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Can small businesses do good marketing? pg8
The high price of fake pg44
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6 Dh-Qaidah – 6 Dh-Hijjah
Vol.5 Issue 72IISeptember 2014
Open your Minds pg18
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Xclusive
18 Open your minds Top speakers at the .Open Minds forum, held at the Oman Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel recently, opened their hearts and their minds for us in this issue.
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The high price of fake
Companies around the world are suffering because they are trying to compete with prices of the counterfeiters who are producing the same products illegally. The counterfeiters don’t have to worry about cost that goes into research, quality control, paying taxes or marketing for the product.
Contents
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Can small businesses do good marketing?
A new business owner won’t be a marketing expert from day one, but he/she could certainly pick up and apply good marketing activities that would help him/her gradually develop sound marketing skills in the long term.
Published by: Muscat Press & Publishing House SAOC Black & White Postal address: P O Box 86, PC 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos Office location: Hatat House A, II Floor, Suite No: 212, Wadi Adai Ph: +968 24565697 Fax: 24565496 Website: www.blackandwhiteoman.com Editorial: editor@blackandwhiteoman.com Printed at Oman2014 Printers September
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Bitter Batter
Fake sponsors Organisers of events are always at the mercy of almost everyone, concluding the elements
Chairman Editor-in-chief Managing editor Work editor Editorial Marketing Design & production
Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali Mohamed Al Balushi Priya Arunkumar Adarsh Madhavan Khadija Al Zadjali Shalet D'Souza Beneek Siraj
Closed Minds By Adarsh Madhavan
“Open Minds?” guffawed my friend. Yeah, I said it was actually called the .Open Minds forum. We recently brought in an impressive list of speakers who have seen and dealt with the worst and have come out beaten but not broken. They survived all odds and became success stories. It is unbelievable the challenges they faced and yet they managed to overcome it. We had brought them to Oman in the hope that they will open the minds of many here and we can happily say that they succeeded. “I know all about that,” my guff-awed friend smirked. “I attended the sessions too,” he added quietly. So what is funny? I asked. I was irritated. I get irritated with small things. When big issues happen, I clamp up; shake like a leaf and fall into…silence. “Open Minds…” my smirk-all friend giggled again. “Open Minds being done by a closed mind!” he laughed again. I caught the drift. He was not laughing at the forum, he was not laughing at the speakers, he was not laughing at my company, he was not laughing at my colleagues – nope, this wretched friend was laughing at me. It was true. I had a closed mind. Wrong tense. I have a closed mind. So, what was a closed mind preaching about opening minds? Well, you see, it is not me – it is my magazine that had organised this event, I said by way of an explanation. “Well, you deserved a front row seat and you should have attended it on both days,” my friend retorted. I glared at him but had nothing much to say because he was right, I was really someone who needed to open my mind than anyone here. It is not my fault that I am stuck with a closed mind, I said. I was born that way. But, as the clichés dried my tongue, my mind probed the depth of that thought: no, not just me, aren’t we all secretly harbouring closed minds? Many of us have closed minds and many are closet close minded. Yet, we tend to act as though we were
owners of the most open minds on earth. I thought I should come clean. I have a closed mind on so many things that I guess I can actually represent the closed mind group and perhaps defend them too. For, my closed mind did not mean that I am closed to ideas, thoughts, facts, logic or arguments. I am open to them. I am even open to assumptions or lay thoughts because sometimes, something might turn out of them. I am not closed to the thought of someone else having a better idea than mine. In fact, over the period of years, I have always found that someone else’s ideas were better than mine. Always. There are times when I have had my share of bright ideas only to find someone else coming and bettering it. And despite my closed mind, I was game enough to accept (grrr) that others had better ideas than mine. But, don’t make me a party to prejudices. Then, my mind closes. I have too many prejudices myself but I take care not to force them down on anyone’s throat. “You are silent,” said my friend, interrupting my thought flow. I am thinking, I said and he burst out laughing. “Something good seems to have come out of the forum; you seemed to have gained some sense and even a bit of tolerance; otherwise, by this time, you would be biting off my head!” I stared at my friend. That was true. Normally, a small provocation would have seen me exploding in a cloudburst of anger and irritation. I would have moved heaven and earth to angrily defend myself. This time I did not. There was no point, I told him. I did not have an open mind; I have a mixture of an active as well as a passive mind, but that did not mean I should equalise truth and falsehood and live in a world of neutrality. I am not going to bow down to blind faith or fear, I will speak my mind, I said. “Whoa,” said my friend. “You do that, but unfortunately your Open Minds failed to open yours!” Yup, I said. I agree. .Open Minds failed to open neither your mind nor mine. editor@blackandwhiteoman.com 5
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Mail your views and opinions at editor@blackandwhiteoman.com
Eid Habta markets – the hustle and bustle The Eid Habta markets of Oman are a delight to attend. It is not just the goats, or the livestock – you will find all kinds of sales going on and there is the traditional hustle and bustle, which you may not find at the normal markets. People always look forward to these annual traditional markets, which are usually seen at the Muttrah souq, Nizwa souq, and the central market in the Dhofar governorate. The one, which your magazine has reported on, is a seasonal market, which is set up during religious occasions like Eid Al Fitr and Eid al Adha. I have been to almost 10 to 20 such Habta markets in the last so many years and I can’t wait for the next one. Humaid Al Akhzami, Seeb
Readers column
Crowded market of Jaalan Bani Bu Ali During this Eid, I visited Jaalan Bani Bu Ali and went to the Eid Habta market. I couldn’t believe the crowd that thronged the market; it was so huge. Both young and old, they crowded the market so much that there wasn’teven elbow room for us. It is nice to see crowded areas like this; the pulse there is so different, so vibrant. The only disappointment was that we couldn’t stay long because of the sheer enormity of the crowd. Ayesha B., Al Khuwair 6
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True essence You have truly captured the essence of the Souq Al Juma of the WadiKabir market. I have visited the market too during the same period and your words and pictures have brought out the true spirit of this market. It was quite interesting to go through the story. Alistair B., Ghala
Rates are too high Eid festivities will indeed be incomplete if we don’t go to a traditional markets to buy an Omani goat or sheep. But, do you know how much an Omani goat costs? I have bought a goat for OMR250. They asked for OMR270 and after much haggling, it was bought down to OMR250. I know Omani goats are the best, but still, this rate is too much. Ummer T. Rahman, Qurum
Will Bjorn’s way help me too? My wife – in fact, my whole family -- is after me to reduce weight and although I have employed several ways to lower it, all my efforts have come to naught. After reading, ‘Bjorn’s way made me stronger, fitter, healthier’, I must say that I am inspired, yet, am beguiled by these doubts: I am interested in having “short bursts of high-intensity effort” type of exercises because I believe that I have only energy for short efforts, not long.
I have been on the treadmill for sometime now, but it has not really helped me reduce weight. Should I really go for more short bursts that include strong workouts and then running, cycling and swimming? Let me try this out for a month or two and then I will come back to you and say whether Bjorn’s advice really means something? Sanjith T. Alexander, Muscat
Littering is a crime Littering (issue 71) is indeed a nightmare here in Oman. I still cannot understand how people simply drop their empty bottles, chips’ packets, biscuit wrappers, half eaten meat and chicken bones, bread, half-eaten fruits, fruit peels, plastic etc and leave the originally pristine environment in a totally deranged state. The sheer insolence of going to an area, which is pure, clean and harmonious with nature
and then enjoying it, taking in a chest full of pure, clear air, then munching some goodies, and then dumping all of their waste and just moving away without even bothering to clean up is a crime! It should be seen as breaking law! It is high time that these mindless, thoughtless and noncaring litterers are put behind bars! Sadashiv A. T., Ruwi
A taste of their own medicine The only way littering can be rooted out is by actually devising a scheme where the perpetrators of this ‘crime’ are given a taste of their own medicine. If anyone is caught littering, especially found to leave their waste in some wadi or park or the beach, they should be immediately apprehended and then made to clean the whole park/beach area etc the whole
day. The punishment should be meted out in such a way that the bigger offences are given longer duration of punishment cleaning. Let the ones who litter be made to clean the whole areas and not just the place where they have littered. This is the only way that this littering habit would be rooted out completely! Anish Lal, Qurum 7
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Can small businesses do good marketing? Dr Hamed Ibrahim Al-Azri
When asked about marketing, many people primarily think about promotion activities. For them, marketing is all about an interesting advertisement they recently viewed, or how a skillful salesperson persuades new customers into buying a product.
For specialists though, marketing is much more than that. A commonly cited definition of marketing is that it is “the art and science of choosing target markets and getting, keeping, and growing customers through creating, delivering, and communicating superior customer value” (Kotler & Keller, 2012, p.3). For the layman, or for the one who considers himself/herself a practical businessperson, such a definition
could be too complicated in real life. This is also true about the abundance of marketing concepts out there. Look for instance at the following long list of some widely used marketing concepts: strategic marketing planning, segmentation, target market, customer perception, the 4Ps of marketing (Product, Place, Price, and Promotion), personal service, unique selling propositions, niche market vs mass market, customer relationship management, product positioning, and branding. Marketing in this sense is amply discussed in books, research studies, news/magazine articles, and dedicatedwebsites all over the world.
Nascent Marketing
At the end of the day, however, how good and practical is this understanding of marketing to the common small business owner? What if he/she doesn’t have what experts would label as a “suitable” marketing background? What if he/ she cannot afford the salary of a marketing specialist? Would this mean that he or she has no chance of doing good marketing? To illustrate, I once interviewed a small business owner and asked him whether or not he utilises a written marketing plan. He said that he had such a plan, but it is now collecting dust in thedrawer! The reason, 8
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he elaborated, was that he wasn’t sure whether a marketing plan was feasible in terms of money and effort. Yet, it was evident to me that he was still able to do good marketing! In my experience, small business marketing is not necessarily about memorising jargon and mastering fancy techniques. These can surely be helpful, but they are not strict requirements for doing good marketing. At the core, I believe, marketing is a process of value exchange. A small business owner strives to produce something of value to a significant market. If the market perceived the product well, it would gladly provide value back to the business in terms of revenues. The basic idea is that despite the apparent complexity of marketing, it is certainly doable, even by small
businesses. It only needs dedication, care, and patience. A new business owner won’t be a marketing expert from day one, but he/she could certainly pick up and apply good marketing activities that would help him/her gradually develop sound marketing skills in the long term. This idea is demonstrated everywhere in the world. For example, 16 Omani cases of small businesses demonstrating good
marketing abilities were presented in a weekly blog series I published last year (shortened URL: bit. ly/1pUYcGq). These businesses operated in various sectors in Oman, ranging from tourism and design to clothing and food service. The irony here is that the owners of these businesses did not always consciously consider what they were doing as clear marketing activities! Based on this idea, 'Nascent Marketing' is a series that will exhibit cases of handpicked small Omani businesses that exemplify aspects of good marketing. We will look at these cases, learn about practical marketing, and seek inspiration for our own marketing activities and general life endeavours. Happy marketing!
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O
You are alone
wall he t ff
By Adarsh Madhavan
There is no easy way out. And, you should have known about it by now. Ok, read about the greats on how they achieved what they did. The sheer treacherous ‘peaks’ they tried to mount and the number of times they fell. Read and learn about how they fell and how they got up again and again. Sure, you are going to get rejuvenated by the words. You are going to get energised when you meet these icons face to face. There is that fantastic thrill of holding their hands…but then, that is it! They are not going to hold your hand and take you forward anymore than that. You are left by yourself on your path. No one is going to walk it for you. No one is going to put one foot before you and the next and take you along. Nope. That is their journey. That is their path. That is their route. They will fall again. They will falter. They will get up. They will restart. They will pick up speed. They will run…but on their own turf, not on yours. So, forget it.
