You "Smurf" or "Snork"? not sure? read on..

Today i am writing about another blog; 'Girl Blog from Iraq' who managed to make front page in gulf news today: (http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/03/28/10028872.html). while its not that common for a blogger to be given honourable first page mention in the paper, she definitetly deserves ever inch of space she got.

The article mentions that the annonymous female author of the blog has been nominated for a major literary prize in Britain, the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize. The author has been writing regularly on the situation in Iraq since August 2003 on her blog: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ which has been published into a book by Marion Boyers Publishers.

Her first entry started like this: "I'm female, Iraqi and 24. I survived the war. That's all you need to know. It's all that matters these days anyway". since then she has reflected upon the changes that have taken place about her in the war-torn region that have indeed changed her life and those of countless others.

Here is a voice, strong and slowly gaining popularity, being heard amid chaos and growing sectarian violence in Baghdad. her writing conveys truth, the real-deal as opposed to the western media which publishes thousands of updates about what's happening there but they forget to report one thing: the inner voice of these people, fearless and loud.

Much as i hate to admit it, but its true what she says, "discrimination based on sect has become so commonplace". This whole Shia/Sunni divide, talk about "‘We Sunnis should unite with our Shia brothers…’ or how ‘We Shia should forgive our Sunni brothers…’" and political parties and media reinforcing this divide continously has become more outspoken than ever before.
However, this is not just an issue in Iraq. My own country, Pakistan is not far behind when it comes to clashes between the Sunnis and Shias. and i'm sure the same can be said about other Muslim nations that are living under the same sky among a diversity of ethnic and religious sects, bound by one and only one belief. and that is simply, Islam. Sadly, some people, mostly the "fanatics from each side" fail to see the big picture instead protesting and killing each other over differences, which although cant be changed can certainly be tolerated if everyone is to live in peace.

Using Barney's VRIO framework for assessing whether certain resources and capabilities are strengths or weaknesses, i would say this female author is ceratinly a valuable resource. she has managed to highlight the iraqi situation through her eyes, evoking strong responses, the British literary prize being just one of many. although her personal views are ofcourse her own, i'm sure they are shared by many others and therefore are not hard to imitate. there are many iraqis like her who just want to live in peace and quiet, with children who can attend schools on a daily basis and everyone else who dont have to be confined to the walls of their homes and worry about a loved one being made made the next victim of President's Bush's 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' aka 'Operation Middle East Occupation' and are least bothered to know whether their neighbours are "Smurfs"" or ""Snorks". Nonetheless, the author remains an inspiration to all. To speak nothing but the truth and also manage to nab (inshallah!) a dhs.192,000 prize for it as well! Way to go, Riverbend!

Additionally, Applying Porter's five forces to this article, we can see how the threat of existing rivalry is high in the current situation in Iraq. we've got two major groups or players in the market; the shias and the sunnis. every citizen in iraq belongs to either one sect, i.e. they're either a smurf or a snork. this is a good predictor of the power that these two majority groups enjoy. domestically(excluding the US forces stationed in Iraq), they have only each other to worry about as rivals who may harm its people, or sway them towards the other side. Market growth rate is low as it is only at the expense of the other group can one of the groups expand. what i mean is that for example, the shias can add another member to their group, who might be a recent convert from being a sunni previously or vice versa. Moreover we can also analyze the intensity of their rivalry through their respective strategies. although their values may differ, their basic goal or strategy is similar: to be able to practice what they preach freely and openly without fear of attack and be the stronger of the two parties. lastly, we can also see how the hope to form the new government and therefore rule the country is a strategic goal of both groups. Each might attribute such 'high strategic stakes' to acheiving success over the other in bringing the country back on its feet after the toppled-Saddam's regime and the current sectarian violence. Factors such as these i.e. low market growth rates, use of similar strategies and high strategic stakes prove that competitive rivalry between these existing players is high.

