Be cautious when using Internet, cell phone while working

By The Associated Press

A few tips for employees regarding Internet and cell phone use:

_ Remember that anything you do on a company-issued computer or cell phone - in or out of the office - could be tracked by a boss, the courts or a regulator.

Many employers monitor Web site use, keystrokes, instant messages and e-mail. Some even archive text messages on work cell phones.

_ Avoid mentioning your company, boss or co-workers in online postings unless you have permission to do so.

_ Avoid using any device to take or transmit any company-related photos, videos or other recordings without permission from management.

This includes any images of company buildings or logos and embarrassing or unprofessional photos of co-workers or clients.

_ Know your company's policy on social networking, video Web sites, e-mail and other tech-related activities.

_ Regularly delete personal e-mail from your work account.

_ Remember when searching for a job that many employers check social networking sites, blogs and other online activity.

(Source: The e-Policy Handbook, 2nd Edition) - AP

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Teaching of Science & Maths in English, and The Broader Issue of Improving Malaysian English

The great debate in Malaysia now is whether the teaching of Science and Maths in schools should be in English, or in Malay and Mother Tongues. I do not want to participate in this debate as it is too easy to get political about it. I will just give my views on how Malaysian English can be improved thorugh the education system.

1. Teaching Science and Maths in English without first grounding students in basic English is like trying to teach someone Aquatic Gymnastics before teaching her to swim. It might work sometimes, but inevitably there will be those who can't manage the pace and get left behind.

2. Therefore, the most important thing is to first revamp the way English is taught. We should drop the compostions and literature and what not. The emphasis should be more like the commercial English Learning Centres, where the focus is on simple and clear oral communication, as well as effective but uncomplicated business writing.

3. Commercial English would be much more useful than Technical English in helping students secure jobs with MNCs when they graduate. After all, we are a trading nation much more than we are inventors. And commercial English also provides a good base for those who intend to go into technical areas anyway. So, Commercial English first. Technical English second. Classical English optional.

4. The jump we need to make is actually not a very large one. We just need the masses to be able to communicate in simple comprehensible English. This is all that is necessary for the schools to do. Armed with good basics, students can choose to build on it to go into technical areas or literature, depending on what interests them.

5. Just think to yourself. If you are someone capable but can't speak English and this problem is handicapping you, what would you wish for? To become a great English writer or orator? Not likely. You just need to be able to speak unbroken English and write functional English letters.

Conclusion:

The language used to teach Science and Maths, in my mind, is a topic that has become too political. It is not really relevant to the issue of improving English, because it is far from the most efficient method to teach English. Like I said, it is indirect. A detour.

The emphasis should be on revamping the way English is taught. From Primary One, make students speak English aloud during English lessons. Teach pronuciation and grammar. Drop the literature, and focus on commercial usage. The great majority of these students will work in the business world or governement bodies, not become literary figures.

Come on, guys. Look at the problem and fix it, instead of debating no end. It's not such a great problem. Forget about explaining to students about verbs and adverbs and adjectives.

Simple, clear communication.

That's all we need!

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Business Models

In today's business world, there are multitudes of companies employing seemingly endless innovations of business methods. But upon closer inspection, business boils down to just a few time-tested models, with monor variations employed by different entrepreneurs. An intimate understanding of these models is vital for anyone in business.

The Trading Model

This is the flagship of business models, the initial representation of what business is. When little kids are introduced to the concept of business, it is the trading model that adults most commonly use as an example. The Trading Model is simple. Traders strive to buy for as low a price as possible, then sell the same item for as high a price as possible. Opportunities to do this arise for several reasons. In ancient times, if a certain product that is demanded by the masses is located far away, consumers will pay higher prices to buy from traders who have brought the product back, rather than search for the product themselves. Or maybe the trader gets discounts for buying in bulk, and individual consumers of course wouldn't want to buy in bulk. Another opportunity lies with knowledge and packaging. Buyers would be more willing to buy certain products from knowledgable traders who can explain the product to them and guide them through the buying process, rather buy at a cheaper price without knowing enough about the product. Innovative packaging and mixing of products by traders will also provide opportunities to sell at a profit. In today's globalized world, it has become more difficult to rely on geographic distance as a provider of trading opportunities. It is important for traders to add knowledge and related services to enhance the product they sell, maximizing the value of the product to consumers. For example, instead of just displaying the product (which is likely to be highly commoditized) and waiting for customers to come, you have to educate customers and explain to them how the product will help them. The main determinant in the success of trading ventures is not exceptionally good buying deals or opportunities to fleece customers, but the consistent provision of advice, support and a pleasant buying experience to the customer. This type of business has the potential to get very big... Think Wal-Mart. (Trading in financial markets does not fit in comfortably in this model, because in financial trading, buyers are also sellers, and sellers are also buyers - there is no customer experience to speak of)