Off the wall
You are going to be alone. There is no one who is going to walk your walk for you. No one! Not even the ones who are closest to you. It is not going to work that way. And if you thought you were on a good wicket because you met a dozen or so great leaders who fought their way from nothing to everything and if you think that is it, this is the way to live,well, you are going to fall flat on your face. Of course, all of that is going to be a great help. It is going to be a big boost for you if you are on the brink of embarking on your own personal mission. But, all of these stories on greatness; on the maxims and axioms; all the wonderful words of personal advice and guidance from those who have walked their paths, stumbled and still struggled and made it… are only going to perk you up.
They would work as inspiration to begin, to get up, to repair and to move ahead. They would help us mount our own obstacles and they will help us meet the challenges as we imbibe the spirit behind the words of wisdom of those who have been there, done that. But, no one, mind you, no one is going to walk your path for you. No one. You are alone out there and that is how it was for all of these people who came before us and trail blazed their own path. And no one walked their path for them either. It has never happened and it is not going to happen too. For, it is not possible. It is not possible for me to walk your path or for you to walk on mine. There might be times when I might come and lift you up or you can come and lift me up in case we have fallen down. But after that we are left alone on our trail and that is how the cookie crumbles. Go ahead, Carpe Diem, seize the day, make your lives extraordinary, but don’t wait for someone to come and do your work for you. Even though we may not want to admit it, many of us are already on our path but are waiting for something to happen, for someone to come and lift us and carry us on their backs. Somehow we are there, under the shadow of our own fears, stricken and not able to lift ourselves off, or even flap our wings. I am there and I know that you are also there, waiting, but it is this waiting that is going to destroy us all. It is this painful wait in the belief that something was going to happen to us that will suddenly push us off from the starting point, like a starter pistol, which never happens and you would probably fall down with a bang after waiting too long. Unless and until you understand that you are alone in your path and that the onus is on you to walk your path, you are not going to make one step forward. adarsh@blackandwhiteoman.com
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By Bikram Vohra
On a flight recently, I chanced to sit near a crusty old man reading a novel and a lady of some thirty-five years, who had evidently come straight from a shopping spree to the airport and charmed her way past security with half a dozen duty free bags, a carry-all and her gigantic purse that had several strings attached to it. As she was on the window seat she had to clamber over him to reach her place. Naturally, she nudged his book out of his hand and it fell to the floor. She apologised cheerfully, and then struck him above the knee with a bag as she returned over him to place her overnighter in the luggage bin. It would not fit so she pummelled it, while her handbag swayed dangerously in front of the crusty man’s face, the oscillation doing very little to improve his mood. Finally she re-clambered over him and spread heritems on the ground, under her seat, under the seat in front of her and on the side of her seat. The charming young lady was now struggling to find the second section of her belt which had done a disappearing act just as seatbelts are inclined to do. So as she squirmed and wriggled to find it, the man with the book dispatched filthy looks in her direction like rockets being fired at aliens in a video game. Finally, the belt strap was located and the lady picked up the in flight magazine. Then she realised she needed something so stood up, undid her belt, brushed past the old man and his book and opened the luggage bin. He growled a sort of growly sound in the back of his throat followed by more growling sounds by which time she had unzipped three pockets on the overnighter and then, having located her glasses, zipped them back again with that “zzzrrrttt” sound shrill enough to make the crusty man flinch three times. She then said, excuse me, and pushed her way back to the seat where she began to grope again for the belt. My seat mate rubbed his hands with glee and said, considering we hadn’t yet taken off, things looked very promising. She now opened her handbag by pulling the strings outwards and past and across the vision of the old man, rummaged about inside and pulled out her contact lenses packet and a handkerchief. Then she proceeded to flick her lenses out of her eyes. The Captain of the flight, unaware of this high optical drama in the cabin,
Sunny side up
The lady and the lost lens inflight Bikram Vohra, internationallyknown Gulf based scribe
chose that very moment to roll down the runway, so she staggered against the motion and let out a pleasant little shriek. She’s dropped them, said my partner joyfully, she has dropped them, oh this is fun. I have dropped them, she said to the old man, I have dropped my lenses, you pushed me. I most certainly did not, he said. Yes, you did, now don’t move, stay still, you could crush them. The Captain, meanwhile, crossed the V2 point of no return on the runway and rotated the aircraft into the sky. For five minutes young lady and old man sat in frozen tableau, she indignant and he bristling at the invasion of his privacy. When the seat belt sign went off, she was on all fours hunting for the little lenses while he recoiled in horror. The stewardess brought adust buster and the young lady kept saying, don’t move, stay still, don’t lift your foot and other such sundry advice. The lady was now flailing about on the floor, and as much aplomb as a man might have it is not easy to display much elegance when a pretty young lady is crawling about at your feet and you are plunging along in a metal tube at 30,000 feet. The old man had given up all pretence to elegance especially since he could not move his foot. She now began to search the open mouth of her duty free bags. Items of purchase were pulled out and scattered on seats 12 A and B and the old man was co-opted to participate in the hunt by being ordered to hold this, will you, and don’t move your feet. The young lady was, meanwhile, flinging things to the winds and my seat partner was rollicking with silent mirth. Naturally, the dinner service was announced while the hunt was still in its throes and now the old man could not eat since she would not allow the trays to be pulled out till her lenses were found and he could not move for fear of crushing the little orbs. So while we ate and watched the drama unfold, the old man buried himself in his book and my partner said he was sure he heard him sob. An hour into the flight, it became clear that the lens had vanished and the debris had to be put back on the bags. We were well into approach when the packing was completed. The old man, having long given up his book, decided to be gallant. I am sorry you lost your lenses, he said. That’s alright, she said cheerfully, I have another pair.
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BMW and MINI experience strong sales performance Al Jenaibi International Automobiles, the official BMW Group importer in Oman, has announced a growth of 57 per cent for BMW and MINI sales during the first half of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013. Leading the way for BMW in Oman was the BMW 5 Series and the BMW X5 which both continued to remain among the best-selling models for the BMW Group importer with sales increasing 69 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. The latest third generation BMW X5 launched last year, delivers outstanding luxury and unparalleled comfort in every regard and never fails to exceed expectations. The flagship BMW 7 Series continues to garner the interest of the Omani customers where it ranked as the third best selling BMW model. Here in the Middle East it is the leader in the luxury sedan segment blending luxury, elegance and innovation. Sales for the MINI brand during the first six months of the year were led by MINI Countryman achieving 88 per cent
growth. The MINI Coupe was also a strong contributor with 300 per cent growth. Divyendu Kumar, managing director of Al Jenaibi International Automobiles said: “Demonstrating the effectiveness of our strategy, the half year figures are reflective of our dedication to our valued customers. The demand for BMW Group vehicles is in continuous growth in the Sultanate and with our extensive product offering and premium services, we are certain of the ongoing success of Al Jenaibi International Automobiles.”
Burjeel Medical Center set to raise the bar on private healthcare in Oman
Lifeline Hospital Group, has announced the soft launch of an exclusive facility that promises to set a new benchmark in private healthcare and wellness services in the Sultanate. Burjeel Medical Center has been established to offer a wide array of healthcare services that, unlike conventional clinics and hospitals, are based on the ‘art of healing’ – a unique concept that has revolutionised premium private healthcare services in
the UAE. The local facility is modelled on its namesake – The Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi – a highly-acclaimed institution that offers world-class healthcare services set in 7-star settings complete with plush suites, fine dining restaurants and concierge services. A key differentiator is the brand’s commitment to providing an exceptionally superior degree of services in a calming and reassuring setting, underpinned by personalised attention and genuine warmth – otherwise also known as the ‘art of healing’. Oman’s own Burjeel is taking shape in an upscale part of Al Athaiba; one of Muscat’s fastest growing commercial and residential districts. Set in a newly refurbished building (that previously housed the headquarters of Nawras), Burjeel Medical Center is conveniently located next to Al Meera Hypermarket, not far from a host of other major landmarks in the area, most notably the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.
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Mercedes-Benz Inauguration New Facility in Sohar ZawawiTrading Company (ZTC) - the exclusive distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Oman has now officially opened a brand new, state of the art facility in Sohar, Oman’s second city, to further enhance and extend MercedesBenz’ customer service within Oman. Sheikh Naif bin Hamoud Al Maamari, assistant wali of Sohar attended the ceremony to cut the ribbon and officially open the 12
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facility with Brigadier (rtd) Waleed Zawawi and Mike Belk, chairman and Ceo of Daimler Middle East and Levant. The new Sohar facility will also offer global standard after sales service on commercial and passenger vehicles and also vehicles from ZTC’s proven exclusivity programme, meeting increased local demand for Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks.
McDonald’s opens up students summer training programme McDonald’s Oman (Al Daud Restaurants LLC) welcomed teens from age 10 to 14 years old to undergo hands-on restaurant experience as part of their summer training programme. With such a training opportunity, students are able to learn to take on new responsibilities and challenges, gain self confidence and independence, and learn about hospitality, personal attributes, safety, time management and coordination, while creating exciting memories. “I am very proud and happy to see my son spending his summer time working at McDonald’s. I’m pleased that he’s able to spend his time productively by serving and interacting with customers and crew members, which I believe, help develop his social skills, work standards and cooperation with crew people. These are valuable learning which I believe my son would acquire from working at McDonald’s during his spare time”, a cheerful mother of one of the student trainees, said. Ahmed Al Amri, HR manager of McDonald’s Oman (Al Daud Restaurants LLC) said: “With McDonald’s summer training programme, students get to learn
healthy habits while being detached from technological distractions, such as television, cell phones, internet, or video games, which prevent them to have an active balanced lifestyle. Our summer training programme for students enable them to explore new learning opportunities and helps instill in them the value of self discipline, work ethics, communication and team work."
Dar Al Herafiya opens in Muscat Grand Mall Under the patronage of Tariq Sulaiman Al Farsi, Ceo of Al Raffd Fund, and in the presence of Said bin Saleh Al Kiyumi, chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), Muscat Grand Mall celebrated the official launch of Dar Al Herafiya outlet – a handicraft and small business initiative sponsored
and supported by the ‘Manafeth’ programme by OCCI. Manafeth, which is the Arabic word for ‘outlets’, is a programme established by OCCI, and it aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises to start their own retail outlets in shopping malls, allowing them to promote their businesses
and introduce themselves to the public.
