:: OER - August

NUMBERS
Regional power of women remains low

Power Matters: A Survey of GCC Boards produced by The National Investor with the support of Hawkamah analyses boards of some 582 companies in the GCC with 3,493 individuals occupying 4,254 board seats of listed companies in the Gulf. Power Matters identifies some of the key trends in the region’s board’s, particularly on board composition, the participation of women in boards and the role of families on boards.

Good board practice calls for a manageable board and a board with some independence. While our boards are generally manageable, the region still has a long way to go in building more independence in the regions board rooms. The representation of women on boards is still low compared to international benchmarks, despite a growing number of Arab women entrepreneurs. Families still dominate some of the boards.

Out of a sample of 4254 board seats contained only 63 are held by women representing 1.5 per cent of the total. This may look miniscule compared to 13.6 per cent women representation or 22 per cent in Norway. A closer look at the data reveals some striking differences between regional peers in the Gulf.

While the region appears as a global diversity laggard, Oman and Kuwait buck the trend to come out as regional diversity leaders – ahead of Italy (2 per cent) and just a notch below Spain (3 per cent). This combined with the position of Saudi as a complete laggard closely followed by Japan, points to the possibility of cultural reasons behind female board presence. The participation of women in the government wok force also leaves much to be desired.

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August - 2008

Cover Story

Rockstars of MSM
OER-Gulf Baader Capital Markets present a survey of the Top 10 stocks which have given the highest shareholder returns over the last three years

Other Headlines

PREMIUM POSITIONING
With Oman Mobile and Nawras competing in the BlackBerry market, customers can rest assured about better pricing and service coming their way in future, reports Mayank Singh

A TALL ORDER
After spending five wonderful years in the Sultanate, Annelies Boogaerdt bid adieu to Oman recently. In a freewheeling chat with OER’s Deepa Rajan the former Dutch ambassador speaks of her tenure and the special memories she will carry from Oman

GOING GREEN
Paint manufacturers in Oman are gearing themselves up to meet customer needs and the demand fuelled by numerous real estate projects. Visvas Paul D Karra checks out on the top three paint companies to find out what Oman can expect in the next few years

‘We want to be everybody’s first choice’
As DHL completes 30 years, its Country Operations Manager, Oman, Geoff Walsh explains to OER’s Visvas Paul D Karra the reasons that have made DHL a trusted name for its customers

Upping the ante
Though Oman Arab Bank has become aggressive in the personal loans category the bank insists that it is not deviating from its core focus, writes Mayank Singh

Court Failure To Succeed
Failure is not a plague to be quarantined, but a life-saving bacteria that needs to be befriended in most cases. No risk, no reward. No failure, no success. Acknowledge failure and we all will be richer

LOGICAL COMPENSATION
Determining executive compensation can be a complicated task. Pascual Berrone, Jordan Otten and Luis R Gomez-Mejia discuss some possibilities

JAPANESE JEWEL
The new mazda 6 has great handling, good looks and build quality. writes Malcolm Xavier CRASTA

A TIME FOR CHANGE
As the government works on redrafting the Foreign Direct Investment policy, OER speaks to legal eagles about the strengths and concern areas in the existing framework and the changes that would facilitate foreign investment into the Sultanate. Mayank Singh reports

Friendi’s friendly services
Antti Arponen, CEO, Friendi Mobile, who has nearly 12 years of international experience in the telecommunications field, speaks to Visvas Paul D Karra of OER about global trends which are contributing to an exciting mobile telephony market

Auto finance: Freedom to buy a car
Various financial schemes offered by auto finance companies translate into easy monthly installments for the car buyer. This has fuelled the proliferation of cars on Oman’s roads

Investing in values
Hiking is a good way to inculcate values as it builds friendship and helps in character building and self discovery, says Suleiman Masoud Al Harthy, CEO, Taameer Investments Company

BREAKING INTO THE BIG LEAGUE
A consistent ability to win big contracts has helped Hasan Juma Backer Trading and Contracting to emerge as a major player in the infrastructure space, writes Mayank Singh

Inflation settles in!
Delinking the currencies could not fully control inflation as declining value of the US dollar is merely part of the problem. Another challenge concerns expansionary fiscal policy through higher allocations for capital and current expenditures

Telecom shares – what next
Telecom scrips in the region offer a good potential, but there is a need for investors to choose their stocks carefully. Kuwait’s Zain is one of the most successful telecom operators in the GCC and the recent IPO of its Saudi venture was a success

Fighting the inflation hydra
Oman’s fight against inflation has been intensified, showing just how seriously the authorities take the problem and its impact on Omanis. The key to easing medium-term price pressures, though, may lie in global factors as much as domestic strategy

Online banking trends
Customer data can provide a foundation for understanding shoppers and tailoring promotions. But marketers still wonder why some promotions hit the mark and others don’t?

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