Latest news with #Entrepreneurship
Times of Oman
14 hours ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Dhofar Governorate to host exhibition supporting SMEs
Dhofar: Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), represented by the SMEs Committee, will organise the "Tamkeen and Sumou" (Empowerment and Elevation) exhibition on 5 August in Dhofar Governorate. The exhibition will feature the participation of over 60 SMEs from various sectors. The participating sectors in the exhibition include tourism, retail, restaurants, and handicrafts. This aligns with the Chamber's directives aimed at expanding economic diversification and empowering SMEs for growth and expansion. The exhibition seeks to promote these enterprises' products, enhance their competitiveness in local markets, and provide opportunities for building commercial relationships with private sector entities. The exhibition will include specialised sections, notably the Entrepreneurs' Corner, Innovation Corner, Handicraft and Manual Workshops Corner, and the Young Entrepreneur Corner, which showcases children's talents and products. The exhibition will also feature the "Sohar International Competition," aiming to enhance display quality, highlight product identity, and encourage entrepreneurs towards excellence and creativity. The exhibition serves as a significant platform for promoting entrepreneurship in Oman and stimulating innovation and economic diversification across different governorates. This falls within the Chamber's efforts to support the private sector and empower Omani entrepreneurs.
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
70 ITIs in Maharashtra to teach Solar Technician and EV Mechanic courses: Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha
The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has approved the introduction of two new courses–Solar Technician (Electric) and EV Mechanic (Electric Vehicle)–in 70 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Maharashtra, Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha announced on Wednesday. The ministry's Directorate-General of Training has also approved a plan to establish a Government Advanced ITI at Chembur, Mumbai, for the empowerment and uplift of Scheduled Caste and Neo-Buddhist communities, the minister said in a statement. This institution will offer courses like Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Technician, Electrician, Wireman, IoT Technician (Smart City), and Electric Mechanic starting from the academic year 2025-26. Lodha said the modern curriculum updates in line with changing times would enhance employment opportunities and revolutionise ITI education in the state. The 70 selected government-run ITIs will teach the two new courses now, Lodha said, adding that further approvals would be given to institutions that request them. Lodha said the state government was focusing on environmentally sustainable initiatives. He added that given the growing demand for solar energy-related technologies, skilled technicians were increasingly needed in the field. Senior scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar and MITRA CEO Praveen Pardeshi provided valuable guidance and recommendations for updating ITI curricula, according to the government statement. Lodha emphasised that the goal of the skill development department is to provide students with education that is aligned with industry demands and to generate a highly skilled workforce. According to the statement, the Government is trying to upgrade 36 district-level ITIs across the state in collaboration with private industries. These collaborations aim to enhance training quality and infrastructure, create more employment opportunities annually, and align new skill-based courses with the National Education Policy. The focus remains on launching in-demand, industry-relevant courses, and expanding opportunities for employment through skill exhibitions and career guidance camps, according to the statement.
Forbes
22-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Make Your First Two Seconds Count
Speaker at Business Conference with Public Presentations. Audience at the conference hall. ... More Entrepreneurship club. Malcolm Gladwell spent 288 pages of his international bestseller Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking discussing what he calls 'those first two seconds' of how people make snap judgments based on first impressions—validating the maxim, 'First impressions last.' Unfortunately, what most presenters do in those first two seconds creates a negative impression. Presenters, like all human beings under stress, experience a jolt of adrenaline. Those first two seconds are stressful to even the most experienced presenters, including yours truly, even after a decades-long career as a coach. This adrenaline rush is also known as 'The Fight or Flight Reaction,' a series of innate involuntary physical responses that enable an organism to manage stress. One of those responses is for the eyes to scan the immediate area for signs of danger. In prehistoric terms, the eyes are driven to become hyperalert to a potential attack by saber-toothed tiger. In a presentation, that scan is perceived by any audience as shifty-eyed. Would you or anyone do business with someone you perceive as shifty-eyed? This prejudicial judgement is imprinted in all human beings at birth. A team of British and Italian scientists conducted a study of newborns that concluded, 'human infants prefer to look at faces that engage them in mutual gaze and that, from an early age, healthy babies show enhanced neural processing of direct gaze. The exceptionally early sensitivity to mutual gaze demonstrated in these studies is arguably the major foundation for the later development of social skills.' The conventional solution is to make eye contact. An additional convention is to make eye contact with everyone in the audience, all of which results in rapid scanning. However, scanning is the opposite of eye contact. But those first two seconds are also known as the 'throat clearing moment,' and most presenters use that moment to start with an amenable welcoming statement. 'Good afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to…' and then go on to cite the event. You can use this moment to let your eyes do what your adrenaline is driving them to do, scan the room. No one can possibly view that behavior as shifty-eyed because as William Shakespeare had Hamlet say, you will have 'Suit(ed) the action to the words, the word to the action.' That sweeping action accompanying your gracious words will appear appropriate and courteous to your audience. By making that involuntary scan purposeful, you will no longer appear furtive. Once you've scanned the room, your Fight or Flight system will be satisfied that you are aware of the escape routes and will diminish the need to scan. That's when you can begin to make eye contact, but now you can do so with one person at a time. Analogously, the U.S. Army understands the natural inclination of the eyes to scan an environment. In a manual on night firing, a challenge for vision, they recommend that, before focusing on a target, a soldier should scan 'from right to left or from left to right using a slow, regular scanning movement' because it 'enables soldiers to overcome many of the physiological limitations of their eyes and reduce the visual illusions that so often confuse them.'