Rail Exhibition and Conference inauguration J.S. Mukul, Indian ambassador recently opened the Rail Exhibition and Conference 2014 by cutting the ribbon in the presence of ministers, government officials, top businessmen and other officials. The two-day exhibition brought together regional and international experts from the rail sector to discuss and debate the best practices in the industry. The summit, themed ‘Connecting Oman to the AGCC region, was attended by government stakeholders and professionals. The conference will offer a perfect gateway to reach a highly focussed and prequalified customer-base to provide excellent networking opportunities. The upcoming railway projects will open up significant employment opportunities across the Sultanate, with the Government looking to employ More Omanis to operate
the railway network. P.D. Nath, managing director, Silver Star Corporation L.L.C. said that the Rail Exhibition and Conference 2014 is the best forum where the people of the same interest connected with rail projects can join hands and take the best opportunity available in the country keeping in mind the ambitious rail project of Oman in particular and in the GCC region in general. 13
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Oman’s Tourism sector poised for boom
reports net income of 112.1 billion yen for first quarter of fy2014 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. recently announced financial results for the three months to June 30, 2014. Operating profit rose to 122.6 billion yen for the first quarter of the 2014 fiscal year, representing a five per cent margin on net revenues that climbed 10.4 per cent to 2.47 trillion yen for the period. “Nissan continued to make progress in the first three months of the fiscal year as encouraging demand for new products, benefits from recent plant investments, and improving market conditions in North America, China and Europe combined to lift both revenues and profits,” said Carlos Ghosn, president and chief executive officer. “Nissan is well placed to deliver on its outlook given our continued product offensive along with measures to enhance competitiveness, build market share and the ongoing benefits of our Alliance strategy.” The improvement reflected particularly strong unit sales growth in the key markets of the U.S. and China, up 14.1 per cent and 21.1 per cent respectively. The company also benefited from rising demand for award-winning products including the Qashqai, Rogue and X-Trail, all derived from the Common Module Family developed within the RenaultNissan Alliance.
Over 2.1m tourists visited the Sultanate in 2013, according to government figures, up by 7.8 per cent on the previous year. Oman is moving at speed to accommodate rising visitor numbers by rolling out several hotels and infrastructure projects. However, skills shortages in the local labour market risk hampering the sector’s fast-paced expansion. Sustained growth in Oman’s tourism industry is expected on the back of rising interest in the destination together with favourable economic conditions driving up disposable income and improved connectivity. Tourism made a direct contribution of $2.5bn to the economy in 2013,
equivalent to three per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to a report released in April by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The council’s Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2014 report on Oman said it expected that figure to rise by 10.2% this year, after which it anticipates an average annual increase of 5.4 per cent throughout the following decade.
Independence Day celebrations at ISD The 68th Independence Day celebration was held at Indian school Darsait recently with joy, fervour and enthusiasm. The chief guest, Ashraf Valappil, treasurer, school management committee, unfurled the national flag followed by the national anthem played by the school band. Members of the S M C, Ajayan Poyyara and Christopher Joe, principal, vice principals, asst. vice - principals, supervisors, coordinators, heads of departments, staff, students and a good number of parents and well wishers were part of this patriotic celebration.
Isam Al Zadjali new Ceo of Oman Oil Company The board of directors of Oman Oil Company (OOC) announced the appointment of Eng. Isam bin Saud Al Zadjali as the new chief executive officer of Oman Oil Company. Al Zadjali joins the company with over two decades of experience in the oil and gas sector, having previously served as senior vice president business development for 14
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Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at Occidental and president of Occidental Oman. With over 40 investments in 15 countries, the OOC continues to drive economic diversification and growth, by facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology to maximise the value of Oman’s natural resources.
BankDhofar wins a plethora of awards BankDhofar recently announced that following the ‘Best Bank in the Sultanate 2014’ award, it has also won two more awards from the Banker Middle East Awards 2014, organised by CPI Financial, Dubai, UAE. BankDhofar was chosen as the ‘Best Managed Advisory Service 2014’- Oman and also for having the ‘Best Mobile Banking App 2014’ – Oman. The trophy for the Best Managed Advisory Service 2014 and the Best Mobile Banking App 2014 along with certificates were handed over to Abdul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili, acting Ceo of BankDhofar by Adam Broom, Ceo of CPI Financial, at a recent press conference held at the Intercontinental Hotel. On receiving the awards, Abdul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili, "BankDhofar continues to constantly and consistently grow since its inception 24 years ago. As one of the leading banks in the region with a fastgrowing network, we aim to deliver reliable, dynamic and innovative banking services to our esteemed
customers. The bank draws on its expertise to provide customers with the best banking products and services and these awards are a reflection and a testament to our successful strategies and quality of products and services provided. However, these recognitions would not have been possible without the support and guidance of the Board of Directors and the commitment of the Bank's management and employees, who constantly strive to deliver above and beyondcustomer expectations; and of course to the loyalty and support of our customers." Adam Broom noted that “CPI Financial is the regions only financial media company publishing magazines, journals and digital content for the banking, finance and business communities throughout the AGCC, Levant, Africa and Asia. Since the launch of Banker Middle East in 1999, we have become an integral part of the economic development of the Middle East and this places us in a unique position to be able to recognise those financial
institutions that are leading examples of innovation and success.” To commemorate the occasion BankDhofar launched its new biometric customer ID system compatible with the national identification card (NID). The new biometric system, launched in collaboration with theRoyal Oman Police, gives customers a onetouch identification and transaction authentication process. The new facility aims to be faster, convenient and risk free for secure banking transactions.
QBG celebrates success of SQU summer interns Qurum Business Group (QBG) has announced that seven of the 11 interns from the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) have successfully graduated from the company’s inaugural internship programme. The eight-week programme enabled the undergraduate students to learn first-hand from experienced professionals about the group’s diversified services to complement their field of study. “We are incredibly proud of our Omani roots and therefore have a strong sense of responsibility to nurture the future of the country,” said Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Hosni, vice chairman and president of QBG. “Our internship programme rewards the
experience of knowledge-sharing in the working-world and will not only serve to significantly enhance the theoretical approach delivered at the University, but carry the students into the business world with legitimate
practical experience. QBG staff reveled in their mentorship of SQU’s young stars and sincerely look forward to watching them grow as the next generation of Omani business leaders.” 15
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Not achieving sales target… By Dr CK Anchan
Dr Anchan C.K. managing director, World Wide Business House
The initial goal in selling is to find out why, and under what circumstances, the prospect will buy from you. Asking questions is first, and sharing your materials and specifics comes next. Sell today, educate tomorrow. Every step of the way through the sales cycle, a salesperson must make critical decision as to whether to continue investing time in the relationship with the prospect. Remember, the shorter your selling cycle, the more leads you close over time. You should always be helping the prospect discover the best reasons to buy from you – not telling them why they should. One of the oldest philosophies is the 70/30 rule. So often and especially in the beginning of a relationship, sales people think they need to be doing all the talking, when they should be listening and asking questions. We must ask ourselves “is this the prospect’s real problem or is it just a symptom?” Before diagnosing and offering how we can address their challenges, we have to ask more questions to make sure we’ll be getting at the root of their problem. People don’t buy simply on your say-so. A prospect must go through a period of self-discovery before making the decision that your product or service is the right solution. Resistance is pre-programmed and people don’t like to be told what to do (or buy). A better approach than “selling by telling” is to ask key questions or relate third-party stories that allow the prospect to discover the benefits and advantages of your product or services. Always get the facts from your prospect about what they need and why. When your prospect is vague, politely ask for clarity. Always come clean and be open and transparent if something problematic comes up along the selling cycle. The prospect will respect that about you.
Management Talk
Another pitfall (besides fear) in sales is lack of energy – indifference, disinclination. Lack of energy is lack of integrity. A person of great integrity is capable of enduring great hardship, and is therefore worthy of great reward. Integrity means hard work, it means head work, it means success. Never blame the prospect for stalling the process. Instead, look inward. It’s the job of the sales people to assure the prospect and address detours. The only way to streamline the process is to continue to refine your own sales approach and technique.
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In Black & White
In Black... At the .Open Minds forum, we learnt that it was not mere educational qualifications and money power that led the speakers to win over multiple challenges but their ability to keep an open mind and fight their way up the ladder Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali Chairman INSPIRATION IS LEADERSHIP Good leaders are creators and trailblazers, but most importantly, they inspire you and give you a new impetus in forging your own path. But, no, it does not stop there. I believe that a good leader is not only inspirational but also has a vision that can take his people forward. In this respect, the one person who has inspired me over the years is our beloved ruler His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. He not only inspired but he also had a vision for Oman and its people. During the early days, the full impact of our leader’s vision was not fully known to me, but after two to three decades, I can actually see the fulfillment of His Majesty, the Sultan’s vision right before my very eyes. Today, it reflects his wisdom and his planning and his farsightedness. I realise that it takes all the wisdom of a mankind to make a vision and follow it up with perseverance and dedication.
to face the innumerable challenges of daily life. You can master a subject, discipline yourself and move forward, but will it open all doors? OPEN YOUR MINDS The B&W team brought in a team of thought leaders, who fought circumstances, which were totally against them and yet their passion, their determination and their will to win against all odds saw them through. In their speeches at the .Open Minds forum, we learnt that it was not mere educational qualifications and money power that led them to win over multiple challenges but their ability to keep an open mind and fight their way up the ladder. Life was their university and to hear it from them was being part of a live classroom. None of them had a preset business plan, a spreadsheet, a team of advisors or a readymade product to sell. Yet, they made it in a world that was as challenging as any. What made them success icons? Read this issue’s cover story to know what made them what they are today!
As an Omani, I am proud of the progress my nation has achieved in a short span of four decades. His Majesty has given us a clear path to walk on and it is easy to follow his footsteps in this joint bid to make a better tomorrow. It is from the word inspiration that the .Open Minds blossomed. We believe it is only worthy to live a life of inspiration, get inspired, pass on the inspiration and grow beyond it, not be limited by any sorts. No degrees, graduation or colleges can teach you how
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B&WB&W Xclusive Xclusive
OPEN your MiNDS
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Do you have an open mind? Well, if you have picked up this issue of the Black & White and are still reading it, then you must be having one (open mind, we mean)! The Black & White that you are holding today is a priceless one. Because it is going to open your minds! Because Lord Jeffrey Archer, Tom Whittaker, Candace Johnson and the rest of the top speakers at the .Open Minds forum, held at the Oman Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel recently, opened their hearts and their minds for us in this issue. Few magazines will have the privilege of having such an array of worldrenowned thought leaders unveiling their personal trek to success and fame; their untold ‘rags to riches’ story; their personal traumas and most importantly: how they never ever gave up despite the odds‌
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Moderators of the forum: Giri Balasubrmaniam and Bikram Vohra
Maitha Al Mahrouqi, undersecretary for tourism and Lord Jeffrey Archer
“Failure is not an option.” – Tom Whittaker, amputee mountaineer “Never accept no for an answer; never give up and never go away when others want you to.” – Candace Williams, Sattelady. “Turn to your spiritual cave for solace when everything around you is crumbling.” – Sheikh Khalfan El Esry, success coach. “You need to look within to use the best of what you have on your plate and find your own journey – it is impossible to copy anyone else’s journey!” – Sahar Hashemi, co founder, Coffee Republic. “Anyone who starts a small business will have plenty of ‘hair tearing’, ‘why one earth am I doing this’ moments and sleepless nights. But in the end, it is going to work!” – Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planets.
B&W Xclusive
“Persevere. Writing is hard work, getting published is harder still. My first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, was turned down by 17 publishers, and only sold 3,000 copies in hardback – today it has sold over 27million so far in paperback.” – Lord Jeffrey Archer, author and orator.