The Service Model

This model is another classic along with the trading model. Practitioners of this model often gain the respect of the public for their skill and abilities. Included in this model are all manner of skilled labour such as cooking, plumbing, wiring, medicine, bookkeeping, hair styling, undertaking and lawyering (the honest type). The first requirement of this model is to provide a service which has natural demand (pipes will always leak, people will always die, people always need to eat, cars always break down etc). If your service has no clear value to the consumer, you will spend more time finding customers than actually working to produce income. The best type of marketing is NO marketing; to have customers come to you because of natural need or favorable referrals. Which brings us to the next point. After finding a service with natural demand, the next step is to provide your customers with great experiences. Service businesses are all about customer service. Be pleasant and efficient and referrals will come. Just think to yourself; how do you normally find mechanics and plumbers? More often than not, you'd call a friend and ask if he knows a good one. In the service business, promotions and advertisements cannot compare to the power of a trusted referral. However, this sort of business does not easily get big, as it relies on the skill of the owner. And if any of your staff becomes proficient, there is a high probablity that he will choose self-employment.

Combined Models

The two classic models above have spawned many businesses operating on a combined model. Traders add services to their repertoire and service providers sell goods in addition to services. Restaurants are a classic example. Other than charging you for cooking and serving, they also sell you packaged drinks/liquor and other stuff to go with your dinner. Mechanics sell you spare parts and then charge you for installing them. Doctors sell medicine in addition to charging medical fees. Computer traders add installation services to their menu. Only poor ol' lawyers and accountants do not have regular products to sell in addition to their services. I don't think clients will be inclined to buy the latest version of the Tax Act or something. So they end up selling A4 paper and postage stamps in the form of 'disbursements'.

Manufacturing

Makers of goods started out in history as carpenters and blacksmiths, then slowly evolved to the Boeings, Dells, and Acers of today. The model is as follows:- Design a product that would be useful to people - Buy the materials needed to make that product - Make the product - Sell the product. This is more complicated than trading because instead of buying and selling, you have to make what you sell. Manufacturers are the providing source to traders, working together to move a product from the mind of the inventor to the factory floor to the hands of the consumer. Manufacturers have become some of the biggest businesses in the world.

Subscriptions

The Informational equivalent of manufacturing. Instead of making things to sell, you write things to sell on a regular basis. Your customers will pay you for regular updates. The most common subject is News. Other than the written word, you can also sell software and tv shows this way. But because it deals with information, the Information Revolution is wreaking chaos in this sector. Great opportunities are popping up while older variations of this model get wiped out. How do you make money when everything on the Internet is free? Solve this problem and your money will come.

Agriculture

Buy/Lease land. Plant things on land. Sell the stuff that comes out. Obviously, profitability depends a lot on what you choose to plant. Agriculture is a provider of raw materials, so it is at the very start of the business process. Unlike mining however, it is a renewable source of raw materials. If you replace the word planting with digging, you'd get the model for mining businesses... Only that with mining, you have to get new lands once you deplete the present ones.

Agencies & Brokerages

With this model, Connections is the word. You enable transactions between people or represent a party in selling their stuff. It differs from trading because you do not need to buy anything, and it differs from manufacturing because you don't have to make anything. It is closer to the service industry, but instead of what you know, it is more WHO you know that counts. The model is like this:- Represent a party to sell their stuff (eg. Insurance Company) - Sell the stuff to as many people as you can - The party you represent gives you a cut for your troubles. If you have a good network and you're good at networking, this is the way to go. Like Services, it is not easy for this type of businesses to get big, as it relies a lot on the network of the owner.

