ALJ
ALJ has been honored with the Gallup Great Workplace Award 2008. The awards, which were announced in Washington on Thursday, recognizes the best-performing workplaces in the world and are based on the most rigorous workplace research ever conducted. A panel of workplace experts, who compared each company’s results to those of thousands of work teams all over the world using Gallup’s massive database, evaluated companies considered for this award. ALJ is among the winners because its results demonstrate that the company has one of the most productive and engaged workforces in the world. ALJ shares this award with 19 other elite companies from around the world, some of whom belong to the Fortune’s “100 best companies” list. “When compared to the millions of workgroups we have studied around the world, these organizations have worked tirelessly to create an environment that values people”, said Tom Rath, who leads Gallup’s Workplace and Leadership Consulting practice. ALJ President Mohammed Jameel said: “We are proud to have won this prestigious award. Our associates are the people who have made ALJ a great place to work.”
Allianz
Allianz Saudi Fransi (Allianz SF), a joint venture between German-based Allianz and Banque Saudi Fransi, was granted its operating license yesterday by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) to offer cooperative insurance in the Kingdom. “We are delighted to receive this license as we see the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be among the markets which show the highest potential for life and non-life insurances. This enables us to set the course for growth and we are pleased to line up with our strategic partner Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF),” Dr. Werner Zedelius, member of the board of management of Allianz SE, said. According to Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, nine insurance companies in the Kingdom were operational as of September of last year with 11 companies having received approval by the Saudi Council of Ministers and are awaiting final authorization. In addition SAMA is currently receiving 14 applications of other insurance companies interested in entering the growing insurance market.
Starbucks
Starbucks Middle East launched its latest Black Apron Exclusive (BAE), Colombia Narino El Tambo, and the 17th in this line of rare gourmet coffees in Jeddah yesterday. The new coffee, which is being introduced across the region, has been selected by Starbucks because of its rich flavor and the environmentally friendly way in which it is cultivated, Colombia Narino El Tambo is grown in the rich volcanic soil outside of the town of El Tambo, near the upper slopes of Colombia’s Volaan Galeras. Eighty percent of the coffee from El Tambo is shade-grown, which protects tropical forests, the habitat of migratory birds and other wildlife. El Tambo growers do not use chemical fertilizers, contributing to a healthy environment and clean ground water. “Starbucks has long promoted environmental and social welfare in coffee-producing regions, maintaining a responsible and careful selection process,” said Antoun Abou Jaoude, marketing manager, Starbucks Middle East & Egypt. “In addition to selecting coffees cultivated using environmentally friendly practices, we have established a community-development endowment of $15,000 wherever a black apron exclusive (BAE) coffee is grown to help bring stability to the region and improve the livelihoods of area coffee farmers so they can continue to run their family farms,” he added.
Al-Sorayai
Al-Sorayai Trading Industrial Group, one of the Middle East’s largest carpet manufacturers and exporters, said yesterday that it has provided many major campuses in China with its Saudi made carpets and rugs. Al-Sorayai group thus claims to be the first national company exporting products to one of the most developed industrial countries worldwide. Some of these campuses are represented at the main lounges and VIP auditoriums of the stadiums hosting Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, in addition to international airports and luxurious distinguished international hotels receiving global delegations participating in Olympics, Saleh Al-Sorayai, managing director and CEO of Al-Sorayai group, said.
Dow Chemical
Corporate Responsibility Officer (CRO) Magazine has named the Dow Chemical Company one of America’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens” of 2008. This is the first time in the Awards’ nine-year history that Dow has made the list, securing a place in the top 15 and ranking ahead of all other chemical companies. “This is a remarkable achievement,” said Andrew Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer. “To be recognized as one of the leading corporate citizens in the US is a tribute to every one of our 46,000 people - our Human Element - and speaks volumes to the progress we have made towards our vision of being the largest, most profitable, most respected chemical company in the world.” To compile the list, CRO commissioned IW Financial, the US’ major consultancy in environment, social and governance ratings, to assess more than 1,000 U.S.-headquartered companies against eight dimensions of corporate citizenship. For each of the categories — climate change, employee relations, environment, financial, governance, human rights, lobbying and philanthropy — companies were evaluated using a variety of sources and assigned a score to reflect their performance. The final rankings were determined using a weighted average of the eight categories.