Business Strategies and Management

Top 50 Most Innovative Companies

2011-11-25T02:47:00.000+08:00

List by MIT.... Technology Review 2011

List by Fast Company.... FC Magazine 2011

Other lists..... Google search
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Management Theories, Models and Methods

2011-07-15T12:07:00.003+08:00

There are hundreds of management theories, management models and management methods. To learn every concept will take a long time and it may not be relevant to your needs. I found a website which listed the various concepts and summarised each concept for quick understanding. The concepts listed included the following:

Balanced Scorecard
Blue Ocean Strategy
Brainstorming
Capability Maturity Model
Maslow Hiearchy of Needs
Six Thinking Hats
Theory of Constraints
..... and so many more

For a quick understanding, goto ValueBasedManagement.net portal

100 Brilliant Companies 2011

2011-05-25T13:53:00.001+08:00

Entrepreneur Magazine's annual look at the brightest ideas, the hottest industries and the most insightful innovators ~ 100 Brilliant Companies 2011
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Printer and Ink

2011-02-14T01:01:00.003+08:00

If you purchased your printer many years ago. Maybe it's time to buy a new printer:

latest printers have better performance and functions
the cost of ink refills for new printers could be much cheaper
the price of new printers are reasonable

At least, do your costs-benefits analysis on keep-old or buy-new.
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Alert! Prevent Cheque Washing

2010-12-02T14:53:00.002+08:00

Thieves can intercept your cheques and "wash" the payee details and amount. They can use that to steal your money in many ways.

Use "Felt Pen" or "Gel ink to" write your cheques.

Ball point and computer printed cheques can be washed.

More details to secure yourself against Cheque Washing.... click Here or search Google. Watch this short video on Cheque Washing. Be safe!

Success Breeds Failure!

2010-11-23T19:17:00.002+08:00

It is a paradox! "Success Breeds Failure".... due to complacency, arrogance, indiscipline, fixated with the past etc etc.

Past successes do not ensure future success.

But managed properly, success can breed more successes.

Fight complacency and instil healthy paranoia.... says Peter Cohan
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What can we learn from "The Biggest Loser"?

2009-11-14T03:39:00.006+08:00

There are a few "lessons from the biggest loser". The following is by a viewer:

Business lessons from the biggest loser
(denise lee yohn)
Last year I did a short Twitter series on the business lessons I learned from the show – here’s a more complete list of the 9 things I’ve learned about business from The Biggest Loser:
1: keep metrics simple – the show uses only one measure (pounds lost) to evaluate the contestants’ progress. Clearly they are improving their health and their lives in so many other important ways, but the one number makes tracking easy. Likewise, in business we should use metrics that are easy, clear, and memorable.

2: success requires both mental and physical strength – the most successful contestants are those who are mentally tough enough to withstand the politics and emotions of the show, as well as physically strong enough to compete in the challenges. In business, I think mental strength is strategy and physical strength is execution; we need both.

3: don’t get distracted from the goal – some contestants make the mistake of emphasizing winning a particular challenge just because they want to beat the others, when they should instead be focused on the end result which is weight loss. It’s just as easy for us businesspeople to get distracted by small issues or fads or personal agendas.

4: the tortoise always beats the hare — time and again, taking a steady and sure approach in the challenges wins over starting strong and then flaming out. In business, consistency and the wise use of all of our resources ensures we cross the finish line too.

5: excel at what you can control – when competing, it’s tempting to fixate on what the competition is or isn’t doing. Problem is, we can’t control what others do. Our competitive strategy should be grounded in focusing on our own excellence and playing to our strengths first.

6: be prepared – like most shows, The Biggest Loser surprises the contestants with challenges at random times. Likewise, we never know when our businesses will be tested by customers, competitors, or even market conditions. We should always have our game on and never think that something we do won’t get noticed or won’t matter.

7: up your game – just as our bodies get used to exercising over time and so they need increasingly harder workouts, business needs innovation and continuous improvement. How many companies have lost important ground while they were resting on the laurels of their last successful new product?

8: ask for help – the contestants who sought out extra support from the trainers and their friends seemed to have more success. Likewise, collaboration and partnerships are important to businesses now more than ever. Companies that try to go at it alone miss out on the resources, ideas, and support that business partners, customers, and even competitors can provide.

9: test your limits — we won’t know what’s possible until we do. Some contestants pushed themselves beyond what they perceived their limits to be and were able to do things they never thought they could. Businesses should also challenge the past. Calculated risk taking is the key to growth.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. For "Sticky" Ideas

2009-11-10T01:52:00.002+08:00

Mendapat idea adalah permulaan yang baik. Apa strategi untuk menjayakan idea tersebut?

The secret of your success is in S.U.C.C.E.S
Simplicity
How do we find the essential core of our ideas?
Strip your idea back to the core and find what the simplest elements are. Prioritize the important parts of what you're trying to get across. It's not about being short, it's about being remembered.

Unexpectedness
How do we get our audience to pay attention to our ideas, and how do we maintain their interest when we need time to get the ideas across?
In this day of "everything has been done before" we need to look at new ways of communicating what people may have heard a hundred times before. Break with people's expectations and get their attention. Use surprise to grab the attention, but then to keep it you must generate interest and curiosity. Don't give too much away too quickly.

Concreteness
How do we make our ideas clear?
Explain your ideas in terms of human actions and sensory information. Don't be obscure or too abstract or you threaten to lose the interest of your audience or worse, have your message interpreted differently depending on who is reading.

Credibility
How do we make people believe our ideas?
We need to generate authority for our ideas. In most cases we don't have a well-known and trusted public figure handy to assure the audience that the message being projected is factual and honest. Sticky ideas need to have their own credentials to give people peace of mind that what they're reading is the truth.

Emotional
How do we get people to care about our ideas?
A sticky idea is one that gets people feeling something. To most people, the fact that cinema popcorn contains 37 grams of fat doesn't mean anything - but if you show that one serve of it has more fat than if you ate fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, people will take notice.

Stories
How do we get people to act on our ideas?
By telling a story to get your message out you reach people on an instinctive level. As a race, humans naturally share stories of their experiences, thereby multiplying those experiences. When we find ourselves in a situation that mirrors a story we've been told we feel more comfortable with it and less fearful of the unknown.

The very best and most memorable ideas in history manage to employ all 6 of these qualities, and the more you can get in your ideas the better. Not every idea needs to tick all the boxes - some ideas only lend themselves to certain sticky qualities - but every idea has the potential to be fully realized with the help of these six elements.

In a lot of cases you must, as Yoda might say, unlearn what you have learned in order to fully utilize the 6 elements needed to give your idea the stick it deserves. The elements are there as a guide and with each idea or article you put out there you should run it through the S.U.C.C.E.S wringer and see if it manages to come out sticky.

Steve Jobs ~ CEO of the Decade

2009-11-08T05:48:00.002+08:00

Why him? Steve Jobs revived Apple and remade entire industries, defying the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression -- and his own serious health problems.

Detailed article at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/steve_jobs/2009/index.html
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Art of War on "History Channel"

2009-10-26T14:52:00.004+08:00

Watch Sun Tzu's Art of War on the History Channel @Astro. Based on Sun Tzu's strategies, the triumph of allied forces at Normandy and the loss of America in Vietnam can be predicted. Art of War is a must read for all business leaders!

Watch the Art of War videos on YouTube.
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Money for Nothing!..... no such thing

2009-08-06T16:46:00.002+08:00

Kejayaan datang dengan usaha dan kerja keras. Tidak ada duit datang bergolek :)
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Crisis spurs people to work for free - good or bad?

2009-07-14T19:07:00.002+08:00

Orang sanggup bekerja dengan percuma di Amerika semasa krisis ekonomi ini. Di Malaysia ada orang yang mempunyai pekerjaan, namun masih merungut dan merintih tentang kehidupan dan tugas...... macam mana tu?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With U.S. unemployment at a 20-year high, some Americans are working for free while looking for a job, but experts are split over whether it is a sign of dedication or desperation.

Unpaid job seekers can keep their resumes fresh by boosting their experience and learning new skills, experts say, but others warn businesses may take advantage of the jobless and that it is illegal for commercial companies not to pay workers.

Dana Lin, 22, is one of the 14.7 million unemployed workers in the United States. She lost her marketing job at a technology company near San Francisco in April and since then has been working for free for about five hours a week for Internet company Jobnob.com.

"Every company has thousands of people applying for each job, and I realized I needed more appeal," said Lin, a graduate of Cornell University. Since being laid off, she has applied unsuccessfully for about 50 jobs.

"In some cases companies might be getting the better end of it (by having unpaid workers)," she said. "But it's nice to have something occupy yourself with and when speaking to prospective employers it's nice to say 'I haven't just been sitting around all day, I've actually been doing something.'"

It's not only the unemployed taking on free work. Some employed people are being asked by bosses to go without pay.

British Airways last month asked its British-based employees to volunteer for up to a month's unpaid work. Some companies and U.S. state and city governments have made staff take unpaid furloughs, but some employees still work anyway to keep up or because they are worried about losing their job.

Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Washington D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute, warns that while people can volunteer time for non-profit groups and government, it is illegal for commercial companies to not pay workers.

"It's not just a bad idea, it's illegal," Eisenbrey. "The law says (companies) may not suffer or permit employees to work for less than the minimum wage.

"The more desperate people get, they will do things like this to try and make themselves more appealing to an employer," he said. "The short-term prospects for most of the unemployed are very bad. They aren't going to be made much better by working off the books or working for nothing."

Job seeker Lin started working with Jobnob.com, a website that tracks salaries, after the company held its first so-called "happy hour" -- to link unemployed people with mostly start-up businesses that have work but are unable to pay.

"The job seekers have time," said Julie Greenberg, co-founder of Jobnob.com. "It's really dangerous for them because once you are unemployed for a few months, there's this proverbial white space on your resume that's growing."

"They immediately see the benefits, they need references, they need to keep their skills sharp, a lot of people are learning new skills," she said. "I don't think there's anybody who feels taken advantage of because they understand that ... we wish we had revenue, we wish we could pay you."
Greenberg said more than 300 job seekers attended the first two "happy hours" and more such events have been planned.
Alexandra Levit, workplace expert and author of "How'd You Score That Gig?" recommended volunteering at non-profit organizations to gain or build experience.

"I think you have to be careful that you're not undervaluing yourself. If you do have the experience, then you should be paid for it," Levit said. "I absolutely think companies are taking advantage."

Madeline Laurano, principal analyst at workplace research and advisory firm Bersin and Associates, argued that the recession-spurred trend of working for free is a great way for companies to build a "talent pipeline" to tap when the economy recovers.

"Employers need to think about the same strategies that they would if they were hiring someone who was getting paid. You still want a quality person," Laurano said. "Job seekers also need to think the same way, 'I still want to invest my time in a company I believe in, that I can grow and learn from.'

"The argument that people are making is, is it desperation or dedication," she said. "It's not necessarily volunteering at a homeless shelter, but it's contributing that might also bring you some benefits in the long run."

Anatomy Of An Entrepreneur May Not Be What You Think

2009-07-09T14:03:00.003+08:00

Artikel di bawah mempunyai kaitan dengan rancangan pembangunan usahawan.

By Scott Austin
While some of the most famous entrepreneurs - Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, to name a few - were fresh-faced, high-school or college dropouts when they launched their companies, a new study from the Marion Kauffman Foundation shows most founders don’t fit this makeup.

More than 95% of entrepreneurs surveyed in the study had earned bachelor’s degrees, and 47% had more advanced degrees. Besides being well-educated, the median age of company founders in this sample when they started their companies was 40 years old, while the majority were married (69.9%) with at least one child (59.7%) as start-up founders.

The study, which surveyed 549 founders of “successful businesses in high-growth industries,” warns that the research from such a relatively small sample size cannot be generalized to the entire population. However, the Kauffman Foundation, whose mission is to promote entrepreneurship, said the findings may ”provide some clues about what conditions might be helpful in supporting entrepreneurs and helping them become successful.”

The study found that 71.5% of respondents came from middle-class backgrounds, while 21.8% said they came from upper-lower-class families. Less than 1% have extremely rich or extremely poor backgrounds.

As for the primary motivation for starting their companies, the entrepreneurs in the survey indicated overwhelmingly (74.8%) that they desired to build wealth. Nearly as important to these entrepreneurs with regards to starting up a business was “capitalizing on a business idea,” as 68.1% of respondents selected this factor. Other popular motivators include the appeal of a startup culture; a desire to own a company; and a lack of interest in working for someone else.

It would perhaps be more interesting if this survey, or one that canvassed a larger selection of entrepreneurs, correlated entrepreneur background with success or failure.
To view and download the study, click here.

Firm Yet Friendly the right recipe

2009-07-05T15:48:00.004+08:00

You are having problems with your maid? You are stressed out by employees who are not giving their best? Learn a few important lessons from Hajjah Johara and her maids..

source: The Star

I HAVE had maids for the last 50 years. In the first 33 years, I had five local maids – three Malays, one Chinese and one Indian – who worked for between three and nine years.
Most of them left because their parents thought it was time they got married. We still have warm and close contact with four of them; one sadly has passed away.

Now we have an Indonesian maid who has completed her 17th year with us and we had her permit renewed for the 18th year.

Could all this be just sheer good luck? I personally feel that it cannot be. I strongly feel an employer has to have or practice certain basic human principles of life in order to achieve this so called “good luck”.

