Technology Management And Social Media Management Essay

Technology Management And Social Media Management Essay The world is changing and the changes that are taking place are having an impact on business organizations all over the world. One big change is the advancements in technology. New technologies such as social media are changing or improving the way business gets done. (Module SHRM, 2004, p.g.2-6) According to the Garavan, et al., (1999), p.g.174 other big changes may include product or market changes, external and internal labour market changes, changing skill requirements within industries and the availability of skilled workers from outside the organization. Furthermore, the size of these changes can be big and the speed of these changes can be fast. How are organizations responding to such changes? Organizations have to change along with the environmental changes. One way they can change is to change the way they think about people. It has often been said that people are an organizations most important asset. On the surface, this saying seems to be consistent with one of the most important ideas of SHRM-that an organizations competitive edge and ability to succeed is derived from its intellectual assets, which are found mainly in the people working at an organization but in the face of the big environmental changes, the saying does not seem to be totally correct. The reason is that the value of the assets is not likely to stay constant in the turbulent environment. For example, in order to use the new technologies that are now available, the people of an organization will have to have the right skills. Organizations with the right peopl e will have the ability to take advantage of the new technologies while those that do not may eventually lose out. According to the assignment Standard Chartered Bank case study illustrates the employees into five categories which are high-potentials, critical resources, core contributors, underachievers, and underperformers. The reality is that there are underperformers in practically every organization and they cannot be rightly considered as assets, and as suggested in the Standard Chartered Bank case study, the underperformers may have to be managed out. An organization can get the right people through several ways. One way is to hire but this could turn out to be an expensive option. Another option is to upgrade the existing human assets through human resource development (HRD) activities. HRD activities are concerned with the training and development of people as well as their education. Such activities can be formal or informal and all may be categorised more or less as learning. According to Garavan, et al., (1999), p.g.174 HRD practitioners dream of creating learning organizations-organizations that learn adapt and innovate as cohesive units. HRD practitioners are strong supporters of learning organizations because they believe, as one management guru puts it, that the ability to learn faster that ones competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage. In short, sustainable competitive advantage is an important HRD outcome. Garavan, et al., (1999), p.g.174 stated that another important outcome is organizational innov ative capacity, but before competitive advantage and organizational innovative capacity can come about, learning has to happen first. HRD can play several key roles in helping organizations achieve learning. To illustrate how HRD can help companies do well in the current environment, I will use the case of a fake but nevertheless believable Malaysian company. This Malaysian company has a relatively large presence in the region and it has decided to introduce teams as part of its response to the environmental changes. The main reason for doing so is because the top management felt that teams are able to respond more quickly to customers and their frequently changing needs. It should be pointed out that for a long time, the company has been hierarchical and bureaucratic in its management style, so adopting a new organizational form is quite a big change as well as a big challenge. HRD can help the fake Malaysian company in several ways. Firstly, it is obvious that the workers need to learn new skills in order to remain effective in the new team environment. HRD can help to identify the skill gaps and address those gaps at the individual, team and organizational levels or whatever level that is relevant (Module SHRM, 2004, p.g.291-293). In the case of the Malaysian company, part of the learning has to include hard technical training. That is because it has offices all over the region so it has no choice but to go virtual and its workers need to learn how to use information and communication technologies effectively to make the teamwork work. In addition, the learning will have to include cross-cultural communication and teamwork. Many nationalities work in that company and different nationalities communicate and do things differently. Therefore, the people at the company need to be trained so that they can communicate and work effectively as a cohesive multi-cu ltural team. Secondly, according to the module SHRM, (2004), p.g.291-293, HRD can act as catalyst for change and in the case of the fake Malaysian company, cultural change may be especially critical. Culture is the way people do things at a particular organization. Culture can also be considered as the wisdom and knowledge that an organization has accumulated throughout the years of its existence. The change from a hierarchical, bureaucratic style to a team-working style is in part a cultural change. Culture is however difficult to change partly because it has contributed to the organizations past successes. Imagine telling a 20-year veteran in the fake Malaysian company who has risen to a fairly high level, a person who is so used to the hierarchical and bureaucratic style of working, that he now has to work in a team. It is very likely that he will resist the change. So, the veteran needs to learn to accept the need for change and ultimately change himself. In this case, training may not the be st learning solution. More informal HRD activities such as coaching or counselling may be more appropriate in this sort of situation. Indeed, the correct choice of HRD activities is critically important in ensuring that learning really takes place. In this particular context, learning means that the skills picked up by the participants of a training programme are immediately put into use at the office. It can also mean people showing the behaviours that an organization considers highly desirable and important for organizational success, such as teamwork. The transfer to the workplace however does not happen automatically and HRD practitioners can play a role to ensure that the transfer will eventually take place. HRD can do so by getting things right from the start, by making sure that the content and delivery are right, which is HRDs third role in helping an organization achieve learning. Take training as an example. In most organizations, some of the training can be conducted by in-house experts but not all of it. So HRD practitioners will have to source for training solutions from the outside and they will also have to perform some sort of quality control on the solutions. That is the content side of things. Great trainers complete the picture by giving great delivery. Some people think training equals HRD, but is that true and is training always the best solution? The truth is this, training is not the only solution and it is not always the best solution. Lets look again at the 20-year veteran case. As mentioned, I do not think training is the best solution in that case. What may be more appropriate for the veteran is one-to-one coaching or counselling. Coaching, counselling and mentoring can be considered as delivery mechanisms. Other delivery mechanisms include e-learning or formal education. HRD practitioners need to know the strengths and weaknesses of each mechanism and make the right choice. In addition, HRD practitioners cannot assume managers automatically know how to train, coach, counsel or mentor. HRD practitioners can help the people involved get trained in both content develo pment and delivery. At the end of the day, HRD practitioners need to know what works best in any given situation and give their recommendations and they should never forget that the learning outcomes of the selected content must be in alignment with the organisational objectives and that the delivery should be good so that the transfer of learning is likely to occur. Finally, HRD can play a role in the creation of a learning climate or environment. This is important because a learning climate can help embed learning within an organizations culture. Learning can take place anytime, anywhere. However, as implied above, learning may not be an easy thing for some people and if we look back at the 20-year veteran, some people may even resist learning. In that particular case, it is probably more of an unwillingness to learn than an inability to learn but in the case of the fake Malaysian company, they are now told more or less that their way of working is no longer good enough. The implication is that they are incompetent, an implication that will likely hurt the self-esteem of many a veteran. Therefore, in order to encourage learning, organizations have to make it safe to learn. The safety that we are talking about is psychological safety. HRD practitioners have a less direct role to play here. It is the top management, the leaders, who will have to play a major role. They will have to lead the way. For example, leaders have to find ways to encourage people to take risks. As pointed out by Garavan, et al., (1999), p.g.174 innovation will only take place in organizations where the organizational culture empowers individuals and accepts risk taking. In the same way, when people learn, they may in fact be taking risks but risk-taking can result in failures and when people fail in their attempts at learning, they become open to attacks, especially from their bosses. For instance, the 20-year veteran may need relatively more time to learn the new technologies and he may well experience some hiccups along the way. So before people are willing to learn, people must be confident that they wont be punished when they fail, that they wont be attacked when they are down. In short, learners have to place great trust in their bosses, especially during times of failures. So leaders have to somehow show that it is OK to make mistakes and fail. It is easier said than done, but the adoption of this leadership style may pave the way towards innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. All in all, HRD can play four roles in helping companies achieve SHRM and organizational outcomes and the most important outcome may well be learning itself.

