QU students' new e-businesses get Gulf talking

Doha, Qatar - Wednesday, June 27th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

Three enterprising Qatar University (QU) students’ are blazing a trail on the e-business scene with plans to set up two online companies which will operate across the Gulf.

 “Alimni” and “Mujala-Tec” are the names of the students’ business plans that won first and second place in the recent Al Fikhra competition.

The young women, accounting students Haya Khalid Al-Noaimi, and Dabia Khalifa Al-Noaimi from the College of Business and Economics (CBE), have plans to set up the website “Alimni” offering GCC citizens online tutorials in Arabic in math, sciences, and languages, while marketing student Najla Al-Kuwari is set to establish an e-business magazine which she describes as “the first fully interactive magazine in the MENA region”.

“Knowledge and education should be provided in all languages and that is what made us think of ‘Alimni’ an educational website for Arabs and Arabic speakers, and specifically GCC citizens”, first prize-winner Haya said.

In her search for tutorials to help her while studying for accounting exams, she found them all to be in English and asked herself why there was nothing similar in Arabic.

The students conducted surveys and received responses from throughout the GCC, particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

Dabia said: “We discovered that more that 89% of GCC students hired private tutors to help them in their studies, 54% of those who hired tutors are in high school. That’s why we are targeting high school students from the GCC.”

Haya and Dabia said: “We will strive to recruit people that not only teach, but also motivate and nurture human values in students. The plan is all set up and ready for investors to fund it.”

Describing her online magazine, Najla said: “Mujala-TEC covers entertainment, fashion, sports, travel, home and social life.  The target market is GCC citizens and residents, aged 15-35.  There are over 40 million in the GCC region, and 84.48% of the targeted population is literate and educated. I believe there is a huge number of readers who are interested in the topics Mujala-TEC is covering.”

What led her to this idea?  “When BlackBerry became a new trend in Qatar it led me to thinking a lot about the CPU barcode technology and how it can be used to transform media.  Under each article in the magazine, there will be a barcode; once a reader scans the barcode using a smartphone, he/she will be directed to a video, audio, discussion or a poll.  In this way, readers are part of the magazine and are communicating and interacting with each other,” she explained.

Commenting on the students' achievement, CBE Chair of Management and Marketing Department Dr Rana Sobh said: “We are very proud of them.  Now the challenge for them is to turn their creative business ideas into successful businesses and inspire many Qatari youth to follow in their footsteps.”

-ENDS-

About Qatar University:

Qatar University is the first and only national university in Qatar.  Established in 1973, it serves over 8000 students and offers more than 60 specializations. The organization is committed to providing high-quality education to Qatari and international students in areas of national priority.  Its academic programs are aligned with established international standards and best practices. This was achieved through accreditation of many of its colleges, programs and courses by leading international accrediting bodies such as ABET and AACSB.

www.qu.edu.qa

Contacts

Lesley Walker, QU Media section,

Department of External Relations.

M: 00 974 7779 3546; E:

lesley_mair43@hotmail.com