January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

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January - April 2012 - Volume 2 Your Health. Our Priority.

Transcript of January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

Page 1: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

January - April 2012 - Volume 2

Your Health. Our Priority.

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From the dot DeskOne way to measure the internal health and well being of a company is to keepa watchful eye on its calendar of activities. Going by that definition, just afleeting glance at this edition of the dot will confirm that Ali Bin Ali Group isindeed a robust organization with a pulsing calendar of happenings. Lookthrough these pages and you will find an exciting array of activities that broughtour people together at work and play, to enjoy interacting with each other. To usat CorpComm., this dynamism not only symbolizes the strength and unity thatlies at the heart of our Group, but it is also something we can truly be proud of.

On a separate note, I would also like to say that we are delighted with thevariety of contributions the dot continues to receive from our readers. We cansee that you have truly taken over the ownership of your newsletter and youare using it as a tool to express yourself. Do keep your write ups, opinions,activities and achievements coming in. This is the kind of engagement thatinspires us to keep moving forward and reaching greater heights!

The dot Editorial Team wishes you every success!

Imad HashimCorporate Communications Manager

Publisher & ProducerCorporate Communications Dept.

ContributorsHead Office-HRAldrine FernandezIvee Teodoro

Head Office-Fin.Nighat Ara

Head Office-LegalSafaa Rasam

FMCG Sharon Edwards

ABA & PNisreen Abdul Wahab

QQPLilybeth Celamor

Hiranthi Karunanayaka IA/PCP

Yvette FernandesJemma Cruz

LogisticsImam Jill Logmao

HospitalityDaisy FuentesPrinting PressLara Love Arago

BeveragesEmily Magno

Dinusha HashanthiWaleed Abdul Kader

DigitekLaarni Francisco

ICT  Liza Guzma

Luxury Ann Wenamy Guevarra

FauchonJovy Garado

TravelAnil Varghese

Property Regi O omen, Vivian Cuachon

ARTICLe CONTRIBuTORPrinting Press

Mahalakshmi Ramasubramanian

PRINTINGAli Bin Ali Printing Press

THANK YOu NOTe“the Dot” wishes to thank all

members of the Ali Bin Ali familyfor contributing to this publication.We highly value your contributions

and look forward to yourcontinued input.

The Ali Bin Ali GroupQuarterly NewsletterABA Tower, Airport RoadP.O.Box: 75, Doha - QatarT +974 4 4469869F +974 4 4433778

E [email protected]

All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Ali Bin Ali Group.

NOW !

click Photo Gallery & share all events’ photos withyour colleagues, friends and family!

Nestle Toll House CafeGrand Opening

You can enjoy again all those

Logistic’s Desert Trip

ICT Staff Award CeremonyFinance Get Together

memorable moments!

https://intranet.alibinali.com

5th Olympic Day

Doha Watches & JewelleryExhibition

Log on to

CONTENTIt happened

Pg 4 Lunch with the COOPg 11 Opinion

If you can change one thing in the

world, what would it be?

Pg 14

InterviewCatching up with the senior

Manager HR & Admin.

Pg 24

Management Tips12 rules for self management.

Pg 17

ContributionSelf Motivation.

Where self meets the identity!

Pg 16

Green DotGardening in small places.

Pg 18

Dot TrotterTop 5 tourist attractions in New Delhi

Pg 26Dot Recommends

Warren Buffet

Pg 27 HealthHealth tips for Spring

Pg 29

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Ali Bin Ali’s Luxury division, renownfor introducing exclusive, high endluxury merchandise to Qatar’sgrowing base of fashion

connoisseurs, created a outstandingimpression at the 2012 DohaWatches & Jewellery Exhibition.Celebrating the spirit of luxury andpaying homage to beauty andstunning craftsmanship Ali Bin Ali’sLuxury division unveiled an exquisiterange of items at the event. The Doha Watches & JewelleryExhibition (DWJE) which now aprestigious annual fixture on Qatar’sevents calendar, was inauguratedthis year by the Prime Minister andMinister of Foreign Affairs HisExcellency Sheikh Hamad Bin JassimBin Jabor Al Thani. The exhibition washeld from the 20th to 26th of

February 2012 at Doha ExhibitionCenter and drew close upon15,000local and international visitors. Commenting on the success of the

DWJE and focussing particularly on AliBin Ali Group’s presence at the eventMr. Nabeel Ali Bin Ali, Executive ViceChairman of Ali Bin Ali Group said, “We are extremely pleased that theAli Bin Ali’s Luxury Division made amemorable showing at the DohaWatches and Jewellery Exhibition.The DWJE has now become the fifthbiggest Jewellery and Watchexhibition in the world. Ali Bin AliGroup believes passionately inbringing in the world’s bestcollections, unifying both beauty andcraftsmanship, and placing thembefore the growing audiences we areseeing here, in Doha at this event,

year after year.” Having built a steady reputation as amarket leader for offering Qatar thehighest level of luxury bands “Ali BinAli’s Watches & Jewelry” division setup a well attended stall, showcasinga distinct collection, that enthralledvisitors. The presence of professionalmodels, who elegantlycarried the collectionsdisplaying the

magnificence of stunning,artful sequences set inprecious metals andstone added to theambience of the Ali Bin AliGroup’s pavilion. The exhibition saw more than 300international and local exhibitorsshowcasing the finest jewellery andwatches in the region, with the totalamount on display topping $US1billion.During the 9th Doha Jewellery &Watches Exhibition “Ali Bin AliWatches & Jewelry” presented anumber of new brands. The newbrands displayed at the event include

Chanel Fine Jewelry, Buccellati,Stephen Webster, Hulchi Belluni &Romain Jerome. While ABA Watches & Jewellerycurrently carries over 33 brands thefeatured brands at the exhibitionincluded Arnold & Sons, Bertolucci,Azzaro, Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Mont

Blanc, RichardMille, Panerai,Audemars Piguet,Ulysse Nardin,Graham, Dewitt,Rama SwissWatch, Kern, RalphLauren, Urwerk.Separately, theJewellery Sectionhouses premierinternationalbrands in the likes

of Pomelatto, David Morris, HulchiBelluni, RCM, Verdi, Mikimoto, VanCleef & Arpels, Respossi, Schreiner,Messika, Aaron Basha, Leo Pizzo,Garrard, Prologue, Mimi So &Pichiotti.

Like every other year Ali Bin AliGroup hosted a Gala Dinner for itssuppliers and business partners as anappreciation for their support on 23rdFebruary 2012 at Sheraton Doha.

Ali Bin Ali and Partners in association with BICMiddle East was happy to sponsor a first of itskind creative, Art and Colouring Competition,organised by Tulu Koota Qatar (TKQ), themelting pot of Tulu culture and traditions and abanner that brings together all Tulu-speakingexpats in Qatar. The contest took place onFriday the 20th of January 2012 at the IndianClub of Qatar. Ali Bin Ali & Partners werepleased to support the activities by extendingits sponsorship in aid of activities that promote

interaction among expatriate communities.

The Colouring competition had wide age groupsof participants and drew an enthusiastic responsefrom spectators as well as contestants. Those whowere at the event were treated to an amazingarray of drawings and art produced by theparticipants.

Ali Bin Ali and Partners in association with BIC hada vision to work together and foster communityprojects that were engaging and interactive andthis was one such event that yielded successfulresults. BIC being a popular stationary brand washappy to extend its base via activities of thisnature. The contest had three categories ofparticipation; Colouring for juniors, Drawing forJuniors and Paintings and Clay Modelling. Amongthe 250 strong crowd who attended the event AliBin Ali & Partners was represented by Chief GuestMr Pavanarama - Senior Sales Manager, ABA&Pwho also addressed those present. He also tooktime to introduce the BIC Brand to those gathered.Mr Ramachandra Shetty President Tulu Koota wasalso present at the event. Adding an element ofentertainment to the day’s proceedings the “BICBoy” was busy handing out Free Give-aways to allparticipating children.

On the 4th of February 2012 AliBin Ali’s hospitality divisioncelebrated the grand openingof Qatar’s first Nestle Toll HouseCafé located at Doha’s CityCentre Mall. The Café is locatedon the 1st Floor of City Center.The the inaugural event wasattended by Ali Bin Ali’s SeniorManagement, representativesfrom Nestle Toll House, inviteesand members of the media.

The Nestle Toll House Café wasinaugurated by Mr. NadimHajjar, Business DevelopmentManager of NTH at a creativelymanaged event where hebroke a large sized cookiethereby declaring the caféopen. Celebrating the spirit offamily fun, a Nesqcuik Bunnyadded an element of

entertainment and encouragedthose present to participate ina contest under the theme of“What will your Cookie CakeSay?”. Families took part in itand decorated cookiesreflecting their personal styleand flavours with the mostcreative cookie winning avaluable gift voucher.

Commenting on the strongpartnership built with Ali Bin AliMr. Nadim Hajjar said “ I amvery pleased to celebrate theinauguration of Qatar’s first everNestle Toll House Café. NestleToll House has built a solidreputation of consistentlydelivering high quality productsand enjoyable moments forfamilies. So to be here at thisgrand opening and partner with

one of Qatar’s leadingconglomerates, the Ali Bin AliGroup, is something NTHconsiders a special privilegebecause it not only cements avalued partnership, but it alsopaves the way for families inQatar to enjoy a greatly loved,internationally sought afterbrand.”

Mr. Hashem Melhem GeneralManager of Ali Bin Ali’sHospitality Division said “ AliBin Ali hospitality is dedicatedto bring the best hospitalityexperiences and the highestquality food and beverageproducts from around the worldinto the Qatar market. With theopening of the Nestle TollHouse café we know thatfamilies in Qatar can experiencea world-class product in arelaxed atmosphere. What wecan promise our customers whowill visit the café is anopportunity to enjoy theultimate dessert experiencethrough unrivaled service,superior performance and apositive impact on ourcommunity. Ali Bin Ali is proudto be associated with the NTHbrand. Starting with onelocation in 2000, Nestlé TollHouse Café by Chip currentlyhas 93 locations in 24 US Statesand three new Internationallocations in the Middle East.This is the first outlet in Qatarand we hope to open moreoutlets in other malls in Qatar.”

Ali Bin Ali & Partnerssponsor a creative art &colouring competition

Ali Bin Ali Luxury Division presentedfive new luxury brands at 9th Doha

Jewellery & Watches Exhibition

The new Intranet for the entire Ali Bin Ali Groupwas launched on Thursday, 9th of February 2012by Ali Bin Ali’s Information Technology &Corporate Communication Departments. In orderto maintain the spirit of connection and introducean element of interactivity and fun into thelaunch a successful teaser campaign was runthroughout the Group. The campaign was spreadacross 4 days and grabbed the attention of theentire Ali Bin Ali staff family. A soft launch of thenew Intranet took place on the 2nd Feb 2012enabling our IT experts to introduce the newintranet and its features to the Group GeneralManagers. The Intranet is fully operational nowand has been functioning smoothly, helping theentire Ali Bin Ali Group to connect, providing aversatile, internal communication platform.

The new intranet now provides access tocorporate information and places it at thefingertips of our approximately 2500 staffmembers, via a single point of contact. Our ITdepartment has ensured that the new intranetcan be accessed internally as well as externallyenabling wider usage of the material includingcompany policies and forms, presentations,videos, a photo gallery, employee birthdays,weather forecast etc, to mention a few. TheIntranet will be updated by Ali Bin Ali Group’sCorporate Communication and IT Departments.

Ali Bin Ali Grouplaunches New Intranet

20th January

Happenedit

On the 20th of February 2012 Ali BinAli’s Information & CommunicationTechnology Division celebrated theirannual staff awards ceremony for2011. Launched under the theme “GoBeyond Success”, the awards eveningrecognized the contribution of staffmembers and gathered to expresstheir appreciation for the servicesrendered by chosen individuals

towards the success of the company.The gathering took place from 3 to 9p.m at Al Sharq Village & Spa. Theevent featured presentations, aspeech by the division head, theaward presentation and interactivegames followed by dinner. Ali Bin AliGroup’s ICT division is formed by theGroup’s IT Department, ABATS, iSpotand Columbus IT. The Awards Function

was attended by around200 staff of Ali Bin AliICT Division which alsoincluded the Senior Stafffrom the Head Office.

Commenting on theevent Mr. Mohamad AlEbrik, Chief OperatingOfficer for ICT said “AliBin Ali’s ICT Division isstaffed by professionalswho achieve remarkableresults in their field ofwork and ICT believes inhonouring thesecontributions. We arehappy to have

conducted this event for the secondconsecutive year. This gathering issymbolic of our commitment toapplaud achievers while challengingand encouraging everyone to reachfor higher goals that I am confidentwe are all capable of.”

Many prominent awards weredistributed during the event to iSpot,IT Department and ABATS. This year’swinners are All iSpot Team – TeamGrowth; Tarek Halabi – DivisionAchiever (iSpot); Mohammed SaeedRaza – Spirit of IT (IT Dept); AyhamSubhi Taha – Customer Service (ITDept.); Youssef Farajallah Mahmoud– ICT Leadership (ABATS); DouniaMarei (ICT) and Yenumula VisnuMurthy (ABATS) – Passion, Dedication& Commitment; Walid Morcy Ali –Project Excellence (ABATS);Mahmoud Farag Stohy - QPP ExtraMile Services (ABATS); RaymondMagbitang – Apple Extra Mile Service(ABATS); Qandeel Ali – ABA GroupExtra Mile Service (ABATS);Mohammed Azeez Pasha – QNB

Extra Mile Service (ABATS).

The recognition certificates went toTony Shibly - Extra mile (CIT), AbdulGhaffar - Customer Management(CIT), Ghassan Debss - Extra mile(iSpot), Radwan ebrik -Extra mile(iSpot), Omar Kasha - Extra mile(iSpot), Hussein Mahir - e-learningchampion (IT), MohammedBenmassoud - e-learning champion(ABATS), Mukath Moosa - Extra mile(ABATS), Menatalla Mansour - Extramile (ABATS), Mohammed Zubair -Extra mile (ABATS), Tamer Mustafa -Growth (ABATS), Mohammed ImranKhan - Customer Retention (ABATS ),Mustafa Khan Mohamed - CustomerRetention (ABATS ).

