How to be a social entrepreneur - Ashoka founder Bill Drayton speaks

A week of PR disasters

This week has been characterised by PR disasters at a global scale. First came the news of Dubai World defaulting on its humungous payments to its investors and a massive global media backlash. And immediately, there was news of Tiger Woods getting whipped by his wife. Two major events with huge loss of credibility for two global brands.

Accidents happen, but it is no reason not to respond in an organised manner to contain the damage. In crisis communications, when the damage is done, what one can do at the most is contain the damage and move into crisis management mode. The first thing one has to do is to monitor the extent of the damage.

One thing that i learnt while managing crises ( in Dubai, at the start of the recession), was to firstly MEASURE the extent of the damage. This could mean something as simple as looking at ALL the media write ups, the blog posts ( as many as possible) and also video / other posts. Media monitoring is of utmost importance, because you know what the media is saying and where.

The second step is to analyse what they are saying. What the key messages are. This exercise becomes a crucial tool to monitor, and eventually respond to the detractors or the outside "publics" ( in many cases the media themselves).

Responding to the media in a timely fashion, after coming up with appropriate responses ( taking into consideration questions of confidentiality etc..)

So what can Tiger woods do to get out of the woods ? Simple, convince his wife to do a joint press conference asap to 'clarify' the facts. Even if he is having an affair, it is time he came out clean and settled the issue. If not, then he could clarify this with wife in tow, which is the smartest thing that any man can do. Think Bill / Hillary Clinton post the Monika Lewinsky case.

What can Dubai do to rev up Brand Dubai to its previous ratings ? I believe the first thing they can and should do IMMEDIATELY is to get ALL the media to speak with the ruler : His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He should come out and reveal the extent of the real damage. While the facts are out, there seems to be a sense in the international media that the government is not being transparent about them. To get over this, there needs to be a greater transparency and access to the decision makers. While working in Dubai, I have seen the reluctance of the powers that be to shy away from the media and let them speculate. This is not only hurting their image, but also spreading rumours.

These are some steps that these two brands can take to manage the crises that have hit them. A crisis is never a good thing, but if managed well can teach us to be prepared, organised and also a bit more open and honest about what is really going on in our lives.

How a UN resolution is drafted

Yesterday we had an interesting exercise in one of our classes. Titled "UN Peacekeeping in the Middle East", the course i have signed up with Dr Isaac Kfir, a visiting professor from Israel attempts to look at the historical role that UN has played in the peace keeping process in the greater Middle East ( including Israel). Just for the sake of clarity, Middle East includes Turkey, Israel and all the other Arab countries which are part of the Arab league.

One of the biggest take-aways from yesterday's class was a look at how complicated the process of writing a UN resolution is. Having looked at several dozen resolutions - Uniting for peace resolution ( 1950), Resolutions 452 etc.. we had gotten used to the language, the ambiguity and the nature of resolutions. But actually drafting a mock resolution for a hostile situation between Syracusia ( hypothetical state) and Cornellia with a non-state actor ( Onandaga county college) brought home some key points that one needs to keep in mind when drafting one. Here are some insights :
1) Never appear to take sides while drafting a resolution
2) Do not open a door you cannot close( in the matter of rehabilitation of victims, compensations etc..)
3) Do acknowledge the long-term implications of the words being used
4) Always be ware of the power of each word you put down on paper and be prepared for criticism
5) Consult other members of the team when drafting it
6) Look at how the big 5 ( permanent members of the Security Council ) are going to react to it. Will it ever make it past them ?


The exercise appeared to be a great one in principle. But the bigger question is : Will i ever get an opportunity to actually draft one ? Perhaps time will tell...

Afghanistan, Writing, Politics come to the fore during a Q&A with Khaled Hosseini

Well known writer Khaled Hosseini was at the Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University last night for a Q&A session with well-known writer Firoozeh Dumah.

Here are some excerpts

F.D : Do you think anyone can write ?
Khaled Hosseini : No. Anyone can put sentences together, but to have a voice as a writer is something entirely differnt. Writers are more or less born. It is not out of arrogance or any elitist perspective that i say this, but writing calls for a certain temperament, a certain talent which very few people have. It is innate and akin to musical talent almost. The ability to add tension, to look at possibilities in the development of characters is a different talent.