My recipe? I am firm, definite, clear, positive and yet friendly with them. I never nag. I am very patient with them, I keep teaching them in a very positive, interesting, encouraging, and cordial manner.

I get to see results, at times excellent results.

I keep close watch on their health; it could be just a headache, stomach ache or flu. Simple medication and rest will be given. If things do not clear up, I take them to the clinic, if it lingers, I take them to the specialist.

I pay them very regularly; a hadith says, “pay your worker before his sweat dries”. I allow them to keep their own money, shopping together and buying what they like.

I make a point to trust them and I always tell them to be frank with me, to tell me if they want to leave me.

Finally, I strongly believe in human feelings. Respect them, show you care for them, see to their ups and downs, share their family joys and sorrows. I am always with them.

We definitely need to give some special time of ours to them. We do not lose anything, but instead will benefit. I see they greatly appreciate this and they became more open with us.

I strongly believe that what I have practised has brought about and helped to build a strong bond between us and this is what has brought about the “good luck”.

So Good Luck to all employers.

HAJAH JOHARA BEE MOHD SHARIFF,
Ipoh.

5 Employee Motivation Myths Debunked

2009-07-03T12:23:00.002+08:00

Motivating self, employee and group is a critical success factor. I would add motivating family, partners, suppliers and customers as complementing critical success factor. The following is a short article to kickstart that topic....

5 Employee Motivation Myths Debunked

Business owners need to ensure that their employees are productive and eager to do the best job possible--this is especially true during today’s challenging economic times. Yet every industry and every organization has people who simply do not produce work in the quality that they are capable of providing. That can create costly problems for a manager.

Leaders often miss the mark when trying to ramp up employee productivity. Let’s debunk some motivational myths.

1. Money motivates. Of course, if you pay some enough money, they will do almost any job. And when you give bonuses to reward past behavior, the recipients are usually very happy (unless they were expecting a larger bonus). The staff does a better job following the glow that accompanies added money.

However, studies find this happiness is short-lived. Within six months, individuals have difficulty recalling that bonus and it does not seem to have the same impact it did within the first few weeks or months of receiving it. That’s because money, in and of itself, will not continuously motivate individuals.

It’s the recognition and status that are the true motivators for the increased output. Take for example, the high tech salesperson who sold more product than anyone else in the department. The boss rewards that employee with a bonus. Everyone knows who the bonus recipient is, and she is proud of her accomplishments--the high earner gains recognition from colleagues and clients. Recognition and status are two key sources of motivation. So while money can serve to motivate, its effects are often short term at best.

What should you do? Set up situations that allow the employee to feel a sense of accomplishment. Employees respond most to opportunities for achievement, recognition, growth, job enrichment and job enlargement.

2. Just keep them happy. Employers often go to great lengths to keep their employees happy--some offer game rooms; others have phones with free long-distance access. The theory here is that if we can keep the employees happy during their break time, it will translate into increased motivation and productivity. Unfortunately, this is not very effective.

Employees actually enjoy their break times, look forward to them, and may even linger during them. But the satisfaction found during the break times does not necessarily translate into better or higher quality job performance.

3. Ignore Conflict. Few people, especially in the professional world, enjoy conflict. Most bosses and employees alike would rather “let something go” or “sweep it under the rug” than make an issue out of it. Too many managers are concerned about being liked that they don’t fulfill their responsibilities to catch problems quickly. Not addressing an employee’s problematic behavior doesn’t help any one.

4. Some people just aren’t motivated. This is a very common misconception. Everyone is motivated--but for different reasons. Walking through the offices, the manager may see someone playing computer games or sending personal email, this could be seen as the individual is not motivated because he’s not attending to the job tasks. But that may not be entirely correct. At that moment, the “aimless” employee is motivated, perhaps even highly motivated. But that motivation is not work directed, nor is it productive for the company.

The challenge here is for the leader to discover what actually motivates that employee and match up those elements with the worker’s job description. (This point also assumes that the employee is worth keeping.)

5. Smart employees don’t need to be motivated. Being “smart” carries an important cachet in American society. Everyone wants to have smart people working for them because these people are quick to learn, adapt and produce. Employers may erroneously believe that they don’t need to spend much time or attention on these staffers.

Unfortunately, intelligence and self-motivation do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. There are plenty of smart employees who haven’t been able to find out just what motivates them personally; they tend to get bored or frustrated easily. The result is a lack of interest and a lack of productivity.

So what does an employer do? A smart employer creates the atmosphere that allows and encourages the employee to be motivated. That employer also gets to know what his staff is interested in doing to advance company goals and what parts of the job description are interesting or exciting verses boring.

2009-06-26T17:57:00.002+08:00

Think big..... don't just think rich; be significant to the society!

Nitin Nohria and Amanda Pepper of Harvard Business School's Leadership Initiative collaborated with XPLANE to create this video in order to generate a discussion of the value and importance of leadership to address some of societys most pressing problems.

"It is my desire to inspire people of all ages and social demographics to think about leadership on a broad level, contemplate what it means to them and what individual impact they can have when it comes to leading," says Nohria.

- http://www.hbs.edu/leadership

- http://www.xplane.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuuTlQ0FzEU

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Search Engine

2009-06-19T11:34:00.002+08:00

These are alternatives search engines which can be useful for specific purpose:

Looking for a person on the Internet (remember to select "World")
http://www.123people.co.uk

Statistical and mathematical search engine
http://www.wolframalpha.com

List of Search Engines categorised by content type, model etc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_search_engines

Work-in-progress in Google's Research & Development Lab
http://www.googlelabs.com

Improve your search experience in using Google
http://www.google.com/help/features.html
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Top 40 Richest Malaysians....

2009-05-29T16:43:00.002+08:00

If Malaysia's top 40 richest person contribute 10% of their wealth to an AllMalaysian education endowment fund, there will be enough money to fund every Malaysian university students at very cheap rate..... they pay back after finish study! If get 4 flat, then pay back half only..... good incentive.

For more details of Malaysia's 40 richest, goto http://www.forbes.com

Rank Name Net Worth ($MIL) Age

1 Robert Kuok 9,000 85

2 Ananda Krishnan 7,000 71

3 Lee Shin Cheng 3,200 70

4 Lee Kim Hua 2,500 80

5 Teh Hong Piow 2,400 79

6 Quek Leng Chan 2,300 68

7 Yeoh Tiong Lay 1,800 79

8 Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary 1,100 57

9 Tiong Hiew King 1,000 74

10 Vincent Tan 750 57

11 Azman Hashim 470 69

12 William H.J. Cheng 390 66

13 G. Gnanalingam 260 64

14 Lim Kok Thay 225 57

15 Anthony Fernandes 220 45

16 Mokhzani Mahathir 215 48

17 Lee Oi Hian 210 58

18 Chan Fong Ann 209 78

19 Kamarudin Meranun 205 48

20 Chong Chook Yew 200 87

21 Chen Lip Keong 195 61

22 Lee Swee Eng 190 53

23 Jeffrey Cheah 185 64

24 Lim Wee Chai 180 51

25 Ahmayuddin bin Ahmad 175 52

26 Lee Hau Hian 174 55

27 Lau Cho Kun 165 73

28 Vinod Sekhar 150 41

29 Liew Kee Sin 140 50

30 Tiah Thee Kian 135 61

31 Rozali Ismail 130 53

32 Lin Yun Ling 115 54

33 Yaw Teck Seng 113 71

34 Goh Peng Ooi 112 53

35 Eleena Azlan Shah 110 49

36 David Law Tien Seng 105 NA

37 Syed Mohd Yusof Tun Syed Nasir 100 61

38 Hamdan Mohamad 98 53

39 Tan Teong Hean 95 65

40 Kua Sian Kooi 90 56

Copyright Forbes

Time Magazine Best of 2008

2009-05-15T10:48:00.005+08:00

Right-click the link to open in new tab:

Best Inventions of 2008

Today's Most Influential Design

50 Best Websites 2008

The Top 10 of Everything of 2008

Be an Eagle, not a Duck

2009-05-13T16:26:00.003+08:00

Dapat cerita di bawah daripada sahabat saya Razali Kamisan. Dua iktibar yang saya minat... Pertama, kita mempunyai pilihan untuk jadi itik atau jadi helang. Kedua, perkhidmatan yang cemerlang pasti membawa keuntungan:

No one can make you serve customers well. That's because great service is a choice.

My friend Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point. He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.' Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.' Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.' And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.

Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?' Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do.

Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer , on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It.

Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition.

Don't be a duck. Be an eagle.

Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.''

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle.

I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.

"I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said. 'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call.

The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting. Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like a duck and start soaring like an eagle.

How about us? A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap the deserved harvest, if we do not give up!

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

Great Service is a choice

Google hires goat for lawn mowing!

2009-05-05T11:47:00.006+08:00

Announcement by Google:

At our Mountain View headquarters, we have some fields that we need to mow occasionally to clear weeds and brush to reduce fire hazard. This spring we decided to take a low-carbon approach: Instead of using noisy mowers that run on gasoline and pollute the air, we've rented some goats from California Grazing to do the job for us (we're not "kidding").

A herder brings about 200 goats and they spend roughly a week with us at Google, eating the grass and fertilizing at the same time. The goats are herded with the help of Jen, a border collie. It costs us about the same as mowing, and goats are a lot cuter to watch than lawn mowers.

Idea of "Hidden Springs Farm". More articles here and also here.

Innovative, productive, cost-effective, green, win-win...... all those useful outcomes! Innovation does not have to be high-tech, just need high-think :)
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TM Chose Giordano

2009-04-30T14:48:00.009+08:00

Punya lah ramai orang di Malaysia, takde satu pun yang berkaliber untuk jadi CTIO Telekom? Punya ramai orang dalam TM dan syarikat telco lain, takde yang dah pergi belajar tinggi2? Punya besar syarikat, takde talent development programme ker? Macam ni, ambil Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), buang aje dalam longkang!

Encik Girgio Migliarina ni memang betul hebat atau hebat kelentong aje? Orang Malaysia (Melayu, Cina, India etc) memang mudah kena kelentong dengan mereka yang kulit putih, boleh cakap slang dan pandai sebut perkataan2 yang susah nak faham.

Semoga Telekom tak kena klentong.....

"TM announced the appointment of Mr. Giorgio Migliarina as its Chief Technology and Innovation Officer (CTIO). Giorgio, 41, is Italian and an engineer. "

More about Mr Giorgio Migliarina on Google (less than 50 results only!!!)
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Cost Effective Viral Marketing

2009-04-24T14:55:00.007+08:00

The company in the video below created an advertisment and uploaded it to Internet. Then some people found that amusing, started sending the link to others. More people became interested and shared that with their friends via email and social networks. Then bloggers started pasting that in their blogs. And the whole cycle started snowballing....... reaching more and more people worldwide.

That is viral marketing in action! Malaysian company still not maximising it although it is cost effective. This video is creative..... clean fun without being stupid nor slutty

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"Level Playing Field" dan "Meritocracy"

2009-03-05T03:10:00.002+08:00

Keluhan Atok Upin dan Ipin.....

Oh Negara Ku dan Gengmania

Iktibar dan panduan untuk usahawan..... kulit tebal, hati kering!
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Go Watch "Geng the Movie"!

2009-02-09T23:05:00.007+08:00

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In cinema nationwide beginning 12 February 2009.
For schedule, check out GSC, TGV and Cathay cinemas.

Companies should organise special viewing for staff and clients.
Have fun watching this highly acclaimed Malaysian 3D animation.
Staff and clients will appreciate the relief from lousy news around.

For those who keep questioning quality of local graduates.... you must see,
and have faith on capabilities and commitment of Malaysians!

For those with many excuses not to succeed..... you must see and learn lessons.
Where there's a will there shall be many ways to overcome challenges!

For more information about Geng, Upin & Ipin.... goto

~ Official website "Geng the Movie: Adventure Begins"
~ Kempen Ingat (wear seatbelt)
~ Search Google
~ Search Youtube
~ Les' Copaque: by Malaysian for the World

The following is one of its trailer on Youtube

The following is an extract of "The Making". For the 30 minutes version, check schedule for RTM1 and Astro Ria. I find even "The Making" is creative and funny!

All the best to Les' Copaque Team,
saya tumpang bangga dan ambil semangat

Betul ~ Betul ~ Betul :)
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What is Ponzi Scheme?

2009-01-15T16:51:00.002+08:00

Ponzi Scheme is a simple circle game to con people.

It is a pyramid scheme where the con operator pays his existing investors a "return" out of the principals he collects from new investors. Since the money is not "invested" at all, the con operator can fix the "returns" and keep the rest. When the operator cannot attract enough new money to pay the returns, the pyramid and the whole scheme collapsed.

When it is too good to be true. Check how can it be too good.
Most of the time, it is actually too good to be true.
Don't get conned!

~ Ponzi Scheme
~ Bernie Madoff
~ Savvy investors conned by Madoff
~ Skim Piramid
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10 Take Aways From the Bush Years

2009-01-15T12:12:00.004+08:00

10 lessons which leaders and managers can take away from George Bush:

1. Presidents set the tone. Don't be passive or tolerate virulent divisions.

2. The president must insist that everyone speak out loud in front of the others, even -- or especially -- when there are vehement disagreements.

3. A president must do the homework to master the fundamental ideas and concepts behind his policies.

4. Presidents need to draw people out and make sure bad news makes it to the Oval Office.

5. Presidents need to foster a culture of skepticism and doubt.

6. Presidents get contradictory data, and they need a rigorous way to sort it out.

7. Presidents must tell the hard truth to the public, even if that means delivering very bad news.

8. Righteous motives are not enough for effective policy.

9. Presidents must insist on strategic thinking.

10. The president should embrace transparency. Some version of the behind-the-scenes story of what happened in his White House will always make it out to the public -- and everyone will be better off if that version is as accurate as possible.

