Gulf best placed to face downturn

Insead Centre for Executive Education and Research in Abu Dhabi hosted a regional forum discussing management best practices in times of global economic crisis.

The seminar, Managing People, Technology and Operations in a Changing World, organised last week with the support of Masdar and Mubadala, had their senior officials participating in panel discussions covering best practice management techniques from a local prospective. The Insead faculty shared its latest global research on the topic currently under the spotlight during these turbulent economic times.

The seminar comes at a time when it has become increasingly clear that the worldwide financial crisis and economic slowdown has impacted the GCC to a greater extent than previously anticipated. However, two speakers maintained that the region was least affected by the crisis compared to other parts of the world.

Professor Soumitra Dutta, Insead Dean of External Relations, and Roland Berger, Professor of Business and Technology, concluded the GCC remains one of the best positioned regions in the global economy to weather the storm. They also suggested the region must take advantage of the opportunities ahead by means of capitalising on its resources and visionary leadership.

"More than ever, operational effectiveness and focus on innovation is critical to an organisation's survival," said Dutta.

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