America combined. By 2050, we expect 18 of the 30 largest economies will be from Asia-Pacific, Latin America or the Middle East and Africa. HSBC...
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...Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey The first company that we visited in Ankara was the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey. There they presented to us the Turkish economic background, the actual economic position regarding European Union and Middle East and what are their challenges to keep the long-term competitiveness. Turkey is strategically located between Europe and Middle East and this advantage, after the policy reforms, made the country boost their economy by attracting companies that operates in both markets. The country is so well geographically located that we in a 3 hours flight you have an economic potential of 8,7 Trillions of dollars. The ground for this economic boom was the first generation reforms starting in 1980 with Price reforms and Trade and Financial liberalization. After that in 2001 they had the Banking reform, Privatized state owned companies, created Independent authorities to regulate the markets and they also adopted Fiscal and Monetary discipline. Nowadays, they are trying to move from an Efficiency-driven economy to an Innovation-driven economy, which means that they need to not only build or make goods in the country but also aggregate value to the goods produced. Investing in education is the only and long way to shift the economy from large scale transformation to high-tech. On the other hand, Turkey has a current account deficit and it is at historic high, it corresponds as 10% of GDP. The majority of the imports is related...
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...MIDDLE EAST Middle Eastern countries are at various stages of their economic development with a common heritage. In most of the countries oil wealth has played a major role in its development gaining the attraction of the interest of other developed countries. Globalization has become one of the significant factors of its development, thus forcing the countries to alter its economic policies and reforms as well as the accounts standards. (International monetary fund, 2014) http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/med/2003/eng/abed.htm "Challenges of Growth and Globalization in the middle East and North Africa by George T. Abed and Hamid R. Davoodi." Challenges of Growth and Globalization in the middle East and North Africa by George T. Abed and Hamid R. Davoodi. International Monetary Fund, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. <http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/med/2003/eng/abed.htm>. JORDAN The government of Jordan has adopted IFRS in may 15th,1977 by passing Company Law No.22 which came into effect after thirty days of its issue. The Public companies were informed to classify their accounts according to the International Financial Reporting Standards. (IFRS, 2011) Egypt The companies in Egypt were monitored by the IFRS until the Capital Market Law passed in 1992 which obliged all the registered companies to follow Egyptian Accounting Standards set by ministry of Finance. The Central Bank made it mandatory for all the Banks to follow the EAS.However, as per the current report, the...
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...Assignment Submitted By Elton Gjikdhima To Meet the Needs of the Course Feb, 2015. I interviewed a successful entrepreneur from UAE. She has created numerous wanders in Middle East. She is the holder of V Business Master (VBM) in UAE.. She is essentially into administration division and their administrations incorporate VBM Education, VBM Technology, VBM Medicals, VBM Oil and gas and so on. I for one appreciate him as she has accomplished a ton in her young age. She has the qualities and the capacity of a successful business entrepreneur. I accept that this interview will help us to comprehend the way that the entrepreneur decides to travel. To begin this business the essential issue that she confronted was the investment. Investment was important to circle in for beginning the processing plant. So she accompanied a thought to adjust to partners by offering her thoughts and awing & persuading them to invest in the business. Sadly numerous vacated. At that point she wanted to begin a little subsidiary in UAE i.e. Expert designing administration. This was a huge hit with a decent team, trustworthy & hardworking team. The benefit that delivered specialist administration was utilized to invest in Middle East. There were relatively few real issues. Albeit beginning business in Middle East is easy however to get great trustworthy partners, fitting documentation visa customs, papers to be affirmed by labor were lengthy methodology. Picking of company name is additionally...