My daughter is a great budding musical talent and it shows that in just 6 months, she has gone much further in her music classes than i ever could.

F.D : What do you have to say to counter people who say there is so much violence and sex in the Kite Runner ?
Khaled Hosseini : I believe that it is not gratuitous sex and violence, but part of a broader context of what Afghanistan went through in the last three decades and if looked at it from this perspective, the opponents would understand why it is there. I believe there is more harmful content on some of the TV shows that kids watch these watch than in reading the Kite Runner, which aims to sensitise young people to a different culture, part of the world.

F.D : How much of your writing is from your life ?
Khaled Hosseini : My life and my work has a lot in common. I grew up in Kabul and in the surroundings that my characters have. I flew up flying kites and going to cinemas and exposed to Iranian films, Indian films and B Grade Hollywood films and i grew up with a love of writing and a lot of my experience of growing up is the basis of the Kite Runner.

F.D : How did you find an agent ?
Khaled Hosseini : It was my ability to face so much rejection. I had read about it. But I really struggled to get published, and many of the publishers rejected me even without a reason. Many were justified in rejecting me. But one sent me a letter saying "Afghanistan is now passe, write about Iraq". This was a very upsetting thing for me. This to me was the writing on the wall on how things went wrong in Afghanistan.

F.D: What are you working on now ?
Khaled Hosseini : I am presently working on a family based story of the tribulations, tensions of a family based in Afghanistan.

F.D : What do you think of the American presence in Afghanistan ?
Khaled Hosseini : I believe that Afghanistan is the most American friendly nation in the region. Not that the Afghans like the Americans to be there, but their leaving will create more tensions and in-fighting in the region and is harmful in the long-run. I believe that the people's lives have improved in the last few years and infrastructure is improving. One can hope that things get better over time.

F.D : Tell us a bit about the Khaled Hosseini Foundation
Khaled Hosseini : It is a foundation that works for providing shelter to homeless Afghanis. Millions of Afghanis live without a proper roof over their heads and thousands die every winter due to the cold and the cost of providing a shelter is minimal in the country. We are a funding agency and identify deserving NGO's working for shelter provision and provide funding.

Is American customer service in need of a overhaul ?

The single most critical factor which determines whether customers remain loyal is customer service. People tend to forget how expensive an object or service is, but dont forget how they felt when buying or using it, especially if there is a strong emotion attached : positive or negative.

My experiences in India, Dubai, Europe and now USA show that customer service in the developing economies seem to be better. Consider the fact that in India, which by every measure is a developing country , one can call a major firm ( Bank, Hospital, Real Estate firm) 24/7 and rest assured that there would be someone on the other side to answer the phone. Not so in the developed world. offices close at 5 pm. Getting service on weekends is out of question.

While flying an Airline, this fact becomes clear too. While airlines such as Emirates have just started operations a few years ago, they have clearly learnt the rules of the game early on and have emerged as one of the most competitive and well serviced airlines, other giants in the US and Europe are struggling with providing service and surviving in recessionary times.

So, is it time that the west learns a lesson or two in customer service from the 'lesser developed' countries ?. I think so. While success has made some of the giants complacent, lack of an understanding of people's changing expectations has kept some of the others where they were 10 years ago. It is time they change their approach or die. There arent too many alternatives unfortunately.

China says Ahlan !

China’s attempt to reach out to the Arab world

China announced the launch of its first Arab TV station focusing in reaching out to the Arab world. Based in Beijing, the new channel will broadcast news, entertainment and other programming and will be accessible in most parts of the world. How does one view this new development ? As a state owned machinery, this is clearly one tool of propaganda that the Chinese government has come up with. Will it be effective in quelling the voices of dissent coming out of Urumqi where the recent violence took several hundred lives ( the clashes and riots were sparked between the ethnic Uighuirs and the mainland Chinese who have been encouraged to settle in the region).

Will the people of Arab world trust such a state sponsored medium ? While there is deep suspicion about state owned media across the Middle East, this new outlet will just add another voice to the clutter in the region. As regards providing ‘ authentic’ information coming out of Beijing, it will at the most be seen as a PR stunt and is unlikely to succeed.

This may be compared to several attempts by the American government to set up media in Iraq and eventual failure due to lack of credibility.

