Universities in Bahrain,

Universities in Bahrain are participating in the CFA Institute Global Investment Research Challenge for the first time.
CFA Bahrain, the association for local investment professionals, consisting of portfolio managers, investment advisers, educators and other financial professionals, hosted the first stage of the national competition.
Over the next few months, five teams of 20 students from four of the country's leading universities and business schools will compete for a place in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regional final in Istanbul in March next year.
The successful team from the EMEA region will then compete in the international final to be held in Hong Kong next April.
The Global Investment Research Challenge is an educational initiative in which leading industry professionals guide business and finance students in researching and reporting on a publicly traded company.
It spans one academic year and consists of analysing a public company, mentoring by a professional research analyst, writing a research report and presenting its results and recommendations to a panel of experts.
"Last year students from Nanyang Technological University from Singapore won the competition, beating stiff opposition from three other teams from Ireland, the United States and Brazil." CFA Bahrain vice-president Lamees Al Baharna said.
"This year's competition will be just as challenging. Our society is very excited to be bringing the event to Bahrain and the GCC for the first time, for giving students the chance to meet some of the finest investment professionals working in the country and to potentially meet their contemporaries from many other countries."
With the cut-off date approaching bankers, financiers, and Islamic banking professionals are rushing to get their votes in for the Islamic Business and Finance Awards.
This year's award ceremony will be hosted by CPI Financial, publisher of Islamic Business & Finance magazine, and will be highlighting the phenomenal performance of the Islamic finance industry, particularly during times of economic instability.
The awards ceremony is set to be held on December 14 under the patronage of Dubai International Financial Centre.
They were first introduced in 2005 in response to the extraordinary growth rate of the Islamic financial institutions, and is currently one of the most distinguished awards within the financial industry.
"Islamic finance proves to be the most promising financial sector today." CPI Financial chief executive officer Nigel Rodrigues said
"Throughout the global economic crisis, the combined assets of Islamic banks continued to soar relative to the private banks worldwide," he added

Supporting business leaders in running,

Supporting business leaders in running for next year's parliamentary elections was one of the plans outlined by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry's new board yesterday.
BCCI chief executive officer Ebrahim Al Lengawi said the chamber Foundation president Kevin O'Malley wanted the business commuity to have more presence in parliament and it was keen to help.
"The chamber is thinking for the business community to have a presence in the parliament and to support one or two in the next elections as a way of supporting the economy," he told the GDN following a Press conference held at the BCCI in Sanabis.
"They will do this by making alliances with societies that are related to the economy and supporting them logistically."
He said other plans for the chamber included supporting the private sector in establishing a company for fish farming, poultry and red meat.
BCCI bureau members Jawad Al Hawaj and BCCI vice-treasurer Sagar Shaheen will spend the next three days visiting the Philippines and Thailand to discuss opportunities for fish farming with Bahrain.
Meetings will be held with their counterparts in each country and business leaders in the field.
Meanwhile, a proposal to add four new committees to the BCCI's existing 18 was announced.
The four committees are: fairs and exhibitions committee, transportation committee (with a focus on heavy vehicles), joint committee with Bahrain Association of Banks and a joint committee with contractors.
The chamber is also considering establishing a fifth committee, which will be a joint committee with Tamkeen.
The committees will be chaired by a board member involved in that particular sector or in some cases by a member outside the board.
The progress of each committee will be reviewed every three to six months.
The board also announced its decision to adopt a 10-point manifesto that had previously been presented by a 14-member bloc in the chamber's elections, which were held on November 16.
In the polls, 13 out 14 members in the bloc, which included BCCI chairman Dr Essam Fakhro, were elected to the new board.
"It will form part of the BCCI's objectives and more will be added because obviously others were elected to the board and they have their individual goals and agenda," said Mr Al Lengawi.
"The board will continue to support the market and focus on activating committees in the BCCI and make sure they deliver, with a special focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to open lots of avenues in the local and international markets."
BCCI's objectives for the next four years include:
l Frame a new strategic vision for the chamber in accordance with Bahrain Vision 2030.
l Enhance the chamber's role in protecting members' interests and bring up existing and emerging issues that members are facing.
l Establish a new centre for upholding the interests of small and medium enterprises.
l Provide support and orientation to young businessmen and women so they can emerge successful in their business ventures and equip them to play an important role in the kingdom's economy
l Set fundamentals for dialogue, discussions and partnership with the chamber and government and carry the private sector's voice to legislative bodies to uphold national interests
l Play a new influential role for the chamber in streamlining procedures, regulations and initiatives for infrastructural facilities pertaining to contracting industries, traders and services.
l Improve administrative systems and create value added services for the members to enhance ties and boost financial resources among them.
l Adopt and encourage initiatives and investments in national projects, research and administration to boost competency for establishments and companies in Bahrain.
l Conduct a viability study to enhance the private sector's role in local and public issues and to increase their role in political movements.
l Enhance the chamber's role for setting up an appropriate legislative and administrative environment to encourage private and commercial sectors.