Moderators/introducers: Left: Amira Al Bahri Right: Malik Al Hinai
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Malak Al Shaibani, director general, NBC
Mohammed Al Barwani, businessman
Sami Yusuf, singer
For a budding entrepreneur, these are adages to live by. Or, let us put it this way, for anyone who is starting out, or anyone wanting to start anew, these are the basic necessities. For, these are the maxims that the .Open Minds speakers icons have lived by and became success stories. No, they did not consider themselves as special people, or blessed with some kind of unusual powers. These were ordinary people, but their extraordinary efforts separated them from the rest. These are the people who never took no for an answer, never gave up and never will. Every heart beat in tandem with these icons as they presented their stories at the magnificent Oman Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel as part of the two-day .Open Minds forum, organised by the Black & White to synergise, motivate and educate (SME). Muscat Press and Publishing House (MPPH) were the presenters of .Open Minds and the strategic partners of the forum were Bank Muscat, Nawras, AVOD (Areej Vegetable Oils and Derivatives), OAMC (Oman Airports Management Company) and the ministry of tourism. The official airline was Oman Air, the official newspapers: Times of Oman and Al Shabiba and the official radio partners: Merge and Al Wisal. The forum was also supported by National Business Centre, Ajyal Almustaqbal Intl LLC, KIMS Hospital and BIG LLC.
Beat Boxer Tom Thum
Speed Painter Brad Blaze
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Unlikely Destinations Tony Wheeler and growing. But it was never like a dot com business, nothing today, a billion dollars tomorrow! Lonely Planet was more like a snowball (strange concept in Oman) rolling downhill. At first it’s hard to get it going, but gradually it rolls faster and faster, gets bigger and bigger until it’s huge. Certainly there were hard times along the way – more on that below – but once it was moving it was hard to stop!
Tony Wheeler, who co founded the Lonely Planet, along with his wife, had plenty of ‘hair-tearing’, ‘why am I doing this’ moments during the early days, but he never gave up.
B&W Xclusive
Excerpts: The Lonely Planet is a phenomenally successful publishing company. Could you encapsulate the hard trek that you and your wife took to make Lonely Planet the success that it is today? We bought an old car in London intending to drive it as far east as it would go, if it fell apart we’d dump it. 22
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It got us all the way to Afghanistan where we sold it and carried on by every other means of transport possible until we arrived in Sydney. That led to the very first Lonely Planet guide, which was pleasantly surprising because we’d set out on the trip to ‘get travel out of our systems.’ That led to another book and another and then to other writers joining us and the idea just growing
Amongst other things, it is even said that you were gored by a cow and even declared dead. Were the reports of your ‘death’ grossly exaggerated? Greatly exaggerated! The ‘Tony is dead’ rumour popped up in 1986 and grew to an incredible level, I really wish I’d kept a record of all the exotic ways I died. Train crashes, buses into ravines, boats sinking, motorcycle accidents, strange diseases, bomb explosions. People swore they’d even read about it in newspapers, but (thank goodness) it was all just rumour. I did have an incident with a cow (in Varanasi in India that same year). Hardly gored, just heavily nudged, I cracked a couple of ribs. Very inauspicious getting whacked by a cow in the city where holy cows are at their most holy. My wife got a call from somebody about another ‘Tony is dead’ story and my son, about three at the time, butted in ‘no no, daddy wasn’t in a car crash, it was a cow crash.’ Was there any moment during the difficult period that you were almost on the verge of giving up; calling it quits? Oh sure, anybody trying to start up a small business, when it is still small and fragile, has plenty of tearing your hair, sleepless nights, ‘why on earth
am I doing this?’ moments. But it was always fun and even in the most fraught early days I could always feel that it was going to work, that people really liked what we were doing, they got a kick out of it as well. What is that uncommon passion and spirit for the planet and travelling that have kept you always moving forward? Can this passion be shared; nurtured and perhaps, emulated by lesser mortals? I love travel, there’s nowhere I’m happier than in the departure lounge about to go somewhere. It’s always interesting and you always learn something new. Can you share that passion? Absolutely, if we couldn’t would there be so many Lonely Planet enthusiasts, people who love the whole business and what we have done? You are basically English, but you moved to Australia and settled there. So, you have fallen in love with Australia and that is your home? I think I could be at home almost anywhere. Although I’m English (on one passport) I didn’t really live in England until I was 16. Today I’ve got a home in Melbourne and a home in London and more or less divide my time between the two. And everywhere else. I’m currently in San Francisco (well the Bay Area). I lived there for a year and a half in the mid-80s and still really enjoy it. And it’s conveniently midway between London and Melbourne, a 12 to 13 hour flight from either. When and how did you realise that you are actually specialists in guiding folks to exciting destinations? Almost right away, our first book featured Iran and Afghanistan and our second book on South-East Asia (now in its 17th edition and I think sales must be around 2 million copies) was written at a time when
the region was still not on the heavily beaten tourist track. The Vietnam war was still winding down, IndoChina was off limits, Indonesia was still emerging from the Sukarno era. My two recent books – Bad Lands and Dark Lands – reflect that ‘weird destinations’ theme, I always find the edgy places most interesting, which doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the comfortable ones as well! Are there any destinations that you have never ever visited? Embarrassingly the one on top of my list is right next door to Oman: Yemen. I’ve been saying for years I really must get around to visiting Yemen, it’s the only country in the region I haven’t been to so one day I will have to get there. In fact there are plenty of other countries I’ve not been to as well. Is there any destination that you will never ever go to (other than Malawi, where you are reportedly banned)? No, I’m up for going anywhere. And I’m not banned in Malawi. That was our star Africa writer many years ago because he wasn’t 100 percent polite about President for Life Hastings Banda. I visited Malawi in 2009 – on a bicycle. I joined the four month Cairo to Capetown Tour d’Afrique bike ride for two weeks
through Tanzania and into Malawi, concluding at Lilongwe. You have visited Oman before. How do you find Oman and what are your expectations on this visit? This will be my fourth visit to Oman, but the first visit in 2005 was the most extensive. Rented a car in Dubai, drove to Muscat along the coast, continued along the coast to Sur and then looped back inland to Dubai. Lots of forts, lots of wadis, a fair amount of walking!. What next for Tony Wheeler? We’ve got a family foundation (Planet Wheeler) which grew out of the Lonely Planet Foundation. It has about 70 projects, predominantly health and education and predominantly in South-East Asia and East Africa. In fact my daughter, who helps to run it, spends more time on the foundation than I do. I’m on the board of Global Heritage Fund, a California based archaeological organisation working on projects in the developing world and trying to extend the community development around the site. I’m in San Francisco as I write this working with GHF. Then there are talks and writers festivals and who knows how many other things. Plus I’m working on a new book.
Tony Wheeler and Mohammed Al Shikely
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Anyone Can Do It Sahar Hashemi knew afterwards that if we could do it then anyone can! You and your brother gave up your professional careers to follow your dream – what were the first challenges (monetary and otherwise) that you faced when you jumped into something totally new? We faced so many challenges. When you are attempting to make something out of nothing – it’s a bit like an obstacle course -- people telling us we were crazy…no one thinking it was a good idea...not being able to get a loan...the list goes on!
B&W Xclusive
Two ordinary, not especially talented, people chanced upon an idea to market and sell coffee and instead of waiting for an inspiration or a push from someone, they just went for it – and they did it! Sahar and her brother, Bobby Hashemi, just went and turned Coffee Republic from a mere idea to a high-street brand. Here, Sahar tells us how ‘anyone could do it’! Excerpts: You turned Coffee Republic from a mere idea to a high-street brand. But, can anyone really do it like 24
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you have done? Yes absolutely! Which is why I tell our story --- we were two ordinary, not especially talented people who just had an idea and went for it! So, I
It takes a lot more than courage for an individual to drop everything for a dream. Circumstances differ, responsibilities itself may be a big burden for many…in such situations, how should they go for their dreams? I think you want to try to make it as risk free as you possibly can -- otherwise you put too much pressure on yourself. Especially if we are talking financial pressure. New businesses take a long time to get off the ground so you need to account for that. There won’t be a salary coming in at the end of the month for a long while. An advice I often give people is to try to take first steps while they are already in another job. Do the new venture on the side- at weekends or evening-until it gets off the ground- and until you see whether or not it’s a viable business-like this you minimise a bit of the risk. Corporations can sometimes strangle the entrepreneurial ideas and dreams of many individuals in their fold – how does a budding entrepreneur in such cases break free and yet stay afloat?
Well my views is that a corporation that is going to survive in this fast paced world is one that has to NOT strangle the entrepreneurial spirit of its people - entrepreneurship is becoming a necessity in corporation – so my advice would be to try to do it within the corporation- its not easy but it’s worthwhile as both the individual and the corporation benefit (and you also get a salary while you are doing it!). Whose ideas did you follow and who and what were you inspired by in your journey into turning an idea into a successful brand? I get inspired by everything around me – there is nothing specific I can point to – I just have a sort of recording light on at all timesabsorbing stuff I see and hear- it could be reading about someone in another field whose made their dreams come true or some random picture I might see in a magazineand that all goes into some bank of inspiration – and that bank eventually outputs some good ideas. I believestimulus IN, ideas OUT. You have said that entrepreneurs are not inherently special…but they can become special! What would be the main element that can make a budding entrepreneur special and help him/her stick on
to his/her dream? What makes entrepreneurs special is the journey they go on: they are not special before the journey- the journey brings it out. It’s the path between their idea and making it happen that ignites all the dormant hidden tools they didn’t even know existed. And as each day progresses and they follow their idea they develop more self belief and more persistence and discover more qualities about themselves they didn’t know existed. So everyone needs to take the first step- that’s the most important. Other than being an entrepreneur, you are also a writer and you have proven that with ‘Anyone Can Do It’ and ‘Switched On’. Did you always have this dream of being a writer? What are your other literary pursuits? No I never thought I could ever be a writer – I couldn’t even write a thank you letter! But when I left Coffee Republic I felt very sad and writing proved very cathartic – and I felt something positive could come out of telling our story – so I wrote my first book. And once you've done it – well.. its easy the second time. Who was your role model and inspiration? I don’t really have a role model
What makes entrepreneurs special is the journey they go on: they are not special before the journey- the journey brings it out. It’s the path between their idea and making it happen that ignites all the dormant hidden tools they didn’t even know existed.
as I believe we each have our own journey, our own assets and uniqueness- so looking up to someone else doesn’t help- yes we need inspiration and stimulus from around us- yes we can pick up bits and pieces of inspiration- but we need to look within to use the best of what we have on our plate and find our very own journey-it’s impossible to copy someone else’s journey. We all need to find our own starsomething uniquely suited to us. Many sacrifices have to be made if you have to achieve certain entrepreneurial goals. What were the sacrifices you have made and what are the sacrifices that budding entrepreneurs have to make? No ‘TV’?! Well the main sacrifice is you get no salary at the end of the month – you don’t get paid holidays – you end up working at the weekends, you end up doing everything even the most menial tasks yourself. But then you are the master of your own destiny. You can work when and where and how you want- and that’s a sacrifice worth making! What does the future portend for you? Are you on a new mission? I strongly believe in the need to make corporation behave more like start ups- that’s my new mission.
Sahar Hashemi and Ghada Mohammed Al Yousef
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THANK YOU
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Never accept no for an answer Candace Johnson
“Never accept no for an answer, never give up and never go away even when others want you to. Just do it and believe yourself and your vision. You will make it happen,” says Satellady Candace Johnson, the international telecommunications expert and entrepreneur; co initiator of the Astra satellite system and SES Global, the world’s largest satellite systems, and someone who has contributed to the telecommunications industry over the past 25 years.
