• Young people in the Middle East prioritise living in a democracy, followed by having good infrastructure, and access to the best universities
• Top three concerns: rising cost of living, shortage of affordable housing and unemployment
• In the region, 66 per cent of Arab youth see their country of residence as heading in the right direction; optimism shines through

Dubai, UAE; March 7, 2010: The most important priority for young people in the Middle East today is living in a democratic country, according to the Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, the largest-ever study of its kind of the region’s largest demographic. Good infrastructure, access to the best universities, being paid a fair wage, and living in a safe neighbourhood were identified as equally important priorities by Arab youth.

These are among the key findings of the nine-country survey unveiled today in Dubai by Karen Hughes, Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller and former US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

Conducted by leading international polling firm Penn Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB), the Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey included 2,000 face-to-face interviews with Arab nationals and Arab expatriates between the ages of 18-24 in the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations, as well as in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.

Ms. Hughes said: “More than two-thirds of respondents were very concerned about the rising cost of living, while the shortage of affordable housing was their second biggest worry, followed by unemployment. But in general, youth in the Middle East are confident about the direction in which the region is heading. When asked to consider the last five years, 66 per cent of Arab youth said their country of residence was going in the right direction.”

Increased public participation was seen as either ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ by the vast majority of youth across all the countries surveyed, from 85 per cent of respondents in Oman to 99 per cent of young people in Kuwait.

Joseph Ghossoub, Chairman and CEO of the MENACOM Group, regional parent of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller said: “By examining a wide range of issues, the insights from the survey will be of relevance to the broadest spectrum of experts, including policymakers, marketers, the business community and the media. Our hope is that the survey results will spark greater understanding of the priorities and indeed action on the ground.”

“Addressing the needs of the Middle East’s largest demographic requires carefully considered solutions informed by robust insights,” said, Sunil John, Chief Executive Officer of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, the Middle East’s leading public relations consultancy.

“We firmly believe that an evidence-based approach is essential to understanding and meeting those needs, which is why we embarked on the second and most ambitious edition of our Arab Youth Survey,” John said. “This survey makes a valuable contribution to this critically important discussion about the future of the region’s youth.”

“The second survey has greater reach, more depth and is even more representative of the divergent views of the young men and women across the major Arab nations than the 2008 study which was based on an online survey. By using face-to-face interviews, the 2009 research is even more representative than the inaugural study in 2008,” said Robert Kellman, Middle East Business Director of PSB.

”The interview sample is weighted to reflect the socio-economic make-up of the participating countries, the geographical distribution of the population within them, and the opinions of women as well as men,” he added.

The Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey explored a diversity of topics most relevant to young people in the region, from the financial crisis to foreign relations, to media consumption and online behaviour, to brand preferences and spending habits, to education and career aspirations, to how youth spend their free time.

Contrary to the common Western misperception of Arab youth as conservative and inward-looking, young Arab men and women see themselves as fully engaged global citizens and aspire to the same privileges and freedoms taken for granted in the West, according to the survey.

Other key findings of the Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey include the following insights:
• Arab youth are confident about the prospects for economic recovery in 2010
• Nearly four out of five claim to own a mobile phone
• Young Arabs increasingly live online, but nearly half read a newspaper every day
• Two thirds of Arab youth spend their free time in front of the TV
• More than a quarter of Arab youth are in debt
• Arab youth are increasingly looking East in response to the shifting global economy 
• Youth in the Middle East are evenly split on their preferences to work in the government or private sector
• Within the region, the GCC and Levant are the most popular travel destinations for Arab Youth, who strongly prefer flying with their national airlines.

The highlights of the Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey will be presented Sunday evening to an audience of government, industry, marketing and media opinion-leaders. The event will be chaired by Karen Hughes and debated by a panel of distinguished Arab thinkers.

