Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Lebanon Opportunities

by the editor-in-chief Do two wrongs make a right? Last month, it appeared that they did. Two parties assembled – similarly to many groupings in the country – around confessional banners joined forces to proclaim an even larger heresy to the Constitution. Brandishing a slogan of regaining rights due to their confession, they have put one more nail in the coffin of citizenship. It is a blessed initiative to bury the hatchet and heal old wounds whose scars have been haunting national unity for too long. The diversity of political representation within the Christian community, some even transcending to other communities, was one of the few remaining positive aspects of our pluralistic society. It was hoped that it would lead to contagion among the other confessional groups. It didn’t. The…

EMILE TABANJI NEW BOSS AT IMPACT BBDO Emile Tabanji has been appointed Group Managing Director for Impact BBDO Lebanon to replace Joe Ayache. Prior to his new job, Tabanji had been Managing Director of Impact BBDO in Egypt since 2011. He joined BBDO in 2000 through its Beirut client servicing team. In 2002, he moved to BBDO Dubai where he worked as Account Manager and Account Director for the MENA region. Part of the global BBDO network, IMPACT BBDO is a regional communications group founded in 1971. It employs more than 1,000 people and operates across the Middle East and North Africa region. CHANTAL CH0UFANI was promoted to Director of Operations at Gras Savoye Liban. She has over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. Choufani was previously head…

Human Rights 1) Support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights 2) Ensure non-complicity in human rights abuses Labor 3) Uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining 4) Elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor 5) Effective abolition of child labor 6) Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation Environment 7) Support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges 8) Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility 9) Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies Anti-Corruption 10) Work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery…

Rmeil 1975 Area Ashrafieh, Charles Malek Avenue Architect Bardawil Group Developer Bardawil Group Contractor Bardawil Group Delivery Dec. 2018 Apt Sizes 250 m² Price/m² Starting at $3,500 Phone (03) 563.407 - (03) 778.036 Fawaz Bldg. 1450 Area Minet El Hosn, Close to Balthus restaurant Architect Youssef Haidar Developer Fawaz Holding Contractor Fawaz Holding Delivery Dec. 2017 Apt Sizes 220 m² - 300 m² 400 m² - 600 m² Price/m² Starting at $7,500 Phone (01) 364.392 Ashrafieh 150 Area Ashrafieh, Mar Mitr, Close to Mar Mitr church Architect Not Appointed Yet Developer Charbel Akiki & Georges Choueiry Contractor Charbel Akiki & Georges Choueiry Delivery Dec. 2016 Apt Sizes 208 m² Price/m² Starting at $2,500 Phone (70) 498.775 - (70) 205.792 Sands 1738 Area Furn El Shebbak, Close to Lebanese University-Faculty of…

BMW 320I Rear wheel drive, 2.0L, 184hp, 8-speed automatic transmission, 220Km/20L Starting price: $39,090 BMW 428I Rear wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.0L, 245hp, 8-speed automatic transmission, 180km/20L Starting price: $54,450 LEXUS ES 350 Front-wheel Drive, 3.5L, 275hp 6-speed tiptronic transmission Starting price: $55,000 RENAULT FLUENCE Front wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 115hp, 6-speed automatic transmission, 200km/20L Starting Price: $16,000 SUBARU LEGACY Symmetrical AWD, 4 cylinder, 2.5L, 170hp, 6-speed automatic transmission, 200km/20L Starting price: $29,900 SUBARU IMPREZA Symmetrical AWD, 4 cylinder, 2.0L, 148hp, 6-speed automatic transmission, 250km/20L Starting Price: $24,900 TOYOTA COROLLA Front wheel drive, 1.8L, 138hp 7-speed tiptronic transmission Starting price: $16,950 TOYOTA CAMRY Front Wheel Drive, 2.5L, 180hp 6-speed tiptronic transmission Includes SunRoof Starting price: $28,500 Prices may vary depending on options, specs, and currency fluctuation. For exact pricing and…

Natural fabrics are susceptible to mold, insects, and rodents. A few measures may be taken to clean and store them in best condition. Leather, fur, and any other animal skin should be kept in a cool, dry, and dark place. They should be allowed to breathe. This is why they need space around them. They should not be kept in garment bags, where they could wrinkle with time. For wet coats, the leather or fur should be dried before storing, but a hairdryer or a direct source of heat should not be used. It is preferable to avoid wearing hairspray or cologne, as they could stick to the fur or change the clothes’ natural color. For best results, it is best to hand this task over to a professional launderer.…