Credibility is the watch-word in this scenario. Unless there is absolutely integrity and credibility in the message as well as the messenger, people are likely to remain skeptical. In today’s digital age integrity can be checked and double-checked in a matter of seconds. In such a scenario, the Chinese need to check their motives and intentions before embarking on the ambitious project of winning over the Arabs. But at least it is a positive sign in that there may be a good cultural exchange to the extent that the Arabs may learn a bit more about china through the horse’s mouth. So, to this extent at least this is a welcome move.

Ban on Al Jazeera in Palestine

The enigma called Al Jazeera is in news again. They are perhaps the most (in) famous media in the Middle East, having earned a reputation of sorts over the last few years. Incidentally I just finished reading a book by Hugh Miles called “ Al Jazeera – How Arab TV news challenged the world”. This fascinating account of the birth, growth and eventual proliferation of the network brings to light the various challenges that the Qatar based journalists have had to face .

The media landscape in the Middle East is fragmented with several key Arab and English media trying their best to get their share of voice on important issues. IN a market where speaking out openly against the ruling government ( usually a monarchy) is a luxury, Al Jazeera has stood up for its values and spoken out loud and clear. As a media house, it seems to be doing a good job – at least from my personal experience as a media professional in the region, all my experiences with them have been rather positive. Though I don’t watch TV – so have no direct access to their programming, their professionalism in chasing up a story and reporting on issues which are of vital importance comes across quite clearly.

The latest move by the Palestinian Authorities to ban Al Jazeera is a short-sighted move and smirks of the very same attitude that Israel uses to control media.

If the Middle Eastern countries aspire for leadership and openness they must also pay a price for what accompanies it – accountability as well as a free press. There cannot be progress and growth without debate, discussion and frank and honest exchange of ideas and information. If there is an attempt to hide it or curtail basic freedoms, this shows that those who talk about freedom and democracy are hollow.

The Palestinian leadership must be brave and let the channel investigate its own truth and contribute to the debates that are raging about the power struggles going on in the occupied lands. As long as there is debate and discussion, there is hope of the truth coming out. If people are forced or bullied into submission it is a sure sign that something is not right.

In another development, the Yemeni reporters of Al Jazeera received death threats from people claiming to be their well-wishers. The threats came as a result of the coverage that the station is giving to the protests going on in the country.

Public Policy and the crisis - some notes

Dubai School of Government hosted a half day conference on Public policy and the downturn yesterday. "Ok, so what?" you ask . The big deal about this conference is that it is one of the few conferences in UAE ( or rather Middle East), where there was OPEN and frank debate and also criticism of certain government reforms and policies of certain governments. The agenda was to identify the role of governments in managing the current global economic downturn and also leveraging it for success in the future.

There is a growing awareness in the Middle Eastern countries that one needs to create open platforms for debate and discussion, so there is at least a semblance of "democratic institutions", though many of them are working towards it. This forum was an attempt to foster this culture of discussion, debate and knowledge exchange.


Here are some notes from the speakers, some of them ministers and heads of national/ international bodies.

Nabil Al Yousef, Vice Chair, DSG, Member, Board of trustees :
The region is facing the economic crisis as other countries, All arab countries have been affected. Both oil and non-oil exporting countries. Both public policy reforms as well as others are being questioned in terms of upgrading the performance. In the light of these challenges how do we steer our resources in order to make use of them and make the best gains possible will determine our future.



Dr Zuhair M’dhaffar :, Minister delegate to the PM, Tunisia
I would like to focus on the Tunisian experience . Public policy needs a long-term vision of the future , and I think the financial crisis is a test for all countries since all countries have been affected, both rich and poor. All studies have concerned that growth will be slow in western countries. In recent visits to the head of the World bank, the institution said that most countries will be affected till 2010. 80% of the Tunisian exports are aimed at Europe, so naturally we have been hit hard too.

We have 3000 foreign companies in Tunisia. How did Tunisia deal with the crisis ?
From the very early beginnings of the crisis in 2007, the president of Tunisia has initiated an alert committee to monitor the crisis. End of 2008, they started to make suggestions and deal with the crisis in a more practical way. The decisions taken included : A financial management plan with – to aid the companies which are facing major companies to help them through the crisis. In the beginning of 2009, they passed a law to encourage companies to increase their exports and taking into consideration companies participation in social 25 Mn . Tunisian dinar fund was set up and decreasing VAT and parallel trade.
Structural adjustment changes have been taken too in the budget. The development budget has been increased by 20% and infrastructure – vehicle manufacture and power .