The awards evening also markedanother key milestone for Ali Bin AliICT. It coincided with the 10thanniversary of ABATS. ABATSlaunched operations 10 years agowith a staff of 2 and has nowexpanded into a versatileorganization with over 150employees.

4th February

Ali Bin Ali Hospitality Opens1st Nestle Toll House Café!

Ali Bin Ali Group’s ICTDivision holds staffaward ceremony for2nd consecutive year.

20th - 26th February

20th February

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On the16th Mar 2012, SealineBeach Resort came alive withan Ali Bin Ali FinanceCommunity event. Thefinance division staffnumbering around 160 membersgot together for an interactive dayof team building and fellowship with families.

Along with family members theentire Ali Bin Ali Finance Team

gathering had around 300 peoplewho spent time with each otherrelaxing and engaging in some

creatively organized team buildingexercises. 28 volunteers from 16divisions, worked closely under theleadership of Menino, Sukanta andPhilip for almost 25 days, planningthe smallest detail of this event. The

results of their excellent planningskills were evident. As everymember of the Ali Bin Ali FinanceCommunity can confirm the air wasfilled with excitement andcamaraderie. Among other things,the event helped all employeesmeet and relate with one another,cutting across nationalities andhierarchies, in a relaxed fun filledenvironment. The bonding feelingwas – “ONE ABA FINANCEFRATERNITY”

The day ended on a highly positivenote affirming the experience andthe opportunity given to the FinanceFamily to unite, foster trust andrespect for one another.

Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions’presence at QITCOM 2012 was aresounding success. As silversponsors of Qatar’s premierInformation Technology event andexhibition QITCOM, Ali Bin AliTechnology Solutions (ABATS) set

up an interactive stall, whichdrew the interest of many visitors.The theme chosen by ABATS forthis year’s exhibition was“Mobility.” ABATS recorded animpressive showing at QITCOMupholding the chosen theme andshowcasing the company’sleading technology driven,Mobility solution products.Commenting on the success ofQITCOM Mohammad Al Ebrik,Chief Operating Officer of Ali BinAli ICT said “ It has been ourpleasure to contribute to thesuccess of QITCOM by being aSilver Sponsor of it. I am

especially pleased with how AliBin Ali’s ABATS stall has beenreceived at the exhibition. Theconcept of ‘mobility’ reallycaptured the attention of themany visitors we had to our stall.”

Hicham El Kik, SME TeamManager was on hand to guidethe media and visitorsthrough the stall anddescribe the mobilitysolutions on display.Francesco Mascolo, Head

of Sales who handles EnterpriseSolutions was also at the event todescribe the enterprise levelmobility solutions showcased atQITCOM. Both Hicham El Kik andFrancesco Mascolo confirmed thatamong the ABATS stall hadattracted senior decision makers. At the ABATS stall were senior

partners who had flown down forthe event. Commenting on theirassociation with Ali Bin Ali DianaPerry, Managing Director ofIntelligent Counting of Redding UKsaid “ We are delighted with ourpartnership with Ali Bin Ali. Wehave discovered here at QITCOMthat Ali Bin Ali is a greatly trustedname here in Qatar and we arevery pleased to be entering themarket here with a partner ofthat calibre.”

Nick Brazelton, Training andSolutions Manager for File Trailsaid “ I am extremely pleasedwith the response we havereceived at QITCOM. It was apleasure to work hand in handwith our partners Ali Bin Ali. Weare happy to have encountered

senior decisionsmakers and higherups who areseriously lookinginto thepossibilities ofusing oursolutions. That’svery exciting.”With anundisputedposition as Qatar’s

leading Apple store iSpot alsomade its presence felt at QITCOMand used the opportunity todisplay the latest models of Appletechnology and related solutions.Being a popular brand the iSpotsegment also had a considerablenumber of interested visitors.

The Ali Bin Ali Group was happy to comeforward as a Co-Sponsor of Gulf TrafficWeek, which started on Sunday, March 11,2012 at Doha Exhibition Centre ground.The event took place under the patronageof the Minister of State for Interior AffairsHis Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasserbin Khalifa Al Thani. The Director Generalof Public Security (DGPS) Staff MajorGeneral Saad bin Jassim Al-Khulaifiinaugurated 28th Gulf Traffic Weekcelebration held under the theme'Together to Reducing Traffic Accidents.'Gulf Traffic week is celebrated annually tospread traffic awareness and it unifies theefforts Traffic Departments in all GCCcountries under a unified slogan.

Being an organization that promoteshealth and safety the Ali Bin Ali Groupoffered coordinated support to the eventby bringing together a number ofcompanies under its umbrella to assistwith the events scheduled for TrafficWeek. As a whole the Ali Bin Ali Groupgave away numerous gift vouchers fromdifferent divisions in the likes of Ali Bin AliWatches & Jewellery, Travel Bureau,Fauchon, iSpot, Digitek, Crepaway andNestle Toll House. The Ali Bin Ali Groupwas pleased to contribute to this valuablecommunity effort, which brought together58 entities in support of promoting safetyin the GCC.

ABA Group co-sponsorsGulf Traffic Week

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Ali Bin Ali Travel & Cargo wasdelighted to receive a covetedaward from Germany's NationalCarrier Lufthansa. Lufthansa,honored Ali Bin Ali Travel & Cargoas the Top Agent for the year2011 at a specially hosted dinnerpreceded by cocktails.

The event took place on the 19thof February 2012, at Doha'sleading Four Seasons hotel. Theaward ceremony recognizedservices rendered by industryleaders who have displayed thehighest levels of professionalism,successfully promoting both the

airline and the travel trade.

Mr. Saeed al Hajri, GeneralManager Ali Bin Ali Travel &Cargo, received the Top AgentAward, on behalf of the company.The Award was handed over byLufthansa's Regional Director Mr.Peter Pollak. Also present at thegathering to felicitate Ali Bin AliT&C was Lufthansa's PassengerSales Manager Mrs. Randa ElMassry, Account Mangers Mr.Omeir Khan &Mr Majd Avari, AliBin Ali T&C Sales Manager Mr.Chandana de Silva and SeniorSupervisor Mr. Feroze Mahamood.

On the 17th of March 2012 ABAP PhilipMorris Tobacco Division celebrated a day offun and fellowship at the Umm Said Desert.In keeping with the spirit of the brand, themuch-anticipated 2011 year-end party wascelebrated in a unique way by thosegathered.While the success and achievements of theyear gone by called for much felicitation theteam decided to share the day with theirfamilies, giving them an opportunity to getto know their team and colleagues. Choosinga venue on the outskirts of Doha, borderingSealine Beach Resort the group spent theday enjoying the beauty of the desert,making excellent use of the cooler climate.

As part of the day’s festivities the PhilipMorris Team’s achievements for 2011 werecited and celebrated. Over 40 staffmembers were joined by the Division’sCountry Manager Noman Nasir Ali, SeniorSales Manager Nery Alphonso and WadihAntoine Kazan, General Manager of Ali BinAli & Partners ensuring that the gatheringbrought together all contributors, who madethe year 2011 a success. Those presentcommended and inspired each other to raisethe bar higher in the year ahead and settheir sights on achieving even greater resultswith team work and collaborationunderpinning the expected targets andmilestones.The group enjoyed desert safaris, beach sidevolleyball, tug of war, and many othercommunity games complete with prizes. Adelicious buffet lunch and otherrefreshments were served to round off aperfect day.

Ali Bin Ali & Partner’sTobacco Division enjoysa Family Excursion

11th March

Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions stallat Qitcom 2012 a resounding success

Fauchon adds anotherfeather to its cap!

Happenedit

Fauchon is happy to let all readers of The Dot knowthat we recently opened another Fauchon outlet at theRoyal Plaza Mall. We opted to coincide our opening bycelebrating one of the most valued people in theworld; Mothers! The new outlet located on the firstfloor of Royal Plaza was opened on the 21st of March,Mother’s Day. Our opening was held amid fanfare andFrench contemporary luxury food. We were honoured by the presence of members ofthe Qatari royal family including Sheikha Al Anoud BinSuhaim Al Thani and Sheikha Roda Bin Suhaim AlThani, and a number of other prominent Qatari ladieswho graced the occasion. Several ambassadors’ wivesand members of many Expats Women’s Associationsalso attended the event. We are proud to let ourreaders know that Fauchon products now available atRoyal Plaza include Pastries, Chocolates, Confectioneryand Groceries. Also, we would love to share moregood news with The Dot readers! Fauchon was listedas one of the winners of Lifestyle Awards 2011 at thesixth International Hotel, Restaurant and FoodExhibition in Qatar. And we delighted and honored tohave won the BEST CHOCOLATE AWARD!

5th - 7th March

16th March

17th March

21st March

ABA Group FinanceCommunity holdAnnual Get-togetherfor 2011/12

19th February

Lufthansa honours Ali Bin Ali Travel &Cargo with top agent award

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Friday, 23rd March 2012 was a special day for theAli Bin Ali Group. Members of the ABA Groupfamily gathered together at Qatar UniversityStadium for the 5th Olympic Day. We aredelighted to report to The Dot that the OlympicDay was very well attended, participatory and fullof fun. The festivities began at 2.00 p.m. and theday’s programme ran up to 8:30 p.m.

As a Group we firmly believe in promoting ahealthy lifestyle and sports is a key aspect of theapproach we take. Hence the Olympic day wasorganized with a view of encouraging all our staffmembers and their families to invest in an activelifestyle. Qatar is a nation that is committed todevelop the field of sports and at ABA Group wefully support this nation’s ambitions and goals. Byparticipating in sports and encouraging it we aremaking a positive statement and telling ourcommunity that we uphold the value ofsportsmanship and believe in taking time off toparticipate in sports.

The organizers of the Ali Bin Ali Group Olympicday ensured a fun-filled programme for the staffmembers and their families by delivering anevent that was enjoyed by all. The plannedevents encompassed activities for all age groupsand included community games, children’sgames and family competitions. For those witha more serious interest in sport the Group hadorganized Shot Putt, Long jump and an OpenMarathon.

Mr. Iftekhar Ahmed, Chief Financial Officer of theGroup started off the day with an OpeningSpeech welcoming everyone and declaring thegames open. The official opening of the OlympicDay was followed by an attractive parade by allparticipating Divisions within the Group who

were joined by the winners of the 2011 games.

Ali Bin Ali Group’s Olympic Day drew togetherstaff members from all divisions belonging to theGroup, giving them an opportunity to mingle witheach other. The event drew close to 1200 staffmembers along with their families. To add furtherexcitement to the day’s proceedings divisionswithin the Group had put together a series ofvaluable give-aways and gifts to all theparticipants, which were distributed duringvarious stages of the event.

There were special prizes for “early-birds” whowere the first to arrive in form of souvenirs,shopping vouchers worth QR.2000 for those whoparticipated in fancy dress contests. In additionall winners of sports events received gold, silverand bronze medals. One of the most popularevents turned out to be a 200 participant strongtug-o-war, which received enthusiastic cheersfrom the crowd. Snacks and refreshments weremade available at the venue for guests andparticipants.

The prizes for various sporting events were givenaway by Mr. Iftekhar Ahmad - Group ChiefFinancial Officer Mr. Wadih Kazan- GeneralManager ABAP, Mr. Ganesh P.K – Group GeneralManager Finance, Mr. Waqas Hussain Sr. GeneralManager HR & Admin, Mr. Sampath Balaji -

General Manager - Finance FMCG, Mr. AdnanSuleiman - Group General Manager InternalAudit, Mr. Pierre Michel Eckert - General ManagerBusiness Development, Mr. Antone Cherfan -General Manager ABA Printing Press, Mr. ImadHashim - Group Corporate CommunicationsManager, Mr. Jon Mayson - General Manager ABALogistics, Mr. Andrea Giannini - RestaurantManager Sormani, Mr. Christian Kestemont -General Manager Monoprix and Mr. YoussefMoussa - General Manager IT.

Mr. Mohammed Imran - Division Manager ABAPproposed the vote of thanks. The day’s activitiesdrew to a close with a celebratory dinner.

The Dot wishes to congratulate the organizersand winners and thank all volunteers formaking this historic event a successful one.

it

Celebrating the Success ofour 5th Group Olympic Day

Happened

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Ali Bin Ali Watches and Jewelryhas been handpicked by worldrenown watchmaker RJ-RomainJerome, as a regional distributorfor the iconic brand, covering Qatarand the Saudi Arabian market. TheAli Bin Ali Group’s Luxury andFashion stream is very pleased toadd RJ-Romain Jerome to ourgrowing list of glamorousinternational brands. RJ-RomainJerome, the Swiss luxury watch

company has been seeking tobuild high-end partnerships in theMiddle East region. With Ali Bin AliWatches & Jewelry steadilystrengthening our reputation as astrong partner in the luxurymarket, and proving our capabilityby expanding its presence in Qatarand Saudi Arabia in the recentyears, the selection was madeeasier for RJ-Romain Jerome.

Commenting on the valuedpartnership a spokes person fromAli Bin Ali Watches & Jewelry said“We are delighted with thisdevelopment. Our organization isknown for being a company thatvalues partnerships and we

consider our association with RJ-Romain Jerome as a significantmilestone in our quest to becomea leader in the Watches & Jewelrymarket of the Middle East. “ Withoutlets based in Royal Plaza andCity Center Mall in Doha, Ali Bin AliWatches & Jewelry hostscollections that are unique indesign and undeniably desirable inappeal. Ali Bin Ali Watches &Jewelry stores carry fine Jewelryand Timepieces, which aresymbolic of style, status andsophistication and all outlets arestaffed by an experienced team ofstaff members who anticipateclient requirements and advisethem on the perfect purchase.

1110

As a first of its kind initiative Mr. Nabil Mouradhas chosen to spend quality time with his teamfrom the different FMCG sectors coveringInternational Agencies, Prime ConsumerProducts, Qatar Quality Products, Ali Bin Ali &Partners and Logistics, devoting time for a sitdown lunch with them, in order to get to knowthem better.