Daily Express
22-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
University College Sabah Foundation inks MoU with Indonesian varsity
Published on: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 22, 2025 Text Size: Dr Rafiq Idris (2nd from left) and Dr Harnovinsah (third from left) signing the MoU between UCSF and Universitas Pancasila, Jakarta, Indonesia in Kota Kinabalu on Monday. Kota Kinabalu: Regional collaboration in higher education received a boost as Universitas Pancasila (UP) of Indonesia and University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) Malaysia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), here, Monday. The MoU was signed by UP Faculty of Economics and Business Dean Dr Harnovinsah, C.A, and UCSF Vice Chancellor Datuk Dr Rafiq Idris, marking a joint commitment to advance the implementation of Tridharma of Higher Education, particularly in student mobility, collaborative research and the development of the Kampus Berdampak programme. 'This collaboration is not merely a formal ceremony, but a commitment to build cross-border relations that are progressive, innovative, and responsive to global challenges,' Dr Harnovinsah said. He also expressed appreciation towards UCSF, describing it as a prominent institution in health sciences, research and community service. Also present at the event were Chairman of UCSF's Board of Directors Datuk Mohd Yaakub Hj Johari, along with senior university officials. Meanwhile, Dr Rafiq said UCSF remains committed to strengthening academic, research, and community service cooperation between the two institutions. 'There is much we can learn from, benefit from, and share with each other,' he said. The ceremony also featured the International Seminar on Youth, Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Malaysia–Indonesia Perspectives, which brought together academics and young thinkers from both countries in an open scholarly forum. The seminar included presentations by Dr Erwin Permana, Deputy Dean II of FEB UP and head of the Entrepreneurship course, and Siti Rahma, a lecturer from UCSF. While UCSF Faculty of Management & Entrepreneurship Dean, Najmi Abdullah, delivered the keynote address at the start of the seminar. Discussions centred on the need to enhance regional cooperation in building an inclusive, sustainable and high-impact entrepreneurial ecosystem for society. Both institutions reiterated their commitment to not only produce academically excellent graduates, but also highly competitive individuals capable of making meaningful contributions to the socio-economic development of Southeast Asia. The MoU is expected to serve as a catalyst for closer bilateral ties between Malaysia and Indonesia in higher education, innovation and global human capital development.
Arab News
21-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Foreign startup registrations in Saudi Arabia rise 118%
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment has granted 550 foreign new ventures the Startup Investment Registration, known as the Riyadi license, as of mid-2025, marking an annual rise of 118 percent. The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority, known as Monshaʾat, has issued 364 licenses to business incubators and accelerators nationwide, according to a report by the body. Monshaʾat said these entities provide facilities for prototype development, mentorship, and connections to investors and commercial partners. The increase in Riyadi registrations aligns with the Kingdom's surge in venture capital activity. According to regional platform MAGNiTT, Saudi Arabia led MENA VC funding in the first half of 2025, with $860 million raised, representing a 116 percent annual increase across 114 deals. This marked a 31 percent rise in deal count compared to the same period in 2024. This momentum built on a record 2024 performance, when startups in the Kingdom secured $750 million in funding and saw a 34 percent increase in early- and mid-stage 'MEGA' rounds below $100 million. 'This increase forms part of joint national efforts to reinforce the Kingdom's role as a regional hub for entrepreneurship by streamlining market access for foreign startups and establishing a flexible regulatory environment that supports innovation and attracts investment,' Monsha'at's report said. According to the Ministry of Investment, this trend reflects growing international interest in Saudi Arabia's investment environment, underpinned by recent legislative changes, expanded digital infrastructure, and a range of support programs introduced in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. Saudi organizers have hosted international startup events, including Biban and LEAP, which feature presentations on the local ecosystem and investment opportunities. Government agencies and private-sector representatives have attended overseas gatherings, such as the Web Summit, VivaTech, and Slush, to facilitate networking with foreign entrepreneurs and promote the Kingdom as a potential base for regional operations. In addition to the Riyadi permit, the Ministry of Investment will issue a full suite of eight sector-specific business licenses, designed to accommodate virtually any foreign investor's needs. These include service licenses, which permit 100 percent foreign ownership for activities such as IT, consulting, marketing, and hospitality; entrepreneurial authorizations that offer streamlined fees and access to government-led support for startups; and industrial licenses for establishing manufacturing facilities. Specialized agricultural permits cover crop cultivation and animal husbandry, while trade licenses authorize wholesale, retail and import-export operations. Additional categories encompass real estate licenses for development and brokerage projects, professional permits for individual practitioners and solidarity firms, and mining licenses for exploration and extraction activities. Each permit carries tailored minimum-capital requirements and documentation processes, but all are obtainable through MISA's online portal, which centralizes application, approval and renewal under a unified regulatory framework.