Transport and Utilities

This model is dominated by one word. Assets. Be it electricity or water or telecomms or plane flights, these services can be brought to you only by the use of extensive assets. These services are made possible not by the skill of the practitioner, but by the technology of the planes, dams and towers. The model is as follows:- Buy/Lease assets - Charge customers for use of those assets.

Builders

Along with food, transport and clothing, having a roof over your head is one of the great necessities of life. And builders aim to meet this need. This is actually a form of the Service model, but it defers due to the scale of the projects, and the fact that there is less interaction with the end-user.

Usury

I lend you ten, you pay me back eleven. Nuff said...

Well, there is the small problem of financial meltdowns... But that happened because bankers DEVIATED from the model by going into stupid deals and not doing proper credit checks. So its not the model that is the problem.

Gaming

One of the simplest and most sure-fire ways to make money. So simple and sure in fact, that it is sometimes considered a 'sin' industry and is illegal in some places. This model works based on probality theory. Every throw of the dice would more probably bring profit than loss. With this on your side, how can you lose?

Andrew Chua

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World Happiness Index

(click picture to enlarge)

green = most happy
blue
purple
orange
red = least happy

Look at Malaysia! We're Green!

Happiness Economics; article from Wikipedia...

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The Economy is Driven by Greed

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Many are asking; what will be the catalyst of new economic growth and recovery? We may not know exactly which form it will take, but as always, the genesis of the new boom will be Greed.

Have you ever wondered what makes our economy tick? Why are all of us willing to work at our desks and workshops and factories in order to earn money to exchange for work done by other people at their desks and workshops and factories? Why are we willing to expand so much energy doing stuff that is largely unpleasant? Why aren't we content with roaming the earth in our birthday suits and eating fruits and berries that come our way?

The short answer is; we want more than we need. We constantly seek to improve our lives and increase our possessions. It is human nature, a trait missing in animals... For the lack of a more appropriate word, we are driven by greed.

Greed for more fun, more tasty food, more hot chicks, more entertainment, more luxury, more security, more knowledge, more experiences...

Without our need for all these, the economy would never grow. There would be no improvements to products because no one is going to demand them. And even if there is demand by a small majority, it would be insufficient because no one would strive to meet those demands as they have no wish for the stuff that the money generated by the meeting of those demands could buy. Or to put it another way; if I don't love money, you can't make me work to give you what you want in exchange for money. But if everyone loves money, we would all be working for each other, accumulating sums that can be used to buy things from each other.

Seen this way, it becomes very obvious. The economy is driven by a love for money and the things money can buy. Greed is fuel.

But before we go on, let me just make clear that this is not a moral discussion, so I am not going to say that greed is bad or greed is good. Greed is just what it is; a human instinct to want more of everything.

With the benefit of hindsight, experts are now all saying correctly that the boom before the current bust was credit-driven. It was easy for people to borrow money, so they spent that easy money easily in their greediness - for bigger houses, smarter smartphones, shinier laptops, faster cars... And although a bust followed, it was caused by reckless folly, not an abatement in greed.

From emerging economies like China to developed ones like the US, greed is evident. Chinese citizens with their newfound wealth are spending record amounts on properties and consumer goods. Americans with their old and new wealth are still spending record amounts on everything even after all these years. It just shows that greed never stops, no matter how much you already have.

From this observation of Greed and how it is fuelling economies, we can go on to surmise that successful economies require four things:-

1) Greed

2) A regulation of the Greed (a.k.a. Rule of Law, so that people don't satisfy their Greed by raiding and robbing)

3) A regulated market economy that facilitates trade (so we can satisfy each other's greed)

4) And of course, it helps if there are no earthquakes or world wars going on...

The current economic crisis stems largely from a disturbance to factor number (3). The market became deregulated and for a while it failed as a platform for sustainable trade. (A lesson here; always vote for competent regulators/governments)

But if this flaw could be quickly rectified, and countries don't go round making wars all over the place again, there's really nothing to stop the economy from booming once more.