Read full article in WashingtonPost.

"Adult Supervision" for Yahoo

2009-01-14T18:19:00.004+08:00

Yahoo appointed Carol Bartz aged 59 as its new CEO to succeed Jerry Yang.
Bartz was the Executive Chairman and CEO of Autodesk.

~ What Yahoo Needs from Bartz Right Now
~ Google news
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IKEA Model

2009-01-12T18:05:00.004+08:00

IKEA is a Swedish company (wikipedia). And Sweden's population is only 9 million people (CIA world factbook).

Yet, IKEA has 150 stores in 30 countries! It hires 120,000 people! And it generated revenue of USD 29 billion a year! Not bad for a company which focuses on brand, design, quality and process. Production in China, retail outlets served by locals!

Malaysia does not have enough knowledge workers! Our graduates cannot communicate in english! Venture capital still acting like a bank! Education system does not foster creativity! We do not have meritocracy! Okay, some people are fixated with the grievances and hurdles.....

Some of us should explore possible opportunities outside the box. What should we do to replicate the IKEA model for various industries, products and services? What skills and competencies do we need to move forward? IKEA is just a concept company!
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Recession Hits Google

2008-12-05T00:42:00.004+08:00

Extract of article from PCworld.com on Google's strategies to face the recession:

The U.S. is officially in a recession and the lean times are even hitting high-flying Google. The Wall St. Journal reports that Google has realized its "torrid growth" can't go on forever and is implementing a series of belt-tightening moves aimed at helping it weather the current economic downturn. These include cutting back on engineers' less promising "pet" projects (so much for that vaunted 20% time), while focusing more on probable profit-generators.

As Google cut costs, it has to make sure it also doesn't cut opportunities. Google's initiatives can be taken two ways. Either the company is finally growing up and its newfound bean-counter mentality is just part of the process, or it's actually given up on a core part of its company culture. Some key steps it is reportedly taking:

New hires go to revenue-generating groups first.

Ad-sales reps now have to meet quotas.

More employees now find their pay tied to performance.

Standard procurement, and price paid, across departments.

Hiring only when needed, not just when talent is available.

Earmarking funds for only the most promising projects.

Building data centers only when capacity needs require them.

At first blush, the moves make huge economic sense. Doesn't every smart company operate this way? But Google's always been a little different. By nurturing engineers and their dreams, they tended to hit on profitable projects that wouldn't have even come to the fore in a different company with a more traditional culture.
At best, the culture changes will only be temporary, as Schmidt says, and funding will free up once the economy gets rolling again. But by then, it may be too late. And that genius engineer may have moved on to greener pastures, taking the next blockbuster technology or service along with her.

DSH friendly hospital

2008-12-03T20:38:00.011+08:00

I went to Damansara Specialist Hospital (DSH) to accompany a friend who underwent minor surgery (stay in the day ward and go home after surgery).

The specialist and medical staffs at the ward are very professional and friendly, that is the minimum standard that we expect.

But the pervasive customer service culture is awesome!!! I entered the "service elavator', the janitor pushing the waste supplies actually said "maaf encik, sampah" (sorry sir, waste). Walking throughout the hospital everyone will give you a smile.... doctors, nurses, attendants and general workers. Even the cashier who had to endure my stern queries on the bill was very knowledgeable, professional and patient. You can feel the positive and friendly vibes throughout the hospital. And you get the impression they are really sincere.

They can do that because they charge high fees (as private hospital), or they can charge high fees because they institutionalise the customer service culture? How do you instil that level of customer service throughout the organisation?

I worked with "Puan Siti" for the listing of KPJ Healthcare Bhd. She and KPJ Team had done a great job institutionalising the "culture of excellent customer service" at DSH. And congrats on the leadership by example from Tan Sri Ali and management at Johor Corp.

Luckily the staffs did not say "see you soon or break a leg".... that would be a minus for DSH's customer service.... heh heh heh.

p/s ~ but KPJ need to improve its website to make it easier and faster to find information. The virtual service is not congruent with the excellent real-world services.
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101 Web Applications

2008-11-21T01:26:00.003+08:00

My friend Caspian has searched the Internet and listed 101 (one hundred and one) web applications which can help your personal, work and business tasks.

All the applications are ready-to-use.
Most of them are free, a few are pay per-use.
Use them to increase your productivity and competitiveness.
Click here now!

Entrepreneurs Must Have Courage!

2008-11-18T20:06:00.003+08:00

Entrepreneurs must overcome fear to have a chance to succeed. Fear of taking action, fear of selling, fear of preparing proposal, fear of taking calculated risks, fear of imperfection. So many fears! So how to develop courage, overcome fear and succeed?
(right-click the links to open new tab)

Courage ~ more
It takes courage ~ more
What every entrepreneur's need most.... courage! ~ more
Entrepreneurship is just having the courage of Just do it! ~ more
Entrepreneurship: What To Do When You’re Scared Sh*tless ~ more
10 business lessons from a snarky entrepreneur ~ more
Simple ways to face down your fear ~ more
It takes courage to be an entrepreneur ~ more
The courage to act: entrepreneurial spirit ~ more
Practical, emotional and belief courage ~ more
Sales take a lot of courage and footwork ~ more
Overcome fear of rejection ~ more
The secret upside to fear ~ more
Act inspite of fear ~ more
Mastering fear ~ more
Fear quotes ~ more

What's the worst that can happened? Okay, I can live with that.
Stop worrying, just do it :)
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Motivate, Support or Get Out Of The Way

2008-11-18T12:49:00.011+08:00

Every employee is responsible to motivate himself or herself, right? That is a fair statement.

As a leader and manager, what are you doing to empower that? Or worse, are you causing your employees to be become demotivated, demoralised and dysfunctional? According to a Gallup Poll study ~ people leave their boss not the company!

No worries. If you are passionate and committed to lead a team of highly motivated and inspired individuals, there are wealth of proven techniques which can help you. It is challenging but can be done, and definitely rewarding. A few of the thousands articles:
(right click to open new tab)

Demotivation ~ more
The high cost of work deficiency syndrome ~ more
Are you demotivating your employees? ~ more
Why your employees are losing motivation ~ more
How can we stop demotivation? ~ more
Managing demotivated employees ~ more
Motivation, getting started is the hardest part ~ more
Motivating people in adversity ~ more
Motivating your staff ~ more
29 tips on motivating your employees ~ more
How to motivate your employees ~ more
Employee motivation ~ more

Your TEAM will be with you all the way..... through thick and thin, through fire and ice, through hunger and pain, to hell and back! They will achieve objectives with limited resources and facing numerous constraints. Not because they have to but because they want to. Not for you but for themselves!

YOU... simply need to become a leader instead of a boss, a coach instead of a manager and a person instead of a designation. Speak and think effectively. You get what you think :)
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Three Months..... immerse, learn and do

2008-11-17T20:28:00.008+08:00

Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group said:

"Three months of running a business or trying to set up a business and you will learn, I suspect, as much as you can learn in three years at a business school." (Google)

Branson has developed a level of trust with his top managers by setting the direction and then stepping back to let them navigate. "I come up with the original idea, spend the first three months immersed in the business so I know the ins and outs and then give chief executives a stake in the company and ask them to run it as if it’s their own," explains Branson. "I intervene as little as possible. Give them that, and they will give everything back." (Wharton)

Richard's "three months" strategy is validated by Virgin's diverse businesses!

So what to do? Maximise time and efforts to focus on the business ~ ignore television, newspaper, blogs and anything which does not add value to your mission. Avoid procrastination, avoid paralysis analysis and avoid perfection. Develop really thick face and ask many questions from the relevant experts (there are no stupid questions, only stupid person not asking question!). Enough excuses, stop talking and start doing. If you stumble, just get up, dust off and move on. It worked for me before.... now just reminding myself :)
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Don't Run, Don't Hide, Don't Fight

2008-11-15T18:33:00.004+08:00

If your business is facing cashflow problem... employees, banks and suppliers will go berserk if you let their imagination and anxiety run wild.

Don't run away, don't hide and don't fight... be proactive and approach them upfront. Work together to ride through the crisis. No one will benefit if your business goes under.
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Online Maps

2008-11-05T00:58:00.009+08:00

"Online Maps" are useful free services to show map to your office and also the satellite image. Goto maps.google.com to mark your office. You can also add image and relevant Wikipedia link. After that, you can embed the Google Map to your website or blog. For more details how to customise, goto the Maps Help Center.

Alternatively, you can use StreetDirectory which have map, building and satellite view options (see examples KLCC and Pos Malaysia).

Below is example of Google Map "satellite view" for SMSJ Kluang. Click "x" to close the image. Use the "+" and "-" rulers on the top left of the image to zoom in or zoom out. Left clik your mouse on the image to "grab" and move the map around. Click "map" to change from satellite view to map view. You can have all that map functions for your office, factory and facilities at no cost!

Click here to View Larger Map

Blog for Businesses

2008-10-28T15:24:00.004+08:00

Blog is a value-added tool for any business. Do not be misled by negative comments about blogs and bloggers. Businesses can use blog to deliver information in a more relaxed (not official) tone, receive contextual inputs from the target groups, create community etc. Here are three examples:

~ Shalia's Treats use the blog to promote her cupcakes. She works from home and uses blogspot which is free. And the cupcakes look yummy!

~ Les' Copaque Production uses gengmovie.blogspot.com to provide latest updates and to interact with its online community. Interesting to note and can be emulated~ Les'Copaque uses blogspot (a free service) to add value to their official website Lescopaque.com.

~ Corporate or CEO Blogs listed on Wikipedia.

I am happy using blogspot (www.blogger.com), one of the free and easy-to-use tools provided by Google. For more info on blogs and other free options, goto Wikipedia.

Start blogging your business :)
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YouTube for marketing

2008-10-22T15:02:00.004+08:00

Can you use YouTube for your company, business or services? Absolutely! And it is free for you and for your viewers. How YouTube make money?..... not important for us to know :)

There are so many ways you can maximise the YouTube. Show video of walkthru your clean high-tech facilities, interview your clients who provide testimonial, demonstrate your products etc. Search the site for more examples.

You can capture video using camcorder or professional production house. You can upload multimedia presentations as video. YouTube has informative HowTo Resources.

Once uploaded, you can email the video link to your clients, prospects, partners etc. And you can embed the video on your website or blog. If Internet users like your video, they will forward to their friends and embed in their blogs/websites (that's viral marketing!):

If you come across porno or sleazy videos on YouTube (or anywhere on Internet), JUST TURN AWAY. Goto useful pages. Don't waste your time, money and brain cells! And it will minimise risks of virus infecting your computer!!!
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One Major Concern Resolved...

2008-10-18T00:01:00.003+08:00

Statement from Central Bank of Malaysia dated 16 October 2008:

"Consistent with regional initiatives to preserve confidence in respective financial systems, the Ministry of Finance and Bank Negara Malaysia today jointly announce measures to maintain the stability of the Malaysian financial system.

These measures are pre-emptive and precautionary, since Malaysian financial institutions are well-capitalised with ample liquidity, and confidence of depositors remains intact.

With immediate effect, the following measures are being implemented:
all ringgit and foreign currency deposits with commercial, Islamic and investment banks, and deposit taking development financial institutions regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia, will be fully guaranteed by the Government through Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia (PIDM) until December 2010. The guarantee extends to all domestic and locally incorporated foreign banking institutions; and
access to Bank Negara Malaysia’s liquidity facility will be extended to insurance companies and takaful operators regulated and supervised by the Bank."
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Increase Your Productivity

2008-10-16T15:19:00.002+08:00

Goto Microsoft Office online - lots of templates for your reports, letters, checklists and even for organising your kids birthday parties. If you have no idea, then that is the first place to start. They are free.

Also if you need help and tips to use Microsoft Office, especially when your Helpdesk Team are too busy responding to "bigger problems". That online Assistance is in addition to the "Help" button on your computer.

And MS Office Online comes in multi-lingual and different flavours. On the top left corner of the webpage, there is a small link = "Country" (change).

At the very least. Learn to use all the tools on MS Words. Create more time for yourself. You can begin with MS Word assistance. If you need more, try this Word Help and Word Tutorial using Google.

Work Hard and Work Smart :)
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Tough Times!!!

2008-10-13T15:33:00.003+08:00

"Tough Times Never Last, but Tough People Do!".... is an inspiring phrase, and is a title of a book by Robert H. Schuller. It is also a fact. Tough times could drag over many years, but it never last. And the world is facing tough times, which many said will get worse!

Whilst the full-time politicians are busy politicking and the wanna-be politicians are busy barking, we the ordinary folks need to prepare for the incoming financial tsunami.

We shall grit our teeth, do our best, combine our resources, seek God's help and come out stronger. Where to start? Read articles on perseverance, strategy and innovation.
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Causes of Current financial Crisis

2008-10-13T13:49:00.008+08:00

The following video is a useful summary.... "that explains the flawed subprime mortgage lending practices that fueled the current economic crisis in the United States. Starting in 2000 and ending in current day, it details the role that home buyers, mortgage lenders, banks, financial institutions and ultimately asset backed securities played".(xplanevisualthinking)

Market self-regulation? Not when greed is god. In addition, the bankers, brokers and hedge funds transformed the financial and stock markets into 24 hours virtual casino by making huge bets on "positions" (trading). They trade securities which they do not own (short-selling). They make money by buying and selling nothing (derivatives).

