Football: Buying into Globalised Britain
Top flight football in England continues to be at the wild frontier of business – to the extent that it’s a business at all. I’m with Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the English League Managers Association when he says that the number of sackings of soccer managers in the English professional game is “embarrassing”.
STEVE ROYSTON: Many of their forays into football look like bouts of temporary insanity from where I stand. But then I guess it’s more fun than investing in a bank, and no more risky.
Business ABCs: Doing Business With Friends
The other day I broke one of my major rules in life. In consequence, shortly thereafter, I broke another.
STEVE ROYSTON: The other day I broke one of my major rules in life. In consequence, shortly thereafter, I broke another.
‘Kneel at the Altar of Productivity’. Or Perhaps Don’t.
STEVE ROYSTON: Workers in the Middle East may be forgiven for pointing out the double standards of Western economists when discussing the issue of productivity
Bahrain: My Blueprint for Its Economic Success
STEVE ROYSTON: Bahrain has a growing young population and the challenges the island state faces in ensuring they’re fully employed are considerable
‘Oh, How It Used To Be’: The Fate Awaiting Yahoo
STEVE ROYSTON: As Yahoo slips into ‘tech-middle-age’ its leaders must adapt to a reality or face inevitable extinction
LinkedIn and Me: It’s A Complicated Relationship
STEVE ROYSTON: I don’t like being manipulated by a software engine but that’s the price you pay to remain, well, linked in.
The Enduring Appeal of ‘The Very Human’ Ibn Battuta
STEVE ROYSTON: His skill, wit and humour have brought the great traveller, Ibn Battuta, vividly to life. The latest on his travels delivers again.
Hitler, Friend of the Arabs? Twisted History in the Region
STEVE ROYSTON: It’s not just the Second World War that has been warped by teachers, politicians and others for their own purposes.
Culture: What Really Drives Middle East Companies?
STEVE ROYSTON: An enormous amount of time, money and energy is wasted trying to ‘change corporate culture’. But what are the characteristics of a Middle East organisation?
Budaiya: The Simple Pleasures of a Bahraini Market
STEVE ROYSTON: A wealthy part of the island which is close to several troubled Shia villages Budaiya hosts a market that points to the past
The People and Events That Mattered in 2012: My Choice
STEVE ROYSTON: It’s by no means scientific or representative but here are the people and special moments that resonated with me this year
2012: A Very Tough Year in the Middle East
STEVE ROYSTON: If you look around the Middle East today you’d have to say the region is at its most unstable in the last thirty years.
‘Speaker’s Corner in the Gulf?’: No Chance!
STEVE ROYSTON: The ‘Red Lines’ exist and any expatriate who’s spent more than a couple of years living in the Gulf knows what they are.
Your Prejudices About Saudi Arabia: Time for Overhaul
STEVE ROYSTON: Say the words ‘Saudi Arabia’ to someone who has never been there and the results are as predictable as could be.
‘Bahrain in English Football Coup’: GDN Silence
STEVE ROYSTON: You would have thought that the role of a respected Bahrain financial house in the purchase of an English football team would have been cause for celebration
Cool Thinking Not Grandstanding Needed in Bahrain Now
STEVE ROYSTON: The problems facing Bahrain are formidable and the tension is increasing as Ashoura approaches. Some thoughts on how to deal with these issues.
Tim Mackintosh-Smith: Is He A ‘Yemeni National Treasure?’
STEVE DORSEY: I had the privilege recently to spend time in the company of the renowned British travel writer who lives in Sana’a. A truly impressive evening.
Wasted Potential: Let’s Revolutionise Education
STEVE ROYSTON: The ‘Education Industry’ as I call it is failing to deliver and everywhere you look there is clear evidence of same. I have some ideas
‘Teacher, We Can’t Hear You’: A Major Issue
STEVE ROYSTON: Among the many issues facing education ministers in the Middle East, ‘acoustics in classrooms’ is well down the list. But it shouldn’t be.