SOUND BYTES The functioning of the Government is as important as food and water Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri Political forces are committing political suicide as long as they continue to paralyze State institutions Ali Hassan Khalil, Minister of Finance Unfortunately we have to obey American rules Wissam Fattouh, Sec Gen of the Union of Arab Banks We may not know what’s coming, but we know well where we’re coming from Fady Gemayel, Chairman of the Association of industrialists On the garbage issue… Unofficially – I oppose the export of garbage that will cost around half a billion dollars Nabih Berri Exporting garbage is near madness from a country that has rejected all rational solutions Akram Chehayeb, Minister of Agriculture Opponents of garbage furnaces are mercenaries and profiteers. The Government plan…

A 3.4 percent deflation was registered last year for the first time in the postwar era. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped to 95.92 in December from 99.29 a year earlier, mainly due to lower fuel and transportation costs driven by a sharp decline in global oil prices. A drop in international food prices also contributed to the deflation, albeit at a smaller scale. MAIN DIVERS The greatest fall among the CPI’s sub-indices was recorded in the category of water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which plunged by 18 percent over the one-year period, according to the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS). The second largest drop was 7.7 percent and was in the category of transportation, which is also dependent on oil prices. Castro Abdallah, Chairman of the National Federation…

World Bank. the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development, working with employees, their families, the local community, and society to improve the quality of life, in ways that are both good for business and good for the greater good. ISO. Acting in an ethical and transparent way that contributes to the health and welfare of society. European Commission. The responsibility of enterprises for their impact on society. It should be company-led. Public authorities can play a supporting role through a smart mix of voluntary policy measures and, where necessary, complementary regulation. Companies can become socially responsible by following the law and integrating social, environmental, ethical, consumer, and human rights concerns into their business strategy and operations. Harvard Business School. Aligning social and environmental efforts with the business…

While CSR has become a business staple, Creating Shared Value, or CSV, remains less understood despite its growing adoption by leading multinational companies all over the world. “CSR responds to community needs and addresses local social concerns,” said Dima Jamali, American University of Beirut Professor of Management, and Kamal Shair Endowed Chair in Responsible Leadership. Unlike CSR, CSV is embedded at the core of companies implementing it, said Jamali. “Companies adopting CSV recognize that their own long-term sustainability and growth are directly linked to those of their communities, suppliers, customers and consumers, as well as to the safeguarding of the environment,” she said. CSV originates from a concept developed by Harvard Professor Michael Porter and Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Fellow Mark Kramer, who first presented it in a…

The nuclear agreement with its paired and concurrent obligations between Iran and the 5 +1 signatory states is heading towards gradual implementation in line with its inherent mechanisms. This comes in spite of the uproar that surrounds Iran’s relationships with some neighboring countries, especially Saudi Arabia and despite renewed talks in the US Congress about requiring visas from nationals of friendly countries who visit Iran —when they do not normally need it—considered by Iranian officials as a departure from the spirit of the nuclear deal reached after many years of hard negotiations! This ‘optimism’ is based primarily on the need of Iran’s economy to modernize and grow and consequently on the requirement of its society to open up to the world to be able to advance and develop at a…

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a non-profit organization that promotes economic sustainability. It produces one of the world’s most prevalent standards for sustainability reporting, also known as the ecological footprint reporting, environmental social governance (ESG) reporting, triple bottom line (TBL) reporting, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting. GRI seeks to make sustainability reporting by all organizations as routine as, and comparable to, financial reporting. GRI Guidelines are widely adapted. More than 4,000 organizations from 60 countries use the Guidelines to produce their sustainability reports. GRI Guidelines apply to corporate businesses, public agencies, small enterprises, NGOs, industry groups and others.…

A REFLECTION OF CHOICES THE SABA & CO. STORY A Deloitte book Ramez Maalouf 180 pages Deloitte Middle East is one of the oldest accounting, auditing and financial services companies in the region. The company dates back to 1926, when its founder Fouad Saba began his accounting business in Jerusalem. This book tells of the difficulties, which marked the start of his firm and how it progressed and succeeded to become Deloitte Middle East. Saba was born in 1902 in Shafa Amr, Galilee region, and completed his studies in Haifa and Jerusalem. The Saba family was one of the prestigious families of this area. Fouad’s father, Saleh Saba, a Levantine Christian, was known as a patriotic person and was one of the few who were warning of the consequences of…