AMMAN -- His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday honoured the winners of the third cycle of King Abdullah II Award for Excellence which seeks to upgrade the performance of the private sector in five major fields.
The award is administered by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in cooperation with the Jordan-United States Business Partnership (JUSBP). It is operated by the Washington-based International Executive Service Corps.
Competing with other five applicants, the Petra Engineering Industries Co. won the award for the second consecutive year in the category of large manufacturing organisations.
Petra offers numerous cooling and heating equipment ranging from fan coil units and small split systems to large air-conditioners.
Under the category of large service organisations, two competitors shared the prize; namely, Arabtech Jardaneh Engineers and Architects and the School of Islamic Education College.
Arabtech Jardaneh is an engineering consultancy services firm operating in Jordan and the region. It provides a full range of multidisciplinary services in the fields of buildings' design and supervision, transportation, water and the environment.
The School of Islamic Education College is one of the oldest private schools in Jordan in which His Majesty the late King Hussein received his early education among other Royal Family members and leading personalities in the history of Jordan.
The institution is working on a plan to turn into "an electronic school," according to its general manager, Muhammad Robin Idris, in remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
The 31-year-old Consulting Engineering Centre "Sajdi and Partners," which provides consulting services in the fields of water, roads and dams, won the award for the small or medium service organisations. The company works in Jordan and 18 Arab countries.
There was only one nominee for the category of agriculture and agricultural marketing organisations. Alissar, a flower grower and exporter, won the award uncontested.
The award's jury withheld the award for small or medium-size manufacturing organisations for this year.
Ministry of Industry and Trade Secretary General Muntasser Oqla said that the award administration received 37 applications this year, of which 22 met the eligibility criteria. Of these, 14 qualified for the second stage, in which examiners carried out field visits to competitors.
Industry and Trade Minister Ahmad Hindawi described the award as a success having achieved its objectives.
He indicated that the award has gone a long way in spreading awareness of the modern management concepts, promoting teamwork and exchanging expertise and know-how among manufacturers and service providers in the Kingdom.
The award programme is based on five evaluation criteria with a total of 1,000 points. Elements include leadership, strategic planning, resource management, process management and the results yielded by the operation.
By Mahmoud Al Abed
© Jordan Times 2005