Pleasures of dining at Guantanamo bay

Guantanamo bay is a household name in America. Host to the United States Naval Station since 1898, it has come into the limelight in the past years due to the detainment camp it has set up for militant combatants captured from Afghanistan and Iraq. Holding aroung 490 foreign terrorsim suspects, the camp has been severely criticized for harsh treatment and torture of its inmates. more recently it has come under the microscope for its force-feeding methods of detainees on hunger strikes.

an article in Gulf News, "Pentagon rejects appeal to stop forcefeeding"
(http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/03/12/10024766.html), reports how doctors have protested against such force feeding methods where detainees are fed through nasal tubes in their stomachs despite the US argument that this has lead to a fall in hunger strikes from 130 in september to about half a dozen in january. such methods, the doctors assert are against the declarations by the World Medical Association of which the American Medical Associaton is a signatory. the Pentagon defends these acts as saying such declarations by professional organisations are not binding as they are not international treaties.

if we apply this article to Baron's non-market environment, we can see the main issue facing Pentagon at face. the issue is of abuse, torture and unfair treatment of the 490 detainees, of which in fact only 10 have been charged with a crime. interest groups in this case include the doctors who have appealed in a letter in the British medical journal, the Lancelet. the institution in whose arena this issue is being publicized is the news media. the information is the professinonal knowledge and expertise of these doctors who know the harmful effects of such inhumane treatment and methods.

personally speaking, the Pentagon is using the camp and treatment at guantanamo bay as a political weapon to support its "war on terrorism", despite international condemnation and the UN request to shut down this facility. if the US cannot bow to international pressure, then what right does it have in repeateldy asking the UN security council to pose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear ambitions?the way i see it, the US is no different from Iran. if it suspects Iran of building nuclear bombs due its refusal to shut down its nuclear reactors, why cant we suspect the US of secretly 'terrorizing' inmates in the name of religion due to its repetitive refusal to allow access to the detainees or shut down this miltary prison?!

Furthermore, the President's Military Order of November 13 clearly states that no detainee can be held without having been charged of a crime and cannot be detained awaiting trial for more than 3 months. So is the US abiding by its own decision? like i said before, only 10 infact have been charged of a crime and many have been held since four years awaiting trial. if the President himself cannot stick with his own decision and see to the fair treatment of the detainees, how can one expect independant and less influential organisations such as the US medical profession to stick to declarations which the Pentagon deems as "non-binding and not applicable to sovereign nation states"?

Business: the Family way.

Many of you in the region may be quite familiar with Mishal Kanoo, the deputy chairman behind the multi-billion dollar family empire, The Kanoo Group. He's not your average rich businessman as some imagine them to be with their noses up in the air, speaking long sentences that actually spell out only one word in a multitude of many, dressed in a gucci suit; all just to impress.
Nope, that's definitely not him.
He is to-the-point, have a take-it-or-leave-it approach and is surprisingly very down-to-earth for a guy who's recently been named as the 14th 'Most Powerful Arab in the world' by Arabian Business Magazine.

You may question how i've come to describe him that way. fortunately, i had the opportunity to take his family business course which he taught at AUS in the spring of 2005.
first day of class, none of us could digest that he was the much talked about Mishal Kanoo. did he look like the image of a millionare? not at all. Dressed in traditional arab wear, he immediately got down to his point of how this was going to be a class very different from the rest. Most of it would depend on anecdotes and experiences of his own, class discussion and much less to do with the textbook.
Fine by us.
Many of us thought this would be one easy course where all we have to do is sit, listen and leave. while we did each of that, we also did what most students don't actively concentrate on doing. and that is Absorb.

Here was a man who offered us advice, which was honest, be it nasty or nice. he had no qualms about expressing his dissatisfaction with us when he felt it nor praising our acheivements when felt needed.
yes that is the way i would definitely describe him; Die-hard honest.

Coming from a family business background myself, i was very interested to hear of his own personal family struggles between the delicate balance of relationships and the business itself. Again he spoke truthfully, when he admitted to having his own share of family problems when many others like him may not, and those who insist that they are the family 'made in heaven' and have always seen eye to eye. he pointed out the thin red line that exists between a family identity and that of the business. An intricately stitched web of Communication, Planning, Leadership and Building Relationships is the key to successful family businesses, he would tell us many times.

If you read the article titled, 'the Family Business Orchestra' written by Mishal Kanoo on his website (http://www.mishalkanoo.com/html/articles.html#), you'll see how he likens the conductor and the orchestra to a family business. The skill with which the conductor gives each musical section to take the lead one by one, and have its share of glory, is when the whole orchestra comes alive. that is a performance, he says, worth clapping for.

