Nov 19 - 25, 2001

PSO conducts advanced POL course for armed forces officers

The 33rd advanced POL course for Pakistan armed forces officers, arranged by the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), has commenced at the PSO House, Karachi. The course will run till November 23.

Of the 18 armed forces officers attending the course, 13 are from the army and the rest of them from the Pakistan Air Force.

Addressing the participants, the Managing Director of PSO, Mr Tariq Kirmani, said that there was a declining trend in the consumption of key petroleum products in the country. He said to improve its market share, PSO had taken several steps, which were giving results.

The participants of the course are being briefed on world energy outlook and energy scenario in Pakistan. They will also be informed about the PSO, its operations and the New Vision Programme. The principle of lubrication, bulk depot operations, maintenance and operation of installations, movement and measurement of POL products, health safety and CNG are some of the other topics the participants of the course will be briefed on.

Visits of PSO installations at Keamari, the lube blending plant at Korangi and the company's aviation facilities at the Karachi Airport are part of the training.

Sheraton's Gourmet Shop Make Its First Home Delivery

The Gourmet Shop at the Karachi Sheraton, the preferred deli in the city due to vast varieties of freshly prepared and imported offerings, made its first home delivery recently to Mrs. Ikram, a resident of Defence Housing Authority.

The Karachi Sheraton Hotel & Towers highly exclusive Gourmet Shop recently introduced the home delivery service for its regular patrons for the mouthwatering selection of homemade specialties and imported luxury food available there. These delicacies are delivered right to ones doorstep for one to enjoy them in the comfort of their homes and within half-hour of their heart's desire.

Preston achieves yet another milestone

Preston Institute of Management Science and Technology (PIMSAT), a vital component of the Preston University network in Pakistan, has achieved yet another very important milestone in its eighteen years of existence. It has moved to its own custom-built campus located in sector H-8, Islamabad. More than six hundred students who, prior to the move, were studying in rented premises shifted to the new campus along with their new colleagues recently.

The Chairman and Rector Preston Institute of Management, Science and Technology (PIMSAT), Dr. Abdul Basit said Preston has ultimately attained one of its long-cherished aspirations to have a campus of its own. Tremendous effort has gone into building the new campus, and it is considered pertinent to mention that the staff, faculty and the students of Preston all deserve to be commended on this remarkable achievement he said. Highlighting the facilities at the new campus, Dr. Basit said it houses thirteen spacious and well-furnished classrooms, a large seminar room, three modern computer labs, and a big and well-documented library consisting of thousands of latest text and reference books, for the benefit of the students and faculty of the institution.

Preston spokesman, M Fazal Elahi said the new campus is a symbol of dedication and eighteen long years of service of Preston towards the cause of higher education in Pakistan. Regarding the Institute's upcoming Winter Quarter 2002 admissions, Preston spokesman said admissions to the Executive MBA and Executive MS Programs are scheduled to commence from November 8, 2001. About eligibility, he said those employed with the corporate sector and other organizations, and hold a Bachelors Degree and minimum two years professional experience are eligible to apply in the Executive Masters Programs. He further said that the deadline set forth for submission of applications and registration in the EMBA & EMS Programs is November 26 and December 3, 2001 respectively The classes, he said, are scheduled to begin from December 10, 2001.

IBA guest speaker session

A guest speaker session was organized at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi to inform the students about the IT training programs. Mr. Furqan Qureshi was invited as the guest speaker who has worked with IBM and Citibank at different managerial positions. Currently he is heading an IT services company called Asia Pacific Information Management Services (ASPIMS) as General Manager. He hold vast experience in the field of IT consultancy and e-Business. He also holds and MBA from IBA.

Mr. Furqan presented on the current perception and values of getting workers exposed to the IT revolution. He discussed that though the perception prevails among the top hierarchy that IT skills are not a pre-requisite for doing business today, IT skills have become absolutely indispensable for the effective working of an organization. He stressed upon the imperative nature of IT skills to sustain in the today's competitive environment and concluded that training the people not only add to the value of organization but also increase the productivity of employees.

Talking about the misconceptions that have been adhering to the IT training, he elaborated that IT is no more an enabler. He also strongly contradicted the idea that managers need not to acquire IT skill for higher success. This he explained would further expand the gap that exists between the computer techies and managers.

He gave a brief elaboration on why IT is one of the fundamentals of today's Strategic Management. He stressed upon the Management side of IT and the demand for managers that could exploit the technology factor to its fullest to maximize the potential of the origination.