Dr Maher Al Mujtahed , Secretary General, Cabinet of Ministers, Syria
I am thankful to the Dubai govt. and I am pleased to be here as we are great friends of UAE. I will give some suggestions and ideas on how to deal with the crisis. As you know most governments are in the process of reforms in the recent past and this comes in line with so many changes we have seen in the last quarter of the 20th century due to geo-political and tech changes and emergence of new concepts of globalization and public-private partnerships as well as communication tech.
These changes have challenged us to make changes. There have been many negative issues due to globalization. We need to look for new ways of management and also upgrade of public performance. There are new concepts related to these challenges and one of them is good governance : the performance of public sector and how they can serve the community better. De-centralisation, simplification of procedures, transparency and public financial management and public-private partnerships and active role of NGOs’ and contributing to economic development. The concept of good governance is not new actually. Most countries are doing well in the Arab world. This requires us to integrate the past efforts .


Julian Hawkins, Senior Partner, Deloitte

Govts. Around the world face similar issues. Although each govt. has similar macro response and each will react uniquely.
I would also highlight this from a consultant’s perspective. Our guide “ Turning the tide” provides a perspective from our end. I believe there are a set of actions need to be taken. In either case , the critical issue is to manage change. I will focus on 3 actions :

1. Allying policy change with program and procedures : Provide real leadership when those developing public services. Eg. My personal work in working in immigration department. This gives confidence in the department as well as people
2. Make sure one is in control : Systems and procedures which work in normal times may not work well in turbuiletn times. The systems may change and need to be able to adapt. Eg. In our experience in dealing with payments – speedy
3. Take the hard decisions – It does require tough decisions to ensure that we do the right thing, not anything that will guarantee short-term gains.

World bank steps in to solve the crisis...some insights from the Lead Economist of World Bank, MENA Region

Dr Auguste Tano Kouamé Says Crisis Offers Opportunity to Revisit Policies and Map Out Inherent Competencies

Self-reliance, confidence in times of stress, and concerted planning and development by governments and the private sector are key points to be adhered to while riding out the current economic crisis, according to Dr. Auguste Tano Kouame, the World Bank's lead economist for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Dr Kouame’s remarks came today at a talk hosted by the Dubai School of Government on the impact of the financial crisis on Arab capital markets.

Addressing senior government officials and policy makers from the region, Dr. Kouame outlined a number of solutions to help the economies of the Middle East and North Africa region shield themselves from further impact. He also proposed action plans that can be adopted by the government and private sector to reduce the negative impacts of the crisis, calling for a good understanding of the potential weaknesses in the financial sector.

Dr. Kouame said: “The global financial crisis that started in the US came on the heels of very high food and fuel prices that were already impacting many developing countries. The financial crisis has now become an economic crisis. Many developed countries are already in recession, and every country in the world is being affected. While many countries in the MENA region were able to avoid a large impact from the first round of the crisis, other countries in the region experienced its impact in quite a significant wave, due to the fact that their financial systems are more integrated globally.

“Going forward, the second round of impact — on the real economy and people — is likely to be significant for all MENA countries. Countries throughout the region and their development partners can respond with policies and expenditure programs that mitigate the impact of the financial and economic crisis while building the foundations for future economic growth in a sustained and inclusive fashion.”

He pointed out that while Sovereign Wealth Funds and petrodollars from the oil and gas industries have shielded many Middle Eastern economies, the global meltdown will continue to challenge heads of state and administrators with fundamental economic issues such as employment and food supply.
Dr. Kouame added that the crisis is particularly crucial in its impact on ordinary people, especially those living below the poverty line, adding that the World Bank can use its capital to help small- and medium-scale enterprises in the developing economies through the usage of its financial assistance programs in partnership with the IMF

Hafed Al Ghwell, Director of External Affairs and Communication, Dubai School of Government, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Kouame here today whose views are highly regarded and will prove invaluable for us in the region. Key insights such as his are even more imperative at a time when the world is going through this very serious phase of economic re-structuring that challenges all our previous assumptions of economic development as well as growth models. We are confident Dr Kouame’s key recommendations will help policy makers and governments explore innovative solutions for paving the way to economic recovery in the short term. The credibility and depth of the knowledge base of the World Bank Group is an important tool for the region's policy makers now more than ever .