“Lunch with the COO” has beendesigned in such a way that it allows10 staff members at a time, chosenacross the board, irrespective of theirdesignations, who will be hosted tolunch. The programme will take placeonce every week enabling the entire staffcontingent to get an opportunity to spend arelaxed few hours in the company of their Head. Commenting on the unique initiative Mr. Nabil

Mourad said “ With the fast pace ofday to day activities and thetremendous responsibilities thatcome with the job, it is virtuallyimpossible for a COO to find time tospend with the entire staff. I believein the adage that “when you can’tfind time, you have to maketime,” so that’s why welaunched this initiative. Sofar we have held a fewrounds of the programmeat W Hotel Doha and theyhave been just great. I havereally enjoyed sitting downwith my people and gettingto know them better. Thisinitiative helps us becomebetter communicators and it

gives my peoplethe opportunity tocome up with their own ideasand suggestions for thebusiness. More than anythingit reinforces the fact that weare a team and each andeveryone of us is a valuedmember of that team. Inaddition, It helps us to learnfrom each other. So the “Lunch with the COO”programme is a prettyspecial event for us.”

One of the staff whohas participated in thisinitiative said “ I wassurprised anddelighted to be part

of our“Lunch with the COO”programme. It was a wonderful time for me andsome of my colleagues, to sit down with Mr.

Nabil Mourad. The atmosphere was relaxed, wegot to know each other face to face. That kind ofenvironment brings out the best kind ofcommunication between leaders and teams. Wewere able to share our thoughts and ideas withour COO and he in turn was able to share his.The time spent was priceless for us. We felt thatwe are important for the company” “Lunch with the COO” will continue throughoutthe rest of the year and into the next till eachand every member of staff working with Ali BinAli FMCG has had an opportunity to be part ofthe programme.

with the

Happenedit

Happenedit

Most companies with heavywork schedules and large

numbers of staff members, havehighly busy Chief Operating

Officers, whom the staff hardlysee, let alone mix with. Not soat Ali Bin Ali FMCG! Under the

leadership of Nabil Mourad, COOFMCG, the division has launched

an imaginative andcommendable initiative titled

“Lunch with the COO.”COOLunch

15th February

29th February

17th April

25th April

10th April

6th March

20th March

Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewelrypicked as RJ-Romain Jeromedistibutor for Qatar & Saudi Arabia

Ali Bin Ali Group’s InternationalAgencies Consumer Agency washonored to receive the Best DistributorAward for the year 2012 at the EVXConvention. IA’s Consumer Agency wasespecially proud to be recognized for itsrepresentation of DANONE since thepartnership was highlighted as a role modelfor highly successful, winning relationships.

The EVX Convention took pace on the 20thMarch 2012 at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.International Agencies was recognized and

honored in the presence of 120 attendeesfrom 28 countries who represented alldistributors worldwide.

Speaking on the award a spokesperson fromInternational Agencies said that therecognition cements Ali Bin Ali Group’s visionof being “Being the Partner of Choice.”

Ali Bin AliInternational

Agencies consumeragency wins

excellence award 20th March

Ali Bin Ali Group’s International Agencieswas happy to come forward as a BronzeSponsor for a live concert featuringfamous Indian artist Padma Sri Hariharan.The musical extravaganza offered Dohaaudiences an opportunity to enjoy thewell-known Indian singer and GhazalMaestro. Hariharan has sung for Hindi,Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi,Bhojpuri and Telugu films, in his genre asa Ghazal singer. Hariharan is one of thepioneers of Indian Fusion Music. Theconcert took place on the 5th of April atthe old Ideal Indian School premises. Anaudience exceeding thousand fansattended the event, which happened tobe the singer’s first outdoor concert inQatar.

Ali Bin Ali Group’s International Agencieswas happy to be associated with thiscultural event and supported the event asa Bronze Sponsor. A companyspokesperson confirmed that InternationalAgencies is an organization that is deeplycommitted to upholding communityinitiatives and considers music andcultural events as a platform that bringspeople together.

Ali Bin Ali InternationalAgencies is bronzesponsor for Hariharanlive concert in Doha

5th April

Ali bin Ali Group was pleasedto sponsor the 5th edition ofthe Ministry of Interior’sFootball Cup Championshiporganized by the Qatar PoliceSports Federation. The finalmatch was held on March 30,2012 from 5pm onwards atJassim Bin Hamad stadium at AlSadd Sports Club and wasattended by staff of respectiveorganizations, supporters,families and friends. Thehonorable minister of internalaffairs, His Highness SheikhAbdulla Bin Nasser Al Thaniextended his full supportthroughout the evening withother important dignitaries. He

also handed over thechampion’s trophy to thewinner “Lekhwiya club” whichretained its champion’s title bydefeating Criminal EvidenceDepartment.The finals turned out to be amajor delight for the visitorswith more than 400 prizesdistributed among the public.

Ali Bin Ali Group companies likeNestle Toll House Café,Crepaway, Fauchon, iSpot,Digitek, ABA Watches & Jewelryand ABA Travel & Cargo alonesponsored 100 prizes that weregiven away during thatevening. Earlier, the audienceswere treated to a spectacularpolice music show and policecanine show.Ali Bin Ali Group was very muchpleased to be a part of thischampionship as it reflects ourbelief of making sports andsporting activities a veryintegral part of our society. Wewould like to offer the QatarPolice Sports Federation,winners and the participantsour hearty congratulations!

30th March

Ali Bin Ali Group sponsors Ministry ofInterior 5th Football Cup Championship

3rd April

27th March

Page 7: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

12 13

Ali Bin Ali Group has embarkedon the journey of Shared Servicesin April – 2011 through a pilotproject in FMCG. Mr. IftekharAhmad, Chief Financial Officer ofAli Bin Ali Group, realized theopportunity of a Shared Servicesin ABA group given the structureof the organization. Once theconcept was blessed by Mr.Nabeel Ali Bin Ali, the seniorFinance Team at ABA started theplanning phase and decided tostart with a Pilot project withinABA FMCG Finance stream.

An FMCG concept team wasformed under the leadership ofMr. Sampath Balaji, GM- Financeof ABA – FMCG group andcomprising the FM’s of FMCGdivisions and the Group Creditcontroller. The project started

with the ReceivableManagement functions acrossfour divisions of FMCG businessbeing brought under the SharedServices umbrella.

With the initial hiccups duringthe early stages ofimplementation, the SharedService Team led by Mr. Sukantahas successfully overcome theteething troubles and reapedmajor benefits of the concept.

Currently the team is working tobring Fixed Assets Managementand Payroll processing in FMCGlevel under the umbrella ofShared Services.

An outside consultant wasengaged to train the staff toensure that the team is following

the best practices in the industryand also to enhance the servicelevel standards to be delivered tothe customers.

With the support of all businessdivisions and inputs frommanagers across Ali Bin AliGroup, the strategy is to bring inall non core functions of ABAgroup under Shared Servicesumbrella. In the years to come,Mr. Iftekhar is confident to takethe ABA shared services to alevel where ABA group will offershared services to the thirdparties in Qatar and emerge asan independent profit centre ofABA group

Shared Services is abusiness strategy

for improvingefficiency of theservice functions

(e.g. finance,human resources,

informationtechnology,

communications,purchasing and

program support).The intent of

Shared Services isto attain certain

economies of scalein the delivery of

services, resultingin more efficientuse of resources,

improved structureand greater

satisfaction amongthe members.

1- Synchronize(backup)desktops/laptops businessfiles to Centralize Storage.

2- Any business filesdeleted from the Laptop/Desktop can be restored.

3- Files can be restored onthe Laptop/Desktop from 3backup revisions.

4- Schedule backups to runautomatically.

5- Backup will initiate oncedesktop/laptop connectedwith Network.

6- Backup data is encryptedfor security reasons.

FINANCESHAREDSERVICES

Finance

ABA IT division organized ademonstration of two majorERP solutions SAP and OracleeBusiness suite for ABA groupusers in January 2012.

One of the major highlightsof IT strategy 2011-2013 isthe introduction of modernsystems for ABAManagement and users,based on best breedplatform, to provide thefunctionality, resilience andreliability that ABA grouprequires. Thesedemonstrations wereconducted as a part ofevaluation process forintroducing an ERP solution toABA Group.

Two of the most prevailingand internationally endorsedERP applications available inthe market are Oracle E-Business suite and SAP.

Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) systems are veryimportant to run business in amost efficient and effectivemanner in this fast movinginformation age. Countlessprocesses, activities, andsystems are used to run thebusiness, and it is important

to establish workflows andprocedures. A modern ERP solution allowcompanies to achieve truebusiness process automation– streamlining many of theimportant day-to-day tasksacross a business and freeingup staff to focus their effortson more complex initiatives.This will not only boostproductivity and worker’soutput, but also it willdramatically reduce operatingcost and overhead expenses.

These two applications SAPand Oracle EBusiness suitehave unmatched records overother ERPs and offer industry-specific functionalities in allindustries.

The event was conducted atGulf Marriot Hotel, Doha andthe participation from ABAdivision was exceptional.Senior Managementincluding General Managers,Finance Heads, SalesManagers, ProcurementManagers, Account Managersand Key users from all ABADivisions participated in thesedemonstrations and providedtheir feedback.

IT

SolutionBusiness Data is the

lifeblood of anyorganization whichhelps to drive the

business today andin future. Thereforeit is very importantto backup the user’s

data regularly inorder to protect the

information.

ABA IT Division successfullyimplemented Centralized storagesolution for Desktop and Laptop usersfor two divisions - ABA Head Officeand QQP.

Centralized storage helps the users torestore any business files, which theymight accidently delete from theDesktop/Laptop or incase theirsystem crashes. Centralized storagesolution will backup all the files inthe "Desktop and My Documents"folder's.

This solution will be implemented inall the other divisions which has theDFS server. IT will start rolling out thissolution to other ABA Divisionsshortly.

Centralized Storage

ERP Demonstration

Centralize Storage Benefit/feature includes

Page 8: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

15

14

Opinion

Mr. Shahid Rasheed ManagerAli Bin Ali Travel & Cargo.

“ To bring simplicity ineveryone’s life”

Ms. Nimfa Flores Supply Chain OfficerQatar Quality Products

“Since change bringsopportunity . . .I thinkchanging our own lifewill change the worldbecause we should startwith ourselves to makethe new things happen”

Mr. Denny’s Varghese Art DirectorAli Bin Ali Printing Press

“I would like to change the"FAKE SHADOWS OF THE REAL

PEOPLE"”

Ms. Daisy FuentesSecretary, Ali Bin Ali Hospitality Division

“ Get rid of Racism. Solvemoney problems, soeveryone could live

comfortable. Stop bullies,save the innocent.”

Mr. Christian De Jesus EngineerAli Bin Ali Property Management

“To have onelanguage in theworld to avoidcommunication

barrier.”

Mr. Justin E. JAccountantAli Bin Ali Beverages

“Religion has caused more bloodshed &misery in this world than any other singlething. If I could change one thing aboutthe world, it would be that we all agreeon how/why we are here. Whether we allagree on one religion worldwide or onone evolution as an answer- I don't care.Just as long as we agree on SOMETHING..Then there would be no reason to fightabout it anymore.”

Mr. Mahmoud Khan Senior AccountantAli Bin Ali Logistics

“To eliminate inequalityof human being by Class,by Religion and even by

Nationality.”

Ms. Saoussen ChanbehGM’s Personal AssistantAli Bin Ali Medical

“I will pull out the senseof aggression and hatredfrom the hearts of peopleto live in peace and lovewhat a wonderful worldthis would be. I know it isjust a dream, but why?”

Mr. Christian Kestmont General ManagerMonoprix

“ I would create a world, wheresun will shine all the time, wherepeople will love each other, withfood for everyone without warand aggression. In one word:

opposite of what happens today!”

Ms. Yvette S Fernandes Office AdministratorInternational Agencies

“If I had to change one thing in th

e

world it would be the manner in

which society discriminates bet

ween

people based on their color,

nationalities, religion,

disabilities..…the list is

endless!!”Treat people, the way

you

would like to have them, treat y

ou”

and the world would be a better

place to live in”

Mr. Anu MohammedTrade Marketing Supervisor

Ali Bin ALi & Partners

“If I get a chance to change onething in the world, that would be:"WORLD HUNGER": Unlike faminesthat receive emergency-aid, chronichunger is a silent, invisible and is aday-after-day issue. Not every poorperson is hungry, but almost all

hungry people are poor. ”

Mr. Moussa BahsousImmigration Service ManagerAdministration, Head Office

“To help the Palestinianpeople to return to theirhome country and live inpeace like other people

in the world. ”

changeone thing in the world

if you can

what would it be?

Ms. Catrine SutterSenior Account ManagerAli Bin Ali Technology Solutions

“I would like the world tobe an equal place with nodiscrimination because ofgender, race or age…. ”

Mr. Claude Accary Outdoor Sales ManagerAli Bin Ali Luxury Division

“If I have the power tochange one thing in theworld; I would have a

deeper desire that my Momwill still be alive to have alast conversation with her.”

Page 9: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

17

Management

Management is not just for

managers, just as leadership is

not just for leaders…

“Self Management is the

ability to make wise choices

to achieve a Fruitful & Joyous

Life.” You are responsible for

everything that happens in

your life. Learn to accept

total responsibility for

yourself. If you do not

manage yourself, then you

are letting others have control

of your Life. These tips will

help "you" manage "you."

12 RULESTips

16

We all must have heard aboutmotivation especially in thecontext of expressing yourdissatisfaction or frustration atyour work place when you arenot praised for your splendid jobdone; at that time, only onesentence comes out of yourmouth is “This is very de-motivating and you don’t liketo work as your boss praisedsomebody who did notdeserve according toyou. This same phrase isrepeated everywhere indifferent places,situations. The bottomline is that we always expectothers to motivate us to do thework that we are either supposedto do as our responsibility or out ofour own interest. Most of our tasksthat we do, at our subconsciouslevel, we expect the peoplearound us to praise and give usthe so called motivation toincrease our enthusiasm. But my question is what aboutyour own self? Do you motivateyourself at the first place to doany given task? Isn’t a law ofnature that you can get the bestresults of any given task providedyou ENJOY DOING THAT. When youlove and adore what you do, that isthe best source of inspirationleading you to discover your innerself i.e. it will be making you thePERSON YOU ARE MEANT TO BE. We all know about this but do werealize and implement it? Theanswer would be NO. Why dopeople lose motivation? There arethree basic factors : (1) Lack of Confidence – If youdon’t believe in what you aredoing, then what is the point intrying?(2) Lack of Focus – If you are notclear about what you want, whichmeans it is a doubt you really wantanything?