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...#2. Companies have to consider a wide array of factors before investing in internationalization of their firm. Companies focus their decision on 4 main factors including: strategic considerations, location decision factors, ownership mode decisions, and the decision-making process. Strategic considerations include the identification of high growth potential markets in the Middle East. Location decision factors include the market potential due to proximity of affluent economies, the governmental regulations that oversaw and restricted a specific area, the quality of life for employees should the company establish in that area, and the physical infrastructure to support implementation, sustainability, and eventual growth. Environmental risk was also of consideration but was done on a case-by-case basis and wasn’t a key driver of any decisions. Ownership models were determined by either entering or not entering joint-venture ownership with local investors. The decision making process is of high importance to the parent company to ensure it has done its due diligence and research on the aforementioned factors before investing. The most important set of factors was that of strategic considerations. Without a plausible reason to enter a Middle East and North African (MENA) market, the company has no ground to investigate location or partnership. Companies must find an area and market where profitability is most likely, then research the location and ownership factors. Strategic consideration...
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...attaining most of its oil from the Middle East. In fact, many journalists and news feeds have theorized how the majority of American oil has been imported by the Middle Eastern countries, and have even gone to the extent to claim that the American “War on Terror” in Iraq was simply to attain more oil. Whether these conspiracy theories are true or not, import data on oil to the United States has proven otherwise. Peter Kiernan’s (2008) article “America is Not as Dependent on Persian Gulf Oil as Some Might Think” illustrates what his proposed title claims by providing substantial data. As the international trade theory between countries in part focus on the process of oil trading throughout the world for the simple fact that industries trading from automobile to agriculture rely on oil in order to function. Hence, there have been debates upon the trade relationship between the United States and the Middle East especially post 9/11 terror attacks. The global market for oil as we can see has been a sensitive topic, as it has directly affected societies reliant upon their automobiles. Gas prices have continued to escalate therefore theories continue to derive from the individual level which eventually reaches in the international governing levels. However the data in which Kiernan’s (2008) article provides illustrates how in reality that the United States does not attain all of its oil from the Middle East but mainly only one country from the Middle East – Saudi Arabia. Hence, “[i]n...
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...1850, the company boosts an experience of over a century in providing quality services globally. AMEX has grown from a small freight company to one of the leading global providing financial and travel services. AMEX is committed to maximizing services to its customers, based on trust, integrity, security and high quality. AMEX continues to be a remunerative and powerful finances brand within the global economic realm. Saudi Arabia has a rapidly growing economy which is attracting foreign investors. The country has a strong, efficient and competitive domestic industry. In 2012 the country GDP rose by 6%. The Middle East country is one the most stable countries in the region despite the political turmoil that has been experienced in neighboring regions The Kingdom, as it is called, has established itself as one of the top 25 largest economic powerhouses in both the Middle East and Northern Africa. In addition, the Saudi Arabia Kingdom is among the fastest growing countries. The country has transformed its transport system and infrastructure. With the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) being the biggest in the Gulf region, AMEX has assisted in turning it into a luxury power player within its respective continent. Despite the many investment opportunities, Saudi Arabia has some setbacks that may prove to be a stumbling block within the country. First, the inadequate legal framework in resolving commercial disputes makes it nearly impossible for other financial players to follow in the...
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...CHAPTER 1: A GENERAL VIEW ABOUT THE MIDDLE-EAST 1. General Overview of Middle East The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and North Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East. The corresponding adjective is Middle-Eastern and the derived noun is Middle-Easterner. ▪ Traditional definition of the Middle East: Egypt, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, Cyprus, UAE, Oman, Yemen. ▪ Population: estimated 2010 about 350 million. ▪ Situated between Asia, Europe and Africa. Throughout its history, the Middle East has been a major centre of world affairs. ▪ The Middle East generally has an arid and hot climate. ▪ In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously sensitive region. The Middle East expected economic growth rate is at about 4.1% for 2010 and 5.1% in 2011. [pic] 2. Religions The Middle East is very diverse when it’s come to religions, many of which is originated there. Islam is the largest religion. Besides, Judaism and Christianity are also important there. There are still many branches in each religion. 1.3 Languages Three top languages based on numbers of speaker: ▪ Arabic: Arabic is the most widely spoken language in the Middle East, the influence of Arabic has been most important in Islam countries such as: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait...
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