Slumdog Millioniare, Dubai Literature Festival and branding of countries

The 8 Oscars that Slumdog Millionaire won has made India proud. It is rare that an Indian film ( or one about India) receives so much attention as has Slumdog Millonaire. And rarer is the combination of artists who have come together to produce this award winning film. I believe the awards have brought more positive publicity than the so-called damage to it by portraying the slums in the film. The amount of positive word of mouth and publicity that the film has generated is unprecedented. It surely is a moment to celebrate.
This week in Dubai, something equally interesting is taking place. While the scale of the event is not so big, it definitely has grabbed global headlines. I am talking about the Dubai Literature Festival taking place at Festival city. While the literary festival is mired in controversy, ( Margaret Atwood’s withdrawl after an author was apparently banned from the festival) one cannot deny that it is an effort to help position Dubai as a hub of culture and art. Looking at this in perspective, one cannot deny that arts and culture have greater currency as branding elements than many other straightforward means. Culture seems to be the new weapon in the branding arsenal.
With the current global recession, most cities and countries are down playing the small successes they may have had or even toning down the ‘celebrations’ if any to keep in tune with the somber mood globally. This seems to have an impact on how branding is being seen. The loud, brash and arrogant tone is long gone. Companies, cities and countries which were ambitious, loud and domineering are seeing the logic in toning down their voice and are a bit subdued. The tone being adopted is a bit more mature, careful and measured. What impact has this had on the image of Dubai and other destinations ?
Abudhabi and Sharjah have also taken a stand of positioning the heritage, culture and arts – not only of the region; but are ambitious enough to get Guggenheim and Louvre to set up museums in Abudhabi.
Art is being imported in large measures. The objective ? Create an ambience and eco-system to encourage global talent to gather in an atmosphere where it can thrive. Also, encourage local talent to thrive. The end result would be the growth of a certain consciousness and atmosphere in which Art and culture can flourish .
Dubai in turn is being positioned as a destination which has more to offer than just world class business , conferencing and leisure facilities. It is being positioned as a mature place, something which has something for everyone. A destination which has an eco-system which encourages scholarship, thinking, living a quality life and much more than just a transit point that many people take it to be. Looking at the current events, discussions, one gets the impressions : It is a maturing city. There is more to Dubai than just glamour and show. In essence, there is more depth . The leadership of Dubai has realized that these positive attributes and ‘soft branding’ can be used to show the world that Dubai can be a ‘complete city’ , a mature city with its own distinct identity .

Will Saudi ever become a Dubai ?

After watching a few Youtube videos of Saudi women driving ( in the desert) last year, one could feel that the rebellion against certain archaic laws ( including not allowing women to drive) is coming out in the open. This week's overhaul of the leadership by King Abdulla is another positive sign in the right direction. King Abdulla is known to be a moderate leader, with a clear vision of integrating the Saudi society with the modern world.


In several discussions that i have had with people who live in Saudi, the resentment comes out quite clearly. The population clearly wants change and with such close contact with the western world, and the internet and proiliferation of technology and travel; the people are demanding more individual freedom and freedom of speech. While the over-all structure of Saudi society will not change overnight, at least the signals coming out now are encouraging. It shows a departure from the old ways and an approach which seems to be challenging the assumptions of certain laws which are restrictive and considered repressive.It must be remembered that King Abdulla also recently organised an inter-faith dialogue, met the Pope and also has been a leading voice in trying to solve the Palestine issue. He is seen as a moderate leader with a broad vision of integrating the best aspects of all cultures and religions.

A TNS survey conducted early last year called 'Shabab tek', sought to unravel what is going on in the minds of young Saudi nationals. This ethnographic study followed the lives of 'future shapers', youth who are likely to influence other youth and set trends. The research threw up some very interesting insights, some of which included the youth's need to express themeselves. The growing use of blogs, mobile devices and other means to connect with others, to rebel if needed and make their voice heard points to this growing trend. Riyadh also has the only graffiti park in Saudi Arabia and this was a point made to illustrate the growing need for youth to express their thoughts and concerns to the establishment and also make their voice heard.