(3)Lack of Direction – If you don’tknow what to do? How will you bemotivated to do it?

HOW TO MOTIVATEYOUR OWN SELF?BOOST SELF CONFIDENCEWhen you only think what youwant, your mind createsexplanations for why you are notgetting it. This creates negativethoughts. Past failures, bad breaksand personal weaknessesdominate your mind. You becomejealous of people around you, andstart giving excuses to yourself fornot getting what you actuallydesired. The best motivational

thought to kill this negative feelingis to boost your self confidence.Set aside time to focus oneverything positive in your life.Make a MIND MAP of all yourstrengths and your past successesand the current advantages. By making an effort to feel grateful,you’ll realize how competent andsuccessful you already are. This willrejuvenate your confidence and getyou motivated to build on yourcurrent success.

DEVELOPING THE FOCUS In today’s fast paced world, withhigh tech environment, peoplegenerally now focus on what theydon’t want rather than focusing on

a concrete Goal or ambition youmay call. We normally think interms of fear. What if I am not ableto do this? Even if I do this task will Ibe successful? These kinds ofuncertain thoughts of fear drain ourmotivation. The first step for killing this thoughtis, instead of using your energytowards negative thinking, use thaton a well defined GOAL. By havinga “DEFINED GOAL” your mind willautomatically devise a set ofactions to achieve that. The processis moving from an INTANGIBLE ORNON-EXISTENT FEAR to a CONCRETEAND MEASURABLE STEPS.By focusing your mind on apositive goal instead of anambiguous fear, you put yourbrain to work. It instantlybegins devising a plan forsuccess. This is the first step inmotivating yourself to takeaction. When know whatyou want, you becomemotivated to takeaction.

DEVELOPINGDIRECTIONIf focus meanshaving an ultimategoal, direction is

having a day-to-daystrategy to achieve it. A Lack

of Direction kills motivationbecause without an obvious nextaction, we would be leading

towards procrastination. The key to finding direction isidentifying the activities thatlead to success. For every goal,there are activities that pay offand those that don’t. Make a listof all your activities and arrangethem based on results. Devise

an action plan that focuses on theactivities that lead to big returns.Keeping track of your mostimportant tasks will direct yourenergy towards success. Occasional Failure, Bad luck, lowenergy are the factors that areunavoidable in any one’s life. If youdon’t discipline your mind, thesecan turn into mental monsters. So safeguard yourself against thetop 3 motivation killers so that youcan preserve your motivation andmove towards success path.

Like for any Scientist, INNOVATIONis the key to his experiments,similarly Confidence is the KEY tokeeping motivated YOUR OWN SELF.

Self

“Enthusiasm is an excitement withinspiration, MOTIVATION and a pinch ofCreativity” as quoted by a famous Americanauthor Bo Bennett has very well focused onthis term “Motivation” and have presentedvarious successful seminars as well as havewritten series of successful editions on“MOTIVATION AND SUCCESS.

Contribution

Mahalakshmi RMedia & Publishing Division

Where self meets the identity

Motivation

SELFMANAGEMENT

for

Here is a list of things that help you in selfmanagement which will in turn lead youto the path of success: -

1. Live by your values, whatever theyare. You confuse people when you don’t,because they can’t predict how you’llbehave.

2. Speak up! No one can “hear” whatyou’re thinking without you be willing tostand up for it. Mind-reading is somethingmost people can’t do.

3. Honor your own good word, andkeep the promises you make. If not,people eventually stop believing most ofwhat you say, and your words will nolonger work for you.

4. When you ask for moreresponsibility, expect to be held fullyaccountable.

5. Don’t expect people to trust youif you aren’t willing to be trustworthy forthem first and foremost. Trust is anoutcome of fulfilled expectations.

6. Be more productive by creatinggood habits and rejecting bad ones.

7. Have a good work ethic, for itseems to be getting rare today. Be action-oriented. Seek to make things work.

8. Be interesting. Read voraciously, andlisten to learn, then teach and shareeverything you know. No one owes youtheir attention; you have to earn it andkeep attracting it.

9. Be nice. Be courteous, polite andrespectful. Be considerate.

10. Be self-disciplined. That’s whatadults are supposed to “grow up” to be.

11. Don’t be a victim or a martyr.You always have a choice, so don’t shyfrom it: Choose and choose withoutregret. Look forward and be enthusiastic.

12. Keep healthy and take care ofyourself. Exercise your mind, body andspirit so you can be someone peoplecount on.

Managers will tell you that they don’t

really need to manage people who

live by these rules; instead, they can

devote their attentions to managing

the businesses in which they all

thrive. Chances are it will also be a

place where great leaders are found.

Page 10: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

19

1. Planning: Planning is first andimportant thing you need toconsider before starting yourbalcony garden. There arenumber of plants available inyour neighborhood or nursery foryour balcony garden. Before youstart your balcony garden, makesure your building managementallows you balcony garden. Safetyis important for balcony garden.Ensure that your balcony canhandle weight of your plants orgarden.

2. Research or knowledge:Before you start your balconygarden, you need to make goodresearch about your plants andknow the things required for yourplants such as how often youneed to water your plants,whether plants need sunlight orplants prefer shade. VerticalGardening is also well suit forgardening in a limited space.

3. Container: Balcony garden isalso known as container gardenbecause plants in balcony garden

Gardening is a hobby that can help bring youclose to the nature. The word garden oftenbrings to mind the picture of trees, shade

and beautiful flowers. However, today citiesare growing fast and space around us is

decreasing. You may be someone who lovesgardens but finds yourself living in an

apartment. Yet your fondness for growingthings and enjoying gardening might still

remain. One suggestion for you wou ld be totry balcony gardening. That is somethingthat best suits your lifestyle and allowsgardening in the limited space of your

apartment.. Gardening in a small space hasits limits, but it need not be limiting. In a

small garden, the gardener can payattention to detail.

18

Green

are grown in containers of varioussize and shapes. If your ceilingcan support weight of your basketor container, you can try hangingbasket for your balcony garden.

4. Number of plants: If you are abeginner in balcony gardening, itis better to limit the number ofplants in your garden. Success ofyour balcony garden depends onyour planning and time youspend with your plants or in yourgarden. Since you only have asmall area to work with, you

need to be space conscious.

5. Potting Soil: Most local gardencenters will offer packagedpotting soils that are ideal forcontainers, the key is to ensurethe mix is not too high in organic

matter. Potential balconygardeners should always checktheir allowable weight restrictionsas a safety precaution.

6. Sunlight and water: Adequatesunlight and water is importantfor the growth of plants. Ensure

that your balcony gets adequatesunlight and water your plants atregular interval. Ensure that waterfrom your plant does not drain toyour neighbor’s house.

d t

Small Balcony Garden Maintenance Tips

• Container gardening is thebest option available for thosewho want to have a housegarden in a small balcony.

• If your balcony garden is locatedin a windy position, then useterracotta pots to grow yourplants.

• It is better if you grow plantsthat will bear the hot sun.

• If you are growing creepers andplants like jasmine, let them fallon your balcony walls so thatthey will consume very lessspace in your balcony.

• Do not grow tall and big featuredplants in small balconies as theywill consume more space.

• Get potting soil for your balconygardens from the nearest nurseryand ensure that the potting soilis well balanced with organicmixtures.

• Do not place the balcony plantscloser to each other, as it willgive a cluttered look to yoursmall balcony and will also affectthe growth of the plants.

• When you grow containerplants in your balcony, ensurethat you water them regularlyas they will dry out quickly.

Plants can dramatically changethe way your balcony looksand feels. Countless apartmentdwellers enjoy the pleasuresand relaxation of creating andtending to a balcony garden.With the addition of floralcolor, a balcony becomes anentertainment center just rightfor relaxing. Balconies evenoffer the opportunity for foodproduction, with floweringfruit trees and container-grown herbs and vegetables.

Things required forEffective BalconyGardening

Gardeningin small places

• Grandiflora petunias:Grandiflora petunias, graced bybig, bright flowers, or compactsalvias with red blossoms onstrong, stocky spikes. Petunias areannual flowering plants, native toArgentina. Within the petuniafamily is great variety: single anddouble blooms, ruffled or smoothpetals, striped, veined or solidcolors, mounding and cascadinghabits and even some fragrance.

• Annuals: Annuals are alsoknown as seasonal floweringplants which flower only for threeto four months. They are normallygrown through seeds. The perfectchoice for growing in containers,annuals work well either alone orin combined planting. Windowboxes are designed for annuals.

• Biennial: A plant that takes twoyears to grow from seed tofruition, bloom and die or a plantthat lasts two years is a biennial.

These seasonal flowering plantsflower only in the second year ofplanting.

• Shade loving plants:Experiment with shade loversincluding climbing or trailing ivieslike impatiens or browallia tobrighten sheltered areas. Shadyplaces that provide cool,refreshing of beauty duringsummer heat also can contributecolor and interest to thelandscape throughout the growingseason. In light shade you mighteven be able to grow a few herbsor leafy vegetables.

Plants for your Balcony Garden

Page 11: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

2120

Abdalla Y.A.Shammout; Abdul Aziz

Bhati Fazal Kari ; Abdul Haleem Shah

Sial; Abdul Haseeb Thattan Kandi;

Abdul Kareem Mohammed; Abdul

Majeed M.Kunhi; Abdulqader Abukar

Isaak; Abdulrhman M.Salem Masoud;

Abu Bakr Ahmed Abu Bakr Elgadi;

Adel Mohamed Hussein; Ahmed Ali

Abdelghaffar; Ahmed Khaled Abo

Dib;Ahmed Mohamed Fawzi Hussein;

Ahmed Mohamed Sayed; Ahmed

Shabir M. Munas; Ajith Kumara

Salgama Hewage; Al Amin Mahamud

Ulla Sheikh; Ala Amer Omar

Alnatsheh; Albert Padilla Deleon; Ali

Hasham Shaudary; Amado Jr B.

Revilla; Amer .I.D.Zarandah; Amin

Georges Alnabout; Amina Mohamad

Mansour; Amr Salaheldin Gamal; Anil

Varghese; Anthony Quadros ; Antonio

Jr San Luis Morales; Arkash Tara Miah;

Arun Vegassery; Ashraf Hussin

Mohamed Atia; Asitha Roshan

Sampatha; Atef Ramadan Ahmed;

Atham Bawa Meera Mohideen; Babu

Ram Khadka; Bachar Awaied Al Okla;

Balveer Kumar; Bevan Zachariah; Biju

Arjel; Boshko Nacev; C.K. Varghese;

Chandana Kumara Opatha Don;

Dahlia S. Dacquel; Dalal Moustafa El

Saman; Danilo A. Insec; Dennis

T.Sagao; Dolli Antoine Tabet; Edgar P.

Malinao; Eduardo O. Mendillo; Edwin

L. Baltazar; Ehab Eweis Mohamed; El

Ghandour Soliman F. Fahim; Elmer A.

Castillo; Elpidio Lampa Lampa; Emily

G. Magno; Epifanio Sara Villame;

Eracleo M. Hinola; Fathima Risla

Shiham; Francis E. Nazareno; George

John; Gopakumar Moolakkatu; Gopi

Varadarajan; Hamad Mubarak Al

Hajri; Hasmudeen Miya; Hassan

Ahmed Marawan Orabi; Hassan

Mohamed Raouf; Iftikhar Ahmed

Sharif; Ihab Ahmed Haridy; Intazar

Husain; Issam Elsaid Ahmed

Mohamed Ismail; Iykkarath

Rajendran Premnathaji; Jabar Gul

Khanan; Jamadar Shah Wadat Shah;

Jamal Kuniyil; Janaka Milinda

Abeycoon; Jaquelyn V. Lagbas;

Jennyvi Miranda Canlas; Jericho P.

Mangocin; Jerry D.Aloba; Jesmi Abdul

Majeed; Jesusa A. Delas; Jino

Augustian; Jocelyn C.Pomperada; Joel

L.Sanchez; John Edward Aranas; Jojy

Abreu Robert; Joselito Esteves

Casulla; Juliet Nungari Njoki; Jyoti Lal

Shrestha; K.S.Venugopalan; Kaleelur

Rahman Serk; Khaled Ahmad Abo

Deeb; Khalid Kamal Mumtaz Ahmed

Khan; Khulood Hamadi Jaber; Klum

Nishantha Indrajith; Konganamveetil

Illias N. Sulaiman; Kurukulasuriya

Mark; Lafeer Mohamed Arshik; Lahru

Sandaruwan R.; Lal Mohammad

Charshambey; Lala Jan Zar Khan; Lok

B. Rana; Lok Prasad Basyal; Lovely

Jean B. Sugon; Ma Jonna Liza Sunga;

Mahmoud Ramadan Ahmed;

Manoraj Navaratnarajah; Manura

Prasanga Gangabadage;

Mariateresaaleth Agito; Mario

Younes; Marzook Atham Lebbe; Md.

Moznu Hossan; Md.Shahidul Islam

Harun Nu Rashid; Mhd Firas Kappani;

Michel Rasmy Bebawy Hakim; Miko

Eric David Go; Milad Khalaf Kamel;

Mohabat Khan; Mohamed Abdur

Rahim Rony; Mohamed Amlikhan;

Mohamed Faizar M.M.; Mohamed

Fawas Mohamed; Mohamed Fawzy

Ahmed Elsayed; Mohamed Firnas

M.Ansar; Mohamed Hesham

Mohamed Zeyada; Mohamed Imran

Ibrahim; Mohamed Imran M.H;

Mohamed Janoos Seeni; Mohamed

M.Rayad Kamnd; Mohamed

Mahmoud Hassan; Mohamed Nasas

Mamsook;Mohamed Rizvi

Salahudeen; Mohamed Samih

Wazzan; Mohamed Siraj Zainul

Abdeen; Mohammad Abdul Quyum;

Mohammad Abdus Sattar;

Mohammad Taher Lebbe;

Mohammed A.Jawad Seyam;

Mohammed Joynal Abeden;

Mohammed Mahiuddin M.Rahman;

Mohammed Mujtahidulla;

Mohammed Sameer M.Salin; Mohan

Raj; Mohmammd Sadir;

Mohommadu Farook Sanoordeen;

Monir Hossain Late Shafi Ullah;

Moodadi Janardhanan; Mouner

Ahmed Mohmamed Elazamy;

Muhamed Rafi Kolladathil;

Muhammad Saeed Shaheed;

Muhammadu Nazar Kalladi; Muneer

P.Parambil; Narayan Prasad Gautam;

Narayan Sen; Naresh Kumar Sah;

Neser A.Aziz Eqqb; Neville

Kahavitage; Nolasco M. Naredo;

Noufal Thattantavida; Om Bahadur

Rana Magar; Omar Ali Omar;

Orangzeb Khan Abdullah Khan;

Packeer Kuttuvan; Paul Michael A.