Greed is always there, even surer than death and taxes. As long as there is a proper market economy for it to flourish, and no disaster or stupidity disrupts it, there is only one way the economy can go...

Up.

Human Greed dictates it.

© Andrew Chua 2008

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Creativity and Innovation; an indication of a Rip-Off?

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A recent study on 'WHAT SMEs WANT' indicated that service providers who are creative and innovative do not score high points with the SMEs.

Why am I not surprised...

With the proliferation of 'business coaches' and 'entrepreneurial seminars', many of these SMEs would themselves have been exposed to the fashionable mantra which suggests that simply by being 'creative' or 'innovative', our businesses could enjoy higher margins while still selling the same stuff. The idea is that by packaging and presenting a product or service more innovatively, we could make more money.

So, is it a surprise that when these same SMEs come across other businessmen who appear to be 'creative', they would immediately be wary of them? They would wonder how much 'inflated value' have been pumped into an otherwise commoditized service.

By buying from an 'innovative' supplier, you could easily be paying double of what more traditional providers charge.

It seems that everyone who is in business is trying to find more creative ways of selling for a higher price without actually increasing the value of the service sold. So, it is natural that these same people will avoid buying from others who are using the same strategy.

In our age of failed 'innovative' financial derivatives, haven't we awoken to the fact that in the end, it is the dull and mundane methods that are the truly sustainable models?

Andrew Chua

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Why You Should Turn Off Your Phones in Cinemas

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How to Devise Strategies for Any Endeavor, and Life in General

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A strategy is defined by Wikipedia as "a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal". This 'goal' could be anything from making money, winning a game, finding a spouse, winning a war, picking up a hot chick or crushing a business competitor. For a strategy to be good and effective, it has to be able to MAXIMIZE the chances of achieving the goal. Although there may be more the one way to achieve something, the BEST strategy is that which does it the quickest, with the least outlay of resources and most efficiently.

To devise efficient strategies for ourselves, be it in our everyday lives or for major life goals, there are two things that we have to take into account.

The first is our own STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES. Why? Because in most cases, we would be the ones executing our own strategies (if you are a general in command of a great army, then you'd have to assess the group's strengths and weaknesses). Therefore, it makes sense that strategies are tailored to the one supposed to carry it out. If you are the timid but conscientious sort, it makes no sense for you to implement a business plan which relies on a marketing blitzkrieg. Or if you are in command of an army who are good at shooting arrows but lousy at wielding swords, it makes no sense to engage the opposition on vast, flat open fields. You'd do better hiding in trees in a thick forest and pick them off one by one.

The second consideration is your POSITION, or the external situation you find yourself in. If you are a big nation surrounded by little neighbors, a more defensive strategy might be useful because you already have what you need and only need to protect it. Expending too much energy chasing after them will tire you out, and the amount of loot you can get from those raids might not be worth your effort. In contrast, if you were one of the little nations, you have nothing to lose anyway, so a more aggresive campaign might yield you good returns.

Therefore, before we embark on any endeavor, it is important that we weigh the above two factors, and decide upon the strategy that best fits with them.

© Andrew Chua 2008

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Economy of Malaysia

From Wikipedia:-

Malaysia is a growing and relatively open economy. In 2007, the economy of Malaysia was the 29th largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity with gross domestic product for 2007 was estimated to be $357.9 billion with a growth rate of 5% to 7% since 2007. The Southeast Asian nation experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development during the late 20th century and has a GDP per capita of $14,400, being considered a newly industrialized country. On the income distribution, there are 5.8 million households in 2007. Of that, 8.6% have an monthly income below RM1,000, 29.4% had between RM1,000 and RM2,000, while 19.8% earned between RM2,001 and RM3,000; 12.9% of the households earned between RM3,001 and RM4,000 and 8.6% between RM4,001 and RM5,000. Finally, around 15.8% of the households have an income of between RM5,001 and RM10,000 and 4.9% have an income of RM10,000 and above.

As one of three countries that control the Strait of Malacca, international trade plays a large role in its economy. At one time, it was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world. Manufacturing has a large influence in the country's economy.

FULL ARTICLE HERE:-

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Interesting Videos Explaining the Financial Crisis

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