He also shared with the students of Center for Computer Studies at IBA his personal research related to training of Government employees with the core tech-skills. Talking about the plight of IT level at the senior management, he expresses his discontentment and suggested that such skills would not only substantially improve the decision making process but also remarkably help in accomplishment of the targets of the organization.

Concluding his presentation, he urged the students to explore whether the origination they are joining has an established Human Resource Department to enhance their skills and to inform you about the latest happenings in the ever-changing world technology and management.

CSP sponsor software competition for children

In a move to encourage under-17 children to participate in national and international software competitions in the future, the Computer Society of Pakistan (CSP) recently concluded a software development competition in C++ within all major cities of Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.

Three student masterminds have been selected for their contributions and will be travelling to Auckland, New Zealand, in the last week of November along with a chaperon to compete in a more high profile contest. The competition will see Pakistani students competing with the best from across Asia including Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Intel's Low-Power server products

Intel Corporation announced a new series of products for the emerging category of low-power, space-saving "ultra dense" servers.

The products include the Ultra Low Voltage Pentium® III processor at 700 MHz, which runs at a server-industry-low of 1.1 volts, includes 512 KB of on-chip cache memory and delivers the highest performance in its class*. In addition, the complementary Intel® 440GX chipset delivers server-specific reliability and performance features such as error correcting code and large memory support of up to two gigabytes.

Entrepreneurial opportunities

The inaugural batch of BCS (Hons ) at BA, arranged a guest speaker session. Mr. Aziz Memon, Chairman Kings Group and the Honorary Consul General, Republic of Surinam delivered an enlightening speech on the occasion. He spoke on the topic of entrepreneurship and highlighted the importance of risk taking ability as an essential skill to be possessed by budding entrepreneurs, and the need for R & D before venturing into business.

The second part of his presentation focused on the entrepreneurial opportunities in the textile industry of Pakistan and the efforts being made by the private sector to achieve the $14 billion export target by the year 2005. He said Pakistan at present is only exporting $1.9 million worth apparel which is 5 times less than that of Indonesia despite the fact that it being a non-cotton producing country.

On response to a question he emphasized the importance of the contribution made by small and medium sized enterprises and that the government needs to take steps to built the basic infrastructure by providing proper research and development facilities. He also said that the government needs to form R & D task forces for small enterprises with the prime purpose of ensuring productive market research and quality product development.

On response to another question he explained how IT could play a major role in this labor-intensive textile sector. He also talked about the efforts made by his business community in providing free training to deserving individuals. He himself being the President Pakistan — Japan Business Forum, has initiated this program by sending a batch of select individuals for advanced technical training, to Osaka Japan.

He concluded his speech by saying that entrepreneurs should always keep themselves abreast of changing business trends, early adoption to which would help counter competitor strategies, and to grab every opportunity that comes by.

Earlier Adeel Ali Esbhani, a student of BCS in his introductory speech highlighted Mr. Memon's business achievements, his various social engagements and his participation at recent international forums. Dr. Saeed Ghani, Chairman Department of CS & MIS IBA, also graced the event with his presence.

MCB gift chequues launched

Muslim Commercial Bank Limited Rupee Traveller Cheques once again established their market leadership, by launching the MCB Gift Cheque. Muslim Commercial Bank Limited, which was the first Bank to introduce, the MCB RTC has now extended their product line by offering the MCB Gift Cheque, the first issue purchased by Mr. Aqif Shaikh a valued customer of MCB Tariq Road Branch at Karachi. Mr. Mohammad Aftab Manzoor, President MCB presented the MCB Gift Cheque to Mr. Aqif Shaikh. At the Inaugural Ceremony present among other valued customers and members of MCB team were Mr. Fida Ali Sabz Ali, Overseeing Executive of Rupee Travellers Cheques Business, Mr. Malik Abdul Waheed, Head of Audit Group, Mr. Aarij Ali, Head of Consumer.

MCB Gift Cheque is available in Rs.500/- denomination. It is an ideal gift for any occasion including Eid, birthdays, weddings, graduations, corporate reward program, Christmas and New-year.

Elegant and presentable packaging in gold and silver envelopes alongwith safety features of RTC and refundable in case of loss are some of the key features of the product making it a perfect gift for all occasions.

MCB is the largest Private Bank in Pakistan and operates the biggest ATM net work in the country with ATM's at over 90 locations with over 150 on lines branches in 14 cities across the country and also market leader in MCB Rupee Traveller Cheques Business.