This pages will link you to the companies under current operation. This year there will be four companies. If you wish to visit the company's webpage, you can visit via the company page.

Remember that each company will liquidate (go out of business) in May so that these links become historical after that date.


Links to Currently Operating Companies:
Shooshka (blue) (2005-6) Page
Smeaggle (green) (2005-6) Page
Q8 Grapheti (red) Page

Links to other sites on the Web:
Back to the Teams' Page
Back to the K-Business Main Page

Wednesday 1500: The sellers and buyers may've looked a trifle confused, but the trading floor already showed that most characteristic sign of the New York Stock Exchange: small pieces of paper on the floor. Then, the bell, borrowed from the Middle School principal rang very clearly, and the Mankh opened for business.

On Wednesday Al-Bayan Bilingual School launched the second year of its K-Business program with the opening session of the Manakh Al-Bayan, the K-Business Stock Exchange.

As program director, Dr. Daniel R. Fruit explained:

"Today was IPO (Initial Public Offering) Day. Students were only allowed to sell shares at the IPO price of KD5. In, future sessions prices will fluctuate according the rules of supply and demand."

The Manakh follows the NYSE model whereby people do the actual buying and selling rather than having computers do this, as in the NASDAC model. As yet, no group of "brokers" has emerged, and the actual buyers and sellers of the shares directly interacted.

Buy! Buy! Buy! Sell! Sell! Sell!

Each purchaser received an actual piece of paper, the share, of the three K-Business Companies: Smeaggle, headed by CEO Fatma AbdulKareem and ably assisted by her Corporate Secretary, Hamad Al-Sager; Shoshka! Corporation, with CEO AbdulRazzak Razooki and Corporate Secretary Eman Muzaini; and Q8 Grapheti Corporation, with Reem Al-Thekair the CEO and Corporate Secretary Mohammad Al-Roummi. All of the CEOs (presidents) participated in K-Business the year before. Buyers also received a prospectus explaining their rights as shareholders.

By 1600 a genuine NYSE type hubbub filled the air as sellers tried to explain the idea of stock and interest investors in their company. The buyers represented an international cast of Americans, British, Kuwaitis, Indians, Saudis, Romanians, and Brazilians. A total of 99 shares changed hands.

The K-Business program is run by Dr. Daniel R. Fruit; Nouf Al-Fraih, Amal Al-Fouzan, and Ghada Al-Mudhaf serve as company adult advisors. For details and future session dates of the Manakh Al-Bayan, follow the K-Business links at www.fruithome.com.

In gathering together the top youth from the region, for a conference on November 18th, Jordan's Queen Rania made the following statement to explain why she wanted INJAZ participants:

"With 3/4 of our population under the 30, the region's business and political leaders face a significant challenge. They must secure and support economic infrastructures, facilitates opportunities, and teach our young people skills that will enable them to complete and succeed internationally. INJAZ Arabia forms the vehicle through all which all of this can happen.

For that Two Kuwaiti students, Ahmed Al-Jouan and Reem Al-Thekair attended this conference among a select group of only 16 students, two from each regional conference. The Queen and Her Court, specifically requested high achieving youth from each country, particularly those who participated in the company program of Injaz, Junior Achievement of Kuwait, as it imparts important values, including independence, responsibility, and a competitive spirit. Students in Injaz companies start, run, and close their own businesses.

The two selected students, Ahmed and Reem, both completed one year of the K-Business program, a Kuwait variation on the company program developed by Dr. Daniel R. Fruit of Al-Bayan Bilingual School as a pilot version of the Injaz program. Ahmed served as CEO as 2005's "Golden Company," the profitable and well-run while Reem served as VP of Human Resources. For 2005-2006, Reem heads her own company.

The travel group in Jordan wait to meet the Queen.

Through an expert facilitator assigned by the Royal Court, Queen Rania will be soliciting the youth's opinions and the messages they would like to deliver to the American people and American youth on the importance of human values for intercultural understanding.

Rana Kamshad, Executive Director of Injaz, Junior Achievement of Kuwait, and Tami McDonald, head counselor of Al-Bayan Bilingual School, accompanied the students.

Kuwaiti Students Attend Arab
Business Council Meeting (ABC)

On November 9-10 Al-Bayan Bilingual School students Ahmed Al-Jouan and Reem Al-Thekair attended an important sessions of the Arab Business Council, an offshoot of the World Economic Forum as representatives of Kuwait. The meeting included 80 top Arab businessmen from the Middle East who are reform-minded leaders of the region, including Kuwait's Dr. Shafiq Ghabra, president of AUK and Chairman of the ABC.

Ahmad Al-Jouan listens at the Arab Business Forum.

The agenda item of "youth and education, the responsibility for determining its own future" specifically called for youth of drive, talent, and competitiveness. For that reason, the ABC invited 8 top Bahraini students as well as Ahmed and Reem to represent Kuwait's youth in these discussions.

Ahmed addresses the group.