Participants in the discussion moderated by Dr. Tarik Yousef, Dean of the Dubai School of Government, include:

• H.E. Ms. Najla Al Awadi, Member, UAE Federal National Council & Deputy CEO, Dubai Media Incorporated
• Abdulrahman Al Rashed, General Manager, Al Arabiya Television
• Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, Managing Director, Abraaj Capital
• Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Chairman, Young Arab Leaders, UAE Chapter & Media Columnist
• Lubna Qassim, Lawyer & Legal Reform Specialist
• Ali Mostafa, Independent Filmmaker

In keeping with the changing times, Al Habtoor Group is gearing up to celebrate its 40th anniversary in a rather special way. Themed ‘Number 4’, the grand celebrations include a total of four events that will mark the special celebration.

The UAE based conglomerate has made elaborate plans to commemorate its 40th year of success by connecting with a wider base of people in the society through one of the most popular social networking site.

A press conference was organized to formally launch Al Habtoor Group’s page on Facebook. Mr. Mohammed Al Habtoor, CEO of Al Habtoor Group published the first page to mark the 40 day celebrations that culminate in the grand 40th anniversary event.

What makes it very special is that for every login member, Mr. Khalaf Al Habtoor, Chairman of Al Habtoor Group, will be donating AED 4 to the Red Crescent Society to support the education of kids with special needs in the UAE. With this Al Habtoor Group opens up a unique way for individuals from around the world who will be instrumental for donating AED 4 each to Red Crescent without spending anything.

The final amount donated by Mr. Khalaf Al Habtoor will be announced on the anniversary day. Meanwhile, the group plans to etch yet another success in the digital world after being successful in the real world. It’s presence in Facebook has already started attracting members from the UAE and across world.

Founded by Mr. Khalaf Al Habtoor, the Al Habtoor Group over the last 40 years has grown with the UAE. While best known for construction, it is globally recognized through its involvement in the hotel, automotive, real estate, education, insurance and publishing sectors.

One of the UAE’s most respected and successful businesses, the Al Habtoor Group today operates in the UAE and international markets. The highly qualified, experienced and professional multi-national team of over 40,000 is expected to grow in line with the group’s planned expansion program.

TrainingIndustry.com’s Selection Based on Kenexa’s Ability to Increase Quality of Leadership Within an Organization

Tommy Weir

Dubai, March 3, 2010: Kenexa (NASDAQ:KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, today announced that the company has been included on TrainingIndustry.com’s 2010 Leadership Training Companies “Watch List.” Selections for the list were made after a thorough analysis of the capabilities, experience and expertise of hundreds of learning organizations.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the best providers of leadership training solutions on the market,” stated Tommy Weir, Ph.D., vice president leadership solutions, Kenexa. “At Kenexa, we believe that responsible leadership drives superior organizational performance. By providing companies with products that evaluate critical dimensions of leader performance and develop current and future leaders, we are helping to improve the effectiveness of today’s leaders and businesses.”

Comprised of Strategy and Consulting, Leadership Assessment, Leadership Development and Leadership Audit, the Kenexa Leadership Solutions offer a unique and comprehensive product suite that enables organizations to effectively and efficiently overcome global leadership challenges. Aligning with an organization’s business strategies, the solutions help companies increase organizational performance and success.

“Our Watch List of Leadership Training Companies include some of the most innovative and forward thinking companies in the space,” said Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer of Training Industry, Inc. TrainingIndustry.com is the world’s leading portal for searching and accessing information about the training industry.

The 2010 Leadership Training Companies “Watch List” is intended to help buyers of training services evaluate leadership training providers. Criteria for the list included: new and innovative service offerings; a unique approach to leadership development solutions; a commitment to thought leadership; and the quality of initial clients. The entire list of selected companies is available by clicking on Top 20 Lists at www.trainingindustry.com.