Oman Air has launched a new three-class services,

Oman Air has launched a new three-class service on its flagship Muscat-London Heathrow route. The service is offered aboard new A330-300 aircraft and features new First Class, Business Class and Economy Class cabins, together with state of the art in-flight entertainment and delicious new menus.
"Oman Air's new three-class service between Muscat and London delivers everything the discerning traveller could want," Oman Air's chief executive officer Peter Hill, who launched the new service, said.
"Our daily, non-stop direct flights between our hub in Muscat and London Heathrow offer a smooth and hassle-free journey and our stunning new aircraft offer more space, comfort and luxury than ever before.
"With lie-flat seats, direct aisle access and a la carte dining for every passenger in First Class and Business Class, together with surprisingly comfortable and spacious Economy Class seats, we now offer an unmatched level of quality for all passengers.
"In addition, our leading-edge in-flight entertainment system, including audio-video on demand and six channels of live TV, wonderful new menus in every class and superb hospitality offered by our specially-trained cabin crew attired in new, Balenciaga-designed uniforms - underline our commitment to ensuring that every one of our passengers reaches their destination relaxed, refreshed and ready to go."
The seats in each class of the new service have been designed to the highest specifications by EADS Sogerma.
The First Class Mini Suite offers the longest lie-flat bed available on any commercial airliner and is set within a massive 87-inch pitch.
Furthermore, with a 25.5-inch wide seat, and eight point massage system built in, stowage for hand luggage, dedicated space to hang a coat and a huge 23-inch video monitor, Oman Air's First Class Mini Suite is in a class of its own.
With just six seats within the first-class cabin, together with a luxurious lounge area, the passenger experience is akin to flying in an exclusive private jet.
The Business Class cabin offers 20 lie-flat seats, each within a pitch of 82 inches and fitted in a four-abreast, on-two-one configuration.
A wide seat, ample stowage space, a privacy screen and a sizeable 17-inch monitor ensure that Oman Air's Business Class seat outshines most other airlines' first-class offering.

The eGovernment National Portal,

The importance of Bahrain's National Portal in boosting business and trade ties were highlighted at a major forum. The eGovernment Authority in Bahrain shared its expertise with delegates from across the GCC and the region at the event.
The two-day third Gulf eCommerce Forum 2009 opened yesterday at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro.
The theme of the forum was 'Electronic Portals: A Future Look'.
The eGovernment National Portal , launched in November last year, was a landmark event, being the first of the four main service delivery channels in the eGovernment strategy, the other three being the mobile gateway, common service centres, and national contact centres.
The story of the National Portal was chronicled by eGovernment Authority chief executive officer Mohammed Al Qaed during the forum's opening ceremony.
This included major milestones and challenges faced before and after the portal's launch, as well as the importance of such portals to e-commerce.
"Well-developed comprehensive electronic national portals are a significant factor in the progress of nations when it comes to simplifying processes." he said.
"Such portals are a key reason why nations such as the US and Singapore sit amongst the top countries in important UN rankings reports such as eReadiness and business friendliness.
"Bahrain, guided by Vision 2030, is setting the necessary groundwork to become a player in the regional and international scene through various eGovernment programmes and initiatives," he said.
"We have recently completed upgrading the portal's infrastructure platform to accommodate its growing number of visitors and integrated e-services the ministries plan on launching through the site."
National portals help shift the focus to the end users, thereby elevating the level of service, Al Qaed said.
In addition, they present a convenient one-stop-shop to access all government services and information for users, and even enables direct interaction between the public and government ministries and departments.
eGovernment Authority head of eService Delivery Mohammed Abdulaziz gave an in-depth presentation during the forum's first session, using the National Portal to illustrate the important role partnerships can play in creating world-class electronic portals.
The presentation, entitled 'Effective Partnerships in eServices', revolved around the role of public-private partnerships and the eGovernment Authority's experience in this regard.
The presentation included case studies of current partnerships between the eGovernment Authority and various private sector enterprises, and how these joint efforts optimise eService delivery to citizens, residents, visitors, and businessmen.