Successful malaysian innovators and entrepreneurs

Successful malaysian innovators and entrepreneurs Introduction An innovator or pioneer in a general definition is a person or an organization which is one of the first to do something and often opens up a new area or market for others and achieves an innovation. Meanwhile an entrepreneur is an individual who own a new enterprise, venture or idea and took calculated risk for a good output. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to the type of character who is willing to take risk and taking chances in a new venture or enterprise and accepts full responsibility for the outcome. A French economist, Jean-Baptiste Say is believed to have coined the word entrepreneur in the 1800. Innovator and entrepreneur do not share the same meaning but indeed, there is a significant relationship between innovator and entrepreneur. A person can be an innovator and entrepreneur at the same time. In Malaysia, there are many innovators and entrepreneurs that manage to gain recognition at the international stage. Most of the entrepreneurs manage to achieve the success by running businesses that sell either products or services. Those successful people are Tony Fernandes, Tan Sri Robbert Kuok and Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar. However, some of them do not get fame by running business. They would think out of the box and be innovative. Some of the successful innovators are Eric Leong, Jimmy Choo and Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing. Their creativity in certain aspects such as interior design, shoes design and knowledge of designing let the whole world see them. Among all these successful local innovators and entrepreneurs, they have their own ways to achieve success. Every one of them goes through different path of life. Some may get it in an easy way, some may be not. They have their own reasons to fight for, different motivation to work things out and various ways to achieve it. For this assignment, we would like to know details about the entrepreneurs and innovators in Malaysia. The reasons and motivation that make them to be so successful is something that we are interested in. The sharing from them about it would be so precious that it would be guidance for us in life. Besides, we would collect feedback and opinion from the public about why and how entrepreneurs and innovators in Malaysia succeed. Hope that we can get the general perspective about it. Background Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary was born in 1951 into a middle class family. His father is in the cow breeding business. His mother is a homemaker. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Due to poverty, he cannot afford education, thus he complete his secondary education without furthering it into university level. He starts to help his father in his business, by managing the account. He helps his mother during his free time by selling agricultural product and also roti canai before leaving for school . Life was a bed of roses for Syed Mokhtar during his childhood. [1,2,3] He is a private man who does not like to show off his luxurious life. For your information, he can get along easily with other people. He is easily approached by everyone. He doesnt splurge on luxury car. For him, status is not something important in his life. There is time when he is up and there is time when he is down. Lifestyle is just like a disease for him that can deteriote people. His ride is a Proton Perdana and 20 years old Mercedes which he use infrequently. [1] Syed Mokhtar is a strong muslim, thus he always hold strongly to the muslim principal of giving out charity with a sincere heart. He helps the needy and even built mosques across the country. His generosity extended when he donated 1 million pound to Oxford University for the Islamic Learning Center in London. He found his love late, especially when his age approaching mid 40s. The marriage was blessed with 2 boys and girls. Career His hardship in 1951 has propelled him to the success that he have today. He and his father sells grocery to their neighbor around their neighborhood. As business grows, they expend from one state to the next, and they event imported cow from the neighboring country, Thailand to sell it in the local market [1,2] . The cow business suffers a setback due to the foot and mouth disease. However this disappointment makes him more determine to succeed. He expend his business to different field to logistics [3] His down to earth and humbleness makes it easier for him to cooperate with business man from other races. He take over a business that seems to fail and turn it around until he earn the profit. From logistics, he turn in trading business. Famous for being know the rice bowl of the nation, he choose to trade rice. His continuous efforts in his trading earn him rice trading licenses from the authority, Lembaga Padi Negara. Due to his reliability, lots of contracts came pouring in [2] He currently holds some stake in various companies like Mining Corporation Berhad (MMC), Bernas, Malakoff Berhad, Johor Port Berhad, , DRB-HICOM and many more others. He normally doesnt give many press interviews and prefer to keep in private life. His low key attitudes still grab media attention as he is passionate about charity and conduct his charity work through his foundation, Al-Bukhary Foundation. [2] One of the milestones of the Al-Bukhary Foundation is the construction of the Rm 70 million Islamic Art Museum valued at RM70 millions. This also along with a few mosques that he build across the country. Hallmark Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar is not only a humble person, but he also is very supportive of national product. He could afford any luxurious imported car, but he still drive around in his Proton Perdana. His generosity also been highlighted by supporting local students who are qualified and eligible to pursue their studies in local over university abroad. He provides scholarship for 1000 Saudi Arabian student to study in Malaysia. The first social contribution from Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary started with his mother asking him to donate half of his first salary as the director of a rice company (RM 750.00) to his poor neighbours. The other half was kept by his mother. Besides, his mother also asked him to send kerosene lamps to the mosques during the month of Ramadhan, so that activities can be carried out at night in the mosques. From that time onwards, that is how Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary was brought up to be a good personality and thinking person. He thinks that when God give us the wealth, we have to help the needy people. The god gives us wealth to us to help the others. There are some Malay businesspersons who do not want to help because they consider money as their priorities. [3] Syed Mokhtar is a down-to-earth person that will share his wealth with the others. He will feel nice when everyone has the chance to enjoy the same benefits together. He will not forget those who help him before. Humble is one of his life philosophies. No matter how great achievement he has now, he will still go back to Alor Setar and help those who really need helps. Sometimes, he will feel upset seeing some people forget their roots after achieving success in life. They should never forget about their roots no matter how. Wealth is meant to be shared. He likes to donate and contribute. He does not have the desire to keep all the wealth for his wife and children. Money will not last. He believes in Karma. Its not money that will protect him but what he is doing now. Theres no secret for success. Syed Mokhtar is only a human being that created by god but the difference is his way of getting mature. He believes that whoever will success if they really work hard