• Seven out of ten Arab youth share sense of common identity beyond ethnicity, religion or national background and embrace global citizenship
• Burson-Marsteller Global Vice Chair Karen Hughes, former US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, to present study findings in Dubai on March 7
• Prestigious panel of Arab opinion-leaders, drawn from government, business, media, law and arts, will debate implications of survey results

Dubai, UAE, March 2, 2010: Contrary to the widespread perception of the Middle East as a region defined by conflict and a growing East/West cultural and political divide, the vast majority of Arab youth prioritise harmonious relations with the international community and wholeheartedly regard themselves as global citizens.

These are among the key findings of the Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, a groundbreaking study of 2,000 Arab national and expatriate youth between the ages of 18 and 24 across nine Middle East countries – the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.

ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, the Middle East’s leading Public Relations Consultancy and part of the MENACOM Group, will invite Karen Hughes, Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller and a former US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, to share highlights of the research at a VIP reception in Dubai on Sunday, March 7, 2010.

Following her presentation, a prestigious panel of Arab opinion leaders, drawn from government, business, media, law and the arts, will debate the implications of the Survey results.  Dr. Tarik Yousef, Dean of the Dubai School of Government will moderate the discussion.  The panel speakers will include :

1. H.E. Ms. Najla Al Awadi, Member, UAE Federal National Council and Deputy CEO, Dubai Media Inc.
2. Abdul Rahman Al Rashed, General Manager, Al Arabiya Television
3. Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, Managing Director, Abraaj Capital
4. Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Independent entrepreneur and media columnist
5. Lubna Qassim, Independent Reform Specialist
6. Ali Mustafa, Independent film maker

Among a variety of topics, the Survey polled Arab youth to rate the importance of global citizenship – the shared feeling of identity regardless of ethnic, religious or national background – with seven out of ten respondents interviewed describing the concept as either ’somewhat’ or ‘very important’.

Arab national and expatriate youth in the UAE went even further, with 79 per cent describing it as ‘somewhat’ or ‘very important’. A plurality of youth in every country surveyed concurred with the exception of Oman, where 41 per cent said the notion of global citizenship was either ‘somewhat or ‘very important’.

Sunil John, Chief Executive Officer of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, said: “As with the 2008 survey, our second in-depth attitudinal study of Arab youth challenges a number of inaccurate assumptions about the beliefs and behaviour of the Middle East’s largest and most important demographic.

“Far from rejecting globalisation, Arab youth appear to be actively seeking to participate in the trends shaping the international community. Politicians, business leaders, educators, marketers and the media would do well to take note.”

John said: “Arab youth are talented, media aware and eager to make their mark in the world as fully engaged global citizens. The Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey zeros in on critical points in the discussion with young people, maximising the effectiveness of communications and bringing decision-makers closer to an increasingly influential and vocal community.”

The second edition of the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, which was conducted in October 2009 by leading international polling firm Penn Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB), polled more people and covered more countries than the inaugural study in 2008.

Whereas the first survey involved online interviews with 1,500 youth in six Arab countries, the second study carried out a total of 2,000 face-to-face interviews among Arab youth in nine Middle East nations.

Robert Kellman, Middle East Business Director of PSB, said: “The second survey has greater reach, more depth and is even more representative of the divergent views of young men and women across the major Arab nations than the 2008 study. The interview sample is weighted to reflect the socio-economic make-up of the participating countries, the geographical distribution of population within them, and the opinions of women as well as men.”

The main themes of the survey include:
• Attitudes to the financial crisis
• Access to technology
• Media consumption
• Social media networking trends
• Attitudes to travel and foreign relations
• Use of leisure time
• Spending habits
• Perceptions of leading brands
• Attitudes towards education
• Perceptions of the private and public sector

Dubai, UAE 16th February, 2010

Mediastow, the leading media intelligence agency in the MENA region, launched the region’s first-of-its-kind integrated platform for social media, print and broadcast monitoring, analysis and measurement.  

Mohamed Elzubeir, head of Mediastow, said the move was aimed at enabling businesses to monitor print, broadcast and social media with a fully fledged and integrated approach. The new system’s capabilities are backed up by high-quality operational and maintenance support available worldwide.