You've been told.... gambling and usury are very bad! Lets learn the lessons!

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Bailout is Good for US!

2008-09-24T01:52:00.004+08:00

Bernanke (federal reserve chairman) said "Congress must pass bailout bill to avoid recession, more job losses, foreclosures"

Economic 101 (revised edition 2008) = bail out is good for U.S. but not good for us (the Asian countries). To all asian companies which were handed over on silver platter for cheap-cheap to the vulture capitalists or which were liquidated during the Asian economic crisis.... sorry lah. That time IMF using old economy theory maahhh.

more articles on US government bailout
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What's Wrong With The Chinese?

2008-09-23T13:59:00.006+08:00

A few years ago was fake baby milk which led to some toddlers death. Last year poison in the toys, then poisonous food, then fake during olympic, and now tainted milk made in China!

What is wrong with those Chinese producers? Want to make fast buck? Didn't think they will ever get caught? Believe that consumers can be fooled? Don't care what other people say? What were they thinking......?

Because of a few unscrupulous producers, now all food exporters throughout China suffers. The brand is badly damaged. It will be very costly to win back confidence. All the goodwil from a funtastic olympic flushed down the toilet.

Lessons for the rest of us? Take very good care of quality, respect the consumers and don't cheat. Remember.... what goes around, will come around.
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Sub-Prime Decline ~ song

2008-09-17T17:15:00.000+08:00

A song by The Richter Scales about the Sub-Prime. Greed leads to sufferings....

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Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch.... GONE!!!

2008-09-16T03:28:00.003+08:00

I met a few of the Lehmans and Merrills years ago. Pleasant guys/gals, sleek marketing kits, sophisticated products, impressive credentials. What happened in 2008?

Lehman Brothers.... filed for Chapter 11!

Merrill Lynch.... sold to Bank of America!

Now everyone looking at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. AIG also in trouble.
Click here for latest news!
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Lesson for the "Leaders" from Bob Marley

2008-09-16T02:57:00.006+08:00

Suddenly I remembered Bob Marley's song "Them Belly Full", part of the its lyrics:

Cost of livin' gets so high,
Rich and poor they start to cry.
Now the weak must get strong,
They say, "Oh, what a tribulation!"
Them belly full, but we hungry,
A hungry mob is a angry mob.
A rain is fall, but the dirt it tough;
A pot is cook, but the food no 'nough.
A hungry man is a angry man.

Leaders must formulate real and believable strategies. When economic cake is expanding, everyone happy. And economy is driven by belief and confidence. Presently, many still cannot see light at the end of the tunnel. Some are thinking its an oncoming train. The result.... a "hungry" man is an angry man (and woman too).

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An Idea A Day....

2008-08-08T04:03:00.001+08:00

"Curiosity is a fundamental tenet underlying the great discoveries and inventions made throughout human culture. Without it, we merely accept what is, rather than what could be.

A truly creative spirit is ﬁred by a curiosity that is hungry, searching for new ways of looking, seeing and doing. If curiosity killed the cat, it is only because it stood still and stared for too long."

New Inventors
inventions by ordinary folks

Global Ideas Bank
interesting ideas to generate more ideas

Development Marketplace
ideas that can be expanded from World Bank's competition

Ideas Websites
more ideas websites and creative resources

Innovation Tools
resources for business innovation, creativity and enhancement

One Idea A Day, One Step at A Time:
continuously improve processes, productivity, performance, profit...

What goes around....

2008-08-06T13:36:00.003+08:00

Everyone must remember that what goes comes around! You cheat someone, one day you will be cheated. You pollute the environment, one day your family will feel the effect. You don't pay attention on quality, one day it will hit your business! If it hurts only you, that is due to your own doing.

But, if we learn the lessons from China, because some companies did stupid things to make quick profit..... its export of food, fruits and toys plummeted. Many people now equate China with Poison! So before you do something stupid, remember what goes around will come around.

In the case below..... a company from Singapore is giving Malaysia a bad name! Sengaja ker?

Malaysian firm recalls candy with high lead levels

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian confectionery maker said Wednesday it has recalled a brand of candy from global markets after California health officials found it contained high lead levels.

Lina Gan, a manager at Kee Wee Hup Kee Food Manufacture in southern Johor state, said the company stopped producing the Ego Hao Jin Bang candy a few months ago because of poor sales.She said the candies may have been contaminated during production, adding the company was still investigating.

California's Department of Public Health issued a warning Tuesday after a recent analysis found the Ego Hao Jin Bang candy contained up to 0.73 parts per million of lead. The state considers candy with lead levels of more than 0.10 parts per million to be contaminated.

Lead can be particularly harmful for young children and developing fetuses, resulting in learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.The company immediately recalled the remaining candies from domestic and global markets after it was notified about the high lead levels Monday by Californian health authorities.

Gan said."We have already recalled the product and we don't produce it anymore," she said.According to its Web site, Kee Wee Hup Kee produces a wide range of products, including dried food, preserved fruits and noodles, that are exported to markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Inflation, Stagflation, Recession

2008-07-22T19:31:00.002+08:00

Three keywords which been used repeatedly by politicians and analysts recently:

Inflation ~ The rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and subsequently purchasing power is falling. As inflation rises, every Ringgit will buy a smaller percentage of a good. For example, if the inflation rate is 2%, then a RM1 teh tarik will cost RM1.02 in a year.

Stagflation ~ A condition of slow economic growth and relatively high unemployment (a time of stagnation), accompanied by a rise in prices (i.e. inflationn). It occurs when prices increase but the economy isn't growing. This happened during the 1970s, when world oil prices rose dramatically fueling sharp inflation. And we are seeing it in year 2008.

Recession ~ A significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting longer than a few months. It is visible in industrial production, employment, real income and wholesale-retail trade. The technical indicator of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth as measured by a country's gross domestic product (GDP).

For more definitions of the economic and business terminologies, goto:
* Investopedia.com or Financial Dictionary or Search Google *

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Most Innovative Companies 2008

2008-04-18T02:32:00.000+08:00

FastCompany released its list of 50 Most Innovative Companies, 2008. Top 5 companies:
1. Google
2. Apple
3. Facebook
4. General Electric (GE)
5. IDEO

~ For more details, goto The 2008 Fast50 & Summary List.
~ For comments on Fast50 or for other lists of Innovative Companies goto Google Search.
~ And view the most innovative companies Malaysia.
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E-Commerce Opportunities & Challenges

2008-02-13T02:32:00.000+08:00

(right click your mouse to open new tab or window)

E-commerce is about reaching the global market, improving customer services and fostering closer customer relationship. "E is about business, not technology glotification!".

Latest E-Commerce News
Google news

Reach the Global Market
Internet Statistics , CIA World Factbook , World Bank List , Top Level Domain

Definitions / Jargons
E-Business , E-Commerce , M-Commerce

Strategies & Implementation
~ E-commerce Success
~ E-Commerce Companies
~ EC Failures , Dot-com Flops
~ E-Commerce Strategies
~ Internet Marketing
~ Affiliates Program
~ Viral Marketing
~ Selling Online
~ Customer Relationship Management
~ E-Business Architecture
~ E-Commerce Architecture
~ Secrets of Electronic Commerce: A guide for small and medium-sized exporters

E-Commerce Examples

10 Main Mistakes in Small Businesses

2007-07-21T01:09:00.000+08:00

PUNB advises entrepreneurs to avoid these mistakes:

Overconfident and obsessed with a single idea.
No marketing plans.
Not knowing the customers.
Not paying attention to cashflow position.
Ignore the human resource development.
Mixed-up between possibility and reality.
No sales plans.
No teamwork.
No mentor.
Give up.

80:20 Rule

2007-07-10T02:07:00.000+08:00

The 80:20 Rule is also known as Pareto Principal.
It is a handy "guide" for projects, businesses and organisations:

~ The Pareto Principle

~ 80:20 in business management

~ Prinsip 80:20 (dalam BM)
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Lions Don't Need to Roar...

2007-07-03T18:56:00.000+08:00

A successful leader is very focused and is not easily rattled.....

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit back at Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho with a retort that "plenty of managers have won the Champions League who will not be considered great".

Portuguese Mourinho, who won it in 2004 with Porto, had a dig at the Frenchman for never having won Europe's premier competition ahead of the sides' meeting in the League Cup final on Sunday.

"Whether I am big or small is not so important, it is not my obsession," Wenger countered.

"Plenty of managers have won the Champions League who will not be considered as great managers. "What is important is that you look at the careers of ten, 15 or 20 years."The importance of the manager is over a longer distance. It is the continuity in his career."

Wenger, in charge of the Gunners since 1996, came within a whisker of seeing his team crowned champions of Europe when they lost last season's final to Barcelona in Paris."It will not change my life if I do not win the Champions League," he continued.

Arsenal did not lose a match in the Premiership in the 2003-2004 season, going 49 matches unbeaten in total in the league. "We played a whole season unbeaten but you did not see me every week jumping on the tables," Wenger said pointedly.

"If you would like to compare every manager, give each one the same amount of resources. After five years you can see who has done the most."

~ source: Eurosport
~ profile: Arsene Wenger
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"Skali Lagi"

2007-07-01T13:43:00.003+08:00

My friend Tengku Farith launched his book titled "SKALI Lagi" or "one more time". The book is in English and Bahasa Malaysia.

You can download the book from the www.SKALIlagi.net and can buy the book from MPH bookstores and PTS online. For comments from other readers, click here.

I neither reviewed the draft nor discussed the content with TF before the book was published (I left SKALI's operation in year 2006 to spend more time in other areas).

From what I read, the book is like J.K Rowling's first book on Harry Porter. Just the tip of the iceberg. There should (would?) be follow-up volumes because we learned so many valuable lessons, strategies and techniques that they do not teach in business schools.

I thank everyone who supported SKALI.
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Really Mad

2007-06-30T05:01:00.000+08:00

Real Madrid's strategy is "Really Mad"! The football club:

sacked its coach Jupp Heynckes in 1998 ~ after winning the Champions League.
sacked coach Vicente Bosque in 2004 ~ after guiding the club to 2 Champions League titles, 2 Spanish League titles, 1 Spanish Cup, 1 European Cup and 1 Intercontinental Cup!
just sacked coach Fabio Capello (in 2007) ~ right after winning the Spanish League.

Real Madrid keep sacking its successful coach,
but then Real Madrid is the richest football club in the world!!!

Is it possible to explain the logic of that strategy?
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Wish to Be An Independent Director?

2007-06-17T13:20:00.000+08:00

Under the Companies Act and other legislations, Board of Directors is personally and jointly accountable for many aspects related to its company. If you think becoming an Independent or Non-Executive Director is easy money and risk-free, think again.

My suggestion, do not become a director unless you are in the loop and know what is going on in the company. As a sleeping director, you may get a surprise..... in court:

Ex-directors charged over misleading info

KUALA LUMPUR: Two former directors of Transmile Group Bhd were charged in the Sessions Court here with authorising a misleading statement to Bursa Malaysia.
Chin Keem Feung, 42, and Shukri Sheikh Abdul Tawab, 43, were charged individually with “knowingly authorising the furnishing of a misleading statement” in relation to the affairs of the express air cargo operator.
They are accused of committing the offence at Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd in Bukit Kewangan here on Feb 15. According to the charge, the misleading information was contained in Transmile Group’s quarterly report on unaudited consolidated results for the financial year ending on Dec 31 last year.
Both men claimed trial. The offence is punishable with a maximum fine of RM3mil or imprisonment of up to 10 years or both upon conviction. Securities Commission prosecuting officer Rezy Izwan Ramly proposed a bail of RM500,000 on condition that both accused surrender their passports to the court.
Counsel Ranjit Singh, who appeared with Mohd Firuz Jaffril and Robert Low, asked for the amount to be reduced to RM50,000, saying the amount proposed was extremely high and unwarranted.
The lawyer said Chin, from Petaling Jaya, had been called to the bar as an advocate and solicitor in 1992 and was a partner of an established firm. “He has to support his wife, his widowed mother who is frail, and pay for the mortgage on his property. The risk of him absconding is nil,” he said.
Ranjit Singh maintained that Chin was only an independent director who was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and had cooperated fully with the authorities. “He has since resigned from his directorship,” he said.
The lawyer said Shukri, from Alor Star, was also a non-executive director at the time of the alleged offence and is now unemployed. “He is married with two children and is applying for a government grant to start a small business,” he said.
Judge Rozana Ali Yusoff allowed the accused to be released on a RM100,000 bail each and ordered the surrender of their passports. She fixed June 2 to 4 for a joint trial. Both Chin and Shukri posted bail.
Source: The Star

Lessons from History

2007-06-16T02:00:00.000+08:00

.
~ Lessons from Enron and/or Worldcom

~ Creative accounting

~ Forensic accounting
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What Happened? Lessons to learn.....