Everybody loves a bargain,

Everybody loves a bargain, right? Well, what's true in flush times is even more so in lean years, and the holiday season of 2009 is certainly going to cap off one of those.
With the economy only beginning to lurch its way back from the precipice, some research firms have already offered preliminary analyses projecting a bearish holiday retail season, even for the online sector.
Despite reporting encouraging results from an early November e-commerce sales report, comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni today was quick to temper his optimism. "Nonetheless, online spending this holiday season will likely be tempered by the stark reality of 10-percent unemployment and less disposable income in many consumers’ wallets," Fulgoni said of the strong start.
So with online retailers looking to make hay in a cloud cover, this year's e-commerce season could be a bargain bonanza, if you know where to look. The importance of bargains is certainly not lost among the giants of the online retail sector.
On Tuesday, eBay unveiled a new "Deals" app for the iPhone that promises to funnel users a steady stream of bargain listings from the site.
This Friday, known in the retail world as "Black Friday," eBay is kicking off its "12 Days of Deals" promotion, featuring exclusive mystery deals the e-commerce giant has arranged with vendors. The promotion opens with the Samsung Netbook N120-12GBK and runs through Dec. 8.
In concert with the release of the new Deals app, eBay updated its regular iPhone app and redesigned its mobile Web page, which it expects to rake in more than $500 million in sales by the end of the year.
Not to be outdone, rival e-commerce titan Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has stocked its own Black Friday deals page with markdowns geared for the onset of the holiday shopping season.
Apple also has some markdowns in store for shoppers on Black Friday. Late Tuesday afternoon, the consumer electronics juggernaut posted this promotion online store, advertising a one-day shopping event for the day after Thanksgiving.
To help navigate through the blizzard of promotions and merchandise available on the Web, the search engines are getting in on the game. On Monday, Google rolled out some updates to its Product Search service, now offering a high-resolution gallery view and summaries of reviews to speed the research process.
Microsoft's Bing, which is working assiduously to lure Web users away from Google, is increasing the percentage it's offering to pay back to shoppers through its cash-back program.
Even though for many, online holiday shopping might begin with the biggest, best-known names on the Web, savvy bargain hunters are wont to neglect the long tail, and that long tail is becoming an increasingly social place.
"Customers are increasingly using a variety of social web platforms to connect with one another on a multitude of topics," said Shari Gunn, vice president of advertising and business development at Kaboodle.com, a social shopping hub. "In the biggest shopping season of the year, we're seeing shopping and product related activity/conversations pop up all over the place -- and in more types of places than ever before."
Gunn explained that the rise of sites like Kaboodle, as well as social media powerhouses like Facebook and Twitter, has carried the social side of shopping well beyond user-generated product reviews and created tremendous opportunities for brands to spread the word virally.
"The key shift in consumer behavior is that consumers now expect to be well-informed and expect to be able to find product information, brand information, deals and discounts," she told InternetNews.com.
In recent years, a bevy of sites have emerged that position themselves as hubs for Black Friday promotions. To name a few, these include BlackFriday.info, BlackFriday2009.com, BFAds.net and special Black Friday sections on Dealighted.com and GottaDeal.com.
These sites can be valuable resources for shoppers working out their Black Friday game plan, since they often offer previews of deals retailers were trying to keep mum but leaked.
In a sign that consumers are taking notice, research firm Experian Hitwise today reported an 87 percent spike in traffic to its category of Black Friday referral sites over the past week.
Those sites couple with the litany of online coupon hubs that have become a mainstay in the online retail sector. These include Coupons.com, CouponSherpa.com and RetailMeNot, whose Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions were recently profiled by InternetNews.com.
"With the economy still slow and many Americans on a strict budget, retailers are going to be offering a lot of great deals this holiday season," said CouponSherpa co-founder Luke Knowles. "Black Friday is an ideal time to take advantage of deep discounts."
Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving so-named for the untold hours office workers log shopping online after the holiday break, figures to be an even bigger e-commerce extravaganza than Black Friday, according to marketing firm Responsys.
"Cyber Monday is well on its way to living up to its claim as the biggest online shopping day of the year," said Responsys Research Director Chad White, noting the glut of direct response e-mails retailers typically send out that day.
"This year, folks seem to be sending more of their offers even earlier than previous years," agreed Kaboodle's Gunn. "There is a higher volume this year of retailers offering 'sneak peaks' and 'VIP previews' of their Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals."
Have some other suggestions for great bargain sites? Tell us about them in the comments, but please, no spam this space is moderated.