“With the evolution of the social media, every blogger is a journalist, exercising a significant impact on any company. It is therefore very critical for a company to know what bloggers are saying and what impact they have on stakeholders,” said Elzubeir commenting on the new integrated monitoring platform.

Elzubeir added: “The new system offers an important tool to companies to understand their position within the social, broadcast and print media. The service is delivered in two packages: DIY (Do It Yourself) with training provided by Mediastow or fully managed by Mediastow analysts.”

Cost-wise, the new system will minimize print, broadcast and social media monitoring and make it more commoditized, in line with Mediastow’s vision for the MENA region. 

Leading brands are increasingly seeking to track online conversations and engage with customers in real-time. Mediastow continues to invest in developing cutting-edge technologies that compete on an international standard. 

The digital interaction amongst stakeholders of any company was never more active as it is today. The Internet could be a key battleground between rivals where a single 140 characters tweet could affect the share price of any company. This requires companies to keep an eye on what is going on in the cyber world.

“We decided to integrate three media disciplines into one channel of monitoring and analysis to educate the market on the importance of every media outlet, whether it is broadcast, web or print. We are equipped to monitor every segment of viewership and readership in a cost effective and reliable methodology,” said Elzubeir.

“Monitoring social media will help companies to develop new approaches to the way they talk to their customers. Monitoring this kind of media is the starting point for engagement, interaction and advocacy of customers.”

Mediastow’s new integrated service helps companies and organizations track trends and identify their sources, allowing communications specialists to engage directly with their stakeholders, emphasized Elzubeir.

Solution aim is to improve operating efficiency through reliable and optimum production process

Doha, Qatar; February 13, 2010 - GE Intelligent Platforms today announced that it has been selected by Qatar Steel to provide a complete production management solution designed to improve operating efficiency through a reliable and optimum production process. The overall contract, worth US$2 million, features GE’s award-winning suite of Proficy® software including Plant Applications, Historian, iFIX and Portal rolled out in a phased format led by a significant pilot project.

The Proficy software solution covers design and implementation for data collection from multiple systems including material storage, handling and control, direct reduction furnaces, electric arc furnaces, ladle furnaces, continuous casting machines, bar rolling mills, the plant’s Quality Control Centre and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

“This new solution will enable Qatar Steel to better monitor and control material flow, production processes, equipment performance, operator activities, and other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at various levels of the organization,” said Erik Udstuen, Vice President of Software & Services for GE Intelligent Platforms, “It will also be able to aggregate data for top management reporting and decision-making.”

The Middle East is expected to produce more than 60 million tons of raw steel by 2010 and Qatar Steel will be a forerunner in this production. The company is regarded as an innovator and has been instrumental in the development of the region since 1978 when production began.

“The GE team engaged us well and has taken the time to understand our requirements and made every effort to demonstrate the capabilities of their technology to meet our demands in Qatar,” said Sheikh Nasser Al Tani, Managing Director of Qatar Steel.

“The decision was made after an exhaustive evaluation process including current and future requirements analysis, return on investment scenarios and implementation methodology,” said Malek Hamdieh, Manager IT for Qatar Steel.

The extensive pilot project tackled the plant’s biggest problem area - tracking and optimizing the raw material input to the plant. The previous system was based on large quantities of hand written material that was difficult to control and use making information analysis slow and prone to error.

The planned implementation will include Proficy iFIX providing the tools for monitoring the process from the control room, and Proficy Portal providing web access to the analysis tools. The PACSystems RX3i will be used to automatically collect and bring plant process data to the Proficy software where no such systems existed in the older sections of the plant.

“The Proficy Software enables us to deliver on work simplification, elimination of errors and delays in providing real time information with the context for better and faster decisions,” said Yousef Al Emadi, Qatar Steel Production Manager.

The pilot project took two months to develop and install. The implementation of the Proficy Software solution is expected to be complete in 14 months.