I completely agree with him. He, once stated in our class, that the number one reason why most family businesses fail is their lack of succession planning. i would like to add that it's also their inability to see eye-to-eye. while one member envisions one thing, another envisions another. at the same time, they assume that they're all trodding the same path. and that is a straight path to failure unless they "synchronize these ideas" together.

If i were to link this to J.Barney's VRIO framework for analyzing whether a resource allows a firm to acheive a sustained competitive advantage based on four indicators, i would use Mishal Kanoo as the human asset to be evaluated against this scale. is he valuable? has he allowed the landmark group to exploit new opportunities? absolutely. According to a february issue of Arabian Business Magazine, he played a major part in helping the company acquire new shipping and insurance business. Moreover the company's wealth has increased by $200 million in 2005 alone, bringing it upto a total value of $4.7 billion and making it the 8th richest arab company in the world. while i agree, there are numerous other success factors that have contributed to the company's growth, leadership ranks as one of the top ten. His value is further noted when the same magazine called him "the operational genius" behind the Kanoo group. Moving on, is he rare? that he most certainly is. while there are many other notable leaders in the region today, not many can boast of leading a family business as Mishal Kanoo has done. but most importantly i think its his thoughts, philosophy and mindset that sets him apart from today's breed of young leaders in family businesses:

“Anyone who sees me on the outside would say that I am infatuated with money. I make an issue out of it because I like to play on humour and satire. But in reality, money for me is only a vehicle to better people's lives. If not, you are an absolute waste of space. I love finance as it is unlike any other science. Money knows no philosophy or political directions. It is a pure vehicle; it does not care who you are.”

such unconventional remarks are often unheard of from a person who took up his current position as deputy chairman at just a young age of 28. Next, is he imitable? human resources such as him are much harder to replicate. while other leaders can defintely strive to model him and follow his moves closely,they will probably face a cost disadvantage in doing so because of causal ambiguity and social complexity. competing firms may take such resources such as him for granted and may overlook that 'invisible asset' who is the source of competitive advantage. also with each firm being unique in its own way, emulating a human resource is not a wise strategy for firms to rely on. Lastly, is the firm organized to exploit his full potential? with a dynamic presence in some of the world's industries ranging form shipping to travel to logistics and oil & gas, a financial asset base of over $4 billion and a management control system where he believes feedback on performace is two way with his employees being encouraged to tell him when he is wrong, the firm is organized well to utilize his skills and ideas. adding all this togther allows the company to enjoy a sustained competitive advantage.

Coming back to the topic of family businesses, i would say that as much as they may not admit it, a family business affects everyone within a family, regardless of whether they participate or not in running the business. often a family business serves the interests of the family first and then the business.

This is where i would like to applaud the Kanoo Group who has come a long way, having marked nearly 116 years since its inception in 1890. They serve as an example to all those family businesses who have dissolved in the drought of the family tree and have been unable to realize that the branches can only spread far and wide if the roots are firmly underground.

Emaar: all's well?

The most happening name or more appropriately, brand that dubai has come to proudly advertise with reference to its property market is none other than Emaar. being just a mere 10 year old company in this property game, Emaar has risen to commendable heights in a short span of time. the past year, it reported a 180% increase in porfits to $1.3billion.
However the latest slip in the company's share price has turned enough heads to make people wonder if all is well in paradise. this was the focus of an 'Arabian Business' article, 'Revenge of the Markets' by Anil Bhoyrul last week.