for it. It may take some time. There will no short cut for success. There is reason why he works as if there is no tomorrow. Social and society issues are one of the reasons. He wants to make sure that the heritage would last long enough for my next generation. He knows his own strengths and weaknesses. He would ask for help from the other people when he is unable to do it. He go through the hard way but that is the right way. He has nothing at the beginning. However he will learn what he does not know, asks help from the others. He does not feel ashamed for that because he is not stealing. He works on his own. The attitude of being lazy and shame should be changed. He thinks that a person has to be patience and put more effort in order to run a business successfully. He keeps on searching for opportunities and business so that he can keep on helping the others to excel. He is not doing this solely for himself but for everyone. For him, God will only help those who are willing to work hard. Determination, hardworking and never give up easily are his keys in achieving success. Conclusion In a nutshell, everybody have an equal chance to be successful. Nothing can stop us from being successful unless it is you. If you want to achieve something, you have to work for it. We should follow what Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary did in order to gain a wealth for now and here after. He will not forget his own root and keep on helping those who need helps. Wealth is not meant for alone, but to be share around. Al Bukhari Mosque Eric Leong Background Eric Leong is a name synonym to the world of interior decorating. He was born in Kluang, Johore and was raise in the capital, Johor Bahru . He further his studies in the neighboring country, Singapore after completing his formal education in Malaysia. Eric graduate with a double degree in Interior Design and Business Studies. [4] With his cheerful and gleeful character Eric has won the heart of Malaysian and he was voted Malaysia most favorite interior designer. Career Eric make a breakthrough in 2001 through his reality interior design show, Casa Impian. The show help average Malaysia transform their home into heaven on earth with his extraordinary talent, he could turn a normal space into a work of art, which dubbed him as Raja Hias / the Design King of Casa Impian. [4,5] Why and how he can be success? Eric Leong is a creative innovator that leads him to be a successful entrepreneur. He would think out of the box and try on new things. He is never been stopped by new challenges. For him, expose himself in new environment and expose in new things is great. He is good in applying the knowledge that he learn in university in real life. Designing may not be a simple things as everyone has different point of views opinions. It is even hard to please all peoples need. However, Eric Leong sees this as a challenge in life. He would try his best to create a design that can satisfied every each of the people. Multi tasking Eric Leong holds a number of positions: [5] 1. Group Design Director for Designcity Sdn. Bhd. 2. Group Consultant/Acting General Manager for Beverly Home Sdn. Bhd. 3. Creative Consultant for Living Taste (Malaysias first Chinese interior design magazine 4. Associate Producer/Host for Casa Impian (Malaysias first interior design make-over show. 5. Associate Producer for Ratu Sehari (TV Wedding showcase). 6. Appointed stylist for Home Pride and Living Taste. 7. Columnist for leading magazines Home Pride, Living Taste, Health Today, Herba. 8. Product Designer for Lush Living by Eric Leong the furniture series. 9. Product Designer for Playground by Eric Leong the lighting series. 10. Guest DJ @ FM988 Chinese Radio talk show U Stylish Living (A Star RFM radio) 11. Guest DJ @ RED FM104.9 English Radio Talk Show Living With Eric (AStar RFM radio) 12. Guest DJ @ SURIA FM105.3 -Bahasa Malaysia Decor Radio Talk Show Inspirasi DÃÆ'Â ©cor Bersama Eric. 13. Guest DJ @ SURIA FM 105.3 Bahasa Malaysia Lifestyle Radio Talk Show Inspirasi Gaya Bersama Eric. 14. Lecturer @ Raffles International Design Institution (KL Campus). 15. Committee Member for Malaysia International Fashion Award (MIFA 2005) 16. Art Director for Malaysia International Fashion Award (MIFA 2006) 17. Chief Judge (Best presentation award for Malaysia International Furniture Fair (MIFF) 18. Media Spoke Person for Johor Interior Design Association (JiDA) 19. Ambassador of Homedec Malaysia Premier home decoration exhibition. 20. Ambassador of Maxima Thai Branded Walk-in-wardrobe system. 21. Ambassador of SSF Malaysia premier home dÃÆ'Â ©cor mark. Robert Kuok Background Robert Kuok Hock Nien more commonly known as Robert Kuok is the richest entrepreneur in Malaysia and also South East Asia [6]. He is currently rank 33 in the Forbes Richest Man Alive List [7]. Robert Kuok is the youngest son. He is born in Johor Bahru on 6 October 1923[6]. After graduated from the Raffles Institution, he started working in the grains department of Japanese Industrial company Mitsubishi from 1942 to 1945. Career After the death of his father, Robert Kuok founded Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd together with his two brothers in 1949 [8].This business plainly deals with agricultural commodities. He managed to buy cheap sugar from India in the year 1961 right before the sugar price shot up. His business expanded heavily until he managed to control 80% of the Malaysian sugar market. Due to this, he earned his nickname Sugar King of Asia [9]. Robert Kuok expanded his varied his business field by involving himself in hospitality field. In 1971, he built his first ever Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, then he open his second Hotel in Hong Kong called the Kowloon Shangri-La [8]. He also owns a big stakes of the Hong Kong real estate group Kerry Properties. Other than that he also owns the freight interests include Malasian Bulk Carriers Berhad and Transmile Group. Robert Kuoks compnies have investment in many counties. He even has ten bottling company for Coca Cola and the ownership of the Beijing World Trade Centre. On October 31 2009, Robert Kuok has decided to sells his sugar units along with the land used to cultivate sugar cane to Felda for RM1.29 billion. This transaction had directly boosted his companys income as his sugar unit and sugar cane plantation were the second largest segment upon its grain and feed [8]. Robert Kuok has eight children from his two marriages. He has retired officially from the Kerry Group on April 1st 1993. He is currently resides in Hong Kong [8]. Hallmark Robert Kuok has several hall marks which made what he is today. I believe that in order to achieve success, a strong and noble family background is definitely a great advantage. Robert Kuok is famous for his strong noble family background. He was brought up by his mother. Since young, his mother had taught him according to Ru-Jiao which is also known as the teaching of Confucius. His mother is very particular with the values of honesty. That is why he managed to gain respect and trust from others. With this, his business expands smoother and faster than others. Besides having a strong family background, Robert Kuok also has a strong family bond. This is justified as his company, Kuok Brothers Limited was established with the cooperation among his brother and cousins. All of them are very unite in this establishment of the company. They obey to Robert Kuoks mothers order. With a strong bond among them, it is very difficult for others to attack them. This is why the Kuok Brothers Limited can last for such a long period and still standing strong. Robert Kuok also practice good attitude in life. He is a positive, hardworking and sensitive person. Robert Kuok once said that As a young man, I thought there was no substitute for hard work and thinking up