Dec 06, 1999

SEMINAR ON MARKETING CHALLENGES OF 21st CENTURY

A seminar on "Marketing Challenges of the 21st Century" was held at Asian Management Institute/Iqra University on Saturday, 20th November, 1999. All students of Business Management in Masters Programme and those at Bachelors level having majors in Marketing participated.

Speakers drawn from leading Business Houses and Industrial Groups addressed the Seminar. Prominent among them were Mr. Hyder Karar, CEO Biogenesis, Mr Ozair A. Hanafi, Founder President, Sunrise Direct, Mr. Ejaz Wasay, Executive Director, Orient McCANN Erickson, Mohammad Ahmad Mannan, Director Marketing, Sales and Distribution, CITIBANK N.A., Mr. Shah Saad Hussain, Director Marketing, Indus Motors Co. Ltd.

The focus was drawn on the video mobile and DM shots as the new tools/medias for delivery of the message and technology oriented advertisements to change the consumer perception to advancement Mr. Mannan, however, insisted that the human touch shall always be: an ingredient of any marketing plan and the focus should always remain on 'YOU'

Dr. Syed Qadeer Ahmad, Director and Dean presented plaques to the distinguished speakers at the end of the seminar.

UBL SETTING NEW STANDARDS

United Bank Ltd as part of its turn around phenomenon has shown signs of stability and growth in its Corporate Banking Group (CBG). This is shown in a report on Corporate Banking Group recently issued by UBL.

According to the figures, fund based corporate lending grew at the rate of 130% in the present year till September. UBL report presents a diversified portfolio of clients from various sectors comprising of 213 industries. Among them the majority is from the Energy and Natural Resources Sector, which constitutes 36.74% of the total, while Textile and related industries with a share of 30.29% constitutes the second big part of UBLs' corporate client portfolio. Ranging from 4% to 7% of the total fund allocation are; Transport, Leather & Jute, Retail & services, Chemical & Pharmaceutical and Real Estate.

CBG at UBL has also been involved in a number of new initiatives. It arranged syndicate financing for WAPDA, ICI, PARCO & Nighat Mills etc.. The group has helped UBL to increase its market share in Cotton & Rice Process financing through focused products, while this year it is expected to make inroads in Rice Exports. UBL is one of the major players in some innovative & well structured deals like PIA & KESC.

ICP: Declaration of final dividend

We are pleased to in form you that the Board of Directors of Investment Corporation of Pakistan in its meeting held on 25th November, 1999 has declared Final Dividend on the undernoted Mutual Funds for the financial year ended on 30th June, 1999 at rates mentioned there against:-

01st ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

02nd ICP Mutual Fund — 10 %

03rd ICP Mutual Fund — 15 %

04th ICP Mutual Fund — 20 %

05th ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

06th ICP Mutual Fund — 20 %

07th ICP Mutual Fund — 10 %

08th ICP Mutual Fund — 35 %

09th ICP Mutual Fund — 50 %

10th ICP Mutual Fund — 10 %

11th ICP Mutual Fund — 15 %

12th ICP Mutual Fund — 15 %

13th ICP Mutual Fund — 25 %

14th ICP Mutual Fund — 10 %

15th ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

16th ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

17th ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

18th ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

19th ICP Mutual Fund — 10 %

20th ICP Mutual Fund — 10 %

21st ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

22nd ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

23rd ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

24th ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

25th ICP Mutual Fund — NIL %

SEMF Series "A" — 18%

ABN AMRO Bank and ASKARI BANK create the first shared ATM Network in Pakistan

At a Press Conference held on Friday, November 12th, ABN AMRO Bank and ASKARI COMMERCIAL BANK LTD., announced the launch of Pakistan's first shared ATM network.

This joint ATM network consists of 23 machines at 18 convenient locations and enables customers of both batiks to access ABN AMRO ATMs as well as ASKARI BANK' s ATMs throughout the country. For the first time in Pakistan, two leading banks have formed an alliance to provide their customers with a value-added and innovative solution.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Muhammad Aurangzeb, Country Manager, ABN AMRO Bank, Pakistan, said, ". . .customers of both our banks will have unprecedented access to their banking relationships, experiencing the exceptionally high levels of service and commitment to the development of IT that they have come to expect from both ABN AMRO Bank and ASKARI BANK".

In summary, Mr Kalim-ur-Rehman, President of ASKARI COMMERCIAL BANK LTD., said, "As we enter the new century, technology is the name of the game for the financial services industry the world over. Our ATM network is the first step in this direction and going forward, will serve as the foundation for the first truly national shared ATM network in Pakistan".

In Pakistan since 1948, ABN AMRO Bank has grown in recent years, establishing itself not just as a corporate bank, but a customer-focused and dynamic consumer bank. It is the only bank to have made long term commitments in Pakistan which are reflected in the construction and ownership of its bank premises in Karachi and Lahore, and the expansion of its network to a total of five branches in Pakistan. In addition, ABN AMRO Bank has set up the largest software house in the country, at Lahore.

ASKARI BANK is the largest private sector bank in Pakistan, and has made outstanding progress since its inception in 1992. The bank has won EUROMONEY, ASIAMONEY and SAFA awards which serve as an international recognition of the bank's superior performance. The bank currently has 28 branches in all major financial and commercial cities of Pakistan and employs about 1,000 people from diverse backgrounds. ASKARI BANK is focusing on improving its accessibility and service quality supported by state-of-the-art technology, to meet the challenges of the new millennium.

ARAB architects ask if environments will change society

Dialogue about where the past and the future must meet

Are architects building what their societties want? Do societies want what their architects build? As their societies change, those who build and design in the Middle East-are questioningwhether they are creating the environmennts those coieties want.

Planners, architects and educators from across the Middle East who design challenged each other over a 3-day symposium organized by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, in collaboration with the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Lebanese Order of Engineers and Architects, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Lebanon.

From Egypt to Iraq, Syria to Yemen, the burning issues facing planners and architects reflect crises faced by societies in each of these countries. Whether buildings and spaces are designed and built to respond to the needs of their ppulations. Whether cities are planned to take account of human aspirations. How will an architect or planner in Amman know what is happening in Doha or Damascus or Cairo? Whether what is being built submerges traditional forms and cultural identity under an imported modernism. Is globalisation overwhelming local cultures or are outside influences being assimilated as part of a natural evolution of cultural identity?