The ABC specifically invited Reem and Ahmad due to their successful participation in Al-Bayan Bilingual School's K-Business program and their widespread experience as traveling ambassadors as key components of Al-Bayan's Model United Nations program. Joan won K-Business's Outstanding Young Businessman award for 2005 and headed the most successful, profitable company of 2005, Bayan Customs. Reem currently heads Q8 Grapheti. K-Business is a pilot program running a version of the Injaz company program.

Injaz Program director, Rana Kamshad, accompanied the students on this trip. K-Business is a pilot version of the Injaz, Junior Acheivement of Kuwait, program. Injaz will launch its company program in six schools across Kuwait in January.

On December 1st-2nd, students from Al-Bayan Bilingual School's K-Business program experienced the free market first hand as they sold their products at Sultan Center. Ayman Sultan and Sultan Center Suq Sharq again kindly hosted the K-Business companies. K-Business is a program whereby students start, capitalize run, and liquidate their own businesses. Part of that process involves selling a finished product or service, and all three K-Business companies came to sell..

Smeaggle company, headed by CEO Fatema Al-Abdulkareem and ably supported by her Vice-President of Human Resources, Ahmad Al-Qamlas, sold customized safety pins design accessories. Interested customers choose between several prepared designs and others made as they waited. The company quickly sold out its stock.

Shoshka company, headed by CEO Abdurazzaq Razooqi, sold both customized men's fashion accessories and resold vintage Kuwaiti and Iraq dinar, the latter project the brainchild of Vice-President of Manufacturing and idea man, Adel Hussein. Members Lujain Ghamrawi and Hamad Al-Mufarrej made significant contributions to their sales effort. Both these companies sold enough that they had no significant amount of products to sell on Thursday.

Q8 Grapheti, headed by CEO Reem Al-Thekair, sold its projects on Thursday morning, and did a brisk business. Q8 Grapheti sells customized t-shirts and, like Smeaggle, made most of its shirts on the spot, particularly t-shirts with pictures of the buyer's children on them. Vice-President of Manufacturing Abdulaziz Al-Mutawa and Corporate Secretary Mohammad Al-Roumi led their sales effort.

K-Business is a pilot program directed by Dr. Daniel R. Fruit and assisted by KU students and company advisors Nouf Al-Fraih, Ghada Al-Mudhaf, and Amal Al-Mutawa, running a version of the Injaaz Company program. In January, Injaz will launch the company program at four private and two public schools. For inquires regarding Injaz, email Rana Kamshad. ranakamshad@injaz-kuwait.org.

The K-Business activity, now a part of Injaz of Kuwait, ended its second year with a flurry of activity and recognition.

As the entire Al-Bayan Bilingual School student body held its breath, program director Dr. Daniel R. Fruit proudly proclaimed Q8 Grapheti, the top, "Silver" Company for 2005-2006, and placed the magic certificate in the hands of CEO Reem Al-Thekair. Smeaggle Corporation, under CEO Fatema Abdulkareem, while not claiming the "precious" award, still earned recognition as the Most Persistent Company and Shoshka Corporation, under CEO Abdulrazzaq Razooqi, earned the award as the Most Innovative Company.

Q8 Grapheti also earned recognition as the Most Profitable Company. Q8 Grapheti returned a formidable 20% profit, however, all three companies earned a profit of which they donated 5% to charity. Q8 Grapheti sold customized t-shirts as well as hosting a soccer tournament, Shoshka designed custom safety pins, and Smeaggle sold string designs as well as retailing class Kuwaiti dinars.

While K-Business recognized companies, it also recognized outstanding individuals. Q8 Grapheti's superb treasurer, Haya Al-Sabah, who also made Bayan history by received college credit on the CLEP accounting examination, joined Smeaggle CEO Abdulkareem as runners-up in the contest for Outstanding Young Businesswoman. The highest award, the Outstanding Young Businesswoman award, went to Q8 Grapheti's Reem Al-Thekair.

K-Business pioneered a version of Injaz (Junior Achievement) of Arabia's company program. In both, students incorporate, elect company officers, pick a product and/or service, sell this good or service, and, finally, liquidate. Some K-Business trial programs included the use of computerized records, the introduction of the office of CIO (Central Information Officer), and the use of an ongoing secondary stock market, The Manakh Al-Bayan.

Individual companies also recognized some outstanding performers. Smeaggle lauded the efforts of Abdullatif Al-Khaled, Hamad Al-Sager, and Mishari Ben Salam as its most helpful workers, Khaled Al-Mudhaf and Yousef Al-Nafisi as its most dependable, and Ahmad Al-Qamlas as its most responsible. Shoshka honored Lujain Ghamrawi as its hardest worker and Adel Hussein as its best entrepreneur.

Commented Dr. Fruit:

Al-Bayan Bilingual School hosted K-Business, which will continue as Injaz in 2005-2006. Kuwait University Students Nouf Al-Fraih and Amal Al-Fouzan, along with Fruit, served as company advisors.