good, honest business plans and, without respite, pushing them along. There will always be business on earth. Be humble; be straight; dont be crooked; dont take advantage of people. To be a successful businessman, I think you really need to brush all your senses every morning, just as you brush your teeth. I coined the phrase honing your senses in business: your vision, hearing, sense of smell, touch and taste. All these senses come in very useful [9]. The fourth factor is his way of hiring workers. Robert Kuok hires his workers wisely and he always remembers to acknowledge them. He has never forgets the contributions of all of his colleagues and employee. He even thanked his very first batch of workers personally in hisKuok Groups 60th Anniversary speech. Robert Kuok is very particular in hiring workers. According to him, honesty, hardworking and intelligence are the main criteria that he looks for. When I look candidates in the eye, they must appear very honest to me. I do not look for MBAs or exceptional students. You may hire a brilliant man, summa cum laude, first-class honours, but if his mind is not a fair one or if he has a warped attitude in life, does brilliance really matter? [10]said Robert Kuok. Being humble is a reason that made Robert Kuok a successful man. He has been very humble all this while as he always remembers that once a person is arrogant, the person guard will be lowered. As a result, the person is defeated easily by his rivals. Robert Kuok is very alert with every step he has taken. Most of us will think that if we can capitalize a field, we shall receive a great outcome. However, according to Robert Kuok, sometime capitalism will leads to destruction if we do not inspect it well. He said that Capitalism needs to be inspected under a magnifying glass once a day, a super-magnifying glass once a week, and put through the cleaning machine once a month.[10] He also said that we cannot let greed controls us. Once this happens, the result may be fatal. At the end of the day, despite all the success Robert Kuok has made, he always makes it a point to repay the society. He had set up a foundation called the Kuok Foundation to help out students that are facing financial problem in order to pursue their studies. He even gives out scholarships to students who are studying in either private or public universities. The Kuok family firmly believed in its social responsibility to share its wealth and good fortune with the less fortunate. [11] Achievements Robert Kuok has managed to win several awards for his success in his lifetime. He was honored on the Forbess Worlds Billionaire list, ranking at a respectable number 33. He has also earned the title as Tan Sri in Malaysia. The noblest achievement by Robert Kuok is arguably the Kuok Foundation that was established by the Kuok family. The philanthropists vision is to alleviate poverty and reduce the economic disparities between the rich and poor communities in Malaysia. The foundation offers scholarship for student from not well to do family, to provide them with education that they needed to bring them out of poverty. Picture of Mr. Robert Kuok Hock Nien [10] LIM GOH TONG Background Lim Goh Tong was born in the year 1918 in Anxi. He was the fifth child in his family. When he was born, China was in the period of turmoil as the Xinhai Revolution was just over. However, Lim Goh Tong was lucky as he was brought up in a peaceful environment. He even had the chance to acquire knowledge from school until he was 16, which is when his father passed away [12]. Lim Goh Tong decided to come to Malaya in year 1937 as the condition of China was becoming worse [12]. He worked for his uncle as a carpenter for two years when he first reached here [13]. During that period, he learned to speak the Malay language. After gaining enough experiences, he involved himself in building a double storey secondary school as a sub contractor. Picture of the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong [17] Career Lim Goh Tong is well known as a risk taker. Before the development of Genting, he had involved himself in various fields. During the Japanese Occupation, he had tried working as a farmer, as a petty trader and as a scrap metal and hardware trader. After the Japanese Occupation, he engaged in the second- hand machinery trading. From there, he managed to earn his first fortune. Other than machinery, he also involved in iron mining, and even construction field. His family construction company Kien Huat Private Limited became well known after completed many major projects successfully. One of the biggest deals was the Ayer Itam Dam [13]. However, he also faced difficulties throughout his life as a constructor. He even faced bankruptcy when dealing the Kemubu Irrigation Scheme. Lim Goh Tong had the idea of Genting Highland when he was having dinner in Cameron Highland [14]. Then he started to collect information and decided that Genting Sempah is the most ideal place to build a hilltop resort. For this project, he had dumped in all of his fortune. He even put aside all the negative comments from his friends and relatives. Genting was granted the first ever Casino licence after Tunku Abdul Rahman. The whole Genting project was done in January 1971 and started the business in May 1971. In the next 30 years, Genting has evolved from wilderness to a developed tourist attraction township. Cable car system is provided to tourist as an alternative route. He even built a new township known as Gohtong Jaya on a land around the Genting Skyway cable car system [14]. Lim Goh Tongs company, Genting Group has diversified into various field ranges from plantation to oil and gas and even to cruise boat industry. Lim Goh Tong was married to Lim Kim Hua. They have altogether six children and nineteen grandchildren [12]. He wrote a book titled My Story Lim Goh Tong and it was published in year 2004. Lim Goh Tong passed away on 23 October 2007 in Subang Jaya Medical Center leaving behind a USD4.2 billion fortune and a huge legacy [14]. Achievements Lim Goh Tong had won many awards throughout his extraordinary life [12]. After taking a huge gamble and setting up a hillside resort, and proving all the doubters wrong, Lim Goh Tong was awarded the title Tan Sri in 1976 as a token for his contribution in booming the countrys tourism industry. This is followed by the Malaysian Entrepreneur Award in 1985, his first major award. This is followed by the Manager of the Year award the following year. As his pet project bloom and in 1994 he honored the Business Achiever of the year in 1994. Genting was awarded the Number 1 ranking Malaysian Leading Companies in 1996 and icing on the cake was the Best Employer Award at the same year. Apart from his success in business he still gives back to the society through his foundation, the Yayasan Lim. The foundation helps out those who are in need by providing scholarship for deserving student, and contribute to charitable causes. Hallmark From the start when Lim Goh Tong came to Malaysia, he already shown the hallmark of a true champion. He can only speak hokkien, mandarin, Cantonese and some broken Malay language [16]. He can neither speak nor write English [13]. However, this limitation in language did not stop him in his negotiation of all of his business contracts. Against all odd, he prove that language is never a barrier to success. When Lim first had the idea of Genting Highland, he received many negative comments from his relatives and friends. However, he had successfully put all of these comments aside. On the other hand, he put in more effort into this project. Lim Goh Tong once said that Once the goals have been clearly defined, with the greatest amount of determination and hard work, one can conclusively realise ones goals. [14].He a great determination shown is clearly admirable especially to the younger