Rulloda; Piwo Noor Khan; Pokkalath

Abdul Rasheed Mohd. Basheer;

Prakash Ghimire; Prem B.Budhathoki;

Prem Prasad Bhusal; Puthen

Parampil K. Raju; Rabih Nizar El

Harfouche; Raj Kumar; Ram Prasad

Niraula; Ram Sikil Khatwe; Ramadan

Mahmoud Ahmed Khalaf; Ranjit

Kumar Sah; Ranjith Priyanga

Amaratunga; Rashad Said Hamid

Alukka; Raul Arpon Carabeo; Razzak

Hossain Abdul Mannan; Reda El Syed

Mohamed Kandil; Reda Zedan Syed

Elgamal; Reine Semaan; Reynaldo

Galang Pacia; Rich John Monteniero;

Ricmar A.Maandig;Riza R. Garcia;

Rodelio V. Bautista; Rodney Cruz

Ylagan; Rollie B.Furio; Rommel

A.Caban;Ronald Allan Alfonso;

Ronald B.Babac; Ronilo Librea

Rabino; Ronnie V. Martinez; Roogha

Ram; Roumany Fathy Bibawy;

Ruchira T.Alwis; Rudra Kumar

Shrestha; Sadiq Baba; Saeed Johar;

Safaa Rassam; Said Chentouf;

Saifullah Zadin Raham; Sajed K.

Abpi; Saleh Md.Nurun Nabi;

Sameer Ali Kuzhiyanchery; Sameh

Soliman Aly; Sanaa Abdul Razzak;

Sanjay Kumar Yadav;

Sarfaraz Ibrahim Muhimtule;

Sarvaanandan Velayuthar;

Sathees Kandasamy; Shalik Ram

Dhungana; Shib Bahadur

Pun; Shibly Bahardeen;

Shybu Philip Abraham;

Siyagunakosgodage

Felician R. Fernando;

Srivathsan Narasimhan;

Subas Koirala;

Subhayan

Mallick; Suhel

Ahmed Abdul

Gofur; Suliman

Mhd Bashar Al

Malla; Suman

Ratna Darji;

Sumanathan

Sivanatham; Surag Chand;

Sushil Bista; T.Abdussamad;

Talal Hassoun; Tannous

Georges Ghazal; Tek Bahadur

Karki; Thairiyarajah

Arumugam; Tharwat Fouad

Soliman; Thilaka Manjula;

Thuraian Sathyaseelan;

Umakanta Baral;

Uthayakumar

Suppiramaniyam; Varsha

Deepak Patel; Vase

Slavkovski; Vengasseri

Parambil Rajesh; Venura

Malinda Disanaayaka;

Vigneshwaran

Selvarathna; W.P.Upul

Harsha Perera; Wafy

Wagdy Wadee; Wedage

Ajith Dheerasekara;

Wendell De Castro;

Yacoub Al Mulla; Yam

Kumar Khadka; Youssef

Farajallah Mahmoud;

Zakria Mahmoud

Karakich

January

Abdul Gaffar Shaik; Abdul Kamal Sormuj Ali; Abdul ShukkurKabir Ahmed; Afees Abdul Careem; Ahmed Ismail Fathi; AhmedKhaled Ghazal; Ahmed Latif Mohammad Latif; AllanMacdonald; Alper Ilijaz; Amer Ahmed Maher Ismail Basha; AnaFe Monte Aguinaldo; Anil Padmanabhan Nair; Antoine JosephNahas; Armin S. Santos; Arnulfo Aguirre Reyes; Ashraf LotfyAbdel Rahman; Biju P. Balagopalan; Bijumon Thomas; BishnuPrasad Ghimire; Chamin Suranga Senaweera; ChanakaM.W.Weerahu; Darius Jay Briones; Darrel Asas Docto; David V.Assiar; Deejay Jamon Carandang; Deepak Kumar Yadav; DenverMichael Ferdinand; Deyab Mohad Al Hajri; Dolly Poly; Drake C.Adon; Edna S.Balingit; Ednor Melody A.Garcia; Eduardo LozanoSantamaria; Elpedio V.Aguatani; Eriwarawe Ranasinghe; FathiMohamed Ahmed; Fiyas Mohamed M.Naseer; FlorentinoLedesma Roque; Foyzul Ahmed Suruj Ali; Gaspar CaitanoCardozo; Hany Samir Mahmoud El Mansy; Husam AbdullatifAko; Imam Jill M. Logmao; Indika Krishantha Amarasekara;Jamaluddin Kallullathil; Jayaraj Selvaraj; Jennie D. Manrique;Jeyasekaran Sivapalan; Joel A.Baldoza; Joevilyn F.Del Rosario;John Mathew M.C.Mathai; Jose P.Cruz Afonso; JosephineC.Orfrecio; Juliet C. Fillarca; Justin E. Joseph; K.V.Moidunnykutty;Kesavan Sundaram; Khadeem Shah Deen Shah; Khaled WaleedZawdeh; Kizhake Mundakcal Ramakrishnan Mohan; Kristine

Abigael Rulloda; KrunoKontevski; Lasitha ChaturangaSamaratunga; Linkaselvan P.;Lovely Pabalan Aquino; MagdyAntoun Labib Gabrial;Mahmoud Abdullah Haffouda;

Mahmoud Ali Tolba;Man Prasad Neupane;Mazen HekmatAlshbib; Mazhar ElAyn; Mehmood Ul-Hassan; Melanie B.Caasi; MichaelY.Isla; Minhus SirajSiddiq; Mohamad

Famees M.Farook; Mohamed Abdelfath Elhamarnah;Mohamed Abdelsalam Farag; Mohamed M.Benmessaoud;Mohamed Merzan Omar Alhafian; Mohamed MinhajWahabdeen; Mohamed Muflih Ismail; Mohamed Rabie Nagah;Mohamed Ramsan Mohamed; Mohamed Rimaz M. Razick;Mohamed Rumi Abdul Samadh; Mohamed Saber Mahmoud;Mohamed Safwan Albaleh; Mohamed Sameer Noordeen;Mohamed Zarook M.Zubair; Mohammad Ali Abdul Sobhan;Mohammad Ibrahim; Mohammad Nurul Haque MohammadNazir; Mohammad Sarwar Hossain; Mohammed Jahangir Alam;Moises Rubio Venus; Mona Fathy Kamel Hassan; MotiurRahman Bhuiyan; Naser Mahmoud Syeffelnasr; Nino B.Tanas;P.P.Karunarathne; Pabitra Majumder; Palathingal AnthonyJohny; Pawan Kumar; Pramod Kumar Yadav; PriyakaKarunanayake; Qivi Dar Subadar; Rafael Jr Bastian Manuel;Rafeek Thayyulathil; Rafiq Ul Islam Abdul Ali; Rajesh BabuEillathodiyil; Ram Binay Yadav; Ram Krishna Sharma;Ramchandra Gautam; Ramesis E.Villafuerte; Ramkumar Sada;Randy M. Rayala; Rayees Neroth Thazha; Raymond M.Inovejas;Reem Othman H.Alsharif; Richard S.Yabis; Roanceli G. Pineda;Rodel D. Gonzales; Rodrigo O.Guzman; Ronaldo G.Angelias;Ronaldo L. Alabado; Ronaldo L. Macanas; Ryan F. Rebueno;Ryan Sanjay Madawela; Said Gul Nimat Gul; Saleh Yousef SalehHassan; Sanjeewa Sampath Abeysinghe; Sanjit Bhujel; SantanaAfonso Nazareth Afonso; Santosh Chaudhary; SarkisDekermenjian; Shahina Mohamed Shameer; Shakil Md MarufurRahman; Shamsun Noor Suruj Ali; Shatrvghna Mahat;Sreekanth Digandra; Sreenivas Srungaram; Sri Suranga Lanka;Stojce Atanasov; Sudip Kumar; Sukomal Das Jatindra KumarDas; Swahib Muduvaddan; T.K Mohamed;Thilakananda R. M;Tinsel Thomas; Tony Manjula W.M.; Upasantha Kumara; UsaffKunhikandiyil; Vanessa M.Angeles; Vicken Tatarian; VijeshChangaroth; Vivencio P. Napoles; William D.Serrano

February

Aahed Bassam Kadourah; Abdalla El Mougy Sherif;Abdul Khalique Hason Ali; Abdul Rhman WaledSoukieh; Abdul Sathar Abdul Caffor; AbhilashBalakrishnan; Adel Mahmoud Abd-Elati; AdrianSantamaria Comia; Ahmad Hummada Alsaid;Ahmad Ziad Sabri; Ahmed Abdelmonem Mashhout;Ahmed Bin Mohamed Trabelsi; Ahmed KhaledDrkznli; Alaa Shaker Alraes; Ali Bin Mohsin Babsail;Amith Niroshan Pathiraja; Ananda Bandara K.;Anishkumar V.T; Annalyn S.Manansala; Anwar GadHakim; Ariane G.Velasco; Ariel A.Gonzales; ArunaIndika Eramda; Asad Saleem; Ashraf HassanIbrahim; Asid Ali Arshad; Ayat AhmedAbdelmoneim Salama; Ayman Fouad Mawad; AyttuMeethal Pocker; Balwinder Kumar; Basil CadirAkbar; Baskar Krishnaswamy; Bassem Ahmed M.Shahin; Beti Alapulova; Bhim Bahadur Khamcha;Bishnu Raj Thapamagar; Bobby Thomas; CarineSami Abou Jaoude; Chamika Thilina Kahavitage;Christian Francois Kestemont; Christopher SanjeewaFernando; Cyril G. Enrile; Darwin Dave D. Streegan;Dilup Chamara Senarath; Divakaran Thampan;Duminda De Silva L.Badu; Duminda Sujeewa; DurgaBahadur Paudel; Dylene S. Grijalde; Ehab M.K. D.AlLefdawi; Emad Rasmy Bebawy; Essam SaidMahmoud Aly Elnashar; Fadi Abou Haider; FahdMohamed Kobisy; Florentino Ramos Occasion;Glenda Arma Mendoza; Glenn Garbo Gerebese;Golam Rahman Hossain; Gregory Diogo Lobo;Gurcharan Singh Sawaran; Hamdy AhmedMahmoud Hefny; Hermingildo Jr Torres; Hosam ElDin Mahmoud; Htar Htar Khaing; Ibrahim MohamedSalah; Ijas Ahmed Mohamed; Inoka Anumal K. DeSilva; Ishak Anis Fahmi Fahim; Jabar MohamedAitambava; Jane Martinez; Jarvis James E.Vigilia;Jemma M.Cruz; Jennifer C. Malimban; Jihad AbiAntoun; Joao Eugenio Fernandes; John KimBacusmd; John S. Obar; Jonathan V. Cabatay; JoseAriel Suapengco; Joselito Ibanez Roa; Juanito Jr P.Santamaria; Juliet J. Robles; Julito Calimpong DeAsis; Karim Adel Mohamed El Sayed; Karthick SamySamy; Keny Jacob Koshy; Khagendra Gurung; KhalilSamir Yassine; Khalil Ali Khalil Ibrahim; KottarathManikandan; Krishnan Madhavan Nair K. Unnit;Kshetra Bahadur Rana; Lal Illeperuma ArachchigeDon; Lina M. Panaligan; Lorena C.Royo;Mahammadu Ajuwadu; Mahmoud Shehata Arfaat;Mansoor Ali Syed; Marco Yabis Catenza; MarieAntonette S.Dacquel; Marife V. Buquel; MarisaReligioso Arcena; Mark Oliver Sumaya; Mark RyanM.Pascua; Md Monir Hossain Ullah; Md Saif UddinMd Uddin; Md Shamsuddin Late Abdus Salam;Meethalay Rayaroth Moosa; Mir Ahamad ZarMohammad; Mohamad Nabil Kh. Elagha; MohamedAbdus Samad Umar; Mohamed Akhtar Mohideen;Mohamed Ali Abdel Magied; Mohamed Ali MeeraMohideen; Mohamed Firdous M. Jaseen; MohamedHassan Youssef; Mohamed Ihsan M.Iqbal;Mohamed Rifais A.M; Mohamed RizwanM.Rasheed; Mohamed Tawfik Ahmed Daoud;Mohamed Waseem M.H; Mohammad MizanHossain; Mohammad Rafiqul Islam; MohammaduAbdulla Basith; Mohammed Abul Basheer Late NurMeah; Mohammed Ashfaq Hadi; Mohammed AzbarZahir; Mohammed Bin Amar Babsail; Mohammed

Faisa M.Sameen;MohammedMagdyM.Mahmud;Mohammed NurUddin Md.A.Motin;Mohammed RisveNoor Mohammed;Mohannad MhdMaher Al Churbaji;Mounir Halim Wahib;Moussa Latif Bahsous;Moussin Moulay JaffarEssadiq; MuhammadSaeed RazaMuhammad QamerRaza; MujeebThuruthiyil; MuthukumarPaulpandi; Nabil YoussefChamas; Naresh KumarMamnani; Naser SaberFahmy; Nasir Tana Aming;Nellikkantavida Abdulla;Nestor Jr C. Fortuno; NisamK. Kunhammad; NisarMohammad Hazrat Khan;Nishantha Kumara W.; NishilP.K; Nurshed Alam; P.K.Ganesh; Pattathil SaiduMohamed Shajihan; Prajay LalKarn; Prasanna Priyankara;Rajan Gurung; Ram BahadurBasnet; Ram Saroop; RameshYadav; Ramu Rana Magar;Randie D. Macababat; RanicioCatap Esguerra; Reda SamirMohamed; Rhodora O.Verdico;Ricardo B. Bas; Richard Celis Pata;Rodolfo P. Siababa; Ronald Z. Rosas;Rowena M. Malonzo; Roy PinieraCocjin; Sabri Roomy Mohamed;Saifudheen K.Sulaiman; SalahudinKalis Suleik; Sameh Fathi MohamedBayoumi; Sandeep Kumar; SanjayaNuwan Kaushalya; Sareena Firos;Sasikanthan Thurai; SasikumarAmminikandy; Sellara Thnam Sellaiya;Shamseena Azhar Abdulla; ShamseerMuhamed; Shamsul Nazeer AhmedGani; Shaukat Ali Gulam Hussain;Shenouda Gamal Soliman; ShihabudheenV.P; Shyam Lal Dangi; SoosathasanArulanantham; SriskandarajahThangavelautham; Subair Farook; SudalaiKannu M.P.; Tawfik Abou Elazm Mohamed;Tha Cumpid Guinto; Thattantavida Mammu;Thelma P. Concepcion; Tirtha Kumar Majhi;Ummiye Pinar Cebeci; Vancho Grizhov;Varatharasa Kokulan; VasanthakumarMahendrarajah; Vasu Vincent; VirgilioC.Castillo; Wael Mahmoud Abel Azim;Washington Thiyagrajah; Youssef Atef Fahim;Yvonne L. Del Castillo; Zabid Gul Niaz Gul; ZiyadAhmed M.Rauff; Zorica Doneva