In the latest move, the power of the moral police has been curtailed. This is also a welcome move, considering that even according to strict islamic interpretation, there cannot be force in religion. One cannot be forced to do an act of worship, let alone be punished for it. By reducing the power of the moral police considerably, King Abdulla has done the right thing. Morals cannot be taught by police, at best they can safeguard the rights of people and ensure that the law is not broken.


All of this brings us to the next question : Will Saudi ever become as liberal and free as Dubai ? I dont think that is possible in the near future and highly unlikely that the extent of individual freedom will ever become as much as in the UAE and Dubai in particular. Saudi is Saudi because it houses the holiest sites for Muslims. Mecca and Medina are cities of not only religious and spiritual importance, but are also significant historically. The entire history of early Islam is tied to these cities and the authorities believe that by 'opening' up the country to foreign influences and culture, the very brand of Saudi will be diluted. They are partly right in thinking so. At least from a branding and positioning perspecitive, one can understand that if Saudi becomes a Dubai, then what impact would that have on Islam ?

Saudi Arabia today is in a formidable position, both economically and morally. It has the goodwill of all leading Arab nations ( except Iran) and also USA. It has the moral standing to mediate in disputes, offer solutions to the world's problems and also be a beacon of hope for those financially distressed ( either in terms of Aid to suffering victims or even bailing out firms with its Petro dollars). It is about time that the society reflects this by modifying certain archaic laws and ensuring that freedom and individual liberty are given in areas where there is no conflict and which will ensure that people from the rest of the world feel safe and secure while travelling/ living in KSA.

Protecting reputation in times of crises

During times of crises, brand protection becomes the top priority. Brand promotion usually takes a back-seat. What do you do when your client is mobbed by a group of curious, over-curious or angry journalists just after a press conference ? And how do you deal with them especially if your client has just fired 500 employees ?

How do you deal with rumours of a company closing down ? Do you bury your head in the sand and hope that they go away ( as most people do ), or would you go out boldly and tell them what you can tell them ? ( without damaging stake-holder value) ? How much do you speak and what do you tell those who are asking questions ? What implications do your words, actions have on your clients reputation and how do you advise your client to behave ?

These are some of the crucial questions that every PR professional must ask himself/ herself when dealing with a crisis.

The current economic downturn is a blessing in disguise, as it is a living laboratory of all kinds of scenarios. Job losses, loss of confidence, project cancellations, scandals, firings, all of these are plentiful in every industry across the world. As brand stewards, one is required to protect the brand ( and the people behind the brand).

Some tips for handling the process well :

1) Have a strategy in place . Be clear about the direction that the company ( your client) will respond to the dynamic conditions in the market
2) Discuss honestly with the top management what one is allowed to say and what one is not. There can be embargo on communication from the company and the PR agency if needed. It is better to keep one's mouth shut than blurt out something which may damage a reputation
3) Keep channels of communication open. Nothing hurts than the journalists calling you up and complaning that they are facing a brick-wall. It is better to receive calls / emails and respond saying that there is an embargo on communication rather than not speak at all
4) Play out worse case scenarios in mind and prepare responses. Brief client/ others in the communications team on the possible scenarios
5) Never exaggerate. This can be the worse crime in a crisis. If the whole market is doing badly and if your client is doing OK, it is better to be cautious and play down the success rather than beat one's drum . This will be seen as being pompous and ostentatious. Qualities the media will not forgive you for. Unless you are Muhammad Ali !

The over-arching rule is to be prepared and be seen as prepared. Protection of reputation is in itself a huge task and very challenging and requires creativity and composure. Following these simple rules may help ease the process for any company trying to deal with difficult times.

Iran's satellite launch, refusal of Visas to americans and the western world's reaction

This week Iran made news. And news for all the wrong reasons. On February 3, the media across the world reported the launch of a home-made satellite by Iran. According to BBC, "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the launch had been successful and that with it Iran had "officially achieved a presence in space". The satellite, carried on a Safir-2 rocket, was meant for telecommunication and research purposes, state TV said. A US state department official said the launch was of "great concern" and could lead to ballistic missile development. Iran insists its intent is peaceful".