generation, that when we put our mind to it, we can achieve anything. His humbleness that keep him grounded despite his success and status as a Tan Sri have won applause and was admired among his peers. Tan Sri Lim Gait Tong, president of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia paid tribute and said in Lims farewell word, He had undergone more difficulties and challenges than any other entrepreneur, before he became successful in his business. However, he remained a friendly, sporting and humble person who was actively involved in charitable activities. [12] Lim was well known as a risk taker. The idea of building a resort on top of the hill is very costly and the outcome is not guaranteed. He had spent all of his fortune in conducting this project [12]. However, he foresees that one day, Malaysians will desire for a cool mountain holiday resort. This is due to the countrys weather and also the economy stability. He is very brave yet very careful in conducting this project. Behind every successful man, there is a successful woman. In Lims case, behind Genting Group, there are many workers. Lim always believed that is the people that run the organization. This project will never success if its a one man show. The Best Employer Award that he won in year 1996 has proven that he is a employer who care and look after his employees Lim Goh tong had set up a foundation called the Yayasan Lim which donates regularly to educational and medical institutions and other charitable organization [12]. Lim is never stingy in donating money. As a result of generosity, he gained more respect from others and of course adding his own karma Picture of the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong [17] Tony Fernandes Background The name Tony Fernandes or now, with the Title Dato Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes, is already a household name not only in Malaysia, but throughout the ASEAN region, and beyond especially in the aviation industry. Born 30 April 1964, inKuala Lumpurto aGoanfather andMalacca Portuguesemother, the late Stephen Edward Fernandes and Ena Dorothy Fernandez. When he was young, he used to follow his mother, who is aTupperwaredealer to parties and conventions [18]. Tony Fernandes was sent on a jet plane in 1976 at the tender age of 12 to Epsom College, London. The wishes of his parents on enrolling him into a fancy boarding school that is associated with Medicine, like all great leader, he made a total 180 degree turn and end up graduating in London School of Economics in 1987 [19]. But during his years in the boarding school, young Tony was home sick and pleas to be home, but due to the high airfare, his parents does not allow him to be home even during the holidays. From that day onwards it was his ultimate dream to provide low cost flights. Career Tony Fernandes raise to one of the celebrated and successful entrepreneur and innovator start with unorthodox route. He took the road that is less taken. He start as financial controllerforVirgin RecordsinLondon owned by his current partner in Air Asia X, Sir Richard Brenson.Upon his return toMalaysia, he became the countrys youngest-evermanaging directorfor Warner Music. He was responsible for turning ethnic music and transforms them into the mainstream Malaysian music. He raise to the occasion and got promoted to be theSouth East Asianregional vice-president forWarner Music Groupfrom 1992-2001.During the merging of Time Warner merged with CNN, there are many unrest among the employee,, like many others, Tony protest the merge and resign [20] Tony went back to London to pursue his dream to own a low cost no frill airline. His inspiration came from his friend, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who is the founder of the Easy Group, who made British Airways a run for their money. Flying Barcelona to Paris for less than 10Â £, amaze Tony and he thinks that business model is able to apply in ASEAN, with the capacity of 500 millions, the potential is huge [21]. Tony Fernandes return home, Malaysia to lobby his idea to the then Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamed who gave his blessing to Tony on the condition he took over an Air Asia, a struggling GLC, with a Rm 40 million debt and only 2 elderly 737s. Tony agrees and took over the company for a token price of Rm 1 [19]. And from there they say the rest is history. From an airline with just a couple of 737s, it currently has 76 aircraft, 25 Airbus A330s . Last year it carried 19millions passengers within the Asia Pacific region [22]. Hallmark Like all successful leader, Tony Fernandes have the all the hallmark that made him who he is today. One of the main trademarks of his success is his vision and his know-how on what actually the consumer wants [23]. His hand on approach is one to be admired. Busy with various venture for example tune hotel, tune talk and Lotus Formula one, Tony Fernandes still find time for his main priority, which is Air Asia, his leadership based on the principal Practice what you preach always apply. Every month he spends his time in various division of Air Asia, from day as a baggage-handler to a cabin crew. He has even established a division to hold gathering among the staffs [19]. A close bond with his staff creates a friendly working environment with equal opportunities for everyone is the main ingredient behind of the success of Air Asia, according to Tony the company works as a family. Achievement With Air Asia, Tony have won a lot of awards, locally and internationally, but the biggest honor arguably when he was inducted into the Aviation hall of fame in2009 for shaping the aviation industry evolve. During the same award ceremony Air Asia and its sister company Air Asia X also was awarded Airline of the year. To add icing on the cake, Tony was the youngest recipient of the award [24]. He quote saying You would be a legend only because of the people behind you, acknowledging the Air Asia team behind his success. Apart from his award, the biggest award for him was gaining the landing right to Singapore breaking years of monopoly on the Kuala Lumpur- Singapore route by Singapore and Malaysia Airlines [25],also the exclusive long haul flight from Kuala Lumpur -London, achieving his boyhood dream [26] . Like his tagline Now everyone can fly , certainly everyone do now. . Background When mention about fashion and design, there are always 5 top places that are associated with. London, Paris, Milan, New York and Los Angles. These are regarded as the fashion capital of the world [27]. Top designers brand like Calvin Klien, Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Burberry and Versace kept their base. Almost all the human race pick up a magazine like vogue to follow the latest trend. But when mention Malaysia, there is a lot of blur facial expression and question mark. This is because Malaysia is not known to produce a lot of fashion designers, but when mention about Jimmy Choo, Hollywood leading ladies from the fashionista like Sarah Jessica Parker [28], latina beauty Jennifer Lopez [19] and even the English Rose, the late Princess Diana [30]. Thus there is no doubt about this Malaysian innovator have change the fashion industry with his sleek and creative design of hand-made shoe. Born into a family of shoe maker, in Penang Jimmys father Choo Kee Yinis a successful shoe maker himself. Jimmy also describe his mother as as being very good at shoemaking [31]. Jimmy made his first pair of shoe at a tender age of 11 [32]. He is perhaps the most notable of students of Cordwainers Technical College in London Borough ofHackney, Londonfrom which he graduated in 1983. The college is now part of theLondon College of Fashion. Career Jimmy have a humble start, as he graduates, he works in a local shoe factory and slowly opened his own workshop in Hackney, London by renting an old hospital building [31]. His career took off when Vogue magazine featu