March

AprilAbdelrahman Ahmed Ali Elzouh

ry;

Abdul Lathif Mohamed Roomy; Abdul

Rahman Kakau; Abdul Rasheed

Ithroo; Abdulrahim Saif; Abhijan

Nepali; Admhel M.Adlawan; Ahmad

Baradai; Ahmed Hamdy Abdel-

moneim; Ajantha Sisira; Alexi Jbran

Haddad;Alexis P. Sequerra; A

li Bitaraf;

Amith Premalal Lucas; Amrik Singh;

Amy Bulacso Sinio; Angela Kar

a Ali;

Angelyn H. Faustino; Anil Kumar

Cheruvalath; Armando M.Macarato;

Arnie Alaan Padua; Aruna Ru

wan Ku-

mara; Aruna Shantha U.Geda;

Ashok

Kumar Narayanan; Athula Pushpa

Ku-

mara; Ayman Ahmed Shawky;

Ayyappan Nagarasan; Bakhta Zar

Maja Gul; Biju K.; Biju Thomas;

Bikram Kumar; Bilal Mahmoud Al-

salim Alhandawi; Bir Bahadur Rana;

Bishnu Bahdur Mahat; Blesson

Mathew; Chamila P.A.Arachchige;

Chandrasekara B.Abasin; Chr

istopher

Masalamany; Connie Ramos Obar;

Daisy D. Palomo; Daniel Aru

n D

Souza.; Denni O.Varghese; D

ergham

Bacher Al Lakood; Dhaka B

ahadur

Rai; Dionisio Jr N.Castillo; D

onnie V.

Gabriola; Edadi Meethal Abbas;

Ed-

wardo Emerson Sandval; Edwin C.

Ileto; Eldho T. Varghese; Elsa

yed Mo-

hamed Ali Khattab; Fadi Walid Hadid;

Fahad Qadeer; Fathi Omar Tarboush;

Fawzar Mansoor; Gangadharan K.P;

Gerard Armon P.Cruz; Ghassan

W.Debss; Ghazi Mahmoud Almoham-

mad; Gyalsang Lama; H.Jayashank

a

Udeska Pereira; Harby Khai

r Awad;

Hassan Abdel Shafy Hassan

; Hassan

Musbah El Sabeh; Hein Win Thant;

Herbert C. Plaza; Hom Nath Gotame;

Hussein Abdel Zaher Abda

lla; In-

drasena U.K.Don; Irene Hard

y Proud;

Islam Gamil Mohamed; Ismail P.

Peedikayil; Jagath Janaka N

.; Jaleel

Nalakath; Janaka Upendra

Perera;

Janet P.Alviz; Janga B. Chaud

hary; Ja-

yaratnam Bosan; Jenalyn Monton

Diocales; Jennifer D. Pepito

; Jerald

Relph Chaminda Perera; Jerico O.

Bautista; Jivithan Muthulingam; Joann

S. Lleva; John Isidro Dominguez; John

R.Almirez; Jolly B. Velasco; Josep

h

Chacko; Julie K. Espinosa; Kam

al Yas-

antha S.Gamage; Kanapathipillai

Navaratna Rajah; Khaled M

ohamed

Taha El Sayed; Kiran Kumar Lama;

Koshy Kutty Easow; Kostadinka

Ar-

sovska; Kunnoth Abdul Majeed; Kur-

nia Capayandhi; Kuttakethi

l Usman;

M.M.Mohamed Naufer; Madona

M.Castelvi; Mahmoud F.M.Alhabet;

Mahrous Ramadan Ahmed; Mam-

douh Gamal Eldin Fouad; Maria

Guadalupe Espinosa; Mario Jayson

Baartman; Marites D. Corpuz; Marites

T. Manalese; Marvin Dipasupil Dalit;

Mary Alexander; Mathandi Moidu As-

sainar; Mathew K. John; Md Mohi

Uddin Ruhul; Md Rakib Mirdaa; Md

Safiul Alam; Meerannan Madathil

Haris; Min Bahadur Rana; Mohamad

Nayef Arzouni; Mohamed Ahmed

Aly; Mohamed Gebrel Osman; Mo-

hamed Hafeel M.; Mohamed Hazem

Nayel;

Mohamed Irshad M. Thasleen; Mo-

hamed Maheer Kachi; Mohamed

Nashath M.Zarook; Mohamed Ram-

lan Akbar Ali; Mohamed Rauff Mo-

hamed Fairose; Mohamed Riyas

Abdul Hameed; Mohamed Riyas

M.Buhari; Mohammad Aqif Safi; Mo-

hammad Hasnah; Mohammad Shah

Jahan; Mohammed Kutubuddin Faiz;

Mohanad Ali Hassan Abujundi;

Mostafa A.Rahman Magdy; Mostafa

Hussein Mostafa El Maleh; Mostafa

M.M.Hashem; Moussa Thabet Shehat;

Muhammad Shameej Nalakathu;

Muhammed Arshad Abdulghaffar;

Naji Jean Toubaji;

Nambukara Wasam Appuwage;

Narinder Kumar; Neel Pathm

asiri T.P;

Netra Mani Nepal; Noonhikara Ma-

jeed;Nour Rassoul

; P K Noushad; P.O.

Rasheed Rahman; P.V. Hamza Haji

Nasar; Peter Telles; Praweza Alam;

Pushparuban Chandramohan; Rajith

Pulinchery; Rasheed Ansar

i Esmail

Mohamed; Reju P.Radhakrishnan;

Rezk Naim Rezk Mohamed El Sharafy;

Rimsan M.Anifa; Ritchie Santos San-

tos; Roberto Manalo Liwanag; Rode-

lyn P.Gines; Rojan Sapkota; R

omelito

M.Loto; Rosalito Atinta Libradilla;

Roselle Yadao Ewican; Rowena L.Cao;

Saba Imam; Sali Kadampanattu

Sivaraman; Sami Mohamad Ali

Alameddine; Samia Aloui; Sanjit

Kumar Mahato; Sarabjit Singh;

Satheesan V. Narayanan; Savio

Dsouza; Segu Ahamed Thoufeeq;

Shahid Rasheed Ahmed; Shamsul

Alam Ezhar Meah; Shehan Mariyo

Shiwantha; Sheheen M. Punathil;

Shoukkath Ali K.; Siji Stephen

Mathew; Sirlal Tamang; Sita Ram Dhi-

tal; Sudish Kumar Pasman; Sujith

Priyankara K.; Sunil Kizhakka-

mundakkal Vasudevan; Tamer Said

Ahmed Mustafa; Thekkeyil Ajith; The-

varaj Thomson; Thomas Simon D'-

souza; Upul Prasanna; Vada

kkedath

Madhu; Vallil Majeed Moidu; Vener

M. Magbata; Venugopal M.

Sivadasan; Virgilio J. Seculles;

Virginia

M.Maquiddang; Vivian V. Inmenzo; W

Sembukutty Arachchge; Wahiduzza-

man Late Mokaddes Gazi; Walid

Raafat Khalil; Waqas Musarrat Hus-

sain; Yam Bahadur Chidi; Yamen

Mohi Aldeen Nadeem; Zakir Ahmed

Chougle

Page 12: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

Learn how to be happy with what youhave while you pursue all that you want.

Jim Rohn

One important key to success is selfconfidence. An important key to self

confidence is preparation. Arthur Ashe

InspirationalQuotes

February ABA&P:Dionisio Jr N.C.; K.S.Venugopalan; MalolAbdul Kareem; Mario Younes; Marvin G. Neri; RollyB.Tumanda; Selim Nicolas El Hac; Ummiye Pinar Cebeci;Vallikat Ramadas Bij Frette: Annalyn S.Manansala; Marvie G.Auza; Novy Ramos Talip IA: Jerry Dizon Crame; KaleelurRahman Serk; Raymond B. Cali Medical: Manij Lakhey PCP:Mohamed Wagih Gad; Moncy Mathew Pepsi: Elvira A.Daguyam; Fathi Mohamed Ahmed; Grace B. Malaluan; JustinE. Joseph; Ratnam Sivanandan; Shamsul Alam Ezha; ShamsulAlam Zebal H; Sherif Al-Mahdy El-S QQP: Michael JohnC.Canto Restaurants: Catherine L.Arellano April ABAP: Mohamed Jesmy M.Yoos PCP: Elsy Jean Doumit;Jyothish Karippalli; Suraj Bashyal; Thilaka Manjula; YvanneSaliba Premium Services: Heba Mohamed Al Akel

Promotions

ABA&P: Kumar Kark; Lea Abo ABATS: Ahmed Naguib Ahmed; Ali Ali AhmedRafik; Ali M.A.Mahmoud Abu Alasal; Joseph Rae M. Murillo; Mariam MohamedElhusseiny; Mariam Sobhy Shawky Yani; Muhammad Adeel M.Khaliq; V. FarisHassan Al Mayass: Ali Abdel Latif; Georges Antoine Hajj Digitek: Ehab MostafaKamal; Haitham Ahmed Salaheldin Frette: Michell Irish .M. Mata; Precious P.Delos Reyes Head Office: Ayman Abdelfattah Abdelkhalek; Luzviminda N.Zuniga; Mohamed Rifki Zamzam; Sarsih Bt Suryana Udin IA: Asrap Ali Esmael;Muthupolthotage Ryan; Zaher Alhassan iSpot: Katherine J. Casono, Mark JonasisB.Manalo; Sulphikar K. Hamza PCP: Gilbert Atallah; Mazen Mostafa SheikhHamza Pepsi: Chhabi Lal Thapa; Mohammed Osman Gani Premium Services:Souheil Aridi Printing Press: Emmanuel A. Sioson Q Care Medical: Mary DaoudEstafan QQP: Junalyn Aposaga Laroza Restaurants: Allana B. Yango AlingSormani: Afendusa Gabriela Romana; Bojan Markovic; Dinesh SurangaTheliyedda; Emilija Andova; Filip Trajkov; Hristijan Anakjioski; Jovica Drobnjak;Miladin Jezdimirovic; Mohamed Hismath Abusali; Nadica Lazarevic; NenadJankovikj; Nikola Srpsko Dordijevski; Nikola Veljkovic; Ninoslav Urosevic; PavleHristov; Sava Peskan; Siham Dahmani; Stefan Timpau; Tharindu DilshanRajawardana; Varghese Vettikkattil Travel Bureau: Ali Hussain Basha Watches &Jewelry: Asma L . Elsous; Dina Satly Charabi; Dorra Arjoun; Jeffrey O. Latoza

ABA&P: Cesar N.Touma; Mohamed Husni Sahul ABATS: Ahmed RamadanM.Elhosary; Catrine S.V. Sutter; Eslam Ahmed Mohamed; Islam Hassan Ibrahim;Mohamed Nafais Mohamed; Mostafa Maged Hamdy; Munib Arshad ButtDigitek: Ahmed Fouad Emara; Saba Najam Grp IT: Benito Jr J. Ramos HeadOffice: Charbel El Khoury; Elsayed Ramadan Ahmed; Ismail Omar MohamedIsmail; Rani Biju IA: Hashiya Amoo Shereef; Kopika Swaminathan; Rajan M.Lawrance; Suman Thapa Magar Pepsi: Dhan Bahadur Bk; Edwin Verdeflor Ladia;Hari Krisna Shrestha; Jitendra B. Dhungana; Jogendra B. Kumal; Laxmi P. Phuyal;Mohamed Fairoos M. Rauf; Nar B. Dhakal; Omraj Gurung; Prakash Dhakal; SeyedHussain M. Shaheer Sunil Limbukhim PCP: Zyad Aly Islam Mahmoud Q CareMedical: Abdallah Elshahat M.Elshafey QQP: Neil P. Agahan Sormani: Ariel P.Cachero; Oliver E. Vargas; Stephen B. Zabala Watches & Jewelry: DharmendraPrasad Deo; Hisham El Danaf

ABA&P: Muhamadu Sharas M. Raseek Head Office: Farghal Abdel Latif;Mohammad Sharif P. Mohammad; Nezad Nurul; Noor Alam MoquimuddinHospitality: Imran Ali IA: Maher Mohamad Sayed; Muhammad WassiemAlabdullah QQP: Jemifer B. Milana Toy Watch: Jessica B. Madrid Watches &Jewelry: Emmanuel C. Joson; Khalaf Mahmoud Houssin

Head Office: Atreyi Majumdar Basu IA: Mohamed Safras Mohamedu NaseemSormani: Sonny Boy Almario Wagamama: Diana Riola Cebreros; Emma JoyBoco Galo; Krisanta Z. Pabunan; Ma. Christina Boado

January

February

March

April

JanuaryABATS: Hany Samir Mahmoud El Mansy Al Danah: BoshkoNacev; Manoj Asanka Thomas Head Office: Juliet S.Balbuena ICT: Maria Gianelli L.De Guzman IA: MohamedMaheer Kachi Logistics: G. Sritharan PCP: Sherin HassanAbdelhamid Premium Services: Antoine Sassine PrintingPress: Ayman Fouad Mawad QQP: Mohamed Muflih Ismail;Safras Ahamath Thuwan Restaurants: Ariane G.Velasco;Myrna S. Sabado

FebruaryABA&P: Jeffrey D.Joseph; Zeeshan Atta Ullah Al Danah:Gerard Armon P.Cruz; Jerremy T. Jalandoni Columbus IT:Bitoo P. Thambi Digitek: Ingy Ayman Abdelsalam;Mohamed Abbas Amin Kenawy Head Office: Carine SamiAbou Jaoude iSpot: Juliet C. Fillarca Logistics: Kyaw Han;Ruchira T.Alwis Medical: Jane Ann L.Bumanlag Pepsi:Soosaipillai Anthony Pillai Wagamama: Jeanel Pieterse;Mario Jayson Baartman

MarchABA&P: May Abdalla Youssef ABATS: Ahmed Elsaid ElsaidElhelali; Mohamed Mahmoud Mohamed Digitek: Alvin LeveyT.Sanchez; Spencer M.Sugot Head Office: MuthukumarPaulpandi; Romeo B. Villamor iSpot: Analiza S. Dela Vega;Sweetney A. Gargar Logistics: Gurcharan Singh Sawaran;Puloman Mathvannan Pepsi: Ashok Kumar Narayanan;Ravichandran Thambirajah; Roshan T.Sahayathasan PrintingPress: Halloluwa K.Nuwan Restaurants: Julie K. EspinosaWatches & Jewelry: Alma Fe Abel Guzman; Roland R.Vinluan

AprilABA&P: Mohammed Mujtahidulla ABATS: MohamedWagdy Mohamed Elsarraf Contracting: KrishnanMadhavan Nair K. Digitek: Mohamed AbdelkareemMohamed Head Office: Nezad Nurul; VinodAnthooran PCP: Joseph C.Bragat Pepsi: JivithanMuthulingam; Mohammed Osman Gani QQP:Ashique Abdulla K.P; Francis J. Aranas; ShiblyBahardeen Restaurants: Liwayway Aquino;Ronald B.Babac Watches & Jewelry: HameedParambath

Far

ewell

New Comers

2322

In this issue; ABA

admin. Dept. will

resume shedding

light on some

important subjects

that could be in the

interest of our valued

ABA employees.