2007-06-15T02:13:00.000+08:00

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(right click your mouse to open links in new window)

Ho Hup Construction Company Bhd
~ News on Google
~ BursaMalaysia: current announcements
~ BursaMalaysia: historical
~ More from Google

Welli Multi Corp Bhd
~ News on Google
~ BursaMalaysia: current announcements
~ BursaMalaysia: historical
~ More from Google

Megan Media Holdings Bhd
~ News on Google
~ BursaMalaysia: current announcements
~ BursaMalaysia: historical
~ More from Google

Transmile Group Bhd
~ News on Google
~ BursaMalaysia: current announcements
~ BursaMalaysia: historical
~ More from Google

Wimems Corporation Bhd
~ News on Google
~ BursaMalaysia: current announcements
~ BursaMalaysia: historical
~ More from Google

NasionCom Holdings Bhd
~ News on Google
~ BursaMalaysia: current announcements
~ BursaMalaysia: historical
~ More from Google

Southern Bank Berhad
~ News on Google
~ More from Google
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Hyperlinks Financial Agencies

2007-06-15T01:48:00.001+08:00

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~ Bursa Malaysia: announcements
~ SIDC: Malaysian Investors
~ Securities Commission
~ Companies Commission
~ Bank Negara Malaysia
~ Institut Integriti Malaysia
~ Malaysian Institute of Accountants
~ Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance
~ Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group, Malaysia
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Business of Innovation

2007-06-14T03:26:00.000+08:00

"The Business of Innovation" is an interesting programme on CNBC.

The guest speakers share their experience and ideas on innovation throughout a business (not just technology and product innovation).

Go to innovation.cnbc.com to watch the past programmes and to download its transcripts.

Social Entrepreneurship

2007-06-08T10:39:00.000+08:00

Definition by Wikipedia:

Social entrepreneurship is the work of a social entrepreneur. A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change.

Definition by Ashoka:

Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change.

Rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business sectors, social entrepreneurs find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps.

Social entrepreneurs often seem to be possessed by their ideas, committing their lives to changing the direction of their field. They are both visionaries and ultimate realists, concerned with the practical implementation of their vision above all else.

We need more social entrepreneurs. Action-oriented individuals and groups who work on solutions, not problems. It can be done......

Don't Be Rushed Into Deals...

2007-06-02T15:18:00.000+08:00

In business dealings, do not allow the other party to pressure you to make major decisions simply because of time constraints. Decide only when you have completed your analysis and when the major issues have been mutually resolved (and put in written agreement).

Don't worry, others will wait a bit longer if you bring value to the transaction.
If you do not add value to the deal, then its not meant for you anyway.

It is smart to be speedy, it is dangerous to be hasty.

Take the Malaysia-US FTA as example:
~ FMM said it is good for Malaysia
~ SM Idris of CAP tells FMM to get real
~ JUST World also have something to say
~ DPM said Malaysia will not be presurred into signing
~ Others around the world also think US FTA is harmful

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Ah Kau

2007-03-10T14:19:00.000+08:00

Got this from my eGroup. I believe at least it is based on true story:

Ah Kau is a guy who sells newspaper every morning next to your apartment, and you are one of his daily regular customers. Before dashing off to your office every day, you will go to his small stall and buy The Star newspaper. Wearing a newly pressed shirt, a tie, and a pair of Clarks shoes, you grab a copy of The Star, pay RM1.20 and exchange smiles with Ah Kau and greet him.

"Apa macam Ah Kau ini hari? Bisnes ada baik?"

The normal greeting like you do every day. Yes, Ah Kau doesn't speak English. He speaks Chinese and knows a little bit of Malay. He speaks a little bit of Malay but with a very thick Chinese accent.

"Biasa saja! ini bisnes aa, kadang kadang baik, kadang kadang tada untung."

"Biasalah hidup. Kadang kadang ok, kadang kadang tak ok." You give Ah Kau a pat on the back. You smile and walk away and get into your car. You start the engine and start driving to your office, a multinational semiconductor company located in a premier industrial area. You are a young and promising finance executive and the future looks bright for you.

A year goes by and things look pretty good on the track. You decide to marry your fiance and have your new wife moves in to your place. Both of you feel happy because you can save more money as the two of you will be sharing one apartment and can live as one. Ah Kau is still selling the newspaper as usual. Sometimes in the morning your wife gets the newspaper from Ah Kau instead of you.

A year later a child comes along, and you decide to buy and move into a newly developed condominium just across the street. This place is bigger so it will be perfectly fit for the 3 of you. But since both of you are working, you decide to get a maid to take of the household and your kid.

By this time you're offered a managerial job from another multinational; the remuneration package offered is much better in terms of the pay, contractual bonus, medical benefits, ESOS scheme and a few others which make it impossible for you to decline. So you join this company happily.

You get busier. You realize that you spend less and less time with your family. When your department is busy preparing for the next audit, your working hours become more and more ridiculous. Any internal issues arising in the office means you'll be stuck in the office until 8 or 9 pm. Sometimes, during the weekend, you'll spend your time in your office, buried under paper works and documentation' s, instead of taking your family for a walk in the park.

One morning, on your way to get your copy of The Star, you realized that Ah Kau is no longer in his stall. So is his rundown motorbike. Instead, there's another young Chinese guy at the stall.

"What happen to Ah Kau?" You ask out of curiosity.

"Oh, he is still around, but he is no longer taking care of this stall as he has opened up a new grocery shop down town. I am running this newspaper stall for him."

"Ok." you smile. You feel happy for Ah Kau. At last he manages to improve his life.

Your normal life continues. A year passes by and at the end of your company's fiscal year, you're rewarded for your effort with a 5 months bonus pay-out by your employer. Wow. Now that is a very handsome reward. You feel your effort has been equally compensated. To celebrate, you decide that it's time to trade your 5-year old Proton Wira to the latest Honda Civic model. It won't be much a problem to you to get a loan scheme from the bank as your pay slip will provide you an easy gateway to access financial help from any bank.

One day, the hardest reality of life hits you right on the face. The company that you've been working for years announces that they're moving their business to China for cost and competitive reason and has asked you to find a job somewhere else. "What?" You scream out cold. "I got a lot of liabilities on the card! Who's gonna pay for my mortgage? My car? My credit card? My gym fees? My bills?" You yell like there's no way out.

This is the first time you feel let down by your own employer. All your hard work seem to go up on the smoke. You feel sick. You now hate your company. On the way home, you stopped by at a mamak restaurant for a cup of teh tarik while pondering about your future.

Alone.

Suddenly you saw this new, shiny BMW 3 series being parked nearby. And to your surprise, it was Ah Kau. Yes, Ah Kau who used to sell newspapers nearby your old apartment. "What happened to old Ah Kau?" You whisper to your self.

Ah Kau still recognizes you, and sit next to you, and shared his story.

To make it short, Ah Kau had accumulated his money from selling newspapers to open more stalls, one after another. Every new stall is run by his workers so that he focused on opening more and more stalls, which in turn give him more and more money. Over the years, he had accumulated enough cash to open up new grocery store while at the same time buying more assets to grow his wealth. And his current wealth and success is achieved without any loan or financial help from banks and other financial institutions. There you go. That's the story. While Ah Kau is set to become financially free, you're back to where you're started before. Ground zero .

Before leaving, Ah Kau gives you a familiar quote,

"Biasalah hidup. Kadang kadang ok, kadang kadang tak ok."

He gives you a pat on the back and walks away.

In reality, if you're observant enough, there are a lot of Ah Kaus out there, that you will see every day and every where you go. The names are different, but inside them is every character of Ah Kau. They might be Uncle Dorai, Ah Chong, Pak Abu, Makcik Gemuk, Pak Man nasi lemak or others.

They look to be struggling on the surface, but if you look carefully and compare with you life, many of them are living with little or no liabilities. They ride an old kapcai bike. They live in an old rundown house. They don't have credit card to swipe. They wear a 10-year old shirt and short. No new, shiny Toyota Harrier. In short, their living means are far below than yours. But what you don't realize is that many of them can save more money than yours, and over the years generate enough money to expand their business, or invest in properties. Their asset columns are much thicker than that of yours.

So the next time you see Ah Kaus, never look down on them, and never underestimate them. Or else you're up for a harsh reality lesson.

Economic Forecast 2007?

2006-09-27T03:00:00.000+08:00

I sent my car for service recently. The place was quite empty, unlike normal days. When I asked the supervisor, he said the economy is not so good. His additional “economic indicator” to support his claim?..... “now a lot of people prefer to buy second hand tyre”!!!

So is Malaysia going into recession or economic slowdown?

I went through two recessions. First taste of recession in 1987, when I had just graduated. Really depressing time, no experience no job…. errr but how to get experience if no job? My first job with a legal firm as an “accountant” at RM250 per month. Second recession in 1997, when I had just started out as netpreneur. The battles to survive and to turnaround the business. Hard-knock-school numero-uno!

So is 2007 the beginning of the next cycle of economic slowdown or recession?

“Honeeyyyyy……. very sorry dear, no more non-essential shoppings for you and kids until we see convincing indicators of economic growth for 2007. Real benefits which trickle down to more people and not to just to some contractors”.

~ wiki ~ List of Recessions
~ google ~ economic Forecasts 2007
~ google ~ economic Recession 2007

The Apprentice

2006-09-13T04:11:00.000+08:00

~ TheApprenticeRules.com
~ wikipedia: The Apprentice
~ google: Lessons from Apprentice
~ Donald Trump's Blog
~ TrumpOnline

Best Wishes to CIMB Group!

2006-09-08T11:49:00.000+08:00

Prime Minister Launches CIMB Group as a Regional Universal Bank... more news

CIMB Brands... click here

new URL at www.CIMB.com

Congratulations and all the best to CIMB Team!!
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Thick Face, Black Heart

2006-09-07T14:52:00.000+08:00

Leadership :)

2006-09-06T14:44:00.000+08:00

3 Ws for Success

2006-09-05T00:52:00.000+08:00

Business men and women must keep asking these 3 Ws:

1. What am I selling?

2. Why will people buy what I am selling?

3. Why shall they buy from me and not others?

Answers to those questions can predict the future of a business. Be very objective. Avoid sentimental attachment towards any ideas or projects. Most of all, do not allow personal ego to cloud objective judgement. Please test this crystal ball :)

Now and then, it is worthwhile going back to basics. Apply basic fundamentals, before going for the flavour of the month frameworks and techniques.
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First, break all the rules

2006-09-04T03:04:00.000+08:00

A research by Gallup Organisation found that if employees answer "yes" to these 12 questions, then they are motivated in a great environment:

What do I get?
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

What do I give?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

Do I belong here?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel that my work is important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?

How can we all grow?
11. In the last six months, has someone talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

More details in the book "First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently".
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Tough Times: thank you all

2006-08-31T12:25:00.000+08:00

SKALI, my friends and I came very close to bankruptcy during the asian economic crisis. The meltdown started in August 1997 - which was just two months after we launched the AltaVista Mirror Site (our first service). We had plans for wired business, online media etc. But all plans went down the drain with the crisis and problems started snowballing.

We can write a novel as thick, twisting and exhilarating as "Barbarians at the Gate". The blood, sweat and tears. The begging for help. The character building. The spritual strength. The lessons learned. The camaraderie, laughter and satisfaction. The best and worst in human being. The love of family and friends.

Praise to Allah, we turned around SKALI. It grew from 11 people at the end of 1999 to more than 100 people in 2005. SKALI is now in good hands of Farith, Aimi, Ayi, Basri together with the experienced specialists. Challenges continue..... normal lah in business world.

On this WorldWideWeb, I want to engrave my infinite gratitude to every person who directly and indirectly contributed in turning around SKALI and taking it to greater heights.

Setiap hari saya doakan kesejahteraan, keselamatan dan kebaikan tuan-puan skalian.

Azmi Ahmad
co-founder and x-director
www.skali.net

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Tough Times: words of wisdoms

2006-08-30T12:02:00.000+08:00

Work on solutions, not problems.

Other than death, every problem has a solution.

When you find yourself in a hole, first thing to do is stop digging.

Stand for something or you will fall for anything.

If not dead, you will be stronger.

Tough Times: recommended readings

2006-08-29T11:13:00.001+08:00

Life is a cycle of ups and downs.
When you are high and mighty, remain humble.
When you stumble, get up, dust-off and move on:

Achieving Success in Tough Times
Dato' Dr Mohamad Hashim, 2006, KasehDia

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work
Richard Carlson, 1998, Hyperion

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Dale Carnagie, First printed 1944, Pocket Books

Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!
Robert H. Schuller, 1983, Bantam Books

The 7 Habits of Higly Effective People
Stephen Covey, 1989, Franklin Covey

La Tahzan, Don't Be Sad
Dr Aidh Abdullah Al-Qarni

Al-Quran
God Al-Mighty
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Managed Portal Services @ SKALI

2006-08-28T13:44:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah. Makin segak brader Aimi dan Ayi :)

"Najib said the Managed Portal Services (MPS) would also enable the consolidation of government websites’ standards and processes.

The government has allocated RM250 million for the project over six years. It is a comprehensive programme to develop and maintain 102 local government and 471 federal government websites.

Skali president Aimi Aizal Nasharuddin said the MPS would increase the efficiency of the websites. “The upgraded websites will act as a single touch point for liaising with the government, creating a citizen interaction channel for feedback.”

The project will provide more than 4,000 jobs for unemployed graduates, who will be trained to manage components of the project. They will be given the opportunity to start their own ICT enterprises as the project target includes the creation of more than 400 ICT-related companies within six years." (NST Online). And more news on SKALI.net
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Tough Times: dato' dr mohamad hashim

2006-08-28T10:36:00.000+08:00

Dato' Dr Mohamad and his company (Global Carrier) were also affected by the asian economic crisis. The good thing is he has gone ahead and chronicled his experience and lessons learned.

'Achieving Success in Tough Times' is a must read for all entrepreneurs and business students. It is straight to the point without dramatizing the problems. And, it is real.