For more information: www.ge-ip.com/operationsmanagement.

Partnership seeks to further boost traffic in some of the most popular online destinations in MENA region

Net Advantage, the first specialised Internet Media House in the Arab World, has announced that it has recently appointed Sarmady as its exclusive digital marketing agent in Egypt. Sarmady will develop specialised marketing campaigns for Net Advantage, leveraging a network that reaches over 3.4 million unique users in Egypt and covering audiences from different target segments such as sports, entertainment, news and business.

Net Advantage owns an extensive portfolio of some of the best online destinations in the Middle East. The network of websites under the agreement includes popular online destinations in the region such Aljazeera.net, Netlog.com, Mawaly.com, Mubasher.info, Hawaaworld.com, Kooora.com and many others.

With this partnership, Sarmady is now able to provide advertisers in Egypt with a wider online media platform to cover all advertisers’ needs in order to engage with their desired target audiences.

Mustafa Mohamad, General Manager, Net Advantage, said, “This is an important step in our efforts to strengthen our presence in one of the most important markets in the MENA region. Sarmady provides considerable support in consolidating our brand and delivering key messages to target audiences in Egypt. Furthermore, Sarmady’s technical expertise, extensive knowledge and solid experience in the local market will be crucial in generating more traffic and making Egypt one of our top performing markets in the region.”

Ashraf Maklad, Sales and Marketing Director, Sarmady, said: “We have been a leader in delivering relevant content and services for target audiences across Egypt, which has given us a strong head start in terms of matching the preferences and satisfying the requirements of our clients. Sarmady has carefully studied this new project and is prepared to launch specialised campaigns that will complement and enhance the reputation of Net Advantage and promote its premium network of websites within the Egyptian market.”

Established in 2001, Sarmady dominates the Egyptian fixed and mobile internet with a wide range of locally relevant content and services spanning sports, film, music, city-guides, directories, classifieds, social networks and automotive.

Net Advantage, which is owned by National Ventures (N2V), is headquartered in Dubai Internet City and has an extensive presence across the Arab World with regional branches and representation offices in Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Doha, Bahrain, Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Tehran and others. Net Advantage helps optimise the online advertising initiatives of its clients by serving as an active hub between advertising agencies and a prominent selection of diversified web portals in the MENA region and across key international markets.

Job seekers invited to gain access to portal’s extensive Middle Eastern recruitment database

February 2, 2010

Careertunity.com, a leading online recruitment portal in the Middle East, has partnered with Al Hader to feature the latest and best employment opportunities in the region, at Tawdheef, a major Abu Dhabi-based recruitment event running from February 2 to 4, 2010 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Representatives of Careertunity.com (www.careertunity.com) will be stationed at Stand No. F32, where they will provide organisations and candidates access to the company’s recruitment database; accommodate walk-in online registration and submission of resumes; and help local and multinational firms meet their Emiratization goals. The portal will share its core features, including banners and e-mailers, with ADNEC throughout the event’s run to maximize visibility and participation.

“Featuring our employer and candidate services at the region’s largest and most modern events venue provides us with a great opportunity to significantly expand our database and learn more about the specific needs of our clients. Employment opportunities are picking up particularly in the Gulf, and Tawdheef is the event to be for organizations and job seekers who want to take advantage of this trend,” said Sudeshna Mukherjee, General Manager, Careertunity.

Twitter, fuelled by smartphones and online bursts of 140 characters, soared to lofty heights over the past year Read the full story

Attendance numbers exceed projections as representatives from local and multi-national organizations kick off week-long forum

Mr. Kosta Petrov, Conference Director for IIR Middle East

Panel discussions began today for the oldest and one of the largest public relations conferences in the region, the Middle East Public Relations Congress.  Produced by IIR Middle East and in association with Dubai Media City and supported by the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA), the annual event is the most powerful PR networking and evaluation platform in the Middle East. Read the full story