B&W Xclusive
Excerpts: At one end, you were the ‘Satellady’, a trailblazer, but at the other end, you were the ‘most dangerous woman in Europe’ and ‘Enemy No 1’ – are these two sides of the same coin? Is this what happens, when you push the envelope? Satellites are wonderful because they know no boundaries, are difficult to jam signals from and create immediate infrastructure and communities. When I was creating SES-ASTRA, which is today the world’s largest and pre-eminent satellite system, we were the first private satellite system in Europe and the first private 28
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trans-border satellite television network covering all of Europe. It was not allowed to have private satellite dishes, much less private satellites! At the time, no one thought it was possible and so they did not really think we would accomplish our goals, which was the freedom of choice for Europe’s citizens in their television viewing and celebrating the rich diversity of European cultures by having Germans receive French television programmes, Italians receive Swedish programmes, etc. In my mind, it was ‘wrong’ that Europeans did not have this freedom and I felt we had to ‘right’ it. Later on, when we were very successful and had built something of value, others felt threatened by it and tried to take
it over, which would have resulted in no longer having ‘Freedom of Choice’ and ‘Open Skies’, but ‘Programme Dictatorship’ and ‘Closed Skies’. When I foiled their plans, the perpetuators of that plan called me ‘the most dangerous woman in Europe’! Almost at the same time, the national, governmentowned telecom operators in Europe were fighting against de-regulation and privatisation in their own markets. Whereas governments were trying to de-regulate the markets and introduce competition, the national telco’s had such a dominant position that it was very difficult to do that without having a level-playing field. They enjoyed advantages that the young new entrants did not. As founding president of the Association of Private Telecom Operators, my colleagues and I found that irregularities and illegal subsidies were being used by the government telco’s to keep their monopolies. I felt we had to 'right' this 'wrong'. We took them to court in a landmark case and won. It was the first and only time that this ever happened. From then on, I was called 'Enemy No 1'. However, years later, when the telecommunication markets in Europe were really open and everyone – including the former government monopolies, which had almost all been privatised in the meantime were providing much better service and were all very profitable, not having the whole market but having a part of a much larger market, they used the term in an honourable and affectionate way and actually thanked me! So, I think that if you stay true to your principles all the while trying to do something positive which creates value for all, you may sometimes be perceived as being 'dangerous' or an 'enemy' by the status quo, but in the end will be recognised as having done 'good'. The problem is that sometimes this takes a very long time and thus you can never give up, never accept no for an answer, and never go away even when others want you to – my mantra which I explain below. You must have been up against all odds when you went against the flow, but you were strong in your heart and have had immense courage. But, do you think an ordinary person can fight the kind of mammoth battles that you have fought? I think that every person has a special talent and strength and needs to build on those strengths to contribute to making our global society and economy a better place for us and future generations. It may sound a bit funny, but one of my special talents is to “move mountains”. People expect and depend on me to do that. However, ask me to do an Excel Sheet or “think logically” and I am hopeless! This is why we need teams to accomplish great things. Everyone does her or his best at his or her special talent and together they can change the world. Where did you derive your courage from; who were
you inspired by and who stood by you through thick and thin? I do not think I have courage. I think I am afraid to death. But what I am afraid of is that I will not succeed in doing what I know I must achieve, such as keeping a company independent, building a new paradigm, bringing about a necessary change, righting a wrong. It is the fear that I will not accomplish this that drives me to go beyond myself and achieve what might be considered impossible. At the end of the day, I think all entrepreneurs who bring about great change are alone. This does not mean that they are lonely, just alone. I actually derive solace from this because when you are bringing about change and upsetting the status quo, people do not always like you and try to harm you. Being alone at least gives me comfort that no one else will get hurt or be the target of attacks. In my life and when I was breaking ‘status quos’ and establishing new paradigms, I was fortunate once or twice to have people who protected me. Protectors are not spoken about very often, but it is actually these people who can make a difference in enabling the entrepreneur to reach her or his goal. My mother and father both came from very poor circumstances but were enveloped by loving families. They both lived the ‘American Dream’. They told us, their four children – two boys and two girls, that “if we worked hard and worked well” we would achieve our dreams. They also urged us to be independent and to achieve our own potential. That is why I really do not have role models, but rather have always looked inside myself to see what my potential was and to develop it. At the end of the day, no matter what people say, it is probably only a mother’s love –which was certainly my case – that stays with you through thick and thin. You were always trying to create something new – is that the mantra of your life? Do you still aspire to do something new? It is true that I am always creating something that people perceive as ‘new’. I like creating ‘new things’ because my strengths are tied to making things happen that did not exist before. Whenever you reach a goal, you need to go to the next horizon, otherwise you will become stale. I am doing at least four ‘new’ projects at the moment. These are pushing me to explore new frontiers, all the while allowing me to bring my experience and expertise from other projects to benefit these ‘new’ challenges and those who are working on them to make them happen. I would however like to address this notion of ‘new’. For me, none of the things I do are ‘new’. It is just that no one else has done it before. I am always seeing solutions to problems. Sometimes if I feel very strongly about it and my mind, heart, and gut tell me that I need to now bring 29 29
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this solution to the fore, then I do it. But I am very careful in undertaking ‘new’ projects because I know that they will take a lot of time, effort, dedication, and sweat. Is it important as an entrepreneur to think globally, to help the country you belong to and to generally bring out something for the public good when you are planning to launch something new? In this day and age of the global economy, the World Wide Web, and the digital era, it is very important to think globally. You do not necessarily have to start a global company or project, but you must be open to all the things that are happening in the world, so that you can really help your country. There are many things that drive an entrepreneur to do something and to make a change. For some people, it is ambition. For other people, it is a desire to ‘own’ their own company. For others still it is a desire to have power or to have money. What drives me is personal responsibility. I believe that I have a responsibility to the world, to the stakeholders of the project I am working on, to the consumers or citizens who will benefit from that project, to the universe and to myself 30
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to make that project a reality, to help make the world a better place. Ever since I was two years old, I have lived in a variety of countries and spoke a number of languages, for me the world really is my ‘country’. The World Wide Web and the digital era have made this accessibility and window on the world available for everyone. Most young entrepreneurs never give life to their bright ideas; what should be done to make them stick to the finish? As mentioned above, my mantra is “never accept no for an answer, never give up and never go away even when others want you to”. I do not know how to live any other way. I am always amazed when people give up, accept no for an answer, or go away. At the end of the day, I think it is a question of believing. If you believe, you will make it happen. You just have to believe strong enough and do everything you can to realise your vision. In the same line, what should you advise Oman on nurturing its young entrepreneurs and keeping them happy and also rooted to the country? I am pleased that you speak about
keeping young entrepreneurs “happy”. I define personal success as a Happy Day. It is the day when you have realised your goal, when you have achieved a new paradigm, when you have enriched the lives of those around you. It is important for every country to realise that they must invest in their ‘next generation’. Otherwise they will have a ‘lost generation’. Success must always be celebrated, even the smallest success. In so doing, Oman will create a successoriented eco-system that recognise and rewards private initiative and entrepreneurship. The United States entrepreneurial eco-system has flourished because America has been known as the Land of Great Opportunities! Being given a good education and the feeling that you can and are expected to do great things and that there are no barriers to accomplishing what you want are most important factors to foster entrepreneurship. Many people dream of an ideal world that they hope to create, but few achieve that. Is it possible for everyone to achieve their dreams? Your comments. I prefer to talk about visions for a better world rather than dreams.
It is important for every country to realise that they must invest in their ‘next generation’. Otherwise they will have a ‘lost generation’. Success must always be celebrated, even the smallest success. In so doing, Oman will create a success-oriented eco-system that recognise and rewards private initiative and entrepreneurship
Dreams tend to stay exactly that – just dreams and are very personal. Visions can be shared amongst a number of people and they can be realised. Everyone can be part of a vision and of realising that vision. Everyone has a part to play and can contribute. Give us an insight into your attempts to promote entrepreneurship around the world? Actually, my goal is not to promote entrepreneurship around the world. My goal is to contribute to making the world a better place by using my special talents that I hope will provide opportunities for others to develop and use their special talents to contributing to our global economy and society. About two decades ago, governments, universities, NGO’s and companies asked me to start helping them inspire and instill entrepreneurship and innovation amongst their citizens, students, stakeholders and employees. You can imagine that after having never been part of the status quo, this came as quite a surprise! What all of these organisations, companies and people are looking for are: solutions. Being innovative and entrepreneurial is really being solution-oriented. Some people call it ‘thinking out of the box’, but for me quite frankly I am never even in the ‘box’ or knew it existed!
What would be your advice to young Omani entrepreneurs, especially young Omani women entrepreneurs? I think Omani entrepreneurs – women and men -- have a unique opportunity to do something positive for their country, their region, and the world. The world has many problems that need solutions, be it for the environment, health, education, energy, poverty, job creation, etc. If you believe that you have a solution to one of these problems, write it down on one or two pages and do a back of the envelope business plan as a reality check. If you still believe that this is a solution, bring
it to someone who you trust and who is an expert in that field and ask them their advice. Great people who have accomplished much in their lives recognise the importance of the ‘next generation’ and always have their door open to young people. If they encourage you in your vision, do all you can to achieve this vision! Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are. Always be fair. Never accept no for an answer, never give up and never go away even when others want you to. Just do it and believe in yourself and your vision. You will make it happen.
Candace Johnson and Greg Young
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Failure is NOT an Option Tom Whittaker
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Walking across an ocean of red carpet Tom Whittaker approached the dais on which the diminutive form of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II was waiting. She deftly pinned the badge to his jacket lapel and surveying her handiwork said, “I understand you are the very first person with a disability to climb Mount Everest. “Yes Your Majesty, but it took three tries over eight years to get to the top!” “You must have been jolly proud ...?” “The thing I’m proudest of Ma’am,” Tom replied, “is that I climbed it on exactly the same terms any serious mountaineer would ... I didn’t buy a spot on a commercial expedition and I wasn’t dragged up the mountain 32
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by able bodied guides. I was the leader of my own expedition and my teammates and I climbed it on our own merits.” After a moment’s reflection the 80 year old monarch’s reply cut to the heart of mountaineering. “Yes”
she said, “Style is so important, isn’t it?” Battered by the elements, in rarefied air, mountaineers seek their summits in the planet’s most hostile environs. In wind and snow, on rock and ice they ply their trade. Their labours have no essential purpose; they’re of no earthly value. There is no one to watch, no adoring public, no accolades. Financially it’s often ruinous. Why then do they do it? The driving force behind mountaineering is mankind’s need to sustain the soul through adventure. To pit one’s self against a daunting challenge with an uncertain outcome. In mountaineering, the summit is typically the objective but paradoxically, it is not the summit that defines the achievement, but the journey to the summit and back again. The audacity of the undertaking and the manner in which it is executed determines how mountaineers will judge the achievement. Personal gains take place when the integrity and harshness of the outer journey drives us within. It is only when we are impelled to reach beyond the perceived limits of our being, without compromising our standards, that the conditions for growth prevail. The rewards are in self-awareness and confidence that comes from being tested and proving equal to the task. As Queen Elizabeth II so rightly observed it is the steadfast adherence to the ‘style’ of mountaineering that gives the activity its relevance and provides the quality of adventure that is soul sustaining. If you’re like me and love to learn but hate being taught then I have some fuel for your furnace. When you hear from a person that was schooled on an insatiable mountain that gobbles up money, resources and lives you
I climbed it on exactly the same terms any serious mountaineer would ... I didn’t buy a spot on a commercial expedition and I wasn’t dragged up the mountain by able-bodied guides.
Tom Whittaker and Nabil Al Busaidi
begin tounderstand why I say that, “Failure is not an option.” Or as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said: “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever
remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” The inspiration and truth that Tom Whittaker brought to this forum
was the stuff to light a fire in your veins; and once lit who knows what summits you could reach!
