AlixPartners, the global consulting firm, has launched a Middle East Disruption Index to examine the impact of trends such as climate change, technological advances and geopolitics on businesses and trade in the region.
The survey showed 78 per cent of chief executives in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are confident in their company’s ability to withstand disruptive forces. However, there is also a lot of uncertainty with two thirds afraid that the disruption will ultimately displace them. Concerns over finding the right talent and also making effective investments in technology also cloud the outlook.
Rob Hornby, Head of EMEA, AlixPartners and Gabriel Chahine, Middle East AlixPartners Lead speak to host Mustafa Alrawi about how disruption has become a new normal for organisations and companies.
In this episode:
The disruptive forces in the Mena region (0m 08s)
The role of the executives in disruption (5m 03s)
Climate change being a part of executive decisions and investing in the right talent (8m 30s)
Are we in control of disruption? (14m 54s)
More on disruption:
Economic recovery ‘like no other’: IMF, McKinsey, OECD experts tell PCR podcast series
PCR podcast: two faces to the recovery in the Middle East and North Africa
PCR podcast: how to manage the energy crisis
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.