We can be certain that the 79 tips in 121 pages are merely tip of the iceberg for Dato' Mohamad. But it is a good start. We look forward to more knowledge sharing from other entrepreneurs and professionals.

Achieving Success in Tough Times available at MPH.

Launch of the book by YB Dato' Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Dewan Ekonomi April 2006

p/s - all proceeds from the book will be donated to MERCY, Malaysia. It will be great if Dato' Dr Mohamad and/or KasehDia can allow students to download a softcopy.

Own Hard-Knock-School

2006-08-28T07:39:00.000+08:00

.
1996 ~ Alam Teknokrat Sdn Bhd

1997 ~ ALTEK

1997 ~ AltaVista Asiawide

1998 ~ Skali.com

1999 ~ Skali Multimedia Application Centre = SMAC

1999 ~ mySMAC

2000 ~ Skali Group

2001 ~ Skali.Net

2002 ~ finally......
Pronounced as 'Ska_Lee'. Not pronounced as 'Ska_Lai' or 'S_K_A_L_I' or 'Se_Ka_Lee'.

It malay it means "together" as in ~ duduk skali, makan skali, pergi skali, balik skali and so on.

In other languages it does not mean anything :)

Well... those early days, not easy to find knowledge.... Internet still slow, strategic books not that many in Malaysia and only a few people with the required know-how. So its trial-and-error via hard-knock-school.

Please don't repeat the same mistake.... do some other mistakes so we can learn :) .

Choosing Brand Name(s)

2006-08-27T22:25:00.000+08:00

My back of envelope hyphotesis:

Think Big! Believe that your business will grow.

Think Global! Believe that your business will be international.

Should be less than three syllables (eg. Coke_1, Pepsi_2, KFC_3). Maximum of four syllables. Food company seems to defy this trend and still succeed like 'Mamak Nasi Kandar' or 'Secret Recipe'. In general, shorter is better for brand names!

The word can be totally meaningless.

Must be easy to spell and easy to pronounce.

Must 'sound pleasant' to the target group's mind.

Various races can pronounce it. For example, avoid "R".

Must not have any negative meaning in any languages.

Must be able to secure all the domain extensions ~ .com; .com.my; .net, .biz, .info etc.

Avoid names which sounds familiar with the existing brand.

Avoid names with possible negative connotation. For example MaxCon looks good at first glance but can be made a joke as "Maximum Con". Thanks Apai for this lesson :)

Nice if Brand Name is the same as Company Name. But still okay if the two not the same.

Nice if the pronounciation represent something about the business. For example, 'Kent Ridge Digital Lab' is known as 'KRDL', which is pronounced as 'Cradle', which fits nicely with this technology research and development centre. But okay if meaningless.

Use the Words as logo. Avoid icons such as globes, birds etc for logo.... unless you are Ferrari.

Observing Brand Names

2006-08-26T20:14:00.000+08:00

The following are merely layman observations without scientific empirical study. Take them with a handful of salt!! Add in the 'comments' below if you have other examples to note:

'Kentucky Fried Chicken' is better known as 'KFC'. 'Mc Donald' is now calling itself 'McD'.

Airlines = 'SIA' vs 'Air Asia' vs 'Malaysia Airlines'. Many years back, Malaysia Airlines was known as 'MAS'. Shorter name better performance or just co-incident?

First Coca-Cola came to the market, followed by Pepsi Cola. Later, 'Pepsi Cola' switched to 'Pepsi', then 'Coca-Cola' switched to 'Coke'..... after Pepsi eroded its market share worldwide.

There are NASDAQ, SESDAQ, MESDAQ etc in the stockmarket bourses. 'FTSE' is pronounced as 'Footsie'. There was 'Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange' known as 'KLSE', and the composite index was known as 'KLCI'. The bourse name was changed to 'Bursa Malaysia' and is called by its full name or sometimes as 'Bursa'. It cannot be called 'BM' because that is Bahasa Malaysia. So the composite index is still KLCI and not BMCI. But Reuters still use 'KLSE' and 'KLSE Composite Index' anyway.

National Computer Board (NCB) and Telecommunications Authority of Singapore (TAS) were merged to form 'Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore', which is known as 'IDA' and pronounced as 'Idea'. That fits its its role as the promoter and developer for knowledge-based economy.

It was established as 'Pertanian Baring Sanwa' because it was a joint-venture between Bank Pertanian, Barings Bank and Sanwa Bank. It changed name to 'Commerce International Merchant Bankers Berhad'. Now it is well known as 'CIMB' which is pronounced as 'C_I_M_B'. But occasionally, you will meet someone who pronouced it as 'Sim' or worst 'Chim'. Remember... it is C_I_M_B with four syllables.

'Hewlett Packard' changed to a much simpler 'HP'. Then I got confused when they added plus sign in their logo to promote 'HP +'. Now the logo is 'HP invent'.

'Multimedia Development Corporation' was known as 'MDC' and now rebranded as 'MDeC'. By the way, many years ago there was 'Digital Equipment Corporation' which was known as 'DEC'. Later it was rebranded to 'Digital'. Compaq then absorbed Digital. HP then acquired Compaq.

'Multimedia Super Corridor' was known as 'MSC' and now rebranded to 'MSC Malaysia'.

A trivia: 'London Interbank Offer Rate' is known as 'LIBOR'; for Singapore it is 'SIBOR'; for Hong Kong it is 'HIBOR'. Why for Malaysia it is KLIBOR and not MIBOR ......

Maybe I'll add other observations later. More resources online:

But everlasting success comes from substance in benefits, quality and reliability. Marketing and branding exercises will support that but cannot create them.
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What's in a URL?

2006-08-25T02:37:00.000+08:00

Test your URLs before using them. Check the spelling, check the sound. "Hotmail.com" did cause some confusion in its early days.... "mail" and "male" sounds so similar.

Not properly checked, URLs can create unintentional effects, like these:

1. A site called ‘Who Represents’ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is
www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder

5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company…
www.powergenitalia.com

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales (update: they have changed their URL to www.molerivernursery.com.... much better)
www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always
www.ipanywhere.com

8. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com

thanks GreenRubberBall ...... why that name man????
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9th Malaysia Plan..

2006-08-24T20:50:00.000+08:00

The five thrusts of 9th Malaysia Plan:

1 = Increase value-add to the national economy.
2 = Increase the ability of knowledge, creativity and innovation as well as inculcate a first class mind.
3 = Address socio-economic equality in a constructive and productive manner.
4 = Increase and strengthen the quality of life.
5 = Strengthen national institutional and implementation ability.

Related Links:

Previous Malaysia Plans

2006-08-23T20:43:00.000+08:00

Amazing Arsenal

2006-08-22T03:54:00.000+08:00

The Gunners scored 2 goals against the number one club in the Serie A League i.e. Juventus. Thiery Henry set-up the first goal for Fabergas and scored the second goal himself.

It is ironic that Juventus had Henry for about 8 months during his youth. He felt they did not treat him fairly. Arsene Wanger brought him to Arsenal and coached him to be a top world-class player. He works as hard as others and is not distracted by extra-curricular activities. Lesson? Talent Management and Human Capital Development are key success factors.

Arsenal played as one coherent team without anyone trying to be a primadonna. We can see that all Arsenal players were so intensely focused on the objectives to score goal and to defend own goal. They work very hard to the last whistle (there were no delay tactics). Lesson? Must have Intense desire, Hardwork and Teamwork to win.

Juventus lost their patience, persistence and perseverance. Their players let emotions control their body, instead of mind over body and emotion. 2 players got red card and Patrick Viera will miss the next game against Arsenal. They commited fouls which may make them feel great for a few seconds, but they will feel rotten for a long time. Lesson? Don't get emotional.

Go Gunners >>>

US FTA ~ FMM said it is good

2006-06-01T15:02:00.000+08:00

source: TheEdgeDaily.com

12-03-2007: Why an FTA with the USA is Good for Malaysia

Dear Editor

Over the last few weeks there have been many negative comments expressed about what a Free Trade Agreement with the US could mean for Malaysia.

It is important therefore that there should be balance in the views expressed and to understand that we have so much to gain than to lose in signing this FTA with our largest trade partner, the USA.

The average tariff of our two countries is generally low and therefore with or without an FTA, trade will continue to grow.

Whilst this is true, however there are products from Malaysia which attract high duties when entering the US like textiles(up to 14.7% duty) and apparel( up to 28% ), shoes (up to 48%) and ceramic tableware (up to 25%).

Expand RM1 trillion trade threshold and employment
In addition, Malaysian products currently cannot enter their government procurement programmes as Malaysia is not a signatory to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement nor do we have an FTA with the US. This means that even in products that we are competitive in, such as electronic products, wooden furniture and rubber gloves; we are excluded from the US$250 billion government procurement market. An FTA will allow us to participate in this market.

Furthermore, our textile & garment industries are currently exporting RM3 billion a year to the US. With an FTA, duty free access is expected to double to RM6 billion and in doing so, will create an estimated 20,000 new jobs. If other competitive products are included, Malaysia would be creating more jobs and expanding national economic activities, exports and incomes.

FTA will give Malaysia regional advantage in investments
The export expansion and job creation will not end here. Many other textiles and garments manufacturers from other countries may wish to re-locate to Malaysia to take advantage of this zero duty, leading to further employment opportunities.

In the whole of Asia, the only country having an FTA with US is Singapore whose industrial structure is very different from ours. Over time it will not only be factory workers, but executives, managers and even fashion designers from our local institutions of higher learning, who will benefit from the growth of just this one sector.

In addition, in terms of Foreign Direct Investments (F.D.I), an FTA will certainly prompt additional US factories to re-locate here to take advantage of our lower costs to re-export products back to the US free of duty, or for export to ASEAN countries and other countries with which we have signed FTAs like China & Japan.

For an American company that is looking at re-locating its operations in Asia, the first port of call will be a country where there is a Free Trade Agreement as it provides certainty in terms of tariff, as well as certainty in the rules and security of investments.

Generally, foreign trade and investments tend to increase after an FTA is signed. This has been Malaysia’s experience with the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan in 2006, as already evident in the five-fold jump in FDI in the last six months of 2006. In tandem with higher investment, employment and other economic opportunities will increase.

So a successful conclusion of an FTA would lead to faster growth in trade and investments for Malaysia and provide the nation a three to five year lead-time ahead of our neighbours with respect to free market access into the US.

FTA will not hurt Malaysian padi farmers
Some fears have been expressed that an FTA would lead to cheap subsidised US rice entering the country which would hurt our padi farmers. The reality is the US prices for long grained rice are much higher than that of their competitors like Thailand and Vietnam. In any case, we are already an importer of rice to supplement our own production.

Malaysia is not self sufficient in rice and there no clear advantages in being self-sufficient if we can buy cheaper rice from other countries. In fact, our production of rice has fallen from 88% of requirements in 1980 to the present 60-65% as more competitive suppliers are available. The general population benefits from cheaper imported rice and current rice imports have not adversely affected our farmers.

Malaysian negotiators have considerable expertise and would be able to ensure that the interests of our farming community are taken care of; having handled similar negotiations on other trade agreements, including with China, Japan, AFTA, and the WTO.

An FTA will not stop production of generic drugs
There was also an expressed fear that generic drugs will no longer be available after the signing of the FTA. Drugs, which are already off patent, can continue to be produced generically and be available. One area of contention is the Data Exclusivity (DE) period which can extend beyond the patent term. Proprietary drug companies have contested the use of their clinical data in the marketing approval of generic drugs by local regulatory authorities.

Our FMM position is that originators of intellectual properties know that there is a time limit of 20 years for them to be the sole beneficiaries of their inventions. This period was deemed appropriate for innovators to recoup the cost of R&D. In the determination and protection of public health, the country should have recourse to compulsory license and government use order, with or without an FTA.

However, it is a negotiating point as to whether and how much time should be allowed for the delay in registration for marketing approval, and whether modifications of the drug would be sufficient to trigger an extension of the patent as a result of DE. An extension of patents would basically mean that we may have to live with existing prices for a slightly longer period of time.

Malaysians want greater transparency
Another issue which has been raised by NGOs and others is the alleged loss of national “sovereignty” if we were to accede to the US request for greater transparency in our government procurement. It is rather surprising that NGOs should take this position whereas all this while many NGOs and members of the public have been asking for more transparency as demonstrated in the recent public pressure for details of the Malaysian water privatisation contracts and expressway toll agreements. We should be prepared to be transparent about the way we conduct business and not be hesitant to put it into a trade agreement.

Transparency is NOT an affront to national sovereignty. If we continue to resist, it is like saying “No transparency please, we’re Malaysian”. For the long term good of the country, Malaysia should adopt public policies which promote accepted standards of transparency in the way the government calls for tenders and awards contracts, with or without an FTA. YAB Prime Minister himself had advocated for a more competitive bidding process for government procurement.

US has Margins of Preferences like Malaysia
As to government procurement and preferences, the US government itself has a system of preferences for small businesses. For contracts below a certain level, small businesses are given a margin of preferences of 6% to 12% to assist them in tenders over the larger companies.

Likewise, there are Malaysian Treasury Circulars, which also lay out very clearly the margin of preferences, which a Bumiputra company can enjoy for different levels of tenders. The US negotiators have stated that they are prepared to work within a framework of preferences for the Bumiputra community. However, this subject has not been negotiated because of strong misinformation that the FTA is a tool for US to dismantle the Bumiputra preferences in its entirety. A properly negotiated FTA will allow the affirmative action programme to continue in a transparent manner.