The biggest concern is that Iran will use this technology to deliver arms and it will not be used for 'peaceful' purposes as Iran claims. The usual back and forth about the western double standards went on between the foreign ministers of UK, US, Iran.

The newspapers today carried news of Iran's refusal of visas to the USA women's badminton team. The reason given for it is that their papers were not submitted on time. The head of the delegation said that the papers were submitted on time, but they were not granted visas anyway.

While the concern that Iran may deploy the technology to intimidate others and non-peaceful purposes is genuine, the coverage of the issue was slightly skewed. While President Ahmadinejad seems to have a sense of theatrical performance, timing the launch with the anniversary of the Iranian revolution; what cannot be denied is that the media tend to cover issues related to Iran with a lot of bias and pre-judgment.

The Iranian revolution which de-throned the Shah, the Iran nuclear program, refusal of visas to westerners tend to take on larger than life proportions. The media tends to focus on Iran as the 'other', an evil force that needs to be closely monitored and scrutinised.

Why doesnt the media carry stories of the thousands and thousands of Iranians who are denied US visas ? Why this lop-sided perversion of reality? There is a deliberate attempt to paint certain countries in a certain light and this bias seems almost unconscious. The same propaganda happened with Saddam Hussein before Iraq was bombed out of existence. The media seems to have all but forgotten about the Nuclear program and WMDs' that Saddam had after the western leaders acknowledged that it was a big fat lie.

Fair, honest reporting demands that each issue be examined closely before reaching any conclusion and definitely demands that opinion be kept out from facts. There seems to be an easy blending of both facts, opinion when it comes to reporting on Iran. The same holds true for any country that has challenged the US hegemony. One is reminded of Edward Said 's "Covering Islam", which brilliantly captures the trends in reporting on Islam and muslim countries.


While it is a fact that Iran is still on the list of suspect countries which is developing a nuclear program, it should not deter the media and responsible spokespersons from reporting accurately and stop interspersing the facts with their own per-conceived notions ( which are usually handed down ) either from the establishment they work for, or their superiors.

I hope that the global media start seeing this pattern of their own mistakes and correct themselves to the extent of merging facts with fiction.

Do ethics have a place in Technological adoption ?

A few days back, I heard Jonathan Murray, Worldwide Technology Officer, Microsoft Corporation, who gave a lecture titled " Tech. society and the new society transformation", at Dubai School of Government ( www.dsg.ae). He spoke at length about the way the world is shaping up and how technological changes are transforming human effort.

Personally, i was reminded of my days at Engineering school, and Industrial Engineering lectures in particular, where we lived and breathed work measurement and efficiency.

The lecture focused largely on how our society has transformed from a labour intensive one to a service one in the last 200 years. Post industrial revolution society has struggled with the questions posed by replacement of human effort by machines. We continue to debate these issue even today, with recession, job lay-offs and the slowing down of economies world-wide.

Some of the major trends in technology transformation around us include increase in storage capacity, doubling of processing speeds as well as reduction in power usage of processors. These are having a big impact on the way the service industry is shaping up.


The moral and ethical components of this transformation which will lead to wider distributed storage platforms including 'cloud platforms' include issues of liability and responsibility. for example, if a person meets with an accident caused by a faulty processor in the Car, is it the fault of the driver or the chip ?

The real challenge for policy makers will be to take cultural and social context and decide where do you want to intersect . Eg. Reasons why u can’t access flickr in a society as free as Dubai ?

What are the moral implications??? If policy makers create the right environment, then the implications can bring more people into the chain of greater wealth creation. These would create social systems which will be healthy, and create high value for all the people involved.

Being 'plugged in'

Working as a media professional can have its own unique challenges and opportunities. One of the most exciting aspects of being a PR professional to me personally is being in touch with the latest developments taking place, socially, politically and financially.

I can recount several incidents in the recent past when I have had access to 'priviliged' information simply because of the circles that i am connected to. Journalists, writers, business leaders are some people we interact with on a daily basis. Our daily feed consists of consuming over 5 newspapers on a regular basis, writing articles, press releases, opinion pieces and much more arguing, persuasing, selling ideas, shaping opinion.