Next time, I will be up and walking: Girl on wheel chair promises amputee mountaineer A young Omani girl with cerebral palsy has vowed to Tom Whittaker, the amputee mountaineer extraordinaire, Tom Whittaker, that she was going to “get up from her wheelchair and walk towards him” the next time he visits Oman. Totally impressed and buoyed by the pep talk by Tom, who had an intense one-to-one session with her, Sudfa Yousuf Al Mullahi, a young Omani girl with CP and currently on a wheel chair told him: “When you come back next time, I will not only stand up, but will also walk towards you.” Tom’s words always have that special touch to make people with the worst disabilities move as he himself has achieved the near impossible: despite being an amputee, he climbed Mt Everest, the first person with a disability to do so. Tom had spoken at the .Open Minds forum at the Oman Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel, but Sudfa was not able to attend that. A day or so later, Sudfa had the luck to meet Tom face to face, which was jointly arranged by the Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) and Black & White magazine at Al Bustan Palace hotel. Tom shared his wealth of mountaineering information and
his Mt Everest exploits in the angle of a disabled mountaineer and how he fought to win the battles that would have normally engulfed many. He showed her videos of his ascent and told many other real-life stories of his friends, especially those with handicaps, including cerebral palsy. The meeting thoroughly energised the young lady who has now vowed to battle her ailment and come out a winner. Tom also shared a small poem by an American poet and novelist, William Wantling, as a parting gift: 'At the market-place we sell many things including love & courage but these you must bring with you & pay for as you leave' 33 33
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Against all odds Lord Jeffrey Archer prison did make me realise how lucky I am in my life, and it also opened my eyes to what other people go through. I believe that experience made me a more tolerant person. Do you look back and feel that you were often victimised in the past controversies? I don’t like to look back, and never blame past mistakes on others and have never felt like a victim. I prefer to look to the future. What have you learnt over the years and what is it that you would like to convey to the public about the biggest lesson life has taught you? We all make mistakes, or may do things differently given the benefit of hindsight, but you have to keep going, to remain positive, draw on the good things in your life and I’ve learnt that energy is one of the most important traits to have. But I have also been fortunate to have a wonderful wife and a supportive family.
For a man who has always been in the midst of controversies and often blamed for no fault of his own, the world famous author and orator, Lord Jeffrey Archer has neither regrets nor does he look back. “I have never felt like a victim!” Lord Jeffrey says in this candid tete-a-tete.
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Excerpts: Few men would have the courage to go on when confronted by such raging controversies, but you still went on and wrote some of the greatest bestsellers…what made 34
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you tick then; what makes you tick now? I have always tried to move on, get back on my feet and get back to work. My mind-set now isn’t that different to 30 years ago when I wrote Kane and Abel, but my time in
Have you reached where you wanted to reach; have you achieved your dreams? When I was 15, I wanted to be captain of the England cricket team; when I was 25, I wanted to be prime minister. I didn’t achieve either of those goals, but now I’m 74…I still want to be captain of the England cricket team. But I’ve given up on prime minister. Despite the many ups and downs that you have faced, you still seem to have always braved the odds? Do you have any regrets? What’s the point of having regrets? I can’t change the things that have already happened, but I can only
Writing is hard work, getting published is harder still. My first book, Not a Penny More, Not A Penny Less, was turned down by 17 publishers, and only sold 3,000 copies in hardback
learn from my experiences and move on. There are many aspiring writers who give up before they start and there are many who really fear failure…what is it that they need to do to become writers? Persevere. Writing is hard work, getting published is harder still. My first book, Not a Penny More, Not A Penny Less, was turned down by 17 publishers, and only sold 3,000 copies in hardback (27m so far in paperback). You make writing look so easy, but isn’t it a really hard and tedious work; there are so many reasons why one may even give up midway? You can always find a reason to stop writing, I’ll just watch that cricket match, or I’ll finish that chapter tomorrow, or the sun’s shining, so I’ll go to the beach – stop the procrastination, turn off your phone, close the door and get on with it. I’ve developed a writing routine that works for me, and an aspiring writer should find their own, and stick to it. I write from 6 to 8am, 10 to 12noon, 2 to 4pm and 6 to 8pm, and in between take a walk, eat, watch a film, and then get back to work.
Are there only born writers or can someone who just has a dream also become one? I believe story-telling is a God-given gift, but that gift can be honed by damned hard work, just like being a violinist, a ballet dancer, or an artist. You can either tell a story, or you can’t, I don’t believe story-telling can be taught. Is there any age factor that is a pre requisite for writing? Can young ones and even old people still write?
You can write at any age – young or old. I would suggest maybe trying short stories, or submitting a story to a magazine or newspaper, which is always a good way to begin. What is that one big advice you would give to anyone who is on the verge of starting something new? Allow yourself the time to give it your full attention, and persevere. By that, I mean don’t fit it in between other jobs. Being a writer is a serious fulltime job.
Sayyid Nasr Al Busaidi
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The only thing constant is change Sheikh Khalfan El Esry
In Oman, success coach and scholar, Sheikh Khalfan El Esry, used applied psychology to tap human potential – from seven to 60 year olds -and helped them realise their ‘Aha’ moments, unleashing the realm of various possibilities…
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You are actually an engineer by profession…how and why did an engineer become an Islamic scholar? What led or what inspired you to this change? Being an engineer made me ask the question ‘why’ to every process that I came across. The questioning process brought answers and put me on the path of soul searching. Islam being a way of life, for Muslims, helped me deepen the knowledge. Since when have you been engaged in coaching youngsters on leadership programmes; how successful have you been? I started coaching the youth in1997, a good 17 odd years 36
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now; it started when I was working with PDO as part of career development, facilitating applied psychology to tap human potential. Human beings have huge unused potential that most of them are unaware of. Using applied psychology, I was successful enough to tap/trigger the hidden potential of many – from seven year olds to 60 year olds. I was able to help them realise the 'Aha' moment of their thoughts, lives, unleashing the realm of various possibilities. There are plenty of success stories that I can speak of; helping those suffering from depression, addiction, personal loss to financial losses and career disasters to find a way out.
youngsters as well as others to gain a leg up in life. But, when you went through a crisis, whom did you turn to and who motivated, inspired and supported you through your hour of gloom? Whenever challenging situations arose, I turned to my spiritual cave for solace and positive energy; do a little bit of soul searching, dwelling on inner peace, tranquillity, spending more time on spiritual reflections. It always gave me inner strength to face any challenge.
What were the stumbling blocks that you have had early in your life and how did you surmount them all? I had to experience a difficult childhood, away from my parents until I was 13. My father passed away when I was 14 and at that young age, being the eldest son, I had to take up responsibility of the family. I had no guide, mentor or coach or even stable financial support and learnt lessons the hard way. I am thankful for the live experiences that made me what I am today, strong and independent, with an open mind and acceptance to all cultures, social attitudes. People management is not an easy task. This is the cause for many a problem in companies because the management is unable to handle its staff and vice versa. Your comments. Lot of leaders acquire special expertise and certificates, unfortunately very few utilise applied psychology. To manage people effectively, you need to understand human behaviour, which is part of applied psychology. It has to be inculcated during the university/ college days there by imbibing leadership skills at an early age. You have motivated, inspired and supported thousands of
Most of us will have to face the brunt of a tragedy; a major problem or a great difficulty in life…no amount of courage and strength can steel us against such aspects of life. How do we counter such seemingly insurmountable challenges? To me life goes on. It does not stop because of a hurdle or a tragedy. The only thing constant is change. In life we can only accept the truth that there are good days and bad days. It only makes practical sense to embrace every experience with grace. What have you learnt over the years as a coach, as a teacher, as a speaker and as a man with a throbbing interest in the welfare of others? Over the years of coaching I have learnt simple truths: every child can excel. With a little bit of change in thinking, everyone can change for the better. Coaching brings in transformational change that helps you find the true identity rather than the influenced identity. It is all about listening to the core. You are the vice president of the SME committee of the OCCI. What is your take on the SMEs in Oman; how are they faring; what stops many in Oman from their dream of starting a SME and why do some of them fail?
Yes, I used to be the vice president. The SMEs in Oman are still in its infancy. There are three major points I would like to stress on, however I would start by stating: “What is worth doing well, is worth doing less well!” Government needs to put in place the legislation that would righty facilitate the growth of SMEs. Entrepreneurs should learn the required skills of entrepreneurship and seek to face challenges and overcome them. Society needs to place their trust on SMEs. What are the main challenges that young Omanis are facing in their start-ups? These are some of the main challenges faced by SMEs in Oman: • SMEs are not groomed to face challenges. • Reality hits them hard. • They should learn to move away from quick gains. • They should continuously upgrade skills, understand the systems in ground. What is the future you envision for SMEs in Oman and Oman in general? In the earlier years, Omanis were traditionally traders, trading and business is in the blood, or rather I would say genetically we are a society of traders. The last few years have sown the seeds of various employment opportunities, but eventually our youth and young entrepreneurs will turn out to be good traders and businessmen, the best in this region. Yes, the SMEs will flourish healthily and make a mark in the society, taking the country forward. Moreover, geographically Oman is excellent for SMEs. Stability and security of Oman, coupled with the nation’s reputation as a friendly country, provides ample opportunities for foreign investment.
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.Open Minds forum made an important contribution to the future of Oman Oman Air, the airline sponsor of .Open Minds, played a part in achieving the event’s aim of transferring knowledge to local youth and young entrepreneurs as well as inspire, educate and motivate them, said the airline’s general manager, Mohammed Mubarak Al Shikely. “This was a vitally important event, and one which had the potential to make an important contribution to the future of Oman.” “As the national carrier of Oman, Oman Air takes very seriously its responsibility in contributing towards our country’s young citizens achieving their full potential. “Our support for .Open Minds builds on Oman Air’s track record of planning and delivering conferences and workshops for young people, sponsoring high achievers, and providing employment and career development opportunities for the nation’s youth.
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“Furthermore, the involvement of 10 global icons from the worlds of business, sports, literature, the arts and academia gave this event a worldwide profile. It raised awareness of Oman not just as an outstanding
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holiday destination, but also as a centre of excellence and innovation. This image also reflects Oman Air’s international reputation and, as we begin our next phase of rapid and ambitious expansion - which will introduce Oman Air and the Sultanate itself to many more people around the world – the timing of .Open Minds could not have been better. “It was with great pride that we had welcomed not only the VIP guests provided the focus of .Open Minds, but also the young entrepreneurs and corporate community who we feel have benefitted from both the global and local icons during the recently concluded event,” Shikely said.
OAMC: Committed to driving the talent in Oman! We join hands with initiatives that reflect and compliment the national priorities and promote the Omani youth towards progress and achievement. We take an active role in promoting the young talents in the country and empowering the youth.
