هكذا تعامل "متهّمو" السلامة الغذائية تواصلياً مع الأزمة...وهذا ما يجب أن يفعلوه الشفافية: الشفاء لسلامة الغذاء

ذُهِل اللبنانيون في الأشهر الأخيرة من العام 2014 للفضائح الغذائية التي احتلت أخبارها عناوين الصحف ونشرات الأخبار، إذ اكتشف اللبنانيون أن الأطباق والمنتجات الغذائية التي يحبونها غير أمنة للاستهلاك. وتجددت الضجة التي رافقت الفضائح الغذائية بعد تغريدة وليد جنبلاط التي كشف فيها أن مطعماً مهماً في وسط بيروت يبدأ اسمه بحرف الباء، استخدم نفوذه لدى السياسيين لاستبعاد اسمه من "لائحة العار". وأشعلت هذه التغريدة موجة جديدة من الجدل والتساؤلات في شأن احتمال وجود دوافع سياسية لحملة وزير الصحة الغذائية، وفي شأن مصادر المعلومات التي يمكن الوثوق بها في لبنان.

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شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي: داءٌ أم دواء؟

ثمة سؤال فرض نفسه بعد جريمة قتل الشاب إيف نوفل في فاريا: لو أن ما حصل لهذا الشاب، حصل في التسعينات من القرن العشرين أو حتى في بداية الألفيّة الحالية، هل كانت هذه الجريمة لتحصل على هذا القدر من اهتمام الناس ومتابعتهم وردات فعلهم بهذه السرعة؟ هل كانت العدالة تحرّكت بهذه السرعة من دون أن تحوم حولها علامات استفهام وبمثل هذا الزخم؟ أم أنّ قضيّته وقصّته كانتا دُفنتا ببساطة عميقًا في غرفة تخزين ما، مع غيرها مما لا يعدّ ولا يحصى من قضايا الذين قتلوا ظلمًا وغرقوا في بطء روتين القضاء، أو الذين عاد المعتدون عليهم وكرروا جرائمهم المنكرة قبل صدور حكم القضاء

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A how-to guide for good country branding

Where are you taking your summer vacation this year? Chances are you’ve booked a trip to a country that passes the test of a strong “country brand.” This might sound strange given that people usually choose their destination of choice based on attractions, culture, food, shopping and other offerings, but all of these elements merely fall under the brand image that a country has created for itself and how successful it has been at capitalizing on these assets.

It also may seem as though many countries that are tourist and investment destinations sell themselves, while the image of a...

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Ramsay G. Najjar

Market matrimony

The wedding season has arrived this summer, which means not only fireworks, flowers, beautiful designer gowns, tuxedos and people spending half their salaries on wedding lists, but also pairs of souls bound for life, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.

For better or for worse is not always easy. Marriages that last a lifetime need an extra dose of planning, a sprinkle of good faith and a pinch of foresight. Just like human beings, corporate organizations make vows to their stakeholders and decide to engage in a long term union, expecting the...

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Dima Itani and Ramsay G. Najjar

Football and politics: fair play?

June. The grip of football fever will soon engulf the globe as all eyes turn to South Africa, the host nation of one of the biggest events on the planet: FIFA’s World Cup 2010.

Whether one supports the mighty Spanish, the spectacular Brazilians, the creative Dutch or the resilient Germans, emotions always run high; the results can make or break a country’s morale.

The popularity of the game is such that it transcends borders, language barriers and social classes. What was once regarded as the common man’s sport of choice has become a multi-billion dollar business controlled...

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Rany Kassab, Zeina Loutfi and Ramsay G. Najjar

The style and substance of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is being mourned the world over, not just as a revolutionary inventor and talismanic chief executive officer, but also as an iconic personal brand and a globally-recognized leader who touched the lives of everyone, not simply the Apple fan or the tech community. Jobs is praised for his creative genius, for changing the way we communicate and interact and for turning Apple from a fruit into an international brand spoken in all languages across the globe. If we scour through the deluge of articles and blogs recently written in tribute to Jobs, we see recurring references to him as...

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Line Tabet, Zeina Loutfi and Ramsay G. Najjar

Journey to the opening bell

Facebook recently announced that it is going public, in a move which would constitute one of the biggest offerings and tech initial public offerings in history, estimated to reach $5 billion. While dwarfing the $1.67 billion raised by Google in 2004, this news can only remind us of the buzz that surrounded Google, turning it into one of the fastest growing companies and most attractive places to work at.

All this ado about Facebook cannot but get us thinking about IPOs in our region, which have been relatively few and far between compared to most developed and emerging economies....

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Line Tabet, Zeina Loutfi and Ramsay G. Najjar

It is all in the delivery

Lebanese democracy, which the international media had long lauded as a rarity in the Middle East, is now being mourned in the aftermath of the decision to extend the Parliament’s mandate last month.

With an already five point decline in our ranking on the Democracy Index and a regression in our score on freedom in the Freedom in the World index over the past year, this comes as yet another blow that foretells more backsliding in international indices, and this will carry ramifications for economic growth.

This article does not aim to dwell on any of the political calculations...

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Zeina Loutfi and Ramsay G. Najjar

Celebrity endorsement – a brand’s boon or bane?

Those of us living in Lebanon can’t but notice the recent profusion of ads featuring celebrities promoting different causes: actors and athletes encouraging people to drive carefully, well-known female figures supporting breast cancer awareness month and singers vowing to protect the environment. More recently, local corporate brands seem to have jumped on the bandwagon, with a partnership between a financial institution and a leading TV talk show host.

Celebrity endorsement has become a common communication practice: Every week we hear about a new deal, sometimes rumored to be in...

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Line Tabet, Zeina Loutfi and Ramsay G. Najjar

The new face of brand advocates

As part of their communication efforts, companies have used and abused actors, athletes and celebrities as brand ambassadors who endorse and become the face of their brands. The pairings of George Clooney with Nespresso, Roger Federer with Gillette or Haifa Wehbe with Pepsi come to mind. Over the years, another profile of ambassadors emerged. Companies started ‘activating’ real people, such as influencers and bloggers whose passions and interests intersect with their brands and help bring them to life. Red Bull, for instance, has been activating college students who are young, athletic...

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Michele Azrak, Zeina Loutfi and Ramsay G. Najjar