The article says that emaar's shares slashed to $5.44, down from $12.8 last summer. this decline can be owed to its "massive rate of expansion", the author explains. investors are in a frenzy, not knowing whether to buy or not. while i'm no expert in predicting a company's fate, i think investor's neednt worry becuase despite the rumours, Emaar has further scales to reach.

i base this forecast upon the 'question of value' put up by Barney in his VRIO framework. the question states whether a firm's resources and capabilities enable it to respond to environmental threats and opportunities? in this case, i think the most valuable resource that Emaar can boast of is none other than its chairman, Mohammad Alabbar himself. having extensive experience working with the emirate's department of economic development through which he launched the DSF, the man is simply a genius. his company is doing what no other can; fulfilling the dreams of several UAE residents, in particular expats including myself, of owning their own home in a country they love. he has placed dubai on the world property map and continues to announce impressive large-scale projects in the MENA region, which includes Burj dubai, the next tallest building in the world and the King Abdullah Economic City. Once these projects will be completed and put into action, Emaar is likely to score profits beyond analysts' expectations.

it is under his visionary leadership, that Emaar has been able to exploit the opportunities that it came across and turn them into success stories. and now that the company's share price is going down whatever may be the reason, one thing the company can count on is Alabbar himself. if he has the ability to pave the path for the company's success, i bet he has a contingency plan up his sleeve in case the market decides to further rebel against him.

danish in trouble

The newspapers are flooded with updates on where the latest attack on danish embassies or consulates has been made. in the name of 'freedom of expression', the infamous editor of the danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, is now making his country pay a hefty price for his thoughtless decision. Muslims, in the world over, have called for a boycott of danish goods.

UAE, itself witnessed many supermarkets and shops supporting this decision by removing danish goods off their shelves. A furnitite shop in sharjah, previously known as denmark furniture, has renamed its name to Mark furniture and has denied any business involvement with the country. Nestle carried a notice clarifying its origins as swiss and not danish as some people were now thinking it to be and rejected any claims of associations of its products with Denmark. Similarly, many other companies in the msulim world are doing the same. One such company i.e SADAFCO, pointed out in the article, 'effect of danish boycott patchy', has issued a vigorous statement after noticing a fall in its stock price due to the public mistakenly associating it with Denmark.

Gary Hamel talks about 'relationhsip dynamics' as part of customer interface in a business model. and noone understands this better than the aforementioned companies who have taken notice of their market's emotion at a time like this and has extended its support. these are companies who know how one wrong move or statement can damage its relationship with its valued customers. by asserting its stance on the debate, these companies have spoken up not only for the values of its customers but its very own as well.

as far as my take on the whole issue is concerned, i think the danes have to come up with a better excuse than the much abused term, 'freedom of expression' which was clearly ignored at times when many muslims were incarcerated aftre 9/11, when Bush allegedly had plans to bomb Al-Jazeera, when the absence of the WMD demanded answers, reality of war in Afghanistan and Iraq and ofcourse the 'secret' life of prisoners in Abu Gharib prison. However here's a prime opportunity for muslims to clarify all western misconceptions about their faith and show what the Almight Allah repeatedly calls for; forgiveness. the solution lies in engaging in constructive dialogue and action rather than resorting to violence.

google: values vary across borders

'the real cost of google's sellout to china' clearly demonstrates how a gigantic corportaion as google can modify its strategy to suit its own agenda rather than the customer focused one that they proudly defended in its stance againt the department of justice. on the one hand, they come across as a company who takes it social responsibilty very seriously, while on the other hand, they seem nonchalant about it.
Gary hamel talks about customer benefits which is an important bridge component between the core strategy and the customer inetrface component of the business concept. i think that google needs to realize how its differing policies in China and the US is hampering this aspect of its successful business model. from a customer point of view, the biggest benefit that i derive from using google is the freedom it allows me to navigate anywhere on the world wide web to get access to information. and the best part is, that this service comes at a charge free of discrimination. i can be a person of any sex, race or religion and obtain the same level of service as any other customer. in my opinion, this is what makes google tick. so why is it that their chinese customers are being denied this freedom?
the answer to this detects a flaw in google's marketing strategy in China. One of the famous four in BRICS, China offers the chance for google to double its earnings and capture its flourishing market. but to acheive that, google has to forego these customer benefits in order to comply with government demands. then how exactly, i ask, is google planning on enthralling its chinese customers when they are being denied the most fundamental benefit available to all of their other counterparts around the globe?
google needs to define what benefits mean to its target customers in china. are they the same as others or are they different? will those benefits still be sufficient and desirable, if google acts on the deal it has made with the chinese government? that is to say, will it be as a hit in china as it hopes to be; whilst, modifying their services to suit the motives of the chinese government and their very own?

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"Test Post for MGT 406 at AUS"