In this issue we will

focus more on Arrival,

Sponsorship Transfer

and Borrowing

Admin.Sponsorship Transfer

for employees who have valid Qatari RP

Employees who completed two yearsunder the first sponsor OR one yearunder the second sponsor canchange their sponsorshipconditioned with the approval oftheir sponsor.

Requirements:➢ Sponsorship transfer blue form:should be signed, stamped & attestedfrom the immigration.➢ Original passport & ID.➢ Passport, RP & ID copy.➢ Police clearance certificate: should beattested from MOFA-Qatar.➢ NOC: Arabic NOC letter from thecurrent sponsor – should be computertyped. ➢ Company ID copy (registration cardcopy) of the current sponsor.Once all documents are completed;new company’s PRO will submit thedocuments into the immigration andwait 4-8 working days for the approvalthen RP stamping will be proceed.

Transfer Fees:1st sponsorship change: QR 2,1002nd sponsorship change: QR 2,6003rd sponsorship change: QR 3,100

Borrowing

Employees can go throughSponsorship Borrowing in casethey didn’t complete therequired period forsponsorship transfer .

Requirements:➢ Sponsorship borrowing blueform: should be signed, stamped& attested from the immigration.➢ RP should be valid for thewhole needed borrowing period.➢ Passport, RP & ID copy.➢ Two photos: passport size withcolored background.➢ NOC: Arabic NOC letter fromthe current sponsor – should becomputer typed. ➢ Company ID copy (registrationcard copy) of the current sponsor.Once all documents arecompleted; new company’s PROwill submit the documents intothe immigration and take theborrowing card.Borrowing could be done for onemonth up to six monthsmaximum.

Borrowing Fees:QR 100 for each month

AdministrationDepartment

Moataz H. AhmedGroup GM AdministrationTel. 44469840 Mob. 55893355Email: [email protected]

Saeed GhoulGroup Services ManagerTel. 44469852 Mob. 55502888Email:[email protected]

Abdallah ShammoutGroup Personnel ManagerTel. 44469848 Mob. 55869689Email: [email protected]

Riyadh Al AbdallahGroup Administration SupervisorTel. 44469844 Mob. 77301071 Email: [email protected]

Parents:Arnold Lalata & Maria Lalata

(PCP – Braun Division)Child: Andie

DOB: 23/02/12

Parents:Omar Kasha (iSpot) &Manal Antar Child: LamarDOB: 27/02/12

Mabrook

Parents:Christian De Jesus (Prop-erty Management) &Maricar De Jesus (GoldenLands)Child: Marta Azlet QalbDOB: 22/02/12

Parents:Siji Stephen Mathew(QQP) & Mariam MathewChild: Hanoch MathewStephenDOB: 15/01/12

Parents:Mohammed Lahham &Sawsan Abu Teen (QQP)Child:AyaDOB: 7/01/12

Parents:Amina Mansour(ABATS) & RamiFakhreddine Child: Julie DOB: 29/11/11

Parents:Assad Hussein (IT)& Hiba Azzam Child: KarimDOB: 11/08/11

LeapQuantum

Page 13: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

How’s our Group HRtransformation journey going? I am as excited about it now as Iwas when it started. The HRtransformation consists of multipleprojects. Through all of them ourfinal goal is to transform ourpeople practices to reflect ourstatus as a world-class

organization. We haven’t takenany short cuts in the processes weare carrying out and I am happy tosay a lot of people across theGroup have contributed.

We have been hearing the termEVP? What is an EVP? EVP stands for Employee ValueProposition.

How and where does EVP fit inAli Bin Ali’s new HR journey?An EVP is a statement capturingthe essence of the ‘value’ peopleget from their relationship withthe employer. It is a strategic tool,which differentiates our companyfrom others based on its uniquecompetitive advantage. An EVP

helps get and keep the bestpeople. It makes our organizationconsistent enabling us to deliver aunique type of cultural andemotional experience throughevery employer-employeeinteraction.

What is the EVP that anemployee of ABA can lookforward to and how will it affect

our morale and engagement?As we tightly couple our culturaland people practices with the spiritand intent of the EVP, it makes ourpeople develop pride, belief,loyalty and ambassadorshipthroughout their employment lifecycle. Over time, the EVP isexpected to becomeinstitutionalized in our systems,processes, and culture, so thatevery interaction between anemployee and the companybecomes a proof-point for thedelivery of our promise to ourpeople.

What can our people lookforward to next?The HR transformation is still in itsearly stages. We will soon startseeing the visible structures ofworld-class HR. Some of thethings in the second wave of workthat I am excited about include anew talent and careermanagement framework, newleadership development initiativesand extended training coverage,improvements in performancemanagement, and a number of

initiatives aimed at the creation ofinternal communities of peoplewith similar passions andcapabilities.

ABA Group launched a newprivate Medical Insurancescheme in October last year inpartnership with ArabianInsurance and GlobeMedNetwork of medical providers.What can you tell us about it?Why and how?The Medical scheme was the firstmajor outcome from ourcompensation and benefitsproject, which is part of the HRtransformation mentionedelsewhere in this edition of TheDot. ABA has always had areputation as an employee-welfaredriven company. The owners feelstrongly about taking care ofemployees and their families, andwe prioritized the launch of thisbenefit with the blessings of theowners in keeping with thisphilosophy.

What are the benefits includedin this plan and how can theemployees use these benefits?The benefits include medical,dental, maternity in Qatar andabroad based on category ofcoverage.

How will you communicate thisplan to the 2500 employees ofABA Group?With the help of the CorporateCommunications Department, wehave established a plan consistingof various info sessions directed tohead of departments and specialrepresentatives who will describethe details of the Scheme to nonEnglish speakers in their group. Wedo have a comprehensive brochuredesigned and in production.In addition, we came up with aslogan “Your Health. Our Priority”which sends a strong and seriousmessage to the employees.

How is the coverage under thisscheme categorized? And howdo the employees know they areentitled for which category?Our medical scheme is divided into3 categories, Basic, Classic andExecutive. At the moment thecategories are assigned based onthe current grade of the employee.The Basic category is foremployees between grade 2 and5, Classic between 6 and 13, and

the Executive category is for themost senior management of AliBin Ali Group starting from grade14 and above.

What is the reimbursementclaim process and the differenttypes of approval?The reimbursement claim processis fairly simple, once received byour department, the claim ischecked for consistency in terms ofrequired documents, and thendispatched to Arabia Insurancewho in turn seek the audit ofGlobeMed to determine thepayable amount as per theapplicable policy coverage. Despitehaving a very wide andcomprehensive coverage policy,there are certain cases which arenot part of it. When this happens,the claim becomes partiallyapproved, separating the covereditems from the excluded ones.

Do employees need to submitdocuments for making the claimand if yes, then whichdocuments should they keepwith them?Documents are not needed withinthe GlobeMed network. If theemployee goes to a provideroutside the network, the first stepis to fill the reimbursement formwhich is available with all the ABAHR coordinators, and attach all themedical documents related to theillness, such as bills, lab results andprescriptions. I must insist on thefact that a doctor’s report is themost important element to includein any claim, any failure to do sogenerally stalls the whole processand cause unforeseen delays.Other important documentsinclude copies of the insurancecard, ID card and HMC if thetreatment was administered byone of the government medicalbranches.

What kind of cases canemployees claim through thisbenefit?Most curative treatments are

covered, including medical, dental,and maternity coverage for variouscategories. Preventive care (i.e.health checkups) are usually notincluded in such schemes.

What is the maximum and theminimum percentage of claimsemployees can make?If the question is how many claimsan employee is eligible to make,then the answer is as many asneeded. However each category hasan annual maximumreimbursemable amount. Forexample for the Classic plan is 250K.

What about very common causeslike general consultation,diagnostics, and physiotherapy,maternity, dental and opticalcases? Can an employee makeuse of the medical insurancescheme?

This scheme is meant and designedto cover curative treatments as longas general consultations anddiagnostics are prompted by ahealth complaint and they arecovered.. Both dental and maternityoffer an 80% coverage to theemployee and his family. Dentalhas a limit of Qr. 2000 per year andper person. There is 280 dayswaiting period on maternity fromthe start of each membershipbefore being able to claim any preor post natal treatment. In regardsto optical, opthalmic illnesses forthe most part are covered. Visiontests or corrections as well aslenses are not covered. Is this valid only in Qatar or

employees can use this at theirnative or other countries aswell?The medical scheme isn’t limitedto Qatar. A number of countries areavailable depending on the planthe employee is in. At this time,direct billing is not availableabroad, which requires thesubmission of a reimbursementclaim within 60 days of the lasttransaction.

To give you an idea of thecoverage:• The Basic plan covers the southand south east of Asia.• The Classic plan covers the samein addition to Arab countries.• The executive plan comprises allcountries except North America.

How do you compare thismedical scheme provided by

ABA Group to schemes of otherGroup of companies in Qatar? Inother words, what is the addedvalue of this scheme?Our scheme is very competitivewith the market. The strengths ofthe scheme compared to commonmarket practice are itsinclusiveness (we have most ofthe company and their dependentscovered), dental and maternitycoverage, the size of the network,cashless transactions for networkbased treatment, private rooms forin-patient treatment for allenrollees, and no employeepremium contribution fordependent coverage.

24

“An EVP helps get andkeep the best people”

“Your Health. Our Priority”

“The owners feel stronglyabout taking care ofemployees and their

families, and we prioritizedthe launch of this benefitwith the blessings of theowners in keeping with

this philosophy.”

25

New

Medical InsuranceScheme of ABA Group

Interview

Mr. Waqas HussainSenior GM. HR & Admin.

POLICY INQUIRIES

Mehdi BekriT: +974 44469644

Denver FerdinandT: +974 44469864

The Dot caught upwith Mr. Waqas

Hussain our SeniorGeneral Manager

Human Resources &Administration, andposed a few quickquestions about

the HRTransformationproject, the EVP

and our newprivate Medical

Insurance.We are sure youwill be happy to

discover thebenefits of this

new move.

Page 14: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

2726

1. He bought his first share atage 11 and he now regrets thathe started too late! Things werevery cheap that time. Encourageyour children to invest.

2. He bought a small farm at age14 with savings from deliveringnewspapers! One could havebought many things with littlesavings, Encourage yourchildren to start some kind ofbusiness.

3. He still lives in the same small3-bedroom house in midtownOmaha, that he bought after hegot married 50 years ago. Hesays that he has everything heneeds in that house. His housedoes not have a wall or a fence.!Don’t buy more than what you

“really need” and encourageyour children to do and thinkthe same.

4. He drives his own careverywhere and does not have adriver or security people around

him! You are what you are.

5. He never travels by private jet,although he owns the worldslargest private jet company!Always think how you canaccomplish thingseconomically.

6. His Company, BerkshireHathaway, owns 63 companies.He writes only one letter eachyear to the CEO’s of thesecompanies, giving them goals forthe year. He never holdsmeetings or calls them on a

regular basis! Assign the rightpeople to the right jobs.

7. He has given his CEO’s only 2rules. Rule No.1: do not lose anyof your shareholders money. RuleNo.2: do not forget rule number 1.

Set goals and make surepeople focus on them.

8. He does not socialize with thehigh society crowd. His past timeafter he gets home is to makehimself some popcorn and watchtelevision.! Don’t try to showoff, just be your self and dowhat you enjoy doing.9. Warren Buffet does not carry a

cell phone, nor has a computeron his desk.

Bill Gates, the world’s richest manmet him for the first time only 5years ago. Bill Gates did not thinkhe had anything in common withWarren Buffet. So he hadscheduled his meeting only forhalf hour. But when Gates methim, the meeting lasted for 10hours & Bill Gates became adevotee of Warren Buffet.

Recommendsd t

There was a one-hourinterview on CNBC with Warren

Buffet, one of the world’srichest men, who has donated$31 billion to charity. Following

are some very interestingaspects of his life:

WarrenBuffet

New Delhi city is acclaimed forbeing the cultural capital ofIndia. The spectaculararchitecture of Delhi city isevident through its antiquemonuments. This citywitnesses an interesting blendof diverse cultures. Delhi hasalways had a mysteriouseternity, the city havingwitnessed empires rise toglory and fall to ashes. Thecontemporary Delhi is aculmination of seven citiesbuilt by different emperors.Ruins of this ancient city arefound even today and nowthese are converted to somemajor tourist attractions.Delhi is said to be one of theoldest existing cities in theworld, along with Jerusalemand Varanasi. Legendestimates it to be over 5,000years old. Over the millennia,Delhi is said to have been builtand destroyed 11 times.