It is FMM’s hope that there will be a move to table our existing margins of preferences for the US to consider rather than not to table anything at all.

Malaysia’s competition principles already in place
Another contentious issue is the request for a Competition Policy to be in place in the free trade agreement and our difficulty in tabling that for negotiation by the Ministry concerned. We have been talking about competition policy for Malaysia for the past 10 years and certain basic principles of competition policy can be tabled.

These principles have already been incorporated through the Malaysia Multimedia & Communications Act 1998 which amongst other things promotes a freer competitive telecommunication industry and where no big player can use its dominance in an anti competitive manner. It is partly because such rules were enacted that Malaysia is having a more competitive telecommunications sector. It is easy to see how the public is benefiting from all the hot deals and special programmes that the various telephone companies are offering. This is an example that competition is good for the public and like transparency, we should welcome it.

GLCs must be included in competition policy
We understand that one possible reason for the reluctance to table the competition policy could be that the Government may want to exempt GLCs from a competition policy. This position is not acceptable to the Malaysian private sector as the GLCs are already big companies, a significant part of the corporate sector and certainly do not merit this concession.

GLCs have implemented various transformation plans to improve their performance, profitability and efficiency and many are public companies which are already subject to listing and corporate governance requirements. Greater transparency, competition and better procurement policies will enhance not only their standings but also their performance and profitability. With the transformation of GLCs, they will be in a better position to operate in a competitive environment without any special concessions.

A more competitive and vibrant services sector
There were also comments about how our services sectors will be swamped with an FTA. Those services sectors that have shown resilience are those which opened up earlier, for example in the accounting profession, the big four in the world are already in Malaysia. Staffed and partnered overwhelmingly by Malaysians some of whom has been posted overseas to high positions they give world class service. In addition, other Malaysian accountants have set up links with other accounting firm elsewhere and have also been successful. It may be useful to point out that Malaysia is a signatory to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

The same can happen to our other services as the nation begins to find its respective niches in a globalised environment. A more competitive and vibrant service sector will have spin-off effects for the rest of the economy. It is not possible to completely insulate the services sector from competition forever. Just as the manufacturing sector had to contend with duty free imports, the services sector has to compete with the world to give a competitive edge to the rest of economy. In addition, Malaysians will benefit from a more open and efficient services sector given a more competitive service industry.

Adapt and adjust to reap economic benefits together
I would like to relate a story in the late 90’s where MIDA approached FMM to explore whether Malaysian industries could bring forward the starting date of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) by three years to 2000.

When we asked individual industry groups then, their answer was “No, we needed longer protection”. I suggested therefore to the then MIDA officer in charge, Datuk Jegathesan that we call a meeting of all the industry groups together.

When the question was asked whether we should bring forward AFTA, the Cement Manufacturers Association immediately stood up and said “No. We need longer protection because if we have a free trade area in ASEAN the Thai cement producers who are four times bigger than us will be more competitive and will wipe us out”.

On hearing this the Concrete Products Association which uses cement as raw materials stood up to say “No. We should quickly open up the free trade area so that we would be able to buy our cement from anywhere at the cheapest price for us to be competitive against imports as well as for our exports”.

Then it was the turn of the paper producers who stood up and said “We have just invested in a new plant to make paper and we need further protection because we cannot compete with the Indonesians who have a large and cheap supply of pulp and their plants are already depreciated over many years”.

Immediately, the Cement Manufacturers Association who spoke earlier, jumped up to protest “No. We need to open up the paper market because the price of paper bags for cement is very high”.

At that point, everyone burst out in laughter and realised then that the output of one industry is the input of another. In a free trade agreement one must be prepared to adapt to some adjustments in the immediate term to reap the benefits for the rest of the economy as a whole.

Likewise, this awakening will happen in the services sector. We are heartened to read from the statement of the secretary of the Bar Council that they are considering opening up the legal services, having found that five years into the FTA with the US the Singapore legal profession has yet to be swamped by US lawyers. Similarly the lawyers in turn would be able to have access to lower logistics and financial costs as the rest of the services sector becomes more competitive.

The time pressure
The time to act is now. The US Congress, being controlled by the Democrats is less likely to sign an FTA with any country soon. If we miss this window of opportunity, Malaysia would have lost an opportunity to gain access to the biggest economy in the world over other countries.

An interesting view point from the global political platform is that the US looks upon Malaysia as a well-managed and moderate Muslim-majority country, which it is keen to collaborate with. YAB Prime Minister has already built up a good relationship with the US Government and Malaysia’s standing in the world and among Islamic nations would be further enhanced.

In short, the successful conclusion of the FTA with US would be in line with Malaysia’s national economic policies to further expand the economic cake and create wealth for the country through an increase in FDIs, employment opportunities, tourism and enhanced regional competitiveness. The successful conclusion of the Malaysia-US FTA would expedite the country’s progress in achieving developed nation status by 2020.

From:
Datuk Yong Poh Kon,
President FMM
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Wisma FMM, No 3 Persiaran Dagang, PJU9 Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-62761211 Fax: 03-62741266 email: webmaster@fmm.org.my

US FTA ~ SM Idris tells FMM to get real

2006-06-01T14:04:00.000+08:00

source: The STAR Online

Get realistic with USFTA

FEDERATION of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) president Datuk Yong Poh Kon claims that Malaysia has more to gain than lose from signing a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US (The Star, March 17).

While claiming that a balance in views is necessary, it appears that his letter does not appear to be realistic about the possible gains for Malaysia under a USFTA.

Trade in Goods

He notes the high tariffs currently imposed on some Malaysian products, such as textiles, when they enter the US. In textiles and garments, it is not sure if the US will eliminate its tariffs immediately or over many years.

In some FTAs, the US did not agree to go to zero tariffs immediately but phased this over many years. Moreover, Malaysia is asked to accept the so-called ‘yard forward rule’ (that requires the thread to be bought from Malaysia or the US to qualify for any lower tariffs) and to have strict rules of origin. These conditions offset the possible gains of reduced tariffs.

Singapore’s FTA with the US contains a chapter on textiles, with the yard forward rule and rules of origin. Singapore textile exports to the US actually fell after the FTA came into force on Jan 1, 2004.

According to US Government statistics, the year before the Singapore-USFTA started, Singapore was exporting US$233mil of knitted apparel and US$37mil of non-knitted apparel to the US. In 2006, exports fell to US$139mil (knit) and US$6.3mil (non-knitted).

In terms of overall trade balance, data from the US government showed that Singapore had a trade deficit with the US of US$1.4bil in 2003. This worsened after the FTA to US$4.3bil in 2004, US$5.5bil in 2005 and US$6.9bil in 2006.

Further, in manufacturing, the US tariff is much lower than Malaysia's (3.7% against 14.5%). Thus, Malaysia will have to make much higher concessions when both sides go to zero.

Datuk Yong also fails to point out that without a USFTA, Malaysia currently has a US$23bil trade surplus with the US that is rapidly rising according to US government statistics. This shows that the US needs an FTA with Malaysia to try and decrease Malaysia’s trade surplus. Malaysia is doing fine without a USFTA.

Investments

In relation to investments, Datuk Yong makes a general claim that investments tend to increase after an FTA. What he does not however point out is how the US template of an FTA grants overwhelming rights to the foreign investor at the expense of the local.

For instance, the US wants to give its investors the right to enter and establish business with minimum hindrance or screening; to own 100% shares in its companies in Malaysia; be treated equal to or better than locals; transfer funds freely into and out of the country; allow its investors to sue the Malaysian Government in an international court for direct and indirect expropriation, that includes any policies or regulations that the Government makes which reduces the company’s future profits. If the US, and later other countries get 70% or 100% of the shares, then locals will have to share only 30% or less among themselves.

Padi farmers

Datuk Yong says that our rice farmers will not suffer, as US prices for long-grained rice are much higher than that of their competitors like Vietnam and Thailand.

He further suggests that it is better to import cheaper rice rather than being self-sufficient.

Primarily, because our farmers are not able to compete with cheaper rice of our neighbours, a tariff of 40% is currently in place. If this were reduced to zero, US rice would be competitive as local rice retails at around RM1.70 to RM2 a kg while US long-grain rice is around RM1.43.

Drugs

Datuk Yong’s claim that drugs, which are already off patent, can continue to be produced generically and be available once a USFTA is signed is wrong, because data exclusivity (i.e. generic companies cannot make use of safety data of the original products) can apply even to non-patented medicines.

Colombia carried out a study using the World Health Organisation’s model of the economic impact of the stronger intellectual property provisions of its USFTA.

Data exclusivity alone was found to require Colombia to spend an additional US$675mil per year by 2020 and US$989mil per year by 2030. Data exclusivity by itself was predicted to cause the Colombian medicine manufacturers to lose 47% of their market share by 2020.

Government procurement

Datuk Yong refers to the need for transparency in government procurement but misses the fundamental point about the US wanting market access in the business of government procurement.

The US is not asking merely for transparency. It wants Malaysia’s government procurement to be opened to its companies, as it is a large business (worth RM94bil in 2004).

Under the FTA, US companies which lose the bids can complain against the government in court and this will severely affect government projects.

Hence, Malaysia will lose the most important policy tool for helping local businesses and for macro-economic management. Affirmative action policies will be gravely undermined.

Competition policy

The Malaysian Government is still formulating a competition law and policy for the country, which aims to induce more competition and less monopoly.

But it has to balance this with the risk of introducing a law that prevents local companies from growing as this reduces their ability to compete with big foreign companies.

The result of this would be that local companies would be at a great disadvantage, as foreign firms that are already huge can easily take over the share of local business and take over local firms.

Services sector

FMM advocates a more vibrant and competitive domestic services sector. This is difficult to achieve through an FTA. The US wants its companies to have total access to the services sector. It wants a “negative list” approach where everything is deemed to have liberalised unless exceptions are listed.

Malaysia may want to develop certain sectors in future that have not been listed. This will not be possible under the negative list.

Removal of mandatory GM labelling

Datuk Yong has omitted to mention that the USFTA will require the removal of mandatory labelling of foods which are genetically modified, which is presently required under two laws proposed by the Government.

Mandatory labelling of GMOs is required in over 40 countries, including most of Europe, China, Japan and Australia. Mandatory labelling should be a consumer right for reasons of health, and dietary restrictions for religious reasons. The US wants this right taken away.

Time pressure

FMM is concerned about the time pressure as dictated by the situation in the US. The future of our country and its citizens should not be shaped under such pressure.

There is need for a much deeper assessment, given the details of the FTA and what is demanded. While the tangible benefits are still unclear, the traps and dangers are clearer.

Many countries that started FTA negotiations with the US also came to the conclusion that it is better not to proceed. This includes Switzerland, SADC countries including South Africa and Botswana, Free Trade of the Americas countries (including Brazil, Argentina and Caribbean countries), Thailand etc. It will be prudent for Malaysia to do the same.

S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS,

President,

Consumers Association of Penang

US FTA ~ JUST also said be careful

2006-06-01T13:06:00.000+08:00

source: Sun2Surf.com

FTA with the US: To sign or not to sign?
Chandra Muzaffar

While there are some benefits that will accrue to Malaysia from a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US, the disadvantages, it is apparent, will outweigh its advantages.

In trading terms, the US, it is true, is Malaysia's biggest single country market. The total value of our exports to that country stood at RM110.56 billion in 2006. Since the FTA bestows a preferential trading position upon Malaysia, it is hoped that the volume of trade especially in manufactured goods will expand.

But an agreement seems unlikely. Those critical questions which have impeded negotiations for more than eight months now, remain unanswered after five rounds of talks in Malaysia and the US. Will the FTA allow US agricultural products to overwhelm the Malaysian market, thus impacting adversely upon our farming sector? Even if our padi farmers are protected under the Agreement, what about other sub-sectors, such as poultry farming? We have the example of Mexico which lowered tariffs under the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) and consequently opened the floodgates to subsidised corn from the US. It impoverished at least three million of Mexico's 10 million farmers. At a time when agriculture and agro-based industries are being given renewed emphasis in our development agenda, does it make sense to encourage heavily subsidised agricultural products from the US to undermine our efforts to build a resilient farming community?

In similar vein, should we accede to the unimpeded entry of cheaper manufactured goods from the US when there is a possibility that it could lead to the closure of our own factories and the mass retrenchment of our workers? It is estimated that in Senegal a third of the workers in the manufacturing sector lost their jobs as a result of an FTA with the US that lowered drastically the West African nation's industrial tariffs. In Chile 8% of the industrial labour force was rendered redundant for the same reason. South Korean critics of their proposed FTA with the US argue that more than a hundred thousand workers could become unemployed if an accord was inked between the two states.

Apart from a loss of jobs, FTAs have also resulted in the curtailment of a whole gamut of labour rights. Since the US Establishment is clearly biased towards the multinational and transnational corporations affiliated to it, there has been a tendency to protect their profits at the expense of the well-being of workers in the host country. Consequently, the worker's right to unionise and his access to other benefits such as health insurance are sometimes curbed and controlled. Going on the basis of the FTAs it has already concluded with a number of countries in South and Central America, it is quite conceivable that the US will impose similar conditions upon Malaysian workers.

The US is also seeking equal access to lucrative government tenders and contracts. The Malaysian government is very much aware of how this will affect its affirmative action programmes designed to rectify the ethnic imbalance between the communities. Perhaps even more important, if the government yields to the US demand, it would unwittingly grant the US a strategic role in the Malaysian economy.