Events that Led to the Civil War Essay -- American History Papers

Events that Led to the Civil War There were several issues that contributed to the split between the northern and southern states. Among these were the deep social, economic and political differences. The split could be traced as far back as the early 1800’s, just as the industrial revolution was beginning. It’s effects on the north and the south caused the economic split. As the north was becoming more industrialized; the south began to rely heavily on slave labor. This was one of the main reasons, as the southern view on slavery differed greatly from the North. These views were based on drastically different interpretations of the constitution. In the north, machines, interchangeable parts, and mass production were fast becoming a way of life. Northerners began building factories for mass production. These first factories were used for making textiles and later evolved to manufacturing a wide variety of goods. This created several opportunities for jobs. And with immigrants flooding in from Europe, finding employment was no problem. The factory system was efficient and inexpensive for the north to employ a large work force. In the south, cotton was becoming a huge success for the southern farmer. Cotton, being a very laborious crop, required the ownership of many slaves per plantation. Unlike the immigrants of the north, slaves were property. Slaves were also much less of a profit. When a slave became ill he could not simply be replaced, he needed to be cared for, after all, this was the plantation owners property. On the other hand in the north if a worker became to ill to work, there were several immigrants waiting for the job. In 1818, the balance of power in congress was equal... ...was not ratified by the necessary number of states. The existence of slavery was the central element of the conflict of the north and south. Other problems existed that led to this succession but none were as big as the slavery issue. The only way to avoid the war was to abolish slavery, but this was not able to be done because slavery is what kept the south running. When the south seceded it was said by Abraham Lincoln that â€Å" a house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.† Because slavery formed two opposing societies and slavery could never be abolished, the civil war was inevitable. These were all the reasons why the south seceded from the union, this succession was eminent and there was no plausible way to avoid it. Bibliography: The Civil War by Jack Williams Events that Led to the Civil War Essay -- American History Papers Events that Led to the Civil War There were several issues that contributed to the split between the northern and southern states. Among these were the deep social, economic and political differences. The split could be traced as far back as the early 1800’s, just as the industrial revolution was beginning. It’s effects on the north and the south caused the economic split. As the north was becoming more industrialized; the south began to rely heavily on slave labor. This was one of the main reasons, as the southern view on slavery differed greatly from the North. These views were based on drastically different interpretations of the constitution. In the north, machines, interchangeable parts, and mass production were fast becoming a way of life. Northerners began building factories for mass production. These first factories were used for making textiles and later evolved to manufacturing a wide variety of goods. This created several opportunities for jobs. And with immigrants flooding in from Europe, finding employment was no problem. The factory system was efficient and inexpensive for the north to employ a large work force. In the south, cotton was becoming a huge success for the southern farmer. Cotton, being a very laborious crop, required the ownership of many slaves per plantation. Unlike the immigrants of the north, slaves were property. Slaves were also much less of a profit. When a slave became ill he could not simply be replaced, he needed to be cared for, after all, this was the plantation owners property. On the other hand in the north if a worker became to ill to work, there were several immigrants waiting for the job. In 1818, the balance of power in congress was equal... ...was not ratified by the necessary number of states. The existence of slavery was the central element of the conflict of the north and south. Other problems existed that led to this succession but none were as big as the slavery issue. The only way to avoid the war was to abolish slavery, but this was not able to be done because slavery is what kept the south running. When the south seceded it was said by Abraham Lincoln that â€Å" a house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.† Because slavery formed two opposing societies and slavery could never be abolished, the civil war was inevitable. These were all the reasons why the south seceded from the union, this succession was eminent and there was no plausible way to avoid it. Bibliography: The Civil War by Jack Williams

Violence in the School Systems Essay -- Violence Education Crime Essay

Violence within this country has been an ongoing problem throughout history. Due to all the media coverage of more recent violent events in school history, such as Columbine, it is of popular belief that violence in school systems is the worst it has ever been. There are many questions about what type of violence occurs most often, what gender and what ethnicity violence is most affecting in schools. Violence can be defined by any deliberate act, serving no legitimate purpose, which causes injury or which could reasonably be expected to cause injury to another person. To be considered reportable, the conduct should be either intentional or reckless in nature. (Basic Education Circular on Safe Schools, 1996) School violence can also be defined as any school related activity that produces a victim. The first table was a chart that was drawn up in conclusion to a survey that was conducted in 1999. It was asking children in grades 9-12 different question about feeling threatened and carrying or seeing weapons in school. The chart was broken down into different grades, along with various ethnicities, and gender. (www.nces.ed.gov/crime2001/tables) Out of all the questions asked in the survey, the highest positive response to a question of illegal drugs on school property. An average of 30.2% of the children responded that they had been offered, sold or given illegal drugs at school. Leading the category was Hispanic males with 36.9% of them having engaged in some form of drug distribution or some one offering them drugs. The next question with a high response was if these children have ever engaged in a physical fight on school property. A total of 14.2% answered yes to the question. In the same category Hispanic ... ... help the students set goals and come to appreciate the relationship between responsible good behavior and achieving goals. In this program they will earn privileges for good attendance, work accomplishments and goal achievements. This program will be evaluated to determine if similar programs are to be set up in the future throughout the state. (www.msde.state.md.us/juvenilejustice alt.html) Although violence in the United States is a problem that needs a lot of attention, the amount of episodes is and hopefully will remain declining over the years. Teachers, parents and peers all have an impact on each and every child that goes through school systems. As long as they keep teaching violence prevention programs, the numbers will keep dropping. Although this problem will never fully go away, the percentage of violence in schools will be constantly dropping.