K-Business program director and coordinator, Dr. Daniel R Fruit comments:

"My students and fellow teachers kept asking me all year what to invest in, and I kept giving them the same answer: K-Business stock. Anyone who'd investing in an all K-Business portfolio would've made a better profit than if they'd invested in the S&P 500!"

K-Business pioneered a variation on the Junior Achievement (Injaz) program. Students incorporated, elected company officers, selected a product, manufactured that product, sold it, liquidated, and declared a profit or loss. This year three K-Business companies started and finished the year, and all three ended up safely in the black, giving stockholders a profit.

Q8 Grapheti, under CEO Reem Al-Thekair, won the coveted award as the most profitable company, returning a fat 20% to its investors. Q8 Grapheti sponsored a soccer tournament along with selling customized t-shirts. Thekair's vice-presidential officers included CFO (treasurer) Haya Al-Sabah, VP of Manufacturing Abdulaziz Al-Mutawa, VP of Sales Yacoub Al-Rifae, and VP of Human Resources Fatima Al-Ajeel. Other Q8 Grapheti officers included Corporate Secretary (CS) Mohammaed Al-Roumi, Purchasing Manager (PM) Jumanah Al-Waazan, Marketing Manager (MM) Fawaz Al-Qatami, and Central Information Officer (CIO) Hamad Al-Sayegh. The largest company, Q8 Grapheti also included Ghazi Al-Nafisi, Yasmeen Dashti, and Mays Abdulaziz.

Smeaggle Corporation, under CEO Fatema Al-Abdulkareem, as determined as its namesake, won recognition the Most Persistent Company. Smeaggle produced customized safety pin designs, many of them shaped like Kuwaiti flags. Vice-presidents CFO Mishari Bin Salim, VPoM Abdullatif Al-Khalid, VPoS Latifa Al-Musassalm, and VPoHR Ahmad Al-Qamlas aided Abdulkareem along with CS Hamad Al-Sager, PM Khalid Al-Mudhaf, Safety Director Yousef Al-Nafisi, MM Mishari Al-Roumi, CIO Bader Al-Roumi. Smeaggle recognized Al-Khalid, Mishari Ben Salem, and Al-Sager as its most helpful workers and Khaled Al-Mudhaf and Yousef Al-Nafisi as its most dedicated. Ahmad Al-Qamlas won special recognition as its most responsible members as he often worked with and substituted for Abdulkareem in running Smeaggle.

Though its name came from members names and not a hobbit, Shoshka, remained the smallest company all year but still turned a profit. Sophomore CEO AbdulRazzaq Razooki led Shoshka aided by CFO Hamad Al-Muffarrej, VPoM Adel Hussein, and VPoS Ahmad Abdulmugni, and VPoHR Lujain Ghamrawi as it resold rare Kuwait coins and made it own custom string designs. CS Emain Al-Muzaini, MM Mohammed Al-Ayyoub, CIO Hmoud Al-Ghanim, and Anwar Behbehani formed the balance of Shoshka, which won recognition as the most innovative company. Shoshka recognized Hussain as its best entrepreneur and Ghamrawi as its hardest worker.

K-Business recognized both individuals and companies. Haya Al-Sabah and Fatema Abdulkareem came in as runners-up to Reem Al-Thekair, who won the coveted "Oustanding Young Businesswoman," award. Reem's company Q8 Grapheti also won recognition as the top company, the Silver Company for 2005-2006.

Al-Bayan Bilingual School's Dr. Daniel R. Fruit founded and ran K-Business. Al-Bayan hosted K-Business while Kuwait University students Amal Al-Fouzan and Nouf Al-Fraih served as a company advisors.

A Description of Injaz Company program at Al-Bayan for the Bayan Newspapers

Under the guidance of Dr. Daniel Fruit, students of Al-Bayan Bilingual School established Injaz Kuwait's first company, Q8 Grapheti, helping them to learn the valuable insights in the management of cash flow and expenses.

Our students took part in major regional and international events, including the Arab Business Council meeting in the World economic forum, held n Bahrain, where Ahmed Al-Jouan represented the Youth of the Arab world as a panel speaker. Participating students from Injaz Kuwait were nominated to deliver a message from Arab youth to their counterparts in the West at a meeting in Amman, Jordan. Under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania, Jordan was the first Arab country to join the Junior Achievement movement.

Daniel R. Fruit, MUN Director and Injaz Program Coordinator

As the Center Director, I looked to my experience from the Junior Achievement program in the US to set up, adapt, and develop the program to fit the context here in Kuwait. Many of our students will go on to join family businesses, and it is rewarding to be part of a program that is nurturing the entrepreneurs of the future.

Abdullah Razooqi in thought.

The indispensible Ahmad Al-Qamlas

Fatema ponders her company situation.

Reem prepares for the company contest in June. Ahmed prepares for important discussions.

Onward to Next Year

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