Comfortably accommodating progress
The Gulf region has gone through major changes in recent years. The Dubai skyline has changed beyond recognition, and now the Sultanate of Oman is following suit by actively encouraging business and tourism. One of the resort hotels at the forefront of this campaign is the Grand Hyatt Muscat, as Andrew Pelis finds out.

Natural highs
eLan Group brings environmental awareness to property development, as Ruari McCallion learns from Patrick Kleu.
While everyone knows that South Africa is rich in plant life, animals and landscape, its heritage may not have been cared for as well as it could have been, particularly in the case of the countryÔÇÖs cities and even resorts. But that is changing, with the eLan Group leading the way.

A social convention
The Cape Town International Convention Centre is investing 1.2 billion rand in a big programme of expansion. Joey Pather talks to Gay Sutton about managing quick turnarounds and moving towards total sustainability.

Success driven
Many of the worldÔÇÖs gold-rich locations have long-since been found and mined but thereÔÇÖs still rewards to be had for entrepreneurs who are willing to take chances, as Alan Swaby learns.
Cluff Gold chairman Algy Cluff is a colourful figure in the best boysÔÇÖ own tradition. After all, heÔÇÖs spent a lifetime taking risks and proving that fortunes can be made in the most challenging of situations.

Wind of changeBronswerk Heat Transfer is making great strides towards its ambition to evolve from product-focused manufacturer to process-oriented knowledge centre. John OÔÇÖHanlon finds out how.
What is the most important ingredient in a firmÔÇÖs success? What is the key factor when transforming company culture? In most cases, of course, the answer lies in its people.

Information central
Aurum Exploration Services started in a cyclical downturn, so it knows how to cope with current conditionsÔÇövia original ideas, comprehensive resources and customer service, as Ruari McCallion found.
The name says a lot, but not everything. Aurum is the Latin for gold, so you would expect Aurum Exploration Services to be interested in the yellow stuff. And it isÔÇöbut not to the exclusion of all else.

A positive impact
Alan Swaby talks to a South African metal recycler and learns about some of the issues facing the industry as a whole.
As well as being managing director of one of JohannesburgÔÇÖs top five waste metal recyclers, Juan Patuel is also chairman of the Metal Recycling Association of South Africa (MRASA). As such, he comes into contact with all the issues affecting the collection and disposal of scrap metals in the country today.

Southwest Airlines has announced it will bid a minimum of $113.6 million for its low-fare rival Frontier Airlines, which is currently operating under bankruptcy protection.

FirstRand, South Africa's biggest financial services group, has agreed a strategic partnership with China's second-largest bank China Construction Bank (CCB), it was announced yesterday.

Microsoft and Yahoo! have signed a ten-year search and advertising partnership in an attempt to rival market-leading search giant Google.  Under the terms of the agreement, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft will handle the search technology and Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo! will drive the sales for search advertising.  MicrosoftÔÇÖs recently-released Bing search engine will be the search and paid search platform for Yahoo!ÔÇÖs sites. Google currently holds more than 70 percent of the global market for paid search results. Yahoo!