As an employee of a semi-government PR agency, i do feel happy that we are so close to the 'centres of power'. proximity to the government in the Middle East also means access to invaluable information, contacts which can give one a deep insight into the way the city or generally the country is developing.

How does one make use of this access ? What are the responsibilities that come with having so much information at one's disposal ? How does one NOT mis-use it ?

Information is power in today's society. One can always use this information to gain an edge over others, professionally or personally. If done within the bounds of ethics and a moral framework, it is ok. But if done unscrupulously and with a malicious intent, this can be the worst abuse of information and access.

These are some issues that one needs to think through.

Max clifford interview - The Observor

This much I know

Max Clifford, publicist, 59, LondonGeraldine Bedell
The Observer, Sunday 9 February 2003 Article historyI cost at least
£10,000 a month. Many of my clients are paying a lot more.



I started working for myself 32 years ago, when I was 27. I'd been at
EMI before that, where I'd helped to launch the Beatles. People
thought, 'He must be good: look at the people he's worked with.' My
part in their success was totally nonexistent, but their part in my
success was huge.

Most of what I do is not getting things in the media, it's keeping
things out. The bigger the star, company or organisation, the less
important promotion becomes, and the more important protection.

Is it legitimate to embroider? Yes, all the time. Freddie Starr ate my
hamster, David Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer... I've always had a
very creative imagination and that's an important part of what I do.

I admire very few stars. I would say that Paul Newman and Muhammad Ali
have come to terms with their celebrity and see it for what it is.
But, on the whole, I basically feel quite sorry for them.

What stories am I proud of? I love to believe, rightly or wrongly,
that I played a little part in bringing down the Conservative
government.

My daughter Louise has had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She was in
hospital on and off for 15 years. She's had hips replaced, knees
replaced, a rod put down her spine, a rib taken out, sleeping with
traction on her legs. Over that time I watched the National Health
Service, one of our proudest achievements, being destroyed. It hasn't
been put right yet, but it takes a long time to revive something
that's virtually dead.

I've heard all kinds of bad things I'm meant to have done, but as long
as the people I love - my wife, my daughter - know the truth, I'm
happy. I don't want to look at myself in the mirror and feel ashamed.

When I took on Mandy Allwood, I believed the only chance she and the
babies had was to stay out of the media spotlight. The spotlight was
going to be there whether I was involved or not. So the medical fees
were picked up by News International and they were given a place out
of the way, poachers being the best gamekeepers and all that. But as I
found out more and more about her partner Paul Hudson... knowing what
I know now, I wouldn't have got involved.

I don't know if something inherent in celebrity makes people
self-destruct, but it's something you often find.

I've never approached a client. I won't pitch for business. It comes to me.

Where I am incredibly creative is with the image of stars. They may be
seen to have women falling at their feet when I know they're gay.

Some of my best friends are madams. With major stars, if there's a
party, I control the party - nothing comes out.

I find it fascinating that we're so obsessed with sex. We're very
puritanical. But that's wonderful for me. Oddly, even the French are
interested in our scandals, though they're not interested in their
own.

The tabloids are a much nastier world than they were. Everyone's
jockeying for everyone else's job and they've got no power because
there are no unions any more, so they're more and more insecure - if
they don't do the story, someone else will.

I like it that I can get justice for people. Gary Glitter wasn't a
satisfactory legal verdict, but he can't go anywhere in the world now
without people being aware of him. That's a result as far as I'm
concerned.

I'm not happy about the grief that Mrs Mellor would have gone through,
but with no disrespect, I think that's down to David rather than Max
Clifford. The affair was out before I got involved.

Some of the nicest, kindest people I've ever known are always at it
with other people.

Money is important to me. Flying isn't that straightforward for us, so
we fly first class, and I drive a Bentley. Louise would have to be
lifted in and out of a car that was lower. But I give a lot of money
away.

If you asked my wife Liz who I look after, she'd have trouble telling
you. She's not very interested at all. She finds the entertainment
world full of very empty shallow people, which is not far wrong.

I love the mischief of it all. There's a little old lady I see every
week called Marjorie. I have a cup of tea with her before I play
tennis and I always give her a few juicy stories. And if there isn't
anything, I make it up.