Slow But Steady : Business Today - Feb 2009 

Krishna Kumar Gupta, CEO of Al Anwar Holdings - a private equity company that holds majority stakes in firms ranging from financial services to manufacturing - admits that margins could be hit as some construction and real estate projects in the UAE are on hold. 

"We are trying to cut costs to maintain margins. Sales in the manufacturing companies of our group may be affected if the recession and global slowdown continue

Gupta says any decision on an additional cost is challenged on three grounds - whether the cost is really essential for generating additional revenue, whether it improves productivity and whether or not it is essential to replace certain plant or machinery. "We conduct a cost-benefit analysis and accordingly decide whether to incur an additional cost."