Engineer Saeed Al Zadjali, acting Ceo, OAMC The OAMC has always forged ahead in promoting the national priorities of the country – how do you view the .Open Minds’ event in that light? For any guest arriving into Oman, the OAMC is the first glimpse of the country. So, as a corporate policy, we strive to showcase the best of Oman in all aspects. And, any initiative we venture into, we aim to achieve the best for Oman. As an Omani corporate, the OAMC has a major responsibility in giving back to the community that we live in. We join hands with initiatives that reflect and compliment the national priorities and promote the Omani youth towards progress and achievement. We take an active role in promoting the young talents in the country and empowering the youth. .Open Minds forum was a platform that sought to inspire and motivate the youth and young entrepreneurs and the OAMC offers opportunities to the young entrepreneurs and SMEs in town, providing them the right atmosphere to grow and escalate to a larger enterprise in the future. Each one of the speakers are icons in their own
fields…but they always stress that anyone can actually do it; anyone can become as great as they are today – your comments. Do you foresee a future where we will have Omanis who will reach to these heights? Oman has a young population, where 43 percent is aged 15 and under. If we are able to harness the wealth of talent and potential of youth and give them opportunities and support that they deserve, they will reach any heights. The youth are talented and need support from the private and public sector to grow positively. Would you predict a bright future for Omani SMEs and also for Oman itself? Indeed, yes. At the OAMC, we believe a healthy entrepreneurship fuels the economy. And today, there is a greater recognition of the pivotal role played by the entrepreneur in the economic development of the country. And studies have found out that small and medium-sized companies are a major driver in all economies and a real source of economic growth. In this light, we only see a bright future for Omani SMEs and surely for Oman itself.
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Out of the 10 speakers, two did not turn up at the .Open Minds forum. The Saudi princess Her Royal Highness Basmah bint Saud Al Saud and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson were not present at the forum. HRH Basmah was indisposed owing to an illness in the family and Branson cancelled citing payment issues. HRH Basmah sent a written apology for her inability to attend the forum and this was read out on the first day. The new speakers at the forum were Mohammed Al Barwani, a well-known Omani businessman and Sami Yusuf, a popular British singer.
Lord Jeffrey Archer, who spoke on the first day, was generous enough to speak on the second day of the forum. Malak Al Shaibani was the keynote speaker at the forum. The two moderators of the forum were Giri Balasubramaniam and Bikram Vohra. Other special Omani moderators/introducers for the speakers included Mohammed Al Shikely (Tony Wheeler), Nabil Al Busaidi (Tom Whittaker), Nasr Al Busaidi (Lord Jeffrey Archer), Ghada Al Yousef (Sahar Hashemi), Greg Young (Candace Johnson), Malik Al Hinai (Brad Blaze) and Amira Said Al Bahri (Tom Thum).
Dear Organisers, I send my sincere apologies for not attending the inspirational Black and White "Open Minds" Event at the Al Bustan this week. Unfortunately this was due to a family health emergency issue. I was so looking forward to coming to Oman, a country about which I have heard so many wonderful things, and speaking to your audience about the exciting future of our region. Wishing you all happiness and peace and hoping the event was a huge success. HRH Basmah bint Saud
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2CELLOS at the Gala dinner Young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser together known as 2Cellos performed at the Majan ballroom of Al Bustan Palace hotel. 2Cellos are known to have achieved sensational success by taking the cello to a new level. Their playing style has broken down the boundaries between different genres of music, from classical and film music to pop and rock. 2CELLOS have no limits when it comes to performing live and are equally as impressive when playing Bach and Vivaldi as they are when rocking out AC/DC. Text: Adarsh Madhavan & Priya Arunkumar, Photos: K.J. George, Shaquel Al Balushi & Ben 40
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Gala dinner at Majan ballroom and glimpses of the .Open Minds forum
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The high price of
FAKE
By Fatma Mohammed Al Ardhi
Opinion
There has never been a day or an age in which products are available so diversely as they are today. With it human greed grew too. When we hear or see a product that we like, we want it now and preferably at a cost that won’t do much damage to our wallets. To meet our demand, counterfeited –also known as “knock-offs” or “fake”- products are now more accessible than the original products. There is no end to what can be counterfeited: cigarettes, art, batteries, handbags, toys, watches, clothes, accessories, tools, electronic equipment, even a Rolls Royce Phantom!
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Many don’t see the danger in the existence of the counterfeit industry. We don’t see any immediate harm that unfolds in front of our eyes to make us worry. Many might think: “so what if a counterfeited designer bag was made and available for us to buy at $50 when the original one costs well over $4,000? It’s a crime itself to price something this high!” Companies around the world are suffering because they are trying to compete with prices of the counterfeiters who are producing the same products illegally. The counterfeiters don’t have to worry about cost that goes into research, quality control, paying taxes or marketing for the product. This helps in keeping costs down to sell products cheaply. It’s no wonder that the value of counterfeit and pirated products is estimated to be worth around $1.77 trillion – yes, trillion- by the year 2015. Since it is an unregulated industry and no Worker’s Union is set to protect their right, workers in these illegal factories aren’t even given proper care or decent human treatment. Some workers are chained to their working stations, forcing them to work 20 hours a day. The manufacturers of the original goods might sometimes take tough decisions such as cutting back on jobs to cut costs, firing people from the only job that they know or have been doing all their life to base their factories in poor Asian countries to pay less wages than if they hired local people. Discharged employees can face a tough time looking for jobs in this tough job market, which can in turn put a huge strain on families to support themselves. But then there are other aspects that might make us a little anxious if we knew were counterfeited: medication. Yes, medication can be counterfeited: from the exact colour of the pills to the packaging even the instruction paper that comes along with the drug can be so professionally mimicked that it’s hard to tell if it’s real or not. What causes us to worry is that even major pharmaceutical companies can’t tell the difference.
However, faking the active medical effect of the drugs can’t be done. Sick and dying people might think that they are taking life-saving medication when an M&Ms can be more effective than what they are taking. The materials used to make the fake pills are lethal: rat poison, paint, lead, mercury, floor wax..etc. But that doesn’t only stop at medication. Many counterfeit tobacco products contain hazardous chemicals when inhaled by humans. Parts of cars, which can sometimes make-up as much as 20-30 per cent of the car, aren’t real and aren’t safe. Since research doesn’t play a part in the counterfeited industry, many fake toys can contain choking parts. Counterfeiting is a very serious problem. Not only does it do harm to global trade, but it also causes harm to countries and societies as it puts a huge strain on economies with the lost jobs and capital that otherwise would have gone to the country if the merchandise were produced and sold there. Though consumers might think that we are getting a good deal, we are really increasing our chances of harming ourselves and helping this industry grow. It’s no wonder that many governments are taking the matter seriously. If we don’t put an end to it, we will see the end of many products and brands disappear from the market. Though the problem is deeply embedded in many societies, the obvious thing to do is to push for tougher rules and legislations to control it. We can also help when we abstain from purchasing counterfeit products and only buying from the original sources, even if it means paying more. In the end, you can’t help but to wonder: has our increased appetite for owning things and brands spun completely out of control? Is it really that important for us to hold a false image about ourselves what we can own when in reality we can’t afford it? When did we start putting price tags on people based on the type of brands that they own? As a result, do we have ourselves to blame for “manufacturing” many fake souls that live among us? f_publish@hotmail.com
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Fun facts about
Oysters • Oysters are invertebrate sea creatures, which mean they don’t have a backbone.
• Oysters are also bivalves -- they have two shells, joined by a hinge -- and they live inside these shells for almost all of their life. • Oysters are “alternating hermaphrodites”, which means they can switch sexes from time to time. • Only about one in 10,000 oysters contains a pearl. • The verb ‘to shuck’, meaning to remove the shell from an oyster, was first recorded in 1881. • The saying “the world’s your oyster” comes from Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor: “The world’s mine oyster. Which I with sword will open.” • Worldwide, around two billion pounds of oysters are eaten every year. The recent five-day Oyster Festival in Whitstable, Kent, got through 30,000. • In 1808 a UK law was passed making theft of oysters punishable by transportation or prison. • Oysters were cultivated long before the Christian era and have been an important food since the Neolithic period. • The Chinese were the first to raise oysters in artificial ponds. They used the crushed shells for medicinal purpose. • Oysters have a three chambered heart, colourless blood and a pair of kidneys. • Almost all oysters can secrete pearls, but not all are valuable. The pearl oysters come from different family to the edible oysters. Oysters produce pearl when grains of sand or other irritant gets trapped inside. These irritant materials are coated with nacre, a combination of calcium and protein, repeatedly by oysters to reduce their irritation. The nacre released by oysters convert these sand particles into pearl. • Oysters are a rich source of vitamin A, B, B2, B3, C and D. Six oysters a day meet the daily intake of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorous.
Tongue twisters, try them! Kidstuff
A noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster most!
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It's my life
Monsoon – The diva Vandana, award winning author (‘360 Degrees Back to Life')
By Vandana Shah
C-R-U-N-C-H- Pitter Patter C-R-U-N-C-H splatter as the hot samosa burns my insides the raindrops cool my face upturned in the rain. Have I ever told you about the Bombay Monsoon? It is delicious and delectable like a beautiful young diva going out on her first date. Luscious and seductive in an innocent manner and before you know it you are under the spell. It tortures you yet leads you to unrivalled heights of ecstasy. You want to possess it and want the passion to last but you know it will never be completely yours and you grudgingly accept the fact. Everything seems so much better in its presence and when it goes the days are unbearable and the nights even worse. Nature shines itself bright for it as though putting its best foot forward and continues to gleam till it is around. It comes with its pitfalls like heartbreak, muddy waters, wet clothes, its unexpectedness, the damage it brings in its wake and most of all the emptiness and destruction in its wake, and then trying to put your life together where you left off. Suddenly the zing from your life has gone and everything seems dull drab and old and you in fact feel that the life from your life has gone. Then you spend the rest of the year pining and it dominates your thoughts. Then when the time comes closer for its arrival you spend time in preparing for its onslaught and your unfinished love affair commences again. Ahhhh you didn’t think I was talking only about the beauteous diva…for me the monsoon is that love affair with the diva. I’m sure when Paul Newman sang that iconic song “Raindrops keep falling on my head" to Katharine in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid he was talking about the Mumbai Monsoons. Till next time my lovelies! This is Vandana Shah signing off! Catch my new book Ex-Files published under the Shobhaa De imprint for Penguin. Drop me a line on vandanashah9@gmail.com
Vandana Shah, Author 360 Degrees Back To life, editor of Ex-Files. www.vandanashah.com. Email me what you’d like to say on 360degreesbacktolife@gmail.com Follow me on twitter Vandy4PM
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September 2014 Bl ack & Wh ite
We have been thinking of it since quite sometime now. Finally, we have taken the plunge to bring home to you some offbeat stuff. Here goes, if you like it, give us the green signal for more; if not, just take it with a pinch of salt. For this month, here is some nitter natter for the B&W Bitter Batter:
Travails of organising an event Very rarely do people understand what it means to organise an event, an event organiser commented to Bitter Batter recently. The man had organised a small community level concert and show as part of their community’s festival and they had done the event at one of the hotels recently. As usual, they had managed to obtain several small sponsorships from big companies here and although they were yet to receive the amount, they made a splash of a mention at the event. Or so, they thought. The announcer, a novice, made the first blunder by missing out the name of one of the key sponsors and to make it worse, pronounced the company name wrong when they discovered that they had inadvertently left the name out during the list mention and although they tried to make amends by reading it out in the second announcement, they messed it up again! The event organiser had written down the name in the list but unfortunately the announcer missed it in her announcement and then blundered with the pronunciation during the second time.
The sponsor’s representative walked out of the hall in a huff, but was skilfully apprehended at the near exit by one of the organisers who fell at his feet and cajoled him back to his prominent seat with promises to make amends in the final cut. The only thing worrying the organiser is whether the sponsor might go back and make er, amends, in the cheque!