The government should also be firm on the vital question of intellectual property rights (IPR). What the US FTA is asking for goes beyond the IPR obligations of World Trade Organization (WTO) member states. It would have an adverse impact upon cheaper generic medicines and make drugs for HIV/AIDS for instance much more expensive.

However, more than any of the other negative consequences spelt out here, the FTA could prove to be a disaster for Malaysia's service industries. The US is seeking total, comprehensive access to this sector of the economy which ranges from banking and finance to telecommunications and audio-visual services. It wants all limitations on foreign ownership to be removed. This is a demand that Malaysia will not acquiesce with since certain industries such as telecommunications are of strategic significance to the nation.

Neither should the Malaysian government agree to surrender its sovereign right to impose capital controls if and when it deems necessary. For the US FTA negotiators the unhindered entry and exit of equity capital is fundamental to financial liberalisation, the cornerstone of neo-liberal capitalism. Having been a victim of such capital flows - otherwise known as "hot money" - in the financial crisis of 1997-8, and having overcome that crisis partly through the effective use of capital controls, Malaysia is being judicious and prudent in insisting upon its right to regulate capital flows.

A vigilant attitude on our part is imperative for yet another crucial reason. FTAs are not just about trade and economics. US FTAs in the Middle East and Latin America reveal that there are larger geopolitical goals at stake. An FTA with Malaysia, it is quite conceivable, will enable the US to increase its political leverage with an important Southeast Asian country which is part of China's immediate neighborhood. It is a littoral state which has sovereign rights over the Straits of Malacca, one of the world's seven most strategic sea routes - a route which is vital for China's economic ascendancy. Since Malaysia is determined to protect its sovereignty and independence, it must ensure that it is not drawn into a relationship with the US which will jeopardise its own long-term interests in a region that is destined to be a new centre of global power.

For all these reasons, the Malaysian government should continue to put across its legitimate concerns to the US FTA negotiating team. If due consideration is not given to these concerns, we should put the negotiations with the US in abeyance. In any case, an objective cost-benefit analysis of an FTA with the US will show that Malaysians as a whole will have much more to lose. Which is why we must protect our interests - and our dignity.

Dr Chandra Muzaffar is president of the International Movement for a Just World (Just). Comments: feedback@thesundaily.com

US FTA ~ DPM said No Rush

2006-06-01T12:57:00.000+08:00

source: Sun2Surf.com

Najib: No rush to reach FTA deal
R. Manirajan
Updated: 12:11AM Mon, 19 Mar 2007

KUALA LUMPUR (March 19, 2008): Malaysia will not be tied down to any time-frame set by the United States to conclude the Free Trade Agreement talks, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

He said Malaysia's stand was that discussions would go on until an understanding or agreement was reached.

"We will not be tied down to any time-frame and we want to look into all details thoroughly before making a decision. Our stand has also been made known to the US government by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz," he told reporters after launching the RTM live programme, Every Child is Precious, at Angkasapuri yesterday.

AFP reported that the US had all but ruled out chances of a free trade deal with Malaysia before a crucial deadline expires in two weeks.

According to the report, Steve Norton, a spokesman for US Trade Representative Susan Schwab, had said on Friday that the Malaysian cabinet was still discussing crucial provisions of the deal, including government procurement rules.

US President George W. Bush loses his Trade Promotion Authority, which allows deals to be fast-tracked through the Democratic-led Congress, on July 1.

Asked if the US was trying to pressure Malaysia into signing the agreement, Najib said: "No... the US will not pressure us and, of course, we know the US wants an early resolution, but they also understand that some issues require time to be finalised."

Living on Credit

2006-02-15T20:42:00.001+08:00

Living on credit

By YAM PHUI YEE and NASA MARIA ENTABAN

LINDA (not her real name) is only 22, yet she is already drowning in debt. The young girl, who moved to Kuala Lumpur for her studies several years ago, is a fresh graduate who has been working for eight months in a major corporation. Since she left her parents’ home in Perak, she has been spending beyond her means.

The former straight-As student who was active in school activities and sports never thought her life would take such a violent twist, and in such a short time. Due to her extravagant lifestyle, she has accumulated debts amounting to almost RM8,000, which is growing, with interest.

Apart from this, she purchased a RM50,000 car last year and has a student loan of RM9,000 from her university days which she has yet to pay off.

She earns about RM2,300 monthly, which is not a bad amount for a fresh graduate. However, each month, she must pay RM600 for her car, RM300 for rent of a room she shares with another girl, an estimated RM200 for petrol and RM200 for a study loan.

“After paying off the necessary, I’m left with RM1,000 to survive on. This goes for mostly food and necessities for the house,” says Linda.

Still, believe it or not, she manages to spend at least an extra RM1,000 a month on clothes, shoes, clubbing and meals in expensive restaurants.

Linda is just one of the many people falling into the trap of credit cards.

Check and balance: Credit cards do help ease the financial burden, but you still need to be aware of how much you spend each month. Spending more than you can pay off in a month is not advisable. If you don’t think you can control your spending, cut your credit cards.

Perhaps it can be seen as misfortune that Linda happens to work with people who come from well-to-do families. Call it peer pressure, but you can’t really blame a young girl for wanting to keep up.

“I see these people every day,” she laments. “They come in with different clothes every week, talking about the great weekend they just had on the town, drinking, dancing and having fun. I get along with people well, so eventually I started hanging out with them.”

“At first I tried to be thrifty. I would meet up with them and pretend I had already eaten, and just have a drink. I couldn’t fool them for very long though. We started meeting for clubbing every week, and like everyone else, I was expected to put in money for our enjoyment.”

Linda believes her troubles really began when she got a credit card.

“It’s so easy. It’s money you don’t have, but you spend it anyway, telling yourself you will pay back,” she says. “Eventually I was maxing out the first card, and now I can’t keep up payments for the second one.”

Eventhough she was feeling the pinch, Linda was determined to maintain her current lifestyle and eventually resorted to digging into her lifetime savings. Within months, however, her account was drained.

“I’m still in denial, I guess,” she says with a nervous chuckle, surprising for someone in such deep trouble. “I really don’t want to give up my lifestyle, but every time I reach for my credit card I feel sick to my stomach. I have no idea how I’m going to repay everything.”

It may be easy to judge Linda and call her superficial and materialistic, but the fact of the matter is that her predicament is not at all uncommon.

Seventy-seven percent of the people who enrolled into Credit Counseling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK)’s debt management programme have credit card-related problems. While the “plastic money” has plenty of advantages, when used wisely that is, it is also the number one reason why many people run into debt. This is followed by poor financial planning and high medical expenses.

Many young people, even those who are not yet working and relying on supplementary cards from their parents, are tempted to own one due to the befenits such cards offer. The convenience, powerful advertising and the pursuit of instant gratification are not making it easier for youths and young adults to spend within their means.

The highest number of people in AKPK’s Debt Management Programme (DMP) are people in their 30s (45.7%) while the lowest are those in the 20s (13.9%).

“We found out that even though they come to us in their 30s, the spending habits started earlier, in their 20s,” AKPK’s CEO Mohamed Akwal Sultan says.

He adds that it is possible that those in their 20s relied on their parents to help pay the credit card bills while they were still studying or just starting out at work.

Once in their 30s, their parents may have retired and thus not be able to help bail them out anymore.

That is why besides providing financial counselling and running the DMP, financial education is one of AKPK’s core businesses, what Akwal calls “preventing fire”.

All services provided by AKPK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank Negara, are free of charge and confidential. Among others services, AKP organises talks in corporate settings, at National Service camps, and will be launching a book at the end of this month. The book will be used to teach financial prudence in at least eight public universities starting this year.

Although only two years into its operation, some 50,000 people have sought help from AKPK at its nine branches across Malaysia. Of these, 14,000 have enrolled in the DMP, which helps the clients with their budgeting and how to settle the debts.

The seemingly down side of it, however, is that all the banks will be notified of your enrolment into the programme. You have to reveal all your credit information to AKPK and will have to surrender all your credit cards.

On the other hand, the good thing is that AKPK now acts as the go-between between the client and the relevant financial institutions. All legal action will be stopped and the debt collectors will stop calling.

Akwal says that most people who sign up for DMP usually have to deal with seven institutions but now they only have to pay an amount they are comfortable to AKPK, which will then make the necessary payments to the banks. AKPK does not provide loans or financing.

Unlike other credit management organisations, the agency is able to stretch the usual six months repayment period up to 10 years. When your debt is settled, your debt information will be removed from Bank Negara’s Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS).

Those who need financial advice but do not want any records made or sign up for the DMP can still make appointment for counselling or check out the talks on AKPK services at its outlets held on weekdays.

A major pitfall for young people below the age of 30, Akwal says, is the way they use credit cards.

“Ask yourself, do you need or want the item? If you need it, fine. Then the second question is, can you afford it? You may need the item but you cannot afford it.

“Then the next question is, when the bill comes, can you pay in full? If you can’t, you’re treading on very dangerous waters,” Akwal cautions.

The lure of luxury goods: Don’t make the mistake of buying something you really can’t afford and certainly don’t need, just to show off.

In efforts to encourage prudent spending, Bank Negara last week announced that those who do not settle the bills in full will not enjoy the 20-day interest free period for new retail transactions. While some banks have alerted their customers since a year ago by asking them to settle their bills promptly, consumer groups have criticised Bank Negara when the move was finally announced, saying that it will drive people into bigger debts.

It is expected to affect two thirds of the 2.7 million credit card holders in the country who only settle their bills at the minimum or partially. However, Akwal says the interest incurred will not make a big difference to those who make new retail purchases of small amounts.

With or without the new policy, though, the philosophy is simple. If you are already in debt, it’s time to stop using the credit cards.

“The first thing to do is lock your card at home. Stop using it.

“If the outstanding amount is quite large, you have to seriously change your lifestyle — make less trips to gourmet coffee outlets and clubs, for example. Strive to pay off as much as you can. There is no point paying off the minimum and keep on charging on your card,” Akwal adds.

So, the next time you see your friend driving a new flashy car, buying the latest gadget or wearing a gorgeous but really expensive dress, and you really want to get something similar, ask your self the three questions Akwal suggested earlier before you swipe your card.

“If you can afford it, fine. But don’t do it to impress your friends,” Akwal concludes.

Getting help

CREDIT Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK) chief executive officer Mohamed Akwal Sultan says that many Malaysians are not good with saving up for a rainy day.

“A lot of Malaysians rely on their EPF (for when they retire); that’s one of the biggest pitfalls. You should save at least 10% of your gross salary each month,” says Akwal.

Here to guide you: Credit Counseling and Debt Management Agency chief executive officer Mohamed Akwal Sultan says that those who have difficulty managing their finances in their 30s usually started facing such problems in their 20s.

Savings come in handy when unexpected situations arise, such as when your car window needs to be fixed, you have an illness that is not covered by the insurance, or during a family emergency.

Without savings, you may decide to max out your card, borrow from a friend or worse, turn to loansharks when in dire need. That is why it is very important to have a budget and follow it closely, unless you always have leftover money at the end of the month.

AKPK has some advice to help people like Linda, who admits to being in denial about her dire financial situation, to identify the signs that they need help:

You find that you are not in control of your money.

You have more debts than you can manage.

You are only able to pay the minimum 5% on your credit card bill.

You are living from paycheck to paycheck.

You are withdrawing cash advances from your credit card to meet your expenses.

You do not have any savings for emergencies.

Debt collectors call you regularly.

You are being served legal notices of demand.

Call AKPK for free counselling at 1-800-88-2575 or log on to www.akpk.org.my/.

ZIYAN Corporation Sdn Bhd (ZIYANC)

2006-01-01T02:27:00.001+08:00

ZIYANC provides business training, management consulting and e-business solutions.

Our mission is to empower individuals and businesses achieve sustainable success. We add higher value by sharing applied knowledge, proven experience and fresh perspectives.

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Rank	Name	Net Worth ($MIL)	Age
1	Robert Kuok	9,000	85
2	Ananda Krishnan	7,000	71
3	Lee Shin Cheng	3,200	70
4	Lee Kim Hua	2,500	80
5	Teh Hong Piow	2,400	79
6	Quek Leng Chan	2,300	68
7	Yeoh Tiong Lay	1,800	79
8	Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary	1,100	57
9	Tiong Hiew King	1,000	74
10	Vincent Tan	750	57
11	Azman Hashim	470	69
12	William H.J. Cheng	390	66
13	G. Gnanalingam	260	64
14	Lim Kok Thay	225	57
15	Anthony Fernandes	220	45
16	Mokhzani Mahathir	215	48
17	Lee Oi Hian	210	58
18	Chan Fong Ann	209	78
19	Kamarudin Meranun	205	48
20	Chong Chook Yew	200	87
21	Chen Lip Keong	195	61
22	Lee Swee Eng	190	53
23	Jeffrey Cheah	185	64
24	Lim Wee Chai	180	51
25	Ahmayuddin bin Ahmad	175	52
26	Lee Hau Hian	174	55
27	Lau Cho Kun	165	73
28	Vinod Sekhar	150	41
29	Liew Kee Sin	140	50
30	Tiah Thee Kian	135	61
31	Rozali Ismail	130	53
32	Lin Yun Ling	115	54
33	Yaw Teck Seng	113	71
34	Goh Peng Ooi	112	53
35	Eleena Azlan Shah	110	49
36	David Law Tien Seng	105	NA
37	Syed Mohd Yusof Tun Syed Nasir	100	61
38	Hamdan Mohamad	98	53
39	Tan Teong Hean	95	65
40	Kua Sian Kooi	90	56