Wilkie Collins’ The Woman In White: 19th Century Victorian femininity e

Wilkie Collins’ The Woman In White: 19th Century Victorian femininity exposed through the accounts of multiple narrators Readers of nineteenth century British literature imagine typical Victorian women to be flighty, emotionally charged, and fully dependent on the men in their lives. One envisions a corseted woman who is a dutiful wife, pleasant entertainer, and always the model of etiquette. Wilkie Collins acknowledges this stereotype in his novel The Woman in White, but he contradicts this image by creating strong women in the characters of Marian Halcombe, and to a lesser extent, of Laura Fairlie. Collins also explores these powerful women in relation to marriage, and their loss of identity in becoming a wife, as exemplified by Madame Fosco. He reveals personal details about the women by employing a journal-style novel, one in which most characters have the ability to describe the action in their own words and thoughts. In this way, Collins can craft a mystery where both sexes are in a constant power struggle and the women are as well-equipped to be detectives as the men. The character of Laura Fairlie is an interesting one to explore; on one hand, she appears to be the embodiment of Victorian sentiment. Laura is emotional and considered very feminine by all narrators in the novel, and initially seems to be controlled by men because of the promise she makes to her father on his death-bed. Her consent to this loveless marriage with Sir Percival Glyde also proves her to be stronger than an average Victorian woman might be; she is a moral, respectable woman, whose conscience will not let her betray the promise to her father for an alternative escape. The reader first meets Laura through Walter Hartright’s eyes, and... ...ntellect with regard to detection and solving a mystery. In The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins employs a changing narrator that gives voice to powerful women and their struggle against the oppressions of marriage. With the characterizations of Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie, he dismisses the outmoded notions of Victorian womanhood, and places equal power between the men and women in his novel. Madame Fosco is representative of the passive Victorian woman, and her extreme change in character forces the reader to examine the negative aspects of marriage for these women more closely. With the distinct accounts of different authors, the reader is able to gain insights into these women and their motives for accepting or denying their gender roles in the novel. Works Cited Collins, Wilkie. The Woman In White. Oxford University Press, Inc: New York. 1996.

Deception Point Page 73

Corky leaned forward to look at her. â€Å"Please don't tell me your new theory is that NASA took a fossilized rock up in the space shuttle and sent it hurtling toward earth hoping nobody would notice the fireball, the massive crater, or the explosion?† Rachel had not thought of that, although it was an interesting premise. Not feasible, but interesting all the same. Her thoughts were actually closer to home. All natural atmospheric elements. Clean burn. Striations from racing through the air. A faint light had gone off in a distant corner of her mind. â€Å"The ratios of the atmospheric elements you saw,† she said. â€Å"Were they exactly the same ratios you see on every other meteorite with a fusion crust?† Corky seemed to hedge slightly at the question. â€Å"Why do you ask?† Rachel saw him hesitate and felt her pulse quicken. â€Å"The ratios were off, weren't they?† â€Å"There is a scientific explanation.† Rachel's heart was suddenly pounding. â€Å"Did you by any chance see an unusually high content of one element in particular?† Tolland and Corky exchanged startled looks. â€Å"Yes,† Corky said, â€Å"but-â€Å" â€Å"Was it ionized hydrogen?† The astrophysicist's eyes turned to saucers. â€Å"How could you possibly know that!† Tolland also looked utterly amazed. Rachel stared at them both. â€Å"Why didn't anyone mention this to me?† â€Å"Because there's a perfectly sound scientific explanation!† Corky declared. â€Å"I'm all ears,† Rachel said. â€Å"There was surplus ionized hydrogen,† Corky said, â€Å"because the meteorite passed through the atmosphere near the North Pole, where the earth's magnetic field causes an abnormally high concentration of hydrogen ions.† Rachel frowned. â€Å"Unfortunately, I have another explanation.† 87 The fourth floor of NASA headquarters was less impressive than the lobby-long sterile corridors with office doors equally spaced along the walls. The corridor was deserted. Laminated signs pointed in all directions. LANDSAT 7 TERRA ACRIMSAT JASON 1 AQUA PODS Gabrielle followed the signs for PODS. Winding her way down a series of long corridors and intersections, she came to a set of heavy steel doors. The stencil read: Polar Orbiting Density Scanner (PODS) Section Manager, Chris Harper The doors were locked, secured both by key card and a PIN pad access. Gabrielle put her ear to the cold metal door. For a moment, she thought she heard talking. Arguing. Maybe not. She wondered if she should just bang on the door until someone inside let her in. Unfortunately, her plan for dealing with Chris Harper required a bit more subtlety than banging on doors. She looked around for another entrance but saw none. A custodial alcove stood adjacent to the door, and Gabrielle stepped in, searching the dimly lit niche for a janitor's key ring or key card. Nothing. Just brooms and mops. Returning to the door, she put her ear to the metal again. This time she definitely heard voices. Getting louder. And footsteps. The latch engaged from inside. Gabrielle had no time to hide as the metal door burst open. She jumped to the side, plastering herself against the wall behind the door as a group of people hurried through, talking loudly. They sounded angry. â€Å"What the hell is Harper's problem? I thought he'd be on cloud nine!† â€Å"On a night like tonight,† another said as the group passed by, â€Å"he wants to be alone? He should be celebrating!