Taj MahalA monument of love. A symbol ofeternal love. Taj Mahal, one of themost fabulous monuments in theworld, history and time. Throngedby visitors year round, Taj Mahal is200 km from Delhi. It was built bythe fifth Mughal emperorShahjahan, in memory of his

beloved wife Mumtaz. Themonument is a perfect piece ofarchitecture. It took 22 years, 41million rupees, 50 kilos of gold andaround 20,000 workers to completethis marvel of marble.Situated by the river Yamuna, TajMahal sits on a high red sandstoneterrace, topped by marble terrace. Itis flanked by four minarets. Thejewel in-laid cenotaph of theempress lies within the dome. Theentire mausoleum is decoratedwith inlaid design of flowers andcalligraphy with semi preciousstones like jasper and agate.

Lotus TempleLotus Temple is among the mostvisited monuments in India. Thecredit for building this beautiful

structure goes to the Persian architectFariborz Sahba from Canada. Thedesign looks like a half opened Lotusflower with 27 freestanding "petals"made of marble. There are ninereflecting pools that encompass thetemple from outside. The temple hasto its accreditation being recognizedall over the world as one of the mostvisited edifices in the world withalmost 50 million people havingvisited the temple since its inceptionin 1986.

Qutab MinarThe tall and ever attractivemonument of Delhi which can beseen from most parts of the city is

called the Qutab Minar. Qutab Minaris among the tallest and famoustowers in the world. The minaret is234 feet high and the highestindividual tower in the world. Othertowers in the world are the GreatPagoda in Pekin, China and the

Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italybut these towers are not ashigh as the Qutab Minar inDelhi. It has a number of floors orstoreys which has beautifulcarvings. The structure of the

wall is made as such that it widensfrom top to bottom, just to make theminar stronger. Moving upstairsinside the minar will give you awonderful experience and countingthe stairs is always a fun for visitors.It has 378 steps which takes goodamount of energy to reach at thetop. The top of the tower gives aninsight to Delhi because you get tosee the bird's eye view of the city.

Jama MasjidJama Masjid of Delhi is the largestmosque in India. The Jama Masjidstands across the road in front of theRed Fort. Built between 1644 and1658, Jama Masjid is one of the lastarchitectural works of the Mughalemperor Shah Jahan. The spaciouscourtyard of the Jama Masjid holdsthousands of faithful.. Jama MasjidMosque was built in red sandstoneand marble by more than 5000artisans. The first three storeys of the JamaMasjid tower are made of redsandstone and the fourth one ismade of marble, while the fifth ismade of sandstone. The Jama Masjidis covered with intricate carvingsand has verses inscribed from theholy Quran.

Humayun’s TombHumayun’s tomb, built in 1570, is ofparticular cultural significance as itwas the first garden-tomb on theIndian subcontinent. It inspiredseveral major architecturalinnovations, culminating in theconstruction of the Taj Mahal. Thetomb itself is in the centre of a largegarden, laid out in char baah (four-fold) style, with pools joined bychannels.The interior is a large octagonalchamber with vaulted roofcompartments interconnected bygalleries or corridors. This octagonalplan is repeated on the second storey.The structure is of dressed stone cladin red sandstone with white andblack in laid marble borders.

Tourist Attractionsin

TOP5 New Delhi

Trotterd t Outliers

by Malcolm Glad wellOutliers: The Story of Success is a non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell

and published byLittle, Brown andCompany onNovember 18, 2008.In Outliers, Gladwellexamines the factorsthat contribute tohigh levels ofsuccess. On thisgorgeous new book,Malcolm Gladwelltakes us on an

mental journey by way of the world of“outliers”–one of the best and the brightest,essentially the most famous and probablythe most successful. He asks the query:what makes excessive-achieversdifferent?His reply is that we pay too muchconsideration to what profitable people arelike, and too little attention to where theyare from: that’s, their culture, theirhousehold, their era, and the idiosyncraticexperiences of their upbringing.

To support his thesis, he examines thecauses of why the majority of Canadian icehockey players are born in the first fewmonths of the calendar year, how Microsoftco-founder Bill Gates achieved his extremewealth, and how two people withexceptional intelligence, Christopher Langanand J. Robert Oppenheimer, end up withsuch vastly different fortunes. Throughoutthe publication, Gladwell repeatedlymentions the “10,000-Hour Rule”, claimingthat the key to success in any field is, to alarge extent, a matter of practicing a specifictask for a total of around 10,000 hours.

Seeking WisdomFrom Darwin to Munger By Peter Bevelin - Third EditionPeter Bevelin begins his fascinatingbook with Confucius' great wisdom: "Aman who has committed a mistake anddoesn't correct it, is committing anothermistake." Seeking Wisdom is the resultof Bevelin's learning about attainingwisdom. His quest for wisdom

originated partlyfrom makingmistakes himselfand observingthose of othersbut also from thephilosophy ofsuper-investorand BerkshireHathaway ViceChairman Charles

Munger. A man whose simplicity andclarity of thought was unequal toanything Bevelin had seen.This book is for those who love theconstant search for knowledge. It is inthe spirit of Charles Munger, who says,"All I want to know is where I'm goingto die so I'll never go there." There areroads that lead to unhappiness. Anunderstanding of how and why we can"die" should help us avoid them. Wecan't eliminate mistakes, but we canprevent those that can really hurt us.Read and study this wonderfulmultidisciplinary exploration of wisdom.It may change the way you think andact in business and in life.

Starting1,300 QRper personfor 5 nights

excluding Airfare

His advice to young people

“Stay away from Credit Cards (bank loans) andinvest in yourself and remember:a) Money doesn’t create man but it is the man who created money.b) Life your life as simple as you are.c) Don’t do what others say, just listen them, but do what you feel good.d) Don’t go on brand name; just wear those things in which youfeel comfortable.e) Don’t waste your money on unnecessary things, just spend onthem who really in need rather.f) After all its your life then why give chance to others to rule our life.”

Let us choose a simpler and smarter way to live……

“The happiest people do not necessarily

have the “BEST” things. They simply

appreciate the things they have”.

Page 15: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

29

Health

1. Drink a lot of water: Beforeyou eat, drink one or two glasses of water.By doing so you will become less hungryand hold off on eating. Also drinkingplenty of water helps to clear out thetoxins in your body. It raises yourmetabolism, increasing your dailydigestion.

2. Watch What You Eat: Take abreak from fatty foods. Eating four to fivesmall meals throughout the day keepsyour metabolism going. Replace your usualmeals with healthier selections such asfruits, vegetable and grilled/steamed orbaked meat

3. Exercise: Whether in the gym oroutside, incorporate some form of cardiointo your workouts about three to fivetimes a week. Exercises like lunges andsquats, can tone the legs and lower abs. Ifyou’re bored with your usual workout,spice things up with fun exercises like bikeriding, yoga or swimming.

4. Avoid Allergy: The allergies geton the peak in this month. So is you arealso a sufferer, try to keep the medicationsfor the Allergy during this season. This willprevent you from severe attacks of Allergy.1 attack can make you sick for whole ofthe upcoming season. Keep your windowsand door closed, so that no allergens canenter in your home..

5. Clean Your Makeup Drawer:Like most products, cosmetics expire. Sowhile you're cleaning out your medicinecabinet, toss out that tube of mascara andany other makeup you've had so long youcan't remember when you bought it. Thisway, you'll be able to minimize your risk ofeye infections or bacteria-inducedbreakouts.

6. Consider Becoming an EarlyBird: Studies have shown that peoplewho wake up earlier are healthier thanthose night owls who snooze the morningaway. Taking advantage of the morninglight will also give you a good dose ofneeded vitamin D. And you'll get a leg upon symptoms of depression.

7. Get Dirty: And let your kids getdirty, too. Getting dirty can be exposure tocommon bacteria, and common bacteriaare good for you. When they routinelyinhabit our bodies, they can producevitamins and proteins we need and helpmake our immune and gastrointestinalsystems work.

8. Watch out for the seasonalcold: You might believe that winter is thebest season to catch a cold, but you arequite wrong. During spring most of thepeople with a weak immune system catcha cold or even flu. So the best thing to dowill be to avoid for a few more weeks the

crowded places that can expose you moreintensely to viruses.

9. Don’t forget about sunblock lotions: Use Sun Screen Creamsthat block the UVA and UVB (Ultra VioletRadiation) from affecting your skin. Protectyour nose, lips and ears as they tend to getburned a lot more easily. Water resistantsunblocks are available for activeindividuals or those involved in watersports. It's important to check the label toensure they say "water-resistant" or "verywater-resistant."

• Water-Resistant sun block maintains theSPF (Sun Protection Factor) level after 40minutes of water immersion

• Very Water-Resistant sun block maintainsthe SPF (Sun Protection Factor) level after80 minutes of water immersion

10. Take Multivitamins: Thespring season comes before summer andeveryone gets prepare for the next season.The season of summer is really hard forSkin. So, start taking Multivitamins inadvance to protect your Skin’s health andbeauty. Try to intake Lycopene, Biotin,Green Tea and Alpha Liopic Acid to avoidthe aging of Skin before time. It also helpsin the betterment of Hair and Nails.

HEALTHTIPS

Spring has finally begun! After a long season of comfort food and notworking out as often as one should, you’re probably happy with this delay ofhot weather. No worries; here are some minor tips that can develop majorresults. With these small actions, you’ll be ready for summer in no time!

Springfor

Say it loud ...!Make your opinions, suggestions and

comments heard by getting in touch now!!

[email protected] Communications Department

Contact Mrs. Dhanya 44469878 - Fax: 44433778

28

Social?

“More than 1 millionchild deaths in Indiacan easily be preventedevery year. The worldcannot continue withbusiness as usual whenevery year nearly 11children die beforetheir fifth birthday fromeasily preventable andreadily treatable causes– almost 90 percent ofthese deaths occur in42 countries of SouthAsia and Sub SaharanAfrica.”From UNICEF Website:www.unicef.org

It is nothing but tragic to notethe above statistics that parentslike us lose children before theage of 5 owing to diseases thatare easily preventable and forreasons which could beprevented if people simply“contribute”. The love of a fatherand the affection of a mother ishuman nature which is an in-born sentiment in each one ofus. These are no differentemotions in people who suffer

for want of food and basicnecessities for themselves andtheir children. We tend to quicklybrowse through those literatureswhere we find a call for help forpeople in need in povertystricken regions across,specifically in “South Asia andSub Saharan Africa”. I knowabout the country I hail from. Iwas personally surprised when Iwas visiting Bangalore, the ITcapital of India a couple of yearsback when I found a kid eating

from the garbage. This isin an age of KFCs andMcDonald’s that India isproud of hosting. I havepersonally witnessedpeople for whom

1 QAR is enough for 3meals a day. It is at thistime when we throw off the ‘notso tasty food’ of our children andleft over after our dinner at theexpensive joints. If we go deeperinto statistics of the World Health

Organization (WHO) it shows 1child dies every 5 seconds as aresult of hunger – more than 700every hour - 16 000 each day - 6million each year. Two thirds ofthese deaths are preventable.We have here a choice to make;either to browse all these figureson the internet and put it asideas any content we stumbleacross or to raise a small fingerto protect such children who die.Let us remember every one ofthese children are someone’s sonor daughter and we are luckythat it is not ours; lucky that weare on the better side ofexistence. We would be running

away from ourresponsibilities if wedo not heed to thesepeople in need. Ourresponsibilitytowards society ishuge and we havebeen kept inpositions such asours to rise up tothese people in direstraits. This new year2012 can be totally

different to many if we jointlytake a decision that we would doour best to help the kids on thestreets and to reduce the 6million death each year.

Deepak DavidColumbus IT Country Manager.

Can we be better human beings?

Page 16: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali

out of the boxHere are nine dots arranged in a squarematrix. Can you draw four straightlines, without lifting your pencil fromthe "paper," through all nine dots?

1. The Original Grid or photocopy/fax of theclearly finished Think out of the box mustbe submitted to the attention of Ms. DhanyaMariam, Corporate Communications Dept.along with your name, division & contactdetails either by email [email protected] or by Fax: 44433778or submit it to the secretary of your division.Secretaries who collect the puzzle arerequested to collect all entries from therespective division & send it to the CorporateCommunications Department situated on the9th Floor of the ABA Tower before the duedate.

2. Only Employees of the Ali Bin Ali Group &its subsidiaries are permitted to submit theirentries.

3. Only One entry is allowed per employee.

4. Incomplete, indecipherable or illegibleentries will be deemed invalid.

5. The Last date to submit your entries:15th July 2012.

6. The Corporate Communications departmentdoes not make any commitment, express orimplied, to respond to queries of theParticipants or furnish reasons for inclusionand, or, exclusion of any particular submissionof the Participant at any stage.

7. The winner will be chosen by mea -ns of a raffle draw & will be contacted with a

surprise prize. The details of the prizewinner will be published in the next issue ofthe dot.

Conditions for Entry

Congratulationsto the winners

It is with pleasure that we announce thewinners for the Special Challenge, Word Searchwhich appeared in the 1st issue of “the dot”.

A raffle draw was conducted at the HeadOffice in the presence of Mr. Ganesh P.K., Mr.

Christian Kestemont, Mr. Adnan Sulaiman and theCorpComm Department . The winners won gift

vouchers fromNestle Toll House Cafe at City Centre.

The winners are:

Thank you to everyone whoparticipated in the Special Challenge,Word Search. We are looking for your

support and participation in theupcoming issues.

Solution of last issue:PEN

Ms. Deejay CarandangHR & Administration Assistant, HOPrize was delivered by Mr. Ganesh P.K.,Group GM Finance, HO-FINANCE

Mr. Shais JoseOperator – Ali Bin Ali Printing PressPrize was delivered by Mr. Christian Kestemont,GM, Monoprix

Ms. Jolly VelascoSenior Accountant- QQPPrize was delivered by Mr. Pierre-Michel Eckert,General Manager, Business Development

30

Games

Think

Page 17: January - April 2012 - Volume 2 - Ali Bin Ali