Nitter natter
Fake sponsors Talking of event organising travails, there are more and more. And plenty more! Some we can speak about, others, we cannot as it would affect us as we are also in the same boat. So, there was this other event organiser who always used to claim that his events do fabulously well and there was not a single seat that he could not sell for his “swashbuckling” events, but yet, somehow, always failed to make money. Why, we asked and although he wouldn’t say, we found out: apparently, he used to get the names of sponsors and would feature a real big list. Unfortunately, none of them paid as that was the deal. He used to ask one big name to come free and then try to woo another by saying this big name was already there and he would put an exorbitant tag to the first one. But thanks to his doggone fate, the second one would also not pay and so on. So, he would have 15 sponsors out of which only five would pay and the remaining 10 would be just names to draw others, but even that would not 48
September 2014 Bl ack & White
happen. Obviously, he has stopped doing shows since the last decade or so!
We are in, we are in, we are…oops! And some sponsors are indeed a riot. They will say they want to sponsor an event, express complete desire to be part of it sending the organiser on a tizzy spell of confidence and joy and then at the last stage of signing will back out citing that their board decided against it. Unfortunately, the organisers can do little or nothing about it as they are not in a position to argue, fight or even denounce such acts as they would still need them for future events.
At the mercy of… The truth of the matter is very simple, says one organiser who has organised several small events. “We are at the mercy of everyone: at the mercy of the artistes whom we are bringing (they can cancel or stand us up at the very last minute); mercy of the sponsors (they can back out at the last minute); mercy of the audience/attendees (they can lash back on the event date saying that we did not deliver what we promised); mercy of the venue officials (who may claim that they can’t provide the venue at the last moment as they have had an emergency); mercy of the technical/sound/
audio/visual providers (who will make sure that they have their first-ever technical glitch during a very crucial moment of the show proceedings); mercy of fate itself (who could suddenly send a sudden storm and ensure that no one steps out of their homes on the day of the event),” the organiser said matter-of-factly. And, if we drop the sarcasm, and look at it with an er, open mind, it is not far off from the truth. The organiser is dependent on all of these and more to have a successful event and the tragedy is that anything or everything can happen!
Our lips are sealed Now, don’t get us wrong. We are not saying anything here. We don’t want to look like as though we are bursting with a secret and then keep you all hanging on until the last moment when we reveal that we are not going to say it come what may and that was our intention in the first place. Unfortunately, life is not as easy as it may look. And there are people out there who may promise you the world and may not even give you a dot in the end. There are committed people and they are people who are committed to breaking their commitments and we are going to be non committal about that at the moment. Until, well, pretty soon… (Watch this space!)
(Note: Readers who have something bitter to chatter about can either email on editor@blackandwhiteoman.com or call 99218461)
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September 2014 Bl ack & Wh ite
Your ARIES March 21-April 20
TAURUS April 21-May 20
As you lick your finances into shape this week, your confidence will rise, and you’ll stick out your neck over getting your own way professionally and personally. Others may not like the fact you’re more independent so they may try blocking you. They won’t manage.
Strong emotions will influence your thinking this week, so if you don’t understand why a person is acting in a certain way, or if it feels someone is out to belittle you, take the bull by the horns and ask them outright what they’re doing and why. Take control.
CANCER June 22-July 23
LEO July 24-August 23
You’re torn between spending more time at work or spending more time at home, but you know as well as I do that home and hearth will win every time. Just as it should be. Discuss joint financial commitments with partners and see if there’s a way to trim excesses.
Leave no stone unturned in your quest to find the answers you’ve been looking for, be it over work money or love. You have no intention of being fobbed off with excuses, so it’ll be a tense time until you’ve got what you were looking for. Don’t burn too many bridges.
GEMINI May 21-June 21 There’s a lot of interesting new ways to get ahead at work this week, but if you come across to others as arrogant or egotistical, someone will be more than happy to cut you down to size and put you in your place. You’ll get more with honey than vinegar.
VIRGO August 24-September 23 Don’t assume everyone around you is as reliable as you, as they may be trying to lull you into a false security in order to get information, and when they get it they’ll feather their own nest. Its not like you to be so trusting anyway.
Horoscope
JASON STATHAM (BORN 26 JULY 1967) is an English actor, producer, martial artist, and former diver. He was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England, the son of Eileen (née Yates), a dancer, and Barry Statham, a street seller and lounge singer. He moved to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where he initially chose not to follow his father's career working the local market stalls and decided to pursue martial arts. He grew up with football player Vinnie Jones, alongside whom he would later go on to act. Jones introduced him to football, and Statham went on to play for the local grammar school (1978–1983), which he had attended since the age of 11, a passion that he shared with diving. He practiced daily in perfecting his diving techniques, and was a member of Britain's National Diving Squad for twelve years. Statham competed for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Statham is known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He has also appeared in films such as The Italian Job, The Transporter, Death Race, Crank, The Bank Job, War, and the Expendables film series. He usually performs his own stage combat and stunts, and is noted for being typecast as an antihero.
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stars LIBRA September 24-October 23 Focus on your priorities this week and don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked by petty diversions. Others are taking note of your actions, attitude and how you deal with situations, so don’t give them any reason to doubt that you’re the person for the moment.
CAPRICORN December 23-January 20 Don’t allow minor setbacks in your plans at the start of the week to affect you too much. You can always start again from different angle midweek, so stop giving yourself a hard time. Keep thinking sharp and on the ball and others will see you’re a force to be reckoned with.
SCORPIO October 24-November 22 Your current level of enthusiasm can be of great help in giving support and encouragement to those who need it most. Show others you’re kind hearted by losing this façade you employ of being aloof. You’re anything but. You’re warm hearted and generous.
AQUARIUS January 21-February 19 This is a fairly positive week where you’ll have plenty to crow about. You’re loving the feeling of optimism in everything you do and that’s great, but just don’t stand on anyone’s toes to get to your goal. It’s not worth losing a friend for this.
SAGITTARIUS November 23-December 22 Don’t allow the lunar low to take the wind out of your sails. Yes there may be minor issues that lead you to doubt yourself and your abilities a bit, but then something wonderful is said to you via a compliment or thank you from someone you’ve helped in the past.
PISCES February 20-March 20 If you feel you’re having to work too hard to get along in a relationship, you really need to stop and ask yourself if its worth it. Focus on finances as the week moves on, but don’t allow your opinions to be coloured by others. Do what you can to smooth things out.
LANCE EDWARD ARMSTRONG (BORN SEPTEMBER 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. Armstrong was classified as having won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005 before he was disqualified from all those races and banned from competitive cycling for life, for doping offenses by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2012, after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) presented its findings. A cancer survivor, he is the founder of the Livestrong Foundation, originally called the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which provides support for cancer patients. At age 16, Armstrong began competing as a triathlete and was a national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990. In 1992, Armstrong began his career as a professional cyclist with the Motorola team. He had notable success between 1993 and 1996, including the World Championship in 1993, Clásica de San Sebastián in 95, Tour DuPont in 95 and 96, and a handful of stage victories in Europe, including stage 18 of the 1995 Tour de France.
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Cooking with
eggplants
Psyche
The eggplants were originally white, round, and egg-size. Now they also come in green and deep purple and are typically much larger. Although available year-round, they are most abundant from July to October and easy to cook. Here are a few tasty recipes you can try at home‌.
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September 2014 Bl ack & White
Eggplant sandwich Ingredients 1 small eggplant, halved and sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 (6 inch) French sandwich rolls 1 small tomato, sliced 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Method Preheat your oven’s broiler. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil, and place them on a baking sheet or broiling pan. Place the pan about 6 inches from the heat source. Cook under the broiler for 10 minutes, or until tender and toasted. Split the French rolls lengthwise, and toast. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and garlic. Spread this mixture on the toasted bread. Fill the rolls with eggplant slices, tomato, feta cheese and basil leaves.
Spicy eggplant dish Ingredients 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 eggplants cut into 1-inch cubes 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons water 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce 1 teaspoon white sugar Ground black pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
cook and stir an additional 30 seconds. Mix in the soy sauce, water, oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar, and black pepper, and stir to form a smooth sauce. Return the eggplant to the skillet, lower the heat, and allow the vegetables and sauce to simmer until the eggplant is tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Drizzle sesame oil over the dish, and give one final brief stir to combine.
Method Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Cook and stir the eggplant cubes until they begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil in the skillet over mediumhigh heat, and cook and stir the onions just until they begin to soften, about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic, and 53
September 2014 Bl ack & Wh ite
No words!
Hooked
By Priya Arunkumar I stood still, shivering, not with fear though. My mind was totally blank. The whole lot in front of me were sneering at me, while I struggled to remember the paragraphs I had mugged up so hard, a whole week earlier. I always prided myself for my photographic memory, could learn up things, words, sentences and paragraphs without any hitch; and could rewind them any place, anywhere I wanted. So was my teacher, who completely smitten by my clear loud voice and fearlessness thought I could win a prize for my club… Now where was I? Which para did I complete? The sneering and giggles did not help any further. My mind reeled under pressure, how do I end my blabber, stammer, and whatever you can call this state of acute blankness? I was always good at speaking, and loud, though not very good at giggles and whispers. Well, I let her down too. My teacher, I mean. She was standing in a corner and waving at me. She was trying to tell me something, maybe prompt me to remember the words. I strained to look at her; a little lip reading technique would have helped, but all I saw was her shaking her head hopelessly. Whoever said about inspiring teachers was not about her, she definitely made me lose all concentration and dread slowly creeped in. A thousand words swarmed in front of me, but not one word from the historic Mark Antony speech to bury Caesar…
I was quite sure a day back, when even in my sleep I could let the words out, though lifeless, I had by hearted every letter of them, just to impress my teacher. An extempore speech with any topic was easy, but if you take up a historic speech, which is taught to all in school, you cannot add on your bit of creativity there, unless you understood what exactly you are talking… There was no hope left of retrieving any of those words hidden in my mind. Not with the sneers in front and a let down teacher on the side. I stood still for many seconds, minutes and finally the one of the teachers waved at me gesturing to get out of the stage. But where would my legs listen? It was rooted to the ground, until a senior student pulled me out of the stage. I ran for my life, ashamed, sad, emotional, and mostly ashamed that I have to face all in my class. I should have been made of sterner stuff! End of the story. But, it was the start of my new identity. Waking up the next day, I prayed hard that I have fever, stomach ache or any of that reasons where you get a school holiday. But sigh, as usual my mom got me up and ready, off to school. I tried to remain invisible in the school bus. I succeeded too. The class started off as normal, but when the teacher walked out, the sneers started. My own bench mate turned out to be a Brutus… he got me a new name in school: Ms Mark Antony! While I glared at him and swore all the bad words I knew then, the whole class turned out to be a treacherous lot! That day my mind was made up: Never on centre stage and if ever, never with words of others! priya@blackandwhiteoman.com
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Your Gateway to Oman
Oman Airports Oman Airports Management Company S.A.O.C (OAMC) is owned by the Government of the ^ƵůƚĂŶĂƚĞ ŽĨ KŵĂŶ͘ K D ŝƐ ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďůĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ DƵƐĐĂƚ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů͕ ^ĂůĂůĂŚ ĂŶĚ :ĂĂůƵŶŝ ŝƌƉŽƌƚƐ͘
VISION dŽ ďĞ Ă ǁŽƌůĚ ĐůĂƐƐ ŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ĂŝƌƉŽƌƚƐ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ƌĞůĂƚĞĚ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ͕ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŶŐ to the prosperity of the Sultanate of Oman.
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