† As the group moved away from Gabrielle, the heavy door started swinging closed on pneumatic hinges, revealing her location. She remained rigid as the men continued down the hall. Waiting as long as she possibly could, until the door was only inches from closing, Gabrielle lunged forward and caught the door handle with just inches to spare. She stood motionless as the men turned the corner down the hall, too engaged in their conversation to look back. Heart pounding, Gabrielle pulled open the door and stepped into the dimly lit area beyond. She quietly closed the door. The space was a wide open work area that reminded her of a college physics laboratory: computers, work islands, electronic gear. As her eyes became accustomed to the darkness, Gabrielle could see blueprints and sheets of calculations scattered around. The entire area was dark except for an office on the far side of the lab, where a light shone under the door. Gabrielle walked over quietly. The door was closed, but through the window she could see a man sitting at a computer. She recognized the man from the NASA press conference. The nameplate on the door read: Chris Harper Section Manager, PODS Having come this far, Gabrielle suddenly felt apprehensive, wondering if she could actually pull this off. She reminded herself how certain Sexton was that Chris Harper had lied. I would bet my campaign on it, Sexton had said. Apparently there were others who felt the same, others who were waiting for Gabrielle to uncover the truth so they could close in on NASA, attempting to gain even a tiny foothold after tonight's devastating developments. After the way Tench and the Herney administration had played Gabrielle this afternoon, she was eager to help. Gabrielle raised her hand to knock on the door but paused, Yolanda's voice running through her mind. If Chris Harper lied to the world about PODS, what makes you think he'll tell YOU the truth? Fear, Gabrielle told herself, having almost fallen victim to it herself today. She had a plan. It involved a tactic she'd seen the senator use on occasion to scare information out of political opponents. Gabrielle had absorbed a lot under Sexton's tutelage, and not all of it attractive or ethical. But tonight she needed every advantage. If she could persuade Chris Harper to admit he had lied-for whatever reason-Gabrielle would open a small door of opportunity for the senator's campaign. Beyond that, Sexton was a man who, if given an inch to maneuver, could wriggle his way out of almost any jam. Gabrielle's plan for dealing with Harper was something Sexton called â€Å"overshooting†-an interrogation technique invented by the early Roman authorities to coax confessions from criminals they suspected were lying. The method was deceptively simple: Assert the information you want confessed. Then allege something far worse. The object was to give the opponent a chance to choose the lesser of two evils-in this case, the truth. The trick was exuding confidence, something Gabrielle was not feeling at the moment. Taking a deep breath, Gabrielle ran through the script in her mind, and then knocked firmly on the office door. â€Å"I told you I'm busy!† Harper called out, his English accent familiar. She knocked again. Louder. â€Å"I told you I'm not interested in coming down!† This time she banged on the door with her fist. Chris Harper came over and yanked open the door. â€Å"Bloody hell, do you-† He stopped short, clearly surprised to see Gabrielle. â€Å"Dr. Harper,† she said, infusing her voice with intensity. â€Å"How did you get up here?† Gabrielle's face was stern. â€Å"Do you know who I am?† â€Å"Of course. Your boss has been slamming my project for months. How did you get in?† â€Å"Senator Sexton sent me.† Harper's eyes scanned the lab behind Gabrielle. â€Å"Where is your staff escort?† â€Å"That's not your concern. The senator has influential connections.† â€Å"In this building?† Harper looked dubious. â€Å"You've been dishonest, Dr. Harper. And I'm afraid the senator has called a special senatorial justice board to look into your lies.† A pall crossed Harper's face. â€Å"What are you talking about?†

Communication Theories Matrix Essay

Instructions: Complete the following matrix by filling in the box for each of the five communication theories with the following four items: the theory definition, the main principles of the theory, a real-world theory example, and an application of each theory to virtual communication. Theory definition Main principles of the theory Real-world theory example Application of each theory to virtual communication Social Exchange Theory Theory that attempts to explain human behavior in terms as behavioral psychology. The main principle of this theory is social relationships are the outcome of an exchange process with the purpose of maximizing the benefits and minimizing costs. An example of this theory is asking someone out on a date, but you dislike the fact that he/she lacks money or good looks, but he/she is caring and fun to hang out with the therefore you go because the benefits outweigh the cost. The rewards of virtual communication include freedom from the constraints of time and space but the costs is the possibility for misunderstanding when we are not able to see each other’s facial expressions or tone of voice. Systems Theory Systems theory is an open system of interdependent elements, employing input variables and process variables to yield output. The main principle is to receive input, process input and yield an output An example would be in a group you collectively develop a task from input and expect productivity as a output. Connection through the internet can alter patterns in many ways making the system more open. Symbolic Convergence Theory Theory of communication that explains how certain  types of communication shape a group’s identity and culture, which in turn influence other dynamics. Share group fantasies create symbolic convergence.  In a business symbolic convergence is used to determine what the customers like about the business and that allows the business to cater to the customer. In, virtual communication the possibilities for visual, verbal, or auditory communication can make new avenues for fantasy themes and group identity. Structuration Theory Theory that provides a general framework  and explains how people structure their groups by making active use of rules and resources. The main function of this theory is to focus attention on individuals’ behaviors in groups rather than on dynamics of groups. Basketball team is a example of structuration theory, because it has structure and rules that all members must follow. The coach is the leader and implements the rules for the team to follow. use of computers, e-mail,  and the internet as resources can expand the repertoire of structures available to group members. Functional Theory Communication in groups that functions to promote sound reasoning, prevent errors, and build relationships among all members. Focus on results and outcomes of group behaviors and structure. In a group where members use this theory to make decisions and to solve problems. Use of virtual group communication to enhance areas of group interaction by extending dialogue beyond a meeting room.